Aerogel
is used on the STARDUST spacecraft to capture
comet particles from Comet Wild 2. Clicking on
any of the images will bring up a higher-resolution
image.
A flower is sitting on a piece of aerogel
which is suspended over a bunsen burner.
Aerogel has excellent insulating properties,
and the flower is protected from the flame.
This photo illustrates the excellent insulating
properties of aerogel. The crayons on top
of the aerogel are protected from the flame
underneath, and are not melting.
In an experiment using a special air gun,
particles are shot into aerogel at high
velocities. Closeup of particles that have
been captured in aerogel are shown here.
The particles leave a carrot-shaped trail
in the aerogel.
