Self-Repairing Spacecraft |
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Written by spacetravel.org
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Sunday, 22 January 2006 21:11 |
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A new study funded by ESA's General Studies Programme, and carried out by the Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Bristol, UK, may lead to the development of self-repairing spacecraft.
The research uses the idea of the human bodys self-healing mechanism. As explained by Dr Christopher Semprimoschnig, a materials scientist at ESA's European Space Technology Research Centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands, who oversaw the study: When we cut ourselves we don't have to glue ourselves back together, instead we have a self-healing mechanism. Our blood hardens to form a protective seal for new skin to form underneath.
The researchers tried to replicate the human bodys natural process of healing small cracks before they can open up into anything more serious. They did this by replacing a few percent of the fibres running through a resinous composite material, like those in spacecraft components, with hollow fibres containing adhesive materials.
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