Space

Russia and Materials Science

The materials science program in the USSR/CIS dates back to the first electron-beam welding experiments conducted on board Soyuz 6 in 1969. However, the experimental and pilot production activities have been underway in earnest since the launching of the Salyut 5 space station in 1976. Today, the Mir space station is the focal point of such operations with a wide assortment of electric furnaces and other devices and with the added benefit of crew participation. One of the primary objectives of the Kristall module, attached to Mir in 1990, was to support microgravity experiments.