On Sat, 01 Nov 2003 21:45:45 +0000, jay wrote:
"Chuck Stewart" wrote in
news
greetings...
howdy
It seems to me that if the leading edge had some physical backup, it might
withstand abuse a bit better.
Yes, but that's one of the hottest parts of the ship during entry so any
structural backup material must hve extreme thermal properties as well.
I wonder if the ceramic tile material would work? Use the rcc outer, with
tile underneath?
Certainly it would be damaged by a major strike, but might still bring
the bird home...
The silica tile material doesn't have much structural strength... that's why
NASA was originally looking for _tile_ damage from the foam strike, not RCC
damage. Tile material behind a leading edge hole would be broken by the same
force that broke the RCC and worn away by plasma flow at tempertures it just
can't take.
That carbon aerogel sounds like great stuff, but I ddin't see structural
data on it. (ok, didn't look that hard)
It has no structural data
You just have to look at it and it breaks...
It seems to me, that a big thing is to prevent any plasma leakage from
penetrating the main wing. Maybe the carbon aerogel would slow the flow
and diffuse it enough to keep things alive?
Unfortunately it lacks the strength.
regards
Jay
--
Chuck Stewart
"Anime-style catgirls: Threat? Menace? Or just studying algebra?"