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NASA Supporting Nanotech Development

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the blinded-me-with-science dept.

It doesn't come easy writes "In laboratories around the country, NASA is supporting the burgeoning science of nanotechnology. The basic idea is to learn to deal with matter at the atomic scale -- to be able to control individual atoms and molecules well enough to design molecule-size machines, advanced electronics and "smart" materials."

2 of 136 comments (clear)

  1. Should be more like this by MichaelSmith · · Score: 4, Interesting

    NASA excells when they are funding or developing something totally new. They are not so good at mundane operational issues.

    For example NASA let SRB O-ring problems creep up on them over many years. Same thing with TPS damage by foam. They don't deal with things which change slowly over time. They work on feel, rather than analysis.

    But as developers of totally amazing stuff (Mercury, gemini, Apollo, Shuttle) they do very well.

    My advice: if anything comes of this nanotech effort, NASA should sell the technology to private industry as fast as possible. Get out of the operational side and start developing the next big thing.

    Back to the shuttle. Once the system was developed it could have continued to be funded and regulated by one or more Government departments, I just don't think NASA is the department to do the job.

    --
    http://michaelsmith.id.au
  2. I wonder... by Ichigo+Kurosaki · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I wonder if we will ever get to the point of nanotechnology described in Neal Stephenson's book The Diamond Age, where we have complete control of atoms and can buld infinetly strong structures infinetly small.

    If we do the problem of sending vehicles to X will be much easier to due the fact that there would not be hardly as much inertia to overcome.

    Its pretty obvious why NASA has there hands in nanotechnology development.