Re: Dummies question - gap filler

On Thu, 4 Aug 2005 09:25:51 -0500, Herb Schaltegger
<herb.schaltegger@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>That's utterly incorrect. The gap fillers in question have two
>purposes. One of them is to prevent "chatter" of the tiles due to
>launch vibration and acoustics. Such chattering can lead to tile
>cracks. A second purpose (applicable to only one of the two that came
>loose) is to literally fill a gap between two tiles which are installed
>slightly too far apart due to tolerancing issues - e.g., one or both
>adjacent tiles is a shade too narrow leaving an out-of-spec gap between
>the two. Removed, it leaves a bigger-than-specificied gap; however,
>the heat transfer analysis demonstrates that it will not result in
>dangerous over-heating below these particular tiles.

Are the gap fillers in any way related to preventing zippering?

I know you mentioned the news conferences but I don't have access to
Nasa TV on cable here and, on a modem connection with delays and
packet loss, watching the internet versions has proven rather
problematical (too far for DSL/ satellite is questionable due to trees
and terrible weather which regularly kills surge protectors and UPSs/
no isdn or cable modem service available/ only high speed option is
$800 per month T-1 local loop charge whether fractional or full).

I've also been pretty much off the grid for most of the last few days
due to a medical emergency of my own (small but time/paperwork/travel
intensive - lightning got through a surge protector and killed my
CPAP) and major surgery wednesday (with excellent results) of a family
member which has kept me in the car, doctors offices, medical supply
houses, and hospital waiting rooms for much of the week. For some
reason, the various hospital waiting room TV's seem to either not work
or be stuck on the Sci-Fi channel :)

BTW, if you move, immediately have your medical records transferred.
The doctor who originally prescribed the CPAP left the clinic and left
behind the medical records with the clinic, which promptly went out of
business and transferred them to the parent hospital which then went
out of business. I tracked down the doctor in another city, but the
hospital his office said had the records said they didn't and they
contacted the county for me which said another hospital had them, but
that hospital had already denied having them. I ended up in something
like an infinite loop and the Doctor here had to go through a lot of
extra hoops to prescribe the replacement machine because he didn't
have the original records. I got the CPAP (had to go to another town
to get one - none available locally) just in time to get 5 hours sleep
and leave in the middle of the night for the family members surgery in
another state. I don't need the records now that I have the new CPAP,
but the hospitals definitely tried to be helpful. I'm still getting
messages on my answering machine with conflicting answers on where and
who to try to get the original records from.

-- David
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: The TPS gap fillers that were removed
    ... >orbiter were both located at intersections where there were new tiles ... I could tell since new tiles are very black in color, ... The gap fillers are supposed to be glued to the structure, ... It looked to me like a bead was applied to the edge before it was inserted, ...
    (sci.space.shuttle)
  • Re: Nasas incompetance
    ... >> Vibrations during launch of the shuttle caused the gap fillers to ... >> protrude outward from between the tiles. ... >> Why the hell weren't these gap fillers adhesed into the area between ...
    (sci.space.shuttle)
  • Re: The TPS gap fillers that were removed
    ... I could tell since new tiles are very black in color, ... >installing the gap fillers to begin with. ... situation they are wearing their own "casual" clothing (same applies ...
    (sci.space.shuttle)
  • Nasas incompetance
    ... Vibrations during launch of the shuttle caused the gap fillers to ... protrude outward from between the tiles. ... Why the hell weren't these gap fillers adhesed into the area between ...
    (sci.space.shuttle)
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