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On 15 April, 2005 a small transparent crystal containing a silicon wafer with a Mona Lisa image depicted on its surface was delivered to the International Space Station. This image, 8x8 microns, has been made using methods of nanolithography by specialists of NT-MDT Co. with a Probe Nanolaboratory NTEGRA developed in the NT-MDT Co. and gain leading world scientific research institutes’s confidence and it can be visualized only with a scanning probe microscope. 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. This project is to highlight the achievements in nanotechnologies – one of the most rapidly growing fields of science.
The original picture, “Single Mona Lisa 1:1”, served as the prototype of the microimage has also been brought to the International Space station by an Italian astronaut Roberto Vittori.  This was done to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Leonardo Da Vinci.

Furthermore, George Pusenkoff takes part in the 51st International Art Exhibition (La Biennale di Venezia), to which many people of arts and officials of first-rate and prestigious world museums arrive from all continents. Artist’s work is an attempt to envisage the great cultural heritage of the past through the prism of modern technologies.
His work named “Tower of Time Mona-500” is huge (10 m in diameter, 30 m in circumference and 6 m in height) round tower. Its interior is 500 images of “Single Mona Lisa 1:1”, 60x60 cm of 50 different colors. Exhibition participants and visitors had a good look at this work with great interest and talked it over. And many people admired how artist was a good hand at transfering Renaissance masterpiece to the reality of the 21th century.

It is also notable that astronaut Roberto Vittori opened the exhibition and spoke about NT-MDT company, Mona Lisa microimage, which is in orbit now, and of cause about nanotechnology achievements. Moreover, the exhibition organizers demonstrated more than once the three-minute film, which was shot during communication session with the spaceship at the time of which astronauts showed well-known crystal with Mona Lisa image and told about the joint project with NT-MDT Company. It sparked a fantastic interest!

During the presentation NT-MDT chief executive talked to the representative of European Space Agency who was interested in company nanotechnology projects, one of which is “NanoSpace”. “There are a lot of “space rubbish” in the space vacuum. And if it will be possible to create a shield it will allow to secure vacuum of 10 -14. Absolute vacuum and imponderability are the ideal conditions to grow heterostructures, for example solar batteries, semiconductors and others objects. This is a fantastic idea but at the same time it is completely materially. It doesn’t require heavy expenses; the main investment is the intellect. It’s necessary to join many achievements and scientific potential of the country. There are 6 participants of this project now.

Thus the splendid idea of joint space project combined Art, Science and High technologies around the masterpiece of great Renaissance artist and become the basis of the latest international events in the fields of space achievements and art.