This article discusses composites for unmanned space vehicles and provides an overview of key design drivers, challenges, and environment for use of composites in spacecraft, launch vehicles, and missiles. It describes the design allowable properties of composite materials. The article provides information on the specific state-of-the-art applications of composite materials for spacecraft missiles and launch vehicles. A discussion on the key applications, including solid rocket motor casings, payload fairings, and payload support structures, is presented.

This article presents an overview of the material properties of carbon-carbon composites. It provides information on the applications of carbon-carbon composites in electronic thermal planes, spacecraft thermal doublers, spacecraft thermal shields, spacecraft radiators, and aircraft heat exchangers.

Welding as an assembly process has become increasingly more attractive to designers of space structures because of its sufficient strength, endurance, reliability during their service lives, and ease of repair. This article reviews a variety of applications for welding in space and low-gravity environments and describes the unique aspects of the space environment. It compares the applicable welding processes, namely, electron-beam welding, laser-beam welding, and gas-tungsten arc welding and examines the metallurgy of low-gravity welds. Steps taken to ensure the continued development of welding technology in space are also discussed.

Affordability is the key issue facing design engineers and manufacturers of composite components for current and next-generation aircraft, spacecraft, propulsion systems, and other advanced applications. This article describes the software tools available for modeling and analyzing costs associated with design and manufacturing options for advanced composites programs. It presents an example of a composite exhaust nozzle shroud where the design and manufacture options were analyzed and adjusted, based on the use of cost analysis tools. The article also lists some of the attributes found in various cost modeling software and the potential cost benefits.

Superalloys are nickel, iron-nickel, and cobalt-base alloys generally used for high-temperature applications. Superalloys are used in aircraft, industrial, marine gas turbines, nuclear reactors, spacecraft structures, petrochemical production, orthopedic and dental prostheses, and environmental protection applications. This article discusses the material characteristics, phases, structures, and systems of superalloys. It describes the processing of superalloys, including primary and secondary melting, deformation processing (conversion), powder processing, investment casting, and joining methods. The article also describes the properties, microstructure, and thermal exposure of superalloys. It further discusses the effects of environmental factors on superalloys, including oxidation and hot corrosion. Protective coatings are also discussed. The article provides information on the mechanical properties and chemical composition of nickel, iron, and cobalt-base superalloys in both the cast and wrought forms.

This article presents the use of additive manufacturing (AM) in the space industry. It discusses metal AM processes and summarizes metal AM materials, including their relevant process categories and references. It also presents the design for AM for spacecraft. The article also provides an overview of in-space manufacturing and on-orbit servicing, assembly, and manufacturing. It presents some of the specific areas that must be understood for the qualification of AM. The article also discusses future trends, challenges, and opportunities for aerospace.

This article presents a summary of the chemical fundamentals, general techniques, limitations, and applications of chemical spot testing as well as a brief overview of innovations and specialized applications. A list of selected reagents, including abbreviated instructions for preparing the reagent solution(s), for performing the spot test, and for interpreting the results, is also included. The article discusses two specialized applications of qualitative analysis, namely illicit drug identification and spacecraft drinking water quality testing. It also contains tables listing common presumptive tests for detecting anions and cations in aqueous solution.

This article presents an overview of advanced composites, namely, polymer matrix composites, metal-matrix composites, ceramic-matrix composites, and carbon-matrix composites. It also provides information on the properties and applications of the composites in thermal management and electronic packaging.

This article highlights the selected applications of advanced polymer-matrix composites, metal-matrix composites, and ceramic matrix composites.

This article is an atlas of fractographs that helps in understanding the causes and mechanisms of fracture of electronic materials, including L-shaped electronic flat pack, transistor base lead, ohmic contact window, and brush/slip ring assembly. The fractographs illustrate the atomic oxygen environment exposure effect, solar cell interconnect, integrated circuit defects, and fatigue failure of these materials.

Alloy 7020 is widely used in aerospace structures generally in the T651 temper to provide maximum strength. This datasheet provides information on key alloy metallurgy, processing effects on physical and mechanical properties, and fabrication characteristics of this 7xxx series alloy.

Gravity has profound influences on most solidification and crystal growth processes. Modification of gravity over practical time scales for the purposes of modifying or controlling solidification proves to be a far more daunting and expensive technological challenge. This article discusses various microgravity solidification experiments that involve pure metals, alloys, and semiconductors and presents the official NASA acronyms for them. MEPHISTO, TEMPUS, the isothermal dendritic growth experiment, and advanced gradient heating facility, are also discussed.

Nuclear power plants benefit from thermal spray coatings for corrosion and erosion minimization and dimensional restoration of worn parts. This article provides a detailed discussion on the advantages of thermal spray coatings, fission reactor component coatings, and coatings for nuclear fuel processing before and after irradiation for power plant applications. Nuclear fusion research is divided into two primary fields of study categorized by the method for confining the fusion fuel: magnetic confinement fusion and inertial confinement fusion.

Beryllium possesses an unusual combination of physical and mechanical properties, suiting it for specialized applications where its relatively high cost can be justified. It has very low density, a moderately high melting point, high elastic modulus, and good electrical and thermal conductivity. The article describes structural, instrument, and optical grade beryllium and the corresponding compositional ranges. It also discusses processing and product forms as well as factors affecting corrosion resistance. The article concludes with a short note on health and safety considerations when handling beryllium.