Applications range from structural elements such as steel-reinforced concrete , to the thermally insulative tiles which play a key and integral role in NASA 's Space Shuttle thermal protection system which is used to protect the surface of the shuttle from the heat of re-entry into the Earth 's atmosphere .
Applications range from structural elements such as steel-reinforced concrete , to the thermally insulative tiles which play a key and integral role in National Aeronautics and Space Administration 's ( NASA ) Space Shuttle thermal protection system which is used to protect the surface of the shuttle from the heat of re-entry into the Earth 's atmosphere .