Even a small piece of space debris can cause significant damage. Hits it at a speed of Tens of thousands of km/h on a satellite or space station, it can tear holes in protective panels and instruments like a projectile from a weapon.
This danger also comes from microasteroids. For example, the James Webb Telescope was hit by such an object shortly after it went into operation and one of the mirrors was damaged.
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Since there is more and more space debris in Earth’s orbit and it is impossible to detect and therefore avoid the smallest particles, new materials are necessary to better protect objects in orbit.
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Kevlar: protection in space and the military
Such a material could “Kevlar EXO” be. It was . The synthetic fibers were first used for Protective clothing developed by the police and military.
Because they are light, flexible and robust and have temperatures of up to 500 Grad They are also suitable for use in space, has. DuPont is testing the material in the White Sands Test Facility of NASA.
There, a test setup was bombarded with projectiles. Were used 10.3mm large and 1,61 Gramm heavy aluminum balls with a speed of 6,5 km/s (23.400 km/h).
Protection against severe damage
The structure consisted of a bumper, paint, a layer of Kevlar EXO and a back panel that needed to be protected. The test shows that the projectile penetrated the protective wall and the Kevlar layer, but only the back wall slight damage has.
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DuPont now wants its tests on the ISS continue. Multiple test shifts will be delivered to the space station in October. “We set it atomic oxygen and UV radiation “explains Jill Clements from DuPont .
Safety for trips to the Moon and Mars
So far all tests have been carried out on Earth. In order to use the material in space travel, for example to protect satellites, it must also work in space. We want to test that now.
“If we go back to the Mond and at some point too Mars If you want to, you can’t transport people and supplies in large quantities. You have to compromise somewhere, but also for them Security ensure,” explains Clements.
Kevlar EXO could make this possible thanks to its lightweight design. One hopes to be such a valuable part of the space industry.
