Researching the physics of cooling liquid metals adds levity to Space Station
Thursday, November 20, 2014 - 17:30
in Physics & Chemistry
Sure, it's easy to say that research in microgravity is cool, but the European Space Agency's (ESA) new electromagnetic levitator brings new meaning to the word. A new ESA facility aboard the International Space Station will serve as a furnace capable of levitating and heating metals up to 3,632 degrees Fahrenheit. Having such a facility in microgravity will allow scientists to observe fundamental physical processes that occur as liquid metals cool.