Wonders of weightlessness
“It is weight that gives meaning to weightlessness.” — Isamu Noguchi
The idea of research in space is not new in today’s world and owing to its significant benefits, it is being used in several different sectors. This unique environment of micro-gravity enables and drives research in many areas that benefit humankind as a whole. As Kate Rubins, a NASA astronaut, and biologist, once said, “It’s like taking an entire world-class university and shrinking it down to the size of the space station,”.
On May 24, 1962, Project Mercury carried out the first-ever micro-gravity experiment, which was examined by scientists aboard the International Space Station. A fluid physics experiment was carried out to examine the surface tension and stability of a colored liquid by allowing a little amount of the liquid to flow within a glass tube.
Since the space program’s inception, more than 4000 experiments have been conducted in micro-gravity. It has allowed experiments from different fields including fundamental physics, Earth observation, and biomedical studies, to develop a better understanding and reach their desired results. It also assists a variety of industries, including the food, cosmetic, personal care, and pharmaceutical industries. These findings also provide information on the behavior of materials in space and how humans, animals, and plants respond to long-duration space missions.
As the space sector is anticipated to grow in the near future, it may be a good opportunity to link potential scientific work with it. In addition, it is anticipated that as the space economy grows, there will be a significant uptick in the development of new space goods and services. According to a report by Darıcı, Sefer & Yazici, Ayşe, Global investments in space institutions increased by 10.238,3 million US dollars between 2012 and 2017, which is a threefold increase over the 3.688.7 million US dollars invested between 2000 and 2012. This necessitates implementing several laws and market arrangements to promote market competition and innovation and open doors for government and business collaboration.
Many companies are now obtaining greater clarity about the discovery and development of new products utilizing micro-gravity conditions which helps to enhance the space economy. What seemed like a far-fetched opportunity to some businesses is now being made feasible and accessible by forward-thinking space companies. With constant technological advancements, these companies have paved some trailblazing paths for small and medium-sized businesses. CubeSat, a nano-satellite class, has proven to be a game changer by leading to lower-cost missions.
Since 1961, when Yuri Gagarin made the first manned space flight, several micro-gravity missions have been carried out resulting in life-changing discoveries, and we believe the exploration still has a lot to offer. Overall, the idea of manufacturing in micro-gravity space is fascinating, and we might witness its realization when improved “Made in Space” products start to appear on Earth.
