SPACEFLIGHT

The Space Shuttle had an unexpected feature: different parts of the orbiter (that’s the spaceplane) had different types of heat shielding on different parts of the orbiter. This was because different parts of the orbiter experienced different temperatures during reentry, also to conserve weight (the reinforced carbon carbon, the most heat resistant type of heat shielding on the orbiter, made up a lot of the weight of the heat shielding for their relatively small coverage). Heat insulation abilities ranged from 370 degrees to over 1500 degrees Celsius. But this meant that a very precise reentry orientation was necessary otherwise burn through would occur. The new SpaceX Starship utilizes one type of tile, which seems to work. So the question is, were the weight benefits of this feature worth the risks? Should NASA have gone with entirely RCC orbiters? And would adding more impact resistant tiles (strong enough to withstand foam strikes while being functional) have been worth the payload penalty?