ecn-pa:lebold (11/10/82)
Can someone explain to me why the external fuel tank has an orange color? I noticed this on STS-4 but the first three were white I thought. A person im my office said it was to save about 300# of white paint. Since the tank is made of aluminum(?) I can't figure out where the orange comes from. Thanks, Timothy Lange inuxc/ucbvax/harpo|pur-ee!ecn-pa.lebold Purdue University West Lafayette, IN
karn (11/11/82)
The external fuel tank is covered with insulation to protect the tank during ascent and to protect the cryogenic fuels. This insulation accounts for the color of the tank. On the first two missions, the insulation was painted white; all later tanks do away with the paint, saving weight. Phil Karn
hoyme@umn-cs.UUCP (06/06/83)
#R:eagle:-61400:umn-cs:3800001:000:152 umn-cs!hoyme Nov 16 18:30:00 1982 Actually, the insulation is present to prevent buildup of ice on the tank which could shake loose during take off and damage the heat resistant tiles.
hoyme@umn-cs.UUCP (06/06/83)
#R:ecn-pa:-62900:umn-cs:3800002:000:194 umn-cs!hoyme Nov 23 13:53:00 1982 It is the natural color of the insulation used to prevent ice building up on the tank before launch. Ice could damage the tiles during launch. Ken Hoyme University of Minnesota