Schnort t1_ivzsu6t wrote
Reply to comment by Spaceguy5 in NASA leaders recently viewed footage of an underwater dive off the East coast of Florida, and they confirm it depicts an artifact from the space shuttle Challenger by marketrent
The entire bottom of the shuttle had black tiles, so this piece is likely not from the bottom (unless the black tiles bleached in their stint in the ocean or they stopped using black, but I don't think they did).
Spaceguy5 t1_ivzt5nv wrote
The tiles are white on the inside, and these tiles look pretty clearly like the tops were ripped off. You can also see bits of black on the sides of some of the tiles that are still there.
Schnort t1_ivztnnf wrote
Very possible. Looking closer at the video shows a veneer of black around the edges of the tiles near the buried surface.
I would have assumed the entire tile was made from a black ceramic, and not just the outer veneer.
I'm assuming the tops weren't ripped off, but just eroded by sand and ocean currents. (You can see rounded cavities and voids typical of erosion in the video)
Spaceguy5 t1_ivzu0k8 wrote
True, could have been erosion and ocean currents wearing them down as well.
The inside of the tiles is pretty much a foam like texture (extremely porous), except it's hard and made out of silica. And then they would add either a white or a hard black coating on the outside
Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments