John F. Kennedy Space Center - Orbiter Thermal Protection System

ORBITER THERMAL PROTECTION SYSTEM
KSC Release No. 11-89
February 1989

Thermal Protection System Materials

Thermal Protection System KSC News Releases KSC Fact Sheets

Each thermal protection system material listed is followed by the average number of tiles and blankets on each orbiter made out of the material.

High-Temperature Reusable Surface Insulation (HRSI) tiles
	22-pound-per-cubic-foot = 525
	9-pound-per-cubic-foot = 20,000

Fibrous Refractory Composite Insulation (FRCI) tiles
	12-pound-per-cubic-foot = 2,950

Low-Temperature Reusable Surface Insulation (LRSI) tiles
	9-pound-per-cubic-foot = 725
	12-pound-per-cubic-foot = 77*

Flexible Insulation Blankets (FIBs) = 2,300

Felt Reusable Surface Insulation (FRSI) = 975**

*	Columbia (OV-102) will have a slight variation in the number of tiles because of the Shuttle infrared leeside temperature sensing pod atop the vertical stabilizer. There is a slight variation in the number of tiles per vehicle. Some orbiters also have no 12-pound-per-cubic-foot (LRSI) tiles.
**	The FRSI sheets will vary slightly in number for each orbiter. An average of 1,860 square feet of FRSI sheets are used on an orbiter.

Page Last Revised	Page & Curator Information
08/25/2000	Curator: Kay Grinter (kay.grinter-1@ksc.nasa.gov) / InDyne, Inc. Web Development: JBOSC Web Development Team A Service of the NASA/KSC External Relations and Business Development Directorate JoAnn H. Morgan, Director

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