The Heat Shield on the Space Shuttle

_Tombstone_

Bet ya didn't know they were installed by College Kids on Summer Holidays!


http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/hey-nasa-where-are-the-records-for-thousands-of-space-shuttle-tiles-this-man-wants-to-know

Somewhere out there (NASA can't mind anything, it's probably in a landfill) theirs a binder with a picture record of every Tile, updated after every mission.

The agency developed a database in order to “document the condition of each tile, determine any necessary repairs or replacement, and generate work instructions.” Over the course of its 135 missions, the shuttle went through hundreds of thousands of tiles, each individually shaped, attached, and re-examined between launches. Such a mass of detailed records promises to be fascinating—the stories of each tile, when pieced together, would make up a kind of historical mosaic, an alternate illustration of the program as a whole.

The only problem? The database is nowhere to be found.

Notes on status/damage ^^^

Since the shuttle's retirement, NASA has donated leftover tiles to schools and universities, and former technicians have been arrested for selling them.

Some Lad has started a search to see if it still exists http://shuttletiles.space/#howtohelp

He’s just hoping to pay proper attention to an overlooked piece of American history—a piece that happens to involve many, many pieces.
If nothing else, he hopes his quest reminds people that, even though the shuttle has docked for good, some types of exploration are still possible. “This project is about certain hardware maintenance records,” he says, “but it’s also about remembering that there’s treasure everywhere.”

The underside of the Discovery's starboard wing, being inspected for damages as it floats above Earth.

ps200306

Haven't they discovered that the rocks from the moon landings have ended up in the most unlikely places too?