2. Tin Can Uses - What can you use a 33 ton, 150 feet long, 27.5 feet diameter, pressure tested, aerospace grade, aluminium can for? 3. ET as a Fuels Resource - The use of residual cryogenics available in the ET. What value is a rocket engine that burns powdered aluminium? Can you make the ET itself into reaction mass for OTVs? 4. Structures - What can you do with a structure that carries all the loads imposed by two Solid Rocket Boosters plus an Orbiter and carries over 1.5 million pounds of cryogenics at liftoff? 5. Tethers - How can a tether be used in concert with an ET to expand capabilities in space? 6. Miscellaneous - What science can you do with a very large bottle for biology? What advantage can be taken of a potential payload diameter of 27.5 feet? The capabilities provided by the ET that are not available elsewhere include large relatively inexpensive masses of aluminium (in excess of 53,000 pounds per tank (56)) in earth orbit, large factory tested pressure vessels, large diameter payload capabilities with small enhancements of the ET, and large enclosed volumes ready for use in orbital storage until needed. The ramifications that tank utilization can have on the space program in the future are significant. At one stroke, the program changes from one based on limits imposed by high launch costs and relatively small launch and orbital volumes to a program which has started to make use of resources found in space. In this context, the ET is a space based resource which is available for use at at very low cost. This resource can be adapted to a variety of specialized uses depending on the needs and imagination of the user. This resource is also something that has finely detailed engineering drawings available to the general public and is constructed out of Aerospace/MILSPEC grade materials (20). This is clearly a very attractive resource. VI. Problems and Solutions At the present time, there are several obstacles to the proposed use of the ET in orbit. The most significant problems are orbital lifetime (Skylab syndrome), and potential contamination (foam outgassing). The Skylab syndrome, which is tied to the orbital lifetime of the tank, is driven by the desire not to drop large massive objects in the earth in an uncontrolled
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