Fact Sheet
Text Size
Overview | Description | Applications | Operations | Results | Publications | Images
Facility/Payload OverviewBrief Facility Summary
The Fluids Integrated Rack (FIR) is a complementary fluid physics research facility designed to host investigations in areas such as colloids, gels, bubbles, wetting and capillary action, and phase changes including, boiling and cooling.
Facility Manager(s)Information Pending
Facility DeveloperGlenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH
Sponsoring AgencyNational Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Expeditions Assigned|19|20|
Previous ISS MissionsInformation Pending
Facility/Payload Description
Facility Summary
- Fluids under microgravity conditions perform differently than those on Earth. Understanding how fluids react in these conditions will lead to improved designs on fuel tanks, water systems and other fluid based systems.
- The FIR will provide a central location onboard the ISS for fluid physics investigations into areas such as complex fluids (colloids, gels), instabilities (bubbles), interfacial phenomena (wetting and capillary action) and phase changes (boiling and cooling).
The Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) will accommodate the unique challenges of working with fluids and combustion processes in microgravity, as well as provide services and capabilities comparable to those found in traditional Earth-based laboratories. The FCF will occupy two powered racks on the International Space Station (ISS), the Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) and the Fluids Integrated Rack (FIR). To isolate the delicate experiments to be conducted within the FCF from the vibration of ISS systems and crew, the CIR will utilize the Passive Rack Isolation System (PaRIS) and the FIR will employ the Active Rack Isolation System (ARIS) that has been used extensively by EXPRESS Racks on ISS. FCF will be a permanent, modular, multi-user facility to accommodate microgravity science experiments onboard the ISS. The FCF will support sustained, systematic research in the disciplines of fluid physics and combustion science.
The Fluids Integrated Rack (FIR) features a large user-configurable volume for experiments. The volume resembles a laboratory optics bench. An experiment can be built up on the bench from components, or it can be attached as a self-contained package, or a combination. The FIR provides data acquisition and control, sensor interfaces, laser and white light sources, advanced imaging capabilities, power, cooling, and other resources. Astronauts can quickly mount and setup the experiment with final operations accomplished by remote control from the FCF Telescience Support at Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, OH or from the Principal Investigator (PI) home institution. The FIR offers the crewmembers easy access to the back of the optics bench for maintenance and experiment reconfiguration.
The FIR is built to accommodate a wide range of experiments. The focus of the fluid physics research is on complex fluids, interfacial phenomena, dynamics and instabilities, multiphase flows, and phase changes. Investigations range from fundamental research to technology development in support of the NASA Exploration missions. These include areas of life support, power, propulsion, and thermal control systems. The overall concept for FIR to minimize upmass is to utilize different modules that can support various types of experiments.
The first mission on the FIR consists of the Light Microscopy Module (LMM). The LMM is a remotely controllable (commanded from the ground), automated microscope, that allows flexible imaging (bright field, dark field, phase contrast, etc.) for physical and biological experiments. LMM also has the ability for sample change-out and fluid containment with a glovebox capability for on-orbit sample manipulation. This unique capability can support a large set of experiments that require visual imaging of a small test sample. The initial experiment in the LMM will be performing investigations to better understand heat transfer in the design of light weight radiators.
Operations
Facility Operations
FIR is designed to use minimal crew time during its operation on orbit. The crew will participate in reconfigurations that are specific to each experiment. This consists of installing experiment hardware and configuration of the diagnostic equipment on the optics bench. After the experiment is installed, the overall operation is controlled by ground teams at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, OH. Changeout of test cells and specific resources for the experiment will be periodically performed by the ISS crewmembers. Most of the data (images, diagnostic data, etc) will be transmitted to the ground. The data hard drives in the FIR are easily replaceable on-orbit for delivery to the ground if needed.
Results/More Information
Information Pending
Availability
Related Web Sites
Publications
Results Publications
Related Publications
- Moss L, Just M, Grodsinsky C, Heese J, Humphreys B Microgravity Environment Predictions and Control for the Fluids Integrated Rack AIAA 2004
Images
The Fluids Integrated Rack (FIR) shown with the doors open and the Optics Bench (hollow box-like structure) translated out of the rack.+ View Larger Image
The Fluids Integrated Rack (FIR) shown with the doors open and the Optics Bench rotated down to allow access on-orbit for the ISS Crew to perform experiment set-up and maintenance.+ View Larger Image
The Fluids Integrated Rack (FIR) shown with the door open. Inside, the Light Microscopy Module (LMM), the first experiment in the FIR that consists of an optical microscope, is shown mounted to the Optics Bench for operations. + View Larger Image
Information Provided and Updated by the ISS Program Scientist's Office