It’s interesting that they’re doing so many tile tests. Clearly some combination of not being satisfied with what they’ve got, and wanting to find something even better. This is the kind of experimentation that’s been missing from spaceflight for way too long.
Unsurprising to me. Instead of ablative self-destructing tiles, they are trying to make survivable heat plates. This is such an extreme job, has to endure so much the brunt of this crazy job. Experimentation is required to see what you've really got, as well as assess what else might be possible.
