PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS

For Information on the Space Shuttle

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

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

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

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

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

For Information on NASA-Sponsored STS-64 Experiments

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For Information on DOD-Sponsored STS-64 Experiments

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

CONTENTS

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

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

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

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

Release:  94-135

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

- end -

MEDIA SERVICES INFORMATION

NASA Television Transmission

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

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

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

Status Reports

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

Briefings

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

STS-64 QUICK LOOK

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

Launch Time:      4:30 p.m. EDT

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

Orbit/Inclination:                       140 nautical miles/57 degrees

Mission Duration:                        8 days, 20 hours, 11 minutes

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

Primary Landing Site:  Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

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

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

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

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

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

SPACE SHUTTLE ABORT MODES

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

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

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

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

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

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

STS-64 SUMMARY TIMELINE

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

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

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

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

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

Flight Day Six
EMU checkout
SAFER checkout
LITE operations

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

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

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

Flight Day Ten
Payload deactivation
Cabin stow
Deorbit preparation
Entry
Landing

STS-64 VEHICLE AND PAYLOAD WEIGHTS

Vehicle/Payload                           Pounds

Orbiter (Discovery) empty and 3 SSMEs    173,852

Lidar in Space Technology Experiment       5,920

Robot Operated Materials Processing System 1,150

SPARTAN 201 (deployable)                   2,840

SPARTAN 201 support equipment              2,409

Shuttle Plume Impingement Flight Experiment  772

Get-Away Specials and Bridge Assembly      5,000

Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue                269

Biological Research in Canisters              36

Military Applications of Ship Tracks          66

Radiation Monitoring Experiment                7

Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment-II           35

Solid Surface Combustion Experiment          139

Detailed Supplementary/Test Objectives       184

Total Vehicle at SRB Ignition          4,503,199

Orbiter Landing Weight                   210,916

STS-64 Orbital Events Summary

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SP201 Grapple     05/22:28:00    N/A                  139 x 140

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

CIRC              06/01:21:00    14.7 fps             131 x 132

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

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

NOTES:

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

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

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

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

STS-64 CREW RESPONSIBILITIES

TASK/PAYLOAD                PRIMARY               BACKUPS/OTHERS

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

Middeck Payloads:

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

Detailed Supplementary/Test Objectives:

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

Other:

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

Lidar In-Space Technology Experiment (LITE)

LITE Quick-Look Facts

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

Summary

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

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

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

Background

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

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

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

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

The LITE Mission

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

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

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

 At one point during the mission, the Shuttle will execute roll and
pitch maneuvers to change the angle at which the lidar reflects off
its targets below.

These tests will be useful to engineers designing future lidar
instruments that can scan from side to side or front to back instead
of holding to a fixed, downward-looking point of view.

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

Technological Focus

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

How Lidar Works

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

How Lidars' Capabilities Will Be Improved From Space

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

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

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

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

Geographic Areas Studied

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

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

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

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

LITE's Potential Contribution to Atmospheric Science

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

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

Management

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

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

LITE INSTRUMENT

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

Receiver Assembly

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

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

Boresight Assembly

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

Laser Transmitter Module (LTM)

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

Support Instrumentation

OASIS-1 recorder

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

Camera Assembly

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

Experimental Platform

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

Instrument Controller

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

Note to Amateur Astronomers

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

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

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

SPARTAN-201

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

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

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

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

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

Spartan-201 Science

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

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

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

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

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

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

Deployment

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

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

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

History

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

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

Spartan-201 Statistics

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

ROMPS OVERVIEW

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

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

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

ROMPS Summary

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

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

Table 1 ROMPS Technology and Commercial Objectives
Exp.
No.
Technology Area
Commercial Objective
Responsible 
Orgs./
Industry Partners

1
Closed Space Vapor 
Deposition of In As 
Hall Generators
Improved noise immunity 
and repeatability of Hall 
Effect devices
UF/
F.W. Bell

2
RTA of Ion Implanted 
and In-situ Doped ZnS 
ACTFEL Devices
Enhanced color and reduced 
power consumption by EL 
devices
UF/
Planar Systems

3
Impurity Induced 
Disordering in 
GaAs/InP 
Superlattices
Improved optoelectronic 
devices

UF/
Kopin, Spire

4
Solid and Liquid Phase 
Epitaxial Regrowth of 
SixGex on Silicon
Improved high speed 
transistors and LED's
UF/
Texas 
Instruments

5
Deposition and 
Solidification of 
Photovoltaic Materials
Higher performance and 
lower cost solar cells
UF & GMU/
Photon Energy, 
Astropower

6
Robot and Furnace for 
Semiconductor 
Materials Processing
More advanced and 
commercially produced 
automation system for space 
and ground processing of 
semiconductor materials
GSFC & SpARC/
Zymark, Interface 
& Control 
Systems

Organization

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

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

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

Design

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

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

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

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

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

 The accuracy of the three positioning axes at the tool tip is
0.020 in.  ROMPS can accommodate robot positioning inaccuracies of
up to about 0.200 in., using a compliance device on the robot,
guides and tapers on pallets and objects that the pallets contact.
The robot will grip a support to provide extra stiffness during launch
and descent.  When in this position the robot harnessing also will be
held taut for minimum vibration.

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

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

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

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

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

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

GET AWAY SPECIALS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Experiment #1 - Queen's University

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

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

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

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

Experiment #2 - University of Manitoba

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

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

Experiment #3 - Ceramics Kingston Ceramique

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

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

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

SIMPLIFIED AID FOR EXTRAVEHICULAR ACTIVITY RESCUE
(DTO 661)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DTO 671:  EVA Hardware for Future Scheduled EVA Missions

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

DTO 672:  Extravehicular Mobility Unit Electronic Cuff Checklist

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SHUTTLE PLUME IMPINGEMENT FLIGHT EXPERIMENT

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

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

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

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

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

Solid Surface Combustion Experiment (SSCE)

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

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

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

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

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

Biological Research in Canisters (BRIC-2)

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

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

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

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

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

Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment (SAREX)

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

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

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

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

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

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

 Information about orbital elements, contact times, frequencies and
crew operating schedules will be available during the mission from
NASA, ARRL (Steve Mansfield, 203/666-1541) and AMSAT (Frank Bauer,
301/ 286-8496).  AMSAT will provide information bulletins for
interested parties on Internet and amateur packet radio.  The ARRL
bulletin board system (BBS) number is (203) 688-0578.

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

 Mission information will be available online from the Johnson Space
Center computer bulletin board (8 N 1 1200 baud): dial (713) 244-5625.
BBS information is available from the Goddard Space Flight Center
amateur radio club via Internet.  The address is:
wa3nan.gsfc.nasa.gov.

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

STS-64 SAREX Frequencies

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

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

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

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

 The worldwide amateur packet frequencies are:

Packet downlink   145.55 MHz
Packet uplink        144.49 MHz

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

3.860 MHz   
14.295    
28.650
7.185 
21.395 

RADIATION MONITORING EQUIPMENT-III

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

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

MILITARY APPLICATIONS OF SHIP TRACKS

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

STS-64 CREW BIOGRAPHIES

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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