Improvement of flight hardware and isothermal Marangoni convection under micro-gravity conditions

Abstract

During parabolic flights three different kinds of experiments were performed under reduced gravity conditions. The experiments were: I. A general learning process to work with hardware and fluid under micro-gravity conditions. II. The investigation of critical parts of hardware or critical moments in experiments. This can be a part in the preparation of future sounding rocket or Spacelab flights. III. The possibility to perform scientific experiments under micro-gravity conditions within 22 seconds. In the joined parabolic flights of march 1986 the main interest was to perform experiments with Marangoni convection due to concentration gradients along the gas-liquid interface under isothermal conditions. One experiment was performed with a horizontal surface tension gradient and the other observed Marangoni convection was due to the evaporation of a component from a solution under steady state conditions.