Re: gradual transition

["J. Michael Rowland" <jmr at marathoncomputer dot com>]

Unkaducky wrote:

> just thought about the sandstorms mars has,
> need to make the panels out of something
> that wont be sandblasted away easily
> ,ceramics,maybe? 

Fused sand?

I wonder if it's possible to fuse sand together such that some blown sand
particles would tend to stick while others are worn away, resulting in zero
net gain or loss? Might be an application for buckyballs.

Speaking of which (I know this may not be the right venue for this kind of
question, but Unkaducky has done me the favor of opening the topic), does
anyone know if any work has been done toward making buckyballs (aka
buckminsterfullerines) out of anything besides carbon? ...say, silicon?
(...which, like carbon, has 4 positions in its outermost electron shell, but
has a cubic rather than hexagonal crystalline pattern.) Hmmm... I have an
uncle-in-law who works at Argonne in crystals, and I'll be seeing him this
weekend at a family reunion. Maybe he knows.

jmr