Talk:Ballute
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I have just seen the New Scientist article on the testing of the balute (dated 12 October 2006). http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn10288-inflatable-cushions-to-act-as-spacecraft-heat-shields.html.
This implies that there are worries about stitching and the behaviour of adhesives. I would like to ask if there has been any thought to utilising diffusion bonding, which would get around these problems, and also the use of metal foils as the sheet material. It occurs to me that metals would have a higher working temperature and strength and that a multilayer cellular structure would improve the insulating behaviour and robustness.
