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IIRC the "tile repair kit" is basically a patch plate and a molly bolt, with some glue and foam and stuff. Just enough to get them back to earth... but I'm pretty sure it can only be used on a flat-surface hole. If they get hit on the wing edge like they did with Columbia, they're f**ked.
Reiterating what's been said here: launching space vehicles isn't easy. It's complicated physics coupled with complicated machinery. Don't you think, if they had a safer, better, and more economical way to do it, they'd be doing it? In order to lug up giant payloads, they needed a bird with a big hangar, and thus they could no longer just shove stuff on the tip of a rocket where it was safe from debris.
This thread makes me wanna go watch "The Right Stuff" again...
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