Utility Fog

http://nanotech-now.com/utility-fog.htm

Reminds me of a story by StanislawLem called "Der Unbesiegbare" in German ("The Invincible" in English).

Storyline: Astronauts (explorers) land on an alien planet. The planet is more hostile than expected, because of dangerous "fog". The shields protecting the spaceship threatens to break. Researchers decide to use the Invincible, which is the ultimate weapon: a self-powered super-shielded robot. The Invincible sets out to destroy the fog, which is discovered to be UtilityFog. The robot is destroyed but the spaceship escapes (or so I remember).

-- GunnarZarncke

I remember it as more of a scientific mystery (like many of Lem's stories). The Invincible was just a more powerful crewed spaceship going to discover what happened to the first spaceship that landed there. The main challenge they face is a self-organizing entity consisting of zillions of identical roach-sized robot-organisms. The title is certainly ironic, as the party eventually leaves with its tail between its legs.

There is also Beachhead by Clifford Simak, with a substantially similar plot, except in this one the spaceship doesn't escape.

See GreyGooIsEasilyContained

CategoryNanotechnology