Aero Sekur pioneers inflatable structures and safety equipment to support the next stage of Space exploration.
Using new generation materials and systems technologies, Aero Sekur’s Space division is developing products that support the future exploration and exploitation of Space.
Initiatives include a range of inflatable planetary and orbital habitation structures designed for Space/planet surfaces. Across the company’s product portfolio, benefits include significantly reduced payload size and weight, along with increased damage tolerance.
The latest pioneering investigation being undertaken by the company is consideration of the use of terrestrial mineral deposits, which closely replicate soil on Mars, to develop air and water filtration systems for use by future Space crews bound for the red planet. If successful, the project will confirm that materials readily available on Mars can be used to sustain both gas conditioning and nutritional life support systems. Space applications identified by Aero Sekur include cation exchangers in filters to trap toxic gases, metals from sewage, as well as adoption as culture media for hydroponic greenhouses in Space.
Taking advantage of the potential of zeolite, and its synergies with synthetic materials, Aero Sekur is researching the use of Lazio tuff, which is found close to the company’s primary manufacturing facility South of Rome. Aero Sekur has observed that volcanic rocks, with high chabazite content (a variety of the mineral zeolite) offer major potential as a significant resource for Space missions. With almost unlimited availability on Mars, its application in life support systems would significantly reduce launch payloads and replenishment missions. The strategic importance of these materials is supported by the fact that they can be used as adsorbents of toxic gases and vapours such as sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and VOCs.
Expanding on the breakthrough, Gianna Latini a Material Scientist for Aero Sekur said: “Research conducted on Mars has shown a similar geological history and tectonics to Earth, which leads to the formation of materials of magmatic origin, i.e. molten rock material. In particular, chabazite has been found to be present in rock formed from volcanic ash (tuffaceous deposits) in Italy’s Lazio region. The properties of these natural sources were found to mimic those of synthetic materials, and considerable effort has gone into developing applications based on their unique adsorption, cation exchange, dehydration / rehydration and catalytic properties.
“Currently, natural zeolites are used commercially in a number of terrestrial applications including use as building stone, lightweight aggregate, energy exchangers in solar refrigerators; supplements in animal diets and as consumer deodorisers.
“Despite the widespread adoption of natural zeolites, there are no manufacturers producing commercial fibres treated or impregnated with these materials. At Aero Sekur we have recognised opportunities in our specialist field of safety systems and advanced flexible structures and we are reviewing the potential of using the chabazite mineral to develop a range of devices including films, foils and textiles for technical filtration adoption across air/water and biomedical applications.”
Fig. 1. Lazio tuff, which closely resembles soil on Mars.
For more information, visit www.aerosekur.com
