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Physical Sciences Program

NASA’s experiments in the various disciplines of physical science, reveal how physical systems respond to the near absence of gravity.

Learn More about Physical Sciences Program

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Flammability of Materials on the Moon

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Solid Fuel Ignition and Extnction

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Flammability Limits At Reduced-g Experiment

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Zero Boil-Off Tank Experiment-NC

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Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment

NASA’s experiments in the various disciplines of physical science, reveal how physical systems respond to the near absence of gravity. They also reveal how other forces that on Earth are small compared to gravity, can dominate system behavior in space. The International Space Station (ISS) is an orbiting laboratory that provides an ideal facility to conduct long-duration experiments in the near absence of gravity and allows continuous and interactive research similar to Earth-based laboratories. This enables scientists to pursue innovations and discoveries not currently achievable by other means. NASA’s Physical Sciences Research Program also benefits from collaborations with several of the ISS international partners—Europe, Russia, Japan, and Canada—and foreign governments with space programs, such as France, Germany and Italy. The scale of this research enterprise promises new possibilities in the physical sciences, some of which are already being realized both in the form of innovations for space exploration and in new ways to improve the quality of life on Earth.

Microgravity Research at Glenn

Explore more about the Physical Sciences Program at Glenn Research Center.

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Combustion Science

Combustion processes remain among the most poorly controlled phenomena, yet have a significant impact on human health, comfort and safety.

Light Microscopy Microscope Experiment

Fluid Science

A fluid is any material that flows in response to an applied force; thus, both liquids and gases are fluids. Nearly all life support processes, environmental and biological, take place in the fluid phase.

Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti swaps research samples

Soft Matter

Soft matter refers to a class of materials that can be easily deformed by external forces such as thermal or mechanical stress.

Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) Passive Experiment Container 3 (PEC 3), a rectangular box with samples of different materials is connected to the outside of the station.

Other Sciences

Learn about other science and research being conducted at Glenn Research Center.

Acceleration Measurements

Providing a quiescent microgravity, or low-gravity, environment for fundamental scientific research is one of the major goals of the International Space Station program. This apparent weightlessness is created as the Space Station circles and falls around Earth, and the continuous free fall simulates the absence of gravity.

Thrusters firing on the International Space Station.
Thrusters firing on the International Space Station (ISS)
ESA/NASA

Latest Physical Sciences News

Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet.

Tissue Chips Accurately Model Organs in Space
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The International Space Station offers a unique microgravity environment where cells outside the human body behave similarly to how they…

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Astronauts Have First Taste of Peppers Grown in Space
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Astronauts Have First Taste of Peppers Grown in Space.

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It Looks Like Spring Aboard the Space Station
1 min read

Four pepper plants growing in the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) aboard the International Space Station have sprouted several flowers in…

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