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FleaPlus writes “The German Aerospace Center is planning to launch a novel reusable spacecraft in 2011, incorporating flat, damage-resistant tiles. Nitrogen will be pumped through the porous tiles, creating a protective gas layer that actively cools and shields the hottest parts of the spacecraft from the searing heat of reentry. The 12.5M€ unmanned ‘SHEFEX II’ project is a major technological step toward the team’s eventual goal of a reusable space glider which will be cheaper and easier-to-build than NASA’s space shuttle.”

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