Space Duster SiO2 by Celia Berrell

A man-made material

Silica aerogel

recently travelled in outer space

collecting the particles

shed by a comet’s tail

bringing them back to a NASA base.

A frothy glass matrix

of mostly air – sandy mix

lighter than feathers and stronger than steel

is brittle-snap crazy

and seems smoky-hazy.

When rubbed on a surface it gives out a squeal!

This stiff-sponge sensation

has great insulation

preventing the passage of heat through its layer.

Like a piece of blue sky

that is crisp, light and dry

its edges look fuzzy, like snap-frozen air.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfUIc6efV3w

Lawrence Livermore Quest Lab video