Thesis (M.S.)--Worcester Polytechnic Institute. / Keywords: fringe projection; condensation; reduced gravity; optical measurement. Includes bibliographical references. (p.125-126)

The thesis describes the design of a fringe projection system to study the dynamics of condensation with potential application in a reduced gravity environment. The concept is that an optical system for imaging the condensation layer enables extraction of valuable data from the image because of the ability of the optical system to image the perturbations in the condensation films. By acquiring a sequence of images of the deformed fringe pattern, the change in the surface topology can be observed over time, giving greater understanding of condensation dynamics in reduced gravity.