WOW! How very interesting. It says it feels like styrofoam when touched.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293825,00.html
From the article: "Aerogel, one of the world's lightest solids, can withstand a direct blast of 1 kilogram of dynamite and protect against heat from a blowtorch at more than 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit."
Just... wow!
...what, so they're gonna make tanks out of aerogel now?
...wouldn't they just blow away in the wind?
You wouldn't have to make them out of aerogel - just line some tanks and jeeps with it in and you've pretty much covered smaller bomb threats. Twould be a drastic help for Iraq and the whole terrorist threat over in that general middle-east area. Larger bomb threats would still remain a heavy issue, but really, this'd heavily cut the number of deaths to troops over there.
... I'm thinking this'll be popular within the next few years.
Very cool stuff. I'm not sure about the dynamite blast claim though - other sources indicate that the stuff shatters even if you just push at it hard enough.
Very interesting article. I'm interested in how they'll go with this. :kitty: