Aerogel, meet the DIS. DIS, meet Aerogel

[jfulcer]

Aerogel is the least dense solid substance yet discovered, 1,000 times less dense than glass. It is 99.8 percent empty space, and appears eerily indistinct.

This is what the Stardust probe used to capture it's particles. Pretty cool!

(read more)

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

Great. It looks like one more thing I'm going to have to do to update my house....

 

[Micca]

"Hi, I'm Steven Tyler for new Aerogel. Try it, it's like it's not even there."

 

[jgmklmhem]

I actually made some aerogels in grad school. It is one of the coolest substances I have ever worked with. The best way to describe it would be solid smoke.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Cool!

 

[KristaTX]

I actually made some aerogels in grad school. It is one of the coolest substances I have ever worked with. The best way to describe it would be solid smoke.

Cool. How did you make it? What does it do if you squeeze it? Stay in the squished form? Pop back into shape? Crumble?

 

[jgmklmhem]

Cool. How did you make it? What does it do if you squeeze it? Stay in the squished form? Pop back into shape? Crumble?

It is solid so if you squeeze it, it will crumble for the most part. It isn't easy to make unless you have the right equipment. You have to superextract the liquid from the mixture.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I have been reading about this mission the past few days, Jeff, amazing. To think how long and far that capsule traveled and to hit their target so many years later, amazing. Thanks for the item on that aerogel.

 

[KristaTX]

It is solid so if you squeeze it, it will crumble for the most part. It isn't easy to make unless you have the right equipment. You have to superextract the liquid from the mixture.

OH, "grad" school! I misread what you posted earlier today and thought you said you made some in "grade" school . I thought that sounded like a fancy experiment for little kids!

Thanks for a little more info on what the aerogel is like. I would like to see some of this strange stuff in person someday.