Nov 5 1984
From The Space Library
NASA announced the delay of the 51-C Space Shuttle mission originally scheduled for launch from KSC on December 8, 1984. The agency had decided to replace up 2,800 thermal protection tiles on the underside of the orbiter Challenger due to the degradation of the bonding material.
When Challenger returned from space on its last mission, a black tile from the left wing chine area just behind and below the crew door area was missing. About 100 tiles were removed from Challenger, and it was found that the adhesive substance known as "screed," used to smooth irregularities in the surface of the orbiter, had softened. Screed was applied directly over the aluminum skin "of the orbiter. All other areas were covered with a primer called red RTV-560 (room temperature vulcanizing), which was used as an adhesive for bonding the strain isolation pads (SIP) to the body and the tile to the SIP. The 51-C mission was the first completely dedicated DOD mission. The 51-A mission continued on schedule for launch November 7. (MSFC Release 84-91)
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