Revitalizing the Space Shuttle’s Thermal Protection System with Reverse-Engineering and 3D Vision Technology

Abstract

Since the dawn of manned space flights, one crucial role of a spacecraft is to safeguard astronauts during the re-entry phase of space travel. The space shuttle’s thermal protection system (TPS) provides a barrier to shield the space shuttle orbiter from the intense heat of atmospheric re-entry, which rises to a scorching temperature of 2,300°F (1,260 °C). The shuttle is the only reusable space vehicle to ever make multiple flights into space. Due to its many missions, NASA needed an efficient method to fix and maintain the vehicle’s heat shield. United Space Alliance LLC is the NASA contractor in charge of this process. Traditionally, the heat shield tile-replacement process has been a time-consuming, manual endeavor. The search for a viable technique to fabricate the tile components started in the 1980s. As 3-D scanning technology improved and evolved, capturing the surface of each tile or cavity with a high-precision scanner has become a viable method to support the manufacturing of the heat shield components. TPS PROCESSES REVIEWED After the Columbia accident, the revitalization process of the TPS underwent a critical review. As a result, the workload of the