International Space Station Commander Chris Hadfield works with the Coarsening of Solids in Liquid Mixtures-3 investigation in the Microgravity Science Glovebox. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. manages and operates the glovebox. The coarsening study was developed and designed by Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and was successfully installed in the glovebox on March 3. The Marshall Center and Glenn Center, along with Johnson Space Center in Houston worked to get the investigation ready for work in the glovebox after it arrived at the station aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on March 1. The study examines the growth and solidification of lead-based liquids that contain small amounts of tin. It will give scientists a better understanding of how time and temperature control the growth of tiny particles that resemble microscopic “whiskers” called dendrites that can grow within certain metals. The way these particles grow, which is called coarsening, can cause materials to be strengthened or weakened. By understanding how these dendrites grow, scientists may find ways to produce a wide range of new materials that can be used in everything from automobiles to space applications. The samples were returned to Earth March 26 aboard the Dragon and will go to Glenn Research Center for testing and analysis.
Credit: NASA.