Foam and Cork Insulation Protects Deep Space Rocket from Fire and Ice
On NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS)—the most powerful rocket ever built—cork plays a crucial role in thermal protection. Facing extreme temperatures ranging from -423°F to over 200°F, SLS needs insulation that’s both incredibly strong and environmentally friendly. Cork is part of the solution.
NASA technicians have completed application of spray-on foam thermal insulation on the Launch Vehicle Stage Adapter, which is being outfitted for Exploration Mission-1, the first flight of NASA’s new rocket, the Space launch System and the Orion spacecraft. The adapter, which connects the rockets 212-foot-tall core stage to the upper in-space stage of the rocket, is the largest piece of hardware that has ever had insulation applied by hand at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Credits: NASA/Tyler Martin
While NASA also developed a new, lighter spray-on foam for much of the rocket’s insulation, cork sheets are used where heat loads are highest: around the core stage’s massive RS-25 engines and under the solid rocket boosters. Cork's natural durability, heat resistance, and flexibility make it the perfect material to protect these critical parts during the fiery intensity of launch.
“Cork is heavier than foam but provides even stronger protection for certain applications. Cork comes in sheets and is applied to areas that have high predicted heat loads, like the core stage engine section, which houses four RS-25 engines that produce 2 million pounds of thrust. Cork is applied under the solid rocket boosters that provide 75 percent of thrust at liftoff and on the fairings, the areas where feedlines come out of the intertank and run down the rocket to connect the intertank to the other hardware.”
Just like in nature, where cork oak trees protect themselves against extreme conditions, cork on the SLS protects vital rocket systems—proving once again that natural materials can outperform synthetic ones in even the harshest environments.
From ancient forests to the final frontier, cork continues to show that sustainability and performance can go hand-in-hand.