Teanne Meyers, age l2, of Sherman Oaks, Calif., for her question;

What is titanium?

Titanium is as strong as the best steel and much lighter. It is superior to steel because it does not rust in the air and does not even corrode away when dunked in salt water. Few acids or strong chemicals can damage it, and tremendous heat is needed to melt it. Naturally, this gifted metal is used to make planes and jet engines.  It is one metal of choice for the  contruction of spacecraft. Its compounds are used to make paints and linoleum and also crystals for radio sets.

It has been known and its compounds used since l79l. But use of the metal in industry was limited until l948. It was too hard to extract the element from its ores. Even the most modern process of refining titanium is very costly, and its use remains limited.