Artifact: Arthur D. Little's cutaway view of multilayer insulation for use in space.
Dimensions: 43.4 x 28 cm.

Description:
This is a folder with insulation material for use in space from Little's personal collection that had been gifted to French space journalist Jacques Tiziou while on a visit to Little's company.

The astronauts' suits are made up of four layers of Dacron interwoven with five layers of Mylar intended to protect against heat. During the Gemini mission, a braided mesh composed of a mixture of Dacron and Teflon prevents the suit from inflating too much and allows the cosmonaut great freedom of movement while keeping everything pressurized during extravehicular activity (EVA).

Arthur D. Little worked on the development of the Laser Ranging Retro-Reflector (LRRR) experiment for the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. The original objective of the LRRR was to obtain precise earth-moon distances.

In addition to working on the LRRR, Arthur D. Little also partnered with NASA in the 1960’s to work on the ‘Heat Flow Experiment’ which measured temperature gradients on lunar surfaces as a function of time and soil thermal conductivity; and helped develop innovations for astronaut protection including durable lubricant and insulation for space suits and anti-meteoroid bumpers on space probes.

Size: 4.8 x 5.8 cm.

Manufacturer: Grumman.

Program: Apollo.

Status: Unflown.

Description: In the final stage of Grumman manufacturing/flight preparation, some sections of this Gold Mylar Shield/blanket were trimmed off. This piece was likely installed as part of a larger blanket to a LM that flew to the Lunar surface. This item comes from well known collector Jerome Prater in Florida.

After the LM is removed from the spacecraft Lunar Module adapter (SLA), it is exposed to micrometeoroids and solar radiation. To protect the LM astronauts and equipment from temperature extremes, active and passive thermal control is used. Active thermal control is provided by the ECS. Passive thermal control isolates the vehicle interior structure and equipment from its external environment to sustain acceptable temperature limits throughout the lunar mission. The entire ascent stage structure is enclosed within a thermal blanket and a micrometeoroid shield. Glass fiber standoffs, of low thermal conductivity, hold the blanket away from the structural skin. Aluminum frames around the propellant tanks prevent contact between tanks and blanket. The thermal blanket consists of multiple-layered (at least 25 layers) of aluminized sheet (mylar or H-film). Each layer is only 0.00015 inch thick and is coated on one side with a microinch thickness of aluminum. To make an even more effective insulation, the polymide sheets are hand crinkled before blanket fabrication.

This crinkling provides a path for venting, and minimizes contact conductance between the layers. Structures with a high thermal conductivity, such as antenna supports and landing gear members, that pass through the thermal blanket also have thermal protection. Individual blanket layers are overlapped and sealed with a continuous strip of H-film tape. To join the multilayered sections, the blanket edges are secured with grommet type fasteners, then the seam is folded and sealed with a continuous strip of tape. Mylar sheets are used predominantly in those areas where temperatures do not exceed 300° F. In areas where higher temperatures are sustained, additional layers of H-film are added to the mylar sheets.

H-film can withstand temperatures up to 1000° F, but, because it is a heavier material, it is used only where absolutely necessary. Certain areas of the ascent stage are subjected to temperatures as high as 1800° F due to CSM and LM RCS plume impingement. These areas are thermally controlled by a sandwich material of thin nickel foil (0.0005 inch) interleaved with lnconel wire mesh and lnconel sheet. Finally, the highly reflective surfaces of the shades provided for the front and docking windows reduce heat absorption.

More information:

• Apollo News Reference - Lunar Module - Quick Reference Data

Item: Saturn V Instrument Unit Mylar Thermal Radiation Shroud.
Size: 6.6 x 8.6 cm. Attachment cords: 38.8 cm.
Manufacturer: IBM

Description:

The Instrument Unit (I.U.) was the "brains" or control center of the Saturn Heavy Launch Carrier Vehicle. An Environmental Control System was used in the I.U. to provide cooling for electronic modules and components within the I.U. and forward compartments of the third stage.

Credit: NASA.

This artifact is part of a Thermal Radiation Shroud that was used to improve the Environmental Control System's heat balance, by covering the inboard surfaces of the Thermal Conditioning Panels and Components. They are attached to the Cable Tray at the top, to the Cable Tray supports at the sides, and to the coolant return manifolds at the bottom. Air/GN 2 purge gas from the Environmental Conditioning Duct is vented through open areas at the top and bottom of the shrouds and through holes in the shrouds.

Credit: NASA.

Credit: IBM.

The shrouds are fabricated from sheets of aluminized, low-thermal-emissivity mylar and bound with aluminum tape. The tape is used to reinforce the shrouds at the edges and around the vent holes. The shrouds are installed at KSC in the required locations for each vehicle effectivity.

In those locations where RF interference would result from the use of a shroud type shield, a low-emissivity, pressure-sensitive tape is used. The tape is applied to accessible exposed surface areas of components and / or Thermal Conditioning Panels.