Better Spacecrafts Based on Bone

Feb-17-14 A new extremely light, yet also extremely strong, construction material inspired by bone could lead to lower-cost spacecraft.

Typically, the stronger the building material, the greater its weight—which can pose a problem when constructing spacecraft. Most spacecraft are built using materials such as titanium, which is expensive.

Seeking an alternative, Dr. Jen Bauer turned to wood and bone for inspiration. Both of these materials are made up of a complex pattern of solid material and air—creating a lightweight yet load-bearing structure. Additionally, the smaller the material, the stronger it becomes. With this in mind, Dr. Bauer and his team used a 3D laser lithography machine build microscopic structures from a ceramic-polymer composite. The structures featured different designs, including cubic grids and honeycombs, and proved to be extremely strong.

While there is no way yet to mass-produce the materials, technology continues to advance, and Dr. Bauer envisions a future when the new material could be used in applications that require both strong and lightweight materials.

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