Cracking the Petroleum Industry from Space...:
Since 1960, cracking catalysts have saved the oil equivalent of 60% of Alaska’a north slope. A 1% increase in gas yield per barrel equals a $400 million addition to the US balance of payments.”
National Research Council, 1992 Earth Space Petroleum refining Chemical Catalysts $90 Billion
Integrated Circuit Revenues (1993) $17 Billion
Hoover Industry Profiles, 1993 Space yields:
* 1st perfect zeolite with Si/Al ratio at theoretical limit
* 175% larger
Improved control over zeolite structure and composition makes space processing a powerful tool to increase petroleum yield . S P A C E CRYSTALLINE S
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E Zeolites are a class of crystalline materials that are used in
petroleum refinement. Every gallon of gasoline is made using zeolite crystals. Cracking the Petroleum Industry from Space...
In the Wake of Technology from Space:
...come advanced electronic materials Leaving an “ultra vacuum”
in its wake, Wake Shield
creates a unique
environment (100x
better than on Earth)
in which to produce
higher quality films. Thin Film
Epitaxial Growth Atoms are laid down in an atom
to atom, layer by layer manner
onto a substrate in a vacuum. • Quality of thin films is
dependent on the quality
of the vacuum in which
the epitaxy is performed
(such as space). • As the purity and uniformity
of the films improves, so
does its performance. Next generation electronic
hardware
used in
cellular
phones and
computers. In the Wake of Technology from Space
Widening the Information Superhighway:
A. Space-Grown Fiber B. Earth-Grown Fiber Technology critical for:
* enhanced bandwidth capacity
*enhanced communication satellites
May translate to faster and clearer communications network!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center along with Lucent Technologies,Infrared Fibers Inc., and Galileo Electro-Optics are studying the significant superiority of space-grown optical fibers over those grown on Earth. When the fiber material is in a molten state, gravity causes circulation in the liquid which results in defects when the fiber solidifies. In space, the disruptive effects of gravity are gone and a virtually defect-free fiber can be formed. With fewer defects in the way, light can be transmitted further down the fiber before it is scattered. Space yields:
* drastically fewer defects in crystal structure
* potentially 100x more efficient than traditional silica fiber optics Which Optical Fiber would you choose?
Widening the Information Superhighway
Frozen Smoke from Space:
Frozen Smoke from Space Aerogels, the lightest solid known, are only three times
heavier than air. A block the size of a person weighs less
than a pound. Despite their lack of substance, these ghost-
like materials are the world’s best insulators. An inch thick-
ness can shield a flower from the heat of a blowtorch (right).
Because of their amazing qualities and transparent nature, aerogels are an obvious choice for super- insulating windows. Samples made on Earth contain large pore sizes which scatter light and
result in a bluish haze.
Researchers from the
Marshall Space Flight
Center and Aerojet Inc. have flown space
samples which show
a 4-fold reduction in
pore size. This results
in 4000x less light scattering and there-
fore enhanced clarity.
According to Fortune Magazine, the aerogel market worldwide is projected to include
more than 800 potential product lines ranging
from surfboards to space satellite parts. Using lessons learned from space, clearer aerogels may
someday routinely be made
on Earth for use in windows
and sunroofs. House of the Future Aerogel
Window .....a Filigree of Silica within a Wisp of Air
Growing Computers in Space?:
Growing Computers in Space? ...Novel Materials Allowing Computers to Work near the Speed of Light! The next generation of supercomputers may rely on light through a science called photonics. Much like electronics uses electrons as a source of energy to process information, photonics uses photons (light). However, novel materials must be developed to make this technology possible.
Optical (Photonic) Vs. Electronic Switching
Currently, optical( photonic) signals such as those used in fiber optics, must be converted into electrical signals, switched, and reconverted back into optical. This is very time consuming. Optical switching allows signals to be switched directly. This can be done in less than a trillionth of a second! Non-linear Optical Materials (NLO) are the materials used to make optical switching possible. NLO’s grown in space are more ordered (right)
and interact more efficiently with light. As this
happens, light frequencies can be doubled or tripled (above), making optical data storage more efficient.
With the advent of new NLO materials, computers
may be able to process information near the speed
of light and store data more efficiently. This means
that traffic jams currently encountered on the
information superhighway may one day be relieved!
Forthcoming space experiments will be conducted
by Optron Systems Inc. and the Consortium for
Materials Development of Space (CMDS). Some NLO’s interact with light in such a way that infra- red light passing through an NLO changes to green(above). Scientists from the 3-M Corp. conducted NLO experiments aboard two shuttle flights. micro-g unit g