Overview of NASA's Microgravity Materials Program

The NASA Microgravity Materials Program currently funds 19 grants involving the development of experiments to be conducted on the International Space Station (ISS). These experiments are designed to utilize facilities built by partner agencies, primarily the European Space Agency. These facilities include furnace inserts to the Materials Science Research Rack, the Electro-Magnetic Levitator, and the Device for the study of Critical Liquids and Crystallization (DECLIC) facility. Projects are funded either through proposals responding to NASA announcements or unsolicited proposals associated with an international collaboration that is partially funded by a partner agency. An overview of the research content of the program, how potential investigations are solicited, reviewed and funded, and the operations of the ISS facilities is provided.