QUESTION:
Could an orbiter be left in orbit (assuming the crew could get home some other way) turned off, then restarted months or years later?

ANSWER from Glenn Davis on May 15, 1998:
To answer your question straight away, the answer would be no. If the orbiter was just abandoned in place all the fluids on board would freeze or boil because of the extreme cold and heat. The temperature on the sun side of the orbiter is around 250 degrees above zero and the temperature on the shade side or the side away from the sun is about 250 degrees below zero. There is water, hypergolics, liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen and hydraulics on board.

The fuel cells could be restarted and the orbiter brought back to life if all the fluid lines did not brake. All one would need is a battery to activate the switches to start the fuel cells.