30 May TWI Technology in NASA Image Archive
Thermal Wave Imaging technology is widely used by NASA, with systems at centers including Kennedy (KSC), Langley (LaRC), Marshall (MSFC), Goddard (GRC), Glenn (GRC), Michoud (MAF) and Johnson (JSC). TWI worked closely with NASA on the Return to Flight program after the 2003 accident that destroyed the Space Shuttle Columbia. After an extensive evaluation of NDE technologies, NASA selected TWI flash thermography equipment to inspect the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) leading edge of the shuttle wing. The TWI staff worked closely with NASA to address numerous challenges presented by the wing size and geometry and the complexity of the RCC material. If you visit the NASA Image Archive and search under thermography, you’ll notice TWI equipment in most of the images. Here are a few of our favorites.
