Physics Commons^™

Characterizing Particle Bed Stratigraphy As A Function Of Particle Size In An Airless, Microgravity Environment, Gillian Gomer, Michael Fraser, Anthony Meola, Raquel Guzman

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Asteroids and other small planetary bodies are covered in a loose, dynamic layer of multi-sized dusty particles. We are focused on developing methods to further understand this surface regolith behavior to inform future landing missions on these small bodies for resource collection. The Strata-1 experiment was designed to study granular behavior in a passive, microgravity, airless environment. These conditions, simulating that of an asteroid’s surface, were attained by installing Strata-1 aboard the International Space Station for 347 days. In this experiment, we took images of red, green, and blue multi-sized glass shards within a tube to better understand their stratigraphy. …