Spacex targets a tropical tournament trip with a vehicle of the next generation in 2026

He said: “The metal tiles … did not work well.” “They have been very cute in the high oxygen environment. So, this beautiful orange color, is similar to (space) External tank The color was created, perhaps in honor of the Shuttle program, by those three three metal tiles on top. “

Geerstenmaier has a talent to explain complex technical concepts in a digestible way. He started his career as a space engineer working on NASA’s space shuttle program in 1977. He rose through NASA to become the head of all VACEFLight’s VACEFLight programs, then joined Spacex in 2020.

The experiment with metal tiles is a symbol of the way SpaceX is developing the vehicle. The company’s engineers move quickly to make changes and integrate new designs on each test trip. Metal heat tiles are not a new technology. Nassa Test them in laboratories in the 1970s But he never fled them.

“I think we have learned a lot by transferring them to the trip, and we are still getting enough protection under it that has not caused a problem.” “In most of the tiles, there are somewhat large gaps, and this is where we see the heat passes and and with them.”

Heat Starship shield is vital for the future of the program. The heat shield must be solid until Starship is quickly reused. Musk eyes that fell vehicles within 24 hours.

NASA spacecrafts in NASA were used approximately 24,000 sensitive ceramic tiles to protect them from the most important temperatures to re -enter, but the materials were sensitive and vulnerable to damage, which requires renewal and touch by hand between missions. The Crew Dragon capsule in Spacex has a reusable structure that lies behind the heat shield, but the heat shield itself is used only once.

For Starship, Spacex needs a thermal shield that will stand in front of the harsh space extinguishing – intense vibrations during the launch, extremist thermal cycles in space, incendiary re -entry heat, crushing the launch panel weapon at the end of each mission. Musk described the HEAT HEAT Reuse Shield to the ships to the “largest” engineering challenge of the stars program.

And continued its presentation, Geerstenmaier referred to a patch of white near the top of Heat’s Starship. He said that this was the result of heat leakage between gaps in the tiles and the erosion of the basic material, which is a thermal barrier derived from the heat shield on the Dragon spacecraft in Spacex. The technicians also removed some tiles near the Starship nose to test the car’s response.

“It is essentially a white substance located on the dragon, and it avoids far away, and when it closes it, it creates these white remains,” said Gestantaire. “So what we show us is that we are mainly inserted the heat in that area between the tiles, and we go under the tiles, and this impressive structure then lasts under it. So we learned that we need to close the tiles.”

The main structure of the stars consists of a special stainless steel. Most other spacecraft designed to re -enter, such as space shuttle and dragon, are made of aluminum. The fusion point is higher than the steel makes the vehicle more tolerant with damage to the shuttle shield.