Trends in a aerospace technology advanced materials

The purpose of this presentation is to discuss recent trends in aerospace technology and to discuss as they relate to recent trends in the materials technologies. We shall do this within the framework of a large new activity that is, in fact, underway at the present, namely, MISSION TO THE PLANET EARTH. Mission requirements will be described in a hierarchical order. It will be shown that materials technology, in one form or another, is an identified critical technology for every single aspect of the mission. Other critical aspects exist, primarily in the areas of data processing and data management. International cooperation in aerospace-materials activities will be described. (author)