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On 15 April, 2005 a Russian astronaut Sergei Krikalev delivered a small transparent crystal containing a silicon wafer with a Mona Lisa image depicted on its surface to the International Space Station. This image, 8x8 microns, has been made using methods of nanolithography with a Probe Nanolaboratory NTEGRA developed in the NT-MDT Co. and it can be visualized only with a scanning probe microscope. The crew of the International Space Station will release the crystal into open space later. This event is the result of a joint project “Making the Invisible Visible” of the Federal Agency for Science and Innovations and the NT-MDT Co. in cooperation with a famous post-modernist George Pusenkoff. George Pusenkoff’s artistic work is an attempt to envisage the great cultural heritage of the past through the prism of modern technologies. This project is to highlight the achievements in nanotechnology – one of the fastest growing areas of scientific research.

The original picture, “Single Mona Lisa 1:1” (created by George Pusenkoff), served as the prototype of the microimage and it has also been brought to the International Space station by an Italian astronaut Roberto Vittori.  This is to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the famous masterpiece “Mona Lisa” created by Leonardo Da Vinci.

The NT-MDT Co. is participating at the EXPO-2005 (Aichi, Japan) as a part of the Russian delegation demonstrating its best product – NTEGRA.  An exact duplicate of the microimage sent to space is also being presented at the EXPO-2005 as one of the symbols of the Russian exposition. A Russian government delegation, including the President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mr. E.M. Primakov, visited the NT-MDT stand.