Section of Challenger found on ocean floor

[Demovictory9]

https://apnews.com/article/challenger-space-shuttle-found-in-ocean-064e47171452894d6494f142fea26126





CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A large section of the destroyed space shuttle Challenger has been found buried in sand at the bottom of the Atlantic, more than three decades after the tragedy that killed a schoolteacher and six others.

NASA’s Kennedy Space Center announced the discovery Thursday.

“Of course, the emotions come back, right?” said Michael Ciannilli, a NASA manager who confirmed the remnant’s authenticity. When he saw the underwater video footage, “My heart skipped a beat, I must say, and it brought me right back to 1986 ... and what we all went through as a nation.”

It’s one of the biggest pieces of Challenger found in the decades since the acciden t, according to Ciannilli, and the first remnant to be discovered since two fragments from the left wing washed ashore in 1996.

Divers for a TV documentary first spotted the piece in March while looking for wreckage of a World War II plane. NASA verified through video a few months ago that the piece was part of the shuttle that broke apart shortly after liftoff on Jan. 28, 1986. All seven on board were killed, including the first schoolteacher bound for space, Christa McAuliffe.

[Sky Jewels]

1. Oh wow. That is really poignant.

[Brother Buzz]

2. Looks like those Space Tiles didn't age well in saltwater

[ProfessorGAC]

3. Could Be The Adhesive

Not the ceramic itself.
Adhesives typically (not universally) has water content. In the presence of salt water, ions diffuse into the colloidal suspension to reach equilibrium.
The new salt water has a different density and creates micro-fissures along the polymer chains, especially the crosslinks.
Now, we have swelled, brittle adhesive with reduced tensile strength. (The broken cross links).
It's not a chemical attack per se, but a physiochemical effect.
As one tile flakes off at a time, currents would move them around. They might never find all the missing tiles.

[Hekate]

4. Interesting!

I love reading stuff like this

[ProfessorGAC]

5. Adhesives Are Physical Chemistry

The reactions are usually very straightforward.
The complicated stuff is the macromolecular structuring and emulsion chemistry.
Those things would fall into one of my specialties. (Phase behavior & surface chemistry, closely related topics are things I worked on for 25 of my 43 years.)

[Brother Buzz]

6. They had troubles with the adhesives from the get-go so your idea has merit

The fluctuation in temperatures gave them all sorts of grief; I suspect the chemical engineers never considered sea water in the equation.

[ProfessorGAC]

9. Highly Unlikely That They Did

Even though they're near the sea, chlorides should be irrelevant.
The vapor pressure of salts in sea water is awfully close to zero. So, absent any sea water spray, being near the sea doesn't mean much.
Hence, sea water would not be a design factor.
Obviously, nothing in the design would include the thing blowing up and pieces of it sitting 100 feet under water for 40 years. Nobody takes contingency planning that far in the design phase.
So you're right, they wouldn't have considered it. But to be fair, they shouldn't have had to.
If they don't make another mistake by ignoring the physical chemistry of elastomer, we're not having this discussion.
Oh, and I agree that there were adhesive issues earlier. Obviously, it had an effect on Columbia. The tiles FELL OFF! So, we can be certain about that.

[WarGamer]

7. always enjoy your content... nt

[malaise]

8. I love folks who know their stuff

Thanks for the details