Patent ID: 7377469

Claim:
An attachment system for flexibly securing a heat shield system to the body of a spacecraft, said heat shield system comprising at least a first level of shielding comprising at least one layer of rigidized material and at least another layer of insulating material, said heat shield system being exposed to thermal fluctuations and other influences, causing the heat shield system to deform and to change its dimensions relative to the body of the spacecraft, said relative dimension changes referred to hereinafter as deformation, said attachment system comprising at least a first and a second fastener, each one of said fasteners having an elongated slender body, having a first end and a second end, wherein said first end of each one of said fasteners is attached to the body of the spacecraft, referred to thereafter as the spacecraft end or the vehicle end, and said second end of each one of said fasteners is attached directly to said first level of shielding, referred to thereafter as the shielding end or the tile end, so that said fasteners attach said first level of shielding to the body of the spacecraft in a way that allows for said deformation of said first level of shielding, while at the same time, said fasteners still securely maintain a desirable hold between said first level of shielding and said spacecraft body, not allowing the shielding to totally separate from the spacecraft wherein there is a space between the body and the shield.