"The Enlightenment" wrote in message . ..
"Paul Austin" wrote in message
news

"Henry J. Cobb" wrote
There will be a B3 manned heavy bomber.
There's this problem. Nanotube-stiffened composites have a_long_way to
go before anyone would use them for primary structure. The nanotubes
themselves are gleams in folks eyes and based on carbon fiber
composite experience, there will be a fairly long learning experience
before they are ready for prime time.

last time I heard just plain (not even woven) nanotube was $2300/gram.


The impetus seems to be their use as electrical capacitors with energy
densities matching batteries but with much longer lives, efficienies
and discharge rates. They would be so light and strong that space
elevators to geostationary satelites would be possible.

In a maganzine on genetic engineering I saw once there was conjecture
about growing complicated structures out of geneticaly engineered
bone.

There was a fancy artwork showing a car chasis emerging from a
nourishing broth.

I don't think it is too far fetched. If nature can grow a human skull
or a bird skeleton we may be able to engineer complet structures
including aircraft wings oir complete blended wing bodies made of
hollow 'bone' and grow them out of a broth of nutrients.