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Subject: STS-64 PRESS KIT
Date: 29 Aug 1994 14:29:16 -0700
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PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS

For Information on the Space Shuttle

Ed Campion          Policy/Management
202/358-1778
Headquarters, Wash., D.C.

James Hartsfield     Mission Operations
713/483-5111
Johnson Space Center, Houston  Astronauts

Bruce Buckingham   Launch Processing/ KSC Landing
Information 407/867-2468
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

June Malone      External Tank/SRBs/SSMEs       205/544-0034
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.

Don Haley      DFRC Landing Information          805/258-
3448
Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif.

For Information on NASA-Sponsored STS-64 Experiments

Brian Dunbar    LITE science                     202/358-
1547
Headquarters, Wash., D.C.

Charles Redmond       LITE technology       202/358-1757
Headquarters, Wash., D.C. ROMPS

Don Savage     SPARTAN-201                    202/358-1547
Headquarters, Wash., D.C.

James Hartsfield     SAFER, SPIFEX           713/483-5111
Johnson Space Center, Houston

Tammy Jones       GAS Experiments           301/286-5566
Goddard Space Flight Center,Greenbelt, Md.

Mike Braukus    BRIC, SSCE                   202/358-1979
Headquarters, Wash., D.C.

Terri Sindelar Hudkins         SAREX            202/358-1977
Headquarters, Wash., D.C.

For Information on DOD-Sponsored STS-64 Experiments

Dave Hess          AMOS, MAST, RME           713/483-3498
Johnson Space Center, Houston

CONTENTS

GENERAL BACKGROUND
General Release
3
Media Services Information
6
Quick-Look Facts
7
Shuttle Abort Modes
9
Summary Timeline
10
Payload and Vehicle Weights
12
Orbital Events Summary
13
Crew Responsibilities
15

CARGO BAY PAYLOADS & ACTIVITIES
Lidar In-Space Technology Experiment (LITE)
16
Shuttle Pointed Autonomous Research Tool for Astronomy-201
(SPARTAN-201)
23
Robot Operated Materials Processing System (ROMPS)
26
Get Away Special (GAS)
31
Simplified Aid for Extravehicular Activity Rescue (SAFER)
40
Shuttle Plume Impingement Flight Experiment (SPIFEX))
43

IN-CABIN PAYLOADS
Solid Surface Combustion Experiment (SSCE)
44
Biological Research in Canisters (BRIC)
45
Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX)
46
Radiation Monitoring Experiment-III (RME-III)
48
Military Applications of Ship Tracks (MAST)
48

STS-64 CREW BIOGRAPHIES
Richard (Dick) N. Richards, Commander (CDR)
49
L. Blaine Hammond, Jr., Pilot (PLT)
49
Jerry M. Linenger, Mission Specialist-1 (MS-1)
49
Susan J. Helms, Mission Specialist-2 (MS-2)
50
Carl Meade, Mission Specialist-3 (MS-3)
51
Mark C. Lee, Mission Specialist-4 (MS-4)
51





Release:  94-135

LASER ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH, ROBOTIC OPERATIONS AND
UNTETHERED SPACEWALK HIGHLIGHT SHUTTLE MISSION STS-
64

        NASA's fifth Shuttle flight of 1994 will include two
firsts when the Orbiter Discovery and her six-person crew
perform atmospheric research using a laser and conduct
robotic processing of semiconductor materials during Shuttle
Mission STS-64.  The mission also will see the deployment
and retrieval of a free flying astronomical observer and the
first untethered spacewalk by astronauts in over ten years.

        Leading the STS-64 crew will be Mission Commander
Richard (Dick) N. Richards who will be making his fourth
flight.  Pilot for the mission is L. Blaine Hammond, Jr. who
is making his second flight.  The four mission specialists
aboard Discovery are Jerry M. Linenger who will be making
his first flight; Susan J. Helms who will be making her
second flight; Carl J. Meade, who will be making his third
flight; and Mark C. Lee, who will be making his third
flight.

         Launch of Discovery currently is scheduled for no
earlier than September 9, 1994, at 4:30 p.m. EDT.  The
planned mission duration is 8 days, 20 hours, 11 minutes.
An on-time launch on September 9 would produce a landing at
12:41 p.m. EDT on September 18, 1994 at the Kennedy Space
Center's Shuttle Landing Facility.

         The STS-64 mission will see the first flight of the
Lidar In-Space Technology Experiment (LITE) payload.  The
LITE is primarily a technology test.  Discovery will carry a
laboratory laser into space, point it toward the Earth and
beam narrow pulses of laser light through the atmosphere.
The LITE will use a telescope to measure the laser's light
as it is reflected from clouds, the suspended particles in
the air and from the Earth's surface.  This is the first
time this type of laser system -- called a lidar -- has
flown in space for atmospheric studies.  Engineers will use
information from LITE in the development of future remote-
sensing instruments, including elements of NASAUs Earth
Observing System, a series of environmental satellites
scheduled to begin launching in 1998.

          The LITE will collect atmospheric data and will
provide an opportunity to collect valuable information about
the Earth's atmosphere -- crucial for a better understanding
of our climate.  Information gained from LITE can help
explain the impact of human activity on the atmosphere as
well as provide a new tool for improved measurements of
clouds, particles in the atmosphere and the Earth's surface.


          On the fifth day of the STS-64 mission, Helms will
use the Shuttle's mechanical arm to deploy the Shuttle
Pointed Autonomous Research Tool for Astronomy-201 (SPARTAN-
201) payload.  For 40 hours, Spartan-201 will fly free of
the Shuttle and study the acceleration and velocity of the
solar wind and measure aspects of the Sun's corona.  The
corona is difficult to study because it is so dim relative
to the rest of the Sun.  On Flight Day seven, the Shuttle
will rendezvous with SPARTAN-201 after which it will be
retrieved and stowed in Discovery's cargo bay for return to
Earth.

           Discovery's cargo bay also will carry the Robot
Operated Processing System (ROMPS) payload which is the
first U.S. robotics system to be used in space.  ROMPS will
advance microgravity processing by using a robot to
transport a variety of semiconductors from the storage racks
to halogen lamp furnaces where their crystal structures are
reformed in heating and cooling cycles.  The purpose of
ROMPS is to utilize the microgravity environment to develop
commercially valuable methods of processing semiconductor
materials.  Another objective of the ROMPS program is to
advance automation and robotics for material processing in
ways that can lower the costs of developing and
manufacturing semiconductors.

            STS-64 crew members Mark Lee and Carl Meade will
perform a six-and-a-half hour spacewalk on flight day eight
of the mission to evaluate the Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue
(SAFER); several spacewalking tools; and an Electronic Cuff
Checklist developed to allow spacewalkers greater and easier
access to information.  SAFER is a small, self-contained,
propulsive backpack device that can provide free-flying
mobility for a spacewalker in an emergency.  It is designed
for self-rescue use by a spacewalker in the event the
Shuttle is unable or unavailable to retrieve a detached,
drifting crew member. Examples of such times may include a
mission where the Shuttle is docked to the Russian Mir space
station or to the International Space Station.

              The STS-64 mission will see the continuation
of NASA's Get Away Special (GAS) experiments program.  The
project gives an individual a chance to perform experiments
in space on a Shuttle mission.  On STS-64, U.S. universities
and high schools and several foreign countries are flying
experiments.

              The Shuttle Plume Impingement Flight
Experiment (SPIFEX) payload will study the characteristics
and behavior of exhaust plumes from Discovery's Reaction
Control System (RCS) thrusters during the mission.  SPIFEX,
when picked up by Discovery's mechanical arm, is a 33-foot
long extension for the arm with a package of instruments
that will measure the near-field, transition and far-field
effects of thruster plumes.  The plume information gathered
by the experiment will assist planners in understanding the
potential effects of thruster plumes on large space
structures, such as the Russian Space Agency's Mir Space
Station, and the International Space Station, during future
Shuttle docking and rendezvous operations.

               Research on the development and
differentiation of a major food crop family that provides
half of the world's calorie intake from plants, is the
subject of the second Biological Research in Canisters
(BRIC-2) experiment on STS-64.  Microgravity research on
orchard grass, which is part of the plant family that
includes wheat, rice and corn, possibly will provide
critical insights into the reproductive biology of the
world's major food crops.

              The Solid Surface Combustion Experiment (SSCE)
being flown is a major study of how flames spread in a
microgravity environment.  Conducting the flame spreading
experiment in microgravity removes buoyant air motion caused
by gravity, commonly observed as "hot gases rising."
Comparing microgravity results with test results obtained in
normal gravity on Earth (1g) provides detailed information
about how air motion affects flame spreading.  The SSCE
results will contribute to improvements in fire safety
equipment and practices both on Earth and in spacecraft.

               Three Department of Defense sponsored
experiments will be flown during the STS-64 mission.  The
Air Force Maui Optical System (AMOS) is an electrical-
optical facility on the Hawaiian island of Maui.  The AMOS
facility tracks the orbiter as it flies over the area and
records signatures from thruster firings, water dumps or the
phenomena of "Shuttle glow."  The information obtained by
AMOS is used to calibrate the infrared and optical sensors
at the facility.  The Military Applications of Ship Tracks
(MAST) experiment on STS-64 is part of a five-year research
program designed to characterize how effluents from ship
stacks can affect cloud properties in the immediate
vicinity.  These effects are seen visually as a bright line
in clouds corresponding to the track of the ship.  The
Radiation Monitoring Equipment-III (RME-III) measures
ionizing radiation exposure to the crew within the orbiter
cabin.  RME-III measures gamma ray, electron, neutron and
proton radiation and calculates in real time exposure in
RADS-tissue equivalent.  The hand-held instrument is stored
in a middeck locker during flight except for when the crew
activates it and replaces the memory module every two days.

               The STS-64 crew will take on the role of
teacher as they educate students in the United States and
other countries about mission objectives.  Using the Shuttle
Amateur Radio Experiment-II (SAREX-II), astronauts aboard
Discovery will discuss with students what it is like to live
and work in space.

               STS-64 will be the 19th flight of Space
Shuttle Discovery and the 64th flight of the Space Shuttle
System.


- end -






MEDIA SERVICES INFORMATION

NASA Television Transmission

            NASA television is now available through a new
satellite system.  NASA programming can now be accessed on
Spacenet-2, Transponder 5, located at 69 degrees West
longitude; frequency 3880.0 MHz, audio 6.8 MHz.

           The schedule for television transmissions from
the orbiter and for mission briefings will be available
during the mission at Kennedy Space Center, Fla; Marshall
Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.; Dryden Flight
Research Center, Edwards, Calif.; Johnson Space Center,
Houston and NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.  The
television schedule will be updated to reflect changes
dictated by mission operations.

            Television schedules also may be obtained by
calling COMSTOR 713/483-5817.  COMSTOR is a computer data
base service requiring the use of a telephone modem.  A
voice update of the television schedule is updated daily at
noon Eastern time.

Status Reports

            Status reports on countdown and mission
progress, on-orbit activities and landing operations will be
produced by the appropriate NASA newscenter.

Briefings

             A mission press briefing schedule will be
issued prior to launch.  During the mission, status
briefings by a Flight Director or Mission Operations
representative and when appropriate, representatives from
the payload team, will occur at least once per day.  The
updated NASA television schedule will indicate when mission
briefings are planned.


STS-64 QUICK LOOK

Launch Date/Site:            September 9, 1994/KSC Pad 39-
B

Launch Time:                 4:30 p.m. EDT

Orbiter:                          Discovery (OV-103) - 19th
Flight

Orbit/Inclination:           140 nautical miles/57
degrees

Mission Duration:           8 days, 20 hours, 11 minutes

Landing TIme/Date:       12:41 p.m. EDT September 18,
1994

Primary Landing Site:     Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

Abort Landing Sites:       Return to Launch Site - KSC,
Fla.
                                     TransAtlantic Abort
Landing - Zaragoza, Spain,
                                     Moron, Spain, Ben
Guerir, Morocco
                                     Abort Once Around -
White Sands Space
                                     Harbor, N.M.

Crew:                             Richard Richards,
Commander (CDR)
                                      Blaine Hammond, Pilot
(PLT)
                                      Jerry Linenger,
Mission Specialist 1 (MS1)
                                      Susan Helms, Mission
Specialist 2 (MS2)
                                      Carl Meade, Mission
Specialist 3 (MS3)
                                      Mark Lee, Mission
Specialist 4 (MS4)


Cargo Bay Payloads:         Lidar in Space Technology
Experiment (LITE)
                                      Shuttle Pointed
Autonomous Research Tool
                                      for Astronomy (SPARTAN
201)
                                      Robotic Operated
Materials Processing
                                      System (ROMPS)
                                      Get Away Special
Bridge Assembly (GBA)
                                      Shuttle Plume
Impingement Flight
                                      Experiment (SPIFEX)
                                      Simplified Aid for
Extravehicular Activity
                                      Rescue (SAFER)

Middeck Payloads:        Air Force Maui Optical Site
(AMOS)
                                    Biological Research in
Canisters (BRIC)
                                    Military Application of
Ship Tracks (MAST)
                                   Radiation Monitoring
Experiment-III (RME-III)
                                 Shuttle Amateur Radio
Experiment-II (SAREX-II)
                                 Solid Surface Combustion
Experiment (SSCE)



Development Test Objectives/Detailed Supplementary
Objectives:
DTO 301D:  Ascent Structural Capability Evaluation
DTO 305D:  Ascent Compartment Venting Evaluation
DTO 306D:  Descent Compartment Venting Evaluation
DTO 307D:  Entry Structural Capability Evaluation
DTO 312:    External Tank Thermal Protection System
Performance
DTO 319D:  Orbiter/Payload Acceleration and Acoustics
Environment Data
DTO 414:    Auxiliary Power Unit Shutdown Test
DTO 520:   Edwards Lakebed Runway Bearing Strength and
Rolling
                  Friction
DTO 521:    Orbiter Drag Chute System Test
DTO 524:    Landing Gear Loads and Brake Stability
Evaluation
DTO 659:    Extended Duration Orbiter Treadmill Evaluation
DTO 664:    Cabin Temperature Survey
DTO 671:    EVA Hardware for Future Scheduled EVA Missions
DTO 672:    EMU Electronic Cuff Checklist
DTO 673:    Extended Duration Orbiter Ergometer Evaluation
DTO 674:    Thermo-Electric Liquid Cooling System Evaluation
DTO 700-5: Payload Bay Mounted Rendezvous Laser
DTO 700-7: Orbiter Data for Real Time Navigation Evaluation
DTO 805:    Crosswind Landing Performance
DTO 830:    Shuttle Plume Impingement Flight Experiment
DSO 482:    Cardiac Rhythm Disturbances During
Extravehicular
                   Activity
DSO 487:    Immunological Assesment of Crewmembers
DSO 489:    EVA Dosimetry Evaluation
DSO 491:    Characterization of Microbial Transfer Among
                  Crewmembers
DSO 603:    Orthostatic Function During Entry, Landing and
Egress
DSO 604:    Visual-Vestibular Integration as a Function of
Adaptation
DSO 610:    In-Flight Assessment of Renal Stone Risk
DSO 612:    Energy Utilization
DSO 614:    The Effect of Prolonged Space Flight on Head and
Gaze
                   Stability During Locomotion
DSO 621:    In-Flight Use of Florinef to Improve Orthostatic
                   Intolerance Postflight
DSO 624:    Pre and Postflight Measurement of
Cardiorespiratory
                   Responses to Submaximal Exercise
DSO 626:    Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Responses to
Standing
                  Before and After Space Flight
DSO 901:    Documentary Television
DSO 902:    Documentary Motion Picture Photography
DSO 903:    Documentary Still Photography


SPACE SHUTTLE ABORT MODES

Space Shuttle launch abort philosophy aims toward safe and
intact recovery of the flight crew, Orbiter and its payload.
Abort modes include:

* Abort-To-Orbit (ATO) -- Partial loss of main engine
thrust late enough to permit reaching a minimal 105-nautical
mile orbit with orbital maneuvering system engines.

* Abort-Once-Around (AOA) -- Earlier main engine shutdown
with the capability to allow one orbit around before landing
at White Sands Space Harbor, N.M.

* TransAtlantic Abort Landing (TAL) -- Loss of one or
more main engines midway through powered flight would force
a landing at either Zaragoza, Spain; Moron, Spain; or Ben
Guerir, Morocco.

* Return-To-Launch-Site (RTLS) -- Early shutdown of one
or more engines, and without enough energy to reach
Zaragoza, would result in a pitch around and thrust back
toward KSC until within gliding distance of the Shuttle
Landing Facility.

STS-64 contingency landing sites are the Kennedy Space
Center, White Sands, Zaragoza, Moron and Ben Guerir.



STS-64 SUMMARY TIMELINE


Flight Day One
Ascent
OMS-2 burn (140 n.m. x 140 n.m.)
LITE activation
SPARTAN/ROMPS activation
RME activation
LITE operations
ROMPS operations
GAS activation

Flight Day Two
LITE operations
RMS checkout
SAREX activation
SPIFEX unberth/activation
SPIFEX operations

Flight Day Three
SPIFEX operations
LITE operations
ROMPS operations (overnight)

Flight Day Four
SPIFEX operations
SPIFEX berth
LITE operations
SSCE operations
LITE operations (overnight)

Flight Day Five
SPARTAN 201 deploy
ROMPS operations (overnight)
LITE operations (overnight)

Flight Day Six
EMU checkout
SAFER checkout
LITE operations

Flight Day Seven
Depress cabin to 10.2 psi
SPARTAN 201 rendezvous
SPARTAN 201 retrieval
SPARTAN 201 berth
ROMPS operations (overnight)
LITE operations (overnight)

Flight Day Eight
EVA preparation
EVA/SAFER operations
Repressurize cabin to 14.7 psi
LITE operations overnight
ROMPS operations overnight

Flight Day Nine
SPIFEX unberth/activation
SPIFEX operations
SPIFEX berth
FCS checkout
ROMPS operations (overnight)

Flight Day Ten
Payload deactivation
Cabin stow
Deorbit preparation
Entry
Landing




STS-64 VEHICLE AND PAYLOAD WEIGHTS

Vehicle/Payload
Pounds

Orbiter (Discovery) empty and 3 SSMEs               173,852

Lidar in Space Technology Experiment
5,920

Robot Operated Materials Processing System            1,150

SPARTAN 201 (deployable)
2,840

SPARTAN 201 support equipment
2,409

Shuttle Plume Impingement Flight Experiment            772

Get-Away Specials and Bridge Assembly
5,000

Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue
269

Biological Research in Canisters
36

Military Applications of Ship Tracks
66

Radiation Monitoring Experiment
7

Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment-II
35

Solid Surface Combustion Experiment
139

Detailed Supplementary/Test Objectives
184

Total Vehicle at SRB Ignition
4,503,199

Orbiter Landing Weight
210,916




STS-64 Orbital Events Summary

EVENT        START TIME            VELOCITY CHANGE
ORBIT
(dd/hh:mm:ss)                                      (feet per
second)          (n.m.)

OMS-2          00/00:38:00                         209 fps
140 x 140

Trim Burn 1  00/04:03:00                        TBD
139 x 141

Trim Burn 2  00/04:48:00                        TBD
140 x 141

Trim Burn 3  01/04:15:00                        TBD
140 x 141

Trim Burn 4  01/17:02:00                        TBD
140 x 141

Trim Burn 5  03/16:51:00                        TBD
140 x 141

Trim Burn 6   03/17:37:00                       TBD
140 x 141

SP201 Release 03/23:14:00                      N/A
139 x141

Sep-1               03/23:20:00                     1 fps
140 x140

Sep-2               03/23:42:00                     2 fps
140 x140

Sep-3               04/00:04:00                     3 fps
140 x140

NC-1                 04:03:03:00                     2.7 fps
140 x 140

NC-2                 04/17:25:00                    1.9 fps
140 x 140

NH-1                04/18:10:00                    TBD
140 x 140

NC-3                 05/02:29:00                    TBD
140 x 140

NPC                  05/16:04:00                    2.1 fps
139 x 139

NC-4                05/17:26:00                       5.7
fps                136 x 140

NH-2                05/18:11:00                       TBD
136 x 140

NCC                  05/19:29:00                       TBD
138 x 140

TI                     05/20:25:00                       3.2
fps               138 x 140




EVENT             START TIME        VELOCITY CHANGE
ORBIT
                         (dd/hh:mm:ss)       (feet per
second)                 (n.m.)

MC-1                   05/20:45:00               TBD
138 x 140

MC-2                   05:21:13:00                TBD
139 x 140

MC-3                    05/21:23:00              TBD
139 x 140

MC-4                    05/21:33:00              TBD
139 x 140

Manual phase        05/21:38:00              TBD
139 x 140

SP201 Grapple      05/22:28:00              N/A
139 x140

HITE                     06:00:40:00           14.2 fps
131 x 139

CIRC                      06/01:21:0014.7      fps
131 x 132

Deorbit                    08/19:14:00          229 fps
N/A

Touchdown            08/20:12:00             N/A
N/A

NOTES:

1. All maneuvers are recalculated in real time and the burn
values are frequently updated during the mission.  Also,
some burns may not be needed and could be deleted in real
time.

2. The trim burns are engine firings by Discovery to
precisely set up observations by LITE.

3. From SP 201 release through grapple, the engine firings
are for separation, station keeping and rendezvous with the
SPARTAN.  The final phase of rendezvous begins with the TI
(Terminal Phase Initiation) burn and culminates in Commander
Dick Richards manually flying Discovery to within 40 feet of
SPARTAN for capture using the mechanical arm.

4. The HITE and CIRC burns are performed to circularize
Discovery's orbit and improve landing opportunities.



STS-64 CREW RESPONSIBILITIES

TASK/PAYLOAD              PRIMARY
BACKUPS/OTHERS

LITE                               Lee Meade,
Richards
ROMPS                           Helms
Hammond
SPARTAN 201                Meade
Helms
GAS Cans                        Linenger
Meade
SPIFEX                           Helms
Lee, Hammond
SAFER/EVA            Lee (EV1), Meade (EV2)         Linenger
(IV)

Middeck Payloads:

SSCE                            Meade
Hammond
BRIC                             Helms
Meade
SAREX                          RichardsHammond,
Linenger
RME-III                        Hammond
Linenger
AMOS                            Hammond
Richards

Detailed Supplementary/Test Objectives:

DTO 659 (treadmill)          LinengerRichards,
Hammond
DTO 664 (cabin temp.) Hammond                         Helms
DTO 671 (EVA tools)    Meade
Lee
DTO 672 (EMU elec.)   Meade
Lee
DTO 673 (rower eval.)   Hammond, Richards, Linenger, Helms
DTO 674 (LES cooling) Hammond
Richards
DSO 482 (EVA cardiac) Lee
Meade
DSO 483 (back pain)     Hammond, Meade, Lee (Linenger-
measurer)
DSO 603C (orthostatic) Meade
Helms, Linenger
DSO 624 (exercise)       Hammond
Richards, Linenger

Other:

Photography/TV            Linenger
Hammond
In-Flight Maintenance    Hammond
Meade
Earth Observations         Hammond
Linenger
RMS                              Helms, Meade
Lee
Medical                         Linenger
Richards


Lidar In-Space Technology Experiment (LITE)

LITE Quick-Look Facts

%  Experiment duration: Up to 46:15 hours of operation over
nine-day mission;
%  A technology test of first space-based lidar or "optical
radar" for
   studying the atmosphere;
%  Atmospheric measurements of clouds and airborne dust will
be
   taken to demonstrate the LITE lidar system;
%  International ground science team will take supporting
measurements at approximately 50 ground sites in
approximately 20 countries;
%  Five international aircraft will fly underneath LITE
making  measurements over broad geographical regions, to
include Europe, the Southwest United States, the Caribbean,
South America and the South Atlantic;
%  Technology goal:  To test the ability of lidar technology
to operate in
    space and to verify its usefulness in studying the
Earth's atmosphere
    and climate change.

Summary

The LITE mission is primarily a technology test.
The Space Shuttle will carry a laboratory laser into space,
point it toward the Earth and beam narrow pulses of laser
light through the atmosphere.  LITE will use a telescope to
measure the laser's light as it is reflected from clouds,
suspended particles in the air and from the Earth's surface.
Project engineers will closely monitor the performance and
health of LITE's hardware.  This is the first time this type
of laser system -- called a lidar -- has flown in space for
atmospheric studies.  Engineers will use information from
LITE in the development of future remote-sensing
instruments, including elements of NASAUs Earth Observing
System (EOS), a series of environmental satellites scheduled
to begin launching in 1998.

The LITE mission will collect atmospheric data.
LITE will provide an opportunity to collect valuable
information about the Earth's atmosphereQcrucial for a
better understanding of our climate.  Having this first
lidar in space allows for rapid, efficient and accurate
global coverage.  During the nine days of the mission, more
than 46 hours of information will be gathered.  Information
gained from LITE can help explain the impact of human
activity on the atmosphere as well as provide a new tool for
improved measurements of clouds, particles in the atmosphere
and the Earth's surface.

LITE will be supported by a worldwide science team.
This team's measurements are an essential part of the LITE
experiment because they will confirm the measurements taken
from space.  Information from the LITE flyovers will be
verified by comparing it to results from similar
measurements using airborne and ground-based instruments at
more than 50 sites around the world.  These instruments will
measure very nearly the same vertical columns of air,
clouds, and suspended particles that LITE will examine from
space.

Background

Lidar is a remote sensing technique that can be used to
study clouds and aerosols (suspended particles) in the
atmosphere.  By sending out short pulses of laser light and
detecting the portion reflected back to the instrument by
the atmosphere, the instrument can obtain very high vertical
and horizontal resolution.

Researchers at NASA's Langley Research Center, in
cooperation with NASA's offices of Advanced Concepts and
Technologies and Mission to Planet Earth, have been
developing lidar systems and techniques for more than two
decades to address a wide variety of atmospheric remote
sensing applications.  This effort has resulted in the
development and operation of a number of ground-based and
airborne lidar systems.

NASA's Office of Advanced Concepts and Technology developed
LITE as part of its initiative to explore applications of
space-based lidar and to gain experience for future systems.
NASA's Office of Mission to Planet Earth is supporting the
data collection and development of the sensor as part of its
exploration of new remote-sensing techniques for
environmental studies.

The LITE mission is the first to use lasers in space for
study of the Earth's atmospheric environment.  Using the
Space Shuttle as a platform, LITE will provide information
to help us better understand our climate system.  An
important objective of the program is to validate the
instrument design principles in such areas as laser
performance, thermal control, and autonomous operations and
to gain experience in commanding the instrument on orbit.

The LITE Mission

The LITE instrument will be mounted to a pallet inside the
open payload bay of Discovery, which will orbit "upside-
down" (with the bay pointed toward Earth).  Discovery will
fly at a relatively low altitude (about 160 miles or 260
kilometers), so that each downward-pointing lidar pulse is
dispersed as little as possible on its way down through the
atmosphere.

Over its nine-day mission, LITE will collect atmospheric
information during ten 4-1/2 hour sessions, for a total of
45 hours.  In addition, five 15-minute "snapshots" will be
performed over specific target sites.  LITE's observing
targets include clouds, particles in the atmosphere, the
planetary boundary layer (where the atmosphere meets the
Earth's surface), density and temperature in the upper
atmosphere and the Earth's surface.

During those periods, the returning lidar signals collected
by LITE's telescope will be converted to digital data, which
will be stored on tape and simultaneously transmitted down
to investigators on the ground.

At one point during the mission, the Shuttle will execute
roll and pitch maneuvers to change the angle at which the
lidar reflects off its targets below.  These tests will be
useful to engineers designing future lidar instruments that
can scan from side to side or front to back instead of
holding to a fixed, downward-looking point of view.

Space Shuttle Discovery, orbiting at an inclination of 57
degrees to the equator, will pass over 25,000 miles of the
EarthUs surface with each revolution.  The LITE instrument
will be able to collect data for a wide range of geographic
and atmospheric settings, including remote areas like the
open ocean, in a very short period of time.

Technological Focus
Because LITE is the first mission of its kind, the primary
focus of the mission is to test the technological hardware.
Scientists and engineers want to verify that the entire
system works as planned in orbitQfor example, that the laser
and telescope remain aligned, that the built-in cooling
system can handle the heat produced by a powerful lidar
instrument and that the signals and noises are measured as
expected.  The Space Shuttle is an ideal "platform" for
conducting this kind of technology test.  It provides the
opportunity to fly a heavy, multi-purpose instrument without
building a dedicated satellite.  Once the practical utility
of lidar in space is demonstrated, the lessons learned
during the LITE mission can be applied to designing future,
operational systems that are lighter in weight, use less
spacecraft power and are more capable.

How Lidar Works

Lidar, an acronym for "light detection and ranging," is
similar to the radar commonly used to track everything from
airplanes in flight to thunderstorms.  It can be thought of
as an "optical radar."  Instead of bouncing radio waves off
its target, lidar uses short pulses of laser light.  Some of
that light reflects off tiny particles in the atmosphere,
called aerosols, then back to a telescope aligned with the
laser.  By precisely timing the lidar "echo," and by
measuring how much laser light is received by the telescope,
scientists can accurately determine the location,
distribution and nature of the particles.  The result is a
revolutionary new tool for studying constituents in the
atmosphere, from cloud droplets to industrial emissions,
that are difficult to detect by other means.

How Lidars' Capabilities Will Be Improved From Space

Most remote-sensing satellites, including the ones used to
produce our daily weather forecasts, rely on passive
sensing.  They simply measure the amount of solar radiationQ
visible light or other wavelengthsQreflected, not emitted,
back to the satellite from the atmosphere, clouds, oceans or
solid land.  Lidar, which uses a laser, is an active sensor.
It provides better vertical resolution than passive sensors
due to the short length of laser pulses and the use of more
direct data-analysis methods.

A lidar also carries its own light source, allowing it to
operate during orbital day or night.  Passive instruments
have restrictions on their sensing due to their reliance on
an external source of light such as the Sun or Moon.  Lidar
can transmit light pulses continuously.

Lasers also produce a tight, coherent beam that spreads very
little as it travels from its source, compared to ordinary
light.  From its orbital altitude, LITE's laser beam would
spread to only about 975 feet (300 meters) wide at the
surface -- almost the size of three football fields.  This
allows the LITE instrument to measure a very small, narrowly
defined column of the atmosphere with each pulse.  A space-
based lidar offers another great advantage in its ability to
penetrate thin or broken clouds to "see" through to the
troposphere, the lower part of the atmosphere where weather
systems form and where most satellite remote sensors have
difficulty seeing.

From its vantage point above the atmosphere, LITE's
extremely accurate laser will flash very short pulses of
light directly downward, ten times every second.  These
pulses, lasting less than 30 billionths of a second each,
will be in three wavelengths corresponding to ultraviolet,
infrared and visible green light.  Because the wavelengths
are precisely known, and because LITE's telescope is
designed to filter out other types of radiation, the signals
returning to the Space Shuttle after reflecting off small
airborne water or ice droplets and aerosols (suspended
particles) are easy to identify.  Timing the returned signal
pinpoints the particle's altitude to within an accuracy of
approximately 50 feet (15 meters).

Geographic Areas Studied

LITE's science mission takes in a variety of phenomena in
widespread geographic areas.  Targets include the
organization of clouds in the western Pacific, cloud decks
off the coasts of California and Peru, smoke plumes from
biomass fires in South America and Africa and the transport
of desert dust from the Sahara.  The science team will study
lower-atmosphere aerosols over the Amazon rain forest,
gravity waves over the Andes Mountains in South America, and
the reflection properties of desert surfaces in the United
States, Africa and China.

Coordinating Ground Truth Data With LITE's Data
Taken From the Shuttle

The LITE instrument will take up to five 15-minute
"snapshots" over target areas selected for scientific
interest or to support validation observations.  Numerous
airborne and ground-based lidars will make measurements at
the same time under the path of the Shuttle.  These "ground-
truth" data provide a standard against which LITE data can
be compared for accuracy.

The ground-based and aircraft lidars will collect similar
data to what the Shuttle is attempting but from a lower
perspective.  A lidar at the Langley Research Center in
Hampton, Va., for example, will take upward-looking data at
the exact time the Space Shuttle is passing overhead.  Among
the other "snapshot" targets are sites in Europe, Australia
and the Sahara desert (to observe desert dust).  This
collection of ground-truth data will be performed jointly by
five U.S., Canadian and European aircraft.

LITE's Potential Contribution to Atmospheric Science

Eventually, lidar instruments could be flown on permanently
orbiting satellites to provide continuous global data.
While LITE will collect data on a wide range of aerosols,
from dust particles in the stratosphere to cloud droplets,
future lidar instruments could be tailored to specific
purposes.  While one instrument studied clouds, another
could track urban smog or desert dust storms.

Perhaps the greatest value of early space-based lidars is
the unprecedented accuracy with which they can measure
clouds on a global scale.  Information on clouds is critical
to improving computer models of global climate.  Current
remote-sensing satellites leave large gaps in our
understanding of how clouds reflect and absorb solar energy,
and how heat and moisture are exchanged between the air,
ocean and land.  Only by gathering more accurate information
can scientists improve their models to the point where they
can confidently predict the behavior of the real atmosphere,
and tell how the environment is being affected by human
activity.

Management

The LITE payload is the culmination of the cooperative
efforts of NASA Headquarters, several NASA centers and their
support contractors.  Langley Research Center provided
overall project management for the design and development of
the LITE instrument; Marshall Space Flight Center,
Huntsville, Ala., provided the Spacelab Enhanced MDM Pallet
(EMP) and High Data Rate Recorder; Johnson Space Center,
Houston, Texas, provided overall mission management as well
as the OASIS-1 and the interface hardware between the EMP
and the experiment; and Goddard Space Flight Center,
Greenbelt, Md., and Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral,
Fla., provided test integration facilities and personnel.

Overall LITE program management and funding are provided by
NASA Headquarters through the offices of Advanced Concepts
and Technology, Life and Microgravity Sciences and
Applications and Mission to Planet Earth.



LITE INSTRUMENT

The LITE payload was built at NASA's Langley Research
Center, Hampton, Va.  Langley has provided overall project
management for the design and development of LITE's lidar
instrument.  Langley also will put the scientific data into
usable form and make it available to scientists for their
own studies.

Receiver Assembly

The receiver includes a one-meter telescope (approximately
3.25 feet) and an aft optics package.  The telescope
collects laser light reflected from the atmosphere and
brings it to focus in the aft optics.  The aft optics will
separate the return signal into its three color components.
The 532 nanometer (visible green) and 355 nanometer
(ultraviolet) detectors are photomultiplier tubes, while the
1064 nanometer (infrared) detector is a silicon avalanche
photodiode.

An existing NASA telescope, which was an engineering model
of the Orbiting Astronomical Observatory from Goddard Space
Flight Center that flew in 1968, will be used as the lidar
receiver.  The use of this existing hardware will save NASA
an estimated $8 million.

Boresight Assembly

The boresight assembly consists of a two-axis motor-driven
prism.  Its purpose is to align the laser beam to the
telescope field-of-view so that both point to the same
column of atmosphere.

Laser Transmitter Module (LTM)

The LTM consists of two flash lamp-pumped, Q-switched
Neodymium YAG lasers which emit simultaneously at the three
harmonically related wavelengths of 1064 nanometers, 532
nanometers, and 355 nanometers.  The two-laser system
provides redundancy in case one laser fails.  Only one laser
operates at a time.

Support Instrumentation

OASIS-1 recorder

The OASIS-1 will measure and internally record
accelerations, acoustic loads, strains temperatures, thermal
flux and pressures during the launch, ascent, on orbit,
descent, and landing phases of the LITE mission.




Camera Assembly

A special modified 35-mm camera will photograph daytime
cloud cover and ground tracks every 20 seconds to help
interpret the lidar data.

Experimental Platform

The LITE instrument is mounted on an orthogrid platform
which is attached to the Spacelab pallet by 52 struts.  The
orthogrid is a support platform for the instrument
subsystems and is designed to be immune to thermal
deformations which could affect optical alignment.

Instrument Controller

The Instrument Controller handles all command and data
interfaces of the LITE instrument.  All subsystems can be
commanded and controlled via the controller.  Health and
status of the LITE instrument are monitored and transferred
to the Spacelab's Smart Flexible Multiplexer/Demultiplexer.
The controller software consists of over 18 real-time tasks
that perform all commands and data interfaces for the
controller as well as independent operations.

Note to Amateur Astronomers

The LITE payload will transmit a laser beam directly from
the Space Shuttle payload bay to the Earth's surface.  Using
criteria provided by the American National Standards
Institute (ANSI) on the safe use of lasers, NASA calculated
the amount of laser-generated energy that might reach the
ground and compared it to ANSI-determined safe levels of
exposures.

The study found that observers attempting to view the
Shuttle with the naked eye are not at risk of eye injury,
nor are observers using ordinary binoculars or small
telescopes (up to approximately six inches in diameter).
However, there is a remote possibility that telescopes
larger than six inches in diameter could collect enough
energy to expose the observer to levels higher than ANSI's
Maximum Permissible Exposure for one of the laser's three
wavelengths (532 nanometers).  Therefore, observers should
not attempt to view the Shuttle through telescopes
larger than six inches.

Capturing images electronically does not present a hazard to
the observer, but highly sensitive photo-electronic
detectors could possibly be damaged.


SPARTAN-201

The Spartan program is designed to provide easy access to
Earth orbit via the Space Shuttle for flying science
experiments.  Spartan uses proven technologies to provide a
relatively inexpensive route to space for the scientific
community.  This is done by using a basic carrier which,
with the addition of a science experiment, becomes a
complete spacecraft capable of fulfilling the science
objectives of each mission.  Spartan missions can support
stellar, solar, or Earth fine-pointing experiments,
experiments requiring microgravity and experiments requiring
space environments away from the Space Shuttle.

The Spartan project is managed by the Goddard Space Flight
Center for the Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C.
The Spartan Project Manager is Frank Collins; Goddard Space
Flight Center Mission Manager is Craig Tooley; Goddard
Principal Investigator is Dr. Richard Fisher and Dr. John
Kohl is from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory,
Cambridge, Mass.

Spartan-201 will study the acceleration and velocity of the
solar wind and measure aspects of the Sun's corona.  Results
should suggest solutions to the questions of coronal and
solar wind physics with dramatic observations.

Spartan-201 is an orbiting spacecraft that is deployed by
the Space Shuttle and retrieved on the same mission.  After
deployment, it is completely autonomous, providing its own
battery power, pointing system and recorder for capturing
data.  While on orbit, Spartan executes a pre-programmed
science mission.

The Spartan program has evolved using sounding rocket-class
instruments to perform the scientific studies.  This carrier
system provides a significant increase in observing time
compared to sounding rockets.  The Spartan carriers are
reusable and can accommodate a variety of scientific
instruments on a low-cost per flight basis.

Spartan-201 Science

The Spartan-201 will look for evidence to explain how the
solar wind is generated by the Sun.  The solar atmosphere
constantly ejects electrons, protons and heavy ions from the
outer layer, continuously impacting the Earth.  The solar
wind fills interplanetary space and sweeps by the Earth at
nearly one million miles per hour (1.6 million km/hour).
The wind often gusts, transmitting disturbances from the Sun
that frequently disrupt navigation, communications and
electric power distribution systems on Earth.

The solar wind originates in the corona, the outermost
atmosphere of the Sun.  Spartan-201 carries two separate
telescopes to study the corona.  One telescope, the White
Light Coronagraph (WLC), measures the density distribution
of electrons making up the corona.  The other telescope, the
Ultraviolet Coronal Spectrometer (UVCS), investigates the
temperatures and distributions of protons and hydrogen atoms
through the same layers of the corona.

The corona is difficult to study in view of its relatively
dim light in comparison to the Sun's total luminance.  The
white light corona can be viewed from Earth only during
times of solar eclipse, which strongly reduces the
brightness of the scattered sunlight.  The ultraviolet
radiation is never available to ground-based astronomers.

A comparison of the white light and ultraviolet data sets
allows scientists to measure the electron and proton
temperatures and densities in the solar corona and yields
new evidence on bulk flows in the corona.  These data sets
also permit scientists to test specific theories on how the
corona is heated to its million-degree temperature.

The scientific observations will be recorded on board
Spartan-201 and analyzed by scientists and engineers after
recovery on the ground.  The Spartan carrier and instrument
will be reflown on STS-72 in June 1995.  This flight is
timed to coincide with the Ulysses spacecraft passage over
the north pole of the Sun.

The UVCS telescope was built by scientists from the
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, Mass.  The
WLC telescope was developed by the High Altitude Observatory
of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder,
Colo., and is maintained and managed by the Goddard Space
Flight Center where the Spartan carrier structure was built.
After the individual elements of the Spartan system are
developed and completed by the respective investigator, the
experiments are checked by engineers at Goddard.  Finally,
Goddard engineers integrate the payloads and perform system
checks.

Deployment

The dual-telescope science payload is mounted aboard the
Spartan carrier.  When the Shuttle is on orbit and the
payload bay doors are open, a crew member uses the robot arm
to lift Spartan from the payload bay and release it over the
side of the Shuttle.  It is deployed from the Shuttle so
that it can operate independently, turning and pointing at
the Sun, while leaving the orbiter free for other
activities.  Additionally, because the Spartan and Shuttle
become separated, the Spartan is able to view the Sun clear
of any contamination which might be generated by Shuttle
thruster firings.

Spartan is designed to self-operate as much as possible.
The Shuttle crew has little interaction with the satellite
other than releasing it and recapturing it.

For approximately 40 hours, Spartan-20l's instruments
observe the Sun as the Space Shuttle paces it from behind.
About four hours prior to the scheduled retrieval, the
Shuttle performs engine firings allowing it to close on
Spartan-201, eventually passing directly below it before a
crew member manually flies the final few hundred feet
(approximately 100 meters) to allow the satellite to be
grasped by the robot arm.  Once caught by the arm, Spartan-
201 is stowed back in the cargo bay to be returned to Earth.

History

The Spartan program was conceived in the mid-1970s and
developed by the Special Payloads Division, Goddard Space
Flight Center, and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory,
Washington, D.C., to extend the capabilities of sounding
rocket-class science experiments by making use of the Space
Shuttle.

The telescopes on Spartan-201 have flown three times
previously on sounding rockets. In June 1985, a Spartan
mission successfully carried an x-ray telescope aboard
STS-51G.  Another carrier, Spartan Halley, was on board
Shuttle Mission STS-51L.  In April 1993, Spartan-201 was
flown aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-56.

Spartan-201 Statistics

Launch Vehicle:         Space Shuttle Discovery
Deployment Altitude: 140 nautical miles
Inclination:                57 degrees
Spacecraft Weight:     2,840 lbs (1,288 kg)


ROMPS OVERVIEW

The purpose of NASA's Robot Operated Materials Processing
System (ROMPS) is to improve the properties of materials by
processing them in space.  The performance, and consequently
the commercial value, of most semiconductor materials is
highly dependent on their crystalline structure. Gravity
driven connection and sedimentation, which disturb crystal
formation, can be eliminated in the microgravity environment
of space.

ROMPS is the first U.S. robotics system to be used in space.
ROMPS will advance microgravity processing by using a robot
to transport each of a large variety of semiconductors from
the storage racks to halogen lamp furnaces where their
crystal structures are re-formed in heating and cooling
cycles. ROMPS is contained in two Space Shuttle sidewall
mounted Get Away Special (GAS) cans, one containing the
robot, furnaces and samples; the other containing control
electronics.  The Hitchhiker avionics system provides ROMPS
with power, ground commands and telemetry.  The ROMPS
samples will be analyzed on the ground after the Shuttle
mission, and the results will be used to define materials
and processing for planned reflights of ROMPS on future
Shuttle missions.

ROMPS Mission Manager is Lloyd Purves, Goddard Space Flight
Center; Principal Investigator is Dr. Tim Anderson,
University of Florida; Principal Investigator is Dr. Eric
Cole, George Mason University; Co-Principal Investigator is
Kevin Jones, University of Florida.  ROMPS is managed for
NASA by the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

ROMPS Summary

The purpose of ROMPS is to utilize the microgravity
environment to develop commercially valuable methods of
processing semiconductor materials.  Microgravity processing
can reduce semiconductor crystal irregularities caused by
convection and sedimentation.  Microgravity also can improve
crystal structure by permitting containerless processing.
Improved crystal structure will increase the performance of
many types of semiconductors.  A long-term ROMPS objective
is to develop microgravity-processed semiconductor devices
with sufficient performance advantages so that they can be
competitively produced in space.  There is also a more
immediate objective of using microgravity processing to
better understand the behavior of semiconductor crystal
structures.  This better understanding can improve the
quality of ground processed semiconductors.

Another objective of the ROMPS program is to advance
automation and robotics for material processing in ways that
can lower the costs of developing and manufacturing
semiconductors.  The added cost of operations in space
creates a need for in-space materials processing to have
more advanced automation and robotics than are normally
considered for ground operations.  For example, an efficient
long term space facility for materials processing not only
needs to have robotic materials processing, but the
assembly, servicing and upgrading of the facility also needs
to be done by robotics.  This higher level of automation and
robotics needed for in-space materials processing can be
applied to improve the operational efficiencies of ground
based semiconductor laboratories and production facilities.
The current robotic design of ROMPS permits it to address a
variety of commercial objectives in materials processing and
automation technology as summarized in Table 1.

Table 1 ROMPS Technology and Commercial Objectives







    Technology
Area    Commercial
Objective    Respo
sible
Orgs./
Indus
ry
Partn
rs


    Closed
Space Vapor
Deposition
of In As
Hall
Generators    Improved noise
immunity and
repeatability of
Hall Effect
devices    UF/
F.W.
Bell


    RTA of Ion
Implanted
and In-situ
Doped ZnS
ACTFEL
Devices    Enhanced color
and reduced power
consumption by EL
devices    UF/
Planar
Syste
s


    Impurity
Induced
Disordering
in GaAs/InP
Superlatti
es    Improved
optoelectronic
devices
    UF/
Kopin,
Spire


    Solid and
Liquid
Phase
Epitaxial
Regrowth of
SixGex on
Silicon    Improved high
speed transistors
and LED's    UF/
Texas
Instr
ments


    Deposition
and
Solidifica
ion of
Photovolta
c Materials    Higher
performance and
lower cost solar
cells    UF &
GMU/
Photon
Energ
,
Astro
ower


    Robot and
Furnace for
Semiconduc
or
Materials
Processing    More advanced and
commercially
produced
automation system
for space and
ground processing
of semiconductor
materials    GSFC &
SpARC/
Zymar
,
Inter
ace &
Contr
l
Syste
s



Organization

ROMPS is sponsored by the NASA Office of Advanced Concepts
and Technology (OACT) as part of its mission to develop
commercially relevant techniques for in-space materials
processing.  The ROMPS project is being carried out by the
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and two NASA sponsored
Centers for the Commercial Development of Space (CCDSs).
The CCDSs are the Consortium for Commercial Crystal Growth
at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York, and the Space
Automation and Robotics Center (SpARC) in Ann Arbor,
Michigan.

GSFC is providing its experience with autonomous space
flight technology, space robotics and the HH/GAS system.
GSFC also is managing the project and developing the ROMPS
mechanisms.  The two CCDSs are supported by OACT and are
contributing the technical expertise and commercial linkages
they have in their respective areas of responsibility.
SpARC is developing the ROMPS control system, and the
Clarkson CCDS is leading the materials processing work.  The
bulk of the Clarkson CCDS work is being done by its
University of Florida (UF) member.  The George Mason
University (GMU), Fairfax, Va., is a co-Principal
Investigator with UF.

Industry interest in ROMPS is shown by nine industry
partners identified in Table 1 teaming with the two CCDSs
and GMU.  Industry involvement with regard to materials
being processed includes donation of samples and substrates,
analyzing results, developing returned samples into
commercial products and funding.  SpARC is collaborating
with two companies whose automation products are being used
for ROMPS.

Design

The ROMPS flight hardware will be contained in a pair of GAS
Cans mounted on the HH-G Carrier.  One GAS Can is designated
the Processing Can and consists of a full size GAS Can with
a five inch extension.  This GAS Can will house the samples,
sample storage racks, robot, two furnaces, and some
electronics.  A second, smaller GAS Can is called the System
Controller Can and will house the control electronics and
Hitchhiker interface.  Each GAS can will be pressurized to
one atmosphere using dry nitrogen.

The HH system will provide the ROMPS GAS Cans with power and
ground links for telemetry and commands.  The HH
configuration allows ground monitoring and control of in-
space processing, return of the samples to ground and
reflight of the ROMPS system with new samples and modified
processing capabilities.

The ROMPS furnaces have tungsten halogen lamps and
elliptical reflectors.  There are two identical furnaces to
provide lamp redundancy, and they are mounted to the GAS Can
lid.  This configuration will conductively couple to the
radiator to reject the furnace power of potentially 250
watts.  Each furnace is about 6.5 in. diameter x 8.0 in.
long and weighs less than 5 lbs.  The furnaces also provide
a mechanical and electrical  interface to the sample
pallets.  This mechanical interface, consisting of two
tapered pins, serves to align a pallet with respect to the
lamp focus.  The electrical interface is for the calibration
pallets which are equipped with sensors to measure lamp
output.

Each sample pallet has a sample holder which is sealed so
that samples can be heated to a vapor phase without causing
contamination.  Sample materials, substrates, environments
inside sealed sample holders, processing times and
temperatures can be varied for each sample, thus allowing a
wide range of materials research to be conducted using the
same equipment.

The ROMPS robot will transfer each of approximately 150
sample pallets from its storage location to a processing
furnace and back to its storage location.  The robot has
three degrees of freedom and a gripper.  The robot's three
positional axes (elevation, azimuth, radial) and the gripper
will be position-controlled and force limited.  Each robot
axis incorporates a brushless DC motor drive, incremental
position encoder, brake, gearing, and end-of-travel
monitors.  The gripper is activated like the robot axes
except that it does not have a brake because it is not back-
driveable and its position is monitored using sensors.  Only
one motor at a time is powered during operation.  Transfer
time for each sample between the storage rack and furnace is
less than two minutes.  The robot will be unpowered and
braked during heating cycles so as not to disturb the sample
being processed.

The accuracy of the three positioning axes at the tool tip
is 10.020 in.  ROMPS can accommodate robot positioning
inaccuracies of up to about 10.200 in., using a compliance
device on the robot, guides and tapers on pallets and
objects that the pallets contact.  The robot will grip a
support to provide extra stiffness during launch and
descent.  When in this position the robot harnessing also
will be held taut for minimum vibration.

The robot support structure attaches to the GAS Can lid.
The robot assembly lower plate, on which is mounted the
majority of the GAS Can electronics, will be snubbed to the
canister side walls.  For heat transfer, the robot will
conductively couple to the upper radiator lid and
radiatively couple to the lid and GAS Can interior.

The processor GAS Can also contains electronics for power
control, motor power and furnace control.  The Power
Controller interfaces with the Hitchhiker and the ROMPS
subsystems.  The Power Controller provides the first level
of Hitchhiker to ROMPS power-line filters, the fusing for
safety power distribution to ROMPS subsystems, and the power
distribution for safety interlocks and experiment operation.
The motor control provides the power for the servo motor and
switching to direct this power to whichever one of the four
motors is selected by the System Controller.  The furnace
controller provides the power going to the furnace lamps and
controls this power to a level specified by a digital input
signal from the ROMPS System Controller.

The ROMPS System Controller in a separate half height GAS
can interfaces with the HH avionics and controls all
experiment operations.  Control functions include robot
servo control, furnace profile control, and command and
telemetry formatting and control.  The Systems Controller
also monitors the sensors and the conditions of other
subsystems, and it formats telemetry to provide housekeeping
data to the ground station.

ROMPS will be commanded from the ground.  The System
Controller contains a predetermined program for autonomous
experiment operation once initiated by the proper ground
commands.  The first part of this predetermined program is a
power up sequence to test the experiment subsystems.  Upon
successful testing, the experiment will execute the
preprogrammed sequence of experiment samples.  The gripper
will be positioned to take the appropriate sample from the
storage rack and position it in the furnace.  After the
annealing process, the sample is returned to its position in
the rack and the next sample will be processed.

To get the lowest possible microgravity levels, the samples
will be processed during crew rest periods when Shuttle
vibrations will be at a minimum.  Because of the number of
samples and the possibility of lengthy heating times for
certain samples, it is expected that processing will extend
over more than one crew rest period.  Thus the stored
processing sequence will have automatic shutdowns scheduled
for the end of each crew rest period.  Ground command will
restart the processing at the beginning of the next crew
rest period.  This occurs until all samples have been
processed.

Thus, the processing will be basically autonomous with
ground control used to monitor progress and intervene if
unexpected situations develop.  The System Controller will
monitor outputs from temperature, position, force, and
current sensors, as well as telemeter them to the ground
station.  The System Controller will stop the experiment if
it detects problems or receives a command from the ground
operator.  If anomalies occur, the ground crew will diagnose
the problem, develop alternate procedures, send up new
command sequences, and reinitiate processing.


GET AWAY SPECIALS

NASA's Get Away Special (GAS) program is managed by the
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.  Charlie Knapp
is NASA Technical Manager for all GAS payloads on this
mission.  Clarke Prouty is GAS Mission Manager.

GAS remains a viable avenue for individuals and
organizations to conduct experiments in space.  Prior to
this flight, GAS has flown 107 payloads.  On STS-64, U.S.
universities and high schools and several foreign countries
are flying experiments.  Following is a brief description of
each:


G-178
Customer:  Sierra College, Rocklin, Calif.
Customer:  Dr. Kevin Ramirez
Payload Manager:  Mike Dobeck

    G-178 is from Sierra College.  The objective of this
experiment is to take ozone measurements of the Earth's
upper atmosphere in the ultraviolet (UV) 200 nanometer to
400 nanometer spectral range using a Charge Coupled Device
(CCD)-based spectrometer.  A CCD photographic camera also
will fly as part of the experiment and provide target
verification for the spectrometer.


G-254
Customer:  The Kinkaid School, Houston, Texas and Utah State
University,
Logan, Utah
Customer:  Glen A. Ballard
Payload Manager:   Tumkur Raghuram

Since it flew the world's first ten Get Away Special (GAS)
experiments in the first GAS payload aboard Columbia in
1982, Utah State University (USU) has maintained an academic
program designed to allow many individual students and other
educational organizations to participate in a GAS space
engineering and microgravity science program.  Under this
program, the university has flown 22 student GAS experiments
to date in canisters G-001, G-004, G-008, G-010 and G-518.

On the present mission, the four experiments described below
are being flown in their own individual spacepaks, one of
which is of a new aluminum Isogrid construction.  In
addition, the payload will contain popcorn kernels and
radish seeds in separate ziplock bags as an experiment by
Edith Bowen Elementary School located on the USU campus.
After the flight, the students will pop and taste the
popcorn.  The radishes will be grown and compared with a
similar sample maintained in 1 g.  The purpose of this
experiment is to foster interest in the space sciences among
a younger generation.


Spacepak 1:  Distillation Experiment.  The objective
of this experiment, which is a joint endeavor between the
Kinkaid School and USU, is to separate a mixture of two
common organic liquids, trichlorotrifluoroethane and
chloroform, in microgravity by distillation.  These liquids
have boiling points of 47 degrees C (116 degrees F) and 61.2
degrees C (140 degrees F) respectively.  An aluminum chamber
containing the liquids will be heated to 53 degrees C (127
degrees F) after a solenoid opens a ball valve connecting
the chamber to another aluminum collection chamber.  A
temperature sensitive switch will be used to maintain the
distillation temperature.  Results of the spaceborne
experiment likely will not be identical to those from a 1 g
reference run, and the reasons for the differences will be
explored.

Spacepak 2:  Float Zone Instability Experiment
(FZIE).   FZIE is an experiment investigating convective
instabilities in float zone geometries.  The primary goal of
the experiment is to verify the Plateau Instability Limit,
which theorizes that in zero gravity a fluid cylinder is
unstable when the ratio of length to radius exceeds two
degrees.  This will be accomplished by melting four
independent liquid wax bridges with varying lengths and
radii.  These bridges are initially held between two copper
supports, and the wax is melted by heating one of the copper
supports.  In addition, by allowing the liquid wax to
resolidify under "non-quiescent" conditions, a sensitive
test of background g-levels can be qualitatively measured by
the common distortions in the resolidified float zones.

Spacepak 3:  This spacepak contains all the batteries
needed to power the individual experiment spacepaks.

Spacepak 4:  Pachamama.  The objective of this experiment
is to
study the effects of microgravity on the photosynthetic
ability of the plant lichen.  An aluminum air-tight chamber
will hold the lichen.  The control system will heat the
water reservoir to 10 degrees C (50 degrees F), and then
each sample will be rehydrated.  Temperatures within the
measuring chamber will be varied with Peltier
heating/cooling chips.  Four incandescent light bulbs used
for growth lighting then will be turned on to start
photosynthesis.  The data acquisition will begin after a
suitable time for rehydration and will be done through a
pair of photometric sensors.  Measurements will be made at
five different temperatures to characterize the temperature
response of the organism.

Spacepak 5:  Bubble Interferometer Experiment.  The
objectives of this experiment are to:  a) observe the
formation of bubbles in a microgravity environment, b) look
for evidence of drainage in the bubble after it has been
formed, c) look for interference bands due to bubble wall
thickness gradients and, d) observe surface tension induced
motions on the bubble surface.  Bubbles will be formed from
a mixture of Dow Corning 704 diffusion pump oil and FC-430
surfactant.  The critical bubble blowing sequences will be
recorded by an 8 mm camera, while ancillary data, i.e.
temperatures, will be stored digitally in an EPROM (an
erasable programmable read-only memory chip).

Bubbles will be blown with the help of two linear actuators
and an air pump.  The camera will record the bubble blowing
sequence.  A fluorescent lamp is used to provide lighting
during the filming sequence.  A small incandescent lamp is
used to heat the bubble surface.  The heating is not uniform
and causes a gradient in the surface tension.  This induced
surface tension gradient will cause movement of the material
on the bubble surface.

G-325
Customer:  Norfolk Public Schools, Norfolk, Va.
Customer:  Dr. Gene Carter
Payload Manager:  Joy Young

This experiment is intended to record visually how sound
affects dust particles in near-zero gravity, hopefully
contributing to a better understanding of acoustics.

The NORSTAR (Norfolk Public Schools Science and Technology
Advanced Research) consists of high school students from
Norfolk Public Schools.  The program was designed to provide
a learning experience for high school students while
building a working experiment to fly on the Space Shuttle.
The NORSTAR experiment is unique because it remains a
student-designed, student-run experiment.  Education is the
main program objective.

The G-325 acoustical experiments will be conducted in a 5-
cubic-foot GAS canister.  Two 21-inch clear acrylic tubes
will be suspended from a box containing two titanium
tweeters (high frequency speakers).  A separate function
generator will be connected to each tweeter to supply the
sound and an amplifier will amplify the sound.  Inside each
test chamber there will be approximately five grams of cork
dust as a medium to visualize the modal patterns created by
acoustic standing waves at resonances of the test chambers.
Different patterns will be formed as the frequency range
from 6000 to 7499 Hz runs through Test Chamber 1.  A
frequency range from 7500 to 9000 Hz will be run through
Test Chamber 2.  In the microgravity environment of space,
the cork particles will be free to move without the
constraints of gravity and will form floating discs at the
nodes of the standing waves.  The three-dimensional modal
patterns at different frequencies will be videotaped.

Although the primary object of the NORSTAR GAS-325 project
is to study acoustical standing wave modal patterns on a
space available basis, there also will be 60 small passive
benign experiments placed in a sealed container in the GAS
canister.  These have been contributed by middle and
elementary school classes to more widely share the
excitement of space experimentation.  The passive
experiments will fall primarily into the physical sciences
category and will seek to discover and/or measure the
effects of space and microgravity on prepared samples.


G-417
Customer:  Beijing Institute of Environmental Testing,
Beijing, China
Payload Manager:  Ke Shouquan

Three experiments submitted by three different students will
be carried out on G-417.  One of the student experiments was
organized and sponsored by the American Association for the
Promotion of Science in China and the Chinese Society of
Astronautics.  The Beijing Institute of Satellite
Environmental Engineering designed and developed the
payload.

Experiment #1, the Reproduction of Parameciums, will study
the effects of microgravity on the reproduction of insects.
Experiment #2 will study contact between oil and water
droplets for investigating the effect of microgravity on
surface interaction of different kinds of liquids.
Experiment #3 involves conducting a general survey of
surface interaction of solids and liquids under microgravity
conditions.

G-453
Customer:  The Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies, Inc.
(SJAC), Tokyo, Japan
Customer:  N. Tateyama
Payload Manager:  Takemasa Koreki

This experiment will investigate the formation of
superconducting material and the boiling phenomenon under
microgravity and the absence of convection.  There will be
two experiments carried out:

1.  Formation of Silicon-Lead (Si-Pb) Alloy:
To investigate the formation of superconducting alloy (not
mixable on the ground).  Each sample, in a platinum crucible
located inside a quartz ampule (small glass container), will
be heated in a furnace up to 1450 degrees C (2640 degrees F)
for 25 minutes.

2.  Boiling Experiment:
To observe the bubble formation when an organic solvent
(Freon 113) is boiling under microgravity and the absence of
convection.  The organic solvent in a small sealed vessel is
heated and boiled.  The behavior of bubbles formed while
boiling is observed and recorded using a video system.

This payload was flown on board STS-57 in June 1993.  Some
of the experiments at that time were not continued until the
final sequence because of inadequate battery capacity.
Scientists are eager to pursue the space experiments which
were not completed on the STS-57 flight.


G-454
Customer:  The Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies, Inc.
(SJAC), Tokyo, Japan
Customer:  N. Tateyama
Payload Manager:  Takemasa Koreki

This experiment will investigate the crystallization or the
formation of materials under microgravity and the absence of
convection.  Two kinds of experiments will be carried out:

1.  Crystal growth of 3-Selenic-Niobium (NbSe3) from the
vapor phase.
To investigate the process of the crystal growth from the
vapor phase of the one-dimensional electric conducting
material, each sample in a quartz ampule will be heated in a
temperature gradient furnace up to 900 degrees C (1650
degrees F) for 20 minutes.  At the high temperature end of
the furnace, NbSe3 will be vaporized and crystallized at the
other (lower temperature) end of the furnace.

2.  Crystal growth of the optoelectronic crystal by the
diffusion method.
To investigate the diffusion process of the optoelectronic
crystal growth from the saturated solution.  Two organic
solvents (potassium-hydrogen-phosphate KH2PO4 and ethanol
C2H5OH) are separated into two chambers by a partition wall.
In space, when the partition wall is removed, the
optoelectronic crystal will be grown.  The process of the
crystal growth will be observed for 24 hours using a video
system intermittently.

G-456
Customer:  The Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies, Inc.
(SJAC), Tokyo, Japan
Customer:  N. Tateyama
Payload Manager:  Takemasa Koreki

An electrophoresis (the movement of suspended particles
through a fluid or gel under the action of an electromotive
force applied to electrodes in contact with the suspension)
has a number of important advantages for the separation and
isolation of cells or biologically active materials.
Therefore, the electrophoresis is being studied,
particularly in the area of drug manufacturing for
biological/biotechnological products.

In microgravity, the effects of sedimentation, buoyancy and
thermal convection, all of which involve differences in
density, will decrease.  In this experiment, a mixture of
the samples will be separated by free-flow electrophoresis
in a microgravity environment.  Free-flow electrophoresis is
a continuous electrophoretic separation method, using a
carrier solution which is flowing as a thin liquid film
under laminar conditions through the separation chamber.
The direction of the flow of the carrier solution (linear
flow velocity) is perpendicular to the direction of an
electrical field.  The samples are separated by this
electrical field according to their different
electrophoretic mobility or their different isoelectric
point and are migrating in the form of narrow zones to the
end of the separation chamber.  The phenomena of this
separation are observed by a video camera above the
separation chamber and recorded by video cassette recorders.
Results of this separation will be compared to results
obtained on the Earth's surface.

G-485
Customer:  European Space Agency/ESTEC FTD, The Netherlands
Customer:  Manfred Trischberger
Payload Manager:  Andre Robelet

G-485 was developed by Crisa (Spain) under the auspices of
the In-Orbit Technology Demonstration Program of the
European Space Agency.  The payload is designed to test the
feasibility of depositing different materials in a
microgravity and vacuum environment.  To do this, the
payload is being flown in a GAS canister with a Motorized
Door Assembly (MDA).

Inside the GAS canister, the payload is divided into two
sections:  The lower volume which contains the battery and
electronics (under 1 atmosphere of pressure) and the
experiment chamber, which has the evaporation sources and
the target substrates that will be exposed to vacuum when
the MDA is opened in orbit.  The experiment chamber contains
the ceramic effusion cells (crucibles) for processing
aluminum and silicon and molybdenum filament for evaporating
gold.  Each evaporation source is located within a separate
compartment in the experiment chamber.  In each compartment,
mounted opposite the evaporation source, is a target
substrate panel.  These panels are composed of six different
materials (glass, silicon, alumina, sapphire, gallium
arsenide and transmission electron microscopy grids).

Once in orbit, the MDA is opened, the vacuum gauge measures
the chamber environment and the experiment sequence starts.
The evaporation sources are operated sequentially and, upon
completion, the MDA is closed, and the experiment chamber
kept under vacuum until de-integration to protect the
substrates from contamination.

G-506
Customer:  Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Customer:  Lawrence R. Thomas
Payload Manager:  James Houston

The Orbiter Stability Experiment (OSE) was designed
originally to evaluate the Space Shuttle as a platform for
imaging the Sun in x-rays and extreme ultraviolet light.
Although the Spacelab instrument that was being planned at
that time was never funded for development, the OSE in its
two previous flights has provided valuable information on
the performance of the orbiter's high-frequency stability,
that is, the steadiness with which it is oriented in space.
Steadiness is measured by observing the position of the Sun
with high precision optical sensors mounted rigidly on the
top of a GAS canister.  The measurements are made 60 times a
second, and the location of the Sun is determined relative
to the Orbiter to a small fraction of an arc second.

These data tell about the angular vibration produced by
small thruster firings and human activity in the Orbiter
cabin.  Additional information has been obtained on the
accuracy with which a GAS canister can be installed and
aligned relative to the orbiter's structure.  Such
information is useful to other experimenters who are
planning to fly instruments requiring accurate pointing by
the Shuttle.

The OSE was designed and built by Goddard's Laboratory for
Astronomy and Solar Physics, Code 680, using funds provided
by the Director's Discretionary Fund and with several major
flight components lent by the Engineering Directorate, Code
700, and the Suborbital Projects and Operations Directorate,
Code 800.  The instrument manager is James Houston, and
principal electronics technician is Thomas B. Plummer.
Werner M. Neupert is principal investigator.

This will be the third flight of the instrument, previously
flown on STS-40 and STS-60.  As a GAS payload, the
experiment is not able to request solar pointing by the
Shuttle, but in two previous flights, experimenters were
able to take advantage of solar pointing carried out as part
of the Shuttle's timeline for engineering tests.

In addition to the vibration measurements that are planned,
the OSE also carries a passive experiment to evaluate the
effects of radiation on photographic film.  That experiment
was developed and provided by Dr. Ernest Hammond of Morgan
State University.  The GAS container also carries seeds
provided by students in the NASA Scientific Knowledge for
Indian Learning and Leadership (SKILL) program for 9th
through 12th grade high school students.  The seeds will be
used to study the effects of radiation and zero gravity on
germination and growth.  This program is administered by the
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology,  collaborators
in this NASA-funded program.

G-562
Customer:  Canadian Space Agency, Ontario, Canada
Customer and Payload Manager:  R.D. Hendry

The Get Away Special payload QUESTS-2 is a materials science
payload funded by the Canadian Space Agency and is a re-
flight of G-521 flown in September 1992.

The QUESTS payload consists of 15 furnaces, a computer
control system, a data acquisition system and batteries.
There are two types of furnaces:  temperature-gradient (for
directional crystal growth studies) and constant-temperature
(for metal diffusion studies).

There are three experiments on QUESTS-2.  Following is a
description of each:

Experiment #1 - Queen's University

The Queen's University experiment involves eight samples:
Two are eutectics (alloy composition having lowest melting
point), and six are for Ostwald ripening (how the size
distribution of droplets of one metal changes with time).

In the original QUESTS project, the two Queen's University
eutectic specimens produced startling results, namely, the
spacing between the "rods" of one material was found to be
unaltered in zero-gravity, despite claims to the contrary of
other workers in the U.S. and Europe.  The antimony-
magnesium specimens to be flown on QUESTS-2 will provide
data on the growth behavior of roddy-type eutectics.
Scientists hope that this data will be used to develop
models to predict the microstructure of eutectics likely to
be present when processing eutectic materials in space
vehicles such as the International Space Station and Mir.

An immiscible alloy is one in which two components do not
mix in the molten state, and droplets of one metal are
formed in the melt of the other metal.  In Ostwald ripening,
the distribution of size of the droplets changes - the
smaller droplets will become smaller over time, while the
larger droplets become larger (i.e. the distribution
"ripens").  On Earth, two mechanisms are responsible:
Marangoni (surface-tension driven) convection and diffusion,
in which the smaller droplets start to become smaller over
time as they slowly dissolve and the material diffuses,
while the larger droplets become larger as the dissolved
material comes out of the large droplets.

The QUESTS-2 experiment is designed to develop a better
understanding of droplet growth in liquid-liquid systems by
adding particles of a third material to constrain the motion
due to surface tension forces, while the microgravity will
eliminate gravity-driven settling.  Aluminium-indium and
aluminum-bismuth are the two alloys to be studied.


Experiment #2 - University of Manitoba

Metal-matrix composites offer excellent mechanical
properties which, when combined with light weight and
stiffness, make them a suitable material for applications
demanding high performance.  Most metal-matrix composites
are reinforced with randomly-oriented, high-strength fibers,
which are either mechanically mixed in the metal powder or
in the molten alloy.

The strength of these meta-matrix composites can be improved
further by aligning the fibers in the same direction,
accomplished by directional solidification (from one end)
alloys such as aluminum-nickel, which produce strong fibers
of NiAl3 in a matrix of aluminum.  However, composites
produced on Earth contain many defects, and depending on the
growth rate, the shape of the fibers can be round or long.
Scientists believe that the gravity-driven flow of the melt
on Earth may be responsible for these phenomena.  Composite
material grown in zero-gravity should be more uniform than
that grown on Earth.

Experiment #3 - Ceramics Kingston Ceramique

This company currently is developing a range of new
materials for use in the next generation of high
performance, fuel-efficient aircraft.  High-strength fibers
or particles of one material are added to the melt of a
second, lighter weight metal.  Because the densities of the
two components are quite different, one component settles to
the bottom because of gravity, and the mixing is uneven.  In
addition, further unevenness in the mixing can occur from
thermally-induced flow in the melt.  This uneven mixing
leads to degraded material properties.

The Shuttle tests allow the separation of the gravitational
and non-gravitational effects.  Using the Shuttle, "ideal"
samples of materials can be made in the microgravity
environment.  These materials will be used as benchmarks to
compare with materials produced on Earth and to gain an
understanding of the various phenomena which can degrade
product quality and their respective importance.

In the QUESTS-2 experiments, aluminum is used as a model
system.  Samples of aluminum reinforced with various
materials are to be melted then solidified, both on Earth
and on the Shuttle.  The distribution of the reinforcing
material is to be compared to gain an understanding of the
process and the relative importance of the various phenomena
influencing the properties.



SIMPLIFIED AID FOR EXTRAVEHICULAR ACTIVITY RESCUE
(DTO 661)

STS-64 crew members Mark Lee (EV1) and Carl Meade (EV2) will
perform a six-and-a-half hour spacewalk on flight day eight
of the mission to evaluate the Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue
(SAFER); several spacewalking tools; and an Electronic Cuff
Checklist developed to allow spacewalkers greater and easier
access to information.  During the spacewalk, STS-64 crew
member Jerry Linenger will serve as the Intravehicular
Crewmember (IV), assisting the spacewalkers with their work
from within Discovery's crew cabin.

SAFER, designed and developed by the Johnson Space Center in
a team project led by the Automation and Robotics Division,
is a small, self-contained, propulsive backpack device that
can provide free-flying mobility for a spacewalker in an
emergency.  It is designed for self-rescue use by a
spacewalker in the event the Shuttle is unable or
unavailable to retrieve a detached, drifting crew member.
Examples of such times may include a mission where the
Shuttle is docked to the Russian Mir Space Station or to the
International Space Station.

SAFER is attached to the spacesuit's Portable Life Support
System backpack, and is, in essence, a scaled-down,
miniature version of the Manned Maneuvering Unit propulsion
backpack flown aboard Shuttle missions in 1984.  It is
designed for emergency use only, but without built- in
backup systems.  SAFER's propulsion is provided by 24 fixed-
position thrusters that expel nitrogen gas and have a thrust
of .8 lbs. each.  Stowed in the crew cabin for launch and
landing, SAFER's nitrogen supply can be recharged in orbit
from the Shuttle's nitrogen system.  SAFER's three-pound
supply of nitrogen can provide a ten-foot-per-second change
in velocity for the operator before it is exhausted.  Its
attitude control system includes an automatic attitude hold
and six degrees of freedom.  A 28-volt battery pack for
SAFER can be replaced in orbit.

For STS-64, first Lee, and then Meade, will evaluate SAFER
through four test sequences:  A SAFER familiarization, a
system engineering evaluation, a rescue demonstration, and a
flight qualities evaluation.  The SAFER flight operations
will be conducted without a tether attached to the Shuttle.
The familiarization will have the SAFER spacewalker perform
several short single-axis translation and then rotation
commands.  They will be performed first with the unit's
automatic attitude hold "on" and again with the attitude
hold "off".  Next, the spacewalker will fly a square
trajectory within the Shuttle payload bay, recording the
percent of nitrogen used both before and after the maneuver
to compare the actual use with what had been predicted.

For the engineering evaluation, the spacewalker will fly
several short translation commands, for example, a one-
second thrust forward, five seconds of coasting, and a one-
second braking thrust.  The same type of command will be
done for rotations as well, and a data recorder in the SAFER
will retain all measurements of the unit's performance for
study on the ground after the mission.

The self-rescue demonstration will have one spacewalker--
standing in a foot restraint at the end of Discovery's
mechanical arm--impart a series of rotations to the SAFER
spacewalker.  The SAFER spacewalker will then activate the
unit's automatic attitude hold system to stop the rotation
and fly back to the end of the arm, which will have slowly
been backed away.  The rotations will not exceed a speed of
30 degrees per second, a rate well below the design
capability of SAFER.

The flight qualities evaluation will have the spacewalker
fly a precision trajectory that will follow the Shuttle's
bent mechanical arm.  Next, he will fly a precision approach
from the elbow of the arm to the aft flight deck windows of
the Shuttle, establishing a hover one foot away from the
windows.

Between each test sequence, SAFER will be recharged with
nitrogen from the Shuttle's nitrogen supply via a SAFER
Recharge Station mounted in the forward portion of the cargo
bay.  In addition, before the unit is switched from Lee to
Meade, the SAFER battery will be changed.

DTO 671:  EVA Hardware for Future Scheduled EVA
Missions

Throughout the spacewalk, Lee and Meade will evaluate
several new and some improved spacewalking tools.  These
include quick-release tether hooks and wrist tethers, push-
button portable foot restraints, a rigid tether, modified
handrails and an articulating portable foot restraint.
Except for the articulating portable foot restraint, which
will have specific time scheduled for its evaluation, these
tools will be evaluated by the spacewalkers as they use them
to work on the SAFER tests.

DTO 672:  Extravehicular Mobility Unit Electronic
Cuff Checklist

One new piece of spacewalking equipment to be worn and
evaluated by both Lee and Meade is called the Electronic
Cuff Checklist (ECC).

The Electronic Cuff Checklist, developed by the Johnson
Space Center's Crew and Thermal Systems Division, attaches
to the lower arm of a spacesuit and can hold more than 500
pages of information, including graphics and even
photographs, to display on a 3-by-4-inch screen.  Roughly
the same size as the current printed checklist, the two-and-
a-half-pound, battery-powered unit is an inch deep at its
thickest point.

The standard checklist currently worn by spacewalkers is a
printed notebook, usually 25-50 pages long, worn on the cuff
of the spacesuit during a spacewalk.  It normally contains
only a small amount of critical information, such as
emergency spacesuit operations.  The Electronic Cuff
Checklist would allow spacewalkers to have quick, easy
access to much more information that will be useful as work
in space becomes more complex, such as during the Hubble
Space Telescope servicing spacewalks.

The Electronic Cuff Checklist also has the capability to be
altered during a flight.  Information can be loaded into the
checklist on orbit from a laptop computer carried on the
Shuttle.

The unit's flat screen has a resolution roughly equivalent
to that of a standard television set -- 320 by 240 pixels --
that may give it the ability to display graphics and
photographs.  The screen is divided into six different
touch-sensitive buttons that allow instant access to various
categories of information.  It is designed for easy
operation when wearing bulky spacesuit gloves.  A touch and
hold feature built into the checklist allows ready access to
special functions, including an emergency page.  The
checklist also includes a mission elapsed time clock and a
spacewalk elapsed time clock.

The checklist has about two megabytes of memory, is powered
by standard AA batteries and can operate up to 12 hours on
one battery pack.

On STS-64, Lee and Meade each will wear the Electronic Cuff
Checklist on the left arm of his spacesuit and a standard,
printed checklist on the right arm.  The electronic
checklist will include the information on the printed
checklist plus additional information, including the
spacewalk timeline and complete SAFER evaluation procedures.
The electronic checklist will be evaluated in parallel with
the other spacewalk operations on its size, weight,
viewability, accessibility of information, attachment to the
suit and general operation.  In addition, after the
spacewalk is completed, new pages of information will be
transferred to the unit from the laptop computer aboard
Discovery to test that capability.


SHUTTLE PLUME IMPINGEMENT FLIGHT EXPERIMENT

The Shuttle Plume Impingement Flight Experiment (SPIFEX),
designed and built by a team of Johnson Space Center
scientists and engineers, will study the characteristics and
behavior of exhaust plumes from Discovery's Reaction Control
System (RCS) thrusters during STS-64.

SPIFEX, when picked up by Discovery's mechanical arm, is a
33-foot long extension for the arm with a package of
instruments that will measure the near-field, transition and
far-field effects of thruster plumes.  The plume information
gathered by the experiment will assist planners in
understanding the potential effects of thruster plumes on
large space structures, such as the Russian Space Agency's
Mir Space Station and the International Space Station,
during future Shuttle docking and rendezvous operations.

During STS-64, SPIFEX will be moved by a series of complex
mechanical arm maneuvers to take measurements of 86 separate
test firings of the Shuttle's RCS thrusters at 60 different
locations.  The majority of locations will have SPIFEX
either above the nose of Discovery, in front of the nose, or
at the rear of the spacecraft near the left Orbital
Maneuvering System pod. Operations of the experiment are
scheduled on four different flight days of the mission and
are planned to gather a total of 12 to 14 hours of data
during the flight.

In addition to the thruster plume data, a Get-Away Special
canister in Discovery's cargo bay will contain cold gas that
will be released during the SPIFEX operations to fine-tune
the experiment's instruments.  Most of the SPIFEX data will
be recorded aboard Discovery on a laptop computer for
analysis after landing.  Some data, however, may be
transmitted immediately to ground scientists.

The SPIFEX instruments are comprised of three basic systems:
A Load Measurement System; a Plume Impingement
Characterization System; and a Position and Orientation
Verification System.  The load measurements will obtain
information on the pressures that might be imparted by the
jet plumes to delicate structures such as solar arrays,
while the characterization measurements will detail the
concentrations of contaminants from exhaust  plumes.  All of
the operations will be done at a variety of distances from
and orientations to the Shuttle steering jets.  The primary
crew member for SPIFEX mechanical arm operations will be
Susan Helms, although the experiment will require two
additional crewmembers during each data take -- one to
operate the laptop computer and another to perform the jet
firings.



Solid Surface Combustion Experiment (SSCE)

The Solid Surface Combustion Experiment (SSCE) is a major
study of how flames spread in a microgravity environment
(10-6g).  Conducting the flame spreading experiment in
microgravity removes buoyant air motion caused by gravity,
commonly observed as "hot gases rising."  Comparing
microgravity results with test results obtained in normal
gravity on Earth (1 g) provides detailed information about
how air motion affects flame spreading.  The SSCE results
will contribute to improvements in fire safety equipment and
practices both on Earth and in spacecraft.

This is the seventh of eight Space Shuttle flights planned
for the SSCE.  During the STS-64 mission, a small sample of
PMMA, or Plexiglas, will be burned in a mixture of 50
percent oxygen and 50 percent nitrogen at twice normal
atmospheric pressure.

After the mission, comparisons of burning behavior in
microgravity and normal gravity will be made by engineers
and scientists at NASA's Lewis Research Center, Cleveland,
Ohio, and by Principal Investigator, Professor Altenkirch
and his team at Mississippi State University.  In addition,
Professor Altenkirch will compare the test results with a
complex computer simulation of flame spreading, which he and
his students have developed from over a decade of research
in this field.

The results of earlier flights of the SSCE have been
published in scientific literature.  Those data resulted in
the modification of the theoretical flame spreading
simulation, particularly in the description of how the fuel
is vaporized by the flame before burning.

The SSCE experiment is sponsored by NASA's Office of Life
and Microgravity Sciences and Applications and is managed by
the Lewis Research Center.

Biological Research in Canisters (BRIC-2)

Research on the development and differentiation of a major
food crop family that provides half of the world's calorie
intake from plants, is the subject of the second Biological
Research in Canisters (BRIC-2) experiment on STS-64.
Microgravity research on orchard grass, which is part of the
plant family that includes wheat, rice and corn, possibly
will provide critical insights into the reproductive biology
of the world's major food crops.

Orchard grass, the subject of BRIC-2, provides an ideal
subject for studying and understanding food crops as part of
an environmental system of food production and waste
recycling for long duration space missions, the
International Space Station and as part of the ecology of
Earth.

On STS-64, for the first time, basic microgravity research
on a member of the grass family will be performed.  Leaf
cultures will be grown in a fixed nutrient "soil" as opposed
to having to be placed in suspension.  Leaf sections will be
split providing for excellent research controls and
statistical analysis.  Finally, a fixed number of the seeds
will develop fully and will be germinated and grown to full
plants for further research.  All portions of the orchard
grass, such as leaf, veins, etc., will be analyzed to
understand the development and life cycle of the plant.

The principal scientist for this experiment is Dr. Robert
Conger, Department of Plant and Soil Science from the
University of Tennessee in Knoxville.  For Dr. Conger's
research, orchard grass leaf segments will be placed in a
special nutrient broth in petri dishes in a BRIC 100
canister.  The experiment will be sealed and housed in the
mid-deck of the Space Shuttle.  The experiment is passive
and requires no in-flight manipulation.  It does require
immediate removal from the Shuttle after landing to assess
the effects of microgravity on the reproductive and
regeneration systems of the plants before the effects of
full gravity are reestablished.

BRIC experiments are sponsored by NASA's Office of Life and
Microgravity Sciences and Applications (OLMSA) Small
Payloads Program, and are designed to examine the effects of
microgravity on a wide range of physiological processes in
higher order plants and arthropod animals, such as insects,
spiders, centipedes and crustaceans.


Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment (SAREX)

Students in the U.S. and New Zealand will have a chance to
speak via amateur radio with astronauts aboard the Space
Shuttle Discovery during STS-64.  Ground-based amateur radio
operators ("hams") also will be able to contact the Shuttle
through automated computer-to-computer amateur (packet)
radio links.  There also will be voice contacts with the
general ham community as time permits.

Shuttle Commander Dick Richards (KB5SIW), pilot Blaine
Hammond, Jr., (KC5HBS) and mission specialist Jerry Linenger
(KC5HBR) will talk with students in 10 schools in the U.S.
and New Zealand using "ham radio."

Students in the following schools will have the opportunity
to talk directly to orbiting astronauts for approximately 4
to 8 minutes:

*  Grizzly Hill School, North San Juan, Calif.  (N6NYY)
*  The Branson School, Ross, Calif. (KC6VIM)
*  Crystal Lake South Elementary, Crystal Lake, Ill. (N9NJF)
*  Morocco Elementary School, Morocco, Ind. (N9GBM)
*  Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School, Laurel, Md. (N3MJA)
*  Springfield Plains Elementary, Clarkston, Mich. (K8ZZU)
*  Francis Howell North H.S., St. Charles, MO (KO0Z)
*  Central Square Middle School, Central Square, N.Y.
(N2STK)
*  STEP/Star Schools-Young Astronauts, Spokane, Wash.
(WB7NNF)
*  Middleton Grange School, Christchurch, New Zealand
(ZL3JG)

The radio contacts are part of the SAREX (Shuttle Amateur
Radio EXperiment) project, a joint effort by NASA, the
American Radio Relay League (ARRL), and the Radio Amateur
Satellite Corporation (AMSAT).

The project, which has flown on 14 previous Shuttle
missions, is designed to encourage public participation in
the space program and to support the conduct of educational
initiatives through a program to demonstrate the
effectiveness of communications between the Shuttle and low-
cost ground stations using amateur radio voice and digital
techniques.

Information about orbital elements, contact times,
frequencies and crew operating schedules will be available
during the mission from NASA, ARRL (Steve Mansfield,
203/666-1541) and AMSAT (Frank Bauer, 301/ 286-8496).  AMSAT
will provide information bulletins for interested parties on
Internet and amateur packet radio.  The ARRL bulletin board
system (BBS) number is [phone].

The ARRL ham radio station (W1AW) will include SAREX
information in its regular voice and teletype bulletins.

Mission information will be available online from the
Johnson Space Center computer bulletin board (8 N 1 1200
baud): dial [phone].  BBS information is available
from the Goddard Space Flight Center amateur radio club via
Internet.  The address is:  wa3nan.gsfc.nasa.gov.

The amateur radio station at the Goddard Space Flight
Center, (WA3NAN), will operate during the mission, providing
SAREX information, retransmitting live Shuttle air-to-ground
audio, and retransmitting some of the SAREX school group
contacts.


STS-64 SAREX Frequencies

Routine SAREX transmissions from the Space Shuttle may be
monitored on a worldwide downlink frequency of 145.55 MHz.

     The voice uplink frequencies are (except Europe):
     144.91 MHz
     144.93
     144.95
     144.97
     144.99

     The voice uplink frequencies for Europe only are:
     144.70
     144.75
     144.80

Note:   The astronauts will not favor any one of the above
frequencies.  Therefore, the ability to talk with an
astronaut depends on selecting one of the above frequencies
chosen by the astronaut.

 The worldwide amateur packet frequencies are:

Packet downlink   145.55 MHz
Packet uplink        144.49 MHz

The Goddard Space Flight Center amateur radio club planned
HF operating frequencies are:

3.860 MHz
14.295
28.650
7.185
21.395

RADIATION MONITORING EQUIPMENT-III

The Radiation Monitoring Equipment-III (RME-III) measures
ionizing radiation exposure to the crew within the orbiter
cabin.  RME-III measures gamma ray, electron, neutron and
proton radiation and calculates in real time exposure in
RADS-tissue equivalent.  The information is stored in a
memory module for post-flight analysis.

The hand-held instrument is stored in a mid-deck locker
during flight except for when the crew activates it and
replaces the memory module every two days.  RME-III will be
activated by the crew as soon as possible after they achieve
orbit, and it will operate throughout the mission.  A crew
member will enter the correct mission elapsed time upon
activation.  RME-III is sponsored by the Department of
Defense in cooperation with NASA.


MILITARY APPLICATIONS OF SHIP TRACKS

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is sponsoring the
Military Applications of Ship Tracks (MAST) experiment on
STS-64.  MAST is part of a five-year research program
developed by ONR to examine the effects of ships on
surrounding clouds and aerosols.  The Naval Postgraduate
School, Monterey, Calif., will conduct the experiment at the
Johnson Space Center during the mission.  The objective of
MAST is to determine how effluents generated by ships modify
the reflective properties of clouds.  Ship tracks are
observed in satellite imagery as long, narrow, curvilinear
cloud features that have greater brightness than the
surrounding clouds.  The STS-64 crew will photograph ship
tracks using handheld cameras.  These high-resolution
photographs will provide insight into the processes of ship
track production on a global scale.  MAST is a Department of
Defense payload and is being flown under the direction of
the DOD Space Test Program.



STS-64 CREW BIOGRAPHIES

Richard (Dick) N. Richards, 48, Capt., USN, will command
STS-64.  Selected as an astronaut in 1980, Richards
considers St. Louis, Mo., his hometown and will be making
his fourth space flight.

Richards graduated from Riverview Gardens High School, St.
Louis, in 1964.  He received a bachelor's degree in chemical
engineering from the University of Missouri in 1969 and
received a master's degree in aeronautical systems from the
University of West Florida in 1970.  Richards graduated from
the Naval Test Pilot School, Patuxent River, Md., in 1976.

After joining NASA, Richards first Shuttle flight was as
pilot of STS-28, a Department of Defense-dedicated mission
in August 1989.  He next flew as commander of STS-41, a
mission that deployed the Ulysses probe to study the Sun's
polar regions, in October 1990. His third flight was as
commander of STS-50, the first flight of the United States
Microgravity Payload.

Richards has logged more than 22 days and 22 hours in space,
and more than 5,100 hours flying time in over 16 different
types of aircraft.

L. Blaine Hammond, Jr., 42, Col., USAF, will serve as
pilot.  Selected as an astronaut in 1984, Hammond considers
St. Louis, Mo., his hometown and will be making his second
space flight.

Hammond graduated from Kirkwood High School, Kirkwood, Mo.,
in 1969.  He received a bachelor's degree in engineering
science and mathematics from the Air Force Academy in 1973
and a master's degree in engineering science and mathematics
from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1974.

Hammond, as an Air Force pilot and instructor pilot,
attended the Empire Test Pilot School, Boscombe Down,
England, in 1981.  He later served as a test pilot at
Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., before being assigned as an
instructor at the Air Force Test Pilot School, where he was
serving when selected by NASA.

Hammond's first Shuttle flight was as pilot of STS-39 in May
1991, the first unclassified Department of Defense-dedicated
mission that collected data on atmospheric infrared and
ultraviolet phenomena as well as in support of the Strategic
Defense Initiative Office.

Hammond has logged more than 199 hours in space and more
than 4,200 hours flying time in 15 different types of U.S.
aircraft and 10 types of British aircraft.

J. M. (Jerry) Linenger, 39, M.D., Ph.D., Cdr., Medical
Corps, USN, will serve as Mission Specialist 1 (MS1).
Selected as an astronaut in 1992, Linenger considers
Eastpointe, Mich., and Coronado, Calif., his hometowns and
will be making his first space flight.

Linenger graduated from East Detroit High School,
Eastpointe, Mich., in 1973; received a bachelor's degree in
bioscience from the Naval Academy in 1977; received a
doctorate in medicine from Wayne State University in 1981;
received a master's degree in systems management from the
University of Southern California in 1988; received a master
of public health degree in health policy from the University
of North Carolina in 1989; and received a doctorate in
epidemiology from the University of North Carolina in 1989.

Linenger completed his surgical internship at Balboa Naval
Hospital, San Diego, Calif., and aerospace medicine training
at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute, Pensacola, Fla.
He first served as a Naval flight surgeon at Cubi Point,
Republic of the Philippines, and was later assigned as
medical advisor to the commander, Naval Air Forces, U.S.
Pacific Fleet, in San Diego. After receiving a doctorate in
epidemiology, he served as a research principal investigator
at the Naval Health Research Center, where he was assigned
when selected by NASA.

Susan J. Helms, 36, Lt. Col., USAF, will serve as Mission
Specialist 2 (MS2).  Selected as an astronaut in 1990, Helms
considers Portland, Or., her hometown and will be making her
second space flight.

Helms graduated from Parkrose Senior High School, Portland,
Or., in 1976; received a bachelor's degree in aeronautical
engineering from the Air Force Academy in 1980; and received
a master's degree in aeronautics and astronautics from
Stanford University in 1985.

Prior to her selection by NASA, Helms' work in the Air Force
included lead engineer for F-15 weapons separation at the
Air Force Armament Laboratory, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.;
assistant professor of aeronautics at the Air Force Academy;
graduate of the Air Force Test Pilot School as a flight test
engineer in 1988; and service as a flight test engineer and
Air Force Exchange Officer with the Aerospace Engineering
Test Establishment, Canadian Armed Forces Base, Cold Lake,
Alberta, Canada.  At the time of her selection, Helms was
managing the development of a CF-18 Flight Control System
Simulation for the Canadian Armed Forces.

Helms' first flight was as a mission specialist on STS-54 in
January 1993, a mission that deployed a NASA Tracking and
Data Relay Satellite and operated the Diffuse X-Ray
Spectrometer, gathering X-ray astronomy data to explore the
origins of the Milky Way galaxy.

Helms has logged more than 143 hours in space and has flown
in more than 30 different types of aircraft as a flight test
engineer.

Carl J. Meade, 43, Col., USAF, will serve as Mission
Specialist 3 (MS3).  Selected as an astronaut in 1985, Meade
will be making his third space flight.

Meade graduated from Randolph High School, Randolph Air
Force Base, Texas, in 1968; received a bachelor's degree
with honors in electronics engineering from the University
of Texas in 1973; and received a master's degree in
electronics engineering from the California Institute of
Technology in 1975.

Meade was a distinguished graduate of undergraduate pilot
training at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, and later
graduated from the Air Force Test Pilot School, receiving
the Lichen-Tittle Award as the Outstanding Test Pilot of the
class.  He was then assigned to the 6510th Test Wing,
Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., serving in a variety of
research, development and test programs.  In 1985, he was
assigned as a test pilot instructor at the Air Force Test
Pilot School, where he was serving at the time of his
selection by NASA.

Meade's first space flight was as a mission specialist on
STS-38 in November 1990, a Department of Defense-dedicated
mission.  He next flew as a mission specialist on STS-50 in
June 1992, a mission that carried the first United States
Microgravity Laboratory.

Meade has logged more than 449 hours in space and more than
4,300 hours flying time in 27 different types of aircraft.

Mark C. Lee, 42, Col., USAF, will serve as Mission
Specialist 4 (MS4).  Selected as an astronaut in May 1984,
Lee considers Viroqua, Wisc., his hometown and will be
making his third space flight.

Lee graduated from Viroqua High School in 1970; received a
bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the Air Force
Academy in 1974; and received a master's degree in
mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology in 1980.

Lee completed Air Force pilot training at Laughlin Air Force
Base, Texas, and served at Okinawa Air Base, Japan, flying
F-4s.  Later, he served as the operations support manager in
the Airborne Warning and Control System at Hanscom Air Force
Base, Mass.  In 1982, he upgraded to fly the F-16, assigned
as executive officer for the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing
Commander for Operations at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.

Lee's first space flight was as a mission specialist on STS-
30 in May 1989, a mission that launched the Magellan
planetary probe to map Venus.  Lee next flew as the payload
commander and a mission specialist on STS-47 in September
1992, a cooperative Spacelab mission between the U.S. and
Japan.  Lee has logged more than 288 hours in orbit and more
than 3,500 hours flying time in various aircraft.



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