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Space ships need to be solid for safety, but they also need to be light so that they have a better chance of escaping earth's gravitational pull with less fuel or propellant, which is heavy and expensive on its own.

This is why Aluminum and aluminum composite materials are used on spacecraft. Aluminum is light but also very sturdy. Using titanium alloys can also strengthen the body of the ship.

The space shuttle also had very special thermal protection tiles, which helped it survive the heat of re-entry. They are made a ceramic composite, with the bottom of the tiles made from a carbon composite to provide for the most heat protection.