Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: How do they get it pointing up?
Message-ID: <1989Nov29.163701.1365@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <1989Nov23.165606.27671@utzoo.uucp> <117.UUL1.3#5131@mvac23.UUCP> <3731@orion.cf.uci.edu>
Date: Wed, 29 Nov 89 16:37:01 GMT

In article <3731@orion.cf.uci.edu> dkrause@orion.oac.uci.edu (Doug Krause) writes:
>> No, the tank is strong enough.  It has to be.  From assembly to launch,
>> the orbiter hangs on the side of the tank and the tank hangs between the
>> two SRBs.  Only the bases of the SRBs are supported.
>But what if the weight was concentrated on the base of the tank:
>Wouldn't that crumble the tank like a Coke can?

It might; I'm not sure.  Certainly the tank isn't designed to take that,
since it's not a situation that actually occurs.
-- 
That's not a joke, that's      |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
NASA.  -Nick Szabo             | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu