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AVCOAT

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AVCOAT

AVCOAT 5026-39 is a NASA code for a specific ablative heat shield material created by Avco (acquired by Textron in 1984). It is an epoxy novolac resin with special additives in a fiberglass honeycomb matrix. In fabrication, the empty honeycomb is bonded to the primary structure and the resin is gunned into each cell individually.

Contents

History

AVCOAT was used for the heat shield on NASA's Apollo Command Module. In its final form, this material was called AVCOAT 5026-39.

Although AVCOAT was not used for the Space Shuttle orbiters, NASA is using the material for its next generation Orion spacecraft. The Avcoat to be used on Orion is reformulated to meet environmental legislation that has been passed since the end of Apollo.

Specifications

  • Material: epoxy novolac resin with special additives in a fiberglass honeycomb matrix.
  • Density: 32 pounds per cubic foot (0.51 g/cm3)
  • Post-ablation char-layer composition: 6.7 pounds per cubic foot (0.107 g/cm3) of carbon and 8 pounds per cubic foot (0.13 g/cm3) of silica.

    • Unmanned

  • Several subscale test flights
  • AS-201
  • AS-202
  • Apollo 4
  • Apollo 6
  • EFT-1

    • Manned

  • Apollo 7
  • Apollo 8
  • Apollo 9
  • Apollo 10
  • Apollo 11
  • Apollo 12
  • Apollo 13
  • Apollo 14
  • Apollo 15
  • Apollo 16
  • Apollo 17
  • Skylab 2
  • Skylab 3
  • Skylab 4
  • Apollo–Soyuz Test Project
  • Early Space Shuttle flights

    • References

    AVCOAT Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA