The inboard cabinet for the Japanese Experiment Model "Kibo" was launched aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour, and steady progress is being made for preparations for the experiment by the astronaut Takao Doi. Inside this experimental setup, a "fluid physics experiment facility" based on a proposal by Professor Hiroshi Kawamura of the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering at TUS, was included. An experiment on surface tension convection (Marangoni convection) that actualizes under zero gravity will be conducted with this experimental setup. The results obtained from this experiment will contribute to the manufacture of high-quality materials and to the handling of microfluids. Around June, the main body of the Japanese Experiment Model "Kibo" will be launched, and afterwards, Professor Hiroshi Kawamura will cooperate with Ichiro Ueno, a lecturer from the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering at TUS, and a team from the Yokohama National University to conduct this experiment with "Kibo," which will be remotely operated from the Tsukuba Space Center.
Takao Doi explaining the fluids experiment rack
http://iss.jaxa.jp/library/photo/doi_jlp02_080320.php
Themes for experiments planned to be conducted with the Japanese Experiment Model "Kibo"
http://kibo.jaxa.jp/en/experiment/theme/jpm01/