Nanobama is the name of an engineering project inspired by Barack Obama and made of carbon nanotubes.Official Site: Nanobama: How Nanotubes are tiny cylinders that are only one atom in thickness, but stronger than steel.Yahoo! News: 'Nanobama' makes Obama's likeness microscopic (November 12, 2008) Official Site: Nanobama: How A team of scientists at the University of Michigan created Nanobama, which consists of tiny three-dimensional likenesses of the President-elect, based on a well-known image by artist Shephard Fairey.Official Site: Nanobama: How The team also made a microscopic model of Joe Biden, called "Nanobiden."Yahoo! News: 'Nanobama' makes Obama's likeness microscopic (November 12, 2008)
Practical Uses for Nanotubes
While Nanobama may appear to be a novelty, nanotubes themselves may profoundly influence the larger-scale engineering projects of the future. According to the physicist Michio Kaku, we may one day use nanotubes to make virtually indestructible buildings and remarkably lightweight airplanes.YouTube: Space Elevator (Time: 9:34) Another possible application for nanotubes may be the construction of a "space elevator" to lift spacecraft and satellites into orbit, or out of Earth's gravitational field, without the expense of rocket fueled launches.YouTube: Space Elevator (Time: 9:34)
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Fast Facts
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Carbon nanotubes are extremely strong and lightweight cylindrical structuresYahoo! News: 'Nanobama' makes Obama's likeness microscopic (November 12, 2008)
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Nanotubes are several times stronger than steelOfficial Site: Nanobama: How
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Each likeness of Obama is made of millions of parallel narrow tubesOfficial Site: Nanobama: How
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Photographs taken using optical and electron microscopesOfficial Site: Nanobama: How
