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and weight characteristics, which determined the locations where it was used and the amount used.

The shuttle TPS had three key characteristics that distinguished it from the TPS used on previous spacecraft:

; Reusable: Previous spacecraft generally used ablative heat shields which burned off during reentry and so could not be reused. This insulation was robust and reliable, and the single-use nature was appropriate for a single-use vehicle. By contrast, the reusable shuttle required

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