The article deals with random vibrations of the space shuttle weather
protection systems. The excitation model represents a fit to the measu
red experimental data. The cross-spectral density is given as a convex
combination of three exponential functions. It is shown that for the
type of loading considered, the Bernoulli-Euler theory cannot be used
as a simplified approach, and the structure will be more properly mode
led as a Timoshenko beam. Use of the simple Bernoulli-Euler theory may
result in an error of about 50% in determining the mean-square value
of the bending moment in the weather protection system. (C) 1995 John
Wiley & Sons, Inc.