Unknown / Interesting Facts About Aluminium

Contributed by: Anonymous

February 18, 2021

Aluminium is the most abundant mineral on Earth after oxygen and silicon. By mass it represents 8% of the earth's crust, however, it was not discovered until 1824, as it only occurs naturally in compounds, not as a pure metal.
Aluminium helped to pioneer modern flight. Aluminium is strong but lightweight, weighing about 1/3 the weight of steel or copper. The Wright brothers made key parts of their biplane's engine out of aluminium because no manufacturer could provide an engine light enough with the needed horsepower.
Aluminium is a green metal. Recycling aluminium requires only five percent of the energy that extracting it from ore requires, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Recycle a single soda can made from aluminium and you save enough energy to run your TV for three hours.
The moon contains aluminium.
In fine powder or dust form, aluminium can be highly combustible when it reacts with other chemicals. It is used to produce silver and white colored fireworks or sparklers. Solid rocket boosters, including the engines on the space shuttle and model rockets, use aluminium as their primary fuel.
Aluminium was known as the "Metal of Kings" in the mid-19th century and was more precious than gold. In fact, Napoleon III served high-status guests’ food on aluminium plates, while normal guests had theirs served on plates of gold and silver.
NASA's Orion spacecraft built for deep space exploration is mostly made up of aluminium alloys. NASA plans to send six spacecraft to at least 12 Artemis missions. Part of the program is to send the first woman and the next man to the moon sometime before 2024.
About 75% of all aluminium ever made is still in use, thanks to recycling. An aluminium Coke can take as little as 60 days to return as a new can after recycling.
if you've ever flown on a Boeing-747, you were traveling within 147,000 pounds of aluminium!
Aluminium offers unrivaled barrier properties and can block out moisture, bacteria, microorganisms, light, oxygen, and other gases. For this reason, aluminium foil is used in the protective packaging of pharmaceuticals.
The top of the Washington Monument is capped with an 8.9-inch (22.6 centimeters) aluminium pyramid.
Joseph Stalin, the leader of the USSR, wrote to Franklin Roosevelt, the President of the USA, in 1941: 'Give me 30 thousand tonnes of aluminium, and I will win the war'.
NASA's next space vehicle will be built with aluminium.
Aluminum is highly reflective and is used for tubing in the manufacturing of telescopes.
o It is non-toxic to humans. In fact, an aluminum compound can also be used to treat kidney failure and is found in some vaccines.