From: henry@spsystems.net   
      
   In article ,   
   Tommy   wrote:   
   >a better question is why didn't they make the shuttle out of titanium   
   >rather than aluminium.   
      
   NASA did in fact consider it, with the higher cost and greater weight of   
   titanium structure almost completely balanced out by the ability to relax   
   the requirements on the tiles a little.  The decision was ultimately made   
   on secondary issues, notably the US's limited titanium supply.   
      
   It would not have made any great difference to Columbia.  Titanium is not   
   *that* much better; the conditions in Columbia's wing were far beyond the   
   working limits of *any* reasonable structural metal.   
   --   
   "Think outside the box -- the box isn't our friend."    |   Henry Spencer   
                                   -- George Herbert       | henry@spsystems.net   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)