Other uses for ET

I know there have been suggestions that the external fuel tanks could
be as building blocks for space station etc. So the latest Hubble
mission got me thinking. Would it be possible to turn the external
fuel tank into a space telescope? With 8.4 meter diameter it could
house one heck of a mirror.

Of course it is too late now that Shuttle is about to be retired...

How would you get the mirror up and in there?
Brian

--
Brian Gaff....Note, this account does not accept Bcc: email.
graphics are great, but the blind can't hear them
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"aluode" wrote in message
...
I know there have been suggestions that the external fuel tanks could
be as building blocks for space station etc. So the latest Hubble
mission got me thinking. Would it be possible to turn the external
fuel tank into a space telescope? With 8.4 meter diameter it could
house one heck of a mirror.

Of course it is too late now that Shuttle is about to be retired...

"aluode" wrote in message
...
I know there have been suggestions that the external fuel tanks could
be as building blocks for space station etc. So the latest Hubble
mission got me thinking. Would it be possible to turn the external
fuel tank into a space telescope? With 8.4 meter diameter it could
house one heck of a mirror.

The popcorning SOFI would be a problem. Mirror contamination, or rather how
to avoid it, is a huge concern for a telescope.

And that's on top of "the usual" objections to trying to reuse an ET in LEO.

Jeff
--
"Take heart amid the deepening gloom
that your dog is finally getting enough cheese" - Deteriorata - National
Lampoon

"Brian Gaff" wrote:

How would you get the mirror up and in there?

Using the aft cargo cargo carrier proposed for carrying up the
heatshield for a Mars mission. Or use multiple, smaller, mirrors.

D.
--
Touch-twice life. Eat. Drink. Laugh.

http://derekl1963.livejournal.com/

-Resolved: To be more temperate in my postings.
Oct 5th, 2004 JDL

"Derek Lyons" wrote in message
...
"Brian Gaff" wrote:

How would you get the mirror up and in there?

Using the aft cargo cargo carrier proposed for carrying up the
heatshield for a Mars mission. Or use multiple, smaller, mirrors.

That gets the mirror up there. You still have to get it inside the tank and
hopefully open up one end of the thing to let light in your "telescope".

All in all, it's not worth it. ET's are going away and outfitting any upper
stage like this won't be easy. Just build and launch your telescope as a
payload and be done with it.

Jeff
--
"Take heart amid the deepening gloom
that your dog is finally getting enough cheese" - Deteriorata - National
Lampoon

"Jeff Findley" wrote:

"Derek Lyons" wrote in message
...
"Brian Gaff" wrote:

How would you get the mirror up and in there?

Using the aft cargo cargo carrier proposed for carrying up the
heatshield for a Mars mission. Or use multiple, smaller, mirrors.

That gets the mirror up there. You still have to get it inside the tank and
hopefully open up one end of the thing to let light in your "telescope".

I can think of several ways - but as you say, it's not worth it.

D.
--
Touch-twice life. Eat. Drink. Laugh.

http://derekl1963.livejournal.com/

-Resolved: To be more temperate in my postings.
Oct 5th, 2004 JDL

"aluode" wrote in message
...
I know there have been suggestions that the external fuel tanks could
be as building blocks for space station etc. So the latest Hubble
mission got me thinking. Would it be possible to turn the external
fuel tank into a space telescope? With 8.4 meter diameter it could
house one heck of a mirror.

Of course it is too late now that Shuttle is about to be retired...

Take the weight of all the ETs launced in the shuttles lifetime. just
the metal.

now take the cost per pound.to orbit

now how much has it cost in matyerials alone????????

Wonder if its a trillion bucks?