4 ms·
Anyone remember the first few launches where the tanks were white, then they realised they could save a bunch of weight by not painting them?
by gadders 3y ago
Anyone remember the first few launches where the tanks were white, then they realised they could save a bunch of weight by not painting them?
- ajdoingnothing 3y agoYes! Win-win imho — the orange made it look much better along with the white SRBs, orbiter and a blue sky in the background.
- adolph 3y agoI had to look it up in case this was a Berenstein Bears/Shazam bad collective memory: The external tank's orange color is the color of the spray-on foam insulation. The first two tanks, used for STS-1 and STS-2, were painted white to protect the tanks from ultraviolet light during the extended time that the shuttle spent on the launch pad prior to launch. Because this did not turn out to be a problem, Martin Marietta (now part of Lockheed Martin) reduced weight by leaving the rust-colored spray-on insulation unpainted beginning with STS-3, saving approximately 272 kg (600 lb). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_external_tank https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_external_tank
- whycome 3y agoRarely mentioned, but I think the foam is polyisocyanurate. I think it changes to the rust colour due to exposure (it's typically light yellow). Anyone got more info? https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19890003374 https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19890003374
- gadders 3y agoI did hesitate slightly before posting, but I remember watching the countdown at junior school and the launch when I got home.
- marssaxman 3y agoI'll never forget them; watching those launches had a profound impact on the course of my life.