How a simple drop of water sits on a surface is a strangely complicated question. The answer depends on the droplet’s size, its chemistry, the roughness of the surface, and Keep reading
Tag: ISS
“The World Below”
Since the first cosmonauts and astronauts entered orbit around our planet, they’ve held a unique perspective. Thanks to the timelapse photography of recent astronauts aboard the ISS and the editing Keep reading
Drinking in Space
Earlier this year, the Capillary Beverage experiment launched to the International Space Station with new open-topped “Space Cups” for astronauts to test. Now those of us back on Earth are Keep reading
Get Your Own Space Coffee Cup
A few weeks ago, we reported on the espresso machine NASA and the ESA sent to astronauts aboard ISS. The Capillary Beverage Experiment, known colloquially as the “Space Coffee Cup”, is Keep reading
Espresso in Space
The International Space Station resupply mission launched yesterday included a long-awaited fluid dynamics experiment that offers astronauts a taste of home: the ISSpresso espresso machine. Built by two Italian companies, Keep reading
Flames in Space
The jellyfish-like light show in the animations above shows the life and death of a flame in microgravity. The work is part of the Flame Extinguishment Experiment 2 (FLEX-2) currently Keep reading
Spitting Droplets
Any phenomenon in fluid dynamics typically involves the interaction and competition of many different forces. Sometimes these forces are of very different magnitudes, and it can be difficult to determine Keep reading
Science off the Sphere: Thin Films
Stuck here on Earth, it’s hard to know sometimes how greatly gravity affects the behavior of fluids. Fortunately, astronaut Don Pettit enjoys spending his free time on the International Space Station Keep reading
Cloud Streets from Space
Cloud streets flowing south across Bristol Bay hit the Shishaldin and Pavlof volcanoes, which part the air flow into distinctive swirls called von Karman vortex streets. As air flows around Keep reading
Testing Flames in Space
In microgravity, flames behave very differently than on earth due to a lack of buoyant forces. On earth, a flame can continue burning because, as the warm air around it Keep reading