You just can't buy entertainment like this!

Tracy, I can not tell you the temp of the external surface during ascent. It is dependent on many variables, not the least of which the material on the surface (different emmissivity rates, etc.). But I can tell you it ranges from damn hot to WOW, and even hotter (up to 3000 deg. F on the orbiter on entry, but the ET ain't that hot). It would take far too long to explain why all of that won't work here. Just take my word for it, its all been looked at MANY times.

I am a stress analyst (structural engineer) for the components on the ET (propulsion lines, cable trays, etc.). I do not do TPS (Thermal Protection System), but am exposed to TPS analysis daily. For the RTF (Return To Flight ) effort, I was team lead for the LO2 Feedline Bellows Ice Elimination team. The last 2.5 years have been hell, but it was worth staying alive for this thread!