Lighter than air Gas that is Solid

I remember reading in TIME a while back about a new 'solid' that was inventited that has .97 the mass of air and was transparent (as if you were looking through a cloud kind of) but could be shaped and could hold liquids and solids. Has anyone heard anything else about this or have any links? I had some simple name like Lair or something (Lighter than AIR)

You are probably talking about aerogel. It's not lighter than air but is the lightest solid around.
there is a thread that discusses it here
www.abovetopsecret.com...
it has some pictures in it of this really amazing stuff. It looks like solid smoke.

[edit on 28-2-2005 by pantha]

Aerogel is amazing stuff. I especially like looking at their test blocks, the ones fired on in the lab to test kinetic absorbtion. If only I'd had a pebble shooting rail gun when I was a kid, oh the fun I would have had.

The stuff was designed to protect against micro meteorites and kinetic impacts of all kinds. Supposedly the stuff just flakes off at the outer layers when completely full up, kinda like human skin. Then, the next most saturated layer is exposed and eventually saturated, then it too sloughs off. Really cool idea, but I think the problem was deploying it onto the craft before lift off successfully, or after acheiving orbit safely and effectively. I don't know what the best solution might be, except maybe retractable or expendable shells around the Aerogel exterior, a sort of hull outside a hull outside a hull to protect the gel during liftoff.

I don't know what you mean if not Aerogel. Please clarify if that's not what you mean.

Pantha
You beat me to it. Have you seen the high speed footage of the impact tests? Really cool video. I had a couple of vids on my computer (Windows), but I'm on a borrowed rig right now (Mac). Otherwise I'd find someone to host them for me to show what I'm talking about. I don't even remember where I got them to begin with. Have you seen the video I'm talking about?

I did see a program about this, on the discovery channel I think..

The technology used to produce aerogels, was used. As was some kind of
plant based polymer..I can't remember if the space between the polymer was a near vacuum, or was filled with a lighter than air, gas..

I DO remember, that the host of the show, plucked a floating block of this stuff, out of a chamber, and actually ATE it..LOL...To prove it was made of a safe material!



[edit on 28-2-2005 by spacedoubt]

i also think you mean aerogel, i was going to buy a sample just to check it out, but for a 1"x1" peice its like $90!

Aerogel is an awesome invention. I was lucky enough to see it at JPL(Jet Propulsion Laboratory) when I went there about 5 years ago. That was around the time that they were planning on, or had, launched that probe with the aerogel attached to it. I guess it was used to safely retrieve samples of rock and particles from an asteroid or meteor.

While I was there, I also got to see another crazy invention. This engineer showed us what looked like a solid block of brushed metal. He touched it or flipped a small switch and all the sudden it split into a few sections and revealed tiny components inside. It look like it morphed. Cool technology.

If you're ever in California, more specifically Pasadena, check out JPL. Its an amazing place.

[edit on 28-2-2005 by _Anubis_]

Anubis
I guess it was used to safely retrieve samples of rock and particles from an asteroid or meteor.

close...Comet. Nasa's StarDust is what your talking about, it has aerogel on it and it flew behind a comet threw its cosmic dust trail, and tiny comet particales got stuck in the aerogel, its currently heading back to earth in hope of a safe landing in 2006.

lets hope its lands better than the last one that was collecting samples

To date, there are no aerogel's that are lighter than air.
While UnMature might possibly be talking about aerogel,
It's not that new of a product. It's been around for decades.
The process of making it has become more efficient.

These days, transparent aerogel is a pretty high priority.
The goal is to make the air spaces even, throughout the structure, increasing clarity. John Glenn, when on his shuttle mission, was responsible for starting, (throwing the switch) on an experiment, that was
to produce a small amount of zero-G aerogel. Better clarity, was the intended result..I'm not sure how it turned out.


It was also built into, the original Mars Rover, Sojourner.
As insulation, lighter than a feather. A great way to keep that little buggy warm!

I don't know if it was built into the current Rovers, but I can't imagine why not.

Imagine, a glass windowpane, very thin and light. With the insulation properties, of a foot or more of styrofoam. But actually made out of nearly NOTHING! some silicon, mostly air.
Very cool, I think..

I still insist that I saw a program about a lighter than air solid, that was not aerogel..but similar...If I can find some info...I'll bring it here..

Space.

Originally posted by Murcielago

Anubis
I guess it was used to safely retrieve samples of rock and particles from an asteroid or meteor.

close...Comet. Nasa's StarDust is what your talking about, it has aerogel on it and it flew behind a comet threw its cosmic dust trail, and tiny comet particales got stuck in the aerogel, its currently heading back to earth in hope of a safe landing in 2006.

Ah, there it is! Thanks for clearing that up.