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Wikipedia:Featured picture candidates/Aerogel

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Original
Reason
This is a little undersize for a normal FP, I know, however, Aerogels are not available in any quantities outside of NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and related agencies, so the image is essentially irreplaceable. This is one of my favourite science images, and I think well-deserving of an FP. Vanished user talk 18:48, 26 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Proposed caption
Peter Tsou of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory holding a sample of aerogel - an extremely lightweight substance created by replacing all the liquid in a gel - usually silica gel - with gas, by means of supercritical drying, a process similar to freeze-drying. This creates a nanofoam, a foam with most of its bubbles under 100 nanometres in size, giving the aerogel its unusual properties: Silica aerogel is the lowest-density solid yet created, actually lighter than air when in a vacuum (outside of a vacuum, air fills the pores, upping its density to slightly greater than air). It is also the best insulator known. Due to its unusual appearance and light weight, it has gained the nickname "frozen smoke".
Articles this image appears in
Peter Tsou, Aerogel
Creator
NASA

Not promoted MER-C 03:07, 1 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]