LI-900 silica tiles
E684171
LI-900 silica tiles are ultra-lightweight, heat-resistant ceramic tiles used to protect the Space Shuttle from the extreme temperatures of atmospheric reentry.
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
ceramic tile
ⓘ
reusable surface insulation ⓘ thermal protection material ⓘ |
| appliedTo |
Space Shuttle leading edges vicinity
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Space Shuttle lower surface NERFINISHED ⓘ Space Shuttle nose area ⓘ |
| attachmentFeature | strain isolation pad between tile and structure ⓘ |
| attachmentMethod | bonded to Shuttle skin with silicone adhesive ⓘ |
| category | aerospace thermal protection system ⓘ |
| coating | black borosilicate glass coating ⓘ |
| coatingFunction |
protect silica substrate from moisture
ⓘ
radiate heat away ⓘ |
| color |
black on coated surface
ⓘ
white on uncoated silica core ⓘ |
| compositionByWeight |
approximately 10 percent silica fiber
ⓘ
approximately 90 percent air ⓘ |
| density |
about 144 kilograms per cubic meter
ⓘ
about 9 pounds per cubic foot ⓘ |
| developedAt | NASA Ames Research Center NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| developedBy | NASA NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| developedForProgram | Space Shuttle program NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| era | 1970s ⓘ |
| function |
insulate against aerodynamic heating
ⓘ
protect Space Shuttle aluminum structure during reentry ⓘ |
| manufacturingProcess |
sintered silica fiber block machining
ⓘ
surface glazing with glass coating ⓘ |
| massPerTile | typically less than 1 kilogram ⓘ |
| material | amorphous silica ⓘ |
| notableFeature | can be held by edges while red-hot without burning hand ⓘ |
| operatedIn | low Earth orbit missions ⓘ |
| property |
brittle
ⓘ
high thermal shock resistance ⓘ highly porous ⓘ low thermal conductivity ⓘ ultra-lightweight ⓘ |
| protects | Space Shuttle aluminum airframe ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
FRCI-12 tiles
ⓘ
LI-2200 silica tiles ⓘ |
| replacedPartiallyBy | FRCI-12 tiles on later Shuttle flights ⓘ |
| reusability | reusable for multiple missions ⓘ |
| shape | mostly square or rectangular blocks ⓘ |
| thermalConductivity | very low ⓘ |
| usedFor | thermal protection during atmospheric reentry ⓘ |
| usedOn | NASA Space Shuttle orbiter NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| vulnerability |
susceptible to impact damage
ⓘ
susceptible to moisture absorption if coating is damaged ⓘ |
| withstandTemperature |
up to about 1260 degrees Celsius
ⓘ
up to about 2300 degrees Fahrenheit ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.