Optical measurements and tests performed in a low-gravity environment

Abstract

Shadowgraph and schlieren techniques have been used on board the NASA KC-135 low-gravity simulation aircraft to measure gravity-related fluid flow occurring in various experimental configurations. These configurations included cooled and solidified ammonium chloride and water, electrodeposited cobalt in CoSO4 solution, and immiscible and crystal melt solutions. Hardware tests have also been performed for such critical optical system components as lasers and spatial filters to determine their performance and operation under low-gravity conditions. These test results will be used in the design of the various future Shuttle experiments which will utilize advanced optical measurement techniques. The design and configuration of the optical systems used to make these measurements and tests are presented, and the performance and operation of these systems and their components under low-gravity conditions are discussed. Some preliminary results are included.