Microgravity Thaw Experiment (MITEX)

The Microgravity Thaw Experiment (MITEX) is designed to visually observe effects of reduced gravity on solid-to-liquid phase changes under constrained geometry conditions. Potential applications which could be affected by this phenomenon include the startup of a power system in space (such as SP-100), management of fluid and thermal control systems in future space missions, maintenance of fluid systems on human inhabited space platforms, and in materials processing in space. The successful operation of these systems depends upon being able to start or restart from a frozen condition. The MITEX hardware consists of a colored, frozen water solution constrained within a clear, cylindrical tube which is wrapped with nichrome wire that provides heat input. Heat is transferred through the tube, ice is melted, and visual observations are recorded. In normal gravity conditions, convective cells develop which greatly increase the heat tansfer to the ice and the ice slug melts quickly.