Designers to the Stars

By Brooks McKinney, APR

Before launching onto the celestial stage, a spacecraft must first be dressed in "clothes" to protect it from extreme space temperatures. What may look like a glittery, gold gown covering every appendage and critical structure is actually multi-layer insulation (MLI): multiple, tissue paper-like layers of metalized films such as Kapton or Mylar designed to maintain the vehicle's subsystems within a specified temperature range.

This includes complex spacecraft such as NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, to small, experimental satellite for other government customers.

Of course, behind every great outfit is a great designer. Enter Northrop Grumman's renowned MLI team. This tight-knit group of precision "tailors" designs, fabricates and installs MLI on a majority of Northrop Grumman-produced spacecraft.

"The MLI team is truly a 'womb-to-tomb' organization," explains Ralph Stephenson, one of the team's two functional managers. "Our work begins in the earliest days of spacecraft conception and doesn't wrap up until the vehicle is ready to be launched. Very few disciplines in this industry are as engaged in spacecraft integration or mission success as we are."