Alcoa Aluminium provides Materials and 
       Engineering expertise for Mars Habitation Station

Alcoa aluminum might be going to Mars.

Alcoa has donated approximately 1,500 pounds of 6061-T6 aluminum sheet and treadplate along with engineering expertise to the Mars Society, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to furthering the exploration and settlement of Mars. The aluminum products were used to produce the skin of the Mars Habitation Station (MarsHab), a test facility designed for living on the Red Planet. The MarsHab is the centerpiece for the Mars Society's Mars Analog Research Station Project (M.A.R.S.).

"The Mars Society sends teams of scientists to remote places on Earth to simulate what it would be like to live and do research on Mars. Alcoa has always supported human space endeavors, from the beginnings of NASA through today's International Space Station. Supporting this program was a natural extension of that spirit of cooperation," says Ken Forsythe, staff application engineer in Alcoa's Mill Products business, who was instrumental in donating the aluminum products to the organization. The aluminum sheet and plate came from Alcoa's plant in Davenport, Iowa.

Alcoa products have been part of aerospace since the Wright Brothers and Kitty Hawk. The Wright 1903 Flyer was powered by an engine whose aluminum crankcase was cast by Alcoa, then known as the Pittsburgh Reduction Company. Since then, Alcoa has developed 95% of the structural alloys which enabled the design of such historic air and space craft as the Junkers F-13, the DC-3, the B-29, today's jumbo jets built by Boeing and Airbus, and the Space Shuttle. Beyond materials, Alcoa today supplies aerospace fasteners, cast turbine blades, electrical wiring, cabin interior components, subassemblies and more. Alcoa's latest contribution is the new high-security FORTRESS(TM) cockpit door, a complete security assembly designed and built by Alcoa.

The Mars Habitation Station is currently on display at the Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum in Chicago until September 2. From there it will move to other prominent locations throughout the world, including "Space Rocks", a 70,000 person rock concert that will be broadcast by MTV live around the world from Rice Stadium in Houston, Texas in October 2002, and Paris. It will also travel to a location north of the Arctic Circle this winter for simulation of cold-weather living on Mars.

Alcoa is the world's leading producer of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum and alumina, and is active in all major aspects of the industry. Alcoa serves the aerospace, automotive, packaging, building and construction, commercial transportation and industrial markets, bringing design, engineering, production and other capabilities of Alcoa's businesses as a single solution to customers. In addition to aluminum products and components, Alcoa also markets consumer brands including Reynolds Wrap(R) aluminum foil, Alcoa(R) wheels, and Baco(R) household wraps. Among its other businesses are vinyl siding, closures, precision castings, and electrical distribution systems for cars and trucks. The company has 129,000 employees in 38 countries.

Read about the special alloy used for the Mars Habitation Station and other products from Alcoa's Mill Products business: http://www.millproducts-alcoa.com/

The Mars Habitation Station is on display at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago through September 2. Click http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/ and go to "new exhibits" for more information.

Mars Society web site: http://www.marssociety.org/

Read about Alcoa's latest developments in the aerospace market: http://www.alcoa.com/site/news/features/2002/aero_jump.asp