mmm@cup.portal.com (Mark Robert Thorson) (05/06/89)
How many times can the external tank be cycled down to cryogenic temperatures, then brought back up, such as occurred during the first attempt to launch the Atlantis? It seems to me that a fiberglass tank designed for one-shot use would not be able to withstand too many cycles.
henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) (05/07/89)
In article <18007@cup.portal.com> mmm@cup.portal.com (Mark Robert Thorson) writes: >It seems to me that a fiberglass tank designed for one-shot use would >not be able to withstand too many cycles. The shuttle External Tank is metal, although it has composite insulation sprayed on it. -- Mars in 1980s: USSR, 2 tries, | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology 2 failures; USA, 0 tries. | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu