[steveegg]

Answer these questions, if you can:

• Once a shuttle enters the orbit that it did, can it still reach the International Space Station?
• If it can, how many Soyuz capsules are on there (if the answer is less than 4, who do you leave behind?)?
• If it can't, how long does it take to get a semi-warm shuttle launched (hint; Atlantis was due for a March 1 launch)?
• If that shuttle can be launched in time, how do you get at least 9 people into a shuttle that seats 7?
• Where are the replacement tiles supposed to be stored?
• How is the crew going to heat the adhesive to get these replacement tiles to stick?

I'm waiting....

[Bronco_Buster_FweetHyagh]

steveegg writes
"""Once a shuttle enters the orbit that it did, can it still reach the International Space Station?"""

I don't know the answer. I suppose it depends on how far into orbital descent the decision is made.

"""If it can, how many Soyuz capsules are on there (if the answer is less than 4, who do you leave behind?)?"""

Who cares? The space station has MONTHS worth of supplies. And it only has ONE capsule on it.

"""If it can't, how long does it take to get a semi-warm shuttle launched (hint; Atlantis was due for a March 1 launch)?"""

Who knows what Nasa could really do if it wanted to get it done? There are also numerous possible ways to get things into orbit, not just shuttles.

"""If that shuttle can be launched in time, how do you get at least 9 people into a shuttle that seats 7?"""

Um the point of bringing the new shuttle would be to repair the other shuttle. Or, just to bring a ton of supplies to the space station so people could stay up until more return trips could be arranged.

"""Where are the replacement tiles supposed to be stored?"""

In the cargo bay of the new shuttle.

"""How is the crew going to heat the adhesive to get these replacement tiles to stick?"""

Heating torches.

---

I think you are missing the point. NASA knew that the wing had been POTENTIALY damaged during launch. They didn't even bother to go outside the ship to go look at it? That's ridiculous.

[snopercod]

The Columbia was too heavy (being the first shuttle and structurally overbuilt) to reach the ISS, and did not have the docking equipment regardless.

God rest The Penguin.

[Stefan Stackhouse]

Answer these questions, if you can:

Once a shuttle enters the orbit that it did, can it still reach the International Space Station?

If it can, how many Soyuz capsules are on there (if the answer is less than 4, who do you leave behind?)?

If it can't, how long does it take to get a semi-warm shuttle launched (hint; Atlantis was due for a March 1 launch)?

If that shuttle can be launched in time, how do you get at least 9 people into a shuttle that seats 7?

Where are the replacement tiles supposed to be stored? How is the crew going to heat the adhesive to get these replacement tiles to stick?

I'm waiting....

The answer is that NASA tries to improvise, just like they did with Apollo 13. Maybe it will work, maybe not, but you don't give up without trying. Seven lives and a $2 billion spacecraft are too costly to give up without trying.