Preliminary Experiments of Faceted Cellular Array Growth in Microgravity

Abstract

In situ observation experiments of faceted cellular growth will be carried out in transparent organic alloy, salolt-butyl alcohol in microgravity conditions using a sounding rocket and the International Space Station. The growth rate and the profiles of temperature and solute concentration in the vicinity of the solid-liquid interface will be simultaneously measured by microscopic interferometers in order to evaluate the morphological instability taking account of released latent heat in faceting material.