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Q:

What kind of metal is the ISS made of? Every answer I find says aluminum alloys, but aluminum has a melting point of 2,000 degrees F, and the thermosphere has an average temperature of 4,000 degrees F?

A:

The International Space Station has a protective outer layer of mostly kevlar and protective ceramic tiles to surround the modules aluminum shell. While the temperature of the thermosphere can reach almost 2,000 degrees Celcius (3,632 degrees Farenheit), there are not enough gas molecules to transfer the heat to materials, which is why astronauts and the Space Station do not melt. 

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