From Trek Today:
In what certainly has to be the smallest scale ever for a science-fiction ship model, two scientists have constructed the USS Enterprise in a one-billionth scale. The scale model of the Enterprise is so tiny, that it can only be seen by an electron microscope.Fun fact: If you thought anything even slightly like "Sure it's a 1:1,000,000,000-scale, but it's kind of a shitty 1:1,000,000,000-scale Enterprise" upon seeing this, you are a huge, huge nerd. Thanks to everyone who sent me the tip.Scientists Takayuki Hoshino and Shinji Matsui of the Himeji Institute of Technology, located in Japan, used a focused ion beam to cut out the model, using a process called chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The CVD process used phenanthrene gas to etch the tiny 8.8 micrometer USS Enterprise
38 comments
Comments
john said:
great use of grant money
Yes, it is. Think of what you can be done with that kind of precision engineering. The only limit is imagination, or lack thereof.
The work represented in the submitted micrographs covered a wide range of fields including micro mechanical, photonic, and integrated circuit fabrication, chemical and dry etching, laser optics, genetic experiments, carbon nanotube structures, carbon nanotube growth experimrnts, biological samples, material science experiments and, of course, e-beam, ion beam, x-ray, and photo lithography experiments.
http://www.zyvexlabs.com/EIPBNuG/2003MicroGraph.html#Ion
I would also like to point out that the competition from which this entry dates from 2003, yet only now seems to be making the rounds of the web. The link above has the other winners.
Remember - this was made as a competition entry, to showcase how precise micro-structures could be made.
NorthSteve replied to ZADL:
The iron maiden grand winner kicks ass
SeltzerKing said:
No, no... They (the scientists) are still bigger nerds than anyone who might point out the slightly dented saucer section.
Besides, the rest of us huge nerds can just say it was warped in a space-time anomaly.
Regardless: That is pretty sweet.
BorgQueen replied to SeltzerKing:
SLIGHTLY dented? The Enterprise looked better than that after it got rammed by the Scimitar.
SeltzerKing replied to BorgQueen:
Ok, so the Starfleet Insurance Company adjusters might call it totaled... But it is still drivable! Look, the nacelles are in perfect condition, and the sensor array barely has a scratch!
choHIlqoq replied to SeltzerKing:
You mean the Navigational Deflector?
Pretty impressive for the scale and the tools they are using,
Not entirely accurate though, it's sort of a mash-up betwixt NCC-1701 C and NCC-1701 D.:-B
"Mad" Will replied to choHIlqoq:
And THAT is the nerdiest comment I've read anywhere in a long time.
*nerd salute*
Lari said:
I guess I'm a huge, huge nerd then.
Geoff said:
'Fun fact: If you thought anything even slightly like "Sure it's a 1:1,000,000,000-scale, but it's kind of a shitty 1:1,000,000,000-scale Enterprise" upon seeing this, you are a huge, huge nerd. '
I was too busy saying 'holy crap' over and over again, but now that you mention it....
Capt'n bob said:
That's... umm... what does it do exactly? will they build tiny people picards or kirks and co next to fly in the tiny enterprise inside of your computer.. or maybe inside of you body to fight cancer or something? the really weird possibilities are endless of what they can do with this microscopic ship technology... really... its scarier than the idea of the gundam to come get us.. now they can mass produce microscopic space ships to invade our bodies and tack us over from withen! the end is now! Ahhhhhhhhhh!
Ranchoth said:
Looks more like an Apollo class, if you ask me.
Nick said:
'Fun fact: If you thought anything even slightly like "Sure it's a 1:1,000,000,000-scale, but it's kind of a shitty 1:1,000,000,000-scale Enterprise" upon seeing this, you are a huge, huge nerd.'
Yep, that was indeed the first thing that popped into my head. Damn.
DoctorSmashy said:
All they need now is a tiny Enterprise crew and JJ Abrams could make the first ever movie filmed entirely through a microscope!
Archer said:
I am a huge, huge nerd...
Friginator said:
I can do that but I don't wanna.
RubyRoses said:
okay so in agreement..we're mostly huge, huge nerds here? right? alright.
BobJ said:
Sure it's shitty, but we all know we have to wait for the after-market accuracy kits anyway. And I am so not looking forward to trying an Aztec pattern on it.
Bill said:
It should be pointed out that this is the Enterprise-D. Horrible saucer section, but a swell stardrive section!
Bad Horse replied to Bill:
Bollocks. It's a tube, not an oval like the Enterprise-D.
Kevin said:
Looks like they went Next Gen. Bold choice.
Jess said:
"Fun fact: If you thought anything even slightly like "Sure it's a 1:1,000,000,000-scale, but it's kind of a shitty 1:1,000,000,000-scale Enterprise" upon seeing this, you are a huge, huge nerd."
I don't even really watch Star Trek, and that was my first thought.
Monkey boy replied to Jess:
Ditto. Im not a trek fan at all, I mean the new movie was cool but I've barely seen any trek before that. Having said that, the enterprise is recognizable enough in pop culture that anyone who looked at it would probably think it's kind of a dumpy star trek ship made of deflating mushrooms or something.
MC Leahy said:
Definitely the Enterprise-D, you can tell from the nacelles.
It actually looks a lot like the USS Reliant, Khan's ship from Star Trek II, only flipped upside-down.
Rocco said:
I hate to say it, but I fall into the "huge, huge nerd" category.
Michaela said:
Michaela said:
Hmm... My posting failed. Anyway, I too, am a huge, huge nerd.
Adam E. said:
Would have been so much better if they had made a miniature Millenium Falcon.
Sven replied to Adam E.:
Second. And it probably would have been more accurate.
Hmmm... said:
It looks closest to Ambassador class, but yes Rob you are right. I was thinking how fucked up it looked. In fact, I didn't recognize it as a Federation Starship until I read the title...
jolly bitch said:
What kind of nerd are you when you not only thing yeah it looks like its melting but then say "so glad they screwed up the enterprise rather than the millenium falcon". Because a melting millenium falcon (or serenity) would have made me sad.
TED-209 said:
Remember those anomalies that would warp matter in the Xindi expanse in Enterprise? Yeah, me neither...you are a bunch of huge nerds.
LadySheeana said:
I'm glad to see the nerds who did this have their priorities straight. We have a laser that can carve things that can only be seen with an electron microscope. Try to make some sort of nanotechnology that could be useful in medicine or something? Hell no. Make a scale model of the enterprise? Hell yes.
The Admiral said:
I'm a newbie Trekker, so I don't feel too bad about admitting that I thought this was a wonky office chair.
Xanthippas said:
Ha. I did actually think that. Oh well.
