Space
NASA selects Sierra Nevada for ISS cargo transport contract
In news seen as a big win for the company that was the sole loser during the competition for the coveted NASA contract to transport US astronauts to and from the International Space Station, Sierra Nevada Corp. was recently awarded a contract from NASA to launch cargo resupply missions to the ISS.
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Materials & Processes: Introduction
High strength at low weight remain the winning combination that propels composite materials into new arenas, but other properties are equally important. This article outlines the case for composites and introduces SourceBook's overview of the materials and processes used to make them.
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Solar Impulse 2: Pulse on the future
Not yet through their ‘round the world flight, this superlight solar plane’s airframe-proven materials are already destined for higher callings.
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Natural fiber composites: Market share, one part at a time
Suppliers and adventurous composites fabricators put the “feel good” aspect in the rearview mirror, winning customers by competing on price and performance.
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First 3D woven composite for NASA thermal protection systems
A NASA-led team develops 3D woven quartz preform, hybrid process to infuse it with cyanate ester resin (0.5% voids) and achieves TRL5 in three years to replace CF/phenolic in the Orion spacecraft’s compression pads.
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Plant tour: Harris Corp., Rochester, N.Y., U.S.
High-technology telescope and space structures expertise has its roots in legacy Kodak programs.
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Meet VSS Unity, Virgin Galactic’s new all-composite SpaceShipTwo
The new SpaceShipTwo is the first vehicle to be manufactured by The Spaceship Co., Virgin Galactic's wholly owned manufacturing arm.
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Composites manufacturing from a different angle
A bunch of really smart engineers showed up in Long Beach, CA, US this week for the Society of Manufacturing Engineers’ (SME, Dearborn, MI, US) AeroDef conference and exhibition. All were focused on looking at ways to manufacture products — composite or not — more efficiently.
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“Smart tooling” cuts time and risk for complex unitized composite structures production
One-piece bladder tooling helps to actualize NASA/Boeing’s revolutionary fluted core design for next-gen cryogenic fuel tank skirt.
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Alternative precursor R&D: What are the alternatives to PAN?
Carbon fibers made from other precursors are in use, commercially, and many more precursor alternatives have been investigated.
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