Editing Unobtainium

{{short description|Rare or fictional material}}

'''Unobtainium''' (or '''unobtanium''') is a term used in [[fiction]], [[engineering]], and common situations for a material ideal for a particular application but impractically difficult or impossible to obtain. Unobtainium originally referred to materials that do not exist at all, but can also be used to describe real materials that are unavailable due to extreme rarity or cost. Less commonly, it can mean a device with desirable engineering properties for an application that are exceedingly difficult or impossible to achieve.

The properties of any particular example of unobtainium depend on the intended use. For example, a [[pulley]] made of unobtainium might be massless and frictionless. But for a [[nuclear propulsion|nuclear rocket]], unobtainium might have the needed qualities of lightness, strength at high temperatures, and resistance to radiation damage; a combination of all three qualities is impossible with today's materials. The concept of unobtainium is often applied [[hand-waving]]ly, flippantly, or humorously.

The word ''unobtainium'' derives humorously from ''unobtainable'', with ''[[wikt:-ium|-ium]]'', a suffix for [[chemical element]] names. It predates the similar-sounding [[systematic element name]]s, such as [[ununennium]], [[unbinilium]], [[unbiunium]], and [[unbiquadium]]. An alternative spelling, ''unobtanium'', is sometimes used, by analogy to the names of real elements like [[titanium]] and [[uranium]].

== Engineering origin ==
Since the late 1950s, aerospace engineers have used the term "unobtainium" when referring to unusual or costly materials, or when theoretically considering a material perfect for their needs in all respects, except that it does not exist.

{{blockquote|Unobtainium, n. A substance having the exact high test properties required for a piece of hardware or other item of use, but not obtainable either because it theoretically cannot exist or because technology is insufficiently advanced to produce it. Humorous or ironical. |source=Listed in "Interim Glossary, Aero-Space Terms," as compiled by Woodford Heflin and published in February 1958 by the Air University of the US Air Force.<ref name="Langley">Since at least the 1950s: [https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4305/sp4305.htm Hansen, James R. (1987) "Engineer in Charge: A History of the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory, 1917–1958". The NASA History Series, sp-4305.] Chapter 12, recounting an October 1957 meeting, mentions the problems caused by "the lack of a superior high-temperature material (which the Langley structures people dubbed 'unobtainium')" This paragraph in turn cites Becker, John V. "[https://books.google.com/books?id=nM9KrgEACAAJ&q=unobtainium The Development of Winged Reentry Vehicles, 1952–1963]", unpublished, dated 23 May 1983.</ref>}}

By the 1990s, the term was in wide use, even in formal engineering papers such as "Towards unobtainium <nowiki>[</nowiki>new composite materials for space applications<nowiki>]</nowiki>."<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://md1.csa.com/partners/viewrecord.php?requester=gs&collection=TRD&recid=200114009286MT&recid=A9116974AH&q=towards+unobtainium&uid=788302480&setcookie=yes |archive-date=2009-04-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090424223613/http://md1.csa.com/partners/viewrecord.php?requester=gs&collection=TRD&recid=200114009286MT&recid=A9116974AH&q=towards+unobtainium&uid=788302480&setcookie=yes |title=Towards unobtainium <nowiki>[</nowiki>new composite materials for space applications<nowiki>]</nowiki> |last=Misra |first=Mohan <!-- see www.itnes.com/misra.html-->|journal=Aerospace Composites and Materials |volume=2 |pages=29–32 |date=Nov–Dec 1990 }}</ref><ref>{{cite conference |title=Parametric cost analysis: a design function |last=Dean |first=Edwin B. |book-title=American Association of Cost Engineers 33rd Annual Meeting |volume=25 |pages=28 |date=1989
 |citeseerx = 10.1.1.45.5018}}</ref>

The term may well have been coined in the aerospace industry to refer to materials capable of withstanding the extreme temperatures expected in [[atmospheric reentry|re-entry]].<ref name="Langley" /> [[Aerospace engineering|Aerospace engineers]] are frequently tempted to design aircraft which require parts with strength or resilience beyond that of currently available materials.

Later, unobtainium became an engineering term for practical materials that really exist, but are difficult to get.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metalsuppliersonline.com/research/Charts/periodic/113Unobtainium.asp |title=Unobtainium |publisher=Metal Suppliers Online |access-date=2010-06-04 |quote=We can loosely define it as any metal that is specified by Engineering and unavailable to Purchasing }}</ref> For example, during the development of the [[SR-71 Blackbird]] spy plane, [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed]] engineers at the "[[Skunk Works]]" under [[Kelly Johnson (engineer)|Clarence "Kelly" Johnson]] used unobtainium to refer to [[titanium]]. Titanium allowed a higher strength-to-weight ratio at the high temperatures the Blackbird would reach, but its availability was restricted because the [[Soviet Union]] controlled its supply.  This created a problem for the U.S. during the [[Cold War]] because the Blackbird required huge amounts of titanium; subsequent U.S. military aircraft such as the [[B-1 Lancer]], [[F-15 Eagle]], [[F/A-18 Hornet]], and [[F-22 Raptor]] required relatively large amounts of it as well.

== Contemporary popularization ==
Unobtainium began to be used among people who are neither science fiction fans nor engineers to denote an object that actually exists, but which is very hard to obtain either because of high price (sometimes referred to as "unaffordium") or limited availability. It usually refers to a very [[high-end]] and desirable product. By the 1970s, the term had migrated from the aerospace industry to the Southern California automobile and motorcycle cultures and, began to appear in industry publications such as early advertisements for [[Oakley, Inc.|Oakley]] motorcycle handgrips.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eyewearthese.com/glossary/oakley-terminology/ |title=Oakely Terminology |publisher=eyewearthese.com |date=2023-08-13}}</ref>

Other examples are rear cassettes in the [[mountain biking]] community,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://road.cc/content/review/49881-spin-unobtanium-monobloc-cassette |title=Spin Unobtanium Monobloc Cassette |publisher=Road.cc |author=Mat Brett |date=Jan 5, 2012}}</ref> parts that are no longer available for old-car enthusiasts,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.autoweek.com/car-life/classic-cars/a2157051/hey-lancia-delta-integrale-owners-fca-found-some-unobtainium-level-stuff-you/ |title=Hey, Lancia Delta Integrale owners, FCA found some unobtainium-level stuff you might be interested in |publisher=autoWeek |author= Jay Ramey |date=Dec 10, 2019}}</ref><ref>Chris Petris, ''How to Restore Your Corvette, 1963-1967'', p. 13, CarTech Inc, 2012 {{ISBN|193470976X}}.</ref> parts for reel-to-reel audio-tape recorders, and rare vacuum tubes such as the [[1L6]] or [[WD-11]] that can now cost more than the equipment in which they were fitted.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.audiotechnology.com/PDF/TUTORIALS/ON_THE_BENCH/AT65_ON_THE_BENCH.pdf |title=On the Bench #65 |author=Rob Squire |publisher=AudioTechnology |date=Jul 18, 2018}}</ref> The eyewear and fashion wear company [[Oakley, Inc.]] also frequently denotes the material used for many of their eyeglass nosepieces and earpieces, which has the unusual property of increasing tackiness and thus grip when wet, as unobtanium.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cyclingnews.com/features/oakley-cycling-sunglasses/ |title=Oakley Cycling Sunglasses |author= Graham Cottingham |date=Jun 21, 2019 |publisher=Cycling News}}</ref>

By 2010, the term had been used in mainstream news reports to describe the commercially useful [[rare-earth metals|rare earth elements]] (particularly [[terbium]], [[erbium]], [[dysprosium]], [[yttrium]], and [[neodymium]]), which are essential to the performance of consumer electronics and [[green technology]], but whose projected demand far outstrips their current supply.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna39268884 |title=Boeing launches search for crucial rare earth elements |publisher=NBC |date=Sep 20, 2010 |author=Jeremy Hsu}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/03/congress-holds-hearings-on-unobtainium/ |title=Congress Holds Hearings on Unobtainium |publisher=[[wired (magazine)|wired.com]] |access-date=2010-06-04 |last=Hodge |first=Nathan |quote=[[House Committee on Science and Technology|The House Committee on Science and Technology]]'s investigations and oversight panel is holding a hearing today on rare-earth metal supplies, focusing on [[China]]'s near-monopoly on the stuff. |date=2010-03-16 }}</ref><ref name="Kosich2010">{{cite web |url=http://www.proactiveinvestors.com/companies/news/3617/the-rare-earth-revolution-has-investors-stampeding-3617.html |title=The Rare Earth Revolution has investors stampeding |date=2010-01-13 |quote=Metals analyst Christopher Ecclestone suggests the hunt for Unobtainium storyline reminds him 'of some of the talk surrounding Rare Earths (REE) these days' |publisher=Mineweb |access-date=2010-06-04 |last=Kosich |first=Dorothy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201135754/http://www.proactiveinvestors.com/companies/news/3617/the-rare-earth-revolution-has-investors-stampeding-3617.html |archive-date=2014-02-01 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

There have been repeated attempts to attribute the name to a real material. [[Space elevator]] research has long used "unobtainium" to describe a material with the necessary characteristics,<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Arnold |first1= James R. |last2= Thompson |first2= William B. |year=1992 |title=Advanced propulsion for LEO-Moon transport: II. Tether configurations in the LEO-Moon system: The Role of "Unobtainium" |journal= Nasa. Johnson Space Center, the Second Conference on Lunar Bases and Space Activities of the 21st Century, Volume 1 |publisher=Lunar and Planetary Institute |page=57 |bibcode=1992lbsa.conf...55A |url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19930008232 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/elevator_update_020819.html |title=Going Up? Private Group Begins Work on Space Elevator |website=[[Space.com]] |access-date=2010-05-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100406030118/http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/elevator_update_020819.html |archive-date=2010-04-06 }}</ref> but [[carbon nanotube]]s might have these characteristics.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://psmag.com/environment/building-elevator-space-65396 |title=BUILDING AN ELEVATOR TO SPACE |author=DAVID APPELL |date=Jun 14, 2017 |newspaper=Pacific Standard}}</ref>

==Science fiction==
[[File:Unobtainium.PNG|thumb|A piece of the valuable "unobtanium" from ''Avatar'']]
Unobtainium was mentioned briefly in David Brin's 1983 book ''[[Startide Rising]]'',<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brin |first=David |url=http://archive.org/details/startiderising00brin/page/95/mode/2up?view=theater |title=Startide Rising |date=1983 |publisher=Toronto ; New York : Bantam |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-553-23495-4 |pages=95}}</ref> as a material that could be used in making weapons<ref>{{Cite web |title=Elementary, My Dear Watson |url=https://ansible.uk/sfx/sfx194.html |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=ansible.uk}}</ref> and comprising 1% of the core of one of the [[exomoon]]s of the Kthsemenee system.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Unobtainium by David Brin from Startide Rising |url=http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/content.asp?Bnum=3939 |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=www.technovelgy.com}}</ref>

Unobtainium is briefly mentioned in Wil McCarthy's ''[[The Collapsium]]'' (2000), where a programmable quantum-technology material called "wellstone" can simulate any conceivable element, including "imaginary substances like unobtainium, impossibilium, and rainbow [[kryptonite]]".<ref>{{Cite web |title=SFE: Unobtainium |url=https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/unobtainium |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=sf-encyclopedia.com}}</ref>

In the 2003 film ''[[The Core]]'',<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-mar-28-et-turan28-story.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203015954/http://articles.latimes.com/2003/mar/28/entertainment/et-turan28 | archive-date=2013-12-03 | title=At its center, 'The Core' is a fun ride - Los Angeles Times | website=[[Los Angeles Times]] | url-status=live | date=28 March 2003 }}</ref> "Unobtainium" is the nickname of a 37-syllable long tungsten-titanium crystal alloy developed by Dr. Edward "Braz" Brazzelton that is able to absorb the extreme pressure and heat of the [[Internal structure of Earth|Earth's molten core]] and then convert these into usable energy; it's used in building the super resistant outer shell of the ship ''Virgil''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 7, 2023 |title=What scientists love and lament when Hollywood journeys to Earth's core |url=https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1171384933 |website=NPR Short Wave}}</ref>

In the 2009 film ''[[Avatar (2009 film)|Avatar]]'', Unobtanium is the common name of a rare-earth mineral found exclusively on the [[exomoon]] Pandora, highly prized (and priced) because of its application as a powerful superconductor material.<ref>{{cite book |last=Wilhelm |first=Maria |url=https://archive.org/details/avatarconfidenti00mari/page/4 |title=James Cameron's Avatar: A Confidential Report on the Biological and Social History of Pandora |author2=Dirk Mathison |date=November 2009 |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |isbn=978-0-06-189675-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/avatarconfidenti00mari/page/4 4] |url-access=registration}}</ref> Because of its unusual magnetic properties, entire mountains with high concentrations of unobtanium levitate in the atmosphere of Pandora.

== Similar terms ==
The term {{not a typo|eludium}} has been used to describe a material which has "eluded" attempts to develop it, with the variant spelling illudium derived from "illusion". This was mentioned in several [[Looney Tunes]] cartoons, where [[Marvin the Martian]] tried (unsuccessfully) to use his "Eludium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator" to blow up the Earth.<ref>Differences of opinion exist regarding the correct pronunciation; Chuck Jones rendered the modulator's name as Q-36 in print in ''Chuck Amuck : The Life and Times of an Animated Cartoonist'' (New York: Farrar Straus & Giroux, 1989; {{ISBN|0-374-12348-9}}), p. 213</ref>

Another largely synonymous term is wishalloy,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4221/ch8.htm |title= NASA SP-4221: The Space Shuttle Decision – NASA's Search for a Reusable Space Vehicle |first=Thomas A. |last=Heppenheimer |year=1999 }} Chapter 8</ref> although the sense is often subtly different in that a wishalloy usually does not exist at all, whereas unobtainium may merely be unavailable.

A similar conceptual material in [[alchemy]] is the [[philosopher's stone]], a mythical substance with the ability to turn [[lead]] into [[gold]], or bestow [[immortality]] and [[youth]]. While the search to find such a substance was not successful, it did lead to discovery of a new element: [[phosphorus]].<ref>[http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,690450-2,00.html "Experts Warn of Impending Phosphorus Crisis"], by Hilmar Schmundt, ''[[Der Spiegel|Spiegel]]'', 21 April 2010</ref>

In [[architecture]], the term ''renderite'' has been used to describe the use of unrealistic materials in concept renders.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cityofmadison.com/parks/documents/projects/LMW%20Survey%20Write-In%20Comments%20-%20Attachment%20A%2004-06-23.pdf |title=Lake Mononoa Waterfront Design Challenge |publisher=cityofmadison.com |date=2024-12-12}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of fictional elements, materials, isotopes and subatomic particles]]
* [[Materials science in science fiction]]
* [[Dysprosium]], a real element whose name means "hard to get"
* ''[[Stuck with Hackett]]'', a TV show which uses the term "obtainium" for found materials to be repurposed

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{wiktionary|unobtainium|unobtanium}}
* [http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-uno1.htm World Wide Words — Unobtanium]
* [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Unobtainium TV Tropes - Unobtainium]

[[Category:Fictional materials]]
[[Category:Placeholder names]]
[[Category:Avatar (franchise)]]

[[hu:Unobtainium#Unobtanium az Avatarban]]