tile material that was made in the late 1970s for the Space Shuttle Columbia, the first shuttle to fly into space.We only have a limited amount of thermal tile material and once they're gone, they're gone foreverMaterial Background: Thermal tiles are made of a 'foam glass' material. Each Space Shuttle contains more than 34,000 separate tiles, each specifically cut for its own location, to protect the Shuttle when reentering the Earth's atmosphere. Note: This tile material is not from the loss of STS-107. It comes from the same lot of material originally installed on ColumbiaPackaging: Packaging includes a clear plastic box with an authentic piece of Space Shuttle tile material resting on a sky blue foam insert. It also now includes an inscribed plate, which includes information about the Thermal Tile. This is an excellent educational item for students and a must-have for collectors. Product features are presented below. Also see below for more information on how this tile material became commercially available. Supplies are limited. Plastic display box is 3 x 3 x 1 inches The tile material is a 1.65 inch square Includes an inscribed information plaque Includes a Statement of Authenticity Card Note: Tile material is brittle and has a chalky film. This film can get on your hands and irritate the skin if handled directly. History of the Tile Material: In October 1978, D.G. Noble was assigned as Chief of U.S. Air Force Quality Assurance on all NASA contracts at Lockheed Missile and Space Systems in Sunnyvale, California. The main NASA contract at that time was for the production of Space Shuttle tile for the first Space Shuttle to fly in space, Columbia. At that time, Space Shuttle tile was being thrown into a large discard receptacle. There were no strict policies in effect at that time, precluding removal of anything from these receptacles. Noble's interest in the discarded tile was as an insulating material for a fireplace, so he removed enough material to accomplish this purpose. A few years later, a NASA representative came to Noble's home to discuss when and how he obtained the discarded Space Shuttle tile. NASA concluded that Noble had obtained the tile legally which could also be sold commercially.This was reaffirmed in a letter from the Inspector General for NASA to Michael Noble in June 22, 1994 letter from George T. Lenehan, Chief Counsel, Office of the Chief Counsel, for Ames Research Center, NASA. The Space Store legally purchased Mr. Noble's entire thermal tile material stock in July, 2009.  (less)