Sunday, October 30, 2005


Yet another bit of science fiction evolves into science fact.

The super strong transparent aluminum Montgomery Scott of Star Trek fame "leaked" to the metallurgists is now a reality.

October 17,2005. The Air Force Research Laboratory Public Affairs at WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFPN) has announced a new testing phase for the substance aluminum oxynitride.

Aluminum oxynitride is a glass like material which may very well replace traditional laminated armored glass. Both light weight and resistant to scratching, aluminum oxynitride has withstood both Russia's.30 caliber M-44 sniper rifle and the Browning .50 caliber Sniper Rifle with armor piercing bullets. The winsow samples also foiled .30 caliber anti-aircraft fire. Testing with .50 caliber machine gun fire and explosives are forthcoming.

Please find the Air Force release here:Air Force Link

Military uses aside, one can only wonder at the myriad uses for transparent aluminium. Space craft, submarines, medicine, architecture, and a host of other applications. We could very well discover new areas of science that may not have occured to us. Having a new transparent ultra light super strong material could lead to new ways of thinking, or seed lines of research that would not otherwise have been possible. Consider this: if one is going to concieve of and construct a "nanoscopic camera" it's going to need an awful light lens and housing.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thats pretty far-out! Life-imitates-art at its best. Now if only the world could be as well educated, tolerant, and as well adjusted as the world Gene Roddenberry envisioned!!!!!

11:34 PM  

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