Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Foam Shot Causes Damage to Shuttle Mockup

Posted by michael on from the deploy-foam-cannons-for-homeland-security dept.

DoraLives writes "The New York Times is running a story describing the effects caused by a piece of foam fired at a fiberglass mock up of the Space Shuttle's wing. Although fiberglass is stronger than the RCC material on Columbia's wing, "The impact produced a 22-inch-long gap." Not good."

6 of 43 comments (clear)

  1. Summary by ArmorFiend · · Score: 4, Informative

    To summarise the article: nobody really thinks this is news until they test it on the actual substance (carbon-carbon) that the wing is made out of.

  2. Why does everyone give links to NYT? by stienman · · Score: 4, Informative

    Let's all say this together - "We don't need no stinkin' registration for the majority of news!"

    Use Google News to find it elsewhere, and reported better as often as not.

    Shuttle Wing Foam Collision Tests

    And a direct Reuters link which is pretty much what all the other articles say for those who are too lazy to click twice.

    -Adam

  3. Re:Related: Why a Space Plane? by FirstManOnMoon · · Score: 5, Informative

    A plane design is the only way to carry heavy loads from space. The ballistic method severely limits the amount of material you could bring back. This isn't as big of an issue now, but originally the shuttle was designed to capture and return satellites for maintenance.

  4. Re:the design of the external tank by foistboinder · · Score: 4, Informative
    There has to be a good reason for this design choice, but I cannot see it. Why not have the foam sandwiched between two coaxial metal cylinders, rather than being sprayed onto one? Then the problem with the falling pieces would vanish.

    Money and weight (really the same thing for spacecraft).

    What about other rockets that use cryo-fuel? Do they have thermo insulator as an outer layer? I can't be positive, I've never touched a rocket, but they seem to have metal skins...

    You can often see large chunks of ice falling away from rockets during lauch (check out old footage of Saturn V's).

    --
    Yet Another Web Site
  5. Re:Related: Why a Space Plane? by KillerBob · · Score: 4, Informative

    You also forget the single most important reason they chose the shuttle design: Reusability. The shuttles are Reusable launch vehicles. Sure, they cost a lot more than a capsule, they're more complicated, more can go wrong, but they can be reused. Had they been flying capsules instead of the shuttles, the cost to date would have been much higher than it was. Considering the shoestring that NASA gets to work with these days, that's important.

    Apollo 6 is sitting in a museum I pass every day on my way to work. I'm not aware of any shuttles that are sitting in a museum.

    --
    If you believe everything you read, you'd better not read. - Japanese proverb
  6. Re:the design of the external tank by pipingguy · · Score: 3, Informative

    They have an "Ice Team" to check the external tanks.

    Bulk storage cryogenic tanks use vacuum space for insulation similar to the "two coaxial metal cylinders" mentioned above.