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Blum, J.

Publications and source records attributed to Blum, J..

A Dust Aggregation and Concentration System (DACS) for the Microgravity Space Environment

The Dust Aggregation and Concentration System, DACS, Project is an international effort intended to complete the preliminary definition of a system for suspending and concentrating dust particles in a microgravity environment for extended periods of time. The DACS design concept is based on extensive ground, drop tower, and parabolic flight tests. During the present proposed work, the DACS design will be completed, and a Science Requirements Document generated. At the end of the proposed 2 year project, DACS will be positioned to enter the advanced definition phase.

Giovane, F. J.↗

Columbus proto-planetesimal dust aggregation experiment

A microgravity experiment to study the growth of dust particles which has been proposed to be flown on one of the Columbus precursor flights is described. The microgravity environment will allow for low collision velocities (of order of mm/s) of the dust grains and for a large Knudsen number of the embedding gas; conditions expected in the early solar nebula. The outcome of the experiment will yield estimates of the sticking efficiency and the critical velocity for agglomeration. The values of these two parameters will provide substantial improvements in the constraints for models of the formation of planetesimals. In particular, the questions related to growth rate and mode of the aggregation process will be answered. The range of material type, collision velocities, properties of the environment in which growth takes place, and other factors permit a natural extension of this experiment to take advantage of the capabilities of the Space Station Columbus. Other astrophysical applications, such as processes in Saturnian rings, with somewhat different regimes could also be investigated.

Keller, H. U.↗

A model of the vertebrate central command system.

S-RETIC vertebrate command model, discussing computer simulation of reticular formation Golgi anatomy capable of habituation, conditioning, extinction, generalization and error discrimination

Blum, J.↗