EC87-0035-001
This photo shows the Shuttle tile flight test fixture under the wing of a National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration WP-3D aircraft. Sections of the Space Shuttle thermal protection system’s 6- by 6-inch tiles were mounted on a pylon under the right wing of the WP-3D aircraft. The aircraft was equipped with raindropsize-measuring instruments and cloud radars. The WP-3D weather research aircraft obtained rain impact data for airspeeds between 180 and 260 knots indicated airspeed. Test samples were mounted on two movable doors contained within the left and right sides of the test fixture (for a total of four doors). The doors could be opened or closed to the free-stream airflow during flight at angles of 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 degrees.
The WP-3D tile testing concentrated on observing the effects of larger drops of moisture at lower speeds.February 4, 1987NASA Photo / Bledsoe› Read P-3D Orion Project Description