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remember, though, the epoxy used to bond the tiles normally is used at room temperature, then maybe heated under lights to bond it. Then a vaccuum bag is put over the time, vaccuum applied to getout all voids (air pockets), and that would be almost impossible to do in space on the vehicle itself. The vaccuum of space might allow it's use, but the extreme cold will cause the epoxy to freeze before bonding, probably.

There might be an epoxy that can be spread in a caulking gun type device, but it would be freezing as soon as it touched the tile surface, not bonding. Re-entry would burn it off, not cure it I imagine.

It might be possible to make a patch with epoxy impregnated in it, to lay over the tile, like a clothes patch, then have a heat gun in the astronauts hand radiate on the patch, but this would be a LONG spacewalk, and a lot of material to carry with you to the walk.

Thanks for the info. The need to go through all that would seem to argue -- as a lot of things do -- for a redesign of the shuttle vehicle, wouldn't it? I'm sure engineering advances and breakthroughs since the original fleet was built could make for a safer and better shuttle. I hope the tragedy results in just such an outcome, and my faith in American ingenuity suggests that would be the case.