NASA recently tested the first nanotechnology- based electronic device to fly in space. The test showed that the Nano ChemSensor Unit could monitor trace gases inside a spaceship. This technology could lead to smaller, more capable environmental monitors and smoke detectors in future crew habitats.
"The nanosensor worked successfully in space," said Jing Li, a scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and principal investigator for the test. "We demonstrated that nanosensors can survive in space conditions and the extreme vibrations and gravity change that occur during launch," she added.
On long missions in space, harmful chemical contaminants may build up gradually in the crew's air supply. Nanosensors will be able to detect minute amounts of these contaminants and alert the crew that there may be a problem. The goal of the experiment was to prove that nanosensors, made of tiny carbon nanotubes coated with sensing materials, could withstand the rigors of spaceflight.
To conduct the sensor test in space, nitrogen gas containing 20 parts per million of nitrogen dioxide was injected into a small chamber, which also held a computer test chip with 32 nanosensors. The test measured the change in electricity passing through the nanosensors after nitrogen dioxide and the sensing materials made contact. Less than a half-inch across, the test chip is smaller and less costly than other analytical instruments that could be used for the same measurements.
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