Space Technology Hall of Fame
Recreation
Flexible Aerogel Insulating System
Inducted In:
2012, Consumer, Health, Home, Industrial Productivity/Manufacturing Technology, Medicine, Recreation
Flexible aerogels were originally developed to serve as a barrier to the extreme temperatures that occur during rocket launches and that affect spacecraft as they are exposed to both high heat and severe cold. Because the initial silica aerogels were fragile and expensive, NASA contracted with James Fesmire, senior principal investigator of the Cryogenics Test…