[geeks] Crap! Not again...

[Geoff Reed]

At 12:59 PM 2/1/03 -0800, you wrote:
>--- Geoff Reed <geoffr at zipcon.net> wrote:
>
> >   The current shuttles are all > 20 years old and have seen a lot of
> > usage, they need to build new ones, using updated technology....
>
>They were designed for 100 missions, this one was only up to #28, and
>it is (essentially) rebuilt after every 4-5 missions, as I understand
>it (from recent CNN blather)...

they may have been designed for 100 missions, but they have found cracks in 
fuel lines, and stress fractures/cracks in other parts of the shuttle 
(minor structural parts) and replaced them, I'd suspect that although they 
were designed for 100 missions if any of them are in that good of shape 
anymore :(