Microscopic radiator flying on 'skin' of a NASA spacecraft to launch March 14

This is a close-up view of the 4-inch square microscopic radiator placed on the "skin" of one of NASA's Space Technology 5 (ST5) micro-satellites scheduled to launch from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., on March 14. The temperature control device, formally known as the "Variable Emittance (Vari-E) Coatings for Thermal Control," is based on MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) technology employing shutters so small that several abreast are smaller than the width of a single human hair. The device was developed by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, in conjunction with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.