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A series of reusable external insulation (REI) materials are being developed by the Re-Entry and Environmental Systems Division of the General Electric Company (RESD) for application to the Space Shuttle. These materials are bonded to a substrate in the form of panels resulting in numerous panel-to-panel joints. A plasmaarc ground-test facility has been used to evaluate the effects of the local heat transfer in these interface areas. Models with transverse, axial, and "tee" joints, both filled and open, have been tested. The major results of the test program are that the unfilled gaps run hotter than comparable undisturbed areas, and that for transverse and axial gaps a trend of decreasing temperatures with decreasing gap width is evident. The major conclusion is that unfilled butt joints are acceptable for the Orbiter if H/L > 17, but a conservative design approach would be to partially fill all gaps. NomenclatureH = depth of gap, enthalpy L -width of gap M = Mach number q = heat flux Qs = total energy flux crossing the shear layer dividing streamline over an Area A l Q A = total energy flux to the wall over the gap projected area A 1 if attached flow existed S* = dimensionless parameter, L/X 1 X 1 = wetted length e = emittance Subscripts A = projected area c = convection e = local m = model o = orbiter R = radiation RR = reradiation S = shear layer W =wall

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