SPACE ARMOUR

In its ongoing quest to build better spacecraft, NASA has looked to the distant past for inspiration and invented a form of 21stCentury ‘chain mail’.

The new material was invented at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) by a team led by Raul Polit Casillas. Its outward-facing side resembles the surface of a mirror ball and reflects light and heat, whereas the inwardfacing looks more like actual chain mail and absorbs heat. It’s hoped the material could have applications as protective (and insulating) cladding for spacecraft, in astronauts’ suits, or even for creating temporary landing strips. What’s more, it’s 3D-printed, which means it could be produced on-demand in any putative future base stations on Mars or the Moon.