From: henry@spsystems.net   
      
   In article <41D4107D.4CF53E44@medianet.pl>,   
   Andrew Nowicki   wrote:   
   >...I believe   
   >that the best solution is regenerative cooling (plumbing   
   >circulating cold water) in the leading edges of the shuttle.   
   >There are probably structural pipes in the leading edges   
   >already...   
      
   No, there aren't.  Plumbing would have to be added.  Plus, there is the   
   problem that leading-edge damage is all too likely to break the plumbing   
   as well, especially if there's no water flow in it until something decides   
   that it's necessary.   
      
   Active cooling (which is the generic term for schemes that circulate fluid)   
   is a promising idea, but it works best if it's your primary system, relied   
   on for normal reentry rather than just as a fallback.   
   --   
   "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)