The 20th century was practically built from stainless steel. From cars, to cities, to skyscrapers. And now it has its sights set on building the 21st century too. Starting with rockets and clothing.
While the human body is not built for the cryogenic temperatures of outer space, stainless steel thrives out there. At about 2.7 Kelvin, or -270°C, its strength increases by 50%, which is one of the many reasons the entire outer body of the SpaceX Starship will be built out of it. The most powerful rocket ever built has been developed so it can not only be reused, but relaunch just an hour after each landing. So stainless steel’s toughness and extreme temperature resistance won it the job. It can cope with temperatures of up to 870°C – allowing Starship to withstand the hundreds of re-entries into Mars and Earth’s atmospheres it’s being designed for.
Back on Earth, it’s taken 4 years of R&D to turn corrosion resistant stainless steel into a jacket you can just throw on. The Steel Blazer is a lightweight two-layered jacket reinforced with 24% stainless steel. Malleable, strong and weather resistant, it comes with a convertible collar you can wear two ways, four pockets, metal detailing, a soft and breathable inner lining, and shoulder construction that looks like overlaid steel plates.