Aerospace

Rising fuel costs, environmental regulations and an increase in airline traffic have helped drive the increasing use of composite materials in the aerospace industry. Composites are used in military, business and commercial aircraft of all sizes, including spacecraft.

RISD Designs Carbon Fiber Spacesuit for Future NASA Mars Landing

Staff members and students at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), led by RISD professor Michael Lye, have designed a full-scale, wearable model of a space suit designed to be used on the first NASA Mars...

Boeing Starts Final Assembly of 787-10 Dreamliner

Boeing has begun final assembly of the 787-10 Dreamliner, the latest and biggest member in the Boeing 787 family of commercial aircraft. Two major fuselage sections for the aircraft have been moved to North...

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Researchers Create World’s First Reconfigurable Carbon Fiber Robotic Machine Tool

Composite manufacturing specialists at the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) have made what some have called the world’s first reconfigurable carbon composite robotic...

Airbus A350-1000 Jet Completes Historic First Flight

On Thursday, the first of three Airbus A350-1000 aircraft – the latest member of the all-new A350 XWB wide-body family – successfully completed its first flight, which lasted four hours and 18...

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SpaceX Successfully Tests Carbon Fiber Tank for Mars Spaceship

SpaceX has completed a critical test for the carbon fiber fuel tank of its Interplanetary Transport System spaceship, which is designed to transport humans to Mars. Last month, during an “Ask Me Anything”...

MIT and NASA Design ‘Morphing” Aircraft Wings for Efficient Flight

Researchers from MIT and NASA have designed a flexible “morphing wing” system made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) that draws inspiration from the twisted wings from the Wright Brothers’ first...