Foam, of coarse
Image: The Foam-Coarsening experiment ran a new batch of cartridges in the Fluid Sciences Laboratory of the European Columbus module.The experiment began in April to study foams in depth under the more stable conditions afforded by microgravity on the International Space Station. The cell cartridges contain a mixture of soap and water. Bubbles are generated by moving a piston at high speed. The foam is observed for up to 100 hours, during which the foam bubbles become larger but less in number. This process slows down over time so measurements are stopped when five bubbles are formed in each cell section. The results are analysed with laser optics and high-resolution cameras.The new batch contains the same water and soap mixture but with a difference in the amount of liquid in the cell. Producing foams in a different concentration allows researchers to study how the bubbles enlarge (or coarsen). What is so...