Colonization of Space

HI Ed!

>Contrast this with Shenzou. That heat shield is expendable,
>radially symmetric (many identical parts), and ablates while forming
>a ceramic on its leading edge during reentry. The exotic, space-age
>material used? Wood.

I don't think so.

Oak /has/ been used as an ablative shield on some earlier re-entry vehicles
built in China, but I can't find any references to its use on Shenzhou.

And - before people scoff at the application of natural materials in
spacecraft - I believe resin-impregnated wood formed part of the Apollo hatch.

On to Shuttle problems:

>What it boils down to is the area NASA would have focus on based
>upon your suggested database, is the fact that the shuttle has
>wings, which are all but useless except for the last few minutes of
>flight.

Oh yes. And half a tonne of brakes, useless until the last few seconds
/after/ a flight.

Imagine it! Nasa has sent /a thousand tonnes/ of wheels, wings and brakes
into LEO, when they are just not necessary. Ballistic is the way, with a
steerable parachute for spot landings.

>The second big problem area would be the engines. Although they
>are "reusable", the amount of testing and maintenance required
>between flights is enormous. Maintenance of a shuttle engine isn't
>like working on your old Chevy either, unless you have to take apart
>your entire car to check the oil. In the long run, it would be
>cheaper to simply make new engines for every launch.

An SSME is, what, 40 million US$? A /production line/ of SSME's, built in
bulk, and used en masse to reduce individual failure risks on a disposable
rocket makes so much more sense.

>"The problem with NASA is that they aren't killing enough
>astronauts" - Burt Rutan, 2001

Unpleasant but true.

Ground the shuttle. Pour all the money into a ballistic replacement. In the
meantime keep the knowledge base in Russia intact by buying in Soyuzes. :-|

Andy G