Primitive Offworld Spaceships Will Probably Be Made Of...

[Dientus]

19 hours ago, StrandedonEarth said:

Primitive Offworld Spaceships Will Probably Be Made Of...
 

Chewing gum, baling wire, and duct space tape 

 

Wonder no more fellow Kerbanauts....

 

 

[magnemoe]

Aluminum, some is 3d printing entire rocket bodies out of it. Yes engines are harder but lots of engine parts are 3d printed today. Using an electrical powered pump to feed the engine let you drop the turbo pump. You can probably scavenge some engine anyway. 

[kerbiloid]

Alumina. Spaceships made of clay.  Gilgamesh recommends.

[Dientus]

2 hours ago, kerbiloid said:

Alumina. Spaceships made of clay.  Gilgamesh recommends.

I actually found this, and you may find this interesting. We actually did send wooden spacecraft into space on actual real NASA missions back in the 50s.

 

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/life-unbounded/the-first-wooden-spacecraft/

[wumpus]

6 hours ago, Dientus said:

I actually found this, and you may find this interesting. We actually did send wooden spacecraft into space on actual real NASA missions back in the 50s.

 

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/life-unbounded/the-first-wooden-spacecraft/

White oak makes good heat shields.  It ablates slowly, in layers.  I'd be shocked if nobody has used it for a heat shield.

I'm not sure of any bit of spacecraft (not the booster & engines) that requires more attention to materials science than the heat shield.

Edited August 14, 2021 by wumpus

[kerbiloid]

In the original plot of the infamous Alien 3 the action took place in a wooden asteroid populated by monks.