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POPSFuture planes, cars may be made of 'buckypaper' So far, buckypaper can be made at only a fraction of its potential strength, in small quantities and at a high price. The Florida State researchers are developing manufacturing techniques that soon may make it competitive with the best composite materials now available. "If this thing goes into production, this very well could be a very, very game-changing or revolutionary technology to the aerospace business," said Les Kramer, chief technologist for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, which is helping fund the Florida State research.
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POPSBuckypaper Versitle material conducts electricity, disperses heat like steel or brass
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POPSJapan Space Elevator They are willing to put their money into this - I keep wondering if I will actually see the elevator in my lifetime. It will be built - just depends on the when and the breakthroughs needed.
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POPSResearchers Generate Hydrogen Without The Carbon Footprint Grimes and his team produce hydrogen from solar energy, using two different groups of nanotubes in a photoelectrochemical diode. They report in the July issue of Nano Letters that using incident sunlight, "such photocorrosion-stable diodes generate a photocurrent of approximately 0.25 milliampere per centimeter square, at a photoconversion efficiency of 0.30 percent." "It seems that nanotube geometry is the best geometry for production of hydrogen from photolysis of water," says Grimes
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POPSPlan to build telescopes from Moon dust I can't imagine them doing it any other way. After what we've seen with Hubble, The view from the dark side during a full moon, the improvement is likely to be the same magnitude. seems like the deeper we look into the stars, the bigger the Universe seems to get. Maybe we could get clearer readings that would show us where a few more 'earth-like' planets are.
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POPSNanobots Gone Wild Many of these nanoparticles have specific jobs to do, and they might wreak havoc if they were to do those jobs in our bodies. On the other hand, nanoparticles might cause mutations that humans need to move up to the next level in our evolution. Who knows? That's is what the government is trying to find out.
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POPSNanotubes give pre-cancer symptoms in mice Every silver lining has a cloud behind it. There are perhaps thousands of prospective uses for nanotubes, from medicine to engineering. We may have to work out exactly where the line is. Asbestos was once considered an essential fire retardant. After the dangers that have been discovered recently, we've found that there are very few places it can be used safely. Asbestos is inorganic, and will not break down, however Carbon is the basis for organic chemicals, with which we are more likely to be compatible. There will be places that nanotubes will not break down quickly. Perhaps not until long after we are dead. Maybe there is a microorganism natural, or designed, that will clean them up. Meanwhile it's good the alarm bells have started to ring early, so, now wary of the dangers, we can do more specific investigation and learn exactly where they are safe to use. If there are any doubts they should be resolved first
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POPSTiny tubes, rocket fuel soup up motors Nanomotors. The rods that are part of the nanomachines, are coated, one end with platinum, the other with gold. The metals act as a catalyst and break up either hydrogen peroxide, or rocket fuel (hydrazine). While other nanomachines use the metals, it is the way they break up the rocket fuel that gives the kick. They draw water from the chemicals, and use it as a 'jet' . Of course they use much less rocket fuel than a launch.
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