tesa Tapes Take Trip into Space

Innovations in spacecraft development within the past 20 years have led to the ability to deploy many spacecraft vehicles on more than one space mission—a feat not possible prior to the launch of the Space Shuttle Program. With the ability to re-commission spacecraft came the need to mark and identify spacecraft parts and components for inventory and warranty purposes. To meet this need, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) launched the MISSE (Mission International Space Station Experiment), an experiment designed to test the durability and readability of both human and machine-readable markings and part identifiers after being exposed to environmental elements of the low earth orbit environment (50 to 1,240 miles above earth’s surface) for an extended time period.