Study on equipment requirements in support of microgravity fluid physics experiments

Requirements for facilities and instrumentation of a laboratory supporting microgravity fluid physics experiments and equipment developments are discussed. The requirements are based on reviews of candidate areas of experimentation and proposed or actual experiment facilities. Present deficiencies in measurement capabilities or preparation opportunities are identified. Fluid physics encompasses critical point phenomena, thermodynamics, mechanics and heat transfer in liquids. Microgravity denotes the absence of the linear 1 g acceleration field component from the effective body force field experienced by the liquid sample. Salient features of microgravity fluid physics experiments are discussed to emphasize the constraints of manned and unmanned experiment facilities.