Author Archives: nicovdw

Our instrument VIP-Gran is ready for parabolic flights in Bordeaux next weeks. The parameters of the experiments have been fixed at the Cologne meeting last September.  plan : Day 1: Segregation of small and large ITO coated glass beads: Thanks … Continue reading →

We performed new experiments within the April ESA campaign. The instrument is really improved thanks to DTM ! From the first observations, we obtained clustering and segregation. Lots of data will now be analyzed for quantifying the phenomena.  

The phase B study of the VIP-GRAN instrument was recently successfully completed and industry working under ESA contract produced a design of the instrument foreseeing accommodation in the European Drawer Rack in Columbus that passed Preliminary Design Review (PDR). The … Continue reading →

What is the difference between dynamical clustering and cooling ? This question is often debated. Cooling is the mechanism in which successive inelastic collisions dissipate the energy of the granular gas, leading to large scale inhomogeneities called clusters. The latter … Continue reading →

 The development status of the instrument is in phase B (preliminary design phase) which started in june 2010. This phase is mainly focusing on the development of  motors and the characterization of their performances. Phase B includes also testing at … Continue reading →

The “Dust and Grains in Low Gravity and Space Environment” workshop will be held in ESA/ESTEC, Noordwijk 2-4 April 2012. Many TT members will participate to this event.

The Topical Team meeting has been held in Paris, ESA Headquarters on September 21, 2011. During the meeting, the status of the project, the status of the breadboard tests have been discussed. The Working Packages are defined for selecting scientific objectives. … Continue reading →