Composite structures studied

Northrop Grumman is working with the University of New Orleans' National Center for Advanced Manufacturing (NCAM) to develop ways to produce the large composite structures NASA will need for space exploration.

Lightweight structures for launch vehicles, spacecraft, landers and habitats, with diameters ranging from 5m (16.3ft) to about 10m, could be produced using automated fibre-placement technology.

In December, an NCAM-owned Ingersoll machine at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana was used to evaluate various fibre-placement approaches for producing large panels.

Source: Flight International