NASA refines carbon nanotube tech to search for exoplanets

NASA's carbon nanotube technology, developed in 2007, is being refined for the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) to enhance the search for exoplanets potentially supporting life. The material absorbs 99% of stray light, crucial for observing dim exoplanets near bright stars. Advanced Nanophotonics, LLC, received SBIR funding to optimize this technology, which has applications in various NASA missions, including the Ocean Color Instrument and the Gemini Planet Imager upgrade.