Third Century Countdown: Kapton® Used in Space Station's Wings

June 12, 2001 -- DuPont will be 200 years old on July 19, 2002. To celebrate, we are counting down to our third century with a series of articles spotlighting interesting facts about DuPont products, services, values and milestones

For example, did you know...

The solar panels installed last December by NASA on the international space station (pictured) - which are the world's largest, most powerful set of solar "wings" - are made of silicon cells and thin layers of DuPont- Kapton® polyimide film.

The solar array stretches 240 feet from tip-to-tip -- longer than the wingspan of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet -- and generates nearly 20 kilowatts of power for the orbital outpost, enough to supply 15 homes on Earth. The USD 600 million array - weighing 35,000 pounds -- provides power for the space station's research, communications and life support systems.

Kapton® is an electrical insulation material known for its outstanding thermal, mechanical, chemical and electrical properties and used in the automotive, aerospace and electronics industries.