On Sunday, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft successfully delivered samples from an asteroid back to Earth. The capsule was protected on reentry in part by components produced by Maine's growing aerospace industry.
Spirit AeroSystems in Biddeford — which specializes in the creation of high-temperature materials — constructed the heat shield which protected the OSIRIS-REx samples from burning up when reentering Earth's atmosphere. The heat shield had to withstand temperatures of 5000 degrees Fahrenheit and speeds up to 27 thousand miles-per-hour:
"That heat shield, I'm think it's pretty close to 10 years in the making," said Patrick Sullivan, a project manager for Spirit AeroSystems in Biddeford.
Beyond working defense and missile contracts, Spirit's subdivision in Maine has provided NASA with components for over 20 years. One of the company's current projects: making key components for the launch abort system as part of Artemis — NASA's future manned mission to the Moon.
"I think it's really cool to be working on this technology and live in Maine," said Sullivan. "I think a lot of people, myself included, figured you'd have to go to California or one of the bigger cities [to work in aerospace]. It's cool that this technology exists in Maine, and that we're one part of building up the industry."
