For a visionary look at space applications of nanotech, see a new column over at Nanotechnology Now. An excerpt:
Occasionally astronauts have to leave their spaceships, so researchers at Northeastern University and Rutgers University propose that we protect the astronauts by including layers of bio-nano robots in their spacesuits. The outer layer of bio-nano robots would respond to damages to the spacesuit, for example to seal up punctures. An inner layer of bio-nano robots could respond if the astronaut was in trouble, for example by providing drugs in a medical emergency.
The author has more on this at his UnderstandingNano page on space. Not interested in space? Remember: developing space should be good for the Earth’s environment. That’s what got my attention intially for both space and nanotech. —Christine
