posted 02-20-2014 10:35 PM
Hi guys! First time poster here but long time lurker.A year or two back I purchased this Space Shuttle Experimental Box Insulating Material as a new space collector (I didn't realise just how big they were — the whole inches/centimeters thing!).
I love the items and I have just finished creating a giant cylinder onto which the material wraps around (I will show photos soon) to recreate how it would have been in the shuttle (if it was flown... not sure).
With the auction came a photograph (looks like an official KSC photo with an information sticker on the back that says:
12/17/90
W/O #90-MDSSC-2782. WAD #CRO 408334
STS-39 Chemical Release Observatory
(CRO) Battery Charger Connect. Air Force Project/Infra Background/Space Test Pay-load-01. Space Transportation System-39(FRS 1-21)
(Customer Exposed Film-Bahur)
F9121-292
KSC-390C-8258.21
In hand writing on the back of the photo is "S.W.A.S Sub-millimetre Wave Astronomy Satellite" — but this doesn't quite add up to me. That wasn't STS-39 as far as I know...In fact, the photo may not actually be of the same experimental box blankets.
The only text on the large blanket says 303L NF' and then again on a different location '303L'. There are no NASA tags, etc.
I have spent ages trying to find out if they actually belonged to STS-39, if they were flown (I'm guessing not), etc.
I would love to have a bit more info on these items. In general, I know that various experiments were ejected from these cylinders over a few missions, but that's it. Were these types of experiments done inside the cylinder, or where they always ejected from the cylinder into space?
Last, I want to velcro a NASA logo patch onto the insulation as it would have been originally (I think). But I would attach the patch to a small square of material to, then velcro onto the insulation. My question, is any advice of how I can get a visually similar material for the 10 inch square to that of the white/silver insulation? (My knowledge is low on this, I'm not even sure if it's beta cloth or just mylar/nylon.)
Thanks heaps for your time, and if people are interested I'll post images of the set-up. — Hayden