Results of recent fluid physics and transport phenomena space flight experiments

A number of space flight experiments in fluid physics and transport phenomena have been conducted under the auspices of NASA's Office of Life and Microgravity Science and Applications. Results of these have been reported in various journals and technical society meetings. As preparations for a new generation of low gravity experiments to be conducted on ISS are well underway it is useful to review the results of experiments conducted on the " Shuttle". This paper summarizes the key findings of several recent experiments and emphasizes that such low earth orbit spacecraft should be considered as resource in which experiments can be conducted in near weightless conditions for extended time periods. It is hoped that the scientific community will realize the value of a "microgravity laboratory" and stimulated by past results, will propose new experiments that take maximum advantage of the facilities and long duration microgravity conditions afforded bi the ISS. The experiments described in this paper include: Surface Tension Driven Convection Experiment, Physics of Hard Spheres Experiment, Pool Boiling Experiment, Thermocapillary Migration of Bubbles and Drops, Electrohydrodynamics of liquid Bridges, Colloidal Disorder Order Transition, Critical Dynamics of Fluids Mechanics of Granular Materials, and the Angular Liquid Bridge and interface Configuration Experiment.