Microgravity research at LeRC

Abstract

The NASA Lewis Research Center is conducting a wide variety of ground-based science and microgravity flight experiments in the disciplines of fluid physics and transport phenomena, combustion science, and materials science. Extensive use is made of low-gravity ground-based facilities such as drop towers and a Learjet aircraft, as well as extensive normal-gravity laboratories. The ground-based facilities are utilized to execute science programs, perform precursor tests to define space experiment science requirements and conceptual designs, and also to perform tests for space experiment technology development and verification. Finally, flight hardware is designed, developed and flown on the Space Shuttle.