What question are ELTE researchers trying to answer with the help of the Hungarian astronaut?
Physicists at ELTE and engineers from SGF Ltd. are exploring how atmospheric flows work on gas giants like Saturn and Jupiter. As part of the HUNOR program, Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu will conduct the DiRoS experiment (Differential Rotation on a Sphere) aboard the International Space Station.
The experiment will rotate a tennis-ball-sized water droplet in microgravity to study shear instabilities, similar to how Saturn’s equator spins faster than its poles, creating giant vortices like its famous hexagonal cyclone. This is the first time such fluid dynamics will be tested in microgravity, offering new insights that could improve models of planetary atmospheres including Earth’s.
Source: ELTE
About the Author
