22: NASA Astronaut Discusses Material Properties in Space (feat. Dr. Sandy Magnus)

Being an astronaut has been the dream of a generation of scientists and engineers. The International Space Station is home to remarkable experiments that could never be done on Earth. Understanding the behavior of materials under microgravity will determine the successes and failures of future space explorations.

Before we introduce today’s guest, check out our free professional development guide for materials scientists and engineers!

Today’s guest is Dr. Sandy Magnus, a former NASA astronaut and now a Professor of the Practice at Georgia Tech. In this episode, she discusses her experiences in space and how material properties differ in a microgravity environment vs. on Earth.

In this conversation, we discuss the following topics:

• Astronaut training and what space is like (5:23)
• The routine of a scientist in space (9:02)
• How fluids behave drastically different in zero gravity (11:30)
• Food in space: the danger of potato chips (15:17)
• The design and materials of a space shuttle  (19:26)
• The Columbia accident (25:24)
• Powering the International Space Station (30:06)
• Roadblocks on the way to Mars (36:21)
• 3D-printing in microgravity (44:25)

Reach out to Dr. Magnus: 

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-magnus-70754a16

Special thanks to our sponsor for this episode, Matmatch! Check out their vast database: www.matmatch.com

Join our Discord community! You can meet other passionate materials scientists and engineers from around the world, discuss the latest breakthroughs in MSE, share materials-related memes, and get career advice from experts in the field.

For shorter segments and full video podcasts, subscribe to our channel on YouTube. For bloopers, audiograms, and interesting materials science articles, follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Feel free to message us on our social media platforms if you have any feedback or recommendations for future episodes, or email us directly at itsamaterialworldpodcast@gmail.com. Finally, reach out to David Yeh and Punith Upadhya on LinkedIn if you'd like to chat about the latest breakthroughs in MSE!

 

Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed by either guests or hosts in this show are their own, and do not represent the opinions of the companies or organizations for which they are affiliated.