thermal protection for space craft the problem of space craft high heating the solution the crash of...

Thermal Protection for Space Craft

•The problem of space craft high heating •The solution•The crash of the Columbia space shipnational

Alex&Tyby National College Iasi

The problem of space craft high heating

• From the building of the first spacecraft, the issue was to protect it from high temperatures, which occur after re-entry into the atmosphere.

National College IasiAlex&Tyby

The solution

• Nature has given like usually the best solution, the sand. It can withstand the high temperatures from the desert during the day, and the very low ones during the night.


The solution

• By combining sand with different substances and processing it at very high temperatures, the NASA’s scientists obtained a new material that was used for the creation of Thermal Protection System (TPS).


The solution


• The pieces of material are then joined together like a giant puzzle to create the ship's Thermal Protection System (TPS).


Temperature (C°) Height (Km)-60 400

0 300

480 250

1000 200

1400 150

980 100

700 50

100 10

45 0

• This table represents the temperature of the space ship during the landing process depending on the height. This is the temperature that should be inside the ship if there wasn’t any Thermal Protection System.

The crash of the Columbia space ship

• The first time when we saw what can happen if the Thermal Protection System doesn’t work, was on February 1st 2003 when the space shuttle Columbia desintegrated over Texas during re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. All seven crew members died. The accident happened shortly before the end of the 28th shuttle mission, STS-107.National College IasiAlex&Tyby

• The loss of Columbia was the result of the damage sustained during the launch when a part of the insulation, about the size of a small briefcases, has separated from the main tank under the shuttle's external aerodynamic forces.


The last takeoff of the Columbia space ship



Debris struck the leading edge of the left wing,damaging the Thermal Protection System (TPS), which protects it from the heat generated by friction with the atmosphere on re-entry. We can notice how a piece

of foam from space ship’s external tank falls off



• During re-entry into earth’s atmosphere after mission STS-107 the damaged area allowed the hot gases to penetrate and to destroy the internal wing structure, leading quickly to the dismantling of the vehicle during flight.

The space ship Columbia desintegrates during re-entry into earth’s atmosphere



• A massive search operation conducted in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas led to the recovery of some crew remains and many parts of the vehicle.


Bibliografy

• www.nasa.gov• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Space_Shuttle_thermal_protection_system• http://www.absoluteastronomy.com


Thank you for your attention!

• Prodan Alexandru • Topala Tiberiu


thermal protection for space craft the problem of space craft high heating the solution the crash of...

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