Aug 29 2006
Six coupons of NASA shuttle heat shield material purposely gouged to simulate possible damage were tested during a spacewalk July 12, 2006. Astronauts Piers Sellers and Mike Fossum using NOAX, or as they called it "Good GOO" a caulk - paste like sealant containing SMP-10 and other components was used to repair the simulated damage. An objective was to gather further information on how effective the material was in filling cracks and how it would respond in zero gravity. The "GOO" handled well according to Sellers and Fossum. Two of the test tiles were returned to the Johnson Space Center where they were arc-jet tested under reentry conditions, up to 30000 F to see if the patch job would hold up. Both passed with flying colors.
No additional experiments in space are expected. However, NOAX will likely fly on every flight until the end of the shuttle program. The only time NASA expects it would be used is for an actual on-wing repair.
The sealant was developed for NASA by Alliant Techsystems Inc., a Minnesota-based advanced weapon and space systems company. Starfire's polymers were selected for their unique ability to convert from a caulk-like material to a very high temperature solid ceramic during the heat of re-entry. Starfire has a long history of work with NASA in a number of areas and also continues to work with other NASA contractors on additional repair solutions.