Hooray! Shuttle Crew Removed "Gap Filler" Material... Now There's A GAP!!

[arwalden]

Right? -- I don't know about you, but I'm thinking that even a sloppily filled gap (between the heat shield tiles) would be better than a gap with NO extra protection at all.

[htuttle]

1. Mind the gap!

Are they going to leave the gap?

I agree -- I would have thought it would be better to leave it filled.

[edbermac]

10. You brought back memories of my first trip to London in 1992

Was at an Underground station as a train was pulling in...suddenly booming over the loudspeakers...MIND THE GAP....MIND THE GAP...MIND THE GAP...

WTF?? It was like a scene out of Orwell's 1984...

I'd love to get back there...

[flamin lib]

2. Not actually, the Gap fillers are spacers to keep a uniform space

between tiles. This allows the tiles to expand as needed--the filler is pliable enough to allow movement. Once the tiles are adhered to the hull, the spacers are superfluous.

[Carni]

21. So they are only really needed for take off?

Am I understanding this correctly?

Can't wind (or something) get into that gap and blow off other tiles?

I am sorry but I would not want to be on that shuttle - gap or no gap...NO WAY!

[RageFist]

3. Naww, the one inch piece

sticking out would have created a TON of friction upon re-entry into the atmosphere. Too much friction=Too much heat=Not good :)

[Ravy]

19. But really...

don't you think all that friction would have been enough to remove something that someone could pull out with their hand?

[RageFist]

22. hahaha....

an excellent point! These ARE NASA scientists we're talking about, but an excellent question nonetheless.

[evil eggplant]

4. wrong, sorry

The gap-filler is there to protect the tiles during ascent. Aerodynamics are different during re-entry, during re-entry, the gap-filler does little, if anything, to protect the Orbiter.

The reason the gap-filler was removed was to prevent "hot-spots" during re-entry.

Cheers

[arwalden]

Thanks Everyone... I Just Imagined It Was Like Caulking To ASSIST...

... in preventing the heat from coming through the cracks.

I feel better now.

[edbermac]

14. Huh-huh-huh...he said CAULK...

Uh...something's wrong with my butt!

[DrJackson]

5. Nothing to worry about

The gap filler material is only needed to reduce vibrations between the tiles on launch -- it won't affect anything on the way back down.

[newyawker99]

25. Hi DrJackson!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[crispini]

6. um, have you been watching the news coverage at all on this?

1) the stuff sticking out could have created aerodynamic drag, which means Heat, which is a problem.

2) the tiles will expand on re-entry so the gap filler is really not necessary for the re-entry, it's used to cushion the tiles on the way up.

all as explained on the news, I'm not a shuttle expert or anything.

[arwalden]

8. No... I've Only Been Listening To Radio News (CBS Top-Of-The-Hour)

and my understanding was limited to what they could explain in 30 seconds.

Thanks for helping out! :thumbsup: I feel better now.

[Atman]

7. Besides, it isn't the gap that's the problem...it's a protrusion

You want the bottom of the shuttle to be as smooth as possible. It's design actually wraps the shuttle in a thin cushion of air as it re-enters the earth's atmosphere, and that is achieved by the smoothness of the hull. With that filler poking up, it would break the air flow, cause friction (bad, bad) and possibly cause super-heating of the affected area. That airflow should just flow over a gap, however. So, it is far more important that the area be smooth than be filled.

[Walt Starr]

9. Teh Gap filler is mostly there for a couple of reasons

#1) To protect the tiles during liftoff. Job done.

#2) To protect the tiles from repeated heat exposure upon re-entry. Okay, if there's a gap there for three or four re-entries, Houston, we have a problem.

[Ian David]

11. Here is a close-up of what they removed

[ohio_liberal]

13. LMFAO!

:thumbsup:

[Bluebear]

24. Hahahahahahaha!!!!!

[Selatius]

12. Maybe we should just retire the shuttle fleet

I think it's time. We can build better vehicles than this with current technology.

[jmowreader]

17. We can't build anything like that if we spend all our money on illegal war

IIRC we've spent enough money on the illegal occupation of Iraq to replace everything NASA has--twice.

Imagine what we could do if we only had two NASAs. One that dealt with spaceflight, one with astronomy!

[Amonester]

15. I've got that silly 'idea' here about (what I think could be) a

much better 'method' (if it's in any way feasible... and I have no idea if it could be implemented or not).

Anyway, here it is and please, everybody, feel free to either laugh at it, or better: explain why it would not be realistic.

So instead of using the resistance of the atmosphere to decrease the speed of the shuttle (which is what causes the heat), why not just spin the shuttle half-way around, and use it's rocket engine itself to decrease its ultra-high orbital speed, and this without even touching the higher ups of the atmosphere at all (or much less of it than it does with the current method)? Then, when the speed would get closer and closer to zero, the shuttle would just kind of 'fall' to the ground at a much lower speed (close to a small engine-less 'glider'), hence: much lower friction, and much lower heat too).

Reasons I ask why it would not be possible:

1 - G-forces much too high to support for human beings inside?
2 - Rocket engine's idle temperature not the same in space vs ground?

Others? ;) (I dunno...)


:hide:

:scared: (LOL!)

[Kraklen]

18. Not nearly enough fuel.

[Misunderestimator]

16. I'm not feeling very good about this at all...

Why did I have the impression that they would have come up with something a bit more capable of space travel and reentry into our atmosphere, especially since they already KNEW what could happen. Silly me.

As for the gap... no idea... I imagine having a piece sticking out could be worse, because it is still attached to the viable insulation. The speed of the craft may cause that little piece to pull out and take more good insulation with it. :shrug:

[Carni]

20. I thought the same thing

I'm just thinking what's to prevent the substance (where there is no filler)from heating up and blowing off other tiles and then burning up completely.

I am certainly not a rocket scientist but I don't quite get this whole operation--I would still think they are in danger of burning up when they re-enter??

[kansasblue]

23. This is just one big phony PR stunt.

right?

[Ravy]

26. I think so.

The concept sounds ridiculous to me.