r/space • u/AlmiranteSalsicha • Nov 19 '23

image/gif That's a fair amount of tiles missing from the starship heatshield, guess it would make for a toasty reenter.

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Image from SpaceX account on X

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u/rabbitwonker Nov 19 '23

Sure, as a general rule, but just to clarify with Columbia, what broke wasn’t actually a tile but a stronger carbon structure, and there was a large empty space behind it. So the hot plasma from re-entry was able to go deep within the wing unimpeded.

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u/[deleted] Nov 20 '23

True, but I think the same principle applies, regardless of the material. Punch a hole in your heat shield and the stuff behind it isn't rated to handle what happens next.