A recently launched NASA satellite, XSS-11, features a component made of a brand new material: a radiator made of PocoFoam. The carbon-based material was serendipitously discovered by James Klett and colleagues at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and quickly licensed for development. PocoFoam, carbon foam's trademarked name, has superior thermal transfer properties and is lightweight, making it ideal for space applications. Other proposed uses include race cars and computers. One of the remarkable things about PocoFoam is the speed of its development: from the test tube to outer space in just eight years.
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