This little pump will be sent off on a rocket mission in June to test whether it can survive the vibration of being blasted off, and if it’s well equipped to cool down ducts.
There aren’t any moving parts in the pump, and it only consumes around .5W of power, making it unlike traditional pumps you’ve used before. Nasa’s hoping the electrohydrodynamic technology will be enough for space, and help ensure heat-sensitive circuitry stays cool. Given the technology is scalable, NASA is also working on shrinking the EHD pumps to minuscule levels, so they can cool down circuit boards.
Apparently plonking a pair of shades just doesn’t cut it up there. [Nasa via CNet and ZDNet]