PURPOSE OF MICAST SERIES OF EXPERIMENTS WAS TO DIRECTIONALLY SOLIDIFY PRIMARY DENDRITE ARRAYS ALONG DIRECTION IN AN AL-7 WT SI ALLOY ON INTERNATIONAL SPACESTATION IN THE ABSENCE OF NATURAL CONVECTION AND COMPARE THE PRIMARY DENDRITE SPACING WITH THOSE SOLIDIFIED ON EARTH IN THE PRESENCE OF CONVECTION. THESE SAMPLES WEREDIRECTIONALLY SOLIDIFIED IN ALUMINA CRUCIBLES USING THE EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY SAMPLE CARTRIDGE ASSEMBLY INSERTS IN THE LOW GRADIENT FURNACE IN THE MATERIALS SCIENCE LAB. THE MICAST2-12 SAMPLE WAS GROWN AT 40 S-1 AT APPROXIMATELY 32 K CM-1 THERMAL GRADIENT. X-RAY RADIOGRAPHY OF THE SAMPLE/ CRUCIBLE/SCA ASSEMBLY AT NASA-MSFC INDICATED THE POSSIBILITY THAT THIS SAMPLE HAD SURFACE POROSITIES WHICH MAY BE THERE BECAUSE OF MELT-CRUCIBLE REACTION OR DUE TO DETACHMENT OF MELT FROM THE CRUCIBLE INNER WALL. THIS UNEXPECTED OBSERVATION FORCED THE SAMPLE CHARACTERIZATION AT CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY TO SLOW DOWN IN ORDER TO CAREFULLY CATALOGUE THE EXACT LOCATIONS OF SUCH FAULTS IN THREE DIMENSIONAL SPACE BEFORE MAKING ANY TRANSVERSE CUTS OF THE MICAST2-12. SINCE THE SAMPLE WAS RECEIVED AT CSU ONLY LATE SUMMER 2015 BECAUSE OF UNEXPECTED DELAYS BY ESA AND WE WERE IMMEDIATELY CHALLENGED WITH THE PROBLEMS OF HAVING TO EXPLORE WHERE/HOW OBSERVED SURFACE VOIDS WERE FORMING (IN ADDITION TO COMPLICATIONS FROM SAMPLE REACTIONS WITH THE ALUMINA CRUCIBLE) THERE HAS BEEN ONLY LIMITED MICROSTRUCTURAL CHARACTERIZATION OF THIS SAMPLE CARRIED-OUT BY 12/31/2015.