National Composites Week: Helping us explore
As we celebrate National Composites Week here’s a look at some of the ways composites help us explore.
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NASA’s Orion spacecraf features a 16-foot-diameter carbon fiber heat shield for reentry. Source | Lockheed Martin
As National Composites Week comes to an end, let’s take some time to appreciate the ways that composites help us look to the future through exploration of our world and out into our solar system and beyond.
Composites have been used for lightweighting and protection in spacecraft for decades and continue to be used in new and exciting ways, as well as being used for marine vessels and a range of aircraft used for exploration.
OceanGate’s carbon fiber submersible Titan will be used to explore the remains of the Titanic. Source | OceanGate
Here are a few stories CW has reported on in the past few months that illustrate some of the ways composites contribute to exploration of our planet and beyond.
- 35th Space Symposium puts emphasis on collaboration, U.S. leadership in space
- Lockheed Martin completes Orion spacecraft capsule
- Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET): A broader mission
- Mars Helicopter completes flight tests
- OceanGate's Titan dives to 3,760 meters with four crew members
- Perlan 2 glider launches new season of operations
About National Composites Week
National Composites Week was organized and launched by braiding specialist A&P Technology (Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.), global advanced composites company Hexcel (Stamford, Conn., U.S.) and CompositesWorld to celebrate the myriad ways that composite materials and composites manufacturing contributes to the products and structures that shape the American manufacturing landscape today.
Go to www.NationalCompositesWeek.com for more information, and to download a Host Guide, a sample press release, a sample letter to the editor and other templates designed to help participants develop and execute events and outreach at their facilities. Use the hashtag #NationalCompositesWeek during the week to join the celebration!
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