A shield of the super lightweight Aerogel was supposed to trap the fine cometary material so Stardust could return the sample to Earth in 2006.
While scientists will have to wait a bit longer to see how much dust the Aerogel captured, others within the space program have long since moved forward with their own plans for the cool blue substance -- and been rewarded for the effort.
That includes James Fesmire, a NASA engineer who works on the Cryogenics Testbed Facility at the Kennedy Space Center.
He and Aspen Aerogels, Inc. of Marlborough, Mass., were honored in 2003 with the R&D 100 Award for their work on Flexible Aerogel Superinsulation, a composite blanket that provides at least 39 times more efficient insulation than the best fiberglass insulation.
R&D -- which recognizes the efforts of the best scientists and engineers in industry, government, and academic research laboratories -- named Fesmire an innovator and the product "one of the most technologically significant of the year."
A 20-year veteran KSC worker, Fesmire began his research in advanced insulation technology in 1992 when he first learned about monolithic solid aerogels -- often called "frozen smoke."
Fesmire believed the material could be designed to be durable and flexible without losing its excellent insulating properties and wrote up a NASA Small Business Innovation Research program solicitation in 1992, which was awarded to Aspen Systems, Inc. in 1993.
Fesmire worked with the company’s principal investigator, Jae Ryu, to make the first prototype blanket materials. The company has since found ways to manufacture the Aerogel material less expensively.
The new technology is the result of more than 10 years of research and development work, said Fesmire.
"And this thermal insulation product is just the beginning," Fesmire said. "This super insulation is a major breakthrough for energy efficiency standards in industry and gives dramatic new possibilities for thermal protection systems on space launch vehicles."
"It is an outstanding candidate material for the next generation of launch vehicles and launch site equipment," Fesmire said. "As a blanket material, it is one of the world’s best thermal insulators."
Fesmire said the Aerogel insulation blanket material is being investigated for future use on advanced space suits and new spacecraft designs.
Meanwhile, Aspen Aerogel, a spin off company formed in 2001, now has a standard product line that includes three types of blanket insulation to cover a wide range of temperatures. Applications include textiles and apparel, oil and gas industry, manufacturing, transportation and refrigeration.
Scientist Samual Kistler invented the original Aerogel in 1932. Monsanto later bought the rights to the material and used it as an insulator in picnic coolers and as a thickening agent in napalm bombs.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., got involved with Aerogel as it looked for lightweight material to use on the 1997 Mars Pathfinder rover mission and actually improved the material.
JPL's newest version of Aerogel is 99.8 percent air and is a stiff foam made from silicon dioxide and sand. Its density is just 3 milligrams per cubic centimeter and it pressure thousands of times greater than its own mass. Its melting point is 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit (1,200 degrees Centigrade).
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