Episode 117: Textiles in Space

The fanciest suit isn't on the runway, it's in orbit. In this follow-up episode, Taylor and Andrew bring back Kate Winning from Oxford Space Systems to dive into the world of space textiles. From the knitted gold-plated mesh antennas that fold up for launch and deploy to the size of a room, to the 14-layer suit that keeps astronauts alive. Learn why tungsten makes a better yarn than you'd expect, how ancient crafts still have a place in high tech manufacturing, and why the hardest part of a spacesuit might just be the gloves. Thanks to Kate from Oxford for talking to us. Learn more about Oxford Space Systems here [LINK] This episode of the Materialism Podcast is sponsored by Momentum Transfer. Visit their website for more details about their measurement services. [LINK] The Materialism Podcast is sponsored by Materials Today, an Elsevier community dedicated to the creation and sharing of materials science knowledge and experience through their peer-reviewed journals, academic conferences, educational webinars, and more. [LINK] Thanks to Kolobyte and Alphabot for letting us use their music in the show! If you have questions or feedback please send us emails at materialism.podcast@gmail.com or connect with us on social media: Instagram, Twitter. Materialism Team: Taylor Sparks, Andrew Falkowski, & Jared Duffy.

You can listen to Episode 117: Textiles in Space online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Episode 117: Textiles in Space is an episode from Materialism: A Materials Science Podcast by Taylor Sparks and Andrew Falkowski.

This episode is 00:37:54 long.

This episode was published on May 4, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Materialism: A Materials Science Podcast when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.