As with NASA's spacecraft, instruments and satellites, commercial and DoD spacecraft and cryogenic space instruments may require both MMOD protection and thermal insulation. MMOD-IMLI can be custom engineered to fit specific requirements for MMOD shielding and thermal insulation for any given mission. MMOD-IMLI provides a robust structure with predictable and repeatable performance, and assembly could be cost efficient. MMOD-IMLI might become the material of choice for future spacecraft. New Commercial Orbital Transportation Service vehicles, commercial space stations/habitats such as under construction by Bigelow Aerospace, and future orbital propellant depots will benefit from an effective lightweight thermal/MMOD blanket/shield. Quest's partner, Ball Aerospace, currently provides MLI for spacecraft for NASA, DoD and commercial space ventures. The DoD space market is about equal to the NASA and commercial market, or approximately $100M over twenty years.
Micrometeoroid/Orbital Debris Integrated Multi-Layer Insulation (MMOD-IMLI) could provide both improved MMOD protection and superior thermal insulation in one integrated, light-weight system. MMOD protection is critical to Exploration missions and space-borne instruments. Spacecraft and instruments programs that have recently had MMOD protection implemented include the International Space Station, Magellan, Galileo, Mars Global Surveyor and Cassini. Standard NASA practice is to consider MMOD protection for all new spacecraft and satellites. Long duration missions such as the ISS and orbital fuel depots require MMOD shielding. Cryogenic propellants, and their thermal insulation, are also an important part of NASA's Exploration vehicles. Vehicles such as the EDS, orbital propellant depots and commercial space habitats will require both MMOD protection and thermal insulation. MMOD-IMLI may provide: Higher thermal insulation performance per layer or mass than conventional MLI Substantially lower mass for equivalent critical diameter particle protection than current Whipple or Stuffed Whipple shields To stop 6.3mm particles, a Whipple shield must have a mass of 15 - 20 kg/m2 (including standoffs), a four layer Nextel Multishock shield would be 10.8 kg/m2, and a MMOD-IMLI advanced multishock shield theoretically could have a mass as low as 4.1 kg/m2 MMOD-IMLI would provide both thermal insulation and MMOD shielding in one integrated structure
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