S...
Honeycomb panels are used extensively for launch vehicle jettisonable fairings and inter-stage parts... but most satellite structure relies on monolithic sheets/panels. BTW the honeycomb panels in these cases are made for noise/vibration control/deadening and are 'naturally vented' to quickly vent-off internal core-cell air pressure during high friction/heating ascent and reducing atmospheric pressure to '0'... using perforated honeycomb core materials... that could be composite/paper and aluminum foils/cell-walls, as design dictates. This could extend to other expendable components that would have limited critical structural performance life and will be jettisoned later in the flight profile.
I think the reasons for using monolith parts [primarily metallic] for the dedicated spacecraft... that are integral [integrally made] and then sections fastened together... is to eliminate any reliance on adhesive bonding in the harsh environment of space, which is known to degrade most non-metallic materials... heat-cold, radiation, atomic gasses/ions, etc... and makes long-term absolute structural integrity for critical composite and bonded assets impossible to be validated as 100% reliable. The ONLY exception to this might be stainless steel or titanium perforated honeycomb core and face-sheet/skin panels that are welded or brazed together... not adhesive-bonded.
NOTES1:
a. Spacecraft are subject to venting of trapped gasses for days/weeks/years from every micro-voids/pore... and honeycomb and composite materials [especially composite/paper honeycomb] are especially vulnerable to this phenomena.
b. The plastic body Tesla that SpaceX launched into inter solar space is predicted to soon-be a mass of fragile junk, as it comes-apart, because of non-metallic materials degradation.
c. The [4] landing gear struts for the Apollo lunar modules used a honeycomb filler material for struct shock attenuation [by crushing/compacting] on lunar landing... but they were never intended for long-duration exposure, before fulfilling their 1-time critical function.
d. If trapped air is subject to deep-cryogenic temperatures, the it will usually liquify... forming LN2, LO2, LAr2, etc. Now, imagine what happens if liquified gases are suddenly exposed to high aero-friction heating... when trapped in core cells or even small voids???!!!!
e. I am pretty sure that even interior panels of the ISS are NOT honeycomb for a multitude of reasons, that are far-beyond this discussion.
f. Hint (e)… one-of many other serious issues. SAE AIR5661 Compartment Decompression Analysis is worth reading... everything blows apart in incredible and scary ways... and structural integrity is really hard to maintain.
NOTE2.
In the 1990s a unique materials experiment was placed into orbit by a Space Shuttle... the [huge] Long Duration Exposure Facility. The LDEF exposed hundreds of materials [including coatings, insulation, plastics, wires, etc] to low earth orbit. LDEF was designed to 'stay-up' just for ~1 year... but due the loss of the SS Challenger... spent many years in LEO before it was retrieved by another Space Shuttle. It was a gold-mine for materials performance in the harsh space LEO environment. The subsequent reports of findings are in several very interesting NASA/CR reports... although some findings may [still] be classified.
Gotta-go-back-to-work...
Regards, Wil Taylor
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