A space ant fires its lasers

ESA - Herschel Mission patch.

16 May 2018

A rare phenomenon connected to the death of a star has been discovered in observations made by ESA’s Herschel space observatory: an unusual laser emission from the spectacular Ant Nebula, which suggests the presence of a double star system hidden at its heart.

When low- to middleweight stars like our Sun approach the end of their lives they eventually become dense, white dwarf stars. In the process, they cast off their outer layers of gas and dust into space, creating a kaleidoscope of intricate patterns known as a planetary nebula.

Ant Nebula

The infrared Herschel observations have shown that the dramatic demise of the central star in the core of the Ant Nebula is even more theatrical than implied by its colourful appearance in visible images – such as those taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. As revealed by the new data, the Ant Nebula also beams intense laser emission from its core.

While lasers in everyday life today might mean special visual effects in music concerts, in space, focused emission is detected at different wavelengths under specific conditions. Only a few of these space infrared lasers are known.

Stellar evolution

By coincidence, astronomer Donald Menzel who first observed and classified this particular planetary nebula in the 1920s (it is officially known as Menzel 3 after him) was also one of the first to suggest that in certain conditions natural ‘light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation’ – from which the acronym ‘laser’ derives – could occur in gaseous nebulae. This was well before the discovery and first successful operation of lasers in laboratories in 1960, an occasion which is now celebrated annually on 16 May as International Day of Light.

“When we observe Menzel 3, we see an amazingly intricate structure made up of ionized gas, but we cannot see the object in its centre producing this pattern,” says Isabel Aleman, lead author of a paper describing the new results.

“Thanks to the sensitivity and wide wavelength range of the Herschel observatory, we detected a very rare type of emission called hydrogen recombination line laser emission, which provided a way to reveal the nebula’s structure and physical conditions.”

Herschel infrared observatory

This kind of laser emission needs very dense gas close to the star. Comparison of the observations with models found that the density of the laser-emitting gas is around ten thousand times higher than that of the gas seen in typical planetary nebulae and in the lobes of the Ant Nebula itself.

Normally, the region close to the dead star – close in this case being about the distance of Saturn from the Sun – is quite empty, because most of its material is ejected outwards. Any lingering gas would soon fall back onto it.

“The only way to keep gas close to the star is if it is orbiting around it in a disc,” says co-author Albert Zijlstra. “In this case, we have actually observed a dense disc in the very centre that is seen approximately edge-on. This orientation helps to amplify the laser signal. The disc suggests the white dwarf has a binary companion, because it is hard to get the ejected gas to go into orbit unless a companion star deflects it in the right direction.”

Herschel in the cleanroom

Astronomers have not yet seen the expected second star, but they think that the mass from the dying companion star is being ejected and then captured by the compact central star of the original planetary nebula, producing the disc where the laser emission is produced.

“We used Herschel to characterise various components of gas and dust in nebula around old stars, but we were not necessarily looking for a laser phenomenon,” adds Toshiya Ueta, principal investigator of the Herschel Planetary Nebula Survey project. “Such emission has only been identified in a handful of objects before; this was a remarkable discovery that we did not anticipate. There is certainly more to stellar nebulae than meets the eye!”

“This study suggests that the distinctive Ant Nebula as we see it today was created by the complex nature of a binary star system, which influences the shape, chemical properties, and evolution in these final stages of a star’s life,” says Göran Pilbratt, ESA’s Herschel project scientist.

“Herschel offered the perfect observing capabilities to detect this extraordinary laser in the Ant Nebula. The findings will help constrain the conditions under which this phenomenon occurs, and help us to refine our models of stellar evolution. It is also a happy conclusion that the Herschel mission was able to connect together Menzel’s two discoveries from almost a century ago.”

Notes for editors:

“Herschel Planetary Nebula Survey (HerPlaNS): Hydrogen Recombination Laser Lines in Mz 3” by I. Aleman et al is accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: https://academic.oup.com/mnras/advance-article/doi/10.1093/mnras/sty966/4996370

The Herschel space observatory operated between 2009 and 2013.

Herschel: ESA's giant infrared observatory: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Herschel

Herschel overview: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Herschel_overview

Herschel on YouTube:

Inside Herschel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9_VBKn8Jq4&feature=PlayList&p=CD471914889C152B&index=1

Herschel mission objectives: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyEpV1_CH4w&feature=PlayList&p=CD471914889C152B&index=5

Images, Text, Credits: ESA/Markus Bauer/Göran Pilbratt/University of Manchester/University of Hong Kong/Albert Zijlstra/University of Denver/Toshiya Ueta/University of Sao Paulo/Isabel Aleman/NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA).

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

A Pale Blue Dot, As Seen by a CubeSat

NASA - Mars Cube One (MarCO) A & B CubeSats patch.

May 15, 2018

Image above: The first image captured by one of NASA's Mars Cube One (MarCO) CubeSats. The image, which shows both the CubeSat's unfolded high-gain antenna at right and the Earth and its moon in the center, was acquired by MarCO-B on May 9. Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

NASA's Voyager 1 took a classic portrait of Earth from several billion miles away in 1990. Now a class of tiny, boxy spacecraft, known as CubeSats, have just taken their own version of a “pale blue dot” image, capturing Earth and its moon in one shot.

NASA set a new distance record for CubeSats on May 8 when a pair of CubeSats called Mars Cube One (MarCO) reached 621,371 miles (1 million kilometers) from Earth. One of the CubeSats, called MarCO-B (and affectionately known as "Wall-E" to the MarCO team) used a fisheye camera to snap its first photo on May 9. That photo is part of the process used by the engineering team to confirm the spacecraft's high-gain antenna has properly unfolded.

As a bonus, it captured Earth and its moon as tiny specks floating in space.

"Consider it our homage to Voyager," said Andy Klesh, MarCO's chief engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. JPL built the CubeSats and leads the MarCO mission. "CubeSats have never gone this far into space before, so it's a big milestone. Both our CubeSats are healthy and functioning properly. We're looking forward to seeing them travel even farther."

The MarCO spacecraft are the first CubeSats ever launched to deep space. Most never go beyond Earth orbit; they generally stay below 497 miles (800 kilometers) above the planet. Though they were originally developed to teach university students about satellites, CubeSats are now a major commercial technology, providing data on everything from shipping routes to environmental changes.

Image above: An artist’s rendering of the twin Mars Cube One (MarCO) spacecraft as they fly through deep space. Image credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

The MarCO CubeSats were launched on May 5 along with NASA's InSight lander, a spacecraft that will touch down on Mars and study the planet's deep interior for the first time. InSight, short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, will attempt to land on Mars on Nov. 26. JPL also leads the InSight mission.

Mars landings are notoriously challenging due to the Red Planet's thin atmosphere. The MarCO CubeSats will follow along behind InSight during its cruise to Mars. Should they make it all the way to Mars, they will radio back data about InSight while it enters the atmosphere and descends to the planet's surface. The high-gain antennas are key to that effort; the MarCO team have early confirmation that the antennas have successfully deployed, but will continue to test them in the weeks ahead.

InSight won't rely on the MarCO mission for data relay. That job will fall to NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. But the MarCOs could be a pathfinder so that future missions can "bring their own relay" to Mars. They could also demonstrate a number of experimental technologies, including their antennas, radios and propulsion systems, which will allow CubeSats to collect science in the future.

Later this month, the MarCOs will attempt the first trajectory correction maneuvers ever performed by CubeSats. This maneuver lets them steer towards Mars, blazing a trail for CubeSats to come.

Related article:

Atlas V Lifts Off Carrying InSight Mission
http://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.ch/2018/05/atlas-v-lifts-off-carrying-insight.html

For more information about MarCO, visit: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cubesat/missions/marco.php

Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Tony Greicius/JPL/Andrew Good.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Cygnus Checks and Final Preps Before Wednesday’s Spacewalk

ISS - Expedition 55 Mission patch.

May 15, 2018

Two NASA astronauts are finalizing their preparations ahead of Wednesday morning’s spacewalk to swap thermal control gear outside the International Space Station. The Expedition 55 crew also worked on biomedical operations, radiation checks and Cygnus communications gear.

Image above: The Rio de la Plata and the Atlantic coasts of Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil are pictured from the International Space Station. Image Credit: NASA.

Flight Engineers Ricky Arnold and Drew Feustel checked their tools and reviewed their procedures one last time today before tomorrow’s spacewalk. The pair will work for about 6.5 hours swapping a pair of thermal control devices, known as Pump Flow Control Subassemblies, which control the circulation of ammonia keeping external station systems cool.

The veteran spacewalkers will set their spacesuit batteries to internal power Wednesday at about 8:10 a.m. EDT signaling the official start of the 210th spacewalk in space station history. NASA TV will begin its live broadcast of the activities beginning at 6:30 a.m.

International Space Station (ISS). Image Credit: NASA

Science and maintenance are always ongoing aboard the orbital lab even despite the spacewalk and cargo mission readiness activities. Feustel and Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai collected their biological samples this morning and stowed them in a science freezer for later analysis. Cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev explored cardiac bioelectric activity at rest. Commander Anton Shkaplerov collected radiation measurements from dosimeters he retrieved from the orbital lab’s U.S. segment.

Orbital ATK is getting its Cygnus space freighter ready for launch Sunday at 5:04 a.m. to deliver science, supplies and hardware to the Expedition 55 crew. Astronaut Scott Tingle checked out command and communications gear that will be used when Cygnus arrives four days later on Thursday for capture at 5:20 a.m.

Related links:

Orbital ATK: https://www.nasa.gov/orbital

NASA TV: https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

Expedition 55: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition55/index.html

Space Station Research and Technology: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/index.html

International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Mark Garcia.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Tiny Satellite's First Global Map of Ice Clouds

ISS - International Space Station patch.

May 15, 2018

Looking at Earth from the International Space Station, astronauts see big, white clouds spreading across the planet. They cannot distinguish a gray rain cloud from a puffy white cloud. While satellites can see through many clouds and estimate the liquid precipitation they hold, they can’t see the smaller ice particles that create enormous rain clouds.

During a Year in Orbit, IceCube Created a New Map of Earth's Clouds

Video above: Although it was only designed to last three months, the tiny CubeSat known as IceCube has been orbiting Earth for a full year, collecting data on a hard-to-study type of cloud. In that time, IceCube has created a global map of these ice clouds around the planet, which could someday help improve models and forecasts. Video Credits: NASA Goddard/Katy Mersmann.

An experimental small satellite has filled this void and captured the first global picture of the small frozen particles inside clouds, normally called ice clouds.

Deployed from the space station in May 2017, IceCube is testing instruments for their ability to make space-based measurements of the small, frozen crystals that make up ice clouds. “Heavy downpours originate from ice clouds,” said Dong Wu, IceCube principal investigator at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Ice clouds start as tiny particles high in the atmosphere. Absorbing moisture, the ice crystals grow and become heavier, causing them to fall to lower altitudes. Eventually, the particles get so heavy, they fall and melt to form rain drops. The ice crystals may also just stay in the air.

Like other clouds, ice clouds affect Earth’s energy budget by either reflecting or absorbing the Sun’s energy and by affecting the emission of heat from Earth into space. Thus, ice clouds are key variables in weather and climate models.

This is a three-month average of ice clouds. The brightest peak areas represent the largest concentration of ice clouds. They are also the spots with heavy precipitation beneath. They reach up to the top of the troposphere from deep convection, which is normally strongest in the tropics.

Image above: The bread loaf-sized IceCube was deployed from the International Space Station in May. One month later, it began science operations gathering global data about atmospheric ice clouds in the submillimeter wavelengths. Image Credit: NASA.

Measuring atmospheric ice on a global scale remains highly uncertain because satellites have been unable to detect the amount of small ice particles inside the clouds, as these particles are too opaque for infrared and visible sensors to penetrate. To overcome that limitation, IceCube was outfitted with a submillimeter radiometer that bridges the missing sensitivity between infrared and microwave wavelengths.

Despite weighing only 10 pounds and being about size of a loaf of bread, IceCube is a bona fide spacecraft, complete with three-axis attitude control, deployable solar arrays and a deployable UHF communications antenna. The CubeSat spins around its axis, like a plate spinning on a pole. It points at Earth to take a measurement then looks at the cold space to calibrate.

Originally a 30-day technology-demonstration mission, IceCube is still fully operational in low-Earth orbit almost a year later, measuring ice clouds and providing data that's "good enough to do some real science," Wu said.

"The hard part about developing the CubeSat is making the commercial parts durable in space," said Tom Johnson, Goddard’s Small Satellite manager stationed at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. ”We bought commercial components for IceCube and spent a lot of time testing the components making sure each part worked."

Image above: IceCube has created a global map of these ice clouds around the planet, which could someday help improve models and forecasts. Image Credits: NASA Goddard/ Jennifer Brill.

Over the past year, engineers tested the satellite’s limits while on orbit. They wanted to see if the instrument's batteries stored enough power to run 24 hours. IceCube charges its batteries when the Sun shines on its solar arrays. During the test, safeguards prevented the satellite from losing all its power and ending the mission; however, the test was successful. The batteries operated the IceCube all night and recharged during the day. This change made the CubeSat more valuable for science data collection.

While the IceCube team planned for the mission to operate for 30 days in space, “It does not cost very much to keep it going,” Johnson said, “so we extended the mission due to the outstanding science that IceCube is performing. We download data eight to 10 times a week. Even if we miss a week, the CubeSat can hold a couple of weeks of data.”

Johnson says he is not surprised by how long IceCube has lasted. “It will last about a year, when it will reenter Earth’s atmosphere and burn up in.”

The IceCube team built the spacecraft using funding from NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office’s (ESTO) In-Space Validation of Earth Science Technologies (InVEST) program and NASA’s Science Mission Directorate CubeSat Initiative.

Small satellites, including CubeSats, are playing an increasingly larger role in exploration, technology demonstration, scientific research and educational investigations at NASA. They have been used in planetary space exploration, fundamental Earth and space science, and developing precursor science instruments like cutting-edge laser communications, satellite-to-satellite communications and autonomous movement capabilities.

Related article:

NASA’s Small Spacecraft Produces First 883-Gigahertz Global Ice-Cloud Map
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/nasa-s-small-spacecraft-produces-first-883-gigahertz-global-ice-cloud-map

Related links:

CubeSats: http://www.nasa.gov/cubesats/

Small satellites: https://www.nasa.gov/smallsats

Science Instruments: https://www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/science-instruments/index.html

International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Images (mentioned), Video (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Sara Blumberg/Goddard Space Flight Center, by Rani Gran.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Science Launching to Space Station Looks Forward and Back

NASA / Orbital ATK - Cygnus OA-9 Mission patch.

May 15, 2018

Image above: Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft approach Canadarm2 to be grapped. Image Credit: NASA.

Some of the earliest human explorers used mechanical tools called sextants to navigate vast oceans and discover new lands. Today, high-tech tools navigate microscopic DNA to discover previously unidentified organisms. Scientists aboard the International Space Station soon will have both types of tools at their disposal.

Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled to launch its ninth contracted cargo resupply mission to the space station no earlier than May 20. Science and research delivered by the spacecraft includes a test of centuries-old sextant navigation and forward-thinking work advancing the orbiting lab’s ability to support cutting-edge molecular research and its commercial capabilities.

For centuries, sailors navigated with sextants, which have an optical sight to take precise angle measurements from land or sea. NASA’s Gemini missions conducted the first sextant sightings from a spacecraft, and designers built a sextant into Apollo vehicles as a lost-communications navigation backup. Jim Lovell demonstrated on Apollo 8 that sextant navigation could return a space vehicle home.

Image above: The Cold Atom Lab (CAL) is a new facility that will create a spot ten billion times colder than the vacuum of space, and could help us answer some of the biggest questions in physics. Image Credits: NASA/iGoal Animation.

The Sextant Navigation investigation tests use of a hand-held sextant for emergency navigation on missions in deep space as humans begin to travel farther from Earth. The ability to sight angles between the moon or planets and stars offers crews another option to find their way home if communications and main computers are compromised.

“No need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to celestial navigation,” says principal investigator Greg Holt. “We want a robust, mechanical back-up with as few parts and as little need for power as possible to get you back home safely.”

The remoteness and constrained resources of living in space require simple but effective processes and procedures to monitor the presence of microbial life, some of which might be harmful.

Biomolecule Extraction and Sequencing Technology (BEST) advances the use of sequencing processes to identify microbes aboard the space station that current methods cannot detect and to assess mutations in the microbial genome that may be due to spaceflight.

Genes in Space 3 performed in-flight identification of bacteria on the station for the first time. BEST takes that one step farther, says principal investigator Sarah Wallace, identifying unknown microbial organisms using a process that sequences directly from a sample with minimal preparation, rather than with the traditional technique that requires growing a culture from the sample. “That way, we can identify microbes that cannot be detected using traditional culturing methods, and we aren’t increasing the number of potential pathogens that might be present on the station,” Wallace explains.

Adding these new processes to the proven technology opens new avenues for inflight research, such as how microorganisms on the station change or adapt to spaceflight.

Image above: NASA astronaut Alexander Gerst learns how to use a sextant. “I learned how to navigate after the stars using a sextant,” said Gerst. “It’s actually a test for a backup nav method for #Orion & future deep space missions.” Image Credit: NASA.

“With small modifications to our process, you can pretty much do any type of sequencing on the station,” says Wallace. “Until now, we had to bring samples back to the ground to see these changes. We know gene expression changes, but freezing a sample and bringing it back to the ground could result in alterations that not caused by the spaceflight environment. If we could look at it while on the station, it might look very different. There is so much to be gained from that real-time snapshot of gene expression. I think it will be key to a lot of research.”

The investigation’s sequencing components provide important information on the station’s microbial occupants, including which organisms are present and how they respond to the spaceflight environment -- insight that could help protect humans during future space exploration. Knowledge gained from BEST could also provide new ways to monitor the presence of microbes in remote locations on Earth.

Image above: Biomolecule Extraction and Sequencing Technology (BEST) seeks to advance use of sequencing in space via three objectives: identifying microbes aboard the space station that current methods cannot detect, assessing microbial mutations in the genome because of spaceflight, and performing direct RNA sequencing. Image Credit: NASA.

Moving on to science at a scale even smaller than a microbe, the new Cold Atom Lab (CAL) facility could help answer some big questions in modern physics. CAL creates a temperature ten billion times colder than the vacuum of space, then uses lasers and magnetic forces to slow down atoms until they are almost motionless. CAL makes it possible to observe these ultra-cold atoms for much longer in the microgravity environment on the space station than would be possible on the ground. Results of this research could potentially lead to a number of improved technologies, including sensors, quantum computers and atomic clocks used in spacecraft navigation.

The International Commercial Experiment, or ICE Cubes Service, tests and commissions the first European commercial system to increase access to this unique lab. A partnership between the European Space Agency (ESA) and Space Application Services (SpaceAps), ICE Cubes uses a sliding framework permanently installed in the Columbus module and “plug-and-play” Experiment Cubes. The Experiment Cubes are easy to install and remove, come in different sizes and can be built with commercial off-the-shelf components, significantly reducing the cost and time to develop experiments.

“The idea is to provide fast, direct and affordable access to space for research, technology and education for any organization or customer,” says Hilde Stenuit of SpaceAps, which designed and developed the facility and made it flight-ready.

ICE Cubes removes barriers that limit access to space, providing more people access to flight opportunities. Potential fields of research range from pharmaceutical development to experiments on stem cells, radiation, and microbiology, fluid sciences, and more.

Related links:

Sextant Navigation: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7646

Biomolecule Extraction and Sequencing Technology (BEST): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7687

Genes in Space 3: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7448

ICE Cubes Service: http://www.icecubesservice.com/

Commercial Resupply: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/launch/index.html

Spot the Station: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/

Space Station Research and Technology: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/index.html

International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Michael Johnson/JSC/Melissa Gaskill.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

A Sunny Day

NASA - Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) patch.

May 15, 2018

Each and every day NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) observes our Sun and relays observational data to scientists on Earth in an effort to understand the causes of solar variability and its impacts on Earth. SDO is helping researchers understand the Sun's influence on Earth and Near-Earth space by studying the solar atmosphere on small scales of space and time and in many wavelengths simultaneously.

SDO's goal is to understand, driving towards a predictive capability, the solar variations that influence life on Earth and humanity's technological systems by determining how the Sun's magnetic field is generated and structured, and also how this stored magnetic energy is converted and released into the heliosphere and geospace in the form of solar wind, energetic particles, and variations in the solar irradiance.

This image of the Sun was taken on May 15, 2018, by SDO. See other images from today's SDO observations: https://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/

SDO (Solar Dynamics Observatory): http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sdo/main/index.html

Image, Text, Credits: NASA/Yvette Smith/Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO).

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Investigation seeks to create self-assembling materials

ISS - International Space Station logo.

May 15, 2018

Particles of self-assembling materials. Image Credit: NASA

As we travel farther into space, clever solutions to problems like engine part malfunctions and other possible mishaps will be a vital part of the planning process. 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is an emerging technology that may be used to custom-create mission-critical parts. An integral piece of this process is understanding how particle shape, size distribution and packing behavior affect the manufacturing process.

The Advanced Colloids Experiment-Temperature-7 investigation (ACE-T-7) aboard the International Space Station explores the feasibility of creating self-assembling microscopic particles for use in the manufacturing of materials during spaceflight. These microscopic particles come together like building blocks to create materials with tailored nanostructures, giving scientists the ability to change the behavioral properties of a material according to a set of instructions embedded within the particle.

Image above: NASA astronaut Scott Tingle works within the Light Microscopy Module (LMM), the facility in which ACE-T-7 will take place. Image Credit: NASA.

The ability for materials to self-assemble, and potentially self-repair following a breakdown, will be a key element as we head to deep space destinations, where bringing along extra engine parts and other necessary items may not be an option because of storage limitations aboard the spacecraft.

“You’re going to have to take along powders and colloids comprised of shape- and size-specific microscopic particles that fit together different ways; then a machine can use these novel materials to make replacement parts so people can survive and fix things,” said Paul Chaikin, the investigation’s primary investigator and a professor of physics at New York University.

Animation above: NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold works within the Light Microscopy Module (LMM). Animation Credit: NASA.

Using different forms of energy as “control knobs,” scientists could embed a code at the nano-level of a material, giving it different instructions for various conditions. In the case of ACE-T-7, researchers are manipulating temperature to control the assembly and interactions of the particles. Suspended in a fluid medium, these particles are designed to bind to one another in specific ways to form 3D crystals when exposed to high or low temperatures.

“At one temperature, one crystallization phase is favored and at another, another crystallization phase is favored,” said New York University’s Stefano Sacanna, one of the project’s co-investigators. “Essentially temperature is an external stimuli to guide and help the particles bind in the right fashion. It is one way for us to guide them or control their assembly.”

This process is not much different from how living things are made in nature – building blocks that are strung together, behaving according to their genetic code.

Animation above: Researchers are manipulating temperature to control the assembly and interactions of the particles. Suspended in a fluid medium, these particles are designed to bind to one another in specific ways to form 3D crystals when exposed to high or low temperatures. Animation Credits: NASA/iGoal Animation.

“We try to understand the self-assembly of matter and potentially use this as a way to manufacture new materials,” said Sacanna.

On Earth, the force of gravity pulls all of the crystals to the bottom of the container, not allowing for observation. The microgravity environment of the space station allows researchers to observe how the crystals are growing, as well as separate the effects of gravity on the investigation.

“In the microgravity environment, the force on the particles is almost a million times smaller, so they will remain suspended in the fluid medium, and 3D crystals can be grown and observed without the damaging effects of sedimentation,” said New York University’s Andrew Hollingsworth, the one of the project’s co-investigators.

Investigation Seeks to Create Self-Assembling Materials

An increased understanding of how all of these particles interact together will help researchers bring this science to Earth in the form of additive manufacturing, in an effort to create evolvable materials with optimal properties.

This investigation was sponsored by the Space Life and Physical Sciences Research and Applications Division (SLPSRA) at NASA Headquarters in Washington. 

Related links:

Advanced Colloids Experiment-Temperature-7 investigation (ACE-T-7): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1708

Space Life and Physical Sciences Research and Applications Division (SLPSRA): https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/slpsra

Spot the Station: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/

Space Station Research and Technology: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/index.html

International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Images (mentioned), Animations (mentioned), Video, Text, Credits: NASA/Michael Johnson/JSC/Jenny Howard.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch