ESA – Electromagnetic Levitator turns ten

Serving to to disclose the core physics at play in supplies science, the Electromagnetic Levitator (EML) is a furnace in ESA’s Columbus laboratory that may soften metals by heating them as much as 2200 °C. Scientists can then observe the samples in a molten state, or whereas solidifying in weightlessness as they cool quickly. On Earth, this course of is influenced by gravity and the pattern’s contact with the partitions of the furnace.

The fifth and final Automated Switch Car introduced EML to the Worldwide House Station in the summertime of 2014. ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst put in the ability throughout his Blue Dot mission and EML has been internet hosting science experiments ever since.

A short historical past

The electromagnetic levitation know-how has been examined utilizing low gravity platforms because the Nineteen Eighties, first on parabolic flights and sounding rockets after which on Spacelab, Europe’s laboratory on the House Shuttle. These platforms supplied growing quantities of time in decreased gravity to materials scientists and the Worldwide House Station was the subsequent logical step.

EML was despatched to the Station in 2014; attributable to its dimension, the module needed to be separated into totally different parts previous to launch, a few of them the dimensions of washing machines. Alexander Gerst needed to assemble EML contained in the Columbus module. Throughout this process, a bolt grew to become lodged; he improvised by sawing by the screw, cleverly utilizing shaving foam to include steel particles throughout the microgravity surroundings.

“Putting in the Electromagnetic Levitator introduced sure challenges, however with nice teamwork between house and floor groups, a bit of ‘McGyver-ing’ and a fairly uncommon device we overcame all of them. Switching it on was a giant second for me. It is nice to see this facility nonetheless going sturdy, exploring steel alloys for the applied sciences of tomorrow,” says ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst.

Co-developed by ESA and the German House Company (DLR), designed, assembled and examined by European trade led by Airbus Defence and House, EML has now been in operation for a decade, commanded from the Microgravity Consumer Help Heart (MUSC) in Cologne, Germany.

Science time

The analysis goals to higher perceive the properties of supplies on the very small scale to assemble exact fashions of how these supplies behave on the bigger scale.

EML helps scientists examine the solidification processes of supplies resembling alloys, blends of supplies chosen to supply the perfect attributed of their components. This improved understanding of supplies may result in optimisations throughout the manufacturing trade, from the creation of recent and extra environment friendly supplies to refining casting processes resembling 3D printing.

These supplies science research will be carried out on Earth, however EML is especially helpful because it permits scientists to review samples with the least doable interference, from both gravity or the fabric’s contact with its environment. Scientists from all around the world can profit from these particular situations. Each few years, a batch of 18 samples is chosen to fly to the Station, the place an astronaut hundreds them into EML on a revolver-like carousel. The microgravity furnace processes every pattern and data the fabric and fluid behaviour with a high-speed digicam and numerous sensors, earlier than sending the information to MUSC and science groups.

 “Being a supplies scientist myself, the great Electromagnetic Levitator was very near my coronary heart. When a gasoline circulation pump wanted to get replaced throughout my Cosmic Kiss mission, I fortunately took on the duty to maintain this wonderful facility operating,” shares ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer.

EML has already been in use for a decade and was designed to work for a number of extra years. Within the final many years, over 700 publications have resulted from the experiment and its heritage, with a big majority showing in prime supplies science journals.

The experiment has enhanced scientists’ understanding of a large variety of materials, from aluminium and steel for construction purposes, and semiconductors crucial for modern electronics, to high-performance materials designed to endure extreme conditions, resembling turbine engines and titanium alloy hip replacements.

The journey continues

EML is presently working with its third batch of samples, with a fourth batch able to be despatched to the Station and a fifth batch being ready by scientists. A brand new module containing an oxygen management system for the instrument might be launched and put in by a crew member subsequent yr, permitting scientists to exactly measure and management the oxygen content material of the EML course of surroundings.

ESA is internet hosting an occasion on 22 Might to have fun the ten-year anniversary of EML with DLR and the scientific group utilizing the ability.