Phenomena in Microgravity Laboratory

The industrial and commercial development of space and often the ability to better characterise many important terrestrial phenomena are dependent on microgravity research capabilities. Microgravity experimentation is important to many diverse fields of research in the understanding of fundamental and applied aspects of physical phenomena. Both terrestrial and space-based experimental facilities are currently available to allow researchers access to microgravity environments. This presentation provides a short summary of the 2.0-second drop tower at Queensland University of Technology, including its specifications and operational performance. Current areas of research are also presented and discussed. These include: 1) Fluid Dynamics, 2) Nanomaterials, 3) Biomedical Science and 4) Combustion (with focus on understanding of the unique heterogeneous burning mechanism of bulk metallic materials in oxygen). A short description of available research opportunities will also be presented with emphasis on both collaborative research and the provision of reduced gravity test services.