1. **State the problem:** We need to find the height of the NASA Space Shuttle's external tank. The height is calculated by adding 4 to the width and then multiplying by 8. The sum of the height and width is 52.3 meters. 2. **Define variables:** Let the width be $w$ meters. 3. **Express height in terms of width:** Height $h = 8(w + 4)$. 4. **Use the sum condition:** $h + w = 52.3$. 5. **Substitute height:** $8(w + 4) + w = 52.3$. 6. **Simplify the equation:** $8w + 32 + w = 52.3$ which gives $9w + 32 = 52.3$. 7. **Solve for width:** $9w = 52.3 - 32 = 20.3$ so $w = \frac{20.3}{9} \approx 2.2556$ meters. 8. **Find height:** $h = 8(w + 4) = 8(2.2556 + 4) = 8(6.2556) = 50.0448$ meters. 9. **Round the height:** $h \approx 50.04$ meters. **Final answer:** The height of the tank is approximately **50.04 meters**.