AGHF aboard LMS Spacelab

ESA's Advanced Gradient Heating Facility (AGHF) flew aboard the Life & Microgravity Sciences (LMS) Spacelab mission in June 1996 for materials processing experiments. CNES Payload Specialist Jean-Jacques Favier is seen inspecting an AGHF experiment cartridge after processing in the AGHF furnace. The furnace can provide an extremely stable temperature up to 1400degC. Together with the Liquid Metal Ring (on the thinner part of the cartridge), the furnace's cooling zone assembly can create temperature gradients of up to 100degC/cm in the solidification zone. The movement of the solidification zone along a sample can be as slow as 0.001 mm/minute. [Image Date: 1996/06] [98.04.007-007]