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STS-57 PRESS KIT
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION STS-57 PRESS KIT
JUNE 1993
SPACEHAB - 01 / EURECA RETRIEVAL
CONTENTS
GENERAL BACKGROUND
General Release 4
Media Services Information 7
Quick-Look Facts 8
Payload and Vehicle Weights 9
Summary Timeline 10
Orbital Events Summary 12
Crew Responsibilities 13
CARGO BAY PAYLOADS & ACTIVITIES
SPACEHAB 15
Commercial Materials Science Experiments 22
Commercial Life Science Experiments 28
Johnson Space Center (JSC) Investigations 37
Space Station Experiments 43
Supporting Hardware 44
Science Experiments Summary Charts 46
European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA) 54
Get Away Special (GAS) 59
Consortium for Materials Development in Space/Complex
Autonomous Payload (CONCAP) 63
Super Fluid Helium On Orbit Transfer (SHOOT) Demonstration 64
STS-57 Extravehicular Activity (EVA) 67
MIDDECK PAYLOADS
Fluid Acquisition and Resupply Experiment (FARE) 68
Air Force Maui Optical Station (AMOS) 69
SPECIAL EVENTS & EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES
GAS #324 - CAN DO 70
Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment-II (SAREX-II) 71
CREW BIOGRAPHIES & MISSION MANAGEMENT
STS-57 Crew Biographies 73
Mission Management for STS-57 75
STS-57 General Release
FIRST SPACEHAB FLIGHT HIGHLIGHTS STS-57 SHUTTLE MISSION
RELEASE: 93-78
The beginning of a new era in the commercial development of space and the
retrieval of a European satellite highlight NASA's Shuttle Mission STS-57. The
mission, scheduled for early June 1993, also will see Space Shuttle Endeavour
and her six-person crew use experiments designed by and for students, operate a
payload which may improve crystal growth techniques and demonstrate possbile
on-orbit refueling techniques.
A rendezvous with the European Space Agency's European Carrier (EURECA)
satellite is scheduled to take place on the fourth day of the mission. The
Shuttle's robot arm will be used to grapple the satellite. It then will be
lowered into Endeavour's cargo bay and stowed so it can be returned to Earth.
The EURECA satellite has been on-orbit collecting data since its deployment
during Shuttle Mission STS-46 in July 1992.
On STS-57, NASA will be leasing a privately-developed mid-deck
augmentation module known as SPACEHAB. The primary objective is to support the
agency's commercial development of space program by providing additional access
to crew-tended, mid-deck locker or experiment rack space. This access is
necessary to test, demonstrate or evaluate techniques or processes in
microgravity.
NASA's secondary objective is to foster the development of space
infrastructure which can be marketed by private firms to support commercial
microgravity research payloads. In this instance, SPACEHAB, Inc., has the
capability of leasing SPACEHAB facility space to other commercial customers on
upcoming flights of the module.
The experiments flying inside this first SPACEHAB include investigations
ranging from drug improvement, feeding plants, cell splitting, the first
soldering experiment in space by American astronauts and high-temperature
melting of metals.
Included are 13 commercial development of space experiments in material
processing and biotechnology, one NASA biotechnology experiment and five other
NASA investigations related to human factors and the Endeavor's environment and
a space station environmental control system test.
Three other payloads, the Get Away Special (GAS), the Consortium for
Materials Development in Space Complex Autonomous Payload-IV (CONCAP-IV) and
the Superfluid On-Orbit Transfer (SHOOT) payload will be carried in Endeavour's
cargo bay.
The GAS system, which has flown many times on the Space Shuttle, allows
indiviudals and organizations around the world access to space for scientific
research. During the STS-57 mission, 10 GAS payloads from the United States,
Canada, Japan and Europe will perform a variety of microgravity experiments.
The CONCAP-IV payload is the fourth area of investigation in a series of
payloads. It will investigate the growth of nonlinear organic crystals by a
novel method of physical vapor transport in the weightlessness of the space
environment. Nonlinear optical materials are the key to many optical
applications now and in the future with optical computing being a prime
example.
The SHOOT payload is designed to develop and demonstrate the technology
required to re-supply liquid helium containers in space. Because so little
experience exists with cryogen management in microgravity, SHOOT is designed to
gather data about how the liquid feeds to pumps, the behavior of the
liquid/vapor discriminators and the slosh and cool down of the liquid. Middeck
Experiments
Two experiments which previously have flown aboard the Shuttle will be
carried in Endeavour's middeck area. The Fluid Acquisition and Resupply
Experiment (FARE), which last flew on Shuttle Mission STS-53 in November 1992,
will continue to investigate the fill, refill and expulsion characteristics of
simulated propellant tanks. It also will study the behavior of liquid motion
in microgravity.
The Air Force Maui Optical System (AMOS) is an electro-optical facility
located on the Hawaiian Island of Maui. The primary objectives of AMOS are to
use the orbiter during flights over Maui to obtain imagery and/or signature
data from the ground-based sensors.
Spacewalk on STS-57
STS-57 crew members David Low and Jeff Wisoff will perform a 4-hour
extravehicular activity (EVA) on the fifth day of the flight as a continuation
of a series of spacewalks NASA plans to conduct to prepare for construction of
the space station.
The spacewalk tests, the first of which was performed on STS-54 in January
1993, are designed to refine training methods for spacewalks, expand the EVA
experience levels of astronauts, flight controllers and instructors, and aid in
better understanding the differences between true weightlessness and the ground
simulations used in training.
In addition, since the Shuttle's remote manipulator system mechanical arm
will be aboard Endeavour to retrieve EURECA, the STS-57 spacewalk will assist
in refining several procedures being developed to service the Hubble Space
Telescope on mission STS-61 in December.
Education
NASA's on-going educational efforts will be represented by two payloads.
The Get-Away Special (GAS) #324 - CAN DO experiment is designed to take 1,000
photos of the Earth allowing students to make observations and document global
change by comparing the CAN DO photos with matched Skylab photos.
The primary payload of CAN DO, known as GEOCAM, contains four Nikon 35mm
cameras equipped with 250 exposure film backs. The GEOCAM system will match
closely the larger Skylab film format in both coverage and quality allowing
direct examination and comparison of the changes that have occurred to the
planet in the last 20 years. The canister also contains 350 small, passive,
student experiments.
STS-57 crew members will take on the role of teacher as they educate
students from around the world about their mission objectives and what it is
like to live and work in space by using the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment
(SAREX) experiment. Brian Duffy and Janet Voss will operate SAREX. Operating
times for school contacts are planned into the crew's activities.
Mission Summary
Leading the six-person STS-57 crew will be Mission Commander Ronald Grabe
who will be making his fourth space flight. Pilot for the mission is Brian
Duffy, making his second flight. Leading the science team will be Payload
Commander David Low who also is designated as Mission Specialist 1 (MS1) and is
making his third flight. The three other mission specialists for this flight
are Nancy Sherlock (MS2), Jeff Wisoff (MS3) and Janice Voss (MS4), all of whom
will be making their first flight.
The mission duration for STS-57 is planned for 6 days, 23 hours, 19
minutes. However, the mission may be extended by 1 day immediately after
launch if projections calculated at that time for energy and fuel use during
the EURECA rendezvous permit. If for some reason STS-57 remains a 7-day
flight, the extravehicular activity scheduled for flight day five would be
cancelled. The STS- 57 mission will conclude with a landing at Kennedy Space
Center's Shuttle
Landing Facility.
This will be the fourth flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour and the 56th
flight of the the Space Shuttle system.
- end -
STS-57 MEDIA SERVICES INFORMATION
NASA Select Television Transmission
NASA Select television is available on Satcom F-2R, Transponder 13,
located at 72 degrees west longitude; frequency 3960.0 MHz, audio 6.8 MHz.
The schedule for television transmissions from the orbiter and for mission
briefings will be available during the mission at Kennedy Space Center, Fla;
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.; Ames-Dryden Flight Research
Facility, Edwards, Calif.; Johnson Space Center, Houston and NASA Headquarters,
Washington, D.C. The television schedule will be updated to reflect changes
dictated by mission operations.
Television schedules also may be obtained by calling COMSTOR 713/483-
5817. COMSTOR is a computer data base service requiring the use of a telephone
modem. A voice update of the television schedule is updated daily at noon
Eastern time.
Status Reports
Status reports on countdown and mission progress, on-orbit activities and
landing operations will be produced by the appropriate NASA newscenter.
Briefings
A mission press briefing schedule will be issued prior to launch. During
the mission, status briefings by a Flight Director or Mission Operations
representative and when appropriate, representatives from the science team,
will occur at least once per day. The updated NASA Select television schedule
will indicate when mission briefings are planned.
STS-57 Quick Look
Launch Date/Site: June 3, 1993/Kennedy Space Center - Pad 39A
Launch Window: 6:13 p.m. - 7:24 p.m. EDT
Orbiter: Endeavour (OV-105) - 4th Flight
Orbit/Inclination: 250 nautical miles/28.45 degrees
Mission Duration: 6 days, 23 hours, 19 minutes
Landing Date: June 10
Primary Landing Site: Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
Abort Landing Sites: Return to Launch Site - KSC, Fla.
TransAtlantic Abort landing - Banjul, The Gambia
- Ben Guerir, Morroco
- Moron, Spain
Abort Once Around - Edwards AFB, Calif.
Crew: Ronald Grabe, Commander (CDR)
Brian Duffy, Pilot (PLT)
David Low, Payload Commander/Mission Specialist 1 (MS1)
Nancy Sherlock, Mission Specialist 2 (MS2)
Jeff Wisoff, Mission Specialist 3 (MS3)
Janice Voss, Mission Specialist 4 (MS4)
Cargo Bay Payloads: EURECA-1R (European Retrievable Carrier - Retrieval)
SPACEHAB (Space Habitation Module)
SHOOT (Super-fluid Helium On-Orbit Transfer)
CONCAP-IV (Consortium for Mater
ials Development in
Space Complex Autonomous Payload-IV)
GAS Bridge (Get-Away Special Bridge)
In-Cabin Payloads: AMOS (Air Force Maui Optical Site)
FARE (Fluid Acquisition and Resupply Experiment)
SAREX-II (Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment-II)
DTOs/DSOs:
DTO 412: On-orbit Fuel Cell Shutdown
DTO 623: Cabin Air Monitoring
DTO 700-2: Laser Range, Range-Rate Device
DSO 603B: Orthostatic Function During Entry, Landing and Egress
DSO 604 OI-1: Visual Vestibular Integration as a Function of Adaptation
DSO 618: Effects of Intense Exercise During Space Flight on
Aerobic Capacity and Orthostatic Function
DSO 624: Pre-Flight and Post-Flight Measurement of
Cardiorespiratory Response
DSO 901: Documentary Television
DSO 902: Documentary Motion Picture Photography
DSO 903: Documentary Still Photography
STS-57 VEHICLE AND PAYLOAD WEIGHTS
Vehicle/Payload Pounds
Orbiter (Endeavour) empty and 3 Shuttle Main Engines 173,023
Spacehab-1/support hardware 9,628
EURECA (berthed) 9,800
GAS bridge, cans 5,652
SHOOT/support hardware 3,570
FARE 126
SAREX-II 46
Total Vehicle at solid rocket booster Ignition 4,516,091
Orbiter Landing Weight 224,111
STS-57 SUMMARY TIMELINE
NOTE: The STS-57 mission is planned to be 6 days, 23 hours, 19 minutes long.
However, it may be extended by 1 day immediately after launch if projections
calculated at that time for energy and fuel use during the EURECA rendezvous
permit. If STS-57 remains a 6-day (MET) flight, the extravehicular activity
scheduled for flight day five would be cancelled. Activities planned for the
first four flight days would be unchanged. Flight control system checkout,
reaction control system hot-fire and Spacehab deactivation would take place on
flight day seven. Entry and landing would be on flight day eight.
The following is a schedule for the extended, 7-day, 23-hour (MET) mission:
Flight Day One Flight Day Six
Ascent Spacehab operations
OMS-2 (251 n.m. x 169 n.m.) FARE operations
Spacehab activation
Spacehab operations
NC-1 burn (251 n.m. x 174 n.m.)
Flight Day Two Flight Day Seven
Remote manipulator system checkout Spacehab operations
SHOOT operations FARE operations
Spacehab operations
NC-2 burn (251 n.m. x 178 n.m.)
Flight Day Three Flight Day Eight
SHOOT operations Spacehab operations
Spacehab operations Flight control systems checkout
NC-3 burn (251 n.m. x 184 n.m.) Reaction control system hot-fire
Spacehab deactivation
Flight Day Four Cabin stow
EURECA retrieval
NSR burn (251 n.m. x 248 n.m.) Flight Day Nine
NH-4 burn (257 n.m. x 250 n.m.) Spacehab deactivation completed
TI-burn (259 n.m. x 256 n.m.) Deorbit preparations
EURECA grapple Deorbit burn
EURECA berth Entry
Spacehab operations Landing
Flight Day Five
Extravehicular activity preparations
Extravehicular activity (4 hours)
SPACE SHUTTLE ABORT MODES
Space Shuttle launch abort philosophy aims toward safe and intact recovery
of the flight crew, orbiter and its payload. Abort modes include:
o Abort-To-Orbit (ATO) -- Partial loss of main engine thrust late
enough to permit reaching a minimal 105-nautical mile orbit with orbital
maneuvering system engines.
o Abort-Once-Around (AOA) -- Earlier main engine shutdown with the
capability to allow one orbit around before landing at Edwards Air Force Base,
Calif.
o TransAtlantic Abort Landing (TAL) -- Loss of one or more main engines
midway through powered flight would force a landing at either Banjul, The
Gambia; Ben Guerir, Morocco; or Moron, Spain.
o Return-To-Launch-Site (RTLS) -- Early shutdown of one or more
engines, and without enough energy to reach Banjul, would result in a pitch
around and thrust back toward KSC until within gliding distance of the Shuttle
Landing Facility.
STS-57 contingency landing sites are the Kennedy Space Center, Edwards Air
Force Base, Banjul, Ben Guerir and Moron.
STS-57 Orbital Events Summary (for 1-day extended mission)
EVENT START TIME VELOCITY CHANGE ORBIT
(dd/hh:mm:ss) (feet per second) (n.m.)
OMS-2 00/00:44:00 241 fps 251 x 169
NC-1 00/05:21:00 8 fps 251 x 174
(adjusts the rate at which Endeavour is closing on EURECA)
SH-1 00/22:18:00 3.4 fps 251 x 176
(performed as part of the Super Fluid Helium On-Orbit Transfer experiment)
NPC 01/03:04:00 6.2 fps 251 x 175
(aligns Endeavour's orbit directly below EURECA's orbit)
NC-2 01/04:28:00 4 fps 251 x 178
(adjusts the rate at which Endeavour is closing on EURECA)
SH-2 01/19:53:00 3.6 fps 251 x 180
(performed for the SHOOT experiment)
SH-3 01/21:26:00 3.6 fps 251 x 182
(performed as part of the SHOOT experiment)
NC-3 02/03:36:00 4 fps 251 x 184
(adjusts the rate at which Endeavour is closing on EURECA)
NSR 02/19:03:00 109 fps 251 x 248
(circularizes Endeavour's orbit)
NH 02/21:27:00 15 fps 257 x 250
(adjusts the altitude of Endeavour's orbit)
NC-4 02/21:27:00 8.6 fps 258 x 255
(adjusts the rate at which Endeavour is closing on EURECA)
TI 03/00:35:00 3.1 fps 258 x 256
(begins Endeavour's proximity operations with EURECA)
GRAPPLE 03/02:50:00 259 x 256
DEORBIT 07/21:36:00 414 fps
LANDING 07/23/19:00
NOTE: Engine firings are likely to change slightly after launch as they are
recalculated by flight controllers. In addition, some of the smaller firings
may be deleted altogether if navigation information during the rendezvous
allows. However, the time frame and other information regarding the larger
burns is unlikely to change dramatically.
STS-57 CREW RESPONSIBILITIES
TASK/PAYLOAD PRIMARY BACKUP
EURECA-RMS Low Sherlock
EURECA systems Sherlock Duffy
EURECA rendezvous Grabe Duffy, Wisoff
EVA Low, Wisoff N/A
EVA-RMS Sherlock Voss
Spacehab systems Low Voss
SHOOT Voss Wisoff
FARE Wisoff Duffy
GBA Sherlock Grabe
SAREX Duffy Voss
SPACEHAB experiments:
ASPECS Wisoff Sherlock
BPL Sherlock Wisoff
CR/IM-VDA Low Voss
HFA: EPROC Voss Sherlock
HFA: Light, sound Grabe Duffy
HFA: Trans Sherlock Grabe
NBP Duffy Grabe
PSE Grabe Voss
SCG Voss Low
TES-COS Voss Grabe
APCF Voss Low
ASC-2 Sherlock Duffy
CGBA Wisoff Voss, Low
CPDS Voss Low
3DMA Voss Low
ECLIPSE-HAB Voss Low
EFE Low Sherlock
GPPM Voss Low
IPMP Grabe
LEMZ-1 Voss Wisoff
ORSEP Voss Low
SAMS Voss Low
ZCG Voss Low
SPACEHAB-01
Why The Need For SPACEHAB?
During the last decade, the commercial development of space became one of
NASA's primary objectives, as directed by legislation and national policy.
Through the many facets of its commercial development of space program, NASA
has developed and maintains a high level of commitment to this objective. To
that end, NASA has actively invested in the continued technological leadership
of the United States and her future economic growth through the direct
promotion and support of private sector space-related activities.
As a result of NASA's objective, in the late 1980's, its commercial
development of space program identified a significant number of payloads to be
flown to further program objectives. To viably sustain this program, the
Office of Commercial Programs -- now the Office of Advanced Concepts and
Technology (OACT) -- had to provide a level of flight activity necessary to
support the various payload requirements.
In September 1989, the office conducted an analysis which revealed that
planned Space Shuttle flight activity would not meet its needs for
middeck-class accommodations. Mission experience has clearly demonstrated that
the orbiter middeck is a very cost-effective area to conduct "crew-tended"
scientific and commercial microgravity research. However, the size and number
of experiments that can be accommodated in the middeck are severely limited and
have conflicting requirements from Shuttle operations and other NASA programs.
To provide the necessary support for commercial development of space
payloads, the Commercial Middeck Augmentation Module (CMAM) procurement was
initiated in February 1990, through NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC).
Consequently, in November 1990, NASA awarded a 5-year contract to SPACEHAB,
Inc., of Arlington, Va., for the lease of their pressurized modules, the
SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratories. These laboratories provide additional
space for "crew-tended" payloads as an extension of the Shuttle orbiter middeck
into the Shuttle cargo bay.
This 5-year lease arrangement will cover several Shuttle flights and
requires SPACEHAB, Inc., to provide for the physical and operational
integration of the SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratories in the Space Shuttle
orbiters, including experiments and integration services, such as safety
documentation and crew training.
NASA's primary objective for leasing the SPACEHAB Space Research
Laboratory is to support the agency's commercial development of space program
by providing the access to space. This access is necessary to test,
demonstrate or evaluate techniques or processes in the environment of space and
thereby reduce risks to a more feasible level.
NASA's secondary objective is to foster the development of space
infrastructure which can be marketed by private firms to support commercial
microgravity research payloads. NASA is only partially using the SPACEHAB
Space Research Laboratory multi-flight capacity, therefore, SPACEHAB, Inc., is
marketing the additional portion to other commercial users. It is expected
that significant commercial demand will result from the successful
demonstration of SPACEHAB capabilities on this first flight.
SPACEHAB Accommodations
The SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory is located in the forward end of
the Shuttle orbiter cargo bay and is accessed from the orbiter middeck through
a tunnel adapter connected to the airlock. SPACEHAB weighs 9,628 pounds, is
9.2 feet long, 11.2 feet high and 13.5 feet in diameter. It increases
pressurized experiment space in the Shuttle orbiter by 1100 cubic feet,
quadrupling the working and storage volume available. Environmental control of
the laboratory's interior maintains ambient temperatures between 65 and 80
degrees Fahrenheit.
The laboratory has a total payload capacity of 3000 pounds and in addition
to facilitating crew access, provides experiments with services such as power,
temperature control and command/data functions. Other services, such as late
access/early retrieval, also are available.
The SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory can provide various physical
accommodations to users based on size, weight and other requirements.
Experiments are commonly integrated into the laboratory in Shuttle middeck-
type lockers or SPACEHAB racks. The laboratory can accommodate up to 61
lockers, with each locker providing a maximum capacity of 60 pounds and 2.0
cubic feet of volume.
The laboratory also can accommodate up to two SPACEHAB racks, either of
which can be a "double-rack" or "single-rack" configuration, but each rack used
reduces the number of usable locker locations by 10 lockers. A "double- rack"
provides a maximum capacity of 1250 pounds and 45 cubic feet of volume, whereas
a "single-rack" provides half of that capacity. The "double-rack" is similar
in size and design to the racks planned for use in the space station.
The use of lockers or racks is not essential for integration into the
SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory. Payloads also can be accommodated by
directly mounting them on the laboratory.
SPACEHAB Operations Philosophy
By its very nature, the Office of Advanced Concepts and Technology (OACT)
flight programs assume a certain level of risk in order to approach the
payloads from the commercial standpoint, including payload development costs
incurred by industry partners. Each of the investigators is aware of and
accepts a self- established level of risk for mission success. However, crew
and orbiter safety requirements are always fully met.
The preparations for the flight of SPACEHAB-1 have included the
development of a number of backup and contingency operations for each payload
appropriate to that payload's relative design simplicity. These backup
procedures include scenarios which might possibly affect crew or orbiter safety
and each payload has procedures associated with it and which the crew has been
trained in which will deactivate and/or safe the payload.
The SPACEHAB-01 Payload Complement
From improving drugs to feeding plants, from cell splitting to
intergalactic particles, from the first soldering experiment in space by
American astronauts to high-temperature melting of metals, the SPACEHAB-01
payloads represent a wide range of space experimentation.
Included are 13 commercial development of space experiments in material
processing and biotechnology, 12 of which are sponsored by NASA Centers for the
Commercial Development of Space (CCDS) and one by the NASA Langley Research
Center, Hampton, Va. There is one NASA biotechnology experiment and five other
NASA investigations related to human factors and the Endeavour's environment.
Finally, there is a space station environmental control system test and as
supporting hardware, two accelerometers -- one from a CCDS and one from the
NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland.
Each of the 13 commercial development of space payloads has been screened
by OACT to review the viability of the commercial aspects of the proposed
activity as well as the technical soundness. Some of the SPACEHAB-01 CCDS
payloads have flown on the Shuttle before, with the SPACEHAB-01 flight
representing the continuation of industry-driven research toward a new or
improved commercial product or process. Many of the CCDS payloads, including
the CCDS-sponsored accelerometer, have participated in the NASA OACT Consort
series of suborbital sounding rocket flights to test hardware operation and
gain flight worthiness.
The five investigations sponsored by the NASA Johnson Space Center,
involving biotechnology and human factors, were included to assure full
utilization of the first flight of the SPACEHAB Space Research Facility and
have been reviewed for their support to commercial objectives. These
experiments include equipment testing for future uses on the space station such
as the first- ever American soldering experiment performed in space.
Also on-board the SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory is an investigation
sponsored by the NASA space station office in Reston, Va., on closed systems to
improve water recycling in the future space station environment.
The experiments, housed in the SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory on this
its maiden voyage to space, represent a tremendous effort by government and
industry to stretch the possibilities of space as the final frontier -- an
effort focussed on fostering economic growth.
NASA Centers for the Commercial Development of Space
The CCDS program is the cornerstone of NASA's commercial development of
space activities, generating 13 of the 21 total flight hardware packages on
this SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory. NASA's nationwide CCDS network
represents a unique example of how government, industry and academic
institutions can create partnerships which combine resources and talents to
strengthen America's industrial competitiveness.
The CCDSs are designed to increase private sector investment and interest
in commercial space-related activities, while encouraging U.S. economic
leadership and stimulating advances in promising areas of research and
development. The CCDSs are based at universities and research institutions
across the country and benefit from links with each other and with NASA field
centers.
Since 1985, OACT has issued four proposal solicitations in various areas
of promising space-related commercial research and development. From the
solicitations, 17 centers have been established in eight industry-driven,
space- based, high-technology research areas such as materials processing,
biotechnology, remote sensing, communications, automation and robotics, space
propulsion, space structures and space power.
NASA OACT provides annual funding of up to $1 million to each center, with
additional funding to those centers to cover specific programs or flight
activities, as appropriate. NASA offers the CCDSs its scientific and technical
expertise through NASA field centers, opportunities for cooperative activities
and other forms of continuing assistance. A key facet of the CCDSs is the
additional financial and in-kind contributions from industry affiliates, state
and other government agencies, which, on the average, exceed the NASA funding
level.
Through creative and enterprising partnerships with industry, the CCDS
program helps move emerging technologies from the laboratory to the marketplace
with speed and efficiency. The accomplishments of CCDS participants include
significant advances in a number of scientific fields and hundreds of Earth-
and space-based applications.
As an incubator for future commercial space industries, the CCDS program,
since its inception, has facilitated a number of new commercial space ventures
and supported a wide range of ongoing efforts. The CCDS program continues to
be the key facilitator for U.S. industry involvement in commercial development
of space activities, encouraging and supporting new and ongoing space- related
ventures, as well as spawning research and development advancements that
promise enormous social and economic benefits for all.
1993 - The Year of Commercial Space
Since late 1988, 37 commercial development of space payloads have
successfully flown on the Space Shuttle including the outstanding performance
of four payloads as part of the first United States Microgravity Laboratory
(USML- 1) mission in June 1992. Additionally, 27 commercial space research
payloads have flown on several suborbital sounding rockets.
During 1993, 56 research payloads are planned, including those on the
first two flights of the SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory and the first
flight of the COMmercial Experiment Transporter (COMET). The same period also
will mark the first flight of a commercial free-flyer research facility, the
Wake Shield Facility, as well as several Space Shuttle secondary payloads and
the launch of the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS). Another
suborbital sounding rocket flight in the Consort series already has been
successfully accomplished with nine payloads on-board in February 1993.
Two attributes of these innovative programs are the relatively small
amount of federal funds expended and the low number of NASA personnel involved.
The associated development of additional spaceflight services has spurred
commercial space infrastructure capabilities while reducing a considerable
backlog and reliance upon the Space Shuttle.
In citing 1993 as The Year of Commercial Space, Greg Reck, Acting
Associate Administrator for the OACT said, "The success of the Centers for the
Commercial Development of Space and their many industry and academic affiliates
should be recognized."
"They are entrepreneurial visionaries, formulating and implementing an
industry-driven program to identify and capitalize on the real possibilities in
space-related commerce," Reck said. "The bright outlook for 1993 will stand as
a landmark for the realization of the commercial potentials of space and as a
benchmark for the development of the space frontier. The ultimate benefits for
all of us will be more than we can now imagine."
SPACEHAB-01 Commercial Material Science Experiments
Equipment for Controlled Liquid Phase Sintering Experiments
The CMDS, based at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), has
developed the Equipment for Controlled Liquid Phase Sintering Experiments
(ECLiPSE), making its first long-duration space flight on STS-57 in the
SPACEHAB. The UAH CMDS is a NASA Center for the Commercial Development of Space
(CCDS).
The ECLiPSE experiment investigates the liquid phase sintering (LPS) of
metallic systems. Sintering is a process by which metallic powders are
consolidated into a metal at temperatures only 50-75 percent of that required
to melt all of the constituent phases. In LPS, a liquid coexists with the
solid, which can produce sedimentation, thus producing a material that lacks
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 more fully
understand the processes taking place and to produce materials that are
dimensionally stable and homogeneous in the absence of gravity.
The ECLiPSE project is focused on composites of hard metals in a tough
metal matrix. This composite will have the excellent wearing properties of the
hard material and the strength of the tough material. Applications of such a
composite include stronger, lighter, more durable metals for bearings, cutting
tools, electrical brushes, contact points and irregularly shaped mechanical
parts for high stress environments.
Kennametal, Inc., is an industry partner of the UAH CMDS participating in
the ECLiPSE experiment and has immediate applications for materials
improvements in the ceramic composites tested. Kennametal is developing
stronger, more durable tool bits. Wyle Laboratories also is an industrial
partner with the UAH CMDS on the ECLiPSE experiment.
This Shuttle flight of the ECLiPSE payload is building on the experience
of other ECLiPSE flights on suborbital sounding rockets. Suborbital flights
have provided only 1-3 minutes of sample processing time, and now the longer
flight durations possible on the Shuttle are required. Because the hardware
was originally designed to fly in suborbital rockets, it is very automated,
requiring little crew interaction. The UAH CMDS is planning more suborbital
rocket flight testing and future SPACEHAB missions of the ECLiPSE experiment as
part of its sintered and alloyed materials project.
Principal Investigator for ECLiPSE is Dr. James E. Smith, Jr., Associate
Professor and Head, Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering,
University of Alabama in Huntsville.
Gas Permeable Polymeric Materials
The Gas Permeable Polymeric Materials (GPPM) payload is sponsored by the
Instrument Research Division, NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC), through a
joint NASA/industry program initiated in 1987 with OACT. STS-57 and at least
one future space flight of this polymer study program will determine if certain
types of polymers made in microgravity are very different from the same
polymers made simultaneously on the ground.
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.
The Gas Permeable Polymeric Materials (GPPM) flight experiment will
determine if certain types of polymers made in low gravity while the Space
Shuttle is in orbit are very different from the same polymers made at the same
time on the ground.
Gas permeable polymeric materials are being developed for many uses.
These include special contact lenses for long-term wear and for use by pilots
and astronauts; medical applications such as dialysis and blood gas monitoring;
control of fermentation and other industrial processes and commercial
production of pure gases.
Another promising use is the development of sensors that will measure any
gas in the air in very small amounts. In this device, a very thin layer of the
polymer is coated on a sensor. The polymer allows only the gas which is to be
measured to pass through it. The sensor then measures the amount of gas that
is present. These devices will be used in monitoring indoor air quality and in
detecting dangerous gases, such as carbon monoxide.
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 was made in the low gravity of space flight. A
better understanding of how these polymers are formed also can be learned under
these conditions. These experiments must be carried out on the Space Shuttle
with the assistance of the astronaut crew because the rates at which the
polymers are formed are very slow. If these polymers are very different as
expected, many new and improved products will result from them.
The gas permeable polymeric materials being studied by NASA are useful to
the contact lens and industrial gas industries. In addition, the polymers
being developed by these industries are of special interest to NASA.
A joint NASA and industry program to study polymers made in low gravity
was approved in January 1987 by the NASA Office of Commercial Programs, now the
OACT. The Instrument Research Division at the NASA LaRC is the NASA
organization performing the study. A leading manufacturer of polymers for
contact lenses, the Paragon Optical Co., of Phoenix, Ariz., is the Industrial
Guest Investigator.
The GPPM flight experiment will be carried out in a sealed aluminum
container called the Polymerization Module, developed by the Systems
Engineering Division at LaRC. The flight Polymerization Module will be
installed in a Commercial Refrigerator/Incubator Module (CRIM) developed by
Space Industries Inc., Webster, Texas. The CRIM, which is a small refrigerator
and oven in a single unit, can maintain temperatures over a range of 4 degrees
C to 40 degrees C for indefinite periods.
Twenty-eight polymer materials will be placed into the flight
Polymerization Module and CRIM in an experiment preparation room at the
SPACEHAB Payload Processing Facility near the NASA Kennedy Space Center.
Identical materials will be placed in another Polymerization Module and
laboratory CRIM. The materials will be kept at 4 degrees C until the start of
the experiment.
The Polymerization Module and CRIM will be used on future missions in the
SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory or in a middeck locker on the Shuttle. At
least one more mission is being planned by NASA and Paragon researchers. This
mission also may provide an opportunity for additional industrial guest
investigators to perform an experiment.
Investigations into Polymer Membrane Processing
The Investigations into Polymer Membrane Processing (IPMP) payload will
make its eighth Space Shuttle flight for the Ohio-based Battelle Advanced
Materials Center, a NASA CCDS.
The objective of IPMP is to investigate the physical and chemical
processes that occur during the formation of polymer membranes in microgravity,
such that the improved knowledge base can be applied to commercial membrane
processing techniques. The STS-57 mission will provide additional data on the
polymer precipitation process to the knowledge base being developed by Battelle
and its industrial partners.
Polymer membranes are porous films which have numerous industrial
applications in separation and filtration devices for pollution control, food,
chemical and drug purification, and kidney dialysis. The largest potential
market may be the environmental sector. Space-based polymer membrane
experiments and resulting product improvements could play an important role in
pollution control and may serve to significantly reduce the growing problem of
dangerous gas emissions in the environment. Amoco Chemical Co., Du Pont and
Bend Industries, Inc., have contributed to this project due to the impact it
may have on gas separation technology.
A two-step process is used frequently to make polymer membranes. A sample
mixture of polymer and solvents is applied to a casting surface. The first
step is the evaporation of solvents from the mixture. In the second step, the
remaining sample is immersed in a fluid bath (typically water) to precipitate
the membrane, form the solution and complete the process.
Results from IPMP's previous seven Shuttle and two sounding rocket flights
indicate that polymers grown in space do show consistently different material
properties than those produced on Earth. The latest flights have produced
polymers that demonstrate the gravitational influence on both the size and
distribution of the pores, which is a determining factor in the ability of the
commercial sector to use polymers for filtration and separation processes.
The results and knowledge gained from all of the IPMP commercially-
applied research flights are being analyzed for potential process-enhancing
applications in existing industrial processing plants. Through the
dissemination of this information, it is expected there will be increased
interest on the part of U.S. materials, chemical and environmental companies to
grow polymers and other materials in space on a commercial basis.
IPMP Principal Investigator is Dr. Vince McGinniss, Battelle Advanced
Materials Center, Columbus, Ohio. IPMP Program Manager is Lisa McCauley, also
of Battelle.
Liquid Encapsulated Melt Zone
The Liquid Encapsulated Melt Zone (LEMZ) experiment is sponsored by the
Consortium for Commercial Crystal Growth based at Clarkson University, Potsdam,
N.Y., a NASA CCDS. The LEMZ payload is developed by the University of Florida,
Gainesville, an academic affiliate of the consortium.
LEMZ is the first experiment in a series of activities to determine the
feasibility of commercial, space-based production of materials for applications
in the computer, optics and sensor/detector industries. These materials are
needed for the next generation of high speed optoelectronic digital circuits,
optoelectronic devices and transportation systems. Researchers at the
University of Florida have produced small gallium arsenide single crystals
encapsulated in molten boron oxide using LEMZ in ground-based experiments.
One of the major thrust areas in materials science is the growth of single
crystals with improved homogeneity (uniform parts), purity and structural
perfection. However, single crystals grown on Earth have many flaws and
impurities because they are in contact with a container. The naturally
occurring low gravity conditions of space flight allow large crystals to be
grown without touching a container -- a process called floating zone crystal
growth.
Floating zone crystal growth is expected to result in large single crystals
with purity, compositional homogeneity and structural perfection unattainable
on the ground.
The hardware used in the LEMZ experiment is the Fluid Experiment Apparatus
(FEA) constructed by an industrial partner of the Consortium for Commercial
Crystal Growth, Rockwell International. In orbit, several indium bismuth rods
will be melted in the FEA. Indium bismuth is a low-melting- temperature
compound being used on STS-57 to test the value of liquid encapsulation. Other
materials of greater commercial interest will be used on future flights of
LEMZ.
The Consortium for Commercial Crystal Growth is teaming with Rockwell
International, the University of Florida, McDonnell Douglas and the State of
Florida Technology Research and Development Authority (TRDA) on the LEMZ
payload. The LEMZ program is part of the consortium's goal to produce high
quality single crystals of semiconductors, complex oxides, non-linear optical
materials and sensor/detector crystals.
Principal Investigator for LEMZ is Professor Reza Abbaschian, Chairman and
Professor, Materials Science and Engineering Department, University of Florida
at Gainesville.
Support of Crystal Growth Experiment
The Battelle Advanced Materials Center, a NASA CCDS based in Columbus,
Ohio, is sponsoring the Support of Crystal Growth (SCG) Experiment on STS-57.
This experiment is a successor to one conducted in the Spacelab glovebox
flown on the first United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML-1) mission in
July 1992. SCG supports the Zeolite Crystal Growth (ZCG) experiment also
flying in the SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory in that it provides the
invaluable information required to establish the ZCG autoclave mixing protocol
so that the resulting crystal growth is optimized. To do this, SCG will assist
the crew member and principal investigator in determining how the solutions
should be mixed for each of several solution combinations and mixer
configurations.
Ground-based and flight research has shown that mixing of the zeolite
precursor solutions is critical to producing high quality crystals. Nuclear
magnetic resonance imaging studies, KC-135 flights and analysis of the USML-1
results demonstrate the need to optimize the mixing process (uniform mixing
while minimizing shear). Determining the proper amount of mixing remains an
empirical science and therefore, must utilize crew observation and judgement
which requires extensive training and experience.
SCG consists of 12 transparent "autoclaves," comparable to the solution
containment portion of the ZCG autoclaves, and a battery-powered screwdriver to
activate the mixing process. The "autoclaves" are transparent to facilitate
on- board observation by a crew member. Throughout the activation process, a
crew member will observe the progression and condition of the mixing of the two
solutions. The crew member will downlink video of each activation/mixing and
consult with the principal investigator regarding application to the ZCG
autoclave activation. This experiment is critical to the success of the ZCG
experiment and thus, to the success of the Battelle CCDS zeolite program as a
whole.
The Principal Investigator is Dr. Al Sacco, Jr., Worcester Polytechnic
Institute, Worcester, Mass. Lisa A. McCauley, Battelle Advanced Materials
Center, is the flight program manager.
Zeolite Crystal Growth
STS-57 will be the second Shuttle flight of the Zeolite Crystal Growth
(ZCG) payload, developed by the Battelle Advanced Materials Center, Columbus,
Ohio, a NASA CCDS. The ZCG experiment flew on the first United States
Microgravity Laboratory (USML-1) Shuttle mission (July 1992) and the results
appear very positive, and all mission objectives were accomplished.
Zeolite crystals are complex arrangements of silica and alumina which
occur both naturally and synthetically. An open, three-dimensional,
crystalline structure enables the crystals to selectively absorb elements or
compounds. As a result, the crystals are highly useful as catalysts, molecular
sieves, absorbents and ion exchange materials.
Zeolites are used for purification and catalytic purposes. As a purifier,
zeolites work as molecular-scale sieves to remove contaminants from solutions.
If improved zeolites were used in kidney dialysis as a purifier, the time
needed to complete dialysis could be significantly reduced. Zeolites also
could help in removing impurities in blood molecules, which would be helpful in
blood transfusions. As catalysts, zeolites aid in making industrial processes
more efficient. The catalytic procedure used to process crude oil into
gasoline could benefit from improved zeolites, potentially increasing the yield
of gasoline, thus reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil sources. Amoco
Chemical Co. and Du Pont are Battelle's industrial affiliates on this flight of
ZCG.
Ultimately, space-produced zeolite crystals are expected to be larger and
of higher quality than their ground-produced counterparts, providing tremendous
industrial potential for such crystals. The zeolites produced in microgravity
are considered high value-added products and will be scaled up to production
quantities using the space station and recoverable orbital systems launched by
expendable launch vehicles.
The nucleus of the experiment will consist of 38 autoclaves, each
containing two solutions in separate chambers and a screw-activated mixing
assembly. To activate the experiment, a crew member will operate the screw
assembly with a battery-powered screwdriver, which mixes the two zeolite
precursor solutions. By repeating this process several times, proper mixing of
the two solutions can be obtained (several different mixing devices are to be
used on this mission). Results from the Support to Crystal Growth experiment,
also flying in the
SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory, will be used to determine the appropriate
mixing protocol for each autoclave.
Principal Investigator for ZCG is Dr. Albert Sacco, Jr., Worcester
Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Mass. ZCG Program Manager is Lisa McCauley,
Battelle Advanced Materials Center.
SPACEHAB-01 Commercial Life Science Experiments
ASTROCULTUREt
The ASTROCULTUREt payload is sponsored by the Wisconsin Center for Space
Automation and Robotics (WCSAR), a NASA CCDS located at the University of
Wisconsin, Madison.
Currently, no satisfactory plant growth unit is available to support
long-term plant growth in space. Increases in the duration of space missions,
including stays on the space station, have made it necessary to develop plant
growth technology that could minimize the cost of life support while in space.
Plants can reduce costs of providing food, oxygen and pure water and also lower
costs of removing carbon dioxide in human space habitats.
Before plants can be grown in the ASTROCULTUREt unit, however, a series of
experiments are being conducted on the Space Shuttle to evaluate the critical
subsystems essential for the space-based applications which also will have
tremendous uses on Earth, such as improved dehumidification/humidification
units, water-efficient irrigation systems and energy-efficient lighting systems
for plant growth.
Results from the flight of the first ASTROCULTUREt experiment on STS- 50,
the flight of the first United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML-1) in July
1992, indicate that the experiment successfully achieved all of its goals, and
experiment results are expected to provide new information dealing with the
performance of water and nutrient delivery in space. ASTROCULTUREt has been
approved for four more Shuttle flights.
The ASTROCULTUREt unit consists of a covered cavity with two growth
chambers containing inert material that serves as the root matrix; a water
supply system consisting of a porous stainless steel tube embedded into the
matrix, a water reservoir, a pump and appropriate valves for controlling the
pressure flow of water through the stainless steel tube; a water recovery
system consisting of the same components as the water supply system; and a
microprocessor system for control and data acquisition functions. The flight
hardware for this mission is self-contained in a SPACEHAB locker and weighs
approximately 50 pounds.
This flight of ASTROCULTUREt will evaluate the performance of other
important aspects of the water and nutrient delivery system not studied during
the first space experiment. In addition, the STS-57 experiment will provide
information on the performance of a light emitting diode (LED) lighting system
during an extended period of microgravity. A preliminary evaluation of the LED
system was made on the Consort-5 sounding rocket flight in November 1992.
In orbit, the water supply and recovery systems will be activated to
initiate circulation of a nutrient solution through the porous tubes.
Subsequently, the solution will move through the wall of each porous tube into
the matrix by capillary forces. In the matrix, the small pores will be filled
with the solution and the large pores with air, thereby providing a
non-saturated state. The recovery system will operate at several pressure
levels to determine the rate at which the solution will move through the matrix
and the capacity of the supply system to provide the solution to the matrix.
The amount of solution transferred from the supply reservoir to the
recovery reservoir will be monitored, and data collected by the computer will
indicate the supply system's overall capacity for replacing water and nutrients
removed by plants growing in microgravity.
The current industry affiliates on ASTROCULTUREt include Automated
Agriculture Assoc., Inc., Dodgeville, Wisc.; Biotronics Technologies, Inc.,
Waukesha, Wisc.; Quantum Devices, Inc., Barveveld, Wisc.; and Orbital
Technologies Corpo., Madison, Wisc. Principal Investigator is Dr. Raymond J.
Bula, WCSAR.
BioServe Pilot Laboratory
The BioServe Pilot Laboratory (BPL) is sponsored by BioServe Space
Technologies, a NASA CCDS based at the University of Colorado in Boulder.
The BPL will play an important role in providing the commercial and
scientific communities affordable access to space for material and life
sciences research. The main focus of the project is to provide a "first step"
opportunity to companies interested in exploring materials processing and life
science experiments in space. The notion behind the project is to allow
industry a mechanism for entry level "proof of concept" flights. Thus, the BPL
is a crucial screening device for more complex, targeted space research and
development activities.
The BPL payload will support investigations in a wide variety of life
sciences areas with primary emphasis on cellular studies. For STS-57, two
series of investigations will be carried out on bacterial products and
processes.
One investigation series examines Rhizobium trifolii behavior in
microgravity. Rhizobia are special bacteria that form an intimate and
advantageous, or symbiotic, 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 symbiotic relationships with
rhizobia.
The experimental system employing Rhizobium trifolii is a model that can
be used to better understand the multi-step process associated with rhizobia
infection of legumes. Once understood, it may become possible to manipulate
the process to cause infection of other crop plants. The potential savings in
fertilizer production would be tremendous.
One of the commercial goals of the BioServe center is to determine whether
microgravity might be exploited as a tool for rhizobial infection of
significant crop plants. This BPL investigation, along with complimentary
investigations in BioServe's Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (CGBA)
also flying in the SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory, should provide the data
needed to address this goal.
Another series of investigations being flown in the BPL concerns the
bacteria E. Coli. These bacteria are normally found in the gastrointestinal
tracts of
mammals, including humans. E. Coli have been well studied as a model system
for bacterial infection and population dynamics and in genetics research. With
regard to commercial application, the genetic material in E. Coli has been
manipulated to produce bacteria capable of secreting important pharmaceutical
products. These bacteria also serve as a model for bacteria used in waste
treatment and water reclamation.
For STS-57, these bacteria are being studied to determine changes in
growth and behavior that occur as a consequence of exposure to microgravity.
The commercial objectives for this investigation include understanding and
controlling bacterial infection in closed environments, exploiting bacteria and
other micro-organisms in the development of ecological life support systems and
waste management, and determining the opportunity for enhanced genetic
engineering and enhanced pharmaceutical production using bacterial systems.
Yet another BPL investigation examines a biomedical test model based on
cells derived from a frog kidney. This investigation is intended to provide
insight into effects of microgravity on cell behavior - especially cell
division. Gravitational effects on such cell systems may be used as models of
diseases or disorders that occur on Earth. For STS-57, the kidney cell system
is being examined to determine feasibility for use as such a test model.
On STS-57, the BPL will consist of 40 Bioprocessing Modules (BPMs) stowed
in a standard locker in the SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory. The BPMs will
contain the biological sample materials. The stowage locker also will contain
an Ambient Temperature Recorder (ATR) which will provide a temperature history
of the payload throughout the mission.
Each BPM consists of three syringes held together on an aluminum tray.
Generally, the center syringe in each BPM will be loaded with the cell culture
system. Adjacent syringes will contain process initiation and termination
fluids, respectively. A three-way valve is mounted on the trays which permits
fluid transfer from one syringe to the next. The syringes, valve tubing and
fittings provide for containment of the sample materials. The hardware is
further enclosed in heat-sealed plastic bags to provide additional levels of
containment.
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, Fla.
Dr. Marvin Luttges, Director of the BioServe CCDS, is Program Manager.
Drs. Louis Stodieck and Michael Robinson, also of BioServe, are responsible for
mission management.
Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus
The Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (CGBA) payload is sponsored
by BioServe Space Technologies, a NASA CCDS located at the University of
Colorado, Boulder. The purpose of the CGBA is to allow a wide variety of
sophisticated biomaterials, life sciences and biotechnology
investigations to be performed in one device in the low gravity environment of
space.
During the STS-57 mission, the CGBA will support 27 separate commercial
investigations, which can be loosely classified in three application areas:
biomedical testing and drug development, controlled ecological life support
system (CELSS) development and agricultural development and manufacture of
biological-based materials.
Biomedical Testing and Drug Development -- To collect information on how
microgravity affects biological organisms, the CGBA will include eight
biomedical test models. Of the eight test models, four are related to immune
disorders: one will investigate the process in which certain cells engulf and
destroy foreign materials (phagocytosis); another will study bone marrow cell
cultures; two others will study the ability of the immune system to respond to
infectious-type materials (lymphocyte and T-cell induction); and one will
investigate the ability of immune cells to kill infectious cells (TNF-Mediated
Cytotoxicity).
The other four test models -- which are related to bone and developmental
disorders, wound healing, cancer and cellular disorders -- will investigate
bone tissue, brine shrimp development, inhibition of cell division processes,
stimulation of cell division processes and the ability of protein channels to
pass materials through cell membranes.
Test model results will provide information to better understand 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.
Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) Development -- To gain
knowledge on how microgravity affects micro-organisms, small animal systems,
algae and higher plant life, the CGBA will include 13 ecological test systems.
Two of the test systems will examine miniature wasp development. Seven
separate studies will concern seed germination and seedling processes related
to CELSS development. Another three test systems will investigate bacterial
products and processes and bacterial colonies for waste management
applications. Finally, one other system will study new materials to control
build- up of unwanted bacteria and other micro-organisms.
Test system results will provide research information with many commercial
applications. For example, evaluating higher plant growth in microgravity
could lead to new commercial opportunities in controlled agriculture
applications. Test systems that alter micro-organisms or animal cells to
produce important pharmaceuticals could later be returned to Earth for
large-scale production. Similarly, it may be possible to manipulate
agricultural materials to produce valuable seed stocks.
Biomaterials Products and Processes -- The CGBA also will be used to
investigate six different biomaterials products and processes. Two
investigations will attempt to grow large protein and RNA crystals to yield
information for use in commercial drug development. A third investigation will
evaluate the assembly of virus shells for use in a commercially-developed drug
delivery system.
Another experiment will use bacteria to form magnetosomes (tiny magnets) for
potential use in advanced electronics. Two other investigations will use
fibrin clot materials as a model of potentially implantable materials that
could be developed commercially as replacements for skin, tendons, blood
vessels and even cornea.
Results from the 27 investigations will be carefully considered in
determining subsequent steps toward commercialization. STS-57 marks the third
of six CGBA flights. Future flights will continue to focus on selecting and
developing investigations that show the greatest commercial potential.
For most of the investigations, simultaneous ground controls will be run.
Using identical hardware, samples fluids and materials, ground personnel will
activate and terminate FPAs in parallel with the flight crew. Synchronization
will be accomplished based on indications from the crew as to when specific
GAPs are operated. A temperature controlled environment at the SPACEHAB
Payload Processing Facility (SPPF), Cape Canaveral, Fla., will be used to
duplicate flight conditions.
Dr. Marvin Luttges, Director of the BioServe CCDS, is program manager for
CGBA. Drs. Louis Stodieck and Michael Robinson, also of BioServe, are
responsible for mission management.
Organic Separation
The Consortium for Materials Development in Space (CMDS) based at the
University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), has developed the Organic Separation
(ORSEP) payload for flight on STS-57. The UAH CMDS is a NASA CCDS.
ORSEP offers the commercial and scientific communities the opportunity to
separate cells and particles by a mechanistic technique unavailable on Earth.
The potential commercial value of separations includes the opportunity to
culture cell subpopulations on return to Earth, the revelation that
subpopulations exist and as is the case for protein crystal growth in space, in
scientific study of the purified samples.
The ORSEP hardware was built by Space Hardware Optimization Technology
(SHOT), Inc., Floyd Knobs, Ind. It is of considerably lower cost than existing
phase partitioning devices, and SHOT may be able to capture a good portion of
the commercial market on Earth. The hardware is a modular design which can be
configured for use with the Shuttle middeck, Spacelab, Get Away Special
canisters, the SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory, sounding rockets and
parabolic flight aircraft.
It is a multi-sample, multi-step, fully automated device that separates
non- biological particles, as well as biological cells, particles,
macromolecular assemblies and organelles in low gravity via partitioning in
liquid polymer two- phase systems. The hardware has been designed to perform
partitioning in microgravity for a long duration because 2-3 hours are required
for each separation step. Commercial interests were factored into the hardware
design in its multi-sample capability that offers temperature control and
sterility.
On STS-57, the SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory makes available
continuous power, which allows for constant heating/cooling for the experiment
while the vacuum of space provides thermal insulation. As a result of these
design features, four samples can be processed through 12 purification steps
while being held at 4 degrees C in a sterile environment.
Four particle samples will be processed on STS-57 in the ORSEP apparatus.
Delicate biological materials have been avoided in order to verify that the
separations are due to the operation of the ORSEP rather than an unexpected
response of a sensitive sample, such as to a launch delay or a delay in the
recovery of the payload.
The CCR CCDS is using ORSEP to study the separation of organic materials
from unwanted impurities. When making any type of drug or any material to be
used for medical purposes, purity is an extremely important characteristic to
the ultimate usefulness of the product. Enhanced purity will enable smaller
quantities of drugs to be used, with reduced chances of unwanted side effects.
When certain fluids containing pharmaceuticals are mixed in space, the two
fluids will separate, much like oil and water. During this process, impurities
will often separate out and be located in the boundary between the two fluids.
They then may be removed, leaving the ultra-pure desired products.
The Principal Investigator for ORSEP in Dr. James M. Van Alstine,
University of Alabama in Huntsville.
Protein Crystal Growth
The Center for Macromolecular Crystallography (CMC), based at the
University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB), is sponsoring Protein Crystal Growth
(PCG) experiments on STS-57. The CMC is a NASA CCDS, which forms a bridge
between NASA and private industry to stimulate biotechnology research for
growing protein crystals in space and offers other protein crystallography
services to a wide range of pharmaceutical, chemical and biotechnology
companies.
The objective of space-based protein crystal growth experiments is to
produce large, well-ordered crystals of various proteins. These crystals will
be used in ground-based studies to determine the three-dimensional structures
of the proteins. These experiments also continue to investigate how to control
and optimize protein crystal growth in order to reduce uncertainties or risks
associated with using this space-based process as a vital and enabling
technology for many critical areas.
Since proteins play an important role in everyday life -- from providing
nourishment to fighting diseases - research in this area is quickly becoming a
viable commercial industry. Scientists need large, well-ordered crystals to
study the structure of a protein and to learn how its structure determines a
protein's functions.
The technique most-widely used to determine a protein's three- dimensional
structure is x-ray crystallography, which requires large, well-ordered crystals
for analysis. Crystals produced on Earth often are large enough to study, but
they usually have numerous gravity-induced flaws. However, space-produced
crystals tend to have more highly-ordered structures that significantly
facilitate x- ray diffraction studies.
Studies of such crystals not only can provide information on basic
biological processes, but they may lead to the development of food with higher
protein content, highly resistant crops and - of great importance - more
effective drugs. By studying the growth rates of crystals under different
conditions, scientists can find ways to improve crystal growth in microgravity,
thus providing higher- quality crystals for study and the ability to produce
satisfactory protein crystals that are hard or impossible to grow on Earth. For
these reasons, the CMC has conducted protein crystal growth experiments on 17
Shuttle missions including STS-57.
Vapor Diffusion Apparatus and Crystallization Facility Experiments
There are three PCG experiments on STS-57, two of which are contained in
thermal control enclosures called Commercial Refrigerator/Incubator Modules
(CRIM). One of the CRIM will hold three Vapor Diffusion Apparatus (VDA) trays
at a temperature of 22 degrees C. One side of each VDA tray holds 20 double-
barreled syringes, while the other side holds plugs that cap the tips of the
syringes. Protein solution will be stored in one barrel of each syringe, and
the other barrel will house precipitant solution. A reservoir of concentrated
precipitant solution surrounds each syringe inside the crystal growth chamber.
A second CRIM contains the Protein Crystallization Facility (PFC). This
equipment will utilize changing temperature as a means of producing protein
crystals in microgravity. The PFC apparatus consists of four containers which
can individually hold as much as 500 ml of protein solution. The buffered
protein solution is initially maintained at a temperature which will not induce
crystallization. Once in orbit, the CRIM is programmed by the crew to begin
slowly changing temperature on a temperature profile which will optimize the
crystallization process.
Due to each protein's short lifetime and the crystals' resulting
instability, the protein crystal growth experiments will be retrieved within 3
hours of landing and returned to the CMC for post-flight analyses.
Direct-Control Protein Crystal Growth
A third crystallization system on STS-57 will test new protein crystal
growth space hardware. The crystallization system will consist of six syringes
in a VDA tray and will be contained in a Thermal Enclosure System (TES) which
occupies two SPACEHAB lockers and provides a hermetically-sealed and thermally-
controlled environment. Within the TES, the Crystal Observation System (COS)
will allow real-time crew monitoring during the crystal growth period.
The COS video system will provide individual experiment observation via
video cameras mounted to allow viewing of each growth chamber. The system will
allow crew members to focus from the front of the droplet to the back, thereby
providing the ability to detect individual crystals, study their growth rate
and morphology, and continually observe the crystals on board or send video
downlink images of the crystals to scientists in the Payload Operations and
Control Center (POCC). This new hardware will provide critical information
regarding differences in crystal growth rates and vapor equilibration times in
the microgravity environment.
The COS in its hermetically sealed thermally controlled environment
represents a significant step towards the dynamic control of the several
variables that affect protein crystal growth. By developing the ability to
create tailor made, monitored and programmed environments for each sample, such
systems are expected to be able to significantly reduce the risks involved in
growing valuable crystals of the most troublesome proteins.
Industrial samples will be flown in each of the protein crystal growth
hardware - the VDA, PFC and COS - including malic enzyme from Upjohn
Pharmaceuticals, recombinant human insulin from Eli Lilly and Company and
alpha-thrombin from Du Pont Merck Pharmaceuticals.
The CMC has flown over 50 different types of proteins in space, seeking
protein structure data and techniques for predictable enhancement by growth in
microgravity. Crystallographic analysis has revealed that on average 20
percent of proteins grown in space are superior to their Earth-grown
counterparts. As a result of advances made by the CMC in its microgravity
crystallographic technologies, 40 percent of the proteins flown on the first
United States
Microgravity Laboratory (USML-1) mission in July 1992, yielded diffraction size
crystals, several of which were superior to any previously grown on Earth.
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, which
could be able to help treat diseases such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis,
periodontal disease, influenza, septic shock, emphysema, aging and AIDS. These
possibilities plus drugs and other products for agriculture, proteins for
bioprocessing in manufacturing processes and waste management and other
biotechnical applications, represent critical capabilities for dealing with the
future of the world.
A number of companies are participating in the CMC's protein crystal
growth project including BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Eli Lilly & Co.,
Schering- Plough Research, Du Pont Merck Pharmaceuticals, Sterling Winthrop
Inc., Eastman Kodak Co., The Upjohn Co., Smith Kline Beecham Pharmaceuticals
and Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Principal Investigator for the protein crystal
growth experiments is Dr. Charles E. Bugg, Director of the UAB CMC.
Physiological Systems Experiment
The Center for Cell Research (CCR), a NASA CCDS based at Pennsylvania
State University, is sponsoring the third Physiological Systems Experiment
(PSE) payload on STS-57.
The PSE-03 payload is the result of a collaboration by the CCR and the
Space Dermatology Foundation (SDF), a group of dermatologists and scientists
concerned with the future implications and effects of space travel and
habitation on the human skin. It will investigate the role of two growth
factors involved in accelerating or enhancing tissue repair. Microgravity
appears to slow down the normal tissue repair process. The slow down mimics
changes associated with conditions on Earth.
The objective of PSE-03 on STS-57 is to increase the dermatologic database
and to demonstrate the value of microgravity in dermatologic studies. The
results of the experiment will be shared with the medical community and the
pharmaceutical and biotechnical industries through the SDF. The SDF plans to
develop and maintain a database of space-related dermatology and dermatologic
conditions, which will be the only one of its kind.
PSE-03 is a first step in exploring how microgravity can improve the
understanding of the ways growth factors regulate tissue repair and
regeneration. The knowledge gained in these studies may be useful in the
development of new medicines for burn victims, diabetics, elderly surgical
patients, bed sore sufferers or other skin injury patients for whom healing is
slow and difficult.
The results also may provide additional information about how the basic
gene processes underlying blood vessel and soft tissue formation are turned on
and off. In addition, the experiment may have direct application in space by
helping dermatologists devise therapies to treat astronauts who receive skin
and/or soft tissue injuries during prolonged space flight.
Prior to space flight, the growth factors will be implanted in six
different areas in each of the 12 male adult rats. The rats will be housed in
groups of six in two completely self-contained units equipped with food and
water. Fans will circulate cabin air through the units. The units, known as
Animal Enclosure Modules (AEM), were developed by NASA's Ames Research Center,
Mountain View, Calif. The AEM hardware provides the rats with appropriate life
support throughout the mission and returns them in good health at the end of
the mission. No interaction with the crew is required in orbit, however, clear
plastic covers on the AEM hardware will permit the crew to visually inspect the
condition of the rats.
When returned, the tissues surrounding the implantation sites will be
examined to determine the effect of the growth factors. Those tissues and
others will be studied by researchers affiliated with the CCR, SDF and with
pharmaceutical and biotechnical companies. The experiment designers expect the
7 day mission to provide sufficient exposure to microgravity to study the
initial phases of tissue repair and the manner in which the two growth factors
affect the process.
PSE-01, conducted in 1990 with Genentech Inc., San Francisco, increased
basic scientific knowledge regarding human bone and muscle disease and immune
cell deficiency. PSE-02, conducted in 1992 with Merck & Co., Inc., West Point,
Penn., tested a developmental drug designed to counteract the effects of
osteoporosis.
Dr. W. C. Hymer is Director of the Center for Cell Research at
Pennsylvania State University and co-investigator for PSE-03. Dr. William W.
Wilfinger is the CCR Director of Physiological Testing. Dr. Steven R. Kohn,
President, Space Dermatology Foundation, is the SDF representative.
SPACEHAB-01 Johnson Space Center Investigations
Application Specific Pre-programmed Experiment Culture System
The Application Specific Pre-programmed Experiment Culture (ASPEC) System
is sponsored by the Medical Sciences Division, Space and Life Sciences
Directorate, NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), Houston. The ASPEC system is a
part of the bioreactor project which is aimed at developing a series of
hardware concepts for facilitating the development of human cells and tissue
cultures in the weightless or microgravity environment of space flight where
cells can grow in all directions for extended periods of time.
Medical science is unable to grow large high-fidelity human tissue models
in Earth's gravity. Microgravity or its emulation will allow cells to be
suspended for long-term growth and development. Tissues grown in this way are
useful in testing chemotherapeutic protocols, understanding growth requirements
and treating specific medical maladies. Potential medical science spin-offs
include investigations of viral growth, cancer models and therapeutics, and
transplantation tissue.
"A near-term goal is to test the equipment and its impact on a growing
colon cancer," said Glenn Spaulding, Manager of the biotechnology program at
the Johnson Space Center. "From this study, we will be able to refine culture
techniques here and in space."
The ASPEC system is a set of self-contained cell growing and cell
maintenance units for use in space flight experiments. Cell cultures may be
initiated in the device or mature cell cultures may be transferred into the
ASPEC, which can maintain a cell culture experiment for as long as 14 days.
The ASPEC system will carry several culture vessels on STS-57, its first
space flight. Each culture vessel has the potential of carrying one complete
experiment. On STS-57 the experiment is being flown with colon cancer cells to
be grown in the chamber and brought back for study. On Endeavour's last
mission in January, the culture chamber was flown as a testbed to demonstrate
movement of fluid through the unit to provide constant nutrients to growing
cells.
The hardware of the ASPEC system includes three ASPEC units, an ASPEC
power cable, a locker with a modified door and packing foam. Each ASPEC unit
has an independent plumbing and sensor system to regulate temperature and pH
and to provide a fresh growth medium and serum to the cells as needed.
The STS-57 crew will routinely check power indicators and airflow through
the ASPEC units and clean the vent screens as necessary. The crew also will
take still photographs of the system configuration. The shutdown procedure
will be initiated by the crew. This will begin an automated process for
removing experiment materials from the reactor chamber, chilling the removed
samples to 10 degrees C to prevent protein breakdown and other degradation and
injecting formalin into the vessels to "fix" the remaining cells.
A near term goal of the experiment is to provide toxicology testing that
will identify the potential long-duration hazards on shorter Shuttle missions.
This forms a bridge between identifying specific toxicants and their biological
impacts.
On the Shuttle, ASPEC will serve as the "foundation experiment" for the
space station. Growing cells to full maturity may take several months, which
can only be done on long-duration flights aboard the station.
Principal Investigator for ASPEC is Dr. Glenn Spaulding, Medical Sciences
Division, Space and Life Sciences Directorate, JSC.
Charged Particle Directional Spectrometer
The Charged Particle Directional Spectrometer (CPDS) experiment on STS- 57
is sponsored by the Solar System Exploration Division, Space and Life Sciences
Directorate, Johnson Space Center (JSC). The CPDS performs the functions of
both a research instrument and an operational monitor. It detects and records
the many different types of nuclear radiation that bombard an orbiting space
vehicle. In so doing, information is gathered about the characteristics of
these particles at the orbital altitude, and a record is made of the amount and
type of exposure the crew members receive.
The particles come from two groups. First are particles trapped in orbit
around the Earth by the Earth's magnetic field. These particles mainly consist
of protons, although other varieties of the nuclear population also are
present. The second are intergalactic particles, or cosmic rays, that happen
to be passing by the Earth. All of these particles can be considered orbital
debris on a nuclear scale.
Knowledge of the particle's type, energy and direction is of interest to
basic research in physics. Medical researchers can use much of the same
information, but in addition, they are concerned with the linear energy
transfer of the particle, particularly in living tissue such as human beings.
The measurement indicates how much potential damage the particles do as they
transverse through living beings. Such information is necessary to help
determine guidelines that will ensure the long-term health and safety of
astronauts. Several CPDS instruments are intended to be included as standard
equipment on the space station.
The CPDS experiment consists of three different instruments: a pair of
Area Passive Dosimeters (APDs), the Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counter
(TEPC) and the actual CPDS apparatus. The APDs are routinely flown on Space
Shuttle missions. They are similar to film strips. Particles which strike the
strips leave a distinctive signature. The strips are analyzed after the flight
and give a good indication of total dosage received during the flight.
The TEPC utilizes a detection element that absorbs particle energy in a
manner similar to living tissue. The data received from this instrument are
particularly useful in assessing possible hazards to the crew. And since the
TEPC is an active electronic instrument, a time record of when each particle
strikes is maintained. TEPCs have flown on several Shuttle missions and have
been instrumental in, among other things, determining the configuration of the
South Atlantic Anomaly.
The CPDS apparatus is the most sophisticated instrument of the experiment
hardware. It consists of several layers of different types of detectors. The
various detectors have different characteristics to enable the instrument to
gather as much data as possible from each particle strike. One important new
feature of the CPDS is its ability to determine the direction of individual
particles. Particle flux is believed to be more intense in some directions
than in others. If this is confirmed, future spacecraft designs may position
crews to receive maximum shielding from the spacecraft structure.
The CPDS experiment is completely housed in a SPACEHAB locker mounted high
on the aft bulkhead. It requires only electrical power to be operational. The
instruments are activated by the crew as soon after reaching orbit as practical
and are turned off just before the descent back to Earth. Data are retained in
internal memories and are read out and analyzed post-flight.
Principal Investigator for CPDS is Dr. Gautam D. Badwar, Solar System
Exploration Division, Space and Life Sciences Directorate, JSC.
Human Factors Assessment
The Human Factors Assessment (HFA) experiment is being conducted on STS-57
by the Crew Interface Analysis Section of the Flight Crew Support Division,
Space and Life Sciences Directorate, Johnson Space Center (JSC). The primary
concerns of human factors engineers at JSC are the investigation and evaluation
of human-machine and human-environment interfaces unique to spaceflight which
affect crew productivity and ultimately mission success.
During the mission, data will be collected on three different aspects of
crew activity in space: the acoustic and lighting environments of the orbiter,
ease of movement -- or translation -- through the middeck-to-SPACEHAB transfer
tunnel and the use of electronic procedures to perform tasks. The hardware to
facilitate data collection includes a MacIntosh Powerbook computer with a voice
recognition system using Supercard displays and for environmental measurements,
a B&K Type 2231 Modular Precision Sound Level Meter and a Minolta Photographic
Spotmeter.
Evaluation of the acoustic and lighting environments (HFA-SOUND and HFA-
LIGHT, respectively) seeks to gain objective and subjective measures of the
noise and lighting environments during the STS-57 mission and also will assess
any effects on crew performance attributable to these environments. HFA- SOUND
additionally seeks to determine if noise is more bothersome to the crew as the
mission progresses and to compare noise levels and crew-perceived annoyance
across missions.
The HFA-SOUND and -LIGHT investigations will determine whether current
spacecraft acoustic and lighting design criteria are being met, and what levels
are indeed acceptable to the crew during the mission to minimize negative
effects of these environments on crew performance. Ten 1/3 octave sound level
and several lighting measures will be taken in the SPACEHAB Space Research
Laboratory, the middeck and the flight deck. This investigation will help
identify noise-producing hardware and problematic lighting configurations that
are particularly detrimental to crew member performance.
The investigation assessing translation through the transfer tunnel (HFA-
TRANS) seeks to assess the SPACEHAB tunnel adapter and hatch designs for ease
of crew translation and equipment transfer between the middeck and the SPACEHAB
Space Research Laboratory.
HFA-TRANS data will provide basic information on translation speeds in the
weightless environment of space and techniques which will contribute to
training and timelining of tasks for subsequent SPACEHAB and Spacelab missions
and on the space station. The data also will be compared to data collected on
crew translation through the Spacelab tunnel during STS-40 (June 1991) and
STS-47 (September 1992).
Comments on the various features of the SPACEHAB adapter and tunnel
designs will contribute to recommendations for the design of more efficient
translation areas in the future. Translation video will be collected early and
late in the mission.
The electronic procedures portion of this experiment (HFA-EPROC) seeks to
facilitate future use of electronic flight procedures. Crew performance with
electronic procedures must be at least equal to that achieved with paper
procedures.
Current EPROC research will help define baseline paper procedures
performance and identify specific strong and weak points of both paper and
computer procedures. The current research also will help define specific ways
to achieve improved performance with computer procedures.
EPROC will be of particular significance for future, longer-duration
missions which will increasingly rely on electronic procedures since they are
more easily launched, updated in flight and offer automatic or on-request
capabilities not available with paper. The development of human factors design
guidelines for such electronic procedures will be increasingly important for
future space missions.
The HFA-EPROC experiment consists of two tasks: a computer task which will
simulate a space station propulsion system task and a non-computer task
performed in conjunction with the Tools and Diagnostic Systems Soldering
Experiment. Each task will be performed with paper and computer-based
procedures.
The Principal Investigator for HFA is Sue Adam, Flight Crew Support
Division, Space and Life Sciences Directorate, JSC.
Neutral Body Posture
The Space and Life Sciences Directorate, JSC, is sponsoring the Neutral
Body Posture (NBP) experiment on STS-57. NBP will investigate the changes in
posture of the human body over the course of a space mission. Previous space
missions have shown that in addition to lengthening of the spine, posture takes
on a configuration unique to spaceflight. The data from NBP will be useful in
the design of future space facilities, workstations and hardware, especially
since the last in-depth study of this nature was conducted during the Skylab
program in the early 1970s.
A minimum of two STS-57 crew members will be evaluated. As time allows,
data may be collected on additional crew members. The crew members to be
evaluated will wear a special sleeveless T-shirt and be photographed with
orbiter camcorders and 35mm cameras mounted roughly along orthoganal axes with
respect to the vehicle. The crew members under evaluation will assume a
relaxed position while photos are collected. This process will be performed
both early and late in the mission.
Principal Investigator for NBP is Frances E. Mount, Flight Crew Support
Division, Space and Life Sciences Directorate, JSC.
Tools and Diagnostic Systems
The Tools and Diagnostic Systems (TDS) experiment is sponsored by the
Space and Life Sciences Directorate, JSC. The objective of TDS is to
demonstrate the maintenance of experiment hardware on-orbit and evaluate the
adequacy of its design and the crew interface. The TDS experiment on STS-57
will mark the first demonstration of soldering on an American space mission.
The TDS experiment is a group of equipment selected from the tools and
diagnostic equipment to be supplied to the space station program. These tools
and diagnostic equipment will provide the space station program with on- orbit
diagnostic and repair capability. The hardware consists of off-the-shelf
equipment modified to perform acceptably in the space environment.
There are two parts to TDS: the Soldering Experiment (SE) to demonstrate
practical soldering in the microgravity environment and to evaluate the use of
a new restraint configuration for crew members performing precise tasks and the
Diagnostic Equipment (DE) experiment to demonstrate microgravity maintenance
capabilities using state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment.
In the SE, a crew member will solder a printed circuit board containing 45
connection points, then de-solder 35 points on a similar printed circuit board.
The soldering work station consists of a glovebox to contain debris, mounted on
a SPACEHAB-supplied work bench, where the circuit boards will be held in a
clamp, which is in turn mounted on an experiment rack. Of interest to
investigators are the techniques used by the crew member and the quality of the
work of the crew member, which is dependent on the ability of the crew member
to properly place the solder on the heated connection point.
The crew member also will be asked to evaluate two types of foot
restraints used while performing the SE. One restraint consists of adjustable
foot loops similar to the current Space Shuttle design. The other is an
arrangement of foot restraint bars designed for use on the space station. Two
crew members will perform the experiment twice, but it may be repeated if time
allows.
The DE experiment will operate the development unit for the space station
diagnostic equipment caddy. This diagnostic caddy contains a function sweep
generator, a logic analyzer/oscilloscope and a multimeter. This combination of
equipment is able to produce an analog or digital test signal, which is input
to the test equipment, and captures and displays the resultant output.
The work station consists of the SPACEHAB-supplied work bench mounted on a
rack, which provides a recess into which the diagnostic equipment caddy will be
mounted. A frequency counter also is supplied for analysis.
As part of the DE experiment, a failure in flight will be simulated, after
which the Payload General Support Computer (PGSC) will uplink a troubleshooting
procedure, a test equipment configuration file and a test setup diagram. The
file to configure the test equipment will allow the complex diagnostic
equipment setup to be performed by the support crew on the ground. Then the
flight crew will perform the procedures and record and downlink the results.
The ground crew will analyze the data obtained and uplink files for a
"fix" to the problem for the crew. Upon completion of the repair, the test
will culminate with successful performance of the frequency counter's function.
The Principal Investigator for TDS is Jackie Bohannon, Flight Crew Support
Division, Space and Life Sciences Directorate, JSC.
SPACEHAB-01 Payloads Space Station Experiment
Environmental Control and Life Support System Flight Experiment
NASA's space station office in Reston, Va., is sponsoring the
Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Flight Experiment (EFE)
to test components of the water recycling system being developed for the space
station.
With a projected rate of four crew members at a time aboard the space
station, they will use about 50 pounds of water a day. Without an efficient
system for reusing this water over and over again, about 10 tons of water would
have to be sent to the space station every 90 days, requiring special Space
Shuttle flights just for the replenishment of the water supply.
Engineers at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Ala.,
have succeeded in developing a prototype system that can recycle shower and
wash water, urine and even respiration and perspiration captured from the air
back into potable drinking water. Taste tests and other end-use tests run at
MSFC during 1992 demonstrated that the systems work well and that the recycled
water is clean and acceptable for crew use. However, now the systems must be
tested onboard the Space Shuttle in low Earth orbit to make sure they perform
just as well in the microgravity environment of space flight.
The EFE consists of three pieces of recycling hardware -- a bellows tank,
a gas/water phase separator and two unibeds (filters). These components will
be housed in two containers occupying the equivalent of four lockers in the
forward bulkhead of the SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory. The bellows tank
features a Pyrex see-through window that will allow crew members to observe how
gas and water behave inside the tank in microgravity -- examining, for
instance, whether the air bubbles colonize or cling to the tank walls. The
phase separator will separate the gas from the mixture.
The experiment also will carry about a half gallon of pure water, into
which will be mixed potassium iodide (simulating a wastewater contaminant).
The iodide mixture will be run through the unibed filters to purify the water.
The purification experiment will test both the efficiency of the unibeds in
purifying the water and the rate at which the unibeds are depleted.
Two types of unibeds will be flown on STS-57 as part of the ECLSS Flight
Experiment, one which is spring-loaded and the other which is not. The two
types will be tested to determine if the spring is required for the unibeds to
work properly in the microgravity environment. If it is not required, the
spring can be eliminated to reduce the weight of the hardware.
The current industry affiliates on the ECLSS Flight Experiment are Boeing
Aerospace, Life Systems, Inc., and Hamilton Standard. The Principal
Investigators for the ECLSS Flight Experiment are NASA Marshall Space Flight
Center, Huntsville, Ala., and Boeing Aerospace.
SPACEHAB-01 Payloads Supporting Hardware
Three-Dimensional Microgravity Accelerometer
The Consortium for Materials Development in Space (CMDS), is sponsoring
the Three-Dimensional Microgravity Accelerometer (3-DMA) on the STS- 57
mission. The CMDS is a NASA CCDS based at the University of Alabama,
Huntsville (UAH).
The acceleration measurement system will help chart the effects of
deviations of microgravity on the experiments being conducted in space. The
microgravity environment inside the SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory will be
measured in three dimensions by the 3-DMA, allowing researchers to review
experiment results against deviations from microgravity. This information will
be used to determine the degree of microgravity achieved inside the SPACEHAB
Space Research Laboratory. Disturbances caused by operating various experiments
in SPACEHAB and the residual microgravity resulting from orbiter rotational
motions and by drag will be measured.
The 3-DMA hardware consists of four accelerometer assemblies to be located
in different parts of the SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory. The
accelerometers provide the acceleration data to a central control box located
in a single locker. The data are recorded in flight on two gigabyte magnetic
hard drive devices.
The accelerometer package comprises three remotely located standard
three-dimensional systems and new invertible accelerometers in the central
unit. The new, unique invertible feature permits measurements of absolute
microgravity and low-level, quasi-steady, residual accelerations (i.e.,
atmospheric drag) that have proven difficult to measure in the past.
A potential application of 3-DMA would be to characterize the microgravity
environment of space platforms in support of experiments, research and
commercialization activities.
Principal Investigator for 3-DMA is Jan Bijvoet of the UAH CMDS. Space
Acceleration Measurement System
NASA's Lewis Research Center (LeRC), Cleveland, is sponsoring the Space
Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) on the STS-57 mission. SAMS is designed
to measure and record low-level acceleration during experiment operations. The
signals from these sensors are amplified, filtered and converted to digital
data before being stored on optical disks and sent via downlink to the ground
control center.
SAMS has flown on six previous Shuttle flights and acquired nearly 15
gigabytes of data which represents 50 days of operation. Approximately two
gigabytes of data will be acquired on the SPACEHAB mission.
The high density floppy disks have approximately one megabyte of capacity.
The capacity of a double-sided optical disk used on Shuttle missions is 400
megabytes. This compares to approximately 400 high density floppy disks or 40
standard boxes of ten disks. All the data will fit on one optical disk
measuring about 5 inches square and one-half inch thick.
Three sensors will be flown. One will measure the disturbances near an
Environmental Control Support System, another sensor will be located on the
support structure of the SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory and the third will
be attached to a locker door to determine the level of disturbances experienced
by experiments in the locker and nearby. The second and third sensors are
primarily to measure the acceleration characteristics of the SPACEHAB Space
Research Laboratory for future experiments.
Scientists will use the SAMS data in different ways, depending on the
nature of the science experiment and the principal investigators' experience
and ground-based testing results. The principal investigators will typically
look for acceleration events or conditions that exceed a threshold where the
experiment results could be affected. This may be, for example, a frequency
versus amplitude condition, an energy content condition or simply an
acceleration magnitude threshold.
Data from previous missions have shown the levels of disturbance evident
in the Spacelab module by the use of the crew exercise treadmill located in the
middeck. This data, along with other missions' data, are important in order to
reduce and isolate disturbances on future missions, including on the space
station.
SAMS flight hardware was designed and developed in-house at LeRC. The
Principal Investigator for SAMS is Charles Baugher of NASA's Marshall Space
Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., and the Project Manager is Richard DeLombard
of NASA Lewis.
EUROPEAN RETRIEVABLE CARRIER (EURECA)
F. Schwan - Industrial Project Manager
Deutsche Aerospace, ERNO Raumfahrttechnik
Bremen, Germany
W. Nellessen - ESA Project Manager
ESTEC Noordwijk, The Netherlands
The European Space Agency's (ESA) EURECA spacecraft was launched on July
31, 1992, by the Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-46) and deployed at an altitude of
230 nautical miles (425 km). It ascended using its own propulsion to the
operational orbit of 270 nautical miles (500 km). Several weeks prior to the
STS 57 launch, ground controllers will lower EURECA's altitude where it will be
retrieved by Endeavour and brought back to Earth.
The EURECA-1 mission primarily has been devoted to research in the fields
of material and life sciences and radiobiology, all of which require a
controlled microgravity environment. The selected microgravity experiments
have been carried out in seven facilities. The remaining payload comprises
space science and technology.
During the mission, EURECA's residual carrier accelerations have not
exceeded 10-5g. The platform's altitude and orbit control system made use of
magnetic torquers augmented by cold gas thrusters to keep disturbance levels
below 0.3 Nm during the operational phase.
Physical characteristics
o Launch mass 9,900 lbs (4491 kg)
o Electrical power solar array 5000 W
o Continuous power to EURECA experiments 1000 W
o Launch configuration dia: 14.76 ft (4.5 m.)
length: 8.33 ft (2.54 m)
o Volume 132 cubic ft (40.3 m)
o Solar array extended 66 ft x 11.5 ft (20 m x 3.5 m)
User friendliness
Considerable efforts have been made during the design and development
phases to ensure that EURECA is a "user friendly" system. As is the case for
Spacelab, EURECA has standardized structural attachments, power and data
interfaces. Unlike Spacelab, however, EURECA has a decentralized payload
control concept. Most of the onboard facilities have their own data handling
device so that investigators can control the internal operations of their
equipment directly. This approach provides more flexibility as well as
economical advantages.
Operations
All EURECA operations are controlled by ESA's Space Operations Centre
(ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany. During the deployment and retrieval operations,
ESOC functions as a Remote Payload Operations Control Centre to NASA's Mission
Control Center, Houston, and the orbiter is used as a relay station for all the
commands.
Throughout the operational phase, ESOC has controlled EURECA through two
ground stations at Maspalomas, Canary Islands (Spain), and Kourou, French
Guiana. EURECA has been in contact with its ground stations for a relatively
short period each day. When it was out of contact, its systems operated with a
high degree of autonomy, performing failure detection, isolation and recovery
activities to safeguard ongoing experimental processes.
An experimental advanced data relay system, the Inter-orbit Communication
Package, was included in the payload. This package communicated with the
European Olympus Communication Satellite to demonstrate the possible
improvements for future communications with data relay satellites. Such a
system will significantly enhance real time data coverage.
EURECA Retrieval Operations
The EURECA free-flying experiment platform will be retrieved on the fourth
day of STS-57. EURECA was deployed from Atlantis on STS-46 on Aug. 1, 1992.
During its approximately10-month stay in orbit, EURECA has supported
investigations in processing metallurgical samples, growing crystals and
conducting biological and biochemical studies. Several weeks before the STS-57
launch, EURECA controllers will lower the spacecraft's orbit from 270 nautical
miles (500 km) high to 257 nautical miles (300 km) in preparation for the
retrieval.
David Low will grasp the 5-ton EURECA with the Shuttle's robot arm and
lower the platform into latches in the aft cargo bay.
Beginning on flight day one, a series of engine firings will adjust
Endeavour's catch-up rate so that on the morning of flight day four, a final
altitude adjustment burn will move Endeavour up to the 257-nautical-mile EURECA
orbit. During the catch-up maneuvers, Endeavour's onboard navigational star
trackers will sight on EURECA during the best lighting period, from noon to
sunset of each orbit, to provide the most accurate course correction
information for each maneuver.
For the final mid-course corrections, the crew will use Endeavour's
rendezvous radar to refine their information about the position of EURECA in
relation to Endeavour. For about the final one and a half miles of Endeavour's
approach to EURECA, Commander Ron Grabe will fly the Shuttle's maneuvers
manually.
EURECA RETRIEVABLE CARRIER
Structure
The EURECA structure is made of high strength carbon-fibre struts and
titanium nodal points joined together to form a framework of cubic elements.
This provides relatively low thermal distortions, allows high alignment
accuracy and simple analytical verification, and is easy to assemble and
maintain.
Larger assemblies are attached to the nodal points. Instruments weighing less
than 220 lbs (100 kg) are assembled on standard equipment support panels
similar to those on a Spacelab pallet.
Thermal Control
Thermal control for EURECA combines active and passive heat transfer and
radiation systems. Active transfer, required for payload facilities which
generates more heat, is achieved by means of a freon cooling loop which
dissipates the thermal load through two radiators into space. The passive
system makes use of multilayer insulation blankets combined with electrical
heaters. During nominal operations, the thermal control subsystem rejects a
maximum heat load of about 2300 W.
Electrical Power
The electrical power subsystem generates, stores, conditions and
distributes power to all the spacecraft subsystems and to the payload. The
deployable and retractable solar arrays, with a combined raw power output of
some 5000 W together with four 40 Ah nickel-cadmium batteries, provide the
payload with a continuous power of 1000 W, nominally at 28 V, with peak power
capabilities of up to 1500 W for several minutes.
Attitude and Orbit Control
A modular attitude and orbit control subsystem (AOCS) was used for
attitude determination and spacecraft orientation and stabilization during all
flight operations and orbit control maneuvers.
An orbit transfer assembly, consisting of two redundant sets of four
thrusters was used to boost EURECA to its operation attitude at 500 km and to
return it to its retrieval orbit at about 300 km.
EURECA has been developed under ESA contract by DASA (Deutsche
Aerospace/ERNO Raumfahrttechnik) (Germany), and their subcontractors Sener
(Spain), AIT (Italy), SABCA (Belgium), AEG (Germany), Fokker (The Netherlands),
Matra (France), Snia BPD (Italy), BTM (Belgium) and Laben (Italy).
EURECA SCIENCE
Solution Growth Facility - a multi-user facility dedicated to the growth of
monocrystals from solution, consisting of a set of four reactors and their
associated control system.
Protein Crystallization Facility - a multi-user solution growth facility for
protein crystallization in space. The object of the experiments is the growth
of single, defect-free protein crystals of high purity and of a size sufficient
to determine their molecular structure by x-ray diffraction.
Exobiology and Radiation Assembly - a multi-user life science facility for
experiments on the biological effects of space radiation.
Multi-Furnace Assembly - a multi-user facility dedicated to material science
experiments. It is a modular facility with a set of common system interfaces
which incorporates 12 furnaces of three different types, giving temperatures of
up to 1400 degrees C.
Automatic Mirror Furnace - an optical radiation furnace designed for the growth
of single, uniform crystals from the liquid or vapor phases, using the
traveling heater or Bridgman methods.
Surface Forces Adhesion Instrument - studies the dependence of surface forces
and interface energies on physical and chemical-physical parameters such as
surface topography, surface cleanliness, temperature and the deformation
properties of the contacting bodies.
High Precision Thermostat Instrument - an instrument designed for long term
experiments requiring microgravity conditions and high precision temperature
measurement and control.
Solar Constant And Variability Instrument - designed to investigate the solar
constant, its variability and its spectral distribution, and measure:
o fluctuations of the total and spectral solar irradiance
o short term variations of the total and spectral solar irradiance
within time scales ranging from hours to few months, and
o long term variations of the solar luminosity in the time scale
of years (solar cycles) by measuring the absolute solar irradiance.
Solar Spectrum Instrument - designed to study solar physics and the solar-
terrestrial relationship in aeronomy and climatology. It measures the absolute
solar irradiance and its variations in the spectral range from 170 to 3200 nm,
with an expected accuracy of 1 percent in the visible and infrared ranges and 5
percent in the ultraviolet range.
Occultation Radiometer Instrument - designed to measure aerosols and trace gas
densities in the Earth's mesosphere and stratosphere.
Wide Angle Telescope - designed to detect celestial gamma and X-ray sources
with photon energies in the range 5 to 200 keV and determine the position of
the source.
Timeband Capture Cell Experiment - an instrument to study the microparticle
population in near-Earth space -- typically Earth debris, meteoroids and
cometary dust.
Radio Frequency Ionization Thruster Assembly - designed to evaluate the use of
electric propulsion in space and to gain operational experience before
endorsing its use for advanced spacecraft technologies.
Advanced Solar Gallium Arsenide Array - to provide valuable information on the
performance of gallium arsenide (GaAs) solar arrays and on the effects of the
low Earth orbit environment on their components.
GET AWAY SPECIAL EXPERIMENTS
NASA's Get Away Special (GAS) program, managed by the Goddard Space Flight
Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, Md., is a vehicle that allows the world to get
involved in the U.S. space program. Individuals and organizations of all
countries have gained access to space by sending scientific research and
development experiments onboard the Space Shuttle via the GAS program. Since
its inception, 87 payloads have flown on 18 Space Shuttle missions.
NASA's GAS bridge assembly, a structure which fits across the payload bay
of the Space Shuttle orbiter, is capable of holding up to 12 GAS cannisters (or
cans), and offers an efficient and convenient way to fly multiple payloads
simultaneously.
On STS-57, the GAS bridge is flying with a total of 10 GAS payloads from
the U.S., Canada, Japan and Europe. Also on the bridge is one secondary
payload, a commercialization experiment sponsored by the Consortium for
Materials Development in Space at the University of Alabama, Huntsville and one
GAS ballast can. Clarke Prouty is GAS Mission Manager and Lawrence R. Thomas
is Customer Support Manager for the Shuttle Small Payloads Project at Goddard.
The 10 GAS payloads are:
G-022 Liquid Gauging Technology Experiment
Customer: European Space Agency, European Space Research and Technology
Centre, Noordwijk, The Netherlands
Customer Manager: Manfred Trischberger
NASA Technical Manager: Richard Hoffman, GSFC
This experiment demonstrates two in-orbit methods of gauging liquids in
tanks - the Periodic Volume Stimulus (PVSM) and the Foreign Mass Injection
Method (FMIM).
Both approaches work well in the presence of gravity, but the peculiar
properties of liquid under microgravity conditions could lead to a lower
measurement accuracy. This experiment will study, in particular, errors caused
by the following effects:
o liquid distribution in the tank
o unconnected liquid quantities
o uneven heating
o unintentional intrusion of fluid in pipes, sensor apertures, etc.
G-324 CAN DO
Customer: Charleston County School District, Charleston, S.C.
Customer Manager: Carol A. Tempel
NASA Technical Manager: Neal Barthelme, GSFC
A detailed description of G-324 CAN DO is available in the educational
activities part of the STS-57 press kit.
G-399 Insulin Tagging and Artemia Growth Experiments
Customer: Dr. Ronald S. Nelson, Inc., Fresno, Calif.
Customer Manager: Dr. Ronald S. Nelson
NASA Technical Manager: Gary Sneiderman, GSFC
This payload is composed of two experiments. Its primary objective is to
successfully operate an insulin tag experiment and a brine shrimp Artemia
physiology experiment. The experiments also will focus on educating students
about all aspects of carrying out scientific experiments.
G-450 Multiple Experiments
Customer: Vandenberg Section, American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics, Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
Customer Manager: Martin Waldman
NASA Technical Manager: Mark Anderson, GSFC
This is a multidisciplinary package composed of six self-contained
modules, each containing multiple experiments. The experiments are designed
and developed by California Central Coast elementary, middle and high schools.
o Module one contains solidification/crystallization of saccharin and cryogen
transfer.
o Module two addresses the effects of radiation on bacteria and effects of
microgravity on sprouting seeds.
o Module three is bacteria survival in radiation and zero point energy.
o Module four consists of electrode occlusion and bubble formation and
microgravity bonding.
o Module five contains osmosis, reverse osmosis and effects of radiation on
seeds.
o Module six is crystal growth, fluids in microgravity and silver crystal
growth.
G-452 Crystal Growth of Gallium-Arsenide
Customer: Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies, Tokyo, Japan
Customer Manager: Dr. Naotake Tateyama
NASA Technical Manager: Herb Foster, GSFC
This GAS can consists of 12 small electric furnaces. The four kinds of
experiments to be carried out in low gravity are:
o Growth of a single crystal gallium-arsenide from liquid phase
o Growth of a crystal gallium-arsenide based mixed crystal
o Addition of a heavy element to gallium-arsenide
o Addition of a heavy element to indium-antimony crystal
G-453 Semi-Conductors/Superconductor Experiment
Customer: Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies, Tokyo, Japan
Customer Manager: Dr. Naotake Tateyama
NASA Technical Manager: Herb Foster, GSFC
This GAS can contains four different kinds of experiments. Three of the
four are materials experiments on semi-conductors and a superconductor, and the
other is on boiling an organic solvent under weightlessness.
G-454 Crystal Growth
Customer: Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies, Tokyo, Japan
Customer Manager: Dr. Naotake Tateyama
NASA Technical Manager: Herb Foster, GSFC
This experiment studies the crystal growth of indium gallium arsenic from
vapor phase under weightlessness, the crystal growth of three selenic- niobium
from vapor phase, the crystal growth of an optoelectric crystal by the
diffusion method and formation of superferromagnetic alloy.
G-535 The Pool Boiling Experiment
Customer: NASA Headquarters, Office of Space Science and
Applications, Microgravity Sciences Division, Washington, D.C.
Customer Manager: Warren Hodges
NASA Technical Manager: Tom Dixon, GSFC
The objective of this experiment is to improve the understanding of the
boiling process. This involves putting a pool of liquid in contact with a
surface that can supply heat to the liquid. The experiment will observe
heating and vapor bubble dynamics associated with bubble growth/collapse and
subsequent bubble motion. The lack of gravity driven motion makes the boiling
process easier to study in microgravity.
G-601 High Frequency Variations of the Sun
Customer: San Diego Section, American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics, San Diego, Calif.
Customer Manager: Brian Dubow
NASA Technical Manager: Neal Barthelme, GSFC
This experiment will measure and analyze high-frequency variations of the
Sun analyzing light that the Sun releases to the Earth. It also will determine
better the physics of the Sun and other stars. The primary purpose of the
experiment involves measuring rapid variations in the solar flux.
G-647 Configurable Hardware for Multi-Disciplinary Projects in Space
(CHAMPS)
Customer: Canadian Space Agency, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Customer Manager: Duncan Burnside
NASA Technical Manager: Russ Griffin, GSFC
This is a versatile payload that will provide an inexpensive means for
Canadian scientists to conduct their materials science experiments in space.
CHAMPS, built by MPB Technologies in Montreal, is designed to be adaptable,
combining the advantages of generic and dedicated research facilities for
materials processing in space. This experiment will examine a
recently-developed technique for crystal growth called Liquid Phase
Electro-Epitaxy (LPEE) in a microgravity environment. LPEE regulates crystal
growth by passing an electrical current through a subject material.
GAS Ballast Payload
Customer: Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
GAS ballast payloads are flown for stability when a GAS payload drops out
and no GAS payload is available to replace it. This ballast payload contains a
small accelerometer package furnished by Goddard to record accelerations during
the mission.
Sample Return Experiment
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
Principal Investigator: Dr. Peter Tsou
The Sample Return Experiment (SRE) sits on top the ballast GAS can. The
primary science objective of the GAS SRE is the quantification of
extraterrestrial particles and other orbital debris present in the orbiter bay.
A secondary objective of this experiment will be a realistic test for comet
sample collection concepts. The sample particles that are to be encountered
and collected have speeds of 10-14 km/second (16-22 m.p.h.) and diameters of
10-200 micrometers.
Consortium for Materials Development in Space Complex Autonomous Payload
The Consortium for Materials Development in Space Complex Autonomous
Payload-IV (CONCAP-IV) is a small, Shuttle cargo bay payload sponsored by the
University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) Consortium for Materials Development
in Space (CMDS). The CMDS is one of the NASA Centers for the Commercial
Development of Space (CCDS) managed by NASA's new Office of Advanced Concepts
and Technology (OACT).
CONCAP-IV is the fourth area of investigation in a series of payloads
deriving their name from the consortium in CMDS and the Complex Autonomous
Payload (CAP) program managed by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. On
STS-57, CONCAP-IV will investigate the growth of nonlinear organic (NLO)
crystals by a novel method of physical vapor transport in the weightlessness of
the space environment.
Nonlinear optical materials are the key to many optical applications now
and in the future -- optical computing is a prime example. Many studies have
suggested that the photonics industry ultimately will grow to the scale of the
current electronics industry. Just as materials improvements in silicon were
essential to electronics, so too are improved optical materials required for
advanced in photonics. The investigations in the CONCAP series seek to
determine whether crystals grown in space can speed the evolution of photonics.
During the experiment, it is anticipated that the microgravity in space
will facilitate two goals of improved NLO crystal growth -- it will avoid
convection, leading to crystals grown with more uniform composition, and it
will avoid the deformation of the crystals under their own weight at the
relatively high growth temperatures where they are extremely soft.
The experiment operation involves heating up a chamber containing the
material needed to produce the crystal, but keeping one spot on the chamber
walls cooler than the rest of the chamber walls. This method causes the vapor
of the material to condense onto the cold spot where the crystal grows, much
like water vapor condenses into dew on grass.
Within CONCAP-IV there are six NLO "ovens," each containing two NLO growth
cells. Each of the twelve cells is comprised of a glass chamber, about 1 inch
in diameter and 2 inches long and contains the sample material to be processed.
Each cell is wrapped in a heater. Within each cell is a small copper plug that
is kept slightly cooler than the rest of the cell, providing a place for sample
material vaporized by the heater to recondense and grow the desired crystal or
thin film material.
The "ovens" are constructed from two aluminum cylinders, one inside the
other, with the area between them vented to space to form an insulating vacuum
-- like a thermos bottle. The resulting reduction in heat loss is a very
important consideration since CONCAP-IV is battery-operated, providing a
limited power supply. The high and low temperatures in each chamber are
controlled by a miniaturized computer designed and built specially for this
purpose.
The crystals being grown have two important properties. First, when a
laser beam passes through the crystal it comes out with twice the frequency
(half the wavelength) of the original beam. This is important because it
doubles the range of frequencies available for laser applications. Currently,
lasers only operate efficiently at a limited number of frequencies, with some
very important frequencies missing for scientific and commercial applications.
Second, when an electric field is applied to some NLO materials, the
refractive index of the material changes. When the refractive index changes,
so does the path of light traveling through the crystal. This is like having a
prism which will bend a light beam different degrees when voltages are applied
to the crystal. The changing of the path of a light beam results in the
crystals or thin film acting as a high speed, nearly instantaneous switch.
Such properties are extremely important to the optoelectronics and
photonics industry, especially for optical computing. Without NLO materials,
optical computers would be impossible. Nonlinear optical materials could play
the same role in photonics and optoelectronics that semiconductors do in the
electronics industry.
Displaytech, Inc., Boulder, Colo., is participating with the UAH CMDS in
CONCAP-IV. Displaytech is a commercializer of high-performance electro- optical
devices. The Principal Investigator is Dr. Thomas Leslie, Associate Professor,
Chemistry Department, UAH. The Payload Manager is William Carswell, Research
Associate, UAH.
Superfluid Helium On-Orbit Transfer (SHOOT) Flight Demonstration
The Superfluid Helium On-Orbit Transfer (SHOOT) Flight Demonstration,
managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, is an experiment designed to
develop and demonstrate the technology required to resupply liquid helium
containers in space. In addition, components developed for SHOOT may find use
in future space cryogenic (low temperature) systems.
Many detectors for astrophysics and observation of Earth require cooling
to extremely low temperatures to achieve high sensitivity. To achieve these
low temperatures, liquid helium is used for cooling. By allowing the liquid to
slowly vaporize, an instrument may be cooled to temperatures below 2 Kelvin (K)
(-519o F, -271o C).
Examples of facilities that already have flown using liquid helium are the
Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS), launched in 1983, which discovered more
than a quarter million new infrared objects and the Cosmic Background Explorer
(COBE), launched in 1989, which has studied the Big Bang, the primeval
explosion that started the expansion of the universe.
The liquid helium gradually vents to space as it cools the instruments,
therefore the instrument has a finite lifetime. It takes only a small amount
of heat to evaporate liquid helium. For example, a 100 watt light bulb left on
in a 53 gallon (200 liter) dewar would evaporate all the liquid in less than
1.5 hours. Both IRAS and COBE ran out of liquid in 10 to 11 months of
operation.
To achieve lower temperatures in the liquid, the vapor pressure is
lowered. On the ground, this is accomplished by powerful vacuum pumps. In
orbit, this is achieved by venting to the vacuum of space. By doing this, IRAS
achieved a temperature of 1.64 K and COBE a temperature of 1.37 K. By contrast,
cold, deep space is a relatively warm 2.74 K, twice as warm as COBE's liquid
helium. Thus, COBE was the coldest known object in the universe outside of the
Earth's atmosphere. SHOOT is expected to set a new low temperature record at
1.1 K.
The SHOOT experiment consists of two vacuum insulated ThermosR- like
containers, called dewars, each holding 55 gallons (207 liters) of liquid
helium. The two dewars are connected by a vacuum insulated transfer line.
Liquid helium is pumped from one dewar to another at rates from 1.3 to 4.4
gallons per minute (300 to 1000 liters per hour). Each of dewar's plumbing,
including pumps, valves and instrumentation, is nearly identical so that each
dewar in turn may act as the supply or receiver dewar.
The SHOOT dewars are attached to a Hitchhiker bridge which spans the width
of the orbiter bay. The SHOOT electronics interface to the Shuttle through the
Hitchhiker avionics.
Having no viscosity, superfluid helium will leak through the smallest
hole. Because the space around the cryogen tank must be a very good vacuum to
insulate the liquid, no leak of any size can be tolerated. A leak at room
temperature would be approximately 10,000 times greater with superfluid helium.
Even an air leak which is so small that it would take 20 million years to fill
the dewar is unacceptable. SHOOT has approximately 160 welds and 60 removable
metal seals between the superfluid and the vacuum space. All of these have
been checked and shown to be absolutely leak tight.
SHOOT will consist of experiments in liquid management in low gravity,
filling a large gap in the knowledge of the behavior of cryogens in space. The
problem of controlling the position of cryogenic liquids in orbit is a
difficult one. The evaporating gas must be allowed to leave the dewar, but the
liquid must be contained. On the ground this is easy since the liquid is
denser than the gas and gravity holds it in the bottom of the tank. In a low
gravity environment, the liquid location is not well defined. Surface tension,
heat inputs and the small residual accelerations of a spacecraft all play a
role in positioning the liquid.
SHOOT will accomplish the first active management of liquid cryogens in
space. A device called a phase separator allows helium vapor to leave the tank
while the liquid is retained. The liquid will be gathered from the walls of
the tank and fed to a superfluid pump. This pump converts heat directly to
pressure by an effect unique to superfluid helium called the fountain effect.
SHOOT is part experiment and part demonstration. Because so little
experience with cryogen management in low gravity exists, the first part of
SHOOT's on-orbit operations will be to gather as much data as possible about
how the liquid is delivered to the pumps by liquid acquisition devices, the
behavior of the liquid/vapor discriminators and the slosh and cooldown of the
liquid. Control of the experiment will be from the ground through the Payload
Operations Control Center at Goddard with the astronauts monitoring from the
Shuttle's aft flight deck at key times.
At one point the astronauts will accelerate the orbiter to settle the
liquid in one end of the dewar to calibrate sensors. During two transfers, the
Shuttle will be accelerated to move the liquid away from the pump to see if
such disturbances interupt the flow. Once the transfer of liquid stops, the
acceleration will be stopped and the return of the liquid to the pump will be
monitored.
Near the end of the operations, the astronauts will control a transfer
completely from the aft flight deck. They will use a program which has some
expert system capabilities to control the transfer and diagnose any problems
which may occur. This will be the first use of an expert system for a payload
on the orbiter.
SHOOT was developed and managed by Goddard for NASA's Office of Space
Systems Development, Advanced Program Division, Washington, DC.
SHOOT will:
o achieve the lowest temperature ever in orbit -- 1.1 K (-457o F, 1.1
degrees above absolute zero).
o demonstrate the first active management of liquid cryogen in space.
o demonstrate the first use of an expert system in space.
o demonstrate two types of liquid acquisition systems for delivering
liquid to the pump.
o make the first observations of thermal layering and mixing of a cryogen
in orbit.
o demonstrate superfluid mass gauging to 1 percent accuracy.
o demonstrate controlled cooldown of a warm dewar.
SHOOT spinoff technologies include:
o Cryogenic motor driven valves are leak tight after hundreds of
cycles.
o A liquid/gas phase separator for use with normal liquid helium as
well as superfluid, enabling easier ground servicing of future small dewars.
o Liquid/vapor discriminators which can be used for other cryogens
as well as liquid helium.
o A relatively simple thermometry system to obtain resolution of 0.00001 K
or better.
STS-57 EXTRAVEHICULAR ACTIVTY:
DETAILED TEST OBJECTIVE 1210
STS-57 crew members David Low and Jeff Wisoff will perform a 4-hour
extravehicular activity (EVA) on the fifth day of the flight as a continuation
of a series of spacewalks NASA plans to conduct to prepare for the construction
of the space station.
STS-57 will be launched as a 6-day, 22-hour, 40-minute flight. After
launch, if calculations of the amount of fuel and energy required to retrieve
EURECA and operate Spacehab match preflight projections, the flight will be
extended by 24 hours. The EVA is the lowest priority of any objective or
experiment on the flight, and the spacewalk will be performed only if the
flight is extended by one day to become about a 7-day, 23-hour flight.
The space station demonstration EVAs, the first of which was performed on
STS-54 in January 1993, are designed to refine training methods for spacewalks,
expand the EVA experience levels of astronauts, flight controllers and
instructors, and aid in better understanding the differences between true
microgravity and the ground simulations used in training.
In addition, since the Shuttle's remote manipulator system (RMS)
mechanical arm will be aboard Endeavour to retrieve EURECA, the STS-57
spacewalk will assist in refining several procedures being developed to service
the Hubble Space Telescope on mission STS-61 in December 1993.
Low will be designated extravehicular crew member 1 (EV1) and Wisoff will
be designated extravehicular crew member 2 (EV2). Pilot Brian Duffy will serve
as intravehicular crew member 1 (IV1), assisting the spacewalkers from inside
the crew cabin of Endeavour.
During the spacewalk, Low and Wisoff first will take turns in a foot
restraint mounted on the end of the robot arm, holding their fellow crew member
in various ways to imitate moving a large, inanimate piece of equipment. Next,
they will investigate different methods of managing their safety tethers while
mounted in the robot arm restraint.
Another objective is planned to have each crew member, mounted in the
robot arm restraint, practice aligning their fellow crew member into a foot
restraint mounted on the side of the cargo bay, simulating the task of aligning
a large object into a tightly fitting restraint. The crew members also will
practice working with various tools while in the robot arm restraint and gauge
the ability of the restraint to hold them steady as they tighten or loosen a
bolt.
The information gathered by these tests is expected to apply to both the
HST servicing spacewalks and space station construction planning, since moving,
aligning and installing objects with large masses from the end of the robot arm
will be integral to both jobs.
Among the items hoped to be better determined are the speed at which the
arm can be moved while an astronaut holds an object on the end, how large an
object it is feasible to handle while in the arm foot restraint, the amount of
time required for such tasks using an EVA crew member and the arm and how much
stability is supplied by the arm during hands-on work such as tightening bolts
and other attachment equipment.
STS-57 MIDDECK PAYLOADS
FLUID ACQUISITION AND RESUPPLY EXPERIMENT II
Principal Investigator: Susan L. Driscoll Marshall Space Flight Center,
Huntsville, Ala.
The Fluid Acquisition and Resupply Experiment (FARE II) will investigate
the dynamics of fluid transfer in microgravity. The experiment previously flew
as FARE I on STS-53 in 1992 and also as the Storable Fluid Management
Demonstration (SFMD) on STS 51-C in 1985.
In space, liquid in a container does not readily settle on the bottom or
leave a pocket of gas on top as it does on Earth. The position of liquids in
weightlessness is highly unpredictable because the liquid and gas may locate or
mix in any area within the container. To replenish on-board fluids and prolong
the life of space vehicles such as the space station, satellites and extended
duration orbiters, methods for transferring gas-free propellants and other
liquids must be developed.
FARE I was conducted primarily to assess the ability of a screen channel
capillary system to drain liquids while working in a microgravity environment.
Additionally, some experimentation was conducted regarding the control of
liquid motion during tank refill sequences.
Housed in four middeck lockers of the orbiter Endeavour, FARE II is
designed to demonstrate the effectiveness of a device to alleviate the problems
associated with vapor-free liquid transfer. The device exploits the surface
tension of the liquid to control its position within the tank.
The basic flight hardware consists of a 12.5 inches (30.48 cm) spherical
supply tank and a 12.5 inches (30.48 cm) spherical receiver tank made of
transparent acrylic. Additional items include liquid transfer lines, two
pressurized air bottles, a calibrated cylinder and associated valves, lines,
fittings, pressure gauges and a flowmeter display unit.
The experiment is essentially self-contained, with the exception of a
water- fill port, air-fill port and an overboard vent connected to the orbiter
waste management system.
Mission specialists will conduct this experiment eight times during the
flight, using a sequence of manual valve operations. Air from the pressurized
bottles will be used to force fluid from the supply tank to the receiver tank
and back to the supply tank. This process should take about 1 hour each time
it is performed. An overboard vent will remove the vapor from the receiver
tank as the fluid level rises.
The FARE II control panel, containing four pressure gauges and one
temperature control gauge, will be used by the crew to monitor and control the
experiment. Camcorder video tapes and 35-mm photographs will be made during
the transfer process. The crew also will have the option of using air-to-
ground communication to consult with the principal investigator, if necessary.
The test fluid used for this experiment is water with iodine, used as a
disinfectant; blue food coloring, which will allow better visibility of the
liquid movement; a wetting solution, known as Triton X-100, to give the fluid
the consistency of a propellant; and an anti-foaming emulsion agent to prevent
bubbles from forming in the receiver tank.
Post-mission analysis of FARE II will include evaluation of the experiment
equipment, as well as review of camcorder video tapes and 35-mm photographs.
Because there will be no real-time data downlink during this experiment,
detailed study and analysis of test data will not be conducted until after the
mission.
Historically, problems dealing with fluid orbital transfer have been dealt
with by using bellows to move liquid without any pressurant gas or vapor
surface. These systems are heavier, more complex, more expensive and more
prone to leakage during the transfer process than conventional methods of
liquid containment, such as the FARE II equipment.
The mission managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville,
Ala., will utilize equipment developed by Martin Marietta. At Marshall, Susan
L. Driscoll is the Principal Investigator for FARE II.
Air Force Maui Optical System
The Air Force Maui Optical System (AMOS) is an electrical-optical facility
on the Hawaiian island of Maui. No hardware is required aboard Endeavour to
support the experimental observations. The AMOS facility tracks the orbiter as
it flies over the area and records signatures from thruster firings, water
dumps or the phenomena of "Shuttle glow," a well-documented fluorescent effect
created as the Shuttle interacts with atomic oxygen in Earth orbit. The
information obtained by AMOS is used to calibrate the infrared and optical
sensors at the facility.
STS-57 SPECIAL EVENTS & EDUCATIIONAL ACTIVITIES
Get-Away-Special #324 -- CAN DO
The Charleston County School District's CAN DO experiment (GAS #324) is
designed to take 1,000 photos of the Earth allowing students to make
observations and document global change by comparing the CAN DO photos with
matched Skylab photos. The canister also contains 350 small passive student
experiments. CAN DO is sponsored by NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton,
Va., and supported by the South Carolina Space Grant Consortium.
The CAN DO payload uses GAS hardware and is housed in a 5 cubic foot
canister. The canister is sealed with a 0.92 inch fused silica window, which
is optically flat and ground to a quarter wave tolerance, permitting
photography in visible light, infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths.
The primary payload of CAN DO, known as GEOCAM, contains four Nikon 35-mm
cameras equipped with 250 exposure film backs. The GEOCAM system will match
closely the larger Skylab film format in both coverage and quality allowing
direct examination and comparison of the changes that have occurred to the
planet in the last 20 years.
One thousand photographs will be taken by the four cameras over the course
of the Shuttle mission. Photographic targets will be chosen by teachers and
students based on weather, Sun angle, orbiter orientation and crew activities.
Targets selected will be sent to the Shuttle once a day as crew notes.
These efforts will be managed through a student-run mission control room
at the Medical University of South Carolina. Student-teacher teams of 12 to 20
will operate four desks monitoring crew activities and mission timeline,
monitoring weather data, targeting geological or environmental interests and
communicating the target objectives with NASA's Johnson Space Center's Earth
Observations Lab and the Shuttle Small Payload Customer Support Room.
Activities and reports from the control room will be televised to students
throughout the state by the South Carolina Educational Television Network. The
Medical University of South Carolina will provide technical assistance.
The CAN-DO teachers have designed classroom activities for grades K- 12
using the 1,000 photos to make observations. The photos comprise the first
educational payload to photograph the Earth from space. Students will search
for natural and human-induced environmental changes that may have taken place
during the past 20 years. Comparison between the photos, past and present,
enables students to discover for themselves the major effects caused by
deforestation, urbanization, river sediment loads, desertification, coastal
erosion, lake levels wetlands and pollution.
With assistance from atmospheric scientists, the photos should provide
clues to the degradation of the air quality often mentioned by astronauts.
Faculty members of the College of Charleston will aid in the interpretation of
the results.
The second experiment carried on CAN DO is 350 student-designed
experiments. No other GAS payload in the history of the space program has ever
undertaken this many different experiments. These experiments have been
submitted from more than 60 Charleston County classrooms and from invited
school districts from Maryland, Virginia, Texas, Arizona and Massachusetts.
These experiments allow students to participate directly in research by
testing the effect of space on various materials. Students from K-12 have
chosen materials ranging from brine shrimp eggs to bubble solution to lipstick
to cotton seeds to fly in space. A major goal of the student experiments is to
teach the skills of proper experimental design as well as execution of valid
scientific experiments.
Each student team has five samples of their materials in small 5 ml
cryovials: one to fly in space, one to serve as a passive control and one each
to be exposed to high doses of radiation, extreme cold and centrifuge. The
control procedures will be carried out at the Medical University of South
Carolina as part of its Business/Education Partnership Program with the
Charleston County School District Office of Math, Sciences and Technology.
In addition to the students' vial experiments, the WESTVACO Forestry
Division has donated Sycamore and Loblolly Pine seeds to be placed into the
canister. Classes participating in CAN DO will receive seedlings grown from
space-exposed seeds and encouraged to raise "space trees."
Students and teachers from the Poquoson School District in Poquoson, Va.,
are participating in the payload's student-designed experiments. Also, a team
of Poquoson secondary students will travel to Charleston and operate the
weather desk at the student mission control. NASA Langley atmospheric research
scientists will provide appropriate training to the Poquoson students for their
weather desk assignment.
Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment-II
The Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment-II (SAREX-II) provides for public
participation in the space program, supports educational initiatives and
demonstrates the effectiveness of making contact between the Space Shuttle and
low-cost amateur "ham" radio stations on the ground.
On STS-57, Pilot Brian Duffy, call sign N5WQW, and Janice Voss, call sign
to be determined, will operate SAREX. Duffy has operated SAREX in flight before
during Shuttle mission STS-45. Operating times for school contacts are planned
into the crew's activities. The school contacts generate interest in science
as students talk directly with Voss or Duffy. There will be voice contacts with
the general ham operator community as time permits. and short wave listeners
(SWL's) worldwide also may listen. When Voss or Duffy are not available,
SAREX- II will be in an automated digital response mode.
On STS-57, SAREX-II will include VHF FM voice and VHF packet. The primary
voice frequency that SAREX-II uses is 145.55 MHz downlink. There are a variety
of uplink frequencies. Contacts with Endeavour will be possible between 42
degrees north latitude to 42 degrees south latitude, covering the lower half of
the continental United States and Hawaii, all of Africa, most of South America,
Australia, the East and the Far East.
SAREX has flown previously on STS-9, STS-51F, STS-35, STS-37, STS-45,
STS-50, STS-47, STS-55 and STS-56. SAREX is a joint effort of NASA, the
American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the Amateur Radio Satellite Corp. (AMSAT),
and the Johnson Space Center's Amateur Radio Club. Information about orbital
elements, contact times, frequencies and crew operating schedules will be made
available during the mission by these agencies and by amateur radio clubs at
some other NASA centers.
Hams from the JSC club, W5RRR, will be operating on amateur short wave
frequencies, and the ARRL station, W1AW, will include SAREX information in its
regular voice and teletype bulletins. The amateur radio station at the Goddard
Space Flight Center, WA3NAN, in Greenbelt, Md., will operate around-the- clock
during the mission, providing information and re-transmitting live Shuttle
air-to- ground audio. The JSC Public Affairs Office will operate a SAREX
information desk during the mission, and mission information also will be
available on the dial-up computer bulletin board (BBS) at JSC.SAREX
Frequencies.
Shuttle Transmitting Shuttle Receiving
Frequency Frequency
U.S. 145.55 MHz 144.99 MHz
South America 145.55 144.97
& Asia 145.55 144.95
145.55 144.93
145.55 144.91
Europe 145.55 MHz 144.70 MHz
145.55 144.75
145.55 144.80
South Africa 145.55 MHz 144.95 MHz
Packet 145.55 144.49
GSFC Amateur Radio Club (WA3NAN) planned HF operating frequencies
3.860 MHz 7.185 MHz
14.295 Mhz 21.395 MHz
28.395 Mhz
To connect to the JSC Compute Bulletin Board, BBS, (8 N 1 1200 baud)
dial 713/483-2500 then type 62511.
STS-57 CREW BIOGRAPHIES
Ronald J. Grabe, 47, Col., USAF, will be Commander (CDR) of STS-57.
Selected as an astronaut in August 1981, Grabe considers New York, N.Y., his
hometown and will be making his fourth space flight.
Grabe graduated from Stuyvesant High School, New York, in 1962. He
received a bachelors degree in engineering from the United States Air Force
Academy in 1966 and studied aeronautics as a Fulbright Scholar at the
Technische Hochschule, Darmstadt, West Germany in 1967.
Grabe first flew as Pilot for Shuttle mission STS-51J in October 1985. On
his second flight, he was Pilot for Shuttle mission STS-30 in May 1989. On his
most recent flight he was Commander of Shuttle mission STS-42 in January 1992.
Grabe has logged more than 387 hours in space.
Brian Duffy, 39, Col., USAF, will serve as Pilot (PLT). Selected as an
astronaut in June 1985, Duffy was born in Boston, Mass., and will be making his
second space flight.
Duffy graduated from Rockland High School, Rockland, Mass., in 1971. He
received a bachelors degree in mathematics from the Air Force Academy in 1975
and a masters degree in systems management from the University of Southern
California in 1981.
Duffy first flew as Pilot of STS-45 in March 1992 and has logged more than
214 hours in space.
G. David Low, 37, will serve as Payload Commander and Mission Specialist
1 (MS1). Selected as an astronaut in May 1984, Low was born in Cleveland and
will be making his third spaceflight.
Low graduated from Langley High School, McLean, Va., in 1974. He received
a bachelors degree in physics-engineering from Washington and Lee University in
1978, a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University in
1980 and a masters degree in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford
University in 1983.
Low first flew as a mission specialist aboard STS-32 in January 1990. His
next flight was as a mission specialist on STS-43 in August 1991. He has
logged more than 474 hours in space.
Nancy Jane Sherlock, 34, Capt., USA, will serve as Mission Specialist 2
(MS2). Selected as an astronaut in January 1990, Sherlock considers Troy,
Ohio, her hometown and will be making her first space flight.
Sherlock graduated from Troy High School in 1977. She received a
bachelors degree in biological science from Ohio State University in 1980 and a
masters degree in safety engineering from the University of Southern California
in 1985.
After serving as a Neuropathology Research Assistant for 3 years at the
Ohio State University College of Medicine, Sherlock was commissioned in the U.
S. Army in 1981. She attended the Army Aviation School and later served as a
UH-1H instructor pilot and a standardization instructor pilot for all phases of
rotary wing flight. She has logged more than 2,900 hours flying time in rotary
wing and fixed wing aircraft.
Sherlock was assigned to NASA as a flight simulation engineer on the
Shuttle Training Aircraft at the Johnson Space Center in 1987, developing and
directing engineering flight tests, a position she held at the time of her
selection.
Peter J. K. (Jeff) Wisoff, 34, will serve as Mission Specialist 3 (MS3).
Selected as an astronaut in January 1990, Wisoff was born in Norfolk, Va., and
will be making his first space flight.
Wisoff graduated from Norfolk Academy in 1976. He received a bachelors
degree in physics from the University of Virginia in 1980, a masters degree in
applied physics from Stanford University in 1982 and a doctorate in applied
physics from Stanford in 1986.
After completing his doctorate, Wisoff joined the Rice University faculty
in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, researching the
development of new vacuum ultraviolet and high intensity laser sources and the
medical application of lasers to the reconstruction of damaged nerves. He is
currently collaborating with researchers at Rice University on developing new
techniques for growing and evaluating semiconductor materials using lasers.
Janice Voss, 36, will serve as Mission Specialist 4 (MS4). Selected as an
astronaut in January 1990, Voss considers Rockford, Ill., her hometown and will
be making her first space flight.
Voss graduated from Minnechaug Regional High School in Wilbraham, Mass.,
in 1972. She received a bachelors degree in engineering science from Purdue
University in 1975, a masters degree in electrical engineering from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1977 and a doctorate in
aeronautics and astronautics from MIT in 1987.
Voss was a cooperative education employee at the Johnson Space Center from
1973 to 1975, working with computer simulations in the Engineering and
Development Directorate. In 1977, she returned to JSC to work as a crew
trainer, teaching entry guidance and navigation. After completing her
doctorate, she joined Orbital Sciences Corp., working on mission integration
and flight operations support for the Transfer Orbit Stage, a position she held
at the time of her selection.
STS-57 MISSION MANAGEMENT
NASA HEADQUARTERS, WASHINGTON, D.C.
Office of Space Flight
Jeremiah W. Pearson III - Associate Administrator
Bryan O'Connor - Deputy Associate Administrator
Tom Utsman - Space Shuttle Program Director
Leonard Nicholson - Space Shuttle Program Manager (JSC)
Brewster Shaw - Deputy Space Shuttle Program Manager (KSC)
Office of Space Systems Development
Arnold D. Aldrich - Associate Administrator
Michael T. Lyons - Deputy Associate Administrator (Flight Systems)
Lewis Peach, Jr. - Director, Advanced Programs
George Levin - Chief, Advanced Space Systems
Michael Card - Program Manager, SHOOT
Office of Advanced Concepts and Technology
Gregory M. Reck - Associate Administrator (Acting)
Jack Levine - Director (Acting), Flight Projects Division
Andrew B. Dougherty - Spacehab Utilization Program Manager
Richard H. Ott - Director (Acting), Space Processing Division
Ana M. Villamil - Deputy Director (Acting), Space Processing Division
Dan Bland - Commercial Middeck Augmentation Module Project Manager
(JSC)
Office of Safety and Mission Assurance
Col. Frederick Gregory - Associate Administrator
Charles Mertz - (Acting) Deputy Associate Administrator
Richard Perry - Director, Programs Assurance
Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications
Gary Martin - SAMS Program Manager
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA.
Robert L. Crippen - Director
James A. "Gene" Thomas - Deputy Director
Jay F. Honeycutt - Director, Shuttle Management and Operations
Robert B. Sieck - Launch Director
John "Tip" Talone - Endeavour Flow Director
J. Robert Lang - Director, Vehicle Engineering
Al J. Parrish - Director of Safety, Reliability and Quality Assurance
John T. Conway - Director, Payload Management and Operations
P. Thomas Breakfield - Director, Shuttle Payload Operations
MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER, HUNTSVILLE, ALA.
Thomas J. Lee - Director
Dr. J. Wayne Littles - Deputy Director
Harry G. Craft, Jr. - Manager, Payload Projects Office
Alexander A. McCool - Manager, Shuttle Projects Office
Dr. George McDonough - Director, Science and Engineering
James H. Ehl - Director, Safety and Mission Assurance
Otto Goetz - Manager, Space Shuttle Main Engine Project
Victor Keith Henson - Manager, Redesigned Solid Rocket Motor Project
Cary H. Rutland - Manager, Solid Rocket Booster Project
Parker Counts - Manager, External Tank Project
JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, HOUSTON
Aaron Cohen - Director
Paul J. Weitz - Deputy Director
Daniel Germany - Manager, Orbiter and GFE Projects
David Leestma - Director, Flight Crew Operations
Eugene F. Kranz - Director, Mission Operations
Henry O. Pohl - Director, Engineering
Charles S. Harlan - Director, Safety, Reliability and Quality Assurance
STENNIS SPACE CENTER, BAY ST. LOUIS, MISS.
Roy S. Estess - Director
Gerald Smith - Deputy Director
J. Harry Guin - Director, Propulsion Test Operations
AMES-DRYDEN FLIGHT RESEARCH FACILITY, EDWARDS, CALIF.
Kenneth J. Szalai - Director
Robert R. Meyers, Jr. - Assistant Director
James R. Phelps - Chief, Shuttle Support Office.
AMES RESEARCH CENTER, MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF.
Dr. Dale L. Compton - Director
Victor L. Peterson - Deputy Director
Dr. Joseph C. Sharp - Director, Space Research
GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER, GREENBELT, MD.
Dr. John Klineberg - Director
Thomas E. Huber - Director, Engineering Directorate
Robert Weaver - Chief, Special Payloads Division
David Shrewsberry - Associate Chief, Special Payloads Division