‘Chain mail’ in quotes because, appearances to the contrary, the stuff isn’t designed for boarding actions. Or battlesuits. It’s instead a multi-purpose fabric:
The space fabrics have four essential functions: reflectivity, passive heat management, foldability and tensile strength. One side of the fabric reflects light, while the other absorbs it, acting as a means of thermal control. It can fold in many different ways and adapt to shapes while still being able to sustain the force of pulling on it.
Continue reading NASA fiddling around with 3-D printed ‘chain mail.’