The investigation, being conducted in the Middeck Glovebox, examines the combustion properties of very weak fuel mixtures in near-zero gravity. Commander Dr. Janice Voss completed one set of runs last night and Payload Specialist Dr. Gregory Linteris completed another early this morning. During the experiment, the chamber is filled with very weak combustible gases, the mixture is ignited with a spark, and information is gathered on the resulting flame balls. Also, Ronney reported that during last night's burns, instruments measured very little disturbance in the microgravity environment of the test facility. Since little is known about the burning processes of these flames, findings will be used to verify which, if any, existing theoretical models are accurate.
Any disturbances make that comparison more difficult.
Another combustion science experiment, which studies the burning process of large fuel droplets, was conducted in the Middeck Glovebox. Payload Specialist Dr. Roger Crouch completed a series of tests last night and another series was completed this morning by Mission Specialist Dr. Donald Thomas . We've been able to complete a few extra runs and we're getting good science. During the experiment, a thin fiber is used to position a large droplet of fuel in the viewing area of the chamber. The droplet is then ignited and information is gathered on the burn rates, flame shape and radiation emitted.