DUNMORE Corporation, a manufacturer of specialty films for the aerospace industry, was honored to welcome Sandra Magnus, former astronaut and executive director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Magnus discussed her experience working with NASA and her missions aboard the space shuttle and the International Space Station (ISS) during her trip to the Philadelphia-area manufacturer.

DUNMORE Corporation has been supplying films to the space industry for over 30 years. The highly technical products include over 400 design possibilities used primarily for spacecraft thermal protection systems. DUNMORE film materials can be found on nearly every science, communication and military application during that time. These materials can be seen on Mars Rover Curiosity, as it looks for life on Mars, and more recently protecting the Juno spacecraft on its 5-year journey to Jupiter.

DUNMORE is a proud corporate member of AIAA, along with organizations such as Boeing, Airbus and SpaceX. During Magnus’ visit, she provided perspective to DUNMORE’s associates on her time as an astronaut and on how their hard work and dedication as part of the aerospace workforce allows for safe and successful human and unmanned missions in space. She also talked about the importance of AIAA – and other professional societies – to the aerospace industry.

Matthew Sullivan, DUNMORE CEO, said, “We’ve developed an intimate knowledge of these materials by working with our partners over the years. That being said, only a few hundred people in the world have ever experienced space travel. It was incredible to hear a first-hand account of the technology and engineering that goes into this amazing industry that we’re a small part of.”

AIAA is the world’s largest aerospace professional society with more than 30,000 individual members from 88 countries, and nearly 100 corporate members. Since 1963, its members – across industry, academia, and government – have been shaping the future of aerospace. The Institute provides the tools, insights, and collaborative exchanges to advance the state of the art in engineering and science for aviation, space, and defense.