The Science in Lunar Contact

The Science Behind the Novel

Graphene

Graphene is a substance made of pure carbon atoms in a honeycomb lattice, one atom thick. Graphene can be rolled into a tubular shape, called carbon nanotubes. Graphene is one of the strongest materials ever discovered, 200 times stronger than steel. A one square meter sheet of graphene would support a cat and weigh only as much as one of the cat’s whiskers.

An interesting characteristic of graphene is its ability to “heal.” When carbon atoms are knocked out of place or separated, the holes in the sheet will self-repair if exposed to free carbon atoms.

Graphene has been proposed as an ideal material for fabrication of integrated circuits, transistors, and capacitors.

Our understanding of the potentials of graphene and its production on industrial scales is still in its infancy. Graphene would seem to be an ideal material for hull material on space ships and also as a material for personal armor. Intelligent sensors could possibly be built into the material. This is why I selected it as the material used by the Ancient Ones in the novel. It is also the reason Dr. Tanakai uses it. Of course Dr. Tanakai is using the information already found in the ship’s computers to construct armor and such.

Space ship design is fundamental to these pics from sci-fi artists.

Observer by John-Liberto

Primordium by Sparth

Prison Camp by Oyo

Space Scene 5 by tinfoil