It will be tested on orion s first flight in december 2014 as it protects the spacecraft from temperatures reaching 4000 degrees fahrenheit.
Nasa heat shield material.
Only a few materials can tolerate the higher heat rates needed for lunar return according to reuther.
Nasa ames led the design testing and development of msl s thermal protection system tps including the heat shield backshell and parachute close outcone.
The ldsd is covered in heat.
Both materials proved successful in previous missions to space.
Nasa selects material for orion spacecraft heat shield houston nasa has chosen the material for a heat shield that will protect a new generation of space explorers when they return from the moon.
The heat shield is made from a single seamless piece of avcoat ablator.
Together with a team from nasa s langley research center hampton va nasa s jet propulsion laboratory pasadena calif and.
After extensive study nasa has selected the avcoat ablator system for the orion crew module.
Nasa is considering two ablative materials for the heat shield avcoat and pica and testing on the materials is in progress.
Nasa is working to create a frisbee shaped heat shield 16 5 feet 5 meters in diameter that can be manufactured in one piece.
Avcoat which is manufactured directly onto the spacecraft and has an embedded honeycomb like material was used for the original apollo capsules.