witch kind of tecnology it is used to produce it??
who manufactor it ??
witch would be the cost??

roberto carchidi, sint maarten, netherlands antilles

Can radiation rays pass through it?

Carl Fewsdale, Gillingham,

a nice table decoration, or conversation piece for the party, and the drunk guy (or girl) can't break it!

lizz, sandy eggo, calif.

I think the fact that the pictures look photoshopped shows what a starnge material this must be. I think at the very least it's exciting, but hearing about so many different possible uses is very exciting and promising.

Andrew Sellick, Shapwick, Somerset

pictures look photoshopped

Matei Clej, Bucharest,, RO

to the impatient I'd say just wait a while.
remember the laser? the "answer looking for a problem"?
now they're every where....

Tim, Peterborough, UK

This stuff is really expensive. That will be the biggest problem, finding a cheap way to produce the stuff.

asd, asdf,

use it to go to antartica!! if its so hott for jackets!!

melissa mckenzie, glendale, ca

Hi Meg Of Buffalo - not sure if the subject is still open(typing this on Sept 8th), but you are absolutely right of course, language does evolve and the English I try to speak and write (badly!) is so different from that of centuries ago. The point I was trying to make,albeit not very well, was that we are readin g an English newspaper here and I don't think it is right for other English speakers be they American or Australian etc to criticise the language or words written. An example is that following the awful bridge collapse in the Mid-West (sorry I can't recall the name of the place) an American reader said that we don't have lorries in the States, they are called trucks. Most of us Brits know that! We've all seen enough American films, but the guy in question was reading an English paper. So lorry is the correct word. This all sounds so serious but isn' t great fun really - by the way I think you are wrong about the apostrophe. I'll check with my American teacher brother-in-law.

Brian Wildey, Fleurance, France

Has anyone looked at how the stuff breaks down int he environment when it's not in use? Is its afterlife eco-friendly or is it another catastrophe like plastic waiting to happen?

va, toronto,

Why isn't the military using aerogel to insulate the Humvees as protection against bomb blasts (IEDs) in Iraq and Afganistan? Wouldn't that be less expensive than armour plate, etc? And why aren't we seeing this stuff used to clean up oil spills and chemical waste in our rivers, streams and oceans? These people talk and talk about cleaning up the planet and green this and green that. Well, seems like this is the stuff to do it all. So get with it already! I guess the" powers that be" are trying to figure out how they can make the usual killing off of it. What a shame because it could be saving lives and saving our planet's resources in so many ways. Where's Al Gore and his ilk when we really need them?

Sam, San Antonio, TX

NASA, since you have it, use it. Coat the insolation on the fuel tank to keep it from falling of, or coat the underside of the space shuttle with it to absorbe the shock of foam from the fuel tank. Either way, problem solved till we get a new space vehicle. Sometimes the answer is right under your nose. Now use it on the nose of the shuttle.

John Weaver, TItusville, USA

Tairaa, you fail.

Jeeum, Charlotte, NC

Please tell Congress about this. If we could all insulate our homes with this, we sould solve the energy problem.

Irene, Davenport, Florida

I wrote to Aspen Aerogel and priced the flexible sheets at $5 a square foot. This makes it very reasonable for small applications (e.g. a sleeping bag or coat) but very expensive for insulating a house. Still, I bet prices will come down with ramping up of production.

erik ray, boston, massachusetts

"By nature wouldn't a vacuum be the best insulator."

Yes, if you want to be extremely cold. Temperature cannot exist without substance, it isn't a freestanding radical by any means.
So, the closest you can get to absolute zero (-273ºC or 0ºK) in nature is by way of a vacuum.

Tairaa, Victoria, Canada/British Columbia

I can't believe many of the comments I have just read-above. Aerogels are made with ~ 99.5% silica, SiO2, SAND! Will it pollute? Why isn't it on our tanks yet? Why does it cost so much? Etc, etc. Cutting edge technology means exactly that. It is in it's infantcy. Consider how man years it took to fully develope nylon, teflon, velcro,cell phones, computer products and many other items that are commonly used today. The above comments are exactly the reason science needs to be a mandatory subject in every childs education. All the way through college! A new material is synthecized in a chemical laboratory. Enginners design, develope and manufacture products using that technology and move it to market. Any wonder why we need scentists and engineers in America?

Ed Kowalski, Cherry Run, WV, U.S.A

To Brian Wildey- first off, you've forgotten your apostrophe, speaking of correct english. It is "change for change's sake". Secondly, It is ridiculous to sit about and criticize other english-speaking countries for somehow having "butchered" english, when within England there are so many dialects. I might as well accuse the English of having butchered Anglo-saxon. Languages change and alter over time. This has been happening since they were first developed. No one in America sat around and said, "Alright, everyone, let's change the dialect, here you go." It wasn't deliberate. It just happens. How do you think French arose out of Latin? Or do the french speak a differrent language just to be non-conformist?

Meg, Buffalo, New York

Please, give us some idea of its cost. I hate articles that speak of exciting products without some idea if we will ever be able to buy it in our lifetime.

Bob Heideman, Apopka, Fl

This is not NEWS.

This substance has been around at least since the 1980's when I saw it on Ripley's Believe it or Not, originally hosted by Jack Palance.

James Hamel, Rochester, New Hampshire

Quote: “It is the greatest insulator we’ve ever seen,” he said.

By nature wouldn't a vacuum be the best insulator.

Isn't all this stuff like calculus you have some limit or unity and as you find a better way(method or technique) to or as you appoach that value you get more efficient.

I believe that this stuff is great but I hate when people make general statments that are not totally true

Three methods of Heat Transfer

1. Convection
2. Conduction
3. Radiation

If I am wrong please ignore my ignorance

Ken, murrysville, pa

To Brian Wildey, I have to say-Before we begin, you've for gotten to put an apostrophe. It is change for change's sake, not changes. That would be the correct english. Now, If you look at english, even with in the UK there are so many differrent dialects, how can you possibly sit there and accuse any other english-speaking countries of somehow butchering the language?! Languages change and evolve over time, accents develop and regional terms become part of daily speech. This has been happening since the first languages developed. How do you think French came out of Latin? Should I accuse you of having butchered a language that truly only belongs to the ancient romans?!

Meg, Buffalo, New York

Finally. Smoke pants are just around the corner. And dynamite proof. Who knew?

Porterhouse, Tampa, FL

Has anyone thought about what the LONG-TERM environmental 'might' impact might be?

So many times we 'think' we've created something safe and WONDERFUL ... only to learn, over time, it's poisonous or, destructive in some other way.

If NASA has known about this for so many years, why haven't the Space Shuttles been insulated with it, instead of the foam that keeps hitting the tiles during take-off?

If it's so 'shock-proof' then why haven't our tanks and bullets been coated with this, instead of the depleted uranium presently being used; you know, the same depleted uranium that is contaminating our ground water, the animals and fish, our military fighting forces, and the sperm/ovum of the active personnel who go on to create babies - babies being born with severe birth defects (a DIRECT RESULT of exposure to depleted uranium)?

IF this product is such a miracle, let's see it proved before we herald it's desirability only to learn, years later, how much damage it's caused...

Barbara, Hollywood, CA

This stuff has so much potential that I at first thought it was some sort of joke. I'm now convinced that it not a joke. I'm sure NASA is gonna use this stuff in the new shuttle designs.

ivan, indianapolis, IN

Has anyone thought why this isn't in all homes, and clothing yet. I just tried to buy this stuff and they were quoting US$25 for a 2cm square, by 1cm thick. Hmmm.
Lets say one wall is 10m x 5m, 4 walls and a roof. Oooo how much is that going to cost now for single layer insulation. Thats about 3.2 mill for the first wall, then there's the other 3, and the roof, call it US$15-20 million for the house. But just think how much you would save in the heating billls.

Mikios, Hull, England

Meh, 30-40 years from now it will probably be as infamous as asbestos.

Rob Gallagher, London,

Erik of Houston, if those things are improvements for you then your standards are pretty low - and I say again, English is the language of England and the UK, yours is a corrupt form that is change for changes sake!

Brian Wildey, Fleurance, France

Why don't they use aerogel on the space shuttle instead of the stuff that keeps coming of on lift-off?

Bill66, Houston, TX

I would truely like to know the consequences of inhaling or breathing this substance........Chemtrails, America! What happens when this substance is combined with Barium, Dyethylene Bromide or Aluminum salts? No paranoia here, just curious.

bert, san diego, ca., USA

Hmmm. I guess it's just a matter of time before the oil companies buy out the technology and bury it in the basement so we never get to use it. I'm sure the Republicans will be happy to help kill it.

Keith, Fremont, California, USA

very interesting, a new material for the wolrd!
It's gonna change the world!!

galop, andolsheim, france

I've known about this stuff for years. I have a picture of a <1 inch thickness of aerogel between a blowtorch and an untouched flower. It's insulating properties are indeed amazing. What's more amazing is that it's taken this long to get the interest of various industries. I gather that once a place is set up to make it, it's really rather cheap. I understand that gelatin can also be made into an aerogel. Since they can also make it out of platinum, it looks like almost anything can be made into it, taking almost nothing of the base material, with the remainder being gas. Raw materials would be very inexpensive, then, compared to the amount of material it makes.

It seems to me that, combining a couple of manufacturing processes, they ought to be able to make a neural net with it. That would carry interesting implications for computing. I'll look forward to seeing what other uses are found for it.

Ian

Ian MacLeod, Madras, OR

My goodness - reading these comments is like watching a circus sideshow - painful and embarrassing.

No - not alien tech, not Photoshopped, no military application. Get an education, folks. This stuff has been around for a while - I first saw a sample a couple of decades ago, when I was a kid - and I was fascinated. It's pretty neat stuff. Glad to see that it has been developed into a commercial product.

Reid, Geneva, Switzerland

Depending on the base material, I wonder if they could line up the nano-sized holes such that they'd provide a framework for carbon nanotubes? The uses then would be fantastic! A flexible CPU with its own paper battery? A neural network that would fit in a button? If the tensile strength can be increased, it would indeed be a boon for the shuttle. As for clothing, if the holes in it can be controlled as to size, the insulation rating is also controllable. Otherwise, it's like wrapping yourself in plastic wrap.

Aerogel has been around for some time. It sounds like nanotech and other manufacturing techniques are now getting to where it can become a viable product. If so, the potential is fantastic, and the comment about changing the world isn't that far off. Also, people have asked about disposal: it sounds like the right solvent would do it.

BTW, to the person who said we can break the speed of light: no, we can't.

Ian MacLeod, Madras, Oregon

Lets wait and see how/if the scientific community makes use of this new material/technology and then wait again to see if the enviromentalist find a reason to put it on the endangered list and then wait again to see if the general populaiton will accept it in any form.

Phil, Pottsboro, Texas

I want aerogel in my home's walls right now. Nice idea for a startup business. It would be expensive,especialy at first,but the savings would pay for it while more aerogel suppliers deveoped.

Lil, Vandalia, OH

There was a poster that said that this could be used to shield our vehicles in Iraq to negate the effect of IUD's (sic), I'd like to know just how Intra Uterine Devices are being used to damage vehicles there. Maybe it's the excess hanky panky that takes place due to the effect of not caring about pregnancy?

One wonders.

John, San Jose, California, USA

I wonder how long it will be before we have cars and planes made out of this material. Imagine crashing into a vehicle made of this stuff...it wouldn't be a fair crash, as the non Aerogel vehicle would surely come out the loser. How wonderful that in a world such as ours, full of governments scaring it's populace with scary terrorist scenarios in order to strip away our liberties with things like the Patriot Act, and cash in on our tax money by paying war profiteering companies like Halliburton tons of money, we still have the time to develop a product like Aerogel, something that will actually help mankind, as opposed to occupying countries but falsely calling it a "war", killing and torturing hundreds of thousands of innocent people for no purpose at all.

PJ, Gulfport, Mississippi USA

If it keeps hot things hot and cold things cold, how does it know

SMC, Memphis, TN

I'm excited but I'm sure the enviromental people will find something wrong . Maybe we could go back and be vegitarian cavemen?

Ted, St.Marts, ohio

Yes Doug from Tenn, it's a hoax, like microwaves, velcro, and them aeroplanes they keep a-flyin' over your state. Get with the times.

Frank Rizzo, Westchester, NY

Does Bud Selig know about this stuff? The NFL? Also, what is the oil industry's take on aerogel...support or subdue?

JT, Santa Clara, Calif

Where do I invest. This will change the world. Take the hydrogen issue. It will speed up the creation of hydogen. Use hydrogen as fuels and the CO2 argument is OVER. We already have man in Florida that uses water to fuel his car by splitting the molecule. HE also welds with the process. A cool flame the melts steel. Hopefully this will do the trick.

Bobbypapadopolous , jacksonville , fl

This reminds me of back during the Stalin era in the old USSR when the Soviets claimed to have invented just about everything. These days its bloody NASA and the Americans making such claims. The hard work on Aerogel was done at the University of Lund in Sweden in the late 1970's and early 1980's. http://www.airglass.se/ I was there when it happened. I had a bunch of samples from the lab at the time. It is weird stuff. It's a material that you can blow off of your hand with a breath that will chip like plate class.

F Higgs, Pacific Grove, California

Isidro, you appear as tolerant as most neo-liberals. If two people from the same U.S. state are so different is it any wonder so many countries cannot get along? I have to agree with Mr. Burke here, there is a logical scientific explanation for this substances chemical properties, and it apparently took decades of refinement in a lab, and thousands of man-hours, to develop the substance in a usable form. Going from the most widely-used definition, I agree with Edmund Burke (I like the pseudonym) as he used the most popular definition. Your definition of miracle is also correct, just less popular. I feel bad that you are so hateful of how other people choose to live their lives.

As far as the non mis-statement by the homeowner who used this seemingly wonderful product, many structures are heated/cooled using outdoor temperature as the factor of how many btu's need to be generated. I would have liked to see the "r-value" though (insulating factor).

Tim, Rochester, NY, USA

Once its mopped up all these things how is it to be safely disposed of? Can it be recycled or will it add to this worlds waste problem?

Jen, London,

Is that truly a picture of it? I can't say I've seen or heard of it. It is good of Abul Taher to bring this phenominal product into a more public light.

Michelle, Maine,

question is. how much is man kind willing to do without, to prolong the fate of this planet? lets imagine we had no cars,oil,gas,reactors,electricity,or running water,and and 10 billion less people,then this planet would be in fair shape enviromentally ! how ever living conditions would be, well you can imagine, simply the peter-paul principal is in effect! we need miracles so i say develope technologys fast as possible, thats our only real hope anyway,

jim, hampton, va.

RE: Rob in Huntsville

Dry Texas air? Have you ever been to Houston? Here we have dew points in the 80's, meaning that you don't invoke sympathy from me.

RE: Brian in France

English USED to be your language just like north America USED to be your colony. Looks like the new owner of the former has improved it same as we did the latter!

Erik, Houston, TX/USA

Hey Richard from Lompoc USA, you don't know what you're talking about. But more importantly, this stuff sounds great. The wonder invention.

JJ, Boston, MA

As for turning the thermostat down, human comfort is heavily influenced by radiant temperature (why you can feel warm in the sun but a little cool in the shade on a spring day). Thermostats only measure air drybulb temperature. When you insulate exterior walls better their interior radiant surface temperature will be increased in the heating season. The net result is that the air temperature (thermostat setting) can be dropped and still maintain the same sensed comfort. Heating and cooling engineering is usually not about maintaining a set air temperature, but about maintaining *comfort*.

John Weale, Hawthorne, USA, NY

Aspen Aerogels and Cabot Corporation are the only companies manufacturing aerogel for commercially viable end use applications. Check out www.aerogel.com and you will see the miriad of aerogel applications currently in use. And yes, consumer products will be available with aerogel technology this fall. Several footwear companies are launching: Timberland Pro workboot, Redwing and the Vasque group's high altitude hiking boot and Salomon to name just a few.
The R value on the mat or blanket products produced by Aspen Aerogels is approximately R10/inch, a vacum is the only thing better.

JB, San Francisco, USA / CA

The question most of you seem to be argueing about is the thermal conductivity of Aerogel, compared to other materials, I looked it up on some internet sources to get a idea of what it was…
0.03 W/mK down to 0.004 WmK (Aerogel thermal conductivity, Wikipedia)
0.05 W/m-K (same units) (Fiberglass thermal conductivity, Wikipedia)
0.024 W/mK (Air thermal conductivity)
1.05 W/mK (Glass thermal conductivity)

W=Watts
m=Meters
K=Kelvin (think Degrees Celsius)

Also,
“R-values can be calculated from thermal conductivity, k, and the thickness of the material, t: R = t/k. Thus, for 100 mm thickness, it is possible to calculate that a fiberglass blanket has a value of 2, whereas aerogel has a value of 5.9.” (looked up R-value in Wikipedia)
So, it looks like to me aerogel is 4 to 10 times a better insulator then fiber glass, and a whole lot better then your windows, which is where most modern homes let in/ loose a majority of there heat from.
Its not that hard to look up.

S. Cornaby, Ithaca, NY

"Speaking to (Mohammed) If we didn't fight wars and WIN WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO ANYTHING GREAT!! We would be under a DICTATOR!." ~ Richard, Lompoc, USA Ca

Sir, a person who thinks that a very small, (compared to US military) 'disorganized' and 'unmilitarized', group of cave-dwelling people called 'al-qaeda', will invade and destroy America (who has spent a gazillion dollars on sophisticated military hardware, not to mention thousands of nuclear weapons) in order to install a 'dictator'...is not a very bright person. I could go on, but lets not try to derail this great topic. Thank you!

Mohammed, London, UK

If aerogel is as ridged and insulates (survive dynamite blast and 1300 torch) just think of airplanes, car bodies and subs that can be built that would use only a fraction of the power to do the same work, i.e. a 747 that weighs 10 tons instead of 130 tons....

Mike Smeltzer, Beulah, Michigan / USA

Re: Doug from Knoxville, I get so sick and tired of skeptics and cynics. There will always be doubting degenerates who question everything simply because they lack the imagination and skill to create such marvels. Aerogel sounds like a great product -- and, naturally, it was created in an American lab

retrometa, los angeles, ca

Touché, regarding the usage of the term "miracle" in the opening line of the article. Oh, what's that? "Miracle" has a secondary sense, which allows for figurative use? And DuPont -- perhaps the mother of all chemical labs -- uses "The Miracles of Science" as its company slogan? Never mind ...

NJ Citizen, Monmouth, AmeriCa with a "c"

AGS,
Thanks for clarifying that "miracle material" does not imply the Divine. I sure was confused there for a minute. Wow! Good job! Where would we be without you?

Derek, Round Rock, USA/TX

WOW! I see water purification, drug purification, and kidney dialysis as just a few things that this new smoke can do. Like the wonderful invention known as the L.A.S.E.R., we will never see the end of inventions related to the use of this product until something better comes along. Why aren't news stories being published on Fox News and CNN about this incredible invention?.....Ohhh, I forgot! This will make a SUPER DUPER airl filter for your home A/C unit! WOW, I WANT ONE NOW! If you use this product for the above ideas, please make sure you contact me as I want a share of the pie too.

Tracey, Houston, TEXAS / USA

Well said, Isidro.

Mr. Burke, even the word "material" has its roots in theology. So, put a lid on it.

Anyway -- This is an exciting substance and I am very much looking forward to its widespread consumer use.

Greg J., Los Angeles, CA

sounds like a good material for a cold water diving suit

armenian immigrant, mattoon, illinois usa

where can I buy some of this stuff ?

Ray Kraley, Sahuarita , AZ

John -- if you could just turn down Lennon's "Imagine" on your (American-designed) iPod for a moment (and may I ask, how's the commune doing?) -- allow me to reveal a truism: "we" live the "good life" because we live in the capitalistic West, and not in the Marxist dreamworld you seem to advocate. If your deepest desire is to see "not one person on this planet going without", then work to spread our values -- because wherever you find deprivation today, you will find a lack of capitalism.

NJ Citizen, Monmouth, USA

Does the aerogel stop radiation? In space flight, presently, it is imagined the battle to maintain healthy human physiology (which is harmed by solar radiation and cosmic radiation, which maybe nothing can stop) may rest on the role of nanobots to conduct ongoing cellular repair and genetic restitution. The computational platforms of space flight also need protection from solar radiation storms. If the shell of the ship is insulative and protective, the platforms will need less protection and aid in weight reduction. The aerogel could be used as insulation on the moon.

Can it be used like carbon nanotubules as in the space elevator cabling?

What a stunning example of a science driver for expanding an economy, with beautifully useful yet unforeseen opportunities. Space flight demands accelerate discoveries so we can replace the military economy with better economies that extend the beautiful opportunity our solar system has given us.

Dan Kennedy, Ann Arbor

Dan Kennedy, Ann Arbor, USA/Michigan

Should Osama Bin Laden be killed?
Hmmm... I think the families of all of those that died on 911should have their chance to comment on that. My personal opinion is that he killed a lot of the "working class" people that day. These were people, that went to work that day, among them children that were in a pre-school setting, not military men and women.
Is that because he didn't have the moxie to attack out fighting men? Now he lives in fear, fear of showing himself. Fear of being able to live like a man. Now he lives like the snake that he is, slithering back to his cave whenever he feels threatened. So be it!

Vince Leonardi, Somerville, MA

Please stop trying to explain how insulation and thermostats work. If someone reading this article really doesn't understand either of these their troubles are far more reaching then just not understanding heat loss. Reading these comments were at first enjoyable until every amateur scientist here thought "What a great chance for me to sound smart by using words like 'radiance", 'heat-transfer', 'R-Value' or my favorite line yet "You DO have to turn your thermostat ahead of convective heat or cold intrusion to maintain a given ambient temperature". I would venture that if these people don't understand basic concepts of heating and air conditioning the word "convective" is going to elude them so why waste your time? If you would take the time to read more then the first 3 comments you will notice that this topic of discussion has been beaten into the ground. And if you're one of the people who think you've "Figured out" how this heat thing works please stop posting all together.

jeff, denver, co

Another Amazing product from the minds of NASA.... Velcro, Fuel cell Technology, and now Aerogel. I look forward to seeing how it's applied in the market place. Sounds fascinating. Aids in the production of Hydrogen, a fuel with a clean exhaust, I can see the cars running on it now.......

Stan Gabruk, PuertoVallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Someone wondered what Aerolgel tastes like...
My guess is a Mac bap.

Julian, London, UK

Sounds like it will help us all live together no matter what you believe. Perfect for our times!

Mr. Matthew, Honolulu, Hawaii

Where can I find a distrubutor for this product? I am VERY interested in it insulation ability!

David, Lexington, sc

Perhaps I am confusing the two, but we have been using silica aerogel powder for years in the pest control inductry as an alternative to insecticides since it kills insects by absorbing the oils and moisture in their body.

Rocco, Alaska, USA

I will not tolerate all this negativity towards Bob Stoker. I know Bob Stoker...he's a friend of mine and I can say with full certainty (to Bob's critics) that YOU ARE NO BOB STOKER! Nor will you ever be.

Onslo Winthrop, Sheffield, England

Mr. Kirth, It is entirely likely that the heater indeed does not run nearly as often. As to the temperature setting being 5 degrees lower, that will likely result from the vastly improved insulation of the entire dwelling. Thus are the "cold spots" avoided that result in our elevating the general temperature overall.

Chris A, Wheatland, Wyoming

FAKE FAKE..OBVIOUSLY A PHOTOSHOP CREATION...around since the 30.s? what a joke..the amerikan demonic military would have used it for more destructive purposes already..

Mike Javick, Sharon, Penna usa

Hmmm, a better Thermos?

Lars, San Bernardino, CA

Since NASA uses the term Nasa, I don't think it really matters.....does it? I mean,they are fairly intelligent, right? <eyes roll>

Marc, Everytown, USA

what is the cost and availability of aerogel or like so many
product is it only available to academics, or large companies.

eddiemcconway, new york , usa

It s not that I am blasé, but your title reflects the modern transformation of the process of development. Any ‘change in the world’ that would threaten the current pecking order is unlikely to get into production. The whole business of research and development is so politically sensitive that nobody need waste any nervous energy on the possibilities of new products. Anyway, some of the more banal developments have proved most useful. The development of the solar cell, which has been around a lot longer than frozen smoke, would do far more in an energy context than this material.

Henry Percy, London, UK

"Can it be used for cental heating a house?" (sic)

In most of the UK central heating is still a technological miracle.

James, New York, NY, USA

How flexible is this material? What is it's texture? Could this material replace the heavier Iron and Aluminum used in construction and car manufacturing?

Ricardo Silguero, McAllen, Texas

Hey Richard from Lompoc USA, you don't know what you're talking about.

JJ, Boston, MA

Can it be used for cental heating a house?

Mary Teresa, York, Uk

I have got to stop reading this online news source.
The people who make these comments are obviously technically retarded.

Dakk, Hayes, USA

"vloxy" in Dallas...we can't break the speed of light yet, and if Einstein (and a great many other people who are also infinitely smarter than you) is right, we never will...duh! Read some factual scientific publications instead of whatever fantasy material you're getting this "speed of light/homelessness" nonsese from...I wasn't aware that homelessness had a "speed," anyway...and that's from someone who has been homeless.

Kevin in Dublin...Flubber is right!

This material shows great promise, and could well be used to improve life here on Earth for a great many people, as well as having many applications in space science. As someone who has awful arthritis in both knees, I find the cold Winters here almost unbearable; I could certainly use some very lightweight, high-insulation-factor clothing to help me stay active during the colder months. Bring it on!

Mahon MacRi, Ottawa, Canada

The best way to help the soldiers in military vehicles is to get them out of the firing line, not cover them in aerogel.

Craig, Luxembourg,

Can God make an Aerogel he can't lift?

Allen, everytown, USA

Oh my god, the dream of smoke pants may well be realized!

chris, Leavenworth, KS

Dispose of Aerogel? If it is from siilcon dioxide, and brittle, stomp on it till it bracks into tiny peices and thow it on the beach. Sand is made of silicon dioxide.

Patrick , San Diego, Cal

Charles Miller, Kings Mountain, NC
Incorrectly stated:
"The Stardust probe was obliterated when it crashed in the desert. Whatever "rich collection of samples" it carried was contaminated with earthly debris in the crash."

You can view photos/information of the successful landing of the probe here:
http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/photo/er.html

Thanks to everyone has made a positive contribution to this wonderful article.

Carlos Ramirez Sr, Covina, USA/California

The first manned-mission to Mars is NOT scheduled for 2018. That's just bad reporting, and a bit silly. NASA's program (I'm not sure why Brits write it Nasa when it's an acronym) will send a man to the moon in 2020 and then it will begin to plan for a Mars mission, hopefully by 2040.

Matt, Washington, DC

Concerning Aerogel, I assume that this is yet another in the long list of exotic technologies 'acquired' as a result of contact with extraterrestrial intelligence?

karlo, Northwich, Cheshire

The thermostat can be set lower because the heat from other sources (lightbulbs, cooking, human bodies) raises the temperature above the thermostat temperature. They could probably turn the furnace off altogether and not notice a difference, at least in the daytime.

PFudd, Burnaby, Canada/BC

I suggest Chris of Pocahontas re-reads the sentence he is quibbling about! It is as if there was a comma after can. In this case it does not mean cannot or can't ( as we say on this side of the pond). By the way English is our language and if you don't like the way its used in our papers don't read them. Many ouf us Brits find it extremely irritating that you people are unable to spell words in OUR language ie center,dropping the second l in the past tense etc.

Brian Wildey, Fleurance, France

RE: Ken, Houston, Texas.

As a resident in a city with a constant 80-100% humidity almost year round, I must say that even in the winter keeping the house cooler with high humidity is NOT comfortable as it leaves a lovely sheen of wet crap on everything, and contributes to mold, not a healthy thing at all. Enjoy that dry dry texan air and remember, I'd trade that for this crap here.

Rob, huntsville, AL

Speaking to (Richard, Lompoc, USA Ca) - you are living under a dictator and you have lost the war in Iraq.

Don't let the truth get in the way though, just wave the flag a little mroe urgently and CLAP LOUDER!

Linus, London, UK

So when the US man rep says "we need to kill Osama Bin Laden" that makes the difference between right and wrong like what? it is not right just because it's your side.

"Steve, Perth, Oz

To Richard Lompoc: That's not actually true though, is it? In fact, it doesn't even address Mohammed's comment, plus you seem to have accidentally hit caps lock while typing... either that or you are a very angry man.

On the subject of aerogel: does anyone know if it has any negative properties such as poor compressive strength that would prevent it being used in construction? If not, then woo hoo!

Dave Burke, Manchester, UK

Speaking to (Mohammed) If we didn't fight wars and WIN WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO ANYTHING GREAT!! We would be under a DICTATOR!.

Richard, Lompoc, USA Ca.

Often, the extra efforts to insulate a home can contribute to better retaining moisture as well as heat. Higher humidity within the dwelling can allow you to run a lower air temperature and still feel comfortable.

Ken, Houston, Texas

as far as the absorbtion of oil goes it shouldn't be too terribly dififcult to squeeze out the oil, thereby saving some of theat for future use, then reusing it to soak up more oil? and as silicon is a fairly stable material it should last awhile. just look at computers- more effort is spent recycling the metals in an older unit than the silicon. but let's keep an open mind about this; who could have predicted, 25 years ago, how computers were going to radicaally tansform our lives for the better?

galtboy, sacra-tomato, ca, usa

Evil man will soon make sex-toys with it. Man inventions always turn to evil because man is evil. It won't "change the world" at all.

Mac, HB, CA, USA, USA

A hoax? Aerogel is a well known substance, perhaps you could do some research before you post your comment

Shane, Unknown, USA

I can't believe I just scanned dozens of posts about the effects of an improved insulation. Good grief.

Move on - the key issue isn't the man's house or thermostat. It's the aerogel and all its possibilities.

TH, San Mateo,

Its an interesting article. I suspect the price will come down as production goes up. That is the trend for such things.

So, protection from the cold of deep space might be solved. Now all we have to worry about is the radiation. A leadened spaceship is probably not going to fly. Does Aerogel offer any protection from radiation?

I've had fun reading all of the inane flak going back and forth about an innocent remark by Mr. Stoker. I think you guys really miss the point of the article.

C Adams, Dallas, TX, USA

Looks like "Smoke Pants" are finally within our reach.

Ronny B., New York, NY

Maybe NASA should consider this as a replacement for the space shuttles heat shield.

Matthew, Florissant, MO

This all sounds wonderfull. But the questions that really matter are. Is it eco friendly, and what can it do in our advance in medicine?

G. Lehman, Hollywood, CA

Can you say asbestos II? The stuff I have seen has warnings all over it about particulate danger. So it goes.

Paul, Boulder, Co

I'm no climatologist, but isn't carbon dioxide a part of our atmoshpere? I'm pretty sure it is harmless in that respect.

John, moorhead, usa

Fantastic! How great to hear of progress instead of destruction. Think of all we can learn from this. It makes me tink we may just make it after all. Now, if we can just use it for good...

Travis, Dallas, TX, USA

Sometime in the near future Al Gore and Jesse Jackson will be making claims that Al invented it and that Jesse needs it to be given to more of the underprivileged to keep their ghetto shacks warm in the winter time.... it's only a matter of weeks, I suspect...

William R. Smith, Marietta, Georgia, USA

It is unfortunate that a great innovation like this is under-appreciated. For those of you that focused on Mr. Stoker, shame on you. All you wannabe enviro-activists should have focused on the ability to absorb pollutants from water and protection from high temperatures. Instead, you argue and bicker over 5 DEGREES. I couldn't care less about my thermostat bill or what you have to do to keep your home comfy, what does concern me is what we can accomplish with this material.

Matt, Tucson, AZ

"Can not" is a single word here in the States. How about on your side of the pond?

Chris, Pocahontas, IA / USA

I saw this very product featured on the futuristic TV show "Beyond 2000" about 12 to 15 years ago. Every time I read about the space shuttle tiles needing repair I thought of this product. Since seeing the product on the TV show I have not heard or read anything about it until seeing the article above.

Hughie, Phoenix, USA

Nice to read that such a fantastic new product yet again is an invention from within the world's most advanced civilisation. And it is not a weapon - how refreshing. Though with some claver application might just render impotent those of Al Qaeda.

Peter, Auckland, New Zealand

Theromstat comment was truly dumb, if you think about it. True, there are many factors as to where the thermostat is in the house and variances in how well different parts of the house are insulated. However, to get a across the idea of how much energy you save, you dont mention thermostat, you mention how much gas or electricity was saved at the meters. This is not rocket science.

K Michaels, Orem, Utah

And how much incentive are the local government planning committees going to need to allow this one onto the market then? I can hear it now - "We've no need for that new-fangled stuff around here. Cavity walls were OK when I were a lad and they make more profit (sorry - cost less to build)". Then there's always the power generation lobby. Following this article, look out for a response based on lack of long-term safety tests, or any other reason that might prevent us from spending less of our hard-earned dosh on their energy.

At risk of repeating a comment from last week - if you want to get low-energy, green-friendly products and systems, design a spaceship. Thank God NASA is working again.

KR, Stockport,

Lordy! I've never, in my life, seen so much cross-jabber devoted to something as off-subject as the whys and wherefors of the tempurature level some guy decides to set on the thermostat in his house. Reminds me of the title of a shakespearian play.

The article was supposed to be about the beneficial uses of aerogel...of which there are many. And the more its use finds its way into the private sector, the less expensive it'll become...thanks to free market competition...as calculators, computers, and other formerly high-priced technological advances have become.

DJ, Yuma, Arizona/USA

Sounds like a great material. Hopefully, they will use this to produce full body suits for fire-fighters.

If Americans invested their wealth creating wonderful technology (instead of fighting illegal wars), they'd be regarded by the world community as 'true' world leaders.

Mohammed, London, UK

Aerogel is just another way of saying "gimme gourds or gimme death!"

max spilliane, boulder , colorado

The author of this article mistated the synthesis of the typical aerogel. When he stated that the water used in the preparation of the gel was replaced by carbon dioxide, he failed to mention that the carbon dioxide was thereafter controllably removed to yield nano-sized pores in the formed aerogel. It is these nano-sized pores that give the aerogel its remarkable properties. The reason that the typical preparation of an aerogel involves a replacement of the initial solvent (usually not water but an alcohol-water mixture) with liquid CO2 (the carbon dioxide is a liquid because this is done at high pressure where the normally gaseous carbon dixoide is compressed so as to be in liquid form), is that the carbon dioxide can be removed from the porous material without cracking the structure. Generally, the removal of a solvent creates drying stresses; using CO2 lowers those.

T. E. Wood, Stillwater, Minnesota

Could it be used for spacecraft? Why not retrofit the shuttle with this stuff and eliminate the impact problems it has. Plus, you would make it lighter.
Hey NASA does the left hand know what the right hand is doing?

Bill, LaGrange, US/GA

" It is now being used to develop an insulated lining in space suits for the first manned mission to Mars, scheduled for 2018."

Actually, that would be a mission to the moon in 2018. No mars mission is likely in the forseeable future, and it is realistic to say not in our lifetime.

Tyler, Riverside, CA

While I appreciate the wariness Dave of Nashville expresses, not even the technology- and progress- hating Luddites of the environmental movement can oppose adoption of this material as an insulation. Provided carbon dioxide was actually used in its manufacture, the actual carbon content would still be low, compared with truly carbon-dense petroleum products. Bottom line: if it leads to lower energy consumption -- as it promises -- and can be produced inexpensively, it must be used.

NJ Citizen, Monmouth, USA

Mr. Stoker indeed feels better with the actual air temp 5° cooler. This is because all things above absolute zero emit infra-red radiation. The warmer the surface, the more infra-red is emitted. When you are in a room with an outside wall, with that wall poorly insulated, you might dial up the air temp to compensate for the relative lower IR coming to the side of your body facing that cool wall. Remember, your body is also emitting IR and cooling. With little IR coming back to your body, you will feel cold. Improving the insulation in the wall raises the temp of the inside face of the wall. This increases the IR coming to that side of your body, making you feel warmer, even though the air temp is the same as regulated by the thermostat in that room. We would all follow Mr. Stocker's example to lower the thermostat to maintain our comfort if we increase the surface temp of our surroundings. This is why IR heat can make us feel comfortable when the temp is actually quite cool.

Dan, Racine, WI / USA

You can buy it in a spray can on eBay!

Melvin Shapiro, Eastsound, WA

It's NASA actually, not "Nasa".

Zan Usi, Bratislava, Slovakia

Interesting comments from contributors about 'our foes' obtaining the technology. Such Paranoia.

JOnny, Belfast,

They had this substance on display at Disneyland 4 years ago. As for getting it to our enemies, I believe they helped to develop it or at least a foriegn national worked on it and has now revisited their native country. I do not think the U.S. will hire native engineers while the 1H1B engineers work so much cheaper.

irv, Long Beach, Ca.

Great article. I am continually amazed at the advances that scientists are achieving. It's truly exciting to imagine the possibilities for a material like Aerogel.

I was surprised to see that there are plans for a manned mission to Mars in eleven years.

Also, a note for the American readers who are perplexed at the lowercase spelling of "Nasa" as opposed to the more familiar "NASA"-- in the UK, acronyms that are spoken as a word instead of being spelled out (e.g., "NATO" versus "IAEA") are not capitalized, but rather are spelled with lowercase letters after an initial capital. So "NASA" is spelled "Nasa", "NATO" is "Nato", etc., but "IAEA" is still "IAEA", "ISBN" is still "ISBN", etc.

Michael, Ligonier, Indiana, USA

The article talks about going to Mars in 2018. NASA's Vision for Space Exploration has astronauts returning to the Moon in 2018. There is no time schedule for manned missions to Mars yet.

Dr. C, Schenecidity,

If they use Helium instead of CO2 to replace the water, will that make it lighter than air? Or, will the Helium eventually leak out - to be replaced by air?

Alan W, Washington, DC

To Charles Miller - That was the Genesis probe that crashed, not Stardust. And actually most of the Genesis samples - which by the way were NOT captured in Aerogel - survived the impact and the science is rolling along just fine.

Jason, New York, NY,

Please devote some research of this lightweight material to the development of tubas, which I play, and seem to be getting increasingly heavy (both of us).

Harry Critchley, Grantham, NH, USA

Audax has been making speaker cones from the stuff for about 10 years.

DIck Tuck, warwick , ri

Although I am not a scientist, I have always thought about when technology would develop a means to protect firefighters, including those who fight forest fires, who currently use insufficient technologies to protect themselves. This idea is a personal issue for me. My father was a firefighter, as well as both my sons.
Perhaps this product is the answer?

Tom Naples, Bridgeport, CT USA

"CO2 is a pollutant only when it is in the atmosphere as a gas, right?"

Actually, no. CO2 is plant food. It is not a pollutant. Why is everyone all of a sudden trying to starve the world's plants, trees and vegetation of their needed food source?

Ron, Riverton, Wyoming / USA

NickT - I also had exactly the same issue with narrow minded town planners when I tried to build my house entirely out of discarded bubble gum, the most environmentally conscious material in the world with a chew efficiency rate of 110%.

If history has taught us anything, its that town planners don't understand science.

G Boffin, Manchester, UK

Lordy! Never in my life, have I seen so much off-subject cross-jabber about something so trivial as to the whys and wherefors of what temperature some guy decides to set on his thermostat. Reminds me of the title of a Shakespearian play.

The article was supposed to be about the benefits of aerogel, of which there are many. And as its use makes its way more and more into the private sector, the lower the cost will become...thanks to free market competition...as the price of calculators, computers, and other formerly high-end technological advances have become.

DJ , Yuma, Arizona/USA

e caslani... Interuterine Devices (IUD) cause problems for those who use them but I wasn't aware that they posed a threat to military vehicles. As for Improvised Explosive Devices; that's another story.

Joe BH, Lake Ridge, VA

Stoker is correct. For example, Stoker's house may have the thermostat set at 80 degrees, which means the furnace makes sure there is enough warm air to keep the house at 80 degrees F. Now, throw in a few human bodies (at a temperature of 98.6 degrees F), a computer (80-120 degrees, depends on usage), a few other appliances. Now equilibrium has to kick in. The bodies and appliances will give off heat and increase the temperature of the house, but this is counteracted by the loss of heat due to imperfect insulation. By replacing it with Aerogel, you've negated a bunch of the heat loss. It's not that the house FEELS hotter, it's because the house IS hotter!

Billy, Chicago,

It is possible they are over-stating the capabilities of aerogels. Although, there is a legitimate site for Aspen Aerogel and it claims having some of the same abilities stated in this article. Do your research before you completely credit or discredit something.

Wes, Memphis,

Remember the "SEGWAY"?
It was to be the next great invention of the century.
Now I hear they are using Segways as golf carts.

driveinman, douglasville, USA

Setting the thermostat to 71 degrees will mean the heat is on when the air temperature *at the location of the thermostat* is below 71 degrees (ignoring corrections for hysteresis). Better insulation could certainly result in the the rest of the house being closer to 71 degrees.

R Hayes, Mill Valley, CA

If Aerogel is so dern GOOD, the why hasn't the US Royal Gov't taxed it out of existence, or said that making it causes pollution of the false-planet Pluto, or that it caused the extinction of the ring-tailed purple kangaroo horse fly, or that the profits from the sale of Aerogel have not yet been distributed fairly amongst the Members of Congress -- meaning that the MOC haven't decided their cut yet?

James, Safford, CSA

The enviromental-nuts should love this. When we have a way to remove plenty of CO2 from the atmosphere, here's where it can go. Aerogel sounds brilliant, the fashion world can use it to make winter jackets that are perhaps 1mm thick or less. I definitely want to try some.

Ben Taylor, Peterborough, England

Please stop trying to explain how insulation and thermostats work. If someone reading this article really doesn't understand either of these their troubles are far more reaching then just not understanding heat loss. Reading these comments were at first enjoyable until every amateur scientist here thought "What a great chance for me to sound smart by using words like 'radiance", 'heat-transfer', 'R-Value' or my favorite line yet "You DO have to turn your thermostat ahead of convective heat or cold intrusion to maintain a given ambient temperature". I would venture that if these people don't understand basic concepts of heating and air conditioning the word "convective" is going to elude them so why waste your time? If you would take the time to read more then the first 3 comments you will notice that this topic of discussion has been beaten into the ground. And if you're one of the people who think you've "Figured out" how this heat thing works please stop posting all together.

jeff, denver,

I'd like to freeze my farts and slide them under my neighbors door and run as they melt....now that PRACTICAL USEFUL science.

Roger , Los Angeles, California

For the idiots who can't be bothered doing even the tiniest bit of research on their own, here' the Wikpedia article on the subject -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerogel

Old folky, topock,

Almost everyone on this post is talking about some guy named Stoker and his thermostat. Who cares? The product that the article is about sounds to me to be AMAZING? Try thinking about all the good the product will able to do, not about some guy and his thermostat.

Mike Mango, Harrisburg, PA USA

So when is the first Prototype Knight Rider Car going to be made with this stuff. I can't wait.

Dave Fisher, Chicago, IL USA

I am in an appartment with an air conditioner. I currently have it set on 60 degrees F.....it runs constantly and the temperature of the room is about 78 degrees. If the room were better insulated I would be able to adjust it up 10 degrees to 70 degrees F... and be comfortable. Changing the thermostat is a product of the effeciency of the heating/cooling unit and the insulation or the room/house. If your room temp matches your thermostat temp....then Mr. Stokers comment may seem weird, but i fully understand it.

Ben, TN, USA

It's NASA, not Nasa...

Jeremy, Space Coast, FL

The only thing I have to say is I can't believe how many stupid readers there are out there - and from CA and TX yet!

Jim Kennedy, Huntsville, AL

Okay. Somebody take these ideas and get rich: Here goes: Make it completely transparent and then sheath a whole room in it, and that room would both be completely insulated and have clear windows to see through.

Lisa A Arata, Greeley, CO

We need this here in Iraq now!!! I hope someone puts this on our doors and armor to protect us from the Iranian EFPs

robert, Baghdad, Iraq

RE Mike,

I agree, it's probably reverse engineering from something our government found.

Ty, Edmond, OK

they should come to syracuse,ny and try using this stuff on onondaga lake!! we have one one of the most polluted lakes in the world, thanks to allied! it would make headlines around the world if that stuff could clean all the mercury out of our lake (and maybe even revive our community a lil)

jesse, syracuse, ny

Here is a picture of aerogel:
http://www.aerogem.com/photos/aerogel-15b.jpg

Apparently it absorbs moisture so that it feels dry and flaky.

Nick, Leeds,

Now I'm going to say it even though it may have been said. This sounds like an amazing product but it needs to be tested like hell in order to pass so that way it can be appiled. Like for example, it be nice to see how they will dispose of the product once they use the stuff to clean up some oil. They just need to make sure they can find all the flaws first, it would be better in the long run.

Matthew Rogers, Brampton, Canada/Ontario

Not a hoax - read about this years ago. It's quite possible that it moved from pure research to R&D with many companies. Materials science is one of the most over looked areas of research in science. It's good that it is getting some coverage.

Now, if only they would produce a new shuttle with this stuff!

Bob Dobbs, Dobbstown, Malaysia

To Doug in Knoxville...... what they mean by experimental is by the other ways they are going to use it, like as in blast absorption and insulation for space suit. I say again, what they mean by "experimental" they mean they are experimenting in new uses for the material. Don't be so critical because of a single word.

Alex, Macomb Twp., Michigan

It's such a Miracle material with unlimited uses and it will change the world but.... Would it be nice to know the Amercian Chemist's name ???

Chris G., Ventura, CA.

Stoker is not stupid. monnit should know that a thermostat only measures the temp at a single point. The temp of the entire house would be based on the factors around that point.. Only someone from france would discard the rest of the article.The US has been worried about your priorities for a while.

Chris Hargrove, Pittsburgh, USA

Is anyone asking where us dumb humans came up with this stuff? I mean, when is someone going to admit we developed space age technologies from our discovery of alien life???

Mike, Orange County, USA/CA

A well designed heating or cooling system goes to the temperature set on the thermostat. Having to set the thermostat 5 degrees higher than you want the room temperature to be is so rare that I, myself, have never seen such a stupid design of a heating or cooling system. Also, why would the writer call the lubricant silicone a wonder product? He could not be confused between the lubricant silicone and the chemical element silicon because silicon was not developed in 1999. It has been with us always. Maybe he meant the use of silicon in modern technology.

CarlNB, New Braunfels, Texas USA

1) Saying it's made of Carbon Dioxide so environmentalists won't like it just silly. If it's made from atmospheric CO2, it will have a net effect of LOWERING the amount of CO2 floating around.

2) Insulation in housing is a good thing. You have less leakage of heat, period. This means your AC works better at keeping your house cold because less heat gets in, and your heating works better because less heat gets out.

Nate Williams, Jacksonville, FL

Awesome!!! Cant wait to see it work. Amazing what this planet has to offer if we just try!

Eugene, owings mills, md

True, aerogel is still very expensive BUT if installed as insulation in a building, it will pay for itself within a year. It is the best thermal insulator known to man. There are several popular experiments demonstrating this using a bunsen burner (burner on one side, and crayons on the other side less than half an inch away don't melt, matches don't ignite, rose petals don't burn etc.)

It's also an environmentalists dream as it traps CO2 in a solid form and it degrades to mere sand when disposed of. Yet another example of how progress and environmentalism go hand in hand.

Zac, Atlanta,

I wonder which company will add this product to interior/exterior paint to help insulate homes. Since living in a hurricane zone of Miami Beach, I wonder if it can strengthen my bunker styled home? Really neat product, I am anxious to trade in my sleeping bag for one that is lighter. I now have a great excuse to delay painting my home, and upgrade my camping gear. Life doesn’t get much better than this!

Jeff in Miami, Miami Beach, USA/FL

Re: Aerogel, Markangelo asks, "Why cant "GOD" make a miracle in the laboratory?" Answer: He made the silica gel, the carbon dioxide, and the brain of the man that has the arrogance to think he can "make" anything.

Eric, Atlanta, Georgia

Dave,
It sequesters CO2 they should be happy. Except that they don't understand science in the first place so you're probably right.

Ron, Mtn. View, CA

@CK from Texas:
Actually, Markangelo was making the exact point you tried to make in retaliation.

Or did you miss that?


P.S.: I think the absolution of Stroker is clear by now. Enough.

Hanson, Tokyo,

Unbelievable, so much talk about the thermostat. Have you never been in an old house that feels much cooler than the 68 degrees it is set at or near a curtain less window. It is actually quite easy to believe that with such good insulation the temperature will "feel " warmer than in a drafty, poorly insulated home. Dare I say that it might make it stay cooler in the summer with the same amount of energy expended to cool it as before. I will say though 9 degrees or so Fahrenheit makes it seem a lofty claim.

Jeff, Buffalo, NY

Ive actually handled this stuff about 4 years ago. One of the wierd perks of working for Disney. The stuff is so lightweight that if you close your hand around it, you cant even tell its there.

It has the consistancy of styophome in that it breaks up into beads... and then your skin absorbs it... really neato.

Mike, Anaheim, California

This all sounds great, but how do we dispose of it when we are done with it?

Sandy, Geneva , Ohio

I remember this stuff! I was stationed at Cape Canaveral from 1998-2000 and for some reason someone had a sample ... about 1 square inch of this stuff. How cool!

Erin, Raleigh, NC, USA

In order to alleviate your CO2 panic you must realize that plants metabolize it and turn it into oxygen. The more they have, the faster they grow so quit cry'n about it. I hate to quote Carter, but just cut the heat off and put on a sweater. Put a row of 55 gallon drums full of water or oil under your back deck.

Shane Grimsley, Richmond, Va

- Disposal may not be an issue. Aerogel is primarily silicone, which does not decompose. Silicone is also relatively inert, it should be pretty easy to clean & re-use, making disposal a moot point.
- Pollution occurs when a substance is out of its normal environment. The trick is to collect the substance from the abnormal location (seashore, riverbed, tundra, etc) and return it to its proper locale. Again, since the stuff appears to be inert, it should be easy to "empty" and reuse.
- It appears the insulating properties are beyond most people's understanding. Most discussion in the article is about items (jackets, boots, etc) being too hot. Wouldn't it be great to have a the equivalent of a winter parka with the flexibility and weight of a summer jacket?
- For Charles Miller re the Stardust probe: please see photos of the INTACT Stardust capsule (http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/photo/landing.html) after landing.

Tony, Hamilton, USA

I am in the home building industry and am very curious about this product and it's insulative properties.

Does it trap and hold mold?

Who is manufacturing it and what is the cost?

Does it slump over time?

Does it lose it's insulative properties over time?

As a dessicate does it dissipate the mosture or retain it?

Someone please enlighten me!

Kyle, Houston, Texas

I lived in the UK for a year, and the only thermostat in the house was for the boiler. There was no thermostat for setting the temperature of the house, only of the hot water circulating through the radiators. On cold nights we had to turn up the themostat to circulate hotter water through the pipes. If we forgot to turn the thermostat back down, the house would be like an oven by afternoon. This type of heating system is common in the UK, at least in the southwest, where even new homes were heated this way.

Terry Campbell, Mesa, Arizona

Does this remind anyone else of Flubber?

Kevin, Dublin,

I think we should use it as a mask over politicians to control all the hot air!

Jason, Wakefield, USA/Massachusetts

I find it laughable (out loud) that so many wish to comment on the remarks of one Mr. Stoker. Do questions about this man's heating system really negate the facts of the technology?

Aaron, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada

Yet another invention that claims to solve the world's problems but will fail in implementation.
We can break the speed of light, but the speed of homelessness is way out of reach.
How much money can be made is all that is ever thought about.

vloxy, dallas, texas

Fondo,
Check out the White Cliffs of Dover and Western Europe. It's all naturally sequestered CO2. What'll happen when that breaks down? The whole Northern Hemisphere is pretty much doomed when the volcano under Yellowstone Park cooks off so I wouldn't sweat Aerogel's negative impact were I you.

Ron, Mtn. View, CA

If I may add to what Mr. Prince stated: There is a heat source in a home that is always running when the house is occupied, thermostat or not: the person who is occupying it. The average person generates approximately 80 to 100 watts of heat. This is additive to whatever other heat sources are in the home. If a home had perfect insulation, it would theoretically be sufficient to have *no* external heat source in the home. In fact, it would be required to cool the home to remove the heat generated by the occupants.

Paul Theodoropoulos, Rohnert Park, California, United States

Isidro, here, here. Mr. Burke's comments make no sense to this Pentecostal Christian who's an independent Conservative, politically speaking, and sees man's abilities to produce such products as miraculous. Either way, who cares about such religious trivialities as to whether or not a material is described as "miraculous." Just get it into products ASAP in a free market system- and for those striving to create an alterntive fuel to petroleum: I'M BEHIND YOU ALL THE WAY!

ruben, bismarck, nd/USA

The point about the thermostat is that because the insulation is more efficient, the home requires less constant throughput of heat in order maintain the same comfort level of warmth. It actually makes perfect sense, especially in light of the fact that everyone mentioned the use of the product as a personal insulation as being too intense--Hugo Boss "complaints that they were too hot" and Anne Parmenter "my feet were too hot". Obviously the product is quite effective.

Melissa Glasscock, Opelousas, Louisiana, USA

The areogel insulates his home from the cold outside and keeps heat from escaping his home better than his previous insulation, so he does not need to have his heater set as high. Thus he turned his thermostat down 5 degrees.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
in·su·late
[in-suh-leyt, ins-yuh-] Pronunciation Key
–verb (used with object), -lat·ed, -lat·ing.
1. to cover, line, or separate with a material that prevents or reduces the passage, transfer, or leakage of heat, electricity, or sound

PL, CC, TX, USA

I think what he's saying is that the insulation reduces his heat loss (a leaky home can have almost instantaneous heat loss) to the extent that he can turn down the thermostat and be as comfortable at the lower temp as he was at the higher temp.

With bad insulation you have to heat the home to a higher temp than needed to account for heat loss. With this stuff I guess he does not have to do that.

Bill, Annandale, USA/Virginia

The thermostat comment could be justified by the location of his thermostat and the insulation in his house.

In a poorly insulated house, the outer rooms could be drafty and cold. Thus, he'd have to raise the thermostat to get those rooms to maintain a comfortable temperature.

With good insulation, the outer rooms would be more comfortable and he could lower the thermostat setting.

Brian, Washington,DC,

Mr Stoker may in fact have a point. The assumptions that decreasing the thermostat 5 degrees will result in a 5 degree reduction are correct. However that would be a 5 degree reduction at the thermostat and not perhaps in the far corners of the stucture which may well now be much more comfortable allowing the 5 degree reduction at the thermostat.

Scott, Lumberton, USA/NJ

This is a revolution in practical material applications if the claims hold true.

Imagine that, a scientific advance taking place in a country where freedom of thought and action is the rule.

Yet , responding to nothing in the article itself, a few previous posters here have to malign that same country with "too bad so much time money and human "intelligence" is wasted to kill each other."

You don't get the advances without the freedom to create them.

And you do not have the freedom if you do not fight for it.

Wishing it were otherwise does not accord with reality.

Kevin, Mexicali, Mexico

What a magical material...do you folks think Aerogel can save the world? hahahaha....But then again, if we can figure out a use for Aerogel to stop the melting of the polar ice caps.......

B A, Arlington, TX

YOU CAN BUY THIS STUFF RIGHT NOW

http://www.unitednuclear.com/aerogel.htm

$25!

Joe L., sf, ca

Protection from IUDs?

I thought IUDs provided protection from those pesky little sperm; didn't realize that the IUDs were potentially explosive!

Wow, live and learn!

W. Maxwell, P.S. , Georgia

Dave, you like to paint with a wide brush. The CO2 in use for this product could be captured as the end product of burning of fossil fuel and then trapped in the matrix of the aerogel, rather than allowing it into space. Thus, it may well be very environmentally friendly. ---a friendly "environwhacko"

tikiloungelizard, san diego, California USA

The "reporter", Abul Taher, is a little confused. Aerogel is from the past, not the future. It has been in production for decades. Dozens of varieties of Aerogel are used in thousands of applications every day.

What vested interest does Abul have in hyping Aerogel? Don't be a sucker.

Haywood Jablomi, Las Vegas, Nevada,

Ahhh this is a strange article to appear now. You could buy this stuff for like, the past 10 years I'd guess. I almost bought a chunk of it years ago, but was kinda pricy.

I'm pretty sure that nobody is "hailing" it... anymore than scientists are currently "hailing" DVD's as the miracle storage medium.

Oh well, I guess writers have to stir up recycled stories now and again to earn a buck.

Mike, WINDSOR, ca

Again the football field is an area of measurement

jane fleming, Whittlesey, UK

Sounds like a false story planted by a hoaxster to me. If it's in the experimental stage, how can there already be sleeping bags, tennis racquets, etc...?? I seriously doubt there is a material that can do all this article says...

Sounds more like smoke being blown up our arse... I'm waiting for a story to come out in 7 days that this was a hoax.

Doug, Knoxville, Tennessee/USA

Aerogel sounds great. Can't wait to see all the wonderful uses it will be put to.

Now, the big questions: Can it fill wrinkles on your face? Prevent/reverse balding? Get 200 miles per gallon in a car?

The Aerogel folks will become multi-billionaires if they can solve those problems.

Stephen, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

Aerogel- New and Improved!
Isn't this the same "wonder material that will change the world" that was discredited, along with several scientists, during a huge research and peer review scandal at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in the late 1990s?

Buck Rogers, Huntsville, Alabama

I believe Mr. Stoker's problem prior to Aerogel insulation was heat loss. To achieve the same comfort level, he had to raise the thermostat by 5 degrees.

Gavin, San Diego, CA, USA

Mr. Stoker is not necessarily "stupid" or "confused." For example, if the thermostat is in a well insulated room on one side of the house, it may hold the temperature in that room fairly constant. However, a room at the other end of the house, perhaps further from the furnace or poorly insulated, may be much cooler. He would then have to set the thermostat artificially high to keep warm throughout. Better insulation throughout the house could reduce the temperature "gradient", allowing more uniform distribution of heat. The thermostat could then be lowered.

Pradeep, New York, New York

Bob Stoker is actually quite correct. When the home is so insulated, heat conservation will raise the temperature of the trapped air. Thus the body heat of the occupants plus other heat sources such as appliances and lights will maintain the home's temperature.

With the thermostat set 5 degrees below normal the furnace will only turn on when doors are opened and the accumulated heat escapes. This means that the furnace will seldom be required as other heat sources will maintain the much reduced and irregular loses.

He is not the one who is stupid or confused.

Mark Gillies, Laughlin, Nevada

We have the same problem in the USA with city planners.

Meanwhile, house after house are literally blown away in hurricanes while the technology is there to build homes that can resists a direct hit from a tornado much less a Cat 5 hurricane.

But try building a monolithic dome and see the problems you'll have. Rather than these homes being difficult to be allowed to be made it should be MANDATORY that your home be one if you live in Florida (if you want insurance on your home). Let everyone else build their homes out of straw and sticks like the stupid pigs they are and have them lose EVERYTHING when their house goes.

Robert, Kiln, Alabama, USA

How do they dispose of this stuff?

Ray , Adliswil, Switzerland

Sounds great. Real cool hearing about something that will make this world a better place for everyone.

Mr. Matthew, Honolulu, Hawaii

So basically it encapsulates carbon dioxide at an extremely high density? Now what would happen if all that carbon dioxide somehow escaped into the atmosphere?

Fred Santos, Toronto,

What Bob Stoker means is that he has to set the thermostat at a specific additional level (up 5 degrees) to compensate for the additional cold air traveling in through the walls and windows. Because of the new insulation, he no longer has to worry about using the thermostat to compensate for the leaks in the walls, but can now set it at the actual temperature that he wishes.

Connor Walsh, Denver, Colorado, USA

a thermostat determins the temperature at its sensor. IF...and I say IF...the heat between the heat source and the sensor is lost due to poor insulation (people rarely live AT the sensor but in the space adjacent), then by having better insulation one may set the thermostate lower due to less heat loss between the source and the thermostat itself. Having an open window between the furnace and the thermostat during the winter months requires a much higher thermostat setting to achieve the same ambient temperature at which the occupants are comfortable.

Russ, Provo, UT

"AndyB, Swindon and Graham Shackleton, Chorley, UK" are incorrect. Mr. Stroker is right.

Living in a cold winter country one discovers that the thermostat needs to be cranked up because it sits in the middle of the house and the area next to windows gets cold much faster. When Spings come, the thermostat needs to be lowered otherwise the house get too hot. Better window insulation would prevent having to crank up the thermostat in very cold weather.

smoplop, gatineau, canada

Please note that "miracle material" is not a theological term implying supernatural origin. It simply indicates unusually outstanding properties and applications that exceed the conventional by a wide mark. Penicillin didn't magically materialize in the petri dish, but it seemed to work miracles in the curing of infection (compared to what had been available until then). Miracle = awesome, not divine (although that term has come down a great deal in common usage as well).

AGS, Chicago, USA/IL

Let's be sure and get this new technology to the Chinese, Russians and Muslims as soon as possible. Wouldn't want to have a leg up on our rivals and potential enemies would we?

bart, houston, texas

NASA is an acronym, thusly it should never be spelled as 'Nasa' as it is in this article. Otherwise, wonderfully written article that explains a fascinating substance in a manner that is accessible to all.

Alan, Washington DC, US

Listen folks, if an insulated enclosure (a house) becomes more effectively insulated, then there is less heat leakage (i.e., slower transfer to the external environment); consequently, for any given thermostat setting the internal temperature will rise over what it had been before the new insulation. Thus, the heating level that provided, say 74°F, might now provide 79°F (even though the stat shut off the blower at 74 - there is a lag time for homogenization). Your assumption is that a setting of X provides temperature X, but precise monitoring shows a latent peaking above and then quick decline below temp. setting X -- better insulation would greatly flatten or slow the decline, thus the effective temperature experienced is higher).

AGS, Chicago, USA/IL

"In 1999 the space agency fitted its Stardust space probe with a mitt packed full of aerogel to catch the dust from a comet’s tail. It returned with a rich collection of samples last year"

The Stardust probe was obliterated when it crashed in the desert. Whatever "rich collection of samples" it carried was contaminated with earthly debris in the crash.

Charles Miller, Kings Mountain, NC

Bob Stoker is perfectly correct in what he says. If the insulation is better, one would add less heat to keep the home at a comfortable temperature;
Example: Place a large pot of water on the stove and bring it to a full boil. Then turn the heat down to a level that will maintain the water at a boil or perhaps a slow simmer. Add a lid to the pot (insulation) and you will find that the heat input (thermostat) can be reduced even further to keep the pot boiling or simmering.

John, Flagstaff, Az

Graham Shackleton, Nicolas MONNET: When there is constant heat escape, you need to keep the thermostat at a higher level than what you really need. This is a common experience among single family houses. That is what Mr. Stoker is referring to, I think. For the same personal comfort level, he is reducing the thermostat, that is all.

BTW, where can I buy aerogel? Is it harmful in anyway? Is it a growth industry? Should I be investing in stocks of companies that make them? If so, who are the main players?

Changstein, Rummel, Chicago, ILLINOIS

Can see its use in:

*passenger car tires that could, perhaps, finally withstand NYC potholes.

*indestructible false teeth & implants

*hurricane tents for southeast USA homes

*auto & truck construction, child safety seats & seat belts

*consumer fire escape suits & bldg evacuation ladders

*aircraft construction

*parachutes

Jake, Chicago,

have you considered that he had the thermostat set 5 degrees higher to save money, and now with the extra insulation he no longer has to? This statement is probably more about the effectiveness of the insulations ability to help on his air conditioning bill then the actual temperature in the room.

aaron adkins, manasssas , VA,

The next thing you know our foes will have the formula & means to develope aerogel, thus getting the jump in retailing to the average consumer.

Arlen, aiken, USA, SC

Perfect material for WINDSURFERS !!

Aerogell core / Divinamat deck and bottom / Carbon Fiber & West System Epoxy.

Bob Stoker wants to go windsurfing...

Syd Gearing, Grand Blanc, Michigan

I read about this in Guiness World Records in 1997 (lightest solid). Why has it taken science/the world this long to love it?

Cam, Hobart, Australia

Christ Revel made the only comment, on this page, that makes any sense.

Tick Dastic, Detroit, MI,

Might this wondrous material have application to insulation of space shuttles, in lieu of stuff that falls off or can easily (?) be knocked off?

L C Johnson, Moscow, Latah/ID

Wow, the guys point was that he could adjust his thermostat and save energy while stile attaining the same level of comfort.
Johnny Rotten was right. Made you a moron.
WE could use it to fill in the holes in the ozone layer,

Brian, Dallas ,

Sounds like a perfect replacement for the foam that keeps falling off of rocket booster fuel tanks and causing damage to the Space Shuttle. Would save weight too.

Harley Drew, Augusta, Georgia

I wonder if you lined an engin block with this stuff if you could enhance preformance? Or even the cooling system,exhust ect.
Talk about a car runnig cool.

John Bella, Liverpool, NY

IUD is birth control. I think you mean IED.

bob, Huntsville, AL, US

My contacts (Purevision) are made from Aerogel...

Optical Patient, New Augusta, USA/IN

Get this stuff on our military vehicles now -- not next month - not next week - but now!!

ty, millerstown, pa

Consider the possibilities should scientists and geneticists find a way to combine this stuff and clone super humans?

Rod Miller, Rocky River, OH USA

Wow. only one thing missing. Show us a picture of this stuff like for example those sheets of it. Is it transparent, opaque? Shinny?


PS; Lets see them make bridges and computers out of this stuff. Yaaa.

Chris, Lynchburg, VA, USA

if he turns the thermostat down in the winter by 5 degrees his home could stay warmer. i believe he was talking about the winter months, not summer.

ooogga booga, london,

It makes sense that the thermostat would need to be turned down to a cooler setting if the properties are as they have been reported. According to all who wore clothing insulated with Aerogel (as well as those in the sleeping bag with the substance as filler) it insulated so well that it trapped heat much more reliably thereby reducing the need for the additional furnace generated heat.

Makes sense to me.

Wonder what happens in the summer heat. Will the same insulating value allow the thermostat to be raised thereby reducing the need for A/C? Will it allow enough absorbtion of the moisture in the air while keeping what cooling results within the envelope of the structure?

Truly sounds amazing to me.

Charles, Middle Haddam, USA/CT

A thermostat is not a magical device that instantly clamps the temperature of the entire house to a certain temperature. The aerogel may very well have solved significant problems of temperature fluctuations and disparities between different rooms.

Imagine if he had a heater in only one room, for example.

Chris Carlin, Newport News, Virginia, US

I suspect that the reason he can turn the thermostat down five degrees is because the insulation is so tight that the humidity level in his home is much higher than before. High humidity levels result in much warmer feeling temperatures(heat index) The problem is that with all new super tight constuction the air quality in the home is usually very poor(Less infiltration and air changes per hour)

matt, Wayland, ny

"That's great that it absorbs so many pollutants. BUT - then what happens? What do you do with this now pollutant besotted aerogel? Where do you store it? Does it ever break down? THEN what do you do with the pollutant? Finally, this product is touted at "green" but will it ever break down or will we end up buried in it?

fondo del sol, washington, usa"

Easy, put it in a hole under a mountain in Nevada right next to the expended nuclear power plan fuel! Duh!!

Gene Clem, Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

OK , some facts rather than speculation. The material was invented at JPL/CalTech back in 1931. JPL (Jet Propusion Laboratory) was later to become one of the premier NASA laaboratories. The original discovery is very pure, extremely fragile and very expensive to make. JPL used this pure form of Aerogel to stop/capture comet dust. High velocity dust particles tunnelled into the Aerogel, were trapped and returned to earth. (see http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html). JPL has a brochure describing the material at http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/classroom/products.html. Aspen Aerogels has developed a process for making a less pure, fibrous form of the material that it sells as sheets of various thickness. The thermal properties, are better than any other commercial material and it is not fragile. It is expensive but not nearly as expensive as the original and because of its unique properties it is finding numerous uses where thickness/weight of insulation are or paramount.

Steve Bolin, Pasadena, CA

The thermostat issue is useless in this article. It just shows how badly his house needed insulation, not how good aerogel is. To give useful information in the article, they should have compared the "R Value" of 1 inch of aerogel to the "R Value" of standard pink insulation.

Steve, Lexington, USA/VA

Alan James said I may have my facts wrong. Alan is a bit quick jumping from the proper insulation I spoke of to near perfect which I did not speak of.
Alan, if you slowly and carefully read Mr. Shackleton's and Mr. Monnet's postings again it may clear up your misunderstanding.
Perhaps you did not do well in reading for comprehension in school but give it a go.

Lew Prince, Siloam Springs,

You nit wits that call ‘Bob’s’ empirical perception of the effects Aerogel has on his ability to control temperature should go back to school. Do a simple Mass/Energy balance on any structure and you will find better insulation (less conductive heat transfer) equals less variance over time (> time constant) given convective and radiated heat transfers are held constant. Bob's simple empirical response is the end result for his comfort level.

Now can I get a Jacket with an Aerogel liner?

J, Los Angeles, Ca, USA

"Could this material be used to coat the military vehicles to lessen IUD damage, and for flak jackets.

e caslani, abilene, tx"

I presume you mean "IEDs". Last I heard, soliders weren't in any danger from contraceptives devices.

Hank, Melbourne, Australia

It all sounds great, but when did NASA loose its acronym status?

gabe, LA, USA

Dave: Bad for the environment? They don't say anything about Aerogel creating new CO2; they pump CO2 (or other gasses) into it. That means we can bottle the CO2 created by one production plant, clean it, and pump it into the Aerogel, thereby keeping it from entering the atmosphere. And as for the environmentalists, they need to take a look at the amount of CO2 created by natural events vs. humans. CO2 didn't show up the day we burned our first coal or started up our first car.

Andy: where did you read that Stoker opened his windows to heat the outside? He turned his thermostat down because his house is better insulated.

John Booker, Ewa Beach, Hawaii

Could this material be used to coat the military vehicles to lessen IUD damage, and for flak jackets.

e caslani, abilene, tx

He may be setting the thermostat lower because the colder parts of the house are now warmer. Thermostats regulate only the temperature where they are located and a poorly insulated house with a central thermostat will need a higher central temperature setting to keep the outer rooms warm.

Steve Frost, West Chester, OH

The statement about turning down the thermostat actually makes a lot of sense. Say he had to set the thermostat at something like 80 to keep the house at 75. Considering his house was poorly insulated, he probably had a ton of heat escaping through windows, walls, etc so that it wasn't really possible to make the house temp and thermostat temp actually match. Even if your thermostat is set high, you could have so much heat leaving the house that its possible it that heater would just run all day and never actually hit the desired temp on the thermostat. It's the same concept as having the heat on in your car during the winter, but having all the windows down. Once the house was properly insulated, it makes complete sense that he would have to "turn down" the thermostat to keep the house at the proper temperature. All the heat would be staying inside the house rather than escaping.

Don't be so quick to call someone stupid, because you can come off just as dum

Chris, Middletown, USA

Aerogel ... baloney. This stuff is very expensive. To buy a sample, go to http://www.unitednuclear.com/aerogel.htm and see that a very small pill bottle full of bits and pieces costs $25. Yeah, how much will sheets large enough to clean up an oil spill cost? Ga-zillions, thats how much. I'd love to insulate the walls and ceilings of my house with the stuff, but since I haven't won the lottery, I guess I'll just suffer.

Reminds me of a time back in the 1960's how everyone said that the fuel cell would be the thing of the future. Well, we're in the future and they can't build them economically enough for everyday use.

Jim, Nashville, TN

I think Mr Stoker's critics are being a bit harsh. If your house insulation is poor,then the thermostat won't actually achieve the indicated temperature, so you typically increase the setting in an attempt to raise the real temperature. So he may have had the thermostat at 23 in order to get 18.

Nick A, Kingston, Surrey

Graham Shackleton, Chorley, UK said: "The statement from Bob Stoker is stupid. If he turns the thermostat down 5 degrees, the house will be 5 degrees colder than before. Is this what he wants? The effect of insulation is to use less fuel with the thermostat set at the same temperature." I believe what Mr. Stoker may have been trying to say was that with his old insulation he had to keep the thermostat 5 degrees higher to achieve the same heating effect that his aerogel-based insulation provides now (say, he needed 68F; previously he would've had to keep the thermostat at 73F to get the same heating, due to thermal loss and what not.)

Rajesh, Boston, USA

Bob Stoker might not be so stupid: If his house was previously very drafty in the wings, and if his house had only one thermometer regulating the temperature across the structure (i.e. single zone, as many old houses tend to be) then it is concieveable that in order to maintain a comfortable temperature in the majority of his house, the core would be set to a higher temperature. Once the insulation had been installed, the need for this measure would have been eliminated and positive compensation could be removied.

Christ Revel, Wilton, CT

What the first two commentators fail to realize is that Mr. Stoker is *able* to turn the thermostat down lower and retain the temperature he really wants. In other words, his former insulation was incapable of retaining heat and/or his heating system was incapable of making up for the lost heat.

Chris Nelsone, Windsor, CT, USA

I think Mr Prince may have his facts wrong. With nearly perfect insulation the energy input to a dwelling from the human body and any appliances left on standby which generate heat can be enough to maintain the temperature above 15 degrees centigrade making the furnace as you call it unnecessary. It is quite feasable that the temperature could be set to 15degrees but in fact the temperature can be higher than that. These are just basic energy equations.

Alan James, Leamington Spa, England

Bob Stoker, 66, from Nottingham, became the first Briton to have his property insulated with aerogel. “The heating has improved significantly. I turned the thermostat down five degrees. It’s been a remarkable transformation,”

This makes no sense. Why would he turn down the thermostat? Wouldn't he want the same temperature for comfort? I think the same setting would apply and the heat would just not run near as often.

J Kirth, barrington, USA/Illinois

This is what I keep telling people about the space program. They develop hundreds of things we use in everyday life around the world that begin in the space program. Stop space exploration and our progression comes to a crawl.

boB, Sunrise, Fl

CO2 is a pollutant only when it is in the atmosphere as a gas, right? I can see many uses for this gel.

Ricardo, Casper, WY

Markangelo said, "Why cant "GOD" make a miracle in the laboratory."

He did.

The Universe that provides the elements that the scientists manipulate to make these wonderful things.

Or, did you miss that?

CK, DFW, Texas

Developed by NASA? You don't mean to say the military-industrial complex has achieved progress? Why wasn't this stuff developed by some green-promoting business?

MissOrange, oceanside, CA, USA

Well said, Mr. Burke. It's so enchanting to see that the most compelling remark you had to offer after reading this article was one focused on a cliche of Christian origin, and your outrage at its use in a scientific context. How dare anyone take spiritual joy (or use figurative language in that vein) in response to laudable scientific progress! I find the satisfaction that people of your ilk derive from sapping joy from those who believe in religion, and whose philosophy differs from your own, to be quite nauseating.

Isidro, New York, USA

In the UK, heating systems often work off a temperature taken from the heating source and heat/circulate the hot water for a set period of time, as opposed to systems in other countries where a semi-independent thermometer measures ambient temperature and dis/engages the heating system accordingly. Thus with a better insulator the temperature of the water from the source would not need to be as hot or output as many calories in order for the home to remain comfortably heated.

Brad Martin, Newcastle upon Tyne,

my thermostat controls air temp, period...set it on 71 and the air temp goes to 71...better insulation just means not having to expend as much energy to get to or remain at 71, nothing more or less...this chap could have meant that he could set it at more comfortable temp for same energy outlay, or he could have simply misspoken what he meant...either way, better insulation means less thermal migration which means less energy consumed which means less money spent

david, lake charles, USofA

That's great that it absorbs so many pollutants. BUT - then what happens? What do you do with this now pollutant besotted aerogel? Where do you store it? Does it ever break down? THEN what do you do with the pollutant? Finally, this product is touted at "green" but will it ever break down or will we end up buried in it?

fondo del sol, washington, usa

I'm almost positive Stoker meant that a certain amount of heat leaked out before he installed it forcing him to have the thermostat on higher than it should have been. After installation the substance prevented any more leaks and he was able to use heat comfortably at a lower teperature on the thermostat. Don't be so quick to call somebody stupid because when you're wrong you look like the idiot.

Andrew, New York City, USA

a fantastic invention and we could have had it so much sooner .too bad so much time money and human "intelligence" is wasted on trying to kill each other when we could all be living a good life-i'm sure not one person on this planet would have to go without if you could eliminate hatred and spend more time doing constructive things.

john, brunswick, brit visiting canada

Why cant "GOD" make a miracle in the laboratory.

Markangelo, Torrance, Amerika

I wouldn't think Aerogel would have the material strength to handle being used on the underside of the Space Shuttle. It will probably be used for a variety of things in any future space vehicles however, given its ultra light weight and thermal properties.

Mark H., San Diego, USA/CA

Mr. Shackleton and Mr. Monnet seem anxious to jump onto what they believe to be "stupid" or "confused".
They apparently have given no thought to thermostat settings and true air temperature.
Due to poor insulation the thermostat must be set to 26 degrees to maintain a comfortable 21. The furnace must run almost constantly to maintain the 21 degrees. Insulate properly and the thermostat can be set to the lower temperature and the home will remain comfortable.
I suppose the above mentioned men were too anxious to see their names in print to give thought to the matter.

Lew Prince, Siloam Springs,

Even with all the wonderful uses for this product, the environmenatlist would never allow it's use.

Why? Because it's 99% CO2 (Carbon Dioxide), thus making it a "polutant" and hameful to the planet. An make no mistake about it, the environwackos will expell alot of CO2 complaining about it.

Dave, Nashville, TN

If it is produced in the laboratory, it is not a "miracle" material.

Edmund Burke, Kingston upon Thames, England

How so you dispose of the stuff once it has been used as a spong to clean up oil spills.
What do you do with a pair of boots that have this material in them that you no longer can wear?

cliff Fahey, Hillsboro,, oregon

If this substance lives up to half of its' hype then indeed it is a fantastic product that can revolutionize how much energy we use to heat or cool our homes. Plus, if it can indeed be used to make hydrogen based fuels, what a bonus that would be.

Mark, sunrise beach, MO/USA

Couldn't Aerogel be used instead of the tiles to insulate the space shuttle as it re-enters the atmosphere?

Dick Schueler, Pine Knot, USA/KY

This "discovery" is somewhat late. Silica Aerogel high temperature insulating materials have been used on virtually all spacecraft since the start of the space program and are used extensively on the space shuttle, and in many other critical applications such as the insulation of "black box" voice recorders on commercial aircraft. This is a fascinating material, but its properties have been known and utilized for many years, and I suspect many new uses will be found in the future.

Ed, Littleton, Colorado USA

Readers,

Since they don't have a picture of Aerogel on this web page, I did a www.images.google.com search on "Aerogel" and it really is quite fascinating. Go check it out!

Devon Smullen, Pewaukee, Wisconsin, USA

The statement from Bob Stoker is stupid. If he turns the thermostat down 5 degrees, the house will be 5 degrees colder than before. Is this what he wants? In response to their response: Well as it said with the Hugo Boss line and the mountaineers feet were 'too warm' one would expect you could turn the heat down by 5 degrees. Does this mean his house is not as cool in the summer? This seems more like a heating agent than a climate control device. Maybe he is saying it generate's 5 degree's of heat and therefore it his thermostat doesn't need to be turned as high. Face it, he's just one of those people trying to survive a nuclear attack and try to save some money on his insurance and heating bill.

Johan, Computerbugg Dot Net, Virginia

I suspect the situation is a bit more subtle than just talking about the temperature setting of the thermostat. The thermostat only measures air temperature but heat received by the human body is by conduction from the air and radiation from everything else but mainly the walls. So with his wonder insulation Bob Stoker has warmer walls so he gets more heat in the form of radiation than previously. Put more simply if you sat in a very cold room and quickly heated up the air with a large fan heater until the air temperature was correct you would not feel really comfortable until equilibrium was reached and the walls became as warm as possible with the given heat input.

William Garrett, Harrow,

1930s just to prove he could ..Way to go Mercouri Kanatzidis
and then
The little space company that could.
Way to go NASA.
Exploration for the sake of exploration, because you never know what you may find or where.
We need more

V.A. BAILEY, Austin, USA TEXAS

This article reminds me of a sci-fi short story written by Theodore Sturgeon: "It was Nothing, Really" The premise of the story was silly, of course, but the product invented by the protagonist was super low density and super strong and it was going to change the world in that it promised to reduce natural resource extraction. This was to the chagrin of the industrialists so the inventor had to do an "end run" around the big boys to get it into production.
Here, the cat is out of the bag. What a great product. Silica (sand) and sequestered CO2! My only fear is that the nanotechnology will somehow create an environmental problem. See Kurt Vonnegut: "the Cat's Cradle".

Robert Grindrod, Syracuse, NY

Living in a drafty old house, I can understand the statement about turning down the thermostat. In a poorly insulated house there are extreme temperature gradients. Improving insulation serves to reduce temperature gradients, so the temperature at the thermostat location will be closer to the temperature elsewhere in the house.

Rumplestiltskin, Charleston, Illinois/USA

The thermostat only sees the temperature at the point it is mounted. This is normally on a protected interior wall. The heat is lost from the house on the outer surfaces, such as leaky walls and windows. The worse the thermal performance of the structure, the greater the temperature differential from the point of the thermostat to the outer boundaries of the house. Should you need to maintain comfort in those areas closer to the perimeter of the house, you will raise the thermostat's set point, perhaps considerably. Thus, a large improvement in thermal performance would require a lower thermostat set point because the temperature gradient in the house is diminished.

Dan Stanfill, Charleston, SC USA,

Well now Mr. Graham Shackleton let's examine whose stupid here. Does it occur to you that perhaps the retention of the heat generated by Mr. Stoker's body by this new material makes it so, that less coal, or whatever his rooms are heated with, is required?

Evan Simpkins, LaGrange, Georgia/ USA

For all of you querying Mr Stoker's quote, why not learn more about it by visiting www.parasolpanels.co.uk. We know Mr Stoker and the charity 'NEA' who initiated the trial on Park Homes very well as we invented the panels used for insulation. Why not read more about it first before any further judgements are made? You never know, you might learn something...

Jane, London, England

Now all of the coal fired electrical plants in North America have a commercial reason to capture all of the carbon dioxide that come from their plants smoke stacks. It appears to me that this material has endless environmental applications.

Gordon, Austin, Texas

It sounds like Mr Stoker has a bad thermostat since he should keep it at the same level but require less energy to mainain heat.

Derec, Denver, Colorado, USA

Everyone commenting on the thermostat debate should remember that the thermo stat only cycles the heating element on and off... and those cycles are timed to the btu 's of the system not to the ambient temperature as registered on the thermostat...if your heat source is not properly balanced to your space the thermostat cannot maintain a constant temperature. I would guess Mr Stoker has insufficient btu's for his space with the old insulation....thus he would have to turn the thermostat up higher to trick the system into more resets than it was designed for.

chris, cincinnati, ohio

This could be one of the greatest inventions of all time and all they can talk about is ...... Bob Stoker, 66, from Nottingham ...

Owen, deltona, florida USA

What an amazing material. A super-light near perfect insulator with other useful properties. This could become ubiquitous in the coming decades. Another space program spinoff that will prove enormously beneficial for mankind.

Steve, New York, USA

To fondo del sol, washington, usa: Real Good point. This aerogel sounds very promising, but are we going to have to dump it all somewhere and wait for 100,000 years for it to finally break down?

Or another question is, how much energy/resources does it take to produce the stuff or recycle it? For example, do you have to burn an equivalent ton of coal to get a pound of aerogel? Would be curious to see more explanation.

john, RSM, USA, California

Andy, Graham, Nicolas, et al are confusing a rationalistic version of how a thermostat is explained in a children's book with how it functions in reality. Within a house there are other sources of heating as Alan James says. Besides, a thermostat does NOT maintain a specific temperature exactly or your furnace would constatnly turn on and off. Rather it turns on when temp is a below a certain threshold and likewise when above a certain point. Also the temperature indicated on thermostat is maintained at the location of the thermostat and NOT throughout house. A room without a thermostat that is drafty and with door shut may get quite cold.

Where have all the people with fingerspitzenfuhl gone to? Even a very theoretical person should know the stuff of which he speaks. Are we assuming a single spherical room permeated with an infinite number of thermostats an an infinite number of heaters that react instantly to change in temperature. . . or just a plain old house?

Don MacFarlane, Astoria, USA, NY

if this guy had enough money to insulate his home with this stuff i doubt he had a drafty house to begin with. so the statement about his thermostat still leaves questions.

jk, grand junc, colorado

MissOrange,

Because private companies, "Green" or not don't nearly have the resources like the government to pour money into projects, many of which won't bear immediate fruit, or fruit at all. The government can afford to do this, and as such, can eventually come up with interesting inventions like this one. I know you want to live in an ideal world where only good things happen and there is no war or hatred or waste, but the rest of us live in this world, and are grateful that military inventions can be used for peaceful purposes.

Neil, Los Angeles, CA USA

"Could this material be used to coat the military vehicles to lessen IUD damage, and for flak jackets."

---

IntraUterine Devices aren't the problem unless you're trying to get pregnant. The military worries more about Improvised Explosive Devices.

But if it's such a great insulator, how much hotter will it make the vehicles and flak jackets in desert conditions?

Charles, TLL,

Funding NASA is an inefficient and indirect way to ameliorate life on planet earth. We need to replace our infrastructure right now and we need to kill indirect and inefficient programs to have the funding to get the job done.

Lee, Lisle, IL

I sure hope the US government gets its share of the profits on this. If they are already using this in clothing and tennis rackets, the price will come down. Aerogel should allow us to redesign clothing, homes, refrigerators... I wonder how well it handles soundproofing. Then we can fill G. Bushes mouth with it and not have to listen to his BS anymore. Can we cover it with composites to make airplanes or cars light and strong? Can we use this like the earlier post says - as an IUD, to prevent pregnancies? Is it a good electrical insulator? If so, it could be use in wiring, circuits, chips...Probably would make a good breast implant with no weight.

Jeff M., Leucadia, CA, USA

Other sources of heat could be warming the house, ie his cooker (intermittently on)and his body, if the gel is very effective the other sources of heat could be retained inside the house, and therefore the thermostat could be lowered. You have to think outside the box my friends.

Andy, Gibsons, Canada

He's trying to heat his house. Higher R value with insulation would mean the furnace would need to work less to achieve the same level of comfort. Your mean average temperature in your home will be inconsistent unless you have thermostats placed all around your home. Mr. Stoker was most likely speaking correctly when he said he had to turn his thermostat down 5 degrees to achieve the same desired temperature.

Rob, Munich,

I am not 100 percent sure but I think that the man in the article lives in a cold climate and he is using the insulation to keep the heat that his heater creates in the house. So he can turn the thermostat down and use less energy to keep it warm.

txzen, Fort Worth, Texas

Some of you seem disinterested in this new material, aerogel. However, I have a new material that will far exceed the expectation of areogel. It's called mr super gel and is made from a bicarbonite residue of rabbitt leftovers fused with the subtle richness of carmel, yielding a bold, strong fibre that I expect will be used by world militaries to stop bullets. Also, it relieves indigestion for over twenty-four hours at a time. Good for what ailes ya.

John Silverman, Londonshire, KY

What Bob Stoker probably experienced was the over-heating of his house due to all the little heaters that exist in it such as light bulbs, refrigerators, dishwasher, water heaters, etc. All these devices add heat to our house and allow us to use a lower temperature than would be necessary, if the were not there. If this material insulates as well as they say, then it is possible that he had to turn down the thermostat.

Jay Hoinville, Kalamazoo, MI

Maybe he had a very drafty house and had to keep the thermostat on 21 just to keep it at 16? Or maybe the insulating ability is so high that if the thermostat is far from a heating vent that by the time it reached the pre-set temp, the house is actually 5 degrees warmer? He might be stupid, just giving him the benefit of the doubt.

Erik, Kansas City, USA

Bob Stoker's comment is not stupid. Prior to using the insulation he was clearly losing heat faster than he generated it hence the heating system must have been working overtime. Aerogel reduced heat loss and permitted a stable state to be achieved.

Alleagra Studena, Brasov, Romania

Lets assume Mr Stoker has a "comfort level" at the
far end of his living room of 74 degrees F. Prior to this
"insulation" the thermostat had to be at 80 degrees F.
But with the new insulation (reducing heat loss) he is
now comfy at far end of room---with thermostat now set at
75degrees F. Thus the confusion is solved!

ron, Havelock, N. C. USA

Aerogel may be on the expensive side now, just like almost all new things. (How much did the first calculator, VCR, Personal Computer, digital camera etc. cost?) But as more uses for it are developed as well as more efficient ways to produce it the economies of scale will take over and the price will drop dramatically.

Rick Snail, Omaha, NE, USA

All this insulation and strength for soldiers vehicles etc is well and good but can You hit a golf ball further?

Jim Storar, Shreveport, La

Notice no "aerogel thermos bottles" ......... air and vacuum are both better insulators. Aerogel has been around a log time with littel commercial use.

The thermostat comment is inane as noted by Graham. Author's have no clue about energy , temperature, heat conduction. WHy not list of insulators comparative properties for perspective.

John Krumme, Woodside,

Those saying Stoker is stupid concerning his turning the thermostat down are not so smart themselves. In a home that is better insulated, losses are lessened. One would "feel" warmer sitting next to a better insulated wall because less body heat would be absorbed by the wall, which is cold on the outside. Sure the temperature would be 5 deg. cooler, but the occupants of the house would "feel" just as warm. To those critics of Stoker... a big raspberry.

Mark C., Williamsport , PA U.S.A.

You DO have to turn your thermostat ahead of convective heat or cold intrusion to maintain a given ambient temperature. Imagine the difference between heating a canvas tent and an insulated house, and you will understand that compressor run-times have to be greater to maintain a comfort level, lacking insulation. Keeping the temperature set at one temperature simply controls the temperature at the thermostat!

Oh, forget it! Few people learn anything on the Internet.

I have designed hundreds of thousands of feet of data center space, and know of what I speak.

ApolloVet, Jacksonville, Florida

I can't imagine how it tastes. Anyone?

Stephen Emner, York, PA, USA

Stoker's comment makes perfectly legit sense. If it's hot outside, he has to put the stat on 82 to keep it at 76, but with the aerogel he could set it on 77 and his house would be at 76. When it's really hot, your house usually is warmer than what you have it set on.

bryan, blacksburg,

Aerogel is also being used in the electronics industry to make ridiculously high value, low voltage, capacitors in small packages.

Martin, Fayetteville, USA

I would think that in Mr. Stokers home, the heat emanated from the bodies of all persons in the house, light bulbs, and electronic devices made up the difference.

They put out a very small bit of head compared to a heater, but if the home is so very well insulated, then he would have to do so to compensate for the additional heat sources. A human body alone makes as much heat a 100 W incandescent light bulb.

Chris, Sylvania, Ohio

Actually, for all you people annoyed by Bob Stroker, it's quite possible that his house was so poorly insulated or in such a cold area that, working at full capacity, it couldn't produce enough heat to keep the house at whatever temperature it was set at. Most people would then turn it up further, in an attempt to make the house warmer. Insulation would allow it to maintain the temperature it was set at, which, after having turned the thermostat up, could well be warmer than was comfortable. Then one could, naturally, turn it down.

Also, this article fails to mention how much aerogel costs to make. High expense would severely limit its uses.

James, San Francisco, California

One has to move to think beyond (ingrained) faulty logic.

If the insulating factor is raised, then it would require less energy to maintain the same temp.

The thermostat should be a tool that one sets to maintain a specific temp. But in fact they are used (usually) incorrectly as a throttle to maintain a temp.

If one drives up an inclined road, one would have to position the throttle further to maintain the same speed as opposed to someone driving on a level road, who would position the throttle at a lower position.

The throttle position is like the thermostat. Given the variables, it can use more or less energy to maintain the same temp at the same setting. Or it can be raised or lowered to maintain the same temp if the insulation provides a lower thermal loss or increase to the conditioned space.

Ben, USA,

Since Mr. Stoker said "The heating has improved significantly." and not the "cooling", I assumed he meant "heating". The more you can turn the thermostat down, the less energy you 'll use to heat your house.

J Zuber, Knoxville, TN, USA

Nicolas Monnet is confused regardind 5 deg C. When the heat source (radiator) and thermostate is not on the walls, there is a temperature gradient! With good insulation this can esily be 5 deg C.

G A Turner, Cheltenham,

Mr Stoker is quite right - question: If you have a perfectly insulated house that feels comfortable with the thermostat set at 16, how high would you have to set the thermostat to feel the same comfort but with all the windows open?

An alternative way of phrasing this is to ask by how much Mr Stoker was heating the outside environment?

AndyB, Swindon,

The statement from Bob Stoker is stupid. If he turns the thermostat down 5 degrees, the house will be 5 degrees colder than before. Is this what he wants? The effect of insulation is to use less fuel with the thermostat set at the same temperature.

Graham Shackleton, Chorley, UK

Mr Stoker is very confused as to what a thermostat is. Turning it down 5° will result in the temperature going down 5°, no matter what the insulation is. At best, the temperature will change more slowly.

Nicolas MONNET, PARIS, FRANCE

I'd like to use this to build my dream home. Shame the narrow-mind, ultra-conservative (small c), un-imaginative, un-innovative planners on the the Council can't see the future.

Had the same battle when I tried to use a special glass, the a lower heat co-efficient then brick, to make a conservatory. (There was less heat transfer across the glass then across brick cavity walls). The same bunch of noshbag planners prevented that too.

NickT, Aldershot, Aldershot,