PFMI Facility Experiments Completed Aboard ISS
Twenty days of on-orbit experiments with the Redwire PFMI facility (Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation) have been completed aboard the International space Station. The experiments were conducted by NASA astronauts Frank Rubio, Josh Cassada and Nicole Mann, along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata as part of Asymmetric Sawtooth and Cavity-Enhanced Nucleation-Driven Transport (PFMI-ASCENT) investigation. The astronauts exchanged samples for PFMI-ASCENT inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox on the International Space Station (ISS) in December 2022 and January 2023. At the end of the 20-day experiment cycle, the furnace was removed from the Glovebox and placed into storage until its next investigation.
“We’ve recognized the PFMI team with Redwire’s Above and Beyond award because of their overall excellence and tireless effort in achieving the investigation’s objectives and completing the investigation’s experiments.”
Rachel Ormsby, Redwire’s lead on the PFMI program.
Using the Redwire-managed facility, PFMI-ASCENT is a space physics study that demonstrates a passive cooling system for electronic devices in microgravity using a micro-structured surface. The study is a collaboration between the University of California-Davis and Auburn University. All science data from the experiment has been collected and sent to the investigators.
PFMI Experiments Crucial to Collecting Science Data
The hypothesis is that large 5-6 mm diameter vapor bubbles produced from heated asymmetric ratcheted surfaces have been observed to move along the surface at horizontal velocities as high as 27 mm/s. The experiment tested surfaces covered with microstructures meant to determine the velocity along the surfaces and improve heat transfer using NASA’s space-based research furnace PFMI facility.
The astronauts performing on-station experiments were a crucial component to achieving experiment objectives and collecting science data. The Redwire team also played a critical role in the success of the study. “We’ve recognized the PFMI team with Redwire’s Above and Beyond award because of their overall excellence and tireless effort in achieving the investigation’s objectives and completing the investigation’s experiments,” said Rachel Ormsby, Redwire’s lead on the PFMI program and a mechanical engineer. The team was also recognized by our customer for their exemplary work.
The objective of PFMI-ASCENT is to help with the design of passive cooling systems for spacecraft electronics, which are often limited by available space and electric power, and for consumer electronics on Earth. PFMI will be used by additional investigators in the future.
(Source: Redwire news release. Images provided)