Nanotechnology, Space, & Art

This week, professor Gimzewski lectured on the topic of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is "the manipulation of matter on an atomic and molecular scale", and is manipulated at a scale that is one billionth of a meter.

Greeks & Romans used nanotechnology in their hair dye

Generally, when people think of nanotechnology they think of futuristic technology which will allow for anything from the assembly of any object with the press of a button to an apocalypse in which the entire earth will be absorbed by nanobots. However, I was surprised to learn from professor Gimzewski that nanotechnology and nanoparticles have been used since ancient times. I was blown away by the Roman cup which was able to glow red when lit from the inside, as I had never heard of the interesting properties of gold nanoparticles previously. In fact, the whole concept of integrating nanoparticles into objects in order to drastically change their properties was something was new and very interesting to me.

Deceptively futuristic

I often use antimicrobial sports equipment, and I had no idea that silver nanoparticles were what were giving the material their antimicrobial properties. The same goes for sunscreen, which I had no idea were a form of nanotechnology. Also, applications such as self-cleaning glass and non-destructive cancer treatments using gold particles seem incredibly futuristic, yet I now know they are a scientific possibility in the near future.

Will 3D printers eventually print at the nanoscale?

However, I found the future applications of nanotechnology to be the most exciting. The possibility of a machine that can fabricate any object from the ground up, as Feynman talked about in "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom", is incredibly fascinating. When I heard of that idea, I couldn't help but notice the similarity between that idea and current 3D printers that are finally beginning to enter the market today. Also, the idea of nanosensors inside of food products as well as nanoparticles in order to release flavors in food seem to have the ability to revolutionize the food industry. Although professor Gimzewski warns that consuming many nanoparticles may be very harmful, if it is shown that doing so is not harmful, the technology has the ability to revolutionize dieting by allowing people to eat calorie light foods without sacrificing flavor or consistency.

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Next, professor Vesna lectured on space, and in particular, space exploration.

One of my favorite space videos

Growing up with a father who worked at NASA, I was very familiar with the Space Race, Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. As a kid I was always interested in the topic, so the vast majority of the beginning of the lecture was familiar material for me. When I was little I was actually able to go see a mock-up of the International Space Station where my dad worked, and I even had a friend in my class who was related to Gus Grissom, one of the astronauts who died in the tragic fire during preparation for Apollo 1.

I camped out in the Mojave desert to see the launch of SpaceShipOne

One of the things that I learned from this lecture was that I never before appreciated the wide array of futuristic programs available at the time. It is amazing that during the Space Race, there was The Jetsons, Star Trek, Lost in Space, etc, and nowadays it seems that the public is not nearly as interested in space, which is a shame.

Perhaps this will get you interested in space exploration

I also found it interesting how Obama's decisions have lead to the privatization of the space industry. Although I was aware of this development, I had no idea it was a direct result of Obama's policies. Personally, I think that the privatization of space will be a good thing in the long run. Already, the costs of rockets have been brought down by visionaries in industry such as Elon Musk, who is the founder of PayPal, Tesla Motors, SolarCity, and SpaceX (quite the busy individual).

A fascinating TED talk by Elon Musk. Like Tony Stark, but real.

How do you think industrialization of space will change space exploration? Do you think it will slow or increase the rate of progress?

- Ty

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FreshGearTM. N.d. Array. AmazonWeb. 25 Jul 2013. <http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31btuikpswL._SX342_.jpg>.

Blua, Antoine. "A New Industrial Revolution: The Brave New World of 3D Printing." Radio Liberty. N.p., 06 Apr 2013. Web. 25 Jul. 2013. <http://www.rferl.org/content/printing-3d-new-industrial-revolution/24949765.html>.

"Nanotechnology." Wikipedia. N.p., n. d. Web. 25 Jul. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanotechnology>.

Pew, Glenn. "SpaceShipOne Launch in Mojave: Gallery Two (Launch Day)." AVweb. N.p., 21 Jun 2004. Web. 25 Jul. 2013. <http://www.avweb.com/news/features/187542-1.html>.

How A Rocket Ride Really Sounds -- Thanks To Star Wars Tech. VideoFromSpace, 2012. Web. 25 Jul 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjXvV0JBE0k>.

Earth HD| Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS. Robert Gawdzik, 2011. Web. 25 Jul 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip2ZGND1I9Q>.

Musk, Elon, perf. Elon Musk: The mind behind Tesla, SpaceX, SolarCity. TEDtalksDirector, 2013. Web. 25 Jul 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgKWPdJWuBQ>.