These are video microscope images of magnetorheological (MR) fluids, illuminated with a green light. Those on Earth, left, show the MR fluid forming columns or spikes structures. On the right, the fluids in microgravity aboard the International Space Station (ISS), formed broader columns.

Fluid Flow

Larger Grains Suggest Presence of Fluid

Signs of Fluids and Ice in Acidalia Planitia

Mars Volcanism: Large, Fluid Lava Flows

Some of the earliest concerns about fluid behavior in microgravity was the management of propellants in spacecraft tanks as they orbited the Earth. On the ground, gravity pulls a fluid to a bottom of a tank (ig, left). In orbit, fluid behavior depends on surface tension, viscosity, wetting effects with the container wall, and other factors. In some cases, a propellant can wet a tank and leave a large gas bubbles in the center (ug, right). Similar probelms can affect much smaller experiments using fluids in small spaces. Photo credit: NASA/Glenn Research Center.

Colored oil flow toy was part of a student-designed apparatus used in the second Dropping in a Microgravity Environment (DIME) competition held April 23-25, 2002, at NASA's Glenn Research Center. Competitors included two teams from Sycamore High School, Cincinnati, OH, and one each from Bay High School, Bay Village, OH, and COSI Academy, Columbus, OH. DIME is part of NASA's education and outreach activities. Details are on line at http://microgravity.grc.nasa.gov/DIME_2002.html.

N-260 Fluid Mechanics Laboratory in afternoon light

Computational Fluid Dynamics look at Space Shuttle flow

A photograph of a tree near the N-260 Fluid Mechanics Laboratory building.

A photograph of a tree near the N-260 Fluid Mechanics Laboratory building.

CVN78 CARRIER AIRFLOW STUDY IN FLUID MECHANICS LAB (CVN21)

CVN78 CARRIER AIRFLOW STUDY IN FLUID MECHANICS LAB (CVN21)

N-260 Fluid Mechanics Laboratory aerial in morning light

N-260 Fluid Mechanics Laboratory aerials (Morning) and ground (Afternoon) shots.

CVN78 CARRIER AIRFLOW STUDY IN FLUID MECHANICS LAB (CVN21)

CVN78 CARRIER AIRFLOW STUDY IN FLUID MECHANICS LAB (CVN21)

CVN78 CARRIER AIRFLOW STUDY IN FLUID MECHANICS LAB (CVN21)

CVN78 CARRIER AIRFLOW STUDY IN FLUID MECHANICS LAB (CVN21)

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Space Shuttle flow field

N-260 Fluid Mechanics Laboratory aerials (Morning) and ground (Afternoon) shots.

Dr. Aggarwal installing a flight seed in the Fluid Experiment System.

Computer simulation of atmospheric flow corresponds well to imges taken during the second Geophysical Fluid Flow Cell (BFFC) mission. The top shows a view from the pole, while the bottom shows a view from the equator. Red corresponds to hot fluid rising while blue shows cold fluid falling. This simulation was developed by Anil Deane of the University of Maryland, College Park and Paul Fischer of Argorne National Laboratory. Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

The optical bench for the Fluids Integrated Rack section of the Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) is shown extracted for servicing. The FCF will be installed, in phases, in the Destiny, the U.S. Laboratory Module of the International Space Station (ISS), and will accommodate multiple users for a range of investigations. This is an engineering mockup; the flight hardware is subject to change as designs are refined. The FCF is being developed by the Microgravity Science Division (MSD) at the NASA Glenn Research Center. (Photo credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center)

The optical bench for the Fluids Integrated Rack section of the Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) is shown extracted for servicing and with the optical bench rotated 90 degrees to access the rear elements. The FCF will be installed, in phases, in the Destiny, the U.S. Laboratory Module of the International Space Station (ISS), and will accommodate multiple users for a range of investigations. This is an engineering mockup; the flight hardware is subject to change as designs are refined. The FCF is being developed by the Microgravity Science Division (MSD) at the NASA Glenn Research Center. (Photo credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center)

Dr. Paul Kutler, Computational Fluid Dynamics, at IBM terminal - developing ways to better predict the flow of air at high speeds around aerodynamic bodies.

Ejector System in FML (Fluid Mechanics Lab)

Ejector System in FML (Fluid Mechanics Lab)

Ejector System in FML (Fluid Mechanics Lab)

Ejector System in FML (Fluid Mechanics Lab)

Ejector System in FML (Fluid Mechanics Lab)

CURTIS O. TAYLOR, PRESIDENT OF LINC RESEARCH CORP, (L), AND JEFF LINDNER, CHIEF ENGINEER, POSE WITH HARDWARE FOR THEIR PATENTED TECHNOLOGY, FLUID STRUCTURE COUPLING, WHICH USES SIMPLE PHYSICS TO DAMPEN POTENTIALLY HARMFUL SHAKING IN STRUCTURES. INSTALLATION OF THE FLUID STRUCTURE COUPLING TECHNOLOGY IN A BUILDING WILL TAKE PLACE IN SUMMER OF 2016.

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) F-16A flow field grid

ISS020-E-018118 (8 July 2009) --- European Space Agency astronaut Frank De Winne, Expedition 20 flight engineer, works with the Fluid Servicing System (FSS) in the Columbus laboratory of the International Space Station.

ISS020-E-018121 (8 July 2009) --- European Space Agency astronaut Frank De Winne, Expedition 20 flight engineer, works with the Fluid Servicing System (FSS) in the Columbus laboratory of the International Space Station.

STS053-09-019 (2 - 9 Dec 1992) --- A medium close-up view of part of the Fluid Acquisition and Resupply Equipment (FARE) onboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. Featured in the mid-deck FARE setup is fluid activity in one of two 12.5-inch spherical tanks made of transparent acrylic. Pictured is the receiver tank. The other tank, out of frame below, is for supplying fluids. The purpose of FARE is to investigate the dynamics of fluid transfer in microgravity and develop methods for transferring vapor-free propellants and other liquids that must be replenished in long-term space systems like satellites, Extended-Duration Orbiters (EDO), and Space Station Freedom. Eight times over an eight-hour test period, the mission specialists conducted the FARE experiment. A sequence of manual valve operations caused pressurized air from the bottles to force fluids from the supply tank to the receiver tank and back again to the supply tank. Baffles in the receiver tank controlled fluid motion during transfer, a fine-mesh screen filtered vapor from the fluid, and the overboard vent removed vapor from the receiver tank as the liquid rose. FARE is managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Alabama. The basic equipment was developed by Martin Marietta for the Storable Fluid Management Demonstration. Susan L. Driscoll is the principal investigator.

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) image of Space Shuttle Pressure Flow using Virtual Wind Tunnel

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) image of Space Shuttle Pressure Flow using Virtual Wind Tunnel

The optical bench for the Fluid Integrated Rack section of the Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) is shown in its operational configuration. The FCF will be installed, in phases, in the Destiny, the U.S. Laboratory Module of the International Space Station (ISS), and will accommodate multiple users for a range of investigations. This is an engineering mockup; the flight hardware is subject to change as designs are refined. The FCF is being developed by the Microgravity Science Division (MSD) at the NASA Glenn Research Center. (Photo credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center)

Saturn's clouds are full of raw beauty, but they also represent a playground for a branch of physics called fluid dynamics, which seeks to understand the motion of gases and liquids. Saturn's lack of a solid planetary surface (as on Earth, Mars or Venus) means that its atmosphere is free to flow around the planet essentially without obstruction. This is one factor that generates Saturn's pattern of alternating belts and zones -- one of the main features of its dynamic atmosphere. Winds in the belts blow at speeds different from those in the adjacent zones, leading to the formation of vortices along the boundaries between the two. And vigorous convection occasionally leads to storms and waves. Saturn's innermost rings are just visible at the bottom and in the upper left corner. This view is centered on clouds at 25 degrees north latitude on Saturn. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on July 20, 2016 using a spectral filter which preferentially admits wavelengths of near-infrared light centered at 728 nanometers. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 752,000 miles (1.21 million kilometers) from Saturn and at a Sun-Saturn-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 6 degrees. Image scale is 45 miles (72 kilometers) per pixel. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20503

Astronaut Mike Fincke places droplets of honey onto the strings for the Fluid Merging Viscosity Measurement (FMVM) investigation onboard the International Space Station (ISS). The FMVM experiment measures the time it takes for two individual highly viscous fluid droplets to coalesce or merge into one droplet. Different fluids and droplet size combinations were tested in the series of experiments. By using the microgravity environment, researchers can measure the viscosity or "thickness" of fluids without the influence of containers and gravity using this new technique. Understanding viscosity could help scientists understand industrially important materials such as paints, emulsions, polymer melts and even foams used to produce pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic products.

Astronaut Mike Fincke places droplets of honey onto the strings for the Fluid Merging Viscosity Measurement (FMVM) investigation onboard the International Space Station (ISS). The FMVM experiment measures the time it takes for two individual highly viscous fluid droplets to coalesce or merge into one droplet. Different fluids and droplet size combinations were tested in the series of experiments. By using the microgravity environment, researchers can measure the viscosity or "thickness" of fluids without the influence of containers and gravity using this new technique. Understanding viscosity could help scientists understand industrially important materials such as paints, emulsions, polymer melts and even foams used to produce pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic products.

Fluid Physics is study of the motion of fluids and the effects of such motion. When a liquid is heated from the bottom to the boiling point in Earth's microgravity, small bubbles of heated gas form near the bottom of the container and are carried to the top of the liquid by gravity-driven convective flows. In the same setup in microgravity, the lack of convection and buoyancy allows the heated gas bubbles to grow larger and remain attached to the container's bottom for a significantly longer period.

Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF), Combustion Integration Rack (CIR) during testing in the Structural Dynamics Laboratory (SDL). The Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) is a set of two International Space Station (ISS) research facilities designed to support physical and biological experiments in support of technology development and validation in space. The FCF consists of two modular, reconfigurable racks called the Combustion Integration Rack (CIR) and the Fluids Integration Rack (FIR). The CIR and FIR were developed at NASAʼs Glenn Research Center.

The optical bench for the Fluids Integrated Rack section of the Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) is shown extracted for servicing and with the optical bench rotated 90 degrees for access to the rear elements. The FCF will be installed, in phases, in the Destiny, the U.S. Laboratory Module of the International Space Station (ISS), and will accommodate multiple users for a range of investigations. This is an engineering mockup; the flight hardware is subject to change as designs are refined. The FCF is being developed by the Microgravity Science Division (MSD) at the NASA Glenn Research Center. (Photo credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center)

The Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) is a modular, multi-user facility to accommodate microgravity science experiments on board Destiny, the U.S. Laboratory Module for the International Space Station (ISS). The FCF will be a permanet facility aboard the ISS, and will be capable of accommodating up to ten science investigations per year. It will support the NASA Science and Technology Research Plans for the International Space Station (ISS) which require sustained systematic research of the effects of reduced gravity in the areas of fluid physics and combustion science. From left to right are the Combustion Integrated Rack, the Shared Rack, and the Fluids Integrated Rack. The FCF is being developed by the Microgravity Science Division (MSD) at the NASA Glenn Research Center. (Photo Credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center)

Stephen Beitashour, a professional soccer player from the San Jose Earthquakes, was asked to demonstrate kicking the ball for his student audience. With the increased globalization of soccer, more young people are playing the sport and developing motor skills to compete effectively. To enhance their skills, students in the United States and Canada recently were given the opportunity to discuss with a NASA scientist the aerodynamics of the newly designed soccer ball. To help student soccer players better understand the movement of the ball, NASA scientists at the Fluid Mechanics Laboratory at NASA’s Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., recently tested the performance of the Jabulani design, and compared it to the 2006 design. Included in this study was Rabi Mehta who had done previous tests on tennis and cricket balls in wind tunnels.

ISS030-E-142784 (15 March 2012) --- European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers, Expedition 30 flight engineer, works to remove the Marangoni Surface fluid physics experiment from the Fluid Physics Experiment Facility (FPEF) in the Kibo laboratory of the International Space Station.

ISS020-E-017933 (8 July 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 20 flight engineer, works with the Fluid Servicing System (FSS) and the Fluid Control Pump Assembly (FCPA) in the Columbus laboratory of the International Space Station.

ISS030-E-142785 (15 March 2012) --- European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers, Expedition 30 flight engineer, works to remove the Marangoni Surface fluid physics experiment from the Fluid Physics Experiment Facility (FPEF) in the Kibo laboratory of the International Space Station.

ISS030-E-142827 (15 March 2012) --- European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers, Expedition 30 flight engineer, works to remove the Marangoni Surface fluid physics experiment from the Fluid Physics Experiment Facility (FPEF) in the Kibo laboratory of the International Space Station.

A 16mm film frame shows convective regions inside silicone oil playing the part of a stellar atmosphere in the Geophysical Fluid Flow Cell (GFFC). An electrostatic field pulled the oil inward to mimic gravity's effects during the experiments. The GFFC thus produced flow patterns that simulated conditions inside the atmospheres of Jupiter and the Sun and other stars. Numbers of the frame indicate temperatures and other conditions. This image is from the Spacelab-3 flight in 1985. GFFC was reflown on U.S. Microgravity Laboratory-2 in 1995. The principal investigator was John Hart of the University of Colorado at Boulder. It was managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. (Credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center)

A steel hemisphere was at the core of the Geophysical Fluid Flow Cell (GFFC) that flew on two Spacelab missions. It was capped by a sapphire dome. Silicone oil between the two played the part of a steller atmosphere. An electrostatic field pulled the oil inward to mimic gravity's effects during the experiments. The GFFC thus produced flow patterns that simulated conditions inside the atmospheres of Jupiter and the Sun and other stars. GFFC flew on Spacelab-3 in 1985 and U.S. Microgravity Laboratory-2 in 1995. The principal investigator was John Hart of the University of Colorado at Boulder. It was managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. (Credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center)

This composite image depicts one set of flow patterns simulated in the Geophysical Fluid Flow Cell (GFFC) that flew on two Spacelab missions. Silicone oil served as the atmosphere around a rotating steel hemisphere (dotted circle) and an electrostatic field pulled the oil inward to mimic gravity's effects during the experiments. The GFFC thus produced flow patterns that simulated conditions inside the atmospheres of Jupiter and the Sun and other stars. GFFC flew on Spacelab-3 in 1985 and U.S. Microgravity Laboratory-2 in 1995. The principal investigator was John Hart of the University of Colorado at Boulder. It was managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. (Credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center)

Test tubes to hold different types of fluids while in free-fall were among the student-designed items for the second Dropping in a Microgravity Environment (DIME) competition held April 23-25, 2002, at NASA's Glenn Research Center. Competitors included two teams from Sycamore High School, Cincinnati, OH, and one each from Bay High School, Bay Village, OH, and COSI Academy, Columbus, OH. DIME is part of NASA's education and outreach activities. Details are on line at http://microgravity.grc.nasa.gov/DIME_2002.html.

Students prepare to load fluids in their experiment apparatus during the Microgravity Environment (DIME) competition held April 23-25, 2002, at NASA's Glenn Research Center. Competitors included two teams from Sycamore High School, Cincinnati, OH, and one each from Bay High School, Bay Village, OH, and COSI Academy, Columbus, OH. DIME is part of NASA's education and outreach activities. Details are on line at http://microgravity.grc.nasa.gov/DIME_2002.html.

Students prepare to load fluids in their experiment apparatus during the Dropping In a Microgravity Environment (DIME) competition held April 23-25, 2002, at NASA's Glenn Research Center. Competitors included two teams from Sycamore High School, Cincinnati, OH, and one each from Bay High School, Bay Village, OH, and COSI Academy, Columbus, OH. DIME is part of NASA's education and outreach activities. Details are on line at http://microgravity.grc.nasa.gov/DIME_2002.html.

Advanced Colloids Experiment, Thermal 5-2, ACE T5-2 International Space Station, ISS, Fluids Integrated Rack, FIR Operations in the Telescience Support Center, TSC

This image shows a simulated snapshot of ocean turbulence in the North Atlantic Ocean in March 2012, from a groundbreaking super-high-resolution global ocean simulation (approximately 1.2 miles, or 2 kilometers, horizontal resolution) developed at JPL (http://wwwcvs.mitgcm.org/viewvc/MITgcm/MITgcm_contrib/llc_hires/llc_4320/). The colors represent the magnitude of surface relative vorticity, a measure of the spin of fluid parcels. The image emphasizes fast-rotating, small-scale (defined here as 6.2 to 31-mile, or 10 to 50 kilometer, range) turbulence, especially during the winter. High levels of relative vorticity caused by small-scale turbulence are believed to strongly transport heat and carbon vertically in the ocean. The image appears in a study (Su et al. 2018), entitled "Ocean submesoscales as a key component of the global heat budget," published recently in Nature Communications. The study suggests that upper-ocean small-scale turbulence transports heat upward in the ocean at a level five times larger than larger-scale heat transport by ocean eddies, significantly affecting the exchange of heat between the ocean interior and atmosphere. Such interactions have a crucial impact on the Earth's climate. A movie is available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22256

ISS021-E-021416 (5 Nov. 2009) --- Canadian Space Agency astronaut Robert Thirsk, Expedition 21 flight engineer, uses the Fluid Servicing System (FSS) to refill Internal Thermal Control System (ITCS) loops with fresh coolant in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station.

The first United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML-1) was one of NASA's science and technology programs that provided scientists an opportunity to research various scientific investigations in a weightlessness environment inside the Spacelab module. It also provided demonstrations of new equipment to help prepare for advanced microgravity research and processing aboard the Space Station. The USML-1 flew in orbit for extended periods, providing greater opportunities for research in materials science, fluid dynamics, biotechnology (crystal growth), and combustion science. This is a close-up view of the Drop Physics Module (DPM) in the USML science laboratory. The DPM was dedicated to the detailed study of the dynamics of fluid drops in microgravity: their equilibrium shapes, the dynamics of their flows, and their stable and chaotic behaviors. It also demonstrated a technique known as containerless processing. The DPM and microgravity combine to remove the effects of the container, such as chemical contamination and shape, on the sample being studied. Sound waves, generating acoustic forces, were used to suspend a sample in microgravity and to hold a sample of free drops away from the walls of the experiment chamber, which isolated the sample from potentially harmful external influences. The DPM gave scientists the opportunity to test theories of classical fluid physics, which have not been confirmed by experiments conducted on Earth. This image is a close-up view of the DPM. The USML-1 flew aboard the STS-50 mission on June 1992, and was managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center.

ISS021-E-011438 (22 Oct. 2009) --- NASA astronaut Nicole Stott, Expedition 21 flight engineer, installs hardware in the Fluids Integrated Rack (FIR) in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station.

ISS021-E-011443 (22 Oct. 2009) --- NASA astronaut Nicole Stott, Expedition 21 flight engineer, installs hardware in the Fluids Integrated Rack (FIR) in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station.

ISS021-E-011440 (22 Oct. 2009) --- NASA astronaut Nicole Stott, Expedition 21 flight engineer, installs hardware in the Fluids Integrated Rack (FIR) in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station.

iss073e0917782 (Oct. 23, 2025) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Jonny Kim conducts research operations for the Fluid Particles investigation inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox aboard the International Space Station's Destiny laboratory module. The fluid physics experiment may help researchers understand how particles in a liquid interface come together to form larger structures or clusters in microgravity advancing fire suppression, lunar dust control, and plant growth in space. Earth benefits may include insights into pollen behavior, algae blooms, plastic pollution, and sea salt transfer during storms.

Engineers from NASA's Glenn Research Center, demonstrate access to one of the experiment racks planned for the U.S. Destiny laboratory module on the International Space Station. This mockup has the full diameter, full corridor width, and half the length of the module. The mockup includes engineering mockups of the Fluids and Combustion Facility being developed by NASA's Glenn Research Center. (The full module will be six racks long; the mockup is three rack long) Photo credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center

The combustion chamber for the Combustion Integrated Rack section of the Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) is shown extracted for servicing and with the optical bench rotated 90 degrees for access to the rear elements. The FCF will be installed, in phases, in the Destiny, the U.S. Laboratory Module of the International Space Station (ISS), and will accommodate multiple users for a range of investigations. This is an engineering mockup; the flight hardware is subject to change as designs are refined. The FCF is being developed by the Microgravity Science Division (MSD) at the NASA Glenn Research Center. (Photo credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center)

The combustion chamber for the Combustion Integrated Rack section of the Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) is shown in its operational configuration. The FCF will be installed, in phases, in the Destiny, the U.S. Laboratory Module of the International Space Station (ISS), and will accommodate multiple users for a range of investigations. This is an engineering mockup; the flight hardware is subject to change as designs are refined. The FCF is being developed by the Microgravity Science Division (MSD) at the NASA Glenn Research Center. (Photo credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center)

The combustion chamber for the Combustion Integrated Rack section of the Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) is shown opened for installation of burn specimens. The FCF will be installed, in phases, in the Destiny, the U.S. Laboratory Module of the International Space Station (ISS), and will accommodate multiple users for a range of investigations. This is an engineering mockup; the flight hardware is subject to change as designs are refined. The FCF is being developed by the Microgravity Science Division (MSD) at the NASA Glenn Research Center. (Photo credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center)

A portion of an ancient channel called the Huo Hsing Vallis is seen in the center of this image from NASA Mars Odyssey. As with all channel forms on Mars, it was carved by some moving fluid but that fluid can not automatically be assumed to be water.

iss073e0002477_alt (April 28, 2025) --- JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut and Expedition 73 Commander Takuya Onishi processes cassettes containing biological fluid samples for installation inside the Advanced Space Experiment Processor-4, a research facility that can be shipped back and forth from Earth to space, for a biotechnology study.

ISS020-E-016214 (1 July 2009) --- Canadian Space Agency astronaut Robert Thirsk, Expedition 20 flight engineer, prepares the Fluid Physics Experiment Facility (FPEF) for the planned Marangoni Surface experiment in the Kibo laboratory of the International Space Station.

iss073e0002467 (April 28, 2025) --- JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut and Expedition 73 Commander Takuya Onishi processes cassettes containing biological fluid samples for installation inside the Advanced Space Experiment Processor-4, a research facility that can be shipped back and forth from Earth to space, for a biotechnology study.

ISS030-E-156468 (27 Jan. 2012) --- European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers, Expedition 30 flight engineer, is pictured in the Quest airlock of the International Space Station during photo documentation of the fluid and electrical interfaces on the Umbilical Interface Assembly (UIA) Connector Shelf.

Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment (FBCE) hardware. Project personnel perform engineering checks on the Fluid Module 1 prior to final hardware assembly.

Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment (FBCE) hardware. Project personnel perform engineering checks on the Fluid Module 1 prior to final hardware assembly.

These photos show how teams at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, are testing an innovative approach to achieve zero boiloff storage of liquid hydrogen using two stages of active cooling, which could prevent the loss of valuable propellant during future long-duration spaceflight missions. Test teams installed the propellant tank in Test Stand 300 at NASA Marshall in early June, and the 90-day test campaign is scheduled to conclude in September. The tank is wrapped in a multi-layer insulation blanket that includes a thin aluminum heat shield fitted between layers. A second set of tubes, carrying helium at about minus 298 Fahrenheit, is integrated into the shield. This intermediate cooling layer intercepts and rejects incoming heat before it reaching the tank, easing the heat load on the tube-on-tank system. The Cryogenic Fluid Management Portfolio Project is a cross-agency team based at NASA Marshall and the agency’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. The cryogenic portfolio’s work is under NASA’s Technology Demonstration Missions Program, part of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, and is comprised of more than 20 individual technology development activities. For more information, contact NASA Marshall’s Office of Communications at 256-544-0034.

Aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the Tissue Culture Medium (TCM) is the bioreactor vessel in which cell cultures are grown. With its two syringe ports, it is much like a bag used to administer intravenous fluid, except it allows gas exchange needed for life. The TCM contains cell culture medium, and when frozen cells are flown to the ISS, they are thawed and introduced to the TCM through the syringe ports. In the Cellular Biotechnology Operations Support System-Fluid Dynamics Investigation (CBOSS-FDI) experiment, several mixing procedures are being assessed to determine which method achieves the most uniform mixing of growing cells and culture medium.

ISS037-E-012572 (14 Oct. 2013) --- In the U.S. lab Destiny aboard the Earth-orbiting International Space Station Expedition 37 Flight Engineer Michael Hopkins prepares the Fluids Integrated Rack for an experiment.

STS030-10-003 (4-8 May 1989) --- An overall scene of the onboard materials science project for STS-30. Seen is the fluids experiment apparatus, supported by an accompanying computer and an 8mm camcorder for its operation. Another major component of the project-- Astronaut Mary L. Cleave, who devoted a great deal of STS-30 monitoring various experiments--is out of frame.

ISS011-E-07709 (2 June 2005) --- Astronaut John L. Phillips, Expedition 11 NASA ISS science officer and flight engineer, works with the Miscible Fluids in Microgravity (MFMG) payload activities in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station (ISS). At the work table, Phillips slowly injected tinted water into honey, as part of a thermal experiment.

iss073e0917376 (Oct. 20, 2025) --- Tiny ball bearings surround a larger central bearing during the Fluid Particles experiment, conducted inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) aboard the International Space Station’s Destiny laboratory module. A bulk container installed in the MSG, filled with viscous fluid and embedded particles, is subjected to oscillating frequencies to observe how the particles cluster and form larger structures in microgravity. Insights from this research may advance fire suppression, lunar dust mitigation, and plant growth in space. On Earth, the findings could inform our understanding of pollen dispersion, algae blooms, plastic pollution, and sea salt transport during storms.

iss073e0917381 (Oct. 20, 2025) --- Tiny ball bearings surround a larger central bearing during the Fluid Particles experiment, conducted inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) aboard the International Space Station’s Destiny laboratory module. A bulk container installed in the MSG, filled with viscous fluid and embedded particles, is subjected to oscillating frequencies to observe how the particles cluster and form larger structures in microgravity. Insights from this research may advance fire suppression, lunar dust mitigation, and plant growth in space. On Earth, the findings could inform our understanding of pollen dispersion, algae blooms, plastic pollution, and sea salt transport during storms.

iss073e0917383 (Oct. 20, 2025) --- Tiny ball bearings surround a larger central bearing during the Fluid Particles experiment, conducted inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) aboard the International Space Station’s Destiny laboratory module. A bulk container installed in the MSG, filled with viscous fluid and embedded particles, is subjected to oscillating frequencies to observe how the particles cluster and form larger structures in microgravity. Insights from this research may advance fire suppression, lunar dust mitigation, and plant growth in space. On Earth, the findings could inform our understanding of pollen dispersion, algae blooms, plastic pollution, and sea salt transport during storms.

The teardrop-shaped island in this image was formed by the flow of fluid lava rather than liquid water

The combustion chamber for the Combustion Integrated Rack section of the Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) is shown extracted for servicing. The FCF will be installed, in phases, in the Destiny, the U.S. Laboratory Module of the International Space Station (ISS), and will accommodate multiple users for a range of investigations. This is an engineering mockup; the flight hardware is subject to change as designs are refined. The FCF is being developed by the Microgravity Science Division (MSD) at the NASA Glenn Research Center. (Photo credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center)

Advanced Colloids Experiment, Thermal 5-2, ACE T5-2 International Space Station, ISS, Fluids Integrated Rack, FIR Operations in the Telescience Support Center, TSC

ISS018-E-017796 (5 Jan. 2009) --- Astronaut Sandra Magnus, Expedition 18 flight engineer, works on the Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) Combustion Integration Rack (CIR) Passive Rack Isolation System (PaRIS) in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station.

The IML-1 mission was the first in a series of Shuttle flights dedicated to fundamental materials and life sciences research with the international partners. The participating space agencies included: NASA, the 14-nation European Space Agency (ESA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), The French National Center of Space Studies (CNES), the German Space Agency and the German Aerospace Research Establishment (DAR/DLR), and the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). Dedicated to the study of life and materials sciences in microgravity, the IML missions explored how life forms adapt to weightlessness and investigated how materials behave when processed in space. Both life and materials sciences benefited from the extended periods of microgravity available inside the Spacelab science module in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Orbiter. This photograph shows Astronaut Norman Thagard performing the fluid experiment at the Fluid Experiment System (FES) facility inside the laboratory module. The FES facility had sophisticated optical systems for imaging fluid flows during materials processing, such as experiments to grow crystals from solution and solidify metal-modeling salts. A special laser diagnostic technique recorded the experiments, holograms were made for post-flight analysis, and video was used to view the samples in space and on the ground. Managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), the IML-1 mission was launched on January 22, 1992 aboard the Shuttle Orbiter Discovery (STS-42).

STS030-02-018 (4-8 May 1989) --- A 35mm overall scene of the operations devoted to the fluids experiment apparatus (FEA) aboard Atlantis for NASA’s STS-30 mission. Astronaut Mary L. Cleave, mission specialist, is seen with the computer which is instrumental in the carrying out of a variety of materials science experiments. Rockwell International is engaged in a joint endeavor agreement with NASA’s Office of Commercial Programs in the field of floating zone crystal growth and purification research. The March 1987 agreement provides for microgravity experiments to be performed in the company’s Microgravity Laboratory, the FEA. An 8 mm camcorder which documented details inside the apparatus is visible at bottom of the frame.

STS030-01-015 (4-8 May 1989) --- A 35mm close-up view of the Fluids Experiment Apparatus (FEA) aboard Atlantis for NASA’s STS-30 mission. Rockwell International is engaged in a joint endeavor agreement with NASA’s Office of Commercial Programs in the field of floating zone crystal growth and purification research. The March 1987 agreement provides for microgravity experiments to be performed in the company’s Microgravity Laboratory, the FEA. Crewmembers, especially Mary L. Cleave, devoted a great deal of onboard time to the monitoring of various materials science experiments using the apparatus.

Technicians in protective coveralls check pressures of fluid systems during deservicing operations on Space Shuttle Endeavour after its landing at Edwards Air Force Base Nov. 30, 2008.

Expedition 6 astronaut Dr. Don Pettit photographed a cube shaped wire frame supporting a thin film made from a water-soap solution during his Saturday Morning Science aboard the International Space Station’s (ISS) Destiny Laboratory. Food coloring was added to several faces to observe the effects of diffusion within the film.

Expedition 6 astronaut Dr. Don Pettit photographed a cube shaped wire frame supporting a thin film made from a water-soap solution during his Saturday Morning Science aboard the International Space Station’s (ISS) Destiny Laboratory. Food coloring was added to several faces to observe the effects of diffusion within the film.

Whipped cream and the filling for pumpkin pie are two familiar materials that exhibit the shear-thinning effect seen in a range of industrial applications. It is thick enough to stand on its own atop a piece of pie, yet flows readily when pushed through a tube. This demonstrates the shear-thinning effect that was studied with the Critical Viscosity of Xenon Experiment (CVX-2) on the STS-107 Research 1 mission in 2002. CVX observed the behavior of xenon, a heavy inert gas used in flash lamps and ion rocket engines, at its critical point. The principal investigator was Dr. Robert Berg of the National Institutes of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, MD.

These images, from David Weitz’s liquid crystal research, show ordered uniform sized droplets (upper left) before they are dried from their solution. After the droplets are dried (upper right), they are viewed with crossed polarizers that show the deformation caused by drying, a process that orients the bipolar structure of the liquid crystal within the droplets. When an electric field is applied to the dried droplets (lower left), and then increased (lower right), the liquid crystal within the droplets switches its alignment, thereby reducing the amount of light that can be scattered by the droplets when a beam is shone through them.

Andy Stofan views a small-scale tank built to study the sloshing characteristics of liquid hydrogen at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lewis Research Center. Stofan was tasked with the study of propellant motion, or sloshing, in space vehicle propellant tanks. At the time, there was little knowledge of the behavior of fluids in microgravity or the effects of the launch on the propellant’s motion. Sloshing in the tank could alter a spacecraft’s trajectory or move the propellant away from the turbopump. Stofan became an expert and authored numerous technical reports on the subject. Stofan was assigned to the original Centaur Project Office in 1962 as a member of the Propellant Systems Section. Stofan was instrumental in solving a dynamic instability problem on the Centaur vehicle and served as the systems engineer for the development of the Centaur propellant utilization system. The solution was also applied to the upper-stages of Saturn. In 1966, Stofan was named Head of the Propellant Systems Section. Stofan continued rising through the managerial ranks at Lewis. In 1967 he became Project Manager of a test program that successfully demonstrated the use of a pressurization system for the Centaur vehicle; in 1969 the Assistant Project Manager on the Improved Centaur project; in 1970 Manager of the Titan/Centaur Project Office; in 1974 Director of the Launch Vehicles Division. In 1978, Stofan was appointed Deputy Associate Administrator for the Headquarters Office of Space Science. In 1982, he was named Director of Lewis Research Center.

STS066-22-012 (3-14 Nov 1994) --- On the Space Shuttle Atlantis' mid-deck, astronaut Donald R. McMonagle, mission commander, works with the Heat Pipe Performance (HPP-2) experiment. HPP-2 was flown to investigate the thermal performance and fluid dynamics of heat pipes operating with asymmetric and multiple heating zones under microgravity conditions. McMonagle was joined by four other NASA astronauts and a European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut for 11-days aboard Atlantis in Earth-orbit in support of the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS-3) mission.

The lack of normal convection in microgravity is demonstrated by a carbonated soft drink floating in the middeck of the Space Shuttle. While the droplet is oscillating slightly and starting to assume a spherical shape, it is filled with carbon dioxide bubbles in a range of sizes. On Earth, the bubbles would quickly foat up to form a head. In space, they are suspended. They may drift with time and eventually the surface tension between individual bubbles breaks, allowing larger bubbles to form. This image was taken during STS-51F mission (Spacelab 2) which carried test models of dispensers from two pupular soft drink manufacturers. Photo credit: NASA/Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the Tissue Culture Module (TCM) is the stationary bioreactor vessel in which cell cultures grow. However, for the Cellular Biotechnology Operations Support Systems-Fluid Dynamics Investigation (CBOSS-FDI), color polystyrene beads are used to measure the effectiveness of various mixing procedures. The beads are similar in size and density to human lymphoid cells. Uniform mixing is a crucial component of CBOSS experiments involving the immune response of human lymphoid cell suspensions. The goal is to develop procedures that are both convenient for the flight crew and are optimal in providing uniform and reproducible mixing of all components, including cells. The average bead density in a well mixed TCM will be uniform, with no bubbles, and it will be measured using the absorption of light. In this photograph, beads are trapped in the injection port, with bubbles forming shortly after injection.