From: fmccall@earthlink.net   
      
   Earl Colby Pottinger  wrote:   
      
   :Andrew Nowicki  :   
   :   
   :> Damon Hill wrote:   
   :   
   :> > The SSME is the most obvious example...   
   :   
   :> The space shuttle main engine is the   
   :> most obvious example of the engine that   
   :> is salvageable rather that reusable.   
   :   
   :It is my understanding that was the case at first, all the early shuttle   
   :flights had the engine overhauled after each flight.  But this allowed them   
   :to see how much wear a flight caused resulting in more than one flight being   
   :added between overhauls.  I believe the shuttles now fly four times between   
   :overhauls now and may extend further if key parts are replaced with better   
   :materials.   
      
   They also spent a lot of money in the '90s to improve the reliability   
   of the main engines.   
      
   --   
   "Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute."   
                              -- Charles Pinckney   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)