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|  | | | | | | | | ASERO-G experiment | |
What experiments can be undertaken?
The overwhelming influence of gravity on any process on Earth makes microgravity a subject of the highest interest in many topics. By reducing the effect of gravity it is possible to investigate other parameters or processes that are difficult to study in the presence of gravity. Examples of research topics that benefit very much from research in microgravity include:
- Fluid physics: dynamics, change of phase, films, interfaces, bubbles and droplets, etc.
- Chemistry and biochemistry: proteins, chemical patterns, etc.
- Biology: organic compounds, seeds, bioprocessing, etc.
- Material sciences: alloys, foams, granular systems and porous media, composites, etc.
- Heat transfer: evaporation, condensation, convection, conduction, etc.
- Astrophysics: cosmic dust, plasmas, planet formation, etc.
| | | Preparing the experiment for Zero-G |
Technical constraints
While defining their projects, applicants should keep in mind the following constraints that apply to the experiments:
- No medical experiments involving human subjects will be accepted.
- No potentially highly energetic or dangerous experiment will be accepted. Requirements include: Biosafety Level 1 as a maximum; no high voltage; no toxic, radioactive, extremely flammable or explosive components; no extreme temperatures (liquid: max 49°C, material: max 60°C); limited pressure and volume (pressure x volume < 4 bar.litres); no extreme magnetic field; lasers of class 3B as a maximum.
- The experiments should not take up an area of more than 2 x 2 m approximately.
- The set up of all electrical equipment should be carried out by a professional electrician (all pieces of equipment should be COTS: Commercial Off The Shelf) with CE certifications.
- The mechanical set up should be prepared by a professional workshop technician.
Examples of past experiments
Here are some examples of experiments performed by students during past Parabolic Flight opportunities. Some of these led to publication of a paper and presentation to international conferences:
- Viscous fingering in porous media: the objective was to study how gases expand in a three-dimensional, liquid-filled porous media. This has important applications in oil recovery, where one injects carbon dioxide into oil reservoirs in order to expel more oil into the pumps. The fragmentation of the air with varying g was also studied.
- Cavity implosion at spherical free surfaces in microgravity: The “cavitation” phenomenon (violent implosion of small vapour cavities in turbulent flows) is a major concern in turbo-machine engineering, since it causes strong vibrations, serious efficiency loss and erosion damage. The goal was to investigate cavity implosion and microjet formation next to a spherical free surface of water.
- Ferrofluids: magnetisation and motion. A ferrofluid is a solution of magnetic particles in a colloidal suspension whose flow can be controlled by magnetic fields. The unique properties of a ferrofluid - a stable liquid that responds to magnetic attraction - make it useful in devices where fluid properties and resistance to gravity are needed, such as rotary seals in disk drives for computers, dampers for audio speakers, and many more. The goal of the proposed experiment was the characterisation of a ferrofluid that was left on its own under 0g conditions and a comparison with the results of the same experiment under 1g conditions.
- Catalytic RNA: Ribozymes are catalytically active RNA molecules. In the presence of Mg2+, these molecules fold into the active 3-dimensional structure to perform catalysis, i.e. cleavage of a substrate RNA. The experiment investigated the hypotheses that the folding process to the native structure proceeds faster to completion in microgravity than on Earth, and that misfolding is reduced and a larger population of molecules reaches the active state in microgravity.
Many other examples of experiments can be found in the Erasmus Experiment Archive.
Please note that the conditions detailed above are subject to change without prior notice.
Last update: 2 September 2009 | |
| | More information Fly Your Thesis! - an astronaut experienceMicrogravity and parabolic flightsEligibility criteriaSchedule 2009 campaignSchedule 2010 campaignList of documentsHow to applyQuestions and contact detailsFly your thesis trailerDocuments Terms and conditionsMedical requirementsRules and guidelinesTemplate of letter of intentExperiment safety data package2010 campaign posterRelated news 12 teams selected for next stage of ESA’s ‘Fly your Thesis!’ 2010 programmeFly your Thesis! 2010 call for proposalsFour student teams selected to fly their theses!16 teams selected for next stage of ESA’s ‘Fly your Thesis!’ programmeFly your Thesis! - An Astronaut ExperienceRelated links A300 Zero-G ESA Human Spaceflight users websiteNovespaceErasmus Experiment ArchiveELGRARegister for ESA Education projects 
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