Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: space news from Aug 15 AW&ST
Message-ID: <1988Sep22.162429.13334@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <1988Sep12.032459.25617@utzoo.uucp> <972@netxcom.UUCP> <1988Sep17.222225.9422@utzoo.uucp> <6768@ihlpl.ATT.COM>
Date: Thu, 22 Sep 88 16:24:29 GMT

In article <6768@ihlpl.ATT.COM> knudsen@ihlpl.ATT.COM (Knudsen) writes:
>Is an ET much of a threat if it re-enters at an unpredictable
>time?  Are there any massive solid parts of it that would
>reach the ground in one piece at high velocity, like the Skylab's
>telescope mount?  Overall the ET is pretty flimsy.

Skylab's biggest problem was its film safe, actually.  There's nothing
particularly massive on the ET, since it's built to be thrown away; I
would think probably the biggest single lumps are the attachment struts,
which have to be strong.  However, there's just plain a *lot* of metal
there, even if it's mostly fairly thin tank walls.  And NASA is paranoid
about the whole issue.
-- 
NASA is into artificial        |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
stupidity.  - Jerry Pournelle  | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu