Our Contribution
APL is developing innovative ways to evaluate biological threats in a natural environment. The APL-designed and -built Rotating Drum System provides unprecedented aerosol research capabilities. With its continuously rotating drum, the system suspends aerosol particles for up to 24 hours so researchers can study biological viability due to environmental factors; while in suspension, the particles are exposed to ozone, simulated sunlight, and hydrothermal conditions resembling those in different regions of the continental United States. This is a capability unavailable anywhere else.