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From: mitchell@kvue.UUCP (Roger Mitchell)
Newsgroups: net.columbia
Subject: Re: re-used shuttle parts and re-inspection (and book recommendation)
Message-ID: <248@kvue.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 4-Feb-86 21:00:15 EST
Article-I.D.: kvue.248
Posted: Tue Feb  4 21:00:15 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 7-Feb-86 09:39:11 EST
References: <646@sfmin.UUCP> <122@ucdavis.UUCP>
Reply-To: mitchell@kvue.UUCP (Roger Mitchell)
Distribution: net
Organization: KVUE-TV, Austin, Tx.
Lines: 31

>> 2)  I know we recover the tanks after each mission, but are they re-used?
>> 	What is the history of the liquid fuel tank -
>> 		How many times was it used?
>> 		What is the inspection/recertification process?
>> 
>  I believe the External Tank is the one piece of the shuttle that
>is NOT re-used.  The extra expense of paint is one of the reasons
>the tanks are left reddish.  The tank seperates at a very high
>altitude, and burns up upon re-entry.

The SRB's (solid rocket boosters), of which the latest pictures and
speculation indicate were the cause of the tragedy, are re-used.  They
seperate after burning for two minutes and boosting the shuttle to an
altitute of 28 miles.  The external tank, on the other hand, continues
on with the orbiter until main engine cutoff ("MECO" in NASA language),
and is jettisoned 16 seconds after MECO.  It burns itself up over the
Indian Ocean during its re-entry.  Also, the reason for the red color?
The red (or rust) color is the natural color of the insulation needed to
keep the liquid hydrogen and oxygen cold.  By not painting the tanks, NASA
saves over 1000 lbs in launch weight (which can be applied to payloads,
additional personnel, etc.).

For those who (like me) have a deep fascination with the space program,
and in particular the shuttle program, I'd like to suggest the book
"Entering Space: An Astronaut's Odyssey" by Joseph P. Allen (former Mission
Specialist who flew aboard Columbia and Discovery).  It's not to technical,
and it has lots of great photos and first-hand commentary on space flight.
It is just the thing to help one through this rough time.

     Roger Mitchell
     KVUE-TV Austin, TX