Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

launch/reentry are of course huge stressors, but IIRC just being docked subjects a spacecraft to a larger temperature range than you might expect. From NASA:

> Without thermal controls, the temperature of the orbiting Space Station's Sun-facing side would soar to 250 degrees F (121 C), while thermometers on the dark side would plunge to minus 250 degrees F (-157 C).

That's a lot of thermal expansion/contraction, every 90 minutes. I'm not sure if that actually adds up to being equivalent to the much larger # of launches/reentries that discovery underwent, but it's _something_.



Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: