spore: profile id: orthofabric spore_version: 0.2 family: woven-textiles name: 'Orthofabric (EMU TMG outer layer: Gore-Tex / Nomex / Kevlar)' role: Outer shell fabric of the thermal micrometeoroid garment (TMG) on the EMU spacesuit category: textiles type: spacesuit-layers summary: | Orthofabric is the two-layer woven outer shell of the thermal micrometeoroid garment (TMG) on NASA's EMU spacesuit. It is made from Gore-Tex (expanded PTFE) face yarn over Nomex and Kevlar yarns. In NASA's lunar-simulant test, eight hours in a rotary dust tumbler cut the warp tensile load from 507 lbf to 302 lbf (-40%) and the warp elongation from 59% to 25%, per the Artemis suit-material paper (ICES-2025-56). NASA states that the fabric can withstand temperatures from -184.4 °C to 149 °C, and it predicts a mass loss of about 66% per year from atomic oxygen in the ionosphere. The data are thinner than for the other profiles: they come from NASA papers and a 1985 NASA test report, not from a manufacturer datasheet. best_for: Reference baseline for low Earth orbit suit shells, where NASA reports no cuts, punctures, tears or cracking from cold exposure weakest_at: 'Dust abrasion on the lunar surface: 40% loss of warp tensile load and 58% loss of warp elongation after eight hours in NASA''s tumbler, plus a predicted 66% mass loss per year from atomic oxygen' identity: formula: 'Two-layer woven fabric: expanded PTFE (Gore-Tex) face yarn over Nomex (meta-aramid) and Kevlar (aramid) yarns' source: artemis-2025 where: Background and Section B (Current State of the Art), paragraph beginning 'Ortho Fabric is a two-layer fabric', which gives the yarn sizes as 400 denier Gore-Tex, 200 denier Nomex and 400 denier Kevlar. The Wikipedia TMG article also describes the outer layer as a blend of Gore-Tex, Kevlar and Nomex; the Kevlar chemical name is from the Wikipedia Kevlar article designations: - system: Trade name code: Ortho Fabric source: artemis-2025 where: Section B (Current State of the Art), paragraph beginning 'Ortho Fabric is a two-layer fabric' tags: environments: - low-earth-orbit - lunar-day - shadowed-craters stresses: - atomic-oxygen - dust-abrasion - extreme-cold - extreme-heat applications: - habitats-and-suits properties: - benchmark: max_service_temp label: Highest temperature the fabric can withstand value: 149 unit: °C scope: material conditions: printed_as: −300° to +300°F (−184.4° to 149°C) basis: range NASA states the fabric can withstand method: Stated range in the Artemis suit-material paper, copied from its text (the paper prints Fahrenheit first) status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Section B (Current State of the Art), paragraph after the description of Ortho Fabric - benchmark: breaking_load_warp label: Warp tensile load, as received value: 507 unit: lbf scope: material conditions: direction: warp state: as received, before tumbling lab: NASA JSC Advanced Materials Lab (AML) temperature: ambient method: Average of warp specimens in the paper's tensile test (named as ASTM D5035); load in lbf as printed; strip width not stated status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Table 1, Pre-Tumbler row, Tensile Warp column - benchmark: breaking_load_warp label: Warp tensile load after tumbling value: 302 unit: lbf scope: material conditions: direction: warp state: after 8 hours in the rotary tumbler with NU-LHT-4M simulant lab: NASA JSC Advanced Materials Lab (AML) method: Average of warp specimens in the paper's tensile test (named as ASTM D5035); load in lbf as printed; strip width not stated status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Table 1, Post Tumbler row, Tensile Warp column - benchmark: elongation label: Warp elongation, as received value: 59 unit: '%' scope: material conditions: direction: warp state: as received, before tumbling lab: NASA JSC Advanced Materials Lab (AML) method: Average of warp specimens in the paper's tensile test (named as ASTM D5035) status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Table 1, Pre-Tumbler row, Elong Warp column - benchmark: elongation label: Warp elongation after tumbling value: 25 unit: '%' scope: material conditions: direction: warp state: after 8 hours in the rotary tumbler with NU-LHT-4M simulant lab: NASA JSC Advanced Materials Lab (AML) method: Average of warp specimens in the paper's tensile test (named as ASTM D5035) status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Table 1, Post Tumbler row, Elong Warp column - benchmark: tear_load_warp label: Warp tear load, as received value: 229 unit: lbf scope: material conditions: direction: warp state: as received, before tumbling lab: NASA JSC Advanced Materials Lab (AML) method: Average of warp specimens in the paper's tear test (named as ASTM D2261); load in lbf as printed status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Table 1, Pre-Tumbler row, Tear Warp column - benchmark: tear_load_warp label: Warp tear load after tumbling value: 120 unit: lbf scope: material conditions: direction: warp state: after 8 hours in the rotary tumbler with NU-LHT-4M simulant lab: NASA JSC Advanced Materials Lab (AML) method: Average of warp specimens in the paper's tear test (named as ASTM D2261); load in lbf as printed status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Table 1, Post Tumbler row, Tear Warp column - benchmark: cut_resistance label: Cut resistance, as received value: 437 unit: gf scope: material conditions: state: as received, before tumbling lab: NASA JSC Advanced Materials Lab (AML) method: Cut test named in the paper as ASTM F2992; load in gf as printed status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Table 1, Pre-Tumbler row, Cut column - benchmark: cut_resistance label: Cut resistance after tumbling value: 637 unit: gf scope: material conditions: state: after 8 hours in the rotary tumbler with NU-LHT-4M simulant lab: NASA JSC Advanced Materials Lab (AML) method: Cut test named in the paper as ASTM F2992; load in gf as printed status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Table 1, Post Tumbler row, Cut column - benchmark: puncture_resistance label: Puncture resistance, as received value: 38.8 unit: ozf scope: material conditions: state: as received, before tumbling lab: NASA JSC Advanced Materials Lab (AML) method: Puncture test named in the paper as ASTM F1342; load in ozf as printed status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Table 1, Pre-Tumbler row, Puncture column - benchmark: puncture_resistance label: Puncture resistance after tumbling value: 84.8 unit: ozf scope: material conditions: state: after 8 hours in the rotary tumbler with NU-LHT-4M simulant lab: NASA JSC Advanced Materials Lab (AML) method: Puncture test named in the paper as ASTM F1342; load in ozf as printed status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Table 1, Post Tumbler row, Puncture column - benchmark: thickness label: Thickness, as received value: 0.024 unit: in scope: material conditions: state: as received, before tumbling method: Thickness as printed in Table 1 of the paper status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Table 1, Pre-Tumbler row, Thickness column - benchmark: thickness label: Thickness after tumbling value: 0.02 unit: in scope: material conditions: state: after 8 hours in the rotary tumbler with NU-LHT-4M simulant method: Thickness as printed in Table 1 of the paper status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Table 1, Post Tumbler row, Thickness column - benchmark: areal_weight label: Weight per unit area, as received value: 14.5 unit: oz/yd2 scope: material conditions: state: as received, before tumbling method: Weight per unit area as printed in Table 1 (oz/yd2); not a canonical property name status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Table 1, Pre-Tumbler row, Weight column - benchmark: areal_weight label: Weight per unit area after tumbling value: 15.49 unit: oz/yd2 scope: material conditions: state: after 8 hours in the rotary tumbler with NU-LHT-4M simulant method: Weight per unit area as printed in Table 1 (oz/yd2); the paper attributes the 7% rise to dust retention status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Table 1, Post Tumbler row, Weight column - benchmark: air_permeability label: Air permeability, as received value: 22.5 unit: CFM@125 PA scope: material conditions: state: as received, before tumbling method: Air permeability as printed in Table 1 (CFM at 125 PA) status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Table 1, Pre-Tumbler row, Air Perm column - benchmark: air_permeability label: Air permeability after tumbling value: 12.7 unit: CFM@125 PA scope: material conditions: state: after 8 hours in the rotary tumbler with NU-LHT-4M simulant method: Air permeability as printed in Table 1 (CFM at 125 PA) status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Table 1, Post Tumbler row, Air Perm column - benchmark: absorptivity label: Absorptivity, as received value: 0.2 unit: '-' scope: material conditions: state: as received, before tumbling method: Absorptivity as printed in Table 1 (dimensionless; the paper does not name the spectral range) status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Table 1, Pre-Tumbler row, Absorptivity column - benchmark: absorptivity label: Absorptivity after tumbling value: 0.362 unit: '-' scope: material conditions: state: after 8 hours in the rotary tumbler with NU-LHT-4M simulant method: Absorptivity as printed in Table 1 (dimensionless; the paper does not name the spectral range) status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Table 1, Post Tumbler row, Absorptivity column - benchmark: emissivity label: Emissivity, as received value: 0.837 unit: '-' scope: material conditions: state: as received, before tumbling method: Emissivity as printed in Table 1 (dimensionless; the paper does not name the test temperature) status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Table 1, Pre-Tumbler row, Emissivity column - benchmark: emissivity label: Emissivity after tumbling value: 0.866 unit: '-' scope: material conditions: state: after 8 hours in the rotary tumbler with NU-LHT-4M simulant method: Emissivity as printed in Table 1 (dimensionless; the paper does not name the test temperature) status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Table 1, Post Tumbler row, Emissivity column - benchmark: dust_penetration label: Lunar simulant passing through the fabric value: 164.84 unit: g/m2 scope: material conditions: test: 8 hours in the rotary tumbler with NU-LHT-4M simulant exposed_area: 13 in x 5 in penetrated_mass: 6.9 g method: Simulant collected from the back of the tumbled panel and standardised per square metre by NASA (Table 2) status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Table 2 (post-tumbler dust results), Penetrated Dust (g/m2) column - benchmark: breaking_load_warp label: Warp tensile load at 120 °C value: 295 unit: lbf scope: material conditions: direction: warp temperature: 120 °C lab: PMIC method: Warp tensile load at elevated temperature, measured by PMIC for the paper (Table 3); load in lbf as printed status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Table 3, 120C row, Tensile Warp column - benchmark: breaking_load_warp label: Warp tensile load at 23 °C value: 468 unit: lbf scope: material conditions: direction: warp temperature: 23 °C lab: PMIC method: Warp tensile load at ambient temperature, measured by PMIC for the paper (Table 3); load in lbf as printed status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Table 3, 23C row, Tensile Warp column - benchmark: breaking_load_warp label: Warp tensile load at -189 °C value: 437 unit: lbf scope: material conditions: direction: warp temperature: '-189 °C' lab: PMIC method: Warp tensile load at cryogenic temperature, measured by PMIC for the paper (Table 3); load in lbf as printed status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Table 3, -189C row, Tensile Warp column - benchmark: elongation label: Warp elongation at 120 °C value: 38.8 unit: '%' scope: material conditions: direction: warp temperature: 120 °C lab: PMIC method: Warp elongation at elevated temperature, measured by PMIC for the paper (Table 3) status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Table 3, 120C row, Elongation Warp column - benchmark: elongation label: Warp elongation at 23 °C value: 38.2 unit: '%' scope: material conditions: direction: warp temperature: 23 °C lab: PMIC method: Warp elongation at ambient temperature, measured by PMIC for the paper (Table 3) status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Table 3, 23C row, Elongation Warp column - benchmark: elongation label: Warp elongation at -189 °C value: 15 unit: '%' scope: material conditions: direction: warp temperature: '-189 °C' lab: PMIC method: Warp elongation at cryogenic temperature, measured by PMIC for the paper (Table 3) status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Table 3, -189C row, Elongation Warp column - benchmark: stiffness label: Stiffness at -189 °C value: 14.3 unit: lbf scope: material conditions: temperature: '-189 °C' lab: PMIC method: Stiffness test as printed in Table 3 (lbf); the paper does not give a bending-test standard in the text read status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Table 3, -189C row, Stiffness column - benchmark: flex_cycles_without_visible_damage label: Flex cycles tested without visible damage value: 15000 unit: cycles scope: material conditions: temperature: '-170 °C' result: no visible damage under microscopic examination method: Flexing at -170 °C, then microscopic examination, as stated in the paper's text on cryogenic flexibility; a number of cycles tested, not a measured fatigue life status: ground source: artemis-2025 where: Text on cryogenic flexibility testing (after the cryo tensile results, before Figure 5) - benchmark: atomic_oxygen_mass_loss_rate label: Predicted mass loss from ionospheric atomic oxygen value: 66 unit: '% per year' scope: material conditions: altitude: about 220 km (ionosphere) basis: prediction scaled from earlier asher and flight test data reference: '% of the original orthofabric mass per year' method: NASA prediction in the 1985 test report (TM-87149), scaled to ionospheric conditions; not a measured flight result status: calculated source: tm87149 where: Abstract, sentence beginning 'It is predicted that the orthofabric loses mass' corrosion: - environment: Ionospheric atomic oxygen at about 220 km (predicted) headline: Predicted to lose about 66% of its mass per year, while the outer layer still looks largely unchanged. effect: NASA scaled earlier asher and flight test data to ionospheric conditions and predicts that the orthofabric loses mass at about 66% of its original mass per year. The outer layer of the test samples shows few easily visible signs of degradation, so the authors conclude it could lose significant performance well before a year of exposure. rating: severe conditions: basis: prediction from asher and flight test data, scaled to about 220 km sample: two-layer orthofabric test samples source: tm87149 where: Abstract and conclusions - environment: Lunar simulant under an 8-hour rotary dust tumbler headline: Tumbling removes 40% of warp tensile load and 58% of warp elongation. effect: Tensile load fell by 40%, elongation by 58%, tear by 48% and thickness by 17%. The paper concludes that the fabric does not meet the required dust mitigation and abrasion resistance standards for lunar use. rating: severe conditions: simulant: NU-LHT-4M lunar simulant with ceramic tumbler media duration: 8 hours source: artemis-2025 where: Table 1 and Section B (Need for Innovation) - environment: Elevated temperature, 120 °C headline: Warp tensile load drops to 295 lbf at 120 °C, from 468 lbf at 23 °C. effect: Cut resistance falls to 257 gf (from 437 gf) and puncture resistance to 27.2 ozf (from 59.2 ozf). Elongation rises slightly to 38.8% (from 38.2%). rating: moderate conditions: temperature: 120 °C lab: PMIC source: artemis-2025 where: Table 3 and text on the 120 °C results - environment: Cryogenic, -189 °C headline: Warp elongation drops to 15% and stiffness rises to 14.3 lbf. effect: Puncture resistance rises to 230.4 ozf and cut resistance to 808 gf. The paper describes significant embrittlement at this temperature, but its post-test analysis found no damage from bending. rating: moderate conditions: temperature: '-189 °C' lab: PMIC source: artemis-2025 where: Table 3 and text on the -189 °C results supply: - subject: Fluorine feedstock for the expanded PTFE face yarn (fluorspar, calcium fluoride) producers: - country: China share_percent: 60 year: 2025 - country: Mexico share_percent: 15 year: 2025 - country: Mongolia share_percent: 15 year: 2025 - country: South Africa share_percent: 4.1 year: 2025 source: usgs-mcs2026-fluorspar where: 'World Mine Production and Reserves table, 2025 (e). Shares are calculated by Space Mushroom as country mine production divided by the printed world total of 10,000 thousand t (China 6,000; Mexico 1,500; Mongolia 1,500; South Africa 410). The listed rows sum to 10,235 thousand t, so the shares are approximate. Context from Domestic Production and Use: ''Aqueous HF is the primary feedstock for the manufacture of virtually all fluorine-bearing chemicals, particularly refrigerants and fluoropolymers.''' - subject: Para-aramid (Kevlar) and meta-aramid (Nomex) fibre producers: [] source: kevlar-sds where: 'Kevlar SDS, Section 1: Manufacturer/Supplier DuPont, Wilmington, Delaware. No production volume or country share for either aramid was found in the sources read.' risks: hazards: - text: 'The Kevlar para-aramid SDS (DuPont, version 8.1, revision date 03/23/2023) gives the product hazard category as ''Combustible dust'' with the signal word ''Warning''. It says: ''If small particles are generated during further processing, handling or by other means, may form combustible dust concentrations in air.'' No pictogram is required.' ghs: [] source: kevlar-sds where: 'Section 2 (Hazards identification): Product hazard category, Label content and Hazardous warnings' - text: In a fire, the Kevlar SDS lists 'Hazardous decomposition products formed under fire conditions.' Section 10 names carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides (NOx), hydrogen cyanide (gaseous), ammonia, anhydrous, aldehydes and hydrocarbons. ghs: [] source: kevlar-sds where: 'Section 5 (Firefighting measures): Specific hazards; Section 10 (Stability and reactivity): Hazardous decomposition products' - text: 'The Daikin POLYFLON PTFE M-532 safety data sheet (version 1, printed 20.01.2011) states: ''The substance is not classified according to the CLP regulation.'' Its hazard pictograms, signal word and hazard statements are void. This is a PTFE grade, not the Gore-Tex expanded PTFE in the face yarn.' ghs: [] source: ptfe-sds-daikin where: 'Section 2 (Hazards identification): Classification according to Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 and Label elements' - text: The same Daikin SDS says that vapours and fumes 'liberated during hot processing (above 260 ℃)' may cause flu-like symptoms (chills, fever and, sometimes, cough) that may not occur until several hours after exposure and 'typically pass within about 36 to 48 hours'. ghs: [] source: ptfe-sds-daikin where: 'Section 4 (First aid measures): Information for doctor; Section 10 (Stability and reactivity) notes the same fume risk when overheated' failure_risks: - mode: Dust abrasion of the outer face trigger: 8 hours in NASA's rotary tumbler with NU-LHT-4M lunar simulant and ceramic tumbler media consequence: Warp tensile load fell from 507 lbf to 302 lbf (-40%), warp elongation from 59% to 25% (-58%) and tear load from 229 lbf to 120 lbf (-48%). severity: high source: artemis-2025 where: Table 1 (pre and post tumbler results) and the text on tumbler results - mode: Dust penetration through the weave trigger: The same 8-hour tumbler test, with simulant collected from the back of the panel consequence: About 6.9 g of simulant passed through the tumbled panel, standardised to 164.84 g/m2. NASA says the weave openings can be as large as 70 microns. severity: high source: artemis-2025 where: Table 2 (post-tumbler dust results) and Section B - mode: Stiffening and embrittlement in the cold trigger: Warp testing at -189 °C (PMIC) consequence: Elongation fell to 15% (from 38.2% at 23 °C) and stiffness rose to 14.3 lbf (from 3.08 lbf). No damage from bending was found after the test. severity: moderate source: artemis-2025 where: Table 3 and the text on the -189 °C results - mode: Strength loss when hot trigger: Warp testing at 120 °C (PMIC) consequence: Warp tensile load fell to 295 lbf (from 468 lbf at 23 °C) and cut resistance to 257 gf (from 437 gf). severity: moderate source: artemis-2025 where: Table 3 and the text on the 120 °C results - mode: Atomic oxygen erosion in low Earth orbit trigger: Ionospheric atomic oxygen at about 220 km (predicted) consequence: NASA predicts about 66% mass loss per year. The outer layer shows few visible signs of degradation, so visual inspection may miss the loss. severity: high source: tm87149 where: Abstract and conclusions side_effects: - text: Weight rose by 7% after the tumbler test, which NASA attributes most likely to dust retained in the fabric. affects: Mass and feel of the suit shell source: artemis-2025 where: Table 1 (weight, % difference) and the text on tumbler results handling: [] mitigations: [] uses: - application: habitats-and-suits device: EMU spacesuit thermal micrometeoroid garment (TMG), outer shell example: NASA's Artemis suit-material paper says the EMU is protected by a TMG whose outer-shell layer is Ortho Fabric, which has performed well in low Earth orbit with no reported cuts, punctures, tears or cracking from cold exposure. source: artemis-2025 where: Background, paragraph on the EMU and Ortho Fabric - application: habitats-and-suits device: Lunar surface EVA suit shell (baseline for a replacement fabric) example: NASA chose Ortho Fabric as the baseline for its replacement lunar fabric, and the paper concludes that it will not meet the required dust mitigation and abrasion resistance standards for the Moon. source: artemis-2025 where: Introduction, paragraph on the lunar requirements; Section B (Current State of the Art) sources: artemis-2025: title: Artemis Suit Material Overview (ICES-2025-56), International Conference on Environmental Systems id: ICES-2025-56 url: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20250003726/downloads/ICES-2025-56%20Artemis%20Suit%20Material%20Overview%20FINAL.pdf year: 2025 kind: paper license: NASA document; no licence printed in the text read tm87149: title: Mass loss of shuttle space suit orthofabric under simulated ionospheric atomic oxygen bombardment (NASA TM-87149) id: NASA TM-87149; NTRS 19860004430 url: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19860004430.pdf year: 1985 kind: report license: NASA document; no licence printed in the text read wiki-tmg: title: Thermal micrometeoroid garment (Wikipedia) id: Wikipedia article, last edited 6 February 2024 url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_Micrometeoroid_Garment year: 2024 kind: web license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikipedia text) wiki-kevlar: title: Kevlar (Wikipedia) id: Wikipedia article, Kevlar url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevlar year: 2024 kind: web license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikipedia text) arclin-kevlar: title: Kevlar product page, Arclin (former DuPont brand) id: Arclin Kevlar product page url: https://www.arclin.com/kevlar/ year: 2026 kind: web license: Manufacturer web page (cited, not reproduced) arclin-nomex: title: Nomex product page, Arclin (former DuPont brand) id: Arclin Nomex product page url: https://www.arclin.com/nomex/ year: 2026 kind: web license: Manufacturer web page (cited, not reproduced) kevlar-sds: title: KEVLAR Para-aramid Safety Data Sheet, Version 8.1 (DuPont) id: Ref. 150000002634; issue date 09/09/2024; revision date 03/23/2023 url: https://media.easycomposites.co.uk/datasheets/Dupont-Kevlar-SDS-Ver8_1-23Mar2023.pdf year: 2024 kind: datasheet license: Manufacturer safety data sheet (cited, not reproduced) ptfe-sds-daikin: title: Safety data sheet, POLYFLON PTFE M-532 (Daikin), version 1 id: Printed 20.01.2011, version number 1 url: https://www.daikinchemicals.com/library/pb_common/pdf/sds/Fluoropolymer/PTFE-M/sds-m-532-E_20110120.pdf year: 2011 kind: datasheet license: Manufacturer safety data sheet (cited, not reproduced) usgs-mcs2026-fluorspar: title: 'Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Fluorspar (USGS)' id: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, fluorspar url: https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-fluorspar.pdf year: 2026 kind: report license: US government work; no licence printed in the text read documents: - title: Artemis Suit Material Overview (ICES-2025-56), NASA type: paper url: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20250003726/downloads/ICES-2025-56%20Artemis%20Suit%20Material%20Overview%20FINAL.pdf year: 2025 - title: Mass loss of shuttle space suit orthofabric under simulated ionospheric atomic oxygen bombardment (NASA TM-87149) type: report url: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19860004430.pdf year: 1985 - title: KEVLAR Para-aramid Safety Data Sheet, Version 8.1 (DuPont) type: sds url: https://media.easycomposites.co.uk/datasheets/Dupont-Kevlar-SDS-Ver8_1-23Mar2023.pdf year: 2024 - title: Safety data sheet, POLYFLON PTFE M-532 (Daikin), version 1 type: sds url: https://www.daikinchemicals.com/library/pb_common/pdf/sds/Fluoropolymer/PTFE-M/sds-m-532-E_20110120.pdf year: 2011 - title: 'Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Fluorspar (USGS)' type: report url: https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-fluorspar.pdf year: 2026 gaps: - NASA's lowest rated temperature (-184.4 °C) is printed with a Unicode minus sign, which verify-values cannot match, so it is not kept as a property. It is quoted as NASA's stated range in the summary and story. - No manufacturer datasheet with numbers was found. The Arclin Kevlar and Nomex product pages are marketing pages with no density, melting, decomposition or limiting-oxygen-index values. - Fibre density, melting point, decomposition temperature and limiting oxygen index for Gore-Tex (expanded PTFE), Nomex and Kevlar were not found on any page read in this run. - No UV, vacuum, radiation or thermal-vacuum result for Ortho Fabric was printed in the sources read. The paper says the Gore-Tex face is there for UV resistance but gives no test value. - Flammability was a selection criterion (30 percent O2 at 10.2 psi), but no measured flammability result for Ortho Fabric was printed. - Breaking and tear loads are printed in lbf for strips of unstated width, so no tensile stress in MPa is given. - 'The as-received 23 °C warp tensile load differs between labs: 507 lbf at AML (Table 1) and 468 lbf at PMIC (Table 3). Both are kept, labelled by lab.' - Table 1 comes from one NASA test series on one fabric lot. No second-source or flight-exposed sample was found. - No safety data sheet for Orthofabric itself was found. Hazards use the DuPont Kevlar SDS and a 2011 Daikin PTFE SDS (a PTFE grade, not the Gore-Tex expanded PTFE in the face yarn). No Nomex SDS was read, and the PubChem GHS page could not be opened in this run. - No handling, cleaning or storage guidance was found in the sources read. - 'Supply: fluorspar shares (the PTFE feedstock) come from USGS 2025 world mine production. No production volume or country share was found for Kevlar or Nomex fibre, and no critical-mineral listing for fluorspar was in the text read. The paper names only the weaver, Fabric Development Inc. in Quakertown, PA.' - The Wikipedia TMG article gives a rounded temperature range that differs slightly from NASA's printed range. NASA's printed range is used. - The 66% per year atomic-oxygen figure is a prediction. No measured flight mass loss for this fabric was found. - The 7% weight gain after tumbling is attributed to dust retention by NASA. Dust retention was not measured separately. - The University of Illinois liquid-helium tensile results (Figure 5) are not included, because the figure is not machine-readable and the text values are not in the table. - The 70-micron interstice size in the paper is cited from another NASA paper and was not measured in the sources read. license: CC-BY-4.0 updated: '2026-11-01' review: status: draft method: assistant checked_values: 31 unreachable: 0 caveats: 1 note: Written by an AI assistant on 2026-11-01 from NASA and Wikipedia pages read in this run. Values come from one NASA paper (Table 1 and Table 3) and one 1985 NASA test report; no manufacturer datasheet was reachable. story: recipe: line: Ortho Fabric is a two-layer woven fabric made by Fabric Development Inc. in Quakertown, PA, on a six-harness loom in a split-basket pattern with a fancy draw. The outer face is Gore-Tex (expanded PTFE) slit-film yarn, and the inner face is Nomex and Kevlar yarn, with Kevlar in a ripstop pattern. parts: - name: Gore-Tex (expanded PTFE) role: Outer face. Gives abrasion resistance from its low friction, UV resistance, and a bleached white surface that reflects most of the Sun's thermal radiation. - name: Nomex (meta-aramid) role: Inner face. Adds strength and heat resistance. - name: Kevlar (aramid) role: Inner face in a ripstop pattern. Adds tear resistance. risk_groups: - title: For the suit wearer lead: The shell keeps dust and micrometeoroids away from the pressure garment. Its weak point is dust abrasion, which removed much of its strength in NASA's tests. points: - label: Dust abrasion line: After 8 hours in NASA's rotary tumbler with lunar simulant, warp tensile load fell from 507 lbf to 302 lbf (-40%). Warp elongation fell from 59% to 25% (-58%), and tear load from 229 lbf to 120 lbf (-48%). - label: Dust penetration line: About 6.9 g of simulant passed through the tumbled panel. NASA standardised this to 164.84 g/m2. - label: Visible wear line: NASA's post-test images show the Gore-Tex fibres tufting and discolouring under the dust. - title: In hot and cold conditions lead: NASA tested the fabric at 120 °C, 23 °C and -189 °C. Its strength falls when hot, and its stiffness rises when cold. points: - label: Hot line: At 120 °C, warp tensile load was 295 lbf, against 468 lbf at 23 °C. Cut resistance was 257 gf, against 437 gf. - label: Cold line: At -189 °C, warp elongation fell to 15%, against 38.2% at 23 °C. Stiffness rose to 14.3 lbf, against 3.08 lbf. NASA found no damage from bending in the test fixture. - title: In low Earth orbit lead: The fabric has a long service record in low Earth orbit, and atomic oxygen is the main hazard predicted there. points: - label: Service record line: To the knowledge of NASA's authors, no cuts, punctures, tears or cracking from cold exposure have been reported in the fabric's use. - label: Atomic oxygen line: A 1985 NASA test report predicts that the fabric loses about 66% of its mass per year in the ionosphere, at about 220 km. The outer layer still shows few visible signs of degradation, so inspection alone can miss the loss. why: Orthofabric is the outer shell of the thermal micrometeoroid garment (TMG) on NASA's EMU spacesuit, used for spacewalks in low Earth orbit. The shell has to resist micrometeoroids, abrasion and extreme temperature while keeping the suit flexible. NASA is replacing it for lunar spacewalks, because its tests show that lunar dust removes much of its strength. Orthofabric is therefore best read as the baseline that a new lunar fabric has to beat. uses: - where: EMU spacesuit in low Earth orbit line: NASA's Artemis paper says the EMU is protected by a thermal micrometeoroid garment whose outer-shell layer is Ortho Fabric. The fabric has performed well in low Earth orbit, with no reported cuts, punctures, tears or cracking from cold exposure. - where: Lunar surface baseline line: NASA chose Ortho Fabric as the baseline for its replacement lunar fabric. The paper concludes that it will not meet the required dust mitigation and abrasion resistance standards for the Moon. Its results set the minimum targets the new fabric must meet. can_do: - label: Heat tolerance value: 149 °C line: 'NASA states that the fabric can withstand temperatures up to 149 °C, which is +300 °F. Strength falls well before that limit: warp tensile load is 295 lbf at 120 °C.' - label: Cold tolerance value: '-184.4 °C' line: NASA states that the fabric can withstand temperatures down to -184.4 °C. In the PMIC test at -189 °C its warp elongation fell to 15%, so it stays usable but becomes stiff. - label: Dust abrasion value: 302 lbf warp tensile load after tumbling line: After 8 hours in the lunar-simulant tumbler, warp tensile load was 302 lbf, against 507 lbf before. Tear load was 120 lbf, against 229 lbf. The fabric survived the test, with measurable degradation. - label: Atomic oxygen value: 66% mass loss per year (predicted) line: A 1985 NASA prediction, scaled from asher and flight tests, is that the fabric loses about 66% of its mass per year in the ionosphere at about 220 km. This is a prediction, not a measured flight result. compare: Orthofabric is a woven textile shell, not a bulk polymer, so it is best compared with the Kevlar, Nomex and PTFE profiles in this collection, which describe its three fibre types on their own. NASA reports that Orthofabric survived the eight-hour tumbler test, which Beta cloth, the Apollo-era shell, did not. Beta cloth was therefore dropped as a comparison. The table compares Orthofabric with the other textiles on the same properties. compare_rows: - label: Lowest rated temperature benchmark: min_service_temp - label: Elongation after dust tumbling benchmark: elongation - label: Warp tensile load after dust tumbling benchmark: breaking_load_warp handling: - No handling or storage guidance for Orthofabric was found in the sources we hold. - Once fabric samples reach NASA's lab, they are conditioned to a standard before baseline testing. good_for: - Low Earth orbit suit shells. NASA reports no cuts, punctures, tears or cracking from cold exposure in its service history. - Baseline data for dust-abrasion and temperature tests. Its results set the minimum targets for the lunar replacement fabric. watch_out: - Dust abrasion. After 8 hours in the tumbler, warp tensile load fell 40%, warp elongation 58% and tear load 48%. - Atomic oxygen. NASA's 1985 prediction is about 66% mass loss per year in the ionosphere. - Cold stiffness. At -189 °C, warp elongation was 15%. verdict: Orthofabric proved durable in low Earth orbit. NASA's dust tests show that it does not meet the abrasion and dust standards for lunar surface work, so it should be read as the reference that a replacement must beat, not as a lunar-rated fabric.