WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

Astronaut Michael Barratt, Expedition 19/20 flight engineer, conducts a session with the Binodal Colloidal Aggregation Test--4 (BCAT-4) in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station. This experiment studies the long-term behavior of colloids -- fine particles suspended in a fluid in a microgravity environment, where the effects of sedimentation and convention are removed. Results from this study may lead to new colloid materials with applications in the communications and computer industries for switches, displays and optical devices with properties that could rival those of lasers.