Lamart Approved for Phase II of NASA Project

Published: December 13, 2004, By pffc-online.com

PRESS RELEASE

CLIFTON, NJ—NASA has selected Lamart Corp., a supplier of custom coated and laminated products, for Phase II funding to develop laminated materials for a proposed Aerobot to circle Titan, one of Saturn’s moons. Lamart’s successful participation in Phase I, an initial feasibility study, was reported earlier in 2004.

The company reported that the ultimate objective will be to develop an extremely thin, exceptionally strong, and highly flexible material for the unmanned blimp—controlled by a computer on Earth. According to Lee Smith, Lamart’s production manager, "To date we have tested materials with up to 11 layers and a combined thickness of little more than 1 mm." The vehicle will reportedly remain active for several months and provide a relatively low altitude survey of Titan’s surface.

Lamart technical consultant, Peter Mahr, added, "The real challenge comes from the ultra low temperature of the atmosphere on Titan. The material must be flexible at temperatures as low as –196º C. Therefore, a primary focus of Lamart’s development efforts will be to identify films and adhesives that will function at these low temperatures."

To learn more, visit lamartcorp.com.