NASA And Rice Running Cable
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Article Date: 2005-04-27
NASA announced a new project today working with nanotechnology research leader Rice University. This $11 million project could change the future of cable lines all over the world and certainly in the space program. The project for this ultra light cable will last about 4 years and will involve serious, heavy duty research.
Cables are major factor in the space shuttle as they make up a significant portion of weight and can be a fire hazard.
"As we prepare our vision for going into the cosmos, this is a small step, but a significant one," said Jefferson Howell, director of NASA's Johnson Space Center. "To take humans out and away from Earth on the journey into space we need to develop new technologies."
The new cables will be about the size of fishing line that will run all over the world. The cable will be constructed from very tiny carbon nanotubes. NASA is aiming for a prototype cable about a yard long. The carbon molecules being used are 1/6th lighter and 10 times more efficient the traditional copper wiring.
"This is not a straightforward, applied research project where we know it's been done and it works," he said. "We're going to do major pioneering research during this process. That's one of the reasons I like this. It forces us to go through the hard developments that are at the core of what's holding nanotube research back worldwide in nearly every application."
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