To guarantee reproducibility of metallic foams, the formation process needs to be investigated in more details to understand the intermingled role played by surface tension forces and gravity. To avoid frost on the fins, a system to be tested on this parabolic flight campaign- has been designed to eliminate water by capillarity. In this experiment, magnetized and non-magnetized dust is injected in turn in an aggregation vacuum chamber by pyrotechnical and mechanical devices. The dust aggregates are imaged by in-situ microscopy and collected for later analysis. Experiments proposed by students 1.
Aluminum alloys are generally difficult to weld on earth, requiring special procedures.
This experiment can give information on the welding process in general and may lead to improved welding procedures on earth but also to develop an efficient welding technology in space, e.g. for assembling or repairing elements of the International Space Station. The behaviour of a droplet impinging on the surface of the same liquid is recorded with a high speed camera, in order to characterize the impact phenomenon in function of gravity levels. This experiment measures mechanical constraints in newly formed bone tissues. During this experiment, a model bone is subjected to several mechanical movements and the bone reaction is measured to validate the mathematical model. These measurements are a prerequisite to establish prevention programme of the bone demineralization during space flights but also in disuse osteoporosis, a condition affecting most elderly people on earth, where the bone fragilize due to loss of its minerals, mainly Calcium, and often lead to fracture.