NASA tests show ultra-thin material can shield spacecraft components from extreme vibration

SpaceNews reports on recent testing at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center involving a vibration-mitigation material developed by MetaSeismic, a spinoff from the University of California.

The tests evaluated how the material performs under conditions similar to those experienced during rocket launches. A launch vehicle battery was mounted on a thin layer of MetaSeismic material and exposed to high levels of vibration across multiple directions and frequencies.

According to data released by the company, the material reduced vibration forces from 20 times Earth’s gravity to 0.5 Gs across a frequency range from 0 to 2,000 hertz.

MetaSeismic originally developed its technology for earthquake protection of electronics. NASA became interested in the platform because launch and spaceflight environments involve similar dynamic forces.

The results suggest potential use for protecting avionics, batteries, and other spacecraft components during launch, separation, descent, and landing. The testing adds to ongoing efforts to reduce vibration and shock effects without increasing system mass or size.

NASA Marshall testing and results

Testing took place at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, where engineers focused on how the MetaSeismic material performed when subjected to launch-like vibration. A battery representative of launch vehicle hardware was used as the test article.

The material was applied as a thin layer beneath the battery, rather than as a large isolation system.

Aaron Miller, NASA Marshall's lead structural integration engineer, said, “The technology is interesting because it offers a damping solution for vibrations that comes in a smaller form factor than other solutions that we may typically use.”

He added that the system can be adjusted based on the vibration environment expected for different components.

The vibration profile covered forces up to 20 Gs across three directions. According to MetaSeismic, the measured response at the battery level dropped to 0.5 Gs across the tested frequency range.

Steven DeLessio, a flight structures analyst with Amentum Space Exploration Group, said, “What really blew us away was how well it dampened vibrations across such a wide range of frequencies.”

NASA engineers noted that vibration and shock occur throughout a mission, not only at liftoff. Stage separation, descent, and landing also expose hardware to dynamic loads that must be managed.

Company background and broader applications

MetaSeismic was founded by Noemi Bonessio, who holds a PhD from the University of Rome and conducted post-doctoral research at the University of California, San Diego.

She developed the initial concept while working as a mechanical and aerospace engineering research scientist at the University of California, Irvine. The platform was later expanded during her fellowship at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Bonessio said, “We reduce the vibration in all the directions with something very thin and light.” While the company did not originally target spaceflight, NASA began collaborating with MetaSeismic in 2022.

James “JR” Booker, a NASA Marshall loads, dynamics, and integrated design engineer, said, “The challenge we face is basically the same: whether it’s an 8.5 earthquake or 20 Gs during launch.”

The company continues to work in earthquake protection while offering its metamaterial design platform for other uses. Bonessio said the platform can support applications “from quantum computing to space applications to robots that need vibration control for manufacturing semiconductors.”

The NASA testing represents one step in evaluating how the material could be applied to future space missions where vibration control remains a key engineering concern.