Understanding droplet dynamics is beneficial in such practical situations as liquid spray injection in engines and spray applications for painting and cooling. The second segment involves working with Dr. John Kizito. Medical trials with animals subjected to conditions of microgravity are a prerequisite for long duration human exploration missions. My third area of research involves preliminary ground tests on water boiling. On Earth, keeping liquids in contact with a heat source is an efficient method for heat transport used in steam powered generators and refrigeration.
Gravity keeps liquids in contact with the heat source where boiling occurs.
However, on orbit in microgravity, buoyancy is basically non-existent. Water vapor bubbles that form are not carried away and heat does not transfer. I have worked on a variety of educational products and programs over the course of the year. One of the first things I did was experiment with crystal growth and diffusion activities that can be done in a classroom version of a NASA Glovebox. The enclosed environment protects astronauts and laboratory equipment from the samples in the box, and the samples in the GBX are kept free of contamination from the laboratory.