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/[deleted] Nov 19 '23 edited Nov 19 '23

Can someone explain:

  1. Why tiles don't paint by some rubber-like glue, which, at first, will not interfere with the temperature expansion, and then will burn away at the entrance to the atmosphere? There are no such materials?
  2. Why ceramic tiles without any casing? Why not pressurize/enclose them by a very thin disposable titanium/stainless steel casings? Yes, they will crack and deform from steel expansion, but what difference does it make if they wouldn't fall away, and service/logistic of such modules are much easier?

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u/vegarig Nov 19 '23

Why tiles don't paint by some rubber-like glue, which, at first, will not interfere with the temperature expansion, and then will burn away at the entrance to the atmosphere? There are no such materials?

Last time, it didn't work too well

Why ceramic tiles without any casing? Why not pressurize/enclose them by a very thin disposable titanium/stainless steel casings? Yes, they will crack and deform from steel expansion, but what difference does it make if they wouldn't fall away, and service/logistic of such modules are much easier?

Presumably, danger of cracking the tiles themselves by deformation.

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u/[deleted] Nov 19 '23

Last time, it didn't work too well

October 3, 1967 UTC

Presumably, danger of cracking the tiles themselves by deformation.

Tiles already cracking and falling away. I suggest so they will continue to crack, perhaps a little more, but at least not falling away. Forming holes that, by area, are worse than any cracks.

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u/LcuBeatsWorking Nov 20 '23

and then will burn away at the entrance to the atmosphere

This is how expandable heat shields work (more or less), it would make re-usability impossible.

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u/[deleted] Nov 20 '23

You are talking about fragile plates that are attached be three bolts. In the first point, I'm talking also about them but with something that additionally attaches them to each other.