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[May 2008]
Ceramic Insulation Material Named NASA Government Invention of 2007
The 2007 NASA Government Invention of the Year is a heat shield material slightly more dense than balsa wood that is designed to protect spacecraft during their fiery re-entry into Earth's atmosphere.
The Lightweight Ceramic Ablator material (LCA) is a low density material that weighs one-fifth as much as conventional heat shields but can withstand temperatures up to 2,760°C, according to project engineers at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, CA, USA. The material has a foundation made of fibres coated with a thin layer of organic polymeric resin. The resin, traditionally used as a bonding agent, creates a light, durable, heat-resistant shield.
"This material will play a key role in NASA's future space missions as we mount human and robotic missions to the moon, asteroids, Mars and throughout the solar system," said Pete Worden, Ames Center Director. "This is indeed an honor and I'm very proud of the Ames team that developed this critical technology."
Because of their durability and low density, the LCA family of protective materials is expected to play a significant role in future NASA missions every time a spacecraft enters a planetary atmosphere. The materials are quickly becoming the industry standard for heat shields on commercial spacecraft. The invention may lead to the application of heat shields specially tailored for broader commercial and government applications.
NASA applied a type of this innovative heat shield material, the Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA), on the Stardust sample return capsule, which brought back to Earth the first comet particles and interstellar dust samples in January 2006. Stardust holds the record for the fastest Earth re-entry speed of any human-made object. PICA is planned for use as the heat shield on the new Orion crew vehicle and the Mars Science Laboratory mission. Other LCAs were used to protect the Mars rovers during their descent to the surface of the Red Planet.
www.nasa.gov
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