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From: jam@ho95b.UUCP (Joe)
Newsgroups: net.columbia
Subject: Re: Shuttle Tiles Question
Message-ID: <134@ho95b.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 27-Apr-84 13:07:13 EST
Article-I.D.: ho95b.134
Posted: Fri Apr 27 13:07:13 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 28-Apr-84 09:37:55 EST
References: <721@pyuxa.UUCP>, <440@ihlts.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ
Lines: 13

I also saw something on television once about the shuttle tiles -
After showing how they were made and how and why each one is
individually shaped, they had a graphic demo of their insulating
properties.  They took a red-hot tile out of a furnace, and then
came back a while later when the core of the tile was still
glowing cherry red (you could see it through the sides of the tile).
A man simply picked it up, handled it thoroughly, and passed it to
a reporter. The outside was obviously cool enough to handle while
the inside was still red-hot!

They went on to explain some of the history behind the long effort
to develop the material that could perform so well, but I forget
the details.