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on June 1, 2011. The landing of Atlantis on July 21, 2011 marked the closing of the 30-
year program. The lessons learned and developments of this 30-year program will impact
future programs such as the one to go to Mars (Rabelo et al., 2011; Rabelo et al., 2012;
Rabelo et al., 2013).

Figure 8: The NASA Space Shuttle and its main components (NASA, 2005).

One of the most important systems in the Space Shuttle is the Thermal Protection
System (TPS). The TPS is made up of diverse materials “applied externally to the outer
structural skin of the orbiter to maintain the skin within acceptable temperatures,
primarily during the entry phase of the mission” (NASA, 2002). The TPS is built from
materials selected for stability at high temperatures and weight efficiency. Reinforced
carbon-carbon (RCC) is used on the wing leading edges; the nose cap, including an area
immediately after of the nose cap; and the immediate area around the forward
orbiter/external tank structural attachment. RCC protects areas where temperatures
exceed 2,300 °F during re-entry (NASA, 2004).
The wing leading edges are one of the highest reentry heating areas. The wing
leading edges are composed of 22 panels (Figure 9). These panels are fabricated with
RCC. To begin fabrication of these RCC panels, a foundation of woven fabric is
positioned such that all plies are alternating in the 0 and 90 degree directions. During the
manufacturing process, silica is infused in the outer layers, and the resulting laminate is
heated in specialized reactors that have an inert environment to form a silicon-carbide