To: Dan Day
88 "One thing I don't get -- if the most heat-critical parts of the shuttle (the nose, and the leading edges of the wings) are covered with a tough carbon composite material and not tiles, why not cover *all* of the heat-critical areas with the composite?"
They would like for it to get off the ground, and glide a bit. Even as it is, it has the glide angle of sort of aerodynamic rock.
91 posted on
02/01/2003 7:58:08 PM PST by
XBob
To: XBob
They would like for it to get off the ground, and glide a bit. Even as it is, it has the glide angle of sort of aerodynamic rock. Please be more specific. What are you saying -- that the composite material is a lot heavier than the tile, per square foot covered?
96 posted on
02/01/2003 8:05:58 PM PST by
Dan Day
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