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Eikos's Nanoshield™ Material Being Tested in Space by NASA Eikos Inc takes part in the first externally mounted experiment conducted on the International Space Station Eikos's Nanoshield™ material is being studied by NASA as part of the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE). The project aims to investigate the stability and durability of a variety of materials that are planned for future space applications. Eikos has a history of research and product development carbon nanotube based Nanoshield™ polymeric materials to NASA. The company has developed Nanoshield™ into several space ready polymers for NASA to enhance the electrical properties. The properties imparted in these polymers include electrostatic dissipation and Electromagnetic shielding (ESD and EMS). The MISSE experiments are the first externally mounted experiments conducted on the ISS. Eikos's Nanoshield™ material and the other samples are contained in four Passive Experiment Containers (PECs), suitcase-like containers used for transporting experiments via the space shuttle to and from an orbiting spacecraft. The Discovery's crew clamped two of the PECs to the exterior of the International Space Station on August 16, 2001. The cases were then opened to expose the samples to the space environment. The coatings utilizing carbon nanotube and polymeric matrixes will remain exposed for approximately 18 months. The samples will then be retrieved and analyzed. |
