15. Is it true that spaceships are made of titanium alloy? What are they made of? (A K2S Question)

From The Space Library

The NASA Shuttle and most other spacecraft are made primarily with aluminum alloy. It is very strong for its weight, it is reasonably inexpensive, and its properties are well understood since it has been used since the early 1930s in aircraft. However, it loses its strength rapidly as temperatures rise, and other materials must be used in areas where there is great heat. Titanium is one of those materials, but it is heavy and expensive relative to aluminum and is used sparingly in carefully selected areas. Roughly speaking, titanium is twice as heavy as aluminum, melts at twice the temperature, and costs three times as much. (Ref. 3)

Ref 3.http://www.scescape/~woods/elements/titanium.html http://www.scescape/~woods/elements/aluminum.html

Answer provided by Jon H. Brown

Question and Answer extracted from the book Kids to Space - by Lonnie Schorer