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Scientists learn to build better metals by freezing alloys in space
Metals are full of microscopic structures that define properties like strength, but it's hard to figure out how those structures work on Earth, where gravity skews their effects. An experiment aboard the International Space Station may have solved that dilemma, however. By freezing alloys in the station's extra-low gravity, scientists tracked the growth of microstructures in a pure environment and revealed a wealth of data about how metal forms. For example, the structures sometimes "breathe" (really, ripple) as they grow -- if you're not careful when producing metal, those tiny shapes will either break or disappear altogether.
