The International Space Station Micro Gravity a Tool for Industrial Research

8/7/2019 The International Space Station Micro Gravity a Tool for Industrial Research

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Microgravity:A Tool for

Industrial Research

Applied Research on the

International Space Station

>

The cylindrical drop

capsule of the ZARM

droptower in Bremen.

The cutaway picture

shows an experimental

setup to observe

combustion processes

performed effectively during short

microgravity periods, like those provided

in drop towers. However, mapping of the

parameter space requires long-duration

microgravity experiments, and several

experiment modules are presently available

for use in precursor sounding rocket

experiments. These activities are expected

to expand with the advent of the ISS.

Droplets are fuel-saturatedporous ceramic spheresDiameter: 5 mmPorosity: >80%

OH around an n-heptane flame in1g after subtraction of the non-resonance image

The detailed understanding of

underlying phenomena will be

essential in the advancement of design

codes for industrial combustion

processes.

OH-LIPF images of 1g and g

droplet flames
http://br136-1.pdf/http://br136-1.pdf/


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X-ray investigation of

teeth using greatly

reduced radiation dose

Materials for electronics such as CdTe andrelated compounds are used in highlysensitive detectors and photorefractivedevices. To date, these applications arelimited and expensive because of thedifficulties in routinely growing crystals ofsufficient quality.

CdTe-based X-ray and gamma-raydetectors have high potential in real timedental imaging or mammography,including 3-D tomography. This promises

faster and more reliable medicaldiagnosis, while exposing the patient tolower radiation doses. CdTe infrareddetectors enable high-resolution thermalimaging and high data rate opticaltelecommunication. In addition, thephotorefractive properties can beexploited for high-performance devices inoptical ultrasonic non-destructive testing.Today, the commercialisation of suchadvanced detection systems is impededby the difficulty in growing large CdTe

single crystals with the required quality.The melt growth method usuallyemployed for the production of CdTecrystals is the vertical Bridgmantechnique. Crucible contact contributes toincreasing the impurity content andgenerates extensive twinning. In addition,the stress induced by the crucible in amaterial with poor mechanical propertiesresults in very high dislocation densities sothat, eventually, the yield in terms of the

usable fraction of the crystal does notexceed 5%.

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Crystal Growth of Cadmium

Telluride (CdTe)

The application potential of CdTe has not been exploited

because of the difficulty in growing sufficiently large crystals

with the required quality.

Recent results of microgravity experiments have demonstrated

that new techniques can be employed to grow good quality

crystals

Growth of Cadmium

Telluride by the Markov

method


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Recent results of microgravity experimentshave demonstrated that new techniqueswith substantially improved yield can beenvisaged.

One microgravity technique is theprogressive detachment of the meltfrom the crucible during directionalsolidification. When the material solidifiesfrom a detached melt, its impurity contentis lower and no mechanical stress isinduced by the differential contraction ofthe crucible and the crystal duringcooling. As a result, the density of twins

and dislocations in the crystal is decreasedby several orders of magnitude. Laminarconvective flows can be imposed in themelt by applying a rotating magnetic fieldso as to minimise fluctuations at the solid-liquid interface and, thereby, enhance thehomogeneity of the crystal.

Another technique is growth from vapour.It takes place at significantly lowertemperatures and, in the case of semi-closed configurations, without touching

the walls of the growth ampoule.Nevertheless, there is compellingevidence that gravity-driven convectiveflow in the vapour phase has salienteffects on the compositional homogeneityof the crystals, particularly those withlarge dimensions. A thoroughunderstanding of the convective flow andof its coupling with the growth processwill permit major advances in optimisingCdTe crystal production.

Microgravity will help to validate and optimise the detached

growth process. To that end, experiments are already in

preparation.

Space experiments will be instrumental in validating models and

demonstrating the full potential of the vapour growth

technique for detector materials.

Cd (Te, Ga) crystal grown from vapour without wall

contact (5 cm diameter)

Three typical

ampoules shown

before integration into

the Automatic Mirror

Furnace (AMF) flown

during the long-

duration EURECA

mission.

Left: flight ampoule for

the growth of AgGaS2

using the TravellingHeater Method (THM)

Centre: flight ampoule

for the growth of InP

using THM. The three

parts of the sample

between the two

graphite plugs (dark)

can be seen. From top

to bottom; the source

material, the solvent

zone and the seed.

Right: the gold-plated

flight ampoule

provided the thermal

gradient suitable forcrystal growth in the

Bridgman

configuration


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Oil is one of the Earths greatest resources.Oil companies are working continuously toenhance oil recovery methods and todiscover new reservoirs. Moderngeophysical and geological explorationmethods allow detection of hydrocarbonreservoirs at depths of up to 7000 m.

Understanding fluid physics in crude oilreservoirs is a major challenge foroptimising exploitation. Present modellingmethods are based on pressure-temperatureequilibrium diagrams and on gravitydifferentiation. However, rising exploitationcosts are forcing oil companies to develop

improved models that more accuratelypredict reservoir production capabilities.Advanced models account for constituentconcentrations, and thus allow thedetermination, from the chemical analysis ofa probe taken from a reservoir, thereservoirs volume, its vertical extension andthe quality of its oil. However, thedevelopment of such models requiresprecise diffusion coefficients, which so farare not available because convective

motions and buoyancy affect theirmeasurement on Earth. This results ininaccurate forecasts.

The availability of accurate diffusioncoefficients allows the reliable prediction ofoil prospect specifications by numericalcodes. Such codes simulate laws that

describe the kinetics of pressure andtemperature-dependent physicochemicalprocesses that generate hydrocarbonmixtures from organic matter. Theconcentration distribution of constituents inthese hydrocarbon mixtures is driven mainlyby phase separation and diffusion causedby concentration differences andtemperature gradients.

The role of thermodiffusion (the Soret effect)

in petroleum reservoirs is not yet fullyunderstood. Numerical modellingneglecting thermodiffusion results in thepredicted vertical extension of a reservoir

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Enhancement of Oil Recovery

The reliable prediction of oil reservoir capacity and oil

composition enables oil companies to economically optimise

their exploitation techniques.

Two projects have been initiated dealing with the precisedetermination of mass transport in hydrocarbon mixtures:

Diffusion Coefficient for Crude Oil and Soret Coefficient for

Crude Oil.


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Getaway Special (GAS)

carrying the

experiments

being inaccurate to an order of 100 m,indicating the need to account forthermodiffusion.

As buoyancy and convection affect thedistribution of constituents in fluids undernormal gravity conditions, accuratecoefficients of pure diffusion can bemeasured only in microgravity. Several daysor even weeks are required for suchmeasurements. Consequently, ESA issponsoring two projects on the precisemeasurement of diffusion coefficients incrude oil mixtures. The relevance of the

projects is underlined by the activeparticipation of the European petroleumindustry.

In the first project an experiment aboard theUS Space Shuttle flew during June 1998(STS-91), during which among others the diffusion coefficients of various crude oiland hydrocarbon mixtures were measuredaccurately with a specific experimentalsetup. This experiment was housed in aGetaway Special canister, a low-cost

standardised payload container.

The second project aims to measureprecisely Soret diffusion coefficients of crudeoil mixtures, and considers temperaturegradients and pressure conditions as foundin oil reservoirs. Again a Getaway Specialcanister will be used, scheduled to fly inspring 2000.

Diffusion coefficients, measured

precisely in microgravity, will be used

in numerical codes to predict oil

reservoir capacities reliably.

Experimental arrangement of DCCO


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Biological macromolecules such asproteins, enzymes and viruses play a keyrole in the complex machinery of life.They possess active sites which makethem bind or interact with othermolecules in a very specific manner thatdetermines their biological function. Theyintervene in the regulation, reproductionand maintenance mechanisms of livingorganisms, and they can be the cause ofdiseases and disorders. Pharmaceuticaldrugs are molecules that inhibit the activesites of macromolecules and, in principle,are intended to affect only the targeted

macromolecule.

The vast majority of current drugs are theresult of systematic testing, first atmolecular level, then at a clinical level.This extensive process significantlyincreases the cost of the product.

With a detailed knowledge of the 3-Dstructure of a macromolecule, biochemistscan restrict the range of drugs to betested. Furthermore, with a rational drugdesign approach, one may attempt tosynthesise a drug targeted exclusively ona specific macromolecule. That means adrug will perfectly bind to themacromolecule and inhibit its biologicalfunction while remaining inert vis-a-visother macromolecules.

The 3-D structure of the macromoleculecan be discovered through the analysis of

crystals by X-ray diffraction: the diffractionpattern maps the structure of themolecules in the crystal. The better thequality of the crystal, the faster and themore accurate the determination of thestructure and the faster the identificationof a drug.

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Crystal Growth of Biological

Macromolecules

Crystals of a biological macromolecule enable researchers to

determine the structure of the macromolecule itself andunderstand its function.

Knowing the structure of a macromolecule permits a faster

selection of the appropriate drug, or the design of a new drug.

The lack of good quality crystals precludes the precise

determination of molecular structures with adequate precision.

This crystal of the membrane protein complex Photosystem I was grown in space

in ESAs Advanced Protein Crystallisation Facility (APCF). 4 mm in length, 1.5 mm in

diameter, it yielded the best data set ever obtained


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ACES is a programme to test theperformance of a new type of atomicclock that exploits and depends uponmicrogravity conditions. The project hasbeen approved to fly on the InternationalSpace Station as an external payload,starting in 2002 for a period of one and ahalf years.

In its European baseline configuration,ACES consists of the following keyelements:

- A laser-cooled atomic clock PHARAO

contributed by France,- A Hydrogen Maser contributed bySwitzerland,

- A laser link for optical transfer of timeand frequency contributed by France

- A microwave link for transfer of timeand frequency contributed by ESA

The caesium atom clock PHARAO useslaser cooling to reduce the velocity ofatoms to a few centimetres per second,which corresponds to a temperature ofabout 1 K. Under microgravity conditionsthe atoms remain at these low velocities,while on Earth they would increase theirspeed rapidly due to gravitationalacceleration when the lasers wereswitched off for signal interrogation.

The principle of the atomicclock

The principle of an atomic clock is to lockan oscillator to the atomic resonancefrequency0. Heisenbergs uncertaintyprinciple shows that the greater theinteraction time of the atoms with theradiation emitted by the oscillator, thenarrower the resonance.

Two key points determine the ultimateperformance of an atomic clock: a narrowresonance and a high signal-to-noise ratio.

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Atomic Clock Ensemble in

Space (ACES)

Fundamental Physics Experiments with ACES

New experiments testing General Relativity within the solar system.

Measure the Shapiro effect (the retardation of photons, in

the Suns gravitational field).

Measure the Einstein redshift to an accuracy of 10-6 i.e., an

improvement by a factor of 100 compared to existing

measurements.

Check the stability of some of the fundamental constants of

physics: assessing possible time-dependent drifts and/or

spatial effect.

Radio astronomy Improving the angular resolution when observing

remote stellar objects by Very Long Base Interferometry(VLBI).


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This atomic fountain

clock has been in

operation at the

Observatoire de Paris

since 1995, and has a

relative stability of

1.3x10-13 -1/2 (where

is the measurement

time in seconds). With

an accuracy of 2x10-15,

this is currently theworlds most accurate

clock.

ACES

An exemplary model of the synergy between Science and

Technology

A tool for improving knowledge of the interplay between

radiation and matter.

A tool for high-performance synchronisation of ground-

based clocks.

A testbed for a new generation of spaceborne atomic clocks.

A scientific cooperation project involving European and

international laboratories.

A project demonstrating the value of the International

Space Station as a testbed for advanced Research and

Technology

Navigation and positioning

New concepts for higher performance GPS systems.

Geodesy with millimetric precision.

Precise tracking of remote space probes.

Time and frequency metrology

Comparing and synchronising clocks over intercontinental

distances to an accuracy of 10-16.

Distributing the International Atomic Time with an accuracyof the order of 30 picoseconds, i.e. an improvement by a

factor of 100 compared to current GPS and GLONASS systems.

Laser cooling allows an interaction time100 to 1000 times greater than for aconventional aesium clock.

It is expected that the new atomic clockwill reach a frequency stability between10-16 to 10-17 per day with an accuracy of10-16. This is one to two orders ofmagnitude better than can be achievedwith the most advanced clocks on theground.

The Hydrogen Maser will serve as areference clock to verify the performance

of the atomic clock. The microwave andthe optical links will allow laboratories onthe ground to receive the data and tointeract with the space-based systems.

The aims of ACES

- Validate in space the performance ofthis new generation of clocks.

- Provide an ultra-high performanceglobal time-scale.

- Perform fundamental physics tests.

The ultra-precise measurement offrequency and time will enable advancedinvestigations in fundamental physics andwill also have practical applications. It willallow experimental investigation of theproperties of space and time, which arefundamental in all modern, classical,quantum and gravitational physics. Fortime and frequency metrology, the

accuracy and stability of PHARAO,together with high-performancetechniques for comparing Earth-basedand orbiting clocks, will improve the

accuracy of International Atomic Timeand allow new navigation andpositioning applications.


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Influence of gravity onliving organisms

Gravity is a fundamental force that has amarked influence on all life on Earth. Lifescientists and biomedical researchersexploit the space environment and inparticular the near-weightlessness in orderto answer fundamental questions in basicbiology relating to humans, plants and

animals. Various investigations on theresponse of microgravity on lungs, brain,nervous system, bones and muscles havealready been performed. This research isnot only of interest for the health andsurvival of astronauts but is also relevantin the understanding of balancedisorders, osteoporosis, andcardiovascular disease.

This research is only at the very beginningof clarifying the role of gravity at themolecular level. Present basic studiesaddress the reaction-diffusion feedback

pattern-forming processes that occur inself-organising systems.

For cell-cell relations or for the respectivecell functions within a differentiatingtissue, the origin of a change is likely toinvolve subtle modifications of theirmechanical and biochemical micro-environment. Experimental investigationof such minute changes and theireventual application would benefit fromthe increased stability of fluid systems in

microgravity and from reducedmechanical loads.

Fluid dynamic models describingmacroscopic systems are not valid in thesub-micron range. Experiments inmicrogravity are needed to observe andto determine the influence of gravity onthe processing and amplification ofsignals involved in the gravity sensingand response of cells, cell aggregates and

tissue or whole organisms. Any advancein the understanding of thesefundamental aspects is important for thefuture of medical science.

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Life Sciences andBiotechnology

Microgravity is a new non-invasive tool to investigate cellular

functions. It will provide new insight into how cells perceive

signals and react to them. This is essential for the better

understanding of biological and physiological processes with

potential applications in molecular medicine, such as wound

and tissue repair.

Regulation of Cell Growth and Differentiation - Cascade of early cellular

responses to growth factor binding to a membrane receptor; a process that may

amplify microgravity sensitivity


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ESAs Space Bioreactor for Suspension Culture of Sensitive Cell and Multicellular

Systems

Biotechnology - tissueengineering

Millions of people suffer organ or tissueloss from diseases and accidents everyyear. Yet transplantation of tissues andorgans is severely limited by theavailability of donors. Growing tissuesamples outside the body is one of themajor goals of current medical research,and the microgravity environment hasgreat potential for advancing thisresearch.

Experiments in bioreactors are performedto study how cells multiply and interactto form skin, bone and organs, and thesecell and tissue culturing techniques alsoaid the study of cancer cells and tumourformation.

Knowledge gained in microgravity on theregulation of cell growth anddifferentiation will also help improve thecultivation of sensitive and highlydifferentiated cell strains like those

needed to obtain artificial organs. Studiesof cells ability to migrate in reducedgravity may produce new insights intothe factors that allow cancer to spread.When combined with biomedicalresearch on Earth, these investigationscould contribute to the development ofnew ways to prevent and treat relateddiseases.

Experimental data obtained in microgravity and hypergravity

studies indicate a change in cell functions related to the

gravity level. The underlying fundamental mechanisms

responsible for the sensitivity of living systems to gravity

remain, however, to be fully understood.

The benefits of low gravity for growing cell cultures derive

from the absence of convection and sedimentation, which

for 3-D cell aggregates favour the creation of tissue-likeenvironment.


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Osteoporosis is often called a womensdisease, although 15 % of theosteoporotic-related problems reportedconcern men.

In Europe, osteoporotic-related fracturestotal more than one million a year. Thefrequency of osteoporotic fractures isexpected to increase dramatically, partlydue to the increasing percentage ofelderly in the population.

With related health care expenses inEurope amounting to 25 million ECUdaily, osteoporosis attracts considerableattention from the biomedical industry.Microgravity is particularly relevant sincestudies performed on astronauts and onanimals showed an accelerated bone lossand a bone structure impairment

especially in the weight-bearing bones.

ESA is sponsoring a project onosteoporosis. It aims at developing anaccelerated experimental model toevaluate trabecular bone architecture andbone quality evolution during space flightexposure. The activity includes bonesample and in vivo observations, as wellas in vitro samples (2-D and 3-Dbiomaterials). These will serve as standard

biosamples. They could also be used fordrug screening. The second majorelement of the Osteoporosis project is thedevelopment of a 3-D high resolution

analytical instrument for the quantitativecharacterisation of bone density andbone architecture.

This instrument will first be applicable forin vitro investigations, and ultimately forinvestigations on humans. The in vivoobservation of the microstructure ofbones is today clinically not feasible.This instrument will therefore be a major

contribution towards the betterunderstanding of bone evolution and fora more accurate prediction of risks. Sincethe risk of bone fracture seems to be

Biomedicine - Osteoporosis

Astronauts and other biological systems experience accelerated

bone loss. Microgravity therefore provides for an accelerated

testbed for osteoporosis studies.

Bone densitometer


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Normal trabecular bone (left)

and osteoporotic bone (right)

- to develop a bone microarchitectureanalyser for the quantitative, highresolution, rapid, non-invasivecharacterisation of the kinetic evolutionof the model. This will also be

applicable to humans in the longerterm. The analytical tool is a 3-DPeripheral Computer Tomograph withan in vivo target resolution of 20 m.

This project began in spring 1997 andinvolves academic and industry partners.

strongly related to bone microstructure, itcan be assessed quantitatively with thenew instrument.

On the basis of the data obtained withthis instrument an acceleratedphysiological model will be developedand validated. It can be employed for:- the testing of bone reconstruction

matrices, i.e. biomaterials,- the study of osteopenia prevention

based on exercise, mechanicalconstraints, and diet,

- the testing and screening of drugs.

The project has two major objectives:- to develop a 3-D bone artefact

supporting the co-culture of bone cellstogether with the experimental setupfor the simulation and control oforganotypical conditions.

In April 1997 ESA started to support

an application-oriented project with

the objective of exploiting theenhanced bone-loss phenomenon

observed in space.

3D-CT image of bone

samples exhibiting a

considerable bone strength

difference


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Unactivated platelets,

in a resting state, with

characteristic disc

shapes (~3m in

diameter) (left)

Two activated platelets

with characteristic

pseudopodia enabling

them to aggregate and

to adhere to vascular

surfaces. A red blood

cell is present behind

one platelet

(~7m in diameter)

(right)

Blood cell preservation

Simulating microgravity conditions onEarth could increase the preservation timeof blood cells both for therapeutic andresearch applications. To achieve this goalone must first understand how microgravityacts on the cell metabolism and then createthese conditions in blood banks.

The use of stored blood cells is of importancein the treatment of bleeding or thepathological deficiency of certain cell types.

Platelets and red blood cells must

be stored ready to use in bloodbanks. Improving the preservationconditions would preserve thefunctional state of the cells andtherefore guarantee the efficiencyof the treatment while at the sametime reducing the treatmentcosts.

Other topics of interest

Monitoring the health and body functionof astronauts and related investigationshave led to a variety of new insights intothe influence of space environment onhuman beings. Dedicated instrumentswere developed for medical diagnosticsand validated in space, and are now usedon Earth.

An example is the fluid shift in thehuman bodycaused by the absence ofhydrostatic pressure observed under

microgravity conditions. A dedicatedinstrument using ultrasound has beendeveloped to measure fluid accumulationin human tissues resulting from such fluidshift. Analogous forms of oedema occurpreferentially in the facial tissue for kidneydisease for example, whereas cardiacpatients show oedema in the lower part

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Biomedicine

The preservation state of

platelets in microgravity

has been observed to be

significantly higher than

in ground-stored samples

due to reduced platelet

aggregation.


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of the body. In this way swellings in theforehead or the tibia can serve asdiagnostic or prognostic hints and becontrolled by the new ultrasoundinstrument.

For the measurement of inner eyepressure in space a device, which theuser can operate without help, has beendeveloped that determines the increasedue to microgravity. This self-tonometercan also be used to control the increaseof the intra-ocular pressure on Earth. Theinstrument registers the pressure by total

reflection of an infrared beam and is nowon the market for regular self-control anddiagnostic of patients with risk ofglaucoma, one of the most frequentreasons for early blindness.

The development of a non-invasivedetection instrument to observe eyemovements in all three dimensions byvideo-oculographyis another example.The reaction of the eye to lightstimulation can be registered continuously

and has been used to investigate thecoordination of information onorientation obtained by the eye and bythe gravity-sensing organ in the inner ear.This method has been successfully testedon Mir and Shuttle missions, and can beused in the detection of disturbances inthe vestibular, neurological or oculomotordomains. This diagnostic instrument isnow commercially available for terrestrialuse.

Monitoring the health of astronauts has led to additional

knowledge of the influence of space flight on human beings.

Dedicated instruments were developed, validated in space and

are now used for medical diagnostics on Earth.

Formation of blood

clots of fibrin networks

and blood platelets

(thrombocytes)


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Drop Shaft, Hokkaido

(Japan)

NASA began a programme in 1985 topromote the involvement of industry inspace-related activities through theformation of Centers for SpaceCommercialization (CSC). The objective isto motivate industry to invest in space-based R&D. The following centres arejointly supported by industry and NASA:

University of Alabama-Birmingham:macromolecular crystallography, growthof structurally improved protein crystalsunder microgravity.

Auburn University: solidification design

by measurement of critical thermophysicalproperty data of molten alloys for improvedalloy and process development on Earth.

Colorado School of Mines: commercialapplications of combustion in space:combustors (power plants, aircraftengines), fire safety, ceramic powders,combustion synthesis.

BioServe Space Technologies:bioprocessing/bioproduct development,using space as a laboratory to addressterrestrial health concerns, biocybernetic

materials. University of Alabama in Huntsville:

Consortium for Materials Developmentin Space: liquid metal sintering, vapourgrown single crystals, electrodepositionof hydroxyapatite.

University of Houston, Texas: SpaceVacuum Epitaxy Center: use of theultra- vacuum of space for processingultra- pure, thin-film materials by epitaxy.

University of Wisconsin-Madison:

Center for Space Automation andRobotics, use of microgravity to enhanceproduction of plant materials forpharmaceutical and agricultural purposes.

Northeastern University Boston, MA,industrial research on zeolite crystalgrowth.

In Japan, microgravity applications arepromoted by the Japan Space UtilisationPromotion Office, with participation fromNASDA and MITI. The activities are

concentrating on the utilisation of a750 m drop shaft - JAMIC. By providingan inexpensive and easily accessedmicrogravity environment for experimentdurations of up to about 10 seconds, theinterest of industry in later using theSpace Station is being developed. A high-priority project is focusing on thedetermination of thermophysicalproperties of molten semiconductors withthe goal of developing high-quality siliconsingle crystals for the next generation of

miniaturised electronic devices. This willbe achieved through numericallycontrolled processing using material data(thermal conductivity, diffusivity, etc.) ofhigh precision, measured without thedisturbing influence of convection. Othertopics are the investigation of technicalcombustion processes for which thebetter understanding of basicphenomena, such as droplet evaporationand ignition, is expected to result in the

reduction of fuel consumption andexhaust emissions, thus leading toimproved process efficiency of gasturbines, burners and diesel engines.

Activities in the US and Japan


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Combustion research

experiments can easily

be carried out at the

Drop Tower in Bremen

(Germany)

processes, as well as for the control offluids in fuel cells in space. CNES is alsoinvolved in the development of a newatomic clock, relying on the quiescentstate of ultra-cold atoms that can be

achieved in a microgravity environment.This will eventually lead to at least oneorder of magnitude improvement offrequency stability of space-based clocks.

One of the Japanese projects oncombustion is being carried out incooperation with Germany, using the110 m drop tower of ZARM Bremen. TheGerman Aerospace Research Centre (DLR)has strongly supported applicationoriented and applied research in the past.A typical example is the research anddevelopment of monotectic alloys, whichresulted in a patented casting process forthe production of self-lubricating bearingmaterials. This process uses the knowledgegained through microgravity experimentson interface tension-driven convection to

compensate for separation by sedimentationon the ground. A specific programme forthe promotion of applied research hasbeen initiated, and the programme ofResearch under Space Conditionsemphasises industrial applications. Spaceindustry is starting its own promotionalactivities by contributing to existingresearch networks and by stimulatingnew applied research fields, includingapplications in space. Examples arematerials for sensors and detectors

operating in harsh environments.

Other national agencies are now shiftingtheir microgravity programme prioritiesfrom fundamental to applied research. Anexample is the French space agencyCNES, which has been supporting theinvestigation of phenomena near thecritical point. Experimental results showedthe existence of a new, so far unknown,mechanism of heat transport, the so-

called piston effect. Efforts are nowunder way to use this effect in industrialapplications, e.g. in supercritical fluids,chemical and nuclear decontamination

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National Initiatives in Europe


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Towards commercialutilisation ...

This brochure has presented someexamples on how microgravity as aresearch tool increases the understandingof gravity-related phenomena in processesand products of industrial significance.Microgravity can also help to obtain moreaccurate data needed for theimprovement of certain ground-basedprocesses and products. An importanttask is to include microgravity as a tool inindustrial research and to use the results

for increasing the reliability of numericalsimulation and modelling. Recentworkshops have helped to identify topicsof interest to industry and of a highmicrogravity relevance. Another importantaspect is the development of instrumentsfor experimentation in space that are alsoof interest for new commercial terrestrialapplications. This is particularly true in themedical field.

The era of the International Space Station

will open new opportunities for application-oriented research. The unique feature ofthe ISS is the availability of microgravityfor long periods and the presence ofastronauts for experimentation. This large-scale research facility will allow flexibleaccess for the accommodation ofsophisticated instruments.

The possibilities range from basic toapplied research to the utilisation of theISS as a platform for industrial R&D by theprivate sector on a commercial basis. For

such customers, adequate guarantees ofconfidentiality, including intellectualproperty rights, will be secured.

For the early utilisation phase of the ISS,a call for proposals was issued in 1998.New projects will be selected andapproved early in 1999.

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Outlook


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This brochure was prepared by:

Dr. R. Binot, ESADr. E. Kufner, ESA

Dr. O. Minster, ESA

Dr. D. Routier, Matra Marconi Space,

formerly Novespace, under ESA contract

Dr. H. J. Sprenger, Intospace,

under ESA contract

Dr. H. U. Walter, ESA

Published by:

ESA Publications Division

Editor: Andrew WilsonDesign: Carel Haakman

ISBN: 92-9092-605-8

European Space Agency 1998

Images courtesy of:

Cover ESA

Page 1 ESA/D. Ducros

Page 2, 3, 5 ESA

Page 6 Audi AG and CEN Grenoble

Page 7 Airbus Industrie and Centro Ricerche Fiat

Page 8, 9 Deutsches Zentrum fr Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR)Page 10, 11 ZARM, Bremen

Page 11 ESA

Page 12 University of Freiburg

Page 13 DASA and University of Freiburg

Page 14, 15 C-Core, Memorial University of Newfoundland

and MRC, Universit Libre Bruxelles

Page 16,17 W. Saenger, P. Fromme, Univ. Berlin and R. Gieg,

IBMC Strasbourg

Page 19 CNES

Page 20 University of Utrecht

Page 21 Mechanex B.V.

Page 22 Matra Marconi SpacePage 23 National Osteoporosis Foundation and

Professor Dr. P. Ruegsegger, IBT-ETH Zurich

Page 24 D. Schmitt, Etablissement de Transfusion Sanguine de

Strasbourg

Page 25 DLR

Page 26 NASA and Japan Space Utilization Promotion Center

Page 27 ZARM

Page 28 ESA


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Contact Addresses

European Space AgencyDirectorate of Manned Spaceflight and MicrogravityPhysical Sciences Co-ordination and Microgravity Applications Promotion OfficeESTECPostbus 2992200 AG NoordwijkThe Netherlands

Programmatic Aspects: Dr. H. U. Walter

Materials Science: Dr. O. Minster

Fluid Science/ Combustion: Dr. E. Kufner

Biotechnology: Dr. ir. R. Binot

Tel: + 31 71 565-3262 (Secretary)Fax: + 31 71 565-3661

e-mail: [email protected]

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The International Space Station Micro Gravity a Tool for Industrial Research