microgravity

microgravity

(mÿ-kroh-grav -ă-tee) The very low gravity encountered on spacecraft in Earth orbit, leading to a condition of near weightlessness. The behavior of liquids and gases in microgravity differs markedly from that observed on Earth. Hydrostatic pressure is small, sedimentation is suppressed, and dynamic effects, such as thermal convection, disappear. Space missions dedicated to the study of materials and living matter in microgravity include Eureca, the International Microgravity Laboratory, and the US Microgravity Laboratory.

Collins Dictionary of Astronomy © Market House Books Ltd, 2006

microgravity

[‚mī·krō′grav·əd·ē]

(mechanics)

A state of very weak gravity, such that the gravitational acceleration experienced by an observer inside the system in question is of the order of one-millionth of that on earth.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.