Sujet

Heat Shield, X-33 Reusable Launch Vehicle, 1990s. Creator: B.F. Goodrich Company.

Légende

This metallic heat shield panel was made for the X-33 reusable launch vehicle research project that NASA and Lockheed carried out from 1996-2001. The purpose of the project was to evaluate technologies for a successor vehicle to the Space Shuttle. Researchers targeted the thermal protection system for improvement and innovation, seeking a more durable and more easily installed heat shield that would require less maintenance than Shuttle tiles. This lightweight metallic heat shield panel, made of Inconel and titanium, would lock together with others to form an armor layer on the vehicle. Such a metallic shield was deemed a viable alternative to ablative shields or ceramic tiles. However, NASA shelved this approach to thermal protection when it cancelled the X-33 project, and the Museum acquired a sample panel for its heat shield collection.

Crédit

Photo12/Heritage Images/Heritage Art

Notre référence

HRM21A88_247

Model release

NA

Property release

NA

Licence

Droits gérés

Format disponible

105,3Mo (6,0Mo) / 58,8cm x 44,9cm / 6939 x 5306 (300dpi)

Mots clés

technology education country space color location century spacecraft space travel NASA United States of America Nineties Colour Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum Educational Institution 20th century air and space museum American America USA 1990s decade scientific institution object united states National Aeronautics and Space Administration Heritage Art NASM Inconel (alloy) titanium fiberglass SPACECRAFT-Unmanned-Parts & Structural Components heat shield B.F. Goodrich Company Goodrich B.F. Company Goodrich Corporation Goodrich Corp.