Debris strikes Space Shuttle...

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by Donger

Yes, I know. My point was about having the crew vehicle above all the crap falling off, be it ice or foam.

The point is more that the re-entry surface was protected by being under the capsule and clad by the booster cylinder, as opposed to running the breadth of the shuttle out on the open. But that seems to be the price of a reusable re-entry vehicle with a payload capacity of the shuttle.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

The point is more that the re-entry surface was protected by being under the capsule and clad by the booster cylinder, as opposed to running the breadth of the shuttle out on the open. But that seems to be the price of a reusable re-entry vehicle with a payload capacity of the shuttle.

The main reason for justifying the re-use of the shuttle was to reduce costs. I don't believe that that reduction has been anywhere near predicted. It was something like $150 per pound of payload.