[Route66]

'Could the area where the tires were tucked have overheated causing a tire to blow? The heat might not
have caused a problem for metal, but could it cause a tire to expand and blow?'
>>>>>>>>>>>
They have speculated that the insulation which came loose during takeoff - was from one of the landing gear doors.
A loss of insulation from this area was deemed to not be dangerous for the continuation of the flight. Unfortunately, they may have been wrong.

[mewzilla]

Oh, I thought the insulation came off the external fuel tank. In any case, according to NBC's Jay Barbree earlier, a number of sensors either went on the fritz or registered something before communication was lost. That could narrow the possibilities for investigators hopefully.