It seems SpaceX is not only facing the same obstacles, but also repeating the same mistakes, and I fear partially for the same stupid reasons (secret military applications).

[–] finitebanjo@piefed.world 8 points 16 hours ago

The heat shield was one of the most vexing problems with NASA's space shuttle program. Thousands of tiles peeled off of the space shuttle Columbia when NASA first flew the orbiter on top of its modified 747 carrier aircraft in 1979. Tile damage was a regular occurrence throughout the shuttle program's 30-year service life, necessitating tile repairs and replacement inside the shuttle's hangar between missions.

[–] guyjantic@infosec.exchange 23 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

@llamacoffee The obstacle: Engineering a reusable heat shield.
#SavedYouAClick

[–] Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 5 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

Thanks for pulling that detail out.

Seems the X37, Dream chaser, and Starship all use the ceramic tiles the Shuttle used.

https://newspaceeconomy.ca/2024/09/23/a-comprehensive-comparison-of-heat-shields-mercury-gemini-apollo-space-shuttle-orion-starliner-dragon-crew-dream-chaser-x-37-starship-and-international-spacecraft-from-china-russia-and-in/

[–] burble@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 17 hours ago

That article has some alright high level descriptions, but it almost feels too high level to differentiate between any of them. I think it would at least benefit from some pictures. The Apollo vs Orion comparison definitely needs some more info given the Artemis 1 heat shield anomalies. Starship vs Shuttle attachment and patterning would be interesting to talk a bit about refurbishment.

[–] otter@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 21 hours ago (2 children)

Is it MIB?

[–] finitebanjo@piefed.world 3 points 16 hours ago

It's ceramic hexagon heatshields peeling off.

[–] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 1 points 15 hours ago

MIB

Motion induced blindness? Mebibyte?