After the hail damage to space shuttle Atlantis’ upper external-tank insulation foam while it sat on the pad, NASA have been patching it up back at the vehicle assembly building.
Now, I’m wondering whether the future crew launch vehicle is going to have similar issues.. While the Aries 1 is an in-line stack with it’s manned modules at the top (safe from falling foam), It still appears to use the same ‘ET’ type insulation on its upper cryogenic stage as the shuttle. I wonder whether hail damage to this area would require a roll back to the VAB?
I’ve also been looking for some information on how the CEV module shroud is protected while on the pad but I haven’t found anything yet.
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