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Black is Beautiful for Measurements

Posted January 05, 2011 7:01 AM

NASA has developed a blacker-than-black material that will help them make difficult scientific measurements. The material, claimed to be 10 times better than black paint, is actually a thin coating of multi-walled carbon nanotubes that suppresses errant light. This video demonstrates the properties of carbon nanotubes, the ability to grow the new material on instrumentation, and how NASA plans to use the technology to make measurements and observe previously unseen objects.

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Usbport
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Engineering Fields - Optical Engineering - Member Engineering Fields - Engineering Physics - Member Engineering Fields - Systems Engineering - Member

Join Date: Apr 2010
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#1

Re: Black is Beautiful for Measurements

01/06/2011 11:27 AM

Once again NASA is getting credit for work done by other researchers and other research organizations. NASA did not invent this coating of carbon nanotubes, and did not coin the term ' blacker than black'. The material has been around since at least 2005, with specific work done at Rice University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2008 exactly like the work that NASA has copied and is being credited as 'developing'. Similar work was also done in Japan in 2008.

No doubt in a couple years this will be another 'spin-off ' credited to NASA that will be nothing more than more 'spin' from NASA's public relations department.

AGAIN -- let's give credit where credit is due:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080122154610.htm

http://www.pnas.org/content/106/15/6044.full

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JE in Chicago
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Location: Chicago
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#2

Re: Black is Beautiful for Measurements

01/07/2011 10:25 PM

more people trying to claim the 'invention' of high priced soot...

soot!

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