Good vibrations: 'Upward' article on Gator GATSBY research

Drawing on a lineage that reaches back to early experiments by Michael Faraday, the article traces how this longstanding scientific curiosity is now being harnessed to tackle key challenges in microgravity, from cooling methods to emerging approaches for in-orbit manufacturing. The article provides insight into several key themes and scientific questions including:

• Vibrations to Replace Convection: On Earth, convection reliably moves heat through fluids (gravity-drive flows), but in microgravity, convection disappears. The researchers explore how carefully tuned vibrations can generate Faraday waves that induce fluid motion even when gravity is absent.
• Stable, Controlled Interfacial Waves: By driving resonance at the interface between fluids, the experiments demonstrate that it’s possible to create predictable, repeatable flow patterns, opening the door to new ways of circulating fluids inside cooling systems or reactor loops.
• Toward Metal 3D Printing in Space: The same principles could help solve long-standing fluid-control challenges in additive manufacturing. If molten metal can be shaped, moved, or stabilized through vibration rather than gravity, it may enable more reliable in-orbit 3D printing of components and tools.
• A Bridge Between Past and Future: The article also highlights how the team’s work connects centuries-old physics to today’s needs for sustainable operations in orbit, long-duration missions, and advanced manufacturing capabilities.

Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and sponsored by the ISS National Lab, the research payload (Gator GATSBY) was launched in November 2022 and spent around six months aboard the International Space Station, hosted inside our ICE Cubes Facility.

Over that period, the team performed approximately 800 experimental runs, benefitting from the ability to operate and adjust the payload directly from the ground using our interface. This wealth of data made it possible to map resonance-driven fluid behavior in unprecedented detail and to deepen the foundations for future applications, laying the groundwork for efficient heat-management for future space habitats, reactors and life-support units, as well as manufacturing and various resource-efficient operations beyond Earth.