May 29 2003
From The Space Library
The CAIB carried out preliminary tests at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, firing foam at a fiberglass replica of the wing of an orbiter. The impact of a 1.67-pound (0.76-kilogram) piece of foam fired at 533 miles per hour (858 kilometers per hour) created a narrow 22-inch-long (56-centimeter-long) gash in the fiberglass wings. The CAIB conducted the test in preparation for an official test with panels composed of reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC), a material two and one-half times more resilient than fiberglass. In addition to determining whether foam could damage the fiberglass, the CAIB intended the test to calibrate the mechanism for testing the RCC without using up scarce RCC samples. (John Schwartz and Matthew L. Wald, “Mockup Wing Is Torn by Foam in Shuttle Test,” New York Times, 30 May 2003; Mark Carreau, “Foam Test Leaves Gash in Shuttle Wing Replica,” Houston Chronicle, 30 May 2003.
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