Technical Research on ISS Russian Segment

F/PKE Experiment

"F/PKE" experiment is incorporated into the French research program ANDROMEDA, which is a constituent part of the "Program for implementation of scientific and application research planned for the third manned expedition ISS-3". CNES is a customer for preparing and carrying out the program of scientific and engineering experiments during the French astronaut mission to ISS RS.

Objective:

A study of growth of plasma-dust structures in zero gravity.
A study of particle clouds behavior and internal flow structure in plasma-dust crystals.

Task:

Conducting two series of measurements that are needed to study the physics of the particles contained in low-pressure plasma, and to study quasi-stable plasma structures formed out of these particles.

Equipment Used:

• Experimental unit "Plasma crystal 3";
• two TEAC video tape recorders, included in the on-board "Telescience" equipment.

Expected Results:

• Video recording of plasma crystal formation process;
• digital data on the experiment parameters (gas pressure, high-frequency radiated power, the size of dust particles from which the crystal is formed) written to PCMCIA card.