r/spacequestions

During ascent, STS-27 (Atlantis) sustained significant damage to its heat shield.

From my understanding the ascent damage on STS-27 (two flights after the Challenger Accident) was underestimated due to the encrypted nature of the mission.

Upon reentry and landing, the damage was discovered to be far more extensive than originally believed. A very similar situation to the incident that ended up destroying Columbia.

In the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, an audacious plan was presented that may have been committed to save Columbia (if her ascent damage had been properly investigated).

What would have been plan to save Atlantis on STS-27, if her ascent damage had been determined to significant for reentry?

When we sent out Voyager 1 (later Voyager 2) into space, we sent golden records with with them to let any living things that might find them so they would know where to look for us. What I am thinking about is "What if we send living samples into space like we did with Voyagers so nothing will stop them" I mean things like self sustaining tarrarium. IT only needs gravity (could be done with centrifuge), light (could be done with LED grow lights) and tempeture (this could be some heater), but I am still thinking about the power ( maybe some power from solar panels but after some distance it would not be enough. What do you think of all this?