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Hello, No I don't think so ! Foam used on the external tank, whose flight lasts a few minutes, does not get out of the atmosphere and thus does not need to reenter the atmosphere... so does not experience the thousand of degrees seen by the Shuttle when getting back at Mach 25 or more. The foam is a polyurethane foam, which as far as I know, is good for up to 180 or 200°C for short durations. This is the kind of foam typically used to feel the hollow panels and door of refrigerators. Never mind, the external tank is reused but after a refurbishment during which the foam or what remains of it is first eliminated, to be replaced later. So this is a rather low-tech material, but it still managed to shoot down the Shuttle Columbia a few years ago... Polyurethane foams had undergone a change in the 90's with the elimination of the Halon ( a CFC) used as a foaming agent with good results before. Using a substitute foaming agent seemingly produced a more brittle material, no problems as long as it was for filling hollow fridge parts... but as applied on the Shuttle the foam became to shed bigger and bigger parts at launch, until in 2003 they bore a big hole in the Thermal Protection System and you know how it ended... Claude
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What happened on February 1 2003?
Space Shuttle Columbia, the first space worthy Space Shuttle, broke apart over East Texas due to a hole in it's left wing caused by foam from the ET during launch.
What was the cause of the Columbia space shuttle disaster?
The Columbia space shuttle disaster was caused by damage done to left wing of the Columbia. It occurred only 81.9 seconds after the departing. The culprit was a separation of insulation foam.
Why did Columbia space shuttle blow up?
The Space Shuttle Columbia did not actually blow up. Rather, it was torn apart and disintigrated. The Columbia disaster was caused as a result of foam on the space shuttle's external fuel tank (ET). The ET is covered in insulating foam to prevent ice from forming from the cold liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellants. During launch, aerodynamic forces pulled a large piece of the foam off of the ET, and it impacted some of the space shuttle's Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels on the left wing, causing a hole. The RCC panels are used to protect the space shuttle from the violent heat of re-entry. However the hole allowed hot gases to melt the inside of the shuttle's wing, which destroyed it structurally. As Columbia's structure melted and fell apart, aerodynamic forces broke up the vehicle into hundreds of thousands of pieces, killing the crew.
What causes the space shuttle Columbia disaster?
Foam fell from the external tank during the launch. The foam struck the shuttles wing on the leading edge and punched a suitcase sized hole in it. During the reentry, hot plasma rushed into the hole and began to melt the structure of the shuttle from the inside out. This made the shuttle eventually go out of control and it broke apart in the atmosphere.
How did the space shuttle colubia happen?
A piece of foam scraped a heat shield plate on the launch and damaged it so it would not protect any more.
What happened on February 1 2003?
Space Shuttle Columbia, the first space worthy Space Shuttle, broke apart over East Texas due to a hole in it's left wing caused by foam from the ET during launch.
What happened February 1 2003?
Space Shuttle Columbia, the first space worthy Space Shuttle, broke apart over East Texas due to a hole in it's left wing caused by foam from the ET during launch.
What was the cause of the Columbia space shuttle disaster?
The Columbia space shuttle disaster was caused by damage done to left wing of the Columbia. It occurred only 81.9 seconds after the departing. The culprit was a separation of insulation foam.
Why did Columbia space shuttle blow up?
The Space Shuttle Columbia did not actually blow up. Rather, it was torn apart and disintigrated. The Columbia disaster was caused as a result of foam on the space shuttle's external fuel tank (ET). The ET is covered in insulating foam to prevent ice from forming from the cold liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellants. During launch, aerodynamic forces pulled a large piece of the foam off of the ET, and it impacted some of the space shuttle's Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels on the left wing, causing a hole. The RCC panels are used to protect the space shuttle from the violent heat of re-entry. However the hole allowed hot gases to melt the inside of the shuttle's wing, which destroyed it structurally. As Columbia's structure melted and fell apart, aerodynamic forces broke up the vehicle into hundreds of thousands of pieces, killing the crew.
What causes the space shuttle Columbia disaster?
Foam fell from the external tank during the launch. The foam struck the shuttles wing on the leading edge and punched a suitcase sized hole in it. During the reentry, hot plasma rushed into the hole and began to melt the structure of the shuttle from the inside out. This made the shuttle eventually go out of control and it broke apart in the atmosphere.
How did the space shuttle colubia happen?
A piece of foam scraped a heat shield plate on the launch and damaged it so it would not protect any more.
What are the names and years of the space shuttles that crashed?
None of them crashed. Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart in 1986 due to a SRB explosion. Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart during reentry in 2003 due to a whole in it's left wing from foam from the ET hitting it during launch.
Facts about Kennedy space center?
Northern Flicker Woodpeckers stopped the space shuttle from launching because they were trying to make a nest in the spray on-foam installationThe Kennedy Space Center shares its property with the Merritt Island
Why is foam necessary to build the space shuttle?
The external fuel tank (the large orange tank the space shuttle orbiter is mounted on for launch) is insulated due to the extremely cold liquid hydrogen it contains. This insulation is required to prevent the formation of ice which would be a danger to the orbiter.
What did space shuttle Columbia do in space?
Columbia was the first operational US Space Shuttle, and the first into space on April 12, 1981. It completed 28 missions between 1981 and 2003. The shuttle was destroyed and the 7-man crew killed during reentry on February 1, 2003, after one wing was damaged by falling ice and foam insulation during its launch on January 16, 2003. Columbia was one of two US shuttle losses that caused astronaut fatalities, the other being the Challenger explosion in January, 1986.
What happened to the Columbia and challenger space shuttle?
Challenger lifted off and exploded during takeoff and Columbia was hit by a piece of foam while re entering the atmosphere and it destinigrated
How could have the Space Shuttle Columbias problem been avoided?
They could have inspected the wing for damage after they saw it hit by the foam. After they found the damage, they could have planned a rescue of some type.
