Rusty Barton wrote:

On Mon, 07 Jul 2003 18:41:56 -0600, OM
om@our_blessed_lady_mary_of_the_holy_NASA_researc h_facility.org
wrote:

...From CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/0....ap/index.html

...Tom Wheeler take note: Now *that* is a hole.

OM

When the foam problem is solved, there still might be a question of
bird strikes.

If a 1.5-lb piece of foam going 500-mph does this kind of damage, what
would a 3-lb to 7-lb bird struck at 200-mph or 300-mph do? KSC is a
wildlife refuge. They've never hit one yet, but there's always a first
time.

At what altitude does the shuttle reach these speeds?

At what maximum altitude do most birds fly?

And, falling debris is conscious of nothing. I suspect birds will
actively tend to avoid the, ah, modest disturbance that a shuttle launch
generates.