Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcsun!ukc!icdoc!syma!andy
From: andy@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Andy Clews)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Differences in appearance between shuttles
Message-ID: <3316@syma.sussex.ac.uk>
Date: 21 Aug 90 15:10:32 GMT
Organization: University of Sussex
Lines: 34

I am presently nearing completion (only taken me 3 years!) of a Revell
model Shuttle (the largest one) and I am trying to make mine as close in
appearance to Columbia as possible (although the kit is really for
Challenger).  I have lots of colour photos of the various orbiters and I
am struck by the differences in appearance - that is, the tiling colour
patterns, especially on the upper wing surfaces. 

Can anyone knowledgable comment on why they are so different?
Do tiling configurations vary between flights? I notice also that the
RCS nozzles appear to be red-oxide brown. Is this their normal colour?
I've painted mine gunmetal grey!

Also (a minor point, this) I notice that Atlantis and the former
Challenger have/had "USA" and the US Flag on the upper left wing, and "NASA"
and "Atlantis"/"Challenger" on the upper right wing, whereas Columbia
has just the US Flag on the upper left, and "USA" on the upper right
wings, as far as I can make out from the pictures available. Any reason
for not making them the same? I don't have any Discovery pictures to
hand so cannot check that.

Lastly, a query on the Apollo command module. Several photographs that I
have, show the Apollo CM in pre-flight status, as being a deep metallic
blue colour. A few in-space pictures seem to confirm this. Is it true
that they were blue? And why?

Thanks for any help. Replies via followup or email; I don't mind which.

Cheers



-- 
Andy Clews, Computing Service, Univ. of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QN, England
JANET: andy@syma.sussex.ac.uk   BITNET: andy%syma.sussex.ac.uk@uk.ac