By Michael Niedzinski, Constellium. Introduction Friction stir welding (FSW) of Airware 2050 was investigated as a method for making custom blanks for spin forming large, single-piece flight articles. The objective of this study was to evaluate the behavior of 2050 parent material in addition to the FSW regions after spin forming and subsequent heat treatment. […]
NASA recently built and tested an additively manufactured rocket engine nozzle made of aluminum as part of the Reactive Additive Manufacturing for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (RAMFIRE) project. By implementing 3D printing, the innovative design is able to be comprised of a single piece, which reduces manufacturing time and makes the nozzle lighter than conventional […]
Relativity Space, a company dedicated to building humanity’s multi-planetary future, revealed plans for the Terran R, a reusable medium-to-heavy lift orbital launch vehicle made from 3D-printed aluminum. This development builds on the company’s seven years of experience developing its Terran 1 program — the world’s first 3D-printed aluminum rocket to fly and reach space. “Our […]
The Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission is part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the Red Planet. Each Mars mission is part of a continuing chain of innovation, relying on past missions for proven technologies and contributing its own technical developments to future missions. As with previous missions, aluminum […]
The Falcon 9 launch system, developed by SpaceX, is considered to be one of the most significant technological achievements in the history of rocket engineering, primarily due to the recoverability and reusability of its first stage boosters. Reusability is a key element to SpaceX’s aim of increasing the reliability and reducing the cost of spaceflight. […]
By Michael Niedzinski, Constellium. During the past 60 years the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) charted the western world’s course for the exploration of outer space. NASA managed and funded programs such as Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and the International Space Station, which is supported by Space Shuttle missions and more recently by the Space […]
