DuPont has signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA for development of the material which is intended for applications including the new launch vehicle being designed to replace the space shuttle. DuPont and NASA will specifically seek to develop a process to incorporate Kevlar fibre into the cell walls of the foam, to enhance the performance of thermal protection systems used in the Ares I crew launch vehicle. Kevlar has strong ties to the US Space Program. It is used today, along with Nomex fibre, in space suits worn by astronauts. Kevlar, an organic fibre in the aramid family, uniquely combines high strength with light weight, and comfort with protection, Kevlar is five times stronger than steel on an equal weight basis, while its rigid molecular structure also provides thermal stability and high resistance to many threats and dangers, including protecting against thermal hazards up to 800 deg F. Many other DuPont inventions have contributed to space exploration. On Apollo mission to the moon, 20 of the 21 layers in each space suit were made with DuPont materials, including DuPont Mylar polyester film, neoprene and DuPont Kapton film. Today the Mars Exploration Rovers contain almost 70 yards each of flexible circuits made of thin DuPont Pyralux laminates and composites which connect the 'brains' of the rovers to their robotic arms, cameras, high gain antennae, wheels and sensors. The rovers also feature Kapton film for hundreds of stripheaters which are used for thermal control, ensuring the critical warmth needed to maintain operations in the extremely cold Martian atmosphere.
Kevlar blasts off with NASA
Future Materials - fm ; Aug ; 3
2007
1 Seite, 1 Bild
Article (Journal)
English
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