The History of Orbiter Corrosion Control (1981 - 2011)

The Space Shuttle Orbiter is a truly remarkable vehicle (Figure 1). As the first orbital spacecraft design for reuse it has served America’s space program tremendously for three decades. The Orbiter was designed for a life of 10 years or 100 missions. Although none of the vehicles have flown more than 39 missions the Orbiter has performed spectacularly for three times its designed life. Figure 1. The Space Shuttle Atlantis on orbit. Although a complex vehicle, its basic construction is not much different than a normal aircraft (Figure 2). What make the Orbiter unique are its thermal protection and other systems which were designed to operation over a wide range of operating temperatures, pressures and stresses. The Orbiter utilizes aggressive fluid systems which can create challenges both in operation and during ground operations. Additionally the Orbiter spent a good portion of its life in one of the world’s most aggressive sea coast environments. Another challenge was the fact that the Orbiter’s structure and systems were not necessarily designed for inspectability.