This isn't good. Have they considered how much damage a bird could do if it hit in a vulnerable spot on the airframe during launch?
Lets hope that if there is damage, it is noticed during the tile inspection and can be repaired with the onboard toolkits.
-A
Unless there are new pictures somewhere the I haven't seen yet, that bird splatted on the nose of the external fuel tank - Which doesn't have tiles and suchlike stuff, since it falls off and lands in the ocean before getting high enough to experience the heat of re-entry.
In other words: "They hit a bird on the way up. Big fat hairy deal."
-- Don Bruder - dakidd@sonic.net - New Email policy in effect as of Feb. 21, 2004. Short form: I'm trashing EVERY E-mail that doesn't contain a password in the subject unless it comes from a "whitelisted" (pre-approved by me) address. See for full details.
McDonnel-Douglas had "Chicken Cannon" that they used to fire chickens at windows to make sure they could withstand such an impact as a big bird. So this is a fairly common testing process.
You have to realize, tho, that the thickness of the fuel tanks and rockets, or should I say thinness, is necessary to reduce the weight down to the point where it will actually fly. They don't paint the tanks because that saves a lot of weight, hundreds of pounds.
So, as usual, life is a series of compromises. :-}
Just an FYI: re-entry heat is a result of *speed* not altitude, and the external tank is at orbital speed (17k mph?) and altitude *before* main engine cutoff. It *has* to be, the ET carries the fuel the main engines use to get to orbital speed. After MECO the orbiter actually does an OMS burn to head the ET down (toward the atmosphere), separates and then does an OMS maneuver to circularize it's own orbit. The ET does experience *some* re-entry heating, but it is so light compared to its surface area that it slows down pretty quick. It is 'thrown away' so it doesn't need 'tiles' to survive re-entry. It is the SRBs that 'fall off' at a lower altitude and speed and land in the ocean where they can be recovered and reused.
Ron
ElectronDepot website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.