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Dusty and Liquid Plasma Crystals in Conditions of Microgravity (Plasma Crystal)
04.26.13

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Overview | Description | Applications | Operations | Results | Publications | Imagery

Experiment Overview

This content was provided by Vlabimir E. Fortov, and is maintained in a database by the ISS Program Science Office.

Brief Summary

Information Pending

Principal Investigator(s)

  • Vlabimir E. Fortov, Institute for High Energy Densities, Moscow, Russia

    • Co-Investigator(s)/Collaborator(s)

    Information Pending

    Developer(s)
    Information Pending

    Sponsoring Space Agency

    Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos)

    Sponsoring Organization

    Information Pending

    Research Benefits

    Information Pending

    ISS Expedition Duration:

    November 2000 - September 2011

    Expeditions Assigned

    1,2,3,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19/20,21/22,23/24,25/26,27/28

    Previous ISS Missions

    Information Pending

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    Experiment Description

    Research Overview

    Information Pending

    Description

    Investigation of plasma-dust structures in gas-discharge plasma of a high-frequency capacitive discharge. Investigation of plasma-dust structures in plasma of glow discharge of direct current. Investigation of effect of UV space radiation on behavior of macro-particles charged by photoemission. Investigation of plasma-dust structures in space environment exposed to UV Sun radiation, plasma flows and ionizing radiation.

    A study of growth of plasma-dust structures in zero gravity. A study of particle clouds behavior and internal flow structure in plasma-dust crystals.

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    Applications

    Space Applications

    Information Pending

    Earth Applications

    Information Pending

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    Operations

    Operational Requirements

    Experimental Tenzor unit, Turbopump, Telescience equipment to control the process and record experiment results.

    Experimental unit "Plasma crystal 3", two TEAC video tape recorders, included in the on-board "Telescience" equipment.

    Operational Protocols

    Study of physical phenomena in plasma-dust crystals at different pressure levels of inert gas and power of HF generator in microgravity environment.

    Conducting two series of measurements that are needed to study the physics of the particles contained in low-pressure plasma, and to study quasi-stable plasma structures formed out of these particles.

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    Results/More Information

    Development of procedure for generation and monitoring of ordered structures of charged solid dust microparticles in plasma.

    Video recording of plasma crystal formation process, along with the digital data on the experiment, are returned to Earth. Parameters such as gas pressure, high-frequency radiated power and the size of dust particles from which the crystal is formed are written to PCMCIA card and returned.

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    Related Websites
  • Coordinating Scientific and Technical Council of the Russian Space Agency [Russian]
  • Energia - Science Research on the ISS Russian Segment

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    Imagery

    image The plasma crystal hardware.
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    image Laptop computer with plasma crystal experiment.
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    image
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    image NASA Image: ISS024E007144 Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov, Expedition 24 commander, performs chamber leak checks on the new Plasma Crystal-3 Plus experiment in the Poisk Mini-Research Module 2 (MRM2) of the International Space Station.
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    Information provided by the investigation team to the ISS Program Scientist's Office.
    If updates are needed to the summary please contact JSC-ISS-Program-Science-Group. For other general questions regarding space station research and technology, please feel free to call our help line at 281-244-6187 or e-mail at JSC-ISS-Research-Helpline.
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