Posts: 954
From: Orlando, FL
Registered: Jan 2014

posted 04-05-2020 03:39 PM               

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A seller on eBay is brilliant. He has been selling shuttle tile fragments for more then a year now, some as small as a fingernail but all claimed as flown.

I have no idea if any were flown but by breaking up the tiles into such small pieces it is impossible to identify any tile fragments to paperwork and he has made a mint compared to the cost of a single tile.

As there are so many damages and broken tiles on the market breaking them up and selling small pieces is something I would not have thought of.

Posts: 822
From: Huntington Beach, Calif.
Registered: Aug 2004

posted 05-09-2020 08:49 PM               

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Unfortunately there's no way to prove or disprove the provenance. That said, I have 70+ flown shuttle tiles in bags, some with lots of broken bits during removal while undergoing refurbishing at Palmdale in the 90's.

I have scrap tags with mine, they were obtained from one of the engineers who worked on the orbiters in Palmdale. Unless you know the seller, it's a gamble.