Why Microgravity and the International Space Station (ISS)?

1
in MICROGRAVITY
Why Microgravity and the International Space
Station (ISS)?

• Onboard the ISS good quality microgravity is
  available for continuous periods of 30 days.
• This is enough time to produce clouds of
  particles,or regolith (porous dust layers), then
  manipulate them, collide other particles with
  them, and study their physical attributes.
• In terrestrial labs, the experiments described
  here are impossible, since sedimentation and
  turbulent diffusion (induced by gravity) forces
  the cloud or regolith to collapse.
• In parabolic flights with jet aircraft,
  microgravity phases only last 20 seconds, far too
  short a time to produce and investigate the
  clouds and regolith described here.

b
a
(a) the cold, icy particle experiments
(b) the warm, regolith experiments
The ICAPS experiment will have two different
experimental chambers onboard the ISS, that can
be interchanged with each other. This will allow
researchers to conduct a wide range of
experiments, with control over the particle
concentration, volume, temperature and humidity
in the chambers.
Researchers will be able to direct and control
their experiments from ground-based stations in
their own country, or from their own PC
Ground based experiments are also a vital part of
the ICAPS programme. Many laboratory-based project
s (at 1 g), parabolic flight experiments (in
reduced gravity), and theoretical studies, are
already ongoing.