| CMMR IN 2 MINUTES |
| What is CMMR? |
CMMR is the Center for Microgravity and Materials Research, located in the Research Institute Building at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. CMMR was established in 1986 along with several other Centers. All Centers report to the University's Vice President for Research. Professor Franz Rosenberger was the first CMMR director, until his retirement in 1998.
The Center is a major research unit of the University and employs full-time research scientists and engineers along with supporting administrative and technicial staff, and graduate students from various academic departments.
Center equipment and instruments are valued in the multimillion dollar range. Computer laboratories have two servers and several workstations with free access to the Alabama Supercomputer Network's Cray C94A, and outstanding graphics and post-processing capabilities. There is a fully equipped protein purification and characterization laboratory; mass spectroscopy and atomic absorption spectroscopy instrumentation, static and dynamic light scattering equipment and a Fourier Transfer Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR). Also there are atomic force and high-resolution optical microscopes with dedicated image processing computers; high-temperature crystal growth and heat-treatment furnaces. The crystal growth equipment includes: one high pressure (up to 150 atm) 23-zone Mellen furnace, one low pressure multizone Mellen furnace; two Czochralski crystal pullers with 75 KW resistance and 50 KW inductive power supplies and two high temperature platinum furnaces for Bridgman growth. And jointly operated with the Marshall Space Flight Center, there is an X-ray microscopy facility.
The University of Alabama in Huntsville is adjacent to the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army Missile Command, and the U.S. Army Strategic Defense Command, as well as over fifty aerospace and high technology industries.
Personnel at the CMMR perform research on a variety of materials science related problems. In many of our research areas one question that is asked is how do gravity-related phenomena affect these results.
The goal of the Center for Microgravity and Materials Research is to provide a sound theoretical and experimental basis for the optimal use of low-gravity conditions for materials processing and fundamental scientific investigations. In support of this goal scientists from multiple disciplines work together to solve research problems, see Research Areas.
| Is the CMMR related to space? |
Yes, many of our experiments need to be performed in a microgravity environment. In 1997, a Liquid Metal Diffusion (LMD) experiment was flown aboard the Priroda module on the NASA 4 / Mir 5 mission increment. At present, the CMMR is involved in three flight investigations in definition stage.