[snopercod]

There have been plans to mothball Columbia at least since 1986.

If you can imagine the shuttles stipped of the "brickyard look", they are just like an airliner underneath. The same laws of stress, strain and fatigue apply.

Airliners routinely experience tens of thousands of cycles more severe (structurally) than what a shuttle will ever experience normally.

There is absolutely no reason to think that any shuttle should be "mothballed" for structural reasons.

It's always budget reasons driving that response.

[DoughtyOne]

Thanks. I read an article on here somewhere today that addressed cracks in the shuttles. I'm afraid I don't remember the location either, but they were 0.10" to 0.30" in size. Perhaps this reporter was thinking he could lead into an area where the aging shuttle could be more suspect that initially thought. I don't know. Some of the blow-off responses were appropriate, but I thought this reporter might have been on to something.

As for stress, isn't re-entry more stress than most airliners experience, or did I misunderstand you?

[Amelia]

This may be a stupid question, but what does "STS" stand for?