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>Its inner compartment, representing the crew area, was to be a pressurized aluminum chamber. A composite fuselage structure was to enclose the chamber and the exterior surfaces were to be covered with a Thermal Protection System (TPS) to withstand the heat generated by air friction as the vehicle returned to Earth through the atmosphere. The TPS was to be similar to materials used on the space shuttles, but much more durable - carbon and metallic-silica tiles for the hottest regions, and flexible blanket-like material for areas receiving less heat during atmospheric reentry. [i][b]Above:[/b] X-38 V-201 inside Hangar X in 2002.[/i] (NASA)
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