• The researchers said they employed a process called ball milling to vigorously shake ordinary ice together with steel balls in a container cooled to minus-328 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-200 degrees Celsius). This yielded what they called "medium-density amorphous ice," or MDA.
  • Virtually all ice on Earth exists in its familiar crystalline form - think of the ice cubes in your lemonade. But amorphous ice is by far the most common form of water in space.
  • Ball milling is used in industries to grind or blend materials. The researchers used the technique to make about 3 ounces (8 grams) of the new ice, keeping some of it in cold storage.