Martin Wilson, manager of NASA’s Thermal Protection Systems Manufacturing Facility, explains the process used to make the tiles, which insulated the body of the shuttle from temperatures that approached 3000°F (1649°C). Learn how the tiles began as a mixture—or slurry—of ceramic fiber, water, and chemical additives that was pressed into blocks. After drying, the blocks were machined to their proper dimensions, coated for strength, and kiln-fired to consolidate, or “sinter.” Wilson demonstrates just how quickly the tile material dissipates heat by touching one straight out of a 2200°F oven. (Don’t try this at home!)