Beta cloth
Encyclopedia
Beta cloth is a type of fireproof silica fiber cloth used in the manufacture of Apollo/Skylab A7L
space suits
and in other specialized applications.
Beta cloth consists of fine woven silica fiber, similar to fiberglass
. The resulting fabric will not burn, and will melt only at temperatures exceeding 650 °C. To reduce its tendency to crease or tear when manipulated, and to increase durability, the fibers may be coated with Teflon.
Beta cloth was developed by a Manned Spacecraft Center team led by Frederick S. Dawn and including Matthew I. Radofsky working with the Dow-Corning Company. It was implemented in NASA space suit
s after the deadly 1967 Apollo 1
launchpad fire; the astronauts' nylon suits melted and fused together in the fire. The fire-resistant Beta cloth was among changes to make the Apollo spacecraft and systems safer in the case of a similar situation.
Apollo/Skylab A7L
The A7L Apollo & Skylab spacesuit is the primary pressure suit worn by NASA astronauts for Project Apollo, the three manned Skylab flights, and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project between 1968 and the termination of the Apollo program in 1975. The "A7L" designation is used by NASA as the seventh Apollo...
space suits
Thermal Micrometeoroid Garment
An Thermal Micrometeoroid Garment is the outer layer of a space suit. The TMG has three functions: to insulate the suit occupant and prevent heat loss, to shield the occupant from harmful solar radiation, and to protect the astronaut from micrometeoroids and other orbital debris, which could...
and in other specialized applications.
Beta cloth consists of fine woven silica fiber, similar to fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
. The resulting fabric will not burn, and will melt only at temperatures exceeding 650 °C. To reduce its tendency to crease or tear when manipulated, and to increase durability, the fibers may be coated with Teflon.
Beta cloth was developed by a Manned Spacecraft Center team led by Frederick S. Dawn and including Matthew I. Radofsky working with the Dow-Corning Company. It was implemented in NASA space suit
Space suit
A space suit is a garment worn to keep an astronaut alive in the harsh environment of outer space. Space suits are often worn inside spacecraft as a safety precaution in case of loss of cabin pressure, and are necessary for extra-vehicular activity , work done outside spacecraft...
s after the deadly 1967 Apollo 1
Apollo 1
Apollo 1 was scheduled to be the first manned mission of the Apollo manned lunar landing program, with a target launch date of February 21, 1967. A cabin fire during a launch pad test on January 27 at Launch Pad 34 at Cape Canaveral killed all three crew members: Command Pilot Virgil "Gus"...
launchpad fire; the astronauts' nylon suits melted and fused together in the fire. The fire-resistant Beta cloth was among changes to make the Apollo spacecraft and systems safer in the case of a similar situation.