Agnirva Space Premier League - Expedition #30815: How Ice Behaves in Space: Exploring Freezing and Melting Dynamics in Microgravity

Imagine trying to freeze water or melt ice where there’s no gravity to pull things down—that’s the challenge astronauts faced with the 'Freezing and Melting Front Dynamics in Microgravity' experiment aboard the ISS. Developed by Space for Teachers and led by Laura Tomlin, this educational initiative investigates how the boundaries of freezing and melting shift when gravity is taken out of the equation.

Here on Earth, gravity drives how heat flows and how liquids and solids interact. But in microgravity, thermal processes work differently. This experiment allows students and researchers to observe how solidification fronts (freezing) and melting fronts move in conditions similar to those found on spacecraft or other planetary surfaces. For instance, heat doesn’t rise in space the same way it does on Earth, so how materials freeze or melt becomes an entirely new science.

Students engaged with this project by designing and interpreting data from the experiment, giving them a firsthand look at the real-world challenges faced in thermal engineering in space. These insights are essential not only for understanding basic physics but also for future missions that require freezing or melting—like fuel storage, life support systems, or even cooking in space.

The results contribute to our understanding of phase transitions and thermal transport in microgravity, providing valuable data for spacecraft design and planetary exploration.

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