Materials Science in Space


. - Welcome to the European Space Agency's - Learning Zone for Materials Science in Space . For many years, ESA has been supporting research projects in materials science and offering flight opportunities to researchers who intend to investigate some specific physical phenomena in weightlessness, or more precisely under microgravity conditions. Sadly, these types of experiments are not very well known or understood by those not directly involved. .... Our aim is therefore to provide a learning zone, which will give school students, undergraduates, university researchers and professional scientists in industry and government the opportunity to follow the valuable scientific research being carried out in the area of Materials Science in Space. By explaining scientific concepts in a clear and rational manner, it is our belief that the contents of most pages will also be intelligible to a more general non-specialist audience. The website has been formatted in such a way that it not only provides an introduction to the field of Materials Science in Space, but also offers more in-depth scientific descriptions of the various ESA-coordinated projects. The introduction section here will guide you through a number of important concepts, such as... Materials Science - What is materials science ? How does it affect our lives ? Gravity - What is gravity ? What is microgravity and how can we achieve it ? Materials Science in Space - What physical phenomena are influenced by gravity ? Why perform materials science experiments in space ? Industrial Benefits - How can companies benefit from this type of research ?