Publisher's Synopsis
NASA and USA Structures engineers submitted main flame deflector witness materials for evaluation after the launch of STS-133. The following items were submitted for analysis: HY-80 steel witness rods, 304 stainless steel caps, tungsten pistons, 17-4 precipitation hardened (PH) stainless steel and A-286 piston sleeves, Medtherm Corporation calorimeters, and Nanmac Corporation thermocouples. All of the items were photographed in order to document their condition after the launch of STS-133, and before they were reinstalled at the launch pad for future launches. The HY -80 witness rods, 304 stainless steel caps, and the piston sleeves were dimensionally measured in order to determine the amount of material lost during launch. Microstructural changes were observed in the HY-80 witness rod and 304 stainless steel cap metallographic samples due to the heat of the launch. Long, Victoria Kennedy Space Center KSC-MSL-2010-0344, KSC-2013-004
