Could be, but then it will have to be in the hundreds. It could be that the orbiter run through some space debris (they float up there, believe me, and they each have their own orbit, and if they are not falling it is because thay are running at around 17,000 m/hour (orbit velocity where centripetal and gravitational forces are in equilibrium). An unlucky hit at an angle (in the same orbit, no problem) could unzip a big chunk of tiles. I think that they have a radar system on board to avoid space debris, so that hypothesis is quite far fetched. It will not explain why that tire is blown out rather then pyrolized ( scorched without oxygen) more or less homogeneously.
Zeev
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