Aerospace
NASA Just Tested a Powerful New Thruster That Could One Day Send Humans to Mars
NASA’s latest propulsion experiment could reshape the future of deep-space travel. Engineers at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory recently tested a powerful lithium-fed electromagnetic thruster that may one day help carry astronauts to Mars faster and more efficiently than current spacecraft systems. A New Kind of Engine for Deep Space The experimental engine is known as a magnetoplasmadyna
Best Materials for High-Temperature Aerospace Applications
Every turbine blade, exhaust duct, and fastener in an aircraft engine faces a punishing combination of heat, stress, and corrosive gas. And the high-temperature aerospace materials that survive those conditions aren’t interchangeable. If you pick the wrong alloy, the part can distort, crack, or fails mid-flight. Choosing the best materials for high-temperature aerospace applications starts [
NAVAIR Contract Pushes Metal Additive Manufacturing Toward Airworthy Production
A new Naval Air Systems Command contract is set to push metal additive manufacturing deeper into certified aerospace production, with direct implications for U.S. defense suppliers, specialty alloy producers, and precision fabrication teams. Colibrium Additive, a GE Aerospace company, announced on April 22 that it received a $31 million NAVAIR contract supporting the Navy’s Additive […]
What is “Nominal Pipe Size”?
You’ve probably encountered the abbreviation NPS previously on our or similar websites. It means “Nominal Pipe Size,” and it is the North American standard for measuring pipe sizes used for various pressures and temperatures. The NPS standard is widely accepted in the USA, but some things have to be observed correctly in order to find […]
AMS vs ASTM vs UNS: How Material Specifications Cross-Reference
A single alloy can carry half a dozen spec numbers. Inconel 718, for example, appears as AMS 5662 on an aerospace purchase order, ASTM B637 in a power-generation RFQ, and UNS N07718 in a cross-reference database. Each spec number points to the same nickel-chromium composition. For engineers and procurement teams sourcing specialty metals, the difference […]
Sandia Researchers Develop Faster Method to Evaluate Heat-Shield Materials
Engineers at Sandia National Laboratories have developed a method to more rapidly evaluate heat-shield materials used on hypersonic vehicles. The work was carried out as part of a three-year research project that combined computer modeling, laboratory testing, and flight experiments. Heat shields, formally known as thermal protection systems, are used to protect vehicles from extreme […]
