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The Centrifuge Rotor (CR) system is a significant new development that will provide artificial gravity for gravitational experiments involving relatively large biological specimens such as small animals and plants. The Engineering Model (EM) test has been performed to evaluate the rotating performance and the vibration suppression system including active balancing system, vibration isolation mechanism, and active damping system. The EM test results show that the CR can create a stable artificial gravity environment. However, some CR technical issues have been clarified through the EM test such as the active balancing control, the active damping control, the vibration isolation mechanism, the structural reliability, and the air drag effect. The solution toward the Flight Model (FM) design will be discussed.

The Centrifuge Rotor (CR), scheduled to be launched in 2003, provides an artificial gravitational environment for biological specimens housed in habitats on the International Space Station (ISS). The resource supply and video/data exchange with habitats during rotation and the suppression of disturbance forces to both the ISS microgravity racks and CR internal habitats are very challenging key technologies. This paper presents the CR development status and CR system outline including system requirements, configuration and the development plan to develop the key technologies.

The Centrifuge Rotor (CR) system, presented at the last ICES (Ohtomi et al., 1999) and scheduled to be launched in 2004, provides an artificial gravitational environment for biological specimens housed in habitats on the International Space Station (ISS). This paper presents the concept and investigation for realizing the micro-gravity (micro-g) performance, that is, the vibration suppression performance of the CR system which is the artificial gravity generator. The CR is a significant new development that will provide artificial gravity for gravitational experiments involving relatively large biological specimens such as small animals and plants. The CR rotates habitats located radially around the axis and generates centrifugal force, imposing artificial gravity of arbitrary magnitude up to 22.0 m/s2 (about 2.2 g) on the specimens housed in the habitats.