Nanotechnology and Space Exploration
1 May 2007NASA and other researchers are exploring the use of carbon based Nanotubes to deliver solutions for some of its most promising visions of space exploration. This includes such applications as a huge space elevator which can carry cargo to and from earth without the need for orbital takeoff and landing. Nanotechnology is also being considered for other applications as well, such as solar sail applications that can be used to propel spacecraft using light from the sun, ion thrusters that replace chemical rockets, and materials that can be used to make the outside of spacecraft resilient to bombardment from space debris.
The great space elevator concept has been the subject of much fascination and imagination, and it no doubt faces a host of engineering challenges. The idea is to create a long cable from the Earth to space, tethering the cable to an object in orbit—such as an asteroid in space—and anchoring it on Earth to a station that is rigged in the ocean somewhere. Cargo can then be shuttled back and forth without the need for rockets and fuel as the transport mechanism. The cable would extend to 90,000 kilometers in length, be constructed of carbon based Nanotubes, and use solar power to generate the electricity needed to shuttle it back and forth from space. NASA’s Institutes for Advanced Concepts and the Elevator 2010 group provide insights and yearly competitions to accelerate the time to production of the first successful prototype.
Nanotechnology is also being considered for use with space craft as well. One such use comes in the form of solar sails. These use electricity from the sun to power a spacecraft’s travels, rather than relying on thruster engines. Researchers have used carbon based Nanotubes to create the thin sheets used as the space sails. And to replace chemical rockets altogether, ion thrusters can use solar cells to generate electric fields as the propulsion mechanism. Additionally, other researchers have explored the possibility of using Nanotubes for the exterior of the spaceship itself, to create a resilient exterior that can withstand space debris bombardment. Ultimately, it will even be possible to use Nanoparticles to effect any necessary repairs to the ship’s hull.
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