Researcher Launching into Microgravity with Blue Origin
Julie Brisset, an associate scientist in planetary sciences at UCF’s Florida Space Institute, was recently awarded a $250,000 grant from NASA to study levitating dust clouds in microgravity.
Brisset, who earned her doctorate in 2014 at the University of Braunschweig in Germany before becoming a postdoctoral fellow at UCF, will work with the aerospace manufacturer Blue Origin to test a new microgravity experimental technology.
The Dust In-Situ Manipulation System is a platform that allows for the long-term study of homogenously levitating dust clouds in microgravity. The DIMS will be able to conduct an
The composition of anything observed in space is deduced through its interaction with light. “The way we study the whole universe is by looking at it,” says Brisset. “So the interaction of light with anything, the more we understand it, the better we will know what we’re looking at.”
When looking at a dust cloud
On Earth, researchers are limited in the ways in which they can study levitating dust clouds as gravity impedes the production of a cloud with particles that homogeneously sit in the air. In a lab setting, researchers have been able to use air jets and ultrasound contraptions to levitate clouds, but they run into the problem of particles being sorted by size rather than levitating homogeneously. Drop towers can be used to achieve freefall, simulating microgravity conditions found in space. But even then, freefall conditions only last for a few seconds, limiting observation time.
The Blue Origins flight will create approximately three minutes of freefall microgravity conditions inside the rocket. DIMS will be on board and will conduct a number of different experiments in those three minutes. If it works, the ultimate goal is to launch DIMS into orbit where it will be in freefall conditions for a year.
While on the flight, DIMS will create dust clouds by injecting dust particles into its chamber and using its cloud manipulation system to confine the particles, allowing them to stay in a cloud. High-speed cameras will be used to create three-dimensional images of the clouds created. During the three minutes of microgravity, four experiments lasting approximately 40 seconds will test cloud creation using three different dust types and two different gas pressures.
“The ultimate goal is an orbital platform that can be useful for a range
Understanding levitating particles is of interest in a number of different fields, from astrophysicists investigating the birth of stars and planets to atmospheric scientists researching city smog. If DIMS is approved to go into orbit, researchers from these various fields would be able to conduct their research over hours to months.
Brisset is excited to see the collective work of a number of her colleagues be launched into this next step.
“I think it’s really exciting to get into that phase of the project where you’re actually going to see something fly,” she said.
Share This Article

Graduate Student Association Election Results
The Graduate Student Association (GSA) has announced the results of its 2023-2024 officer election. The newly elected officers will take on leadership roles and work to enhance the academic, social,...
Latest News

UCF is Designing Self-Repairing Oyster Reefs to Protect Florida’s Coastlines
A University of Central Florida engineering researcher is part of an international team of scientists who are developing oyster-based shoreline protection for U.S. coastlines. The work is through a $12.6...

UCF Ranks as a Top 25 U.S. Public University for Patents Granted
The University of Central Florida has moved into the ranks of the top 25 public universities in the nation for patents granted, according to the latest report from the National...

Your Graduate Student Association Candidates
The 2023-2034 Election of the Graduate Students Association Board will include nine candidates from various disciplines across UCF to run for president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary next week. Voting...

UCF Graduate Programs Climb in U.S. News Rankings, Highlighting Research Excellence and Community Impact
UCF, a top-tier public research university renowned for driving innovation and delivering broad-based prosperity, continues to distinguish itself in the latest U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools rankings. In these influential 2023-24...