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MASTERING FLUIDS
IN MICRO-GRAVITY

Submit your CAD design for a novel micro-gravity test tube. Have your design reviewed and scored by prominent researchers. The best designs are voted on by the SERA community. The top five designs win $500 each and will have the chance to be tested on a future zero-g flight.

SUBMIT A DESIGNBROWSE SUBMISSIONS
REVIEWED BY
Cornell UniversityUATX
—PRIZE POOL
—SUBMISSIONS
—ACTIVE TEAMS
—DEADLINE
HOW IT WORKS

THREE STEPS TO MICRO-G

Design Your Tube

Use any CAD tool to design an innovative tube geometry for micro-gravity fluid dynamics experiments. Focus on boundary layer behavior, flow separation, or turbulent mixing.

Upload & Get Feedback

Upload your STL or OBJ file. Our AI pre-screener gives you instant advisory feedback across five dimensions — then university professors and researchers conduct the official review.

Compete & Fly Micro-G

Submissions that meet the minimum score threshold are reviewed by professors and researchers from Cornell and UATX and then voted on by the SERA community. The winning designs will have the chance to be tested on a future zero-g flight.

THE PROBLEM

WHY FLUIDS BEHAVE DIFFERENTLY IN MICROGRAVITY

In micro-gravity, fluids behave in ways that are both fascinating and challenging. Without gravity, water doesn't fall — it floats as shimmering orbs. Surface tension dominates, causing liquids to cling to surfaces or stretch into shapes that would never occur on Earth.

Current lab plasticware — from test tubes to Petri dishes — was not designed for space. Liquids leak, mix unpredictably, or contaminate the environment. This slows down research and risks safety.

MICRO-GRAVITY FLUID EXPERIMENT
YOUR MISSION

REDESIGN THE 1.5ML MICROFUGE TUBE

Redesign a fundamental building block of biology experimentation — the 1.5mL microfuge tube — so it works more reliably in micro-gravity.

Submit your CAD design and explain why it works — then have it tested during the micro-gravity phase of a micro-gravity flight. 

MICRO-G FLIGHT TEST

HOW YOUR DESIGN GETS TESTED

During the micro-gravity flight, winning designs will have the chance to be put through rigorous testing by the SERA flight crew.

Volume Levels

Tubes tested at three fill levels: 1/3, 2/3, and completely full — evaluating containment across conditions.

GoPro Recording

Every test captured on onboard GoPro cameras for frame-by-frame analysis and verification.

Micro-G Maneuvers

Your design is put through a series of motions during the micro-gravity phase of the flight.

Your design's success will be measured by its ability to contain liquids during a series of maneuvers in micro-gravity.

REVIEW PROCESS

REVIEWED BY PROFESSORS AND RESEARCHERS

AI PRE-SCREENING

When you upload your submission, our AI pre-screener gives you instant advisory feedback across five dimensions — scientific clarity, methodology, feasibility, relevance, and completeness. This helps you iterate and improve before final submission.

ADVISORY ONLY — NOT PART OF OFFICIAL SCORING

ACADEMIC REVIEW

All submissions are officially reviewed by university professors and researchers from Cornell and UATX. They evaluate your design for scientific merit, engineering feasibility, and potential impact on fluid dynamics research.

Cornell UniversityUATX
COMMUNITY VOTING

YOUR VOTE SHAPES THE LEADERBOARD

Anyone can vote — no submission required. Submit quality work that receives a high score and the votes you receive carry even more weight.

BASELINE1.0xANY USER
BRONZE1.0x
SILVER1.5x
GOLD2.0x
PLATINUM2.5x
DIAMOND3.0x
01

Anyone Can Vote

No submission required — just create an account and start voting on the designs you believe in.

02

5 Votes Per Challenge

Use your votes strategically. Budget resets for each new challenge.

03

Quality Earns Influence

Higher-scoring submissions unlock stronger votes — up to 3x influence at Diamond tier.

LEADERBOARD

TOP SUBMISSIONS

Live rankings from the current challenge. Scores reflect official academic review.

RANKINGS WILL APPEAR ONCE REVIEWS ARE COMPLETE

VIEW ALL SUBMISSIONS
SCORING

EVALUATION RUBRIC

Every submission gets instant AI pre-screening across five weighted dimensions, followed by official review from university professors and researchers. A composite score (0–100) determines your ranking.

SCIENTIFIC CLARITY20%

Is the problem well-defined? Are goals measurable?

METHODOLOGY RIGOR25%

Is the experimental or computational approach sound? Are controls identified?

FEASIBILITY20%

Can this realistically be achieved? Are resources and scope appropriate?

RELEVANCE25%

Does it advance fluid dynamics knowledge? Does it fit the challenge focus?

COMPLETENESS10%

Are all required fields present and substantive?

MISSION OVERVIEW

THE FULL BRIEF

Design specs, references, and flight-test procedure — the full mission brief in a single PDF.

KEY DETAILS

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Deadline

Submission deadline: August 8, 2026 — 23:59 UTC

What You Need to Submit

3D-printable CAD files (.STL or .OBJ)

Written explanation of how your design supports fluid dynamics experiments in micro-gravity

Eligibility

Open to individuals or teams of up to 3 members

How It Will Be Tested

Leakage Tests: Ensuring liquid stays inside during micro-gravity maneuvers.

Durability: Surviving handling, storage, and flight conditions.

FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS