How stupid is NASA?

Question

Why not make a sports bra for the shuttle, It would be a fitted kevlar cover that would protect the tiles on the way up, then released from the shuttle, and retrieved, and reused. What do you think of this Idea?

Answer 1

I think stupid and NASA in the same sentence is like army intelligence, it's pushing the envelope of what we'll believe. Ya gotta think, each tile is put on by hand when the shuttle is assembled and each time it comes back they inspect the tiles to see which ones have to be replaced. If the oil from your hand gets on one, it destroys the effectiveness of that tile. A problem we're seeing is lack of funding with NASA. My father along with many others worry about their jobs being cut due to federal spending cuts. Since the Challenger accident, they've had one mistake after another it seems, but realize there's many different NASA facilities. Most of the shuttle's daily maintaince and checkup work is done out of Florida from what I understand. Some of the problems are weather related and I have to ask who thinks to launch a vehicle on a cold night if you know that the cold will affect the other pieces of the shuttle? Regardless, once that shuttle leaves the tower, communication transfers to Houston, and Florida's job is over and it's easy to turn to Houston and point fingers at them when they didn't do anything related to shuttle maintaince. But with Ring's breaking, sealant problems, tiles falling off...I think a lot of the mistakes we're also seeing is the age of the shuttles themselves. They are like 20 years old or more. I can remember nothing else in my lifetime and I'm 32. So that's a pretty old craft. They really need to find an alternative and get moving with it and retire the shuttle program. Either new shuttles need to be made to replace the old aging ones or a new solution needs to be found. From what I understand they have minimized flights for their shuttles to help finish the Space Station and then decommission them? That's what I've heard anyways I was in Vegas at the time (I'm living back in the Houston area again). But with two tragedies under their belts, things aren't looking good for the shuttle project to keep going for much longer. But don't blame everyone at NASA, it's not all their faults, sure some of it could be a little too much micromanaging, but don't forget this goverment was more interested in oil and war profits than the shuttle and space program...

Edit: Wow pessemist, you know a lot about those tiles, I'm really impressed! :)

Answer 2

I suspect a problem would be that anything draped over the outside of the airframe is subject to rather severe aerodynamic buffetting while passing through the atmosphere. More than likely this would result in the "bra" tearing off and potentially damaging other things on the way down.

When Skylab was launched in the 1970s a panel popped off too early with the result that a large patch of insulation was stripped away by the passage of the spacecraft through the atmosphere.

Don't forget that the Space Shuttle actually throttles down its main engines for about 30s (just guessing at the time here) around 1 minute into a flight to reduce the aerodynamic load on the whole structure.

Answer 3

Let's forget about the aerodynamic question of such a design and concentrate on its protective value.

The tiles are very fragile. They are made of a light weight and consist mostly of amorphous silica fibers (from sand).

In the pure form they are very fragile and through a variety of additives and polymer coatings they are made tough enough for space shuttle use.

If some form of heigh strength fabric were placed over the shuttle the fabric itself would not be firmly attached and would in all probability slap areas of the tile and cause much more extensive damage then falling foam would.

Additionally, impacting ice and chunks of foam would not need to penetrate the 'space bra' fabric to damage the underlying tiles. A concentrated blow to the fabric would easily trasmit through to the tiles. (Ever been punched with a coat on? Still hurts). Lastly, the fabric would add several tons of weight to the shuttle at launch renderig it impractical. NASA at one point left the external tanks unpainted to shave about 600 pounds of weight from the orbitor.

Answer 4

That would not solve the problem of ice build up, but your idea has merit, the Kevlar shield would protect the hull from ice damage. I can't imagine how they would devise a release mechanism, though.

Answer 5

I am reluctantly answering, but I suspect you are just having some stupid joke.

Anyway, the point is : what protects the shuttle from the cover flying off?

Answer 6

It's an interesting idea. They might have thought of a shroud of some type. It's doubtful if it would protect it from ice impacts at 5 Gs.

Answer 7

i wouldn't start as using "stupid", but a good question none the less. i am sure the idea has been thought of, but if not, then i see your point, and if it hasn't been thought of, and it later is found that it would work...
then i am a witness to you having the idea at this time of record. you may give me a reasonable share of the money you will receive.

Answer 8

I think we found somebody stupider than NASA.
Or is it more stupid.
I don't know.
Damn, maybe we found 2 such people!

Answer 9

weight and aerodynamic ..
need i say more