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High Performance Materials Applications to Moon/Mars Missions and BasesTwo classes of material processing scenarios will feature prominently in future interplanetary exploration: in situ production using locally available materials in lunar or planetary landings and high performance structural materials which carve out a set of properties for uniquely hostile space environments. To be competitive, high performance materials must typically offer orders of magnitude improvements in thermal conductivity or insulation, deliver high strength-to-weight ratios, or provide superior durability (low corrosion and/or ablative character, e.g., in heat shields). The space-related environmental parameters of high radiation flux, low weight, and superior reliability limits many typical aerospace materials to a short list comprising high performance alloys, nanocomposites and thin-layer metal laminates (Al-Cu, Al-Ag) with typical dimensions less than the Frank-Reed-type dislocation source. Extremely light weight carbon-carbon composites and carbon aerogels will be presented as novel examples which define broadened material parameters, particularly owing to their extreme thermal insulation (R-32-64) and low densities (<0.01 g/cu cm) approaching that of air itself. Even with these low-weight payload additions, rocket thrust limits and transport costs will always place a premium on assembling as much structural and life support resources upon interplanetary, lunar, or asteroid arrival. As an example, for in situ lunar glass manufacture, solar furnaces reaching 1700 C for pure silica glass manufacture in situ are compared with sol-gel technology and acid-leached ultrapure (<0.1% FeO) silica aerogel precursors.
Document ID
19990046293
Acquisition Source
Marshall Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Noever, David A.
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL United States)
Smith, David D.
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL United States)
Sibille, Laurent
(Universities Space Research Association Huntsville, AL United States)
Brown, Scott C.
(Southern Research Inst. Birmingham, AL United States)
Cronise, Raymond J.
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL United States)
Lehoczky, Sandor L.
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL United States)
Date Acquired
August 19, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1998
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Exploration
Meeting Information
Meeting: Engineering, Construction and Operations in Space
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Country: United States
Start Date: April 26, 1998
End Date: April 30, 1998
Sponsors: American Society of Civil Engineers
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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