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| Not that kind of tile Merritt Island, FL December 2019 This photo originally shared on Instagram |
The tiles you see are really special - each one is unique, computer-designed and custom-cut. They're bonded to the orbiter's skin such that they stay on through the massive range of conditions a spacecraft can endure, from turbulent supersonic airflows after launch to extreme heat and cold in the near-vacuum of space. Then they have to survive the plasma-blasted hell that is re-entry. Oh, and like the rest of this vehicle, they're reusable.
It's a wonder this heat shield works at all. Yet it does, and an updated version of the technology is already in testing for the upcoming Orion deep space capsule.
Standing beneath this triumph of human ingenuity and engineering, I'm struck by the number of unique elements that combine to make a cohesive whole. If you've ever wanted to know what collaboration looks like, this is it. Not one piece of this can fail.
We learned the hard way with Columbia, when another part of her thermal protection system, a reinforced carbon-carbon panel on the leading edge of the port wing, was damaged by foam debris from the external tank during the initial ascent. Hot gas penetrated the wing on re-entry and led to the orbiter's loss of control and subsequent disintegration. This is a business with almost zero margin for error.
Thankfully Atlantis came home safely 33 times, and we get to admire her here, plasma trail remnants and all. Her lessons of working together - and what happens when we don't - are as relevant now as they were when she was still the master of the skies.
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