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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Topper" data-source="post: 122100" data-attributes="member: 186250">Well I am no rocket scientist but as I understand things:- The faster the shuttle/tank goes the more it heats up and hence the more it expands. In much the same way that Concorde was 2 foot longer flying at a speed of mach2. The coefficient of expansion of steel is going to be a lot greater than insulating foam. Hence cracks in the foam and bits falling off, which do not in themselves pose a problem for the tank as that is always repaired before being reused, just if one of the falling bits hits the shuttle underbody.I honestly think the shuttle has got minimal life left but there is not a lot on the drawing board to replace it.</blockquote>