ACTIVE RACK ISOLATION SYSTEM - ISS CHARACTERIZATION EXPERIMENT (ARIS-ICE)
Research Area: Microgravity Environment Measurement
Expedition(s): 2-4
Principal Investigator(s): ● Glenn S. Bushnell, The Boeing Company, Seattle, Washington
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Constant microgravity conditions are essential for many International Space Station (ISS)
experiments. Very small changes in acceleration (such as normal crew activity) can cause subtle
vibrations to echo through the ISS. Active Rack Isolation System (ARIS) can protect these
delicate experiments by absorbing the shock of motion before it can affect an experiment. This
capability enables accommodation of future research that is sensitive to vibration disturbances.
EARTH BENEFITS
Experiments ranging from protein
crystallization (which can lead to
vast advancements in medicine)
to the way different fluids behave
when mixed are conducted on the
ISS. In order for these experiments
to lead to improvements in our
lives on Earth, they must be
conducted as close to undisturbed
as possible in space. The ARIS can
lead to better science by
protecting those experiments
from sudden movements and
disturbances that can occur
aboard the ISS. ARIS-ICE will allow
for the ARIS to better perform its function.
SPACE BENEFITS
Even though ISS orbits the Earth in relative microgravity, it is subjected to various sources of
disruptive movements that can compromise sensitive experiments. Simple daily activities, like
crew exercise, can cause enough vibration to potentially interfere with a particular
experiment's results. ARIS allows experiments to remain as undisturbed as possible, and the
data collected from ARIS-ICE allows for more successful science to be performed aboard the
ISS.
RESULTS
ARIS-ICE operations were performed for over a year during Expeditions 2-4. During that period,
more than 1 700 test runs were completed, ranging from short 1-second stability tests to 5-
hour isolation characterization tests. Station vibrations were isolated to levels well below the
science requirements of investigations in EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments to Space
Station (EXPRESS) racks equipped with ARIS. Through a series of acceleration characterization
Cosmonaut Vladimir Dezhurov performs ARIS-ICE hammer tests in
the US Destiny laboratory during Expedition 3.