{"id":237027,"date":"2025-06-17T23:10:39","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T13:10:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-383746"},"modified":"2025-06-17T23:10:39","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T13:10:39","slug":"a-researchers-guide-to-microgravity-materials-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=237027","title":{"rendered":"A Researcher\u2019s Guide to: Microgravity Materials Research"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\">\n<div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\">\n<div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\">\n<figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/np-2025-jsc-microgravity-materials-iss-mini-book-cover.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1366\" height=\"2048\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/np-2025-jsc-microgravity-materials-iss-mini-book-cover.jpg?w=1366\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"The cover of the Microgravity Materials Research Researcher&#039;s Guide, published June 2005. The cover image features the title of the book, and 3 images from a Scanning Electron Microscope.\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/np-2025-jsc-microgravity-materials-iss-mini-book-cover.jpg 1401w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/np-2025-jsc-microgravity-materials-iss-mini-book-cover.jpg?resize=200,300 200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/np-2025-jsc-microgravity-materials-iss-mini-book-cover.jpg?resize=768,1151 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/np-2025-jsc-microgravity-materials-iss-mini-book-cover.jpg?resize=683,1024 683w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/np-2025-jsc-microgravity-materials-iss-mini-book-cover.jpg?resize=1025,1536 1025w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/np-2025-jsc-microgravity-materials-iss-mini-book-cover.jpg?resize=1366,2048 1366w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/np-2025-jsc-microgravity-materials-iss-mini-book-cover.jpg?resize=267,400 267w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/np-2025-jsc-microgravity-materials-iss-mini-book-cover.jpg?resize=400,600 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/np-2025-jsc-microgravity-materials-iss-mini-book-cover.jpg?resize=600,900 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/np-2025-jsc-microgravity-materials-iss-mini-book-cover.jpg?resize=801,1200 801w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/np-2025-jsc-microgravity-materials-iss-mini-book-cover.jpg?resize=1334,2000 1334w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1366px) 100vw, 1366px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\">\n<div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">The book cover for the 2025 edition of the Microgravity Materials Research Researcher&#8217;s Guide<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>June 2025 Edition<\/p>\n<p>Most materials are formed from a partially or totally fluid sample, and the transport of heat and mass from the fluid into the solid during solidification inherently influences the formation of the material and its resultant properties. The ISS provides a long-duration microgravity environment for conducting experiments that enables researchers to examine the effects of heat and mass transport on materials processes in the near-absence of gravity-driven forces. The microgravity environment greatly reduces buoyancy-driven convection, hydrostatic pressure, and sedimentation. It can also be advantageous for designing experiments with reduced container interactions. The reduction in these gravity-related sources of heat and mass transport may be taken advantage of to determine how material processes and microstructure formation are affected by gravity-driven and gravity independent sources of heat and mass transfer.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Materials science experiments on the ISS have yielded broad and significant scientific advancements, including contributing to the development of improved mathematical models for predicting material properties during processing on Earth and enabling a better understanding of microstructure formation during solidification towards controlling the material properties of various alloys.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>This researcher\u2019s guide provides information on the acceleration environment of the space station and describes facilities available for materials research. Examples of previous microgravity materials research and descriptions of planned research are also provided.<\/p>\n<p>PDF readers: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/np-2025-jsc-microgravity-materials-iss-mini-book-final.pdf?emrc=5cbd59\">PDF<\/a> [4.3 MB]<\/p>\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-topic-cards nasa-gb-align-full maxw-full width-full padding-y-6 padding-x-3 color-mode-dark hds-module hds-module-full wp-block-nasa-blocks-topic-cards\">\n<div class=\"grid-container grid-container-block-lg padding-x-0\">\n<div class=\"grid-row flex-align-center margin-bottom-3\">\n<div class=\"desktop:grid-col-8 margin-bottom-2 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n<div class=\"label color-carbon-60 margin-bottom-2\">Keep Exploring<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"heading-36 line-height-sm\">Discover More Topics<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-row grid-gap-2 hds-topic-cards-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/international-space-station\/space-station-research-and-technology\/opportunities-information-for-researchers\/iss-researchers-guide-series\/\" class=\"mobile:grid-col-12 tablet:grid-col-6 desktop:grid-col-3 topic-card margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"hds-topic-card hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black\">\n<div class=\"skrim-overlay skrim-overlay-dark skrim-left mobile-skrim-top padding-3 display-flex flex-align-end flex-justify-start z-200\">\n<div>\n<p class=\"hds-topic-card-heading heading-29 color-spacesuit-white line-height-sm margin-top-0 margin-bottom-1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Station Researcher&#8217;s Guide Series<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><circle class=\"color-nasa-red\" cx=\"16\" cy=\"16\" r=\"16\"><\/circle><path d=\"M8 16.956h12.604l-3.844 4.106 1.252 1.338L24 16l-5.988-6.4-1.252 1.338 3.844 4.106H8v1.912z\" class=\"color-spacesuit-white\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1041\" height=\"781\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/img_3862.jpeg?w=1041\" class=\"attachment-1536x1536 size-1536x1536\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/img_3862.jpeg 1041w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/img_3862.jpeg?resize=300,225 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/img_3862.jpeg?resize=768,576 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/img_3862.jpeg?resize=1024,768 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/img_3862.jpeg?resize=400,300 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/img_3862.jpeg?resize=600,450 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/img_3862.jpeg?resize=900,675 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1041px) 100vw, 1041px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/international-space-station\/space-station-research-and-technology\/opportunities-information-for-researchers\/\" class=\"mobile:grid-col-12 tablet:grid-col-6 desktop:grid-col-3 topic-card margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"hds-topic-card hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black\">\n<div class=\"skrim-overlay skrim-overlay-dark skrim-left mobile-skrim-top padding-3 display-flex flex-align-end flex-justify-start z-200\">\n<div>\n<p class=\"hds-topic-card-heading heading-29 color-spacesuit-white line-height-sm margin-top-0 margin-bottom-1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Opportunities and Information for Researchers<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><circle class=\"color-nasa-red\" cx=\"16\" cy=\"16\" r=\"16\"><\/circle><path d=\"M8 16.956h12.604l-3.844 4.106 1.252 1.338L24 16l-5.988-6.4-1.252 1.338 3.844 4.106H8v1.912z\" class=\"color-spacesuit-white\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ksc-20220711-ph-ilw01-0097-orig.jpeg?w=1536\" class=\"attachment-1536x1536 size-1536x1536\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ksc-20220711-ph-ilw01-0097-orig.jpeg 6720w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ksc-20220711-ph-ilw01-0097-orig.jpeg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ksc-20220711-ph-ilw01-0097-orig.jpeg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ksc-20220711-ph-ilw01-0097-orig.jpeg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ksc-20220711-ph-ilw01-0097-orig.jpeg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ksc-20220711-ph-ilw01-0097-orig.jpeg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ksc-20220711-ph-ilw01-0097-orig.jpeg?resize=400,267 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ksc-20220711-ph-ilw01-0097-orig.jpeg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ksc-20220711-ph-ilw01-0097-orig.jpeg?resize=900,600 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ksc-20220711-ph-ilw01-0097-orig.jpeg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ksc-20220711-ph-ilw01-0097-orig.jpeg?resize=2000,1333 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/international-space-station\/space-station-research-and-technology\/space-station-research-results\/\" class=\"mobile:grid-col-12 tablet:grid-col-6 desktop:grid-col-3 topic-card margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"hds-topic-card hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black\">\n<div class=\"skrim-overlay skrim-overlay-dark skrim-left mobile-skrim-top padding-3 display-flex flex-align-end flex-justify-start z-200\">\n<div>\n<p class=\"hds-topic-card-heading heading-29 color-spacesuit-white line-height-sm margin-top-0 margin-bottom-1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Space Station Research Results<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><circle class=\"color-nasa-red\" cx=\"16\" cy=\"16\" r=\"16\"><\/circle><path d=\"M8 16.956h12.604l-3.844 4.106 1.252 1.338L24 16l-5.988-6.4-1.252 1.338 3.844 4.106H8v1.912z\" class=\"color-spacesuit-white\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Radishes-in-the-APH-2.jpg?w=1536\" class=\"attachment-1536x1536 size-1536x1536\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Radishes-in-the-APH-2.jpg 6720w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Radishes-in-the-APH-2.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Radishes-in-the-APH-2.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Radishes-in-the-APH-2.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Radishes-in-the-APH-2.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Radishes-in-the-APH-2.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Radishes-in-the-APH-2.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Radishes-in-the-APH-2.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Radishes-in-the-APH-2.jpg?resize=900,600 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Radishes-in-the-APH-2.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Radishes-in-the-APH-2.jpg?resize=2000,1333 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/international-space-station\/space-station-research-and-technology\/latest-news-from-space-station-research\/\" class=\"mobile:grid-col-12 tablet:grid-col-6 desktop:grid-col-3 topic-card margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"hds-topic-card hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black\">\n<div class=\"skrim-overlay skrim-overlay-dark skrim-left mobile-skrim-top padding-3 display-flex flex-align-end flex-justify-start z-200\">\n<div>\n<p class=\"hds-topic-card-heading heading-29 color-spacesuit-white line-height-sm margin-top-0 margin-bottom-1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Latest News from Space Station Research<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><circle class=\"color-nasa-red\" cx=\"16\" cy=\"16\" r=\"16\"><\/circle><path d=\"M8 16.956h12.604l-3.844 4.106 1.252 1.338L24 16l-5.988-6.4-1.252 1.338 3.844 4.106H8v1.912z\" class=\"color-spacesuit-white\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1536\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/edu_iss066e135704_orig.jpg?w=1024\" class=\"attachment-1536x1536 size-1536x1536\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/edu_iss066e135704_orig.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/edu_iss066e135704_orig.jpg?resize=200,300 200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/edu_iss066e135704_orig.jpg?resize=768,1152 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/edu_iss066e135704_orig.jpg?resize=683,1024 683w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/edu_iss066e135704_orig.jpg?resize=1024,1536 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/edu_iss066e135704_orig.jpg?resize=267,400 267w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/edu_iss066e135704_orig.jpg?resize=400,600 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/edu_iss066e135704_orig.jpg?resize=600,900 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/edu_iss066e135704_orig.jpg?resize=800,1200 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>June 2025 Edition Most materials are formed from a partially or totally fluid sample, and the transport of heat and mass from the fluid into the solid during solidification inherently influences the formation of the material and its resultant properties. The ISS provides a long-duration microgravity environment for conducting experiments that enables researchers to examine [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":1,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17100,17099,15652],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-237027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-e-books","category-for-researchers","category-iss-research"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237027","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=237027"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237027\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":237747,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237027\/revisions\/237747"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=237027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=237027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=237027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}