Discovery gap filler: What u cover the gap filler void with?

I watch it on TV this morning and make me to wonder.
If the over protruding gap filler is removed entirely, dont they
leaving a gap/void there? Wont it become a problem during the re-entry
again?

I was thinking that they will be either sheer off the protruding edge
or grind it to make it even with the rest of the shuttle's belly.

Ok. Hope and Pray everthing OK during re-entry.

Sam.

On Wed, 3 Aug 2005 08:31:00 -0500, Ohm wrote
(in article .com):

I watch it on TV this morning and make me to wonder.
If the over protruding gap filler is removed entirely, dont they
leaving a gap/void there? Wont it become a problem during the re-entry
again?

I was thinking that they will be either sheer off the protruding edge
or grind it to make it even with the rest of the shuttle's belly.

Ok. Hope and Pray everthing OK during re-entry.

Sam.


You should tune to NASA-TV - the briefers have talked this issue to
death over the last couple of days. One of the gap-fillers is there
solely due to ascent vibration conditions to prevent the tiles from
"chattering" against one another and cracking. Entry aerodynamics
don't cause this condition.

The second gap filler is there because the space between those two
tiles is slightly wider than spec (but not much). Removal will result
in somewhat higher skin temps there but nothing too high - e.g., it
shouldn't result in temps higher than the multiple-entry temperature
limits, let alone anywhere near the single-entry limit (the temperature
they can accept for one entry but which would require
repair/replacement of localized structure).

--
"Fame may be fleeting but obscurity is forever." ~Anonymous
"I believe as little as possible and know as much as I can."
~Todd Stuart Phillips
www.angryherb.net

Thank you for sharing the details.

As I understood it, there are always gaps, I mean things have to expand when
they get hot, and the tiles are not glued directly onto the skin of the
Shuttle, but have some kind of felt material to allow movement.

The question really should be, if they are saying the vibration of launch
can jiggle the tiles together enough to damage them, then surely, they need
to be sure that their gap fillers stay in. From the ease of removal, even if
they were there and in place at re-entry, they would probably fall out with
the drag before they got hot enough to be clamped by expanding tiles.

I imagine that now they have removed them, they will realise they were not
the problem they thought they were for the above reason.

Brian

--
Brian Gaff....Note, this account does not accept Bcc: email.
graphics are great, but the blind can't hear them
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"Ohm" wrote in message
oups.com...
I watch it on TV this morning and make me to wonder.
If the over protruding gap filler is removed entirely, dont they
leaving a gap/void there? Wont it become a problem during the re-entry
again?

I was thinking that they will be either sheer off the protruding edge
or grind it to make it even with the rest of the shuttle's belly.

Ok. Hope and Pray everthing OK during re-entry.

Sam.