August 25, 2008 Updated
Science experiment starts on Kibo!
On Aug. 22, a scientific experiment began on the Japanese Experiment Module "Kibo."The fluid Physics Experiment Facility on the Fluid Experiment Rack in the Kibo Pressurized Module was remotely controlled from the Tsukuba Space Center to start the Marangoni convection research. The microgravity environment is imperative for not only generating a major scale of Marangoni convection but also for observing it for a prolonged period.
Details of the Marangoni convection are significant for further understanding the nature of fluid as well as to manufacture semiconductor materials and for the development of equipment for space use.
Various other experiments will be started as soon as functional verification of their equipment is completed on the Kibo.
(Photo:(c)JAXA / Tokyo University of Science, SUWA)
August 2, 2008 Updated
S-520-24 observation rocket successfully launched!
The observation rocket S-520-24, which aims to uncover the mechanism for crystal growth utilizing a microgravity environment during its flight, was launched at a vertical angle of 78.4 degrees at 17:30 on August 2, 2008 (Japanese Standard Time) from the Uchinoura Space Center.The rocket's flight and on-board equipment all performed normally and the nose-cone was opened 55 seconds after launch. The rocket reached an altitude of 293 kilometers high in 274 seconds from the launch and all the experiments were completed. The rocket then descended to its scheduled ocean landing area southeast of Uchinoura.
Two pieces of equipment for the crystal growth experiment aboard the rocket were operated normally and acquired data.
A detailed analysis will be later performed using the acquired data.