Microgravity

Angie Jackman, a NASA project manager in microgravity research, explains a model of a dendrite to a visitor to the NASA exhibit at AirVenture 2000 sponsored by the Experimental Aircraft Association in Oshkosh, WI. The model depicts microscopic dendrites that grow as molten metals solidify. NASA sponsored three experiments aboard the Space Shuttle that used the microgravity environment to study the formation of large (1 to 4 mm) dendrites without Earth's gravity disrupting their growth. Three advanced follow-on experiments, managed by Jackman, are being developed for the International Space Station (ISS).