¡°NASA could not have made it to the surface of Mars without aluminum,¡± said Dr John Grotzinger, Chief Scientist and Head of Strategic Planning for the 2012 Mars Rover Mission.
Grotzinger led NASA¡¯s $2.5 billion Curiosity rover mission ¨C perhaps the most visible mission in the history of robotic space exploration in its search for evidence of past life on the surface of the red planet. He made his remarks about aluminium during the Aluminum Association¡¯s 2014 spring meeting in San Antonio, Texas.
The Curiosity rover mission highlights aluminium¡¯s vital role in the development of modern aviation and mankind¡¯s exploration of space. Chosen for its lightweight and ability to withstand the stresses that occur during launch and operation, aluminium has been used on Apollo spacecraft, the Skylab, the space shuttles and the International Space Station. Aluminium alloys consistently exceed other metals in areas such as mechanical stability, dampening, thermal management and reduced weight.
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