Newsgroups: sci.space.policy,sci.space.history
From: henry@spsystems.net (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Existing Apollo CM as ISS lifeboat (WAS; Things that came up this 
	week on ISS)
Date: Sun, 28 Feb 1999 06:12:47 GMT

In article <q%2C2.1929$dE.35680@newsfeed.slurp.net>,
Patrick Patriarca <palerydr@citicom.com> wrote:
>Presuming for a moment an Apollo capsule type lifeboat is developed could
>not the "heat shield" be made of shuttle tiles or an upgrade so that the
>capsule could be re-used?

Shouldn't be any great problem.  ESA's ARD used an Apollo shape, but more
or less tile technology, and so did Japan's OREX.

For that matter, there's no reason you couldn't re-use an Apollo.  You'd
probably want to replace the heatshield (even though it was massively
overdesigned and would have been good for several reentries) just on
general principles, but it wasn't a big part of the hardware.  Getting all
the seawater out would be a bigger problem.  Serious consideration was
given to trying it, and one unmanned Gemini did fly twice, with the
heatshield replaced.
--
The good old days                   |  Henry Spencer   henry@spsystems.net
weren't.                            |      (aka henry@zoo.toronto.edu)