Raptor05 wrote:
Who here thinks a safe return is still not guaranteed even if there is no
damage from the falling tile? Is the shuttle up to a safe re-entry even if
it is intact? I believe that should be the question instead.

Is NASA getting sidetracked and forgetting even if there is no damage after
liftoff that it still may not be up to the job?

The shuttle has never failed, or had a near fatal incident on the way
down, other than tile problems.
(there were nasty unexpected things that happened in the first 5 landings,
but those have been fixed)

Of course nothing is guaranteed.