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Protein Crystal Growth: Earth vs Microgravity Simulator

Interactive microgravity-science simulator: grow a protein crystal in two side-by-side chambers — one under Earth gravity, one in orbital microgravity — and watch convection currents disturb and limit the Earth crystal while pure diffusion lets the microgravity crystal grow larger, smoother and more defect-free, with a live size/defect/diffraction-quality comparison.

Space & Astronomy3DModerate60 FPS💧 Water 🌍 Earth

Two identical protein solutions nucleate and grow a crystal side by side — one under Earth's gravity, one in orbital microgravity aboard the ISS. On Earth, buoyancy-driven convection currents constantly disturb the growth front, trapping impurities and capping how large and ordered the lattice can become; in orbit, with no convection or sedimentation, molecules reach the crystal by pure diffusion, producing a larger, smoother, lower-defect crystal. Toggle between the two chambers, start the time-lapse, and watch the live defect-vs-size chart and final diffraction-quality comparison show exactly why some crystals are worth growing off-world.

⚙ Under the hood

Grow a protein crystal in two side-by-side chambers from the same solution — one under Earth gravity, one in orbital microgravity aboard the ISS. On Earth, buoyancy-driven convection currents constantly disturb the growth front, trapping impurities and capping the crystal's size and order; in orbit, with no convection or sedimentation, molecules reach the lattice by pure diffusion, producing a larger, smoother, lower-defect crystal essential for sharp X-ray diffraction. Watch the live defect-vs-size chart and final diffraction-quality comparison.

protein crystallizationmicrogravityISSX-ray crystallographyconvectiondiffusioncrystal growthThree.js3D

3D · Three.js / WebGL renderer · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install