How come pieces of foam always fall off the space shuttle? »
Posted By Wil 1 year, 1 month ago in Science & TechnologyBecause it stays on only when it's been perfectly applied. If NASA engineers leave any air pockets or bits of dirt in the foam, or miss a tiny spot, then the extreme conditions of liftoff can knock it right off.
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Wil
I'm a Propeller Scout, and I run the Geek group. I'm a writer and actor who loves technology and science fiction. But I ...
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Wil1 year, 1 month ago
I think one of the reasons they're retiring the shuttle program in favor of something more like the Saturn V rockets is because it's so dangerous to have a vehicle sitting parallel to the fuel (like the shuttle does) while it's better to have the vehicle sitting on top of the fuel (like the Apollo and Mercury programs.)
I'm sure there's someone here who knows more about space flight than me (I just played a space genius on TV . . . ) who can clarify this.
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Harbeas1 year, 1 month ago
I agreed with you attacks. With the thousands of engineers involved in the space program something as simple as making sure something doesn't fall off during takeoff shouldn't be that difficult. Far more difficult things had to be overcome before man could even fly the spaceship no?
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david_nwpa1 year, 1 month ago
I am not sure if this helps to understand, but parts of the Space Shuttle that must have adhesives applied for the foam to stick are irregular in shape and surface area. The adhesive must be applied evenly and must be able to withstand incredible changes in temperature and pressure both during liftoff and re-entry. If that adhesive is not applied just so, it is possible that some of the foam can rip off during re-entry. If any space debris of any size hits the shuttle, or if the shuttle experiences charges of lightning as it passes out of Earth's atmosphere, the glue could come loose.
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