The International Space Station (ISS) orbits Earth at about 5 miles per second. Its facilities, along with everything inside—including astronauts—are exposed not only to Earth’s gravitational field but also to the gravitational influence of other massive objects, such as the Moon, Sun, and planets. However, these external forces are much weaker than Earth’s gravity.
The ISS seems to have no gravity because its orbital speed creates the appearance of a lateral force and centripetal acceleration, which balance Earth’s gravitational pull. If the ISS stopped moving or slowed significantly, it would fall toward Earth’s center of mass. However, its current speed keeps it in free fall. An object orbiting another is in perpetual free fall, never colliding with the larger body. This applies to the ISS relative to Earth, the Moon relative to Earth, and Earth relative to the Sun.
Microgravity Favors Innovation in Semiconductor Materials
Astronomical objects orbit larger, more massive ones, perpetually falling toward them while their lateral motion balances gravitational pull. This equilibrium creates the effect of weightlessness—what experts call microgravity.
Microgravity enables groundbreaking scientific experimentation. The ISS serves as a laboratory for diverse fields, including biology, materials engineering, physics, pharmacology, and medicine. In this environment, scientists study how weightlessness impacts fluids, exotic alloys, and the development of new materials.
Microgravity allows scientists to manipulate the atomic structure of materials with great precision.
In materials development—particularly semiconductors—microgravity allows precise atomic manipulation without convection, currents, and other interactions that introduce impurities. This advantage is exactly what U.S.-based Axiom Space seeks to leverage. In November, Axiom Space executives met with Taiwanese integrated circuit manufacturers to explore moving semiconductor material production to space. The company, which currently conducts missions to the ISS, plans to use low Earth orbit facilities to produce semiconductor materials with unprecedented properties.
Producing advanced semiconductors on Earth presents challenges. Gravity causes defects in the crystal structure during wafer fabrication, and impurities can be introduced by the atmosphere and processing containers. Microgravity eliminates these issues, offering a cleaner and more precise manufacturing environment. Whether Axiom Space’s ambitious project will succeed remains to be seen, but the potential for innovation in space is immense.
Image | NASA
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