The peaceful use of space flight systems for research and technological devel opments in the context of promoting European and international cooperation represents the essential motivation for the programmes of the European Space Agency (ESA). One of ESA's programmes is dedicated to microgravity research, which is now an established discipline in Europe, with a dedicated group of scientists participating. The Challenger disaster has resulted in a serious dis continuity of flight opportunities in the next few years but the forthcoming International Space Station, new launchers and reentry vehicles are expected to provide ample opportunities for microgravity research in the long term. Meanwhile parabolic aircraft flights, sounding rockets as well as the delayed Shuttle-dependent missions, Spacelab D-2, the IML-missions and EURECA I, will be employed to keep microgravity experimenters reasonably busy in the interim period. To prepare the ground for these activities, both regarding research and experiment facilities, an in-depth analysis of the state of the art is an essential requirement at this time. Such an analysis is presented in this volume. It ad dresses all of the topics that have been identified to be of relevance. Besides a presentation of the fundamental aspects justifying microgravity research, the results of experiments already performed are reviewed and recommendations for future activities are made. Close to fifty European scientists have cooper ated in the preparation of this volume and their dedicated and concerted effort is greatly appreciated.

In a microgravity experiment, the conditions prevalent in fluid phases can be substantially different from those on the ground and can be exploited to improve different processes. Fluid physics research in microgravity is important for the advancement of all microgravity scients: life, material, and engineering. Space flight provides a unique laboratory that allows scientists to improve their understanding of the behaviour of fluids in low gravity, allowing the investigation of phenomena and processes normally masked by the effects of gravity and thus difficult to study on Earth. Physics of Fluids in Microgravity provides a clear view of recent research and progress in the different fields of fluid research in space. The topics presented include bubles and drops dynamics, Maragoni flows, diffustion and thermodiffusion, solidfication,a nd crystal growth. The results obtained so far are, in some cases, to be confirmed by extensive research activities on the International Space station, where basic and applied microgravity experimentation will take place in the years to come.

This book includes the proceedings of the Workshop held in Madrid, April 1999 to celebrate 2 years of successful operation of the first Spanish small scientific satellite in orbit. It contains discussions about the overall philosophy of small mission programs, the design of the satellite and its payload as well as the most relevant scientific outcome of the mission. Also included are additional contributions to the workshop, which are of importance to Minisat 01 in order to put its results within context. Finally, the future of small missions for space sciences is reviewed together with the main technological challenges for new studies. Out of the technological and scientific results of Minisat 01, the measurement of the EUV airglow spectrum and the flux of some stars in the same range can be highlighted together with the dismiss of the massive neutrino decay theory. The high-energy experiment analyzed the characterization of the radiation environment in LEO and the behaviour of different kind of detectors, as well as the use of coded masks for imaging and the measurement of some specific sources. The book's level is intended for specialists in EUV and Hard X-Ray astrophysicists as well as for engineers and technicians involved in space science experiments and missions.

Substantial progress has been made in the field of fluid mechanics under compensated gravity effects (microgravity). The main task of this disciplinehas evolved tremendously. Starting out with the aim of providing assistance in describing flow problems in other microgravity sciences, microgravityfluid mechanics has itself now become acknowledge as a powerful means of research. The IUTAM Symposium on Microgravity Fluid Mechanics has pro- vided the long-awaited forum for scientists from 15 coun- tries to discuss and concretize the "state-of-the-art" in this discipline. The main themes treated are: Interface Phe- nomena, Convective Processes; Marangoni effects, Solidifica- tion, Combustion, Physico-Chemical Processes, Multiphase Phenomena, Residual Acceleration effects, Fluid Handling and Non-Newtonian Flows.

A valuable, timely book for the crystal growth community, edited by one of the most respected members in the field. Contents cover all the important materials from silicon through the III-V and II-IV compounds to oxides, nitrides, fluorides, carbides and diamonds International group of contributors from academia and industry provide a balanced treatment Includes global interest with particular relevance to: USA, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, Australia and South Africa

More than four decades have passed since a human first set foot on the Moon. Great strides have been made in our understanding of what is required to support an enduring human presence in space, as evidenced by progressively more advanced orbiting human outposts, culminating in the current International Space Station (ISS). However, of the more than 500 humans who have so far ventured into space, most have gone only as far as near-Earth orbit, and none have traveled beyond the orbit of the Moon. Achieving humans' further progress into the solar system had proved far more difficult than imagined in the heady days of the Apollo missions, but the potential rewards remain substantial. During its more than 50-year history, NASA's success in human space exploration has depended on the agency's ability to effectively address a wide range of biomedical, engineering, physical science, and related obstacles-an achievement made possible by NASA's strong and productive commitments to life and physical sciences research for human space exploration, and by its use of human space exploration infrastructures for scientific discovery. The Committee for the Decadal Survey of Biological and Physical Sciences acknowledges the many achievements of NASA, which are all the more remarkable given budgetary challenges and changing directions within the agency. In the past decade, however, a consequence of those challenges has been a life and physical sciences research program that was dramatically reduced in both scale and scope, with the result that the agency is poorly positioned to take full advantage of the scientific opportunities offered by the now fully equipped and staffed ISS laboratory, or to effectively pursue the scientific research needed to support the development of advanced human exploration capabilities. Although its review has left it deeply concerned about the current state of NASA's life and physical sciences research, the Committee for the Decadal Survey on Biological and Physical Sciences in Space is nevertheless convinced that a focused science and engineering program can achieve successes that will bring the space community, the U.S. public, and policymakers to an understanding that we are ready for the next significant phase of human space exploration. The goal of this report is to lay out steps and develop a forward-looking portfolio of research that will provide the basis for recapturing the excitement and value of human spaceflight-thereby enabling the U.S. space program to deliver on new exploration initiatives that serve the nation, excite the public, and place the United States again at the forefront of space exploration for the global good.

Construction has begun on the International Space Station (ISS)the largest and most complex extraterrestrial construction project ever. This book on space stations, and the ISS in particular, describes component technologies, systems integration, and the potential utilization of these stations. Co-authored by Messerschmid, one of the first German astronauts, it addresses students and engineers in space technology, but will interest astronomy and space enthusiasts as well.