Space bauble

Deck the halls with space-based bubbles. Here is a festive bauble you will not see on Earth: a bubble produced by the Multiscale Boiling experiment, known affectionately as Rubi.

In this image, electrostatic forces are pulling the bubble upwards and making it spherical, producing not only a cool image but also cool insights into the boiling process.

Understanding how boiling behaves in weightlessness is imperative because gravity plays an important role. Without gravity, boiling takes place in slow motion and produces larger bubbles. This has allowed scientists to observe and measure effects that are too fast and too small on Earth.

The experiment is also installed with an electrode to observe the effect of an electric field on the bubbles, enabling scientists to observe and quantify the effect of external forces.

"Boiling is an extremely efficient way of getting rid of excess heat. This research could therefore provide very valuable information for improving the thermal management systems in space as well as in terrestrial applications," says ESA project scientist Daniele Mangini.

With this insight and more accurate calculations of the boiling process, products such as laptops can be improved and made more compact.

Built by Airbus for ESA and housed in the Fluid Science Laboratory in the Columbus module, Rubi was installed by ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano in August 2019. Since then it has generated bubbles under controlled conditions using a special heater.

The bubble imaged above is a follow on to the highly successful experiment. Called Multiscale Boiling X, the science on-going over the holidays is looking further at how things keep cool.

In the meantime, stay warm and stay safe!

Related Links
Bubbles in space at ESA
Space Technology News - Applications and Research

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

MIT to use the ISS to test smart, electronic textiles for use in spacesuits and spacecraft
Houston TX (SPX) Dec 15, 2020
Space can be a dangerous place for astronauts and spacecraft, with harsh conditions and orbital debris that travels at incredibly high speeds. However, imagine a warning system that could be stitched into the fibers of spacesuits or integrated into the exterior of spacecraft that could detect debris impacts and send an early hazard alert. This is the goal of a new study by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The MIT team will embed sensor fibers into conventional spaces ... read more