New Straits Times
08-17-2009
Space technology finds earth application
Byline: Rozana Sani
Edition: Main/Lifestyle
Section: Tech & U
Column: Innovation
THE name DuPont is synonymous with paint, but did you know that the US- based company is also involved in the development and manufacture of other products that we come into contact with or use daily? These include agriculture, building construction, electronics, healthcare, energy and utilities, transportation, safety and protection products.
More interestingly, some of DuPont's technologies have taken off into space. In fact, the company has been involved in space exploration even before Apollo 11 in the early 1960s.
"Back then, DuPont was the only company with advanced products available to meet the needs of NASA (US National Aeronautics and Space Administration). Since then, we have been providing various products," said DuPont Malaysia's managing director Dr A. Hapiz Abdullah.
Although DuPont is not directly involved in Malaysia's space technology, its products are used in the space suits worn by today's astronauts.
"DuPont's experience in industrial safety has been tapped by NASA to reduce slips, trips and falls.
"At the Johnson Space Center near Houston, Texas, DuPont's safety consultants were able to reduce the mishap rate by 77 per cent between 1994 and 1999. This not only improved work safety, but also saved NASA an estimated US$2 million (RM7 million). Such knowledge could be useful in space technology in Malaysia," Hapiz said.
Here are some interesting products that were conceived in the DuPont labs.
* DuPont Kevlar, the highperformance fibre known for ballistic protection (or bulletproof vest), is used with DuPont Nomex fibre in today's space suits.
Nomex, which was used in the Apollo 11 space suits, is recognised for keeping firefighters and first responders safe.
A parachute made of Kevlar fibre was included on the Galileo probe to Jupiter and used at the International Space Station where a "blanket" made of Kevlar fibre was used to wrap its inner walls to protect it from micrometeorites.
* DuPont Krytox performance lubricants were first used by NASA for the Apollo space flights in the 1960s. Krytox oils and greases work at both low and high temperature extremes to keep engine parts running. They are non-flammable, chemically inert and safe to use in all areas of oxygen service.
On Earth, Krytox lubricants protect everything from industrial bearings and gear boxes to bicycle chains and the spark plugs in Nascar champion Jeff Gordon's car. They keep cool under the hood.
* The Mars Rovers, which are still roaming the planet after they were launched five years ago, contain about 64 metres each of thin DuPont Pyralux flexible circuits. By replacing bulky round wires and cables, they provide volume savings of between 60 and 70 per cent. When stacked, they would total less than four centimetres.
Pyralux flexible circuits connect the "brains" of the rovers to their parts - the robotic arms, cameras, high-gain antennas, wheels and sensors, much like how Pyralux connects cell phones to their parts on Earth.
* Pressure-sensitive tapes made of DuPont Kapton polyimide film have been used throughout NASA vehicles to control vibration.
On the Mars Rovers, Pyralux flexible cables secured with Kapton tape offer durable lightweight environmental resistance for temperatures on Mars, which range from minus 120 to 22 degrees Celsius.
On Earth, Kapton plays a critical role as a flexible circuit in electronic applications, including laptop computers.
* Kapton strip heaters are used throughout the Mars Rovers for thermal control, ensuring the critical warmth needed to maintain operations in the extremely cold Martian atmosphere.
Traditional copper wires and cables have large conductors that can easily allow heat to escape from electronic modules, threatening a shortened mission life. Kapton strip heaters reduce such risks and allow the rovers to use smaller solar panels and batteries.
Strips of Kapton are known on Earth as the film that protects printer cartridges.
* DuPont Tedlar film played a unique and important role for the Phoenix Mars Lander, serving as a bio-barrier for the spacecraft's robotic arm, the only part to directly touch the ice below the surface of Mars, as an added protection against any potential transfer of bacterial spores from Earth.
On Earth, Tedlar is a key component on photovoltaic solar cells, providing the critical backing needed to protect solar panels.
* Cameras beaming clear, highresolution signals back to Earth can do so in part because Pyralux flexible circuits were made using Riston dry film photoresists and ImageMaster phototooling films that offer reliable fine- line circuit images, ensuring consistent quality signals and performance.
On Earth, DuPont's imaging materials are critical to the fabrication of printed circuit boards in desktop computers.
For details, go to the DuPont Malaysia Web site at http:// www2.dupont.com/DuPont_Home/en_MY/.
(Copyright 2009)
Space technology finds earth applicationRozana Sani
New Straits Times
08-17-2009
Space technology finds earth application
Byline: Rozana Sani
Edition: Main/Lifestyle
Section: Tech & U
Column: Innovation
THE name DuPont is synonymous with paint, but did you know that the US- based company is also involved in the development and manufacture of other products that we come into contact with or use daily? These include agriculture, building construction, electronics, healthcare, energy and utilities, transportation, safety and protection products.
More interestingly, some of DuPont's technologies have taken off into space. In fact, the company has been involved in space exploration even before Apollo 11 in the early 1960s.
"Back then, DuPont was the only company with advanced products available to meet the needs of NASA (US National Aeronautics and Space Administration). Since then, we have been providing various products," said DuPont Malaysia's managing director Dr A. Hapiz Abdullah.
Although DuPont is not directly involved in Malaysia's space technology, its products are used in the space suits worn by today's astronauts.
"DuPont's experience in industrial safety has been tapped by NASA to reduce slips, trips and falls.
"At the Johnson Space Center near Houston, Texas, DuPont's safety consultants were able to reduce the mishap rate by 77 per cent between 1994 and 1999. This not only improved work safety, but also saved NASA an estimated US$2 million (RM7 million). Such knowledge could be useful in space technology in Malaysia," Hapiz said.
Here are some interesting products that were conceived in the DuPont labs.
* DuPont Kevlar, the highperformance fibre known for ballistic protection (or bulletproof vest), is used with DuPont Nomex fibre in today's space suits.
Nomex, which was used in the Apollo 11 space suits, is recognised for keeping firefighters and first responders safe.
A parachute made of Kevlar fibre was included on the Galileo probe to Jupiter and used at the International Space Station where a "blanket" made of Kevlar fibre was used to wrap its inner walls to protect it from micrometeorites.
* DuPont Krytox performance lubricants were first used by NASA for the Apollo space flights in the 1960s. Krytox oils and greases work at both low and high temperature extremes to keep engine parts running. They are non-flammable, chemically inert and safe to use in all areas of oxygen service.
On Earth, Krytox lubricants protect everything from industrial bearings and gear boxes to bicycle chains and the spark plugs in Nascar champion Jeff Gordon's car. They keep cool under the hood.
* The Mars Rovers, which are still roaming the planet after they were launched five years ago, contain about 64 metres each of thin DuPont Pyralux flexible circuits. By replacing bulky round wires and cables, they provide volume savings of between 60 and 70 per cent. When stacked, they would total less than four centimetres.
Pyralux flexible circuits connect the "brains" of the rovers to their parts - the robotic arms, cameras, high-gain antennas, wheels and sensors, much like how Pyralux connects cell phones to their parts on Earth.
* Pressure-sensitive tapes made of DuPont Kapton polyimide film have been used throughout NASA vehicles to control vibration.
On the Mars Rovers, Pyralux flexible cables secured with Kapton tape offer durable lightweight environmental resistance for temperatures on Mars, which range from minus 120 to 22 degrees Celsius.
On Earth, Kapton plays a critical role as a flexible circuit in electronic applications, including laptop computers.
* Kapton strip heaters are used throughout the Mars Rovers for thermal control, ensuring the critical warmth needed to maintain operations in the extremely cold Martian atmosphere.
Traditional copper wires and cables have large conductors that can easily allow heat to escape from electronic modules, threatening a shortened mission life. Kapton strip heaters reduce such risks and allow the rovers to use smaller solar panels and batteries.
Strips of Kapton are known on Earth as the film that protects printer cartridges.
* DuPont Tedlar film played a unique and important role for the Phoenix Mars Lander, serving as a bio-barrier for the spacecraft's robotic arm, the only part to directly touch the ice below the surface of Mars, as an added protection against any potential transfer of bacterial spores from Earth.
On Earth, Tedlar is a key component on photovoltaic solar cells, providing the critical backing needed to protect solar panels.
* Cameras beaming clear, highresolution signals back to Earth can do so in part because Pyralux flexible circuits were made using Riston dry film photoresists and ImageMaster phototooling films that offer reliable fine- line circuit images, ensuring consistent quality signals and performance.
On Earth, DuPont's imaging materials are critical to the fabrication of printed circuit boards in desktop computers.
For details, go to the DuPont Malaysia Web site at http:// www2.dupont.com/DuPont_Home/en_MY/.
(Copyright 2009)
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий