GoSpace
The DLR GoSpace initiative - industrial research in weightlessness built on the "Promotion of Industrial Use" (PIN) initiative launched in 1998 and expanded its previous services. A number of pilot projects were successfully implemented between 2008 and 2013. Commercial research projects in weightlessness from all branches of industry should follow. Because after the launch of the Columbus -Raumlabors Europe has for the first time its own resources on board the International Space Station ISS . The goal of GoSpace was to win industrial customers from the field of small and medium-sized companies, who can benefit from the use of weightlessness and develop products or processes that promise a short or medium-term return. To this end, GoSpace has formed a team of experts in the industry-relevant focus areas of "life and material sciences" and supplemented it with communication experts. What particularly sets this team apart is the total range of advice, project development and support in the implementation of a research project.
Some examples of successfully carried out experiments in weightlessness:
- A deeper understanding of the influence of thermal convection on the microstructure during the solidification of metal melts led to the improvement of material properties, especially in the case of aluminum alloys.
- More precise data on the thermophysical properties of molten metals have found their way into the mathematical modeling of solidification processes.
- An improved understanding of the crystal growth of electronic semiconductors has enabled the development of new technologies on earth, including the use of magnetic fields to dampen convective processes. The silicon production process could be improved through a more precise knowledge of the effects of the Marangoni convection , which is caused by a temperature dependence of the surface tension .
- In combustion research, results have found their way into the mathematical simulation of technical combustion processes. During the combustion of individual drops, a flame spectroscopic examination of the flames is carried out. The flames emit a characteristic light ( spectral lines ) that allow conclusions to be drawn about the details of the combustion process.
- Research results in the field of human physiology have made important contributions to an improved understanding of the processes in the human body and their pathological changes in the research fields of "cardiovascular physiology" and "water-salt balance". In addition, studies of the equilibrium system and the musculoskeletal system, in particular calcium metabolism , have led to the immediate optimization of the quality of treatment for osteoporosis and muscular atrophy.
Claudia Philpot was the project manager for "GoSpace - industrial research in weightlessness" in the Department of Human Spaceflight, ISS and Exploration at DLR. The initiative expired in 2013, but interested parties can apply at any time to DLR space management for an experiment in weightlessness.