Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cornell!uw-beaver!mit-eddie!rutgers!att!cbnewsl!sw
From: sw@cbnewsl.ATT.COM (Stuart Warmink)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: What if...
Summary: no tile kit from day one
Message-ID: <369@cbnewsl.ATT.COM>
Date: 31 Mar 89 22:34:12 GMT
References: <18730@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu> <29106@sri-unix.SRI.COM> <7786@pyr.gatech.EDU>
Organization: Interface Systems at AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 22

In article <7786@pyr.gatech.EDU>, ccoprmd@pyr.gatech.EDU (Matthew T. DeLuca) writes:
> As a matter of fact, the tile repair kit was carried from day one. [...]

The tile kit was not on board the first flight, and I'm not sure it was ever
carried on board at all. The problem with the first few flight was that there 
were only two crew members (they always have EVA in pairs for safety), and 
the space suits had not been flight-tested anyway.
Also, without the Canadarm or MMU, how would the astronauts reach the affected
area? Also, if the kit was carried on board, why has it never been used?
There have been plenty of flights with tile loss or damage, the recent 
Atlantis flight even had a missing tile in one of the hottest areas, just
behind the nose cone.

Also, the images of Columbia on that first flight were taken by an 
Air Force telescope in Hawaii, I believe. It would be quite an achievement
to point one satellite at another, but then again, what do I know
about SDI...   ;-)
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