Today’s we just got “Simulations show why grains in metals and ceramics grow the way they do.”

I have this idea of steel so thin a laser cuts out impurities, and it gets folded katana style–rense and repeat.

Then reintroduce carbon nanotube “rebar.”

Good picks, as always. I like that “asteroid digestion” idea. Probably a lot of different pathways to producing useful outputs from undifferentiated carbonaceous chondrite inputs – or regolith inputs for that matter. Just separating the numerous metallic oxides in lunar regolith, for example, would be quite a valuable capability.

Now what I want to see is a chain of machines that can digest one thing and extrude another.

If this can be self-contained, perhaps asteroid mining can be more like “asteroid digestion.”

It seems that wet nanotech has been more fruitful than dry…phytoremediation may also have a part.

I seem to remember an article about a bacteria, protist/squidgy thing that expelled pure carbon.

“Affordable laser could be mass produced for use in self-driving cars” Keep them off landers.

“Impact-resistant material mimics mantis shrimp exoskeleton for improved protection.”

Best article today–NIST’s Sujin Lee and others at that institution have learned to copy “Bouligand Structures” that protect the crustacean’s limb used to deliver the Bruce Lee 1 inch punch.
A tiny sphere fired at 600 meters per second bounced right off the sample.

“High explosives in slow motion: Freezing molecules in place shows chemical reactions.”
This may be of interest to those who would harness neutral hexanitrogen.

“Surprising versatility of boron nitride nanotubes displayed in fusion of art and science.”
This substance with aerospace applications made the cover of Langmuir.

Unlike carbon nanotubes, it is transparent, and is also pretty easy to develop.

I wonder if there can be a dual use with optics…a narrow heat-shield/laser emitter with can zap airflow on re-entry so there is no surface interaction and no oxygen interactions.

Lastly, “A new atomistic route to viscosity–even near the glass transition.”

All from today’s phys.org

Coming from an author of your demonstrated ability, I take that as high praise indeed.

Dick Eagleson wrote, “The only good thing about Europe’s mingy launch capability is that it’s at least a good fit for its general lack of production of anything much to launch.”

Heh. I wish I had written that.

The only good thing about Europe’s mingy launch capability is that it’s at least a good fit for its general lack of production of anything much to launch. IRIS2 I will believe when I see it – if it ever actually becomes a thing. If it dies a-borning – which seems quite likely – then Ariane 64 won’t have to risk a hernia trying to launch ten whole times in a single year.