Why did the space shuttle's external fuel tank look the way it did? Why that design? While we're on the subject, what's the history behind this design, was it planned to be that way, or were there other proposals?
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7$\begingroup$ The two most obvious visual traits of a banana are that it is curved and that it is yellow. I really don't see how the STS ET looks like a banana at all. $\endgroup$– Jörg W MittagCommented Sep 4, 2022 at 22:07
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1$\begingroup$ @JörgWMittag have you never seen a shuttle tank before?!?! the darn thing looks like a straightened out banana! $\endgroup$– Deko RevinioCommented Sep 4, 2022 at 22:36
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12$\begingroup$ The two most obvious visual traits of a banana are that it is curved and that it is yellow. The Space Transportation System External Tank is not curved (it is straight) and it is not yellow (the ETs of STS-1 and STS-2 were white, all others orange-ish). In other words, the STS ET has none of the traits that make a banana look like a banana, i.e. it only looks like a banana if you ignore everything that makes a banana look like a banana. By that same argument, it also looks like a horse. $\endgroup$– Jörg W MittagCommented Sep 4, 2022 at 22:43
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2$\begingroup$ is this not just a dupe of space.stackexchange.com/questions/2449/… or space.stackexchange.com/questions/12671/… $\endgroup$– Erin AnneCommented Sep 5, 2022 at 5:17
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2$\begingroup$ I so don't @DekoRevinio. $\endgroup$– GdDCommented Sep 6, 2022 at 18:54
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1 Answer
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The tank's color is that of its insulating foam. (STS-1's and STS-2's tanks were painted white to protect the foam. But the protection turned out not to be needed, so thereafter the paint was omitted to save a few hundred kg.)
Its shape is (as usual) a tradeoff between aerodynamic drag, mass, strength, heat transfer, and cost.
I'm unaware of alternative designs that were rejected.
answered Sep 4, 2022 at 19:44
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2$\begingroup$ You might want to add that STS-1's and STS-2's ETs were painted white in order to protect the foam from UV radiation. However, it was found that the foam didn't really need protecting and that the paint added hundreds of kilograms of useless excess weight, so it was left off starting with STS-3. $\endgroup$ Commented Sep 4, 2022 at 22:45
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3$\begingroup$ Or just look at this old q&a space.stackexchange.com/q/2449/6944 $\endgroup$ Commented Sep 4, 2022 at 23:47
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1$\begingroup$ more here: Why is the shuttle's external tank's metal skin painted the same dark color as the foam insulation? $\endgroup$– uhohCommented Sep 6, 2022 at 22:35