External Tanks in Orbit This page is devoted to the concept that the Space Shuttle's External Tank is a valuable resource which can be used for a variety of on-orbit purposes, if only its orbit was circularized after separation from the Shuttle during launch.

Recent Info Gene Meyer's Space Island Group Apollo 8 to Mars Technical Data on the ET's Insulation 1999 news release on insulation testing The Insulation (SOFI) Problem Dave Hunt's Evaluation of the External Tank Summer 2002 - On the Cover of Air and Space Magazine! Spring '02 Newsgroup Discussion Buzz Aldrin, Cyclers, and External Tanks Space Frontier ET Web Site goes live! David Dietzler's Creative ET Ship Designs Space Islands to Get Senate Hearings A Room with a View (Wired article) New Space Island Group Web Page Space Island News Release August 1999 Newsgroup Discussion Use of External Tanks in "Red Mars" A Great Site to See Another Analysis of ET Stations (Original) 2nd BBC article on Ring Station Hotel David Brin's ET Short Story About Ariane 5's Big Tank Photos The Full External Tank Gallery ETs Lined Up and Ready Artist's Conception of a Ring Station How Big IS an ET?

June 2001 - before Congress

Buzz Aldrin then spoke up. "The committee should consider - increasing ISS personnel without relying on the Russians." One possible solutions could be a "long duration [Shuttle] orbiter. [Former Skylab astronaut] Owen Garriott has done work on this as has United Space Alliance." As for how to pay for this Aldrin said "More than $4 billion in SLI funds [are available] that could be used in a way to enhance our launch capability. Skylab gave us a good idea on how to use large volumes. Perhaps a Shuttle External Tank could be used to increase the size." He added that options to augment ISS capabilities without the Russians could also include development of a heavy lift launch vehicle.

From Keith Cowing's writeup

Full Topic Listing

• Golden Asteroid - Refined Mass in Orbit
• Abstracts of External Tank Technical Reports
• Technical Challenges and How to Address Them
• Neat Things to do with External Tanks
• Outfitting an External Tank in Orbit
• Popularizing ETs - Interview with Gene Myers
• External Tank Construction Process
• Buzz Aldrin wants ETs in Orbit!
• Our Field of Dreams
• David Brin's Tank Farm Dynamo
• Joe Carroll's May '83 Write-up
• Incremental ET Station Development '83
• Rob Price's 1985/89 ET Paper
• August 1999 Newsgroup Discussion
• March 1999 Newsgroup Discussion
• March 1999 Yahoo Chat Discussion
• The Dec '98 ET Debate on Usenet
• The May '98 ET Debate on Usenet
• Patrick Patriarca's Collection of a 1994 ET Debate
• About Ariane 5's Big Tank
• An ET Short Story by Thomas Moore
• Thomas Moore's ET Site
• 1st BBC article on Ring Station Hotel
• 2nd BBC article on Ring Station Hotel
• 1999 Nasa Authorization Bill Included ETs
• Biosphere Links

Other External Tank Sites of Interest

• External Tank - Top Links on the Space Technology Listings
• Tomas Svoboda's Perun Paper from the late 1970's
• Aeromaster's ET-in-Orbit Site!
• Buzz Aldrin's Star Booster #1
• Buzz Aldrin's Star Booster #2
• Gene Meyers' March '98 Montreal Speech
• US Dept of Commerce Says YES!
• Collecting and Using the Shuttle's Throwaway External Tank
• Cool Illustrations from the High Frontier (SSI)
• STS-80 Gets Asked the Question
• STS-80 Gets Askes the Question AGAIN!
• Space Islands
• External Tank Separation Photo Collection
• External Tank Info (Nasa - Marshall)
• More External Tank Info (LMCO)
• Still More External Tank Info (Nasa - KSC)

Major ET Enthusiasts:

• Buzz Aldrin - Second Man on the Moon, American Hero
• David Brin - brin@cts.com - Science Fiction writer and futurist
• Tom Abbott - tabbott@intellex.com - Defender of the Faith on the Newsgroups
• Gene Meyers - author of the book ET Solutions and ET Marketing Guy
• Mark Holderman, Nasa Johnson - Author of the ET GEODES concept
• Ronald D. Jones, Phillips Petroleum Co., Robotics Group, Bartlesville
• T. B. Mobley, (was at Martin Marietta Aerospace)
• Phil Fraering
• Mark Prado - author of another ET Web Site
• John P. Kavanagh / Stellar Link Online
• Joseph J. Strout at UC San Diego
• Thomas Moore keeps the faith
• Dave R. Hunt - researching the idea