Transparent Aluminum

[Bill Morris]

Aluminium oxynitride can be made into windows, domes, etc. and is harder and stronger than glass. It is, in effect existing transparent aluminum, perhaps not much different from the material supposedly used in making starship windows. It's just expensive at present.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminum_oxynitride

 

[zenophite]

I remember when they first announced the discovery of the material...trek fans went nuts!

 

[Ronald Held]

Why use that compound versus sapphire?

 

[Meredith]

Sounds like somethign the air force would use on prometheus.

 

[Bill Morris]

Why use that compound versus sapphire?

Sapphire window is nice, and also commercially available, but even more expensive, at least in the quality for current usage.

 

[flux_29]

Nice find.

 

[137th Gebirg]

Interesting! The Wiki entry says that there was a reference to transparent aluminum in the final 1978 episode of the original Battlestar Galactica, "The Hand of God". I've seen all those eps hundreds of times and I missed that. I need to back and check that out. I'd laugh my ass off if BSG was really the origin of the concept and not Star Trek IV.

 

[Borjis]

Interesting! The Wiki entry says that there was a reference to transparent aluminum in the final 1978 episode of the original Battlestar Galactica, "The Hand of God". I've seen all those eps hundreds of times and I missed that. I need to back and check that out. I'd laugh my ass off if BSG was really the origin of the concept and not Star Trek IV.

I just checked with the sub titles on.

Apollo says: "Transparent Tylinium"

 

[137th Gebirg]

AH! Damn that Wikiality™!