wrote in message
oups.com...
Couldn't you design a metal skin to protect the tiles that would
evaporate during ascent and reduce the stress on the tiles?

You know certain metals evaporate at a certain temperature, you could
possibly control that so that the tiles are protected until reaching
the upper atmosphere?


Heck with that, spin up a carbon composite shell, latch it on between tank
and hull, then go out and unlatch it on orbit. It wouldn't even have to be
very sturdy.