Rubi payload

The Reference mUltiscale Boiling Investigation experiment, known affectionately as Rubi, aims to expand our knowledge of the boiling process.

Built by Airbus for ESA and housed in the Fluid Science Laboratory in the Columbus module, Rubi will generate bubbles under controlled conditions using a special heater.

A high-speed camera will record how the bubbles behave, while an infrared camera measures the temperature of the heated region.

It sounds simple enough, but what makes Rubi complex is that scientists are eager to observe and quantify the effect of external forces.

With no gravity to disperse the bubbles, the science teams installed an electrode to observe the effect of an electric field on the bubbles.  

The experiment container also contains a small pump that, when activated, will get the liquid moving to evaluate the effect on the boiling process.