Measuring residual accelerations in the Spacelab environmentA triglycine sulfate (TGS) crystal growth experiment carried out in Spacelab 3 flown onboard the Shuttle orbiter in 1985 is described. The TGS experiment was aimed at examining diffusion limited crystal growth by minimizing convection in the microgravity environment of the Spacelab. During the experiment tiny crystals were found floating free in the growth solution. Since the free crystals were in a viscous fluid, the 'noise' accelerations of the Shuttle were damped out. This made it possible to measure the constant gravitational acceleration by tracking the positions of these crystals. The velocities and accelerations obtained by these measurements are presented.
Document ID
19930049060
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Witherow, William K. (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Date Acquired
August 16, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1991
Publication Information
Publication: In: Crystal growth in space and related optical diagnostics; Proceedings of the Meeting, San Diego, CA, July 22, 23, 1991 (A93-33051 12-29)
Publisher: Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers