Freed from gravity, metals reveal their mysteries
Taking advantage of low-gravity experiments aboard NASA's space shuttle, researchers are starting to sort out confounding factors that determine how metals mix and solidify.
References:
1998. NASA researchers gather in Huntsville, Ala., to discuss discoveries from space shuttle mission. Conference on NASA’s First Microgravity Science laboratory. August. Huntsville.
1998. Testing the metal of the future, NASA researchers to gather in Huntsville, Ala., for advanced materials conference. NASA Press Release. July.
Koss, M.B., M.E. Glicksman, et al. 1998. Comparison of dendritic growth in pivalic acid and succinontrile under microgravity and terrestrial gravity conditions. Meeting of the Aerospace Sciences. January. Reno.
Further Readings:
Glicksman, M.E., M.B. Koss, and E.A. Winsa. 1995. The chronology of a microgravity spaceflight experiment: IDGE. Journal of Minerals, Metals, & Materials Society 47(August):49.
Lipkin, R. 1994. Metal dendrites sprout in microgravity. Science News 146(Dec. 3):375.
Peterson, I. 1996. Campus control of crystal growth in space. Science News 149(March 16):165.
Sources:
Barry Andrews
University of Alabama, Birmingham
Department of Materials and Mechanical Engineering
Birmingham, AL 35294Sam R. Coriell
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Metallurgy Division
Gaithersburg, MD 20899Ivan Egry
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Institut für Raumsimulation
D-51170 Köln
GermanyMartin E. Glicksman
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Materials Science and Engineering Department
110 Eighth Street
Troy, NY 12180-3590David S. Lee
Liquidmetal Golf
Manufacturing Technology
27722 El Lazo
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677Jan R. Rogers
NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center
Mailstop Code ES76
Huntsville, AL 35812
From Science News, Vol. 154, No. 17, October 24, 1998,
p. 264.
Copyright Ó 1998 by Science Service.
10/24/98
copyright 1998 ScienceService
