Microgravity

Sections of ZBLAN fibers pulled in a conventional 1-g process (right) and in experiments aboard NASA's KC-135 low-gravity aircraft (left). The rough surface of the 1-g fiber indicates surface defects that would scatter an optical signal and greatly degrade its quality. ZBLAN is part of the family of heavy-metal fluoride glasses (fluorine combined zirconium, barium, lanthanum, aluminum, and sodium). NASA is conducting research on pulling ZBLAN fibers in the low-g environment of space to prevent crystallization that limits ZBLAN's usefulness in optical fiber-based communications. ZBLAN is a heavy-metal fluoride glass that shows exceptional promise for high-throughput communications with infrared lasers. Photo credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center