What might prevent metal “blowing” and other forms of shaping from working if gravity was not a factor? Let’s handwave-ignore the extremes of temperature as it relates to techniques and the present primitive space habitats and craft.

Is it possible to suspend a pool of molten metal, with a tube inside, spin while adding a gas to shape a container, and form more complex shapes through additional heat cycles in a repeatable process?

  • Mayor Poopington@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Sure, but temperature is useless in a vacuum. The heat has nowhere to go. There is some ambient radiation in space, but not enough. Temperature regulation is a serious thing for astronauts.

    • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
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      1 month ago

      Things still do cool in shaded space, though, it just takes longer. The James Webb took like a month or two to get down to cryogenic IIRC.

      I have a feeling OP was worried about gravity, which isn’t usually helpful here, but isn’t actually a dealbreaker. Glass is heavy too.