Abstract

Twenty three years ago a young assistant professor in aerospace engineering sought a research niche at his university when the field he pursued initially was found to be crowded with successful elders. Zero-gravity fluid dynamics was the new attraction. This plus Earth-bound application of capillary-dominated fluids continue to be active research and engineering topics for the speaker. Presented are highlights of a variety of capillary fluid topics from both spaceflight and terrestrial needs. Existence of static equilibrium solutions in regions of the relevant parameter space and stability of such solutions are common concepts in the topics presented. The work leans heavily on applications of the novel Surface Evolver code. Recent extensions of Concus-Finn critical wetting analysis are also presented. Highlights of experimentation are also discussed, including involvement with the emerging commercial sub-orbital rocket industry in the USA and the NASA -funded undergraduate Fluids Education experiment payload to be launched to the International Space Station on SpaceX-6 or Oribtial-4 flight in 2014 or 2015.