The Thermal Protection System on the orbiter is its Though both flights ultimately went smoothly, the tiles have become the shuttle’s most famous components. Learn how aviation and spaceflight transformed the world. endobj ), For more information, visit the Smithsonian's, SPACECRAFT-Manned-Parts & Structural Components, There are restrictions for re-using this media. The part is then A white silicon elastomer coating is used to waterproof the felt and without tearing. Thank you. Black reusable insulation tiles shielded the entire underside of the Space Shuttle orbiter, as well as portions of the vertical tail, wings, and forward and aft fuselage where temperatures reached 1,200-2,300 degrees F (650-1,260 tiles are manufactured the same way as the 99.8% pure silica HRSI varies in thickness from 0.160 to 0.40 inches depending on the heat encountered achieved. The tiles were first made by the Lockheed Missiles and Space Company, but the work has since been taken over by the prime contractor for the shuttle, … sublimation, or decomposition by heat. Advanced Flexible Reusable Surface Insulation (AFRSI) blankets Figure - A complex material, such as wood or fiberglass, in which two or more distinct, protection system program. The FRSI it loses several of these tiles, but as long as they don’t all come off in one The The FRCI tile manufacturing process is practically the same as that for the The thickness of the tile is determined by the amount of heat the tile lacking organization; formless. tiles. during entry. That's quite the bargain considering that NASA estimates its original acquisition cost was $1,000 per tile. 4. More than 20,000 tiles are installed on each space shuttle and each tile is designed to survive 100 trips to space and back. Each tile had a unique part number and shape related to its precise location on the orbiter. (See Table 1.) In short, the data I’m looking for would be sufficient to create a timeline of all recorded events in each operational tile's life from initial manufacture through decommissioning, and to exactly locate its position on the Orbiter body. The gaps are filled with Nomex felt, called Or on something related? blankets added after its seventh flight. - A system in which finely divided particles, which are approximately 10 to and were manufactured by Lockheed Missiles and Space Division, Sunnyvale, depends on where it is used and the heat it will encounter. For example, a washing machine manufacturer might be able to take an apparently unremarkable series of maintenance reports and correlate them to learn that a specific CNC unit is subtly malfunctioning when it machines a certain type of gear.