Center for Commercial Applications of Combustion in Space Finds A New Home

For more information
email us at:
spd@msfc.nasa.gov

October 4, 1999 Huntsville, AL A new 2,000 square foot research facility will aid some of the hottest research around: combustion research. This facility is the new home of the Center for Commercial Applications of Combustion in Space (CCACS), which focuses on improving combustion processes -- the basis for nearly every manufacturing process in the world, or off it.

The new facility, in conjunction with approximately 8,000 square feet of additional space in academic departments around the Colorado School of Mines campus, will provide ground-based laboratories for research, as well space for final assembly of hardware for flights on the KC-135, the Shuttle, and the International Space Station. It also will provide offices and workspace for the CCACS faculty, staff and students.

One important feature of the new facility is its "Mission Control Center," which will make it possible for investigators to monitor and control investigations on the International Space Station. By using "telescience" capabilities, investigators can more closely control their experiments and take advantage of opportunities as they arise. In addition, this capability will cut down on use of one of the most limited resources on any mission, crew time.

"This facility will offer our Industry Partners the best possible ground-based research, and greatly enhances combined research operations," states Dr. Frank Schowengerdt, Director of the Commercial Space Center. "This will allow us unparalled opportunities and help advance important research into fire safety, the production of potential bone replacement materials, and development of new processes to make a new generation of machine tools."

When the move into the new facility is completed, researchers from CCACS and its Industry Partners can move ahead with ground-based work and preparations for even more advanced work in space.

For more information on the Space Product Development Program, contact spd@msfc.nasa.gov.

For more information on CCACS or its new facility, please contact Beth McKnight, McKnight Communications, Rockybeth@aol.com, or 303-440-4720