Shear Instabilities

DiRoS-B experiment investigates fluid dynamics in conditions that only microgravity can provide. Namely, where multiple physical characteristics (flow velocity differences, inertial forces and spherical geometry) interact simultaneously as main actors on the fluid flow. By precisely adjusting fluidics parameters and tracking microparticles in a spinning tennis-ball-sized water drop, the results will provide analogous insights into large-scale atmospheric phenomena on gas giant planets, such as Saturn's North Polar Hexagon. The theories tested on orbit will benefit planetary science and improve our knowledge of atmospheric behavior in space, with potential applications for both space mining and Earth-focused climate research into atmospheric and fluid dynamics.