This research is in the field of Biomedicine . A centrifuge, located in the Centrifuge Accommodation Module, will use centrifugal force to generate simulated gravity ranging from almost zero to twice that of Earth. This research is in a field called Gravitational Biology . This environment allows the study of forces that are hidden by gravity and the resulting liquid behavior. Research in this field is known as Fluid Physics .
Flames burn differently without gravity as well.
Reduced gravity reduces convection currents - the currents that cause warm air or fluid to rise and cool air or fluid to sink on Earth. This absence of convection alters the flame shape in orbit and allows studies of the combustion process that are impossible on Earth, in a research field called Combustion Science . The absence of convection allows molten metals or other materials to be mixed more thoroughly in orbit than on Earth. Scientists plan to study this field, called Materials Science , to create better metal alloys and more perfect materials for applications such as computer chips. Such exterior experiments can study the space environment and how long-term exposure to space, the vacuum, and the debris affects materials.