Orbiter.ch Space News: Space Station Science Highlights: Week of June 1, 2020

vendredi 5 juin 2020

Space Station Science Highlights: Week of June 1, 2020

ISS - Expedition 63 Mission patch.

June 5, 2020

Scientific studies conducted on the International Space Station during the week of June 1 included research on clean flames and electrolytic gas evolution in microgravity. The week also brought the historic arrival of NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley aboard the Space-X Demo 2 Dragon spacecraft.

Image above: The SpaceX Crew Dragon, right center, approaches the International Space Station with astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken of NASA's Commercial Crew Program aboard just before docking to the Harmony module's forward International Docking Adapter. Image Credit: NASA.

Now in its 20th year of continuous human presence, the space station provides a platform for long-duration research in microgravity and for learning to live and work in space. NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, once again launching astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil, increases the crew-time available for science on the orbiting lab.

Here are details on some of the microgravity investigations currently taking place:

Moving fluids with bubbles

Image above: NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy sets up for the Electrolysis Measurement investigation, which examines the influence of gravity on electrolytic gas evolution. Image Credit: NASA.

Electrolytic Gas Evolution Under Microgravity (Electrolysis Measurement) examines the influence of gravity on electrolytic gas evolution. Electrolysis uses electrodes to pass an electric current through a substance and separate out gasses in the form of bubbles. The process can be used in microfluidic devices to produce oxygen in spacecraft and future human habitations on the Moon and Mars. On Earth, the technology could be used in patches used to deliver medication doses through the skin. Microgravity makes it possible to single out bubble growth and study its effect on the process. During the week, the crew set up and initiated the experiment.

Cleaner, more efficient flames

During the week, the crew made changes for different runs of the Structure and Response of Spherical Diffusion Flames (s-Flame) investigation. This experiment is part of the Advanced Combustion via Microgravity Experiments (ACME) project, a series of independent studies of gaseous flames performed in the station’s Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR). In particular, s-Flame advances prediction of the structure and dynamics of soot-free and sooty flames with the goal of improving fuel efficiency and reducing pollutants in routine fuel combustion activities on Earth. It also could contribute to better spacecraft fire prevention through innovative research focused on materials flammability.

Keeping an eye on upper-atmosphere lightning

Image above: The Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM), an ESA Earth observation facility on the exterior of the space station, studies severe thunderstorms and their role in the Earth’s atmosphere and climate. Image Credit: NASA.

Some investigations aboard the space station require little or no involvement by the crew, thanks to increasing automation and coordination with ground teams. One such investigation under way this week from the ESA (European Space Agency) is Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM), an Earth observation facility studying severe thunderstorms and their role in the Earth’s atmosphere and climate. Upper-atmospheric lightning, known as transient luminous events or terrestrial gamma-ray flashes, occurs well above the altitudes of normal lightning and storm clouds, and the space station’s low-Earth orbit provides an ideal platform for measuring them. ASIM collects data when an atmospheric event is detected or when an observation is planned ahead of time, and the start and duration are programmed by a team on the ground.

Related article:

Discovering the Inner Life of Lightning from the International Space Station
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2020/06/discovering-inner-life-of-lightning.html

Other investigations on which the crew performed work:

- Scientists are studying melting of materials in the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Electrostatic Levitation Furnace (ELF). Reactions between raw materials melted to make glass and metals and the crucible or container that holds them can cause imperfections. To prevent these reactions, scientists use static electricity to cause the materials to levitate or float, which is much easier in microgravity than on Earth.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1738

- Materials manufactured from liquid metal could revolutionize production of future spacecraft and other hardware. Round Robin, an investigation from JAXA, measures the properties of molten metals in microgravity to improve models of flow of liquids in manufacturing processes.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8016

- For The ISS Experience, astronauts film different aspects of crew life, execution of science and the international partnerships involved on the space station. Footage will be used to create a virtual reality series that gives audiences a tangible experience of the challenges of adapting to life in space, the work and science conducted on the space station and the human interaction between astronauts.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7877

- Hourglass, another JAXA investigation, examines the behavior under different gravity conditions of various granular materials that simulate regolith, a dust that covers the surface of planets and planetary-like bodies.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8007

Space to Ground: A New Endeavour: 06/05/2020