Skip to main content

This auction has ended. View lot details

You may also be interested in

Own a similar item?

Submit your item online for a free auction estimate.

TILE FLOWN ON FIRST SIX CHALLENGER MISSIONS. Challenger-flown LRSI (Low-temperature Reusable Surface Insulation) tile, image 1
TILE FLOWN ON FIRST SIX CHALLENGER MISSIONS. Challenger-flown LRSI (Low-temperature Reusable Surface Insulation) tile, image 2
Lot 308

TILE FLOWN ON FIRST SIX CHALLENGER MISSIONS.
Challenger-flown LRSI (Low-temperature Reusable Surface Insulation) tile,

25 March 2013, 13:00 EDT
New York

Sold for US$1,875 inc. premium

Own a similar item?

Submit your item online for a free auction estimate.

How to sell

Looking for a similar item?

Our Space History specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.

Find your local specialist

Ask about this lot

TILE FLOWN ON FIRST SIX CHALLENGER MISSIONS.

Challenger-flown LRSI (Low-temperature Reusable Surface Insulation) tile, 6 x 6 inches. Part no V070-391039-043, serial no 008455. Accompanied by "Flown Hardware" tag, printed and completed in manuscript, reading "Orbiter No 099, STS Number 17," (referring to its 17th processing flow), dated November 13, 1984.

The present tile was flown on the first six flights of Challenger: STS-6 (the maiden voyage), STS-7, 8, 41-B, 41-C, and 41-G, before being replaced. These tiles would cover the upper wing near the leading edge. They are also used in selected areas of the forward, mid, and aft fuselage, vertical tail, and the OMS/RCS pods. They protect areas where reentry temperatures are below 1,200°F. The white color is by design and helps to manage heat during orbit when the orbiter is exposed to direct sunlight. LRSI tiles are reusable for up to 100 missions with refurbishment, 100 missions also being the design lifetime of each orbiter. White tiles are rarely available on the market.
Please note that US State Department regulations prohibit the export of Shuttle tiles outside the United States.

Additional information

Bid now on these items

Signed to Spencer Tracy 1952 Hemingway, Ernest. 1899-1961. The Old Man and the Sea, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1952.

A Presentation Copy of Kennedy's First Book to Spencer Tracy. Kennedy, John F. 1917-1963. Why England Slept. New York: Wilfred Funk, Inc., 1940.

ADVERTISING POSTERfor 'The Suffragette' newspaper, [c.1913-1914]

ILLUMINATED ADDRESS – CLARA CODD Illuminated printed address signed by Emmeline Pankhurst, [1909]

MUSIC & RECORDINGS – ETHEL SMYTH Collection of printed music, song sheets and records, [c.1911-1912]

SUFFRAGETTE INSIGNIA - SPEAKER Speaker's ribbon for the Great 'Women's Sunday' Demonstration in Hyde Park, 21 June 1908