| For use on: | Description | Size |
| Radio | 16 bit 44.1 kilohertz stereo WAV | 16.8 MB |
| Radio | 320 kbps MP3 | 3.7 MB |
| on-line | Mono-56kps MP3 | 672 KB |
To Download Files:
From a Macintosh Operating System, click and hold the dominant mouse button to "download link to disk" on your hardrive.
From a Microsoft Windows Operating System, right click on the file and "save the target as" on your hardrive
To find information on a specific player to listen to the audio recording, please refer to our Site Tools Page.
Note: Only WAV files play directly from this server. The others must be downloaded to be played on your machine.
Full Transcript (below)
7A. Q: What is the 'patch' concept for Shuttle heat shield repairs?
Balboni: The patch is a small, circular piece of the carbon-carbon material, the same material that's used on the leading edge. So, it's a stiff piece, circular, very thin and had a special coating, which would protect it from oxidation. In other words, it would protect it from the oxygen atoms, and essentially from turning into soot. Ah, the coating then . . . So, that's what the coating does. So, the patch was then to repair a hole in – a potential hole in the wing leading edge. And it was essentially glued in place with some of that 'putty' that it mentioned that was similar putty – the same putty that was used for the crack repair. So, the patch was sort of – was, was very similar to gluing a tire patch onto a tire. Ah, in other words, it was stuck on in place. That, ah, in the screening test that concept was then dropped. I believe – it just wasn't believed to be, ah, reliable enough. And so they then went to um, to other tests for something called a 'plug.' The plug looks very similar to a patch in that it's a small, round, stiff hard piece of this carbon-carbon material. And it's thin. Only the plug has a hole in the center. Now, it's plugging a hole in the RCC leading edge, but it also – the plug itself has a hole in the center. And there's a bolt that goes right through it. And then there'll be an attachment piece underneath that would then mechanically hold the plug in place rather than relying on some kind of adhesive to hold it in place. And the plug has passed quite a few of the screening tests. And it seems to be very successful. (1:37 MINUTES)