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Drop tube

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can be used to throw the experiment upwards to prolong the weightlessness from 4.74 to nearly 9.3 seconds. Negating the physical space needed for the initial acceleration, this technique doubles the effective period of weightlessness. The NASA Glenn Research Center has a 5 second drop tower (The
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physics experiments and development and testing of space-based hardware can also be conducted using a drop tower. Sometimes, the ground-based research performed with a drop tower serves as a prelude to more ambitious, in-flight investigation; much longer periods of weightlessness can be achieved
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must be present and the payload may be enclosed in a drag shield to isolate it from high-speed "wind" as the apparatus accelerates toward the bottom of the tower. See a video of a microgravity combustion experiment in the NASA Glenn Five Second Drop Facility at
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KÖNEMANN, T., VON KAMPEN, P., and RATH, H.J. (2010). The drop tower bremen – experiment operation, in COSPSAR, Proceedings of the 38th COSPAR Scientific Assembly, Bremen, Germany, 15–18 July 2010. volume 38 of COSPAR, Plenary Meeting. p. 3588. Available from:
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of the drop tube, to eliminate the effect of aerodynamic drag. Alternatively the experiment is placed inside an outer box (the drag shield) for which, due to its weight, during its fall the reduction of acceleration due to air drag is less.
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VON KAMPEN, P., KÖNEMANN, T., and RATH, H.J. (2010). The drop tower bremen – an overview, in COSPAR, Proceedings of the 38th COSPAR Scientific Assembly, Bremen, Germany, 15–18 July 2010. p. 3587. Available from:
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for an object under study. Air bags, polystyrene pellets, and magnetic or mechanical brakes are sometimes used to arrest the fall of the experimental
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For a typical materials science experiment, a sample of the material under study is loaded into the top of the drop tube, which is filled with
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Plagens, Owen; Castillo, Martin; Steinberg, Theodore; Ong, Teng-Cheong (2014). "Drop Tower Facility at Queensland University of Technology".
293: 50:. In other cases, high-speed impact with a substrate at the bottom of the tower is an intentional part of the experimental protocol. 477: 58: 266: 158: 366:
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010cosp...38.3588K&link_type=ARTICLE&db_key=AST&high=
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as a drop tower to demonstrate that falling bodies accelerate at the same constant rate regardless of their mass.
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produced in a drop tube depends on the length of the tube and its degree of internal evacuation. The 105-meter
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A view down the shaft of NASA Glenn's 2.2 second drop tower. A large (deflated) air bag is at the bottom.
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Dryden Drop Tower, Portland State University, Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science
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or evacuated to create a low-pressure environment. Following any desired preprocessing (e.g.
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produces 4.6 seconds of weightlessness when it is fully evacuated. In the drop facility
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to solidify into a quasi-perfect sphere by the time it reaches the floor of the tower.
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is based on a vertical shaft, extending to 510 feet (155 m) below ground level.
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Zero Gravity Facility) and a 2.2 second drop tower (The 2.2 Second Drop Tower).
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was used during the Second World War as a drop tower for testing bomb designs.
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NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Drop Tube Facility is currently mothballed
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http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/kaihatu/space/kaihatsushi/detail/1299905.htm
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The vacuum-dynamic stand in Academician V.P.Makeyev State Rocket Centre
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Much of the operating cost of a drop tower is due to the need for
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Applied Dynamics Laboratories drop tower for spinning spacecraft
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Experimental drop tube of the metallurgy department of Grenoble
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Micro-Gravity Laboratory of Japan (MGLAB) (Closed June 2010)
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is a structure used to produce a controlled period of
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NASA Glenn Research Center Zero-G Research Facility
425:Science in China Series E: Technological Sciences 353:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010cosp...38.3587V 235:NASA Glenn Research Center 2.2 Second Drop Tower 8: 142:or with space-based laboratories aboard the 213:. A short period of weightlessness allows 283:National Microgravity Laboratory (China) 472:. Frances Lincoln Limited. p. 86. 343: 198:is popularly thought to have used the 115:Drop towers are also commonly used in 16:Structure used for zero-G experiments 7: 511:10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.32.21 194:Though the story may be apocryphal, 53:Not all such facilities are towers: 296:drop tower, Brisbane (Closed 2014) 294:Queensland University of Technology 77:'s 5 second Zero Gravity Facility. 14: 469:A Year in the Life of Kew Gardens 561: 59:Zero Gravity Research Facility 1: 312:Marshall Space Flight Center 209:were once useful for making 163:Marshall Space Flight Center 19:For the amusement ride, see 499:Advanced Materials Research 148:International Space Station 609: 288:Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 119:research. For this work, 18: 466:Jackson, Joanna (2007). 322:Microgravity Environment 73:A view down the tube of 250:50m Drop Tower, Sapporo 493:Steinberg, T. (2008). 86: 78: 570:at Wikimedia Commons 307:Glenn Research Center 200:Leaning Tower of Pisa 84: 72: 583:Laboratory equipment 171:University of Bremen 546:2014cosp...40E2560P 437:2005ScChE..48..305Z 317:Magnetic levitation 224:List of drop towers 205:Drop towers called 382:2012-03-20 at the 286:The pagoda at the 277:2017-04-19 at the 87: 79: 566:Media related to 445:10.1360/102004-21 95:induction heating 65:Typical operation 32:materials science 600: 565: 550: 549: 529: 523: 522: 490: 484: 483: 463: 457: 456: 416: 410: 409: 407: 406: 392: 386: 374: 368: 361: 355: 348: 153:The duration of 608: 607: 603: 602: 601: 599: 598: 597: 573: 572: 559: 554: 553: 540:: G0.2–1–14-1. 531: 530: 526: 492: 491: 487: 480: 465: 464: 460: 418: 417: 413: 404: 402: 394: 393: 389: 384:Wayback Machine 375: 371: 362: 358: 349: 345: 340: 303: 279:Wayback Machine 254:Fallturm Bremen 226: 192: 190:Historical uses 167:Fallturm Bremen 67: 24: 17: 12: 11: 5: 606: 604: 596: 595: 593:Weightlessness 590: 585: 575: 574: 558: 557:External links 555: 552: 551: 524: 485: 478: 458: 431:(3): 305–316. 411: 387: 369: 356: 342: 341: 339: 336: 335: 334: 332:Weightlessness 329: 324: 319: 314: 309: 302: 299: 298: 297: 291: 284: 281: 269: 264: 261: 256: 251: 245: 242: 237: 232: 225: 222: 191: 188: 66: 63: 44:weightlessness 15: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 605: 594: 591: 589: 586: 584: 581: 580: 578: 571: 569: 564: 556: 547: 543: 539: 535: 528: 525: 520: 516: 512: 508: 504: 500: 496: 489: 486: 481: 479:9780711226838 475: 471: 470: 462: 459: 454: 450: 446: 442: 438: 434: 430: 426: 422: 415: 412: 401: 400:www.hastic.jp 397: 391: 388: 385: 381: 378: 373: 370: 367: 360: 357: 354: 347: 344: 337: 333: 330: 328: 325: 323: 320: 318: 315: 313: 310: 308: 305: 304: 300: 295: 292: 289: 285: 282: 280: 276: 273: 270: 268: 265: 262: 260: 257: 255: 252: 249: 246: 243: 241: 238: 236: 233: 231: 228: 227: 223: 221: 219: 216: 212: 208: 203: 201: 197: 189: 187: 184: 179: 176: 172: 168: 164: 160: 156: 151: 149: 145: 144:Space Shuttle 141: 138:-flight-path 137: 132: 128: 126: 122: 118: 113: 111: 107: 103: 100: 96: 92: 83: 76: 71: 64: 62: 60: 56: 51: 49: 45: 41: 37: 33: 29: 22: 560: 537: 533: 527: 502: 498: 488: 468: 461: 428: 424: 414: 403:. Retrieved 399: 390: 372: 359: 346: 204: 193: 180: 152: 129: 114: 88: 52: 39: 35: 25: 207:shot towers 577:Categories 568:Drop tubes 405:2020-01-14 338:References 327:Shot tower 183:evacuation 117:combustion 110:pyrometers 97:to melt a 75:NASA Glenn 55:NASA Glenn 36:drop tower 21:Drop tower 505:: 21–24. 453:110511662 211:lead shot 159:drop tube 155:free-fall 136:parabolic 91:inert gas 40:drop tube 519:44240229 396:"宇宙環境利用" 380:Archived 301:See also 275:Archived 175:catapult 140:aircraft 542:Bibcode 433:Bibcode 196:Galileo 146:or the 106:cameras 48:payload 28:physics 588:Towers 517:  476:  451:  248:HASTIC 215:molten 121:oxygen 515:S2CID 449:S2CID 134:with 131:Fluid 102:alloy 99:metal 534:Cosp 474:ISBN 218:lead 108:and 34:, a 30:and 507:doi 441:doi 169:at 161:at 57:'s 38:or 26:In 579:: 538:40 536:. 513:. 503:32 501:. 497:. 447:. 439:. 429:48 427:. 423:. 398:. 173:a 150:. 127:. 112:. 548:. 544:: 521:. 509:: 482:. 455:. 443:: 435:: 408:. 23:.

Index

Drop tower
physics
materials science
weightlessness
payload
NASA Glenn
Zero Gravity Research Facility

NASA Glenn

inert gas
induction heating
metal
alloy
cameras
pyrometers
combustion
oxygen

Fluid
parabolic
aircraft
Space Shuttle
International Space Station
free-fall
drop tube
Marshall Space Flight Center
Fallturm Bremen
University of Bremen
catapult

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