Ever looked up into the sky on a clear night, see a shooting star and think to yourself it resembled a trail of falling diamonds? Well you might not bee too far off, because apparently there are diamonds up there and some of them are falling to earth.

Space diamond, by: morningcupojoe.com

Only a few weeks ago we were told that scientists can now prove that there are diamond glaciers floating around on the oceans of Neptune and Uranus, and today we learned that two very special diamonds were found hiding inside the Havero meteorite that crashed to Earth in 1971.

But the meteorite diamonds are unlike the diamonds found on Earth. Which, I guess, makes sense, since if you're going to come crashing down through the atmosphere, you aught to be packing a little extra punch. And these “alien diamond,” according to the scientists researching them do. They are ultra-hard – much harder than their earthbound kin. 

Could be nice to get some luxury gems over the city, don't you think?

According to the researchers, the super-hard diamond duo, which in fact are two small carbon crystals, were created when the graphite in the meteorite experienced the intense heat and pressure of entering the Earth’s atmosphere and the impact of crashing into the ground.

Nevertheless, and much like in the case of nearly any big guy nicknamed “tiny,” finding out exactly how tough the meteorite diamonds are is impossible at this point; since they're too small to test for precise hardness.

So how can the scientists be so sure that these diamonds really are that hard? Apparently, the researchers found them by using a diamond paste to polish a slice of the meteorite. The crystals were raised more than 10µm above the polished surface, which meant they were harder than the diamonds in the polishing paste. In fact, the little-big guys were unaffected when polished in every direction.

The scientists then applied an array of mineralogical instruments to the diamonds, including microscopy, spectroscopy and energy-dispersive X-rays among others, which allowed them to identify them as representing two new carbon polymorphs or diamond polytypes.

Photo Credit: FilanFilan

NASA's space shuttle Atlantis carried two little stars of its own when it was launched into orbit in November – two laboratory-grown diamonds. The diamonds were cultivated by the Department of Chemistry in the Israel Institute of Technology – the Technion.

The International Space Station released the diamonds into space in December, and they now "roam" space freely. They are expected back on Earth in one year's time.

Once back, they will be tested for any possible effects caused by exposure to space's atomic oxygen atmosphere, which is erosive to carbon-based elements. Diamonds are traditionally indifferent to chemically erosive conditions, and their compatibility for future satellite applications will be based on those test results.

The interaction between diamonds – which are nature's toughest substance – and a laboratory-made space environment is being explored by a team lead by Prof. Alon Hoffman and Dr. Joan Adler of the Technion, and Dr. Irina Gouzman of the Soreq Nuclear Research Center.

Materials considered for use in satellites are subjected to rigorous testing, as they must withstand the years a satellite stays in orbit, some 125-500 miles above Earth. The laboratory diamonds are subjected to atomic oxygen conditions mimicking the interaction a satellite would have with them.

"The future use of diamonds in space could include heat-conducting clear optical coatings, radiation detectors and much more," Technion Doctoral candidate Ze'ev Shpilman explains. "We aim to work with Soreq scientists in developing a diamond coating suitable for use in space."

Diamonds are highly durable and have good heat conductibility, and diamond coatings are already in use on Earth, added Hoffman, "But before we send something into space we need to know what will happen to it. This is why we have created a space-like environment in a laboratory. We found that diamonds are, indeed, durable in space and now we're testing that theory in actual space."

The lab-grown diamonds were sent to fellow Prof. Tim Minton of Montana State University's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, who delivered them to NASA. Both gems are now roaming space alongside other futuristic materials. They will be reclaimed by the International Space Station within a year and sent back to Earth.

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