Before entering the master of science program, aerospace engineers are already acquainted with the basic principles of fluid motion being trained on fundamental aspects of aerodynamics and gas dynamics. This level of knowledge is however deeply insufficient to understand how, even ordinary, fluids, such as air and water, behave in low gravity. The reduced weight adds indeed to the complexity of fluid behavior and enhances the effects of forces like surface tension that are usually negligible at the human scale on the Earth. In addition to that, the long permanence in the restricted environment of the spaceship, or, respectively, inside habitation modules, requires confidence with the more complex physiological fluids, and an understanding of how rheologically exotic fluids may behave.
In this framework, the course in microgravity flows is dedicated to providing the students interested in the microgravity environment with the appropriate tools to understand and design fluidic applications for and in the context of space sciences. The overall purpose is to train the students to identify the challenges posed by fluid motions in space systems and to propose effective solutions to problems involving their dynamics in the context of payload design, onboard systems, and manned missions.
In this context, the following educational objectives are envisioned for the course in Microgravity Flows.
Knowledge:
- Provide the students with a basic understanding of the equations governing fluid motion starting from basic principles, leading them to master the most fundamental models of fluid rheology, surface effects, and the processes of phase change in fluids under microgravity.
- Introduce the student to the behavior of soft materials and physiological fluids, with emphasis on hemodynamics and the lymphatic system and their response to the low gravity environment.
- Understand the effect of fluid motion on the dynamics of a spacecraft.
Know-how:
- Capacity to identify the relevant model to describe different kinds of fluid motions in microgravity and understand the relevant application context.
- Capacity to conceive basic microfluidic systems and define the fabrication procedure at the prototypal level.
- Capacity to translate the mathematical models of fluid motion into computational algorithms.
- Capacity to perform numerical simulations and interpret the results.
- Define the main characteristics of an experiment involving fluids in microgravity, select the most appropriate platform for its realization, and interpret the data.
Soft skills:
- Ability to produce a report concerning technical aspects of fluid motion in the space environment.
- Ability to actively work in a team and contribute ideas to a given project.
- Ability to publicly discuss and explain aspects related to fluid motion in low gravity to both technical and general audiences.
