Developing New Materials With Space Science

Scientists at the European Space Agency are using techniques inspired by their experience with outer space to make new and better products here on Earth. Certain compounds and alloys which are not normally viable can be made in different ways once forces such as gravity are removed from the equation. From BBC News: "The near absence of gravity (microgravity) has a profound influence on the way molten metals come together to form intermetallics and 'standard' alloys. With no 'up' and 'down' in the space environment, a melt doesn't rise and sink as it would at the planet's surface and that means solidification can turn out very differently. 'Gravity induces a lot of segregation of the elements,' explains IMPRESS scientist Dr Guillaume Reinhart. 'For instance, tantalum and niobium are heavy atoms and in doing the solidification process on the ground, they will segregate in different places and produce a very heterogeneous material. If you do this in microgravity, you obtain a very homogenous material because you prevent separation; and you have a much more efficient material, mechanically.'"

The problem with corporations

[Bragador]

Scientists at the European Space Agency are using techniques inspired by their experience with outer space.

And this is why companies should understand that science projects that are for the betterment of mankind and for the improvement of human knowledge are long term investments.

The problem is that the goal of corporations is to make a lot of profit in the short term. Rare are the corporations that are planning their growth in the long term. They plan for the coming years, not the coming 25 years.

After all, where could useless theoritical research from imbeciles that live in their heads like James Clerk Maxwell possibly lead us? Surely if you don't see an application at the time, the research is a waste of time...

Single Crystal Superalloys?

[mebollocks]

Haven't single crystal superalloy tech already solved the problems caused by gravity and metallurgy? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superalloy [wikipedia.org] I don't know, just asking...

Re:Incentive for Commercial Space Exploration

[vandelais]

Exactly. Pure science will always have its backers, but if you can convince politicians by connecting the dots between pure science and applied science you can convince a few more to lead. Stuff like this is only an earmark or two away from tenability.

Even if you can make a hypothesis that connects pure science to applied science ONLY IN THEORY, that can be the leash tug that results in real advancement.

Re:Why use space?

[Fëanáro]

Terminal velocity can be overcome by generating a partial vacuum in the tower, and by accelerating the falling cabin downwards past terminal velocity, on some sort of rail system.

I think there is one free-fall tower for scientific experiments that does both of these already but I do not remember where I read that.

The short duration of freefall for any realistic height for a tower remains thought

Re:Single Crystal Superalloys?

[mebollocks]

Oops, I mean "The desired properties are homogeneity."