NASA Nanotechnology Space Sensor Test Successful in Orbit

June 18, 2007

Beth Dickey/Melissa Mathews
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2087/1272

John Bluck
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
650-604-5026

RELEASE: 07-140

NASA NANOTECHNOLOGY SPACE SENSOR TEST SUCCESSFUL IN ORBIT

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. -- NASA recently tested the first
nanotechnology-based electronic device to fly in space. The test
showed that the "nanosensor" could monitor trace gases inside a
spaceship. This technology could lead to smaller, more capable
environmental monitors and smoke detectors in future crew habitats.

NASA's Nano ChemSensor Unit hitched a ride to Earth orbit on March 9,
2007, as a secondary payload experiment on the U.S. Naval Academy's
MidSTAR-1 satellite. The sensor test was powered on May 24.

"The nanosensor worked successfully in space," said Jing Li, a
scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon
Valley. Li is the 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
said.

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 space flight. Li's experiment also helped scientists learn
how well a nanosensor could endure microgravity, heat and cosmic
radiation in space.

Scientists use a specific sensing material for each chemical they wish
to detect. When a trace chemical touches the sensing material, it can
trigger a chemical reaction that causes electric current flowing
through the sensor to increase or decrease.

To conduct the sensor test in space, nitrogen gas containing 20 parts
per million of nitrogen dioxide was injected into a small chamber.
The chamber also held a computer test chip with 32 nanosensors. The
test measured the change in electricity passing through the
nanosensors after the nitrogen dioxide and the sensing materials made
contact.

The change was similar to the effect fluctuating electrical current
has on a light bulb. Changes in the bulb's brightness correspond to
the number of chemical molecules detected.

Less than a half-inch across, the test chip with its 32 nanosensors is
smaller and less costly than other analytical instruments that could
be used for the same measurements. Other advantages of nanosensors
include low power use and durability.

Scientists have developed chemical sensors using carbon nanotubes and
other nanostructures to detect ammonia, nitrogen oxides, hydrogen
peroxide, hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds and other gases.

Funding for the experiment included support from NASA's Exploration
Technology Development Program. For more information about NASA's
exploration mission, visit:

For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration

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