Rocket science may hold key to surfing's future (CNN/Reuters)

[eppur_se_muova]

OK, I pictured rocket-powered boards in suborbital flight...

"
SAN FRANCISCO, California (Reuters) -- A material developed to protect electronics in nuclear weapons could resolve a shortage after the major supplier of surfboard foam suddenly closed its doors late last year, officials said on Monday.

Surfers worldwide reacted with shock and prices shot up in December after the southern California company Clark Foam that invented the foam and fiberglass process used in most surfboards went out of business. Its owner, Gordon Clark, was apparently tired of fighting environmental regulators over the foam blanks that he supplied to surfboard shapers worldwide.
***
The problem with the old surfboard foam was the presence of a toxic chemical called TDI. The Sandia material, which they call TufFoam, does
not contain TDI.
***
"Essentially the taxpayer gets a return on the investment. When we get licensing revenue in, that gets pumped right back into additional research that the lab does," said Scott Vaupen, a Sandia business associate.
"

So...next time you buy a surfboard, you may be supporting the MIC. And it loves you too.

For more on the TDI problem: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=TDI+surfboard+toxic

Alternatives are already available: http://www.twsbiz.com/twbiz/features/article/0,21214,1139139,00.html

[ET Awful]

1. Crap, I haven't been into surfing in years, but I hate to think what

Clark going out of business did to the price of boards in general.