Talk about some extreme chemistry! As if aerogel weren''t exciting enough, here we are in our fourth year of making the world''s
lowest density solid in zero-gravity. So what''s the big deal? Why have we endured the gut-wrenching environment of NASA''s KC-135A over and over? Why do we go to such extremes to make this stuff in zero-gravity?
Because aerogel has the potential to revolutionize everything from your winter jacket to surfboards to computers, and
aerogels made in zero-gravity are materials like nothing else.
Aerogel is an incredibly valuable
material. With the lowest thermal conductivity of any solid material and being so light, aerogel has tremendous potential for dozens of applications--everything from better refrigerators to cheaper satellites.
The next decade of spaceflight will introduce the first self-assembling spacecraft--probes sent to space in pieces that can put themselves together in zero-gravity. Being able to insulate those probes and their electronics from the harsh extremes of space will be of paramount importance. And what better to do the job than aerogel?
Learning how to make aerogel in zero-gravity will allow for new possibilities in spacecraft assembly, and may even allow for a way to repair thermal protection shields in orbit.
Additionally, we''ve seen from our last few experiments that the structure of aerogels derived from gels grown in zero-gravity is different from the structure of aerogels derived from gels formed in 1 G. Understanding how those differences translate into material properties is important for understanding how to tailor aerogel in space.