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I know it may sound silly but my consideration is to reduce costs due to the amount of metal used in standard space ships. Wood/bamboo for framing and clay around it, that is it for the hull.

I'm NOT considering it to be launched from Earth nor worried about reentry, it is built for space only. I'm thinking of something that can be assembled/molded in space and with an engine it could be launched in some direction and travel.

A very important part is if it is able to hold air inside for the crew to breath. Otherwise it would only be useful for cargo from station A to station B.

I searched for articles about clay usage in space but could not find anything relevant, also I don't know what happens to clay in very low temperatures.

Certainly the crew should not be letting water hit the internal side of clay walls as it would be absorbed and with a chance to became mud, or is it not?

Also not worried about space debris as I think metal ships would have the same problems.

Would the clay crackle? Would we need to put the whole ship inside an over after molding or would it be better to leave the clay in a more malleable form?

What if there is a hole in the clay hull? Would a ball of clay be able to close it?

Organic Marble
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André Dias
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    How about worldbuilding stack exchange? This seems pretty far removed from real space exploration. – Organic Marble Apr 14 '21 at 18:24
  • I see, thanks for the heads up. I was really wondering if it would be possible in the real life, not just some book history. I'll check better if I did it in the wrong forum and remove the question later. – André Dias Apr 14 '21 at 18:35
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    Sounds like this should be on Worldbuilding with the "hard-science" tag: "Requires answers backed up by equations, empirical evidence, scientific papers, other citations, etc." – Charles Staats Apr 14 '21 at 19:07
  • Not that silly: https://huld.io/insights/news/worlds-first-wooden-satellite-prepares-for-launch/. I think I heard of another similar idea to launch a wooden sat some time ago, not sure if it was actually done. Today's space is all about reliability and spending a lot of money so that not all invested money ends up wasted. Tomorrow's space might be different, and this type of stuff might be economically OK. Though adoption of it certainly will not be easy. But also, not not silly. – Nemanja Apr 14 '21 at 20:37
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    Where do you find wood in space? – Jörg W Mittag Apr 14 '21 at 21:05
  • @JörgWMittag Puzzler - which spacecraft(s) incorporated real wood structural elements? (11 answers), Could a spacecraft be made out of wood? (6 answers) and some wood in space trivia: What was the first piece of wood to reach the far side of the Moon? Or the first spacecraft? See also Using bamboo as space construction material. – uhoh Apr 14 '21 at 22:08
  • @AndréDias I like your question, I'll recommend some small adjustments to keep it on topic here. 1) note that once fired, clay will not turn to mud when exposed to water. Clay jars have been used as water containers for thousands of years! 2) Remind readers the distinction between clay and ceramic are subtle, so a ceramic launch vehicle can also be considered. 3) mention that materials constraints on other planets are also different; maybe someone want's to build makeshift rockets on Mars without refining steel from the native iron oxide. – uhoh Apr 14 '21 at 22:17
  • Is it possible to move a question or I have to delete it here and post in the World building as a new question? – André Dias Apr 15 '21 at 02:27
  • Strength-density ratio seems iffy, not to mention ability to withstand bending and shear stresses. – Carl Witthoft Apr 15 '21 at 12:18
  • @Nemanja the plywood satellite never undergoes significant g-force except when nestled in the launch vehicle. It also is not rated to hold living beings, unlike a "star ship" – Carl Witthoft Apr 15 '21 at 12:20
  • @CarlWitthoft it'd be tensile strength I'd be concerned about. Fired clay can be quite strong in compression, but as a pressure hull material it's very lacking. Wood is much better, especially laminated and impregnated, but neither wood nor clay is particularly common in space. And why? Any clay minerals you find are likely to be a decent source of aluminum, which will serve far better. – Christopher James Huff Apr 16 '21 at 12:52

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