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Path: utzoo!watmath!watnot!watcgl!sahayman
From: sahayman@watcgl.UUCP (Steve Hayman)
Newsgroups: net.columbia
Subject: Why not paint the shuttles in individual colour schemes?
Message-ID: <2603@watcgl.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 4-Oct-85 02:02:27 EDT
Article-I.D.: watcgl.2603
Posted: Fri Oct  4 02:02:27 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 4-Oct-85 06:55:59 EDT
Reply-To: sahayman@watcgl.UUCP (Steve Hayman)
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 26


It occurred to me while watching the maiden launch of Atlantis that
most shuttle launches look very similar.  Why not paint each shuttle
in some sort of a distinctive scheme that you could spot from a
long distance?

Atlantis, for instance, could be done in some sort of scheme suggesting
waves, maybe by adding blue stripes or something.  Maybe there could
be a big contest to choose an appropriate design for each shuttle.

Of course there may be technical reasons why the entire body of the
shuttle could not be coloured, but even painting some stripes or some
sort of logo on the tail would be a public relations boost.  Small boys
(and girls) enjoy spotting the differences between railroad
locomotives, airplanes and cars.  Why not space vehicles too?
Distinctive paint schemes would remove some of the sameness of every
launch.

NASA is welcome to use this idea if they give me a ride.  Or if they
name the next orbiter "Steve".  I think a fleet of Enterprise,
Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Steve has a nice ring to it.


Steve Hayman
University of Waterloo
watmath!watcgl!sahayman