[meteorite-list] Material To Be Tested on International Space Station for Possible Meteoroid Shield Protection

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed Sep 20 13:58:14 2006
Message-ID: <200609201755.KAA09553_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www2.und.edu/our/news/story.php?id=1907

New EERC-Developed Material to Be Tested on International Space Station
University of North Dakota
September 19, 2006

GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA -- The Energy & Environmental Research Center
(EERC) announced today it has delivered a suite of unique materials to
NASA for testing on the International Space Station (ISS) sometime
during the summer of 2007. The materials, primarily comprising silicon
carbide, which is extremely hard ceramic, could be used as meteorite and
heat shield protection on the space shuttle and other spacecraft.

The EERC silicon carbide structures can withstand temperatures of 1450??C
or more, which is much higher than other silicon carbide materials made
in a similar manner. The ability to withstand these higher temperatures
is critical during entry into space and reentry into the earth's
atmosphere. This was a key issue in the 2003 Columbia Space Shuttle
disaster.

"These unique materials are made through a process which produces a much
higher-temperature and tougher product than similar commercial materials
and can enhance the quality of key components on spacecraft, resulting
in increased safety on future space missions," said EERC Associate
Director for Research Tom Erickson.

The EERC materials also have another unique feature that can make them
more resistant to meteoroid penetration and usable for aerobreaking.
Most currently available ceramic materials are prone to shattering upon
impact by an object. The EERC materials are porous, which allows them to
be combined with other materials, making them shatter-resistant.

"Because of their potential use on spacecraft, we will expose small
sections of the materials to low-earth orbit during the Materials
International Space Station Experiment 6 (MISSE-6) mission," said John
Hurley, EERC Senior Research Advisor and material inventor. "Four
separate pieces of the material structures will be installed on each
side of the space station for 4 to 6 months and undergo exposure to
severe ultraviolet radiation and monoatomic oxygen," said Hurley.

Some other potential uses on board the space shuttle or the ISS include
heat exchanger tubing, burner nozzles, turbine blades, and very
high-temperature mechanical fasteners such as nuts and bolts.

At lower temperatures, the material can be used for tough,
dent-resistant coatings in power and industrial applications such as
grinding and cutting of hard materials and in high-impact scenarios such
as lightweight bullet-proof armor.

These materials were initially developed to meet a unique need within
the power industry.

"This is a wonderful example of a wide variety of spin off opportunities
derived from activities at the EERC," said EERC Director Gerald
Groenewold. "The material work we do here is motivated by energy-related
topics, but every research project and every technology developed here
has other opportunities that go beyond the boundaries of the initial
intended use," he said.

The materials will make approximately 2900 orbits and travel about 75
million miles around the Earth. The samples will return on a shuttle
flight in late 2007 or early 2008.

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Received on Wed 20 Sep 2006 01:48:34 PM PDT