{"id":601492,"date":"2026-07-24T05:29:25","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T05:29:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/601492\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T05:29:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T05:29:25","slug":"nasa-astronaut-grows-strange-space-crystals-on-international-space-station","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/601492\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA astronaut grows strange space crystals on International Space Station"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Don Pettit, a NASA astronaut aboard the International Space Station, conducted a science experiment growing potassium chloride crystals. The crystals developed an unusual structure not seen on Earth typically called “hopper growth”.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Being in space<\/a> means cool science experiments, and one such experiment conducted by a NASA<\/a> astronaut while he was aboard the International Space Station yielded interesting results.<\/p>\n

NASA astronaut Don Pettit shared photos and a video on his social media showing crystals made from potassium chloride, exhibiting “hopper growth,” which is a phenomenon that happens when in microgravity.<\/p>\n

NASA SAYS LONGTIME HIDDEN COMET MISTAKEN FOR ASTEROID COULD UNLOCK NEW METHODS FOR PLANETARY DEFENSE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The hopper crystals gaining their unique appearance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

(@astro_Pettit\/X \/ FOX Weather)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Potassium chloride is often used as a substitute for salt in foods and drinks.<\/p>\n

In microgravity, these crystals, which on Earth<\/a> would typically grow in an even, solid structure, actually grow faster on their outer edges than in the center, creating a step-like structure.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

A look at the hopper crystals under an electron microscope.<\/p>\n

(@astro_Pettit \/ FOX Weather)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Electron microscope photos of the crystals give a close-up view of their ornate formation, creating a C-shape in stepped crystals.<\/p>\n

Hopper growth can be seen in multiple different materials, not just potassium chloride. Other substances that can experience hopper growth include gold, bismuth, quartz and more.<\/p>\n

BUSY JULY KEEPS US COMMERCIAL SPACE LAUNCHES ON A RAPID PACE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Timelapse footage of the crystals in a water solution shows them gaining their unique structure.<\/p>\n

Pettit said that the crystalline structure reminded him of an inverted Mesoamerican pyramid.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

A look at the hopper crystals under an electron microscope.<\/p>\n

(@astro_Pettit \/ FOX Weather)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pettit returned to Earth in April 2025 after a seven-month mission on the International Space Station.<\/p>\n

NASA said during his time aboard the space station, Pettit did a lot of helpful work for NASA’s future missions.<\/p>\n

FIRST-KNOWN FOOT BONE OF A BABY T. REX FOUND STASHED IN PILE OF FOSSILS AFTER BEING MISTAKENLY IDENTIFIED<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

He also used his surroundings aboard the station to conduct unique experiments in his spare time and captivate the public with his photography, NASA said.<\/p>\n

\"Dec. <\/p>\n

iss072e350835 (Dec. 7, 2024) — NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Don Pettit points a camera outside a window on the International Space Station’s Poisk module for a sun photography session.<\/p>\n

Science experiments are a crucial part of the research astronauts do on the International Space Station. NASA itself calls ISS Earth’s “state-of-the-art orbiting laboratory.”<\/p>\n

HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

One of the main points of research for astronauts aboard ISS was growing protein crystals<\/a> and studying how their structure varied on Earth and in space.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Don Pettit, a NASA astronaut aboard the International Space Station, conducted a science experiment growing potassium chloride crystals.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":601493,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[77],"tags":[166340,18,19,17,1024,133,14001,17563,172982,65],"class_list":["post-601492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-earth-space","tag-eire","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-nasa","tag-science","tag-space-weather","tag-spaceflight","tag-stay22","tag-world"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116973310243624209","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=601492"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601492\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/601493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=601492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=601492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=601492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}