Four years later, the German chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth rediscovered the element and named it titanium in allusion to the strength of the mythological Greek Titans. The name stuck. Due to its strength and light weight, titanium is commonly used as a substitute for aluminum and as a component of metallic alloys in the industrial field. Alloyed with aluminum and vanadium, titanium is used in aircraft for fire walls, outer skin, landing-gear components, hydraulic tubing, and engine supports. The compressor blades, disks, and housings of jet engines are also made of titanium.
Titanium is also widely used in missiles and space capsules.
As a medicinal tool, the relative inertness of titanium makes it available as a replacement for bone and cartilage in surgery. Due to its corrosion-resistance, it is commonly used in heat exchangers in desalinization plants because of its ability to withstand saltwater corrosion. Recently, golfers and cyclists, among other avid sports participants are using titanium due to its light weight and strength. However, because the cost of titanium is so high, its commercial use has been limited to the wealthy. Now, a recent breakthrough may bring titanium into the hands of the general public.