During their ninth day in flight, the Space Shuttle Columbia's crew successfully implemented an in-flight maintenance procedure with a specialized fluid research system, eliminating a glitch that had posed a problem for one of the experiments. Late today, experiment processing resumed normally in the Bubble, Drop and Particle Unit, after a team effort by the crew and engineers and scientists on the ground successfully circumvented a short in the unit's power supply. Verification that the maintenance plan succeeded came after Favier and Kregel initiated the Electrohydrodynamics of Liquid Bridges experiment. Headed by Dr. Dudley Saville of Princeton University, Princeton, N.J., the experiment focuses on shape changes which occur in a fluid bridge suspended between two electrodes.
Fluids being studied include castor oil, clove oil, eugenol and silicone oil.
The investigation could have applications in industrial processes where the control of a liquid column or spray is necessary, such as ink-jet printing and polymer fiber spinning. Prior to maintenance on the Bubble unit, the Thermocapillary Migration of Bubbles and Drops experiment was concluded earlier today. The experiment, developed by Dr. R.S. Subramanian of Clarkson University, Potsdam, N.Y., examined the behavior of bubbles injected in silicone oil under a temperature gradient. In another area of microgravity research, processing of samples is continuing in the Advanced Gradient Heating Facility. A minor snag with the facility was cleared up early this morning.