Neat - Liquid Moon Mirrors
First it's a liquid. Then it becomes a solid. Then it forms into a telescope mirror. Naturally, there's a robot involved:
Astronauts on the moon may one day pour themselves a liquid telescope to gaze at distant galaxies. Scientists have proposed using a liquid compound to craft a giant disc-shaped mirror that would be capable of reflecting objects that are undetectable by other telescopes... the liquid would be carried in a drum and poured over a disc-shaped mesh that unfurls robotically... Surface tension on the mesh would prevent the liquid from dripping through its small holes... The result would be an optical-infrared telescope with a 66-foot to 328-foot aperture, which could reflect faint objects in dwarf or normal galaxies... "Such telescopes, perhaps 100 meters in diameter can see back to the early phases of the universe after the Big Bang," he said. Worden coauthored the paper.
We recently figured out how to use a relatively elegant corkscrew that we received as a gift from a dear friend. God help us, that was a high self-esteem moment.
References:
* Scientists propose liquid lunar telescope [Crave]
Previously:
* Video: Neat - Blueprint For The 21st Century
* Water On Mars!!!
* What People Smarter Than You Are Acomplishing On Mars
