On March 14, 2024, the American SpaceX "Starship" made its third test flight.
It's a scene that will make you cry even if you haven't seen it with your own eyes. It’s really Amaing!
If the starship can finally be put into service, it will become the largest and most powerful launch vehicle in human history. Sure enough, the most romantic journey of mankind is the sea of stars!
In order to cope with the complex and changeable cosmic environment, the exterior of the starship is covered with heat-insulating tiles. So what is the function and principle of the heat-insulating tiles?
Thermal insulation tiles can isolate the high temperature and freezing in space and protect the internal equipment of the space ship from damage.
The special materials and structures of the insulating tiles are used to make them highly resistant to thermal radiation, high and low temperatures.
The materials used for insulating tiles must adapt to the special environment of space and have high heat resistance, cold resistance, and radiation resistance.
So what are the main materials for insulation tiles?
For example, aerogel has the characteristics of light weight and good shock absorption performance. It can prevent the starship insulation tiles from breaking and also plays a good thermal insulation role.
Once it encounters a heat source, such as the high temperature when re-entering the atmosphere, it becomes very sticky and sticks to steel plates and insulation tiles, making it impossible to get up and down. It is very strong.
Aerogel, which is used in the aerospace field, is a new nano-scale porous solid material.
It is also the lightest solid in the world and has excellent properties such as low thermal conductivity, fire resistance and hydrophobicity, environmental protection, sound insulation and shock absorption, and long service life.
In the production of starship insulation tiles, the rational use of different materials can optimize the performance of the starship insulation tiles and protect the internal equipment of the spacecraft from damage.
Nowadays, fireproof and thermal insulation materials play a very important role in both aerospace and industry!
