Did You Know?
Each space shuttle has ten thousand inches of a special velcro made of Teflon loops, polyester hooks, and glass backing. Velcro is used everywhere, from the astronauts' suits to anchoring equipment and holding things in place!
Aerospace
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Plastics have high strength-to-weight ratios, making them invaluable for flight applications. In fact, many high-tech plastics were originally developed from space program research. The extreme temperatures found at high altitudes and in outer space make polymers a perfect choice. Low friction, high strength, and temperature stability are often important reasons why plastics is the preferred material. Not only that, but plastics do not corrode and provide neutral buoyancy for realistic practice underwater space simulation sessions.
To delve deeper into the applications of plastic in "the final frontier" visit:
http://www.americanchemistry.com/s_acc/sec_article.asp?CID=116&DID=6307
http://www.plasticsindustry.org/AboutPlastics/content.cfm?ItemNumber=633&navItemNumber=1118