A wingtip vortex, associated with lift-induced drag generated by the plane’s wings. Photo via the NASA Langley Research Center.

A wingtip vortex, associated with lift-induced drag generated by the plane’s wings.

Photo via the NASA Langley Research Center.


NASA astronaut Don Pettit made thin sheets of ice aboard the International Space Station then put them under crossed polarizers. The polarized light reveals the crystalline structure of the ice.