Aerogel is the lightest and lowest density solid known to exist. It is comprised of 99.8% air and weighs only three times as much as air. Despite these characteristics, aerogel is incredibly strong structurally with the ability to support thousands of times its own weight. A block the size of a person would weigh less than one pound and could support the weight of a subcompact car. Even more impressive are the insulating properties of aerogel, which will negate almost any kind of energy transfer including thermal, electric, or acoustic. A one inch thick pane of aerogel has the same insulating properties as twenty sheets of ordinary glass. Currently Nasa is studying developing aerogels in space and applying the material to certain aspects of space shuttle missions. Research also shows potential for aerogel to be used in other applications. Aerogels may make it possible to double computer speeds. Also through capacitive deionization aerogels may be used for water purification. Another benefit is through the use of carbon aerogels in double layer capacitors, or supercapacitors, which store and discharge energy faster than conventional batteries, a trait beneficial in telecommunications as well as in hybrid and electric vehicles. Though aerogels were first discovered in 1931, its production costs are still too high for practical use. Research and development of materials like aerogel will undoubtedly play a role in the world’s developing civilization.