US INVESTIGATIONS IN MATERIALS SCIENCE ABOARD THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

摘要

The International Space Station (ISS) provides a platform for long duration low gravity materials experiments. Planned campaigns will investigate issues of continuing importance in materials science, in particular the prediction and control of microstructure and the factors determining nucleation and growth. Between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and its international partners, six joint flight investigations are currently in various stages of development from pre-proposal to launch planned in less than one year. Plans include the use of three hardware facilities developed by NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), the French Space Agency Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), and the German Aerospace Center Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR). Two of these facilities are planned for launch in July 2009 along with samples for two investigations sponsored jointly by NASA and an international partner. Two other investigations are planned in one of these facilities with samples planned to be aboard later launches. Looking further into the future, two United States investigators plan to join European colleagues in proposals to the planned 2009 ESA Announcement of Opportunity to use the third facility not yet scheduled for a specific launch date.