NASA invents dry cryogenic rig for extreme-cold material testing
Updated
Updated · NASA · May 6
NASA invents dry cryogenic rig for extreme-cold material testing
3 articles · Updated · NASA · May 6
Built at Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, LESTR tests materials, electronics and flight hardware at 40 Kelvin, about minus 388F, without liquid nitrogen, hydrogen or helium.
NASA says the system is safer, cheaper and broader in temperature range than traditional cryogen-based methods, supporting work on spacesuit fabrics and shape-memory alloy rover tires for the Moon and Mars.
After more than two years developing LESTR 1, NASA is building LESTR 2 and has sent the first unit to Fort Wayne Metals in Indiana to test alloys for future lunar and Martian missions.
Can this revolutionary 'dry' cryo-testing rig make deep space missions affordable for private industry to lead?
How will this new dry testing tech speed up building a permanent human base on the Moon?
Beyond tires, what unexpected material flaws has this extreme cold testing revealed for Mars missions?
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Overview
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