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Space Shuttle tiles were mounted on a pylon on the right wing (not shown) of this National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) WP-3D for tests conducted off the eastern coast of Southern Florida and at the Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility
NASA conducted extensive in-flight rain damage tests of the Shuttle Thermal Protection System (TPS) tiles on an F-104 at Dryden, while the NOAA conducted the tests on the WP-3D.

P-3 testing concentrated on observing the effects of larger drops of moisture at lower speeds on the tiles. Shuttle Thermal Protection tiles were mounted on a pylon underneath the right wing of the aircraft. Tiles were mounted on two movable doors contained within both the left and right sides of the test fixture, for a total of four doors.

The WP-3D flew three research flights while at Dryden--on Jan. 30, Feb. 2, and Feb. 5, 1987. The pylon test fixture is mounted on the right wing and thus does not appear in the photograph. Three particle measurement probes mounted on the left wing tip pylon and the pod under the forward fuselage are to measure atmospheric conditions.