Reusable Thermal Barrier for Insulation Gaps

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saladee, C. E.

1985-01-01

Filler composed of resilient, heat-resistant materials. Thermal barrier nestles snugly in gap between two tiles with minimal protrusion beyond faces of surrounding tiles. When removed from gap, barrier springs back to nearly original shape. Developed for filling spaces between tiles on Space Shuttle, also used in furnaces and kilns.

KSC-03PD-1064

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, United Space Alliance employee Mike Cote installs Thermal Protection System tiles on a test panel. The test panel and sections of Space Shuttle orbiter Enterprise (OV-101) will be transferred to the Southwest Research Institute for testing after the tile installation is complete. The testing has been requested by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board. Sections of Enterprise were borrowed from the Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum where the orbiter is being stored at the Washington Dulles International Airport. Enterprise was the first orbiter built in the Shuttle fleet and was used to conduct the Approach and Landing Test Program before the first powered Shuttle flight.

KSC-03PD-1079

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, United Space Alliance employee Harrell Watts (right) installs Thermal Protection System tiles on a main landing gear door of Space Shuttle orbiter Enterprise (OV-101). Sections of Enterprise were borrowed from the Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum where the orbiter is being stored at the Washington Dulles International Airport. Enterprise was the first orbiter built in the Shuttle fleet and was used to conduct the Approach and Landing Test Program before the first powered Shuttle flight. After the tile installation is complete, the sections will be transferred to the Southwest Research Institute for testing requested by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.

KSC-2011-1477

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-02-17

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a thermal protection system technician places a heat shield tile into position under space shuttle Atlantis. The tiles are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protection System that protects the shuttle against temperatures as high as 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which are produced during descent for landing. Atlantis is being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will carry the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. STS-135 is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last flight for the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

Computerized Machine for Cutting Space Shuttle Thermal Tiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramirez, Luis E.; Reuter, Lisa A.

2009-01-01

A report presents the concept of a machine aboard the space shuttle that would cut oversized thermal-tile blanks to precise sizes and shapes needed to replace tiles that were damaged or lost during ascent to orbit. The machine would include a computer-controlled jigsaw enclosed in a clear acrylic shell that would prevent escape of cutting debris. A vacuum motor would collect the debris into a reservoir and would hold a tile blank securely in place. A database stored in the computer would contain the unique shape and dimensions of every tile. Once a broken or missing tile was identified, its identification number would be entered into the computer, wherein the cutting pattern associated with that number would be retrieved from the database. A tile blank would be locked into a crib in the machine, the shell would be closed (proximity sensors would prevent activation of the machine while the shell was open), and a "cut" command would be sent from the computer. A blade would be moved around the crib like a plotter, cutting the tile to the required size and shape. Once the tile was cut, an astronaut would take a space walk for installation.

Behnken during EVA 4 - Expedition 16 / STS-13 Joint Operations

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-03-21

S123-E-007816 (21 March 2008) --- Astronaut Robert L. Behnken, STS-123 mission specialist, participates in the mission's fourth scheduled session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. During the 6-hour, 24-minute spacewalk, Behnken and astronaut Mike Foreman (out of frame), mission specialist, replaced a failed Remote Power Control Module -- essentially a circuit breaker -- on the station's truss. The spacewalkers also tested a repair method for damaged heat resistant tiles on the space shuttle. This technique used a caulk-gun-like tool named the Tile Repair Ablator Dispenser to dispense a material called Shuttle Tile Ablator-54 into purposely damaged heat shield tiles. The sample tiles will be returned to Earth to undergo extensive testing on the ground.

Foreman during Expedition 16 / STS-123 EVA 4

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-03-21

ISS016-E-033394 (21 March 2008) --- Astronaut Mike Foreman, STS-123 mission specialist, participates in the mission's fourth scheduled session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. During the 6-hour, 24-minute spacewalk, Foreman and astronaut Robert L. Behnken (out of frame), mission specialist, replaced a failed Remote Power Control Module -- essentially a circuit breaker -- on the station's truss. The spacewalkers also tested a repair method for damaged heat resistant tiles on the space shuttle. This technique used a caulk-gun-like tool named the Tile Repair Ablator Dispenser to dispense a material called Shuttle Tile Ablator-54 into purposely damaged heat shield tiles. The sample tiles will be returned to Earth to undergo extensive testing on the ground.

Foreman during EVA 4 - Expedition 16 / STS-13 Joint Operations

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-03-21

S123-E-007832 (21 March 2008) --- Astronaut Mike Foreman, STS-123 mission specialist, participates in the mission's fourth scheduled session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. During the 6-hour, 24-minute spacewalk, Foreman and astronaut Robert L. Behnken (out of frame), mission specialist, replaced a failed Remote Power Control Module -- essentially a circuit breaker -- on the station's truss. The spacewalkers also tested a repair method for damaged heat resistant tiles on the space shuttle. This technique used a caulk-gun-like tool named the Tile Repair Ablator Dispenser to dispense a material called Shuttle Tile Ablator-54 into purposely damaged heat shield tiles. The sample tiles will be returned to Earth to undergo extensive testing on the ground.

Behnken during EVA 4 - Expedition 16 / STS-13 Joint Operations

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-03-21

S123-E-007907 (21 March 2008) --- Astronaut Robert L. Behnken, STS-123 mission specialist, participates in the mission's fourth scheduled session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. During the 6-hour, 24-minute spacewalk, Behnken and astronaut Mike Foreman (out of frame), mission specialist, replaced a failed Remote Power Control Module -- essentially a circuit breaker -- on the station's truss. The spacewalkers also tested a repair method for damaged heat resistant tiles on the space shuttle. This technique used a caulk-gun-like tool named the Tile Repair Ablator Dispenser to dispense a material called Shuttle Tile Ablator-54 into purposely damaged heat shield tiles. The sample tiles will be returned to Earth to undergo extensive testing on the ground.

Behnken and Foreman during EVA 4 - Expedition 16 / STS-13 Joint Operations

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-03-21

S123-E-007838 (21 March 2008) --- Astronauts Robert L. Behnken (top) and Mike Foreman, both STS-123 mission specialists, participate in the mission's fourth scheduled session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. During the 6-hour, 24-minute spacewalk, Behnken and Foreman replaced a failed Remote Power Control Module -- essentially a circuit breaker -- on the station's truss. The spacewalkers also tested a repair method for damaged heat resistant tiles on the space shuttle. This technique used a caulk-gun-like tool named the Tile Repair Ablator Dispenser to dispense a material called Shuttle Tile Ablator-54 into purposely damaged heat shield tiles. The sample tiles will be returned to Earth to undergo extensive testing on the ground.

Behnken during EVA 4 - Expedition 16 / STS-13 Joint Operations

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-03-21

S123-E-007906 (21 March 2008) --- Astronaut Robert L. Behnken, STS-123 mission specialist, participates in the mission's fourth scheduled session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. During the 6-hour, 24-minute spacewalk, Behnken and astronaut Mike Foreman (out of frame), mission specialist, replaced a failed Remote Power Control Module -- essentially a circuit breaker -- on the station's truss. The spacewalkers also tested a repair method for damaged heat resistant tiles on the space shuttle. This technique used a caulk-gun-like tool named the Tile Repair Ablator Dispenser to dispense a material called Shuttle Tile Ablator-54 into purposely damaged heat shield tiles. The sample tiles will be returned to Earth to undergo extensive testing on the ground.

Behnken during EVA 4 - Expedition 16 / STS-13 Joint Operations

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-03-21

S123-E-007909 (21 March 2008) --- Astronaut Robert L. Behnken, STS-123 mission specialist, participates in the mission's fourth scheduled session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. During the 6-hour, 24-minute spacewalk, Behnken and astronaut Mike Foreman (out of frame), mission specialist, replaced a failed Remote Power Control Module -- essentially a circuit breaker -- on the station's truss. The spacewalkers also tested a repair method for damaged heat resistant tiles on the space shuttle. This technique used a caulk-gun-like tool named the Tile Repair Ablator Dispenser to dispense a material called Shuttle Tile Ablator-54 into purposely damaged heat shield tiles. The sample tiles will be returned to Earth to undergo extensive testing on the ground.

Behnken and Foreman during EVA 4 - Expedition 16 / STS-13 Joint Operations

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-03-21

S123-E-007839 (21 March 2008) --- Astronauts Mike Foreman (foreground) and Robert L. Behnken, both STS-123 mission specialists, participate in the mission's fourth scheduled session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. During the 6-hour, 24-minute spacewalk, Foreman and Behnken replaced a failed Remote Power Control Module -- essentially a circuit breaker -- on the station's truss. The spacewalkers also tested a repair method for damaged heat resistant tiles on the space shuttle. This technique used a caulk-gun-like tool named the Tile Repair Ablator Dispenser to dispense a material called Shuttle Tile Ablator-54 into purposely damaged heat shield tiles. The sample tiles will be returned to Earth to undergo extensive testing on the ground.

Nondestructive analysis and development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moslehy, Faissal A.

1993-01-01

This final report summarizes the achievements of project #4 of the NASA/UCF Cooperative Agreement from January 1990 to December 1992. The objectives of this project are to review NASA's NDE program at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and recommend means for enhancing the present testing capabilities through the use of improved or new technologies. During the period of the project, extensive development of a reliable nondestructive, non-contact vibration technique to determine and quantify the bond condition of the thermal protection system (TPS) tiles of the Space Shuttle Orbiter was undertaken. Experimental modal analysis (EMA) is used as a non-destructive technique for the evaluation of Space Shuttle thermal protection system (TPS) tile bond integrity. Finite element (FE) models for tile systems were developed and were used to generate their vibration characteristics (i.e. natural frequencies and mode shapes). Various TPS tile assembly configurations as well as different bond conditions were analyzed. Results of finite element analyses demonstrated a drop in natural frequencies and a change in mode shapes which correlate with both size and location of disbond. Results of experimental testing of tile panels correlated with FE results and demonstrated the feasibility of EMA as a viable technique for tile bond verification. Finally, testing performed on the Space Shuttle Columbia using a laser doppler velocimeter demonstrated the application of EMA, when combined with FE modeling, as a non-contact, non-destructive bond evaluation technique.

Fracture behavior of the Space Shuttle thermal protection system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Komine, A.; Kobayashi, A.S.

1983-09-01

Stable crack-growth and fracture-toughness experiments were conducted using precracked specimens machined from LI-900 reusable surface insulation (RSI) tiles of the Space Shuttle thermal protection system (TPS) at room temperature. Similar fracture experiments were conducted on fracture specimens with preexisting cracks at the interface of the tile and the strain isolation pad (SIP). Stable crack growth was not observed in the LI-900 tile fracture specimens which had a fracture toughness of 12.0 kPa sq rt of m. The intermittent subcritical crack growth at the tile-pad interface of the fracture specimens was attributed to successive local pull-outs due to tensile overload inmore » the LI-900 tile and cannot be characterized by linear elastic fracture mechanics. No subcritical interfacial crack growth was observed in the fracture specimens with densified LI-900 tiles where brittle fracture initiated at an interior point away from the densification. 11 references.« less

KSC-2011-1474

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-02-17

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a thermal protection system technician inspects the area on space shuttle Atlantis' underside before a heat shield tile is installed. The tiles are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protection System that protects the shuttle against temperatures as high as 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which are produced during descent for landing. Atlantis is being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will carry the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. STS-135 is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last flight for the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-2011-1473

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-02-17

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a thermal protection system technician applies a bonding agent to an area on space shuttle Atlantis' underside where a heat shield tile will be installed. The tiles are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protection System that protects the shuttle against temperatures as high as 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which are produced during descent for landing. Atlantis is being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will carry the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. STS-135 is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last flight for the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-2011-1472

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-02-17

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a thermal protection system technician applies a bonding agent to an area on space shuttle Atlantis' underside where a heat shield tile will be installed. The tiles are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protection System that protects the shuttle against temperatures as high as 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which are produced during descent for landing. Atlantis is being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will carry the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. STS-135 is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last flight for the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-2011-1475

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-02-17

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a thermal protection system technician installs a gap filler in the area on space shuttle Atlantis' underside before a heat shield tile is installed. The tiles are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protection System that protects the shuttle against temperatures as high as 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which are produced during descent for landing. Atlantis is being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will carry the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. STS-135 is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last flight for the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-03PD-1065

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, United Space Alliance employees (from left) Harrell Watts, Lynn Wozniak, and Jason Levandusky install Thermal Protection System tiles on a main landing gear door of Space Shuttle orbiter Enterprise (OV-101). Sections of Enterprise were borrowed from the Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum where the orbiter is being stored at the Washington Dulles International Airport. Enterprise was the first orbiter built in the Shuttle fleet and was used to conduct the Approach and Landing Test Program before the first powered Shuttle flight. After the tile installation is complete, the sections will be transferred to the Southwest Research Institute for testing requested by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.

KSC-03pd1065

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-04-11

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, United Space Alliance employees (from left) Harrell Watts, Lynn Wozniak, and Jason Levandusky install Thermal Protection System tiles on a main landing gear door of Space Shuttle orbiter Enterprise (OV-101). Sections of Enterprise were borrowed from the Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum where the orbiter is being stored at the Washington Dulles International Airport. Enterprise was the first orbiter built in the Shuttle fleet and was used to conduct the Approach and Landing Test Program before the first powered Shuttle flight. After the tile installation is complete, the sections will be transferred to the Southwest Research Institute for testing requested by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.

KSC-03PD-1086

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, United Space Alliance employees (from left) Harrell Watts, Mike Cote, and Jason Levandusky install Thermal Protection System tiles on a main landing gear door of Space Shuttle orbiter Enterprise (OV-101). Sections of Enterprise were borrowed from the Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum where the orbiter is being stored at the Washington Dulles International Airport. Enterprise was the first orbiter built in the Shuttle fleet and was used to conduct the Approach and Landing Test Program before the first powered Shuttle flight. After the tile installation is complete, the sections will be transferred to the Southwest Research Institute for testing requested by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.

KSC-03PD-1080

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, United Space Alliance employees (from left) John Kuhn, Mike Cote, and Tom Baggitt discuss the installation of Thermal Protection System tiles on a main landing gear door of Space Shuttle orbiter Enterprise (OV-101). Sections of Enterprise were borrowed from the Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum where the orbiter is being stored at the Washington Dulles International Airport. Enterprise was the first orbiter built in the Shuttle fleet and was used to conduct the Approach and Landing Test Program before the first powered Shuttle flight. After the tile installation is complete, the sections will be transferred to the Southwest Research Institute for testing requested by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.

KSC-03PD-1085

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, United Space Alliance employees (from left) Mike Cote, Tom Baggitt, and Jason Levandusky install Thermal Protection System tiles on a main landing gear door of Space Shuttle orbiter Enterprise (OV-101). Sections of Enterprise were borrowed from the Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum where the orbiter is being stored at the Washington Dulles International Airport. Enterprise was the first orbiter built in the Shuttle fleet and was used to conduct the Approach and Landing Test Program before the first powered Shuttle flight. After the tile installation is complete, the sections will be transferred to the Southwest Research Institute for testing requested by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.

KSC-03PD-1084

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, United Space Alliance employee Dave Sanborn (left) conducts a bond verification test on Thermal Protection System tiles installed on a main landing gear door of Space Shuttle orbiter Enterprise (OV-101). Sections of Enterprise were borrowed from the Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum where the orbiter is being stored at the Washington Dulles International Airport. Enterprise was the first orbiter built in the Shuttle fleet and was used to conduct the Approach and Landing Test Program before the first powered Shuttle flight. After the tile installation is complete, the sections will be transferred to the Southwest Research Institute for testing requested by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.

KSC-2011-1470

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-02-17

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a thermal protection system technician is preparing to work on replacing some of space shuttle Atlantis' heat shield tiles. The tiles are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protection System that protects the shuttle against temperatures as high as 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which are produced during descent for landing. Atlantis is being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will carry the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. STS-135 is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last flight for the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-2011-1476

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-02-17

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a thermal protection system technician closely inspects a heat shield tile for space shuttle Atlantis before securing it into position. The tiles are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protection System that protects the shuttle against temperatures as high as 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which are produced during descent for landing. Atlantis is being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will carry the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. STS-135 is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last flight for the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

Terahertz NDE Application for Corrosion Detection and Evaluation under Shuttle Tiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anastasi, Robert F.; Madaras, Eric I.; Seebo, Jeffrey P.; Smith, Stephen W.; Lomness, Janice K.; Hintze, Paul E.; Kammerer, Catherine C.; Winfree, William P.; Russell, Richard W.

2007-01-01

Pulsed Terahertz NDE is being examined as a method to inspect for possible corrosion under Space Shuttle Tiles. Other methods such as ultrasonics, infrared, eddy current and microwave technologies have demonstrable shortcomings for tile NDE. This work applies Terahertz NDE, in the frequency range between 50 GHz and 1 THz, for the inspection of manufactured corrosion samples. The samples consist of induced corrosion spots that range in diameter (2.54 to 15.2 mm) and depth (0.036 to 0.787 mm) in an aluminum substrate material covered with tiles. Results of these measurements are presented for known corrosion flaws both covered and uncovered and for blind tests with unknown corrosion flaws covered with attached tiles. The Terahertz NDE system is shown to detect all artificially manufactured corrosion regions under a Shuttle tile with a depth greater than 0.13 mm.

Terahertz NDE application for corrosion detection and evaluation under Shuttle tiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anastasi, Robert F.; Madaras, Eric I.; Seebo, Jeffrey P.; Smith, Stephen W.; Lomness, Janice K.; Hintze, Paul E.; Kammerer, Catherine C.; Winfree, William P.; Russell, Richard W.

2007-04-01

Pulsed Terahertz NDE is being examined as a method to inspect for possible corrosion under Space Shuttle Tiles. Other methods such as ultrasonics, infrared, eddy current and microwave technologies have demonstrable shortcomings for tile NDE. This work applies Terahertz NDE, in the frequency range between 50 GHz and 1 THz, for the inspection of manufactured corrosion samples. The samples consist of induced corrosion spots that range in diameter (2.54 to 15.2 mm) and depth (0.036 to 0.787 mm) in an aluminum substrate material covered with tiles. Results of these measurements are presented for known corrosion flaws both covered and uncovered and for blind tests with unknown corrosion flaws covered with attached tiles. The Terahertz NDE system is shown to detect all artificially manufactured corrosion regions under a Shuttle tile with a depth greater than 0.13 mm.

NDE of the space shuttle orbiter thermal protection system: Phase 2 final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tow, D.M.; Barna, B.A.; Rodriguez, J.G.

1989-03-01

Research continued on the development of a nondestructive evaluation technique for inspecting bonds on the space shuttle orbiter thermal protection system tiles. The approach taken uses a noncontacting laser sensor to measure the vibrational response of bonded tiles to acoustical excitation. Laboratory work concentrated on investigating the dynamic response of ''acreage'' tiles, i.e., tiles covering the underside of the orbiter, all approximately square. A number of promising unbond signatures have been identified in the time and frequency domain response. Field tests were conducted to study environmental effects on the techniques being developed. The ambient motion of the orbiter was foundmore » to be larger than expected, necessitating modifications to current techniques. 2 refs., 21 figs., 1 tab.« less

Producing the high temperature reusable surface insulation for the thermal protection system of the Space Shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Forgsberg, K.

1979-01-01

The primary insulation system used to protect the space shuttle orbiter on reentry is an externally attached, rigidized, fibrous silica which has been machined into tiles. The tiles constitute the temperature reusable surface insulation system and are used on over 70 percent of the vehicle exterior surface where peak temperatures range from 400 to 1260 C. Cargon-carbon leading edges are used in areas where peak temperatures exceed 1650 C and a felt flexible insulation is used in regions below 400 C. Approximately 32,000 tiles are used in the HRST system and because of vehicle configuration, aerodynamic requirements, and weight considerations no two tiles are alike. Fabrication and quality control procedures are described.

Parametric Analytical Studies for the Nonlinear Dynamic Response of the Tile/Pad Space Shuttle Thermal Protection System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edighoffer, H.

1981-01-01

The studies examined for imposed sinusoidal and random motions of the shuttle skin and/or applied tile pressure. Studies are performed using the computer code DYNOTA which takes into account the highly nonlinear stiffening hysteresis and viscous behavior of the pad joining the tile to the shuttle skin. Where available, experimental data are used to confirm the validity of the analysis. Both analytical and experimental studies reveal that the system resonant frequency is very high for low amplitude oscillations but decreases rapidly to a minimum value with increasing amplitude.

KSC-03pd3255

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-12-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From left, United Space Alliance (USA) Manager of the Thermal Protection System (TPS) Facility Martin Wilson briefs NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik and USA Vice President and Space Shuttle Program Manager Howard DeCastro on aspects of creating the tile used in the Shuttle's TPS. NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

KSC-03PD-1082

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, United Space Alliance employees (from left) Dave Sanborn, Butch Lato, and Bill Brooks conduct a bond verification test on Thermal Protection System tiles newly installed on a main landing gear door of Space Shuttle orbiter Enterprise (OV-101). Sections of Enterprise were borrowed from the Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum where the orbiter is being stored at the Washington Dulles International Airport. Enterprise was the first orbiter built in the Shuttle fleet and was used to conduct the Approach and Landing Test Program before the first powered Shuttle flight. After the tile installation is complete, the sections will be transferred to the Southwest Research Institute for testing requested by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.

KSC-2011-1471

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-02-17

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a thermal protection system technician takes a measurement of the surface in the area on space shuttle Atlantis' underside where a heat shield tile will be installed. The tiles are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protection System that protects the shuttle against temperatures as high as 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which are produced during descent for landing. Atlantis is being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will carry the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. STS-135 is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last flight for the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-2011-1479

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-02-17

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a thermal protection system technician secures a newly installed heat shield tile in place under space shuttle Atlantis with a pressure fitting to ensure a tight bond. The tiles are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protection System that protects the shuttle against temperatures as high as 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which are produced during descent for landing. Atlantis is being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will carry the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. STS-135 is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last flight for the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-2011-1478

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-02-17

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a thermal protection system technician secures a newly installed heat shield tile in place under space shuttle Atlantis with a pressure fitting to ensure a tight bond. The tiles are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protection System that protects the shuttle against temperatures as high as 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which are produced during descent for landing. Atlantis is being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will carry the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. STS-135 is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last flight for the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

Production Process for Strong, Light Ceramic Tiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holmquist, G. R.; Cordia, E. R.; Tomer, R. S.

1985-01-01

Proportions of ingredients and sintering time/temperature schedule changed. Production process for lightweight, high-strength ceramic insulating tiles for Space Shuttle more than just scaled-up version of laboratory process for making small tiles. Boron in aluminum borosilicate fibers allows fusion at points where fibers contact each other during sintering, thereby greatly strengthening tiles structure.

Hypothetical Reentry Thermostructural Performance of Space Shuttle Orbiter With Missing or Eroded Thermal Protection Tiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ko, William L.; Gong, Leslie; Quinn, Robert D.

2004-01-01

This report deals with hypothetical reentry thermostructural performance of the Space Shuttle orbiter with missing or eroded thermal protection system (TPS) tiles. The original STS-5 heating (normal transition at 1100 sec) and the modified STS-5 heating (premature transition at 800 sec) were used as reentry heat inputs. The TPS missing or eroded site is assumed to be located at the center or corner (spar-rib juncture) of the lower surface of wing midspan bay 3. For cases of missing TPS tiles, under the original STS-5 heating, the orbiter can afford to lose only one TPS tile at the center or two TPS tiles at the corner (spar-rib juncture) of the lower surface of wing midspan bay 3. Under modified STS-5 heating, the orbiter cannot afford to lose even one TPS tile at the center or at the corner of the lower surface of wing midspan bay 3. For cases of eroded TPS tiles, the aluminum skin temperature rises relatively slowly with the decreasing thickness of the eroded central or corner TPS tile until most of the TPS tile is eroded away, and then increases exponentially toward the missing tile case.

ARC-1980-AC80-0107-8

NASA Image and Video Library

1980-02-06

ROCKWELL INTERNATIONAL TECHNICIANS MOUNT SOME OF THE NEARLY 8,000 CERAMIC-COATED TILES THAT REMAIN TO BE INSTALLED ON THE EXTERNAL SURFACES OF THE SPACE SHUTTLE ORBITER COLUMBIA TO COMPLETE THE THERMAL PROTECTION SYSTEM THAT WILL ABSORB THE INTENSE HEAT OF REENTERING THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE AFTER A MISSION IN SPACE. TILE INSTALLATION IS DONE ON AN AROUND-THE-CLOCK BASIS IN THE ORBITER PROCESSING FACILITY WHERE COLUMBIA, THE FIRST IN A NEW BREED OF MANNED, REUSABLE SPACECRAFT, IS BEING READIED FOR THE FIRST LAUNCH OF THE SPACE SHUTTLE LATER THIS YEAR.

ARC-1980-AC80-0107-9

NASA Image and Video Library

1980-02-06

ROCKWELL INTERNATIONAL TECHNICIANS MOUNT SOME OF THE NEARLY 8,000 CERAMIC-COATED TILES THAT REMAIN TO BE INSTALLED ON THE EXTERNAL SURFACES OF THE SPACE SHUTTLE ORBITER COLUMBIA TO COMPLETE THE THERMAL PROTECTION SYSTEM THAT WILL ABSORB THE INTENSE HEAT OF REENTERING THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE AFTER A MISSION IN SPACE. TILE INSTALLATION IS DONE ON AN AROUND-THE-CLOCK BASIS IN THE ORBITER PROCESSING FACILITY WHERE COLUMBIA, THE FIRST IN A NEW BREED OF MANNED, REUSABLE SPACECRAFT, IS BEING READIED FOR THE FIRST LAUNCH OF THE SPACE SHUTTLE LATER THIS YEAR.

Return to Flight: Crew Activities Resource Reel 1 of 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

The crew of the STS-114 Discovery Mission is seen in various aspects of training for space flight. The crew activities include: 1) STS-114 Return to Flight Crew Photo Session; 2) Tile Repair Training on Precision Air Bearing Floor; 3) SAFER Tile Inspection Training in Virtual Reality Laboratory; 4) Guidance and Navigation Simulator Tile Survey Training; 5) Crew Inspects Orbital Boom and Sensor System (OBSS); 6) Bailout Training-Crew Compartment; 7) Emergency Egress Training-Crew Compartment Trainer (CCT); 8) Water Survival Training-Neutral Buoyancy Lab (NBL); 9) Ascent Training-Shuttle Motion Simulator; 10) External Tank Photo Training-Full Fuselage Trainer; 11) Rendezvous and Docking Training-Shuttle Engineering Simulator (SES) Dome; 12) Shuttle Robot Arm Training-SES Dome; 13) EVA Training Virtual Reality Lab; 14) EVA Training Neutral Buoyancy Lab; 15) EVA-2 Training-NBL; 16) EVA Tool Training-Partial Gravity Simulator; 17) Cure in Place Ablator Applicator (CIPAA) Training Glove Vacuum Chamber; 16) Crew Visit to Merritt Island Launch Area (MILA); 17) Crew Inspection-Space Shuttle Discovery; and 18) Crew Inspection-External Tank and Orbital Boom and Sensor System (OBSS). The crew are then seen answering questions from the media at the Space Shuttle Landing Facility.

Flutter Analysis of the Shuttle Tile Overlay Repair Concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bey, Kim S.; Scott, Robert C.; Bartels, Robert E.; Waters, William A.; Chen, Roger

2007-01-01

The Space Shuttle tile overlay repair concept, developed at the NASA Johnson Space Center, is designed for on-orbit installation over an area of damaged tile to permit safe re-entry. The thin flexible plate is placed over the damaged area and secured to tile at discreet points around its perimeter. A series of flutter analyses were performed to determine if the onset of flutter met the required safety margins. Normal vibration modes of the panel, obtained from a simplified structural analysis of the installed concept, were combined with a series of aerodynamic analyses of increasing levels of fidelity in terms of modeling the flow physics to determine the onset of flutter. Results from these analyses indicate that it is unlikely that the overlay installed at body point 1800 will flutter during re-entry.

Design, fabrication, and tests of a metallic shell tile thermal protection system for space transportation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Macconochie, Ian O.; Kelly, H. Neale

1989-01-01

A thermal protection tile for earth-to-orbit transports is described. The tiles consist of a rigid external shell filled with a flexible insulation. The tiles tend to be thicker than the current Shuttle rigidized silica tiles for the same entry heat load but are projected to be more durable and lighter. The tiles were thermally tested for several simulated entry trajectories.

Tool Preloads Screw and Applies Locknut

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wood, K. E.

1982-01-01

Special tool reaches through structural members inside Space Shuttle fasten nut on preloaded screw that holds thermal protection tile against outside skin of vehicle. Tool attaches tiles with accuratelycontrolled tensile loading.

Photographing Shuttle Thermal Tiles in Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

Launched on July 26, 2005 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-114 was classified as Logistics Flight 1. Among the Station-related activities of the mission were the delivery of new supplies and the replacement of one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs). STS-114 also carried the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and the External Stowage Platform-2. A major focus of the mission was the testing and evaluation of new Space Shuttle flight safety, which included new inspection and repair techniques. Upon its approach to the International Space Station (ISS), the Space Shuttle Discovery underwent a photography session in order to assess any damages that may have occurred during its launch and/or journey through Space. The mission's third and final Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) included taking a close-up look and the repair of the damaged heat shield. Gap fillers were removed from between the orbiter's heat-shielding tiles located on the craft's underbelly. Never before had any repairs been done to an orbiter while still in space. This particular photo was taken by astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, STS-114 mission specialist, whose shadow is visible on the thermal protection tiles.

Nonlinear dynamic response of a uni-directional model for the tile/pad space shuttle thermal protection system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Housner, J. M.; Edighoffer, H. H.; Park, K. C.

1980-01-01

A unidirectional analysis of the nonlinear dynamic behavior of the space shuttle tile/pad thermal protection system is developed and examined for imposed sinusoidal and random motions of the shuttle skin and/or applied tile pressure. The analysis accounts for the highly nonlinear stiffening hysteresis and viscous behavior of the pad which joins the tile to the shuttle skin. Where available, experimental data are used to confirm the validity of the analysis. Both analytical and experimental studies reveal that the system resonant frequency is very high for low amplitude oscillations but decreases rapidly to a minimum value with increasing amplitude. Analytical studies indicate that with still higher amplitude the resonant frequency increases slowly. The nonlinear pad is also responsible for the analytically and experimentally observed distorted response wave shapes having high sharp peaks when the system is subject to sinusoidal loads. Furthermore, energy dissipation in the pad is studied analytically and it is found that the energy dissipated is sufficiently high to cause rapid decay of dynamic transients. Nevertheless, the sharp peaked nonlinear responses of the system lead to higher magnification factors than would be expected in such a highly damped linear system.

Automation of Shuttle Tile Inspection - Engineering methodology for Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wiskerchen, M. J.; Mollakarimi, C.

1987-01-01

The Space Systems Integration and Operations Research Applications (SIORA) Program was initiated in late 1986 as a cooperative applications research effort between Stanford University, NASA Kennedy Space Center, and Lockheed Space Operations Company. One of the major initial SIORA tasks was the application of automation and robotics technology to all aspects of the Shuttle tile processing and inspection system. This effort has adopted a systems engineering approach consisting of an integrated set of rapid prototyping testbeds in which a government/university/industry team of users, technologists, and engineers test and evaluate new concepts and technologies within the operational world of Shuttle. These integrated testbeds include speech recognition and synthesis, laser imaging inspection systems, distributed Ada programming environments, distributed relational database architectures, distributed computer network architectures, multimedia workbenches, and human factors considerations.

Microwave and Millimeter Wave Testing for the Inspection of the Space Shuttle Spray on Foam Insulations (SOFI) and the Acreage Heat Tiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zoughi, R.; Kharkovsky, S.; Hepburn, F. L.

2005-01-01

The utility of microwave and millimeter wave nondestructive testing and evaluation (NDT&E) methods, for testing the Space Shuttle's external he1 tank spray on foam insulation (SOFI) and the acreage heat tiles has been investigated during the past two years. Millimeter wave NDE techniques are capable of producing internal images of SOFI. This paper presents the results of testing several diverse panels with embedded voids and debonds at millimeter wave frequencies. Additionally, the results of testing a set of heat tiles are also presented. Finally, the attributes of these methods as well as the advantageous features associated with these systems are also provided.

Nonlinear dynamic phenomena in the space shuttle thermal protection system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Housner, J. M.; Edighoffer, H. H.; Park, K. C.

1981-01-01

The development of an analysis for examining the nonlinear dynamic phenomena arising in the space shuttle orbiter tile/pad thermal protection system is presented. The tile/pad system consists of ceramic tiles bonded to the aluminum skin of the orbiter through a thin nylon felt pad. The pads are a soft nonlinear material which permits large strains and displays both hysteretic and nonlinear viscous damping. Application of the analysis to a square tile subjected to transverse sinusoidal motion of the orbiter skin is presented and the following nonlinear dynamic phenomena are considered: highly distorted wave forms, amplitude-dependent resonant frequencies which initially decrease and then increase with increasing amplitude of motion, magnification of substrate motion which is higher than would be expected in a similarly highly damped linear system, and classical parametric resonance instability.

A method for the dynamic and thermal stress analysis of space shuttle surface insulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ojalvo, I. U.; Levy, A.; Austin, F.

1975-01-01

The thermal protection system of the space shuttle consists of thousands of separate insulation tiles bonded to the orbiter's surface through a soft strain-isolation layer. The individual tiles are relatively thick and possess nonuniform properties. Therefore, each is idealized by finite-element assemblages containing up to 2500 degrees of freedom. Since the tiles affixed to a given structural panel will, in general, interact with one another, application of the standard direct-stiffness method would require equation systems involving excessive numbers of unknowns. This paper presents a method which overcomes this problem through an efficient iterative procedure which requires treatment of only a single tile at any given time. Results of associated static, dynamic, and thermal stress analyses and sufficient conditions for convergence of the iterative solution method are given.

A spectroscopic experimental and computer-assisted empirical model for the production and energetics of excited oxygen molecules formed by atom recombination on shuttle tile surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Owan, D. A.

1981-01-01

A visible emission spectroscopic method was developed. The amounts of excited singlet and triplet oxygen molecules produced by recombination on the Space Shuttle Orbiter thermal protective tiles at elevated temperatures are determined. Rate constants and energetics of the extremely exothermic reaction are evaluated in terms of a chemical and mathematical model. Implications for potential contribution to Shuttle surface reentry heating fluxes are outlined.

KSC-2011-1402

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-02-08

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a thermal protection system technician is replacing a heat shield tile under space shuttle Atlantis. The tiles are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protection System, thermal shields to protect against temperatures as high as 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which are produced during descent for landing. Atlantis is being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. STS-135 is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last spaceflight for the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

Millimeter Wave Detection of Localized Anomalies in the Space Shuttle External Fuel Tank Insulating Foam and Acreage Heat Tiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kharkovsky, S.; Case, J. T.; Zoughi, R.; Hepburn, F.

2005-01-01

The Space Shuttle Columbia's catastrophic accident emphasizes the growing need for developing and applying effective, robust and life-cycle oriented nondestructive testing (NDT) methods for inspecting the shuttle external fuel tank spray on foam insulation (SOFI) and its protective acreage heat tiles. Millimeter wave NDT techniques were one of the methods chosen for evaluating their potential for inspecting these structures. Several panels with embedded anomalies (mainly voids) were produced and tested for this purpose. Near-field and far-field millimeter wave NDT methods were used for producing millimeter wave images of the anomalies in SOFI panel and heat tiles. This paper presents the results of an investigation for the purpose of detecting localized anomalies in two SOFI panels and a set of heat tiles. To this end, reflectometers at a relatively wide range of frequencies (Ka-band (26.5 - 40 GHz) to W-band (75 - 110 GHz)) and utilizing different types of radiators were employed. The results clearly illustrate the utility of these methods for this purpose.

Close-up of Shuttle Thermal Tiles in Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

Launched on July 26 2005, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-114 was classified as Logistics Flight 1. Among the Station-related activities of the mission were the delivery of new supplies and the replacement of one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs). STS-114 also carried the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and the External Stowage Platform-2. A major focus of the mission was the testing and evaluation of new Space Shuttle flight safety, which included new inspection and repair techniques. Upon its approach to the International Space Station (ISS), the Space Shuttle Discovery underwent a photography session in order to assess any damages that may have occurred during its launch and/or journey through Space. The mission's third and final Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) included taking a close-up look and the repair of the damaged heat shield. Gap fillers were removed from between the orbiter's heat-shielding tiles located on the craft's underbelly. Never before had any repairs been done to an orbiter while still in space. This close up of the thermal tiles was taken by astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, STS-114 mission specialist (out of frame). Astronaut Soichi Noguchi, STS-114 mission specialist representing the Japan Aerospace Exploration (JAXA), can be seen in the background perched on a Space Station truss.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - An overview of the Columbia debris hangar shows the orbiter outline on the floor with some of the 78,760 pieces identified to date, as well as tables on the left that hold tiles. More than 82,500 pieces of shuttle debris have been rcovered.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-05-22

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - An overview of the Columbia debris hangar shows the orbiter outline on the floor with some of the 78,760 pieces identified to date, as well as tables on the left that hold tiles. More than 82,500 pieces of shuttle debris have been rcovered.

Structural tests on a tile/strain isolation pad thermal protection system. [space shuttles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, J. G.

1980-01-01

The aluminum skin of the space shuttle is covered by a thermal protection system (TPS) consisting of a low density ceramic tile bonded to a matted-felt material called strain insulation pad (SIP). The structural characteristics of the TPS were studied experimentally under selected extreme load conditions. Three basic types of loads were imposed: tension, eccentrically applied tension, and combined in-plane force and transverse pressure. For some tests, transverse pressure was applied rapidly to simulate a transient shock wave passing over the tile. The failure mode for all specimens involved separation of the tile from the SIP at the silicone rubber bond interface. An eccentrically applied tension load caused the tile to separate from the SIP at loads lower than experienced at failure for pure tension loading. Moderate in-plane as well as shock loading did not cause a measurable reduction in the TPS ultimate failure strength. A strong coupling, however, was exhibited between in-plane and transverse loads and displacements.

KSC-08pd1963

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-07-14

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the tile shop at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a worker holds one of the Boeing Replacement Insulation 18, or BRI-18, tiles being prepared for installation on space shuttles. BRI-18 is the strongest material used for thermal insulation on the orbiters and, when coated to produce toughened unipiece fibrous insulation, provides a tile with extremely high-impact resistance. It is replacing other tiles on areas of the vehicle where impact risk is high, such as the landing gear doors, the wing leading edge and the external tank doors. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

Use of an engineering data management system in the analysis of Space Shuttle Orbiter tiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Giles, G. L.; Vallas, M.

1981-01-01

This paper demonstrates the use of an engineering data management system to facilitate the extensive stress analyses of the Space Shuttle Orbiter thermal protection system. Descriptions are given of the approach and methods used (1) to gather, organize, and store the data, (2) to query data interactively, (3) to generate graphic displays of the data, and (4) to access, transform, and prepare the data for input to a stress analysis program. The relational information management system was found to be well suited to the tile analysis problem because information related to many separate tiles could be accessed individually from a data base having a natural organization from an engineering viewpoint. The flexible user features of the system facilitated changes in data content and organization which occurred during the development and refinement of the tile analysis procedure. Additionally, the query language supported retrieval of data to satisfy a variety of user-specified conditions.

STS-114: Discovery Day 6 Post MMT Meeting

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

Wayne Hale, Space Shuttle Deputy Program Manager and Steve Poulos, Orbiter Program Manager, discuss the damage assessment from the tiles that came off the Space Shuttle Discovery during launch. Poulos presents charts and discusses in detail the following topics: 1) Composite Tile Damage/Gap Filler Sites Evaluation; 2) Protruding Ceramic Shim Aft of the Nose Landing Gear Door (NLGD); 3) Protruding Chine Gap Filler; 4) RH NLGD Tile Damage; 5) RH NLGD Damage Analysis; 6) Left Wing Tile Damage; 7) Comparison of Ground Test Results vs. FD5 Focused Inspection; 8) Current Status: Focused Inspection 721L07-01 ITVC FD5 Image of Panel 7L Apex 9) Current Status: Focused Inspection Lower Panel 7L721L07-02; 10) Current Status Focused Inspection 721L10-02 Lower Panel 10L Close-up view; and 11) Window 1 Blanket. The presentation ends with a question and answer period from the news media.

Close-up of Shuttle Thermal Tiles in Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

Launched on July 26, 2005 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-114 was classified as Logistics Flight 1. Among the Station-related activities of the mission were the delivery of new supplies and the replacement of one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs). STS-114 also carried the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and the External Stowage Platform-2. A major focus of the mission was the testing and evaluation of new Space Shuttle flight safety, which included new inspection and repair techniques. Upon its approach to the International Space Station (ISS), the Space Shuttle Discovery underwent a photography session in order to assess any damages that may have occurred during its launch and/or journey through Space. The mission's third and final Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) included taking a close-up look and the repair of the damaged heat shield. Gap fillers were removed from between the orbiter's heat-shielding tiles located on the craft's underbelly. Never before had any repairs been done to an orbiter while still in space. This particular photo was taken by astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, STS-114 mission specialist, whose shadow is visible on the thermal protection tiles, and a portion of the Canadian built Remote Manipulator System (RMS) robotic arm and the Nile River is visible at the bottom.

Gap heating with pressure gradients. [for Shuttle Orbiter thermal protection system tiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scott, C. D.; Maraia, R. J.

1979-01-01

The heating rate distribution and temperature response on the gap walls of insulating tiles is analyzed to determine significant phenomena and parameters in flows where there is an external surface pressure gradient. Convective heating due to gap flow, modeled as fully developed pipe flow, is coupled with a two-dimensional thermal model of the tiles that includes conduction and radiative heat transfer. To account for geometry and important environmental parameters, scale factors are obtained by curve-fitting measured temperatures to analytical solutions. These scale factors are then used to predict the time-dependent gap heat flux and temperature response of tile gaps on the Space Shuttle Orbiter during entry.

STS_135_Landing

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-07-21

NASA astronaut Chris Ferguson, STS-135 commander, examines the thermal tiles of the orbiter after the space shuttle Atlantis landed at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida completing STS-135, the final mission of the NASA shuttle program, on Thursday, July 21, 2011. ( NASA Photo / Houston Chronicle, Smiley N. Pool )

KSC-2011-1400

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-02-08

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a thermal protection system technician prepares the surface under space shuttle Atlantis before installing a heat shield tile. The tiles are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protection System, thermal shields to protect against temperatures as high as 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which are produced during descent for landing. Atlantis is being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. STS-135 is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last spaceflight for the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-2011-1399

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-02-08

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a thermal protection system technician is ready to work on replacing some of space shuttle Atlantis' heat shield tiles. The tiles are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protection System, thermal shields to protect against temperatures as high as 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which are produced during descent for landing. Atlantis is being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. STS-135 is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last spaceflight for the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-2011-1403

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-02-08

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a thermal protection system technician secures a newly installed heat shield tile in place under space shuttle Atlantis. The tiles are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protection System, thermal shields to protect against temperatures as high as 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which are produced during descent for landing. Atlantis is being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. STS-135 is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last spaceflight for the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-2011-1401

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-02-08

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a thermal protection system technician prepares the surface under space shuttle Atlantis before installing a heat shield tile. The tiles are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protection System, thermal shields to protect against temperatures as high as 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which are produced during descent for landing. Atlantis is being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. STS-135 is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last spaceflight for the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-2009-6811

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-12-14

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technician Jeff Holmes uses heat lamps in a putty repair on some of the high-temperature reusable surface insulation tiles, or HRSI tiles, on the lower forward fuselage of space shuttle Atlantis. An average of 125 tiles are replaced after each mission either due to handling damage or accumulated repairs. These black tiles are optimized for maximum emissivity, which means they lose heat faster than white tiles. This property is required to maximize heat rejection during the hot phase of reentry. Atlantis next is slated to deliver an Integrated Cargo Carrier and Russian-built Mini Research Module to the International Space Station on the STS-132 mission. Launch is targeted for May 14, 2010. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-2009-6812

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-12-14

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, heat lamps assist United Space Alliance technician Jeff Holmes in a putty repair on some of the high-temperature reusable surface insulation tiles, or HRSI tiles, on the lower forward fuselage of space shuttle Atlantis. An average of 125 tiles are replaced after each mission either due to handling damage or accumulated repairs. These black tiles are optimized for maximum emissivity, which means they lose heat faster than white tiles. This property is required to maximize heat rejection during the hot phase of reentry. Atlantis next is slated to deliver an Integrated Cargo Carrier and Russian-built Mini Research Module to the International Space Station on the STS-132 mission. Launch is targeted for May 14, 2010. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-2009-6810

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-12-14

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technician Jeff Holmes makes a putty repair on some of the high-temperature reusable surface insulation tiles, or HRSI tiles, on the lower forward fuselage of space shuttle Atlantis. An average of 125 tiles are replaced after each mission either due to handling damage or accumulated repairs. These black tiles are optimized for maximum emissivity, which means they lose heat faster than white tiles. This property is required to maximize heat rejection during the hot phase of reentry. Atlantis next is slated to deliver an Integrated Cargo Carrier and Russian-built Mini Research Module to the International Space Station on the STS-132 mission. Launch is targeted for May 14, 2010. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-08pd1966

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-07-14

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the tile shop at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a worker places a Boeing Replacement Insulation 18, or BRI-18, tile in the oven. The tile will be baked at 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit to cure the ceramic coating, part of the process to prepare the tiles for installation on space shuttles. BRI-18 is the strongest material used for thermal insulation on the orbiters and, when coated to produce toughened unipiece fibrous insulation, provides a tile with extremely high-impact resistance. It is replacing other tiles on areas of the vehicle where impact risk is high, such as the landing gear doors, the wing leading edge and the external tank doors. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-98pc929

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-08-10

In the Tile Fabrication Shop, Tony Rollins, with United Space Alliance, holds down a curtain while making a test sample of tile on a block 5-axis computerized numerical control milling machine. About 70 percent of a Space Shuttle orbiter’s external surface is shielded from heat by a network of more than 24,000 tiles formed from a silica fiber compound. They are known as High-Temperature Reusable Surface Insulation (HRSI) tiles and Low-Temperature Reusable Surface Insulation (LRSI) tiles. Most HRSI tiles are 6 inches square, but may be as large as 12 inches in some areas, and 1 to 5 inches thick. LRSI tiles are generally 8 inches square, ranging from 0.2to 1-inch thick. More advanced materials such as Flexible Insulation Blankets have replaced tiles on some upper surfaces of the orbiter

KSC-08pd1968

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-07-14

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the tile shop at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a Boeing Replacement Insulation 18, or BRI-18, tile bakes in a 2,200-degree oven to cure the ceramic coating. The baking is part of the process to prepare the tiles for installation on space shuttles. BRI-18 is the strongest material used for thermal insulation on the orbiters and, when coated to produce toughened unipiece fibrous insulation, provides a tile with extremely high-impact resistance. It is replacing other tiles on areas of the vehicle where impact risk is high, such as the landing gear doors, the wing leading edge and the external tank doors. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-08pd1970

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-07-14

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the tile shop at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a Boeing Replacement Insulation 18, or BRI-18, tile still glows after being baked in a 2,200-degree oven. The baking is part of the process to prepare the tiles for installation on space shuttles. BRI-18 is the strongest material used for thermal insulation on the orbiters and, when coated to produce toughened unipiece fibrous insulation, provides a tile with extremely high-impact resistance. It is replacing other tiles on areas of the vehicle where impact risk is high, such as the landing gear doors, the wing leading edge and the external tank doors. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-08pd1964

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-07-14

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the tile shop at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a Boeing Replacement Insulation 18, or BRI-18, tile is ready to be baked at 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit to cure the ceramic coating, part of the process to prepare the tiles for installation on space shuttles. BRI-18 is the strongest material used for thermal insulation on the orbiters and, when coated to produce toughened unipiece fibrous insulation, provides a tile with extremely high-impact resistance. It is replacing other tiles on areas of the vehicle where impact risk is high, such as the landing gear doors, the wing leading edge and the external tank doors. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-08pd1969

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-07-14

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the tile shop at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a worker removes a Boeing Replacement Insulation 18, or BRI-18, tile from a 2,200-degree oven. The baking is part of the process to prepare the tiles for installation on space shuttles. BRI-18 is the strongest material used for thermal insulation on the orbiters and, when coated to produce toughened unipiece fibrous insulation, provides a tile with extremely high-impact resistance. It is replacing other tiles on areas of the vehicle where impact risk is high, such as the landing gear doors, the wing leading edge and the external tank doors. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

Vibration and stress analysis of soft-bonded shuttle insulation tiles. Modal analysis with compact widely space stringers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ojalvo, I. U.; Austin, F.; Levy, A.

1974-01-01

An efficient iterative procedure is described for the vibration and modal stress analysis of reusable surface insulation (RSI) of multi-tiled space shuttle panels. The method, which is quite general, is rapidly convergent and highly useful for this application. A user-oriented computer program based upon this procedure and titled RESIST (REusable Surface Insulation Stresses) has been prepared for the analysis of compact, widely spaced, stringer-stiffened panels. RESIST, which uses finite element methods, obtains three dimensional tile stresses in the isolator, arrestor (if any) and RSI materials. Two dimensional stresses are obtained in the tile coating and the stringer-stiffened primary structure plate. A special feature of the program is that all the usual detailed finite element grid data is generated internally from a minimum of input data. The program can accommodate tile idealizations with up to 850 nodes (2550 degrees-of-freedom) and primary structure idealizations with a maximum of 10,000 degrees-of-freedom. The primary structure vibration capability is achieved through the development of a new rapid eigenvalue program named ALARM (Automatic LArge Reduction of Matrices to tridiagonal form).

Tile survey seen during EVA 3

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-03

S114-E-6412 (3 August 2005) --- Space Shuttle Discovery’s underside thermal protection tiles are featured in this image photographed by astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, STS-114 mission specialist, during the mission’s third session of extravehicular activities (EVA).

Use of an engineering data management system in the analysis of space shuttle orbiter tiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Giles, G. L.; Vallas, M.

1981-01-01

The use of an engineering data management system to facilitate the extensive stress analyses of the space shuttle orbiter thermal protection system is demonstrated. The methods used to gather, organize, and store the data; to query data interactively; to generate graphic displays of the data; and to access, transform, and prepare the data for input to a stress analysis program are described. Information related to many separate tiles can be accessed individually from the data base which has a natural organization from an engineering viewpoint. The flexible user features of the system facilitate changes in data content and organization which occur during the development and refinement of the tile analysis procedure. Additionally, the query language supports retrieval of data to satisfy a variety of user-specified conditions.

Tile Surface Thermocouple Measurement Challenges from the Orbiter Boundary Layer Transition Flight Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, Charles H.; Berger, Karen; Anderson, Brian

2012-01-01

Hypersonic entry flight testing motivated by efforts seeking to characterize boundary layer transition on the Space Shuttle Orbiters have identified challenges in our ability to acquire high quality quantitative surface temperature measurements versus time. Five missions near the end of the Space Shuttle Program implemented a tile surface protuberance as a boundary layer trip together with tile surface thermocouples to capture temperature measurements during entry. Similar engineering implementations of these measurements on Discovery and Endeavor demonstrated unexpected measurement voltage response during the high heating portion of the entry trajectory. An assessment has been performed to characterize possible causes of the issues experienced during STS-119, STS-128, STS-131, STS-133 and STS-134 as well as similar issues encountered during other orbiter entries.

Development of an improved coating for polybenzimidazole foam. [for space shuttle heat shields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Neuner, G. J.; Delano, C. B.

1976-01-01

An improved coating system was developed for Polybenzimidazole (PBI) foam to provide coating stability, ruggedness, moisture resistance, and to satisfy optical property requirements (alpha sub (s/epsilon) or = 0.4 and epsilon 0.8) for the space shuttle. The effort was performed in five tasks: Task 1 to establish material and process specifications for the PBI foam, and material specifications for the coatings; Task 2 to identify and evaluate promising coatings; Task 3 to establish mechanical and thermophysical properties of the tile components; Task 4 to determine by systems analysis the potential weight trade-offs associated with a coated PBI TPS; and Task 5 to establish a preliminary quality assurance program. The coated PBI tile was, through screening tests, determined to satisfy the design objectives with a reduced system weight over the baseline shuttle silica LRSI TPS. The developed tile provides a thermally stable, extremely rugged, low thermal conductivity insulator with a well characterized optical coating.

KSC-08pd1967

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-07-14

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the tile shop at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a worker reaches for the door to close the oven with the Boeing Replacement Insulation 18, or BRI-18, tile inside. The tile will be baked at 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit to cure the ceramic coating, part of the process to prepare the tiles for installation on space shuttles. BRI-18 is the strongest material used for thermal insulation on the orbiters and, when coated to produce toughened unipiece fibrous insulation, provides a tile with extremely high-impact resistance. It is replacing other tiles on areas of the vehicle where impact risk is high, such as the landing gear doors, the wing leading edge and the external tank doors. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-08pd1965

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-07-14

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the tile shop at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a worker is ready to place a Boeing Replacement Insulation 18, or BRI-18, tile in the oven. The tile will be baked at 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit to cure the ceramic coating, part of the process to prepare the tiles for installation on space shuttles. BRI-18 is the strongest material used for thermal insulation on the orbiters and, when coated to produce toughened unipiece fibrous insulation, provides a tile with extremely high-impact resistance. It is replacing other tiles on areas of the vehicle where impact risk is high, such as the landing gear doors, the wing leading edge and the external tank doors. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2011-1405

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-02-08

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a thermal protection system technician has secured a newly installed heat shield tile in place under space shuttle Atlantis with a pressure fitting to ensure a tight bond. The tiles are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protection System, thermal shields to protect against temperatures as high as 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which are produced during descent for landing. Atlantis is being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. STS-135 is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last spaceflight for the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-2011-1404

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-02-08

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a thermal protection system technician has secured a newly installed heat shield tile in place under space shuttle Atlantis with a pressure fitting to ensure a tight bond. The tiles are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protection System, thermal shields to protect against temperatures as high as 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which are produced during descent for landing. Atlantis is being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. STS-135 is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last spaceflight for the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On a tour of the Tile Shop, members of the Stafford-Covey Return to Flight Task Group (SCTG) learn about PU-tiles, part of an orbiter’s Thermal Protection System. At left is Martin Wilson, with United Space Alliance. Others (left to right) around the table are James Adamson, Dr. Kathryn Clark, William Wegner, Richard Covey and Joe Engle. Covey, former Space Shuttle commander, is co-chair of the SCTG, along with Thomas P. Stafford, Apollo commander. Chartered by NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe, the task group will perform an independent assessment of NASA’s implementation of the final recommendations by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-06

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On a tour of the Tile Shop, members of the Stafford-Covey Return to Flight Task Group (SCTG) learn about PU-tiles, part of an orbiter’s Thermal Protection System. At left is Martin Wilson, with United Space Alliance. Others (left to right) around the table are James Adamson, Dr. Kathryn Clark, William Wegner, Richard Covey and Joe Engle. Covey, former Space Shuttle commander, is co-chair of the SCTG, along with Thomas P. Stafford, Apollo commander. Chartered by NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe, the task group will perform an independent assessment of NASA’s implementation of the final recommendations by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.

Performance of an ablator for Space Shuttle inorbit repair in an arc-plasma airstream

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stewart, D. A.; Cuellar, M.; Flowers, O.

1983-01-01

An ablator patch material performed well in an arc plasma environment simulating nominal Earth entry conditions for the Space Shuttle. Ablation tests using vacuum molded cones provided data to optimize the formulation of a two part polymer system for application under space conditions. The blunt cones were made using a Teflon mold and a state of the art caulking gun. Char stability of formulations with various amounts of catalyst and diluent were investigated. The char was found to be unstable in formulations with low amounts of catalyst and high amounts of diluent. The best polymer system determined by these tests was evaluated using a half tile patch in a multiple High Temperature Reusable surface Insulation tile model. It was demonstrated that this ablator could be applied in a space environment using a state of the art caulking gun, would maintain the outer mold line of the thermal protection system during entry, and would keep the bond line temperature at the aluminum tile interface below the design limit.

CFD Analysis of Tile-Repair Augers for the Shuttle Orbiter Re-Entry Aeroheating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mazaheri, Ali R.

2007-01-01

A three-dimensional aerothermodynamic model of the shuttle orbiter's tile overlay repair (TOR) sub-assembly is presented. This sub-assembly, which is an overlay that covers the damaged tiles, is modeled as a protuberance with a constant thickness. The washers and augers that serve as the overlay fasteners are modeled as cylindrical protuberances with constant thicknesses. Entry aerothermodynamic cases are studied to provide necessary inputs for future thermal analyses and to support the space-shuttle return-to-flight effort. The NASA Langley Aerothermodynamic Upwind Relaxation Algorithm (LAURA) is used to calculate heat transfer rate on the surfaces of the tile overlay repair and augers. Gas flow is modeled as non-equilibrium, five species air in thermal equilibrium. Heat transfer rate and surface temperatures are analyzed and studied for a shuttle orbiter trajectory point at Mach 17.85. Computational results show that the average heat transfer rate normalized with respect to its value at body point 1800 is about BF=1.9 for the auger head. It is also shown that the average BF for the auger and washer heads is about BF=2.0.

Boundary Layer Transition Protuberance Tests at NASA JSC Arc-Jet Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Larin, M. E.; Marichalar, J. J.; Kinder, G. R.; Campbell, C. H.; Riccio, J. R.; Nquyen, T. Q.; DelPapa, S. V.; Pulsonetti, M. V.

2009-01-01

A series of arc-jet tests in support of the Shuttle Orbiter Boundary Layer Transition flight experiment was conducted in the Channel Nozzle of the NASA Johnson Space Center Atmospheric Reentry Materials and Structures Facility. The boundary layer trip was a protrusion of a certain height and geometry fabricated as part of a 6"x6" tile insert, a special test article made of the Boeing Rigid Insulation tile material and coated with the Reaction Cured Glass used for the bottom fuselage tiles of the Space Shuttle Orbiter. A total of five such tile inserts were manufactured: four with the 0.25-in. trip height, and one with the 0.35-in. trip height. The tile inserts were interchangeably installed in the center of the 24"x24" variable configuration tile array mounted in the 24"x24" test section of the channel nozzle. The objectives of the test series were to demonstrate that the boundary layer trip can safely withstand the Space Shuttle Orbiter flight-like re-entry environments and provide temperature data on the protrusion surface, surfaces of the nearby tiles upstream and downstream of the trip, as well as the bond line between the tiles and the structure. The targeted test environments were defined for the tip of the protrusion, away from the nominal surface of the tile array. The arc jet test conditions were approximated in order to produce the levels of the free stream total enthalpy at the protrusion height similar to those expected in flight. The test articles were instrumented with surface, sidewall and bond line thermocouples. Additionally, Tempilaq temperature-indicating paint was applied to the nominal tiles of the tile array in locations not interfering with the protrusion trip. Five different grades of paint were used that disintegrate at different temperatures between 1500 and 2000 deg F. The intent of using the paint was to gauge the RCG-coated tile surface temperature, as well as determine its usefulness for a flight experiment. This paper provides an overview of the channel nozzle arc jet, test articles and test conditions, as well as the results of the arc-jet tests including the measured temperature response of the test articles, their pre- and post-test surface scans, condition of the thermal paint, and continents on the protrusion tip heating achieved in tests compared to the computational fluid dynamics predictions.

Tile survey taken during EVA 3

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-03

S114-E-6366 (3 August 2005) --- Space Shuttle Discovery’s underside is featured in this image photographed by astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, STS-114 mission specialist, during today’s extravehicular activities (EVA). Robinson’s shadow is visible on the thermal protection tiles.

Experimental Design for the Evaluation of Detection Techniques of Hidden Corrosion Beneath the Thermal Protective System of the Space Shuttle Orbiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kammerer, Catherine C.; Jacoby, Joseph A.; Lomness, Janice K.; Hintze, Paul E.; Russell, Richard W.

2007-01-01

The United States Space Operational Space Shuttle Fleet Consists of three shuttles with an average age of 19.7 years. Shuttles are exposed to corrosive conditions while undergoing final closeout for missions at the launch pad and extreme conditions during ascent, orbit, and descent that may accelerate the corrosion process. Structural corrosion under TPS could progress undetected (without tile removal) and eventually result in reduction in structural capability sufficient to create negative margins of . safety and ultimate loss of local structural capability.

Hypervelocity Impact (HVI). Volume 8; Tile Small Targets A-1, Ag-1, B-1, and Bg-1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gorman, Michael R.; Ziola, Steven M.

2007-01-01

During 2003 and 2004, the Johnson Space Center's White Sands Testing Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico conducted hypervelocity impact tests on the space shuttle wing leading edge. Hypervelocity impact tests were conducted to determine if Micro-Meteoroid/Orbital Debris impacts could be reliably detected and located using simple passive ultrasonic methods. The objective of Targets A-1, Ag-1, B-1, and Bg-1 was to study hypervelocity impacts on the reinforced Shuttle Heat Shield Tiles of the Wing. Impact damage was detected using lightweight, low power instrumentation capable of being used in flight.

Tethers as Debris: Simulating Impacts of Tether Fragments on Shuttle Tiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, Steven W.

2004-01-01

The SPHC hydrodynamic code was used to simulate impacts of Kevlar and aluminum projectiles on a model of the LI-900 type insulating tiles used on Space Shuffle Orbiters The intent was to examine likely damage that such tiles might experience if impacted by orbital debris consisting of tether fragments. Projectile speeds ranged from 300 meters per second to 10 kilometers per second. Damage is characterized by penetration depth, tile surface-hole diameter, tile body-cavity diameter, coating fracture diameter, tether and cavity wall material phases, and deformation of the aluminum backwall.

Multilayer Impregnated Fibrous Thermal Insulation Tiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tran, Huy K.; Rasky, Daniel J.; Szalai, Christine e.; Hsu, Ming-ta; Carroll, Joseph A.

2007-01-01

The term "secondary polymer layered impregnated tile" ("SPLIT") denotes a type of ablative composite-material thermal- insulation tiles having engineered, spatially non-uniform compositions. The term "secondary" refers to the fact that each tile contains at least two polymer layers wherein endothermic reactions absorb considerable amounts of heat, thereby helping to prevent overheating of an underlying structure. These tiles were invented to afford lighter-weight alternatives to the reusable thermal-insulation materials heretofore variously used or considered for use in protecting the space shuttles and other spacecraft from intense atmospheric-entry heating.

Mechanical Attachment of Reusable Surface Insulation to Space Shuttle Primary Structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fleck, R. W.; Lehman, J. K.

1973-01-01

Three methods of attaching surface insulation tiles to shuttle primary structure have been proposed: direct bond, mechanical attachment, and subpanels with standoffs. The direct bond approach is lightweight but is difficult to refurbish and inspect. The subpanel approach is heavier but allows for easy refurbishment since subpanels are easily removed and replaced. The mechanical attachment approach allows easy refurbishment and inspection and is lightweight when an efficient insulator is used between surface insulation tiles and primary structure.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-114 Mission Specialist Soichi Noguchi looks at tile on the underside of the orbiter Discovery. Noguchi is with the Japanese Aerospace and Exploration Agency. He and other crew members are at KSC becoming familiar with Shuttle and mission equipment. The mission is Logistics Flight 1, which is scheduled to deliver supplies and equipment plus the external stowage platform to the International Space Station.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-03-05

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-114 Mission Specialist Soichi Noguchi looks at tile on the underside of the orbiter Discovery. Noguchi is with the Japanese Aerospace and Exploration Agency. He and other crew members are at KSC becoming familiar with Shuttle and mission equipment. The mission is Logistics Flight 1, which is scheduled to deliver supplies and equipment plus the external stowage platform to the International Space Station.

KSC-08pd3288

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-10-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, boundary layer transition, or BLT, tile is being affixed to space shuttle Discovery before its launch on the STS-119 mission in February 2009. The specially modified tiles and instrumentation package will monitor the heating effects of early re-entry boundary layer transition at high mach numbers. These data support analytical modeling and design efforts for both the space shuttles and NASA next-generation spacecraft, the Orion crew exploration vehicle. On the STS-119 mission, Discovery also will carry the S6 truss segment to complete the 361-foot-long backbone of the International Space Station. The truss includes the fourth pair of solar array wings and electronics that convert sunlight to power for the orbiting laboratory. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs

KSC-08pd3291

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-10-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers attach boundary layer transition, or BLT, tile to space shuttle Discovery before its launch on the STS-119 mission in February 2009. The specially modified tiles and instrumentation package will monitor the heating effects of early re-entry boundary layer transition at high mach numbers. These data support analytical modeling and design efforts for both the space shuttles and NASA next-generation spacecraft, the Orion crew exploration vehicle. On the STS-119 mission, Discovery also will carry the S6 truss segment to complete the 361-foot-long backbone of the International Space Station. The truss includes the fourth pair of solar array wings and electronics that convert sunlight to power for the orbiting laboratory. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs

KSC-08pd3290

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-10-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers attach boundary layer transition, or BLT, tile to space shuttle Discovery before its launch on the STS-119 mission in February 2009. The specially modified tiles and instrumentation package will monitor the heating effects of early re-entry boundary layer transition at high mach numbers. These data support analytical modeling and design efforts for both the space shuttles and NASA next-generation spacecraft, the Orion crew exploration vehicle. On the STS-119 mission, Discovery also will carry the S6 truss segment to complete the 361-foot-long backbone of the International Space Station. The truss includes the fourth pair of solar array wings and electronics that convert sunlight to power for the orbiting laboratory. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs

KSC-08pd3289

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-10-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers attach boundary layer transition, or BLT, tile to space shuttle Discovery before its launch on the STS-119 mission in February 2009. The specially modified tiles and instrumentation package will monitor the heating effects of early re-entry boundary layer transition at high mach numbers. These data support analytical modeling and design efforts for both the space shuttles and NASA next-generation spacecraft, the Orion crew exploration vehicle. On the STS-119 mission, Discovery also will carry the S6 truss segment to complete the 361-foot-long backbone of the International Space Station. The truss includes the fourth pair of solar array wings and electronics that convert sunlight to power for the orbiting laboratory. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs

KSC-2010-4326

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-08-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, thermal protection system technicians work on replacing some of space shuttle Endeavour's heat shield tiles. As the final planned mission of the Space Shuttle Program, Endeavour and its crew will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, as well as critical spare components to the station on the STS-134 mission targeted for launch Feb. 26, 2011. For more information visit, http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

Introducing new technologies into Space Station subsystems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wiskerchen, Michael J.; Mollakarimi, Cindy L.

1989-01-01

A new systems engineering technology has been developed and applied to Shuttle processing. The new engineering approach emphasizes the identification, quantitative assessment, and management of system performance and risk related to the dynamic nature of requirements, technology, and operational concepts. The Space Shuttle Tile Automation System is described as an example of the first application of the new engineering technology. Lessons learned from the Shuttle processing experience are examined, and concepts are presented which are applicable to the design and development of the Space Station Freedom.

KSC-03pd0262

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-02-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- United Space Alliance (USA) technicians install thermal protection system tiles on Space Shuttle Discovery. Discovery is undergoing its Orbiter Major Modification Period, a regularly scheduled structural inspection and modification downtime, which began in September 2002. .

KSC-2012-1959

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-05

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, right, shows a space shuttle low-temperature reusable surface insulation LRSI tile to Florida’s Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll during a tour of Kennedy’s Orbiter Processing Facility-1. The tile is part of the shuttle’s thermal protection system which covers the shuttle’s exterior and protects it from the heat of re-entry. The tour coincided with Carroll’s visit to Kennedy for a meeting with Cabana. Atlantis is being prepared for public display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in 2013. The groundbreaking for Atlantis’ exhibit hall took place in January Atlantis is scheduled to be moved to the visitor complex in November. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2012-1960

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-05

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, right, shows a space shuttle high-temperature reusable surface insulation HRSI tile to Florida’s Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll during a tour of Kennedy’s Orbiter Processing Facility-1. The tile is part of the shuttle’s thermal protection system which covers the shuttle’s exterior and protects it from the heat of re-entry. The tour coincided with Carroll’s visit to Kennedy for a meeting with Cabana. Atlantis is being prepared for public display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in 2013. The groundbreaking for Atlantis’ exhibit hall took place in January Atlantis is scheduled to be moved to the visitor complex in November. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

Tile survey seen during EVA 3

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-03

S114-E-6387 (3 August 2005) --- A close-up view of a portion of the thermal protection tiles on Space Shuttle Discovery’s underside is featured in this image photographed by astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, STS-114 mission specialist, during the mission’s third session of extravehicular activities (EVA).

Predicting Boundary-Layer Transition on Space-Shuttle Re-Entry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berry, Scott; Horvath, Tom; Merski, Ron; Liechty, Derek; Greene, Frank; Bibb, Karen; Buck, Greg; Hamilton, Harris; Weilmuenster, Jim; Campbell, Chuck;

KSC-04pd1839

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-18

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - From left, Martin Wilson, manager of Thermal Protection System (TPS) operations for United Space Alliance, briefs NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe, KSC Director of the Spaceport Services Scott Kerr, NASA Associate Administrator of the Space Operations Mission Directorate William Readdy, and Center Director James Kennedy (right) on the temporary tile shop set up in the RLV hangar. O’Keefe and Readdy are visiting KSC to survey the damage sustained by KSC facilities from Hurricane Frances. The Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF), which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof in the storm, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. Undamaged equipment was removed from the TPSF and stored in the hangar. NASA’s three Space Shuttle orbiters -- Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour - along with the Shuttle launch pads, all of the critical flight hardware for the orbiters and the International Space Station, and NASA’s Swift spacecraft, awaiting launch in October, were well protected and unharmed.

KSC-08pd2151

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-07-26

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, United Space Alliance technicians install Boeing Replacement Insulation 18, or BRI-18, tile on space shuttle Endeavour during processing activities. BRI-18 is the strongest material used for thermal insulation on the orbiters and, when coated to produce toughened unipiece fibrous insulation, provides a tile with extremely high-impact resistance. It is replacing other tiles on areas of the vehicle where impact risk is high, such as the landing gear doors, the wing leading edge and the external tank doors. Endeavour will deliver a multi-purpose logistics module to the International Space Station on its STS-126 mission. Launch is targeted for Nov. 10. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-08pd2148

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-07-26

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, United Space Alliance technicians install Boeing Replacement Insulation 18, or BRI-18, tile on space shuttle Endeavour during processing activities. BRI-18 is the strongest material used for thermal insulation on the orbiters and, when coated to produce toughened unipiece fibrous insulation, provides a tile with extremely high-impact resistance. It is replacing other tiles on areas of the vehicle where impact risk is high, such as the landing gear doors, the wing leading edge and the external tank doors. Endeavour will deliver a multi-purpose logistics module to the International Space Station on its STS-126 mission. Launch is targeted for Nov. 10. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-08pd2146

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-07-26

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, United Space Alliance technicians install Boeing Replacement Insulation 18, or BRI-18, tile on space shuttle Endeavour during processing activities. BRI-18 is the strongest material used for thermal insulation on the orbiters and, when coated to produce toughened unipiece fibrous insulation, provides a tile with extremely high-impact resistance. It is replacing other tiles on areas of the vehicle where impact risk is high, such as the landing gear doors, the wing leading edge and the external tank doors. Endeavour will deliver a multi-purpose logistics module to the International Space Station on its STS-126 mission. Launch is targeted for Nov. 10. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-08pd2149

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-07-26

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, United Space Alliance technicians install Boeing Replacement Insulation 18, or BRI-18, tile on space shuttle Endeavour during processing activities. BRI-18 is the strongest material used for thermal insulation on the orbiters and, when coated to produce toughened unipiece fibrous insulation, provides a tile with extremely high-impact resistance. It is replacing other tiles on areas of the vehicle where impact risk is high, such as the landing gear doors, the wing leading edge and the external tank doors. Endeavour will deliver a multi-purpose logistics module to the International Space Station on its STS-126 mission. Launch is targeted for Nov. 10. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-08pd2145

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-07-26

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, United Space Alliance technicians install Boeing Replacement Insulation 18, or BRI-18, tile on space shuttle Endeavour during processing activities. BRI-18 is the strongest material used for thermal insulation on the orbiters and, when coated to produce toughened unipiece fibrous insulation, provides a tile with extremely high-impact resistance. It is replacing other tiles on areas of the vehicle where impact risk is high, such as the landing gear doors, the wing leading edge and the external tank doors. Endeavour will deliver a multi-purpose logistics module to the International Space Station on its STS-126 mission. Launch is targeted for Nov. 10. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

Application of Hilbert-Huang Transform for Improved Defect Detection in Terahertz NDE of Shuttle Tiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anastasi, Robert F.; Madaras, Eric I.

2005-01-01

Terahertz NDE is being examined as a method to inspect the adhesive bond-line of Space Shuttle tiles for defects. Terahertz signals are generated and detected, using optical excitation of biased semiconductors with femtosecond laser pulses. Shuttle tile samples were manufactured with defects that included repair regions unbond regions, and other conditions that occur in Shuttle structures. These samples were inspected with a commercial terahertz NDE system that scanned a tile and generated a data set of RF signals. The signals were post processed to generate C-scan type images that are typically seen in ultrasonic NDE. To improve defect visualization the Hilbert-Huang Transform, a transform that decomposes a signal into oscillating components called intrinsic mode functions, was applied to test signals identified as being in and out of the defect regions and then on a complete data set. As expected with this transform, the results showed that the decomposed low-order modes correspond to signal noise while the high-order modes correspond to low frequency oscillations in the signal and mid-order modes correspond to local signal oscillations. The local oscillations compare well with various reflection interfaces and the defect locations in the original signal.

KSC-07pd3555

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-11-30

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, STS-123 crew members inspect the thermal protection system tiles on the underside of space shuttle Endeavour. From left are Mission Specialists Takao Doi, Michael Foreman and Richard Linnehan, Pilot Gregory Johnson (turned away), Commander Dominic Gorie and Mission Specialist Robert Behnken. They are at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a crew equipment interface test, a process of familiarization with payloads, hardware and the space shuttle. The STS-123 mission is targeted for launch on space shuttle Endeavour on Feb. 14. It will be the 25th assembly flight of the station. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Experimental Design for the Evaluation of Detection Techniques of Hidden Corrosion Beneath the Thermal Protective System of the Space Shuttle Orbiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kemmerer, Catherine C.; Jacoby, Joseph A.; Lomness, Janice K.; Hintze, Paul E.; Russell, Richard W.

2007-01-01

The detection of corrosion beneath Space Shuttle Orbiter thermal protective system is traditionally accomplished by removing the Reusable Surface Insulation tiles and performing a visual inspection of the aluminum substrate and corrosion protection system. This process is time consuming and has the potential to damage high cost tiles. To evaluate non-intrusive NDE methods, a Proof of Concept (PoC) experiment was designed and test panels were manufactured. The objective of the test plan was three-fold: establish the ability to detect corrosion hidden from view by tiles; determine the key factor affecting detectability; roughly quantify the detection threshold. The plan consisted of artificially inducing dimensionally controlled corrosion spots in two panels and rebonding tile over the spots to model the thermal protective system of the orbiter. The corrosion spot diameter ranged from 0.100" to 0.600" inches and the depth ranged from 0.003" to 0.020". One panel consisted of a complete factorial array of corrosion spots with and without tile coverage. The second panel consisted of randomized factorial points replicated and hidden by tile. Conventional methods such as ultrasonics, infrared, eddy current and microwave methods have shortcomings. Ultrasonics and IR cannot sufficiently penetrate the tiles, while eddy current and microwaves have inadequate resolution. As such, the panels were interrogated using Backscatter Radiography and Terahertz Imaging. The terahertz system successfully detected artificially induced corrosion spots under orbiter tile and functional testing is in-work in preparation for implementation.

KSC-05PD-1762

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the Launch Control Center at NASA Kennedy Space Center, NASA Administrator Mike Griffin (left) presents a gift to First Lady Laura Bush on the occasion of her first Space Shuttle launch. She witnessed the historic launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on Return to Flight mission STS-114. On this mission to the International Space Station the crew will perform inspections on-orbit for the first time of all of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels on the leading edge of the wings and the Thermal Protection System tiles using the new Canadian-built Orbiter Boom Sensor System and the data from 176 impact and temperature sensors. Mission Specialists will also practice repair techniques on RCC and tile samples during a spacewalk in the payload bay. During two additional spacewalks, the crew will install the External Stowage Platform-2, equipped with spare part assemblies, and a replacement Control Moment Gyroscope contained in the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure. The 12-day mission is expected to end with touchdown at the Shuttle Landing Facility on Aug. 7.

KSC-05PD-1764

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the Launch Control Center at NASA Kennedy Space Center, First Lady Laura Bush thanks NASA Administrator for his hospitality. At far left is Center Director Jim Kennedy. Mrs. Bush witnessed the historic launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on Return to Flight mission STS-114. She is only the third First Lady to witness a Space Shuttle launch at KSC.On this mission to the International Space Station the crew will perform inspections on-orbit for the first time of all of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels on the leading edge of the wings and the Thermal Protection System tiles using the new Canadian-built Orbiter Boom Sensor System and the data from 176 impact and temperature sensors. Mission Specialists will also practice repair techniques on RCC and tile samples during a spacewalk in the payload bay. During two additional spacewalks, the crew will install the External Stowage Platform-2, equipped with spare part assemblies, and a replacement Control Moment Gyroscope contained in the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure. The 12-day mission is expected to end with touchdown at the Shuttle Landing Facility on Aug. 7.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Columbia Debris Hangar, members of the Stafford-Covey Return to Flight Task Group (SCTG) look at tiles recovered. Chairing the task group are Richard O. Covey, former Space Shuttle commander, and Thomas P. Stafford (center), Apollo commander. Chartered by NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe, the task group will perform an independent assessment of NASA’s implementation of the final recommendations by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-05

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Columbia Debris Hangar, members of the Stafford-Covey Return to Flight Task Group (SCTG) look at tiles recovered. Chairing the task group are Richard O. Covey, former Space Shuttle commander, and Thomas P. Stafford (center), Apollo commander. Chartered by NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe, the task group will perform an independent assessment of NASA’s implementation of the final recommendations by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.

KSC-07pd2045

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis, atop the mobile launcher platform, rolls back into high bay 1 of the Vehicle Assembly Building from Launch Pad 39A. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. Photo credit: NASA/Jeff Wolfe

Orbiter Entry Aerothermodynamics Practical Engineering and Applied Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, Charles H.

2009-01-01

The contents include: 1) Organization of the Orbiter Entry Aeroheating Working Group; 2) Overview of the Principal RTF Aeroheating Tools Utilized for Tile Damage Assessment; 3) Description of the Integrated Tile Damage Assessment Team Analyses Process; 4) Space Shuttle Flight Support Process; and 5) JSC Applied Aerosciences and CFD Branch Applied Research Interests.

RMS/OBSS inspection of shuttle thermal tile system

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-02-25

S133-E-006073 (25 Feb. 2011) --- Controlled by the STS-133 astronauts inside Discovery's cabin, the Remote Manipulator System/Orbiter Boom Sensor System (RMS/OBSS) equipped with special cameras, begins to conduct thorough inspections of the shuttle’s thermal tile system on flight day 2. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Tile survey seen during EVA 3

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-03

S114-E-6396 (3 August 2005) --- Space Shuttle Discovery’s underside thermal protection tiles are featured in this image photographed by astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, STS-114 mission specialist, during the mission’s third session of extravehicular activities (EVA). Lake Nasser along the Nile River, Egypt is visible near Discovery’s starboard wing.

KSC-2012-1962

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-05

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, left, explains the placement of high-temperature reusable surface insulation HRSI tile on the underbelly of space shuttle Atlantis to Florida’s Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll during a tour of Kennedy’s Orbiter Processing Facility-1. The tile is part of the shuttle’s thermal protection system which covers the shuttle’s exterior and protects it from the heat of re-entry. The tour coincided with Carroll’s visit to Kennedy for a meeting with Cabana. Atlantis is being prepared for public display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in 2013. The groundbreaking for Atlantis’ exhibit hall took place in January Atlantis is scheduled to be moved to the visitor complex in November. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2010-4325

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-08-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a thermal protection system technician points to an area on space shuttle Endeavour's underside that may require tile replacement. As the final planned mission of the Space Shuttle Program, Endeavour and its crew will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, as well as critical spare components to the station on the STS-134 mission targeted for launch Feb. 26, 2011. For more information visit, http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

Tile survey seen during EVA 3

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-03

S114-E-6405 (3 August 2005) --- Space Shuttle Discovery’s underside nosecone thermal protection tiles are featured in this image photographed by astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, STS-114 mission specialist, during the mission’s third session of extravehicular activities (EVA). Part of the P1 truss and a solar array are visible in the background. The blackness of space and a blue and white Earth form the backdrop for the image.

KSC-2011-3012

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-04-21

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Members of a visiting team from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum examine the space shuttle's thermal protection system tile as they stand beneath shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced April 12 the facilities where all four shuttle orbiters will be permanently displayed at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. Shuttle Enterprise, the first orbiter built, will move from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. The Udvar-Hazy Center will become the new home for shuttle Discovery, which retired in March after completing its 39th mission. Shuttle Endeavour, which is preparing for its final flight at the end of the month, will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis, which will fly the last planned shuttle mission in June, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

KSC-2011-3011

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-04-21

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Members of a visiting team from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum discuss the application of the space shuttle's thermal protection system tile with shuttle technicians in Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced April 12 the facilities where all four shuttle orbiters will be permanently displayed at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. Shuttle Enterprise, the first orbiter built, will move from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. The Udvar-Hazy Center will become the new home for shuttle Discovery, which retired in March after completing its 39th mission. Shuttle Endeavour, which is preparing for its final flight at the end of the month, will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis, which will fly the last planned shuttle mission in June, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-03

Launched on July 26, 2005 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-114 was classified as Logistics Flight 1. Among the Station-related activities of the mission were the delivery of new supplies and the replacement of one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs). STS-114 also carried the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and the External Stowage Platform-2. A major focus of the mission was the testing and evaluation of new Space Shuttle flight safety, which included new inspection and repair techniques. Upon its approach to the International Space Station (ISS), the Space Shuttle Discovery underwent a photography session in order to assess any damages that may have occurred during its launch and/or journey through Space. The mission’s third and final Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) included taking a close-up look and the repair of the damaged heat shield. Gap fillers were removed from between the orbiter’s heat-shielding tiles located on the craft’s underbelly. Never before had any repairs been done to an orbiter while still in space. This particular photo was taken by astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, STS-114 mission specialist, whose shadow is visible on the thermal protection tiles.

Application of Terahertz Radiation to the Detection of Corrosion Under the Shuttle's Thermal Protection System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madaras, Eric I.; Anastasi, Robert F.; Smith, Stephen W.; Seebo, Jeffrey P.; Walker, James L.; Lomness, Janice K.; Hintze, Paul E.; Kammerer, Catherine C.; Winfree, William P.; Russell, Richard W.

2008-02-01

There is currently no method for detecting corrosion under Shuttle tiles except for the expensive process of tile removal and replacement; hence NASA is investigating new NDE methods for detecting hidden corrosion. Time domain terahertz radiation has been applied to corrosion detection under tiles in samples ranging from small lab samples to a Shuttle with positive results. Terahertz imaging methods have been able to detect corrosion at thicknesses of 5 mils or greater under 1" thick Shuttle tiles and 7-12 mils or greater under 2" thick Shuttle tiles.

Application of Terahertz Radiation to the Detection of Corrosion under the Shuttle's Thermal Protection System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Madaras, Eric I.; Anastasi, Robert F.; Smith, Stephen W.; Seebo, Jeffrey P.; Walker, James L.; Lomness, Janice K.; Hintze, Paul E.; Kammerer, Catherine C.; Winfree, William P.; Russell, Richard W.

2007-01-01

There is currently no method for detecting corrosion under Shuttle tiles except for the expensive process of tile removal and replacement; hence NASA is investigating new NDE methods for detecting hidden corrosion. Time domain terahertz radiation has been applied to corrosion detection under tiles in samples ranging from small lab samples to a Shuttle with positive results. Terahertz imaging methods have been able to detect corrosion at thicknesses of 5 mils or greater under 1" thick Shuttle tiles and 7-12 mils or greater under 2" thick Shuttle tiles.

KSC-08pd2144

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-07-26

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a United Space Alliance technician holds one of the Boeing Replacement Insulation 18, or BRI-18, tile that will be installed on space shuttle Endeavour during processing activities. BRI-18 is the strongest material used for thermal insulation on the orbiters and, when coated to produce toughened unipiece fibrous insulation, provides a tile with extremely high-impact resistance. It is replacing other tiles on areas of the vehicle where impact risk is high, such as the landing gear doors, the wing leading edge and the external tank doors. Endeavour will deliver a multi-purpose logistics module to the International Space Station on its STS-126 mission. Launch is targeted for Nov. 10. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-08pd2150

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-07-26

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a United Space Alliance technician installs Boeing Replacement Insulation 18, or BRI-18, tile on space shuttle Endeavour during processing activities. BRI-18 is the strongest material used for thermal insulation on the orbiters and, when coated to produce toughened unipiece fibrous insulation, provides a tile with extremely high-impact resistance. It is replacing other tiles on areas of the vehicle where impact risk is high, such as the landing gear doors, the wing leading edge and the external tank doors. Endeavour will deliver a multi-purpose logistics module to the International Space Station on its STS-126 mission. Launch is targeted for Nov. 10. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-08pd2147

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-07-26

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a United Space Alliance technician installs Boeing Replacement Insulation 18, or BRI-18, tile on space shuttle Endeavour during processing activities. BRI-18 is the strongest material used for thermal insulation on the orbiters and, when coated to produce toughened unipiece fibrous insulation, provides a tile with extremely high-impact resistance. It is replacing other tiles on areas of the vehicle where impact risk is high, such as the landing gear doors, the wing leading edge and the external tank doors. Endeavour will deliver a multi-purpose logistics module to the International Space Station on its STS-126 mission. Launch is targeted for Nov. 10. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-08pd2143

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-07-26

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a United Space Alliance technician holds one of the Boeing Replacement Insulation 18, or BRI-18, tile that will be installed on space shuttle Endeavour during processing activities. BRI-18 is the strongest material used for thermal insulation on the orbiters and, when coated to produce toughened unipiece fibrous insulation, provides a tile with extremely high-impact resistance. It is replacing other tiles on areas of the vehicle where impact risk is high, such as the landing gear doors, the wing leading edge and the external tank doors. Endeavour will deliver a multi-purpose logistics module to the International Space Station on its STS-126 mission. Launch is targeted for Nov. 10. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-08pd2142

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-07-26

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a United Space Alliance technician installs Boeing Replacement Insulation 18, or BRI-18, tile on space shuttle Endeavour during processing activities. BRI-18 is the strongest material used for thermal insulation on the orbiters and, when coated to produce toughened unipiece fibrous insulation, provides a tile with extremely high-impact resistance. It is replacing other tiles on areas of the vehicle where impact risk is high, such as the landing gear doors, the wing leading edge and the external tank doors. Endeavour will deliver a multi-purpose logistics module to the International Space Station on its STS-126 mission. Launch is targeted for Nov. 10. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

Boundary Layer Transition Protuberance Tests at NASA JSC Arc-Jet Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Larin, Max E.; Marichalar, Jeremiah J.; Kinder, Gerald R.; Campbell, Charles H.; Riccio, Joseph R.; Nguyen, Tien Q.; Del Papa, Steven V.; Pulsonetti, Maria V.

2010-01-01

A series of tests conducted recently at the NASA JSC arc -jet test facility demonstrated that a protruding tile material can survive the exposure to the high enthalpy flows characteristic of the Space Shuttle Orbiter re-entry environments. The tests provided temperature data for the protuberance and the surrounding smooth tile surfaces, as well as the tile bond line. The level of heating needed to slump the protuberance material was achieved. Protuberance failure mode was demonstrated.

Orion’s protective backshell installed on This Week @NASA - August 25, 2014

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-25

Engineers at Kennedy Space Center have finished installing the Orion spacecraft’s backshell – the black protective tiles on the cone-shaped sides of NASA’s new deep space capsule. The backshell tiles are the same type that protected the underside of space shuttles -- and will not only provide protection from debris while in space but from extreme temperatures in that area of the spacecraft as it returns from space – which could exceed 31-hundred degrees Fahrenheit. Also, SLS anti-geyser testing, Webb’s replica backplane, Arctic Sea ice loss, Ancient Earth, Alien Earths and more!

KSC-05PP-1776

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Space Shuttle Discovery is seen just moments after liftoff as it leaps from Launch Pad 39B on the historic Return to Flight mission STS-114. Liftoff occurred at 10:39 a.m. EDT. It is the 114th Space Shuttle flight and the 31st for Discovery. The 12-day mission is expected to end with touchdown at the Shuttle Landing Facility on Aug. 7. On this mission to the International Space Station the crew will perform inspections on-orbit for the first time of all of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels on the leading edge of the wings and the Thermal Protection System tiles using the new Canadian-built Orbiter Boom Sensor System and the data from 176 impact and temperature sensors. Mission Specialists will also practice repair techniques on RCC and tile samples during a spacewalk in the payload bay. During two additional spacewalks, the crew will install the External Stowage Platform-2, equipped with spare part assemblies, and a replacement Control Moment Gyroscope contained in the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure.

High Resolution Millimeter Wave Inspecting of the Orbiter Acreage Heat Tiles of the Space Shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Case, J. T.; Khakovsky, S.; Zoughi, r.; Hepburn, F.

2007-01-01

Presence of defects such as disbonds, delaminations, impact damage, in thermal protection systems can significantly reduce safety of the Space Shuttle and its crew. The physical cause of Space Shuttle Columbia's catastrophic failure was a breach in its thermal protection system, caused by a piece of external tank insulating foam separating from the external tank and striking the leading edge of the left wing of the orbiter. There is an urgent need for a rapid, robust and life-circle oriented nondestructive testing (NDT) technique capable of inspecting the external tank insulating foam as well as the orbiter's protective (acreage) heat tiles and its fuselage prior and subsequent to a launch. Such a comprehensive inspection technique enables NASA to perform life-cycle inspection on critical components of the orbiter and its supporting hardware. Consequently, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center initiated an investigation into several potentially viable NDT techniques for this purpose. Microwave and millimeter wave NDT methods have shown great potential to achieve these goals. These methods have been successfully used to produce images of the interior of various complex, thick and thin external tank insulating foam structures for real focused reflectometer at operating frequency from 50-100 GHz and for synthetic aperture techniques at Ku-band (12-18 GHz) and K-band (18-26 GHz). Preliminary results of inspecting heat tile specimens show that increasing resolution of the measurement system is an important issue. This paper presents recent results of an investigation for the purpose of detecting anomalies such as debonds and corrosion in metal substrate in complex multi-sectioned protective heat tile specimens using a real focused 150 GHz (D-band) reflectometer and wide-band millimeter wave holography at 33-50, GHz (Q-band).

KSC-07pd2661

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-10-05

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, a United Space Alliance technician prepares the surface of Atlantis for installation of a thermal protection system tile. Space shuttle Atlantis is targeted for launch on mission STS-122 on Dec. 6. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

Development of a nondestructive vibration technique for bond assessment of Space Shuttle tiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moslehy, Faissal A.

1994-01-01

This final report describes the achievements of the above titled project. The project is funded by NASA-KSC (Grant No. NAG 10-0117) for the period of 1 Jan. to 31 Dec. 1993. The purpose of this project was to develop a nondestructive, noncontact technique based on 'vibration signature' of tile systems to quantify the bond conditions of the thermal protection system) tiles of Space Shuttle orbiters. The technique uses a laser rapid scan system, modal measurements, and finite element modeling. Finite element models were developed for tiles bonded to both clamped and deformable integrated skin-stringer orbiter mid-fuselage. Results showed that the size and location of a disbonded tile can be determined from frequency and mode shape information. Moreover, a frequency response survey was used to quickly identify the disbonded tiles. The finite element results were compared with experimentally determined frequency responses of a 17-tile test panel, where a rapidscan laser system was employed. An excellent degree of correlation between the mathematical simulation and experimental results was realized. An inverse solution for single-tile assemblies was also derived and is being implemented into a computer program that can interact with the modal testing software. The output of the program displays the size and location of disbond. This program has been tested with simulated input (i.e., finite element data), and excellent agreement between predicted and simulated disbonds was shown. Finally, laser vibration imaging and acoustic emission techniques were shown to be well suited for detecting and monitoring the progressive damage in Graphite/Epoxy composite materials.

KSC-2011-3010

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-04-21

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Members of a visiting team from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum receive a briefing on the application of the space shuttle's thermal protection system tile in Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced April 12 the facilities where all four shuttle orbiters will be permanently displayed at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. Shuttle Enterprise, the first orbiter built, will move from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. The Udvar-Hazy Center will become the new home for shuttle Discovery, which retired in March after completing its 39th mission. Shuttle Endeavour, which is preparing for its final flight at the end of the month, will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis, which will fly the last planned shuttle mission in June, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

Thermal stress analysis of space shuttle orbiter wing skin panel and thermal protection system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ko, William L.; Jenkins, Jerald M.

1987-01-01

Preflight thermal stress analysis of the space shuttle orbiter wing skin panel and the thermal protection system (TPS) was performed. The heated skin panel analyzed was rectangular in shape and contained a small square cool region at its center. The wing skin immediately outside the cool region was found to be close to the state of elastic instability in the chordwise direction based on the conservative temperature distribution. The wing skin was found to be quite stable in the spanwise direction. The potential wing skin thermal instability was not severe enough to tear apart the strain isolation pad (SIP) layer. Also, the preflight thermal stress analysis was performed on the TPS tile under the most severe temperature gradient during the simulated reentry heating. The tensile thermal stress induced in the TPS tile was found to be much lower than the tensile strength of the TPS material. The thermal bending of the TPS tile was not severe enough to cause tearing of the SIP layer.

KSC-04pd1841

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-18

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Martin Wilson (second from right), manager of Thermal Protection System (TPS) operations for United Space Alliance (USA), briefs NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe, KSC Director of Shuttle Processing Michael E. Wetmore and Center Director James Kennedy about the temporary tile shop set up in the RLV hangar. At far right is USA Manager of Soft Goods Production in the TPSF, Kevin Harrington. O’Keefe and NASA Associate Administrator of Space Operations Mission Directorate William Readdy are visiting KSC to survey the damage sustained by KSC facilities from Hurricane Frances. The Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF), which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof in the storm, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. Undamaged equipment was removed from the TPSF and stored in the hangar. The Labor Day storm also caused significant damage to the Vehicle Assembly Building and Processing Control Center. Additionally, the Operations and Checkout Building, Vertical Processing Facility, Hangar AE, Hangar S and Hangar AF Small Parts Facility each received substantial damage. However, well-protected and unharmed were NASA’s three Space Shuttle orbiters -- Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour - along with the Shuttle launch pads, all of the critical flight hardware for the orbiters and the International Space Station, and NASA’s Swift spacecraft that is awaiting launch in October.

Jewelry Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1987-01-01

A jeweler's torch generates temperatures of 1,400 - 1,800 degrees. Asbestos blocks were used as soldering bases but they were disintegrating at high temperatures. Space Shuttle tiles, manufactured by Lockheed Missiles & Space Co., offered a base with temperature resistance far beyond his requirements.

Effects of surface cooling and of roughness on the heating (including transition) to the windward plane-of-symmetry of the shuttle orbiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bertin, J. J.; Idar, E. S., III; Galanski, S. R.

1977-01-01

The theoretical heat-transfer distributions are compared with experimental heat-transfer distributions obtained in Tunnel B at AEDC using a 0.0175 scale model of the space shuttle orbiter configuration for which the first 80% of the windward surface was roughened by a simulated tile misalignment. The theoretical solutions indicate that thinning the boundary layer by surface cooling increased the nondimensionalized value of the local heat-transfer coefficient. Tile misalignment did not significantly affect the heat-transfer rate in regions where the boundary layer was either laminar or turbulent.

Tile survey seen during EVA 3

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-03

S114-E-6388 (3 August 2005) --- A close-up view of a portion of the thermal protection tiles on Space Shuttle Discovery’s underside is featured in this image photographed by astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, STS-114 mission specialist, during the mission’s third session of extravehicular activities (EVA). Robinson’s shadow is visible on the thermal protection tiles and a portion of the Canadian-built remote manipulator system (RMS) robotic arm and the Nile River is visible at bottom.

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-03

Launched on July 26 2005, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-114 was classified as Logistics Flight 1. Among the Station-related activities of the mission were the delivery of new supplies and the replacement of one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs). STS-114 also carried the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and the External Stowage Platform-2. A major focus of the mission was the testing and evaluation of new Space Shuttle flight safety, which included new inspection and repair techniques. Upon its approach to the International Space Station (ISS), the Space Shuttle Discovery underwent a photography session in order to assess any damages that may have occurred during its launch and/or journey through Space. The mission’s third and final Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) included taking a close-up look and the repair of the damaged heat shield. Gap fillers were removed from between the orbiter’s heat-shielding tiles located on the craft’s underbelly. Never before had any repairs been done to an orbiter while still in space. This close up of the thermal tiles was taken by astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, STS-114 mission specialist (out of frame). Astronaut Soichi Noguchi, STS-114 mission specialist representing the Japan Aerospace Exploration (JAXA), can be seen in the background perched on a Space Station truss.

KSC-07pd1177

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In high bay No. 1 of the Vehicle Assembly Building, Space Shuttle Atlantis is ready for its return to Launch Pad 39A. In late February, Atlantis' external tank received hail damage during a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 area. The hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation, as well as minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. The launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-117 is now targeted for June 8. A flight readiness review will be held on May 30 and 31. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

KSC-07pd1178

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In high bay No. 1 of the Vehicle Assembly Building, Space Shuttle Atlantis awaits its return to Launch Pad 39A. In late February, Atlantis' external tank received hail damage during a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 area. The hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation, as well as minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. The launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-117 is now targeted for June 8. A flight readiness review will be held on May 30 and 31. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

STS-87 crew and VIPs inspect the orbiter Columbia after landing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

STS-87 crew members regard the tiles underneath the orbiter Columbia shortly after its return to Runway 33 at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. Pointing to the tiles is the president of the National Space Development Agency (NASDA) of Japan, Isao Uchida, who is standing next to NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin. STS-87 Commander Kevin Kregel, at right, looks on as Pilot Steve Lindsey follows behind him to continue inspecting the orbiter. STS-87 concluded its mission with a main gear touchdown at 7:20:04 a.m. EST Dec. 5, drawing the 15-day, 16-hour and 34-minute-long mission of 6.5 million miles to a close. Also onboard the orbiter were Mission Specialists Winston Scott; Kalpana Chawla, Ph.D.; and Takao Doi, Ph.D., of NASDA; along with Payload Specialist Leonid Kadenyuk of the National Space Agency of Ukraine. During the 88th Space Shuttle mission, the crew performed experiments on the United States Microgravity Payload-4 and pollinated plants as part of the Collaborative Ukrainian Experiment. This was the 12th landing for Columbia at KSC and the 41st KSC landing in the history of the Space Shuttle program.

Thermal insulation attaching means. [adhesive bonding of felt vibration insulators under ceramic tiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leger, L. J. (Inventor)

1978-01-01

An improved isolation system is provided for attaching ceramic tiles of insulating material to the surface of a structure to be protected against extreme temperatures of the nature expected to be encountered by the space shuttle orbiter. This system isolates the fragile ceramic tiles from thermally and mechanically induced vehicle structural strains. The insulating tiles are affixed to a felt isolation pad formed of closely arranged and randomly oriented fibers by means of a flexible adhesive and in turn the felt pad is affixed to the metallic vehicle structure by an additional layer of flexible adhesive.

Application of Electron Microscopy Techniques to the Investigation of Space Shuttle Columbia Accident

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shah, Sandeep

2005-01-01

This viewgraph presentation gives an overview of the investigation into the breakup of the Space Shuttle Columbia, and addresses the importance of a failure analysis strategy for the investigation of the Columbia accident. The main focus of the presentation is on the usefulness of electron microscopy for analyzing slag deposits from the tiles and reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) wing panels of the Columbia orbiter.

Rewaterproofing Chemical For Use With Silicones

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hill, William L.; Mitchell, Shirley M.; Massey, Howard S.

1990-01-01

Agent restores impermeability without degrading silicone adhesives and substructures. Dimethylethoxysilane (DMES) found to rewaterproof tiles and composite panels internally without harming materials that underlie them. Replaces hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) as postmission rewaterproofing agent for tiles of thermal-protection system on Space Shuttle. Much of original waterproofing lost during rigors of launch and reentry. Potential terrestrial application includes composite materials in such structures as bridges and submarines.

KSC-04pd1902

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-22

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers attempt to secure the roof of the Tile Shop in the Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF) in preparation for Hurricane Jeanne, which is expected to impact Central Florida Sunday. The TPSF, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, lost approximately 35 percent of its roof during Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4. Jeanne is the fourth hurricane in 45 days to make landfall somewhere in the state.

Orbiter Boom Sensor System and TPS tiles on orbiter Discovery as seen during EVA 3

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-03

S114-E-6310 (3 August 2005) --- The Red Sea forms the backdrop for this view featuring a portion of thermal protection tiles on the Space Shuttle Discovery’s underside and the Canadian-built remote manipulator system (RMS) robotic arm while docked to the international space station during the STS-114 mission. The image was photographed by astronaut Stephen K. Robinson (out of frame), mission specialist, during today’s extravehicular activities (EVA).

Structural tests on space shuttle thermal protection system constructed with nondensified and densified Li 900 and LI 2200 tile

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, J. G.

1981-01-01

Structural tests were conducted on thermal protection systems (TPS) LI 900 and LI 2200 tiles and .41 cm and .23 cm thick strain isolation pads. The bond surface of selected tiles was densified to obtain improved strength. Four basic types of experiments were conducted including tension tests, substrate mismatch (initial imperfection) tests, tension loads eccentrically applied, and pressure loads applied rapidly to the tile top surface. A small initial imperfection mismatch (2.29 m spherical radius on the substrate) did not influence significantly the ultimate failure strength. Densification of the tile bond region improved the strength of TPS constructed both of LI 900 tile and of LI 2200 tile. Pressure shock conditions studied did not significantly affect the TPS strength.

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-03

Launched on July 26, 2005 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-114 was classified as Logistics Flight 1. Among the Station-related activities of the mission were the delivery of new supplies and the replacement of one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs). STS-114 also carried the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and the External Stowage Platform-2. A major focus of the mission was the testing and evaluation of new Space Shuttle flight safety, which included new inspection and repair techniques. Upon its approach to the International Space Station (ISS), the Space Shuttle Discovery underwent a photography session in order to assess any damages that may have occurred during its launch and/or journey through Space. The mission’s third and final Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) included taking a close-up look and the repair of the damaged heat shield. Gap fillers were removed from between the orbiter’s heat-shielding tiles located on the craft’s underbelly. Never before had any repairs been done to an orbiter while still in space. This particular photo was taken by astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, STS-114 mission specialist, whose shadow is visible on the thermal protection tiles, and a portion of the Canadian built Remote Manipulator System (RMS) robotic arm and the Nile River is visible at the bottom.

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-03

Launched on July 26, 2005 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-114 was classified as Logistics Flight 1. Among the Station-related activities of the mission were the delivery of new supplies and the replacement of one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs). STS-114 also carried the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and the External Stowage Platform-2. A major focus of the mission was the testing and evaluation of new Space Shuttle flight safety, which included new inspection and repair techniques. Upon its approach to the International Space Station (ISS), the Space Shuttle Discovery underwent a photography session in order to assess any damages that may have occurred during its launch and/or journey through Space. The mission’s third and final Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) included taking a close-up look and the repair of the damaged heat shield. Gap fillers were removed from between the orbiter’s heat-shielding tiles located on the craft’s underbelly. Never before had any repairs been done to an orbiter while still in space. Astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, STS-114 mission specialist, used the pictured still digital camera to expose a photo of his helmet visor during the EVA. Also visible in the reflection are thermal protection tiles on Discovery’s underside.

KSC-98pc930

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-08-10

In the Tile Fabrication Shop, Tony Rollins, with United Space Alliance, cuts a High-Temperature Reusable Surface Insulation (HRSI) tile on a gun stock contour milling machine. About 70 percent of a Space Shuttle orbiter’s external surface is shielded from heat by a network of more than 24,000 tiles formed from a silica fiber compound. HRSI tiles cover the lower surface of the orbiter, areas around the forward windows, upper body flap, the base heat shield, the "eyeballs" on the front of the Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) pods, and the leading and trailing edges of the vertical stabilizer and the rudder speed brake. They are generally 6 inches square, but may also be as large as 12 inches square in some areas, and 1 to 5 inches thick. More advanced materials such as Flexible Insulation Blankets have replaced tiles on some upper surfaces of the orbiter

Space Shuttle Boundary Layer Transition Flight Experiment Ground Testing Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berger, Karen T.; Anderson, Brian P.; Campbell, Charles H.

2014-01-01

In support of the Boundary Layer Transition (BLT) Flight Experiment (FE) Project in which a manufactured protuberance tile was installed on the port wing of Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery for STS-119, STS- 128, STS-131 and STS-133 as well as Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour for STS-134, a significant ground test campaign was completed. The primary goals of the test campaign were to provide ground test data to support the planning and safety certification efforts required to fly the flight experiment as well as validation for the collected flight data. These test included Arcjet testing of the tile protuberance, aerothermal testing to determine the boundary layer transition behavior and resultant surface heating and planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) testing in order to gain a better understanding of the flow field characteristics associated with the flight experiment. This paper provides an overview of the BLT FE Project ground testing. High-level overviews of the facilities, models, test techniques and data are presented, along with a summary of the insights gained from each test.

Robotic end-effector for rewaterproofing shuttle tiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manouchehri, Davoud; Hansen, Joseph M.; Wu, Cheng M.; Yamamoto, Brian S.; Graham, Todd

1992-11-01

This paper summarizes work by Rockwell International's Space Systems Division's Robotics Group at Downey, California. The work is part of a NASA-led team effort to automate Space Shuttle rewaterproofing in the Orbiter Processing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center and the ferry facility at the Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility. Rockwell's effort focuses on the rewaterproofing end-effector, whose function is to inject hazardous dimethylethyloxysilane into thousands of ceramic tiles on the underside of the orbiter after each flight. The paper has five sections. First, it presents background on the present manual process. Second, end-effector requirements are presented, including safety and interface control. Third, a design is presented for the five end-effector systems: positioning, delivery, containment, data management, and command and control. Fourth, end-effector testing and integrating to the total system are described. Lastly, future applications for this technology are discussed.

KSC-07pd1080

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In NASA Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building, technicians observe the sander used to repair hail damage on Atlantis' nose cone. In late February, Atlantis' external tank received hail damage during a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 area. The hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation as well as minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. The launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-117 now is targeted for June 8. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-07pd1081

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In NASA Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building, technicians adjust the sander used to repair hail damage on Atlantis' nose cone. In late February, Atlantis' external tank received hail damage during a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 area. The hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation as well as minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. The launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-117 now is targeted for June 8. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

Remote voice training: A case study on space shuttle applications, appendix C

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mollakarimi, Cindy; Hamid, Tamin

1990-01-01

The Tile Automation System includes applications of automation and robotics technology to all aspects of the Shuttle tile processing and inspection system. An integrated set of rapid prototyping testbeds was developed which include speech recognition and synthesis, laser imaging systems, distributed Ada programming environments, distributed relational data base architectures, distributed computer network architectures, multi-media workbenches, and human factors considerations. Remote voice training in the Tile Automation System is discussed. The user is prompted over a headset by synthesized speech for the training sequences. The voice recognition units and the voice output units are remote from the user and are connected by Ethernet to the main computer system. A supervisory channel is used to monitor the training sequences. Discussions include the training approaches as well as the human factors problems and solutions for this system utilizing remote training techniques.

KSC-04pd1840

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-18

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Martin Wilson (second from right), manager of Thermal Protection System (TPS) operations for United Space Alliance (USA) , introduces Kevin Harrington, manager of Soft Goods Production in the TPSF, during a briefing to (from left) NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe, KSC Director of Shuttle Processing Michael E. Wetmore, Center Director James Kennedy and KSC Director of the Spaceport Services Scott Kerr (behind Kennedy), on the temporary tile shop set up in the RLV hangar. O’Keefe and NASA Associate Administrator of Space Operations Mission Directorate William Readdy are visiting KSC to survey the damage sustained by KSC facilities from Hurricane Frances. The Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF), which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof in the storm, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. The Labor Day storm also caused significant damage to the Vehicle Assembly Building and Processing Control Center. Additionally, the Operations and Checkout Building, Vertical Processing Facility, Hangar AE, Hangar S and Hangar AF Small Parts Facility each received substantial damage. Undamaged equipment was removed from the TPSF and stored in the hangar. However, well-protected and unharmed were NASA’s three Space Shuttle orbiters -- Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour - along with the Shuttle launch pads, all of the critical flight hardware for the orbiters and the International Space Station, and NASA’s Swift spacecraft that is awaiting launch in October.

STS-114: Discovery Day 6 Post MMT Meeting

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

Wane Hill, Deputy Manager of the Space Shuttle Program, and Steve Poulos, Manager, Orbiter Project Office discussed damage assessments caused during ascent. Steve further detailed the damage analysis and assessments with chart presentation of composite tile damage and gap filler sites evaluation, protruding ceramic shim, left wing tile damage, comparisons of ground test results versus FD5 focused inspection, and the window 1 blanket. Gap fillers, the STS-73, thermal protection, temperature range, heating and heating range, aerodynamics, aerothermodynamics, risk, foam damage, tile adhesions, and extravehicular activities are topics covered with the News media.

KSC-04pd1770

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-10

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Members of a hurricane assessment team from Johnson Space Center and Marshall Space Flight Center tour the Thermal Protection System (TPS) Facility at KSC after Hurricane Frances hit the east coast of Central Florida and Kennedy Space Center. At left is Martin Wilson, manager of the TPS operations. The facility, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof. Equipment and materials that survived the storm have been relocated to the RLV hangar near the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility.

KSC-04pd1774

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-10

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Members of a hurricane assessment team from Johnson Space Center and Marshall Space Flight Center observe the damage to the roof of the Thermal Protection System (TPS) Facility at KSC after Hurricane Frances hit the east coast of Central Florida and Kennedy Space Center. The facility, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof. Equipment and materials that survived the storm have been relocated to the RLV hangar near the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility.

Effect of 25 cycles of launch pad exposure and simulated mission heating on space shuttle reusable surface insulation coated with reaction cured glass

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ransone, P. O.; Morrison, J. D.; Minster, J. E.

1979-01-01

Tiles of space shuttle reusable surface insulation coated with reaction cured glass were subjected to 25 cycles of launch pad exposure and simulated mission heating. The coating could not withstand the environment without cracking. Water absorption after cracking reached as high as 150 weight percent. Exposure of insulation fibers beneath the coating to contaminants dissolved in absorbed water initiated fiber degradation.

Tile survey taken during EVA 3

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-03

S114-E-6376 (3 August 2005) --- A close-up view of a portion of the thermal protection tiles on Space Shuttle Discovery’s underside is featured in this image photographed by astronaut Stephen K. Robinson (out of frame), STS-114 mission specialist, during the mission’s third session of extravehicular activities (EVA). While perched on a Space Station truss, astronaut Soichi Noguchi (background), mission specialist representing Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), acts as observer and communication relay station between fellow spacewalker Robinson and astronaut Andrew S. W. Thomas aboard Discovery.

KSC-2011-8362

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-04-29

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – (201104290015HQ) Terry White, United Space Alliance project lead for thermal protection systems, left, shows President Barack Obama and his family, from left, First Lady Michelle Obama, Malia, Marian Robinson and Sasha, how tiles work on the space shuttle during their visit to the Orbital Processing Facility at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

KSC-05PD-1750

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the stands at NASA Kennedy Space Centers Banana Creek viewing site, First Lady Laura Bush pauses for a photo with astronaut Scott Altmann and Michael OBrien, assistant administrator for External Relations. Mrs. Bush and other guests are attending the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on Return to Flight mission STS-114, scheduled to lift off at 10:39 a.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B with a crew of seven. Mrs. Bush is only the third First Lady to witness a Space Shuttle launch at KSC. On this mission to the International Space Station the crew will perform inspections on-orbit for the first time of all of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels on the leading edge of the wings and the Thermal Protection System tiles using the new Canadian-built Orbiter Boom Sensor System and the data from 176 impact and temperature sensors. Mission Specialists will also practice repair techniques on RCC and tile samples during a spacewalk in the payload bay. During two additional spacewalks, the crew will install the External Stowage Platform-2, equipped with spare part assemblies, and a replacement Control Moment Gyroscope contained in the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure. The 12-day mission is expected to end with touchdown at the Shuttle Landing Facility on Aug. 7.

KSC-07pd1196

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Under a feather-painted sky, Space Shuttle Atlantis, mounted on a mobile launch platform atop a crawler transporter, creeps up the ramp to Launch Pad 39A. This is the second rollout for the shuttle. First motion out of the Vehicle Assembly Building was at 5:02 a.m. EDT. In late February, while Atlantis was on the launch pad, Atlantis' external tank received hail damage during a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 area. The hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation, as well as minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. The shuttle was returned to the VAB for repairs. The launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-117 is now targeted for June 8. A flight readiness review will be held on May 30 and 31. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

KSC-07pd1193

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Under a feather-painted sky, Space Shuttle Atlantis, mounted on a mobile launch platform atop a crawler transporter, nears Launch Pad 39A. This is the second rollout for the shuttle. First motion out of the Vehicle Assembly Building was at 5:02 a.m. EDT. In late February, while Atlantis was on the launch pad, Atlantis' external tank received hail damage during a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 area. The hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation, as well as minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. The shuttle was returned to the VAB for repairs. The launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-117 is now targeted for June 8. A flight readiness review will be held on May 30 and 31. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

An experimental investigation of heat transfer to reusable surface insulation tile array gaps in a turbulent boundary layer with pressure gradient. M.S. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Throckmorton, D. A.

1975-01-01

An experimental investigation was performed to determine the effect of pressure gradient on the heat transfer to space shuttle reusable surface insulation (RSI) tile array gaps under thick, turbulent boundary layer conditions. Heat transfer and pressure measurements were obtained on a curved array of full-scale simulated RSI tiles in a tunnel wall boundary layer at a nominal freestream Mach number of 10.3 and freestream unit Reynolds numbers of 1.6, 3.3, and and 6.1 million per meter. Transverse pressure gradients were induced over the model surface by rotating the curved array with respect to the flow. Definition of the tunnel wall boundary layer flow was obtained by measurement of boundary layer pitot pressure profiles, and flat plate wall pressure and heat transfer. Flat plate wall heat transfer data were correlated and a method was derived for prediction of smooth, curved array heat transfer in the highly three-dimensional tunnel wall boundary layer flow and simulation of full-scale space shuttle vehicle pressure gradient levels was assessed.

Improving the breed - Shuttle development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brand, V.

1985-01-01

An evaluation is made of design improvements that have been made to the Space Shuttle System, and the performance gains obtained; the most important of these stem from efforts to refine procedures for rendezvous with stricken satellites, in order to repair them. Ascent performance has been improved through Space Shuttle Main Engine thrust improvements and external tank weight reductions. On-orbit living convenience has been enhanced by the addition of small sleeping compartments and a galley. Greater flexibility has been obtained for reentry and landing maneuvers. Attention is given to problems which continue to be posed by the thermal protection tiles.

Space Shuttle Underside Astronaut Communications Performance Evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hwu, Shian U.; Dobbins, Justin A.; Loh, Yin-Chung; Kroll, Quin D.; Sham, Catherine C.

2005-01-01

The Space Shuttle Ultra High Frequency (UHF) communications system is planned to provide Radio Frequency (RF) coverage for astronauts working underside of the Space Shuttle Orbiter (SSO) for thermal tile inspection and repairing. This study is to assess the Space Shuttle UHF communication performance for astronauts in the shadow region without line-of-sight (LOS) to the Space Shuttle and Space Station UHF antennas. To insure the RF coverage performance at anticipated astronaut worksites, the link margin between the UHF antennas and Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Astronauts with significant vehicle structure blockage was analyzed. A series of near-field measurements were performed using the NASA/JSC Anechoic Chamber Antenna test facilities. Computational investigations were also performed using the electromagnetic modeling techniques. The computer simulation tool based on the Geometrical Theory of Diffraction (GTD) was used to compute the signal strengths. The signal strength was obtained by computing the reflected and diffracted fields along the propagation paths between the transmitting and receiving antennas. Based on the results obtained in this study, RF coverage for UHF communication links was determined for the anticipated astronaut worksite in the shadow region underneath the Space Shuttle.

KSC-07pd1082

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In NASA Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building, technicians place a piece of foam on the side of Atlantis' nose cone to rest the sander while they make adjustments. In late February, Atlantis' external tank received hail damage during a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 area. The hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation as well as minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. The launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-117 now is targeted for June 8. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-07pd0886

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-13

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building, Mike Ravenscroft, with United Space Alliance, points to some of the foam repair done on the external tank of Space Shuttle Atlantis. Holes filled with foam are sanded flush with the adjacent area. In late February, Atlantis' external tank received hail damage during a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 area. The hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation as well as minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. The launch now is targeted for June 8. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KSC-07pd1083

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In NASA Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building, one technician adjusts the sander while another observes as they work on repairing the hail damage to Atlantis' nose cone. In late February, Atlantis' external tank received hail damage during a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 area. The hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation as well as minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. The launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-117 now is targeted for June 8. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

Report on research and technology-FY 1981

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

More than 65 technical reports, papers, and articles published by personnel and contractors at the Dryden Flight Research Center are listed. Activities performed for the Offices of Aeronautics and Space Technology, Space and Terrestrial Applications, Space Transportation Systems, and Space Tracking and Data Systems are summarized. Preliminary stability and control derivatives were determined for the shuttle orbiter at hypersonic speeds from the data obtained at reentry. The shuttle tile tests, spin research vehicle nose shapes flight investigations, envelope expansion flights for the Ames tilt rotor research aircraft, and the AD-1 oblique wing programs were completed as well as the KC-135 winglet program.

Supporting flight data analysis for Space Shuttle Orbiter Experiments at NASA Ames Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Green, M. J.; Budnick, M. P.; Yang, L.; Chiasson, M. P.

1983-01-01

The Space Shuttle Orbiter Experiments program in responsible for collecting flight data to extend the research and technology base for future aerospace vehicle design. The Infrared Imagery of Shuttle (IRIS), Catalytic Surface Effects, and Tile Gap Heating experiments sponsored by Ames Research Center are part of this program. The paper describes the software required to process the flight data which support these experiments. In addition, data analysis techniques, developed in support of the IRIS experiment, are discussed. Using the flight data base, the techniques have provided information useful in analyzing and correcting problems with the experiment, and in interpreting the IRIS image obtained during the entry of the third Shuttle mission.

Supporting flight data analysis for Space Shuttle Orbiter experiments at NASA Ames Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Green, M. J.; Budnick, M. P.; Yang, L.; Chiasson, M. P.

1983-01-01

The space shuttle orbiter experiments program is responsible for collecting flight data to extend the research and technology base for future aerospace vehicle design. The infrared imagery of shuttle (IRIS), catalytic surface effects, and tile gap heating experiments sponsored by Ames Research Center are part of this program. The software required to process the flight data which support these experiments is described. In addition, data analysis techniques, developed in support of the IRIS experiment, are discussed. Using the flight data base, the techniques provide information useful in analyzing and correcting problems with the experiment, and in interpreting the IRIS image obtained during the entry of the third shuttle mission.

Experimental aerodynamic heating to simulated space shuttle tiles in laminar and turbulent boundary layers with variable flow angles at a nominal Mach number of 7. M.S. Thesis - George Washington Univ., Nov. 1983

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Avery, D. E.

1985-01-01

The heat transfer to simulated shuttle thermal protection system tiles was investigated experimentally by using a highly instrumented metallic thin wall tile arranged with other metal tiles in a staggered tile array. Cold wall heating rate data for laminar and turbulent flow were obtained in the Langley 8 foot high Temperature Tunnel at a nominal Mach number of 7, a nominal total temperature of 3300R, a free stream unit Reynolds number from 3.4 x 10 sup 5 to 2.2 10 sup 6 per foot, and a free stream dynamic pressure from 2.1 to 9.0 psia. Experimental data are presented to illustrate the effects of flow angularity and gap width on both local peak heating and overall heating loads. For the conditions of the present study, the results show that localized and total heating are sensitive to changes in flow angle only for the test conditions of turbulent boundary layer flow with high kinetic energy and that a flow angle from 30 deg to 50 deg will minimize the local heating.

STS-114 Mission Support - Photograph EVA Tile Repair Procedures for Contingency

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-07-31

JSC2005-E-30915 (31 July 2005) --- NASA astronaut Joe Tanner (foreground) joins other astronauts and engineers at the Johnson Space Center to practice techniques to eliminate or trim protruding gap fillers that Astronauts Noguchi and Robinson will use during their spacewalk. The ceramic coated-fabric gap fillers are used to protect against hot gas from seeping into gaps between the Shuttle’s protective tiles. Photo credit: NASA/James Blair

STS-114 Mission Support - Photograph EVA Tile Repair Procedures for Contingency

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-07-31

JSC2005-E-30917 (31 July 2005) --- Astronaut Joe Tanner joins other astronauts and engineers at the Johnson Space Center to practice techniques to eliminate or trim protruding gap fillers that Astronauts Noguchi and Robinson will use during their spacewalk. The ceramic coated-fabric gap fillers are used to protect against hot gas from seeping into gaps between the Shuttle’s protective tiles. Photo Credit: NASA/James Blair

KSC-04pd1773

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-10

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Members of a hurricane assessment team from Johnson Space Center and Marshall Space Flight Center observe the damage to the roof of the Thermal Protection System (TPS) Facility at KSC after Hurricane Frances hit the east coast of Central Florida and Kennedy Space Center. Near the center is astronaut Scott Altmann, a member of the team. The facility, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof. Equipment and materials that survived the storm have been relocated to the RLV hangar near the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility.

KSC-05pp1771

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-07-26

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A tracking camera on Launch Pad 39B captures a closeup of Space Shuttle Discovery moments after liftoff on the historic Return to Flight mission STS-114. The liftoff occurred at 10:39 a.m. EDT. On this mission to the International Space Station the crew will perform inspections on-orbit for the first time of all of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels on the leading edge of the wings and the Thermal Protection System tiles using the new Canadian-built Orbiter Boom Sensor System and the data from 176 impact and temperature sensors. Mission Specialists will also practice repair techniques on RCC and tile samples during a spacewalk in the payload bay. During two additional spacewalks, the crew will install the External Stowage Platform-2, equipped with spare part assemblies, and a replacement Control Moment Gyroscope contained in the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure. The 12-day mission is expected to end with touchdown at the Shuttle Landing Facility on Aug. 7.

Orbiter Boom Sensor System extended

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-07-27

STS114-E-5330 (28 July 2005) --- As seen from Discovery's cabin, STS-114 Remote Manipulator System (RMS) robot arm flexes above Earth. Crews of Space Station and Discovery will later use RMS and boom to study Shuttle's tiles.

Overview of Microwave and Millimeter Wave Testing Activities for the Inspection of the Space Shuttle SOH and Heat Tiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zoughi, R.

2005-01-01

Microwave and millimeter wave nondestructive testing and evaluation methods, have shown great potential for inspecting the Space Shuttle s external tank spray on foam insulation (SOFI) and acreage heat tiles. These methods are capable of producing high-resolution images of et interior of these structures. To this end, several different microwave and millimeter wave nondestructive testing methods have been investigated for this purpose. These methods have included near-field as well as focused approaches ranging in frequency from 10 GHz to beyond 100 GHz. Additionally, synthetic aperture focusing methods have also been developed in this regime for obtaining high-resolution images of the interior of these critical structures. These methods possess the potential for producing 3D images of these structures in a relatively short amount of time. This paper presents a summary of these activities in addition to providing examples of images produced using these diverse methods.

KSC-2012-1066

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-01-18

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The stylized shape of the new home for Atlantis at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex incorporates hues of orange and gold to represent both the heat and the bright colors of re-entry. Special gray-colored tiling has been incorporated into the building's design to represent the space shuttle tiles that protected the orbiter from the heat of re-entry. A groundbreaking ceremony for the future home of Atlantis was held Jan. 18. For more information on this and other exhibits at the visitor complex, go to http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com. Artist rendering courtesy of PGAV Destinations for Delaware North Parks & Resorts

KSC-07pd0563

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis, atop the mobile launcher platform, rolls toward the Vehicle Assembly Building. In the VAB, the shuttle will be examined for hail damage. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. Further evaluation of the tank is necessary to get an accurate accounting of foam damage and determine the type of repair required and the time needed for that work. A new target launch date has not been determined, but teams will focus on preparing Atlantis for liftoff in late April. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller

Experimental evaluation of joint designs for a space-shuttle orbiter ablative leading edge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tompkins, S. S.; Kabana, W. P.

1975-01-01

The thermal performance of two types of ablative leading-edge joints for a space-shuttle orbiter were tested and evaluated. Chordwise joints between ablative leading-edge segments, and spanwise joints between ablative leading-edge segments and reusable surface insulation tiles were exposed to simulated shuttle heating environments. The data show that the thermal performance of models with chordwise joints to be as good as jointless models in simulated ascent-heating and orbital cold-soak environments. The suggestion is made for additional work on the joint seals, and, in particular, on the effects of heat-induced seal-material surface irregularities on the local flow.

KSC-05PD-1751

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the stands at NASA Kennedy Space Centers Banana Creek viewing site, First Lady Laura Bush (center) watches Launch Pad 39B for the liftoff of Space Shuttle Discovery on Return to Flight mission STS-114, scheduled to lift off at 10:39 a.m. EDT. She is flanked by astronaut Scott Altmann at left and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush at right. In front of her are Michael OBrien (left), assistant administrator for External Relations, and Woodrow Whitlow Jr. (right), KSC deputy director. Mrs. Bush is only the third First Lady to witness a Space Shuttle launch at KSC. On this mission to the International Space Station the crew will perform inspections on-orbit for the first time of all of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels on the leading edge of the wings and the Thermal Protection System tiles using the new Canadian-built Orbiter Boom Sensor System and the data from 176 impact and temperature sensors. Mission Specialists will also practice repair techniques on RCC and tile samples during a spacewalk in the payload bay. During two additional spacewalks, the crew will install the External Stowage Platform-2, equipped with spare part assemblies, and a replacement Control Moment Gyroscope contained in the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure. The 12-day mission is expected to end with touchdown at the Shuttle Landing Facility on Aug. 7.

The Reconstruction and Failure Analysis of The Space Shuttle Columbia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Russell, Richard W.

2010-01-01

This viewgraph presentation describes a very detailed reconstruction plan and failure analysis of The Space Shuttle Columbia accident. The contents include: 1) STS-107 Timeline; 2) Foam Impact; 3) Recovery; 4) Reconstruction; 5) Reconstruction Plan; 6) Reconstruction Hanger; 7) Pathfinders; 8) Aluminum Pathfinder; 9) Early Analysis - Left MLG Door Area; 10) Emphasis Switched to Left Hand Wing Leading Edge; 11) Wing Leading Edge Subsystem (LESS); 12) 3D Reconstruction of Left WLE; 13) Left Wing Tile Table; 14) LESS Observations; 15) Left Hand Wing Debris Points to RCC 8/9 - Slumped Tile; 16) Reconstructed View of LC/P 9 tile with I/B Tile; 17) Reconstructed View of Lower C/P 9 Tile; 18) Carrier Panel 8 - Upper; 19) Left Hand Wing Debris Points to RCC 8/9 - Erosion and RCC with attach hole intact; 20) Erosion on Panel 8 Upper Outboard Rib; 21) RCC Panels 8 & 9 Erosion Features; 22) Slumping Source for Carrier Panel 9 Tile was Revealed; 23) Debris Indicated Highest Probability Initiation Site; 24) Left Hand Wing Debris Points to RCC 8/9- Metallic Deposits; 25) Relative Metallic Deposition on L/H Wing Materials; 26) Metallic Deposit Example, LH RCC 8; 27) High Level Questions; 28) Analysis Plan Challenges; 29) Analysis Techniques; 30) Analysis Approach; 31) RCC Panel 8 Erosion Features; 32) Radiographic Features; 33) Radiography WLE LH Panel 8; 34) LH RCC 8 Upper Apex; 35) LH RCC 8 - Deposit Feature: Thick Tear Shaped; 36) LH RCC 8 - Deposit Feature: Thick Globules; 37) LH RCC 8 - Deposit Feature: Spheroids; 38) LH RCC 8 - Deposit Feature: Uniform Deposit; 39) Significant Findings - Sampling All Other panels; 40) Proposed Breach Location and Plasma Flow; 41) Corroborating Information - RCC Panel Debris Locations; 42) Corroborating Information - LH OMS Pod Analysis; 43) Corroborating Information - Impact Testing; and 44) Overall Forensic Conclusions.

President Barack Obama Visit to Kennedy Space Center

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-04-29

Terry White, United Space Alliance project lead for thermal protection systems, left, shows President Barack Obama and his family, from left, First Lady Michelle Obama, Malia, Marian Robinson and Sasha, how tiles work on the space shuttle during their visit to the Orbital Processing Facility at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, April 29, 2011. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

President Barack Obama Visit to Kennedy Space Center

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-04-29

Terry White, United Space Alliance project lead for thermal protection systems, left, sakes hands with President Barack Obama after showing his family, Sasha, First Lady Michelle Obama, Malia, and Marian Robinson, how tiles work on the space shuttle during their visit to the Orbital Processing Facility at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, April 29, 2011. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Hail damage on Atlantis' external tank is inspected

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-13

In the Vehicle Assembly Building, Mike Ravenscroft, with United Space Alliance, points to some of the foam repair done on the external tank of Space Shuttle Atlantis. Holes filled with foam are sanded flush with the adjacent area. In late February, Atlantis' external tank received hail damage during a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 area. The hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation as well as minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. The launch now is targeted for June 8.

KSC-07pd1079

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In NASA Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building, technicians are inspecting the sanding performed on Atlantis' nose cone to repair hail damage. The equipment on the side of the nose cone is the sander. In late February, Atlantis' external tank received hail damage during a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 area. The hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation as well as minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. The launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-117 now is targeted for June 8. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-05pd2602

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- United Space Alliance technician Dell Chapman installs the gap filler between tiles on the orbiter Discovery, which is being processed in Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. This work is being performed due to two gap fillers that were protruding from the underside of Discovery on the first Return to Flight mission, STS-114. New installation procedures have been developed to ensure the gap fillers stay in place and do not pose any hazard during the shuttle's re-entry to the atmosphere. Discovery is the scheduled orbiter for the second space shuttle mission in the return-to-flight sequence.

Material Behavior of Window 7 Carrier Panel Tiles and Thermal Pane Fragments Recovered from the Space Shuttle Columbia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arellano, Brenda R.

Since the end of the space shuttle program, a new generation spacecraft has been developed to transport humans back into space. NASA's Orion will carry a crew beyond low-earth orbit and the exploration of Mars may be possible in the future. Space safety becomes significant with human spaceflight and the risks are high. However, aerospace materials may provide opportunities to prevent future disasters. When the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated during re-entry in 2001, thousands of debris were collected for analysis. In contrast, when the Challenger space shuttle broke apart in 1986, all shuttle debris were buried. These tragic disasters are reminders of the importance of proper material selection and the concern of their performance in service. This research focused on investigating the effects of the debris recovered from the Columbia space shuttle after re-entry and break-up. Many of the components encountered unforeseen extreme temperatures, vibrations, and high stresses. The Columbia debris contained unique characteristics that have yet to be examined and the components for this study are the thermal protection system (TPS) carrier panel tiles and the thermal pane glass from the starboard orbiter Window 7. The alterations endured by the debris was studied through forensic materials characterization to investigate material interactions, material degradation, and thermal consequences. These materials played an essential role in the operation of the orbiter as they protected the underlying structural materials of the shuttle and underwent extreme temperatures. The methods and procedures for analyzing the debris included non-destructive and destructive evaluations. Non-destructive evaluations involved visual inspection, photographic documentation, 3D modeling, and surface elemental composition. The destructive analysis consisted of sectioning, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results obtained revealed metallic and oxide formations, flow trajectory, and the presence of other space shuttle materials. Determining the conditions of the debris after break-up is valuable because new developments for future manned spacecraft will require TPS. These materials must be continued to be studied aggressively to provide risk assessment for future missions. The findings of this investigation will identify the alterations on the debris and determine if these TPS materials are reliable for future spacecraft.

Computational Aerothermodynamic Assessment of Space Shuttle Orbiter Tile Damage: Open Cavities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pulsonetti, Maria; Wood, William

2005-01-01

Computational aerothermodynamic simulations of Orbiter windside tile damage in flight were performed in support of the Space Shuttle Return-to-Flight effort. The simulations were performed for both hypervelocity flight and low-enthalpy wind tunnel conditions and contributed to the Return-to-Flight program by providing information to support a variety of damage scenario analyses. Computations at flight conditions were performed at or very near the peak heating trajectory point for multiple damage scenarios involving damage windside acreage reaction cured glass (RCG) coated silica tile(s). The cavities formed by the missing tile examined in this study were relatively short leading to flow features which indicated open cavity behavior. Results of the computations indicated elevated heating bump factor levels predicted for flight over the predictions for wind tunnel conditions. The peak heating bump factors, defined as the local heating to a reference value upstream of the cavity, on the cavity floor for flight simulation were 67% larger than the peak wind tunnel simulation value. On the downstream face of the cavity the flight simulation values were 60% larger than the wind tunnel simulation values. On the outer mold line (OML) downstream of the cavity, the flight values are about 20% larger than the wind tunnel simulation values. The higher heating bump factors observed in the flight simulations were due to the larger driving potential in terms of energy entering the cavity for the flight simulations. This is evidenced by the larger rate of increase in the total enthalpy through the boundary layer prior to the cavity for the flight simulation.

Orbiter Return-To-Flight Entry Aeroheating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, Charles H.; Anderson, Brian; Bourland, Gary; Bouslog, Stan; Cassady, Amy; Horvath, Tom; Berry, Scott A.; Gnoffo, Peter; Wood, Bill; Reuther, James;

Modal analysis and dynamic stresses for acoustically excited shuttle insulation tiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ojalvo, I. U.; Ogilvie, P. L.

1975-01-01

Improvements and extensions to the RESIST computer program developed for determining the normalized modal stress response of shuttle insulation tiles are described. The new version of RESIST can accommodate primary structure panels with closed-cell stringers, in addition to the capability for treating open-cell stringers. In addition, the present version of RESIST numerically solves vibration problems several times faster than its predecessor. A new digital computer program, titled ARREST (Acoustic Response of Reusable Shuttle Tiles) is also described. Starting with modal information contained on output tapes from RESIST computer runs, ARREST determines RMS stresses, deflections and accelerations of shuttle panels with reusable surface insulation tiles. Both programs are applicable to stringer stiffened structural panels with or without reusable surface insulation titles.

Hand-Held Electronic Gap-Measuring Tools

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sugg, F. E.; Thompson, F. W.; Aragon, L. A.; Harrington, D. B.

1985-01-01

Repetitive measurements simplified by tool based on LVDT operation. With fingers in open position, Gap-measuring tool rests on digital readout instrument. With fingers inserted in gap, separation alters inductance of linear variable-differential transformer in plastic handle. Originally developed for measuring gaps between surface tiles of Space Shuttle orbiter, tool reduces measurement time from 20 minutes per tile to 2 minutes. Also reduces possibility of damage to tiles during measurement. Tool has potential applications in mass production; helps ensure proper gap dimensions in assembly of refrigerator and car doors and also used to measure dimensions of components and to verify positional accuracy of components during progressive assembly operations.

Performance of LI-1542 reusable surface insulation system in a hypersonic stream

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunt, L. R.; Shideler, J. L.; Weinstein, I.

1976-01-01

The thermal and structural performance LI-1542 reusable surface insulation (RSI) tiles was investigated. The test panel was designed to represent part of the surface structure on a space shuttle orbiter fuselage along a 1250 K isotherm. Aerothermal tests were conducted at a free-stream Mach number of 6.6, a total temperature of 1820 K, Reynolds numbers of 2 millon and 5 million per meter, and dynamic pressures of 26 and 65 kPa. The RSI tiles demonstrated good thermal protection and structural integrity. High temperatures were caused by misalinement in tile height, offset the tile longitudinal alinement, and leakage around thermal seals when differential pressure existed across the panel. The damage tolerance of LI-1542 RSI appeared high. The tile coating crazed early in the test program, but this did not effect the tile integrity. Erosion of the tile edges occurred at forward-facing steps and at the ends of longitudinal gaps because of particle impacts and flow shear.

KSC-2009-2393

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-28

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA Deputy Manager of Space Shuttle Program LeRoy Cain and NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier inspect the thermal protection system tile beneath space shuttle Discovery following touchdown on Runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Discovery’s landing completed the 13-day, 5.3-million mile journey on the STS-119 mission to the International Space Station. Main gear touchdown was at 3:13:17 p.m. EDT. Nose gear touchdown was at 3:13:40 p.m. and wheels stop was at 3:14:45 p.m. Discovery delivered the final pair of large power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. The mission was the 28th flight to the station, the 36th flight of Discovery and the 125th in the Space Shuttle Program, as well as the 70th landing at Kennedy. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

International Space Station US. GN&C Momentum Manager Controller Design for Shuttle Thermal Protection System Repair

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sims, Christopher R.

2005-01-01

This paper describes the design of the ISS Momentum Manager controllers for the Orbiter Repair Maneuver (ORM) and Orbiter Tile Repair operations. Momentum Manager Controllers provide non-propulsive attitude control via CMGs. Non-propulsive control is required at the beginning and the middle of the ORM and at the tile repair position. This paper first reviews the design issues and requirements, then presents the design methodology, and concludes with analysis results that verify the design.

Microencapsulation of Drugs in the Microgravity Environment of the United States Space Shuttle

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-10-03

Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21701-5012. AUTHORITY USAMRMC ltr., 21 Apr 97 THIS PAGE IS UNCLASSIFIED AD-B 192 333 Project 7654-X 0 MICROENCAPSULATION OF...X) Ninth Avenue South Birmingham, Alabama 35205 94 l1 t• 7 4 M_ T ’ INI 3 Oct 94 Midterm •.Jý92 - 1,O]J94 % ’ Microencapsulation of Drugs in dte...2-3 ViI. REFERENCES............................................... 24 MICROENCAPSULATION OF DRUGS IN TIlE MICROGRAVIrY ENVIRONMENT OF TilE

KSC-07pd0565

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis, atop the mobile launcher platform, rolls into the Vehicle Assembly Building after leaving Launch Pad 39A. In the VAB, the shuttle will be examined for hail damage. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. Further evaluation of the tank is necessary to get an accurate accounting of foam damage and determine the type of repair required and the time needed for that work. A new target launch date has not been determined, but teams will focus on preparing Atlantis for liftoff in late April. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller

Filler bar heating due to stepped tiles in the shuttle orbiter thermal protection system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petley, D. H.; Smith, D. M.; Edwards, C. L. W.; Patten, A. B.; Hamilton, H. H., II

1983-01-01

An analytical study was performed to investigate the excessive heating in the tile to tile gaps of the Shuttle Orbiter Thermal Protection System due to stepped tiles. The excessive heating was evidence by visible discoloration and charring of the filler bar and strain isolation pad that is used in the attachment of tiles to the aluminum substrate. Two tile locations on the Shuttle orbiter were considered, one on the lower surface of the fuselage and one on the lower surface of the wing. The gap heating analysis involved the calculation of external and internal gas pressures and temperatures, internal mass flow rates, and the transient thermal response of the thermal protection system. The results of the analysis are presented for the fuselage and wing location for several step heights. The results of a study to determine the effectiveness of a half height ceramic fiber gap filler in preventing hot gas flow in the tile gaps are also presented.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Columbia Debris Hangar, Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach points to some of the tiles recovered from the orbiter as he explains to the media about activities that have taken place since the Columbia accident on Feb. 1, 2003. STS-107 debris recovery and reconstruction operations are winding down. To date, nearly 84,000 pieces of debris have been recovered and sent to KSC. That represents about 38 percent of the dry weight of Columbia, equaling almost 85,000 pounds.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-06-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Columbia Debris Hangar, Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach points to some of the tiles recovered from the orbiter as he explains to the media about activities that have taken place since the Columbia accident on Feb. 1, 2003. STS-107 debris recovery and reconstruction operations are winding down. To date, nearly 84,000 pieces of debris have been recovered and sent to KSC. That represents about 38 percent of the dry weight of Columbia, equaling almost 85,000 pounds.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Columbia Debris Hangar, Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach (center) points to some of the tiles recovered from the orbiter as he explains to the media about activities that have taken place since the Columbia accident on Feb. 1, 2003. STS-107 debris recovery and reconstruction operations are winding down. To date, nearly 84,000 pieces of debris have been recovered and sent to KSC. That represents about 38 percent of the dry weight of Columbia, equaling almost 85,000 pounds.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-06-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Columbia Debris Hangar, Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach (center) points to some of the tiles recovered from the orbiter as he explains to the media about activities that have taken place since the Columbia accident on Feb. 1, 2003. STS-107 debris recovery and reconstruction operations are winding down. To date, nearly 84,000 pieces of debris have been recovered and sent to KSC. That represents about 38 percent of the dry weight of Columbia, equaling almost 85,000 pounds.

Effect of load eccentricity and substructure deformation on ultimate strength of shuttle orbiter thermal protection system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sawyer, J. W.

1981-01-01

The effect of load eccentricity and substructure deformation on the ultimate strength and stress displacement properties of the shuttle orbiter thermal protection system (TPS) was determined. The LI-900 Reusable Surface Insulation (RSI) tiles mounted on the .41 cm thick Strain Isolator Pad (SIP) were investigated. Substructure deformations reduce the ultimate strength of the SIP/tile TPS and increase the scatter in the ultimate strength data. Substructure deformations that occur unsymmetric to the tile can cause the tile to rotate when subjected to a uniform applied load. Load eccentricity reduces SIP/tile TPS ultimate strength and causes tile rotation.

KSC-2012-1939

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Mike Williams, a thermal protection system technician with United Space Alliance, applies adhesive to the right wing of space shuttle Endeavour in preparation for tile bonding. Ongoing transition and retirement activities are preparing the spacecraft for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Endeavour flew 25 missions during its 19-year career. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

KSC-05PD-1756

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the stands at NASA Kennedy Space Centers Banana Creek viewing site, First Lady Laura Bush follows the path of Space Shuttle Discovery as it successfully launches on Return to Flight mission STS-114 at 10:39 a.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B. At right is Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. KSC Deputy Director Woodrow Whitlow Jr. is in front of the governor. On this mission to the International Space Station the crew will perform inspections on-orbit for the first time of all of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels on the leading edge of the wings and the Thermal Protection System tiles using the new Canadian-built Orbiter Boom Sensor System and the data from 176 impact and temperature sensors. Mission Specialists will also practice repair techniques on RCC and tile samples during a spacewalk in the payload bay. During two additional spacewalks, the crew will install the External Stowage Platform-2, equipped with spare part assemblies, and a replacement Control Moment Gyroscope contained in the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure. The 12-day mission is expected to end with touchdown at the Shuttle Landing Facility on Aug. 7.

KSC-05PD-1757

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the stands at NASA Kennedy Space Centers Banana Creek viewing site, First Lady Laura Bush and other guests follow path of Space Shuttle Discovery as it successfully launches on Return to Flight mission STS-114 at 10:39 a.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B. At right of Mrs. Bush is Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. KSC Deputy Director Woodrow Whitlow Jr. is in front of the governor. On this mission to the International Space Station the crew will perform inspections on-orbit for the first time of all of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels on the leading edge of the wings and the Thermal Protection System tiles using the new Canadian-built Orbiter Boom Sensor System and the data from 176 impact and temperature sensors. Mission Specialists will also practice repair techniques on RCC and tile samples during a spacewalk in the payload bay. During two additional spacewalks, the crew will install the External Stowage Platform-2, equipped with spare part assemblies, and a replacement Control Moment Gyroscope contained in the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure. The 12-day mission is expected to end with touchdown at the Shuttle Landing Facility on Aug. 7.

KSC-05PD-1754

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the stands at NASA Kennedy Space Centers Banana Creek viewing site, First Lady Laura Bush (center) applauds the successful liftoff of Space Shuttle Discovery on Return to Flight mission STS-114 at 10:39 a.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B. She is flanked by astronaut Scott Altmann at left and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush at right. KSC Deputy Director Woodrow Whitlow Jr. is in front of the governor. On this mission to the International Space Station the crew will perform inspections on- orbit for the first time of all of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels on the leading edge of the wings and the Thermal Protection System tiles using the new Canadian-built Orbiter Boom Sensor System and the data from 176 impact and temperature sensors. Mission Specialists will also practice repair techniques on RCC and tile samples during a spacewalk in the payload bay. During two additional spacewalks, the crew will install the External Stowage Platform-2, equipped with spare part assemblies, and a replacement Control Moment Gyroscope contained in the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure. The 12- day mission is expected to end with touchdown at the Shuttle Landing Facility on Aug. 7.

KSC-05PD-1752

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the stands at NASA Kennedy Space Centers Banana Creek viewing site, First Lady Laura Bush (center) applauds the successful liftoff of Space Shuttle Discovery on Return to Flight mission STS-114 at 10:39 a.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B. She is flanked by astronaut Scott Altmann at left and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush at right. KSC Deputy Director Woodrow Whitlow Jr. is in front of the governor. On this mission to the International Space Station the crew will perform inspections on- orbit for the first time of all of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels on the leading edge of the wings and the Thermal Protection System tiles using the new Canadian-built Orbiter Boom Sensor System and the data from 176 impact and temperature sensors. Mission Specialists will also practice repair techniques on RCC and tile samples during a spacewalk in the payload bay. During two additional spacewalks, the crew will install the External Stowage Platform-2, equipped with spare part assemblies, and a replacement Control Moment Gyroscope contained in the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure. The 12- day mission is expected to end with touchdown at the Shuttle Landing Facility on Aug. 7.

KSC-05PD-1755

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the stands at NASA Kennedy Space Centers Banana Creek viewing site, First Lady Laura Bush follows the path of Space Shuttle Discovery as it successfully launches on Return to Flight mission STS-114 at 10:39 a.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B. At right is Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. KSC Deputy Director Woodrow Whitlow Jr. is in front of the governor. On this mission to the International Space Station the crew will perform inspections on-orbit for the first time of all of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels on the leading edge of the wings and the Thermal Protection System tiles using the new Canadian-built Orbiter Boom Sensor System and the data from 176 impact and temperature sensors. Mission Specialists will also practice repair techniques on RCC and tile samples during a spacewalk in the payload bay. During two additional spacewalks, the crew will install the External Stowage Platform-2, equipped with spare part assemblies, and a replacement Control Moment Gyroscope contained in the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure. The 12-day mission is expected to end with touchdown at the Shuttle Landing Facility on Aug. 7.

KSC-05PD-1761

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the Launch Control Center at NASA Kennedy Space Center, NASA Administrator Mike Griffin (left) presents a gift to Columba Bush, wife of the Florida Governor Jeb Bush, to her left. First Lady Laura Bush, next to Griffin, is one of the distinguished guests who attended the historic launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on Return to Flight mission STS-114. At far left is Center Director Jim Kennedy. The First Lady congratulated the launch team for their success. On this mission to the International Space Station the crew will perform inspections on-orbit for the first time of all of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels on the leading edge of the wings and the Thermal Protection System tiles using the new Canadian-built Orbiter Boom Sensor System and the data from 176 impact and temperature sensors. Mission Specialists will also practice repair techniques on RCC and tile samples during a spacewalk in the payload bay. During two additional spacewalks, the crew will install the External Stowage Platform-2, equipped with spare part assemblies, and a replacement Control Moment Gyroscope contained in the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure. The 12-day mission is expected to end with touchdown at the Shuttle Landing Facility on Aug. 7.

n/a

NASA Image and Video Library

1975-10-10

This diagram illustrates the Space Shuttle mission sequence. The Space Shuttle was approved as a national program in 1972 and developed through the 1970s. Part spacecraft and part aircraft, the Space Shuttle orbiter, the brain and the heart of the Space Transportation System (STS), required several technological advances, including thousands of insulating tiles able to stand the heat of reentry over the course of many missions, as well as sophisticated engines that could be used again and again without being thrown away. The airplane-like orbiter has three main engines, that burn liquid hydrogen and oxygen stored in the large external tank, the single largest structure in the Shuttle. Attached to the tank are two solid rocket boosters that provide the vehecile with most of the thrust needed for liftoff. Two minutes into the flight, the spent solids drop into the ocean to be recovered and refurbished for reuse, while the orbiter engines continue burning until approximately 8 minutes into the flight. After the mission is completed, the orbiter lands on a runway like an airplane.

KSC-04pd1775

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-10

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Members of a hurricane assessment team from Johnson Space Center and Marshall Space Flight Center observe the damage to the roof of the Thermal Protection System (TPS) Facility at KSC after Hurricane Frances hit the east coast of Central Florida and Kennedy Space Center. At left is astronaut Scott Altmann, a member of the team, and at center is Martin Wilson, manager of the TPS operations. The facility, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof. Equipment and materials that survived the storm have been relocated to the RLV hangar near the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility.

Fundamental studies on the nature and properties of ceramic fiber insulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mueller, J. I.; Whittemore, O. J., Jr.; Scott, W. D.; Miller, A. D.; Smiser, L. W.; Leiser, D. B.

1975-01-01

Silica and mullite fibers used to fabricate reusable surface insulation (RSI) for the space shuttle orbiter may devitrify/recrystallize within the temperature range anticipated upon reentry. This is shown to be dependent upon impurity level, temperature, and time at temperature. It is determined that the effects of the material improvement and optimization program are positive. The degree of crystallinity is shown to have a predominant effect upon the strength of fabricated RSI tile, and limits are determined. Models are developed to predict tensile strengths and shrinkage rates of silica tile based upon readily measurable parameters. Thermal cycling which simulates reentry results in an increase in the crystallinity and in the porosity of tile coatings.

Space Shuttle Orbiter Digital Outer Mold Line Scanning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, Charles H.; Wilson, Brad; Pavek, Mike; Berger, Karen

2012-01-01

The Space Shuttle Orbiters Discovery and Endeavor have been digitally scanned to produce post-flight configuration outer mold line surfaces. Very detailed scans of the windward side of these vehicles provide resolution of the detailed tile step and gap geometry, as well as the reinforced carbon carbon nose cap and leading edges. Lower resolution scans of the upper surface provide definition of the crew cabin windows, wing upper surfaces, payload bay doors, orbital maneuvering system pods and the vertical tail. The process for acquisition of these digital scans as well as post-processing of the very large data set will be described.

Orbital Debris Shape and Orientation Effects on Impact Damage to Shuttle Tiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, Steven W.; Williamsen, Joel

2006-01-01

Taking the damage results from a previous paper as a guide, and using a tile model created for the STS-107 accident investigation, we used the SPHC hydrodynamic code to evaluate the probable worst-case impact effects of flat, rectangular, "flake-shaped," orbital debris particles on Space Shuttle thermal tiles. We compared the damage from flakes with that produced by spheres. The flakes and spheres were sized according to a "characteristic length" (Lc) derived from radar cross-section measurements, and embodied in the NASA Standard Breakup Model (SBM). Impacts were simulated at near-normal obliquity, at 12 km/sec. We modeled the worst-case flake orientation: a corner-on impact, an orientation we term a "Face A-B" impact. Results of our simulations indicate that flake impactors are less damaging than spheres of the same Lc. Since spherical impactors have been assumed in analyses of shuttle orbital debris impact risk, we find that these risks may have been overestimated. This work represents a preliminary second step, i.e., a follow-on to [1], in developing a sensitivity analysis for the expected range of effects on damage considering spherical vs. non-spherical impactors, as recommended by the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) report to the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.

KSC-07pd0561

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A worker walks alongside the massive treads of the crawler-transporter that is moving Space Shuttle Atlantis back to the Vehicle Assembly Building, at right. In the VAB, the shuttle will be examined for hail damage. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. Further evaluation of the tank is necessary to get an accurate accounting of foam damage and determine the type of repair required and the time needed for that work. A new target launch date has not been determined, but teams will focus on preparing Atlantis for liftoff in late April. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller

KSC-07pd0562

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- As it rolls back to the Vehicle Assembly Building, Space Shuttle Atlantis, atop the mobile launcher platform, is framed in the photo by winter-stripped branches topped by spring blossoms. In the VAB, the shuttle will be examined for hail damage. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. Further evaluation of the tank is necessary to get an accurate accounting of foam damage and determine the type of repair required and the time needed for that work. A new target launch date has not been determined, but teams will focus on preparing Atlantis for liftoff in late April. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller

Aeroheating model advancements featuring electroless metallic plating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stalmach, C. J., Jr.; Goodrich, W. D.

1976-01-01

Discussed are advancements in wind tunnel model construction methods and hypersonic test data demonstrating the methods. The general objective was to develop model fabrication methods for improved heat transfer measuring capability at less model cost. A plated slab model approach was evaluated with cast models containing constantan wires that formed single-wire-to-plate surface thermocouple junctions with a seamless skin of electroless nickel alloy. The surface of a space shuttle orbiter model was selectively plated with scaled tiles to simulate, with high fidelity, the probable misalignments of the heatshield tiles on a flight vehicle. Initial, Mach 8 heating results indicated a minor effect of tile misalignment roughness on boundary layer transition, implying a possible relaxation of heatshield manufacturing tolerances. Some loss of the plated tiles was experienced when the model was tested at high heating rates.

Substructure procedure for including tile flexibility in stress analysis of shuttle thermal protection system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Giles, G. L.

1980-01-01

A substructure procedure to include the flexibility of the tile in the stress analysis of the shuttle thermal protection system (TPS) is described. In this procedure, the TPS is divided into substructures of (1) the tile which is modeled by linear finite elements and (2) the SIP which is modeled as a nonlinear continuum. This procedure was applied for loading cases of uniform pressure, uniform moment, and an aerodynamic shock on various tile thicknesses. The ratios of through-the-thickness stresses in the SIP which were calculated using a flexible tile compared to using a rigid tile were found to be less than 1.05 for the cases considered.

President Barack Obama Visit to Kennedy Space Center

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-04-29

Terry White, United Space Alliance project lead for thermal protection systems, left, shows President Barack Obama and his family, from left, First Lady Michelle Obama, Malia, Marian Robinson and Sasha, how tiles work on the space shuttle during their visit to the Orbital Processing Facility at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, April 29, 2011. Looking on is Director of Flight Crew Operations for the Johnson Space Center and Astronaut, Janet Kavandi. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

KSC-2012-1942

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Jeremy Schwarz, left, quality assurance technician, and Mike Williams, right, a thermal protection system technician, both with United Space Alliance, affix a section of tile to the right wing of space shuttle Endeavour at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ongoing transition and retirement activities are preparing the spacecraft for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Endeavour flew 25 missions during its 19-year career. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

KSC-2012-1937

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Mike Williams, a thermal protection system technician with United Space Alliance, crouches on space shuttle Endeavour's right wing as he prepares the wing surface for tile bonding. Ongoing transition and retirement activities are preparing the spacecraft for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Endeavour flew 25 missions during its 19-year career. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

Relational Information Management Data-Base System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Storaasli, O. O.; Erickson, W. J.; Gray, F. P.; Comfort, D. L.; Wahlstrom, S. O.; Von Limbach, G.

1985-01-01

DBMS with several features particularly useful to scientists and engineers. RIM5 interfaced with any application program written in language capable of Calling FORTRAN routines. Applications include data management for Space Shuttle Columbia tiles, aircraft flight tests, high-pressure piping, atmospheric chemistry, census, university registration, CAD/CAM Geometry, and civil-engineering dam construction.

Densification of porous refractory substrates. [space shuttle orbiter tiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ecord, G. M.; Schomburg, C. (Inventor)

1982-01-01

A hydrolyzed tetraethyl orthosilicate is applied to the surface of a porous refractory substrate following which the substrate is heated to a temperature and for a period of time sufficient to bond the silica released from the tetraethyl orthosilicate to the substrate. The surface is thus densified and strengthened.

Space Congress, 29th, Cocoa Beach, FL, Apr. 21-24, 1992, Proceedings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

The present volume on the quest for new frontiers in space discusses weather impacts on space operations, planning for the performance of future space bases, a new guidance and control unit for the Titan IV vehicle, and nondestructive evaluation of Shuttle Columbia tiles. Attention is given to Space Shuttle payload accommodations and trends in customer demands, a generic propellants transfer unit, making space part of general education, space station on-orbit solar array loads during assembly, and dimensional stability of the attitude reference assembly on SSF. Topics addressed include National Launch System payload accommodations and launch operations, the integrated factory/launch site processing concept, Pioneer 10 interstellar studies, and the role of advanced nuclear propulsion systems in precursor interstellar missions. Also discussed are legal challenges in realizing interstellar initiatives, Mars transportation system synthesis, and NASA's commercial space program.

Olivas participating in EVA during Expedition/STS-117 Joint Operations

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-06-15

ISS015-E-12938 (15 June 2007) --- Anchored to a foot restraint on Space Shuttle Atlantis' remote manipulator system (RMS) robotic arm, astronaut John "Danny" Olivas, STS-117 mission specialist, moves toward Atlantis' port orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pod that was damaged during the shuttle's climb to orbit. During the repair, Olivas pushed the turned up portion of the thermal blanket back into position, used a medical stapler to secure the layers of the blanket, and pinned it in place against adjacent thermal tile.

Assessment of Alternate Thermal Protection Systems for the Space Shuttle Orbiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelly, H. N.; Webb, G. L.

1982-01-01

Candidate concepts are identified. The impact on the Shuttle Orbiter performance life cycle cost, and risk was assessed and technology advances required to bring the selected TPS to operational readiness are defined. The best system is shown to be a hybrid blend of metallic and carbon-carbon TPS concepts. These alternate concepts offer significant improvements in reusability and are mass competitive with the current ceramic tile reusable surface insulation. Programmatic analysis indicates approximately five years are required to bring the concepts to operational readiness.

Simulation of Foam Impact Effects on Components of the Space Shuttle Thermal Protection System. Chapter 7

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fahrenthold, Eric P.; Park, Young-Keun

2004-01-01

A series of three dimensional simulations has been performed to investigate analytically the effect of insulating foam impacts on ceramic tile and reinforced carbon-carbon components of the Space Shuttle thermal protection system. The simulations employed a hybrid particle-finite element method and a parallel code developed for use in spacecraft design applications. The conclusions suggested by the numerical study are in general consistent with experiment. The results emphasize the need for additional material testing work on the dynamic mechanical response of thermal protection system materials, and additional impact experiments for use in validating computational models of impact effects.

Space Shuttle Status News Conference

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

Richard Gilbech, External Tank "Tiger Team" Lead, begins this space shuttle news conference with detailing the two major objectives of the team. The objectives include: 1) Finding the root cause of the foam loss on STS-114; and 2) Near and long term improvements for the external tank. Wayne Hale, Space Shuttle Program Manager, presents a chart to explain the external tank foam loss during STS-114. He gives a possible launch date for STS-121 after there has been a repair to the foam on the External Tank. He further discusses the changes that need to be made to the surrounding areas of the plant in New Orleans, due to Hurricane Katrina. Bill Gerstemaier, NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations, elaborates on the testing of the external tank foam loss. The discussion ends with questions from the news media about a fix for the foam, replacement of the tiles, foam loss avoidance, the root cause of foam loss and a possible date for a new external tank to be shipped to NASA Kennedy Space Center.

KSC-2011-4199

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-01

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Managers check out the heat shield tiles that protected space shuttle Endeavour on its successful trip home to the Shuttle Landing Facility's Runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Endeavour's final return from space completed the 16-day, 6.5-million-mile STS-134 mission. Main gear touchdown was at 2:34:51 a.m. EDT, followed by nose gear touchdown at 2:35:04 a.m., and wheelstop at 2:35:36 a.m. STS-134 delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) and the Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) to the International Space Station. AMS will help researchers understand the origin of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter, strange matter and antimatter from the station. ELC-3 carried spare parts that will sustain station operations once the shuttles are retired from service. STS-134 was the 25th and final flight for Endeavour, which spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Advanced leading edge thermal-structure concept. Direct bond reusable surface insulation to a composite structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Riccitiello, S. R.; Figueroa, H.; Coe, C. F.; Kuo, C. P.

1984-01-01

An advanced leading-edge concept was analyzed using the space shuttle leading edge system as a reference model. The comparison indicates that a direct-bond system utilizing a high temperature (2700 F) fibrous refractory composite insulation tile bonded to a high temperature (PI/graphite) composite structure can result in a weight savings of up to 800 lb. The concern that tile damage or loss during ascent would result in adverse entry aerodynamics if a leading edge tile system were used is addressed. It was found from experiment that missing tiles (as many as 22) on the leading edge would not significantly affect the basic force-and-moment aerodynamic coefficients. Additionally, this concept affords a degree of redundancy to a thermal protection system in that the base structure (being a composite material) ablates and neither melts nor burns through when subjected to entry heating in the event tiles are actually lost or damaged during ascent.

KSC-2012-1938

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Jeremy Schwarz, left, quality assurance technician, and Mike Williams, right, a thermal protection system technician, both with United Space Alliance, prepare the right wing of space shuttle Endeavour for tile bonding. Endeavour is inside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ongoing transition and retirement activities are preparing the spacecraft for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Endeavour flew 25 missions during its 19-year career. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

Orbiter thermal pressure drop characteristics for shuttle orbiter thermal protection system components: High density tile, low density tile, densified low density tile, and strain isolation pad

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lawing, P. L.; Nystrom, D. M.

1980-01-01

Pressure drop tests were conducted on available samples of low and high density tile, densified low density tile, and strain isolation pads. The results are presented in terms of pressure drop, material thickness and volume flow rate. Although the test apparatus was only capable of a small part of the range of conditions to be encountered in a Shuttle Orbiter flight, the data serve to determine the type of flow characteristics to be expected for each material type tested; the measured quantities also should serve as input for initial venting and flow through analysis.

Automated Laser Cutting In Three Dimensions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bird, Lisa T.; Yvanovich, Mark A.; Angell, Terry R.; Bishop, Patricia J.; Dai, Weimin; Dobbs, Robert D.; He, Mingli; Minardi, Antonio; Shelton, Bret A.

1995-01-01

Computer-controlled machine-tool system uses laser beam assisted by directed flow of air to cut refractory materials into complex three-dimensional shapes. Velocity, position, and angle of cut varied. In original application, materials in question were thermally insulating thick blankets and tiles used on space shuttle. System shapes tile to concave or convex contours and cuts beveled edges on blanket, without cutting through outer layer of quartz fabric part of blanket. For safety, system entirely enclosed to prevent escape of laser energy. No dust generated during cutting operation - all material vaporized; larger solid chips dislodged from workpiece easily removed later.

Acoustic Emission Detection of Impact Damage on Space Shuttle Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prosser, William H.; Gorman, Michael R.; Madaras, Eric I.

2004-01-01

The loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia as a result of impact damage from foam debris during ascent has led NASA to investigate the feasibility of on-board impact detection technologies. AE sensing has been utilized to monitor a wide variety of impact conditions on Space Shuttle components ranging from insulating foam and ablator materials, and ice at ascent velocities to simulated hypervelocity micrometeoroid and orbital debris impacts. Impact testing has been performed on both reinforced carbon composite leading edge materials as well as Shuttle tile materials on representative aluminum wing structures. Results of these impact tests will be presented with a focus on the acoustic emission sensor responses to these impact conditions. These tests have demonstrated the potential of employing an on-board Shuttle impact detection system. We will describe the present plans for implementation of an initial, very low frequency acoustic impact sensing system using pre-existing flight qualified hardware. The details of an accompanying flight measurement system to assess the Shuttle s acoustic background noise environment as a function of frequency will be described. The background noise assessment is being performed to optimize the frequency range of sensing for a planned future upgrade to the initial impact sensing system.

KSC-04PD-1794

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. United Space Alliance worker Kathy Evans works on equipment in the temporary tile shop set up in the RLV hangar at KSC. The hurricane-ravaged Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF), which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof due to Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. Undamaged equipment was removed from the TPSF and stored in the hangar. The maximum wind at the surface from Hurricane Frances was 94 mph from the northeast at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday, September 5. It was recorded at a weather tower located on the east shore of the Mosquito Lagoon near the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. The highest sustained wind at KSC was 68 mph.

KSC-04pd1793

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - United Space Alliance worker Janet Mills works on equipment in the temporary tile shop set up in the RLV hangar at KSC. The hurricane-ravaged Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF), which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof due to Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. Undamaged equipment was removed from the TPSF and stored in the hangar. The maximum wind at the surface from Hurricane Frances was 94 mph from the northeast at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday, September 5. It was recorded at a weather tower located on the east shore of the Mosquito Lagoon near the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. The highest sustained wind at KSC was 68 mph.

KSC-04pd1789

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A temporary tile shop has been set up in the RLV hangar at KSC after equipment was removed from the hurricane-ravaged Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF). Here United Space Alliance worker Bab Jarosz works with the 30-needle sewing machines. The TPSF, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof due to Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. The maximum wind at the surface from Hurricane Frances was 94 mph from the northeast at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday, September 5. It was recorded at a weather tower located on the east shore of the Mosquito Lagoon near the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. The highest sustained wind at KSC was 68 mph.

KSC-04pd1794

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - United Space Alliance worker Kathy Evans works on equipment in the temporary tile shop set up in the RLV hangar at KSC. The hurricane-ravaged Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF), which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof due to Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. Undamaged equipment was removed from the TPSF and stored in the hangar. The maximum wind at the surface from Hurricane Frances was 94 mph from the northeast at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday, September 5. It was recorded at a weather tower located on the east shore of the Mosquito Lagoon near the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. The highest sustained wind at KSC was 68 mph.

KSC-2011-4201

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-01

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- European Space Agency Director of Human Spaceflight Thomas Reiter, left, Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier, and NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana check out a heat shield tile that protected space shuttle Endeavour on its successful trip home. Endeavour's final return from space completed the 16-day, 6.5-million-mile STS-134 mission. Main gear touchdown on the Shuttle Landing Facility's Runway 15 was at 2:34:51 a.m. EDT, followed by nose gear touchdown at 2:35:04 a.m., and wheelstop at 2:35:36 a.m. STS-134 delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) and the Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) to the International Space Station. AMS will help researchers understand the origin of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter, strange matter and antimatter from the station. ELC-3 carried spare parts that will sustain station operations once the shuttles are retired from service. STS-134 was the 25th and final flight for Endeavour, which spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Thermal and aerothermal performance of a titanium multiwall thermal protection system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Avery, D. E.; Shideler, J. L.; Stuckey, R. N.

1981-01-01

A metallic thermal protection system (TPS) concept the multiwall designed for temperature and pressure at Shuttle body point 3140 where the maximum surface temperature is approximately 811 K was tested to evaluate thermal performance and structural integrity. A two tile model of titanium multiwall and a model consisting of a low temperature reusable surface insulation (LRSI) tiles were exposed to 25 simulated thermal and pressure Shuttle entry missions. The two systems performed the same, and neither system deteriorated during the tests. It is indicated that redesign of the multiwall tiles reduces tile thickness and/or weight. A nine tile model of titanium multiwal was tested for radiant heating and aerothermodynamics. Minor design changes that improve structural integrity without having a significant impact on the thermal protection ability of the titanium multiwall TPS are identified. The capability of a titanium multiwall thermal protection system to protect an aluminum surface during a Shuttle type entry trajectory at locations on the vehicle where the maximum surface temperature is below 811 K is demonstrated.

Near-Net-Shape Processing of Sintered Fibrous Ceramics Achieved

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Angel, Paul W.

2000-01-01

A variety of sintered fibrous ceramic (SFC) materials have been developed over the last 50 years as thermal barrier materials for reentry applications. SFC materials typically exhibit very low thermal conductivities combined with low densities and good thermal stability up to 2500 F. These materials have flown successfully on the space shuttle orbiters since the 1960's. More recently, the McDonnell Douglas Corporation successfully used SFC tiles as a heat shield on the underside of its DC X test vehicle. For both of these applications, tiles are machined from blocks of a specific type of SFC called an alumina-enhanced thermal barrier (AETB). The sizes of these blocks have been limited by the manufacturing process. In addition, as much as 80 to 90 percent of the material can be lost during the machining of tiles with significant amounts of curvature. To address these problems, the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field entered a cooperative contract with the Boeing Company to develop a vacuum-assisted forming process that can produce large (approximately 4 square feet), severely contoured panels of AETB while saving costs in comparison to the conventional cast-and-machine billet process. For shuttle use, AETB is slurry cast, drained, and fired to form square billets conforming to the shape of the filtration box. The billets are then cut into tiles of the appropriate size for thermally protecting the space shuttle. Processing techniques have limited the maximum size of AETB billets to 21.5 square inches by 6.5-in. thick, but the space shuttles use discrete heat shield tiles no more than 8 to 12 square inches. However, in other applications, large, complex shapes are needed, and the tiling approach is undesirable. For such applications, vacuum-assisted forming can produce large parts with complex shapes while reducing machining waste and eliminating cemented joints between bonded billets. Because it allows contoured shapes to be formed, material utilization is inherently high. Initial estimates show that the amount of material lost during machining can be reduced by 50 percent or more. In addition, a fiber alignment favorable for minimum heat transfer is maintained for all panel shapes since the fibers are aligned parallel to the contoured surface of the forming tool or mold. The vacuum-assisted forming process can complete the entire forming operation in a matter of minutes and can produce multiple parts whose size is limited only by the size of the forming tool. To date, panels as large as 2 square feet have been demonstrated The vacuum-assisted forming process starts with the fabrication of a permeable forming tool, or mold, with the proper part contour. This reusable tool is mounted over an internal rib support structure, as depicted in the diagram, such that a vacuum can be pulled on the bottom portion of the tool. AETB slurry is then poured over and around the tool, liquid is drawn from the slurry, and the part forms over the tool surface. The part is then dried, fired, and finished machined. Future plans include an evaluation of the need for additional coatings and surface-toughness treatments to extend the durability and performance of this material.

KSC-2009-2351

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-28

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A U.S. Navy NP-3D Orion aircraft takes off from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The plane will fly below space shuttle Discovery as it approaches Kennedy Space Center for landing following the STS-119 mission. Onboard instruments will check the orbiter’s exterior temperatures and a long-range infrared camera will remotely monitor heating to the shuttle’s lower surface, part of the boundary layer transition flight experiment. For the experiment, a heat shield tile with a “speed bump” on it was installed under Discovery’s left wing to intentionally disturb the airflow in a controlled manner and make the airflow turbulent. The tile, a BRI-18, was originally developed as a potential heat shield upgrade on the orbiters and is being considered for use on the Constellation Program’s Orion crew exploration vehicles. The data will determine if a protuberance on a BRI-18 tile is safe to fly and will be used to verify and improve design efforts for future spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2009-2348

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-28

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A U.S. Navy NP-3D Orion aircraft prepares for takeoff from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The plane will fly below space shuttle Discovery as it approaches Kennedy Space Center for landing following the STS-119 mission. Onboard instruments will check the orbiter’s exterior temperatures and a long-range infrared camera will remotely monitor heating to the shuttle’s lower surface, part of the boundary layer transition flight experiment. For the experiment, a heat shield tile with a “speed bump” on it was installed under Discovery’s left wing to intentionally disturb the airflow in a controlled manner and make the airflow turbulent. The tile, a BRI-18, was originally developed as a potential heat shield upgrade on the orbiters and is being considered for use on the Constellation Program’s Orion crew exploration vehicles. The data will determine if a protuberance on a BRI-18 tile is safe to fly and will be used to verify and improve design efforts for future spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

An Analysis of the Selected Materials Used in Step Measurements During Pre-Fits of Thermal Protection System Tiles and the Accuracy of Measurements Made Using These Selected Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kranz, David William

2010-01-01

The goal of this research project was be to compare and contrast the selected materials used in step measurements during pre-fits of thermal protection system tiles and to compare and contrast the accuracy of measurements made using these selected materials. The reasoning for conducting this test was to obtain a clearer understanding to which of these materials may yield the highest accuracy rate of exacting measurements in comparison to the completed tile bond. These results in turn will be presented to United Space Alliance and Boeing North America for their own analysis and determination. Aerospace structures operate under extreme thermal environments. Hot external aerothermal environments in high Mach number flights lead to high structural temperatures. The differences between tile heights from one to another are very critical during these high Mach reentries. The Space Shuttle Thermal Protection System is a very delicate and highly calculated system. The thermal tiles on the ship are measured to within an accuracy of .001 of an inch. The accuracy of these tile measurements is critical to a successful reentry of an orbiter. This is why it is necessary to find the most accurate method for measuring the height of each tile in comparison to each of the other tiles. The test results indicated that there were indeed differences in the selected materials used in step measurements during prefits of Thermal Protection System Tiles and that Bees' Wax yielded a higher rate of accuracy when compared to the baseline test. In addition, testing for experience level in accuracy yielded no evidence of difference to be found. Lastly the use of the Trammel tool over the Shim Pack yielded variable difference for those tests.

Space Shuttle Atlantis' external tank repairs from Hail Damage

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-09

In the Vehicle Assembly Building, United Space Alliance technicians Brenda Morris and Brian Williams are applying foam and molds on Space Shuttle Atlantis' external tank to areas damaged by hail. The white hole with a red circle around it (upper right) is a hole prepared for molding and material application. The red material is sealant tape so the mold doesn't leak when the foam rises against the mold. The white/ translucent square mold is an area where the foam has been applied and the foam has risen and cured against the mold surface. In late February, Atlantis' external tank received hail damage during a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 area. The hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation as well as minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. The March launch was postponed and has not yet been rescheduled due to the repair process.

Lindsey and Boe on forward flight deck

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-02-26

S133-E-006081 (25 Feb. 2011) --- On space shuttle Discovery’s forward flight deck, astronauts Steve Lindsey (right), STS-133 commander, and Eric Boe, pilot, switch seats for a brief procedure as the crew heads toward a weekend docking with the International Space Station. Earlier the crew conducted thorough inspections of the shuttle’s thermal tile system using the Remote Manipulator System/Orbiter Boom Sensor System (RMS/OBSS) and special cameras. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

KSC-2012-1940

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Jeremy Schwarz, left, quality assurance technician, and Mike Williams, right, a thermal protection system technician, both with United Space Alliance, apply adhesive to space shuttle Endeavour's right wing. The work is being done in preparation for tile bonding. Endeavour is inside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ongoing transition and retirement activities are preparing the spacecraft for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Endeavour flew 25 missions during its 19-year career. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

KSC-2012-1941

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Mike Williams, a thermal protection system technician with United Space Alliance, puts the finishing touches on a layer of adhesive applied to the right wing of space shuttle Endeavour. The work is being done in preparation for tile bonding. Ongoing transition and retirement activities are preparing the spacecraft for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Endeavour flew 25 missions during its 19-year career. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

KSC-2012-1944

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Mike Williams, a thermal protection system technician with United Space Alliance, arranges weights atop a freshly installed section of tile on the right wing of space shuttle Endeavour at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The weights will hold the section in place while the adhesive hardens beneath. Ongoing transition and retirement activities are preparing the spacecraft for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Endeavour flew 25 missions during its 19-year career. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

KSC-08pd0817

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-03-26

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. --- NASA managers examine the thermal protection system tile under space shuttle Endeavour on Runway 15 at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility at the end of the STS-123 mission, a 16-day flight to the International Space Station. From left are a member of the convoy crew, Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach, Mission Management Team Chairman LeRoy Cain, NASA Administrator Mike Griffin and NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale. Behind them is Kennedy Space Center Director Bill Parsons. This was the 16th night landing at Kennedy. The main landing gear touched down at 8:39:08 p.m. EDT. The nose landing gear touched down at 8:39:17 p.m. and wheel stop was at 8:40:41 p.m. The mission completed nearly 6.6 million miles. The landing was on the second opportunity after the first was waved off due to unstable weather in the Kennedy Space Center area. The STS-123 mission delivered the first segment of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, known as Dextre. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Shuttle Upgrade Program: Tile TPS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leiser, Daniel B.; Stewart, David A.; DiFiore, Robert; Irby, Ed; Arnold, James (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

One of the areas where the thermal protection system on the Space Shuttle Orbiter could be improved is the RSI (Reusable Surface Insulation) tile. The improvement would be in damage resistance that would reduce the resultant maintenance and inspection required. It has performed very well in every other aspect. Improving the system's damage resistance has been the subject of much research over the past several years. One of the results of that research was a new system developed for damage prone areas on the orbiter (i.e., base heat shield). That system, designated as TUFI, Toughened Uni-Piece Fibrous Insulation, was successfully demonstrated as an experiment on the Orbiter and is now baselined for the base heat shield. This paper describes the results of a current research program to further improve the TUFI tile system, thus making it applicable to more areas on the orbiter. The way to remove the current limitations of the TUFI system (i.e., weight or thermal conductivity differences between it and the baseline tile (LI-900)) is to improve the characteristics of LI-900 or AETB-8. Specifically this paper describes the results of two efforts. The first shows performance data of an improved LI-900 system involving the application of TUFI and the second describes data that shows a reduced difference in thermal conductivity between the advanced TUFI substrate (AETB-8) now used on the orbiter and LI-900.

Olivas participating in EVA during Expedition/STS-117 Joint Operations

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-06-15

ISS015-E-12948 (15 June 2007) --- Anchored to a foot restraint on Space Shuttle Atlantis' remote manipulator system (RMS) robotic arm, astronaut John "Danny" Olivas, STS-117 mission specialist, moves toward Atlantis' port orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pod that was damaged during the shuttle's climb to orbit last week. During the repair, Olivas pushed the turned up portion of the thermal blanket back into position, used a medical stapler to secure the layers of the blanket, and pinned it in place against adjacent thermal tile.

Olivas participating in EVA during Expedition/STS-117 Joint Operations

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-06-15

ISS015-E-12939 (15 June 2007) --- Anchored to a foot restraint on Space Shuttle Atlantis' remote manipulator system (RMS) robotic arm, astronaut John "Danny" Olivas, STS-117 mission specialist, moves toward Atlantis' port orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pod that was damaged during the shuttle's climb to orbit last week. During the repair, Olivas pushed the turned up portion of the thermal blanket back into position, used a medical stapler to secure the layers of the blanket, and pinned it in place against adjacent thermal tile.

KSC-07pd0569

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After leaving Launch Pad 39A, Space Shuttle Atlantis, atop the mobile launcher platform, comes to rest in high bay 1 of the Vehicle Assembly Building. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. Further evaluation of the tank is necessary to get an accurate accounting of foam damage and determine the type of repair required and the time needed for that work. A new target launch date has not been determined, but teams will focus on preparing Atlantis for liftoff in late April. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller

Stresses in acoustically excited panels and shuttle insulation tiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Otalvo, I. U.

1976-01-01

Natural vibration and acoustic response results are presented for a 36 x 18 inch panel with 18 6 x 6-inch tiles of 1.0, 1.6 and 2.3 inch thicknesses. Computed results for an untiled panel are compared with experiments performed earlier. Natural frequency and acoustic response comparisons are also given for independent analyses performed upon tiled and untiled panels. The results indicate the general applicability of the computer programs developed for use as shuttle design and analysis tools.

Closeup view of the aft fuselage looking forward along the ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Close-up view of the aft fuselage looking forward along the approximate centerline of the Orbiter Discovery looking at the expansion nozzles of the Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSME) and the Orbiter Maneuvering System. Also in the view is the orbiter's body flap with a protective covering over the High-temperature Reusable Surface Insulation tiles on the surface facing the SSMEs. This image was taken inside the Orbiter Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center. - Space Transportation System, Orbiter Discovery (OV-103), Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Harris County, TX

Development of a climatological data base to help forecast cloud cover conditions for shuttle landings at the Kennedy Space Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Atchison, M. Kevin

1993-01-01

The Space Shuttle is an extremely weather sensitive vehicle with very restrictive constraints for both launches and landings. The most important difference between Shuttle and normal aircraft landings is that the Shuttle has no go-around capability once it begins its decent into the earth's atmosphere. The de-orbit burn decision is generally made approximately 90 minutes before landing requiring a forecast with little room for error. Because of the Shuttle's rapid re-entry to earth, the pilot must be able to see all runway and visual navigation aids from high altitude to land the Shuttle. In addition, the heat resistant tiles which are used to protect the Shuttle during its re-entry into the earth's atmosphere are extremely sensitive to any type of precipitation. Extensive damage to these tiles could occur if the Shuttle passes through any cloud that contains precipitation size particles. To help guard against changing weather conditions or any type of weather problems that might occur prior to landing, flight rules have been developed as guidelines for all landings. Although the rules vary depending on the location of the landing (Kennedy Space Center or Edwards AFB), length of mission, and weight of vehicle, most of the rules can be condensed into 4 major groupings. These are: (1) Cloud ceilings should not be less than 3048 m (10,000 feet), (2) Visibility should not be less than 13 km (7 nm), (3) Cross-wind no greater than 5-8 m/s (10-15 knots); and (4) No showers or thunderstorms at or within 56 km (30 nm) of the Shuttle Landing Facility. This study consisted of developing a climatological database of the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) surface observations and performing an analysis of observed conditions one and two hours subsequent to given conditions at the SLF to help analyze the 0.2 cloud cover rule. Particular emphasis was placed on Shuttle landing weather violations and the amounts of cloud cover below 3048 m (10,000 ft.). This analysis has helped to determine the best and worst times to land the Shuttle at KSC. In addition, nomograms have been developed to help forecasters make cloud cover forecasts for End of Mission (EOM) and Return to Launch Site (RTLS) at KSC. Results of categorizing this data by month, season, time of day, and surface and upper-air wind direction are presented.

BLIMPK/Streamline Surface Catalytic Heating Predictions on the Space Shuttle Orbiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marichalar, Jeremiah J.; Rochelle, William C.; Kirk, Benjamin S.; Campbell, Charles H.

2006-01-01

This paper describes the results of an analysis of localized catalytic heating effects to the U.S. Space Shuttle Orbiter Thermal Protection System (TPS). The analysis applies to the High-temperature Reusable Surface Insulation (HRSI) on the lower fuselage and wing acreage, as well as the critical Reinforced Carbon-Carbon on the nose cap, chin panel and the wing leading edge. The object of the analysis was to use a modified two-layer approach to predict the catalytic heating effects on the Orbiter windward HRSI tile acreage, nose cap, and wing leading edge assuming localized highly catalytic or fully catalytic surfaces. The method incorporated the Boundary Layer Integral Matrix Procedure Kinetic (BLIMPK) code with streamline inputs from viscous Navier-Stokes solutions to produce heating rates for localized fully catalytic and highly catalytic surfaces as well as for nominal partially catalytic surfaces (either Reinforced Carbon-Carbon or Reaction Cured Glass) with temperature-dependent recombination coefficients. The highly catalytic heating results showed very good correlation with Orbiter Experiments STS-2, -3, and -5 centerline and STS-5 wing flight data for the HRSI tiles. Recommended catalytic heating factors were generated for use in future Shuttle missions in the event of quick-time analysis of damaged or repaired TPS areas during atmospheric reentry. The catalytic factors are presented along the streamlines as well as a function of stagnation enthalpy so they can be used for arbitrary trajectories.

Harold Goldstein (R) and Dan Leiser (L) discuss bone implant development in the the Shuttle Tile

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

Harold Goldstein (R) and Dan Leiser (L) discuss bone implant development in the the Shuttle Tile Laboratory N-242. A spin-off of Ames research on both bone density in microgravity and on thermal protection foams is the bone-growth implant shown in 1993.

KSC-05pd2533

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-11-30

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2, United Space Alliance technician Michael Vanwart installs thermal protection system blankets in the nose cap of space shuttle Endeavour. Endeavour recently came out of a nearly two-year Orbiter Major Modification period which began in December 2003. Engineers and technicians spent 900,000 hours performing 124 modifications to the vehicle. These included all recommended return-to-flight safety modifications, bonding more than 1,000 thermal protection system tiles and inspecting more than 150 miles of wiring throughout the orbiter. Shuttle major modification periods are scheduled at regular intervals to enhance safety and performance, infuse new technology, and allow for thorough inspections of the airframe and wiring of the vehicles. This was the second of these modification periods performed entirely at Kennedy Space Center. Endeavour's previous modification was completed in March 1997.

KSC-05pd2531

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-11-30

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2, United Space Alliance technician Michael Vanwart prepares to install thermal protection system blankets in the nose cap of space shuttle Endeavour. Endeavour recently came out of a nearly two-year Orbiter Major Modification period which began in December 2003. Engineers and technicians spent 900,000 hours performing 124 modifications to the vehicle. These included all recommended return-to-flight safety modifications, bonding more than 1,000 thermal protection system tiles and inspecting more than 150 miles of wiring throughout the orbiter. Shuttle major modification periods are scheduled at regular intervals to enhance safety and performance, infuse new technology, and allow for thorough inspections of the airframe and wiring of the vehicles. This was the second of these modification periods performed entirely at Kennedy Space Center. Endeavour's previous modification was completed in March 1997.

KSC-05pd2532

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-11-30

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2, United Space Alliance technician Michael Vanwart installs thermal protection system blankets in the nose cap of space shuttle Endeavour. Endeavour recently came out of a nearly two-year Orbiter Major Modification period which began in December 2003. Engineers and technicians spent 900,000 hours performing 124 modifications to the vehicle. These included all recommended return-to-flight safety modifications, bonding more than 1,000 thermal protection system tiles and inspecting more than 150 miles of wiring throughout the orbiter. Shuttle major modification periods are scheduled at regular intervals to enhance safety and performance, infuse new technology, and allow for thorough inspections of the airframe and wiring of the vehicles. This was the second of these modification periods performed entirely at Kennedy Space Center. Endeavour's previous modification was completed in March 1997.

KSC-04pd1791

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - United Space Alliance worker Bab Jarosz works with the 30-needle sewing machines from the Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF). A temporary tile shop has been set up in the RLV hangar at KSC after equipment was removed from the hurricane-ravaged facility. The TPSF, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof due to Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. The maximum wind at the surface from Hurricane Frances was 94 mph from the northeast at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday, September 5. It was recorded at a weather tower located on the east shore of the Mosquito Lagoon near the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. The highest sustained wind at KSC was 68 mph.

KSC-04pd1790

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - United Space Alliance worker Bab Jarosz works with the 30-needle sewing machines from the Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF). A temporary tile shop has been set up in the RLV hangar at KSC after equipment was removed from the hurricane-ravaged facility. The TPSF, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof due to Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. The maximum wind at the surface from Hurricane Frances was 94 mph from the northeast at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday, September 5. It was recorded at a weather tower located on the east shore of the Mosquito Lagoon near the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. The highest sustained wind at KSC was 68 mph.

KSC-05pd2530

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-11-30

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2, the nose cap of space shuttle Endeavour is prepared for installation of thermal protection system blankets. Endeavour recently came out of a nearly two-year Orbiter Major Modification period which began in December 2003. Engineers and technicians spent 900,000 hours performing 124 modifications to the vehicle. These included all recommended return-to-flight safety modifications, bonding more than 1,000 thermal protection system tiles and inspecting more than 150 miles of wiring throughout the orbiter. Shuttle major modification periods are scheduled at regular intervals to enhance safety and performance, infuse new technology, and allow for thorough inspections of the airframe and wiring of the vehicles. This was the second of these modification periods performed entirely at Kennedy Space Center. Endeavour's previous modification was completed in March 1997.

KSC-04pd1851

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-18

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Looking at damage inside the hurricane-ravaged Thermal Protection System Facility are KSC Director of Spaceport Services Scott Kerr (left) and NASA Associate Administrator of Space Operations Mission Directorate William Readdy (right). The TPSF, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof during Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. Readdy and NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe are visiting KSC to survey the damage sustained by KSC facilities from the hurricane. The Labor Day storm also caused significant damage to the Vehicle Assembly Building and Processing Control Center. Additionally, the Operations and Checkout Building, Vertical Processing Facility, Hangar AE, Hangar S and Hangar AF Small Parts Facility each received substantial damage. However, well-protected and unharmed were NASA’s three Space Shuttle orbiters - Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour - along with the Shuttle launch pads, all of the critical flight hardware for the orbiters and the International Space Station, and NASA’s Swift spacecraft that is awaiting launch in October.

Performance of a mullite reusable surface insulation system in a hypersonic stream

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunt, L. R.

1976-01-01

The thermal and structural performance of a large panel of mullite reusable surface insulation (RSI) tiles was determined by a series of aerothermal tests in the Langley 8-foot high-temperature structures tunnel. The test panel was designed to represent a portion of the surface structure on a space shuttle orbiter fuselage along a 1,150 K isotherm with the mullite tile system bonded directly to the primary structure. Aerothermal tests were conducted at a free-stream Mach number of 6.7, a total temperature of 1,880 K, a unit Reynolds number of 4.6 million per meter, and dynamic pressure of 62 kPa. The thermal response of the mullite tile was as predicted, and the bond-line temperature did not exceed the design level of 570 K during a typical entry-heat cycle. Geometric irregularities of the tile gaps affected the tile edge temperatures when exposed to hypersonic flow. The tile coating demonstrated good toughness to particle impacts, but the coating cracked and flaked with thermal cycles. The gap filler of woven silica fibers appeared to hinder flow penetration into the gaps and withstood the flow shear of the present tests.

KSC-08pd0830

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-03-26

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. --- STS-123 Commander Dominic Gorie inspects the thermal protection system tile on space shuttle Endeavour at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. Endeavour landed on Runway 15 to end the STS-123 mission, a 16-day flight to the International Space Station. This was the 16th night landing at Kennedy. The main landing gear touched down at 8:39:08 p.m. EDT. The nose landing gear touched down at 8:39:17 p.m. and wheel stop was at 8:40:41 p.m. The mission completed nearly 6.6 million miles. The landing was on the second opportunity after the first was waved off due to unstable weather in the Kennedy Space Center area. The STS-123 mission delivered the first segment of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, known as Dextre. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Assessment of CFD Hypersonic Turbulent Heating Rates for Space Shuttle Orbiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wood, William A.; Oliver, A. Brandon

2011-01-01

Turbulent CFD codes are assessed for the prediction of convective heat transfer rates at turbulent, hypersonic conditions. Algebraic turbulence models are used within the DPLR and LAURA CFD codes. The benchmark heat transfer rates are derived from thermocouple measurements of the Space Shuttle orbiter Discovery windward tiles during the STS-119 and STS-128 entries. The thermocouples were located underneath the reaction-cured glass coating on the thermal protection tiles. Boundary layer transition flight experiments conducted during both of those entries promoted turbulent flow at unusually high Mach numbers, with the present analysis considering Mach 10{15. Similar prior comparisons of CFD predictions directly to the flight temperature measurements were unsatisfactory, showing diverging trends between prediction and measurement for Mach numbers greater than 11. In the prior work, surface temperatures and convective heat transfer rates had been assumed to be in radiative equilibrium. The present work employs a one-dimensional time-accurate conduction analysis to relate measured temperatures to surface heat transfer rates, removing heat soak lag from the flight data, in order to better assess the predictive accuracy of the numerical models. The turbulent CFD shows good agreement for turbulent fuselage flow up to Mach 13. But on the wing in the wake of the boundary layer trip, the inclusion of tile conduction effects does not explain the prior observed discrepancy in trends between simulation and experiment; the flight heat transfer measurements are roughly constant over Mach 11-15, versus an increasing trend with Mach number from the CFD.

KSC-07pd1200

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis, mounted on a mobile launch platform, finally rests on the hard stand of Launch Pad 39A after an early morning rollout. This is the second rollout for the shuttle. Seen on either side of the main engine exhaust hole on the launcher platform are the tail service masts. Their function is to provide umbilical connections for liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen lines to fuel the external tank from storage tanks adjacent to the launch pad. Other umbilical lines carry helium and nitrogen, as well as ground electrical power and connections for vehicle data and communications. First motion out of the Vehicle Assembly Building was at 5:02 a.m. EDT. In late February, while Atlantis was on the launch pad, Atlantis' external tank received hail damage during a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 area. The hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation, as well as minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. The shuttle was returned to the VAB for repairs. The launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-117 is now targeted for June 8. A flight readiness review will be held on May 30 and 31. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

KSC-07pd0928

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-25

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building, workers check foam repairs on Atlantis' external tank. In late February, Atlantis' external tank received hail damage during a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 area. The hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation as well as minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. The launch now is targeted for June 8. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-04pd1850

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-18

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Martin Wilson (left, in foreground), manager of Thermal Protection System (TPS) operations for United Space Alliance (USA), gives a tour of the hurricane-ravaged Thermal Protection System Facility to (from center) NASA Associate Administrator of Space Operations Mission Directorate William Readdy, NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe, Center Director James Kennedy and Director of Shuttle Processing Michael E. Wetmore. The TPSF, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof during Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. O’Keefe and Readdy are visiting KSC to survey the damage sustained by KSC facilities from the hurricane. The Labor Day storm also caused significant damage to the Vehicle Assembly Building and Processing Control Center. Additionally, the Operations and Checkout Building, Vertical Processing Facility, Hangar AE, Hangar S and Hangar AF Small Parts Facility each received substantial damage. However, well-protected and unharmed were NASA’s three Space Shuttle orbiters - Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour - along with the Shuttle launch pads, all of the critical flight hardware for the orbiters and the International Space Station, and NASA’s Swift spacecraft that is awaiting launch in October.

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-03

Launched on July 26, 2005 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-114 was classified as Logistics Flight 1. Among the Station-related activities of the mission were the delivery of new supplies and the replacement of one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs). STS-114 also carried the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and the External Stowage Platform-2. A major focus of the mission was the testing and evaluation of new Space Shuttle flight safety, which included new inspection and repair techniques. Upon its approach to the International Space Station (ISS), the Space Shuttle Discovery underwent a photography session in order to assess any damages that may have occurred during its launch and/or journey through Space. The mission’s third and final Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) included taking a close-up look and the repair of the damaged heat shield. Gap fillers were removed from between the orbiter’s heat-shielding tiles located on the craft’s underbelly. Never before had any repairs been done to an orbiter while still in space. Back dropped by the blackness of space and Earth’s horizon, astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, STS-114 mission specialist, is anchored to a foot restraint on the extended ISS’s Canadarm-2.

STS-114: Discovery Return to Flight: Langley Engineers Analysis Briefing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

This video features a briefing on NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) contributions to the Space Shuttle fleet's Return to Flight (RTF). The briefing is split into two sections, which LaRC Shuttle Project Manager Robert Barnes and Deputy Manager Harry Belvin deliver in the form of a viewgraph presentation. Barnes speaks about LaRC contributions to the STS-114 mission of Space Shuttle Discovery, and Belvin speaks about LaRC contributions to subsequent Shuttle missions. In both sections of the briefing, LaRC contributions are in the following areas: External Tank (ET), Orbiter, Systems Integration, and Corrosion/Aging. The managers discuss nondestructive and destructive tests performed on ET foam, wing leading edge reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) composites, on-orbit tile repair, aerothermodynamic simulation of reentry effects, Mission Management Team (MMT) support, and landing gear tests. The managers briefly answer questions from reporters, and the video concludes with several short video segments about LaRC contributions to the RTF effort.

Tethers as Debris: Simulating Impacts of Kevlar Tethers on Shuttle Tiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, Steven W.

2004-01-01

In a previous paper I examined the effects of impacts of polymer tethers on aluminum plates using the SPHC hydrodynamic code. In this paper I apply tether models to a new target - models of Space Shuttle tiles developed during the STS 107 accident investigation. In this three-dimensional simulation, a short tether fragment strikes a single tile supported on an aluminum backing plate. A tile of the LI-900 material is modeled. Penetration and damage to the tile and the backwall are characterized for three normal impact velocities. The tether is modeled as a bundle of eight 1-mm strands, with the bundle having dimensions 2-mm x 4-mm x 20-cm. The bulk material properties used are those of Kevlar(TradeMark) 49, for which a Mie-Gruneisen multiphase equation of state (eos) is used. In addition, the strength model is applied in a linear sense, such that tensile loads along the strand length are supported, but there is no strength in the lateral directions. Tile models include the various layers making up the tile structure. The outermost layer is a relatively dense borosilicate glass, known as RCG, 0.5-mm thick. The RCG layer is present on the top and four sides of the tile. Below this coating is the bulk of the tile, 1.8- in thick, made of LI-900, a product consisting of rigidized fiberous silica with a density of 9 lWft3. Below the main insulating layer is a bottom layer of the same material that has been treated to increase its density by approximately 69% to improve its strength. This densified layer is bonded to a Strain Isolation Pad (SIP), modeled as a refractory felt fabric. The SIP is bonded to an aluminum 2024 wall 0.1-in thick. The tile and backwall materials use a Me-Gruneisen multiphase eos, with the exception of the SIP felt, which uses a fabric equation of state. Fabrics must be crushed to the full bulk material density before bulk material properties and a Mie-Gruneisen eos are applied. Tether fragment impact speeds of 3,7, and 10 km/s are simulated, with impact velocities normal to the tile face. Damage results are presented in tabular format.

Space Shuttle Orbiter-Illustration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

This illustration is an orbiter cutaway view with callouts. The orbiter is both the brains and heart of the Space Transportation System (STS). About the same size and weight as a DC-9 aircraft, the orbiter contains the pressurized crew compartment (which can normally carry up to seven crew members), the huge cargo bay, and the three main engines mounted on its aft end. There are three levels to the crew cabin. Uppermost is the flight deck where the commander and the pilot control the mission. The middeck is where the gallery, toilet, sleep stations, and storage and experiment lockers are found for the basic needs of weightless daily living. Also located in the middeck is the airlock hatch into the cargo bay and space beyond. It is through this hatch and airlock that astronauts go to don their spacesuits and marned maneuvering units in preparation for extravehicular activities, more popularly known as spacewalks. The Space Shuttle's cargo bay is adaptable to hundreds of tasks. Large enough to accommodate a tour bus (60 x 15 feet or 18.3 x 4.6 meters), the cargo bay carries satellites, spacecraft, and spacelab scientific laboratories to and from Earth orbit. It is also a work station for astronauts to repair satellites, a foundation from which to erect space structures, and a hold for retrieved satellites to be returned to Earth. Thermal tile insulation and blankets (also known as the thermal protection system or TPS) cover the underbelly, bottom of the wings, and other heat-bearing surfaces of the orbiter to protect it during its fiery reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. The Shuttle's 24,000 individual tiles are made primarily of pure-sand silicate fibers, mixed with a ceramic binder. The solid rocket boosters (SRB's) are designed as an in-house Marshall Space Flight Center project, with United Space Boosters as the assembly and refurbishment contractor. The solid rocket motor (SRM) is provided by the Morton Thiokol Corporation.

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-01-01

This illustration is an orbiter cutaway view with callouts. The orbiter is both the brains and heart of the Space Transportation System (STS). About the same size and weight as a DC-9 aircraft, the orbiter contains the pressurized crew compartment (which can normally carry up to seven crew members), the huge cargo bay, and the three main engines mounted on its aft end. There are three levels to the crew cabin. Uppermost is the flight deck where the commander and the pilot control the mission. The middeck is where the gallery, toilet, sleep stations, and storage and experiment lockers are found for the basic needs of weightless daily living. Also located in the middeck is the airlock hatch into the cargo bay and space beyond. It is through this hatch and airlock that astronauts go to don their spacesuits and marned maneuvering units in preparation for extravehicular activities, more popularly known as spacewalks. The Space Shuttle's cargo bay is adaptable to hundreds of tasks. Large enough to accommodate a tour bus (60 x 15 feet or 18.3 x 4.6 meters), the cargo bay carries satellites, spacecraft, and spacelab scientific laboratories to and from Earth orbit. It is also a work station for astronauts to repair satellites, a foundation from which to erect space structures, and a hold for retrieved satellites to be returned to Earth. Thermal tile insulation and blankets (also known as the thermal protection system or TPS) cover the underbelly, bottom of the wings, and other heat-bearing surfaces of the orbiter to protect it during its fiery reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. The Shuttle's 24,000 individual tiles are made primarily of pure-sand silicate fibers, mixed with a ceramic binder. The solid rocket boosters (SRB's) are designed as an in-house Marshall Space Flight Center project, with United Space Boosters as the assembly and refurbishment contractor. The solid rocket motor (SRM) is provided by the Morton Thiokol Corporation.

Space Shuttle Atlantis' external tank repairs from Hail Damage

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-09

In the Vehicle Assembly Building, markers show the hail damage being repaired on the external tank of Space Shuttle Atlantis. The white hole with a red circle around it is a hole prepared for molding and material application. The red material is sealant tape so the mold doesn't leak when the foam rises against the mold. The white/ translucent square mold is an area where the foam has been applied and the foam has risen and cured against the mold surface. The area will be de-molded and sanded flush the with adjacent area. In late February, Atlantis' external tank received hail damage during a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 area. The hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation as well as minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. The March launch was postponed and has not yet been rescheduled due to the repair process.

Foam on Tile Impact Modeling for the Space Shuttle Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stellingwerf, R. F.; Robinson, J. H.; Richardson, S.; Evans, S. W.; Stallworth, R.; Hovater, M.

2003-01-01

Following the breakup of the Space Shuttle Columbia during reentry a NASA-wide investigation team was formed to examine the probable damage inflicted on Orbiter Thermal Protection System (TPS) elements by impact of External Tank insulating foam projectiles. Our team was to apply rigorous, physics-based analysis techniques to help determine parameters of interest for an experimental test program, utilize validated codes to investigate the full range of impact scenarios, and use analysis derived models to predict aero-thermal-structural responses to entry conditions. We were to operate on a non-interference basis with the j Team, and were to supply significant findings to that team and to the Orbiter Vehicle Engineering Working Group, being responsive to any solicitations for support from these entities. The authors formed a working sub-group within the larger team to apply the Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics code SPHC to the damage estimation problem. Numerical models of the LI-900 TPS tiles and of the BX-250 foam were constructed and used as inputs into the code. Material properties needed to properly model the tiles and foam were obtained from other working sub-groups who performed tests on these items for this purpose. Two- and three- dimensional models of the tiles were constructed, including the glass outer layer, the densified lower layer of LI-900 insulation, the Nomex felt Strain Isolation Pad (SIP) mounting layer, and the underlying aluminum 2024 vehicle skin. A model for the BX-250 foam including porous compression, elastic rebound, and surface erosion was developed. Code results for the tile damage and foam behavior were extensively validated through comparison with the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) foam-on-tile impact experiments carried out in 1999. These tests involved small projectiles striking individual tiles and small tile arrays. Following code and model validation we simulated impacts of larger ET foam projectiles on the TPS tile systems used on the wings of the orbiter. Tiles used on the Wing Acreage, the Main Landing Gear Door, and the Carrier Panels near the front edge of the wing were modeled. Foam impacts shot for the CAB investigation were modeled, as well as impacts at larger angles, including rapid rotation of the projectile, and with varying foam properties. General results suggest that foam impacts on tiles at about 500 mph could cause appreciable damage if the impact angle is greater than about 20 degrees. Some variations of the foam properties, such as increased brittleness or increased density could increase damage in some cases. Rapid (17 rps) rotation failed to increase the damage for the two cases considered. This does not rule out other cases in which the rotational energy might lead to an increase in tile damage, but suggests that in most cases rotation will not be an important factor. Similar models will be applied for other impacting materials, other velocities, and other geometries as part of the Return to Flight process.

Attachment system for silica tiles. [thermal protection for space shuttle orbiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dotts, R. L.; Holt, J. W. (Inventor)

1982-01-01

An improved method for markedly increasing the bond strength between a rigid, porous refractory material and non-rigid substrate by densifying the face of the rigid material opposing the substrate is discussed. Densification is accomplished by wetting the refractory material and then impregnating it with a composite slurry having a particle size to fill voids of the porous material.

Robinson during EVA 3

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-06-29

S114-E-6221 (3 August 2005) --- Astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, STS-114 mission specialist, on the end of the station’s Canadarm2 (out of frame), slowly and cautiously makes his way to the underside of Space Shuttle Discovery to remove gap fillers from between the orbiter’s heat-shielding tiles during the mission’s third session of extravehicular activity (EVA).

Robinson during EVA 3

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-03

S114-E-6215 (3 August 2005) --- Astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, STS-114 mission specialist, on the end of the station’s Canadarm2 (out of frame), slowly and cautiously makes his way to the underside of Space Shuttle Discovery to remove gap fillers from between the orbiter’s heat-shielding tiles during the mission’s third of three sessions of extravehicular activity (EVA).

Overview of High-Resolution Nondestructive Inspection of the Space Shuttle External Tank (ET) Spray-on-Foam Insulation (SOFI) and Acreage Heat tiles using Focused, Synthetic and Holographical Millimeter Wave Techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kharkovsky, S.; Case, J. T.; Zoughi, R.; Hepburn, Frank L.

2006-01-01

Space Shuttle Columbia's catastrophic failure has been attributed to a piece of spray-on-foam insulation (SOFI) that was dislodged from the external tank (ET) and struck the leading edge of the left wing. A piece of SOFI was also dislodged in the recent Space Shuttle Discovery's flight. From immediately after the Columbia accident, microwave and millimeter wave nondestructive testing methods were considered as potential effective inspection tools for evaluating the integrity of the SOFI. To this end and as a result of these efforts, both real-focused, synthetic focusing and holographical techniques, at a wide range of frequencies covering 24 GHz to 150 GHz, have been developed for this purpose. Images of various complex SOFI panels with a wide range of embedded anomalies (representing real potential defects) have been produced using these techniques, including relatively small anomalies located near complex structural features representative of the external tank. These real-focused and 3D holographical images have effectively demonstrated the utility of these methods for SOFI inspection as being viable, robust, repeatable, simple, portable and relatively inexpensive (tens of $K as opposed to hundreds of $K). In addition, the potential viability of these methods for inspecting acreage heat tiles have has been demonstrated. This paper presents an overview of these activities, representative images of these panels using all of the imaging techniques used and a discussion of the practical attributes of these inspection methods.

Deflection Analysis of the Space Shuttle External Tank Door Drive Mechanism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tosto, Michael A.; Trieu, Bo C.; Evernden, Brent A.; Hope, Drew J.; Wong, Kenneth A.; Lindberg, Robert E.

2008-01-01

Upon observing an abnormal closure of the Space Shuttle s External Tank Doors (ETD), a dynamic model was created in MSC/ADAMS to conduct deflection analyses for assessing whether the Door Drive Mechanism (DDM) was subjected to excessive additional stress, and more importantly, to evaluate the magnitude of the induced step or gap with respect to shuttle s body tiles. To model the flexibility of the DDM, a lumped parameter approximation was used to capture the compliance of individual parts within the drive linkage. These stiffness approximations were then validated using FEA and iteratively updated in the model to converge on the actual distributed parameter equivalent stiffnesses. The goal of the analyses is to determine the deflections in the mechanism and whether or not the deflections are in the region of elastic or plastic deformation. Plastic deformation may affect proper closure of the ETD and would impact aero-heating during re-entry.

KSC-2012-1943

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Mike Williams, left, a thermal protection system technician, and Jeremy Schwarz, right, quality assurance technician, both with United Space Alliance, set weights atop a newly installed section of tile on the right wing of space shuttle Endeavour at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The weights will hold the section in place while the adhesive hardens beneath. Ongoing transition and retirement activities are preparing the spacecraft for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Endeavour flew 25 missions during its 19-year career. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

Olivas participating in EVA during Expedition/STS-117 Joint Operations

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-06-15

ISS015-E-12943 (15 June 2007) --- Anchored to a foot restraint on Space Shuttle Atlantis' remote manipulator system (RMS) robotic arm, astronaut John "Danny" Olivas, STS-117 mission specialist, repairs a 4-by-6-inch section of a thermal blanket on Atlantis' port orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pod that was damaged during the shuttle's climb to orbit last week. During the repair, Olivas pushed the turned up portion of the thermal blanket back into position, used a medical stapler to secure the layers of the blanket, and pinned it in place against adjacent thermal tile.

Olivas participating in EVA during Expedition/STS-117 Joint Operations

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-06-15

ISS015-E-12952 (15 June 2007) --- Anchored to a foot restraint on Space Shuttle Atlantis' remote manipulator system (RMS) robotic arm, astronaut John "Danny" Olivas, STS-117 mission specialist, repairs a 4-by-6-inch section of a thermal blanket on Atlantis' port orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pod that was damaged during the shuttle's climb to orbit last week. During the repair, Olivas pushed the turned up portion of the thermal blanket back into position, used a medical stapler to secure the layers of the blanket, and pinned it in place against adjacent thermal tile.

Mapping Sequence performed during the STS-135 R-Bar Pitch Maneuver

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-07-10

ISS028-E-015671 (10 July 2011) --- This head-on picture of Atlantis' nose and part of the underside's thermal protective system tiles is one of a series of images showing various parts of the shuttle in Earth orbit as photographed by one of three crew members -- half the station crew -- who were equipped with still cameras for this purpose on the International Space Station as the shuttle “posed” for photos and visual surveys and performed a back-flip for the rendezvous pitch maneuver (RPM). A 1000 millimeter lens was used to capture this particular series of images.

Fire Protection Jacket

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

NERAC, Inc., Tolland, CT, aided Paul Monroe Engineering, Orange, CA, in the development of their PC1200 Series Fire Protection Jacket that protects the oil conduit system on an offshore drilling platform from the intense hydrocarbon fires that cause buckling and could cause structural failure of the platform. The flame-proof jacketing, which can withstand temperatures of 2000 degrees Fahrenheit for four hours or more, was developed from a combination of ceramic cloth (similar to the ceramic in Space Shuttle tiles), and laminates used in space suits.

KSC-07pd0927

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-25

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building, foam repairs on Atlantis' external tank include sanding and inspection, as seen here. In late February, Atlantis' external tank received hail damage during a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 area. The hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation as well as minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. The launch now is targeted for June 8. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-07pd0929

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-25

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building, a worker carefully sands foam repairs on Atlantis' external tank. In late February, Atlantis' external tank received hail damage during a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 area. The hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation as well as minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. The launch now is targeted for June 8. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

Users guide: Steady-state aerodynamic-loads program for shuttle TPS tiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kerr, P. A.; Petley, D. H.

1984-01-01

A user's guide for the computer program that calculates the steady-state aerodynamic loads on the Shuttle thermal-protection tiles is presented. The main element in the program is the MITAS-II, Martin Marietta Interactive Thermal Analysis System. The MITAS-II is used to calculate the mass flow in a nine-tile model designed to simulate conditions duing a Shuttle flight. The procedures used to execute the program using the MITAS-II software are described. A list of the necessry software and data files along with a brief description of their functions is given. The format of the data file containing the surface pressure data is specified. The interpolation techniques used to calculate the pressure profile over the tile matrix are briefly described. In addition, the output from a sample run is explained. The actual output and the procedure file used to execute the program at NASA Langley Research Center on a CDC CYBER-175 are provided in the appendices.

KSC-2009-2350

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-28

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A U.S. Navy NP-3D Orion aircraft taxies to the runway of the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in preparation for takeoff. The plane will fly below space shuttle Discovery as it approaches Kennedy Space Center for landing following the STS-119 mission. Onboard instruments will check the orbiter’s exterior temperatures and a long-range infrared camera will remotely monitor heating to the shuttle’s lower surface, part of the boundary layer transition flight experiment. For the experiment, a heat shield tile with a “speed bump” on it was installed under Discovery’s left wing to intentionally disturb the airflow in a controlled manner and make the airflow turbulent. The tile, a BRI-18, was originally developed as a potential heat shield upgrade on the orbiters and is being considered for use on the Constellation Program’s Orion crew exploration vehicles. The data will determine if a protuberance on a BRI-18 tile is safe to fly and will be used to verify and improve design efforts for future spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2009-2349

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-28

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The engines of U.S. Navy NP-3D Orion aircraft are started in preparation for takeoff from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The plane will fly below space shuttle Discovery as it approaches Kennedy Space Center for landing following the STS-119 mission. Onboard instruments will check the orbiter’s exterior temperatures and a long-range infrared camera will remotely monitor heating to the shuttle’s lower surface, part of the boundary layer transition flight experiment. For the experiment, a heat shield tile with a “speed bump” on it was installed under Discovery’s left wing to intentionally disturb the airflow in a controlled manner and make the airflow turbulent. The tile, a BRI-18, was originally developed as a potential heat shield upgrade on the orbiters and is being considered for use on the Constellation Program’s Orion crew exploration vehicles. The data will determine if a protuberance on a BRI-18 tile is safe to fly and will be used to verify and improve design efforts for future spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

Space Shuttle UHF Communications Performance Evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hwu, Shian U.; Loh, Yin-Chung; Kroll, Quin D.; Sham, Catherine C.

2004-01-01

An extension boom is to be installed on the starboard side of the Space Shuttle Orbiter (SSO) payload bay for thermal tile inspection and repairing. As a result, the Space Shuttle payload bay Ultra High Frequency (UHF) antenna will be under the boom. This study is to evaluate the Space Shuttle UHF communication performance for antenna at a suitable new location. To insure the RF coverage performance at proposed new locations, the link margin between the UHF payload bay antenna and Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Astronauts at a range distance of 160 meters from the payload bay antenna was analyzed. The communication performance between Space Shuttle Orbiter and International Space Station (SSO-ISS) during rendezvous was also investigated. The multipath effects from payload bay structures surrounding the payload bay antenna were analyzed. The computer simulation tool based on the Geometrical Theory of Diffraction method (GTD) was used to compute the signal strengths. The total field strength was obtained by summing the direct fields from the antennas and the reflected and diffracted fields from the surrounding structures. The computed signal strengths were compared to the signal strength corresponding to the 0 dB link margin. Based on the results obtained in this study, RF coverage for SSO-EVA and SSO- ISS communication links was determined for the proposed payload bay antenna UHF locations. The RF radiation to the Orbiter Docking System (ODS) pyros, the payload bay avionics, and the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS) from the new proposed UHF antenna location was also investigated to ensure the EMC/EMI compliances.

KSC-04pd1842

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-18

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe looks at equipment moved from the Thermal Protection System Facility to the RLV Hangar. AT right is Martin Wilson, manager of TPS operations for United Space Alliance. O’Keefe and NASA Associate Administrator of Space Operations Mission Directorate William Readdy are visiting KSC to survey the damage sustained by KSC facilities from Hurricane Frances. The Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF), which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof in the storm, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. Undamaged equipment was removed from the TPSF and stored in the hangar. The Labor Day storm also caused significant damage to the Vehicle Assembly Building and Processing Control Center. Additionally, the Operations and Checkout Building, Vertical Processing Facility, Hangar AE, Hangar S and Hangar AF Small Parts Facility each received substantial damage. However, well-protected and unharmed were NASA’s three Space Shuttle orbiters -- Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour - along with the Shuttle launch pads, all of the critical flight hardware for the orbiters and the International Space Station, and NASA’s Swift spacecraft that is awaiting launch in October.

KSC-04pd1843

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-18

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - - NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe (right) looks at equipment moved from the Thermal Protection System Facility to the RLV Hangar. At left are United Space Alliance technicians Shelly Kipp and Eric Moss. O’Keefe and NASA Associate Administrator of Space Operations Mission Directorate William Readdy are visiting KSC to survey the damage sustained by KSC facilities from Hurricane Frances. The Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF), which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof in the storm, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. Undamaged equipment was removed from the TPSF and stored in the hangar. The Labor Day storm also caused significant damage to the Vehicle Assembly Building and Processing Control Center. Additionally, the Operations and Checkout Building, Vertical Processing Facility, Hangar AE, Hangar S and Hangar AF Small Parts Facility each received substantial damage. However, well-protected and unharmed were NASA’s three Space Shuttle orbiters - Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour - along with the Shuttle launch pads, all of the critical flight hardware for the orbiters and the International Space Station, and NASA’s Swift spacecraft that is awaiting launch in October.

Automated 3D Damaged Cavity Model Builder for Lower Surface Acreage Tile on Orbiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Belknap, Shannon; Zhang, Michael

2013-01-01

The 3D Automated Thermal Tool for Damaged Acreage Tile Math Model builder was developed to perform quickly and accurately 3D thermal analyses on damaged lower surface acreage tiles and structures beneath the damaged locations on a Space Shuttle Orbiter. The 3D model builder created both TRASYS geometric math models (GMMs) and SINDA thermal math models (TMMs) to simulate an idealized damaged cavity in the damaged tile(s). The GMMs are processed in TRASYS to generate radiation conductors between the surfaces in the cavity. The radiation conductors are inserted into the TMMs, which are processed in SINDA to generate temperature histories for all of the nodes on each layer of the TMM. The invention allows a thermal analyst to create quickly and accurately a 3D model of a damaged lower surface tile on the orbiter. The 3D model builder can generate a GMM and the correspond ing TMM in one or two minutes, with the damaged cavity included in the tile material. A separate program creates a configuration file, which would take a couple of minutes to edit. This configuration file is read by the model builder program to determine the location of the damage, the correct tile type, tile thickness, structure thickness, and SIP thickness of the damage, so that the model builder program can build an accurate model at the specified location. Once the models are built, they are processed by the TRASYS and SINDA.

Shearographic Non-destructive Evaluation of Space Shuttle Thermal Protection Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, Christopher K.; Hooker, Jeffery A.; Simmons, Stephen A.; Tenbusch, Kenneth E.

1995-01-01

Preliminary results of shearographic inspections of the shuttle external tank (ET) spray-on foam insulation (SOFI) and solid rocket booster (SRB) Marshall sprayable ablative (MSA-2) epoxy-cork thermal protection systems (TPS) are presented. Debonding SOFI or MSA-2 damage the orbiter 'belly' tile and exposes the ET/SRB to thermal loading. Previous work with the ET/SRB showed promising results with shearography. The first area investigated was the jack pad close-out, one of many areas on the ET where foam is applied at KSC. Voids 0.375 inch were detected in 1.75 inch thick foam using a pressure reduction of less than 0.4 psi. Of primary interest are areas of the ET that directly face the orbiter tile TPS. It is estimated that 90% of tile TPS damage on the orbiter 'belly' results from debonding SOFI during ascent. Test panels modeling these areas were manufactured with programmed debonds to determine the sensitivity of shearography as a function of debond size, SOFI thickness and vacuum. Results show repeatable detection of debonds with a diameter approximately half the SOFI thickness at less than 0.4 psi pressure reduction. Preliminary results are also presented on inspections of MSA-2 and the remote manipulator system (RMS) honeycomb material.

Shearographic non-destructive evaluation of the Space Shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, Christopher K.; Tenbusch, Kenneth E.; Hooker, Jeffery A.; Simmons, Stephen M.

1995-01-01

Preliminary results of shearographic inspections of the shuttle external tank (ET) spray-on foam insulation (SOFI) and solid rocket booster (SRB) Marshall sprayable ablative (MSA-2) epoxy-cork thermal protection systems (TPS) and remote manipulator system (RMS) honeycomb are presented. Debonding SOFI or MSA-2 damage the orbiter belly tile and exposes the ET/SRB to thermal loading. Previous work with the ET/SRB showed promising results with shearography. The first area investigated was the jack pad close-out, one of many areas on the ET where foam is applied at KSC. Voids 0.375 inch were detected in 1.75 inch thick foam using a pressure reduction of less dm 0.4 psi. Of primary interest are areas of the ET that directly face the orbiter tile TPS. It is estimated that 90% of tile TPS damage on the orbiter 'belly' results from debonding SOFI during ascent. Test panels modeling these areas were manufactured with programmed debonds to determine the sensitivity of shearography as a function of debond size, SOFI thickness, and vacuum. Results show a Probability of Detection (POD) of .95 or better for of debonds with a diameter equal to the SOFI thickness at less than 0.4 psi pressure reduction. Preliminary results are also presented on inspections of MSA-2 and the remote manipulator system (RMS) honeycomb material.

Shearographic non-destructive evaluation of space shuttle thermal protection systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hooker, Jeffrey A.; Simmons, Stephen M.; Davis, Christopher K.; Tenbusch, Kenneth E.

1995-01-01

Preliminary results of shearographic inspections of the shuttle external tank (ET) spray-on foam insulation (SOFI) and solid rocket booster (SRB) Marshall sprayable ablative (MSA-2) epoxy-cork thermal protection systems (TPS) are presented. Debonding SOFI or MSA-2 damage the orbiter 'belly' tile and exposes the ET/SRB to thermal loading. Previous work with the ET/SRB showed promising results with shearography. The first area investigated was the jack pad close-out, one of many areas on the ET where foam is applied at KSC. Voids 0.375 inch were detected in 1.75 inch thick foam using a pressure reduction of less than 0.4 psi. Of primary interest are areas of the ET that directly face the orbiter tile TPS. It is estimated that 90% of tile TPS damage on the orbiter 'belly' results from debonding SOFI during ascent. Test panels modeling these areas were manufactured with programmed debonds to determine the sensitivity of shearography as a function of debond size, SOFI thickness and vacuum. Results show repeatable detection of debonds with a diameter approximately half the SOFI thickness at less than 0.4 psi pressure reduction. Preliminary results are also presented on inspections of MSA-2 and the remote manipulator system (RMS) honeycomb material

Re-Entry Aeroheating Analysis of Tile-Repair Augers for the Shuttle Orbiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mazaheri, Ali R.; Wood, William A.

2007-01-01

Computational re-entry aerothermodynamic analysis of the Space Shuttle Orbiter s tile overlay repair (TOR) sub-assembly is presented. Entry aeroheating analyses are conducted to characterize the aerothermodynamic environment of the TOR and to provide necessary inputs for future TOR thermal and structural analyses. The TOR sub-assembly consists of a thin plate and several augers and spacers that serve as the TOR fasteners. For the computational analysis, the Langley Aerothermodynamic Upwind Relaxation Algorithm (LAURA) is used. A 5-species non-equilibrium chemistry model with a finite rate catalytic recombination model and a radiation equilibrium wall condition are used. It is assumed that wall properties are the same as reaction cured glass (RCG) properties with a surface emissivity of epsilon = 0.89. Surface heat transfer rates for the TOR and tile repair augers (TRA) are computed at a STS-107 trajectory point corresponding to Mach 18 free stream conditions. Computational results show that the average heating bump factor (BF), which is a ratio of local heat transfer rate to a design reference point located at the damage site, for the auger head alone is about 1.9. It is also shown that the average BF for the combined auger and washer heads is about 2.0.

Method for repair of thin glass coatings. [on space shuttle orbiter tiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holt, J. W.; Helman, D. D.; Smiser, L. W.

1982-01-01

A method of repairing cracks or damaged areas in glass, in particular, glass coatings provided on tile. The method includes removing the damaged area using a high speed diamond burr drilling out a cavity that extends slightly into the base material of the tile. All loose material is then cleaned from the drilled out cavity and the cavity is filled adjacent the upper surface of the coating with a filler material including chopped silica fibers mixed with a binder. The filler material is packed into the cavity and a repair coating is applied by means of a brush or sprayed thereover. The repair includes borosilicate suspended in solution. Heat is applied at approximately 2100 F. for approximately five minutes for curing the coating, causing boron silicide particles of the coating to oxidize forming a very fluid boron-oxide rich glass which reacts with the other frits to form an impervious, highly refractory layer.

Surface Tension Confines Cryogenic Liquid

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Castles, Stephen H.; Schein, Michael E.

1989-01-01

New type of Dewar provides passive, constant-temperature cryogenic cooling for scientific instruments under normal-to low-gravity conditions. Known as Surface-Tension-Contained Liquid Cryogen Cooler (STCLCC), keeps liquid cryogen in known location inside the Dewar by trapping liquid inside spongelike material. Unique sponge material fills most of volume of inner tank. Sponge is all-silica, open-cell material similar to that used for Space Shuttle thermal-protection tiles.

Thermal protection system repair kit program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

The feasibility and conceptual design aspects of repair materials and procedures for in orbit repair of the space shuttle orbiter TPS tiles are investigated. Material studies to investigate cure in place materials are described including catalyst and cure studies, ablation tests and evaluations, and support mixing and applicator design. The feasibility of the repair procedures, the storage of the TPS, dispensing, and cure problems are addressed.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, astronaut Stephen Frick and STS-114 Mission Specialist Wendy Lawrence watch as crew members work with equipment that will be used on the mission. Frick is a tile specialist, who joined the STS-114 crew during equipment familiarization at KSC. STS-114 is classified as Logistics Flight 1 to the International Space Station, delivering new supplies and replacing one of the orbital outpost’s Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs). STS-114 will also carry a Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and the External Stowage Platform-2. The crew is slated to conduct at least three spacewalks: They will demonstrate repair techniques of the Shuttle’s Thermal Protection System, replace the failed CMG with one delivered by the Shuttle, and install the External Stowage Platform.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-01-27

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, astronaut Stephen Frick and STS-114 Mission Specialist Wendy Lawrence watch as crew members work with equipment that will be used on the mission. Frick is a tile specialist, who joined the STS-114 crew during equipment familiarization at KSC. STS-114 is classified as Logistics Flight 1 to the International Space Station, delivering new supplies and replacing one of the orbital outpost’s Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs). STS-114 will also carry a Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and the External Stowage Platform-2. The crew is slated to conduct at least three spacewalks: They will demonstrate repair techniques of the Shuttle’s Thermal Protection System, replace the failed CMG with one delivered by the Shuttle, and install the External Stowage Platform.

KSC-08pd0818

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-03-26

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. --- NASA managers examine the thermal protection system tile under space shuttle Endeavour on Runway 15 at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility at the end of the STS-123 mission, a 16-day flight to the International Space Station. From left are Mission Management Team Chairman LeRoy Cain, NASA Administrator Mike Griffin, Kennedy Space Center Director Bill Parsons and NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale. This was the 16th night landing at Kennedy. The main landing gear touched down at 8:39:08 p.m. EDT. The nose landing gear touched down at 8:39:17 p.m. and wheel stop was at 8:40:41 p.m. The mission completed nearly 6.6 million miles. The landing was on the second opportunity after the first was waved off due to unstable weather in the Kennedy Space Center area. The STS-123 mission delivered the first segment of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, known as Dextre. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Water absorption and desorption in shuttle ablator and insulation materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitaker, A. F.; Smith, C. F.; Wooden, V. A.; Cothren, B. E.; Gregory, H.

1982-01-01

Shuttle systems ablator and insulation materials underwent water soak with subsequent water desorption in vacuum. Water accumulation in these materials after a soak for 24 hours ranged from +1.1% for orbiter tile to +161% for solid rocket booster MSA-1. After 1 minute in vacuum, water retention ranged from none in the orbiter tile to +70% for solid rocket booster cork.

KSC-97pc355

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-02-21

Accompanied by former astronaut Michael J. McCulley, several members of the STS-82 crew look at thermal protection system tile under the Space Shuttle Discovery on the runway at the Shuttle Landing Facility shortly after the conclusion of a 10-day mission to service the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope (HST). From left to right, they are Mission Specialist Steven A. Hawley; Michael J. McCulley, currently vice president and associate program manager for ground operations for the United Space Alliance at KSC; Mission Specialists Joseph R. "Joe" Tanner and Steven L. Smith (back to camera); and Payload Commander Mark C. Lee. STS-82 is the ninth Shuttle nighttime landing, and the fourth nighttime landing at KSC. The seven-member crew performed a record-tying five back-to-back extravehicular activities (EVAs) or spacewalks to service the telescope, which has been in orbit for nearly seven years. Two new scientific instruments were installed, replacing two outdated instruments. Five spacewalks also were performed on the first servicing mission, STS-61, in December 1993. Only four spacewalks were scheduled for STS-82, but a fifth one was added during the flight to install several thermal blankets over some aging insulation covering three HST compartments containing key data processing, electronics and scientific instrument telemetry packages. STS-82 was the 82nd Space Shuttle flight and the second mission of 1997

SAFER Inspection of Space Shuttle Thermal Protection System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scoville, Zebulon C.; Rajula, Sudhakar

2005-01-01

In the aftermath of the space shuttle Columbia accident, it quickly became clear that new methods would need to be developed that would provide the capability to inspect and repair the shuttle's thermal protection system (TPS). A boom extension to the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) with a laser topography sensor package was identified as the primary means for measuring the damage depth in acreage tile as well as scanning Reinforced Carbon- Carbon (RCC) surfaces. However, concern over the system's fault tolerance made it prudent to investigate alternate means of acquiring close range photographs and contour depth measurements in the event of a failure. One method that was identified early was to use the Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue (SAFER) propulsion system to allow EVA access to damaged areas of concern. Several issues were identified as potential hazards to SAFER use for this operation. First, the ability of an astronaut to maintain controlled flight depends upon efficient technique and hardware reliability. If either of these is insufficient during flight operations, a safety tether must be used to rescue the crewmember. This operation can jeopardize the integrity of the Extra-vehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) or delicate TPS materials. Controls were developed to prevent the likelihood of requiring a tether rescue, and procedures were written to maximize the chances for success if it cannot be avoided. Crewmember ability to manage tether cable tension during nominal flight also had to be evaluated to ensure it would not negatively affect propellant consumption. Second, although propellant consumption, flight control, orbital dynamics, and flight complexity can all be accurately evaluated in Virtual Reality (VR) Laboratory at Johnson Space Center, there are some shortcomings. As a crewmember's hand is extended to simulate measurement of tile damage, it will pass through the vehicle without resistance. In reality, this force will push the crewmember away from the vehicle, and could induce a moment which, if strong enough, could saturate the attitude control system in SAFER. This raises the concern that additional propellant will be consumed to maintain controlled flight. To account for this, the fidelity of the Virtual Reality simulation was improved to include the effect of crewmember contact with the vehicle during SAFER flight. In addition, while participating in VR simulations, the subject is in shirt sleeves and sits in a chair. This does not provide a flight-like representation of body position awareness. To prevent inadvertent contact with tile or RCC, other facilities were utilized to establish crew preferences for body attitude and tool configuration. Finally, a study was performed to determine if attitude constraints are needed for the Space shuttle and International Space Station to reduce SAFER flight difficulty.

Cast Glance Near Infrared Imaging Observations of the Space Shuttle During Hypersonic Re-Entry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tack, Steve; Tomek, Deborah M.; Horvath, Thomas J.; Verstynen, Harry A.; Shea, Edward J.

2010-01-01

High resolution calibrated infrared imagery of the Space Shuttle was obtained during hypervelocity atmospheric entries of the STS-119, STS-125 and STS128 missions and has provided information on the distribution of surface temperature and the state of the airflow over the windward surface of the Orbiter during descent. This data collect was initiated by NASA s Hypersonic Thermodynamic Infrared Measurements (HYTHIRM) team and incorporated the use of air- and land-based optical assets to image the Shuttle during atmospheric re-entry. The HYTHIRM objective is to develop and implement a set of mission planning tools designed to establish confidence in the ability of an existing optical asset to reliably acquire, track and return global quantitative surface temperatures of the Shuttle during entry. On Space Shuttle Discovery s STS-119 mission, NASA flew a specially modified thermal protection system tile and instrumentation package to monitor heating effects from boundary layer transition during re-entry. On STS-119, the windward airflow on the port wing was deliberately disrupted by a four-inch wide and quarter-inch tall protuberance built into the modified tile. In coordination with this flight experiment, a US Navy NP-3D Orion aircraft was flown 28 nautical miles below Discovery and remotely monitored surface temperature of the Orbiter at Mach 8.4 using a long-range infrared optical package referred to as Cast Glance. Approximately two months later, the same Navy Cast Glance aircraft successfully monitored the surface temperatures of the Orbiter Atlantis traveling at approximately Mach 14.3 during its return from the successful Hubble repair mission. In contrast to Discovery, Atlantis was not part of the Boundary Layer Transition (BLT) flight experiment, thus the vehicle was not configured with a protuberance on the port wing. In September 2009, Cast Glance was again successful in capturing infrared imagery and monitoring the surface temperatures on Discovery s next flight, STS-128. Again, NASA flew a specially modified thermal protection system tile and instrumentation package to monitor heating effects from boundary layer transition during re-entry. During this mission, Cast Glance was able to image laminar and turbulent flow phenomenology optimizing data collection for Mach 14.7. The purpose of this paper is to describe key elements associated with STS-119/125/128 mission planning and execution from the perspective of the Cast Glance flight crew that obtained the imagery. The paper will emphasize a human element of experience, expertise and adaptability seamlessly coupled with Cast Glance system and sensor technology required to manually collect the required imagery. Specific topics will include a near infrared (NIR) camera upgrade that was implemented just prior to the missions, how pre-flight radiance modeling was utilized to optimize the IR sensor configuration, communications, the development of aircraft test support positions based upon Shuttle trajectory information, support to contingencies such as Shuttle one orbit wave-offs/west coast diversions and then the Cast Glance perspective during an actual Shuttle imaging mission.

Processing and Probability Analysis of Pulsed Terahertz NDE of Corrosion under Shuttle Tile Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anastasi, Robert F.; Madaras, Eric I.; Seebo, Jeffrey P.; Ely, Thomas M.

2009-01-01

This paper examines data processing and probability analysis of pulsed terahertz NDE scans of corrosion defects under a Shuttle tile. Pulsed terahertz data collected from an aluminum plate with fabricated corrosion defects and covered with a Shuttle tile is presented. The corrosion defects imaged were fabricated by electrochemically etching areas of various diameter and depth in the plate. In this work, the aluminum plate echo signal is located in the terahertz time-of-flight data and a threshold is applied to produce a binary image of sample features. Feature location and area are examined and identified as corrosion through comparison with the known defect layout. The results are tabulated with hit, miss, or false call information for a probability of detection analysis that is used to identify an optimal processing threshold.

Vacuum/Zero Net-Gravity Application for On-Orbit TPS Tile Repair

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harvey, Gale A.; Humes, Donald H.; Siochi, Emilie J.

2004-01-01

The Orbiter Columbia catastrophically failed during reentry February 1, 2003. All Space Shuttle flights were suspended, including logistics support for the International Space Station. NASA Langley Research Center s (LaRC) Structures and Materials Competency is performing characterizations of candidate materials for on-orbit repair of orbiter Thermal Protection System (TPS) tiles to support Return-to-Flight activities led by Johnson Space Center (JSC). At least ten materials properties or attributes (adhesion to damage site, thermal protection, char/ash strength, thermal expansion, blistering, flaming, mixing ease, application in vacuum and zero gravity, cure time, shelf or storage life, and short-term outgassing and foaming) of candidate materials are of interest for on-orbit repair. This paper reports application in vacuum and zero net-gravity (for viscous flow repair materials). A description of the test apparatus and preliminary results of several candidate materials are presented. The filling of damage cavities is different for some candidate repair materials in combined vacuum and zero net-gravity than in either vacuum or zero net-gravity alone.

Reusable Surface Insulation Tile Thermal Protection Materials: Past, Present and the Future

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leiser, Daniel B.; Stewart, David A.; Venkatapathy, Ethiras (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Silica (LI-900) Reusable Surface Insulation (RSI) tile have been used on the majority of the Shuttle since its initial flight. Its overall performance with Reaction Cured Glass (RCG) coating applied will be reviewed. Improvements in insulations, Fibrous Refractory Composite Insulation (FRCI-12) and Alumina Enhanced Thermal Barrier (AETB-8) and coatings/surface treatments such as Toughened Uni-Piece Fibrous Insulation (TUFI) have been developed and successfully applied. The performance of these enhancements on the Shuttle Orbiters over the past few years along with the next version of tile materials, High Efficiency Tantalum-based Ceramic (HETC) with even broader applicability will also be discussed.

Orbiter Repair Maneuver Contingency Separation Methods and Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Machula, Michael

2005-01-01

Repairing damaged thermal protection system tile requires the Space Shuttle to be oriented such that repair platform access from the International Space Station (ISS) is possible. To do this, the Space Shuttle uses the Orbiter Repair Maneuver (ORM), which utilizes the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS) to rotate the Space Shuttle in relation to the ISS, for extended periods of time. These positions cause difficulties and challenges to performing a safe separation (no collision or thruster plume damage to sensitive ISS structures) should an inadvertent release occur or a contingency procedure require it. To help protect for an SRMS failure or other failures, a method for separating without collision and the ability to redock to ISS from the ORM configuration was needed. The contingency ORM separation solution elegantly takes advantage of orbital mechanics between ISS and the separating Space Shuttle. By pitching the ISS down approximately 45 degrees, in a majority of the ORM repair positions, the altitude difference between the ISS and Space Shuttle center of gravity is maximized. This altitude difference results in different orbital energies (orbital periods) causing objects to separate from each other without requiring translational firings. Using this method, a safe contingency ORM separation is made possible in many odd positions even though some separation positions point high powered thrusters directly at fragile ISS and Soyuz solar arrays. Documented in this paper are the development simulations and procedures of the contingency ORM separation and the challenges encountered with large constraints to work around. Lastly, a method of returning to redock with the ISS to pick up the stranded crew members (or transfer the final crew members) is explained as well as the thruster and ISS loads analysis.

STS-114: Mission Status/Post MMT Briefing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

Paul Hill, STS-114 Lead Shuttle Flight Director, and Wayne Hill, Deputy Manager for the Space Shuttle Program and Chair of the Mission Management Team, discusses with the News media the complete operational success of the STS-114 Flight. Paul Hill mentioned the undocking and flight around did occur right on time that day, and checking out Discovery's entry system in preparation for de-orbit on Monday morning. He summarized the long list of flight operations and activities demonstrated like various forms of inspections on RCC and tile, gap fillers and blanket, imagery and photography, three space walks and re-supply. Wayne Hill talked about flight control check out, pre-entry plans, opportunity landing in Cape Carneval, Florida and back-up landing operations in Edwards Air Force Base, California. He emphasized the concern for crew and public safety during landing. News media focused their questions on public expectations and feelings about the return of the Shuttle to Earth, analysis of mechanical and technical failures, safety of dark or daylight landings.

KSC-04pd1849

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-18

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Martin Wilson (far left), manager of Thermal Protection System (TPS) operations for United Space Alliance (USA), leads NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe (second from left) on a tour of the hurricane-ravaged Thermal Protection System Facility. The TPSF, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof in the storm, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. Undamaged equipment was removed from the TPSF and stored in the RLV hangar. O’Keefe and NASA Associate Administrator of Space Operations Mission Directorate William Readdy are visiting KSC to survey the damage sustained by KSC facilities from the hurricane. The Labor Day storm also caused significant damage to the Vehicle Assembly Building and Processing Control Center. Additionally, the Operations and Checkout Building, Vertical Processing Facility, Hangar AE, Hangar S and Hangar AF Small Parts Facility each received substantial damage. However, well-protected and unharmed were NASA’s three Space Shuttle orbiters - Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour - along with the Shuttle launch pads, all of the critical flight hardware for the orbiters and the International Space Station, and NASA’s Swift spacecraft that is awaiting launch in October.

KSC-04pd1845

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-18

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - - United Space Alliance technician Shelly Kipp (right) shows some of the material salvaged from the storm-ravaged Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF) to NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe (left). Martin Wilson (center), manager of TPS operations for USA, looks on. The TPSF, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof during Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. O’Keefe and NASA Associate Administrator of Space Operations Mission Directorate William Readdy are visiting KSC to survey the damage sustained by KSC facilities from the hurricane. Undamaged equipment was removed from the TPSF and stored in the RLV hangar. The Labor Day storm also caused significant damage to the Vehicle Assembly Building and Processing Control Center. Additionally, the Operations and Checkout Building, Vertical Processing Facility, Hangar AE, Hangar S and Hangar AF Small Parts Facility each received substantial damage. However, well-protected and unharmed were NASA’s three Space Shuttle orbiters -- Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour - along with the Shuttle launch pads, all of the critical flight hardware for the orbiters and the International Space Station, and NASA’s Swift spacecraft that is awaiting launch in October.

KSC-07pd0849

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building, United Space Alliance technicians Brenda Morris and Brian Williams are applying foam and molds on Space Shuttle Atlantis' external tank to areas damaged by hail. The white hole with a red circle around it (upper right) is a hole prepared for molding and material application. The red material is sealant tape so the mold doesn't leak when the foam rises against the mold. The white/translucent square mold is an area where the foam has been applied and the foam has risen and cured against the mold surface. In late February, Atlantis' external tank received hail damage during a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 area. The hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation as well as minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. The March launch was postponed and has not yet been rescheduled due to the repair process. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

Microwave and Millimeter Wave Nondestructive Evaluation of the Space Shuttle External Tank Insulating Foam

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shrestha, S.; Kharkovsky, S.; Zoughi, R.; Hepburn, F

2005-01-01

The Space Shuttle Columbia s catastrophic failure has been attributed to a piece of external fuel tank insulating SOFI (Spray On Foam Insulation) foam striking the leading edge of the left wing of the orbiter causing significant damage to some of the protecting heat tiles. The accident emphasizes the growing need to develop effective, robust and life-cycle oriented methods of nondestructive testing and evaluation (NDT&E) of complex conductor-backed insulating foam and protective acreage heat tiles used in the space shuttle fleet and in future multi-launch space vehicles. The insulating SOFI foam is constructed from closed-cell foam. In the microwave regime this foam is in the family of low permittivity and low loss dielectric materials. Near-field microwave and millimeter wave NDT methods were one of the techniques chosen for this purpose. To this end several flat and thick SOFI foam panels, two structurally complex panels similar to the external fuel tank and a "blind" panel were used in this investigation. Several anomalies such as voids and disbonds were embedded in these panels at various locations. The location and properties of the embedded anomalies in the "blind" panel were not disclosed to the investigating team prior to the investigation. Three frequency bands were used in this investigation covering a frequency range of 8-75 GHz. Moreover, the influence of signal polarization was also investigated. Overall the results of this investigation were very promising for detecting the presence of anomalies in different panels covered with relatively thick insulating SOFI foam. Different types of anomalies were detected in foam up to 9 in thick. Many of the anomalies in the more complex panels were also detected. When investigating the blind panel no false positives were detected. Anomalies in between and underneath bolt heads were not easily detected. This paper presents the results of this investigation along with a discussion of the capabilities of the method used.

KSC-03pd0326

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-02-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Thermal Protection System Facility, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe looks at a Dome Heat Shield blanket that is used for Shuttle engines. O'Keefe is visiting the site to learn more about the TPS products and process in protecting orbiters from the intense heat of launch and re-entry. TPS tiles have been discussed in the investigation into the Columbia tragedy that destroyed the orbiter and claimed the lives of seven astronauts.

Testing Machine for Biaxial Loading

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Demonet, R. J.; Reeves, R. D.

1985-01-01

Standard tensile-testing machine applies bending and tension simultaneously. Biaxial-loading test machine created by adding two test fixtures to commercial tensile-testing machine. Bending moment applied by substrate-deformation fixture comprising yoke and anvil block. Pneumatic tension-load fixture pulls up on bracket attached to top surface of specimen. Tension and deflection measured with transducers. Modified test apparatus originally developed to load-test Space Shuttle surface-insulation tiles and particuarly important for composite structures.

F-15A in flight closeup of 10 degree cone experiment

NASA Image and Video Library

1976-02-04

The number two F-15A (Serial #71-0281) was obtained by NASA from the U.S. Air Force in 1976 and was used for more than 25 advanced research projects involving aerodynamics, performance, propulsion control, control integration, instrumentation development, human factors, and flight test techniques. Included in these projects was its role as a testbed to evaluate aerodynamic pressures on Space Shuttle thermal protection tiles at specific altitudes and speeds.

Characterization of Solid Polymers, Ceramic Gap Filler, and Closed-Cell Polymer Foam Using Low-Load Test Methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herring, Helen M.

2008-01-01

Various solid polymers, polymer-based composites, and closed-cell polymer foam are being characterized to determine their mechanical properties, using low-load test methods. The residual mechanical properties of these materials after environmental exposure or extreme usage conditions determines their value in aerospace structural applications. In this experimental study, four separate polymers were evaluated to measure their individual mechanical responses after thermal aging and moisture exposure by dynamic mechanical analysis. A ceramic gap filler, used in the gaps between the tiles on the Space Shuttle, was also tested, using dynamic mechanical analysis to determine material property limits during flight. Closed-cell polymer foam, used for the Space Shuttle External Tank insulation, was tested under low load levels to evaluate how the foam's mechanical properties are affected by various loading and unloading scenarios.

KSC-06pd2879

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-12-22

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Sigmar Wittig, head of the DLR, the German Space Agency; Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA associate administrator for Space Operations; Mike Griffin, NASA administrator; Michel Tognini, head of the European Astronaut Center; and Bill Parsons, Kennedy Space Center deputy director, examine the thermal protection system tiles beneath Space Shuttle Discovery following the landing of mission STS-116 on Runway 15 at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. During the STS-116 mission, three spacewalks attached the P5 integrated truss structure to the station, and completed the rewiring of the orbiting laboratory's power system. A fourth spacewalk retracted a stubborn solar array. Main gear touchdown was at 5:32 p.m. EST. Nose gear touchdown was at 5:32:12 p.m. and wheel stop was at 5:32:52 p.m. At touchdown -- nominally about 2,500 ft. beyond the runway threshold -- the orbiter is traveling at a speed ranging from 213 to 226 mph. Discovery traveled 5,330,000 miles, landing on orbit 204. Mission elapsed time was 12 days, 20 hours, 44 minutes and 16 seconds. This is the 64th landing at KSC. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-99pp1509

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-12-27

After landing at the Shuttle Landing Facility, STS-103 Pilot Scott J. Kelly (left) and Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr. (right) look at the tiles on orbiter Discovery. They and other crew members Mission Specialists Steven L. Smith, C. Michael Foale (Ph.D.), John M. Grunsfeld (Ph.D.), Jean-Francois Clervoy of France and Claude Nicollier of Switzerland, completed a successful eight-day mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope, spending the Christmas holiday in space in order to accomplish their mission before the end of 1999. During the mission, Discovery's four space-walking astronauts, Smith, Foale, Grunsfeld and Nicollier, spent 24 hours and 33 minutes upgrading and refurbishing Hubble, making it more capable than ever to renew its observations of the universe. Mission objectives included replacing gyroscopes and an old computer, installing another solid state recorder, and replacing damaged insulation in the telescope. Hubble was released from the end of Discovery's robot arm on Christmas Day. Main gear touchdown was at 7:00:47 p.m. EST. Nose gear touchdown occurred at 7:00:58 p.m. EST and wheel stop at 7:01:34 p.m. EST. This was the 96th flight in the Space Shuttle program and the 27th for the orbiter Discovery. The landing was the 20th consecutive Shuttle landing in Florida and the 13th night landing in Shuttle program history

KSC-07pd0884

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-13

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building, the repair work of hail damage on Atlantis' external tank is inspected. At left is Brian Miller, with NASA Quality Assurance; at right is Mike Ravenscroft, with United Space Alliance. In the front is Sabrena Yedo, with NASA Safety. In late February, Atlantis' external tank received hail damage during a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 area. The hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation as well as minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. The launch now is targeted for June 8. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

Closeup oblique view of the aft fuselage of the Orbiter ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Close-up oblique view of the aft fuselage of the Orbiter Discovery looking forward and port as the last Space Shuttle Main Engine is being removed, it can be seen on the left side of the image frame. Note that one of the Orbiter Maneuvering System/ Reaction Control System has been removed while one of them remains. Also note that the body flap, below the engine positions has a protective covering to prevent damage to the High-temperature Reusable Surface Insulation tiles. This image was taken inside the Orbiter Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center. - Space Transportation System, Orbiter Discovery (OV-103), Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Harris County, TX

Closeup oblique view of the aft fuselage of the Orbiter ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Close-up oblique view of the aft fuselage of the Orbiter Discovery looking forward and starboard as the last Space Shuttle Main Engine is being removed, it can be seen on the right side of the image frame. Note that one of the Orbiter Maneuvering System/ Reaction Control System has been removed while one of them remains. Also note that the body flap, below the engine positions has a protective covering to prevent damage to the High-temperature Reusable Surface Insulation tiles. This image was taken inside the Orbiter Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center. - Space Transportation System, Orbiter Discovery (OV-103), Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Harris County, TX

STS-114 Flight Day 5 Highlights

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

Highlights of Day 5 of the STS-114 Return to Flight mission (Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot James Kelly, Mission Specialists Soichi Noguchi, Stephen Robinson, Andrew Thomas, Wendy Lawrence, and Charles Camarda) include video coverage of an extravehiclular activity (EVA) by Noguchi and Robinson. The other crew members of Discovery are seen on the flight deck and mid-deck helping the astronauts to suit-up. The objectives of the EVA are to test repair techniques on sample tiles in the shuttle's payload bay, to repair electrical equipment for a gyroscope on the International Space Station (ISS), and to install a replacement GPS antenna on the ISS. Noguchi and Robinson use a caulk gun and a putty knife to repair the sample tiles. The video contains several Earth views, including one of Baja California.

Wood Products Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

Structural Reliability Consultants' computer program creates graphic plots showing the statistical parameters of glue laminated timbers, or 'glulam.' The company president, Dr. Joseph Murphy, read in NASA Tech Briefs about work related to analysis of Space Shuttle surface tile strength performed for Johnson Space Center by Rockwell International Corporation. Analysis led to a theory of 'consistent tolerance bounds' for statistical distributions, applicable in industrial testing where statistical analysis can influence product development and use. Dr. Murphy then obtained the Tech Support Package that covers the subject in greater detail. The TSP became the basis for Dr. Murphy's computer program PC-DATA, which he is marketing commercially.

KSC-07pd0600

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In Highbay 1 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, technicians look at hail damage on the external tank. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. A new target launch date has not been determined, but teams will focus on preparing Atlantis for liftoff in late April on mission STS-117. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

Pyrotechnic shock at the orbiter/external tank forward attachment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, W. F.; Grissom, D. S.; Rhodes, L. R.

1980-01-01

During the initial certification test of the forward structural attachment of the space shuttle orbiter to the external tank, pyrotechnic shock from actuation of the separation device resulted in structural failure of the thermal protection tiles surrounding the attachment. Because of the high shock associated with the separation bolt, the development of alternative low shock separation designs was initiated. Two concepts that incorporate a 5.08 centimeter frangible nut as the release device were developed and tested.

A study of RSI under combined stresses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kibler, J. J.; Rosen, B. W.

1974-01-01

The behavior of typical rigidized surface insulation material (RSI) under combined loading states was investigated. In particular, the thermal stress states induced during reentry of the space shuttle were of prime concern. A typical RSI tile was analyzed for reentry thermal stresses under computed thermal gradients for a model of the RSI material. The results of the thermal stress analyses were then used to aid in defining typical combined stress states for the failure analysis of RSI.

Acoustic emission frequency discrimination

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sugg, Frank E. (Inventor); Graham, Lloyd J. (Inventor)

1988-01-01

In acoustic emission nondestructive testing, broadband frequency noise is distinguished from narrow banded acoustic emission signals, since the latter are valid events indicative of structural flaws in the material being examined. This is accomplished by separating out those signals which contain frequency components both within and beyond (either above or below) the range of valid acoustic emission events. Application to acoustic emission monitoring during nondestructive bond verification and proof loading of undensified tiles on the Space Shuttle Orbiter is considered.

Effect of a surface-to-gap temperature discontinuity on the heat transfer to reusable surface insulation tile gaps. [of the space shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Throckmorton, D. A.

1976-01-01

An experimental investigation is presented that was performed to determine the effect of a surface-to-gap wall temperature discontinuity on the heat transfer within space shuttle, reusable surface insulation, tile gaps submerged in a thick turbulent boundary layer. Heat-transfer measurements were obtained on a flat-plate, single-gap model submerged in a turbulent tunnel wall boundary layer at a nominal free-stream Mach number of 10.3 and free-stream Reynolds numbers per meter of 1.5 million, 3.3 million and 7.8 million. Surface-to-gap wall temperature discontinuities of varying degree were created by heating the surface of the model upstream of the instrumented gap. The sweep angle of the gap was varied between 0 deg and 60 deg; gap width and depth were held constant. A surface-to-gap wall temperature discontinuity (surface temperature greater than gap wall temperature) results in increased heat transfer to the near-surface portion of the gap, as compared with the heat transfer under isothermal conditions, while decreasing the heat transfer to the deeper portions of the gap. The nondimensionalized heat transfer to the near-surface portion of the gap is shown to decrease with increasing Reynolds number; in the deeper portion of the gap, the heat transfer increases with Reynolds number.

KSC-06pd2878

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-12-22

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA associate administrator for Space Operations; Sigmar Wittig, head of the DLR, the German Space Agency; Mike Griffin, NASA administrator; and Michel Tognini, head of the European Astronaut Center, examine the thermal protection system tiles beneath Space Shuttle Discovery following the landing of mission STS-116 on Runway 15 at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. During the STS-116 mission, three spacewalks attached the P5 integrated truss structure to the station, and completed the rewiring of the orbiting laboratory's power system. A fourth spacewalk retracted a stubborn solar array. Main gear touchdown was at 5:32 p.m. EST. Nose gear touchdown was at 5:32:12 p.m. and wheel stop was at 5:32:52 p.m. At touchdown -- nominally about 2,500 ft. beyond the runway threshold -- the orbiter is traveling at a speed ranging from 213 to 226 mph. Discovery traveled 5,330,000 miles, landing on orbit 204. Mission elapsed time was 12 days, 20 hours, 44 minutes and 16 seconds. This is the 64th landing at KSC. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Vacuum/Zero Net-Gravity Application for On-Orbit TPS Tile Repair

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harvey, Gale A.; Humes, Donald H.; Siochi, Emilie J.

2004-01-01

The Orbiter Columbia catastrophically failed during reentry February 1, 2003. All space Shuttle flights were suspended, including logistics support for the International Space Station. NASA LaRC s Structures and Materials Competency is performing characterizations of candidate materials for on-orbit repair of orbiter Thermal Protection System (TPS) tiles to support Return-to-Flight activities led by JSC. At least ten materials properties or attributes (adhesion to damage site, thermal protection, char/ash strength, thermal expansion, blistering, flaming, mixing ease, application in vacuum and zero gravity, cure time, shelf or storage life, and short-term outgassing and foaming) of candidate materials are of interest for on-orbit repair. This paper reports application in vacuum and zero net-gravity (for viscous flow repair materials). A description of the test apparatus and preliminary results of several candidate materials are presented. The filling of damage cavities is different for some candidate repair materials in combined vacuum and zero net-gravity than in either vacuum or zero net- gravity alone.

KSC-07pd0885

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-13

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building, markers show the hail damage being repaired on the external tank of Space Shuttle Atlantis. The white hole with a red circle around it is a hole prepared for molding and material application. The red material is sealant tape so the mold doesn't leak when the foam rises against the mold. The white/translucent square mold is an area where the foam has been applied and the foam has risen and cured against the mold surface. The area will be de-molded and sanded flush with the adjacent area. In late February, Atlantis' external tank received hail damage during a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 area. The hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation as well as minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. The launch now is targeted for June 8. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KSC-07pd0848

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building, markers show the hail damage being repaired on the external tank of Space Shuttle Atlantis. The white hole with a red circle around it is a hole prepared for molding and material application. The red material is sealant tape so the mold doesn't leak when the foam rises against the mold. The white/translucent square mold is an area where the foam has been applied and the foam has risen and cured against the mold surface. The area will be de-molded and sanded flush the with adjacent area. In late February, Atlantis' external tank received hail damage during a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 area. The hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation as well as minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. The March launch was postponed and has not yet been rescheduled due to the repair process. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

Adjustable high emittance gap filler. [reentry shielding for space shuttle vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leiser, D. B.; Stewart, D. A.; Smith, M.; Estrella, C. A.; Goldstein, H. E. (Inventor)

1981-01-01

A flexible, adjustable refractory filler is disclosed for filling gaps between ceramic tiles forming the heat shield of a space shuttle vehicle, to protect its aluminum skin during atmospheric reentry. The easily installed and replaced filler consists essentially of a strip of ceramic cloth coated, at least along both its longitudinal edges with a room temperature vulcanizable silicone rubber compound with a high emittance colored pigment. The filler may have one or more layers as the gap width requires. Preferred materials are basket weave aluminoborosilicate cloth, and a rubber compounded with silicon tetraboride as the emittance agent and finely divided borosilicate glass containing about 7.5% B2O3 as high temperature binder. The filler cloth strip or tape is cut to proper width and length, inserted into the gap, and fastened with previously applied drops of silicone rubber adhesive.

Hail damage on Atlantis' external tank is inspected

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-13

In the Vehicle Assembly Building, markers show the hail damage being repaired on the external tank of Space Shuttle Atlantis. The white hole with a red circle around it is a hole prepared for molding and material application. The red material is sealant tape so the mold doesn't leak when the foam rises against the mold. The white/ translucent square mold is an area where the foam has been applied and the foam has risen and cured against the mold surface. The area will be de-molded and sanded flush with the adjacent area. In late February, Atlantis' external tank received hail damage during a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 area. The hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation as well as minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. The launch now is targeted for June 8.

High-Temperature Insulating Gap Filler

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Toombs, Gordon R.; Oyoung, Kevin K.; Stevens, Everett G.

1991-01-01

New inorganic, ceramic filler for gaps between refractory ceramic tiles offers high resistance to heat and erosion. Consists of ceramic-fiber fabric precoated with silica and further coated with silica containing small amount of silicon carbide powder to increase thermal emittance. Developed as replacement for organic filler used on thermal-protection system of Space Shuttle. Promises to serve for many missions and to reduce cost and delay of refurbishing aerospace craft. Used as sealing material in furnaces or as heat shield for sensitive components in automobiles, aircraft, and home appliances.

F-15B in flight with X-33 Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) on Flight Test Fixture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

In-flight photo of the NASA F-15B used in tests of the X-33 Thermal Protection System (TPS) materials. Flying at subsonic speeds, the F-15B tests measured the air loads on the proposed X-33 protective materials. In contrast, shock loads testing investigated the local impact of the supersonic shock wave itself on the TPS materials. Similar tests had been done in 1985 for the space shuttle tiles, using an F-104 aircraft.

KSC-07pd0599

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In Highbay 1 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, technicians carefully apply red dye to the external tank as part of repair operations. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. A new target launch date has not been determined, but teams will focus on preparing Atlantis for liftoff in late April on mission STS-117. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-07pd0595

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In Highbay 1 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, a technician carefully applies red dye to the external tank as part of repair operations. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. A new target launch date has not been determined, but teams will focus on preparing Atlantis for liftoff in late April on mission STS-117. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-07pd0601

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In Highbay 1 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, workers secure scaffolding around the external tank to prepare it for repairs. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. A new target launch date has not been determined, but teams will focus on preparing Atlantis for liftoff in late April on mission STS-117. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-07pd0597

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In Highbay 1 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, a technician carefully applies red dye to the external tank as part of repair operations. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. A new target launch date has not been determined, but teams will focus on preparing Atlantis for liftoff in late April on mission STS-117. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

F-15B in flight with X-33 Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) on Flight Test Fixture

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-05-14

In-flight photo of the NASA F-15B used in tests of the X-33 Thermal Protection System (TPS) materials. Flying at subsonic speeds, the F-15B tests measured the air loads on the proposed X-33 protective materials. In contrast, shock loads testing investigated the local impact of the supersonic shock wave itself on the TPS materials. Similar tests had been done in 1985 for the space shuttle tiles, using an F-104 aircraft.

Thermal mathematical modeling and system simulation of Space Shuttle less subsystem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chao, D. C.; Battley, H. H.; Gallegos, J. J.; Curry, D. M.

1984-01-01

Applications, validation tests, and upgrades of the two- and three-dimensional system level thermal mathematical system simulation models (TMSSM) used for thermal protection system (TPS) analyses are described. The TMSSM were developed as an aid to predicting the performance requirements and configurations of the Shuttle wing leading edge (WLE) and nose cone (NC) TPS tiles. The WLE and its structure were subjected to acoustic, thermal/vacuum, and air loads tests to simulate launch, on-orbit, and re-entry behavior. STS-1, -2 and -5 flight data led to recalibration of on-board instruments and raised estimates of the thermal shock at the NC and WLE. Baseline heating data are now available for the design of future TPS.

KSC-04pd1852

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-18

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Looking at damage on the second floor of the hurricane-ravaged Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF) are (from left) Kevin Harrington, manager of Soft Goods Production, TPSF ; Martin Wilson, manager of Thermal Protection System operations for USA; Scott Kerr, KSC director of Spaceport Services; and James Kennedy, Center director. The TPSF, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof during Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. Undamaged equipment was removed from the TPSF and stored in the RLV hangar. NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe and NASA Associate Administrator of Space Operations Mission Directorate William Readdy are visiting KSC to survey the damage sustained by KSC facilities from the hurricane. The Labor Day storm also caused significant damage to the Vehicle Assembly Building and Processing Control Center. Additionally, the Operations and Checkout Building, Vertical Processing Facility, Hangar AE, Hangar S and Hangar AF Small Parts Facility each received substantial damage. However, well-protected and unharmed were NASA’s three Space Shuttle orbiters - Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour - along with the Shuttle launch pads, all of the critical flight hardware for the orbiters and the International Space Station, and NASA’s Swift spacecraft that is awaiting launch in October.

Heat Melt Compaction as an Effective Treatment for Eliminating Microorganisms from Solid Waste

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hummerick, Mary P.; Strayer, Richard; McCoy, LaShelle; Richard, Jeffrey; Ruby, Anna; Wheeler, Raymond

2012-01-01

One of the technologies being tested at Ames Research Center as part of the logistics and repurposing project is heat melt compaction (HMC) of solid waste to reduce volume, remove water and render a biologically stable and safe product. Studies at Kennedy Space Center have focused on the efficacy of the heat melt compaction process for killing microorganisms in waste and specific compacter operation protocols, i.e., time and temperature, required to achieve a sterile, stable product. The work reported here includes a controlled study to examine the survival and potential re-growth of specific microorganisms over a 6-month period of storage after heating and compaction. Before heating and compaction, ersatz solid wastes were inoculated with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, previously isolated from recovered space shuttle mission food and packaging waste. Compacted HMC tiles were sampled for microbiological analysis at time points between 0 and 180 days of storage in a controlled environment chamber. In addition, biological indicator strips containing spores of Bacillus atrophaeus and Ceo bacillus stearothermophilus were imbedded in trash to assess the efficacy of the HMC process to achieve sterilization. Analysis of several tiles compacted at 180 C for times of 40 minutes to over 2 hours detected organisms in all tile samples with the exception of one exposed to 180 C for approximately 2 hours. Neither of the inoculated organisms was recovered, and the biological indicator strips were negative for growth in all tiles indicating at least local sterilization of tile areas. The findings suggest that minimum time/temperature combination is required for complete sterilization. Microbial analysis of tiles processed at lower temperatures from 130 C-150 C at varying times will be discussed, as well as analysis of the bacteria and fungi present on the compactor hardware as a result of exposure to the waste and the surrounding environment. The two organisms inoculated into the waste were among those isolated and identified from the HMC surfaces indicating the possibility of cross contamination.

Design and evaluation of an electromagnetic beam waveguide for measuring electrical properties of materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bailey, M. C.

1994-01-01

A beam waveguide was designed that is based upon the propagation characteristics of the fundamental Gaussian beam and the focusing properties of spherical dielectric lenses. The 20-GHz, two-horn, four-lens system was constructed and experimentally evaluated by probing the field in a plane perpendicular to the beam axis at the center of the beam waveguide system. The critical parameters were determined by numerical sensitivity studies, and the lens-horn critical spacing was adjusted to better focus the beam at the probe plane. The measured performance was analyzed by consideration of higher order Gaussian-Laguerre beam modes. The beam waveguide system was successfully used in the measurements of the electromagnetic transmission properties of Shuttle thermal-protection tiles while the tile surface was being heated to reentry-level temperatures with a high-power laser.

Pressure gradient effects on heat transfer to reusable surface insulation tile-array gaps

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Throckmorton, D. A.

1975-01-01

An experimental investigation was performed to determine the effect of pressure gradient on the heat transfer within space shuttle reusable surface insulation (RSI) tile-array gaps under thick, turbulent boundary-layer conditions. Heat-transfer and pressure measurements were obtained on a curved array of full-scale simulated RSI tiles in a tunnel-wall boundary layer at a nominal free-stream Mach number and free-stream Reynolds numbers. Transverse pressure gradients of varying degree were induced over the model surface by rotating the curved array with respect to the flow. Definition of the tunnel-wall boundary-layer flow was obtained by measurement of boundary-layer pitot pressure profiles, wall pressure, and heat transfer. Flat-plate heat-transfer data were correlated and a method was derived for prediction of heat transfer to a smooth curved surface in the highly three-dimensional tunnel-wall boundary-layer flow. Pressure on the floor of the RSI tile-array gap followed the trends of the external surface pressure. Heat transfer to the surface immediately downstream of a transverse gap is higher than that for a smooth surface at the same location. Heating to the wall of a transverse gap, and immediately downstream of it, at its intersection with a longitudinal gap is significantly greater than that for the simple transverse gap.

Orion EFT-1 Catalytic Tile Experiment Overview and Flight Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Salazar, Giovanni; Amar, Adam; Hyatt, Andrew; Rezin, Marc D.

2016-01-01

This paper describes the design and results of a surface catalysis flight experiment flown on the Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle during Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT1). Similar to previous Space Shuttle catalytic tile experiments, the present test consisted of a highly catalytic coating applied to an instrumented TPS tile. However, the present catalytic tile experiment contained significantly more instrumentation in order to better resolve the heating overshoot caused by the change in surface catalytic efficiency at the interface between two distinct materials. In addition to collecting data with unprecedented spatial resolution of the "overshoot" phenomenon, the experiment was also designed to prove if such a catalytic overshoot would be seen in turbulent flow in high enthalpy regimes. A detailed discussion of the results obtained during EFT1 is presented, as well as the challenges associated with data interpretation of this experiment. Results of material testing carried out in support of this flight experiment are also shown. Finally, an inverse heat conduction technique is employed to reconstruct the flight environments at locations upstream and along the catalytic coating. The data and analysis presented in this work will greatly contribute to our understanding of the catalytic "overshoot" phenomenon, and have a significant impact on the design of future spacecraft.

Foam-on-Tile Damage Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koharchik, Michael; Murphy, Lindsay; Parker, Paul

2012-01-01

An impact model was developed to predict how three specific foam types would damage the Space Shuttle Orbiter insulating tiles. The inputs needed for the model are the foam type, the foam mass, the foam impact velocity, the foam impact incident angle, the type being impacted, and whether the tile is new or aged (has flown at least one mission). The model will determine if the foam impact will cause damage to the tile. If it can cause damage, the model will output the damage cavity dimensions (length, depth, entry angle, exit angle, and sidewall angles). It makes the calculations as soon as the inputs are entered (less than 1 second). The model allows for the rapid calculation of numerous scenarios in a short time. The model was developed from engineering principles coupled with significant impact testing (over 800 foam impact tests). This model is applicable to masses ranging from 0.0002 up to 0.4 pound (0.09 up to 181 g). A prior tool performed a similar function, but was limited to the assessment of a small range of masses and did not have the large test database for verification. In addition, the prior model did not provide outputs of the cavity damage length, entry angle, exit angle, or sidewall angles.

Shock-induced flow separation and the orbiter thermal protection system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waiter, S.-A.

The Space Shuttle orbiter's thermal protection system (TPS) is composed of reusable tiles separated by narrow gaps that accommodate the contraction and expansion of the aluminum structure that the tiles protect. When local pressure gradients exist, air flows through the tile gaps and releases heat energy by convection. The gaps represent a heat short to the structure, strain isolator pad (SIP), and filler bar. A typical problem is the pressure gradient created during entry by body flap deflection. After a brief description of how this problem affects the Space Shuttle orbiter, a theoretical and experimental review of the major parameters involved in gap heating are analyzed. Then, a review of well-known classical methods to resolve the gap aeroheating problem in the presence of a pressure gradient is presented, and a few solutions are illustrated to assess the sensitivity of each one. The following section starts with a basic relationship (called "eyeball" because of its simplicity) and follows the results up through the most modern engineering approach available in the literature. It shows that in all cases calculated significant areas of overtemperature were predicted. However, none of these methods could be correlated by experimental data. Lastly, the paper presents the solution obtained by using the most sophisticated method, based upon the Navier-Stokes equations. This approach shows excellent correlation with wind tunnel data. The application to four trajectory time points shows less severe results than the other methods. This can be explained by the introduction of a certain amount of conservatism to account for uncertainties inherent in the previous analyses. No correlation of this "exact solution" with the simple preestablished relationships has been found, indicating that more parameters than expected could be involved. However, an after-the-fact, semi-empirical engineering solution that fits the Navier-Stokes solution with good agreement was established.

Further Investigations of Control Surface Seals for the X-38 Re-Entry Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunlap, Patrick H., Jr.; Steinetz, Bruce M.; Curry, Donald M.; Newquist, Charles W.; Verzemnieks, Juris

2001-01-01

NASA is currently developing the X-38 vehicle that will be used to demonstrate the technologies required for a potential crew return vehicle (CRV) for the International Space Station. This vehicle would serve both as an ambulance for medical emergencies and as an evacuation vehicle for the Space Station. Control surfaces on the X-38 (body flaps and rudder/fin assemblies) require high temperature seals to limit hot gas ingestion and transfer of heat to underlying low-temperature structures to prevent over-temperature of these structures and possible loss of the vehicle. NASAs Johnson Space Center (JSC) and Glenn Research Center (GRC) are working together to develop and evaluate seals for these control surfaces. This paper presents results for compression. flow, scrub, and arc jet tests conducted on the baseline X-38 rudder/fin seal design. Room temperature seal compression tests were performed at low compression levels to determine load versus linear compression, preload. contact area, stiffness. and resiliency characteristics under low load conditions. For all compression levels that were tested, unit loads and contact pressures for the seals were below the 5 lb/in. and 10 psi limits required to limit the loads on the adjoining Shuttle thermal tiles that the seals will contact. Flow rates through an unloaded (i.e. 0% compression) double arrangement were twice those of a double seal compressed to the 20% design compression level. The seals survived an ambient temperature 1000 cycle scrub test over relatively rough Shuttle tile surfaces. The seals were able to disengage and re-engage the edges of the rub surface tiles while being scrubbed over them. Arc jet tests were performed to experimentally determine anticipated seal temperatures for representative flow boundary conditions (pressures and temperatures) under simulated vehicle re-entry conditions. Installation of a single seat in the gap of the test fixture caused a large temperature drop (1710 F) across the seal location as compared to an open gap condition (140 F) confirming the need for seals in the rudder/fin gap location. The seal acted as an effective thermal barrier limiting heat convection through the seal gap and minimizing temperature increases downstream of the seal during maximum heating conditions.

Foam on Tile Impact Modeling for the STS-107 Investigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stellingwerf, R. F.; Robinson, J. H.; Richardson, S.; Evans, S. W.; Stallworth, R.; Hovater, M.

2004-01-01

Following the breakup of the Space Shuttle Columbia during reentry a NASA/Contractor investigation team was formed to examine the probable damage inflicted on Orbiter Thermal Protection System elements by impact of External Tank insulating foam projectiles. The authors formed a working subgroup within the larger team to apply the Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics code SPHC to the damage estimation problem. Numerical models of the Orbiter's tiles and of the Tank's foam were constructed and used as inputs into the code. Material properties needed to properly model the tiles and foam were obtained from other working subgroups who performed tests on these items for this purpose. Two- and three-dimensional models of the tiles were constructed, including the glass outer layer, the main body of LI-900 insulation, the densified lower layer of LI-900, the Nomex felt mounting layer, and the Aluminum 2024 vehicle skin. A model for the BX-250 foam including porous compression, elastic rebound, and surface erosion was developed. Code results for the tile damage and foam behavior were extensively validated through comparison with Southwest Research Institute foam-on-tile impact experiments carried out in 1999. These tests involved small projectiles striking individual tiles and small tile arrays. Following code and model validation we simulated impacts of larger foam projectiles on the examples of tile systems used on the Orbiter. Results for impacts on the main landing gear door are presented in this paper, including effects of impacts at several angles, and of rapidly rotating projectiles. General results suggest that foam impacts on tiles at about 500 mph could cause appreciable damage if the impact angle is greater than about 20 degrees. Some variations of the foam properties, such as increased brittleness or increased density could increase damage in some cases. Rotation up to 17 rps failed to increase the damage for the two cases considered. This does not rule out other cases in which the rotational energy might lead to an increase in tile damage, but suggests that in most cases rotation will not be an important factor.

KSC-04pd1780

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the RLV hangar at KSC, United Space Alliance worker Steve Mitchell unpacks equipment that was removed from the hurricane-ravaged Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF). The facility, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof due to Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. The maximum wind at the surface from Hurricane Frances was 94 mph from the northeast at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday, September 5. It was recorded at a weather tower located on the east shore of the Mosquito Lagoon near the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. The highest sustained wind at KSC was 68 mph.

Flutter Sensitivity to Boundary Layer Thickness, Structural Damping, and Static Pressure Differential for a Shuttle Tile Overlay Repair Concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scott, Robert C.; Bartels, Robert E.

2009-01-01

This paper examines the aeroelastic stability of an on-orbit installable Space Shuttle patch panel. CFD flutter solutions were obtained for thick and thin boundary layers at a free stream Mach number of 2.0 and several Mach numbers near sonic speed. The effect of structural damping on these flutter solutions was also examined, and the effect of structural nonlinearities associated with in-plane forces in the panel was considered on the worst case linear flutter solution. The results of the study indicated that adequate flutter margins exist for the panel at the Mach numbers examined. The addition of structural damping improved flutter margins as did the inclusion of nonlinear effects associated with a static pressure difference across the panel.

Advanced Strain-Isolation-Pad Material with Bonded Fibrous Construction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seibold, R. W.; Saito, C. A.; Buller, B. W.

1982-01-01

The feasibility of utilizing air lay and liquid lay felt deposition techniques to fabricate strain isolation pad (SIP) materials for the Space Shuttle Orbiter was demonstrated. These materials were developed as candidate replacements for the present needled felt SIP used between the ceramic tiles and the aluminum skin on the undersurface of the Orbiter. The SIP materials that were developed consisted of high temperature aramid fibers deposited by controlled fluid (air or liquid) carriers to form low density unbonded felts. The deposited felts were then bonded at the fiber intersections with a small amount of high temperature polyimide resin. This type of bonded felt construction can potentially eliminate two of the problems associated with the present SIP, viz., transmittal of localized stresses into the tiles and load history dependent mechanical response. However, further work is needed to achieve adequate through thickness tensile strength in the bonded felts.

BLT Flight Experiment Overview and In-Situ Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, Brian P.; Campbell, Charles H.; Saucedo, Luis A.; Kinder, Gerald R.

2010-01-01

In support of the Boundary Layer Transition Flight Experiment (BLT FE) Project, a manufactured protuberance tile was installed on the port wing of Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery for the flight of STS-119. Additional instrumentation was also installed in order to obtain more spatially resolved measurements. This paper will provide an overview of the BLT FE Project, including the project history, organizations involved, and motivations for the flight experiment. Significant efforts were made to place the protuberance at an appropriate location on the Orbiter and to design the protuberance to withstand the expected environments. Efforts were also extended to understand the as-fabricated shape of the protuberance and the thermal protection system tile configuration surrounding the protuberance. A high level overview of the in-situ flight data will be presented, along with a summary of the comparisons between pre- and post-flight analysis predictions and flight data.

Materials and Processes Engineering's Role in the Reconstruction and Failure Analysis of The Space Shuttle Columbia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Russell, Richard

2005-01-01

Conclusions: The hot gases, having flooded the wing interior, quickly heated the upper and lower wing surfaces allowing the aluminum honeycomb facesheets and the wing tiles to debond. The thin-wall aluminum truss tubes would soon collapse and the aerodynamic and structural integrity of the left wing would be effectively destroyed. The forensic evidence is consistent with the observed External Tank foam impact 81 seconds into launch. This is the most probable cause of the damage to the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon. (RCC) leading edge.

KSC-07pd0605

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In Highbay 1 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, a technician carefully begins to sand away the red dye that has been applied to the external tank to help expose cracks or compression dents. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. A new target launch date has not been determined, but teams will focus on preparing Atlantis for liftoff in late April on mission STS-117. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-07pd0596

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In Highbay 1 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, technicians perform repair techniques to the external tank inside a tented area that protects the top of the tank. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. A new target launch date has not been determined, but teams will focus on preparing Atlantis for liftoff in late April on mission STS-117. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-07pd0604

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In Highbay 1 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, an area near the top of the external tank has been covered in a red dye to help expose cracks or compression dents. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. A new target launch date has not been determined, but teams will focus on preparing Atlantis for liftoff in late April on mission STS-117. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-07pd0609

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In Highbay 1 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, technicians carefully sand away the red dye that has been applied to the external tank to help expose cracks or compression dents. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. A new target launch date has not been determined, but teams will focus on preparing Atlantis for liftoff in late April on mission STS-117. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-07pd0607

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In Highbay 1 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, technicians begin to carefully sand away the red dye that has been applied to the external tank to help expose cracks or compression dents. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. A new target launch date has not been determined, but teams will focus on preparing Atlantis for liftoff in late April on mission STS-117. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-07pd0602

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In Highbay 1 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, technicians work on repair techniques to the external tank. They are inside a tented area that protects the tank. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. A new target launch date has not been determined, but teams will focus on preparing Atlantis for liftoff in late April on mission STS-117. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-07pd0603

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In Highbay 1 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, technicians carefully inspect a portion of the external tank foam that has been covered in red dye to help expose cracks or compression dents. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. A new target launch date has not been determined, but teams will focus on preparing Atlantis for liftoff in late April on mission STS-117. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

Diverse Studies in the Reactivated NASA/Ames Radiation Facility: From Shock Layer Spectroscopy to Thermal Protection System Impact

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Robert J.; Hartman, G. Joseph (Technical Monitor)

1994-01-01

NASA/Ames' Hypervelocity Free-Flight Radiation Facility has been reactivated after having been decommissioned for some 15 years, first tests beginning in early 1994. This paper discusses two widely different studies from the first series, one involving spectroscopic analysis of model shock-layer radiation, and the other the production of representative impact damage in space shuttle thermal protection tiles for testing in the Ames arc-jet facilities. These studies emphasize the interorganizational and interdisciplinary value of the facility in the newly-developing structure of NASA.

Whale Identification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

R:BASE for DOS, a computer program developed under NASA contract, has been adapted by the National Marine Mammal Laboratory and the College of the Atlantic to provide and advanced computerized photo matching technique for identification of humpback whales. The program compares photos with stored digitized descriptions, enabling researchers to track and determine distribution and migration patterns. R:BASE is a spinoff of RIM (Relational Information Manager), which was used to store data for analyzing heat shielding tiles on the Space Shuttle Orbiter. It is now the world's second largest selling line of microcomputer database management software.

KSC-07pd1199

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis, mounted on a mobile launch platform, finally rests on the hard stand of Launch Pad 39A, straddling the flame trench. This is the second rollout for the shuttle. The flame trench transecting the pad's mound at ground level is 490 feet long, 58 feet wide and 40 feet high. It is made of concrete and refractory brick. Pad structures are insulated from the intense heat of launch by the flame deflector system, which protects the flame trench floor and the pad surface along the top of the flame trench. On the left of the shuttle are the fixed service structure and rotating service structure in open position. When closed, the rotating structure provides protected access to the orbiter for changeout and servicing of payloads at the pad. It is supported by a rotating bridge that pivots about a vertical axis on the west side of the pad's flame trench. The white area in the center is the Payload Changeout Room, an enclosed, environmentally controlled portion of the rotating service structure that supports payload delivery at the launch pad and subsequent vertical installation in the orbiter payload bay. First motion out of the Vehicle Assembly Building was at 5:02 a.m. EDT. In late February, while Atlantis was on the launch pad, Atlantis' external tank received hail damage during a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 area. The hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation, as well as minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. The shuttle was returned to the VAB for repairs. The launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-117 is now targeted for June 8. A flight readiness review will be held on May 30 and 31. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

In-flight rain damage tests of the shuttle thermal protection system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meyer, Robert R., Jr.; Barneburg, Jack

1988-01-01

NASA conducted in-flight rain damage tests of the Shuttle thermal protection system (TPS). Most of the tests were conducted on an F-104 aircraft at the Dryden Flight Research Facility of NASA's Ames Research Center, although some tests were conducted by NOAA on a WP-3D aircraft off the eastern coast of southern Florida. The TPS components tested included LI900 and LI2200 tiles, advanced flexible reusable surface insulation, reinforced carbon-carbon, and an advanced tufi tile. The objective of the test was to define the damage threshold of various thermal protection materials during flight through rain. The test hardware, test technique, and results from both F-104 and WP-3D aircraft are described. Results have shown that damage can occur to the Shuttle TPS during flight in rain.

Electroless-plating technique for fabricating thin-wall convective heat-transfer models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Avery, D. E.; Ballard, G. K.; Wilson, M. L.

1984-01-01

A technique for fabricating uniform thin-wall metallic heat-transfer models and which simulates a Shuttle thermal protection system tile is described. Two 6- by 6- by 2.5-in. tiles were fabricated to obtain local heat transfer rates. The fabrication process is not limited to any particular geometry and results in a seamless thin-wall heat-transfer model which uses a one-wire thermocouple to obtain local cold-wall heat-transfer rates. The tile is relatively fragile because of the brittle nature of the material and the structural weakness of the flat-sided configuration; however, a method was developed and used for repairing a cracked tile.

Heat Melt Compaction as an Effective Treatment for Eliminating Microorganisms from Solid Waste

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hummerick, Mary P.; Strayer, Richard F.; McCoy, Lashelle E.; Richards, Jeffrey T.; Ruby, Anna Maria; Wheeler, Ray; Fisher, John

2013-01-01

One of the technologies being tested at Ames Research Center as part of the logistics and repurposing project is heat melt compaction (HMC) of solid waste to reduce volume, remove water and render a biologically stable and safe product. Studies at Kennedy Space Center have focused on the efficacy of the heat melt compaction process for killing microorganisms in waste and specific compacter operation protocols, i.e., time and temperature required to achieve a sterile, stable product. The work. reported here includes a controlled study to examine the survival and potential re-growth of specific microorganisms over a 6-month period of storage after heating and compaction. Before heating and compaction, ersatz solid wastes were inoculated with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, previously isolated from recovered space shuttle mission food and packaging waste. Compacted HMC tiles were sampled for microbiological analysis at time points between 0 and 180 days of storage in a controlled environment chamber. In addition, biological indicator strips containing spores of Bacillus atrophaeus and Geobacillus stearothermophilus were imbedded in trash to assess the efficacy of the HMC process to achieve sterilization. Analysis of several tiles compacted at 180deg C for times of 40 minutes to over 2 hours detected organisms in all tile samples with the exception of one exposed to 180deg C for approximately 2 hours. Neither of the inoculated organisms was recovered, and the biological indicator strips were negative for growth in all tiles indicating at least local sterilization of tile areas. The findings suggest that minimum time/temperature combination is required for complete sterilization. Microbial analysis of tiles processed at lower temperatures from 130deg C-150deg C at varying times will be discussed, as well as analysis of the bacteria and fungi present on the compactor hardware as a result of exposure to the waste and the surrounding environment. The two organisms inoculated into the waste were among those isolated and identified from the HMC surfaces indicating the possibility of cross contamination.

KSC-04PD-1782

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the RLV hangar at KSC, United Space Alliance workers Frank Rhodes and Lynn Rosenbauer look at wrapped material removed from the hurricane-ravaged Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF). The facility, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof due to Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. The maximum wind at the surface from Hurricane Frances was 94 mph from the northeast at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday, September 5. It was recorded at a weather tower located on the east shore of the Mosquito Lagoon near the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. The highest sustained wind at KSC was 68 mph.

KSC-04PD-1777

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. United Space Alliance workers Dallas Lewis (left) and Damon Petty carry out equipment from the Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF). The TPSF, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof due to Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. Undamaged equipment is being moved to the RLV hangar at KSC. The maximum wind at the surface from Hurricane Frances was 94 mph from the northeast at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday, September 5. It was recorded at a weather tower located on the east shore of the Mosquito Lagoon near the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. The highest sustained wind at KSC was 68 mph.

KSC-04pd1792

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the RLV hangar at KSC, United Space Alliance workers set up shelves for equipment removed from the hurricane-ravaged Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF) and now being stored in the hangar. The facility, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof due to Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. The maximum wind at the surface from Hurricane Frances was 94 mph from the northeast at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday, September 5. It was recorded at a weather tower located on the east shore of the Mosquito Lagoon near the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. The highest sustained wind at KSC was 68 mph.

KSC-04pd1779

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - United Space Alliance worker Janet Mills stores equipment removed from the hurricane-ravaged Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF) in the RLV hangar at KSC. The TPSF, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof due to Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. Undamaged equipment has been moved to the hangar. The maximum wind at the surface from Hurricane Frances was 94 mph from the northeast at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday, September 5. It was recorded at a weather tower located on the east shore of the Mosquito Lagoon near the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. The highest sustained wind at KSC was 68 mph.

KSC-04pd1782

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the RLV hangar at KSC, United Space Alliance workers Frank Rhodes and Lynn Rosenbauer look at wrapped material removed from the hurricane-ravaged Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF). The facility, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof due to Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. The maximum wind at the surface from Hurricane Frances was 94 mph from the northeast at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday, September 5. It was recorded at a weather tower located on the east shore of the Mosquito Lagoon near the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. The highest sustained wind at KSC was 68 mph.

KSC-04pd1777

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - United Space Alliance workers Dallas Lewis (left) and Damon Petty carry out equipment from the Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF). The TPSF, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof due to Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. Undamaged equipment is being moved to the RLV hangar at KSC. The maximum wind at the surface from Hurricane Frances was 94 mph from the northeast at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday, September 5. It was recorded at a weather tower located on the east shore of the Mosquito Lagoon near the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. The highest sustained wind at KSC was 68 mph.

KSC-04pd1784

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the RLV hangar at KSC, United Space Alliance workers Matt Carter (left) and Mike Sherman set up racks to hold equipment removed from the hurricane-ravaged Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF). The facility, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof due to Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. The maximum wind at the surface from Hurricane Frances was 94 mph from the northeast at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday, September 5. It was recorded at a weather tower located on the east shore of the Mosquito Lagoon near the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. The highest sustained wind at KSC was 68 mph.

KSC-04pd1781

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the RLV hangar at KSC, United Space Alliance workers Beth Smith (left) and Theresa Haygood unwrap equipment removed from the hurricane-ravaged Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF). The facility, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof due to Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. The maximum wind at the surface from Hurricane Frances was 94 mph from the northeast at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday, September 5. It was recorded at a weather tower located on the east shore of the Mosquito Lagoon near the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. The highest sustained wind at KSC was 68 mph.

Microstructural Investigation of High Emittance Glass Coatings on Fibrous Ceramic Insulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ellerby, Don; Leiser, Dan; DiFiore, Robert; Figone, Jeff; Smith, Dane; Loehman, Ron; Kotula, Paul

2001-01-01

This viewgraph presentation provides an overview of the Space Shuttle Thermal Protection System (TPS) and the various products incorporated in the TPS. There are three tile systems which include pure silica, fibrous refractory composite insulation (FRCI), and alumina enhanced thermal barrier (AETB). Coating systems include reaction cured glass (RCG) and toughened uni-piece insulation (TUFI). The microstructures of these systems are explored as are the manufacturing processes associated with each. Microstructural investigation using methods such as automated X-ray spectral image analysis (AXSIA) is a crucial part of understanding the mechanical nature of these systems.

KSC-07pd0598

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In Highbay 1 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, technicians work on repair techniques to the hail-damaged external tank. They are inside a tented area that protects the tank. Scaffolding around the tank can be seen below. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. A new target launch date has not been determined, but teams will focus on preparing Atlantis for liftoff in late April on mission STS-117. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-07pd0606

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In Highbay 1 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, a technician carefully begins to carefully sand away the red dye that has been applied to the external tank to help expose cracks or compression dents. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. A new target launch date has not been determined, but teams will focus on preparing Atlantis for liftoff in late April on mission STS-117. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

Hot melt recharge system. [repairing damaged or missing tiles on space shuttle orbiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Progar, D. J. (Inventor)

1983-01-01

A package assembly is described for pecisely positioning a charge of hot melt adhesive onto an attachment pad or point of use. The adhesive is heated to softening or melt temperature (280 F to 325 F) and thereafter cooled to resolidifying temperature. A single sided pressure sensitive polyimide film tape serves with another film strip to protect a sandwiched adhesive strip until use and to hold the adhesive in precise position until thermally bonded to its point of use. Tab ends serve as aids in stripping tapes and from the adhesive charge.

KSC-04PD-0803

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Standing under the orbiter Atlantis, Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach (second from right) provides information about the tiles and Thermal Protection System for NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe (second from left) and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (far right). OKeefe and Bush toured the Orbiter Processing Facility following the launching ceremony at the KSC Visitor Complex for the new Florida quarter issued by the U.S. Mint. The ceremony was emceed by Center Director Jim Kennedy and included remarks by OKeefe, Bush, U.S. Mint Director Henrietta Holsman Fore and Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Samuel W. Bodman.

MMU development at the Martin Marietta plant in Denver, Colorado

NASA Image and Video Library

1980-07-25

S80-36889 (24 July 1980) --- Astronaut Bruce McCandless II uses a simulator at Martin Marietta?s space center near Denver to develop flight techniques for a backpack propulsion unit that will be used on Space Shuttle flights. The manned maneuvering unit (MMU) training simulator allows astronauts to "fly missions" against a full scale mockup of a portion of the orbiter vehicle. Controls of the simulator are like those of the actual MMU. Manipulating them allows the astronaut to move in three straight-line directions and in pitch, yaw and roll. One possible application of the MMU is for an extravehicular activity chore to repair damaged tiles on the vehicle. McCandless is wearing an extravehicular mobility unit (EMU).

KSC-04pd1783

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the RLV hangar at KSC, Terri McCall cleans up equipment removed from the hurricane-ravaged Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF). The facility, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof due to Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. The maximum wind at the surface from Hurricane Frances was 94 mph from the northeast at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday, September 5. It was recorded at a weather tower located on the east shore of the Mosquito Lagoon near the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. The highest sustained wind at KSC was 68 mph.

Thermal stress analysis of reusable surface insulation for shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ojalvo, I. U.; Levy, A.; Austin, F.

1974-01-01

An iterative procedure for accurately determining tile stresses associated with static mechanical and thermally induced internal loads is presented. The necessary conditions for convergence of the method are derived. An user-oriented computer program based upon the present method of analysis was developed. The program is capable of analyzing multi-tiled panels and determining the associated stresses. Typical numerical results from this computer program are presented.

Tuning iteration space slicing based tiled multi-core code implementing Nussinov's RNA folding.

PubMed

Palkowski, Marek; Bielecki, Wlodzimierz

2018-01-15

RNA folding is an ongoing compute-intensive task of bioinformatics. Parallelization and improving code locality for this kind of algorithms is one of the most relevant areas in computational biology. Fortunately, RNA secondary structure approaches, such as Nussinov's recurrence, involve mathematical operations over affine control loops whose iteration space can be represented by the polyhedral model. This allows us to apply powerful polyhedral compilation techniques based on the transitive closure of dependence graphs to generate parallel tiled code implementing Nussinov's RNA folding. Such techniques are within the iteration space slicing framework - the transitive dependences are applied to the statement instances of interest to produce valid tiles. The main problem at generating parallel tiled code is defining a proper tile size and tile dimension which impact parallelism degree and code locality. To choose the best tile size and tile dimension, we first construct parallel parametric tiled code (parameters are variables defining tile size). With this purpose, we first generate two nonparametric tiled codes with different fixed tile sizes but with the same code structure and then derive a general affine model, which describes all integer factors available in expressions of those codes. Using this model and known integer factors present in the mentioned expressions (they define the left-hand side of the model), we find unknown integers in this model for each integer factor available in the same fixed tiled code position and replace in this code expressions, including integer factors, with those including parameters. Then we use this parallel parametric tiled code to implement the well-known tile size selection (TSS) technique, which allows us to discover in a given search space the best tile size and tile dimension maximizing target code performance. For a given search space, the presented approach allows us to choose the best tile size and tile dimension in parallel tiled code implementing Nussinov's RNA folding. Experimental results, received on modern Intel multi-core processors, demonstrate that this code outperforms known closely related implementations when the length of RNA strands is bigger than 2500.

KSC-04PD-1776

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. United Space Alliance workers Dallas Lewis (left) and Damon Petty clean up hurricane debris inside the Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF). Much of the roof was torn off by Hurricane Frances as it passed over Central Florida during the Labor Day weekend. Undamaged equipment has been moved to the RLV hangar at KSC. The TPSF, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof. The maximum wind at the surface from Hurricane Frances was 94 mph from the northeast at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday, September 5. It was recorded at a weather tower located on the east shore of the Mosquito Lagoon near the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. The highest sustained wind at KSC was 68 mph.

KSC-04pd1776

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - United Space Alliance workers Dallas Lewis (left) and Damon Petty clean up hurricane debris inside the Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF). Much of the roof was torn off by Hurricane Frances as it passed over Central Florida during the Labor Day weekend. Undamaged equipment has been moved to the RLV hangar at KSC. The TPSF, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof. The maximum wind at the surface from Hurricane Frances was 94 mph from the northeast at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday, September 5. It was recorded at a weather tower located on the east shore of the Mosquito Lagoon near the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. The highest sustained wind at KSC was 68 mph.

Boundary Layer Transition Flight Experiment Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berger, Karen T.; Anderson, Brian P.; Campbell, Charles H.; Garske, Michael T.; Saucedo, Luis A.; Kinder, Gerald R.; Micklos, Ann M.

2011-01-01

In support of the Boundary Layer Transition Flight Experiment (BLT FE) Project, a manufactured protuberance tile was installed on the port wing of Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery for STS-119, STS-128, STS-131 and STS-133 as well as Space Shuttle Endeavour for STS-134. Additional instrumentation was installed in order to obtain more spatially resolved measurements downstream of the protuberance. This paper provides an overview of the BLT FE Project with emphasis on the STS-131 and STS-133 results. A high-level overview of the in-situ flight data is presented, along with a summary of the comparisons between pre- and post-flight analysis predictions and flight data. Comparisons show that empirically correlated predictions for boundary layer transition onset time closely match the flight data, while predicted surface temperatures were significantly higher than observed flight temperatures. A thermocouple anomaly observed on a number of the missions is discussed as are a number of the mitigation actions that will be taken on the final flight, STS-134, including potential alterations of the flight trajectory and changes to the flight instrumentation.

Shuttle Technology for Earth Laboratories

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1987-01-01

Pyran System represents a major advancement in control of pyrolysis, the technology of subjecting organic material to selected temperatures to break them down into their component parts, and that the system offers capabilities unavailable. Pyran System is designed for rapid automated analysis of the composition of organic matter. It is capable of heating samples to 1,130 degrees fahrenheit with infrared heat at a precisely controlled atmosphere. In order to do this with the degree of control and repeatability desired, the developers of the Pyran system decided they would need a special type of material to insulate the heating chambers. They adopted the shuttle tiles for the difficult insulating job. The tiles provide superior insulating characteristics needed, and they can be readily cut and formed to fit the heating chambers.

On the Use and Validation of Mosaic Heterogeneity in Atmospheric Numerical Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bosilovich, Michael G.; Atlas, Robert M. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The mosaic land modeling approach allows for the representation of multiple surface types in a single atmospheric general circulation model grid box. Each surface type, collectively called 'tiles' correspond to different sets of surface characteristics (e.g. for grass, crop or forest). Typically, the tile space data is averaged to grid space by weighting the tiles with their fractional cover. While grid space data is routinely evaluated, little attention has been given to the tile space data. The present paper explores uses of the tile space surface data in validation with station observations. The results indicate the limitations that the mosaic heterogeneity parameterization has in reproducing variations observed between stations at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Southern Great Plains field site.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - This view shows the tiles below the windshield on the orbiter Atlantis. A gap test is being performed on the tiles as part of return-to-flight activities. Atlantis is scheduled for mission STS-114, a return-to-flight test mission to the International Space Station.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-11-20

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - This view shows the tiles below the windshield on the orbiter Atlantis. A gap test is being performed on the tiles as part of return-to-flight activities. Atlantis is scheduled for mission STS-114, a return-to-flight test mission to the International Space Station.

KSC-04PD-1785

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the RLV hangar at KSC, Steve Harrington talks to workers about the equipment removed from the hurricane-ravaged Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF) now being stored in the hangar. The facility, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof due to Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. The maximum wind at the surface from Hurricane Frances was 94 mph from the northeast at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday, September 5. It was recorded at a weather tower located on the east shore of the Mosquito Lagoon near the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. The highest sustained wind at KSC was 68 mph.

KSC-04pd1788

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the RLV hangar at KSC, Kevin Harrington, manager of Softgoods Production, talks to workers about the equipment removed from the hurricane-ravaged Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF) now being stored in the hangar. The facility, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof due to Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. The maximum wind at the surface from Hurricane Frances was 94 mph from the northeast at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday, September 5. It was recorded at a weather tower located on the east shore of the Mosquito Lagoon near the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. The highest sustained wind at KSC was 68 mph.

KSC-04pd1786

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the RLV hangar at KSC, Steve Harrington talks to workers about the equipment removed from the hurricane-ravaged Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF) now being stored in the hangar. The facility, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof due to Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. The maximum wind at the surface from Hurricane Frances was 94 mph from the northeast at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday, September 5. It was recorded at a weather tower located on the east shore of the Mosquito Lagoon near the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. The highest sustained wind at KSC was 68 mph.

KSC-04pd1785

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the RLV hangar at KSC, Steve Harrington talks to workers about the equipment removed from the hurricane-ravaged Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF) now being stored in the hangar. The facility, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof due to Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. The maximum wind at the surface from Hurricane Frances was 94 mph from the northeast at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday, September 5. It was recorded at a weather tower located on the east shore of the Mosquito Lagoon near the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. The highest sustained wind at KSC was 68 mph.

KSC-05PD-1464

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Center Director Jim Kennedy welcomes Mission Commander Eileen Collins to NASAs Kennedy Space Center. She and the rest of the crew for Return to Flight mission STS-114 arrived aboard a Gulf Stream aircraft. The other crew members arriving are Pilot James Kelly and Mission Specialists Soichi Noguchi, Stephen Robinson, Andrew Thomas, Wendy Lawrence and Charles Camarda. Noguchi is with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA. The crew arrived a day early due to weather concerns associated with Hurricane Dennis. This historic mission is the 114th Space Shuttle flight and the 17th U.S. flight to the International Space Station. STS-114 is scheduled to launch at 3:51 p.m. July 13 and last about 12 days with a planned KSC landing at about 11:01 a.m. EDT on July 25. On mission STS-114, the crew will perform inspections on orbit for the first time of all of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels on the leading edge of the wings and the Thermal Protection System tiles using the new Canadian-built Orbiter Boom Sensor System and the data from 176 impact and temperature sensors. Mission Specialists will also practice repair techniques on RCC and tile samples during a spacewalk in the payload bay. During two additional spacewalks, the crew will install the External Stowage Platform-2, equipped with spare part assemblies, and a replacement Control Moment Gyroscope contained in the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure.

KSC-07pd0608

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In Highbay 1 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, a technician carefully sands away the red dye that has been applied to the external tank to help expose cracks or compression dents, while another technician uses a compression hose to remove excess particles. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. A new target launch date has not been determined, but teams will focus on preparing Atlantis for liftoff in late April on mission STS-117. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-06pd0022

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-01-11

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Thermal Protection System Facility, Tim Wright, engineering manager with United Space Alliance, tests a new tile, called "Boeing replacement insulation" or "BRI-18." The new tiles will gradually replace older tiles around main landing gear doors, external tank doors and nose landing gear doors. Currently, 10 tiles have been processed inside the facility. Discovery will receive the first BRI-18 tiles. Technicians inside the Orbiter Processing Facility are performing fit checks and will begin bonding the tiles to the vehicle this month. The raw material is manufactured by The Boeing Company in Huntington Beach, Calif. Replacing older tile with the BRI-18 tile in strategic areas is one of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board's recommendations to strengthen the orbiters. The tiles are more impact resistant than previous designs, enhancing the crew’s safety.

KSC-06pd0021

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-01-11

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Thermal Protection System Facility, Tim Wright, engineering manager with United Space Alliance, tests a new tile, called "Boeing replacement insulation" or "BRI-18." The new tiles will gradually replace older tiles around main landing gear doors, external tank doors and nose landing gear doors. Currently, 10 tiles have been processed inside the facility. Discovery will receive the first BRI-18 tiles. Technicians inside the Orbiter Processing Facility are performing fit checks and will begin bonding the tiles to the vehicle this month. The raw material is manufactured by The Boeing Company in Huntington Beach, Calif. Replacing older tile with the BRI-18 tile in strategic areas is one of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board's recommendations to strengthen the orbiters. The tiles are more impact resistant than previous designs, enhancing the crew’s safety.

Robotics development for the enhancement of space endeavors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mauceri, A. J.; Clarke, Margaret M.

Telerobotics and robotics development activities to support NASA's goal of increasing opportunities in space commercialization and exploration are described. The Rockwell International activities center is using robotics to improve efficiency and safety in three related areas: remote control of autonomous systems, automated nondestructive evaluation of aspects of vehicle integrity, and the use of robotics in space vehicle ground reprocessing operations. In the first area, autonomous robotic control, Rockwell is using the control architecture, NASREM, as the foundation for the high level command of robotic tasks. In the second area, we have demonstrated the use of nondestructive evaluation (using acoustic excitation and lasers sensors) to evaluate the integrity of space vehicle surface material bonds, using Orbiter 102 as the test case. In the third area, Rockwell is building an automated version of the present manual tool used for Space Shuttle surface tile re-waterproofing. The tool will be integrated into an orbiter processing robot being developed by a KSC-led team.

KSC-04PD-1778

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the Columbia debris hangar at KSC, a United Space Alliance worker lines up air heaters salvaged from the hurricane-ravaged Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF) in order to dry them out. The TPSF, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof due to Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. Undamaged equipment has been moved to the RLV hangar at KSC. The maximum wind at the surface from Hurricane Frances was 94 mph from the northeast at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday, September 5. It was recorded at a weather tower located on the east shore of the Mosquito Lagoon near the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. The highest sustained wind at KSC was 68 mph.

STS-114: Crew Training Clip from JSC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

STS-114 Discovery crew is shown in various training exercises at Johnson Space Center. The crew consists of Eileen Collins, Commander; James Kelley, Pilot; Charles Camarda, Mission Specialist; Wendy Lawrence, Mission Specialist; Soichi Noguchi, Mission Specialist; Steve Robinson, Mission Specialist; and Andy Thomas, Mission Specialist. The exercises include: 1) EVA training in the VR lab; 2) Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) EVA Training; 3) Walk to Motion Base Simulator; 4) EVA Preparations in ISS Airlock; and 7) Emergency Egress from Crew Compartment Trainer (CCT). A crew photo session is also presented. Footage of The Space Shuttle Atlantis inside the Kennedy Space Center Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) after its demating from the Solid Rocket Booster and External Tank is shown. The video ends with techniques for inspecting and repairing Thermal Protection System tiles, a video of external tank production at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) and redesign of the foam from the bipod ramp at Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF).

KSC-04pd1778

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Columbia debris hangar at KSC, a United Space Alliance worker lines up air heaters salvaged from the hurricane-ravaged Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF) in order to dry them out. The TPSF, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof due to Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. Undamaged equipment has been moved to the RLV hangar at KSC. The maximum wind at the surface from Hurricane Frances was 94 mph from the northeast at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday, September 5. It was recorded at a weather tower located on the east shore of the Mosquito Lagoon near the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. The highest sustained wind at KSC was 68 mph.

Advanced Control Surface Seal Development for Future Space Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeMange, Jeffrey J.; Dunlap, Patrick H., Jr.; Steinetz, Bruce M.

2004-01-01

High temperature control surface seals have been identified as a critical technology in the development of future space vehicles. These seals must withstand temperatures of up to 2600 F and protect underlying temperature-sensitive structures (such as actuators and sealing capability by remaining resilient during flight conditions. The current baseline seal, used on the Shuttle orbiters and the X-38 vehicle, consists of a Nextel 312 sheath, an internal Inconel X-750 knitted spring tube, and hand-stuffed Saffil batting. Unfortunately at high temperatures (> 1500 F), the seal resiliency significantly degrades due to yielding and creep of the spring tube element. The permanent set in the seals can result in flow passing over the seals and subsequent damage to temperature sensitive components downstream of the seals. Another shortcoming of the baseline seal is that instances have been reported on Shuttle flights where some of the hand-stuffed Saffil batting insulation has been extracted, thus potentially compromising the seal. In vehicles where the thermal protection systems are delicate (such as with Shuttle tiles), the control surface seals must also limit the amount of force applied to the opposing surfaces. Additionally, in many applications the seals are subjected to scrubbing as control surfaces are actuated. The seals must be able to withstand any damage resulting from this high temperature scrubbing and retain their heat/flow blocking abilities.

KSC-05PD-1449

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. At Launch Pad 39B, the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) sensor package is viewed before the orbiter's payload bay doors are closed for launch. Payload bay door closure is a significant milestone in the preparations of Discovery for the first Return to Flight mission, STS-114. This sensor package will provide surface area and depth defect inspection for all the surfaces of the orbiter. It includes an intensified television camera (ITVC) and a laser dynamic range imager, which are mounted on a pan and tilt unit, and a laser camera system (LCS) mounted on a stationary bracket. The package is part of the new safety measures added for all future Space Shuttle missions. During its 12-day mission, Discoverys seven- person crew will test new hardware and techniques to improve Shuttle safety, as well as deliver supplies to the International Space Station. Discoverys payloads include the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello, the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier (LMC), and the External Stowage Platform-2 (ESP-2). Raffaello will deliver supplies to the International Space Station including food, clothing and research equipment. The LMC supports a replacement Control Moment Gyroscope and a tile repair sample box. The ESP-2 is outfitted with replacement parts. Launch of mission STS-114 was set for July 13 at the conclusion of the Flight Readiness Review yesterday.

Shuttle orbiter TPS flight repair kit development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

The design and application of a TPS repair kit is presented. The repair kit is designed for on orbit use by a crew member working in the manned maneuvering unit (MMU). The kit includes the necessary equipment and materials to accomplish the repair tasks which include the following: HRSI emittance coating repair, damaged tile repair, missing tile repair, and multiple tile repair. Two types of repair materials required to do the small area repair and the large area repair are described. The materials area cure in place, silicone base ablator for small damaged areas and precured ablator tile for repair of larger damaged areas is examined. The cure in place ablator is also used as an adhesive to bond the precured tiles in place. An applicator for the cure in place ablator, designed to contain a two-part silicon compound, mix the two components at correct ratio, and dispense the materials at rates compatible with mission timelines established for the EVA is described.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, KSC employee Chris Moore repairs tile on the forward area of the orbiter Discovery. The vehicle has undergone Orbiter Major Modifications in the past year, which includes tile check and repair. The tiles are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protection System, thermal shields to protect against temperatures as high as 3,000° Fahrenheit, which are produced during descent for landing. Discovery is scheduled to fly on mission STS-121 to the International Space Station.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-12-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, KSC employee Chris Moore repairs tile on the forward area of the orbiter Discovery. The vehicle has undergone Orbiter Major Modifications in the past year, which includes tile check and repair. The tiles are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protection System, thermal shields to protect against temperatures as high as 3,000° Fahrenheit, which are produced during descent for landing. Discovery is scheduled to fly on mission STS-121 to the International Space Station.

Boundary Layer Transition Flight Experiment Overview and In-Situ Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, Brian P.; Campbell, Charles H.; Saucedo, Luis A.; Kinder, Gerald R.; Berger, Karen T.

2010-01-01

In support of the Boundary Layer Transition Flight Experiment (BLTFE) Project, a manufactured protuberance tile was installed on the port wing of Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery for the flights of STS-119 and STS-128. Additional instrumentation was also installed in order to obtain more spatially resolved measurements downstream of the protuberance. This paper provides an overview of the BLTFE Project, including the project history, organizations involved, and motivations for the flight experiment. Significant efforts were made to place the protuberance at an appropriate location on the Orbiter and to design the protuberance to withstand the expected environments. Efforts were also extended to understand the as-fabricated shape of the protuberance and the thermal protection system tile configuration surrounding the protuberance. A high-level overview of the in-situ flight data is presented, along with a summary of the comparisons between pre- and post-flight analysis predictions and flight data. Comparisons show that predictions for boundary layer transition onset time closely match the flight data, while predicted temperatures were significantly higher than observed flight temperatures.

KSC-07pd2193

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-08-03

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The STS-120 crew is at Kennedy for a crew equipment interface test, or CEIT. Inspecting the thermal protection system, or TPS, tiles under space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3 is Mission Specialist Paolo A. Nespoli, a European Space Agency astronaut from Italy. Among the activities standard to a CEIT are harness training, inspection of the thermal protection system and camera operation for planned extravehicular activities, or EVAs. The STS-120 mission will deliver the Harmony module, christened after a school contest, which will provide attachment points for European and Japanese laboratory modules on the International Space Station. Known in technical circles as Node 2, it is similar to the six-sided Unity module that links the U.S. and Russian sections of the station. Built in Italy for the United States, Harmony will be the first new U.S. pressurized component to be added. The STS-120 mission is targeted to launch on Oct. 20. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KSC-07pd2198

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-08-03

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The STS-120 crew is at Kennedy for a crew equipment interface test, or CEIT. Receiving a briefing on the thermal protection system, or TPS, tiles on space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3 are Commander Pamela A. Melroy and Mission Specialist Paolo A. Nespoli, a European Space Agency astronaut from Italy. Among the activities standard to a CEIT are harness training, inspection of the thermal protection system and camera operation for planned extravehicular activities, or EVAs. The STS-120 mission will deliver the Harmony module, christened after a school contest, which will provide attachment points for European and Japanese laboratory modules on the International Space Station. Known in technical circles as Node 2, it is similar to the six-sided Unity module that links the U.S. and Russian sections of the station. Built in Italy for the United States, Harmony will be the first new U.S. pressurized component to be added. The STS-120 mission is targeted to launch on Oct. 20. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KSC-2014-1971

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing efforts to create a new multi-user firing room in Firing Room 4 in the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The main floor consoles, cabling and wires below the floor and ceiling tiles above have been removed. Sub-flooring has been installed and the room is marked off to create four separate rooms on the main floor. In view along the soffit are space shuttle launch plaques for 21 missions launched from Firing Room 4. The design of Firing Room 4 will incorporate five control room areas that are flexible to meet current and future NASA and commercial user requirements. The equipment and most of the consoles from Firing Room 4 were moved to Firing Room 2 for possible future reuse. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

KSC-07pd0587

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Technicians in the Vehicle Assembly Building prepare materials that will be used during repair of the nose cone on Atlantis' external tank. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. Further evaluation of the tank is necessary to get an accurate accounting of foam damage and determine the type of repair required and the time needed for that work. A new target launch date has not been determined, but teams will focus on preparing Atlantis for liftoff in late April on mission STS-117. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KSC-07pd0588

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In high bay 1 of the Vehicle Assembly Building, a technician marks off an area for inspection on Atlantis' external tank. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. Further evaluation of the tank is necessary to get an accurate accounting of foam damage and determine the type of repair required and the time needed for that work. A new target launch date has not been determined, but teams will focus on preparing Atlantis for liftoff in late April on mission STS-117. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

SRTM Data Release for Africa, Colored Height

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

This color shaded relief image shows the extent of digital elevation data for Africa recently released by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). This release includes data for all of the continent, plus the island of Madagascar and the Arabian Peninsula. SRTM flew on board the Space Shuttle Endeavour in February 2000 and used an interferometric radar system to map the topography of Earth's landmass between latitudes 56 degrees south and 60 degrees north.

The data were processed into geographic 'tiles,' each of which represents one by one degree of latitude and longitude. A degree of latitude measures 111 kilometers (69 miles) north-south, and a degree of longitude measures 111 kilometers or less east-west, decreasing away from the equator. The data are being released to the public on a continent-by-continent basis. This Africa segment includes 3256 tiles, almost a quarter of the total data set. Previous releases covered North America, South America and Eurasia. Forthcoming releases will include Australia plus an 'Islands' release for those islands not included in the continental releases. Together these data releases constitute the world's first high-resolution, near-global elevation model. The resolution of the publicly released data is three arcseconds (1/1,200 of a degree of latitude and longitude), which is about 90 meters (295 feet).

Coverage in the current data release extends from 35 degrees north latitude at the southern edge of the Mediterranean to the very tip of South Africa, encompassing a great diversity of landforms. The northern part of the continent consists of a system of basins and plateaus, with several volcanic uplands whose uplift has been matched by subsidence in the large surrounding basins. Many of these basins have been infilled with sand and gravel, creating the vast Saharan lands. The Atlas Mountains in the northwest were created by convergence of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates.

The geography of the central latitudes of Africa is dominated by the Great Rift Valley, extending from Lake Nyasa to the Red Sea, and splitting into two arms to enclose an interior plateau and the nearly circular Lake Victoria, visible in the right center of the image. To the west lies the Congo Basin, a vast, shallow depression which rises to form an almost circular rim of highlands.

Most of the southern part of the continent rests on a concave plateau comprising the Kalahari basin and a mountainous fringe, skirted by a coastal plain which widens out in Mozambique in the southeast.

Many of these regions were previously very poorly mapped due to persistent cloud cover or the inaccessibility of the terrain. Digital elevation data, such as provided by SRTM, are particularly in high demand by scientists studying earthquakes, volcanism, and erosion patterns for use in mapping and modeling hazards to human habitation. But the shape of Earth's surface affects nearly every natural process and human endeavor that occurs there, so elevation data are used in a wide range of applications.

In this index map color-coding is directly related to topographic height, with brown and yellow at the lower elevations, rising through green, to white at the highest elevations. Blue areas on the map represent water within the mapped tiles, each of which includes shorelines or islands.

Elevation data used in this image were acquired by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, launched on February 11, 2000. SRTM used the same radar instrument that comprised the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) that flew twice on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1994. SRTM was designed to collect three-dimensional measurements of the Earth's surface. To collect the 3-D data, engineers added a 60-meter-long (200-foot) mast, installed additional C-band and X-band antennas, and improved tracking and navigation devices. The mission is a cooperative project between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), and the German and Italian space agencies. It is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, Washington, DC.

Orientation: North toward the top, Mercator projection Image Data: Colored SRTM elevation model Date Acquired: February 2000

SRTM Data Release for Eurasia, Index Map and Colored Height

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

The colored regions of this map show the extent of digital elevation data recently released by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). This release includes data for most of Europe and Asia plus numerous islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. SRTM flew on board the Space Shuttle Endeavour in February 2000 and used an interferometric radar system to map the topography of Earth's landmass between latitudes 56 degrees south and 60 degrees north.

The data were processed into geographic 'tiles,' each of which represents one by one degree of latitude and longitude. A degree of latitude measures 111 kilometers (69 miles) north-south, and a degree of longitude measures 111 kilometers or less east-west, decreasing away from the equator. The data are being released to the public on a continent-by-continent basis. This Eurasia segment includes 5,940 tiles, more than a third of the total data set. Previous releases covered North America and South America. Forthcoming releases will include Africa-Arabia and Australia plus an 'Islands' release for those islands not included in the continental releases. Together these data releases constitute the world's first high-resolution, near-global elevation model. The resolution of the publicly released data is three arcseconds (1/1,200 of a degree of latitude and longitude), which is about 90 meters (295 feet).

European coverage in the current data release stretches eastward from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west, across the Alps and Carpathian Mountains, as well as the Northern European Plain, to the Ural and Caucasus Mountains bordering Asia. The Asian coverage includes a great diversity of landforms, including the Tibetan Plateau, Tarin Basin, Mongolian Plateau, and the mountains surrounding Lake Baikal, the world's deepest lake. Mt. Everest in the Himalayas, at 8,848 meters (29,029 feet) is the world's highest mountain. From India's Deccan Plateau, to Southeast Asia, coastal China, and Korea, various landforms place constraints upon land use planning for a great population. Volcanoes in the East Indies, the Philippines, Japan, and the Kamchatka Peninsula form the western part of the 'Ring of Fire' around the Pacific Ocean.

Many of these regions were previously very poorly mapped due to persistent cloud cover or the inaccessibility of the terrain. Digital elevation data, such as provided by SRTM, are particularly in high demand by scientists studying earthquakes, volcanism, and erosion patterns for use in mapping and modeling hazards to human habitation. But the shape of Earth's surface affects nearly every natural process and human endeavor that occurs there, so elevation data are used in a wide range of applications.

In this index map color-coding is directly related to topographic height, with green at the lower elevations, rising through yellow and tan, to white at the highest elevations. The large, very dark green feature in western Asia is the Caspian Sea, which is below sea level. Blue areas on the map represent water within the mapped tiles, each of which includes shorelines or islands.

Elevation data used in this image was acquired by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, launched on February 11, 2000. SRTM used the same radar instrument that comprised the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) that flew twice on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1994. SRTM was designed to collect three-dimensional measurements of the Earth's surface. To collect the 3-D data, engineers added a 60-meter-long (200-foot) mast, installed additional C-band and X-band antennas, and improved tracking and navigation devices. The mission is a cooperative project between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), and the German and Italian space agencies. It is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, Washington, DC.

Orientation: North toward the top Image Data: Colored SRTM elevation model Date Acquired: February 2000

Steady internal flow and aerodynamic loads analysis of shuttle thermal protection system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petley, D. H.; Alexander, W., Jr.; Ivey, G. W., Jr.; Kerr, P. A.

1984-01-01

An analytical model for calculation of ascent steady state tile loading was developed and validated with wind tunnel data. The analytical model is described and results are given. Results are given for loading due to shocks and skin friction. The analysis included calculation of internal flow (porous media flow and channel flow) to obtain pressures and integration of the pressures to obtain forces and moments on an insulation tile. A heat transfer program was modified by using analogies between heat transfer and fluid flow so that it could be used for internal flow calculation. The type of insulation tile considered was undensified reusable surface insulation (RSI) without gap fillers, and the location studied was the lower surface of the orbiter. Force and moment results are reported for parameter variations on surface pressure distribution, gap sizes, insulation permeability, and tile thickness.

Trading spaces: building three-dimensional nets from two-dimensional tilings

PubMed Central

Castle, Toen; Evans, Myfanwy E.; Hyde, Stephen T.; Ramsden, Stuart; Robins, Vanessa

2012-01-01

We construct some examples of finite and infinite crystalline three-dimensional nets derived from symmetric reticulations of homogeneous two-dimensional spaces: elliptic (S2), Euclidean (E2) and hyperbolic (H2) space. Those reticulations are edges and vertices of simple spherical, planar and hyperbolic tilings. We show that various projections of the simplest symmetric tilings of those spaces into three-dimensional Euclidean space lead to topologically and geometrically complex patterns, including multiple interwoven nets and tangled nets that are otherwise difficult to generate ab initio in three dimensions. PMID:24098839

Computer program for nonlinear static stress analysis of shuttle thermal protection system: User's manual

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Giles, G. L.; Wallas, M.

1981-01-01

User documentation is presented for a computer program which considers the nonlinear properties of the strain isolator pad (SIP) in the static stress analysis of the shuttle thermal protection system. This program is generalized to handle an arbitrary SIP footprint including cutouts for instrumentation and filler bar. Multiple SIP surfaces are defined to model tiles in unique locations such as leading edges, intersections, and penetrations. The nonlinearity of the SIP is characterized by experimental stress displacement data for both normal and shear behavior. Stresses in the SIP are calculated using a Newton iteration procedure to determine the six rigid body displacements of the tile which develop reaction forces in the SIP to equilibrate the externally applied loads. This user documentation gives an overview of the analysis capabilities, a detailed description of required input data and an example to illustrate use of the program.

General view of the underside of the Orbiter Discovery on ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

General view of the underside of the Orbiter Discovery on the port side looking toward the starboard side and slightly forward. Note the landing gear assemblies, the jack stands attached to the External Tank (ET) attach points in on the Orbiter/ET propellant interface plate and the black High-Temperature Reusable Surface Insulation. The varying degrees of darkness of the tiles is due to the age of the tiles, the more recently replaced tiles are darker than the older tiles. The pattern created by the tile replacement is unique to each orbiter and becomes their "fingerprint". This view was taken in the Orbiter Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center. - Space Transportation System, Orbiter Discovery (OV-103), Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Harris County, TX

Orion Heat Shield Manufacturing Producibility Improvements for the EM-1 Flight Test Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koenig, William J.; Stewart, Michael; Harris, Richard F.

2018-01-01

This paper describes how the ORION program is incorporating improvements in the heat shield design and manufacturing processes reducing programmatic risk and ensuring crew safety in support of NASA's Exploration missions. The approach for the EFT-1 heat shield utilized a low risk Apollo heritage design and manufacturing process using an Avcoat TPS ablator with a honeycomb substrate to provide a one piece heat shield to meet the mission re-entry heating environments. The EM-1 mission will have additional flight systems installed to fly to the moon and return to Earth. Heat shield design and producibility improvements have been incorporated in the EM-1 vehicle to meet deep space mission requirements. The design continues to use the Avcoat material, but in a block configuration to enable improvements in consistant and repeatable application processes using tile bonding experience developed on the Space Shuttle Transportation System Program.

KSC-07pd2192

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-08-03

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The STS-120 crew is at Kennedy for a crew equipment interface test, or CEIT. Inspecting the thermal protection system, or TPS, tiles under space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3 is Mission Specialist Scott E. Parazynski, the lead spacewalker on the mission. Among the activities standard to a CEIT are harness training, inspection of the thermal protection system and camera operation for planned extravehicular activities, or EVAs. The STS-120 mission will deliver the Harmony module, christened after a school contest, which will provide attachment points for European and Japanese laboratory modules on the International Space Station. Known in technical circles as Node 2, it is similar to the six-sided Unity module that links the U.S. and Russian sections of the station. Built in Italy for the United States, Harmony will be the first new U.S. pressurized component to be added. The STS-120 mission is targeted to launch on Oct. 20. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

Numerical Evaluation of Mode 1 Stress Intensity Factor as a Function of Material Orientation For BX-265 Foam Insulation Material

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knudsen, Erik; Arakere, Nagaraj K.

2006-01-01

Foam; a cellular material, is found all around us. Bone and cork are examples of biological cell materials. Many forms of man-made foam have found practical applications as insulating materials. NASA uses the BX-265 foam insulation material on the external tank (ET) for the Space Shuttle. This is a type of Spray-on Foam Insulation (SOFI), similar to the material used to insulate attics in residential construction. This foam material is a good insulator and is very lightweight, making it suitable for space applications. Breakup of segments of this foam insulation on the shuttle ET impacting the shuttle thermal protection tiles during liftoff is believed to have caused the space shuttle Columbia failure during re-entry. NASA engineers are very interested in understanding the processes that govern the breakup/fracture of this complex material from the shuttle ET. The foam is anisotropic in nature and the required stress and fracture mechanics analysis must include the effects of the direction dependence on material properties. Material testing at NASA MSFC has indicated that the foam can be modeled as a transversely isotropic material. As a first step toward understanding the fracture mechanics of this material, we present a general theoretical and numerical framework for computing stress intensity factors (SIFs), under mixed-mode loading conditions, taking into account the material anisotropy. We present mode I SIFs for middle tension - M(T) - test specimens, using 3D finite element stress analysis (ANSYS) and FRANC3D fracture analysis software, developed by the Cornel1 Fracture Group. Mode I SIF values are presented for a range of foam material orientations. Also, NASA has recorded the failure load for various M(T) specimens. For a linear analysis, the mode I SIF will scale with the far-field load. This allows us to numerically estimate the mode I fracture toughness for this material. The results represent a quantitative basis for evaluating the strength and fracture properties of anisotropic foam insulation material.

Combinatorial construction of tilings by barycentric simplex orbits (D symbols) and their realizations in Euclidean and other homogeneous spaces.

PubMed

Molnár, Emil

2005-11-01

A new method, developed in previous works by the author (partly with co-authors), is presented which decides algorithmically, in principle by computer, whether a combinatorial space tiling (Tau, Gamma) is realizable in the d-dimensional Euclidean space E(d) (think of d = 2, 3, 4) or in other homogeneous spaces, e.g. in Thurston's 3-geometries: E(3), S(3), H(3), S(2) x R, H(2) x R, SL(2)R, Nil, Sol. Then our group Gamma will be an isometry group of a projective metric 3-sphere PiS(3) (R, < , >), acting discontinuously on its above tiling Tau. The method is illustrated by a plane example and by the well known rhombohedron tiling (Tau, Gamma), where Gamma = R3m is the Euclidean space group No. 166 in International Tables for Crystallography.

KSC-2012-1572

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-03-01

Tim Wright, a United Space Alliance engineering manager at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, unpacks the heat shield tiles that will be installed to the backshell of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle's Exploration Flight Test EFT-1 capsule. The tiles are being manufactured and inspected in Kennedy's Thermal Protection System Facility. The tiles will be baked at 2,200 degrees F to cure their ceramic coating. EFT-1 will be used during Orion's first test flight in space. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Frankie Martin

Investigations of Control Surface Seals for Re-entry Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunlap, Patrick H., Jr.; Steinetz, Bruce M.; Curry, Donald M.; DeMange, Jeffrey J.; Rivers, H. Kevin; Hsu, Su-Yuen

2002-01-01

Re-entry vehicles generally require control surfaces (e.g., rudders, body flaps) to steer them during flight. Control surface seals are installed along hinge lines and where control surface edges move close to the vehicle body. These seals must operate at high temperatures and limit heat transfer to underlying structures to prevent them from overheating and causing possible loss of vehicle structural integrity. This paper presents results for thermal analyses and mechanical testing conducted on the baseline rudder/fin seal design for the X-38 re-entry vehicle. Exposure of the seals in a compressed state at the predicted peak seal temperature of 1900 F resulted in loss of seal resiliency. The vertical Inconel rudder/fin rub surface was re-designed to account for this loss of resiliency. Room temperature compression tests revealed that seal unit loads and contact pressures were below limits set to protect Shuttle thermal tiles on the horizontal sealing surface. The seals survived an ambient temperature 1000 cycle scrub test over sanded Shuttle tiles and were able to disengage and re-engage the tile edges during testing. Arc jet tests confirmed the need for seals in the rudder/fin gap location because a single seal caused a large temperature drop (delta T = 1710 F) in the gap.

KSC-08pd1929

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-07-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the tile shop at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, United Space Alliance technician Damon Petty appies a TUFI coating to Boeing Rigid Insulation-18, or BRI-18, tile. BRI-18 is the strongest material used for thermal insulation on the orbiters and, when coated to produce toughened unipiece fibrous insulation, provides a tile with extremely high-impact resistance. It is replacing other tiles on areas of the vehicle where impact risk is high, such as the landing gear doors, the wing leading edge and the external tank doors. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-08pd1926

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-07-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Tile Shop at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a United Space Alliance technician checks the Boeing Rigid Insulation-18, or BRI-18, tile he cut. BRI-18 is the strongest material used for thermal insulation on the orbiters and, when coated to produce toughened unipiece fibrous insulation, provides a tile with extremely high-impact resistance. It is replacing tiles on areas of the vehicle where impact risk is high. These areas include the landing gear doors, the wing leading edge and the external tank doors. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-08pd1927

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-07-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Tile Shop at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a United Space Alliance technician checks a Boeing Rigid Insulation-18, or BRI-18, tile. BRI-18 is the strongest material used for thermal insulation on the orbiters and, when coated to produce toughened unipiece fibrous insulation, provides a tile with extremely high-impact resistance. It is replacing tiles on areas of the vehicle where impact risk is high. These areas include the landing gear doors, the wing leading edge and the external tank doors. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-08pd1924

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-07-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Tile Shop at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a United Space Alliance technician trims a block of Boeing Rigid Insulation-18, or BRI-18, tile. BRI-18 is the strongest material used for thermal insulation on the orbiters and, when coated to produce toughened unipiece fibrous insulation, provides a tile with extremely high-impact resistance. It is replacing tiles on areas of the vehicle where impact risk is high. These areas include the landing gear doors, the wing leading edge and the external tank doors. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-08pd1925

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-07-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Tile Shop at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a United Space Alliance technician checks the shape of Boeing Rigid Insulation-18, or BRI-18, tile he cut. BRI-18 is the strongest material used for thermal insulation on the orbiters and, when coated to produce toughened unipiece fibrous insulation, provides a tile with extremely high-impact resistance. It is replacing tiles on areas of the vehicle where impact risk is high. These areas include the landing gear doors, the wing leading edge and the external tank doors. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-08pd1923

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-07-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Tile Shop at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a United Space Alliance technician cuts a block of Boeing Rigid Insulation-18, or BRI-18, tile. BRI-18 is the strongest material used for thermal insulation on the orbiters and, when coated to produce toughened unipiece fibrous insulation, provides a tile with extremely high-impact resistance. It is replacing tiles on areas of the vehicle where impact risk is high. These areas include the landing gear doors, the wing leading edge and the external tank doors. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

Assessment of Turbulent CFD Against STS-128 Hypersonic Flight Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wood, William A.; Kleb, William L.; Hyatt, Andrew J.

2010-01-01

Turbulent CFD simulations are compared against surface temperature measurements of the space shuttle orbiter windward tiles at reentry flight conditions. Algebraic turbulence models are used within both the LAURA and DPLR CFD codes. The flight data are from temperature measurements obtained by seven thermocouples during the STS-128 mission (September 2009). The flight data indicate boundary layer transition onset over the Mach number range 13.5{15.5, depending upon the location on the vehicle. But the boundary layer flow appeared to be transitional down through Mach 12, based upon the flight data and CFD trends. At Mach 9 the simulations match the flight data on average within 20 F/11 C, where typical surface temperatures were approximately 1600 F/870 C.

Director's Discretionary Fund Report for Fiscal Year 1996

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

Topics covered include: Waterproofing the Space Shuttle tiles, thermal protection system for Reusable Launch Vehicles, computer modeling of the thermal conductivity of cometary ice, effects of ozone depletion and ultraviolet radiation on plants, a novel telemetric biosensor to monitor blood pH on-line, ion mobility in polymer electrolytes for lithium-polymer batteries, a microwave-pumped far infrared photoconductor, and a new method for measuring cloud liquid vapor using near infrared remote sensing. Also included: laser-spectroscopic instrument for turbulence measurement, remote sensing of aircraft contrails using a field portable imaging interferometer, development of a silicon-micromachined gas chromatography system for determination of planetary surface composition, planar Doppler velocimetry, chaos in interstellar chemistry, and a limited pressure cycle engine for high-speed output.

STS-1 landing at Edwards - first orbital mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

The first flight of a space shuttle into space and back occurred from April 12 to April 14, 1981. After years of testing of the space shuttle Columbia and training the astronauts in simulators, the orbiter lifted off into space on the 12th, boosted by the seven million pounds of thrust supplied by its solid-propellant rockets and liquid-hydrogen engines. The flight, one of four Orbital Flight Tests of Columbia, served as a two-day demonstration of the first reusable, piloted spacecraft's ability to go into orbit and return safely to Earth. Columbia carried as its main payload a Developmental Flight Instrumentation pallet with instruments to record pressures, temperatures, and levels of acceleration at various points on the vehicle during launch, flight, and landing. One of many cameras aboard--a remote television camera--revealed some of the thermal protection tiles had disengaged during launch. As Columbia reentered the atmosphere from space at Mach 24 (24 times the speed of sound) after 36 orbits, aerodynamic heating built up to over 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, causing some concern during the moments when ionized gases disrupted radio communication. But at 188,000 feet and Mach 10, mission commander John W. Young and pilot Robert L. Crippen reported that the orbiter was performing as expected. After a series of maneuvers to reduce speed, the mission commander and pilot prepared to land. In flight, Young and Crippen tested the spacecraft's on-board systems, fired the orbital maneuvering system for changing orbits, employed the reaction control system for controlling attitude, and opened and closed the payload doors. Columbia was the first reusable, piloted spacecraft, the first piloted lifting-reentry vehicle, and the first piloted spacecraft without a crew escape system. Energy management for the space shuttles was based on previous experience with the X-15 at NASA's Flight Research Center (which had become the Dryden Flight Research Center in 1976). Landing the shuttles without power--and therefore without the weight penalty of an additional engine and fuel--was based on previous experience at the Flight Research Center with piloted lifting bodies that also landed without power, as had the X-15s. Dryden and Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) had also hosted the approach and landing tests of the shuttle prototype Enterprise in 1977 and had tested the computers used for the shuttles' flight control systems in the F-8 Digital Fly-By-Wire aircraft, which also contributed to the solution of a dangerous pilot induced oscillation that occurred on the final approach and landing test. In this clip Young and Crippen fly the orbiter Columbia to a picture-perfect, unpowered landing on the dry lakebed runway 23 at Edwards AFB, CA, after it's first orbital flight, which ended on April 14.

Modeling of ultrasonic and terahertz radiations in defective tiles for condition monitoring of thermal protection systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kabiri Rahani, Ehsan

Condition based monitoring of Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) is necessary for safe operations of space shuttles when quick turn-around time is desired. In the current research Terahertz radiation (T-ray) has been used to detect mechanical and heat induced damages in TPS tiles. Voids and cracks inside the foam tile are denoted as mechanical damage while property changes due to long and short term exposures of tiles to high heat are denoted as heat induced damage. Ultrasonic waves cannot detect cracks and voids inside the tile because the tile material (silica foam) has high attenuation for ultrasonic energy. Instead, electromagnetic terahertz radiation can easily penetrate into the foam material and detect the internal voids although this electromagnetic radiation finds it difficult to detect delaminations between the foam tile and the substrate plate. Thus these two technologies are complementary to each other for TPS inspection. Ultrasonic and T-ray field modeling in free and mounted tiles with different types of mechanical and thermal damages has been the focus of this research. Shortcomings and limitations of FEM method in modeling 3D problems especially at high-frequencies has been discussed and a newly developed semi-analytical technique called Distributed Point Source Method (DPSM) has been used for this purpose. A FORTRAN code called DPSM3D has been developed to model both ultrasonic and electromagnetic problems using the conventional DPSM method. This code is designed in a general form capable of modeling a variety of geometries. DPSM has been extended from ultrasonic applications to electromagnetic to model THz Gaussian beams, multilayered dielectrics and Gaussian beam-scatterer interaction problems. Since the conventional DPSM has some drawbacks, to overcome it two modification methods called G-DPSM and ESM have been proposed. The conventional DPSM in the past was only capable of solving time harmonic (frequency domain) problems. Time history was obtained by FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) algorithm. In this research DPSM has been extended to model DPSM transient problems without using FFT. This modified technique has been denoted as t-DPSM. Using DPSM, scattering of focused ultrasonic fields by single and multiple cavities in fluid & solid media is studied. It is investigated when two cavities in close proximity can be distinguished and when it is not possible. A comparison between the radiation forces generated by the ultrasonic energies reflected from two small cavities versus a single big cavity is also carried out.

Performance of LI-1542 reusable surface insulation system in a hypersonic stream

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunt, L. R.; Bohon, H. L.

1974-01-01

The thermal and structural performance of a large panel of LI-1542 reusable surface insulation tiles was determined by a series of cyclic heating tests using radiant lamps and aerothemal tests in the Langley 8-foot high-temperature structures tunnel. Aerothermal tests were conducted at a free-stream Mach number of 6.6, a total temperature of 1830 K, Reynolds numbers of 2.0 and 4,900,000 per meter, and dynamic pressures of 29 and 65 kPa. The results suggest that pressure gradients in gaps and flow impingement on the header walls at the end of longitudinal gaps are sources for increased gap heating. Temperatures higher than surface radiation equilibrium temperature were measured deep in gaps and at the header walls. Also, the damage tolerance of the LI-1542 tiles appears to be very high. Tile edge erosion rate was slow; could not be tolerated in a shuttle application. Tiles soaked with water and subjected to rapid depressurization and aerodynamic heating showed no visible evidence of damage.

The study of excited oxygen molecule gas species production and quenching on thermal protection system materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nordine, Paul C.; Fujimoto, Gordon T.; Greene, Frank T.

1987-01-01

The detection of excited oxygen and ozone molecules formed by surface catalyzed oxygen atom recombination and reaction was investigated by laser induced fluorescence (LIF), molecular beam mass spectrometric (MBMS), and field ionization (FI) techniques. The experiment used partially dissociated oxygen flows from a microwave discharge at pressures in the range from 60 to 400 Pa or from an inductively coupled RF discharge at atmospheric pressure. The catalyst materials investigated were nickel and the reaction cured glass coating used for Space Shuttle reusable surface insulation tiles. Nonradiative loss processes for the laser excited states makes LIF detection of O2 difficult such that formation of excited oxygen molecules could not be detected in the flow from the microwave discharge or in the gaseous products of atom loss on nickel. MBMS experiments showed that ozone was a product of heterogeneous O atom loss on nickel and tile surfaces at low temperatures and that ozone is lost on these materials at elevated temperatures. FI was separately investigated as a method by which excited oxygen molecules may be conveniently detected. Partial O2 dissociation decreases the current produced by FI of the gas.

KSC-07pd2195

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-08-03

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The STS-120 crew is at Kennedy for a crew equipment interface test, or CEIT. Inspecting the thermal protection system, or TPS, tiles on space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3 are Mission Specialists Douglas H. Wheelock and Paolo A. Nespoli, a European Space Agency astronaut from Italy, and Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Daniel M. Tani (with camera). Among the activities standard to a CEIT are harness training, inspection of the thermal protection system and camera operation for planned extravehicular activities, or EVAs. The STS-120 mission will deliver the Harmony module, christened after a school contest, which will provide attachment points for European and Japanese laboratory modules on the International Space Station. Known in technical circles as Node 2, it is similar to the six-sided Unity module that links the U.S. and Russian sections of the station. Built in Italy for the United States, Harmony will be the first new U.S. pressurized component to be added. The STS-120 mission is targeted to launch on Oct. 20. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

ARC-1993-A93-0511-7

NASA Image and Video Library

1993-10-07

Harold Goldstein (R) and Dan Leiser (L) discuss bone implant development in the the Shuttle Tile Laboratory N-242. A spin-off of Ames research on both bone density in microgravity and on thermal protection foams is the bone-growth implant shown in 1993.

Sources and transport of silicone NVR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harvey, Gale A.

1992-01-01

The retrieved LDEF had varying amounts of visible contamination films (brown stains) at many locations. FTIR spectra of heavy film deposits at vents and of optical windows from tray E5 indicated methyl silicone and silica in the contaminant films. Two possible sources of the methyl silicone are DC-710 phenyl methyl silicone in the shuttle-bay-liner beta cloth, and the shuttle tile waterproofing silane. It is concluded that much of the silicon and silica contamination came from ground operations and the orbiter.

Aerodynamic heat transfer to RSI tile surfaces and gap intersections. [Reusable Surface Insulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunavant, J. C.; Throckmorton, D. A.

1974-01-01

Review of the results of aerothermal heating tests of a simulated reusable surface insulation (RSI) tile array, performed on the sidewall of a Mach-10 hypersonic tunnel. In particular, the heating characteristics of the tile array, such as they result from heating inside the tile-expansion-space providing gaps between individual tiles, are investigated. The results include the finding that heating on the upstream face of a tile is strongly affected by the interacting longitudinal gap flow.

KSC-2012-1573

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-03-01

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Tim Wright, a United Space Alliance engineering manager at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, unloads the heat shield tiles that will be installed to the backshell of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle's Exploration Flight Test EFT-1 capsule. The tiles are being manufactured and inspected in Kennedy's Thermal Protection System Facility. The tiles will be baked at 2,200 degrees F to cure their ceramic coating. EFT-1 will be used during Orion's first test flight in space. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Frankie Martin

KSC-08pd1921

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-07-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Tile Shop at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a United Space Alliance machinist, Tony Rollins, is setting up the tracer mill to machine the Boeing Rigid Insulation-18, or BRI-18, tile. BRI-18 is the strongest material used for thermal insulation on the orbiters and, when coated to produce toughened unipiece fibrous insulation, provides a tile with extremely high-impact resistance. It is replacing tiles on areas of the vehicle where impact risk is high. These areas include the landing gear doors, the wing leading edge and the external tank doors. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

Shuttle antenna radome technology test program. Volume 2: Development of S-band antenna interface design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kuhlman, E. A.; Baranowski, L. C.

1977-01-01

The effects of the Thermal Protection Subsystem (TPS) contamination on the space shuttle orbiter S band quad antenna due to multiple mission buildup are discussed. A test fixture was designed, fabricated and exposed to ten cycles of simulated ground and flight environments. Radiation pattern and impedance tests were performed to measure the effects of the contaminates. The degradation in antenna performance was attributed to the silicone waterproofing in the TPS tiles rather than exposure to the contaminating sources used in the test program. Validation of the accuracy of an analytical thermal model is discussed. Thermal vacuum tests with a test fixture and a representative S band quad antenna were conducted to evaluate the predictions of the analytical thermal model for two orbital heating conditions and entry from each orbit. The results show that the accuracy of predicting the test fixture thermal responses is largely dependent on the ability to define the boundary and ambient conditions. When the test conditions were accurately included in the analytical model, the predictions were in excellent agreement with measurements.

Image Science and Analysis Group Spacecraft Damage Detection/Characterization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wheaton, Ira M., Jr.

2010-01-01

This project consisted of several tasks that could be served by an intern to assist the ISAG in detecting damage to spacecrafts during missions. First, this project focused on supporting the Micrometeoroid Orbital Debris (MMOD) damage detection and assessment for the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) using imagery from the last two HST Shuttle servicing missions. In this project, we used coordinates of two windows on the Shuttle Aft flight deck from where images were taken and the coordinates of three ID points in order to calculate the distance from each window to the three points. Then, using the specifications from the camera used, we calculated the image scale in pixels per inch for planes parallel to and planes in the z-direction to the image plane (shown in Table 1). This will help in the future for calculating measurements of objects in the images. Next, tabulation and statistical analysis were conducted for screening results (shown in Table 2) of imagery with Orion Thermal Protection System (TPS) damage. Using the Microsoft Excel CRITBINOM function and Goal Seek, the probabilities of detection of damage to different shuttle tiles were calculated as shown in Table 3. Using developed measuring tools, volume and area measurements will be created from 3D models of Orion TPS damage. Last, mathematical expertise was provided to the Photogrammetry Team. These mathematical tasks consisted of developing elegant image space error equations for observations along 3D lines, circles, planes, etc. and checking proofs for minimal sets of sufficient multi-linear constraints. Some of the processes and resulting equations are displayed in Figure 1.

Shuttle orbiter boundary layer transition at flight and wind tunnel conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goodrich, W. D.; Derry, S. M.; Bertin, J. J.

1983-01-01

Hypersonic boundary layer transition data obtained on the windward centerline of the Shuttle orbiter during entry for the first five flights are presented and analyzed. Because the orbiter surface is composed of a large number of thermal protection tiles, the transition data include the effects of distributed roughness arising from tile misalignment and gaps. These data are used as a benchmark for assessing and improving the accuracy of boundary layer transition predictions based on correlations of wind tunnel data taken on both aerodynamically rough and smooth orbiter surfaces. By comparing these two data bases, the relative importance of tunnel free stream noise and surface roughness on orbiter boundary layer transition correlation parameters can be assessed. This assessment indicates that accurate predications of transition times can be made for the orbiter at hypersonic flight conditions by using roughness dominated wind tunnel data. Specifically, times of transition onset and completion is accurately predicted using a correlation based on critical and effective values of a roughness Reynolds number previously derived from wind tunnel data.

Handmade Tile Mosaics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keeler, Rusty

2007-01-01

Just like the classroom, children's outdoor environments should be filled with artistic creations that add sparkle and imagination to the space. One of the author's favorite ways to add art to the outdoors is by installing a mosaic mural of child-made tiles. The process of making the tiles is fun for all; each tile is a charming work of art in…

STS-133 crew members Drew, Kopra and Stott during EVA Tile Repair.

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-03-30

JSC2010-E-044337 (30 March 2010) --- NASA astronaut Tim Kopra, STS-133 mission specialist, participates in an EVA tile repair training session in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

KSC-2012-1574

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-03-01

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Tim Wright, a United Space Alliance engineering manager at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, put the heat shield tiles that will be installed to the backshell of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle's Exploration Flight Test EFT-1 capsule in a Keith thermal automation oven. The tiles will be baked at 2,200 degrees F to cure their ceramic coating. The work to manufacture and inspect the tiles is taking place in Kennedy's Thermal Protection System Facility. EFT-1 will be used during Orion's first test flight in space. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Frankie Martin

KSC-2012-1586

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-03-01

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Tim Wright, a United Space Alliance engineering manager at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, removes the heat shield tiles that will be installed to the backshell of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle's Exploration Flight Test EFT-1 capsule from a Keith thermal automation oven. Inside, the tiles were baked at 2,200 degrees F to cure their ceramic coating. The work to manufacture and inspect the tiles is taking place in Kennedy's Thermal Protection System Facility. EFT-1 will be used during Orion's first test flight in space. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Frankie Martin

KSC-2012-1577

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-03-01

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Tim Wright, a United Space Alliance engineering manager at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, removes the heat shield tiles that will be installed to the backshell of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle's Exploration Flight Test EFT-1 capsule from a Keith thermal automation oven. Inside, the tiles were baked at 2,200 degrees F to cure their ceramic coating. The work to manufacture and inspect the tiles is taking place in Kennedy's Thermal Protection System Facility. EFT-1 will be used during Orion's first test flight in space. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Frankie Martin

New Techniques in Time-Frequency Analysis: Adaptive Band, Ultra-Wide Band and Multi-Rate Signal Processing

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-02

Nyquist tiles and sampling groups in Euclidean geometry, and discussed the extension of these concepts to hyperbolic and spherical geometry and...hyperbolic or spherical spaces. We look to develop a structure for the tiling of frequency spaces in both Euclidean and non-Euclidean domains. In particular...we establish Nyquist tiles and sampling groups in Euclidean geometry, and discuss the extension of these concepts to hyperbolic and spherical geometry

STS-134 crew members Mike Fincke, Drew Feustel and Greg Chamitoff performing EVA Tile Repair Training.

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-01-28

JSC2010-E-014767 (28 Jan. 2010) --- NASA astronaut Michael Fincke, STS-134 mission specialist, participates in an EVA tile repair training session in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

New insulation attachment method eliminates compatibility bondline stresses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schneider, W. C.

1975-01-01

Auger-shaped single-point fastener attaches rigid surface insulation tiles to orbiter shuttle spacecraft. Method can be used to bond wide variety of materials, including insulation, elastomers, and fibrous materials. Since insulation is attached at only one point, insulation and structure are free to form without inducing bond separation.

Tile-based Level of Detail for the Parallel Age

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Niski, K; Cohen, J D

Today's PCs incorporate multiple CPUs and GPUs and are easily arranged in clusters for high-performance, interactive graphics. We present an approach based on hierarchical, screen-space tiles to parallelizing rendering with level of detail. Adapt tiles, render tiles, and machine tiles are associated with CPUs, GPUs, and PCs, respectively, to efficiently parallelize the workload with good resource utilization. Adaptive tile sizes provide load balancing while our level of detail system allows total and independent management of the load on CPUs and GPUs. We demonstrate our approach on parallel configurations consisting of both single PCs and a cluster of PCs.

Experimental Hypersonic Aerodynamic Characteristics of the Space Shuttle Orbiter for a Range of Damage Scenarios

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brauckmann, Gregory J.; Scallion, William I.

2004-01-01

Aerodynamic tests in support of the Columbia accident investigation were conducted in two hypersonic wind tunnels at the NASA Langley Research Center, the 20-Inch Mach 6 Air Tunnel and the 20-Inch CF4 Tunnel. The primary purpose of these tests was to measure the forces and moments generated by a variety of outer mold line alterations (damage scenarios) using 0.0075-scale models of the Space Shuttle Orbiter. Simultaneously acquired global heat transfer mappings were obtained for a majority of the configurations tested. Test parametrics included angles of attack from 38 to 42 deg, unit Reynolds numbers from 0.3 x 10(exp 6) to 3.0 x 10(exp 6) per foot, and normal shock density ratios of 5 (Mach 6 air) and 12 (CF4). The damage scenarios evaluated included asymmetric boundary layer transition, gouges in the windward surface thermal protection system tiles, wing leading edge damage (partially and fully missing reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) panels), deformation of the wing windward surface, and main landing gear and/or door deployment. The measured aerodynamic increments for the damage scenarios examined were generally small in magnitude, as were the flight-derived values during most of the entry prior to loss of communication. A progressive damage scenario is presented that qualitatively matches the flight observations for the STS-107 entry.

Superalloy Foams for Aeroshell Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gayda, John; Padula, Santo, II

2001-01-01

Current thermal protection systems for reentry from space, such as that employed on the space shuttle, rely on ceramic tiles with ultra-low conductivity. These materials provide excellent thermal protection but are extremely fragile, easily degraded by environmental attack, and carry no structural loads. Future thermal protection systems being proposed in NASAs MITAS Program will attempt to combine thermal protection with improved durability and structural capability without significant increases in vehicle weight. This may be accomplished by combining several materials in a layered structure to obtain the desired function for aeroshell applications. One class of materials being considered for inclusion in this concept are high temperature metal foam. The objective of this paper was to fabricate low density, superalloy foams and conduct limited testing to evaluate their thermal and structural capabilities. Superalloys were chosen for evaluation as they possesses good strength and excellent environmental endurance over a wide range of temperatures. Utilizing superalloys as low density foams, with porosity contents greater than 90%, minimizes weight and thermal conductivity.