At MIT, doctoral student Palak Patel is harnessing nanotechnology to solve the most daunting hurdles of long-term space exploration.
Patel’s work focuses on Boron Nitride Nanotubes (BNNTs), which offer a solution to one of NASA’s biggest hurdles: ionizing radiation.
At MIT, she works across the Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics/Astronautics departments, blending large-scale manufacturing logic with atomic-scale synthesis.
Her work focuses on developing advanced nanocomposites designed to shield astronauts from lethal radiation, a primary hurdle for any journey to Mars.
The problem with current spacecraft is their skin. When deep-space radiation hits the standard aluminum used in most hulls, it triggers a splash of secondary neutrons.
These particles are incredibly dangerous for human tissue.
“You can’t safely travel to Mars with the current state-of-the-art materials,” Patel stated, who is a sixth-year doctoral student.
Patel works on the synthesis of nanotubes and the production of multifunctional nanocomposites — hollow, cylindrical architectures prized for their extreme durability and adaptability.
Using a synthesis process developed at MIT, Patel has dramatically increased the density of boron nitride nanotubes within aerospace composites.
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