Doug... wrote:



If you fill up the space behind the RCC panels with foam or anything else
that can conduct heat, that material will get really hot, really fast.
And it will conduct the heat into the interior of the wing. This is
exactly what you're trying to prevent.

It seems to me that another leading edge breach is inevitable, and
unless there is a way to mitigate the effects of heat entering the
wing structure, another loss of ship and crew is guaranteed. Reentry
heating seems to be one of the most, if not the most, important
element in an operational cycle of the shuttle. I vaguely remember
reading something about aerogel in the past, but it seems to me I
remember it having an extremely low thermal conductivity, perhaps
even less than the shuttle tiles. If that were the case, and given
the low mass, filling the leading edge cavity might buy enough time
for the ship to transition through the superheating phase of
reentry and get the ship and crew home. Another thought: What would
happen if the part of the aluminum wing structure that faces that
cavity were to be lined with shuttle tiles? Would it add a couple
of hundred pounds to the weight of the structure? So what if it
did? Even with the capacity reduced that much the Shuttle is still
the heaviest lift capable ship currently operating in the world.

Just thinking out loud...

JazzMan
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