Future Unity
Huge thanks to all these amazing SpaceX Artists. Please follow them and support them through Payoneer and Twitter.
ErcXSpace:
Smallstars: https://bit.ly/3heQgja
IamVisuals: https://bit.ly/35Z3POh
SpaceXVision: https://bit.ly/3xWTpeb
DeepSpaceCourier: https://bit.ly/3y0hTmS
C-Bass Productions: https://bit.ly/35Z25F0
HazeGrayArt: https://bit.ly/3hcfgHM
Jochem Laurenssen: https://bit.ly/3vVIJuU
TijnM: https://bit.ly/3x2IWxK
AlexanderSvan: https://bit.ly/3djK9J4
NickHenning3D: https://bit.ly/36bsSy1
EvanKaren: https://bit.ly/3h1gmqV
NasaSpaceFlight: https://bit.ly/2TKU2sL
Kimitalvitie: https://twitter.com/kimitalvitie
Neopork: https://twitter.com/Neopork85
AlexanderSvan: https://bit.ly/3jmOD3P
RGV Aerial Photography: https://bit.ly/37n1duw
StarshipGazer: https://twitter.com/StarshipGazer
Ocean Cam: https://twitter.com/obetraveller
LabPadre: https://twitter.com/LabPadre
Spadre: https://twitter.com/SpacePadreIsle
3Ddaniel: https://twitter.com/3DDaniel1
StarshipBocaChica: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBfh…
Much has been said about the Starship’s tiles. The hexagonal, dinner-plate-sized
ceramic layers are how SpaceX wants to shield the Starship from the enormous heat
generated when it reenters the earth’s atmosphere. The tiles are critical because they
are central to SpaceX’s plans to reuse the Starship. However, a recent test of the
Starship at Boca Chica saw some of the tiles flying off. As the first static test
approaches, will the Starship ceramic tiles perform?
Join us as we explore the performance of the Starship tiles in the latest test! We will
also give you updates on the first cryogenic test of the Starship!
SpaceX has been working non-stop on its Starship prototype S20, and it has been
exciting to follow its progress. Part of the progress is one side of the Starship 20
covered in black tiles, giving the Starship a coat halfway around its body.
The covered side will bear the brunt of the enormous heat that would be generated
when the prototype reenters the earth’s atmosphere.
To give you an idea of the amount of heat SpaceX is dealing with, the air hitting NASA’s
Space Shuttle when it reentered the earth’s atmosphere was above 2,000 degrees
Fahrenheit! NASA also put tiles on the Shuttle, but they were made from silica fibers, an
excellent insulator.
SpaceX needs to get this insulation of the Starship right because without it, the Starship
will be damaged beyond refurbishment for another flight, and that would kill Musk’s
dream of making space travel affordable.
Even when the tiles are fixed, they must perform very well because their failure would
be costly.
What do these heat shield tiles look like? They are black and hexagonal and are made
from ceramic. They have the thickness of an average paperback book. SpaceX chose
to fix them by hand, a process that required a crew hanging around the SpaceX.
Just like you would expect, SpaceX chose a simple method to fix the tiles. They are
mounted directly on the thin steel propellant tanks and skin.
SpaceX used robots to weld studs onto the steel hull. A set of three pins hold each tile
in place, but there is a layer of ceramic wool insulation between the tiles and the hull.
The tiles proved to be fragile, with some of them getting chipped, cracked, or shattered
during and after installation on the S20. However, SpaceX replaced and repositioned
the affected tiles.
The heat shields got another chance to prove themselves during a basic qualification
test recently. The test is known as a venting test, and about half a dozen prototypes
preceding the Starship 20 completed it without issue.
However, the preceding prototypes did not have tiles on their hulls. In the case of the
Starship 20, it is destined for orbit, so SpaceX needs to note how the tiles will behave in
all the tests that will prepare the prototype for its orbital test flight.
This happened to be the Starship’s first test in more than two months, and it didn’t take
long for things to get interesting. Even before all the workers cleared the pad, the heat
shields started to fly off!
It was potentially dangerous as one of the tiles hitting a worker could result in serious
injuries.
Followers of Musk on Twitter quickly got an update as the CEO confirmed the shedding
of the tiles.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1442630681360752640?s=20
He tweeted that the headed tank vent knocked off a few tiles.
From photos and gifs posted on Twitter, Starship 20 had violently shed about a dozen of
the fragile heat shield tiles. This happened during a brief test of high-pressure cold gas
maneuvering thrusters.
At the same time, SpaceX began pressurizing the rocket for its first test.