Search RFC: |                                  
Please support my efforts by ADVERTISING!
Serving a Pleasant Blend of Yesterday,
Today, and Tomorrow™

Vintage Magazines

Electronics World
Popular Electronics
Radio & TV News
QST | Pop Science
Popular Mechanics
Radio-Craft
Radio-Electronics
Short Wave Craft
Electronics | OFA
Saturday Eve Post

Formulas | Data

Electronics | RF
Mathematics
Mechanics
Physics


Calvin & Phineas

kmblatt83@aol.com

Archive | Sitemap

Resources

Articles | Radar
Cogitations
Magazines | AI
RF Museum
Software | Videos
Radio Service
Tech Notes

Entertainment

Crosswords
Humor | Podcasts
Quotes | Quizzes
Tech Comics

Parts | Services

1000s of Listings


About RF Cafe

Software: RF Cascade Workbook | RF Symbols for Office | RF Symbols & Stencils for Visio | Espresso Workbook
Please Support My Advertisers!
Aegis Power | Centric RF | RFCT
Empower RF | Reactel | SF Circuits

Alliance Test | Isotec
Windfreak Technologies Frequency Synthesizers - RF Cafe

KR Electronics (RF Filters) - RF Cafe

KR Electronics (RF Filters) - RF Cafe
everythingRF RF Engineering Resources Database - RF Cafe

ConductRF VIDA67 RF Cables - RF Cafe

Maury Microwave / Boonton SGX1000 Signal Generator - RF Cafe

Please Support RF Cafe by purchasing my ridiculously low-priced products, all of which I created.

RF Cascade Workbook for Excel

RF & Electronics Symbols for Visio

RF & Electronics Symbols for Office

RF & Electronics Stencils for Visio

RF Workbench

T-Shirts, Mugs, Cups, Ball Caps, Mouse Pads

These Are Available for Free

Espresso Engineering Workbook™

Smith Chart™ for Excel

Windfreak Technologies Frequency Synthesizers - RF Cafe

Green Death
Kirt's Cogitations™ #110

minimum height spacer

RF Cafe University"Factoids," "Kirt's Cogitations," and "Tech Topics Smorgasbord" are all manifestations of my ranting on various subjects relevant (usually) to the overall RF Cafe theme. All may be accessed on these pages:

 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37

< Previous                      Next >

 

Green Death

Did extreme environmentalism contribute to the Columbia's demise? The Freon foaming agent for the spray-on foam insulation used on the shuttle's main fuel tank changed in the mid 1990s when a concern was raised about the Freon's affect on the ozone layer. Freon worked perfectly and without a separation failure since the inception of the shuttle program. The new foaming agents use water and pentane, which traps moisture and subsequently weakens the foam's adhesion to the primer on the surface of the fuel tank. The problem is exacerbated at high altitudes due to trapped gas expansion in the foam's cells. Numerous instances of foam swelling and breaking off has been reported since the switch. A separated piece of foam that struck the left wing leading edge at takeoff is the prime suspect for causing the Columbia's reentry breakup on February 1, 2003.

Windfreak Technologies Frequency Synthesizers - RF Cafe