Video- Demonstration of Laminar Flow in a Liquid Onboard the International Space Station (ISS)

by NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center · 2003

What -- OpportunityWhat -- International Space Station (ISS)What -- WIRE

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This video, part of Saturday Morning Science, showcases the fascinating demonstration of laminar flow in a rotating water film aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in 2003. Expedition 6 astronaut Dr. Don Pettit places tracer particles in a water film held by a round wire loop and stirs the system rotationally with a Teflon cannula. The resulting flow clearly displays laminar 2D behavior with spiraling streamlines. The video captures both real-time and time-lapse footage of the tracer particles' movement, illustrating how diffusion gradually disperses the particles, eventually turning the film uniformly white.