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Updated: May 11, 2026

Scattering And Absorption of Light in Planetary Regoliths
Published on: July 1, 2019
SODI-COLLOID: a combination of static and dynamic light scattering on board the International Space Station
S Mazzoni1, M A C Potenza, M D Alaimo
1Human Spaceflight Directorate, European Space Agency, Noordwijk, The Netherlands. stefano.mazzoni@cern.ch
Abstract:
Microgravity research in space is a complex activity where the often scarce resources available for the launch, accommodation, and operation of instrumentation call for a careful experiment planning and instrument development. In this paper we describe a module of the Selectable Optical Diagnostic Instrument, that has been designed as a compact optical diagnostic instrument for colloidal physics experiments. The peculiarity of the instrument is the combination of a novel light scattering technique known as near field scattering and standard microscopy with a low-coherence laser light source. We describe its main design features, as well as measurement results on colloidal aggregation taken on the International Space Station.
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