Space exploration is an expensive and risky business. All too often, probes malfunction once they leave the ground; launching a satellite costs many millions of dollars at a minimum, and prices increase with payload weight. Designers feel constant pressure to keep spacecraft as efficient and cost-effective as possible.

To solve these problems, engineers are finding new ways to miniaturize spacecraft components, often pursuing branches of science that are still in their infancy. But the potential benefits for both the space program and private industry are driving a concerted effort toward smaller, more advanced technology.

Nanotechnology

The capability to construct nanometer-sized materials promises to have tremendous impact on space exploration and industry. Scientists are still learning to manipulate nanomaterials, but one promising creation is a form of carbon called a nanotube. These cylinder-shaped molecules are not only unusually strong, but also have potential as semiconductors, which could make them...