NASA has been designing rockets and manned space ships for over 50 years, but nothing 
like the innovation needed to build a light-speed, fighter spacecraft. At Extreme Bolt, we supply the aviation industry with a diversity of fasteners made from extreme materials. Though Star Wars is a fictitious story, it is fun to ponder how engineers could construct such advanced vehicles. This quick post will review the top three fastener materials that should be considered to a make fighter that could defeat the Death Star.
Titanium – For Lightweight, Light-Speed
Known for its lightweight strength, titanium would probably be a key fastener material in the X-Wing fighter. If you are going to m
ove at light speed, you need to make sure that weight is not an issue. Titanium grade 5 in particular could be a key component as it has the highest strength to weight ration commercially available.
MP35N – For Strength Against the Empire
When it comes to fighting a strong arm like the Imperial Alliance, you need a strongfastener material. One of the strongest material fasteners available today, is MP35N. This cobalt chrome alloy has an ultimate tensile strength of 227-294 ksi. MP35N bolts would provide incredible strength to help ward off blaster fire and sustain direct impacts.
Tantalum – For High Temperature Rocket Boosters
Before Chewy could “punch it,” any Star Wars vehicle would need specialty high temperature rocket boosters to help them make the jump to light speed. A possible material to make this happen would be tantalum fasteners. Rocket boosters could utilize tantalum fasteners to hold them together at extreme temperatures up to 2000°C. In addition, tantalum fasteners are ductile so they could handle the extreme temperature swings of subzero space to sizzling hot rockets without fracturing from thermal expansion.