Aluminum melts at 1220 degrees F
The reentry temperatures to the bottom side of the shuttle exceeds 2000 degrees
I know.. Thanks!
Again, location in the heat flow in the area of the gouge won’t likely be significant enough in Nasa’s opinion to cause a rupture. Even if it did, they are of the opinion the shuttle would obviously be in need of more repair were that to happen, but it would still be able to hold up thru a re-entry and land OK.