I took a look at Robert's photo links:
http://www.habitablezone.com/columbia/Archive/KSC/Images.html
I first took a notice at this one taken during lift-off at the Florida Today site, same photo, I'm sure which Robert has as: KSC.03PD 01133.gif =there is a white, rectangular 'piece' noticeable at the top of the tank... towards the tip. The Florida Today photo shows the same thing. I looked at KSC.03PD.004 which was taken shortly after roll out and I didn't see anything resembling the whittish rectangular shape appearing in the liftoff photo. Not present during rollout as seen from the right side either: KSC.03PD.0074. I'm not sure if the 'ice' could have bonded with the surface coating and even insulation because it (shuttle) had 'sat' for so long. Of course, there have times when the shuttle has waited patiently before. My engineer husband thought about that too and wondered if there was a way to protect the tank... cover it, if you will during the 'winter' Florida months. Yes, could be time comsuming and expensive, but... Marcia
Space/Science » in reply to Re: A few thoughts
Re: A few thoughts