Metallic materials for the space shuttle

Abstract

One of the great challenges of our time lies in the exploration of space. Part of this challenge has already been fulfilled but, up to this date, the transport of men and materials has been accomplished by means of expendable booster systems. In order to meet this challenge effectively, a new, fully reusable transportation system has been conceived which will be dramatically lower in overall cost than present-day launch systems. The proposed space shuttle is a fully reusable spacecraft consisting of a booster and an orbiter. A key factor in the design of the space shuttle is the selection and development of materials. Many current materials which have been widely and successfully used in space vehicles were developed for the most part with only a single short-time use requirement. The reusable, long-life requirements of the shuttle vehicle necessitates re-evaluation of the suitability of existing materials for this distinctly more demanding task for materials.