How much velcro does NASA have in orbit?

[softweir]

A silly thought, prompted by many pictures of the inside of shuttle cabins and ISS modules, which show many patches of velcro (or maybe sticky patches, I don't know which) that are used to fix equipment and such in place. I get the feeling the stuff is ubiquitous throughout the American sections of the ISS.

So: Is it Velcro? If so, how much is there up there (in square metres)? Do the Russians use Velcro?

[xenomorph555]

Yes it's velcro, although I'm pretty sure the russians were the first to use it and still do. Don't know how much is up there though...

[Chris P. Bacon]

I was about to jump in and say "probably more than a ton of the stuff" but then I got thinking, of all the stuff in orbit, how many things can you actually climb inside of and stick velcro items to? On a similar note, I'd love to know how many ounces/pounds/tons of gold are on orbit. You see the foil everywhere, and I know its hair thin, but then there's all of the electronics on top of that... Given the density of gold compared to other 'spacey' materials like titanium, aluminum and.. velcro, it could add up fast...

[shynung]

Considering that astronauts had some velcro patch inside their helmet just to scratch their nose, I'd say a lot.

[Motokid600]

Wasn't velcro labeled as a great fire hazard after the Apollo one incident? Or has Velcro changed since then?

[xenomorph555]

Wasn't velcro labeled as a great fire hazard after the Apollo one incident? Or has Velcro changed since then?

Considering apollo used 100% oxygen atmosphere I wouldn't blame velcro

[xcorps]

It was a contributing factor, according to the report. But really it was bare wires and pure 02.

[Tiberion]

If you haven't already seen it, take some free time soon and watch this video tour of the iSS:

He is pretty thorough and often picks things off the wall and replaces them, showing just how prevalent velcro is. In fact, the Russian segment's wall panels are covered in it, rather than just having strips attached.

(Also watch this one by Suni Williams, just because:

)

[Seret]

Wasn't velcro labeled as a great fire hazard after the Apollo one incident? Or has Velcro changed since then?

Yes, it burns like an old stick. But it's also extremely handy, so it stays.