In article ,
TVDad Jim wrote:
Of course, there's the notion of the reusable CM...

Do you think maybe the tiles concept would be applied to the CM? Or
would the original ablation cells be designed to be refillable?

The obvious thing to do is to automate production of CM heatshields, and
treat them as disposable. They are probably more work to refurbish than
it's worth. Minor redesign would probably be wanted to make them easier
to pull off and replace.
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MOST launched 1015 EDT 30 June, separated 1046, | Henry Spencer
first ground-station pass 1651, all nominal! |