[XBob]

89 - "It was a block of white "foam" ... sort of like what you describe as 'merangue' in post #26."

ok, good - you don't even need a pencil to put a hole in that, just stick your finger through it.

That is not the insulation from the tank, that is perhaps what the tank insulation ran into at several hundred miles per hour, depending on whether it hit the top or bottom of the wing. That is the white tile on the top.

[HiTech RedNeck]

ok, good - you don't even need a pencil to put a hole in that, just stick your finger through it

If it punctures that readily, why doesn't the onrush of air during landing smash the tile?