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University of Minnesota
Department of Aerospace Engineering and the NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program 2003 Fluids Micro-Gravity Team |
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| The NASA RGSFOP provides undergraduate college students
and opportunity to formulate and conduct a research experiment in a micro-gravity
environment. The University of Minnesota has participated in this
program for the past three years and currently has two active teams studying
both fluid and solid mechanics. Dr. Ellen Longmire, an associate faculty
member of the AEM Department is advising the Fluids Micro-Gravity Team. Study of Droplet Coalescence Criteria of a Liquid/Liquid
Interface in Micro- and Macro-Gravity Conditions The criteria for coalescence of two droplets colliding in a liquid-liquid interface will be studied in micro- and macro-gravity conditions. Previous experiments in this subject have used droplet sizes with diameters on the order of microns to justify the assumption that buoyancy forces were negligible. For this experiment the ability to perform the collisions in a zero gravity environment creates a unique opportunity to analyze the criteria for coalescence on a macroscopic scale. With buoyancy forces not present, the properties of droplet collision and coalescence are defined only by their size, relative velocity and position at impact. Variations of these parameters will be studied to determine when coalescence occurs. Experiment Proposal Test Equipment Data Package (TEDP) Final Report |
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Project Dates |
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| September 30, 2002 | Letter of Intent Due |
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| October 18, 2002 |
Proposal Due |
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| December 6, 2002 |
Program Selectees Anounced |
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| January 31, 2003 |
Test Equipment Data Package
Due |
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| March 13-22, 2003 |
Travel to Houston - Flight
Week |
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| March 13 | Safety and Program Orientation |
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| March 14 |
Physiological Training |
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| March 17 |
Test Readiness Review (TRR) |
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| March 18 | Load Experiment onto KC-135 |
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| March 19 | First Flight Day |
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| March 20 |
Second Flight Day |
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| March 21 |
Unload Experiment from KC-135 |
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| June 15, 2003 |
Final Report Due |
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Team Biographies |