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>> THE MATERIALS EVALUATION
LABORATORY, OR MEL,
CONSISTS OF SEVERAL
LABORATORIES THAT PROVIDE
ANALYTICAL CAPABILITIES
USED IN THE ANALYSIS
AND EVALUATION OF MATERIALS.
THE MATERIALS MAY BE
ASSOCIATED WITH
SPACEFLIGHT HARDWARE,
FAILURE ANALYSIS OF FLIGHT
AND NON-FLIGHT HARDWARE,
MATERIALS PROPERTY TESTING,
OR ADVANCED
MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT.
THE MEL PERFORMS ANALYSIS
OF FLIGHT HARDWARE
TO HELP TROUBLESHOOT
MATERIALS-RELATED
HARDWARE PROBLEMS
THAT OCCUR DURING
THE ENTIRE LIFETIME
OF THE HARDWARE,
INCLUDING ANOMALY RESOLUTION.
DISCREPANCIES THAT OCCUR
DURING MANUFACTURING OF
JSC-MANAGED HARDWARE
ARE OFTEN EXAMINED
IN THE MEL,
SO THAT RECOMMENDATIONS
CAN BE MADE TO CORRECT
THE PROBLEMS WHEN NEEDED.
THE LABORATORIES OF THE MEL
CONSIST OF THE NON-DESTRUCTIVE
EVALUATION LABORATORY,
THE SCANNING ELECTRON
MICROSCOPY LABORATORY,
THE METALOGRAPHY LABORATORY,
THE POLYMER LABORATORY,
AND THE ANALYTICAL
CHEMISTRY LABORATORY.
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