HTTP:: Lotus Plant Inspires NASA Dust Shield Coatings
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Spacecraft are very prone to malfunctions caused by external influences. Things as small as bacteria can jeopardize an entire mission, especially if they form biofilms atop various gears, or inside astronauts' living quarters. In an attempt to ensure that this doesn't happen, experts at NASA again turned to nature for inspiration, and took after the beautiful lotus plant in creating a dust-busting, transparent coating, to apply on future space vehicles, ScienceDaily reports. The coatings are developed by a joint partnership between the Linthicum, Maryland-based Northrop Grumman Electronics Systems, the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, in Greenbelt, Maryland, and the Atlanta, Georgia-based nGimat Corporation. The transparent structure acts in a way similar to how the lotus plant sheds water, and experts believe that, once prototypes are completed, layers of coatings could potentially be used to keep microorganisms and dust away from vital spacecraft gears. At first glan!
ce, a lotus leaf appears to be very smooth. But, when placed under the microscope, the surface reveals its amazing structure. Countless tiny spikes form on each square millimeter of the leaf, and drastically minimize the area where dust and water can grab a foothold. “If you splash lotus leaves with water, it just beads up and rol...
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http://news.softpedia.com/news/Lotus-Plant-Inspires-NASA-Dust-Shield-Coatings-122519.shtml
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