Pulsating Heat Pipes 'Fly your thesis!' experiment

Preparing the PHP^Cubed experiment for the 72nd ESA parabolic flight campaign as part of the 'Fly your thesis' educational initiative. Parabolic flights treat passengers and experiments to a rollercoaster ride, flying angled at 49º 30 times per flight. They are used to conduct short-term scientific and technological investigations in microgravity and reduced gravity, to test instrumentation before use in space, to validate operational and experimental procedures, and to train astronauts for spaceflight.

The PHP^3 team is five enthusiastic engineering master's students all based at the University of Brighton, UK, with almost four years of combined industrial experience between them. They are looking to take heat management technology (Pulsating Heat Pipes, PHPs) and scale it down to explore its feasibility as a nanosatelite-sized solution for future space technologies. PHPs have an appeal as an alternative heat management solution for satelites as their passive hydro-thermal mechanics require no moving parts or pumps to work, significantly reducing the risk of the system failing and requiring maintenance; which is not always possible if the system is in space. More info on the website: https://www.php-cubed.com/the-team

The Fly Your Thesis! programme gives master and PhD candidates the opportunity to fly their scientific experiment or technological research in microgravity conditions. The experiments can be related to fluid physics, chemistry, biology, material sciences, heat transfer and astrophysics. The parabolic flight campaign takes place on the Airbus A310 Zero-G, which is operated by Novespace from Bordeaux, France. Each campaign consists of a series of three flights providing about 20s of microgravity each.