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[PageDown: <SPACE>] [Help: ?] [Return to Menu: u]STS-63 PRESS KIT
FEBRUARY, 1995

SHUTTLE-MIR RENDEZVOUS
SPACEHAB-3
SPARTAN-204PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS

For Information on the Space Shuttle

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

Rob Navias     Mission Operations     713/483-5111
Johnson Space CenterAstronauts

[Help: ?]  [Exit: u]  [PageDown: Space]          0%


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

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

Cam Martin     DFRC Landing Information     805/258-3448
Dryden Flight Research Center,
Edwards, CA

For Information on STS-63 Experiments & Activities

Rob Navias     Mir Rendezvous & Fly Around     713/483-5111
Johnson Space Center

Debra Rahn     International Cooperation     202/358-1639
Headquarters, Wash., DC


[PageUp: b]1

Jim Cast     SPACEHAB-3     202/358-1779
Headquarters, Wash., DC

Mike Braukus     SSCE     202/358-1979
Headquarters, Wash., DC

Don Savage     SPARTAN-204     202/358-1547
Headquarters, Wash., DC

Tammy Jones     CGP/ODERACS-II     301/286-5566
Goddard Space Flight Center,
Greenbelt, MD


CONTENTS

GENERAL BACKGROUND
General Release                          3
Media Services Information6
Quick-Look Facts8

Shuttle Abort Modes                     10
Summary Timeline       11
Payload and Vehicle Weights12
Orbital Events Summary                  13
Crew Responsibilities  14

CARGO BAY PAYLOADS & ACTIVITIES
Shuttle-Mir Rendezvous and Fly Around     16
SPARTAN-20420
CGP/ODERACS                               28
STS-63 Extravehicular Activities (EVA)    37

IN-CABIN PAYLOADS
SPACEHAB-339
Solid Surface Combustion Experiment (SSCE)  60
Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS)60

STS-63 CREW BIOGRAPHIES
James D. Wetherbee, Commander (CDR)   61
Eileen M. Collins, Pilot (PLT)   612

Bernard A. Harris Jr., Payload Commander/Mission Specialist-1 (MS-1)  61
C. Michael Foale, Mission Specialist-2 (MS-2)     62
Janice Voss, Mission Specialist-3 (MS-3)  62
Vladimir Georgievich Titov, Mission Specialist-4 (MS-4)  62



RELEASE:  95-5

RENDEZVOUS WITH RUSSIAN SPACE STATION HIGHLIGHTS FIRST
SHUTTLE FLIGHT OF 1995

     A significant step in the growing cooperative effort
between the United States and Russia will take place during
NASA's first Shuttle mission of the year when Discovery and
her crew perform a rendezvous and fly around of the Russian
Space Station Mir.

     In addition, the STS-63 mission will see the third
flight of the commercial SPACEHAB facility in which a number3

of microgravity research experiments will be conducted.
Discovery's crew also will deploy and retrieve a free-flyer
astronomy payload and two crew members will perform a five
hour spacewalk.

The STS-63 crew will be commanded by James D. Wetherbee
who will be making his third Shuttle flight.  Eileen M.
Collins will serve as pilot.  She will be making her first
spaceflight, becoming the first woman to pilot a Space
Shuttle.  The four mission specialists aboard Discovery will
include Bernard A. Harris Jr., the Payload Commander and
Mission Specialist-1 who will be making his second flight;
Michael C. Foale, Mission Specialist-2 who will be making
his third flight; Janice Voss, Mission Specialist-3 who will
be making her second flight; and Cosmonaut Vladimir
Georgievich Titov, Mission Specialist-4 who will be making
his first flight aboard the Shuttle and fourth flight into
space.

     Launch of Discovery is currently targeted for February 4

2, 1995, at approximately 12:49 a.m. EST from Kennedy Space
Center's Launch Complex 39-B.  The actual launch time is
expected to vary by several minutes based on new Mir stat
vectors for Shuttle rendezvous phasing requirements which
will be updated closer to launch.  The available window to
launch Discovery is approximately 5 minutes each day.  The
STS-63 mission is scheduled to last 8 days, 6 hours, 13
minutes.  A 12:49 a.m. launch on February 2 would produce a
landing at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility
on February 10 at approximately 6:15 a.m. EST.

     The Discovery crew's primary objective is to rendezvous
with the Russian Space Station Mir in a dress rehearsal of
missions that will follow later in 1995.  The rendezvous is
scheduled to take place on the fourth day of the mission and
will serve to test the systems and techniques currently
planned for the first Shuttle docking mission with Atlantis
on Mission STS-71, currently scheduled for launch in June
1995.


     The rendezvous will validate a number of flight
techniques that will be employed on subsequent docking
missions.  These techniques include the use of precision
flying as the Shuttle closes in on Mir, validating the use
of a centerline camera for targeting the docking mechanism
on Mir, verifying the absence of plume effects,
demonstrating VHF radio communications, inspecting the Mir
complex through photographs and video, and demonstrating the
joint  operations between Mission Control Centers in
Houston, and Kaliningrad, Russia.

While the fly-around will provide valuable information
for flight designers planning the docking missions, the
completion of these objectives is not  mandatory for the
STS-71 mission.

     The STS-63 mission will see the third flight of the
SPACEHAB module, a pressurized, commercially-developed space
research laboratory located in the forward end of
Discovery's cargo bay.  The SPACEHAB module significantly5

increases the pressurized working and storage volume
normally available aboard the Shuttle.  Over 20 SPACEHAB-3
experiments, sponsored by NASA's Offices of Space Access and
Technology and Life and Microgravity Sciences and
Applications together with the Department of Defense,
represent a diverse cross-section of technological,
biological and other scientific disciplines.  These
experiments were developed for flight by an equally-diverse
complement of university, industry and government
organizations nationwide.

Also being carried on Discovery is the Shuttle Pointed
Autonomous Research Tool for Astronomy-204 (SPARTAN-204)
designed to obtain data in the far ultraviolet region of the
spectrum from diffuse sources of light.

Spartan 204's mission will occur in two distinct
phases.  The first phase will have the crew grapple the
Spartan spacecraft with the robot arm and unberth it from
its support structurecrew then will conduct       6

scientific observations by pointing Spartan at the Shuttle's
tail to observe surface glow.  It also will point at a
primary Reaction Control System thruster to obtain far
ultraviolet spectrographs of a thruster firing.

     After the Mir rendezvous portion of the mission is
complete, a crew member will again use the robot arm to lift
the Spartan spacecraft from the payload bay and release it
over the side of the Shuttle.  It will be deployed from the
Shuttle so that it can operate independently.  For
approximately 40 hours, Spartan 204's instrument will
observe various celestial targets.  Discovery will then
rendezvous with Spartan 204 and the robot arm will be used
to retrieve the payload.

     The STS-63 mission will continue laying the groundwork
for future space activities when Mission Specialists Mike
Foale and Bernard Harris perform an almost five-hour
spacewalk to test spacesuit modifications and practice
handling large objects in microgravity.           7


     The spacewalk has two specific objectives:  to evaluate
modifications to the spacesuits that provide astronauts with
better thermal protection from cold and to perform several
mass handling exercises in a series of activities designed
to increase NASA's experience base as it prepares for the
on-orbit assembly of the International Space Station.

     Also being carried aboard Discovery will be a series of
experiments that are part of the Hitchhiker Program, managed
at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD.  The
program is designed for customers who wish to fly quick-
reaction and low-cost experiments on the Shuttle.

     The first of four Hitchhiker missions scheduled for
this year is CGP/ODERACS-II and will be aboard STS-63.  This
payload's acronym stems from the following experiments:
Cryo System Experiment (CSE) whose overall goal is to
validate and characterize the on-orbit performance of two
thermal management technologies that comprise a hybrid8

cryogenic system; the Shuttle Glow (GLO-2) experiment which
will investigate the mysterious shroud of Iuminosity, called
the "glow phenomenon" observed by astronauts on past Shuttle
missions; and the Orbital Debris Radar Calibration System-II
(ODERACS-II) experiment which will provide a vehicle whereby
small calibration targets are placed in Low Earth Orbit
(LEO) for the purpose of calibrating ground-based radar and
optical systems so that they may more accurately provide
information regarding small debris in LEO.

     The Solid Surface Combustion Experiment (SSCE) being
flown on the Discovery is a continuing effort to study how
flames spread in a microgravity environment.  Comparing data
on how flames spread in microgravity with knowledge of how
flames spread on Earth may contribute to improvements in all
types of fire safety and control equipment.  This will be
the eighth time SSCE has flown aboard the Shuttle, testing
the combustion of different materials under different
atmospheric conditions.


     STS-63 will be the 20th flight of Discovery and the
67th flight of the Space Shuttle System.

 - end -

MEDIA SERVICES INFORMATION

NASA Television Transmission

     NASA Television is available through Spacenet-2
satellite system, transponder 5, channel 9, at 69 degrees
West longitude, frequency 3880.0 MHz, audio 6.8 Megahertz.

     The schedule for television transmissions from the
Orbiter and for mission briefings will be available during
the mission at Kennedy Space Center, FL; Marshall Space
Flight Center, Huntsville, AL; Dryden Flight Research
Center, Edwards, CA; Johnson Space Center, Houston; NASA
Headquarters, Washington, DC; and the NASA newscenter
operation at Mission Control-Moscow.  The television9

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 when10%

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.

Access by Internet

     NASA press releases can be obtained automatically by
sending an Internet electronic mail message to
[e-mail].  In the body of the message (not the
subject line) users should type the words "subscribe press-
release" (no quotes).  The system will reply with a
confirmation via E-mail of each subscription.  A second
automatic message will include additional information on the
service.

     Informational materials also will be available from a
data repository known as an anonymous FTP (File Transfer
Protocol) server at ftp.pao.hq.nasa.gov under the directory
/pub/pao.  Users should log on with the user name
"anonymous" (no quotes), then enter their E-mail address as

the password.  Within the /pub/pao directory there will be a
"readme.txt" file explaining the directory structure.
Access by fax

     An additional service known as fax-on-demand will
enable users to access NASA informational materials from
their fax machines.  Users calling [phone] may follow
a series of prompts and will automatically be faxed the most
recent Headquarters news releases they request.

Access by Compuserve

     Users with Compuserve accounts can access NASA press
releases by typing "GO NASA" (no quotes) and making a
selection from the categories offered.



STS-63 QUICK LOOK
1

Launch Date/Site:        Feb. 2, 1995/KSC Pad 39B
Launch Time:             12:49 a.m. EST *
Launch Window:5 minutes
Orbiter:Discovery (OV-103) - 20th flight
Orbit/Inclination:       170 nautical miles/51.6 degrees
Mission Duration:        8 days, 6 hours, 13 minutes
Landing Time/Date        6:15 a.m. EST, Feb. 10, 1995
Primary Landing Site:    Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Abort Landing Sites:     Return to Launch Site - KSC
Transoceanic Abort Landing - Zaragoza, Spain
                    Moron, Spain, Ben Guerir, Morocco
Abort Once Around - KSC

Crew:          Jim Wetherbee, Commander (CDR)
               Eileen Collins, Pilot (PLT)
Bernard Harris, Payload Commander,
Mission Specialist 1 (MS 1)
C. Michael Foale, Mission Specialist 2 (MS 2)
               Janice Voss, Mission Specialist 3 (MS 3)
Vladimir Titov, Mission Specialist 4 (MS 4)2


Extravehicular
Crew members: Foale (EV 1), Harris (EV 2)

Cargo Bay Payloads:     SPACEHAB-03
 SPARTAN-204
 CGP-ODERACS-2 (Cryo Systems
Experiment/Orbital
                    Debris Radar Calibration Spheres)
    ICBC (IMAX Cargo Bay Camera)

Middeck Payloads: SSCE (Solid Surface Combustion Experiment)

* Actual launch time is expected to vary by several minutes
based on new Mir state vectors for Shuttle rendezvous
phasing requirements which will be updated closer to launch.

Developmental 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
DTO 312:   External Tank Thermal Protection System Performance
DTO 319D:  Orbiter/Payload Acceleration and Acoustics Data
DTO 414:   APU Shutdown Test
DTO 524:   Landing Gear Loads and Brake Stability Evaluation
DTO 623:   Cabin Air Monitoring
DTO 671:   EVA Hardware for Future Scheduled EVA Missions
DTO 672:   EMU Electronic Cuff Checklist
DTO 700-2:  Laser Range and Range Rate Device
DTO 700-5:  Payload Bay Mounted Rendezvous Laser
DTO 700-7:  Orbiter Data for Real-Time Navigation Evaluation
DTO 805:  Crosswind Landing Performance
DTO 832:  Target of Opportunity Navigation Sensors
DTO 833:  EMU Thermal Comfort Evaluations
DTO 835:  Mir Approach Demonstration
DTO 836:  Tools for Rendezvous and Docking
DTO 838:  Near Field Targeting and Reflective Alignment System3

1118: Photographic and Video Survey of Mir Space Station
1210:  EVA Operations Procedures/Training
DSO 200B:  Radiobiological Effects
DSO 201B:  Sensory-Motor Investigations
DSO 204:  Visual Observations from Space
DSO 327:  Shuttle-Mir VHF Voice Link Verification
DSO 483:  Back Pain Pattern in Microgravity
DSO 484:  Assessment of Circadian Shifting in Astronauts by Bright Light
DSO 486: Physical Examination in Space
DSO 487: Immunological Assessment of Crewmembers
DSO 491: Characterization of Microbial Transfer Among Crewmembers During Flight
DSO 492:  In-Flight Evaluation of a Portable Clinical Blood Analyzer
DSO 604:  Visual-Vestibular Integration as a Function of Adaptation
DSO 608:  Effects of Space Flight on Aerobic and Anaerobic Metabolism
DSO 621: In-Flight Use of Florinef to Improve Orthostatic
          Intolerance Postflight
DSO 626:  Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Responses to
          Standing Before and  After Space Flight
DSO 901:  Documentary Television
DSO 902:  Documentary Motion Picture Photography              4

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 for STS-63 include:

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

     *  Abort-Once-Around (AOA) -- Earlier main engine
shutdown with the  capability to allow one orbit of the
Earth before landing at the Kennedy Space Center, FL.

     *  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 Kennedy until within gliding distance of the Shuttl
Landing Facility.


STS-63 SUMMARY TIMELINE

Flight Day One:
Ascent
OMS-2 Burn
SPACEHAB activation
ODERACS deploy
RMS checkout

Flight Day Two:
SPACEHAB experiments

SPARTAN attached operations

Flight Day Three:
SPACEHAB experiments
Mir Rendezvous Burns

Flight Day Four:
Mir Rendezvous

Flight Day Five:
SPARTAN Deploy
SPACEHAB experiments

Flight Day Six:
EMU checkout
Flight Control Systems Checkout
SPARTAN Rendezvous Burns

Seven:
EVA Prep            5

Rendezvous and Retrieval
EVA

Flight Day Eight:
SPACEHAB experiment
Crew News Conference
Cabin Stow

Flight Day Nine:
Deorbit Prep
Deorbit Burn
Entry
Landing

PAYLOAD AND VEHICLE WEIGHTS

Vehicle/Payload         Pounds

Orbiter (Discovery) empty and 3 SSMEs173,716


Spacehab-03                     8,765

Spacehab Support Equipment662

Spartan 204 Airborne Support Equipment2,409

Spartan 204 Deployable Payload2,572

CGP/ODERACS-2   4,406

Solid Surface Combustion Experiment139

Detailed Test/Supplementary Objectives247

Shuttle System at SRB Ignition4,511,889

Orbiter Weight at Landing211,318

6

STS-63 ORBITAL EVENTS SUMMARY
(Based on a Feb. 2, 1995 Launch)

EVENTMETTIME OF DAY (EST)

OMS-20/00:421:39 AM, Feb. 2

SPACEHAB Activation0/02:303:21 AM, Feb. 2

ODERACS Deploy0/03:404:31 AM, Feb. 2

RMS Checkout0/06:107:01 AM, Feb. 2

SPARTAN Unberth1/01:001:51 AM, Feb. 3
(Attached RMS Operations)

SPARTAN Berth             1/07:007:51 AM, Feb. 3

TI-Burn, Mir3/10:5511:55 AM, Feb. 5

V-Bar Arrival, Mir       3/12:351:26 PM, Feb. 5

30-Foot Stationkeeping   3/13:222:19 PM, Feb. 5

Separation Burn3/14:453:36 PM, Feb. 5

SPARTAN Deploy4/06:457:36 AM, Feb. 6

EMU Checkout5/03:003:51 AM, Feb. 7

FCS Checkout5/05:055:56 AM, Feb. 7

EVA Prep6/00:0012:51 AM, Feb. 8

TI-Burn, SPARTAN        6/03:354:26 AM, Feb. 8

Grapple6/05:45  6:36 AM, Feb. 8

EVA Begins  6/06:30 7:21 AM, Feb. 8  7

EVA Ends          6/11:10 12:01 PM, Feb. 8

Crew News Conference    7/02:55 3:46 AM, Feb. 9

SPACEHAB Deactivation   7/07:50 8:41 AM, Feb. 9

Deorbit Burn  8/05:136:0410

KSC Landing 8/06:137:0410


STS-63 CREW RESPONSIBILITIES

TASK/PAYLOADPRIMARYBACKUPS/OTHERS

Primary Payloads and Activities
Mir Rendezvous Operations   Wetherbee     Collins, Foale
Spacehab-3HarrisTitov, Voss
Spartan-204    Foale       Voss

Secondary Payloads
CSEWetherbee
GLO-2                     Wetherbee    Collins
ODERACS-2WetherbeeCollins, Harris
AMOS                      Wetherbee    Collins
CONCAP-IIWetherbeeCollins
ICBC         Voss     Titov
MSXCollinsWetherbee
SSCE        Foale    Titov
CTOSHarrisVoss

Spacehab-3 Experiments
ASC-IVTitovVoss, Harris
BRIC-03     Foale               Voss
BPL-03WetherbeeCollins, Harris
CHARLOTTE         Titov        Voss, Harris
CHROMEX-06        Titov               Voss, Harris
CGBA-05   Titov               Harris, Voss
CPCG-VDA   Voss          Titov
CREAM-06WetherbeeFoale, Titov8

ECLiPSE-HAB3      HarrisTitov
F-GBAWetherbee           Collins, Harris
GPPM-02Voss                Harris
IMMUNE-0Harris              Titov, Foale, Voss
NIH-C-03Harris              Foale
PCG-STES-03Voss                Foale, Titov
PCF-LST-03Harris      Voss
RME-III-13Wetherbee           Foale
SAMS-03Foale        Wetherbee,
3-DMACollins       Titov
WINDEX-01FoaleCollins, Titov


DTOs/ DSOs

DSO 200B (Radiobio Effects)     All
DSO 201B (Sensory-Motor)Wetherbee, Collins, Harris,
 Foale, Voss, Titov
DSO 204 (Visual Observ.) Titov, Foale
DSO 483 (Back Pain Pattern)Collins, Foale, Voss9

DSO 484 (Circadian Shifting)     Wetherbee, Collins, Voss,
 Titov
DSO 486 (Physical Exam)Wetherbee, Collins, Harris
 (doctor), Foale, Voss, Titov
DSO 487 (Immun. Assessment)All
DSO 491 (Microbial Transfer)All
DSO 492 (Blood Analyzer)Wetherbee, Harris, Voss
DSO 608 (Ergometer)        Harris, Foale

Photography/TV            Foale   Titov
In-Flight Maintenance     Titov   Foale
Earth ObservationsTitovFoale
RMSVossTitov, Foale
Medical   HarrisFoale


SHUTTLE MIR RENDEZVOUS AND FLY AROUND

     STS-63's primary objective is to rendezvous with the
Russian Space Station Mir in a dress rehearsal of

cooperative missions that will follow later in 1995.  The
approach will serve to test the systems and techniques
currently planned for the first Shuttle docking mission,
STS-71, currently scheduled for June 1995.

     The rendezvous sequence will begin about nine hours
into the mission when a reaction control system jet firing
adjusts the rate at which Discovery is closing on Mir.  Over
the next few days, additional burns will gradually bring
Discovery to within eight nautical miles behind Mir.  At
this point, the Ti burn is fired and the final phase of the
rendezvous begins.  Discovery will close the final 8
nautical miles to Mir during the next one-and-a-half-hour
orbit.  At this point, the Shuttle's rendezvous radar system
begins providing range and closing rate information to the
crew.

     The manual phase of the operation begins just after
Discovery passes about a half-mile below Mir when Commander
Jim Wetherbee takes the controls at a distance of about20

2,000 feet.  Wetherbee will be flying the Shuttle from the
aft flight deck controls as Discovery circles up to
intersect the velocity vector of Mir.  The velocity vector,
also known as the V-Bar, is an imaginary line drawn along
Mir's direction of travel.

     Wetherbee will stop Discovery's approach when the
Shuttle reaches a point about 400 feet directly in front of
Mir.

     After the Shuttle moves to within 1,000 feet of Mir,
Discovery's steering jets will be fired in a mode called
"Low Z".  This approach uses braking jets that are slightly
offset to the Mir rather than steering jets pointed directly
at the Station, thus avoiding contaminating or damaging the
Station.  Also, as Discovery reaches close proximity to Mir,
the Trajectory Control Sensor, a laser ranging device
mounted in the payload bay, will supplement the navigation
information by supplying data on the Shuttle's range and
closing rate to Mir.1


     Discovery will maintain its position 400 feet in front
of Mir until Flight  Control teams in Russia give a "go" for
the Shuttle's approach.  Wetherbee will then slowly fly the
Orbiter from 400 feet to a point about 30 feet from Mir,
aligning with the Station's docking module in a rehearsal of
a docking approach planned for Shuttle mission STS-71.  To
assist with the alignment, Wetherbee will watch the approach
from a centerline television camera, mounted in the upper
window of the Spacehab module, on a monitor in the aft
flight deck. When within about 200 feet of Mir, Discovery
will begin air-to-air communications with cosmonauts on Mir
using a VHF radio system.

     At 30 feet from the docking port, Wetherbee will again
skeep, rehearsing a maneuver to orient Discovery
properly to the docking port, before slowly backing the
Orbiter away from Mir.

2


Mir Fly-By graphic 1
Mir fly-by graphic 2
Mir fly-by graphic 3



     When Discovery is again about 400 feet from Mir,
Wetherbee will begin a slow fly-around, maintaining a
distance of about 450 feet from Mir.  Discovery will
completely circle Mir once over the next 45 minutes.

     The two spacecraft will begin the separation sequence
when Discovery reaches a point about 450 feet above Mir for
the second time.  The Orbiter will then fire its steering
jets in a maneuver that will put it on a course to
eventually take it ahead of Mir as Discovery opens the
distance between the two spacecraft with each orbit.
Throughout the operation, Discovery's crew will use video
and still cameras to document the exterior of the Mir.


     The rendezvous will validate a number of  flight
techniques that will be employed on subsequent docking
missions.  These techniques include the use of precision
flying as the Shuttle closes in on Mir, validating the use
of a centerline camera for targeting the docking mechanism
on Mir, verifying the absence of plume effects,
demonstrating VHF radio communications, inspecting the Mir
complex through photographs and video, and demonstrating the
joint operations between Mission Control Centers in Houston,
and Kaliningrad, Russia.

While the fly-around will provide valuable information
for flight designers planning the docking missions, the
completion of these objectives is not mandatory in
preparation for the STS-71 mission.



Spartan 2043


Background

     The Spartan program is designed to provide easy and
relatively inexpensive access to Earth orbit via the Spac
Shuttle for science experiments.  Spartan's design consists
of a basic carrier, which, with the addition of a science
experiment, becomes a complete spacecraft designed to meet
specific science objectives on each mission.  Spartan
missions include stellar, solar, Earth fine-pointing, and
microgravity science and technology experiments requiring
space environments away from the Space Shuttle.

     The Spartan program was conceived in the mid-1970s and
developed by the Special Payloads Division, Goddard Space
Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD, and the U.S. Naval
Research Laboratory, Washington, DC, to extend the
capabilities of sounding rocket-class science experiments by
making use of the Space Shuttle.
           4

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
and September 1994, Spartan 201 was flown aboard the Space
Shuttle Discovery on missions STS-56 and STS-64.  This is
the first flight of the Spartan 204 carrier system.


STS-63 payload config. graphic


Spartan 204 Mission

Spartan 204 will obtain data in the far ultraviolet
region of the spectrum from diffuse sources of light.  For
this mission, the Spartan 204 spacecraft is designed to
operate both while attached to the Shuttle's Remote
Manipulator System (RMS) or robot arm, and in free-flight
away from the Orbiter.

Spartan 204's mission will occur in two distinct
phases.  The first phase will be on flight day 2, when the
crew will grapple the Spartan spacecraft with the robot arm
unberth it from its support structure.  The crew then
will conduct scientific observations for about 4.5 hours by
pointing Spartan athuttle's tail to observe surface
glow.  It also will point at a primary Reaction Control
System thruster to obtain far ultraviolet spectrographs of a
thruster firing.  After these operations Spartan will be
reberthed in the Orbiter bay as other Shuttle operations
take place.

     The second phase of Spartan 204 operations will begin
on Flight Day 5, when the free-flight operations begin.  The
crew will prepare Spartan by again grappling it with the
robot arm and unberthing it from its support structure.
Spartan then will be released from the robot arm, and the
Orbiter will back away from the Spartan free-flyer
spacecraft.           5

will operate autonomously in free-flight for a
mission duration of approximately 43.5 hours following a
pre-programmed science mission, providing its own battery
power, pointing system and recorder for capturing data.  The
scientific observations will be recorded on film on board
Spartan 204, and analyzed by scientists and engineers after
it is returned from space.

     After its free-flyer mission ends on Flight Day 7, the
Orbiter will fly back to the Spartan 204 spacecraft,
retrieve it with the robot arm, and power it off.  The
Spartan spacecraft will be reberthed in the Orbiter bay,
completing its scientific mission.


SpARTAN 204 SCIENCE

     The Far Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (FUVIS)
experiment objectives are to study astronomical and
artificially-induced sources of diffuse far-ultraviolet6

radiation.  The astronomical diffuse sources include
nebulae, celestial diffuse background radiation and nearby
external galaxies.  The artificial sources include emissions
associated with the Orbiter -- the recently discovered
Shuttle surface glow and emissions due to Shuttle Reaction
Control system rocket engines.

     The FUVIS astrophysical science objectives are
primarily concerned with improving scientific understanding
of the composition, physical and chemical properties, and
distribution in space of the interstellar medium.

     The interstellar medium is the gas and dust which fills
the space between the stars, and which is the material from
which new stars and planets are formed.

     The Orion Nebula is an example of a cloud of
interstellar material which is excited to glow by the far-
ultraviolet light emitted by the very hot stars embedded
within it.  The Cygnus Loop is an example of a supernova7

remnant - a shell of interstellar gas which is excited to
glow by the outwardly-moving shock wave produced by a
stellar explosion -- a supernova -- which occurred about
50,000 years ago.

     The unique features of FUVIS are that it observes in
the far-ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum,
which can provide new information unobtainable in other
spectral regions, and it is optimized for the study of
diffuse sources rather than point sources (e.g., stars).
However, since FUVIS is an imaging spectrograph, it also can
obtain spectra of stars for in-flight calibration, and can
separate out the contributions of stars from those of truly
diffuse sources.

     The FUVIS instrument is designed to provide the highest
possible diffuse source sensitivity in the far-ultraviolet,
but also provides efficient means for study of large, faint
galactic nebulae such as the Barnard Loop, North America,
and Cygnus Loop nebulae, comets, and diffuse emissions  8

associated with the Shuttle.  It also is capable of mapping
nearby galaxies such as the Magellanic Clouds and the
Andromeda Galaxy.

Detailed FUVIS plans include observations of stellar UV
radiation which is scattered by interstellar dust particles
to obtain information on the physical properties,
composition, and spatial distribution of the dust; and of
emission lines from the gaseous phases of the interstellar
medium; i.e., diffuse nebulae and the general interstellar
medium, which provides information on gas temperature,
composition, and spatial distribution.

     Department of Defense objectives include studies to
determine the UV spectral intensity distributions in, and
chemical species contributing to the emission from, Shuttle
glow and rocket engine plumes.

     Spartan 204 science objectives are sponsored by the
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Washington, DC.  The

FUVIS science investigation team consists of Principal
Investigator Dr. George Carruthers of NRL, and Co-
Investigators Dr. Adolf Witt, University of Toledo, Dr.
Reginald Dufour, Rice University, and Dr. John Raymond,
Center for Astrophysics.


SPARTAN OPERATIONS

Attached Operations

     The 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.  The instrument on the Spartan
carrier is controlled over a command path through the robot
arm while a crew member points the spacecraft on the end of
the arm using the robot arm's controls.  Several pointing
sequences will be performed over one and a half orbits.
After this part of the science mission is over, tracking  9

control system tests will be performed using the spacecraft
on the end of the robot arm before the spacecraft is
berthed.

Free-flight Deployment

After the Mir rendezvous portion of the mission is
complete, a crew member will again use the robot arm to lift
the Spartan spacecraft from the payload bay, and this time
will release it over the side of the Shuttle.  It will be
deployed from the Shuttle so that it can operate
independently and leave the Orbiter free for other
activities.  Because the Spartan and Shuttle become
separated, the Spartan will be able to view the celestial
targets clear of any contamination which might be generated
by Shuttle thruster firings.

     After initialization, Spartan is designed to operate
autonomously.  During the free-flight, the Shuttle crew has
no interaction with the satellite other than deploying and30

retrieving it.

     For approximately 40 hours, Spartan 204's instrument
will observe various celestial targets of interest as the
Space Shuttle paces it from behind.  About four hours prior
to the scheduled retrieval, the Shuttle will perform engine
firings allowing it to close on Spartan 204, 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 204 will be brought back into the
cargo bay.

Detailed Test Objectives (DTOs)

     Besides its scientific mission, the Spartan 204
spacecraft will support two Space Station Detailed Test
Objectives, or DTOs.  For the first DTO, Spartan 204 has six
laser retroreflectors mounted on it to aid in testing the
Tracking Control System (TCS).  They will be used during

proximity operations after the attached operations on Flight
Day 2, as well as during deployment and retrieval on flight
days 5 and 7.

     For the second DTO, the Spartan 204 spacecraft will be
used as a large mass handling object by the EVA crew
members.  They will demonstrate the ability to move large
objects without the robot arm, using new equipment and
techniques.

Spartan 204 spacecraft graphic
View looking aft spartan graphic

     During their EVA, the astronauts will practice moving
Spartan 204 around the payload bay after its science mission
is complete, on Flight Day 7.  The Spartan 204 spacecraft
has mounted on it three EVA handling attachment points to
aid the crew in controlling the spacecraft.  After the mass-
handling portion of the EVA, the astronauts will put the
Spartan spacecraft back onto its support structure for the1

remainder of the mission.



Spartan 204 Statistics

Launch Vehicle:          Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-63)
Deployment Altitude:     Approximately 190 nautical miles
Inclination:51.6 degrees
Spacecraft Weight:2,661 lbs (1,210 kg)


SPARTAN 204 MANAGEMENT

     The Spartan-204 mission is sponsored by the Air Force
Space Test Program.  The FUVIS is the primary scientific
instrument on the Spartan-204.  The FUVIS experiment is
sponsored, designed and constructed at the Naval Research
Laboratory, Washington, DC.
2

     The Spartan project is managed by GSFC for the Office
of Space Science, Washington, DC.  The acting Spartan
Project Manager is Dave Shrewsberry, and the Goddard Space
Flight Center Mission Manager is Mark Steiner.  GSFC
provides the Spartan carrier and manages its integration
with the Shuttle.



STS-63 HITCHHIKER PROGRAM/PAYLOAD OVERVIEW

The Hitchhiker Program, managed by the Shuttle Small
Payloads Project at GSFC, is designed for customers who wish
to fly quick-reaction and low-cost experiments on the
Shuttle.  The program's system is designed to be modular and
expandable in accordance with customer requirements.  The
system provides power, data or command services to operate
these experiments.  Typically, payloads receive their power
and data handling through the Hitchhiker Avionics which
provides standardized electrical, telemetry, and command

interfaces between the Orbiter and the experiments.  During
the mission operations, experimenters will receive real-time
communications between themselves and their payloads at the
Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) located at GSFC.



The first of four Hitchhiker missions manifested for
1995 is CGP/ODERACS-II.  The payload's acronym stems from
the following experiments:  Cryo System Experiment (CSE),
Shuttle Glow (GLO-2) experiment and the Orbital Debris Radar
Calibration System-II (ODERACS-II) experiment.  An IMAX
Camera also is flying in this configuration.  The Hitchhiker
carrier used to support the CGP/ODERACS-II experiments is a
crossbay carrier referred to as a Mission Peculiar Equipment
Support Structure (MPESS).  Displays of orbit position,
attitude, ancillary data, and any downlink data will allow
the experimenters to monitor the status of their payloads
during the mission.
3

Experiment: Cryo System Experiment (CSE)
Customer:  Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Hughes
Aircraft Corporation
Principal Investigator:  Russell Sugimura (JPL), Sam Russo
(Hughes)
Mission Manager:  Susan Olden, Hitchhiker Program, GSFC

Cryo System Experiment (CSE) is a space flight
experiment conducted by the Hughes Aircraft Co., in a
cooperative program with NASA.  The overall goal of the CSE
is to validate and characterize the on-orbit performance of
two thermal management technologies that comprise a hybrid
cryogenic system.  These thermal management technologies
consist of: 1) a new generation, long life, low vibration,
65 K Stirling-cycle cryocooler, and 2) an oxygen diode heat
pipe that thermally couples the cryocooler and a cryogenic
thermal energy storage device.  The experiment is necessary
to provide a high confidence zero-gravity database for the
design of future cryogenic systems for NASA and military
space flight applications.4


     These technologies promise to satisfy many of the
currently defined system performance goals for planned NASA
and military space programs. Feasibility of each technology
has already been demonstrated in independent R&D ground
based laboratory tests.  However, questions raised by the
scientific community relative to the performance of these
components in a zero-gravity environment must be answered
before these technologies can be optimized for application
to flight systems.  The CSE flight experiment is configured
to:  1) provide data necessary to resolve performance and
design issues, 2) validate capability of the hybrid cooling
system to meet future mission requirements, and 3) provide
for the high confidence and the design of flight system
concepts currently being considered.

     During on-orbit operation, test data will be recorded
to characterize performance of the technology including 1)
oxygen diode heat pipe temperature gradient and transport
capacity in steady-state and transient conditions, 2) system5

vibration levels attributed to the active cryocooler, and 3)
integrated, extended operations of the cooling system.

     An understanding of the performance of these components
in flight is required to develop accurate performance models
for designing flight hardware.  Key issues to be addressed
include: 1) heat pipe transfer capacity and start up
behavior, 2) cryocooler mechanical disturbance and
cryocooler dynamic balance.

     Ground-based life testing of the cryocooler has been
initiated at Hughes in support of the experiment and will
continue into next year for comparison with flight data.

     The flight experiment results will be significant to a
number of satellites scheduled for deployment in the late
1990s, for which cryocooler technologies are contemplated,
including those in support of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth
and Astrophysics Programs.
6

     The Cryo System Experiment illustrates an important
type of NASA in-space flight experiment in which a
relatively mature system technology is validated to provide
the option for subsequent application for future space
system development.  A successful experiment could be
followed by the use of the technology in an operational
system.


Experiment:  Shuttle Glow Experiment (GLO-2)
Customer:  University of Arizona and USAF/Phillips
Laboratory
Principal Investigator:  Dr. Lyle Broadfoot (Univ. of AZ),
Dr. Edmond Murad (Phillips Lab)
Mission Manager:  Susan Olden, Hitchhiker Program, GSFC

     This experiment originated as the ╥Shuttle Glow╙
experiment sponsored by the USAF/Phillips Laboratory.  The
nature of the instrument makes it ideal for studies of
Earth's thermosphere.  Consequently, it has become a joint

program with NASA/Space Physics Division of the Office of
Space Science.

     The GLO-2 will investigate the mysterious shroud of
luminosity, called the "glow phenomenon," observed by
astronauts on past Shuttle missions.  Theory suggests that
the glow may be due to atmospheric gases collisionally
interacting on the windward or ram side surface of the
Shuttle with gaseous engine effluents and contaminant
outgassing molecules.

     To understand why spacecraft glow, and the potential
effects of glow on space-based sensors, USAF Phillips
Laboratory is sponsoring the experiment to collect spectral
and imaging data to characterize the optical emissions.  The
principal investigators, Dr. Edmond Murad from the Phillips
Laboratory and Dr. Lyle Broadfoot from the University of
Arizona, plan to collect high resolution (0.5 nanometer)
spectra over a wide spectral range including the ultraviolet
and visible portions of the spectrum.  The spatial extent of7

the glow will be mapped precisely (0.1 degrees), and the
effects of ambient magnetic field, orbit altitude, mission
elapsed time, Shuttle thruster firings, and surface
composition on the intensity and spectrum of the glow will
be measured.  An optical emission model will then be
developed from the data.


     The GLO-2 experiment consists of imagers and
spectrographs, which are bore-slighted to the imagers, so
that both sensors are focused onto the same area of
observation, for example, the Shuttle tail.  The imagers
serve to unambiguously identify the source region of the
glow spectrum as well as to map the spatial extent of the
luminosity.  Unique features of the sensors are their high
spectral and spatial resolution.  Each spectrograph employ
a concave holographic grating that focuses and disperses
light within a small field of view (0.1 by 2.0 degrees) over
the wavelength range of 115-1100 nanometers.  The sensor
comprises nine separate channels, each of which operates    8

simultaneously and independently, to cover individual
segments of the spectrum.  Spectrally resolved light from
the grating is amplified by image intensifiers that are
optically coupled to a charge-coupled-device (CCD) detector.
CCD-pixel readouts are summed in groups to achieve spatial
mapping with a resolution of about 0.1 degrees.

The imager comprises six separate telescopes, of which
four are intensified.  Images are conducted to the single
CCD by fiberoptics.  One image channel is wide angle, and
one has high magnification.  The other four channels are
filtered to different wavelength bands.  The spectrographs
and imagers are mounted on a scan platform, which rotates
about the vertical and horizontal axes, and provides sensor
scanning in azimuth and elevation over glowing Shuttle
surfaces.  Experiment hardware units include the sensor
head, a scan platform, electronics, and high- and low-
voltage power supplies.

     The Shuttle glow experiments are short in duration 9

compared to the total flight time of the mission, therefore,
the remainder of the flight is dedicated to studies of
Earth's atmosphere.  This phase of the experiment is called
the  Arizona Airglow Experiment.  The scientific objectives
are related to the ionosphere, thermosphere and mesosphere
section of the NASA Space Physics Division.   A scientific
team will receive the data, assist in planning the
experiments, and coordinate the overflights with ground-
based sites or networks.  The period of the flight is
identified in the scientific community as a campaign.
Active participants who have ground-based instrumentation
will attempt to make observations throughout the campaign.
The data are correlated and deposited in a data bank at the
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, for
use by the community.  The coordination of this data is
important to relate local observation to the global picture
provided by the GLO observations from the Shuttle.

     An accurate description of the process leading to the
emissions from the sunlit thermosphere is being pursued by40

the GLO experiment.  The two prominent ion emissions are the
[OII] (7320ü) and the N2+ (1N) systems. Presently, both
emissions have shortcomings as reliable signatures of the
ionosphere conditions.  The nature of the nitrogen ion N2+
(1N) emission in the twilight and dayglow has still not been
fully explained.  The intensity of the emission is greater,
by about a factor of two, than models predict.  The nature
of the emission is further confused since neither the
extended rotational nor vibrational distributions are
understood.  Earlier data sets have not had the quality to
resolve these problems.  Investigators believe that the GLO
data will provide more insight.

     The nature of the mesospheric reactions in the night
atmosphere have eluded proper investigation.  The ability of
the GLO experiment to observe all of the night sky emission
simultaneously has already demonstrated its usefulness. The
GLO observation from a previous mission demonstrated that
vertical profiles through the emitting layer are easily
obtained and will add markedly to  understanding of these 1

mesospheric processes.

     An important task for the GLO experiment is concerned
with atmospheric model validation.  Atmospheric models
typically predict vertical profiles of reaction products
which give rise to emissions.  The models do not account for
the manifold of energy distribution within systems but,
rather, predict the total product in excited states.
Establishing the relationship of the total production to the
observation is the responsibility of the experiment and the
spectral analyst.  The relationship of the model to the
observation is the responsibility of the theorist.  Again,
collaboration is the most powerful tool; each party
contributes its expertise to a single problem.

     A graduate student program will provide the interface
between the model and the experiment.  The modeler will be
involved in the planning to optimize his/her validation.
The observation will be advocated by the graduate student
and the data product will be prepared and defended by th2

graduate student using the spectral analysis capabilities at
the GLO data center at the University of Arizona.

     In the next few years the GLO experimenters,
USAF/Phillips Lab and the University of Arizona
representatives, will be changing research practices because
overall objective is to understand the nature of our
atmosphere on a global basis.  Global models are already
well underway, but the hope of verifying those models on a
global scale is unrealistic.  Our nearest approach to the
global verification will come through coordinated
al opportunities.  No one type of experiment,
orbit or ground-based observation is a sufficient test.  Our
closest approach will be through coordinated studies, ground
stations, rocket and satellite coordination.

Experiment:  IMAX Cargo Bay Camera (ICBC)
Customer:  Johnson Space Center
Payload Manger:  Dick Walter
Mission Manager:  Susan Olden, Hitchhiker Program, GSFC


     The IMAX Cargo Bay Camera is a space-qualified, 65 mm
color motion picture camera system that consists of a
camera, lens assembly, and a film supply magazine containing
approximately 3500 feet of film and an empty take-up
magazine.  The camera is housed in an insulated, pressurized
enclosure with a movable lens window cover.  The optical
center line of the 60 mm camera lens is fixed and points
directly out of the payload bay along the Orbiter Z axis
with a 15 degree rotation towards the Orbiter nose.  Heaters
and thermal blankets provide proper thermal conditioning for
the camera electronics, camera window, and film magazines.

     The 65 mm photography will be transferred to 70 mm
motion picture film for playing in IMAX theaters.  An audio
tape recorder with microphones will be used in the crew
compartment to record middeck audio sounds and crew comments
during camera operations.  The audio sound is then
transferred to audio tapes or compact discs for playing in
coordination with the IMAX motion picture.             3


camera system is operated by the crew from the Aft
Flight Deck with the enhanced Get Away Special Autonomous
Payload Controller (GAPC). Commands such as on/off, camera
standby, and camera run/stop may be initiated by the crew.
Additional commands for camera setups such as f/stop, focus,
and frame rate status of exposed film footage also are
accomplished by the crew using the GAPC.  A light level
measurement unit will be used by the crew to set the lens
aperture.  Four focus zones and seven aperture settings are
available for this flight.

     The normal camera speed is 24 frames per second (fps).
On this flight, this also can be changed to 3 fps for
photographing slower moving objects.  The 3500 feet of film
in the ICBC will last approximately 10.5 minutes at 24 fps
and much longer at 3 fps.  Film cannot be changed in flight
and ICBC operations are terminated when all film is exposed.
ICBC is managed by Dick Walter of the Johnson Space Center.
4

Experiment:  Orbital Debris Radar Calibration System-II
(ODERACS-II)
Customer:  Johnson Space Center
Principal Investigator:  Gene Stansbery
Mission Manager:  Susan Olden, Hitchhiker Program, GSFC

     Man-made debris, now circulating in a multitude of
orbits about the Earth as a result of the exploration and
use of space, poses a growing hazard to future space
operations.  Since the launch of Sputnik 1, more than 3200
launches have placed about 6500 artificial orbiting objects,
weighing 2 million kilograms (4.4 million pounds) in orbit
around the Earth.  While these objects are cataloged by the
Space Surveillance Network operated by United States Command
(USSPACECOM), only six percent represent functional
satellites; the rest are considered debris.  Additionally,
USSPACECOM tracks only objects larger than 10 cm in
diameter.  However, history has proven that smaller objects
cause considerable damage to spacecraft.  Hence, orbital
debris is a critical factor in the shielding design and5

mission planning of the International Space Station.

     For the past decade, the Johnson Space Center has led
efforts, such as using the Haystack Radar, to characterize
the debris environment for sizes smaller than 10 cm.  The
Orbital Debris Radar Calibration System (ODERACS) provides a
vehicle whereby small calibration targets are placed in Low
Earth Orbit (LEO) for the purpose of calibrating ground-
based radar and optical systems so that they may more
accurately provide information regarding small debris in
LEO.

     Radar facilities include:  the Millstone, Haystack, and
the Haystack Auxiliary Radars in Massachusetts; the
Kwajalein Radars (TRADEX, ALCOR, Millimeter Wave, and
ALTAIR) in the South Pacific; the Eglin Radar in Florida;
the PARCS Radar in North Dakota; and the FGAN Radar in
Germany.  Optical facilities include:  the worldwide GEODDS
telescope network, the NASA/JSC telescope, and the Super-
RADOT telescope facility in the South Pacific.  Other  6

USSPACECOM sensor facilities also will support the mission
as necessary.  This experiment enables the correlation of
controlled empirical optical and radar debris signatures of
targets whose physical dimensions, compositions,
reflectivity, and electromagnetic scattering properties are
precisely known, thereby verifying or improving the sensors'
accuracy and ultimately leading to better knowledge of the
debris environment.

     The ODERACS-II experiment, whose Principal Investigator
is Gene Stansbery of Johnson, will release six targets,
three spheres and three dipoles of different sizes from the
Shuttle payload bay.  The targets will be observed, tracked
and recorded using ground-based radar and optical sensors.
The spheres are composed of polished, blackened, and
whitened stainless steel and aluminum.  The sphere group
consists of one 2-inch diameter stainless steel sphere, one
4-inch diameter aluminum sphere and one 6-inch diameter
aluminum sphere.   The dipoles consist of platinum alloys
chosen to maximize orbital lifetime.  The dipole group

consists of one 1.740 inches x .040 inch diameter wire and
two 5.255 inches x .040 inch diameter wires.  The targets
will be ejected retrograde along the Shuttle velocity vector
at velocities between 1.4 and 3.4 meters per second (4.5 to
11.1 feet per second).  The estimated average orbital
lifetime of the targets ranges from about 20 to 280 days and
is highly dependent on solar flux and the resultant
atmospheric heating.  All targets will completely burn up
during reentry.

CGP/ODERACS/CONCAP graphic


STS-63 EVA ACTIVITIES

     STS-63 will continue laying the groundwork for future
space activities on the flight's seventh day when Mission
Specialists Mike Foale and Bernard Harris perform an almost
five-hour spacewalk to test spacesuit modifications and
practice handling large objects in microgravity.      7


     During the extravehicular activity, Foale will carry
the designation EV1 and will be wearing red stripes on the
legs of his spacesuit, while Harris will be EV2.  Pilot
Eileen Collins will assist the spacewalkers from inside the
crew cabin by monitoring their progress through the EVA
timeline and will serve as the primary communicator between
the spacewalkers and the crew inside Discovery.  Russian
Mission Specialist Vladimir Titov will operate the robot arm
during the spacewalk and will assist Harris and Foale into
their suits.

The spacewalk has two specific objectives:  to evaluate
modifications to the spacesuits that provide astronauts with
better thermal protection from cold and to perform several
mass handling exercises in a series of activities designed
to increase NASA's experience base as it prepares for the
on-orbit assembly of the International Space Station.

     Past EVA experience has demonstrated that, even with8

the spacesuit's thermal controls, a spacewalking astronaut
can become chilled when working in open or shaded areas.
During most Shuttle EVA's, crew members work in the payload
bay where the Orbiter's radiated heat keeps the spacewalkers
warm.  The assembly of the International Space Station,
however, will require astronauts to work in extremely cold
conditions frequently.

     Several modifications have been made to the spacesuit
systems to prevent  astronauts' hands from becoming cold.
On the liquid cooling garment, for example, the cooling
tubes running down the arms have been bypassed so the
spacewalkers' arms are not cooled.  Additional layers of
material have been added to the thermal undergarment and the
exterior of the suit's gloves for warmth.

     The evaluation of the modifications will be performed
when Discovery is positioned with its belly pointed toward
the Sun and the payload bay shadowed, creating the coldest
environment possible.  The robot arm, with Foale and Harris9

on it, will be extended above the payload bay, clear of the
Orbiter's radiated heat.  Foale and Harris will stay in that
position without performing any work for about 15 minutes,
all the time providing ground engineers with objective
feedback and data on their thermal comfort levels.

     The mass handling exercises will be performed with the
Spartan spacecraft, which will have been returned to the
payload bay only a few minutes before start of the EVA.  The
exercise will begin with Foale in a Portable Foot  Restraint
oend of the robot arm and Harris in a restraint on the
Spartan's support structure.

     Titov will move Foale into position to grab Spartan
from its berthing platform.  Foale will then hand the
satellite to Harris who will perform a series of translation
and rotation maneuvers.  When he is finished, Harris will
hand the satellite back to Foale, who will repeat the
activity on the end of the robot arm.
50

     The entire EVA is scheduled for 4 hours, 50 minutes,
but may be shortened if the Spartan retrieval is delayed.


SPACEHAB-3

primary payload for the STS-63 mission is SPACEHAB-
3, a pressurized, commercially-developed space research
laboratory located in the forward end of Discovery's cargo
bay.  The laboratory is accessed by crew members from the
Orbiter's middeck through a tunnel adapter connected to the
vehicle's airlock.  This is the third flight of SPACEHAB--
the first two highly-successful missions were flown in June,
1993, and February, 1994, aboard STS-57 and STS-60,
respectively.

     Under a contract awarded in 1990 with SPACEHAB, Inc.,
of Arlington, VA, NASA is leasing space aboard SPACEHAB-3 to
support the Agency's commercial development of space program
by providing access to space to test, demonstrate or

evaluate techniques or processes in the environment of space
and thereby reduce operational risks to a level appropriate
for commercial development.  The 5-1/2 ton space module
significantly increases the pressurized working and storage
volume normally available aboard the Shuttle.

New System Features

     As a result of experience gained on SPACEHAB-1 and -2,
it is clear that there are some resources the SPACEHAB
shares with the Space Shuttle that are very scarce.  One of
those resources is crew time.  SPACEHAB, Inc., has developed
two new system features to significantly reduce the demands
on crew time.  The first new feature is a video switch to
reduce the demand for crew time in video operations, and the
second new feature is an experiment interface to the
SPACEHAB telemetry system to reduce the demand for crew time
in experiment data down link.

     The SPACEHAB video system uses camcorders that are tied1

to the Orbiter closed circuit television system and then
down linked through the Orbiter.  On SPACEHAB-1 and -2, th
crew set up the camcorders and manually switched from one
camera scene to another, a time-consuming operational
arrangement.  For SPACEHAB-3, SPACEHAB, Inc., installed a
video switching unit allowing up to eight camcorders to be
cabled into the SPACEHAB video switch.  Then, by ground
control, one of the camcorders can be switched into the
Orbiter system for down link.  Also, another one of the
camcorders can collect a digital image on a freeze frame and
send it down through SPACEHAB's telemetry stream,
independent of other Orbiter video down link operations.
This new video switch and digital television down link
capability will provide operational flexibility that will be
very valuable on this flight and on subsequent flights.

     SPACEHAB, Inc., also has enhanced the experiment data
interface with the  SPACEHAB telemetry system in the
interest of on-orbit efficiency.  The system now allows an
experimenter with a standard RS232 computer interface to tie2

directly into the system and send continuous informatio
to the ground, off loading this task from the crew and
enhancing ground controller monitoring of experiment status.

     Also, on the roof of the laboratory there will
be two 12-inch diameter windows installed for STS-63.  On
window will have a NASA docking camera in it to assist in
the Mir proximity operations.

Experiments

     Over 20 SPACEHAB-3 experiments, sponsored by NASA's
Offices of Space Access and Technology and Life and
Microgravity Sciences and Applications together with the
Department of Defense, represent a diverse cross-section of
technological, biological and other scientific disciplines
and were developed for flight by an equally-diverse
complement of university, industry and government
organizations nationwide.  A summary of experiments to be
flown aboard STS-63 follows: 3


     The ASTROCULTURE(tm) payload is sponsored by the
Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics (WCSAR),
a NASA Center for the Commercial Development of Space
(CCDS), located at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

     Extended space ventures that involve human presence
will require safe and reliable life support at a reasonable
cost.  Plants play a vital role in the life support system
present here on Earth.  Likewise, it can be expected that
plants will be a critically important part of a life support
system in space because they can be a source of food while
also providing a means of purifying air and water.
Currently, no satisfactory plant-growing unit is available
to support long-term plant growth in space.  Several
industry affiliates including Automated Agriculture Assoc.,
Inc., Dodgeville, WI; Quantum Devices, Inc., Barneveld, WI;
and Orbital Technologies Corp., Madison, WI; together with
WCSAR have been involved with this cooperative program to
develop the technologies needed for growing plants in a4

space environment.

     The objective of the ASC series of flights is to
validate the performance of plant growth technologies in the
microgravity environment of space.  Each of the flight
experiments involves the incremental addition of important
subsystems required to provide the necessary environmental
control for plant growth.  The flight hardware is based on
commercially-available components thereby significantly
reducing the hardware costs.  The information from these
flight experiments will become the basis for developing
large scale plant-growing units required in a life support
system.  In addition, these technologies also will have
extensive uses on Earth, such as improved
dehumidification/humidification units, water-efficient
irrigation systems, removal of hydrocarbons and other
pollutants from indoor air and energy-efficient lighting
systems for plant growth.

     The ASC-1 flight experiment, conducted during the USML-5

1 mission on STS-50, evaluated the WCSAR concept for
providing water and nutrients to plants.

     The ASC-2 flight experiment, conducted during the
SPACEHAB-1 mission on STS-57, provided additional data on
the water nutrient delivery concept, plus an evaluation of
the light-emitting diode-based plant lighting concept.  The
ASC-3 flight experiment, included in the SPACEHAB-2 STS-60
mission, provided data for a concept to control temperature
and humidity in a closed-plant growth chamber.  Results from
these flight experiments confirmed the validity of these
concepts for use in a space-based growing unit.

     The ASTROCULTURE(tm) ASC-4 flight experiment aboard the
STS-63 mission will be the first to include plants.  Wheat
seedlings and special fast-growing plants developed at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agriculture and
Life Sciences will be used to confirm the performance of the
ASC environmental control subsystems.  Also being evaluated
is the Zeoponics nutrient composition control system

developed by researchers at NASA's Johnson Space Center,
Houston.

Demonstration of successful plant growth in space using
the ASTROCULTURE(tm) unit will represent a major advance in
ability to provide superior environmental control for
plant growth in an inexpensive and reliable flight package.

     A supplemental experiment is being conducted in
cooperation with researchers at NASA's Ames Research Center,
CA.  This experiment is referred to as the Fluid Dynamics in
a Porous Matrix (FDPM) experiment and consists of three test
units being flown as stowage.  This experiment will
investigate capillary migration of liquids in granular beds.
This knowledge is essential for the optimization of a
substrate-based nutrient and water delivery system for plant
growth in space.

     The flight hardware for this mission is accommodated in
a SPACEHAB locker located in the module, and weighs 6

approximately 50-pounds.  The ASC-4 flight unit includes
humidity and temperature control, lighting, water and
nutrient delivery, nutrient composition control, CO2
control, atmospheric contaminant removal, video and data
acquisition.  These subsystems provide essentially all the
environmental regulation needed for plant growth.  The next
ASC flight experiment beyond SPACEHAB-3 will be a 16-day
experiment on STS-73 to study plant starch metabolism and
carbohydrate translocation in potato leaves.

     Principal Investigator on ASTROCULTURE(tm) is Dr.
Raymond J. Bula, WCSAR.

BioServe Pilot Laboratory-3 (BPL-3)

     The BioServe Pilot Laboratory-3 payload is sponsored by
BioServe Space Technologies, a NASA Center for the
Commercial Development of Space (CCDS) based at the
University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, and Kansas State
University, Manhattan, KS.7


     BioServe developed the BPL to provide a "first step"
opportunity to companies interested in exploring low-gravity
research in a wide variety of life sciences areas with
primary emphasis on cellular studies.  For STS-63, two
series of investigations will be carried out on bacterial
products and processes.

     BioServe will examine Rhizobium trifolii behavior in
microgravity.  Rhizobia are special bacteria that form a
symbolic relationship with plants.  The bacteria infect the
plants early in seedling development to form nodules on the
plant roots.  The bacteria in these nodules derive
nutritional support from the plant while, in turn, providing
the plant with nitrogen fixed from the air.  Plants that
form such relationships with rhizobia are called legumes and
include alfalfa, clover and soybean.  Such plants do not
require synthetic fertilizers to grow.  In contrast, many
important crop plants such as wheat and corn are dependent
on synthetic fertilizers since they do not form symbolic8

relationships with rhizobia.  Understanding the multi-step
process associated with rhizobia infection of legumes may
make it possible to manipulate the process to cause
infection of other crop plants.  The potential savings in
fertilizer production would be tremendous.

     Another BioServe investigation concerns the bacteria E.
Coli.  These bacteria are normally found in the
gastrointestinal tracts of mammals, including man.  E. Coli
have been thoroughly studied as a model system for bacterial
infection, population dynamics and genetics research.  E.
Coli has been manipulated to produce bacteria capable of
secreting important pharmaceutical products and also has
served as a model for bacteria used in waste treatment and
water reclamation.

     BioServe will study these bacteria to determine changes
in growth and behavior that occur as a consequence of
exposure to microgravity.  The commercial objectives include
understanding and controlling bacterial infection in closed9

environments; exploiting bacteria and other microorganisms
in the development of ecological life support systems and
waste management;  determining the opportunity for enhanced
genetic engineering; and enhanced pharmaceutical production
using bacterial systems.  For  STS-63, the BPL will consist
of 40 Bioprocessing Modules (BPMs) stowed in a standard
locker in the middeck of Discovery.  The BPMs will contain
the biological sample materials.  The stowage locker also
will contain an Ambient Temperature Recorder which will
provide a temperature history of the payload throughout the
mission.

     For most of the investigations, simultaneous ground
controls will be run.  Using similar hardware and identical
sample fluids, ground personnel will activate and terminate
BPMs in parallel with the flight crew.  Synchronization will
be accomplished based on voice downlink from the crew.
Ground controls will be conducted at the SPACEHAB Payload
Processing Facility at Cape Canaveral, FL.


     After the Orbiter has landed, the stowage locker
containing the BPMs will be turned over to BioServe
personnel for de-integration.  Some sample processing will
be performed at the landing site.  However, most BPMs will
be shipped or hand-carried back to the sponsoring labs for
detailed analysis.

     Dr. George Morgenthaler, Director of the BioServe CCDS,
is Program Manager.  Dr. Louis Stodieck and Keith Pharris,
also of BioServe, are responsible for mission management.


Biological Research in Canisters (BRIC-3)

     Research on carbohydrate-rich plants is the subject of
the Biological Research in Canisters payload.

     Soybeans and other carbohydrate-rich plants would
provide an ideal food source for long-duration space
missions, including Space Station.  This experiment will60

investigate the basic processes involved in carbohydrate
production by observing how exposure to microgravity affects
the production of consumable food products.

     In this research, soybean seeds are rolled in
germination paper and placed in tubes located inside BRIC
canisters.  The experiment will be sealed and housed in the
middeck of the Space Shuttle.  The experiment itself is
passive, however, the crew is required on mission day five
to transfer one canister to the freezer.  Freezing these
samples will dramatically increase the science return for
this investigation by allowing an examination of plants
developed in microgravity to be contrasted with control
groups developed in regular gravity.

     The experiment will be removed immediately after
landing in order to freeze the second canister's soybean
seedlings before the effects of gravity are re-established.

               BRIC experiments are sponsored by NASA's 1

Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications
and managed by NASA's Kennedy Space Center, FL.  Dr.
Christopher Brown, Plant Space Biology Program, Kennedy
Space Center, is Principal Investigator.


Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (CGBA-6)

     The Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus-6
payload is sponsored by BioServe Space Technologies, a NASA
Center for the Commercial Development of Space (CCDS),
located at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and Kansas
State University, Manhattan, KS.  The purpose of the CGBA is
to allow a wide variety of sophisticated biomaterials, life
sciences and biotechnology investigations to be performed in
one payload in the low gravity environment of space.

     Corporate affiliates include the Center for Cancer
Research, Manhattan, KS; Kansas Agricultural Experiment
Station, Manhattan, KS; NeXagen, Boulder, CO; Synchrocell,2

Inc.; and Water Technology Industries.

     During the STS-63 mission, BioServe will support 26
separate commercial investigations which can be classified
in three application areas:  biomedical testing and drug
development; small agricultural and environmental systems
development; and biomaterials and biotechnology systems
development.

     In the Biomedical Testing and Drug Development
category, eight biomedical models will be tested in
microgravity.  Of the eight models, three are related to
immune disorders:  one will study the ability of macrophage
cells to function normally; one will study the ability of T-
lymphocyte cells to secrete essential communication modules;
and one will study the ability of immune system cells to
respond to infectious-type materials.  The other five models
are related to bond and developmental disorders, wound
healing, cancer and cellular disorders.  Analysis of the
test results will provide information to better understand3

diseases and disorders that affect human health, including
cancer, osteoporosis and AIDS.  In the future, these models
may be used for the development and testing of new drugs to
treat these diseases.

     In the category of Small Agricultural and Environmental
Systems Development, BioServe will conduct seven ecological
studies:  five on seed germination and seedling processes;
one on brine shrimp; and one on a new material's ability to
control build-up of unwanted bacteria and other
microorganisms.

     In the third category, Biomaterials and Biotechnology
Systems Development, BioServe will investigate eleven
different biomaterials and biotechnology products and
processes in the following areas:  large protein and RNA
crystals for use in commercial drug development; assembly of
virus shells for use in a commercially-developed drug
delivery system; enzymatic breakdown of fibrin, collagen and
cellulose materials with application to engineering of

tissue implants; bacterial systems with application to
understanding proliferation, antibiotic resistance,
pharmaceutical production and response to environmental
stress; and evaluation of the use of microscopic magnetic
particles, called magnetosomes, to form strong, collagen-
based materials for possible use in artificial implants.

     Some experiments will require astronaut involvement
while others will be automated.  For most investigations,
simultaneous ground controls will be run in synchronization
with flight crew participation.

After Discovery has landed, the stowage lockers will be
retrieved and turned over to BioServe personnel for de-
integration.  Some sample processing will be performed at
the SPACEHAB Payload Processing Facility in Florida, but
most will be shipped or hand-carried back to the sponsoring
laboratoriedetailed analysis.

     Dr. George Morgenthaler, Director of the BioServe CCDS,4

is Program Manager for CGBA.  Dr. Louis Stodieck and Keith
Pharris, also of BioServe, are responsible for mission
management.


CHARLOTTE

An experimental robotic device built by McDonnell
Douglas Aerospace (MDA) will fly aboard the SPACEHAB module
to demonstrate automated servicing of experimental payloads
and allow remote video observation aboard the pressurized
space research laboratory.

     Through the compact device, roughly the size of a small
microwave oven, investigators hope to demonstrate the
advantages of a simple, safe, low power, rigid, easily-
installed robotic device to relieve the workload of future
flight crews.

Nicknamed "Charlotte" by its MDA developers, this robot5

does not employ gantries, jointed-arms or complicated
systems.  Charlotte, when deployed by the STS-63 crew, will
be suspended on cables which are relatively easy to install
and remove.

     Among Charlotte's experimental objectives are to
operate knobs, switches and buttons inside the SPACEHAB
module.  The robot also has the capability to changeout
experimental samples and data cartridges and perform many
other inspection and manipulation tasks thereby automating
many routine procedures and freeing the flight crew to
perform other tasks.


CHROMEX-6

     In previous spaceflight experiments, it has been
observed that plants exposed to microgravity exhibit
abnormalities in cell shape and structure.  Many of these
observations can be linked to changes in the plant cell     6

walls.  These cell walls of plants determine many aspects of
plant growth, including shape, growth rate, cell-cell
recognition, and composition of fiber to name a few.  Many
of the biochemical features that characterize mature,
functional cell walls are catalyzed by cell wall-associated
enzymes.  The CHROMEX-6 study will help explain the role of
these enzymes in establishing normal cell wall structure and
function.

     The species being studied is Superdwarf Wheat (Tritucum
aestivum) which will be planted 48 hours prior to flight.
These plants will develop under laboratory conditions until
specimens are loaded for flight.  The plants will be loaded
into the Orbiter during the late load timeframe.  Upon
return to Earth, the plants will be dissected, fixed by
exposure to cryogenics, and analyzed for cell wall
associated enzymes.

     CHROMEX-5, which flew on STS-68, examined the effects
of space flight on early reproductive events in plants and

was the first occurrence of successful pollination,
fertilization and embryo development (formation of young
seed) for a U.S. investigator.  A longer-duration flight
opportunity will be necessary in order to produce mature
seed from seed that is planted in space.

     Earlier attempts at successful plant reproduction in
space flight (CHROMEX-3 and 4) may have failed because of
poor airflow or replacement in the chambers housing the
plants in the Plant Growth Unit (PGU) and/or insufficient
CO2 availability to ths due perhaps to the
microgravity environment lacking connective air movement.
CHROMEX-5 employed the new active Air Exchange System (AES)
for the PGU for the first time to enhance air circulation to
and around the plants.  And the CHROMEX-5 plants are being
analyzed for increased carbohydrate levels and other
evidence of improved growth and development.

The experiment is sponsored by NASA's Office of Life
and Microgravity Sciences and Applications and managed by 7

NASA's Kennedy Space Center, FL.  Dr. Elizabeth E. Hood,
Utah State University, is Principal Investigator.


Commercial Protein Crystal Growth (CPCG)

The Commercial Protein Crystal Growth (CPCG)
experiments aboard STS-63 are sponsored by the Center for
Macromolecular Crystallography (CMC), based at the
University of Alabama at Birmingham.  The CMC is a NASA
Center for the Commercial Development of Space (CCDS) which
forms a bridge between NASA and private industry by
developing methods for the crystallization of macromolecules
in microgravity.  These crystals are used to determine the
three-dimensional structure of the molecules by X-ray
crystallography.  The structural information not only
provides a greater understanding of the functions of
macromolecules in living organisms, but it also provides
scientific insight into the development of new drugs.
8

     By the technique of protein crystallography, crystals
of purified proteins are grown in the laboratory, and X-ray
diffraction data are collected on these crystals.  The
three-dimensional structure is then determined by analysis
of this data.  Unfortunately, crystals grown in the gravity
environment of Earth frequently have internal defects that
make such analysis difficult or impossible.  Space-grown
crystals often have fewer defects and are much better than
their Earth-grown counterparts.

     The protein crystal growth experiments aboard STS-63
will consist of two crystallization systems:  the Vapor
Diffusion Apparatus (VDA) and the Protein Crystallization
Facility (PCF).

     The objective of the VDA experiments aboard STS-63 is
to use the microgravity environment to produce large, well-
ordered crystals that yield x-ray diffraction data that are
superior to the data from their Earth-grown counterparts.
This will be the 18th flight of the Vapor Diffusion9

Apparatus experiments, and the series of experiments has
produced the highest-quality crystals ever grown of several
proteins.  Crystallographic analysis has revealed that on
average 20% of proteins grown in space in the VDA are
superior to their Earth-grown counterparts.

     The objective of the PCF experiment, contained in a
thermal control enclosure located in the middeck, will be to
crystalize human alpha interferon protein.  Alpha interferon
is a protein pharmaceutical that currently is used against
human viral hepatitus B and C.  The objective is to discover
the next generation alpha interferon pharmaceuticals and
formulations.

With continued research, the commercial applications
developed using protein crystal growth have phenomenal
potential, and the number of proteins that need study
exceeds tens of thousands.  Current research, with the aid
of pharmaceutical companies, may lead to a whole new
generation of drugs that could help treat diseases such as

cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, peridontal disease, influenza,
septic shock, emphysema, aging and AIDS.

     A number of pharmaceutical companies partner with the
CMC including:  BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc;  Eli Lilly
and Co.; Schering-Plough; DuPont Merck Pharmaceuticals;
Eastman Kodak; Upjohn Co.; Smith Kline Beecham
Pharmaceuticals; and Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.  Principal
Investigator for the STS-63 protein crystal growth
experiments is Dr. Larry DeLucas, Director of the CMC.



Equipment for Controlled Liquid Phase Sintering Experiments
(ECLIPSE)

     The Consortium for Materials Development in Space
(CMDS), based at the University of Alabama in Huntsville
(UAH) has developed the Equipment for Controlled Liquid
Phase Sintering Experiments (ECLIPSE).  This furnace was  70

developed in a very rapid and cost-effective manner.
Development of ECLIPSE was supported by Wyle Laboratories.
It successfully flew on the first two SPACEHAB missions and
is now available as space-qualified hardware and is a key
part of the nation's commercial space infrastructure.

     The SPACEHAB-3 ECLIPSE experiment will investigate the
"Liquid Phase Sintering" (LPS) of metallic systems.
"Sintering" is a well-characterized process by which
metallic powders are consolidated into a metal at
temperatures only 50% of that required to melt all of the
constituent phases.  In LPS on Earth, a liquid coexists with
the solid which can produce sedimentation, thus producing
materials that lack homogeneity and dimensional stability.
To control sedimentation effects, manufacturers limit the
volume of the liquid.  The ECLIPSE experiment examines
metallic composites at or above the liquid volume limit to
understand more fully the processes taking place and to
produce materials that are dimensionally stable and
homogeneous in the absence of gravity.  The concept of  1

"defect trapping in microgravity" will be pursued during
this experiment.  The knowledge gained from the experiments
will be applied toward preventing or controlling defect
formation.

     This flight of the ECLIPSE payload is building on the
experience of otherflights on sub-orbital rockets.
Sub-orbital flights have provided 1-3 minutes of sample
processing time.  Longer flight durations are made possible
by the Shuttle.  The STS-63 flight will be the longest melt
period (approximately one hour) for the copper series.
Copper is the metal that melts and provides the liquid phase
in the sintering process.

     Composites of hard metals in a tough metal matrix have
excellent wearing properties of the hard material and the
strength of the touch material.  Applications of such a
composite include stronger, lighter, more durable metals for
bearings, cutting tools, electric brushes, contact point and
irregularly-shaped mechanical parts for high stress   2

environments.

     Industry partners on the ECLIPSE experiment, besides
Wyle Laboratories, are Kennametal, Inc.; Automatic Switch
Co.; Parker Hannifin Corp.; and Machined Ceramics.
Principal Investigator for ECLIPSE is Dr. James E. Smith,
Jr., Associate Professor and Chairman, Department of
Chemical and Materials Engineering at UAH.


Fluids Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus-1 (FGBA-1)

      The Fluids Generic Processing Apparatus-1 is the first
of three commercial payloads being developed by BioServe
Space Technologies.  BioServe is a NASA Center for the
Commercial Development of Space (CCDS) located at the
University of Colorado, Boulder.  A consortium of private
businesses, universities and government, including The Coca-
Cola Company, Atlanta, GA;  Martin Marietta, Denver, CO;
Ohmeda, Boulder, CO; University of Colorado, Boulder; Kansas3

State University, Manhattan, KS; and NASA's Office of Space
Access and Technology, Washington, DC, have combined
resources to sponsor the FGBA commercial program.

     The consortium has a major longe-range objective in
advancing fluid management technology in microgravity.
Consistent with this objective, this first BioServe FGBA
experiment represents a significant opportunity to obtain
fundamental data on containment, manipulation and transfer
of pressurized, supersaturated two-phase fluids.  During
STS-63, this program is expected to further the commercial
objectives of The Coca-Cola Company in developing both
terrestrial and space applications.  The Coca-Cola Company
has a strong interest in developing hardware to carbonate
water on demand and to mix and dispense beverages with
minimal loss of carbonation.  Developing technology to
accomplish these objectives in microgravity may likely
evolve into terrestrial applications that could further the
long-range research and development objectives of The Coca-
Cola Company.4


     This flight will provide baseline data on changes in
astronauts' taste perception of beverages consumed in
microgravity.  The beverages to be used in the evaluation
are Coca-Cola and diet Coke.  The taste perception changes
experienced by astronauts on-orbit will be compared to their
taste perception of these beverages in matched pre- and
post-flight ground controls involving the same crew members.

     Dr. George Morgenthaler, Director of the BioServe CCDS,
is Program Manager for the FGBA experiment.  Drs. Louis
Stodieck and Alex Hoehn, also of BioServe, are responsible
for mission management.  Dr. Ashis Gupta is the principal
engineer for this experiment for The Coca-Cola Company.


Gas Permeable Polymer Materials (GPPM)

     The Gas Permeable Polymer Materials (GPPM) payload is
sponsored by NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, and

its commercial affiliate, Paragon Vision Sciences of
Phoenix, AZ.

     Plastic materials, which are made of very large
molecules called "polymers", are used in everyday life in
many ways.  Some polymers prevent gases, such as oxygen,
from passing through.  These polymers are used in keeping
foods fresh for long periods of time in a refrigerator or
freezer.  Other polymers allow one or more gases to pass
through.  These polymers, called gas permeable polymeric
materials, also have many uses.  Gravity may affect many
properties of the polymer while it is being made.  As early
as 1984, it was suggested that these effects may be
eliminated or at least reduced if the polymer were made in
the low gravity of space flight.

     The Gas Permeable Polymer Materials (GPPM) flight
experiment is a follow on to the first GPPM flight, which
took place in July 1993.  The purpose of these flights is to
determine if certain types of polymers made in low gravity 5

while the Space Shuttle is in orbit, differ greatly from the
same polymers made at the same time on the ground.  The
current flight will evaluate new materials based on results
from the first GPPM flight.

     This second flight also will determine if polymers can
be made from monomers which cannot be mixed on the ground.
As in the first GPPM mission, there also will be ground
experiment samples tested to compare the results of the
polymer manufacturing process in a gravity-based setting.

     Gas permeable polymeric materials have many uses.  One
use is the potential improvement in contact lenses for long-
term wear, allowing greater oxygen to pass through the lens
and adding comfort to the wearer.  Paragon Vision Sciences
is a leading manufacturer of polymers for contact lenses,
and is using these flight activities to determine if
formation of polymers in microgravity has application to
their line of optical products.
6

     There are other potential applications of polymers
developed in microgravity, including medical applications
such as dialysis and blood gas monitoring, and industrial
processes associated with the manufacture of pure gases.
Langley researchers are interested in further exploring
other uses for polymer materials developed in low gravity.

     After the return of the samples from the STS-63
mission, Paragon Vision Sciences and NASA researchers will
assess the mission results and make the determination on
what the next steps will be.  Langley researchers will use
the results from the flight to determine what might be
possible new research paths to take using polymer
development in microgravity.


Handheld Diffusion Test Cell (HH-DTC)

    The Handheld Diffusion Test Cell (HH-DTC) apparatus will
evaluate experiment chambers designed for the new Observable7

Protein Crystal Growth Apparatus (OPCGA), which will use
sophisticated optical techniques to analyze the growth of
individual crystals in orbit.

    Scientists have been growing protein crystals in space
for almost a decade.  There is good evidence that in about
25 percent of the cases crystals can be grown in space that
are superior to any grown on Earth.  Determining exactly why
some space-grown crystals are better is the goal of the
Observable Crystal Growth System and the transparent test
cells being tested on this flight.  If scientists can
pinpoint the underlying mechanisms which influence growth in
space versus that on Earth, the fundamental knowledge they
gain could suggest improved methods of crystal growth in
orbit as well as in Earth-based laboratories.  Past studies
on small-molecule crystal growth, for instance involving
semiconductors and laser optics, have produced such improved
methods.

   The STS-63 experiment also will evaluate the growth of   8

pcs by diffusion of one liquid into another,
since crystals produced by the liquid diffusion process will
be better suited for observation experiments on upcoming
flights.

    The majority of previous Shuttle protein crystal growth
experiments have involved growth by vapor diffusion,
concentrating a droplet by evaporation to force the
remaining material to crystallize.  However, planned OPCGA
otions cannot be done with the round droplets found in
vapor diffusion.

     In liquid-liquid diffusion, different fluids are
brought into contact but not mixed.  Over time, the fluids
will diffuse into each other through random motion of
molecules.  The gradual increase in concentration of the
precipitant within the protein solution causes the proteins
to crystallize.  Liquid-liquid diffusion is difficult on
Earth because differences in solution densities allow mixing
by gravity-driven thermal convection.  In addition, the

greater density of the crystals allows them to settle into
inappropriate parts of the cell.

     Four HH-DTC units containing four test cells each will
be flown, for a total of 16 test cells.  The end of the test
cells where crystals will grow and the containment housing
are made of clear plastic, so the crew can photograph growth
during the mission.  Three HH-DTC units will be housed in
Spacehab lockers, and the other will be mounted on the
Spacehab module wall for periodic video recording.

Each test cell has three chambers:  protein solution,
buffer solution, and precipitant solution. The buffer
solution chamber cuts across the width of a shaft between
protein and precipitant solutions.  Before the experiment, a
valve is positioned so each fluid is isolated from the
others.  An astronaut will activate the experiment by
rotating the valve 90 degrees, so the buffer contacts the
protein and precipitant and the three form a single volume.
The rotating valve minimizes liquid movement, limiting 9

alteration of the liquids' shapes and  volumes.  When the
three liquids are in contact, they will slowly diffuse into
each other.  The crew will close the valves before return to
Earth.

     Candidate proteins for growth in the HH-DTC include
several which have been crystallized in previous Shuttle
experiments to allow comparisons of results from the
different growth methods.  The proteins include lysozyme,
hemoglobin, satellite tobacco mosaic virus, concanavalin B
and canavalin.

     Dr. Alexander McPherson, Jr., of the University of
California, Riverside, is Principal Investigator for HH-DTC.


Immune System Experiment - 2 (IMMUNE-2)

     The IMMUNE-2 experiment is a commercial middeck payload
sponsored by BioServe Space Technologies.  BioServe is a80

NASA Center for the Commercial Development of Space at the
University of Colorado, Boulder, and Kansas State
University, Manhattan.  The corporate affiliate leading the
IMMUNE-2 investigation is Chiron Corporation, Emeryville,
CA.  NASA's Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA,
provides payload and mission integration support.

     The goal of IMMUNE-2 is to further understand and
define the ability of Polyethylene Glycol-Interleukin-2
(PEG-IL2) to prevent or reduce the detrimental effects of
space flight on immune responses in rats.

This is a follow-on experiment to IMMUNE-1, which
showed that PEG-IL2 did induce a trend toward a reduction in
space flight-caused changes in immune responses.  These
experiments may result in greater understanding of
immunodeficiencies in general.  In particular, they may lead
to development of new therapeutic approaches for dealing
with the effects of space flight on the human immune system
and on physiological systems affected by the immune system.1


      Hardware for the IMMUNE-2 experiment consists of two
suitcase-size Animal Enclosure Modules (AEMs) in the
Shuttle's middeck area.  Ames Research Center developed the
AEMs to support NASA's space life sciences research program.
The AEMs provide a safe habitat and all life support
functions for rats during a Space Shuttle mission.  AEMs
have had a very successful flight history, with 13 flights
in support of other NASA investigations.  IMMUNE-2 is the
sixth experiment to use the AEM in support of activities to
develop the commercial uses of space.

Each of the two AEMs will hold six white male rats.  Six
of the rats will be treated pre-flight with a prescribed
dosage of a compound similar to the commercially available
recombinant Interleukin-2 (IL-2).  IL-2 is known to
stimulate the immune system.  The compound, PEG-IL2, is
longer-lasting than recombinant Interleukin-2.  Scientists
hope it will reduce or prevent the suppression of the immune
system seen in rats flown in space.  The other six rats will2

receive a placebo.

    The rats will live in an environment similar to that of
the astronauts in terms of launch stress, length of exposure
to microgravity, and the forces of Shuttle re-entry and
recovery.  These conditions are known to result in a
suppression of the immune system similar to "shipping fever"
in cattle.  The utility of PEG-IL2 in preventing space
flight-induced effects on the immune system may lead to its
use as a therapeutic treatment for shipping fever in animals
on Earth.

 The longer-lasting PEG-IL2 probably will be useful in
clinical settings as well.  It might reduce the frequency of
injections required, to perhaps once a week instead of up to
three times a day, as is necessary with recombinant IL-2.
The development of recombinant IL-2 for treatment of some
human cancers is still being investigated, although it is
licensed for high-dose therapy of kidney cancer in humans.
3

     The NIH-C-3 payload is composed of three collaborative
biomedical experiments sponsored by NASA and the National
Institutes of Health (NIH).  These three experiments will
make use of a computerized tissue culture incubator known as
the Space Tissue Loss (STL) Culture Module.  STL was
developed at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in
Washington, DC, to study cells under microgravity.

    These three experiments are sponsored by NASA's Office
of Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications and the
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin
Diseases:

   1.  Effects of Hypogravity on Osteoblast Differentiation
               (Animal and Human Physiology: Bone loss)

          Principal Investigator:  Dr. Ruth Globus,
            Department of Medicine
            University of California at San Francisco     4

Several U.S. Shuttle flights and the Russian Cosmos
biosatellite series of space flights showed that
weightlessness causes bone loss in rats and humans,
apparently because of abnormal functions of the bone-forming
cells called osteoblasts.  The investigators do not yet know
whether the reduced gravitational environment experienced by
astronauts in space directly harms osteoblast function, or
alternatively, whether changes in hormones or other systemic
factors lead to the bone loss.

    The investigators will test the hypothesis that exposure
to space flight causes abnormal function of bone-forming
osteoblasts grown in culture, even though those cells are
isolated from systemic influences.  An experiment using
isolated rat osteoblasts flown on the Shuttle (STS 59) in
the STL previously showed that space flight might directly
impair both the energy metabolism and the mature function of
isolated osteoblasts.  Comparable changes in the activity of
astronaut's osteoblasts during space flight may contribute
to their loss of bone mass.5


    Investigators will confirm and extend previous results;
they will determine whether space flight regulates specific
genes which are needed for normal osteoblast function.

   They also will evaluate the quality of bone-like tissue
formed by the cultured osteoblasts during space flight.
They expect information gathered from this experiment to
contribute substantially to the understanding of how gravity
regulates bone cell function, a basic question that remains
largely unanswered.

2.  Molecular and Cellular Analysis of Space Flown Myoblasts
              (Animal and Human Physiology:  Muscle loss)

  Principal Investigator:  Dr. David A. Kulesh, Capt., USAF,
Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington, DC

     While many of the overt physiological effects of
microgravity can be compensated for by various

countermeasures, effects at the cellular and molecular
levels may require other means of intervention.  However,
little detail is known about the direct effect of
microgravity at the molecular and cellular level.  Insight
into the cellular and molecular events responsible for
muscle cell growth and development come in large part from
in-vitro studies with established cell lines.  This
investigation will use a well-characterized rat skeletal
muscle cell line, in the STL module.  The specific goals of
the muscle cell culture model are to augment the whole
animal model studies and simplify the molecular and cellular
analysis of microgravity effects on muscle tissue in
general.

For Dr. Kulesh's research, rat muscle cells will be
cultured in individual cell cartridges and sustained in the
STL module.  The experiment itself is passive, requiring no
in-flight manipulation except for temperature monitoring.
The experiment requires special preparations before launch
and immediate removal from the Shuttle after landing, to6

access the effects of microgravity on the growth of muscle
cells, before the effects of full gravity are re-
established.

     Post flight experiments with the space flown muscle
cells will evaluate the overall effect of microgravity on
cellular characteristics (shape, doubling times, etc.).  In
addition, the investigator will begin to assess possible
changes in the expression of proteins and genes after their
exposure to microgravity.

      Gravity may play an integral role in the biological
functioning of single cells.  Information on the effects of
gravity on muscle cell development will help scientists
overcome the deleterious effects of space travel.  These
studies in weightlessness will also contribute to the
understanding of cell proliferation, cell differentiation,
development and wound healing.

       3.  Influence of Space Flight on Bone Cell Cultures7

              (Animal and Human Physiology:  Bone loss)

Principal Investigator:  Dr. William J. Landis, Children's
Hospital Boston, MA

     In humans and other vertebrates, the weightless
environment of space flight causes defective skeletal
growth, marked by a loss of bone mass and a change toward
lower bone maturity.  The development of defective bone is
believed to involve matrix production controlled by bone
cells, bone mineralization, or an interaction between bone
matrix production and bone mineralization.

     The investigators will use established cell lines of
chicken osteoblasts in the STL module.  The investigators
will analyze rates of cell growth, aspects of collagen and
bone development, and mineralization both inside and outside
the cultured cells.  Data obtained in the flight experiments
should provide knowledge on the effects of gravity on
osteoblast activity and function, protein development, and8

mineralization.  The studies will have implications for long
duration space flight, as well as application to the
diagnosis and treatment of prolonged skeletal immobilization
or mineral abnormalities.


Protein Crystallization Apparatus for Microgravity

    The Protein Crystallization Apparatus for Microgravity
(PCAM), to be carried in the Shuttle middeck, tests a new
design for growing large quantities of protein crystals in
orbit.  The apparatus holds more than six times as many
samples as are normally accommodated in the same amount of
space.

     Proteins are important, complex biochemicals that serve
a variety of purposes in living organisms.  Determining
their molecular structures will lead to a greater
understanding of how those organisms function.  Knowledge of
the structures also can assist the pharmaceutical industry9

Enclosure System (STES), will hold six cylinders containing
a total of 378 samples ╤ one of the largest quantities in
any single protein crystal growth experiment to date.  In
previous experiments of this type, a single locker
accommodated a maximum of 60 samples.  The STES will
maintain temperatures at 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees
Celsius).

 Each cylinder contains nine trays held in position b
guide rods and separated from each other by bumper plates
with springs.  The trays are sealed by an adhesive
elastomer.  Each trayseven sample wells, surrounded
by a donut-shaped reservoir with a wicking material to
absorb the protein carrier solution as it evaporates.

To start the experiment, an astronaut will open the
front of the thermal enclosure, then rotate a shaft on the
end of the cylinder with a ratchet from an Orbiter tool kit.
This will allow diffusion to start and protein crystal
growth to begin.  Near the end of the mission, an astronaut92

Three-Dimensional Microgravity Accelerometer (3-DMA)

     The Consortium for Materials in Space (CMDS) is
sponsoring the Three Dimensional Microgravity Accelerometer
on the STS-63 mission.  The CMDS is a NASA Center for the
Commercial Development of Space (CCDS) based at the
University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH).

The acceleration measurement experiment system will
help chart the effects of deviations from zero-gravity on
experiments conducted in space.  The microgravity
environment inside the SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory
will be measured in the three dimensions by the 3-DMA at
four different locations, allowing researchers to review
experiment results against deviations from zero-gravity.
This information will be used to determine the degree of
microgravity achieved inside the SPACEHAB.

     The 3-DMA will measure disturbances caused by operating
various experiments in SPACEHAB and the residual           3


SOLID SURFACE COMBUSTION EXPERIMENT

Principal Investigator:  Robert A. Altenkirch, Dean of
Engineering, Mississippi State University

               The Solid Surface Combustion Experiment
(SSCE) is a major study of how flames spread in a
microgravity environment.  Comparing data on how flames
spread in microgravity with knowledge of how flames spread
on Earth may contribute to improvements in all types of fire
safety and control equipment.  This will be the eighth time
SSCE has flown aboard the Shuttle, testing the combustion of
different materials under different atmospheric conditions.
The experiment hardware is flown in the Shuttle mid-deck in
place of the four middeck stowage lockers.

In the SSCE test planned for STS-63,
scientists will investigate flame spread along a sample of
plexiglas in an environment of 50% oxygen and 50% nitrogen6

in 20 different types of aircraft.

     Eileen M. Collins, 38, Lt. Col., USAF, will serve as
Pilot (PLT).  Born in Elmira, NY, Collins was selected as an
astronaut in 1990.  She will be making her first space
flight, becoming the first woman to pilot a Space Shuttle.

     Collins graduated from Elmira Free Academy, Elmira, NY,
in 1974; received an associate of science degree in
mathematics/science from Corning Community College in 1976;
a bachelor of arts degree in mathematics and economics from
Syracuse University in 1978; a master of science degree in
operations research from Stanford University in 1986; and a
master of arts degree in space systems management from
Webster University in 1989.  She is a 1990 graduate of the
Air Force Test Pilot School.

She served as a T-38 instructor pilot and C-141
aircraft commander and instructor pilot.  Collins has logged
more than 4,000 hours in 30 different types of aircraft.  8


     Janice Voss, 38, will be Mission Specialist 3 (MS3) on
STS-66.  Born in South Bend, IN, Voss considers Rockford,
IL, her home town.  She was selected as an astronaut in 1990
and will be making her second Shuttle flight.

     Voss graduated from Minnechaug Regional High School,
Wilbraham, MA, in 1972; received a bachelor of science
degree in engineering science from Purdue University in
1975; a master of science degree in electrical engineering
and a doctorate in aeronautics/astronautics from
Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1977 and 1987,
respectively.

     Voss' first Shuttle flight was as a mission specialist
on STS-57 in June 1993. STS-57 included the retrieval of the
European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA) satellite, and the
first flight of the Spacehab mid-deck module.  Voss has
logged more than 239 hours in space.
9

Vladimir Georgievich Titov, 48, Colonel, Russian Air
Force, will be Mission Specialist 4 (MS4) on STS-63.  Titov
will be making his first flight on board the Space Shuttle,
becoming the second cosmonaut to fly on an American
spacecraft.

In October 1992, Titov was one of two Russian
cosmonauts named by the Russian Space Agency for mission
specialist training.  Titov trained as back-up mission
specialist for Sergei Krikalev, who flew on STS-60 in
February 1994.

     Titov graduated from the Higher Air Force College in
Chernigov, Ukraine, in 1970 and the Yuri Gagarin Air Force
Academy in 1987.  He joined the cosmonaut team in 1976 and
is a veteran of three space flights with a total of 368 days
in space.

     Titov served as commander on Soyuz T-8 and Soyuz T-10
in 1983 and Soyuz TM-4 in 1987.  Soyuz T-8, a mission to100%

repair a faulty Salyut 7 solar array, lasted 2 days, 17
minutes and 48 seconds when the rendezvous was aborted.
Soyuz T-10 was aborted following a launch pad fire.  The
crew module was pulled clear of the rocket by the launch
escape system and after a flight of 5 minutes, 30 seconds,
landed 2.5 miles from the launch vehicle.

     During his third space flight in December 1987, Titov
rendezvoused with the Mir Space Station spending a record
365 days, 22 hours, 39 minutes in space.

   -end STS-63 press kit-









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