Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Rice Contracted to Provide NASA's Quantum Wire

Posted by timothy on from the soon-will-be-in-vending-machines-for-a-nickel dept.

geekman writes "NASA is paying Rice University $11 million to build a prototype quantum wire that can conduct electricity 10 times better than traditional copper cables at one-sixth the weight. Rice has four years to build a one-meter-long quantum wire, which will be made out of carbon nanotubes. Seems like a lot of money for a little wire, but then again, all the rocket scientists at Los Alamos have only ever been able to put together a four-centimeter nanotube."

1 of 211 comments (clear)

  1. Re:More poorly spent money... by bugeaterr · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    No doubt they got an exclusive bid because Rice is in Texas.

    So far the "Texan scientists'" (say that outloud without laughing) first effort failed to produce quantum wire:
    Spilling oil on a lasso and shooting it.

    Bush supported the measure after hearing that the wire would be strong enough to hang a taxidermied moose head in the oval office.