THE FUNCTIONAL-MODEL OF THE BUBBLE DROP AND PARTICLE UNIT - A NEW APPROACH TO THE CONCEPT OF THE EXPERIMENT GROUND SUPPORT EQUIPMENT

The development of microgravity experiments in MultiUser Facilities (M UF) is subjected to a series of preparatory activities sometimes very demanding in terms of accuracy and number of operations. The ground re ference tests, in particular, include all those activities necessary f or experiment preparation and verification pre and post-flight. The co nception of a Functional Model (FM) for the BDPU is herein analysed. T he FM of a MUF is a ground based instrument able to reproduce faithful ly the performances of the Flight Unit (FU). Differently from the labo ratory models. the FM ensures higher level performances. comparable wi th the Flight Unit; differently from the Engineering Model (EM), it is designed to be easily improved and modified to include new diagnostic and stimuli systems. The major characteristics of the model, its util ization and special features are described in the present paper.