Space Fibers

iss059e034721 (4/23/2019) --- Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut David Saint-Jacques is photographed in front of the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) during the installation of the Space Fibers experiment hardware into the MSG work volume. Manufacturing Fiber Optic Cable in Microgravity (Space Fibers) evaluates a method for producing fiber optic cable from a blend of zirconium, barium, lanthanum, sodium and aluminum, called ZBLAN, in space. ZBLAN produces glass one hundred times more transparent than silica-based glass, exceptional for fiber optics. Microgravity suppresses two mechanisms that commonly degrade fiber, and previous studies showed improved properties in fiber drawn in microgravity compared to that fabricated on the ground.