Miniature airbags that are filled with gas created by rocket fuel could be used to protect micro sensors during planetary exploration missions.

The technology is being tested by Swiss and German researchers and works by igniting a small piece of solid rocket fuel with a platinum wire.

Gas given off by the fuel then fills up a tiny protective balloon that can be used to ensure the safe landing of spacecraft and their parts.

The researchers now believe that the balloons could do more than cushion spacecraft as they could flip sensors over should they become stuck or open solar panels or small satellites.

Miko Elwenspoek from the University of Twente in The Netherlands told New Scientist that the small devices can produce a large amount of energy.

"The liquid explodes into a bubble of vapour that pushes out the membrane within one or two microseconds. After the bubble forms, the vapour rapidly condenses back to liquid again," he explained.

Source:

'Instant bubblewrap' makes for soft planetary landings, 29/01/08 16:55
http://technology.newscientist.com/article/dn13249

Ÿ Adfero Ltd