When the European space transporter ATV-4 sets off at the start of June on its mission to space, it will have ‘scientific supplies’ on board, as well as numerous provisions for the ISS (International Space Station). One of the experiments is FASES (Fundamental and Applied Studies in Emulsions Stability) that has been developed and built for ESA (European Space Agency) by Astrium, Europe’s leading space technology company.
The goal of FASES is to investigate the behavior of emulsions in weightlessness. Emulsions play a significant role in many fields of industry, for example in food production, the cosmetics and pharmaceuticals industries and also the oil industry. FASES will be operated in the Fluid Science Laboratory in the European Columbus Module.
Similar to the way in which meals pass by diners in a sushi bar, the ‘conveyor belt’ moves the experimental cells, which each contain one milliliter, onto two measuring stations. The route through the interior of the device is clearly determined and recorded. Once they have arrived at both diagnostic instruments, the actual experiments can begin. The Thermal Conditioning Unit (TCU) with corresponding microscope is responsible for the transparent sample group, while the non-transparent sample types are analysed in the Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) in the determined test procedures.
Since some of the liquid mixtures only have a limited shelf life of less than two months, the timeframe for filling the sample containers and placing them into the ATV-4 must be adhered to strictly. FASES is therefore a so-called ‘late cargo’, i.e. it belongs to the last pieces of cargo that go on board ‘Albert Einstein’.
Astrium is the main contractor for ESA and is responsible for the development, integration, testing and certification of FASES Hardware. The outwardly unimposing FASES box is, however, 35 kilograms in weight and measures only 40x28x27cm, yet contains 44 small sample containers filled with liquid, two diagnostic units and one conveyor.
Two different types of experimental cells have been developed for FASES, which are filled with precisely-defined mixtures of ultra-pure water, paraffin and hexane that differ in terms of their composition and concentration. The researchers then separate them into transparent (ITEM) and non-transparent (EMPI) emulsions.
FASES will be unloaded by the ISS crew shortly after the ATV-4 has docked to the International Space Station. The aim is to process these shelf-life-limited cells within a few days in the Columbus Fluid Physics Laboratory after their arrival at the ISS. The further experiments are then to be carried out in a time period of 6 to 8 months. During this time, the data will be downlinked and distributed to the scientists for analysis.
