posted 12-01-2010 10:11 AM               

NASA Offers Space Shuttle Tiles To Schools And Universities

As the Space Shuttle Program nears retirement, NASA is looking for ways to preserve the program's history and inspire the next generation of space explorers, scientists and engineers. Beginning Wednesday, NASA is offering 7,000 shuttle heat shield tiles to schools and universities that want to share technology and a piece of space history with their students.

The lightweight tiles protect the shuttles from extreme temperatures when the orbiters re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. Schools can request a tile at:

gsaxcess.gov/NASAWel.htm

Click on the tile icon to log on to the request page. A login ID and password may be obtained by registering on the link provided. A Department of Education statistics tracking number (NCES for schools or IPEDS for universities) is needed to register. Hyperlinks are available to these sites to find a specific institution's tracking number.

The requests will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Only one tile will be given per institution.

Because the tiles are government property, a transfer protocol is observed. Recipients will be responsible for a shipping and handling fee of $23.40, which is payable to the shipping company through a secure website.

posted 12-01-2010 11:20 AM               

I can think of a number of other uses for tiles in a classroom setting, though.

Each of the tiles are waterproofed pre-flight, which can be and has been adapted for another demonstration.

posted 12-01-2010 12:03 PM               

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Originally posted by BMckay:
It is great to see the schools get them but I bet they will tend to sit in a closet more then be used for science demonstrations.

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posted 01-24-2011 04:02 PM               

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Originally posted by cfreeze79:
Hey Robert, any chance of you maintaining a database of the location of these educational tiles?

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Also, is there any way to found out when/if our tile was flown?

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posted 01-25-2011 08:54 AM               

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
My understanding is that these tiles were all spares, prepared for flight but never flown...

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I helped my wife register and request one for her school last night. The material data sheet has a place where it indicates whether the item was flown or not, and the tiles have a 'no' in that field.

posted 01-25-2011 10:23 AM               

NASA's Space Shuttle Transition Working Group's Shuttle Tiles Disposition Process and Procedures Plan addressed export of the tiles.

ITAR and Export Control Issues

The Space Shuttle is captured under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) categories IV and XV, which include all specifically designed or modified systems or subsystems, components, parts, accessories, attachments, and associated equipment for the Space Shuttle. The Shuttle Thermal Protection System, including the tiles, is controlled for export purposes under the ITAR. A license from the Department of State is required to transfer the tiles to a foreign person either inside or outside the United states. Any tiles transferred to a U.S. person shall be accompanied by a notice indicating to the recipient the export control classification, license requirements to transfer the tiles to a foreign person, and requirement to comply with U.S. export control laws and regulations.

posted 02-08-2011 11:15 AM               

Given that I'm wondering what others who have received tiles are going to use the it for in their classrooms.

ON EDIT: My wife brought the tile home for me to look at, see the pic below. She is asking if there's any way to find out where the tile would have been installed on the orbiter.

posted 02-20-2011 05:50 AM               

On an ordinary school day at Tommie Barfield Elementary (TBE), via a UPS delivery, an extraordinary piece of history was delivered.

After opening the package from Capital Exhibits Services, fifth grade students of Mabel Pena's science class gathered around a shrink-wrapped tile. With wonderment, they gazed at the small white tile thinking about its long journey into space as one of 24,000 other thermal protection system tiles from one of five different NASA space shuttles. It will reside at TBE permanently.

Credit: Marco Eagle

"It is so cool to think that the tile actually came from a shuttle," said student Mariana Ruiz-Vallejo...

Plans are to display the tile in a sealed Plexiglas box along with a model of a space shuttle...

"We just finished a unit on earth and space science and just began studying thermal energy, force and motion and the different types of solar energy, so the special delivery fit right into our lessons. We are talking about insulators, conductors and how the tiles are used as insulation on the shuttles as they reenter the atmosphere. The tiles keep the heat out and prevent the shuttle from blowing up," said Pena of the lessons developed in conjunction with the tile.

As a class project, the students are now thinking of materials suitable for making small replicas of the tile, she explained.

posted 02-20-2011 05:19 PM               

Hers is smaller and dark gray whereas mine is about 9" square, white, with a convex surface. The gray tiles were generally from the lower body while the white were on the upper parts.

posted 03-10-2011 06:40 PM               

The tile number is V070-395907-122-008828. It's a black tile which is 4-1/4" high and 5/8" deep. It is slightly curved, such that on top it is 5-7/8" wide, and on the bottom it is 5-1/2" wide. From the top (numbers facing up), it is also slightly convex.

posted 04-19-2011 09:59 PM               

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Originally posted by Fezman92:
...what will they do with them if there aren't any more requests?

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Any tiles that may require disposition at a future date, and not desired by a museum or academic institution should be destroyed rather than enter the GSAXcess disposition system for sale.

posted 04-22-2011 10:13 AM               

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Originally posted by cfreeze79:
Also, is there any way to found out when/if our tile was flown?

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posted 08-18-2011 11:41 PM               

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Originally posted by spaceman1953:
...how do "you" destroy something that was meant to do the work these tiles were meant to do?

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posted 01-19-2012 02:15 PM               

The only thing to watch out for is that you won't want someone to pick up the display case unless they're careful. On mine, I glued the display to the bottom of the case, and also made a very tight fit on the tile to help secure it in place, although I still would not want to see the tile come loose. The clear part simply sits on top of the base. To make it more secure, I taped it in place with two pieces of scotch tape.

posted 11-26-2013 09:03 PM               

Special Items (such as a Thermal Protective Tile, Astronaut Food Package or Turbine Blade ) may only be requested by educational organizations participating in the Department of Education statistical monitoring as indicated by their assigned NCES number (for schools) and IPEDS number (for colleges and universities) and non‐profit museums sponsored by their State Agency for Surplus Property (SASP).

The Approving Official for a school may only be the Assistant Principal, Principal or the Superintendent; the Approving Official for a college or university may only be Dean, Department Chairman or President.

posted 11-26-2013 09:23 PM               

During this time, the recipient may not "sell, trade, lease, lend, bail, cannibalize, encumber, or otherwise dispose" of the artifact. At the end of the restricted period, the recipient will receive a release document from the State Department.

Only then, can the school or museum consider releasing the artifact, while still being bound by State Department ITAR restrictions and other applicable laws and guidelines.