STS-63 PRESS KIT
                       FEBRUARY, 1995

                    SHUTTLE-MIR RENDEZVOUS
                          SPACEHAB-3
                          SPARTAN-204

PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS

For Information on the Space Shuttle

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

Rob Navias     Mission Operations     713/483-5111
Johnson Space Center      Astronauts

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

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

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

For Information on STS-63 Experiments & Activities

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

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

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

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

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

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

CONTENTS

GENERAL BACKGROUND
General Release                          3
Media Services Information               6
Quick-Look Facts                         8
Shuttle Abort Modes                     10
Summary Timeline                        11
Payload and Vehicle Weights             12
Orbital Events Summary                  13
Crew Responsibilities                   14

CARGO BAY PAYLOADS & ACTIVITIES
Shuttle-Mir Rendezvous and Fly Around     16
SPARTAN-204                               20
CGP/ODERACS                               28
STS-63 Extravehicular Activities (EVA)    37

IN-CABIN PAYLOADS
SPACEHAB-3                                  39
Solid Surface Combustion Experiment (SSCE)  60
Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS)          60

STS-63 CREW BIOGRAPHIES
James D. Wetherbee, Commander (CDR)         61
Eileen M. Collins, Pilot (PLT)              61
Bernard A. Harris Jr., Payload Commander/Mission Specialist-
1 (MS-1)                                          61
C. Michael Foale, Mission Specialist-2 (MS-2)     62
Janice Voss, Mission Specialist-3 (MS-3)          62
Vladimir Georgievich Titov, Mission Specialist-4 (MS-4)  62

RELEASE:  95-5

RENDEZVOUS WITH RUSSIAN SPACE STATION HIGHLIGHTS FIRST 
SHUTTLE FLIGHT OF 1995

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

     In addition, the STS-63 mission will see the third 
flight of the commercial SPACEHAB facility in which a number 
of microgravity research experiments will be conducted.  
Discovery's crew also will deploy and retrieve a free-flyer 
astronomy payload and two crew members will perform a five 
hour spacewalk.

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

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

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

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

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

     The STS-63 mission will see the third flight of the 
SPACEHAB module, a pressurized, commercially-developed space 
research laboratory located in the forward end of 
Discovery's cargo bay.  The SPACEHAB module significantly 
increases the pressurized working and storage volume 
normally available aboard the Shuttle.  Over 20 SPACEHAB-3 
experiments, sponsored by NASA's Offices of Space Access and 
Technology and Life and Microgravity Sciences and 
Applications together with the Department of Defense, 
represent a diverse cross-section of technological, 
biological and other scientific disciplines.  These 
experiments were developed for flight by an equally-diverse 
complement of university, industry and government 
organizations nationwide.  

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

     Spartan 204's mission will occur in two distinct 
phases.  The first phase will have the crew grapple the 
Spartan spacecraft with the robot arm and unberth it from 
its support structure.  The crew then will conduct 
scientific observations by pointing Spartan at the Shuttle's 
tail to observe surface glow.  It also will point at a 
primary Reaction Control System thruster to obtain far 
ultraviolet spectrographs of a thruster firing.

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

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

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

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

     The first of four Hitchhiker missions scheduled for 
this year is CGP/ODERACS-II and will be aboard STS-63.  This 
payload's acronym stems from the following experiments:  
Cryo System Experiment (CSE) whose overall goal is to 
validate and characterize the on-orbit performance of two 
thermal management technologies that comprise a hybrid 
cryogenic system; the Shuttle Glow (GLO-2) experiment which 
will investigate the mysterious shroud of Iuminosity, called 
the "glow phenomenon" observed by astronauts on past Shuttle 
missions; and the Orbital Debris Radar Calibration System-II 
(ODERACS-II) experiment which will provide a vehicle whereby 
small calibration targets are placed in Low Earth Orbit 
(LEO) for the purpose of calibrating ground-based radar and 
optical systems so that they may more accurately provide 
information regarding small debris in LEO. 

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

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

                          - end -

MEDIA SERVICES INFORMATION

NASA Television Transmission

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

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

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

Status Reports

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

Briefings

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

Access by Internet

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

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

     An additional service known as fax-on-demand will 
enable users to access NASA informational materials from 
their fax machines.  Users calling (202) 358-3976 may follow 
a series of prompts and will automatically be faxed the most 
recent Headquarters news releases they request.

Access by Compuserve

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

STS-63 QUICK LOOK

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

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

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

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

Middeck Payloads: SSCE (Solid Surface Combustion Experiment)

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

Developmental Test Objectives/Detailed Supplementary 
Objectives:

DTO 301D:   Ascent Structural Capability Evaluation
DTO 305D:   Ascent Compartment Venting Evaluation
DTO 306D:   Descent Compartment Venting Evaluation
DTO 307D:   Entry Structural Capability
DTO 312:   External Tank Thermal Protection System 
Performance
DTO 319D:  Orbiter/Payload Acceleration and Acoustics Data
DTO 414:   APU Shutdown Test
DTO 524:   Landing Gear Loads and Brake Stability Evaluation
DTO 623:   Cabin Air Monitoring
DTO 671:   EVA Hardware for Future Scheduled EVA Missions
DTO 672:   EMU Electronic Cuff Checklist
DTO 700-2:  Laser Range and Range Rate Device
DTO 700-5:  Payload Bay Mounted Rendezvous Laser
DTO 700-7:  Orbiter Data for Real-Time Navigation Evaluation
DTO 805:  Crosswind Landing Performance
DTO 832:  Target of Opportunity Navigation Sensors
DTO 833:  EMU Thermal Comfort Evaluations
DTO 835:  Mir Approach Demonstration
DTO 836:  Tools for Rendezvous and Docking
DTO 838:  Near Field Targeting and Reflective Alignment 
System
DTO 1118: Photographic and Video Survey of Mir Space Station
DTO 1210:  EVA Operations Procedures/Training
DSO 200B:  Radiobiological Effects  
DSO 201B:  Sensory-Motor Investigations
DSO 204:  Visual Observations from Space
DSO 327:  Shuttle-Mir VHF Voice Link Verification
DSO 483:  Back Pain Pattern in Microgravity
DSO 484:  Assessment of Circadian Shifting in Astronauts by 
Bright Light
DSO 486: Physical Examination in Space
DSO 487: Immunological Assessment of Crewmembers
DSO 491: Characterization of Microbial Transfer Among 
Crewmembers During Flight
DSO 492:  In-Flight Evaluation of a Portable Clinical Blood 
Analyzer
DSO 604:  Visual-Vestibular Integration as a Function of 
Adaptation
DSO 608:  Effects of Space Flight on Aerobic and Anaerobic                          
Metabolism
DSO 621: In-Flight Use of Florinef to Improve Orthostatic                          
Intolerance Postflight
DSO 626:  Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Responses to                          
Standing Before and  After Space Flight
DSO 901:  Documentary Television
DSO 902:  Documentary Motion Picture Photography
DSO 903:  Documentary Still Photography

SPACE SHUTTLE ABORT MODES

     Space Shuttle launch abort philosophy aims toward safe 
and intact recovery of the flight crew, Orbiter and its 
payload.  Abort modes for STS-63 include:

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

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

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

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

STS-63 SUMMARY TIMELINE

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

Flight Day Two:
SPACEHAB experiments
SPARTAN attached operations

Flight Day Three:
SPACEHAB experiments
Mir Rendezvous Burns

Flight Day Four:
Mir Rendezvous

Flight Day Five:
SPARTAN Deploy
SPACEHAB experiments

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

Flight Day Seven:
EVA Prep
SPARTAN Rendezvous and Retrieval
EVA

Flight Day Eight:
SPACEHAB experiments
Crew News Conference
Cabin Stow

Flight Day Nine:
Deorbit Prep
Deorbit Burn
Entry
Landing

PAYLOAD AND VEHICLE WEIGHTS

Vehicle/Payload                                Pounds

Orbiter (Discovery) empty and 3 SSMEs         173,716

Spacehab-03                                    8,765

Spacehab Support Equipment                      662

Spartan 204 Airborne Support Equipment        2,409

Spartan 204 Deployable Payload                2,572

CGP/ODERACS-2                                 4,406

Solid Surface Combustion Experiment            139

Detailed Test/Supplementary Objectives         247

Shuttle System at SRB Ignition            4,511,889

Orbiter Weight at Landing                   211,318

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

EVENT                    MET             TIME OF DAY (EST)

OMS-2                    0/00:42          1:39 AM, Feb. 2

SPACEHAB Activation      0/02:30          3:21 AM, Feb. 2

ODERACS Deploy           0/03:40          4:31 AM, Feb. 2

RMS Checkout             0/06:10          7:01 AM, Feb. 2

SPARTAN Unberth          1/01:00          1:51 AM, Feb. 3
(Attached RMS Operations)

SPARTAN Berth             1/07:00          7:51 AM, Feb. 3

TI-Burn, Mir             3/10:55          11:55 AM, Feb. 5

V-Bar Arrival, Mir       3/12:35           1:26 PM, Feb. 5

30-Foot Stationkeeping   3/13:22          2:19 PM, Feb. 5

Separation Burn          3/14:45          3:36 PM, Feb. 5

SPARTAN Deploy           4/06:45          7:36 AM, Feb. 6

EMU Checkout             5/03:00          3:51 AM, Feb. 7

FCS Checkout             5/05:05          5:56 AM, Feb. 7

EVA Prep                6/00:00          12:51 AM, Feb. 8

TI-Burn, SPARTAN        6/03:35          4:26 AM, Feb. 8

SPARTAN Grapple         6/05:45          6:36 AM, Feb. 8

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

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

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

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

Deorbit Burn             8/05:13          6:04 AM, Feb. 10

KSC Landing              8/06:13          7:04 AM, Feb. 10

STS-63 CREW RESPONSIBILITIES

TASK/PAYLOAD               PRIMARY         BACKUPS/OTHERS

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

Secondary Payloads
CSE                       Wetherbee
GLO-2                     Wetherbee          Collins
ODERACS-2                 Wetherbee          Collins, Harris
AMOS                      Wetherbee          Collins
CONCAP-II                 Wetherbee          Collins
ICBC                      Voss               Titov
MSX                       Collins            Wetherbee
SSCE                      Foale              Titov
CTOS                      Harris             Voss

Spacehab-3 Experiments
ASC-IV            Titov               Voss, Harris
BRIC-03           Foale               Voss
BPL-03            Wetherbee           Collins, Harris
CHARLOTTE         Titov               Voss, Harris
CHROMEX-06        Titov               Voss, Harris
CGBA-05           Titov               Harris, Voss
CPCG-VDA          Voss                Titov
CREAM-06          Wetherbee           Foale, Titov
ECLiPSE-HAB3      Harris              Titov
F-GBA             Wetherbee           Collins, Harris
GPPM-02           Voss                Harris
IMMUNE-02         Harris              Titov, Foale, Voss
NIH-C-03          Harris              Foale
PCG-STES-03       Voss                Foale, Titov
PCF-LST-03        Harris              Voss
RME-III-13        Wetherbee           Foale
SAMS-03           Foale               Wetherbee,
3-DMA             Collins             Titov
WINDEX-01         Foale               Collins, Titov

DTOs/ DSOs

DSO 200B (Radiobio Effects)                All
DSO 201B (Sensory-Motor)         Wetherbee, Collins, Harris, 
                                   Foale, Voss, Titov
DSO 204 (Visual Observ.)               Titov, Foale
DSO 483 (Back Pain Pattern)      Collins, Foale, Voss
DSO 484 (Circadian Shifting)     Wetherbee, Collins, Voss,
                                        Titov
DSO 486 (Physical Exam)         Wetherbee, Collins, Harris
                                (doctor), Foale, Voss, Titov
DSO 487 (Immun. Assessment)          All
DSO 491 (Microbial Transfer)         All
DSO 492 (Blood Analyzer)         Wetherbee, Harris, Voss
DSO 608 (Ergometer)              Harris, Foale

Photography/TV            Foale          Titov
In-Flight Maintenance     Titov          Foale
Earth Observations        Titov          Foale
RMS                       Voss           Titov, Foale
Medical                   Harris         Foale

SHUTTLE MIR RENDEZVOUS AND FLY AROUND

     STS-63's primary objective is to rendezvous with the 
Russian Space Station Mir in a dress rehearsal of 
cooperative missions that will follow later in 1995.  The 
approach will serve to test the systems and techniques 
currently planned for the first Shuttle docking mission, 
STS-71, currently scheduled for June 1995.

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

     The manual phase of the operation begins just after 
Discovery passes about a half-mile below Mir when Commander 
Jim Wetherbee takes the controls at a distance of about 
2,000 feet.  Wetherbee will be flying the Shuttle from the 
aft flight deck controls as Discovery circles up to 
intersect the velocity vector of Mir.  The velocity vector, 
also known as the V-Bar, is an imaginary line drawn along 
Mir's direction of travel.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spartan 204

Background

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

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

     In June 1985, a Spartan mission successfully carried an 
X-ray telescope aboard STS-51G.  Another carrier, Spartan 
Halley, was on board Shuttle Mission STS-51L.  In April 1993 
and September 1994, Spartan 201 was flown aboard the Space 
Shuttle Discovery on missions STS-56 and STS-64.  This is 
the first flight of the Spartan 204 carrier system.

STS-63 payload config. graphic

Spartan 204 Mission

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

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

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

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

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

SpARTAN 204 SCIENCE

     The Far Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (FUVIS) 
experiment objectives are to study astronomical and 
artificially-induced sources of diffuse far-ultraviolet 
radiation.  The astronomical diffuse sources include 
nebulae, celestial diffuse background radiation and nearby 
external galaxies.  The artificial sources include emissions 
associated with the Orbiter -- the recently discovered 
Shuttle surface glow and emissions due to Shuttle Reaction 
Control system rocket engines.

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

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

     The Orion Nebula is an example of a cloud of 
interstellar material which is excited to glow by the far-
ultraviolet light emitted by the very hot stars embedded 
within it.  The Cygnus Loop is an example of a supernova 
remnant - a shell of interstellar gas which is excited to 
glow by the outwardly-moving shock wave produced by a 
stellar explosion -- a supernova -- which occurred about 
50,000 years ago.

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

     The FUVIS instrument is designed to provide the highest 
possible diffuse source sensitivity in the far-ultraviolet, 
but also provides efficient means for study of large, faint 
galactic nebulae such as the Barnard Loop, North America, 
and Cygnus Loop nebulae, comets, and diffuse emissions 
associated with the Shuttle.  It also is capable of mapping 
nearby galaxies such as the Magellanic Clouds and the 
Andromeda Galaxy.

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

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

     Spartan 204 science objectives are sponsored by the 
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Washington, DC.  The 
FUVIS science investigation team consists of Principal 
Investigator Dr. George Carruthers of NRL, and Co-
Investigators Dr. Adolf Witt, University of Toledo, Dr. 
Reginald Dufour, Rice University, and Dr. John Raymond, 
Center for Astrophysics.

SPARTAN OPERATIONS 

Attached Operations

     The science payload is mounted aboard the Spartan 
carrier.  When the Shuttle is on orbit and the payload bay 
doors are open, a crew member uses the robot arm to lift 
Spartan from the payload bay.  The instrument on the Spartan 
carrier is controlled over a command path through the robot 
arm while a crew member points the spacecraft on the end of 
the arm using the robot arm's controls.  Several pointing 
sequences will be performed over one and a half orbits.  
After this part of the science mission is over, tracking 
control system tests will be performed using the spacecraft 
on the end of the robot arm before the spacecraft is 
berthed.

Free-flight Deployment

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

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

     For approximately 40 hours, Spartan 204's instrument 
will observe various celestial targets of interest as the 
Space Shuttle paces it from behind.  About four hours prior 
to the scheduled retrieval, the Shuttle will perform engine 
firings allowing it to close on Spartan 204, eventually 
passing directly below it before a crew member manually 
flies the final few hundred feet (approximately 100 meters) 
to allow the satellite to be grasped by the robot arm.  Once 
caught by the arm, Spartan 204 will be brought back into the 
cargo bay.

Detailed Test Objectives (DTOs)

     Besides its scientific mission, the Spartan 204 
spacecraft will support two Space Station Detailed Test 
Objectives, or DTOs.  For the first DTO, Spartan 204 has six 
laser retroreflectors mounted on it to aid in testing the 
Tracking Control System (TCS).  They will be used during 
proximity operations after the attached operations on Flight 
Day 2, as well as during deployment and retrieval on flight 
days 5 and 7.

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

Spartan 204 spacecraft graphic
View looking aft spartan graphic

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

Spartan 204 Statistics

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

SPARTAN 204 MANAGEMENT

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

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

STS-63 HITCHHIKER PROGRAM/PAYLOAD OVERVIEW

     The Hitchhiker Program, managed by the Shuttle Small 
Payloads Project at GSFC, is designed for customers who wish 
to fly quick-reaction and low-cost experiments on the 
Shuttle.  The program's system is designed to be modular and 
expandable in accordance with customer requirements.  The 
system provides power, data or command services to operate 
these experiments.  Typically, payloads receive their power 
and data handling through the Hitchhiker Avionics which 
provides standardized electrical, telemetry, and command 
interfaces between the Orbiter and the experiments.  During 
the mission operations, experimenters will receive real-time 
communications between themselves and their payloads at the 
Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) located at GSFC.

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

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

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

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

     During on-orbit operation, test data will be recorded 
to characterize performance of the technology including 1) 
oxygen diode heat pipe temperature gradient and transport 
capacity in steady-state and transient conditions, 2) system 
vibration levels attributed to the active cryocooler, and 3) 
integrated, extended operations of the cooling system.

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

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

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

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

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

     This experiment originated as the Shuttle Glow 
experiment sponsored by the USAF/Phillips Laboratory.  The 
nature of the instrument makes it ideal for studies of 
Earth's thermosphere.  Consequently, it has become a joint 
program with NASA/Space Physics Division of the Office of 
Space Science.

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

     To understand why spacecraft glow, and the potential 
effects of glow on space-based sensors, USAF Phillips 
Laboratory is sponsoring the experiment to collect spectral 
and imaging data to characterize the optical emissions.  The 
principal investigators, Dr. Edmond Murad from the Phillips 
Laboratory and Dr. Lyle Broadfoot from the University of 
Arizona, plan to collect high resolution (0.5 nanometer) 
spectra over a wide spectral range including the ultraviolet 
and visible portions of the spectrum.  The spatial extent of 
the glow will be mapped precisely (0.1 degrees), and the 
effects of ambient magnetic field, orbit altitude, mission 
elapsed time, Shuttle thruster firings, and surface 
composition on the intensity and spectrum of the glow will 
be measured.  An optical emission model will then be 
developed from the data.

     The GLO-2 experiment consists of imagers and 
spectrographs, which are bore-slighted to the imagers, so 
that both sensors are focused onto the same area of 
observation, for example, the Shuttle tail.  The imagers 
serve to unambiguously identify the source region of the 
glow spectrum as well as to map the spatial extent of the 
luminosity.  Unique features of the sensors are their high 
spectral and spatial resolution.  Each spectrograph employs 
a concave holographic grating that focuses and disperses 
light within a small field of view (0.1 by 2.0 degrees) over 
the wavelength range of 115-1100 nanometers.  The sensor 
comprises nine separate channels, each of which operates 
simultaneously and independently, to cover individual 
segments of the spectrum.  Spectrally resolved light from 
the grating is amplified by image intensifiers that are 
optically coupled to a charge-coupled-device (CCD) detector.  
CCD-pixel readouts are summed in groups to achieve spatial 
mapping with a resolution of about 0.1 degrees.

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

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

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

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

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

     A graduate student program will provide the interface 
between the model and the experiment.  The modeler will be 
involved in the planning to optimize his/her validation.  
The observation will be advocated by the graduate student 
and the data product will be prepared and defended by the 
graduate student using the spectral analysis capabilities at 
the GLO data center at the University of Arizona.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

     Radar facilities include:  the Millstone, Haystack, and 
the Haystack Auxiliary Radars in Massachusetts; the 
Kwajalein Radars (TRADEX, ALCOR, Millimeter Wave, and 
ALTAIR) in the South Pacific; the Eglin Radar in Florida; 
the PARCS Radar in North Dakota; and the FGAN Radar in 
Germany.  Optical facilities include:  the worldwide GEODDS 
telescope network, the NASA/JSC telescope, and the Super-
RADOT telescope facility in the South Pacific.  Other 
USSPACECOM sensor facilities also will support the mission 
as necessary.  This experiment enables the correlation of 
controlled empirical optical and radar debris signatures of 
targets whose physical dimensions, compositions, 
reflectivity, and electromagnetic scattering properties are 
precisely known, thereby verifying or improving the sensors' 
accuracy and ultimately leading to better knowledge of the 
debris environment.

     The ODERACS-II experiment, whose Principal Investigator 
is Gene Stansbery of Johnson, will release six targets, 
three spheres and three dipoles of different sizes from the 
Shuttle payload bay.  The targets will be observed, tracked 
and recorded using ground-based radar and optical sensors.  
The spheres are composed of polished, blackened, and 
whitened stainless steel and aluminum.  The sphere group 
consists of one 2-inch diameter stainless steel sphere, one 
4-inch diameter aluminum sphere and one 6-inch diameter 
aluminum sphere.   The dipoles consist of platinum alloys 
chosen to maximize orbital lifetime.  The dipole group 
consists of one 1.740 inches x .040 inch diameter wire and 
two 5.255 inches x .040 inch diameter wires.  The targets 
will be ejected retrograde along the Shuttle velocity vector 
at velocities between 1.4 and 3.4 meters per second (4.5 to 
11.1 feet per second).  The estimated average orbital 
lifetime of the targets ranges from about 20 to 280 days and 
is highly dependent on solar flux and the resultant 
atmospheric heating.  All targets will completely burn up 
during reentry.

CGP/ODERACS/CONCAP graphic

STS-63 EVA ACTIVITIES

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

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

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

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

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

     The evaluation of the modifications will be performed 
when Discovery is positioned with its belly pointed toward 
the Sun and the payload bay shadowed, creating the coldest 
environment possible.  The robot arm, with Foale and Harris 
on it, will be extended above the payload bay, clear of the 
Orbiter's radiated heat.  Foale and Harris will stay in that 
position without performing any work for about 15 minutes, 
all the time providing ground engineers with objective 
feedback and data on their thermal comfort levels.

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

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

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

SPACEHAB-3

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

     Under a contract awarded in 1990 with SPACEHAB, Inc., 
of Arlington, VA, NASA is leasing space aboard SPACEHAB-3 to 
support the Agency's commercial development of space program 
by providing access to space to test, demonstrate or 
evaluate techniques or processes in the environment of space 
and thereby reduce operational risks to a level appropriate 
for commercial development.  The 5-1/2 ton space module 
significantly increases the pressurized working and storage 
volume normally available aboard the Shuttle.

New System Features

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

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

     SPACEHAB, Inc., also has enhanced the experiment data 
interface with the  SPACEHAB telemetry system in the 
interest of on-orbit efficiency.  The system now allows an 
experimenter with a standard RS232 computer interface to tie 
directly into the system and send continuous information 
down to the ground, off loading this task from the crew and 
enhancing ground controller monitoring of experiment status.

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

Experiments

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

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

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

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

     The ASC-1 flight experiment, conducted during the USML-
1 mission on STS-50, evaluated the WCSAR concept for 
providing water and nutrients to plants. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

BioServe Pilot Laboratory-3 (BPL-3)

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

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

     BioServe will examine Rhizobium trifolii behavior in 
microgravity.  Rhizobia are special bacteria that form a 
symbolic relationship with plants.  The bacteria infect the 
plants early in seedling development to form nodules on the 
plant roots.  The bacteria in these nodules derive 
nutritional support from the plant while, in turn, providing 
the plant with nitrogen fixed from the air.  Plants that 
form such relationships with rhizobia are called legumes and 
include alfalfa, clover and soybean.  Such plants do not 
require synthetic fertilizers to grow.  In contrast, many 
important crop plants such as wheat and corn are dependent 
on synthetic fertilizers since they do not form symbolic 
relationships with rhizobia.  Understanding the multi-step 
process associated with rhizobia infection of legumes may 
make it possible to manipulate the process to cause 
infection of other crop plants.  The potential savings in 
fertilizer production would be tremendous.

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

     BioServe will study these bacteria to determine changes 
in growth and behavior that occur as a consequence of 
exposure to microgravity.  The commercial objectives include 
understanding and controlling bacterial infection in closed 
environments; exploiting bacteria and other microorganisms 
in the development of ecological life support systems and 
waste management;  determining the opportunity for enhanced 
genetic engineering; and enhanced pharmaceutical production 
using bacterial systems.  For  STS-63, the BPL will consist 
of 40 Bioprocessing Modules (BPMs) stowed in a standard 
locker in the middeck of Discovery.  The BPMs will contain 
the biological sample materials.  The stowage locker also 
will contain an Ambient Temperature Recorder which will 
provide a temperature history of the payload throughout the 
mission.

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

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

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

Biological Research in Canisters (BRIC-3)

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

     Soybeans and other carbohydrate-rich plants would 
provide an ideal food source for long-duration space 
missions, including Space Station.  This experiment will 
investigate the basic processes involved in carbohydrate 
production by observing how exposure to microgravity affects 
the production of consumable food products.

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

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

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

Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (CGBA-6)

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

     Corporate affiliates include the Center for Cancer 
Research, Manhattan, KS; Kansas Agricultural Experiment 
Station, Manhattan, KS; NeXagen, Boulder, CO; Synchrocell, 
Inc.; and Water Technology Industries.

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

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

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

     In the third category, Biomaterials and Biotechnology 
Systems Development, BioServe will investigate eleven 
different biomaterials and biotechnology products and 
processes in the following areas:  large protein and RNA 
crystals for use in commercial drug development; assembly of 
virus shells for use in a commercially-developed drug 
delivery system; enzymatic breakdown of fibrin, collagen and 
cellulose materials with application to engineering of 
tissue implants; bacterial systems with application to 
understanding proliferation, antibiotic resistance, 
pharmaceutical production and response to environmental 
stress; and evaluation of the use of microscopic magnetic 
particles, called magnetosomes, to form strong, collagen-
based materials for possible use in artificial implants.

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

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

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

CHARLOTTE

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

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

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

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

CHROMEX-6

     In previous spaceflight experiments, it has been 
observed that plants exposed to microgravity exhibit 
abnormalities in cell shape and structure.  Many of these 
observations can be linked to changes in the plant cell 
walls.  These cell walls of plants determine many aspects of 
plant growth, including shape, growth rate, cell-cell 
recognition, and composition of fiber to name a few.  Many 
of the biochemical features that characterize mature, 
functional cell walls are catalyzed by cell wall-associated 
enzymes.  The CHROMEX-6 study will help explain the role of 
these enzymes in establishing normal cell wall structure and 
function.

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

     CHROMEX-5, which flew on STS-68, examined the effects 
of space flight on early reproductive events in plants and 
was the first occurrence of successful pollination, 
fertilization and embryo development (formation of young 
seed) for a U.S. investigator.  A longer-duration flight 
opportunity will be necessary in order to produce mature 
seed from seed that is planted in space.

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

     The experiment is sponsored by NASA's Office of Life 
and Microgravity Sciences and Applications and managed by 
NASA's Kennedy Space Center, FL.  Dr. Elizabeth E. Hood, 
Utah State University, is Principal Investigator.

Commercial Protein Crystal Growth (CPCG)

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

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

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

     The objective of the VDA experiments aboard STS-63 is 
to use the microgravity environment to produce large, well-
ordered crystals that yield x-ray diffraction data that are 
superior to the data from their Earth-grown counterparts.  
This will be the 18th flight of the Vapor Diffusion 
Apparatus experiments, and the series of experiments has 
produced the highest-quality crystals ever grown of several 
proteins.  Crystallographic analysis has revealed that on 
average 20% of proteins grown in space in the VDA are 
superior to their Earth-grown counterparts.

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

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

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

Equipment for Controlled Liquid Phase Sintering Experiments 
(ECLIPSE)

     The Consortium for Materials Development in Space 
(CMDS), based at the University of Alabama in Huntsville 
(UAH) has developed the Equipment for Controlled Liquid 
Phase Sintering Experiments (ECLIPSE).  This furnace was 
developed in a very rapid and cost-effective manner.  
Development of ECLIPSE was supported by Wyle Laboratories.  
It successfully flew on the first two SPACEHAB missions and 
is now available as space-qualified hardware and is a key 
part of the nation's commercial space infrastructure.

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

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

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

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

Fluids Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus-1 (FGBA-1)

      The Fluids Generic Processing Apparatus-1 is the first 
of three commercial payloads being developed by BioServe 
Space Technologies.  BioServe is a NASA Center for the 
Commercial Development of Space (CCDS) located at the 
University of Colorado, Boulder.  A consortium of private 
businesses, universities and government, including The Coca-
Cola Company, Atlanta, GA;  Martin Marietta, Denver, CO; 
Ohmeda, Boulder, CO; University of Colorado, Boulder; Kansas 
State University, Manhattan, KS; and NASA's Office of Space 
Access and Technology, Washington, DC, have combined 
resources to sponsor the FGBA commercial program.

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

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

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

Gas Permeable Polymer Materials (GPPM)

     The Gas Permeable Polymer Materials (GPPM) payload is 
sponsored by NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, and 
its commercial affiliate, Paragon Vision Sciences of 
Phoenix, AZ.

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

     The Gas Permeable Polymer Materials (GPPM) flight 
experiment is a follow on to the first GPPM flight, which 
took place in July 1993.  The purpose of these flights is to 
determine if certain types of polymers made in low gravity 
while the Space Shuttle is in orbit, differ greatly from the 
same polymers made at the same time on the ground.  The 
current flight will evaluate new materials based on results 
from the first GPPM flight. 

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

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

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

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

Handheld Diffusion Test Cell (HH-DTC)

    The Handheld Diffusion Test Cell (HH-DTC) apparatus will 
evaluate experiment chambers designed for the new Observable 
Protein Crystal Growth Apparatus (OPCGA), which will use 
sophisticated optical techniques to analyze the growth of 
individual crystals in orbit. 
 
    Scientists have been growing protein crystals in space 
for almost a decade.  There is good evidence that in about 
25 percent of the cases crystals can be grown in space that 
are superior to any grown on Earth.  Determining exactly why 
some space-grown crystals are better is the goal of the 
Observable Crystal Growth System and the transparent test 
cells being tested on this flight.  If scientists can 
pinpoint the underlying mechanisms which influence growth in 
space versus that on Earth, the fundamental knowledge they 
gain could suggest improved methods of crystal growth in 
orbit as well as in Earth-based laboratories.  Past studies 
on small-molecule crystal growth, for instance involving 
semiconductors and laser optics, have produced such improved 
methods.

   The STS-63 experiment also will evaluate the growth of 
protein crystals by diffusion of one liquid into another, 
since crystals produced by the liquid diffusion process will 
be better suited for observation experiments on upcoming 
flights.

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

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

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

     Each test cell has three chambers:  protein solution, 
buffer solution, and precipitant solution. The buffer 
solution chamber cuts across the width of a shaft between 
protein and precipitant solutions.  Before the experiment, a 
valve is positioned so each fluid is isolated from the 
others.  An astronaut will activate the experiment by 
rotating the valve 90 degrees, so the buffer contacts the 
protein and precipitant and the three form a single volume.  
The rotating valve minimizes liquid movement, limiting 
alteration of the liquids' shapes and  volumes.  When the 
three liquids are in contact, they will slowly diffuse into 
each other.  The crew will close the valves before return to 
Earth.

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

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

Immune System Experiment - 2 (IMMUNE-2)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Based on recent experimental findings, PEG-IL2 (and 
recombinant IL-2) appears to have potential as an 
immunoregulatory agent leading to control of microbial 
infections.  As such, PEG-IL2 may become part of a therapy 
used to treat various opportunistic infections associated 
with AIDS and other non-AIDS related infectious diseases.

     It also may become useful for the nation's aging 
population, because aging individuals show decreased levels 
of Interleukin-2.  The PEG-IL2 treatment could accompany flu 
shots to bolster the immune system of the elderly.  These 
important applications present exciting commercial 
opportunities for Chiron Corp.

    Dr. Robert Zimmerman, of the Chiron Corp., Emeryville, 
CA, is Principal Investigator for the IMMUNE-2 experiment.

National Institutes of Health- C-3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

      For Dr. Kulesh's research, rat muscle cells will be 
cultured in individual cell cartridges and sustained in the 
STL module.  The experiment itself is passive, requiring no 
in-flight manipulation except for temperature monitoring.  
The experiment requires special preparations before launch 
and immediate removal from the Shuttle after landing, to 
access the effects of microgravity on the growth of muscle 
cells, before the effects of full gravity are re-
established.

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

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

       3.  Influence of Space Flight on Bone Cell Cultures
              (Animal and Human Physiology:  Bone loss)

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

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

     The investigators will use established cell lines of 
chicken osteoblasts in the STL module.  The investigators 
will analyze rates of cell growth, aspects of collagen and 
bone development, and mineralization both inside and outside 
the cultured cells.  Data obtained in the flight experiments 
should provide knowledge on the effects of gravity on 
osteoblast activity and function, protein development, and 
mineralization.  The studies will have implications for long 
duration space flight, as well as application to the 
diagnosis and treatment of prolonged skeletal immobilization 
or mineral abnormalities.

Protein Crystallization Apparatus for Microgravity

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

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

    Many proteins can be grown as crystals and their 
molecular structure determined through analysis of the 
crystals by X-ray crystallography.  Unfortunately, crystals 
grown in the gravity environment of Earth often have 
internal defects that make such analysis difficult or 
impossible.  As demonstrated on Space Shuttle missions since 
1985, some protein crystals grown in space  away from 
gravity's distortions  are larger and have fewer defects.

    The PCAM will grow crystals using the vapor diffusion 
method, which has been highly effective in previous Shuttle 
experiments.  In vapor diffusion, liquid evaporates from a 
protein solution and is absorbed by a reservoir solution 
contained in a wicking material.  As the protein 
concentration rises, the proteins form crystals.

    A controlled-temperature enclosure occupying a single 
Shuttle mid-deck locker, called the Single-locker Thermal 
Enclosure System (STES), will hold six cylinders containing 
a total of 378 samples  one of the largest quantities in 
any single protein crystal growth experiment to date.  In 
previous experiments of this type, a single locker 
accommodated a maximum of 60 samples.  The STES will 
maintain temperatures at 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees 
Celsius).

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

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

      A few of the candidate proteins for this flight of the 
PCAM are human cytomegalovirus assemblin (a factor in virus 
duplication), parathyroid hormone antagonist (a controlling 
factor in bone growth), pseudoknot 26 (a potential HIV 
inhibitor), and human antithrombin III (a blood clotting 
factor).

     Dr. Daniel Carter of NASA's Marshall Space Flight 
Center, Huntsville, AL, is Principal Investigator for PCAM.

Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS)

    STS-63 will be the 13th mission SAMS has supported and 
will be the third on a Spacehab mission.  For this mission, 
SAMS  will be flying in the mid-deck instead of the Spacehab 
module as it has in the past.  SAMS will be supporting three 
different protein crystal experiments (PCG-STES, CPCG-VDA 
and PCF-LST).  These experiments require late access for 
launch which can only be accommodated in the mid-deck of the 
Space Shuttle.  Each of these experiments will have a 
dedicated 10 Hz triaxial sensor head (TSH) to monitor its 
particular vibration environment.  Shortly before 
activation, the crew will mount the three TSHs at their 
designated locations close to the experiments.

    SAMS will provide the scientists conducting these 
experiments with the information of the microgravity 
environment they experienced during the mission.  The 
scientists will be able to account for the rocket thruster 
firings, crew activity and background vibrations that 
influence these delicate experiments.  The instrument is 
managed by NASA's Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, OH, for 
the agency's Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences and 
Applications, Washington, DC.

Three-Dimensional Microgravity Accelerometer (3-DMA)

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

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

     The 3-DMA will measure disturbances caused by operating 
various experiments in SPACEHAB and the residual 
microgravity resulting from Orbiter rotational motions and 
by residual resistance at the upper atmosphere fringes.  No 
crew interaction is required on-orbit other than occasional 
status checks.  Status data also are sent to the ground by 
telemetry.

     The 3-DMA, which successfully flew aboard the first two 
SPACEHAB missions, has been developed as a low-cost system 
suitable for commercialization by the CMDS.

     A potential application of 3-DMA would be to 
characterize potential microgravity environment of the 
International Space Station in support of experiments, 
research and commercialization activities.

     Principal Investigator for 3-DMA is Jan Bijvoet of the 
UAH CCDS.

spacehab-3 graphic

SOLID SURFACE COMBUSTION EXPERIMENT 

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

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

               In the SSCE test planned for STS-63, 
scientists will investigate flame spread along a sample of 
plexiglas in an environment of 50% oxygen and 50% nitrogen 
at 1 atmosphere pressure.  This flight will be the third 
test with the plexiglas fuel.  The previous tests were 
performed on STS-54 with an environment of 70% oxygen and 
30% nitrogen at 1 atmosphere and STS-64 with an environment 
of 50% oxygen and 50% nitrogen at 2 atmospheres.

               Scientists will use computer image 
enhancement techniques to analyze the film record of the 
Solid Surface Combustion Experiment.  They will then compare 
the enhanced images and recorded temperature and pressure 
data with a computer simulation of the flame spreading 
process.  Reconciliation of data and predictions is expected 
to provide new insights into the basic process of combustion 
of solid surfaces.  The data from the previous missions are 
still being analyzed but have already provided insights into 
the combustion process and improvements to the combustion 
model that the principal investigators have developed.

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

AIR FORCE MAUI OPTICAL SITE (AMOS)

     The Air Force Maui Optical System (AMOS) is an 
electrical-optical facility on the Hawaiian island of Maui.  
No hardware is required aboard Discovery 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.  AMOS is a 
Department of Defense payload and is flown under the 
direction of the DOD Space Test Program.

STS-63 CREW BIOGRAPHIES

     James (Jim) D. Wetherbee, 42, Commander, USN, will be 
the Commander (CDR) of STS-63.  Wetherbee was born in 
Flushing, NY, and will be making his third space flight.

     Wetherbee graduated from Holy Family Diocesan High 
School in South Huntington, NY, in 1970; received a bachelor 
of science degree in aerospace engineering from the 
University of Notre Dame in 1974; and completed training at 
the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxtent River, MD, in 
1981.

     His first Shuttle flight was as pilot of Columbia 
during STS-32, a mission that successfully deployed the 
Syncom IV-F5 satellite and retrieved the Long Duration 
Exposure Facility.  He next flew as commander of STS-52, a 
mission that deployed the Laser Geodynamic Satellite and 
operated the first U.S. Microgravity Payload.

     Wetherbee has logged more than 497 hours in space and 
more than 4,200 hours flying time and 345 carrier landings 
in 20 different types of aircraft.

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

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

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

     Bernard A. Harris Jr., 38, will be Payload Commander, 
Mission Specialist 1 (MS1) and Extravehicular Crewman 2 
(EV2) on STS-63.  Harris was born in Temple, TX, and will be 
making his second space flight.

     Harris graduated from Sam Houston High School, San 
Antonio, TX, in 1974; received a bachelor of science degree 
in biology from the University of Houston in 1978; and a 
doctorate in medicine from Texas Tech University School of 
Medicine in 1982.  After completing residency training in 
internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic, Harris conducted 
research in the field of musculoskeletal physiology and 
disuse osteoporosis under a Research Council Fellowship at 
the Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA.

     Harris' first Shuttle flight was as a mission 
specialist on board Columbia during STS-55 in 1993.  That 
mission saw a variety of research done in physical and life 
sciences.  Harris has logged over 239 hours in space.

     C. Michael (Mike) Foale, 38, will be Mission Specialist 
2 (MS2) and Extravehicular Crewman 1 (EV1) on STS-63.  
Selected as an astronaut in 1987, Foale was born in Louth, 
England, but considers Cambridge, England, to be his 
hometown.  Foale will be making his third space flight.

     Foale graduated from Kings School, Canterbury, in 1975; 
received a bachelor of arts degree in physics, National 
Science Tripos, with first class honors from Queens  College 
in 1978; and a doctorate in laboratory astrophysics from 
Cambridge University in 1982.

     Foale's first flight was as a mission specialist on 
STS-45 in March and April, 1992, a mission that saw the 
first of the ATLAS flights to study the atmosphere and its 
interaction with the Sun.  He also flew as a mission 
specialist on STS-56, carrying the ATLAS-2 and the SPARTAN 
retrievable satellite which made observations of the solar 
corona.  Foale has logged more than 436 hours in space.

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

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

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

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

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

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

     Titov served as commander on Soyuz T-8 and Soyuz T-10 
in 1983 and Soyuz TM-4 in 1987.  Soyuz T-8, a mission to 
repair a faulty Salyut 7 solar array, lasted 2 days, 17 
minutes and 48 seconds when the rendezvous was aborted.  
Soyuz T-10 was aborted following a launch pad fire.  The 
crew module was pulled clear of the rocket by the launch 
escape system and after a flight of 5 minutes, 30 seconds, 
landed 2.5 miles from the launch vehicle.

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

PREVIOUS SHUTTLE MISSIONS

UPCOMING SHUTTLE MISSIONS

SHUTTLE PROGRAM STATISTICS

                 -end STS-63 press kit-