Abstract

Research and development into aerospace materials has increased as evidenced by the leading aerospace agencies in the world, for instance, the landing of the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter at the Jezero crater, Mars and China’s National Space Administration’s Tianwen 1 probe, and the landing of a rover in May 2021. Most of the research and development into space materials occurs on earth; however, it is important to discuss the harsh environments encountered in space, specifically in the low earth orbit (LEO) with an altitude of ≤2000 km, or on Mars and the Moon. The International Space Station (ISS) and a plethora of satellites are stationed in the LEO. This chapter will present the application of electroactive polymers (EAPS) in aerospace structures that operate in a LEO or on earth.