Beta Cloth Fabric

What is Beta Cloth?

• Beta cloth is a type of fireproof silica fiber cloth that was used in the production of Apollo/Skylab A7L space suits, the Apollo Thermal Micrometeoroid Garment, the McDivitt Purse, and in a variety of other specialized applications. 
• It is a material similar to fiberglass that is woven into a very tiny mesh, resulting in a cloth that does not catch fire and will only melt at temperatures higher than 650 degrees Celsius.
• Teflon is used to coat the fibers so that they have less of a propensity to break or fold while they are being handled and so that they last longer.

History

• After the fatal fire that occurred on the Apollo 1 launch pad in 1967, in which the astronauts' nylon suits were completely consumed by the flames, NASA decided to add it into their spacesuits.
• Following the incident, NASA issued a requirement that any items with the potential to catch fire be removed from the spaceship as well as the space suits.
• A team from the Manned Spacecraft Center led by Frederick S. Dawn and including Matthew I. Radnofsky created the Manned Spacecraft Center Beta fabric. This team collaborated with Owens-Corning and DuPont to produce this fabric.

What Makes it Stand Out?

Applications & Uses

• The fabric is used in the production of Apollo/Skylab A7L space suits, the Apollo Thermal Micrometeoroid Garment, the McDivitt Purse, and in a variety of specialized applications.