[woodyinscc]

"Actually the tile problems are over 22 years old"

"The choices are"
"To replace them with something else (cept their isn't anything else)."

They should have put up an incentive award to private corporations. Say 500 million, the problem would have been solved long ago.

[Redleg Duke]

"They should have put up an incentive award to private corporations. Say 500 million, the problem would have been solved long ago."

Interesting. And incentive award to ignore a law of physics. Like I say, "Interesting",

[r9etb]

They should have put up an incentive award to private corporations. Say 500 million, the problem would have been solved long ago.

Of course, that is precisely how they got the current tile design. And when all is said and done, it's actually a pretty decent solution. Light, repairable, and unquestionably effective.

The alternative to tiles would be a "thermal blanket" design, which sounds good until you have to repair it -- not to mention paying for it.

Or an ablative design, which would have to be replaced every flight, at great expense in both time and money.

[John Jamieson]

It's available now, go for it, NASA will pay.

Why do people who know nothing about a subject, assume that those that do are idiots?

PS: the tile WAS developed by a private company.