DLR Material Physics Rocket MAPHEUS: Development, Experiment Overview and Research
- Paper number
IAC-11,A2,3,1,x11009
- Author
Mr. Martin Siegl, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR), Germany
- Coauthor
Prof. Andreas Meyer, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR), Germany
- Coauthor
Mr. Josef Ettl, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR), Germany
- Coauthor
Mr. Jörg Drescher, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR), Germany
- Coauthor
Mr. Christian Neumann, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR), Germany
- Coauthor
Mr. Guido Blochberger, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR), Germany
- Year
2011
- Abstract
Microgravity research rockets provide a cost- and time-effective platform for experiments in the field of material physics. MAPHEUS (Materialphysikalische Experimente unter Schwerelosigkeit, Material Physics Experiments under Microgravity Conditions), a DLR programme under the lead of the DLR Institute of Space Systems, conducts annual launches of scientific payloads solely dedicated to material studies. The experiments are designed and built by the DLR Institute of Materials Physics in Space. The Mobile Rocket Base (MORABA) of DLR is, together with Esrange Space Center of SSC, responsible for launch operations and the provision of rocket systems, comprising a service-, rate control- and recovery system. Launches take place at Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, Sweden. Following the maiden flight of MAPHEUS-1 in May 2009, MAPHEUS-2 started successfully on 27 October 2010 and MAPHEUS-3 is scheduled for May 2011. Propelled by a two-stage Nike/Improved-Orion motor combination, MAPHEUS offers more than three minutes of less than 10-4 g as ensured by the MORABA-built rate control system. MAPHEUS-4 is currently scheduled for May 2012, with a new motor configuration. The investigated physical phenomena on MAPHEUS-2 and MAPHEUS-3 include atomic transport processes in liquid Al- and Ge-based alloys with the ultimate goal of determining diffusion coefficients (ATLAS-M experiment); the miscibility, miscibility gaps and demixing in Cu-based metallic alloys during controlled cooling (DEMIX-M experiment); and the behaviour of magnetically-excited granular matter (MeGraMa-M experiment). MAPHEUS-3 further contains a high temperature shear cell oven to be integrated into an X-ray radiography instrument on MAPHEUS-4. Within the programme, flights on a yearly basis and the ability to fly an experiment with different sample composition on more than one flight opportunity ensure a wealth of scientific results. Experimental challenges on MAPHEUS include the high temperatures and therefore high power required for phase changes in metallic alloys, the setup of furnaces for fast melting of metallic samples and the gas-cooling of samples towards solidification. The scope of scientific experiments on MAPHEUS is presented, referring also to their scientific results. In addition, the flights of MAPHEUS-2 and MAPHEUS-3 are discussed based on data of the performance of various rocket systems. An outlook on the setup and experiments of MAPHEUS-4 is given.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)