ashby@uiucdcsp.CS.UIUC.EDU (10/07/85)
The primary reason they stopped painting the booster was to save money. I forget how much they saved. Secondary was the fact that the vehicle weighed less. I, too, think it would be nice to individualize each shuttle. Currently the only way to tell the difference is to read the name off the ship. However, I am not sure I would want the govt spending money just to make it look nicer. Of course, if some private group raised the money, that would be fine. Maybe NASA could even make some extra money by selling ad space on the orbiters. After all, cities are doing this with their bus fleets, and raising a lot of money. And their is some precedence for commercializing the shuttle. If you remember, a recent flight carried coke and pepsi aboard. The possibilities boggle the senses! The kids could then refer to the shuttles as (get ready): Pepsi Challenger Columbia Moviers Atlantis Braves New Coke Discovery Free Enterprise Any other ideas?
cem@intelca.UUCP (Chuck McManis) (10/10/85)
> > Maybe NASA could even make some extra money by selling ad space > on the orbiters. After all, cities are doing this with their > bus fleets, and raising a lot of money. And their is some > precedence for commercializing the shuttle. If you remember, > a recent flight carried coke and pepsi aboard. The possibilities > boggle the senses! > > Any other ideas? Sure, you could tie one of those banners like the ones biplanes tow around state fairs, on to the end of the shuttle. When it launched it would unfold to reveal the advertising slogan. Better yet embed little lights in all of the tiles and have running mosaic on the outside of the shuttle like the blimp. Gee the possibilities are endless. :-) :-) :-) :-| --Chuck -- - - - D I S C L A I M E R - - - {ihnp4,fortune}!dual\ All opinions expressed herein are my {qantel,idi}-> !intelca!cem own and not those of my employer, my {ucbvax,hao}!hplabs/ friends, or my avocado plant. :-}