A safe return to flight.(Process Technology)(Glenn Refractory Adhesive for Bonding and Exterior Repair)(Brief Article)

The Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy brought home the risks of defects in the thermal protection systems (TPS) of space vehicles. To address this need, a high-temperature refractory adhesive system has been developed for the in-space repair of the TPS for the Space Shuttle and the proposed Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). Developed by Mrityunjay Singh and Tarah Shpargel of QSS Group, Inc., along with researchers from NASA Glenn Research Center, both of Cleveland, Ohio, the Glenn Refractory Adhesive for Bonding and Exterior Repair (GRABER) can be cured with orbital sun heat and has excellent plasma performance under reentry conditions.

The repair system, for which there are no competitors, consists of preparing an adhesive paste of a ceramic in a polymer/phenolic...

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