NASA PHYSICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH DIVISION

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration

George C. Marshall Space Flight Center

Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama 35812

2001-2002

ANNUAL REPORT
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

ON THE FRONT COVER 1

In microgravity, a large bubble grows as

smaller ones come in contact and surface tension breaks to let the gas

pockets join. 

See page 47

The International Space Station provides

a unique environment in which scientists

from various disciplines can conduct

research free from some of the effects of

gravity.

See page 72

Better understanding of combustion

mechanisms will help scientists control levels of soot and nitrous oxides,

combustion by-products and contributors to air pollution. 

See page 31

Researchers have found that the genetic

expression of human renal cells can be

manipulated in microgravity to produce

hormones that are valuable in the

treatment of disease.

See page 21

Researchers can review acceleration

measurement data to find out when and

at what frequency vibrations occur on the

International Space Station.

See page 68

This crystal of satellite tobacco mosaic

virus grown under microgravity conditions

is more than 30 times the size of similar

crystals grown on Earth. 

See page 7

Each peak in a matter-wave soliton train

is a collection of atoms cooled to a temperature of nearly absolute zero. 

See page 54

The newly installed Microgravity

Science Glovebox has been used for

several Materials Science experiments, including the Pore Formation

and Mobility Investigation.

See page 63

Editor’s Note:

This report covers activity of the Physical

Sciences Research Division October 1,

2000–September 30, 2002. Many

research descriptions reference mission

STS-107, which would be flown on

Space Shuttle Columbia. The crew perished, and most of the experiments

onboard the science-dedicated flight

were lost, on February 1, 2003, when the

space shuttle broke apart during its reentry into Earth’s atmosphere.
1 TABLE OF CONTEN

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

1 Cover images

1 Table of Contents

1 For More Information 

2 Introduction pg 1 

3 Biotechnology pg 4

4 Combustion Science pg 28 

5 Fluid Physics pg 38

6 Fundamental Physics pg 48 

7 Materials Science pg 58

8 Acceleration Measurement pg 66

9 International Space Station pg 72 

10 Ground-Based Microgravity Facilities pg 78

11 Outreach and Education pg 80

12 Appendices

A Grant Recipients pg 88

B Microgravity Experiment Hardware pg 128
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

FOR MORE INFORMATION 1

ASA’s goal is to improve the quality of life on Earth by using ground- and space-based

research to promote new scientific and technological discoveries. The Physical Sciences Research

Division plays a vital role in our nation’s economic and general health by carefully selecting, funding, and supporting scientists across the country. It also serves as an important link in the international endeavors that are the hallmark of America’s space program.

By disseminating knowledge and transferring technology among private industries, universities, and other government agencies, the Physical Sciences Research Division continues to build

on a foundation of professional success, which is evidenced by the number of publications and conferences attended, while reaching out to encompass the populace at large. Educational outreach and

technology transfer are among the program’s top goals, making the benefits of NASA’s research

available to the American public. Space shuttle research missions, as well as experiments performed

in short-duration microgravity facilities, are yielding new understandings about our world and the

universe around us, while long-duration microgravity science on the International Space Station is

making possible advances in research that were not possible before.

Under the direction of the Biological and Physical Research Enterprise, the Physical

Sciences Research Division will continue to advance cutting-edge research led by the best scientists

from across the nation. For more information about the enterprise and ongoing microgravity

research, use the following contact information:

The Physical Sciences Research Division

NASA Headquarters

300 E Street, S.W.

Washington, DC 20546-0001

Phone: (202) 358-1490

Fax: (202) 358-3091

World Wide Web addresses: 

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov

http://microgravity.nasa.gov

N
2 INTRODUCTIO

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

hen the International Space Station (ISS)

Expedition 1 crew was launched to the station aboard a

Russian Soyuz spacecraft from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on

October 31, 2000, they ushered in a new era of human

presence in low–Earth orbit. By the close of fiscal year

(FY) 2002, the three members of the Expedition 5 crew

were busy carrying out a wide range of hands-on scientific and technological investigations on the orbiting outpost. Fiscal years 2001 and 2002 have coincided almost

exactly with the first two years of continuous human

occupation of the ISS. During these two years, the

Physical Sciences Research (PSR) Division has been

actively participating in pioneering space-based scientific

endeavors while carrying out significant programmatic

reassessment and redirection. 

In December 2001, the first integrated annual

NASA Research Announcement (NRA) for Physical

Sciences Research in the Office of Biological and

Physical Research (OBPR) was released. The NRA

solicited time-staggered submissions of research proposals in the five traditional microgravity disciplines of

biotechnology, combustion science, fluid physics, fundamental physics, and materials science. In addition, a special topic for original research in the area of advanced

materials supporting space exploration technology was

included in the announcement. Together with a previous

special-topic solicitation of proposals targeting advanced

materials characterization for high-energy radiation protection, this focused request reflects a heightened

attention to applied research supporting advanced space

technology development. The programmatic shift from

single-discipline NRAs appearing every two years on a

varying schedule to a fixed-date, annual NRA integrating

multiple disciplines and special topics was designed to

establish a more regular schedule for the solicitations and

to enhance the opportunities for proposal submissions.

The scientific accomplishments funded through

NRAs in these past two years are nothing short of

impressive, reflecting the quality and productivity of the

multidisciplinary research community assembled under

the PSR Division. For example, exciting new accomplishments obtained through both Earth- and space-based

investigations have allowed the growth of three-dimensional ovarian tissues from cells and the preservation of

immune system cells in the NASA-developed specialized

bioreactor that mimics microgravity. Combustion scientists have made advances in the understanding and prediction of smoldering combustion under normal and

microgravity conditions. Fluid physicists have carried out

revealing new flight experiments on the ISS and the

space shuttle on colloidal crystallization, probing the

mysteries of phase transition and solidification, and on

particle collision in dust, simulating planetary processes. 

One of our brilliant young investigators,

Wolfgang Ketterle, shared

the 2001 Nobel Prize in

physics for his inspired

work in Bose-Einstein

condensation and for his

leading role in the demonstration of the feasibility

of the atom laser. Some

of his colleagues in the

program have attracted

worldwide attention with

their artistry in controlling Bose-Einstein condensates to

slow down and completely stop the transfer of information contained in light and to simulate processes in distant stars by using supercold condensates of fermions. In

materials science, the first ISS investigations on solidification processes using baffles in sealed ampoules were

successfully carried out in the Microgravity Science

Glovebox facility, provided by the European Space

Agency. Using the availability of extended-duration

exposure to microgravity on the ISS, researchers have

been able to grow crystals of superoxide dismutases —

the body’s own fighter of free radicals — that are large

enough and of high enough quality to obtain the neverbefore-seen three-dimensional structure of the hydrogens

on each amino acid of the protein.

After reviewing research investigations such as

these, the National Research Council Committee on

Microgravity Research released at the end of FY 2002 a

glowing assessment of the progress and quality of the

research carried out under the auspices of the previous

Microgravity Research Division and the current Physical

Sciences Research Division, praising significant past

accomplishments and noting promising future developments. In fact, the National Research Council Board on

Physics and Astronomy’s assessment of the “Grand

Challenges in Physics” for the first decade of the 21st

century indirectly endorses a large portion of the OBPR

Physical Sciences Research Division. Armed with these

findings, the division has embarked upon a strategic redirection of the research objectives that places a renewed

emphasis on applied research aimed toward enabling

new space technologies while preserving the valuable

and productive fundamental research component unique

to NASA and to the country.

— Eugene Trinh

Director, Physical Sciences Research Division

W
2 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

INTRODUCTION 2

Table 1 — Physical Sciences Research Overview

2000 2001 2002

Research tasks 584 553 533

Principal investigators 455 451 449

Co-Investigators 667 719 514

FY budget ($ in millions) 108.7 130.4 120.0

Table 2 — Program Bibliographic Listings

2000 2001 2002

Journal articles 904 688 758

Presentations 1,062 719 817

Proceedings papers 422 325 250

NASA technical briefs 13 0 12

Books/chapters 50 43 58

Total 2,451 1,775 1,895

Table 3 — Grant Statistics

2000 2001 2002

Students funded 1,146 1,407 1,690

Degrees granted 457 N/A N/A

Patents applied for 22 15 16

Table 4 — Glenn Research Center Task Summary

2000 2001 2002

Ground-based 189 158 176

Flight program 55 54 46

Total 244 212 222

Table 5 — Jet Propulsion Laboratory Task Summary

2000 2001 2002

Ground-based 40 64 55

Flight program 9 12 11

Total 49 76 66

Table 6 — Johnson Space Center Task Summary

2000 2001 2002

Ground-based 56 49 48

Flight program 2 0 0

Total 58 49 48

Table 7 — Marshall Space Flight Center Task

Summary

2000 2001 2002

Ground-based 180 173 144

Flight program 46 38 34

Total 226 211 178

Multidiscipline / Other 27.7% Biotechnology 26.9%

Glovebox 0.1%

Acceleration 

Measurement 0.5%

Materials Science 13.6%

Fundamental Physics 10.2%

Fluid Physics and

Transport Phenomena 11.6%

Combustion Science 9.4%

Biotechnology 29.0%

Fundamental Physics 10.1%

Fluid Physics and

Transport Phenomena 11.3%

Combustion Science 9.8%

Multidiscipline / Other 22.2%

Glovebox 0.1%

Acceleration 

Measurement 0.4%

Materials Science 17.1%

FY 2001 Microgravity Funding Distribution by Science Discipline

(Total Budget in Millions:$130.359)

FY 2002 Microgravity Funding Distribution by Science Discipline

(Total Budget in Millions:$120.018)
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

19

Office of Biological and Physical Research

FY 2001 Total Investigations by State

5

3

4

173

1

4

5

12

1

24

14

7

106

18

35

17

7

59

46

59

10

4

2

5 7

6

15

1

13

10

4 47 14

3

30

21

MA-75

3

12 RI-7

CT-12

NJ-31

DE-40

DC-11

MD-40

992 Flight and Ground Research Programs in 44 States and the District of Columbia

*Excludes Graduate Student Research Projects

United States (AK & HI Inset)

by State Totals*

17 to 173 (16)

11 to 16 (7)

1 to 4 (11)

5 to 9 (9)

10 (2)

20

Office of Biological and Physical Research

FY 2002 Total Investigations by State

6

3

1

166

1

4

5

10

3

24

9

6

113

18

30

17

6

58

44

53

14

4

5 7

6

14

1

14

12

4 42 16

3

28

19

MA-71

2

12 RI-7

CT-13

NJ-16

DE-5

DC-11

MD-38

947 Flight and Ground Research Programs in 44 States and the District of Columbia

*Excludes Graduate Student Research Projects

United States (AK & HI Inset)

by State Totals*

20 to 166 (12)

13 to 19 (9)

1 to 4 (11)

5 to 6 (7)

7 to 12 (5)

2 INTRODUCTIO
id you ever stop to consider that some of

the foods in your refrigerator are products of biotechnology? Biotechnology is the application of knowledge concerning biological systems to the production

of consumer goods and services. Foods like cheese,

yogurt, and beer are all products of biotechnology in

its most basic form — harnessing existing biological

processes, such as bacterial fermentation, to produce

goods for human consumption. 

The term biotechnology probably also brings

to mind genetically engineered bacteria, plants, and

animals. It is this facet of biotechnology that allows

farmers to plant crops that can withstand certain

herbicides or diseases and helps researchers to

develop bacteria that can produce human insulin,

which is essential for the treatment of diabetes, and

drugs to dissolve blood clots, reducing the risk of

heart attack and stroke. 

Although most biotechnology research benefits the medical and agricultural fields, this kind of

work also supports a broad range of manufacturing

industries. Processes that use biological components 

or that mimic biological systems can be used for a

variety of purposes, including creating new materials, removing contaminants, and improving the efficiency of chemical reactions. For example, microbes

are used to process sewage at city wastewater treatment plants and to produce alcohol-based fuels for

motorized vehicles. Bacteria that can break down oil

4 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

D

BIOTECHNOLOGY 3

OVERVIEW

Farmers have benefited from biotechnology

by being able to grow

high-yield crops that

are resistant to herbicides and disease.

Harnessing biotechnology has allowed

the agricultural industry to produce more

on fewer acres.

Biotechnology has

enabled scientists to

turn to natural

sources for pollution

control. Bacteria have

been genetically

altered to perform a

variety of environmental clean-up tasks,

including ingesting oil

slicks.
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

and petroleum have been discovered, and

researchers have genetically altered these bacteria 

to create microbes that can feed on oil slicks. 

Biotechnology research focuses on how

organisms and their components function. Large

organisms are composed of systems of organs. If

you look in the mirror, you can see the largest organ

in the human body — the skin. The skin and other

organs consist of tissues specialized to perform specific functions in the body. These tissues in turn are

made up of a smaller structure — the cell. How the

cell functions in a particular tissue is determined by

its molecular components. Cells contain billions of

biological macromolecules, which are much larger

and more complex than nonbiological molecules.

The unique chemical traits of these molecules determine how a cell differentiates to become part of a

particular type of tissue and, ultimately, how an 

organism grows, lives, and dies.

The microgravity environment of space

provides special advantages to biotechnology

researchers studying cell growth and biological molecules. NASA’s microgravity biotechnology program, therefore, supports research in two main

areas: macromolecular biotechnology, overseen by

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville,

Alabama, and cell science, overseen by Johnson

Space Center in Houston, Texas. The program’s

contributions to understanding the foundations of

life at the molecular and cellular levels may enable

the development of new drugs and other therapies

for disease and dysfunction, as well as measures

to safely send humans into space for extended

time periods.

OVERVIEW

3 BIOTECHNOLOG

Cheese is a product of

biotechnology. Bacteria

produce lactic acid to aid

curd formation and influence the cheese’s flavor

and quality during ripening. Genetic engineering

enables yeast to produce

calf chymosin, the enzyme

used to accelerate cheese

curd formation.
here are tens of thousands of biological

macromolecules at work in the human body. These

molecules, mostly proteins and nucleic acids, perform or regulate all functions that maintain life.

Proteins, for example, transport oxygen and chemicals in the blood, form major components of muscle

and skin, and, in the form of antibodies, aid in fighting infection. Enzymes, which are a class of proteins, catalyze specific chemical reactions in cells

and control metabolic pathways, which are a series

of chemical reactions that together perform one or

more important functions, like the conversion of

sugar to energy. 

Nucleic acids are another type of biological

macromolecule. The best-known examples of nucleic

acids are ribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Nucleotides, which are subunits

of nucleic acids, exist in a particular order along the

DNA molecule. Each unit of three nucleotides along

a strand of DNA forms a “letter” of the genetic

code, with the letters specifying particular amino

acids, the building blocks of proteins. So each section of the genetic code actually specifies the production of a specific protein, which in turn supports

the maintenance of life at both the cellular and

whole-organism levels. Small differences in genetic

codes can result in major differences within and

between organisms. 

To unlock some of the mysteries about how

a biological molecule carries out its role, scientists

need knowledge of the molecule’s structure. A biological molecule’s shape and chemical components

determine the types of other molecules with which it

can interact. Proteins have active sites that allow

them to fit with other molecules to perform a specific function. Active sites on proteins, when inappropriately triggered, can cause disease or unwanted

functions. Drug designers seek knowledge of these

sites so they can develop drugs to block the sites or

otherwise render them inactive.

OVERVIEW

6 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

T

MACROMOLECULAR BIOTECHNOLOGY 3

Proteins are the building blocks of our bodies and the living world

around us. If the structure of a protein is known, then companies

can develop new or improved drugs to fight the disease of which

the protein is a part. On Earth, convection currents, sedimentation, and other gravity-induced phenomena hamper crystal

growth efforts, and the result is crystals with flaws, as shown on

the left. In microgravity, researchers can grow high-quality crystals in an environment free of these effects to obtain better quality crystals that yield more structural data, as shown on the right.

Research on crystals of human insulin, like these, could lead to

improved treatments for diabetes.

credit: NASA
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Information about molecular structure is

important to scientists in other fields as well.

Genetic engineers use this information to chemically

alter genetic codes to make bacteria, plants, or fungi

with desirable properties, such as yeast that has been

altered to produce insulin. Knowledge of molecular

structure is also the key to understanding how some

species survive and even thrive in extreme conditions like the arctic or in volcanic vents. And

because some biological molecules, such as

enzymes, catalyze processes, understanding their

structure may enable their use as miniature manufacturing plants to process materials — the ultimate

in nanotechnology.

X-ray crystallography is the most common

method by which scientists study the structure of

biological molecules. Crystals of the molecule of

interest are formed, and X-rays are passed through a

single crystal at various angles. The resulting diffraction patterns are analyzed using computers to

estimate the size, shape, and structure of the molecule. A flawed crystal will yield a blurry and/or

weak diffraction pattern, whereas a well-ordered

crystal will yield a sharp and/or strong diffraction

pattern and thus useful information about the structure of the crystal. 

A microgravity environment reduces the

effects of fluid flows and sedimentation within the

crystallization solution that can interfere with the

crystal growth process and the quality of the crystal.

OVERVIEW

3 MACROMOLECULAR BIOTECHNOLO 3

This unusually large cubic crystal of satellite tobacco mosaic virus

grown under microgravity conditions is more than 30 times the size of

similar crystals grown on Earth.

credit: NASA
When a crystal begins to form in a solution, molecules diffuse from the solution around the crystal to

join the growing crystal lattice. As a result, the solution in the immediate vicinity of the crystal has a

lower concentration of the crystal-forming material

than the remainder of the solution, and therefore has

a lower density. Under the influence of Earth’s gravity, this difference in density creates currents next to

the growing crystal. Such fluid flows can alter the

orientation and position of the biological molecules

added to the crystal lattice, thereby creating disorder

in the crystal. Molecules are added to the crystal lattice in the same way on Earth and in microgravity,

but in microgravity the lower concentration at the

crystal surface can slow crystal growth enough to

enable misplaced crystals to disassociate and then

reattach in a better orientation. 

Likewise, sedimentation, another effect of

gravity, can result in poor-quality crystals. When

crystals grow to a size that cannot be supported by

suspension in the drop of solution in which the crystals are forming, then the crystals will drift to the

bottom of the drop. There they may settle on top of

other crystals and grow into those adjacent crystals.

X-ray crystallography requires single crystals for

analysis, and thus sedimentation can render potentially high-quality crystals unusable. In the microgravity environment of low Earth orbit, the effects

of sedimentation and fluid flow are nearly eliminated,

and the conditions for growing diffraction-quality

crystals are improved.

Ground-based research in molecular science

includes crystallization of biological macromolecules (including analysis of crystals and methods to

control crystal quality); the development of biomaterials, which are substances that are synthetic or

natural in origin that can be used to treat, augment,

or replace a tissue, organ, or function of the body;

research on separation technology; and biologically

oriented nanotechnology. 

OVERVIEW

8 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

MACROMOLECULAR BIOTECHNOLOGY 3

Enzymes catalyze specific chemical reactions in

cells and control metabolic pathways. Studying the

structure of enzymes will help researchers to better

understand how the enzymes function. Creatine

kinase, pictured here, converts the major storage

form of high energy phosphate into a usable energy

form. Creatine kinase is a major muscle enzyme and

is implicated in some muscle diseases. Understanding

how the enzyme works could lead to therapies for

those diseases.

credit: NASA
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

3 MACROMOLECULAR BIOTECHNOLOGY

Program Summary

Following the release in 2000 of the National

Research Council’s* (NRC) report, titled Future

Biotechnology Research on the International Space

Station, the biotechnology program implemented the

Structural Biology Initiative to enact the recommendations

of the NRC panel. The goals of the initiative are to accelerate the process by which investigators get their research

projects to flight, to decrease the time interval between

developing a research idea and obtaining data, and 

to match the speed of the ground-based research

process.

To achieve these goals, the biotechnology program will integrate new hardware for use on the

International Space Station (ISS) that will allow increased

sample throughput and provide video microscopy of crystallization experiments. Also in response to the NRC

panel, the biotechnology program began developing and

testing an external review process that will accommodate

both large-scale research projects funded by NASA’s

peer-reviewed grant process and small-scale ad-hoc

investigations. An external, nonadvocate panel will be

used to peer-review and prioritize experiments and to

make decisions in a timely manner to better match the

pace of ground-based biotechnology research. This program will provide the scientific community with one,

well-advertised point of contact for access to spaceflight

experiments. To obtain information on the associate

investigator program, visit http://crystal.nasa.gov/

technical/assoc_invest_prg.html or http://www.

nisb.org. 

The NASA Research Announcement (NRA) for

macromolecular and cellular biotechnology that was

released in August 2000 directly addressed the recommendations of the NRC report. Research proposals in a

number of areas, detailed in the following paragraphs,

were solicited from scientists.

Proposals were sought for structural biology

research to produce crystals of macromolecular assemblies with important implications for cutting-edge biology problems, as recommended by the NRC. Systems that

meet the criteria set forth in the NRA include membrane

proteins, molecular motors, and biopolymer synthetic

machinery. The NRC report described all of these systems as elaborate and fragile, which makes them difficult

to crystallize except under optimal conditions. In these

cases, microgravity conditions might improve the quality

of the crystals enough to allow determination of key

structures. Also included were macromolecular systems

for which research efforts have already been undertaken

but which have presented challenges for crystallization.

In the area of crystallization studies and technologies,

proposals were invited to support the aforementioned

research with emphasis on providing a framework for

understanding microgravity crystallization results, optimizing crystal growth conditions, characterizing crystal

defect formation and the relationship between defect

formation and crystal growth, and providing a more

rational approach to the growth of macromolecular

crystals. 

NASA also invited proposals for developing

technologies that seek to improve macromolecular crystallization throughput for structural biology and proteomics research on the ISS. Proteomics is the identification and study of proteins in the body, genes that code

for particular proteins, protein-protein interactions, and

the role of proteins in such activities as transmitting disease. Research for improving throughput includes automated crystal growth technologies, screening methods,

and cryopreservation techniques.

In the area of biological nanotechnology, NASA

sought research proposals for the development of molecularsized sensors, signalers, and receptors; nanometer-scale

biomaterials; and technologies to manipulate biomolecules to form useful devices or nanometer-scale structures. Nanotechnology research is important because it

can be used to reduce experiments’ weight, volume, and

need for electrical power, all limiting factors during

space missions. 

Research solicited in the area of biomolecular

self-assembling materials includes polymer biosynthesis,

self-assembled monolayers and multilayers, decorated

membranes, mesoscopic organized structures, and biomineralization. The area of biomolecular self-assembling

materials combines molecular biology, physical sciences,

and materials engineering. Biomolecular materials have

ability to assemble themselves without external intervention, and understanding the mechanisms involved in such

self-assembly could lead to the development of new

processes and materials with significant technological

impact, including applications in life support to enable

humans to live and work permanently in space, as well

as other Office of Biological and Physical Research

(OBPR) goals.

Finally, in the area of structural protein-based

materials, NASA solicited proposals for the production

* The NRC was organized by the National Academy of Sciences to associate the science and technology communities and to be the principal

operating agency that provides services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. These services include

investigating, examining, experimenting, and reporting on any subject of science or art.
10 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

MACROMOLECULAR BIOTECHNOLOGY 3

of protein-based materials or the isolation, in useable

form, of such materials from cells. Collagen, keratin,

and silk are examples of structural proteins. Researchers

may be able to incorporate novel properties in such

materials by genetically engineering the sequences or

incorporating modular components from other proteins.

Because these materials could be produced using

recombinant DNA technology, it is possible to create a

uniform and controllable architecture of the resulting

material. Such biomaterials could also support OBPR

goals.

Notices of intent for this NRA were due on

September 6, 2000, and 225 proposals were received by

the October 27, 2000, due date. Selections were made in

June 2001; 20 of the selected proposals were to conduct

research in macromolecular biotechnology, including

projects on challenging problems in structural biology,

artificial biomembranes, and membrane proteins. For

additional information on the NRA and selections, visit

http://research.hq.nasa.gov/code_u/nra/current/NRA-00-

HEDS-03/winners.html on the WWW.

NASA macromolecular biotechnology principal

investigators (PIs), co-investigators, guest investigators,

and associate investigators published 69 peer-reviewed

articles in scientific journals in fiscal year (FY) 2001 and

62 in FY 2002.

In early FY 2001, the Spallation Neutron Source

(SNS) project and NASA cosponsored a workshop in

Knoxville, Tennessee. Representatives from the biological neutron diffraction and microgravity crystal growth

communities met to discuss the future use of the SNS for

macromolecular single-crystal neutron diffraction.

Academic, industry, and government advisers representing the countries of England, France, Japan, and the

United States participated in the workshop and developed a set of recommendations regarding biological neutron diffraction crystallography.

Using neutrons to produce a diffraction pattern

of protein crystals has advantages over X-ray diffraction.

About one-half of the atoms that make up a protein are

hydrogen atoms. When protein crystals are bombarded

with X-rays, the X-rays are diffracted from the electron

clouds of the individual atoms within the protein crystal

to form a pattern from which the structure of the protein

can be determined. But it is an incomplete picture of the

structure, because hydrogen atoms have very little electron density and so go undetected by X-ray diffraction.

In contrast, when a protein crystal is bombarded with

neutrons, the neutrons interact with the nuclei of the protein crystal atoms. The diffraction pattern of the neutrons

then allows the position of hydrogen atoms to be identified, and thus a more complete structure of the protein

can be determined.

However, neutron diffraction techniques pose a

particular challenge. Although neutron diffraction can

provide a complete structural analysis using a single

crystal, that crystal must be much larger than crystals

that are suitable for X-ray analysis. The colloquium formally recognized that because of research supported by

both NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), the

production of crystals sufficiently large for neutron diffraction studies is now an attainable goal. Growth of

crystals 2 mm x 1.5 mm x 1 mm or larger is now common for an increasing number of proteins. Based on previous microgravity crystal growth experiments and the

availability of a controlled environment for extendedduration missions afforded by the ISS, it was estimated

that approximately 90 percent of proteins crystallized in

orbit will have the potential to reach 1 mm x 1 mm x 1 mm

— the size range needed for analysis by current and

future neutron sources.

NASA was well-represented at the American

Crystallographic Association’s 2002 Annual Meeting,

held in San Antonio, Texas, May 25–30, 2002. One-third

of the microgravity macromolecular biotechnology program’s principal investigators were key presenters at the

meeting, which is the nation’s largest gathering of structural biologists, drawing 800 attendees in 2002. At a

well-attended session, “Biomacromolecular Crystal

Growth and Perfection,” which was sponsored by the

macromolecular biotechnology program, NASA investigators made six presentations that covered hardware

development, crystal quality analysis method development, and a new technique for judging the quality of the

crystal cryocooling process. 

Among the program presentations was a talk

given by NASA Project Scientist Mark van der Woerd

titled “About Small Streams and Shiny Rocks:

Macromolecular Crystal Growth in Microfluidics.” Van

der Woerd provided an overview of work being conducted

at MSFC using microfluidic technology for protein crystallization and reported on preliminary results from hardware incorporating that technology for crystal growth. 

Aniruddha Achari, of MSFC, and his research

team presented a poster titled “Equilibrium Kinetics

Studies and Crystallization Aboard the International

Space Station Using the Protein Crystallization

Apparatus for Microgravity (PCAM).” The PCAM has

been used to grow macromolecular crystals in a microgravity environment using a “sitting drop” method of

vapor diffusion. The experiments were set up to gather

data for a series of days of activation with different

droplet volumes and precipitants. The results of these

experiments will help future PCAM users to choose precipitants that will optimize crystallization conditions for

their target macromolecules for a particular mission with

a known duration. 
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

3 MACROMOLECULAR BIOTECHNOLOG

In April 2002, a patent was awarded to macromolecular biotechnology PIs and project scientists

William Witherow, of MSFC, R. L. Kurtz, of Pace and

Waite Inc., Huntsville, Alabama; and R. R. Holmes, of

MSFC, for their Laser Image Contrast Enhancement

System (LICES). LICES allows objects that are hot

enough to emit blackbody radiation to be illuminated and

imaged. (A blackbody is a theoretically ideal radiator and

absorber of energy at all electromagnetic wavelengths.)

For example, in a furnace, an object is heated until it

emits blackbody radiation. It is then illuminated from

outside with laser light and viewed with a camera with a

special optical system.

In FYs 2001 and 2002 the macromolecular

biotechnology program made progress toward optimizing

the analysis of microgravity-grown crystals by advancing

techniques for cryocooling. Rapid cooling, or cryopreservation, is a technique routinely used to preserve crystals

of biological molecules for structural analysis by X-ray

diffraction. It is important that crystals are carefully preserved and stored not only to remain intact for later

analysis but also to withstand radiation damage from the

intense X-rays used. Flash cooling of crystals to near 100

kelvins (cryocooling) extends a crystal’s

lifetime and makes it less susceptible to

the secondary radiation damage that

occurs during X-ray analysis. Cryocooling

also reduces thermal motions of the molecules and allows for data collection from

very thin or small crystals.

Edward Snell, Russell Judge, and

Mark van der Woerd, of MSFC, have provided a method by which scientists, for

the first time, can actually see images of

the temperature gradients as crystals of

certain molecules are rapidly cooled.

Using a camera sensitive to infrared radiation, the MSFC scientists determined the

length of time it took to complete the cryocooling process. The experiment also

demonstrated that it is possible to observe

defects created by improper cooling or

handling of the crystals. Being able to

actually assess temperature distribution

across a crystal and to observe defects

caused by improper handling will help

scientists to improve crystal preservation

methods and ultimately obtain more complete and accurate data. 

The researchers presented their

work on cryocooling at several venues 

in FY 2002, including the American

Crystallographic Association meeting 

in San Antonio. While investigating

cryocooling of crystals, Snell and van der Woerd also

studied water in the macromolecular structure to understand how cryoprotectants interact with the crystal at the

molecular level. Cryoprotectants replace water in the

structure and slow the formation of ice so that flash cooling the crystal vitrifies it — turns it into a glassy substance — rather than freezes it. The cryoprotectants do

not react with the crystal and are simply present to protect the crystal from the effects of freezing. This work

resulted in an invited talk in 2001, which was published

in 2002 (“Neutrons and Microgravity,” by E. H. Snell, in

Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium on

Development of New Structural Biology Including

Hydrogen and Hydration in Organized Research

Combination System, 33–41). Complete neutron data

sets have been collected to complement X-ray studies;

these results will be published in 2003.

Flight Experiments

Three different pieces of macromolecular experiment hardware flew on the ISS in FYs 2001 and 2002,

accommodating hundreds of macromolecular samples

that successfully crystallized in the microgravity

The structural model of thaumatin shown here was developed from information

gleaned from thaumatin crystals grown in microgravity. The crystals grown in the

Enhanced Gaseous Nitrogen Dewar on the International Space Station were of higher

quality than any of those grown on Earth. Synchrotron studies of these crystals produced 50 percent more data than had been obtained from the best ground-grown crystal. Thaumatin is a protein from the African Serendipity berry and is highly prized for its

sweet taste.

credit: NASA
12 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

MACROMOLECULAR BIOTECHNOLOGY 3

environment. Several technologies were also deployed to

advance crystal studies and analysis, including real-time

imaging of crystals during in-flight growth.

The first biological crystal growth experiments

conducted aboard the ISS took place in the Enhanced

Gaseous Nitrogen (EGN) Dewar in FY 2000 and were

returned to Earth in early FY 2001. The dewar, which

was developed by PI Alexander McPherson of the

University of California, Irvine, flew on three ISS missions in 2001 (each lasting approximately 40 days) and

carried a total of 881 samples of macromolecules to orbit

for crystallization. 

In the dewar, crystals were grown using the liquid-liquid diffusion method. In liquid-liquid diffusion

samples, the material to be crystallized and the precipitant solutions are frozen separately, and then are thawed

once in orbit, diffusing with each other and resulting in

crystal formation. Under microgravity conditions, crystals of the biomolecular materials form without interference from the container, other crystals, or turbulent

flows, which often results in a crystal with a more near

perfect structure than those grown on Earth.

This was the case for the dewar-grown crystals

of thaumatin, which were of higher quality than any of

this molecule grown on the ground. Thaumatin is a protein from the African Serendipity berry (Thaumatococcus

danielli) and is valued for its intensely sweet taste.

NASA PI Craig Kundrot, of MSFC, grew crystals of

thaumatin using the liquid-liquid diffusion method in the

EGN. Synchrotron diffraction data collected from the

best crystal extended to 1.28 angstroms and produced 50

percent more data than the best ground-grown crystal

and 100 percent more data than earlier reports on thaumatin crystals in scientific literature. Results of the thaumatin crystal growth investigation were published in

2002 in a paper titled “Thaumatin Crystallization

Aboard the International Space Station Using LiquidLiquid Diffusion in the Enhanced Gaseous Nitrogen

Dewar,” by C. L. Barnes, E. H. Snell, and C. E. Kundrot,

in Acta Crystallographica Section D: Biological

Crystallography(58), 751–60. 

FY 2001 also saw the transport of the Protein

Crystallization Apparatus for Microgravity aboard STS100, on April 19, 2001. PCAM had flown on 11 previous

shuttle flights. PCAM, developed by Daniel Carter, of

New Century Pharmaceuticals, and his colleagues at

MSFC, is a self-contained crystal growth apparatus that

uses multiple seven-chamber trays as a disposable interface. The sample chambers, which each hold a drop of

protein solution, are surrounded by a “moat” of

absorbent material that controls the crystal growth

process after activation. The wells are filled prior to

launch and sealed with rubber to prevent evaporation 

and subsequent crystal formation before launch. Nine plastic trays can be loaded in one PCAM cylinder, and six

cylinders can be carried in a temperature-controlled

locker.

For its first ISS mission, in April 2001, PCAM

trays containing 756 samples of 11 different proteins

were housed in two Single-Locker Thermal Enclosure

Systems. The scientific objectives of these experiments

ranged from producing crystals of superior size and quality for X-ray structure determination to experiments

aimed at improving understanding of the underlying

physical processes involved in biological macromolecular crystal growth in microgravity. PCAM equilibration

studies conducted during the ISS increment produced

data that will help future users of the PCAM equipment

to optimize growth conditions for the macromolecules in

which they are interested. 

One of the PCAM experiments, led by CoInvestigator Jean-Paul Declercq of the University of

Louvain, in Belgium, resulted in crystals of peroxiredoxin 5. Peroxiredoxin 5 is a protein thought to play an

important antioxidant protective role in various tissues

under both healthy and disease states. Peroxiredoxin may

also be important to signal transduction, or communication, between cells. Crystals of the oxidized form of this

protein grown on the ISS showed an improvement in resolution from 7 angstroms to 3.8 angstroms. 

In FY 2002, PCAM flew on two space shuttle

missions headed to the ISS, STS-108 in December 2001

and STS-111 in June 2002. On the STS-108 mission,

several proteins produced significantly larger crystals

and, in some cases, crystals that diffracted to the highest

resolution to date for Earth- or space-grown crystals. On

this flight, Carter and New Century Pharmaceuticals

crystallized human serum albumin, the major protein of

the human circulatory system. It contributes 80 percent

to osmotic blood pressure and is chiefly responsible for

maintaining blood pH. Additionally, albumin is involved

with the binding and transportation of a variety of small

molecules throughout the circulatory system, including

the majority of currently known pharmaceuticals.

Structural details of albumin and albumin-drug complexes can be used to explore the potential for improving

the safety and efficacy of a broad base of therapeutics

and for developing novel engineered albumins for a variety of applications. The highest resolution and quality

native data to date on human serum albumin crystals

were collected from one of the crystals grown on the

ISS. Data were collected at a resolution of 1.9 angstroms,

and these data indicated that even higher resolution data

should be obtainable. 

Co-Investigator Mark Wardell, of New Century

Pharmaceuticals, crystallized human antithrombin III,
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

3 MACROMOLECULAR BIOTECHNOLO

which controls blood coagulation in human plasma and

is an important target for understanding strokes and

thrombolytic diseases, which include deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and cerebral infarction. The

first few ISS crystals analyzed have shown diffraction to

at least 1.8 angstroms, with an overall completeness of

more than 95 percent. As with the human serum albumin

crystals, even higher resolution data may be obtainable

from the antithrombin crystals. A detailed analysis of the

improved structure is currently under way and will be

published in the future. Another goal that was achieved

during PCAM experiments flown to the ISS on STS-108

was the exploratory growth of crystals with a defined

internal symmetry, called a space group, and morphology

suitable for neutron diffraction. Carter’s PCAM experiment was geared toward proof of concept for this protein/space group combination as a prelude for the more

costly-to-prepare samples that are currently aboard the

ISS. Neutron diffraction experiments are performed

using specialized nuclear reactors and require unusually

large crystals, which can be difficult to grow. The researcher’s efforts, if successful, can be rewarded with

an exceptional view into the hydrogen arrangement

within the protein molecule — a key to understanding

many of the chemical processes that underlie a protein’s

function.

The Dynamically Controlled Protein Crystal

Growth (DCPCG) experiment flew on the ISS in FY

2001. The DCPCG hardware was developed by the

Center for Biophysical Sciences and Engineering at the

University of Alabama, Birmingham. The hardware is

the first of its kind to allow the study of the physics of

the biological crystal growth process. The DCPCG design

includes a laser light scattering system that will be used to

attempt to automatically detect the onset of nucleation,

when the crystal begins to form. Microscopic highresolution video cameras provide constant monitoring of

crystal growth.

Carried to the station on STS-104 in July 2001,

the DCPCG allowed, for the first time, dynamic control

over crystal growth. This was accomplished through the

ability to vary the rate of evaporation of the crystallization experiments using computers from the ground. This

was also the first microgravity payload that allowed

automated imaging of the crystal experiments in

progress. Video images were collected every four hours

and transmitted to Earth at a minimum of once each day.

During operation of the DCPCG, half the chambers were

activated and the experiments were monitored.

Experiment conditions for the second half of the experiments were changed from the ground on the basis of the

information obtained from the first set of chambers. The

remote control and imaging capability of the DCPCG

permitted scientists to observe two important phenomena

regarding crystallization in microgravity: the effect of

evaporation rates on crystal formation and the occurrence of significant movement of the crystals in solution. 

Although differences in diffraction results

between ground- and microgravity-grown crystals of the

two model proteins flown in DCPCG were not statistically significant, the microgravity samples, having a

slower evaporation rate, grew fewer and larger protein

crystals. The ability to see the samples every four hours

This series of images taken by Delta-L of one of 10 glucose isomerase crystals imaged automatically at 1.5-hour

intervals can help give researchers insight into how growth rate dispersion can affect crystal growth and quality.

credit: NASA
14 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

MACROMOLECULAR BIOTECHNOLOGY 3

gave some very intriguing results regarding crystal

movement, which was much more pronounced in the

microgravity environment of the ISS than had been

anticipated. It is not yet clear to what extent this movement was due to Marangoni effects, caused by convection that occurs as the result of surface tension differences, and what may have been the result of accelerations from various ISS activities. It is also not known

whether the movement is a disadvantage to crystal

growth — although it may be detrimental to ultimate

crystal quality, it may also help to grow larger crystal

volumes by moving the growing crystals into areas of

fresh nutrient.

Engineers and scientists at MSFC have teamed

to produce award-winning flight hardware named

Delta-L. This equipment, which will fly on the ISS in

late 2003, is expected to provide data that will test the

hypothesis that growth rate dispersion plays a role in

crystal quality improvement in microgravity. Growth

rate dispersion is an occurrence in which individual crystals grow at slightly different growth rates under the

same solution conditions. MSFC scientists participating

in the study believe that microgravity may act to improve

crystal quality by reducing growth rate dispersion. A

reduction in dispersion has been shown to be an indicator

of quality crystals on the ground. 

The Delta-L experiment comprises a fluid assembly that allows crystallization fluid in the growth cell to

be exchanged, thereby providing fresh growth solution 

to enable continued crystal growth; a data acquisition

and control system; and an imaging system that allows

images of crystals to be collected by using a video

microscope camera. 

MSFC scientists and engineers involved in the

development of Delta-L are Dyana Beabout, Robert

Delta-L flight hardware, shown being tested in the ISS Microgravity Science Glovebox ground test

unit, is expected to provide information to help researchers improve the quality of microgravitygrown crystals.

credit: NASA
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

3 MACROMOLECULAR BIOTECHNOLOG

Cooper, Eric Corder, Willie Dawson, Tim Dowling,

Russell Judge, Paul Julino, Sharon Manley, Jim Meehan,

Teresa Miller, Edward Snell, Mark van der Woerd, and

Jason Waggoner.

Highlights

Understanding How Antioxidants Protect the Body

Few people look forward to aging, and history is

full of stories of searches for a “fountain of youth.”

Theories abound as to why and how aging happens. One

of the more popular of these theories states that aging is

due to DNA and other cellular structures being damaged

by a class of molecules known as free radicals. The body

has its own defenders against free radicals, and NASA

Principal Investigator Gloria Borgstahl, of the University

of Toledo, is using space-grown crystals to discover how

one of these “antioxidants” works. 

Free radicals are produced in the body during

oxidation, the reaction of oxygen with other molecules,

which is a necessary chemical reaction that provides the

energy to maintain life. A free radical has an unpaired

electron in its outer orbital shell that is highly reactive

and wants to pair with another electron to gain a more

stable state. This electron makes free radicals very unstable. By reacting rapidly with nearby molecules, the

unpaired electron is able to pair off with another electron, but the result is yet another unpaired electron,

which leads to a kind of chain reaction of free radicals.

The role of antioxidants is to react with free radicals,

thereby stopping their chain reaction and preventing damage to molecules that are important

to biochemical processes in the body.

The aging body somehow loses its

ability to provide the necessary antioxidants to

protect vital biochemical processes from oxidation and the production of free radicals and

becomes subject to various aging-related problems such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer,

and Parkinson’s disease. Free radicals can also

react with fatty acids in the body to make them

more saturated and can cause cross-linking of

protein molecules. One of the best-known

results of this type of cross-linking is the

appearance of wrinkles and the loss of elasticity in skin as we age.

Borgstahl is studying the antioxidant

called superoxide dismutases (SOD), which

protects the body from the oxidative damage

that is associated with aging. SODs are important enzymes that protect all living cells by

reacting with the toxic superoxide radical, an

oxygen molecule with a negative charge

because of an extra electron, which is a normal by-product of respiration, the oxidation or burning of fuel within

cells. 

The ultimate goal of Borgstahl’s research is to

study the chemistry of SOD at the atomic level as it 

performs its job of detoxifying superoxides. She and 

her team hope that high-quality crystals of this enzyme

grown in microgravity will help advance the understanding of how SOD works and will enable several types of

technically challenging structure determinations.

Although a naturally occurring manganese-containing

form of superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) — the specific

enzyme Borgstahl is working with — has been extensively studied biochemically, the crystal structure of this

This microgravity-grown MnSOD

crystal is pink due to the manganese

metal ion in the active site. Earthgrown crystals typically grow as thin

plates and are never thick enough to

allow the viewer to see this vibrant

pink color.

credit: Gloria Borgstahl

According to one popular theory, aging is due to DNA and other cellular structures’ being damaged by a class of molecules known as free radicals. The body

has it own defenders against free radicals, including superoxide dismutases

(SODs). PI Gloria Borgstahl hopes that high-quality crystals of MnSOD grown

in microgravity, pictured here, will help advance the understanding of how

SODs work and will enable several types of technically challenging structure

determinations. 

credit: Gloria Borgstahl
16 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

MACROMOLECULAR BIOTECHNOLOGY 3

enzyme has not been solved. MnSOD and other metal

SODs are part of the cell’s defense against free radical–mediated damage. MnSOD also protects against the

production of free radicals during inflammatory processes in the body.

Borgstahl’s first microgravity crystallization

experiments on the manganese-containing SODs were

transported to the ISS by STS-108 in December 2001

and were returned to Earth in April 2002. At Advanced

Photon Source in Chicago, Illinois, Borgstahl and her

colleagues were able to collect the best X-ray diffraction

data available to date from the crystals grown on the ISS.

Crystals grown in Earth laboratories are typically long

rectangular rods that are thin in cross section (120

microns x 50 microns x 1,000 microns). To the research

team’s great satisfaction, all 35 crystallization experiments on the ISS produced crystals, and more than half

of them were of a dramatically larger volume in cross

section (400 microns x 400 microns x 3,000 microns)

than similar crystals grown on Earth. Several of the

MnSOD crystals grown on the ISS were 80 times

greater in crystal volume than Earth-grown crystals,

and diffraction spots to 1.26-angstrom resolution were

observed, providing significantly improved data compared with that obtained from crystals grown in Earth

laboratories. Borgstahl has said that the difference in

crystal size was “like comparing toothpicks to 4-inch 

x 4-inch planks of wood.”

To answer fundamental biochemical questions

concerning this enzyme, Borgstahl and her team needed

to obtain these large, high-quality crystals of SOD for

neutron studies and for time-resolved Laue studies. Both

neutron and Laue methods require large (greater than

1 cubic millimeter), perfect crystals. With the neutron

experiment, the researchers hope to be able to obtain the

never-before-seen, three-dimensional structure of the

hydrogens on each amino acid of the protein and thereby

answer the unsolved questions concerning the source of

these hydrogens in the enzyme reaction mechanism.

With the time-resolved Laue experiments, the team 

will be able to generate the superoxide substrate 

within the crystals with a laser pulse and then make a

“movie” of the enzyme converting it to peroxide and

water. 

The role of manganese-containing SODs in the

body is important, and in-depth study of their structure is

not only vital to understanding their function, but also

may lead to new therapeutic treatments for various

degenerative processes. 

Stamp-Sized Laboratories for Space 

Just as the world of electronics was reshaped by

the philosophy that “smaller is better,” biotechnology

systems are being transformed by the drive to miniaturize.

The result is the production of tiny biological laboratories on the scale of microns and millimeters. The function of several pieces of standard laboratory equipment

and a lab technician can now be replaced with a postage

stamp–sized “lab-on-a-chip.” The science of microfluidics is making this new technology possible as it

requires the ability to manipulate processes that involve

fluid volumes measured in nanoliters (10-9 L) and picoliters (10-12 L). In the life sciences, microfluidic systems

may be used for biochemical assays, genetic analysis,

drug screening, electrochromatography (separating 

the components of a substance by applying a voltage),

and blood-cell separation/analysis (to determine blood

cell counts and the presence of disease), reducing the

time and cost of performing complex biochemical

processes.

NASA has also recognized the potential of these

chips to process samples of macromolecules for crystal

growth experiments in space. The tiny chips could

greatly minimize the volume of valuable biological samples required to obtain results. With this objective, in late

2001, a collaboration began between NASA’s Iterative

Biological Crystallization (IBC) project and Caliper

Technologies Corporation of Mountain View, California,

the renowned mass producer of LabChip® devices. The

result is chip NS374. 

In future space travel, miniaturized systems

will be essential for reducing spacecraft

system mass and volume. The functions of

several laboratory instruments can now be

placed on a chip that is not much larger

than a dime. The size of the chips greatly

minimizes the volume of valuable biological

samples that must be used to obtain

results, and the automated equipment that

manages the chips allows scientists on

Earth to use the Internet to set up and track

crystallization experiments on the ISS. 

credit: NASA

ACTUAL

CHIP
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

In any experiment, for crystal growth to occur,

a sample is prepared that contains the macromolecule

in a solution and a precipitant that initiates evaporation

and thus crystal formation. The new chip is capable of

mixing prescribed recipes from up to five solution

components and of selectively delivering each of the

recipe mixtures to separate growth wells that reside on

the same chip. Testing of this chip, which has been

ongoing for several months in the IBC laboratories,

has proven the efficacy of the approach. The IBC labon-a-chip system will provide a statistically significant

sample, much higher throughput, and greater repeatability of macromolecular experiments. Automated

equipment that manages the chips allows scientists on

the ground to use the Internet to iteratively set up and

visually evaluate hundreds of crystallization experiments throughout the duration of an ISS flight increment. 

The lab-on-a-chip technology developed by

IBC, with its capacity to meter and mix biological fluids with picoliter accuracy, is well suited for commercial or academic structural biology research on Earth

as well as in space. The unit will also be adaptable for

other areas of research that employ microfluidics.

In future space travel, miniaturized systems

will be essential in reducing the mass and volume of

spacecraft systems. Microfluidics has the potential to

facilitate and automate scientific research across multiple disciplines. As NASA seeks to develop tools that

will diminish the negative effects of long-term space

travel on humans, lab-on-a-chip technology is a

potential springboard for medical diagnostic and therapeutic devices that will ultimately make spaceflight

safer for humans.

A New NASA Institute

In November 2001, NASA awarded the

Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute

(HWMI) in Buffalo, New York, a grant to establish the

NASA Institute for Structural Biology (NISB).

Hauptman-Woodward is an independent, nonprofit facility specializing in basic research using structural biology

and is known worldwide for its expertise in crystal

growth. The new NASA institute will be devoted to fostering research in the field of macromolecular biology

and in facilitating the use of low-gravity research opportunities. Principal Investigator George DeTitta and his

co-investigator, HWMI Research Scientist Joseph Luft,

and HWMI Executive Vice President and Principle

Research Scientist Walter Pangborn were named to head

the institute. 

NISB was formed in part to help structural biologists access flight hardware through NASA’s unified

Associate Investigator Program, which is focused on

opening up spaceflight opportunities to a larger community of scientific researchers. Shortly after its inception,

NISB began to promote awareness of the new program.

The NISB contacted groups and individual members of

the structural biology community, providing information

about how the institute can assist investigators who wish

to fly macromolecular crystallization samples in ISS

experiment hardware sponsored by NASA’s Physical

Sciences Research Division. Also provided was a list of

upcoming flights available with instructions on how to

make an application. An independent peer-review panel

was set up to evaluate flight proposals, and the group

began reviewing applications for early 2003. 

Another important task for the NISB is to help

selected researchers through the process of flying experiments on the ISS. To that end, the NISB will provide the

support necessary to do adequate ground crystallization

experiments and diffraction analyses to assess the effects

of microgravity, including making synchrotron radiation

available. Timely access to synchrotron beam time following retrieval of flight experiments is a high priority

for researchers, as using electromagnetic radiation has

become an indispensable tool in the field of X-ray

crystallography for molecular structure determination.

NISB will help investigators secure access to the

Stanford Synchrotron Research Laboratory at Stanford

University. 

3 MACROMOLECULAR BIOTECHNOLOG

In June 2002 New York State Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton

(second from left) announced the award of a $2.6 million grant

over three years from NASA to the Hauptman-Woodward Medical

Research Institute (HWMI) to establish the NASA Institute for

Structural Biology at HWMI’s Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

From left to right: George DeTitta, HWMI executive director and

CEO; Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton; Ron Porter, manager,

Science Planning and Program Management Group, MSFC;

Herbert Hauptman, HWMI president; and Christopher Greene,

HWMI chairman of the board. 

credit: Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute
18 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

ore than 70 years ago, cellular biologist

E. B. Wilson wrote in his book The Cell in

Development and Heredity that “the key to every

biological problem must finally be sought in the

cell.” All living creatures are made of cells — small,

membrane-bound compartments filled with a concentrated water-based solution of chemicals. The

simplest forms of life are solitary cells that propagate

by dividing in two. More complex organisms such as

humans are like cellular cities in which groups of

cells perform specialized functions and are linked by

intricate communication systems. Cells occupy a

halfway point on the scale of biological complexity.

Scientists study cells to try to understand their

molecular makeup and to learn about how they

cooperate to enable a complex organism to function.

More than 200 types of cells make up the

human body. They are assembled into a variety of

tissues, such as skin, bone, and muscle. Most tissues

contain a mixture of cell types. Cells are small and

complex — a typical animal cell is about five times

smaller than the smallest visible particle, and it contains all the molecules necessary to enable an organism to survive and reproduce itself. A cell’s small

size makes it difficult for scientists to see its structure, to discover its molecular composition, and 

especially to find out how its various components

function. Differentiated cells perform specialized

functions. For example, a heart muscle cell looks

different from and performs different functions than

a nerve cell. Specialized cells interact and communicate with one another, setting up signals to govern

the character of each cell according to its place in the

structure as a whole. 

What can be learned about cells depends on

the available tools. Culturing (growing) cells is one

of the most basic techniques used by medical

researchers. The growth of human cells outside the

body enables the investigation of the basic biological

and physiological phenomena that govern the normal

life cycle and many of the mechanisms of disease. In

traditional research methods, mammalian cells are

cultured using vessels in which cells settle to the bottom surface of the vessel under the influence of

gravity. This gravitational influence results in a thin

sheet of cells, with the depth of a single cell, called a

monolayer. Cells in human tissues, however, are

arranged in complex, three-dimensional structures.

M

OVERVIEW

CELLULAR BIOTECHNOLOGY 3 NASA’s ground-based

rotating bioreactor is

an analog of microgravity cell culture

that has made it possible for cells to

aggregate, differentiate, and grow in three

dimensions in cultures

on Earth.

credit:: NASA
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

When cells are grown in a monolayer, they do not

perform all the functions that the original tissue does. 

Although much valuable information can be

gained from monolayer cell cultures, further understanding of the processes that govern gene expression and cellular differentiation is limited because

the cells are not arranged as they are in the human

body. When the influence of gravity is decreased, 

the cells are able to grow in more tissue-like, threedimensional aggregates, or clusters. Until the cellular

biotechnology program developed a unique technology called the NASA Bioreactor, experiments to

form three-dimensional cell formations were confined to the microgravity environment of space.

The NASA-designed bioreactor allows cells

to be cultured in a continuous freefall state, simulating microgravity and providing a unique cell culture

environment on the ground. The growth medium–

filled cylindrical vessel rotates about a horizontal

axis, suspending the cells in a low-shear* culturing

environment. This allows for cell aggregation, differentiation, and growth. The bioreactor affords

researchers exciting opportunities to create threedimensional cell cultures that are similar to the

tissues found in the human body. 

Using both space- and ground-based bioreactors, scientists are investigating the prospect of

developing tissues that can be used in medical transplantation to replace failed organs and tissues.

Additionally, investigators are striving to produce

models of human disease to be used in the development of novel drugs and vaccines for the treatment

and prevention of disease, to devise strategies to

reengineer defective tissues, and to develop new

hypotheses for the progression of diseases such as

cancer. Finally, cells exposed to simulated and true

microgravity respond by making adaptations that

give new insights into cellular processes, establish a

cellular basis for the human response to microgravity

and the space environment, and pave the way for cell

biology research in space regarding the transition of

terrestrial life to low-gravity environments.

OVERVIEW

BIOTECHNOLOG 3 CELLULAR BIOTECHNOLO

The NASA rotating wall vessel bioreactor provides a low-turbulence

culture environment that promotes the formation of large, threedimensional cell clusters. Cell constructs grown in the bioreactor

more closely resemble tumors or tissues found in the body. Cell

constructs grown in a rotating bioreactor on Earth (left) eventually

become too large to stay suspended in the nutrient medium. In the

microgravity of orbit, the cells stay suspended (right). Rotation

provides gentle stirring to replenish the medium around the cells.

Rotating Wall Vessel Bioreactor

EARTH (1g) ORBIT (μg)

credit:NASA

* Shear is the force caused by the cells sliding against one another.
20 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Program Summary

A recommendation was made by the National

Research Council in 2000 for the Cellular Biotechnology

Program to work with the Fundamental Biology Program

of NASA’s Life Sciences Division to take advantage of

overlapping interests. Therefore NASA Cell Science conferences, which had for many years been sponsored by

the Cellular Biotechnology Program (CBP) at Johnson

Space Center in Houston, Texas, were jointly sponsored

by the CBP and the Fundamental Biology Program at

Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, in

2001 and in 2002. This successful collaboration between

the two centers will continue.

The 2001 NASA Cell Science Conference and

Annual Investigators Working Group Meeting was held

March 6–8, 2001, in Houston, Texas; this was the first

agencywide cell science conference. Approximately 190

scientists from universities, NASA centers, the National

Institutes of Health, the National Space Biomedical

Research Institute, and commercial cell culture enterprises attended the three-day conference. Sixty-three invited

speakers gave talks in the following areas: cell movement/cytoskeleton, tissue modeling, biological responses

to physical forces, models in lower organisms, immunology, cell culture technology, proliferation and differentiation, and gene expression. Eight industry exhibitors also

attended to showcase their products. 

The 2002 conference was held February 26–28,

2002, in Palo Alto, California, and was attended by

approximately 160 scientists and 10 exhibitors.

Currently, planning is under way for the 2003 NASA

Cell Science Conference, scheduled for February 20–22,

2003. In addition to the research areas covered in past

conferences, the 2003 conference will be expanded to

include presentations on neoplastic disease (cancer), sensors and analytical equipment, and gravity and mechanical sensing. The area of sensors and analytical equipment

encompasses work in advancing the state of the art in

automated cell culture technology. In space, the culturing

of cells must be highly automated because it may be performed by crewmembers who are not proficient in this

very time-consuming and skill-intensive procedure.

Thus, sensing systems that can detect cell culture conditions and control them autonomously to ensure they

remain viable are necessary to ensure successful science.

Gravity and mechanical sensing covers investigations

into the molecular and cellular mechanisms behind the

many varied responses seen in microgravity. Understanding

these is critical to understanding why we see many decreases in quality of physiological functions such as muscle

atrophy and bone loss associated with spaceflight.

Under the Cellular Biotechnology Program 

in fiscal years (FYs) 2001 and 2002, 47 principal

investigators conducted scientific investigations in both

ground- and flight-based environments, resulting in more

than 50 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals

and proceedings. Additionally, a NASA Research

Announcement for cellular biotechnology (NRA 01-

OBPR-08-B) was issued in June 2002.

Research solicited under this announcement

sought to establish the scientific foundations for future

experiments on the International Space Station (ISS) and

to support the development of biotechnology applications for long-duration spaceflight. The solicitation also

sought coordinated research efforts involving both spaceand ground-based research that would lead to potential

flight experiments or development of new technologies

for future NASA missions. NASA not only invited

research in the areas that it has previously supported,

such as tissue engineering, bioreactor design, and

changes in gene expression, but also expanded the scope

to include other research areas that have been identified

as having potential to contribute to human exploration of

space. These new areas of supported research include

separation, purification, and remediation methods;

microbiosensor monitoring devices; and selective pressures on cell populations, among others.

Separation, purification, and remediation methods are needed to clean and recycle water on spacecraft

during future long-duration missions. Purification methods must be specific for toxic molecules, reliable, and

inexpensive and must make minimal demands on spacecraft resources. The cellular biotechnology program can

contribute in this area by researching the use of cellular organisms to convert or catalyze fluid waste to

usable products such as drinking water, oxygen, or

methane.

Likewise, the cellular biotechnology program

can assist in the development of microbiosensor monitoring devices. The sensors will be microtechnology- and

nanotechnology-based, will be extremely stable and

small, and will be used for monitoring biological systems

and experiments to aid in the advancement of biotechnological processes and their use in support of longduration space missions.

Assessment of selective pressures on mammalian

and microbial cell populations is critical to long-term

occupation of space. Changes in cells that are both genotypic (changes in the makeup of the genes themselves)

and phenotypic (changes in how the genes express themselves externally) occurring over numerous generations

of cells exposed only to a space environment must be

studied in order to determine risks to our biological

integrity and to our life-based support systems wrought

by extended (and even permanent) stays in space.

CELLULAR BIOTECHNOLOGY 3
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Proposals in response to the NRA were due

September 6, 2002, and selections are expected to be

made in May 2003. For additional information, visit

http://research.hq.nasa.gov/code_u/nra/current/NRA-01-

OBPR-08-B/index.html on the World Wide Web. 

Most of NASA’s previous work in cell science

has taken place on shuttle flights and on the Russian

space station, Mir. These experiments have demonstrated

that microgravity and the space environment affect cell

shape, signal transduction (the transfer of signals from

outside the cell to inside the cell), replication and proliferation, gene expression, apoptosis (cell disintegration),

and synthesis and orientation of intracellular and extracellular macromolecules. With the increased availability

of research opportunities on the ISS and the new hardware developed specifically for this platform, more frequent and longer term investigations will undoubtedly

accelerate the advancement of our understanding of how

the microgravity environment affects cell structure,

processes, and functions. 

Flight Experiments

FY 2001 and FY 2002 were again years of

advances for the cellular biotechnology flight program.

Several researchers flew experiments on space shuttle

flights and on the ISS. Flight experiments included studies of colon cancer metastasis, kidney cell gene expression, and erythroleukemia. Additionally, in FY 2002 the

Cellular Biotechnology Program

extended its efforts to expand biotechnology commercial ventures by enlarging its agreement with StelSys Inc. of

Baltimore, Maryland, to include flight

experiments aboard the ISS. Progress

was also made on the development of

the Biotechnology Facility for the ISS. 

Principal Investigator (PI) J.

Milburn Jessup’s study of colon carcinoma metastasis using the NASA

bioreactor flew to the ISS aboard STS105 in August 2001. Jessup, of the

Georgetown University Medical

Center, is a veteran of two spaceflight

experiments on shuttle missions STS70 (July 1995) and STS-85 (August

1997). STS-70 provided the proof that

NASA’s rotating wall vessel bioreactor

(RWV) could be used to grow threedimensional cellular aggregates. The

carcinoma cells provided by Jessup for

the experiment formed masses 10

millimeters in diameter — 30 times

the volume of those grown in the

control experiment on the ground.

The experiment was repeated on STS-85, again resulting

in mature differentiated tissue samples and confirming

that microgravity is an environment beneficial to cell

culture and tissue growth. 

Experimental results from these two space shuttle flights indicated that programmed cell death, or apoptosis, occurred in the RWV on the ground but was

reduced in the actual microgravity cultures. The rate of

apoptosis in the MIP-101 (human colorectal carcinoma)

cells approached that of the same cells growing as nonrotated masses in three dimensions on a surface to which

the cells did not attach. This finding was important

because it suggested that rotation at the speeds necessary

to suspend cells on Earth in the RWV may actually hurt

the cells. Other researchers have reported that RWVs

operated on Earth may also change the cytoskeleton, or

backbone, of cells in such a way that rotation may lead

to cell death. In microgravity, the RWV does not need to

spin as fast to keep the cells suspended, so the cells more

nearly approach the nonrotated three-dimensional cultures on the ground. Jessup has recently found that

rotation on the ground also increases nitric oxide and

reactive oxygen species production by as much as six to

eight times. These substances can be quite toxic to cells

and cause the apoptosis seen in the RWV.

Jessup’s work from these flights resulted in two

peer-reviewed publications in national journals regarding

metastatic characteristics of colon carcinoma.

3 CELLULAR BIOTECHNOLO

Timothy Hammond is examining how microgravity alters the gene expression in renal cells that

ultimately enables kidneys to develop and function normally. He has found that the genetic

expression of human renal cells can be manipulated in microgravity to produce hormones that

are valuable in the treatment of disease.

credit: NASA
22 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Preliminary ground research indicated that the metabolism of the MIP-101 line of colon cancer cells is significantly increased in microgravity; the cells essentially

outgrew the capacity of the rotating wall vessel bioreactor under simulated microgravity conditions. 

Additional flight experiments were conducted

during the STS-108 mission in December 2001; analysis

of those experimental samples is in progress. Jessup used

the MIP-101 cells for the additional experiments because

they differentiate, producing certain proteins, in the

RWV. He conducted the experiment to assess how

aggressively such cells will consume nutrients in microgravity when a three-dimensional culture is attempted, as

well as to test the metabolic requirements of space-based

bioreactors. Ultimately, Jessup hopes his research will

aid in gaining additional needed information regarding

the mechanisms involved in colon cancer metastasis. 

Jessup is looking forward to testing the hypothesis that the apoptosis seen in the RWV on the ground and

in some spaceflights is due to oxidative stress. In addition to the results gathered from his studies of cell death

in MIP-101 cells, much evidence exists that reactive

oxygen and nitrogen species are generated both in cells

in culture and in muscles and organs in crewmembers

and animals in space. This work may ultimately lead to a

better understanding of the effects of reduced gravity on

subcellular organelle distribution and oxidative stress.

This may also help provide a means to assess new and

better countermeasures for the deleterious aspects of

weightlessness.

PI Timothy Hammond, of Tulane University

Medical Center and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center

in New Orleans, Louisiana, has conducted a series of

spaceflight cell culture experiments using renal (kidney)

cells. He is examining how microgravity alters the gene

expression in renal cells that ultimately enables kidneys

to develop and function normally. During shuttle mission

STS-106 (September 2000), Hammond cultured threedimensional constructs of normal human renal cells, and

in early FY 2001, he analyzed the results regarding the

genetic expression of human cells in microgravity and

their ability to be manipulated to produce renal hormones that are valuable in the treatment of disease. 

Continued studies of renal cells in

microgravity aboard STS-105 in August 2001

revealed additional information about the

mechanisms involved in these genetic manipulations and responses. Hammond was able to

assess the cultured tissue’s production of erythropoietin, a hormone produced mainly by the

kidneys that stimulates the production of red

blood cells by stem cells in bone marrow, and

vitamin D3, a substance converted by the kidneys that plays an important role in the absorption of calcium from the intestine, helping to

maintain strong bones. As expected, the production of both of these substances increased

dramatically in space. Hammond hopes to

adapt the three-dimensional tissue model for

commercial production of these hormones.

In FY 2002, Hammond flew renal cells

on the ISS during Expedition 4 (December

2001–June 2002). In this study, Hammond

examined the responses of normal human renal

cells to a peptide sequence known to inhibit

the vitamin D receptor under microgravity. In

patients with kidney disease characterized by

heavy protein excretion, it is believed that the

elevated levels of protein in the kidney cause

tissue damage and scarring. This toxicity is thought to be

due to the binding of low–molecular weight proteins to

scavenger receptors on the surface of the renal proximal

tubules. Molecules that can disrupt the scavenger pathway by binding to the scavenger receptors include certain classes of antibiotics as well as artificial blood and

hormone precursors like vitamin D. Hammond evaluated

cellular structure and assessed the distribution of the

vitamin D receptor and other biological molecules that

control gene expression to understand the molecular

CELLULAR BIOTECHNOLOGY 3

Microgravity is valuable for peeling away the interfering effects of gravity and laying bare functions of an organism that might not be apparent on Earth. These

human liver cells were flown on the International Space Station and then cultured

for 24 hours on the ground. Scientists studying how space changes life-forms

hope that a comparison between cells grown in microgravity and those grown on

Earth will provide insight into the effects of microgravity on liver cell functions and

result in a better understanding of liver functions both in space and on Earth.

credit: StelSys Inc.
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

BIOTECHNOLOG

mechanisms mediating gene expression changes in space.

Long-term goals of Hammond’s research include identification of genes that respond to microgravity, modeling

of renal injury mechanisms, and production of renal hormones of pharmacological importance. Changes in gene

expression in cells grown in space have demonstrated the

metabolic pathways important in the response to microgravity, which is allowing the researchers to mimic the

biologically and pharmacologically useful elements of

this response on the ground.

PI Arthur Sytkowski, of Harvard Medical

School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, conducted a flight

experiment during ISS Expedition 4 to study erythroleukemia (EMS-3) cells. Erythroleukemia is a cancer

of the blood-forming tissues in which large numbers of

immature, abnormal red blood cells are found in the

blood and bone marrow. The EMS-3 cells respond to

erythropoietin, the natural inducer of the formation of red

blood cells, and to other chemical inducers such as

dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Sytkowski and his team

cultured EMS-3 cells in orbit to test their responsiveness

when exposed to these inducers in microgravity and

compare results to data from previous ground-based

rotating wall vessel bioreactor experiments. 

Because it has been known for some time that

red blood cells do not evolve well in microgravity, this

research has a direct bearing on the future of long-term

human spaceflight as well as on human diseases experienced on Earth. Data from these experiments will

improve our knowledge of the effects of microgravity on

the hematopoietic (blood-forming) system and will suggest possible in-flight countermeasures and treatments

for negative effects of microgravity on astronauts and

provide insight into developing therapies for patients 

on Earth with diseases affecting blood cell formation. 

To carry on NASA’s commitment to developing

real-world applications of NASA’s bioreactor technology

and to substantiate NASA’s interest in the commercialization of microgravity research in areas related to biological systems, NASA signed an agreement with StelSys

Inc. in 2002. This follows on the heels of the groundbreaking agreement NASA signed with StelSys in

September 2000, which began a new biotechnology commercial venture. The first agreement fostered the

exploration of a new frontier in biotechnology, infectious disease research and the development of a liverassist device for patients in need of transplant surgery.

The agreement signed in 2002 augmented the initial

venture by providing for the flight of experiments on

the ISS.

The main objective of the StelSys series of

experiments is to test the hypothesis that a microgravity

environment will facilitate three-dimensional propagation

of cultured liver cells into differentiated, functional tissue

equivalents. As with other tissues grown in microgravity,

obtaining three-dimensional constructs that function like

the liver in vivo would help researchers to better understand liver functions and develop drug therapies and test

their efficacy before administering the drugs to patients.

One of the specialized functions of the liver is to break

down drugs or toxins into less harmful and more watersoluble substances that can be excreted from the body.

ISS-based research will examine how human liver cells

process drugs in space, using the microgravity environment to isolate individual cell functions.

Onboard the ISS, the StelSys experiments will

test the function of human liver cells in microgravity versus the function of duplicate cells on Earth. Sponsors of

this experiment hope that this work will elucidate the

effects of microgravity on the proper functioning of liver

cells and lead to earlier and more reliable screening of

new drugs for patients in need of liver and kidney treatments prior to transplant. It could also accelerate

development of new lifesaving drugs by pharmaceutical companies because drug developers would be able to

test their drug candidates in tissue constructs that maintain their liver-specific functions for up to a week.

Researchers could then choose only the best therapeutic

candidates for further testing, which may take place in

humans. 

Albert Li, of StelSys, grew liver cells in the

Cellular Biotechnology Operations Support System,

managed by Neal Pellis at Johnson Space Center. Cells

were transported on STS-111 in June 2002 to the ISS,

where they were nurtured and grown. When cell growth

was complete, the samples were frozen and then transported back to Earth for study by STS-112 in October

2002. Li and his colleagues will assess the liver constructs for true functionality to assess their usefulness for

drug screening and to determine their utility for producing compounds that could improve human health.

Great progress was made during FY 2002 on

design and development of the ISS Biotechnology

Facility (BTF). The BTF is a complement of hardware

and science experiments designed to use the unique

microgravity environment of low Earth orbit as a tool in

basic and applied cell biology. Researchers will be able

to use BTF hardware that is based on an extensive heritage of spaceflight-proven designs, including incubators,

refrigerators, analytical instruments, and gas- and watersupply devices. This hardware will be contained inside

two refrigerator-sized enclosures known as research

racks. For more about the BTF and milestones achieved

in FYs 2001 and 2002, see the ISS chapter of this annual

report.

3 CELLULAR BIOTECHNOLO
24 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

The cellular biotechnology program has also

made significant progress in the development of

advanced sensors to support tissue culture. Growth of

long-duration mammalian cell and tissue cultures in

spaceflight bioreactor systems requires automated monitoring of culture parameters such as pH, glucose, and

oxygen concentration. Four invention disclosures were

made to NASA during 2002 for a pH control process, a

glucose control process, a glucose sensor, and an oxygen

sensor. The glucose sensor can continuously measure

glucose present in cell culture medium in a perfused

bioreactor system, in which cells are grown in an excess

of medium that continuously flows through the bioreactor. The oxygen sensor is an optical sensor based on

dynamic fluorescent quenching of a pulsed blue light

that is emitted by a light-emitting diode. The sensor is

designed for long-term continuous measurement of dissolved oxygen concentration in the cell culture medium

in perfused bioreactors. In 2002, two papers describing

the pH control process and the glucose sensor were published: “Continuous pH Monitoring in a Perfused

Bioreactor System Using an Optical pH Sensor,” by A.

S. Jeevarajan, V. Sundeep, T. D. Taylor, and M. M.

Anderson (in Biotechnology and Bioengineering,78(4),

467–72), and “On-Line Measurement of Glucose in a

Rotating Wall Perfused Vessel Bioreactor Using an

Amperometric Glucose Sensor,” by X. Yuanhang, A. S.

Jeevarajan, J. M. Fay, T. D. Taylor, and M. M. Anderson (in

Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 149(4), H103–106).

Highlights

Bringing Cancer Cells to Their Knees

While much progress has been made in identifying the processes that give rise to cancer, new therapies

for its treatment have not kept pace. Chemotherapy,

which involves using drugs, including chemicals that

damage DNA, remains the primary cancer treatment

option for physicians. Unfortunately, cancer cells can

exhibit resistance to chemotherapeutic agents. In some

cases, this resistance develops during or very shortly

after chemotherapy treatment, and often the resistance

can happen with several therapy agents, even when only

one was administered. This is called acquired resistance.

In other cases, tumor cells appear to be completely unresponsive to treatment with therapeutic agents, even if

they are agents to which the cancer cells have never been

exposed. This is known as intrinsic resistance. In both

scenarios, the result is the same: the chemotherapy does

not destroy the cancer cells. The mechanisms underlying

this rapid onset of drug resistance in human cancer are

not clear. One problem in studying and combating this

resistance is the lack of cancer models that reproduce

conditions occurring in vivo, or in the body. This is also

a problem in studying the effects of various therapies on

cancer cells.

NASA investigator Jeanne Becker and her team

of researchers at the University of South Florida, in

Tampa, have successfully used the NASA-developed

High Aspect Ratio Rotating-Wall Vessel (HARV) to culture three-dimensional constructs of human ovarian

tumor cells, which, as are breast tumor cells, are notoriously difficult to grow outside the body. Becker began

working with the rotating wall vessel bioreactor in 1992

and continued with the HARV in her attempt to grow

three-dimensional cancer cell aggregates that would

function more like human tumors than the two-dimensional tissues obtained by traditional culture methods.

The earlier rotating wall vessel bioreactor and the HARV

both provide a growing environment for cell cultures that

is similar to the one available in the microgravity conditions of low Earth orbit. The continuous rotation of the

bioreactor keeps the growing cells in a state similar to

the freefall experienced by the space shuttle and the ISS

as they orbit Earth, thereby mitigating the effects of

gravity that normally prevent the cells from growing in

more than a single layer. The constructs grown in the

rotating wall vessel bioreactor provide a model that is

more biologically representative of conditions that occur

in vivo than models afforded by traditional culture systems, and Becker plans to use them to study chemotherapeutic drug resistance.

Becker also prepared a spaceflight experiment to

compare ovarian tumor growth in a true microgravity

environment to cells cultured in concurrent experiments

on the ground and in the HARV. In August 2001, her

experiment was transported aboard STS-105 to the ISS,

where it remained until December 2001. Human ovarian

tumor cells were cultured in microgravity for a 14-day

growth period. The cells were preserved at three time

points during culture so that they could be analyzed for

CELLULAR BIOTECHNOLOGY 3

In August 2001, PI Jeanne Becker sent human ovarian tumor cells to the

ISS aboard STS-105. The tumor cells were cultured in microgravity for a

14-day growth period and were analyzed for changes in the rate of cell

growth and for synthesis of associated proteins, as well as evaluated for

the expression of several proteins that are the products of oncogenes,

which cause the transformation of normal cells into cancer cells. This

photo, which was taken by astronaut Frank Culbertson while he was performing the experiment for Becker, shows two cell culture bags containing

LN1 ovarian carcinoma cell cultures.

credit: NASA
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

changes in the rate of cell growth and for synthesis of

associated proteins, as well as evaluated for the expression of several proteins that are the products of oncogenes, which cause the transformation of normal cells

into cancer cells. 

The experiment results will be used to define

potential points of tumor cellular development that may

be targeted by chemotherapeutic drugs. Finding new targets for chemotherapeutic drugs is especially important

in the case of ovarian cancer, which is usually not detected until it is already in an advanced, incurable stage. 

Ultimately, Becker hopes that her research will

provide oncologists with a better chance of predicting

which drug treatments will work against ovarian cancer.

With a three-dimensional model that behaves the way

cancerous ovarian tissue in the body does, researchers

will have a more reliable means of predicting drug and

hormone treatment efficacy before administering those

treatments to patients. Becker’s study of three-dimensional cell development offers great potential for improving therapies for ovarian and other cancers.

In another example of using the rotating wall

vessel bioreactor to culture three-dimensional constructs

of cancer cells, Peter Lelkes, of Drexel University, in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is attempting to grow vascularized tissue, which contains blood vessels, in vitro.

Cancerous tumors are able to grow only because the formation of new blood vessels within the tumor provides

the oxygen and nutrients that are necessary to sustain

growth. One of the strategies in combating such tumorous cancers, therefore, has been to look for ways to interfere with this blood vessel growth. If Lelkes can grow a

vascularized tissue in vitro, he will have created a tool

with which to investigate the efficacy of drug therapies

that can interfere with or prevent the blood vessel growth

that sustains tumors as they grow in the body, thereby

slowing or stopping tumor growth. Lelkes is currently

attempting to co-culture microvascular endothelial cells

with prostate cancer cells in rotating wall bioreactors.

Becker and Lelkes are just two researchers out of

many who are using rotating wall vessel bioreactors and

the microgravity environment of low Earth orbit to try to

develop a better understanding of the mechanisms of

cancer development and better means of fighting cancer

in humans.

Neutralizing Virulent Microbes

Spacefarers can remain in a closed system for

weeks, sometimes months — and for proposed longduration flights, maybe even years — breathing recycled

air and drinking recycled water. Given that some virulent

microbes appear to thrive in microgravity, that’s not a

promising scenario for health, according to Cheryl

Nickerson, assistant professor of microbiology and

immunology at Tulane University Health Sciences

Center’s program in molecular pathogenesis and 

immunity. Nickerson says that spacegoers already

appear to have a higher risk of falling ill. 

In ground-based studies simulating microgravity,

Nickerson and her research team have found that a common strain of bacteria known as Salmonella typhimurium

can alter its genetic profile, upping the production of certain self-protecting proteins that may enhance virulence.

That could be unwelcome news for future astronauts.

Microgravity may also reduce antibiotic effectiveness,

and absent any new pharmacological approach, the difficult task of in-space treatment is made even more

challenging.

In the course of their investigation, Nickerson

and her colleagues found that more than 100 Salmonella

genes, or about 3 percent of the salmonella genome,

altered genetic expression. The changes made the bacteria far more lethal: mice injected with the strains grown

in modeled microgravity died, on average, three days

earlier than expected from shock and from large-organ

failure. 

Nickerson’s original studies in simulated microgravity involved the use of the rotating wall vessel bioreactor, which mimics reduced gravity. Cells of S.

typhimurium were placed in a culture within the bioreactor chamber. When the bioreactor spun, it maintained the

cells in close approximation of freefall, which astronauts

experience as up to one-millionth of Earth’s normal gravity.

3 CELLULAR BIOTECHNOLO

Cheryl Nickerson’s research focuses on the well-known pathogen,

Salmonella typhimurium, whose genetic response to gravity’s near

absence could provide clues to infection protection. Here, Nickerson (fa

right) works with her laboratory staff: from left to right, Carly LeBlanc,

Rajee Ramamurthy, Kerstin Honer zu Bentrup, and Jim Wilson.

credit: Tulane Univers
26 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

The researchers also cultured S. typhimurium under normal-gravity conditions.

In addition, to study how S. typhimurium causes

infection in people, Nickerson and her colleagues used

the bioreactor to culture three-dimensional human intestinal epithelial cells, which more accurately model the

physiology of human intestinal tissue than does conventional tissue culture. In response to the microbial invasion, the cells produced higher levels of substances

called anti-inflammatory cytokines, which may help limit

damage to the intestinal tissue following salmonella

infection. The three-dimensional intestinal cells also

showed less damage and cell death following salmonella

infection when compared with other types of cells

known as monolayers. These observations are consistent

with the self-limiting nature of salmonella infection,

according to Nickerson, which can damage or kill epithelial cells in otherwise healthy individuals before being

destroyed by immune reaction.

According to the Centers for Disease Control,

salmonella-related maladies are among the most common intestinal infections in the United States, with

40,000 cases reported yearly. However, scientists estimate that because only 3 to 5 percent of salmonella cases

are actually reported nationwide, and many milder cases

are never diagnosed, the true incidence is much higher,

likely in the millions. As many as 1,000 Americans die

annually from salmonella infections.

Bacteria are not premeditated killers. Their

goals, like all organisms, are to survive, thrive, and

reproduce. To do so, they release certain proteins. In natural environments, these proteins neutralize substances

harmful to the bacteria. When ingested into a human

digestive tract, the same mechanisms are engaged.

Although the strong acids found in the stomach kill up to

99 percent of the would-be bacterial colonizers, the 1

percent that do survive are able to “express,” or release,

the protective proteins that cause so much upset to their

human hosts. The immunologic battle between host and

pathogen can be fierce. Most of the time, the immune

system wins, containing the infection, but sometimes

the bacteria can overcome all defenses, and death can

result.

Although most S. typhimurium–caused infections

in the United States don’t require hospitalization or serious medical intervention, at least in healthy people, they

are potentially fatal if untreated in people with weakened

immune systems. Deciphering the bacteria’s molecular

responses could lead — with new drugs and vaccines —

to a means to treat or even neutralize salmonella infections, quickly lessening or eliminating the characteristic

nausea, vomiting, intestinal inflammation, and diarrhea

that they cause.

As humans work for longer periods in space,

they may bring with them preexisting infections.

Moreover, despite precautions, foods brought on board

could conceivably harbor salmonella bacteria. Depending

on severity, a salmonella-induced illness could pose serious dangers. And those dangers could be even worse on

a space mission, where astronaut immune systems may

already be stressed. Nickerson explains, “Something like

food poisoning could put a mission at risk, or in the

worst case, threaten crew survival.”

Nickerson plans to send S. typhimurium into

orbit to see if the results she obtains there are similar to

those she obtained on the ground. Her hope is to build a

detailed roadmap of how salmonella bacteria sense and

respond to microgravity. Once that roadmap is complete,

she hopes it will be a guide for developing effective

remediation strategies. 

How the Body Fights Back

One concern with space travel is the fact that

exposure to the microgravity environment apparently

causes impairment of the immune system. NASA’s highest priority is to ensure the health and safety of astronauts in space, and consequently, NASA supports many

research investigations related to the immune system.

NASA investigator Joshua Zimmerberg, with a team of

researchers at the NASA/National Institutes of Health

Center for Three-Dimensional Tissue Culture, Bethesda,

Maryland, is contributing to unraveling the mystery of

how the immune system changes in microgravity. The

team is looking specifically at the effects on lymph tissue

and lymphocytes.

The immune system is complex and composed

of many elements, all of which work in concert to protect the body from foreign invaders like bacteria and

viruses. Among the components of the immune system

are the lymph system, a passive system of lymph fluid,

or blood plasma, which provides nutrients obtained from

the blood to cells and carries waste away; the thymus;

the spleen; bone marrow; white blood cells; antibodies,

also known as immunoglobulins; and hormones. Each

component has a specific role in the body’s immune

response. 

The best-known defenders within the body are

the white blood cells, which differ from other cells in the

body in that they behave more like independent, singlecelled organisms that are incapable of reproducing.

Lymphocytes are a type of white blood cell. Some lymphocytes, known as B cells, produce specific antibodies

for specific germs. When a B cell recognizes a marker

on a germ called an antigen, it will clone itself and produce millions of antibodies against that germ. In contrast, T cells, the other type of lymphocyte, must actually

CELLULAR BIOTECHNOLOGY 3
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

come into contact with cells that contain viruses or bacteria in order to be able to kill them. Both B cells and T

cells can be found in the bloodstream, but they tend to

concentrate in the lymph tissue.

Zimmerberg and his team conducted experiments

that involved growing human lymphoid tissue cells in the

NASA-developed rotating wall vessel bioreactor (RWV),

which simulates some aspects of microgravity by gently

rotating growing cells to maintain them in an environment similar to freefall. The sample cells were isolated

from the tonsils of five human donors for use during this

experiment. Tonsils are granular tissue similar to lymph

nodes that are found at the back of the throat. They work

as part of the immune system by sampling and filtering

germs that enter the body through the mouth. The results

demonstrated that some immune functions became

impaired with exposure to the simulated microgravity

conditions provided by the RWV. 

When the tissues cultured in the RWV were challenged with recall antigens, markers to which the lymphoid tissues had previously been exposed, they did not

respond by producing specific antibodies, as they should

have. The previous exposure should have caused the

lymphoid tissue to recognize those markers and mount

an immune response. The tissues grown in the RWV

were also challenged with polyclonal antigens, which

were descended from more than one group of cells, to try

to obtain a general immune response, but unlike cultures

grown by traditional, nonrotating methods, the tissues

did not respond with increased immunoglobulin production. These results indicate that lymphocytes lose their

ability to be activated when cultured in the RWV.

However, when the lymphocytes were activated by exposure to antigens prior to being cultured in the RWV, they

remained activated during the culture. This shows

that the timing of the activation period is critical to

the cells’ immunogenic capability.

Subsequent studies were conducted on the ISS in

order to determine if results obtained from the

RWV cultures could be replicated in a true microgravity environment. The RWV creates an environment that mimics some, though not all, aspects

of microgravity, and cells cultured in ground studies do not experience other factors associated with

spaceflight that may affect immune function.

Zimmerberg’s flight experiment flew to the ISS on

shuttle mission STS-108 in December 2001. The

ISS samples were returned to investigators for

analysis in April 2002.

On the ISS, the tonsil cell cultures were grown in

Teflon bags and challenged with antigens.

Preliminary results indicate that differences exist

between the flight and ground samples and demonstrate an impaired immune response in the microgravity

samples. Further analysis will determine whether these

differences are similar to those seen between RWV and

ground samples. Future experiments will examine patterns of membrane reorganization and changes in the

cytoskeletons of cells cultured in the RWV; these

changes could impair the cells’ ability to recognize and

respond to viruses and bacteria. 

Preliminary results suggest that responses in true

microgravity are similar to those seen in simulated

microgravity. A second experiment to continue gathering

information regarding T cell and B cell interactions leading to lymphocyte activation has been scheduled. If the

results are indeed similar in both simulated and true

microgravity, then it could be much easier to begin identifying the cause of immune impairments, because

researchers could rely on the RWV for their experiments

instead of having to wait for infrequent spaceflight

opportunities. Conducting experiments in the RWV

would also allow researchers to replicate their experiments, which is currently difficult due to limitations on

payload capacity and time for conducting research

aboard the ISS. The study of these immune impairments

could have important impact on the future of space travel

and on human health on Earth. The human immune

response in space is blunted, and thus the potential for

pathological diseases associated with reduced immunological capability on long-duration spaceflights, such as a

mission to Mars, becomes a significant risk. Understanding

why the immune response is adversely affected is a necessary first step in developing countermeasures that can mitigate this risk. On Earth, understanding the mechanisms of

impaired immune response has potential applications in the

study and treatment of autoimmune diseases and immunodeficiencies, such as AIDS.

3 CELLULAR BIOTECHNOLOG

PI Joshua Zimmerberg is studying how microgravity affects the human immune

system. In ground-based studies, Zimmerberg exposed human tonsil tissue to

antigen markers and then grew that tissue under simulated microgravity in a

rotating wall vessel. He then re-exposed the tissue to antigen markers to see if

the cells would respond by producing antibodies. 

credit: National Institutes of Health
ombustion and the results of combustion

processes affect each of us every day. The majority

of the world’s electric power production, home

heating, and ground and air transportation are made

possible by combustion. Despite these benefits,

combustion by-products are major contributors to

air pollution and global warming. Additionally,

unintentional fires claim thousands of lives and cost

billions of dollars in property damage each year.

Improved control of combustion would be of great

benefit to society, yet it is

impeded by a

lack of fundamental understanding of

combustion

processes. 

The effects of gravitational forces on Earth

hamper combustion research. Gravity causes hot,

lightweight gases produced during combustion to

rise. The movement of the gases generates airflows

that produce flames that are often unsteady and nonsymmetrical, such as flames produced by a campfire. This gravity-induced flow makes the flames

very difficult to model mathematically. Combustion

theories, therefore, are often based on nonbuoyant

steady, symmetrical flames, and are difficult to test

on real-world combustion processes. Research in

microgravity offers unprecedented opportunities for

critical measurement of large, steady, slow-moving,

symmetric flames, since the forces of gravity and

the resulting airflow movements are effectively

eliminated. 

The data from experiments conducted in

microgravity are used to verify combustion theories,

validate numerical models, and develop fresh

insights into fundamental combustion phenomena,

all of which can be applied to Earth-based combustion processes. Research in microgravity has

revealed information about thermal and chemical

processes that play a role in flame propagation and

extinction, for example. These processes, while

present on Earth, are difficult to observe because

they are often hidden by more dominant reactions

attributable to gravity.

C

OVERVIEW

COMBUSTION SCIENCE 4

Combustion processes

provide us with power,

enable transportation,

and sometimes devastate the environment

through fires and pollution. As the world

becomes increasingly

developed and industrialized, the need for better

control and understanding of combustion has

become clear. 

28 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Program Summary

In fiscal years (FYs) 2001 and

2002, the research program in microgravity combustion science maintained its

primary focus of working toward an

understanding of fundamental combustion processes and flame structures. At

the same time, the program strengthened

its applications-based focus to aid NASA

in developing solutions for crew health

and safety issues. During FY 2001, the

microgravity combustion science program funded new and ongoing research

projects for 75 principal investigators

(PIs) working on 23 flight investigations

and 58 ground-based projects. During FY

2002, there were 72 PIs working on 22

flight investigations and 58 ground-based

projects. A list of all ongoing combustion

science research projects, along with the

names of the investigators conducting the

research, is provided in Appendix A.

In FY 2001, research projects

selected under the 1999 NASA Research

Announcement (NRA) in combustion

science were awarded funding and

research began. In total, 20 investigations, all of them ground-based studies,

were initiated. Six more research proposals submitted in response to the 1999

NRA were awarded funding in January

2001 from the Spacecraft Fire Safety

(SFS) program. All of the SFS-selected

proposals address critical needs in the

area of spacecraft fire safety; two of the

six were selected for flight-definition

work. This suite of research, integrated

within NASA’s Bioastronautics initiative,

focused on generating specific, attainable, applications-based solutions to

NASA’s fire safety issues for crew

members living and working aboard

spacecraft. 

A workshop to further focus the

SFS program was conducted in June

2001. Objectives included the identification of research needed to assess and

improve fire protection strategies for the

space shuttle, the International Space

Station (ISS), and their payloads; the

identification of fire safety concerns for

prolonged crewed missions in Earth’s

orbit and beyond; and finally, the anticipation of research needs for future lunar

4 COMBUSTION SCIEN

Researchers working on fire safety issues in space need to be

able to predict the behavior of

fires in order to better design protective measures for astronauts

and equipment.
30 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

COMBUSTION SCIENCE 4

and Martian habitats. By the end of the workshop, the

spacecraft fire safety research roadmap had been updated,

dialogue was opened between microgravity combustion

researchers and ISS designers and operations personnel,

and many research needs were identified. (See http://

www.ncmr.org/events/firesafety on the World Wide Web

[WWW] for more information.)

The SFS program also published the first annual

report of its research results in February 2002, titled

Bioastronautics Initiative Spacecraft Fire Safety

Research FY01 Annual Report and Research Plan.

Included in the report were interim results from experiments started in FY 2001 on material flammability, fire

and smoke detection, and fire suppression. For copies of

the report, write to Gary Ruff, NASA Glenn Research

Center, M/S 77-5, Cleveland, Ohio 44135.

Overall, the ground-based microgravity combustion science program continues on its path to contribute

significantly to the body of knowledge in the combustion

science community at large. Activities during FYs 2001

and 2002 have yielded significant findings both in fundamental scientific studies of phenomena and in areas having

terrestrial and space-based applications. The combustion

program has also addressed NASA’s need to solve problems in spacecraft and nonterrestrial habitat fire safety

that are key to pursuing long-term space exploration

goals. These safety issues are linked to exploring

regimes in material flammability phenomena, fire detection, and suppression. The results obtained are crucially

important to the scientifically challenging missions that

NASA plans to pursue. Current areas of ground-based

studies include the development of an apparatus to assess

material flammability in microgravity and research to

understand the chemical and physical aspects of fire suppression in nonterrestrial environments. By the end of

FY 2002, a majority of the 40 ground-based investigations initiated through the 1997 NRA in microgravity

combustion science were completed. The 81 investigations supported in FY 2001 (from the 1997 and 1999

NRA grant pools) generated 34 journal articles and 16

papers published in conference proceedings. More than

20 presentations based on this research were delivered at

national and international forums, and investigators made

contributions to 4 books as a result of their work. In FY

2002, 80 funded investigations generated 37 journal articles, 20 papers published in conference proceedings, 30

presentations, and contributions to 9 books.

FY 2002 saw a new practice initiated within the

Physical Sciences Research (PSR) Division. Instead of

releasing biennial NRAs for each individual discipline,

PSR will release every year a suite of NRAs covering all

the disciplines. Within a suite, individual NRAs for each

discipline will be on a staggered schedule. FY 2002’s

NRA suite was announced on December 21, 2001.

Ninety combustion science proposals were received by

March 22, 2002, and 22 proposals were selected for

funding in September 2002. The awards will be funded

in FY 2004. Topics solicited by the combustion science

NRA included gaseous flames; droplets, sprays, particles,

and dust clouds; surface combustion and fire safety;

chemical vapor deposition and vapor infiltration processing; supercritical water oxidation; in-situ resource utilization and chemical processing; and thermal plasmas. A

complete list of funded projects may be found on the

WWW at http://research.hq.nasa.gov/code_u/code_

u.cfm.

Flight Experiments

Experiments in space further refine and validate

combustion theories and extend the understanding of

combustion phenomena that are obscured by gravity. The

longer periods — weeks or months — in microgravity

and the generally higher-quality microgravity conditions

that can be obtained in orbit on the space shuttles and the

ISS are invaluable to combustion researchers, since some

Paul Ronney is studying Radiative

Enhancement Effects on Flame Spread to better

understand how flames spread over thick materials in low gravity. These data will enable scientists to improve spacecraft fire safety, as both

flames and extinguishing agents function differently in low gravity than they do in normal gravity. Shown are the differences in flame spread

over thick solid fuel in an oxygen–carbon dioxide

atmosphere in microgravity (top) and in Earth’s

gravity (bottom).

credit: NASA
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

4 COMBUSTION SCIEN

phenomena, such as slow-burning smoldering reactions,

are difficult to observe over the seconds-long episodes of

microgravity conditions obtainable in ground-based

facilities. 

In FYs 2001 and 2002, investigators continued

preparations for 20 flight research projects that require

the microgravity conditions available in orbit. Two investigations, the Spread Across Liquid (SAL) experiment

and the Microgravity Smoldering Combustion Reflight

Experiment (MSCRE), completed their final flights, one

on a sounding rocket, and the other on a space shuttle

flight. They are now in the data analysis phase, and final

reports of results will be published within a year. Two

more investigations have near-term flight opportunities

aboard the space shuttle. The remaining 18 investigations

continued along the research formulation and hardware

implementation paths toward flight opportunities aboard

the ISS.

The SAL experiment made its sixth and final

flight aboard a Black-Brandt sounding rocket at the

White Sands Test Range in 2001. The investigation provided unique data to PI Howard Ross, of Glenn Research

Center, about the phenomenon of flame spread across

liquid pools under varying conditions. The near absence

of gravity during this experiment allowed detailed characterization of the liquid and gaseous flow phenomena

that control the flame spread, and the factors that control

the flame spread instability were determined and used to

validate a numerical flame spread model. 

MSCRE, led by PI Carlos Fernandez-Pello, of

the University of California, Berkeley, completed its

flight data collection aboard two space shuttle missions,

STS-105 (launched August 10) and STS-108 (launched

December 5), in 2001. Each flight provided an opportunity to conduct two independent smoldering combustion

tests. MSCRE is a study of smoldering combustion in

porous materials. Smoldering is a flameless form of combustion that can often lead to house fires. By conducting

the experiment in microgravity, researchers were able to

identify the limiting conditions for smoldering combustion to spread and ignite. These results suggest that smoldering fires can exist under microgravity conditions and

are therefore a credible fire risk aboard spacecraft.

Throughout FYs 2001 and 2002, plans and mission hardware preparations for several flight missions

were under way. The original Combustion Module system (CM-1), which flew aboard the first Microgravity

Science Laboratory (MSL–1) mission on STS-83

(launched April 4, 1997) and STS-94 (launched July 1,

1997), has been refurbished as CM-2 and was integrated

with the SPACEHAB carrier for a flight aboard STS-107

in the winter of 2003. The CM-2 system will support

three investigations: Laminar Soot Processes (LSP),

Structure of Flame Balls at Low Lewis-Number (SOFBALL), and Water Mist (MIST). PIs Gerald Faeth, of the

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and Paul Ronney, of

the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, will

conclude their data collection for LSP and SOFBALL,

respectively, with this flight. LSP studies the mechanisms

Soot and nitrous oxides are primary combustion by-products that contribute significantly to air pollution, a growing environmental concern. Richard Axelbaum is studying flames in microgravity to better understand their mechanisms. He has found

that removing the nitrogen from the oxidizer (air) and adding it to the fuel produces less soot and nitrous oxides than the

usual flames with fuel reacting with air. This effect is shown in image (a) which shows a fuel air flame (white and pink indicate soot) and image (b) which shows a flame of nitrogen and fuel reacting with oxygen. The flames are otherwise identical

with the soot being dramatically reduced by the movement of the nitrogen from the air to the fuel. 

credit: NASA
32 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

COMBUSTION SCIENCE 4

of soot production to determine ways of controlling it, as

soot is a major contributor to pollution and an important

factor in fire suppression. SOFBALL explores “flame

balls”: tiny, stable, spherically symmetric flames that

occur only in microgravity. These flame balls may hold

answers to some fundamental questions about fires. PI

Thomas McKinnon, of the Colorado School of Mines,

Golden, will be conducting MIST for the first time on

STS-107. MIST reexamines the old practice of using

water to fight fires, updating the technique by using a

fine mist delivery system. Microgravity conditions will

help researchers to determine optimal water concentration and droplet size for this new method of fire suppression. MIST is also proposed for flight aboard the ISS,

where it will be accommodated in the Combustion

Integrated Rack (CIR). 

The transition from conducting combustion

experiments aboard sounding rockets and the space shuttle toward full utilization of the research capability of the

ISS continued in FYs 2001 and 2002. Two research facilities, the CIR and the Microgravity Science Glovebox

(MSG), are still being prepared for upcoming flights.

More details about these facilities can be found in the

International Space Station section of this report. 

In conjunction with the development of the CIR

portion of the Fluids and Combustion Facility, the combustion science program is working to prepare a number

of experiments and associated hardware for upcoming

research flights to the space station. Detailed engineering

of a Multi-User Droplet Combustion Apparatus (MDCA)

and an apparatus known as FEANICS (Flow Enclosure

Accommodating Novel Investigations in Combustion of

Solids) is under way. Each apparatus will enable multiple

experiments to be conducted within the CIR.

The MDCA, which enables droplet combustion

research, will be the first research payload in the CIR.

Research on the combustion of fuel droplets is important

because there are many kinds of practical devices that

deliver fuel to combustors in droplet form, including

diesel engines and industrial turbine engines, and optimizing combustion in these devices could improve fuel

efficiency and reduce pollution, among other things.

Studies in microgravity allow researchers to investigate

spherical fuel droplets, which are much easier to model

mathematically than gravitationally influenced, tearshaped droplets. Four investigations have been identified

for an initial set of research projects utilizing the combined capabilities of the CIR and MDCA systems: the

Droplet Combustion Experiment-2; the Bi-Component

Droplet Combustion Experiment; the Sooting Effects in

Droplet Combustion Investigation; and the Dynamic

Droplet Combustion Experiment. The MDCA will also

remain available for use with new droplet investigations

that may be proposed in the future. Multiuser hardware

such as the MDCA allows more effective resource utilization of the ISS and the CIR.

Subsequent to the completion of MDCA and its

investigations, the research pace for the CIR will pick

up, and six investigations in solid fuels research will be

conducted in the FEANICS apparatus. This research has

direct, tangible application to the Spacecraft Fire Safety

initiative in that it contributes to understanding fire ignition, the persistence of combustion flames in real materials, and fire extinction in microgravity. The first group of

FEANICS investigations are Forced Ignition and Spread

Test; Radiative Enhancement Effects on Flame Spread

(REEFS); Smolder, Transition, and Flaming in

Microgravity; Analysis of Thermal and Hydrodynamic

Instabilities in Near-Limit Atmosphere; Transition From

Ignition to Flame Growth Under External Radiation in

Three Dimensions; and Solid Inflammability Boundary

at Low Speed. Results from these experiments will

define characteristic events such as ignition susceptibility, transition from smolder to full flames, radiative

effects of flames to self-feed an existing fire, threedimensional combustion effects of ignition, and propagation of flames in a spacecraft environment. 

Following the completion of the FEANICS

investigations, the combustion program will expand its

research portfolio into gaseous combustions, addressing

flame design, clean flames, and spherical flames.

Presently, 14 combustion investigations have been selected to be conducted within the CIR by 2011, with the possibility of four or more additional experiments sponsored

and developed by commercial and international partners.

Three flight investigations, REEFS, Flame

Design, and Clean Flames, passed their science concept

reviews during FY 2002, thus completing the flight-definition phase and coming one step closer to being conducted aboard the ISS. Led by PI Paul Ronney, REEFS

studies flame spread over flat, solid fuel beds as a means

of understanding more complex flames, such as those

found in fires inside enclosures like spacecraft or buildings. This experiment is a continuation of previous

investigations geared toward studying the atmospheres

and flow environments likely to be present in fires that

might occur in microgravity. 

Flame Design, led by PI Richard Axelbaum, of

Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, studies simple flames in microgravity to learn how to reduce soot

and nitrous oxides, the main products of combustion that

also contribute to air pollution. A normal combustion

reaction consists of fuel mixed with air (nitrogen and

oxygen). Researchers have found that soot and nitrous

oxides can be reduced if the air is first separated into

nitrogen and oxygen, then nitrogen is mixed with fuel,

and oxygen is added separately. Reducing the production
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

4 COMBUSTION SCIEN

of soot and nitrous oxides during combustion will be

cheaper for industry than scrubbing out these pollutants

afterwards. Combustion in microgravity produces onedimensional, strain free flames, allowing direct study of

flames using mixtures of air and fuel or fuel and nitrogen

with oxygen added separately. These studies wouldn’t be

possible in normal gravity due to the loss of symmetry

and to buoyancy-induced strain in the flames. The results

will provide valuable fundamental insight into the mechanisms of combustion.

Clean Flames, led by PI Robert Cheng, of

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley,

California, aims to contribute to clean energy technology

by studying lean premixed combustion, the least polluting way to burn gaseous hydrocarbon fuels like natural

gas. The experiment seeks to take advantage of nonbuoyant flames produced in microgravity to study the interaction of flame turbulence with the combustor chamber.

The results obtained will enable the design of more compact burners for small-scale heating needs (e.g., water

heaters and furnaces). 

Four combustion science investigations are slated to be conducted within the MSG on the ISS by 2006.

Fiber-Supported Droplet Combustion will investigate

fundamental combustion science issues in liquid fuels

combustion, and Candle Flames will address solid and

liquid fuel transitions. The other two experiments are

applications-based. The Smoke Point in Coflow

Experiment studies soot generation in gaseous flames;

Smoke investigates spacecraft smoke detector performance in low-gravity conditions. The Smoke experiment

directly supports knowledge regarding smoke detector

performance on the ISS and space shuttles. Its results

will provide insight into performance differences

between Earth-based and on-orbit fire detection. Smoke

is funded within the new SFS initiative.

Highlights

Combustion Under Pressure: A New Understanding

Revealed

Automobiles, jet aircraft, and even rockets all

have one thing in common: they are powered by internal

combustion engines operated under high pressures, in the

range of 5–100 atmospheres (atm). (By comparison, normal atmospheric pressure at sea level is only 1 atm.)

Combustion under high pressures is thermodynamically

more efficient, as well as more fuel efficient, leading to

reduced emissions of pollutants and less production of

carbon dioxide, a major contributor to global warming.

However, combustion processes typically found within

internal combustion engines are usually studied at 1 atm,

where flames are relatively easy to control and observe.

When pressure increases, as Principal Investigator Chung

Law, of Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey,

explains, so does the difficulty in conducting well-controlled and useful experiments. 

According to Law, extrapolations from experiments at 1 atm are highly unlikely to yield quality data

for higher-pressure systems. The basis for extrapolation

is just too limited for any reliable prediction of what

could be happening with a flame at 50 or even 100 times

the normal pressure. There is no substitute for conducting experiments under high-pressure conditions. But it is

not easy to observe such experiments. High-pressure

experiments have been frequently done in what are called

“bombs”— totally enclosed, windowless systems. Within

these systems, researchers can measure the pressure

Combustion theory got an update when flames

in a high-pressure combustion reaction

revealed their “wrinkles.” At 1 atm, the flame

surface remained smooth as it propagated 

outward, but at even slightly increased pressures (5 atm), the flame developed a bumpy

appearance. Modeling of flames in internal

combustion engines will benefit from this

new revelation.

credit: NASA

1 atm

2.0 ms

2.5 ms

3.0 ms

3.5 ms

4.0 ms

5 atm

1.5 ms

2.0 ms

2.5 ms

3.0 ms

3.5 ms

Time
34 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

COMBUSTION SCIENCE 4

increase caused by combustion. From that, they can

speculate about what happened inside the bomb based

on some assumed combustion processes. While some

useful data are obtained from these experiments, the lack

of visual observation severely limits the value of the

results.

To overcome this limitation, scientists would

have to be able to observe the experiments in progress.

But combustion chambers that allow the flame to be

visually observable without distortion through special

optical windows cannot tolerate the buildup of pressure

and temperature caused by the combustion products.

Challenged by the need to visually study the effects of

pressure on flame propagation, Law and his research

associates, Stephen Tse and Delin Zhu, devised an apparatus that would allow them to obtain images of the

flame as it propagates, while maintaining the chamber

pressure constant at its initial value, which can be as

high as 60 atm. 

The apparatus comprises two chambers, one

inside the other, with aligned optical windows. A sleeve

connecting the two chambers can be opened and closed.

After evacuating both chambers, the sleeve is closed, and

researchers pump the combustible gas under study into

the inside chamber and an inert gas into the outer chamber. After the pressures inside the two chambers are

equalized, the sleeve is opened. The inert gas and the

combustible gas come into contact, but with very little

mixing. A centrally located spark then immediately

ignites the combustible gas. The resulting spherical

flame propagates outward until it meets the boundary of

the inert gas, where it is extinguished. Since the volume

of the inner chamber is much smaller than that of the

outer chamber, there is negligible pressure buildup within both chambers during combustion. The entire process,

from flame ignition to propagation and extinction, can be

recorded on high-speed video. 

While observing the resulting images, Law was

surprised to see that the flame surface looked different

than expected at high pressures. At 1 atm, the flame surface remains smooth. However, at even a moderately

high pressure of 5 atm, wrinkles develop over the flame

surface. What surprised Law about his experimental

observations was the strong propensity and prevalence of

wrinkled flames at higher pressures. In hindsight, Law

explains, this is reasonable, because chemical reactions

progress faster at higher pressures, yielding faster-burning flames that are more unstable.

The recognition that flames wrinkle at high

pressures fundamentally alters the understanding of the

burning processes within internal combustion engines.

The rate of fuel consumption increases with the flame’s

increasing area. Since wrinkles dramatically increase the

flame’s surface area, the flame actually burns much

faster than previously realized. Without seeing the flame,

an investigator could easily be misled about the meaning

of the fast rate of fuel consumption. 

Law has conducted a large portion of his

research at Earth’s gravity, where buoyancy can have a

significant influence on the propagation of weak flames,

such as those associated with fuel-lean burning.

Moreover, the effects of gravity are aggravated under

high pressures; gas is even more buoyant because density is proportional to pressure: the higher the pressure, the

greater the density differences between the hot gases and

the cooler gases surrounding the flame. 

In NASA’s 2.2-Second Drop Tower at Glenn

Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, Law is able to conduct his experiments on high-pressure burning without

the disturbing influence of gravity. However, experiments with really slow-burning, weakly combustible

mixtures, which are of relevance to the study of flame

extinction phenomena, require much longer microgravity

times in order to observe the burning process in its

entirety. Eventually, these experiments may need to be

conducted on the International Space Station, which provides longer-term access to microgravity conditions.

Fire Safety Gets New Emphasis From Space Research

As crews from the United States and its partners

assemble the ISS, the casual observer might miss an

underlying emphasis on safety that sometimes makes the

work appear effortless. Safety has always been NASA’s

primary concern. Space travel, as with all forms of

exploration, is vulnerable to a variety of hazards.

NASA’s determination to maintain a safe environment

takes precedence over anything else. 

Supporting research for in-orbit fire prevention

is one way NASA meets its commitments to reducing

hazards for ground and flight crews. Fire is a violent

chemical reaction, combining oxygen with other materials to produce smoke, heat, and deadly chemicals. Fire

safety research is furthering the understanding of the

basic science behind combustion processes, enabling scientists to better understand and define the fire problems

faced by the space program. Scientists are using this

knowledge to develop advanced, fire-safe materials 

and to tackle new designs to mitigate or eliminate

these problems. 

The first step in fire safety is to select materials

that don’t burn easily in low gravity. The Materials

Combustion Research Facility at Marshall Space Flight

Center in Huntsville, Alabama, tests materials against a

range of industry and NASA standards. But because it is
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

4 COMBUSTION SCIEN

impossible to eliminate all combustible materials from

inside a spacecraft, steps also must be taken to ensure

that a fire can be detected and extinguished while protecting the crew and equipment. ISS fire detectors look

for smoke particles sparkling in a laser beam. To fight

fires, the crew is supplied with portable fire extinguishers

that dispense carbon dioxide and portable breathing

apparatus. To add to these prophylactic measures, NASA

is looking for a nontoxic suppressant that does not foul

the life support system or require extensive cleanup.

Research is also needed in computational flow dynamics

to understand where a fire goes inside a compartment in

microgravity, how fire-fighting agents are transported,

and how the agents interact with air and fuel.

Attention is now focused on understanding the

physics and chemistry of putting out fires for applications on Earth as well as in orbit. The space shuttle’s

Research-1 mission (STS-107, scheduled for launch in

early 2003) will take the first step in this new direction

with the Water Mist (MIST) experiment. Frank

Schowengerdt, director of the Center for Commercial

Applications of Combustion in Space (CCACS), a

NASA commercial space center located at the Colorado

School of Mines, Golden, explains that his group is trying to understand the fundamentals. They want to understand how fire extinction depends on water particle size,

water concentration, droplet distribution, and radiation

from the fire. The CCACS is part of the Office of

Biological and Physical Research’s Space Product

Development Division. 

When the center was first set up, Thomas

McKinnon, a CCACS chemical engineer, said he had

always puzzled over just exactly how water puts out a

fire. Five years ago, he wasn’t taken seriously. However,

McKinnon — now the principal investigator for MIST

— persisted and developed more analytical experiments

and models, believing that one cannot make significant

advances without studying fundamental science. A scientist might get lucky in a trial-and-error approach, but it

could be very expensive. Schowengerdt and his colleagues want to know the absolute minimum amount of

water required to put a fire out so that cleanup is easier,

A U.S. Navy firefighting instructor leads firefighters in battling an oil-fed fire during a military training session. Both

NASA and the military put great emphasis on being prepared for such fire hazards, either on Earth or in space. 

credit: U. S. Navy 
36 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

COMBUSTION SCIENCE 4

postfire damage is reduced, and flight crews are exposed

to fewer toxic by-products. 

Exact details of the physics of extinguishing

fires with water mist are difficult to determine, largely

because the reactions happen so quickly in Earth’s gravity. Droplets settle, so a controlled, uniform cloud of them

can’t be maintained to see what happens as the flame

interacts with them. In microgravity, the droplets remain

suspended, so researchers can better see what is taking

place. The CCACS has conducted extensive tests on the

ground, including some at a drop tower facility at the

School of Mines, but experiments in orbit have more

time to progress and experience less turbulence, so now

it is time to move upward. Schowengerdt and his group

are looking at a lot of different things that can be done

far better aboard spacecraft.

The CCACS’s work is getting attention from

potential terrestrial users, including the Federal Aviation

Administration, the U.S. Navy, computer system operators, and even restaurants. NASA also is interested in

MIST as part of a larger investigation into fire safety

aboard spacecraft.

Floating Flame Balls

Paul Ronney didn’t set out to look for flame

balls: they came as a complete surprise. It happened in

1984 when Ronney, a combustion researcher, was using

the 2.2 Second Drop Tower at Glenn Research Center

(GRC) in Cleveland, Ohio. He pressed a button and sent

a can of burning hydrogen falling down a 24.1-meter

(79-foot) shaft. For 2.2 seconds it plummeted in a

freefall, with a 16 mm movie camera recording the

action. Ronney knew that flames did strange things in

low gravity, which is why he was doing the experiment,

but he wasn’t prepared for what he saw in the film room

later. The flames had broken apart into tiny balls that

moved around like UFOs. No one had ever seen anything like it, but the flame balls were real, as proved in

later experiments.

Flame balls are the weakest known flames.

Compared to a birthday candle’s 50 to 100 watts, a flame

ball produces only 1 to 2 watts of thermal power. They

burn using very little fuel. It’s almost as if a hydrogenburning flame’s last line of defense as it approaches

extinction is to draw itself into a simple ball. Ronney,

who is now a mechanical engineering professor at the

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, believes

that flame balls will help him and others crack the

unsolved mysteries of burning. Despite the fact that combustion powers our automobiles, generates our electricity, and heats our homes, there’s much about it we don’t

understand.

The Structure of Flame Balls at

Low Lewis-Number experiment

investigates small flame balls

that can ignite in the lean fuelair mixture inside spacecraft.

While weak (1 watt versus the

50 watts put out by a birthday

candle), they can last for several minutes and are very difficult

to detect. The flame balls in the

above picture are visible only

because they were captured in

the dark by cameras with

image intensifiers. In the normal light inside a spacecraft,

they would be invisible to both

astronauts and fire detectors.

credit: NASA

The Combustion Module-2 (CM-2) is scheduled to fly on STS107 in January 2003. Originally flown on STS-83 and STS-94

in 1997 as CM-1, it was later refurbished and renamed CM-2.

Integrated into SPACEHAB for STS-107’s upcoming flight,

CM-2 will support three combustion investigations: Laminar

Soot Processes, Structure of Flame Balls at Low LewisNumber, and Water Mist. 

credit: NASA

Diagnostic Processor Package

Video

Casette

Recorder

Package

Experiment

Package

Video

Interface

Package

Exhaust

Vent

Package

Fluid 

Supply

Package

Dedicated Experiment Procesor Package

Power

Distribution

Package
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

4 COMBUSTION SCIEN

Flames are extremely complicated. In an ordinary candle flame, for example, thousands of chemical

reactions take place. Hydrocarbon molecules from the

wick are vaporized and cracked apart by heat. They combine with oxygen to produce light, heat, carbon dioxide,

and water. Some of the hydrocarbon fragments eventually form soot. Soot particles can themselves burn or simply drift away as smoke. The familiar teardrop shape of

the flame is an effect caused by gravity. Buoyancy causes hot air to rise, and fresh cool air is drawn in behind it.

These processes are what make the flame shoot up and

flicker.

Flame balls, on the other hand, are simple. The

balls form in low gravity, where buoyancy has little

effect. Oxygen and fuel combine in a narrow zone at the

surface of the ball. Once ignited and stabilized, the flame

balls maintain a constant size. Unlike ordinary flames,

which expand greedily when they need more fuel, flame

balls let the oxygen and fuel come to them. Finally, the

fact that flame balls are spherical reduces their dimension to one: the radius of the flame itself. Flame

balls are to combustion scientists what fruit flies

are to geneticists; they provide a simple model

for testing hypotheses and checking computer

models.

One of many mysteries about fire is why

weak flames go out before their fuel is totally

exhausted. It puzzles physicists and vexes

automakers who want to build clean, efficient

“lean-burning” engines that run on fuel-air mixtures with low fuel concentrations — much like a

flame ball. Ronney believes that studying one

system (flame balls) will help us with the other

(cars). 

Here on Earth, researchers can’t study

flame balls for long periods. A typical plunge

down a drop tower lasts only seconds. So Ronney

is working with NASA scientist Karen Weiland

and others at GRC to design the Structure of Flame

Balls at Low Lewis-Number (SOFBALL) experiment for flight aboard the space shuttle. The apparatus for the experiment consists of a sealed chamber

where flame balls can burn for a long time during

a space shuttle mission.

When SOFBALL orbited Earth for the

first time in April 1997 aboard STS-83, it produced some surprises. Computer models had predicted the flame balls would be small and either

extinguish or drift into the chamber walls in a few

minutes. Instead, they were two to three times

larger than predicted and burned for over eight

minutes until the experimental system automatically extinguished them. Furthermore, although the

flames were large, they were the weakest ever seen,

emitting little more than 1 watt of thermal power.

To further explore these unexpected results the

experiment was upgraded, renamed SOFBALL-2, and

scheduled for launch onboard STS-107 in early 2003.

During the mission, flame balls will be allowed to burn

for 2 to 81 minutes. Instruments will monitor their temperature, brightness, heat loss, and the composition of

their gaseous by-products. Because flame balls are so

sensitive to motion, the space shuttle will be allowed to

drift during the experiments instead of maintaining position using its reaction control thrusters.

Because this research is so fundamental, it touches on many areas related to combustion, including leanburning engines for cars and airplanes, explosion hazards

in mine shafts and chemical plants, emissions from cars

and coal-burning plants, and arson investigations. The

applications of the knowledge that may result from

SOFBALL are many.

Originally flown on STS-83 and STS-94 in April and July 1997, respectively,

Laminar Soot Processes (LSP) studies the fundamental mechanisms of

soot production, one of the main by-products of combustion. A better understanding of soot processes in flames will help scientists develop better fire

safety methods for spacecraft. This image shows a laminar jet diffusion

flame, created by flowing fuel-like propane through a nozzle and igniting it.

LSP-2 is scheduled to fly aboard STS-107 in January 2003. 

1 4

2 5

3 6

00:00:00 00:03:00

00:01:23 00:07:00

00:02:05 00:09:28

credit: NASA
vidence of gravity’s sway over the

movement of fluids here on Earth is everywhere.

Outside, gravity guides the flow of rainwater into

streams and rivers and the cascades of water into

fountains. It also shakes seemingly solid ground

into rippling waves of soil during an earthquake. At

home, it causes bubbles of carbon dioxide to float to

the top of a glass of root beer and a pot of water to

go into a rolling boil when the bottom surface gets

hot enough. In industry, gravity affects the mixing

of molten materials, as denser liquids naturally drift

to the bottom of the mixture. In fact, gravity has

such a strong influence over fluids that it can mask

evidence of other forces affecting fluid behavior.

Scientists in the microgravity fluid physics

program conduct studies under conditions that minimize the effects of gravity so they can observe the

effects of other phenomena, such as surface tension

and capillary flow. Through their work, these scientists are striving to improve the ability to predict and

control the behavior of fluids, including gases, liquids, plasmas (gases that are capable of conducting

electric currents because they contain free ions and

electrons), and in some circumstances, solids. 

Fluid physics research in the Physical

Sciences Research Division comprises five main

areas: complex fluids, interfacial phenomena,

dynamics and instabilities, biological fluid physics,

and multiphase flows and

phase changes.

Experiments in complex

fluids involve gases or liquids that contain particles

of other substances dispersed within them. One

type of complex fluid is a

colloid, which is a system

of fine particles suspended

in a fluid. Orange juice and

paint are examples of colloids. Another complex

E

OVERVIEW

FLUID PHYSICS 5

38 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Gravity guides the

cascades of water into

fountains.
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

fluid is a magnetorheological fluid, a colloid in

which the viscosity, or resistance to flow, of the

fluid can be varied by applying an external magnetic

field. Foam, another complex fluid, exhibits features

of solids, liquids, and vapors, although it is not classified as any of these.

Research on interfacial phenomena focuses

on how an interface, like the boundary between a

gas and a liquid, acquires and maintains its shape.

Interface dynamics relate to the interaction of surfaces in response to heating, cooling, and chemical

influences. Better understanding of these phenomena will help humans learn more about how duck

feathers and waterproof tents repel water, how water

spontaneously displaces air in the gaps of a sponge,

and other interfacial phenomena.

The area of dynamics and instability

includes research in drop dynamics, capillarity, and

magneto/electrohydrodynamics. Drop dynamics deal

with the behavior of liquid drops and gas bubbles

under the influence of external forces and chemical

effects. Capillarity refers to effects that depend on

surface tension, such as the shape a liquid takes

within a container or what causes a drop to take a

spherical shape in microgravity. Research in magneto/electrohydrodynamics involves the study of the

effects of magnetic and electric fields on fluid flows.

The biological fluid physics subdiscipline

includes the flow of fluids and the transport of

chemicals in biological systems and processes. The

flow of blood in the cardiovascular system, the flow

of air in the liquid-lined capillaries of the lungs, and

the stretching of DNA in an evaporating droplet of

liquid are a few examples.

Research on multiphase flows and phase

changes, such as the transition from a liquid to a

gas, focuses on complex problems of fluid flow in

varying conditions. Scientists are seeking to add to

their currently limited knowledge of how gravitydependent processes, such as boiling and steam condensation, occur in microgravity. They are also

studying the diffusion of energy and matter through

liquids and gases. A more thorough understanding of

these phenomena may lead to improvements in many

applications, such as air conditioning and refrigeration.

OVERVIEW

5 FLUID PHYSIC

Orange juice is a

household example of a

colloid, a system of fine

particles suspended in a

fluid. Fluid physicists

can study other colloids

to observe the formation

of crystals from colloidal

particles.
40 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

FLUID PHYSICS 5

Program Summary 

The research that the microgravity fluid physics

program sponsors supports NASA’s overarching goals. In

addition to contributing to fundamental knowledge of

fluid phenomena, the results of fluid physics investigations conducted in orbit should yield beneficial applications for long-duration missions, exploration of other

planets, and the enhancement of life on Earth. In fiscal

year (FY) 2001, the program funded a total of 114 principal investigators. Of these, 97 were working on

ground-based research projects and 17 were working on

flight projects. In FY 2002, the program funded 122

principal investigators, including 26 who are working on

new ground-based research projects. The new investigations were chosen in November 2001 from among 209

proposals submitted in response to a NASA Research

Announcement (NRA) in microgravity fluid physics

released February 2001. For a list of selectees, visit the

World Wide Web at http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov/

general_info/OBPR-01-229_lite.html. In addition, a list

of all ongoing fluid physics research projects, along with

the names of the investigators conducting the research, is

provided in Appendix A.

Researchers learned about new funding opportunities through NASA and new directions and advances in

microgravity fluid physics research when they gathered

for the Sixth Microgravity Fluid Physics and Transport

Phenomena Conference, held August 14–16, 2002, in

Cleveland, Ohio. At the conference, which is held every

two years, Eugene Trinh, the director of the Physical

Sciences Research Division, discussed how the microgravity environment of orbit presents opportunities for

unique and exciting research. He specified that such

opportunities allow investigators to directly participate in

developing the enabling technologies for space exploration

and to exploit the unique experimental environment of

space to unravel outstanding fundamental scientific mysteries. He explained that because convection and hydrostatic pressure are minimized in this environment, it is

especially conducive for research involving classical fluids and transport processes, fluid-phase thermophysical

properties, surface and interfacial phenomena, morphological stability and pattern formation, bio-fluids statics

and dynamics, and multiphase systems and engineering.

Because sedimentation is also greatly reduced in microgravity, it is conducive to research involving multiphase

fluid physics, colloid dynamics, self-assembly and

mesoscale structures, container-free experimentation, and

spray and dust cloud dynamics. Current and potential

researchers also learned about the schedule for the latest

NRA in microgravity fluid physics. It was released in

September 2002, with proposals due in December 2002

and selections to be made in 2003. Attendees also heard

about the latest advances in research in their discipline,

which were shared by current principal investigators (PIs).

Nearly 70 fluid physicists from North America,

Europe, and Asia (including several NASA PIs) participated in the Microgravity Transport Processes in Fluid,

Thermal, Biological, and Materials Sciences II

Conference held in Banff, Alberta, Canada, in October

2001. The main objective of the conference, which was

sponsored by NASA and the National Science

Foundation, was to exchange technical information and

ideas among scientists and engineers working in microgravity fluid, thermal, biological, and materials sciences.

The conference addressed the growing interdisciplinary

aspects of microgravity research and technology development and provided a forum for exploring opportunities

for collaborative research activities. Attendees heard

Acrivos Awarded President’s National Medal of Science

Principal Investigator Andreas Acrivos, of City College of the City

University of New York, New York City, was recently awarded the

President’s National Medal of Science for his lifelong study of fluid

dynamics. The medal, awarded by U.S. presidents to nominees

reviewed by the National Science Board, is the nation’s highest

honor given for lifetime achievement in scientific research.

Acrivos was recognized for his work in helping to establish the field

of suspension mechanics (the mechanics of substances suspended in but not dissolved in a fluid) and for his contributions to

modern theories of fluid mechanics and convective heat and mass

transfer. He is widely recognized as being a pioneer in his field. 

Credit: City College of New York / CUNY
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

5 FLUID PHYSIC

keynote addresses from fluid physics PIs Gary Leal and

Andrea Prosperetti and presentations from several PIs

and other scientists in the areas of interfacial phenomena;

two-phase flows of drops, bubbles, and particles; boiling

phenomena; bio-transport processes; and space systems

fluid and thermal management. They also heard presentations on materials processing, crystal growth, protein

crystal growth, and electrostatic and electromagnetic

phenomena. Fluid physics PI Satwindar Sadhal, of the

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, chaired

the conference. The next Microgravity Transport

Processes Conference will be held September 14–19,

2003, in Davos, Switzerland.

Several notable papers describing the work of

fluid physics PIs were published in prestigious journals

in FYs 2001 and 2002, including Science and Physical

Review Letters. Of particular note were “Real-Space

Imaging of Nucleation and Growth in Colloidal

Crystallization,” by U. Gasser, Eric R. Weeks, Andrew

Schofield, P. N. Pusey, and D. A. Weitz, in Science 292

(April 13, 2001), 258–62; “Droplet Growth by

Coalescence in Binary Fluid Mixtures,” by Brian E.

Burkhart, Prasad V. Gopalkrishnan, Steven D. Hudson,

Alex M. Jamieson, Michael A. Rother, and Robert H.

Davis, in Physical Review Letters 87 (August 27, 2001)

927; and “Nonlinear Compressional Pulses in a 2D

Crystallized Dusty Plasma,” by V. Nosenko, S. Nunomura,

and J. Goree, in Physical Review Letters 88 (May 27, 2002).

Flight Experiments

Several notable milestones were achieved with

flight experiments in the microgravity fluid physics program in FYs 2001 and 2002. During this time, the first

fluids experiment on the International Space Station

(ISS) was flown, an experiment was conducted on a

space shuttle mission, and several other experiments

made significant advances toward being ready for flight

aboard one of the two platforms. Making these flights

and advances possible were new hardware units designed

for better physical or remote access with the capability

for later reuse by related experiments. 

The first microgravity fluid physics experiment

to fly on the ISS was Physics of Colloids in Space

(PCS). The experiment was carried to the station on

STS-100 in April 2001, installed in the EXPRESS

(EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments to Space

Station) Rack 2 (see page 73 for more information on

EXPRESS) once onboard the station, and run for 2,400

hours between early June 2001 and February 2002.

Conceived by PI David Weitz, of Harvard University,

and Co-Investigator (Co-I) Peter Pusey, of the University

of Edinburgh, PCS involves observing the formation of

crystals and other structures from colloidal particles

(particles suspended in a fluid). In microgravity, these

delicate structures can form without interference from

convective flow or sedimentation. 

For PCS, eight samples were selected from three

types of colloids: binary colloids, which contain particles

of two different sizes and may help explain the behavior

of alloys; colloid and polymer mixtures in which the

polymer makes the colloid particles slightly attractive as

they form gels and crystals; and fractal colloids, which

form gels with highly disordered networks, like the network that holds Jell-OTM together. These samples were

used to study fundamental questions regarding the

physics of colloids, colloid engineering (using colloids as

precursors for building new materials), and the properties

of new materials and their precursors. The PCS apparatus, a versatile and sophisticated digital imaging and light

scattering instrument, allows for the change-out of samples once back on Earth with no need for realignment of

its precision diagnostics.

With the help of this hardware, more than 80

percent of the scientific goals for the experiment were

achieved. Potential payoffs include improvements in the

properties of paints, ceramics, and food and drug delivery products, and possibly the development of photonic

band-gap materials, an entirely new class of materials

that can passively affect the properties of light passing

through them. Due to its success and to the versatility of

the instrument itself, the PCS hardware is being refurbished for use by a second investigator and will refly as

PCS+ in 2003. In addition, the procurement and assembly of a whole new test section has been initiated,

enabling PCS-3 to be conducted in 2004 on the heels of

PCS+, with a reduction in launch mass. Further in the

future, such swap-outs of hardware with completely new

colloid experiments could be continued beyond PCS-3. 

PCS-2, a related future flight experiment also

conducted by Weitz and Pusey, will be inserted and run

in the new Light Microscopy Module (LMM), a microscope adapted for conducting in-orbit colloid and fluid

physics experiments. The LMM was designed by a team

in the microgravity fluid physics program for use with

the Fluids Integrated Rack (FIR), which will be the fluid

physics facility in the Destiny laboratory of the ISS. (For

more information about the LMM and the FIR, see page

74.) Also slated to use the LMM are the Constrained

Vapor Bubble (CVB) experiment, led by Peter Wayner,

of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; the Physics of Hard

Spheres Experiment-2, led by Paul Chaikin, of Princeton

University; and the Low Volume Fraction Colloidal

Assembly experiment, led by Arjun Yodh, of the

University of Pennsylvania. CVB investigates heat conductance in microgravity as a function of liquid volume

and heat flow rate to determine the transport process

characteristics in a curved liquid film. The other two

experiments investigate various aspects of the nucleation,
42 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

FLUID PHYSICS 5

growth, structure, and properties of colloidal crystals in

microgravity and the effects of micromanipulation upon

their properties.

The Collisions Into Dust Experiment-2 (COLLIDE-2), led by Joshua Colwell, of the University of

Colorado, Boulder, was conducted on shuttle mission

STS-108 in December 2001. The experiment studied the

effects of low-velocity particle collisions, which are

believed to be responsible for the formation of planetary

rings and protoplanetary disks. The experiment was

designed to collect data on the outcome of low-velocity

collisions of selected projectiles into a fine powder

that simulates regolith, the dust and small particles

that coat the surfaces of most bodies in the solar 

system.

The first flight of the experiment, on STS-90 in

April 1998, revealed the unanticipated result that below 

a certain threshold energy, no material is ejected as a

result of the impact. For COLLIDE-2, researchers

expanded the space in which the data were collected to

find the threshold energy. They also characterized the

velocity of the ejected material as a function of impact

velocity and energy. 

The COLLIDE team has analyzed the results and

learned that when the projectiles impact the powder at

speeds below about 20 cm/second, the projectiles adhere

to the target. This seems to support the hypothesis of

planetesimal growth, which states that planets grew from

small, solid, celestial bodies that may have existed at an

early stage of the development of the solar system. The

team also found that at speeds above 20 cm/second, projectiles are dispersed, making growth of planetesimals

difficult. The results from impacts at these faster speeds

suggest that planetesimal growth is assisted by aerodynamic or electrostatic forces acting on the slow-moving

particles knocked off in the impact.

The third Mechanics of Granular Materials

(MGM-III) experiment is scheduled to fly on space shuttle mission STS-107 in January 2003. MGM-III, led by

PI Stein Sture and Co-I Nicholas Costes, both of the

University of Colorado, Boulder, will use the microgravity environment to test the response of columns of sand

to compression and relaxation, forces that occur during

earthquakes and landslides when compacted soil loosens

and flows much like a liquid. 

In MGM’s two previous flights, the researchers

measured the effect of gravity on friction between grains

of dry sand and discovered strength and stiffness properties of the sand columns to be many times greater than

conventional theory predicted. For MGM’s third flight,

they will study the behavior of water-saturated sand in

drained and undrained conditions using three sand samples in nine different experiments. The experiments are

expected to provide the first-ever measurements of sand

strength and stiffness properties and induced pore water

pressures when pressure is cyclically applied and

released, similar to the strong ground motions observed

during earthquakes. 

The science team will use a new specimenreforming technique, which will prove beneficial to

future space station research as it enables the reuse and

retesting of the same sample many times under controlled initial conditions. The team will also be able to

uplink instructions for the hardware and downlink results

from the experiments live, a capability developed in FY

2001. Among the many applications of this research, discoveries from MGM investigations may help engineers

design more earthquake-tolerant buildings, increase safety in mining operations, aid coastal and offshore engineering projects, and help researchers understand the

geology of various planetary bodies for space exploration initiatives. 

The experiment Investigating the Structure of

Paramagnetic Aggregates From Colloidal Emulsions

(InSPACE) will be conducted in the Microgravity

Science Glovebox (MSG) on the ISS and will be carried

to the station on STS-114 in 2003. (For more information

about the MSG, see page 76.) InSPACE, led by Alice

Gast, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will

help researchers find out how a pulsed magnetic field

will affect the fluid suspension in a magnetorheological

(MR) fluid. 

The study of these colloidal systems is beneficial

to the development of “smart fluids” for use in feedbackcontrolled devices, such as shock absorbers and suspension

systems, and as colloidal modifiers in protein crystallization or colloidal suspensions. Techniques that Gast’s team

is using can potentially be used to induce two-dimensional

crystallization of proteins in these suspensions. In FYs

2001 and 2002, the InSPACE team measured the properties

of membranous, fluid-filled pouches called vesicles that

were coated with two-dimensional crystals of the protein

streptavidin, which crystallized from a solution. They

worked to study how changing the solution’s pH

changed the crystal structure and growth pattern. This

procedure allowed the team to obtain regularly ordered

protein arrays on a large spherical support. Such ordered

surfaces may be used as templates for crystallizing other

molecules or as a framework for biosensor arrays,

arrangements of probes that integrate a biological

component with an electronic component to yield a

measurable signal. 

When InSPACE is flown, three different particle

concentrations will be tested. The MSG will provide

cameras and video recorders to view and store the science
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

data. Observation of the

microscopic structures will

yield a better understanding

of the interplay between

magnetic, interfacial, and

gravitational forces in MR

suspension structures. This

research will add to scientists’ understanding of the

complex properties of MR

fluids, enabling methods of

improving their characteristics and their implementation

in devices such as vibration

damping systems. 

The Shear History

Extensional Rheology

Experiment (SHERE), led by

Gareth McKinley, of the

Massachusetts Institute of

Technology, is scheduled to

be conducted in the MSG on

the ISS in 2004. The experiment will allow for the study

of the extensional, or stretching, viscosity of fluids in

microgravity. Most measurements of the flow of nonNewtonian fluids, which

have a high viscosity, or resistance to flow, have been

performed using highly elastic or “stiff” materials such

as polymer melts, which can easily be elongated in normal gravity without sagging. By performing similar

experiments on different materials in a long-term microgravity environment, it will be possible for the first time

to get accurate measurements of the extensional viscosity

of more “mobile” fluids such as polymer solutions, suspensions, and liquid crystalline materials. 

This characterization of flow, or rheological data,

will allow designers of both space- and ground-based

material processes to create improved models of complex

two- and three-dimensional fluid flows. Non-Newtonian

fluids are significant in many industrial processes such as

fiber-spinning, spraying, and film-coating operations.

Gaining insight into the extensional viscosity of these

fluids is also important to understanding the complex

fluid phenomena involved in the stability and breakup of

fluid jets; enhanced oil recovery; and turbulent drag

reduction for advanced aircraft, boats, and submarines. In

FY 2001, scientists flew SHERE twice on the NASA

KC-135 airplane using hardware that is compatible with

the space shuttle’s Middeck Glovebox. In FY 2002, the

SHERE team worked to ensure that the experiment

would be physically and electronically compatible with

the larger glovebox aboard the ISS. 

The Boiling Experiment Facility (BXF) will

accommodate experiments on the ISS beginning in 2004.

Boiling is an important field of study since it can effectively move energy away from a surface through the

phase change of liquid to gas, thus cooling the surface.

Because boiling is a preferred mode of heat transfer in

space, what investigators learn about boiling in microgravity can be applied to thermal management of many

spacecraft systems, such as supply systems for life-support fluids and electronic packages powering various

instrumentation and control systems.

Two experiments are planned for the BXF in

2004. The first will be the Nucleate Pool Boiling

Experiment (NPBX), led by Vijay Dhir, of the University

of California, Los Angeles. Dhir will study bubble nucleation, growth, and departure during the boiling process

and the resultant cooling that is achieved under microgravity conditions. NPBX will increase in complexity

from experiments using a single bubble to ones using

three inline bubbles to ones with five bubbles placed on

a two-dimensional grid. In FY 2001, Dhir’s team developed two-dimensional bubble growth models; in FY

2002, they developed models in three dimensions. The

second experiment slated for the BXF is the Microheater

Array Boiling Experiment (MABE), led by Jungho Kim,

of the University of Maryland, College Park. The study,

The study of magnetorheological fluids in the InSPACE experiment could benefit such feedbackcontrolled devices as shock absorbers in automobiles.

5 FLUID PHYSIC
44 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

FLUID PHYSICS 5

which will help scientists know how much cooling can

be achieved in a fluid in microgravity, will use two 96-

element microheater arrays, 2.7 mm and 7.0 mm in size.

This arrangement will allow local heat fluxes to be measured as a function of time and space. During FYs 2001

and 2002, the MABE team gathered data on the boiling

process in microgravity, Earth’s gravity, and hypergravity

using a heater array on a KC-135 airplane flying in a

parabolic pattern. Results to date indicate that boiling in

microgravity is dominated by the formation of a large

primary bubble whose size is on the order of the heater.

The Granular Flow Module (GFM) will be operated in the FIR beginning in 2007. The GFM is a multiuser mini-facility that will accommodate investigations

studying the flow of granular materials, which are

substances made up of solid particles distributed in a gas

or liquid. (For more information on the GFM, see page

74.) The first three investigations to be conducted on the

GFM are Microgravity Particle Segregation in

Collisional Shearing Flows (μgSEG); Studies of GasParticle Interactions in Microgravity Flow Cell, also

known as Solids Interacting with a Gas in a Microgravity

Apparatus (SIGMA); and Gravity and Granular

Materials (GGM). The objective of the μgSEG experiment, conducted by PI James Jenkins and his team at

Cornell University, is to test mechanisms of granular

segregation that are not controlled by gravity. The

μgSEG hardware features rotating cylindrical walls with

bumps that have specific shapes and collision properties

and a digital video that records particle trajectories

between the rotating walls. The experiment is scheduled

to run in 2007. It will isolate and investigate differences

in the inertia of spheres with different masses but equal

diameters as they tumble in the cylinders. It will also

study the geometric segregation of spheres with different

diameters but equal masses. In FY 2001, the μgSEG

team constructed a prototype shear cell for parabolic

flight on the KC-135 aircraft. In FY 2002, the shear cell

flew on the KC-135 to test its operation and imaging features, and team members undertook theoretical studies

and developed numerical programs to predict results of

future experiments.

SIGMA, conducted by PI Michel Louge and his

team at Cornell University, studies collisions among particles, which can transfer a significant amount of

momentum within and at the boundaries of the particle

flow. The experiment, scheduled to run in 2008, will use

the same hardware as μgSEG. In FY 2001, the SIGMA

team designed a prototype cell to be tested on the KC135 aircraft flying in a parabolic pattern. In FY 2002, the

team flew the prototype on the KC-135 and demonstrated that the cell can produce the desired granular flows.

GGM, conducted by PI Robert Behringer, of

Duke University, in Durham, North Carolina, will

explore the fluctuation of forces in low-density and highdensity granular samples. The effects of the fluctuation

range from clustering in low-density samples to chains of

particles jamming at high density. In the flight hardware,

the sample volume is the space between two concentric

cylinders of different diameters with one stationary end

plate and one end plate that rotates to drive a shearing

motion. The granular particles are 0.8-mm glass beads.

The volume of the beads will vary from gaslike (with

relatively long distances between each bead) to liquidlike

(with the average gap between each bead less than the

diameter of the bead). Findings from the experiment,

which will be run in 2008, may lead to better understanding of the mechanical behavior of granular materials and how to avoid such industrial problems as clogged

chutes, silo failures, and poorly mixed medicinal components. In FY 2001, the GGM team completed studies of

granular friction by using a novel shaking device, studies

of texture and force propagation, and studies of gaslike

granular systems. In FY 2002, the team developed a science requirements document and presented it at a science

concept review.

Highlights 

Learning the Basics of “Moon Face”

Studying the fluid physics of cells may bring

answers to why astronauts get all stuffy in the head and

puffed up in space. John Tarbell, of Pennsylvania State

University, is using a cell culture model to find the cause

of and countermeasures for “Moon face,” the shift of fluids to the upper body of astronauts in orbit that gives

them a rounder, fuller face.

Tarbell is studying the endothelial cell layer,

which lines blood vessels from the aorta to the capillaries. These cells provide the principal barrier to transvascular transport, the passing of water and solutes between

blood and underlying tissue. On Earth, these cells are

continuously exposed to the mechanical shearing force

and the pressure imposed by blood flowing over their

surfaces, and they are adapted to this environment. When

the cardiovascular system is placed in microgravity,

which affects fluid flow, pressure in the blood vessels

changes, and the shearing force is eventually reduced.

These adaptations increase the endothelial cell layer’s

hydraulic conductivity, or its ability to transport water

and solute, inhibiting the layer’s barrier properties and,

Tarbell proposes, allowing the transvascular transport

that causes fluid to shift in humans in microgravity.

In ground-based research using a tissue culture

model of the endothelial transport barrier, Tarbell has

shown that a sudden increase in vascular pressure, which

occurs in the human face in microgravity, induces an early

adaptive response. The endothelial layer’s resistance to the
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

5 FLUID PHYSIC

flow of water from blood into tissue space increases for

about an hour after the pressure increases. This natural

control mechanism tends to limit facial swelling. The

ground-based experiments further demonstrate that after

an hour of altered pressure, the resistance begins to drop

substantially, leading to a condition in which there is

excessive leakage of fluid from the blood to the tissue.

This loss of control of transvascular transport exacerbates facial swelling. 

Tarbell is studying the biomolecular mechanisms

that mediate the response of the endothelial transport

barrier to changes in pressure. His group has found that

the loss of resistance to fluid transport from blood to tissue can be blocked completely by inhibiting the formation of nitric oxide (NO) using pharmacologic agents.

Findings in Tarbell’s research related to NO tie in to

studies by other NASA scientists in biomedicine and fundamental space biology who are studying how NO

affects fluid-related conditions experienced by astronauts

such as bone blood flow, orthostatic intolerance (lightheadedness upon standing or sitting up), cardiac atrophy,

and disruption of circadian rhythms (natural sleep

patterns).

Tarbell also has found that the loss of resistance

can be reversed by elevating intracellular levels of cyclic

adenosine monophosphate, a signaling molecule that

affects the hydraulic conductivity of endothelial cells.

Tarbell says, “The results suggest a variety of possible

approaches for pharmacologic intervention to regulate

hydraulic activity of endothelial cells in microgravity,”

thereby reducing the degree of “Moon face” and other

fluid-related conditions experienced by astronauts.

On Earth, Tarbell’s research findings could provide insight into the importance of maintaining normal

tissue homeostasis and knowledge about how its breakdown becomes critical in various diseases that include

atherosclerosis, a degenerative disease of arteries that

underlies heart attacks and strokes; diabetic retinopathy,

leakage of albumin into the retina; and when tissue is

inflamed, the transvascular transport that leads to

swelling in tissue. 

Sorting Out the Effects of Turbulence on Particle

Dynamics

From dust storms to volcanic eruptions to industrial spray applications, the movement of particles by a

turbulent fluid, such as air, can have far-reaching consequences. Turbulent pockets of air form eddies, swirling

around any particles that cross their paths. However,

gravity, rather than the force of the eddies, controls most

of the dynamic behavior of the particles on Earth, pulling

them through the turbulent air pockets at a relatively fast

rate. What happens to those particles if the effects of

gravity are temporarily removed? Principal Investigator

Chris Rogers and his team at Tufts University are studying how glass and ceramic particles disperse in air, and

they are trying to understand the role gravity plays in

their motion.

A number of studies of particle dynamics in turbulent media had already been conducted using computer-based numeric simulations, but in 1996, Rogers

and his team set out to conduct experiments using real

particles and real turbulence in order to improve upon

computer models and to better understand the dynamic

phenomena of particles in motion. They started with a

quasinumeric technique, which combines mathematical

calculations and experiment data on a real fluid, a channel of water flowing in one direction. 

A unique system developed at the Tufts

University Fluid Turbulence Lab uses a laser

velocimeter probe comprising four laser beams to provide instantaneous measurement of the speed of the

water and calculate what would happen to a particle of

a given mass experiencing gravity acting in a given

direction with a given amount of force. The particle’s

acceleration and position in the fluid are then mimicked by the movement of the laser beam, which

bounces through the fluid as if the beam were the particle. Rogers’s team was able to vary the force of

gravity on the model to begin to define gravity’s role

in the path the particles took through the fluid. But

they realized that to validate and further refine results

of both the computer-based and quasinumeric simulations, they would have to conduct their experiments in

microgravity.

Astronauts experience a coldlike sinus and nasal stuffiness and a

rounder, fuller face called “Moon face” (shown at right) when the barrier that normally prevents fluid from passing from blood vessels into

surrounding tissues on Earth becomes ineffective in microgravity.

credit: NASA
46 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

FLUID PHYSICS 5

A first parabolic flight of the

experiment on NASA’s KC-135 aircraft involved mounting a large box

with the rig inside to the floor. This

setup didn’t account for the effects

of outside turbulence encountered by

the plane, so the team redesigned the

experiment rig. On subsequent

flights, a smaller apparatus was used,

allowing researchers to release the

rig, which included the experiment

chamber and the video recording

equipment, during freefall, when it

would float in midair. 

The method for creating turbulence for the glass and ceramic particles inside also became more

sophisticated. Little fans with model

airplane propellers on them blew

the air into the corners of the rig,

where it spread along the walls,

keeping the particles from sticking

to the walls. This rig provided the

team with the turbulence and

freefall conditions they were looking for. What they found when analyzing the video bore out theories

based on computer simulation.

Small particles, when subjected

to turbulence in microgravity,

showed what is called preferential

concentration, which computer models had predicted. As the particles

entered the turbulent air, they were

thrown about by eddies in the flow

field. The eddies, spinning the particles about, tended to throw the particles into the spaces between the

eddies. Here the particles clustered

into strings; they preferentially concentrated between the eddies where

they could move more easily through

the air.

But what about larger particles?

Simulations of turbulence had shown

that heavy particles would agglomerate

just as smaller ones would. However, a

simulation has its limitations, and

Rogers and his team had their doubts

about whether tests on real particles in

turbulent flow fields would show the

same agglomeration behavior.

Just past the peak of the KC-135’s parabolic flight path, the experiment rig floats in midair,

free from the effects of gravity. Temporarily removing some of gravity’s influences allows

researchers to study the effects of turbulence on airborne particles.

credit: NASA
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

5 FLUID PHYSIC

Video from the KC-135 flights confirmed what

the simulation had predicted: in microgravity, big particles would also agglomerate due to the influence of the

turbulent flow field. In order to test out this theory on

even larger particles, however, longer tests in microgravity will be necessary.

For a better understanding of the fluid properties

in the experiment, Rogers returns to the quasinumeric

technique using the laser system and the model water

channel. He hopes to be able to draw some conclusions

about the fluid properties in his experiment based on

what he has observed in the KC-135 experiments on particle dynamic properties. The next set of investigations in

the KC-135 may help Rogers answer questions regarding

how the total amount of turbulence is affected by adding

particles to the experiment apparatus and how the turbulence generated in microgravity compares to turbulence

measured on the ground. 

Tiny Bubbles Create Better Cooling

Put a clear glass pot of water on the stove and

turn the burner to high. Soon the heat turns liquid water

at the bottom of the pot into bubbles of steam that almost

instantly detach and zip to the surface. Cooler water

flowing in behind is heated in turn to become more

steam, and the entire pot boils as the transition of liquid

to gas carries heat away from the bottom of the pot.

Now imagine that gravity’s effects are turned off.

Without buoyancy to make lighter materials float to the

top, the bubbles don’t detach; rather, they stay in place

and grow. The heat is not carried away from the bottom

of the pot, and the heating element melts and fails altogether. The stove, a power plant, a computer, or any

other active system — even a human — must shed heat

or break down.

Principal Investigator Vijay Dhir, of the

University of California, Los Angeles, wants to understand

boiling so it can be used safely in systems operating in a

microgravity environment. One of the most efficient

means of cooling, boiling has been a fundamental part of

modern industry since the dawn of the Steam Age, yet it

is poorly understood in many respects, especially where

gravitational effects are involved. 

Dhir has designed the experiment Investigations

Associated With Nucleate Boiling Under Microgravity

Conditions to allow precise control of the locations

where bubbles form and the timing of their release —

something that the design of earlier microgravity experiments did not permit. Silicon wafers, 10 centimeters (4

inches) in diameter, make this control possible. The

wafers have “designed surfaces” with tiny wells only 4,

7, or 10 microns wide and 100 microns deep, backed by

tiny heating elements. The wells serve as nucleation

sites, where water heats to boiling and then turns to

vapor. Each well or combination of wells can be heated

to produce a single bubble or an array of bubbles. The

patterned surfaces will allow Dhir and his colleagues to

study boiling across a range of controlled variations, to

quantify how heat moves from a solid surface into liquid

and then to vapor, and to understand how heat transfer in

one tiny area can affect transfer in another.

While flying his experiment aboard the KC-135

aircraft in a parabolic pattern in 2000, Dhir discovered

something that no one else has studied: that while a single bubble can grow to dangerously large sizes in low

gravity, the release of even a few small bubbles can create radically different flow patterns in a liquid, inducing

additional bubbles to depart.

Moreover, Dhir’s computer simulations show

that if the bubbles are neatly lined up like beads on a

string, they have little effect on each other. But if their

positions are staggered, they merge and induce circulation and lift forces that move other bubbles away from

the heating surface as well. To Dhir, this discovery

suggests that patterning a surface with deliberate,

microscopic variations might induce proper boiling 

in a low-gravity heat-transfer system.

To find out, Dhir will need to run his experiment

in a long-term microgravity environment onboard the

ISS. Then, in 5 to 10 years, Dhir expects that the result

of a successful ISS investigation could be design codes

that engineers would use to optimize surfaces in a boiling system for a range of applications both on Earth and

in space. Such understanding could help thermal engineers design space applications ranging from nuclear

electric propulsion systems powering space vehicles

between planets to electrical power plants and cooling

systems operating efficiently in the fractional gravities on

other planets.

A large bubble grows as smaller ones come in contact and

surface tension breaks to let the gas pockets join. The

entire sequence took about one-eighth of a second on a

KC-135 flight.

credit: NASA

t=0.000s t=0.096s t=0.112s

t=0.120s t=0.128s

4 mm
o you ever wonder how small a computer will be 50 years from now? Or what new tools a

doctor will have to detect cancer? Or what new

technology might replace CD players? Or if we will

have the instruments we need to make deep space

exploration possible? Fundamental physicists are

the people finding the answers to these

questions. But they don’t start

their search by asking

about technology. They

start with much more

basic questions about

how the universe

works.

Science is driven by human curiosity

about nature. In the study of fundamental physics,

scientists wish to uncover and understand the basic

underlying principles that govern the behavior of the

world around us. Fundamental physics research,

therefore, establishes a foundation for many other

branches of science and provides the intellectual

underpinning needed to maintain and further develop our highly technological society. 

Researchers in the discipline have two quests

that motivate laboratory studies and experiments in

space. One of these quests is to explore and understand the fundamental physical laws governing matter,

space, and time. Deep examination of the smallest

and largest building blocks that make up the universe will yield a better understanding of the basic

ideas, or theories, that describe the world. The space

environment provides access to different space-time

coordinates and frees experimenters from the disturbing effects caused by gravity on Earth.

The second quest is to discover and understand the organizing principles of nature from which

structure and complexity emerge. While the basic

laws of nature may be simple, the universe that has

D

OVERVIEW

FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS 6

48 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Fundamental physicists

start with basic questions about how the universe works. What they

find can help answer

myriad other questions,

such as, “how small will

computers be 50 years

from now?”
arisen under these laws is amazingly complex and

diverse. By studying nature apart from the influence

of Earth’s gravity, we can better understand how the

universe developed and how best to employ these

principles in service to humanity.

The pursuit of these quests will greatly benefit society in many ways over the

long run. For example, the study of physical

laws and natural principles with unprecedented precision requires advances in

instrumentation that provide the foundation

for tomorrow’s breakthrough technologies.

These advances contribute to the competitiveness of American industry and further

support and enhance the presence of

humans in space. 

To address the two long-term quests

of the program, research is currently being

pursued in three areas: gravitational and

relativistic physics, laser cooling and atomic physics,

and condensed matter physics. Gravitational and relativistic physics is the study of gravity’s influence on

the physical world and of Einstein’s Theory of

General Relativity, which puts gravity at the heart of

the universe’s structure. Laser cooling and atomic

physics is the study of atoms and how they manifest

on a small scale the same fundamental laws that

govern the universe on a large scale. Condensed

matter physics, in which matter is also studied at an

atomic level, specifically examines the properties of

atoms in liquids and solids, the states of matter in

which atoms are condensed. 

OVERVIEW

6 FUNDAMENTAL PHYSIC

By studying nature in

microgravity, fundamental physicists hope to

better understand how

the universe developed.

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Scientists who study condensed matter physics examine the properties 

of atoms in liquids (such as water)

and solids (such as ice), the states

of matter in which atoms are condensed. Scientists are drawn to 

study the transition between states,

such as melting or evaporating,

because certain universal behaviors

are found in the properties of the 

system as the transition is performed

under carefully controlled conditions.
50 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS 6

Program Summary

Almost 200 fundamental physicists and other

scientists representing 82 universities and 12 countries

gathered in Pasadena, California, in May 2001 for the

Second Pan-Pacific Basin Workshop on Microgravity

Sciences. The workshop was a four-day opportunity for

researchers who hailed mostly from countries that border

the Pacific Ocean to share their latest work related to

microgravity and the space environment. Topics discussed ranged from fundamental research in physical,

chemical, and biological processes to cross-discipline

research and applied technology innovations. Participants

also attended outreach events at the California Science

Center, in Los Angeles, and learned firsthand how education and outreach can play a key role in explaining the

benefits of their work to the public.

This year’s workshop, the largest-ever gathering

of microgravity scientists from the Pacific Rim, was

hosted by the Association of Pacific Rim Universities,

the National Society of Microgravity Science and

Application of China, and the Japan Society of Microgravity

Application. Other participating organizations included

NASA, the National Space Development Agency of

Japan, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Canadian

Space Agency, and the Russian Space Agency.

The workshop also served as the annual meeting

for the microgravity fundamental physics program, giving investigators within the discipline an opportunity to

present research developments and results and to share

ideas with others in the field, especially with many international colleagues. Leading off the plenary talks,

Principal Investigator (PI) David Lee, of Cornell

University, Ithaca, New York, described the excitement

of the 1970s race to discover superfluidity in liquid

helium-3. PI Randall Hulet of Rice University, in

Houston, Texas, presented the final plenary talk,

discussing his recent observation of Fermi pressure in

ultracold lithium-6 atoms and showing pictorially the 

differing behaviors of bosons and fermions (two isotopes

of the element). Charles Elachi, newly installed as the

director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in

Pasadena, California, described during his address at the

conference banquet how the microgravity fundamental

physics program fits into JPL’s ambitious plans for space

exploration. The fundamental physics sessions educated

attendees about techniques for using liquid helium as a

test bed for fundamental theories, observations of quantum behavior in clouds of atoms cooled to within a millionth of a degree of absolute zero, and funding for

research to explore fundamental physics. 

The 2002 NASA Workshop for Fundamental

Physics in Space was held May 9–11 in Dana Point,

California. More than 75 scientists attended the workshop

to report on progress in their research and to learn about

new opportunities for research funding. Mark C. Lee, the

enterprise scientist for fundamental physics at NASA

headquarters, described the discipline as currently the

strongest he has ever known it, based on the large number of proposals in each subdiscipline that had been

received in response to the 2001 NASA Research

Ketterle Awarded Nobel Prize

Principal Investigator Wolfgang Ketterle, of the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was awarded

the 2001 Nobel Prize for physics for his research

involving ultracold atoms that form a new type of matter. The physicist shared the prize with Eric Cornell

and Carl Wieman, both of the Joint Institute of

Laboratory of Astrophysics and the National Institute

of Standards and Technology, in Boulder, Colorado. 

The award cites the researchers’ achievements and

fundamental studies of Bose-Einstein condensates, a

peculiar form of matter predicted by Albert Einstein

based on research by Indian physicist Satyendra

Nath Bose. The Royal Swedish Academy of

Sciences, which awards the Nobel Prize, said the

three scientists have caused atoms to “sing in unison.” Through their research, atomic particles were

induced to have the same energy and to oscillate

together in a controlled fashion. Laser light has these

qualities, but researchers have struggled for decades

to make other matter behave this way. The breakthrough research has potential uses for extremely

precise measurements and may lead to microscopic

computers and ultraprecise gyroscopes that could

dramatically improve aircraft guidance and spacecraft

navigation. Ketterle’s award brings the number of

Nobel laureates presently working in NASA’s fundamental physics program to eight.

credit: NASA
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

6 FUNDAMENTAL PHYSIC

Announcement sponsored by NASA’s Office of Biological

and Physical Research. He explained that such announcements would occur each year to permit scientists to enter

the program at short intervals, with each year’s announcement focusing on a slightly different theme in fundamental physics. The theme for the 2001 announcement was

gravitational and relativistic physics, laser cooling and

atomic physics, and low temperature and condensed

matter physics.

Fundamental Physics Discipline Scientist Ulf

Israelsson, of JPL, followed Lee’s remarks by outlining

the changes in the NASA and JPL organizations that will

affect the discipline. He described how the new team of

the Office of Biological and Physical Research (OBPR),

now headed by Mary Kicza, is interpreting the recommendations of the Research Maximization and Prioritization

task force, which assembled in 2001 to assess priorities for

all OBPR-funded research. Additionally, Israelsson promoted the guest investigator opportunity for fundamental

physics scientists, which provides for invited scientists to

participate in already-approved flight experiments, including the development of a flight instrument’s mission.

PI David Lee presented results from his group’s

measurements of decay times for species of impurities

trapped in a matrix of solid helium. At the low temperatures involved in the measurements, the change of populations observed implies that the reactions take place by

quantum tunneling mechanisms, rather than by normal

chemical reactions. The results demonstrate the possibility of developing valuable energy storage methods in

these systems. 

PI John Thomas, of Duke University, Durham,

North Carolina, described his team’s efforts to cool

clouds of Fermi atoms into a state of degeneracy, characterized by atoms that are stripped of their electrons and

by very great density. The research group hopes that the

proper conditions can be reached to initiate a pairing of

the Fermi atoms that will cause the clouds to become

superfluid.

Many additional topics of considerable interest

were described in the presentations. Attendees at the

workshop heard about progress on the Primary Atomic

Reference Clock in Space flight experiment, several

techniques useful for studying laser-cooled atom samples, mass interferometry methods for measuring the

gravitational constant G and for developing sensitive

gyroscopes and gravity gradiometers, and phase transitions in an array of ultracold atomic spins. These and

other investigations discussed were funded through

NASA Research Announcements (NRAs).

NASA releases announcements of opportunities

for new research grants at regular intervals to maintain a

productive research community working at the cutting

edge of the science topics in fundamental physics. New

ideas for research broaden the topics and update the

standing of the supported experiments. An NRA (NRA00-HEDS-02) soliciting proposals in fundamental

physics was released in February 2000, and selections

for funding were announced in November 2000, at the

beginning of fiscal year (FY) 2001.

Based on peer review of the 109 proposals submitted in response to the 2000 NRA, 36 ground-based

investigations were selected for funding, with seven of

those in the new area of biological physics. In addition,

five flight-definition investigations were chosen for

development. These flight projects included two guest

investigations for the first mission of the Low

Temperature Microgravity Physics Facility on the

International Space Station (ISS), one investigation in

gravitational physics, and two experiments in laser cooling and atomic physics. A complete list of the 42 selected research projects from the 2000 NRA can be found on

the World Wide Web at ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/

pressrel/2000/00-183a.txt. 

An NRA for subsequent funding (NRA-01-

OBPR-08-E) was released in January 2001. The

announcement solicited research seeking knowledge that

will expand understanding of space, time, and matter and

enhance understanding of physical, biological, and chemical processes associated with fundamental physics.

Proposals were due in April 2002, and selections of investigations to be funded will be announced in early 2003.

The fundamental physics program supported a

total of 53 ground-based investigations and 14 flight

investigations in FY 2001 and 67 ground-based investigations and 13 flight investigations in FY 2002.

Flight Experiments

The flight program in fundamental physics

achieved several milestones this year. As development 

of the Low Temperature Microgravity Physics Facility

(LTMPF) planned for the ISS progressed, experiments

slated to fly in the facility also moved forward. For its

first mission, scheduled for 2008, the LTMPF will

accommodate experiments that investigate superfluid

helium. When helium is cooled to extremely low temperatures (nearing absolute zero, –273°C) it remains in a

liquid state but exhibits some very unusual properties.

For instance, it has no resistance to flow, so it can leak

through tiny holes that even gaseous helium cannot penetrate, and it demonstrates infinite heat conductivity.

Helium in this state is called a superfluid. Studying the

critical point for superfluidity, the conditions of temperature and pressure at which the transition occurs, has
52 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS 6

proved the transition to be an excellent model of the

physics of other transitions between states, such as the

liquid-gas critical point. 

The Critical Dynamics in Microgravity

Experiment (DYNAMX), scheduled for the first LTMPF

mission, will study how liquid helium becomes a superfluid while being driven far from equilibrium by a heat

current. In FY 2001, DYNAMX passed its preliminary

design review and was granted limited authority to proceed. Only minor design changes remained before the

detailed design definition of the flight hardware would

be complete. In FY 2002, the final DYNAMX flight prototype and flight hardware were designed, and the drawings and flight assembly procedures were more than half

complete.

The Microgravity Scaling Theory Experiment

(MISTE), also planned for the first LTMPF mission, will

test scaling law predictions for thermophysical properties

of systems near liquid-vapor critical points. During FY

2001, MISTE passed its preliminary design review, and

the MISTE team began fabricating an engineering model

of the flight hardware for testing. The team continued its

collaboration with Mission Research Corporation on

developing a small, pneumatic low-temperature valve for

repeated actuation at liquid helium temperatures. The

ground-based experimental cell was redesigned to permit

more accurate measurements, and a MISTE web site

(http://miste.jpl.nasa.gov) was created for outreach purposes. In FY 2002, the MISTE team developed a novel

low-temperature valve to meet flight requirements. The

team also acquired new data using the redesigned

ground-based experimental cell. Based on these data,

they revised their mathematical model, and predictions

are now being tested against experimental measurements.

Two other superfluid helium experiments will 

be conducted during the first LTMPF mission. The

Enhanced Heat Capacity of 4He Near the Superfluid

Transition (CQ) experiment and the Coexistence

Boundary (COEX) experiment will use the DYNAMX

flight instrument and the MISTE instrument, respectively, in different ways from their primary experiments to

maximize scientific return on the instruments. The CQ

experiment will explore the effect of heat flux on the

superfluid transition of helium. In FY 2001, the experiment was approved and funded as a guest experiment

with DYNAMX. In FY 2002, the flight definition of the

CQ experiment was completed, and the review board of

the CQ requirements definition review recommended

that CQ receive authority to proceed to flight.

COEX measures densities of a sample of helium-3

as it approaches very near to the vapor-liquid critical

point. The data should help to determine precisely the

parameters for the theoretical description of the properties of that critical point. In FY 2001, COEX was accepted

by NASA as a guest experiment using the MISTE flight

hardware, and the COEX team determined preliminary

data. In FY 2002, the COEX science requirements document and experiment implementation plan were prepared.

Diagram of the proposed PARCS laser-cooled space clock. Atoms in the source (atompreparation) region are cooled and trapped and then launched through the cavity region.

The microgravity condition keeps the atoms flowing straight to the detection region.

credit: NASA
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

6 FUNDAMENTAL PHYSIC

The science concept review and requirements definition

review were held in April 2002. 

Experiments have also been selected for the second LTMPF mission, planned for 2010: The Boundary

Effects on the Superfluid Transition (BEST) experiment

will determine the effects of boundaries on the thermal

conductivity of superfluid helium near the critical transition, and the Superconducting Microwave Oscillator

(SUMO) is a project to develop an oscillator that will 

be used to test theories about relativity and in other

applications.

The program currently supports two flight experiments to develop atomic clocks using laser-cooled

atoms. Atomic clocks are the most accurate timekeepers

on Earth, but gravity limits their performance. Development

of a laser-cooled atomic clock that could take advantage of

a microgravity environment would enable an improvement in accuracy by perhaps as much as a hundredfold.

An atomic clock on the ISS could serve as a primary frequency standard, providing labs around the world with

the premier definition of the second and perhaps

enabling experiments in fundamental physics that were

not possible previously. Such a clock also could aid in

deep space navigation and navigation on Earth by

improving the accuracy of the Global Positioning

System (GPS).

Scientists working on the Primary Atomic

Reference Clock in Space (PARCS) project are developing a cesium-beam atomic clock to operate on the ISS. In

this clock, atoms of cesium will be made to oscillate

between energy states by exposure to a specific

microwave frequency. To precisely measure the atoms’

oscillation, or “ticking,” they will be slowed by extreme

cooling and trapped within the instrument by the microgravity environment of orbit. 

In December 2000, the PARCS project passed its

requirements definition review, which involved defining

the engineering aspects of conducting the experiment in

space. Also, a number of components have been either

designed or fabricated in prototype form. The shutters

for the atom beam, which are critical to operation of the

PARCS clock, have been fabricated, and preliminary

testing of them has begun. These shutters must be nonmagnetic, produce a minimum of vibration, have an

aperture larger than 1 cm, operate at a rate of at least 1

hertz (one cycle per second), and should survive more

than 1 million usages. In addition, collimators (devices

for the trapping and detection of lasers), plus a prototype

trapping chamber, have been constructed of titanium, and

a prototype for the clock is under development. A

microwave synthesizer with a performance that meets

the need for the PARCS instrument has been constructed,

and measurements of phase noise are under way. A second synthesizer design, which incorporates features that

better match it to PARCS and uses a number of spacequalified components, is nearing completion.

The team of scientists working on the Rubidium

Atomic Clock Experiment (RACE) is attempting to further improve the accuracy of laser-cooled microgravity

A new design for the RACE rubidium microgravity clock was developed this year. This design, shown in the figure

above, simplifies the trapping and shutter mechanisms while maintaining a high throughput of cold atoms, minimizes the requirements on the local oscillator, and eliminates errors due to vibrations.

RACE

credit: NASA, redrawn by Jacky Edwards
clocks. By using rubidium

instead of cesium, this

experiment addresses one of

the largest sources of errors

in a cesium clock: the frequency shift of atoms

caused by cold collision.

The collision shift of rubidium is 50 times smaller than

that of cesium, allowing for

better stability and thus

more accurate determination

of the frequency required to

cause the atoms to oscillate

between energy states. The

team has also developed a

technique to cause the

atoms to be launched in

quick succession from the

base of the clock, pass

through one microwave

region, where their energy

state is measured, continue

toward the top, and pass

through another microwave

region, where they are

remeasured before they fall

again. The short-term stability of the atoms’ oscillation

before they collide is proportional to the launch rate,

so juggling the atoms allows

a higher accuracy to be

maintained. In FY 2002, the RACE team rebuilt the

clock to improve its energy state detection system.

An experiment in condensed matter physics, the

second Critical Viscosity of Xenon Experiment, CVX-2,

was manifested on space shuttle mission STS-107. The

experiment, which measures the change in viscosity of a

fluid near its critical point, is laying the groundwork for

a method of predicting the viscosity of various fluids.

Work progressed on readying the CVX-2 hardware for

integration into the shuttle. This experiment builds on

results from a previous successful flight on shuttle mission STS-85 in August 1997.

Highlights

Glimpses of Cold Stars and New Laser Power

Scientists have successfully used lasers to cool a

cloud of lithium atoms sufficiently to observe unusual

quantum properties of matter, including some that could

shed light on the behavior of stars or lead to improved

tools for space navigation. Randall Hulet and his team at

Rice University watched as an extremely cold lithium

cloud resisted condensation in much the same way that

stars will collapse to a certain point and no further after

they have used up their fuel and succumbed to gravity.

The scientists also have been able to make the atoms in a

lithium cloud move in perfect, nondissipating waves, one

atom following after another, which could be an important first step in making an atom laser for clock and navigation applications. 

Both of these observations were made as the

team attempted to achieve the unique conditions that

would induce lithium atoms to behave collectively, or as

a quantum system. Under certain conditions, atoms

exhibit wavelike behavior, that is, sometimes an atom

exists not as an object occupying a single point but rather

is spread out over a region of space, known as the wavelength of the atom. Since atoms of the same material all

display the same type of wave, under unique conditions

of very low temperature, the waves lock together and

move almost like troops marching in formation. In this

state, the cold and dense cloud of atoms is known as a

Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), and it exhibits unusual

properties similar to those of a superfluid, another quantum state of atoms.

54 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS 6

This is a three-dimensional rendering of an image of a matter-wave soliton train. Each peak in the train is

Bose-Einstein condensate, a collection of atoms cooled to a temperature of nearly absolute zero. Soliton

are localized bundles of waves, constrained to move in only one dimension, which propagate without

spreading. Advanced optical communications systems employ solitons because ordinary light pulses

spread and require frequent signal boosters. The atom-wave solitons shown in the figure may someday b

useful as the atom laser input to an atom interferometer.

credit: Randall Hu
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Although a number of elements have been found

to undergo this transition, lithium is of particular interest

because it exists in two different forms, or isotopes: lithium-7, which consists of atoms known as bosons, and

lithium-6, which has atoms known as fermions. Bosons,

it turns out, reach the BEC transition at higher temperatures than fermions. Hulet’s challenge was to cool the

fermions to temperatures low enough to reach the BEC

state. In an inspired technique, Hulet and his team cooled

a cloud that was a mixture of the two isotopes so that the

bosons, which readily respond to cooling, acted as refrigerants, further cooling the fermions. 

While trying to achieve a BEC using this mixture of lithium atoms, the team got a surprising snapshot

of a phenomenon that occurs in stars — Fermi pressure.

Named for Enrico Fermi, a Nobel Laureate noted for his

contributions in nuclear physics, Fermi pressure has been

theorized as the mechanism for star stabilization that

keeps white dwarfs and neutron stars from collapsing

past a certain point. These stars are dense, compact

objects created when normal stars use up their fuel, cool,

and succumb to the forces of gravity. 

As the Rice team cooled the lithium cloud to 500

nanokelvins (500 billionths of a degree above absolute

zero, –273°C), the bosons compressed, because multiple

atoms can occupy the same energy level. However, the

fermions resisted being crowded together and did not

condense further, confirming the theory that they cannot

occupy the same energy level due to Fermi pressure.

Thus, Hulet’s tiny atom cloud became a quantum model

for star behavior, even though the atoms in the two systems exist in vastly different spatial and energy scales.

Images of the lithium cloud have revealed some fascinating insights into this force responsible for stabilizing

stars.

Hulet has also documented another quantum

effect with a cooled cloud of lithium-7 atoms. The Rice

group manipulated the cold atoms to form tidy bundles

of waves, called solitons, which retained their shape and

strength. Normally, when a wave forms — whether in

water, light, or clouds of atoms — it tends to spread out

as it travels. Not so with a soliton wave, which maintains

its perfect shape without spreading.

In their laboratory, Hulet and his team confined

lithium atoms with magnetic fields, cooled them with

lasers to one billion times colder than room temperature,

and confined them in a narrow beam of light that pushed

them into a single-file formation. The atoms formed a

Bose-Einstein condensate, and Hulet’s team was able to

observe a “soliton train” of multiple waves. The soliton

train produced by Hulet’s team comprised individual segments of this condensate that continued to preserve their

quantum mechanical phase with respect to each other,

despite being segmented. The atom-wave solitons that

the Rice University scientists observed could be used in

advanced atom lasers, which have beams made of atoms

instead of light photons. 

Hulet says atom lasers might have many applications that few have envisioned, such as improving instruments that study gravity variations to locate and measure

underground water, minerals, oil, caves, and volcanic

magma on Earth. By measuring levels of underground

magma, for example, scientists may be able to predict

volcanic eruptions. The technology could also be used on

a spacecraft to map the ocean believed to lie beneath the

icy crust of Europa, one of Jupiter’s six known moons. 

Atom lasers could also lead to other advances,

including improvements in atomic clocks and computers.

New clocks could be designed using the ultracold lithium

atom beams so that the atoms collide less frequently,

which would allow even greater accuracy. More precise

clocks would help digital communications systems and

improve deep space navigation. Using an atom laser to

fabricate computer chips with single atomic layer control

would make computers run faster. 

Starquakes on Your Lab Bench, Anyone?

Spinning ultracold sodium gas in the laboratory,

scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

(MIT) created a gas cloud that is a model of some quirky

pulsar star behavior. As the atom cloud spins, it becomes

riddled with tiny whirlpools, like those suspected of

causing “starquakes” in space. 

The laboratory demonstration of these vortex

structures in ultracold atom clouds is related to puzzling

glitches observed by astronomers in the otherwise

smooth, rapid rotation of pulsars. A pulsar is a type of

neutron star, a remnant of a dying star, one of the densest

objects in the universe. Glitches in pulsar rotation are

called starquakes and may occur when whirlpools, or

vortices, form or decay. 

Because the gas cloud observed in the laboratory

was 100,000 times thinner than air, while a pulsar is

about ten thousand trillion times denser than air, one

might expect different behavior from the two systems.

But both the sodium gas cloud and pulsars are superfluids, a state of matter in which a substance can flow without friction. Scientists know that as superfluids rotate,

they form quantum whirlpools that reflect the smallest

possible increase in rotation for the gas cloud or for the

pulsar.

Previously, scientists in laboratories had seen

only one or a few whirlpools in a superfluid; Wolfgang

Ketterle, a physics professor at MIT, and his research

6 FUNDAMENTAL PHYSIC
team made the first direct observation of so many vortices. Ketterle described the moment as “breathtaking.”

The team was amazed as hundreds of whirlpools were

created in the ultracold, fragile gas and the cloud

remained stable.

To achieve the star model, Ketterle and his team

cooled the sodium gas to less than one millionth of a

degree above absolute zero (-273°C). At such extreme

cold, the gas cloud converts to a peculiar form of matter

called a Bose-Einstein condensate, which was predicted

75 years ago by Albert Einstein. No physical container

can hold such ultracold matter, so Ketterle’s team used

magnets to keep the cloud in place. They then used a

laser beam to make the gas cloud spin, a process Ketterle

compares to stroking a ping-pong ball with a feather

until it starts spinning. The spinning sodium gas cloud,

with a volume of one-millionth of a cubic centimeter,

much smaller than a raindrop, developed a regular pattern of more than 100 whirlpools.

Once the quantum system was achieved, team

members were challenged by how to photograph the

whirlpools, which were too small to be seen except with

special magnification. They switched off the magnets

containing the gas cloud, allowing it to expand to 20

times its original size.

This made the

whirlpools large enough

to be photographed. As

the cloud expanded,

however, gravity made

it fall, and the team had

to take the pictures

quickly. These gravitational limitations would

be absent in the microgravity environment

that is available to

researchers on the

International Space

Station.

The sodium

cloud is an example of

a designer quantum

system that scientists

can use to model something in the laboratory

that doesn’t occur naturally on Earth.

Astronomers had

observed the glitches in

pulsar rotation, but had

no opportunity to

explore or manipulate

them until now.

How Fast Does the World Turn?

A discovery that may someday help measure

how clouds and earthquakes change Earth’s rotation has

come from an experiment that made friction-free helium

whistle. By manipulating ultracold liquid helium-3 in a

hollow, doughnut-shaped container, NASA-funded scientists at the University of California (UC), Berkeley, produced a whistling sound that got louder or quieter

depending on the container’s orientation relative to the

North Pole and Earth’s rotation. In principle, small

changes in Earth’s daily rotation rate will also vary the

volume of the whistle. Although Earth completes its rotation every 24 hours, clouds and the motion of Earth’s

crust can make any given day slightly longer or shorter.

These findings might provide an unusual new way to

measure such changes.

The Berkeley team, led by PI Richard Packard

and Co-Investigator Séamus Davis, both professors at

UC Berkeley, cooled the vessel filled with liquid helium3 to a temperature nearly 1 million times colder than

room temperature. At this temperature, the liquid helium

becomes a superfluid, a state of matter in which a substance experiences no friction, so the liquid can flow

56 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS 6

The picture above shows images of the gas clouds in four different states of rotation. The spinning sodium

gas cloud, with a volume of one-millionth of a cubic centimeter, much smaller than a raindrop, developed a

regular pattern of more than 100 whirlpools.

credit: Wolfgang Ketterle
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

continuously inside the vessel. The liquid in the doughnutshaped container acts like a single, supergiant atom with

behavior that is dictated by the strange rules of quantum

physics.

This latest discovery that the helium can act as

one giant atom builds on the team’s previous research. In

1997, they discovered the quantum whistle when they

pushed helium through a single perforated membrane

between two superfluid-filled chambers. This experiment

demonstrated a phenomenon called the Josephson effect:

as they tried to push the fluid through the holes, each

1/500th as wide as a human hair, the fluid jiggled to and

fro. The vibration frequency increased as they pushed

harder on the fluid. They used the world’s most sensitive

microphone and ordinary headphones to hear the

vibrations, which made an oscillating, whistling

sound.

In their latest research, the researchers put two

thin membranes, each with an array of more than 4,000

tiny holes, at opposite sides of the doughnut to divide the

superfluid. When they tried to push the fluid through the

holes with electrostatic pressure, it did not flow in the

direction they were pushing. Instead, it flowed in a

strange, oscillating pattern, again producing a whistle. As

the fluid flowed through the doughnut-shaped vessel, the

whistle got louder or softer, depending on the vessel’s

orientation with respect to Earth’s axis of rotation. 

In essence, the team has demonstrated that two

weak links (established by the two perforated membranes) behave as one weak link (established by the single membrane) whose properties are influenced by

Earth’s rotation. The successful demonstration of this

effect has been a goal of low-temperature physicists for

more than 35 years. The promising new research might

lead to extremely precise gyroscopes to help navigate

future NASA spacecraft. This experiment used a tiny

amount of helium-3, but by using a much larger amount,

an ultrasensitive gyroscope might be created.

Earth is probably too noisy an environment to

realize the full potential of this technology, and Packard

looks forward to maybe one day listening to his quantum

whistle in the best possible environment for the experiment — a free-floating satellite, which could have zero

vibration.

6 FUNDAMENTAL PHYSIC

Doughnut-shaped hardware for this experiment included two thin membranes, each with thousands of tiny holes, at

opposite sides of the doughnut to divide the fluid. When researchers tried to push the fluid through the holes with

electrostatic pressure, it flowed in a strange, oscillating pattern, producing a whistle.

To 

SQUID*

Ω

Electrode

*Superconducting Quantum Interference Device

credit: NASA
58 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

he metal alloys used to build airplanes, the circuits in a computer, the plastic

used for a heart valve, the composite metallic-ceramic materials used in industrial turbine blades — all of these materials have

specific properties that make them the right

choice for the products in which they are

used. Materials scientists are always on the

lookout for ways to improve the properties

of materials and to create materials that have

new properties for new purposes. 

A material’s properties, such as how

strong, how durable, or how poor or efficient a conductor it is, are determined by not

only by its chemical composition but also by

its crystalline structure. The crystalline

structure is established as a result of the

method and conditions under which the

material is produced. For example, if a mixture of liquid metal and ceramic particles is

solidified at one speed, those ceramic particles may congregate in undesired ways, causing the

processed material to crack easily or be brittle. If,

on the other hand, the same molten mixture is solidified at a different speed, the ceramic particles may

be more evenly distributed throughout the solidified

material, lending it desirable strength. By learning

how to alter the conditions of material processing to

get desired properties, investigators may be able to

manufacture materials with more useful properties

than are currently available.

T

Materials scientists are on a

never-ending quest to take existing materials such as glass,

metals, or ceramics and make

them stronger, lighter, cheaper,

or better. Microgravity research

is helping researchers understand the fundamentals of materials and enabling them to develop

novel solutions to technology

challenges in industry and in the

space program. 

OVERVIEW

MATERIALS SCIENCE 7
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Because most solid materials are formed

from a liquid melt or a vapor, the production

processes for most materials include steps that are

very heavily influenced by the force of gravity.

Typical gravity-related effects that take place in

materials processing include buoyancy-driven convection (fluid flow caused by temperature-driven

density differences in a material), sedimentation

(settling of different materials, liquid and/or solid,

into distinct layers), and hydrostatic pressure (differences in pressure within a quantity of material due

to the material at the top weighing down on the

material at the bottom). Observing, monitoring, and

studying material production in microgravity is beneficial because it allows researchers to isolate some

of the underlying mechanisms that govern how

materials are formed and to determine how those

mechanisms affect the structure and properties of

the material. This can increase our fundamental

understanding of materials and possibly result in

improved methods for processing materials on Earth.

During fiscal years (FYs) 2001 and 2002,

three new research initiatives were proposed for the

microgravity materials science program: radiation

shielding, advanced space propulsion, and in-space fabrication and

repair for long-distance space

exploration. Fundamental research

in the areas of metals and alloys,

electronic and photonic materials,

ceramics, glasses, and polymers

continues. 

OVERVIEW

7 MATERIALS SCIEN

Advances in materials research have

improved properties

of electronic devices

such as computers

and compact disks

Metals are melted on

Earth in containers called

crucibles before being

poured into casting

molds to produce things

such as statues or tools.
60 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

MATERIALS SCIENCE 7

Program Summary

As NASA continues on its path toward longterm, crewed space missions, each discipline is challenged to develop the technology necessary to make

exploration beyond low Earth orbit possible. To provide

solutions to the new problems such missions will pose,

the three new research topics of radiation shielding,

advanced space propulsion, and in-space fabrication and

repair for long-distance space exploration were added to

the materials science program and included in NASA

Research Announcements (NRAs) in FYs 2001 and

2002. Researchers from universities, industries, and government laboratories across the country compete for

funding in the materials science program by submitting

research proposals in response to NRAs. Each proposal

is evaluated by a peer review committee and selected on

the bases of scientific merit, applicability of the project

to NASA’s goals, and feasibility. 

Learning how to protect astronauts from the

increased exposure to harmful radiation outside

Earth’s sheltering atmosphere will be critical to spaceflights to other planets and habitation on those planets.

Materials science is contributing to this effort through

research aimed at understanding the radiation shielding

effectiveness of existing materials, as well as through

research focused on developing new materials. An NRA

(NRA-01-OBPR-05) was released August 24, 2001,

soliciting proposals for ground-based research opportunities in radiation shielding and biomaterials. Proposals

were due November 27, 2001. Another NRA (NRA-02-

OPBR-02) highlighting ground-based research opportunities in space radiation biology and space radiation

shielding materials was issued August 30, 2002, with

proposals due November 25, 2002. Selections for both

NRA grants will be posted on the World Wide Web

(WWW) at http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov/research_

projects/selections.html.

The advanced space propulsion initiative is

focused on identifying materials that will meet the challenging requirements of the high-temperature and highenergy systems needed to carry vehicles deeper into

space. These advanced propulsion systems may involve

chemical, nuclear, electromagnetic, magnetic, solar thermal, directed plasma, and photonic components. The

research initiative for in-space fabrication and repair supports NASA’s plans for construction in space and on

other planets. The goals of this effort are to reduce the

mass of materials carried into space, to create designs

that will enable and facilitate the fabrication of large

Sharon Cobb of Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, shows how a cylindrical sample will

be inserted into the Materials Science Research Rack-1 furnace for processing aboard the International

Space Station. This rack is being developed to provide a flexible, permanent platform for conducting

materials science experiments in the U.S. Laboratory on the space station.

credit: NASA
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

7 MATERIALS SCIEN

structures in space, and to learn how to use naturally

occurring resources on other planetary bodies as building

materials.

A general NRA covering all the disciplines within the Physical Sciences Research Division (NRA-01-

OBPR-08) was issued December 21, 2001. It included

materials science opportunities (NRA-01-OBPR-08-F)

and a special solicitation of proposals for developing

materials for advanced space propulsion (NRA-01-

OBPR-08-G). Proposals for the NRA in microgravity

materials science were due July 16, 2002, with selections

to be made in December 2002. Proposals for the propulsion NRA were due October 1, 2002, with selections to

be made in spring of 2003. 

A total of 89 principal investigators (PIs)

received research grants for FY 2001–2002. A list of all

ongoing materials science research projects, along with

the names of the investigators conducting the research, is

provided in Appendix A. A complete list of funded projects may also be found on the WWW at http://research.hq.

nasa.gov/code_u/code_u.cfm.

A new cycle of NRA preparation began at the

Fifth NASA Microgravity Materials Science Conference,

held June 25–26, 2002, in Huntsville, Alabama. The conference attracted more than 268 attendees and served to

spark further scientific interest in materials research in

microgravity. Papers and posters featuring work currently

sponsored by the program were presented. The two

NRAs released in 2001 and the upcoming NRA due to be

released in December 2002 were discussed. Oral presentations were selected to highlight mature research and the

new research directions in the program.

These new research directions or initiatives are

prompted by NASA’s vision of future space exploration.

If long-duration, crewed space flights are to be made

possible, new or improved technology will be needed for

each initiative. The FY 2002 NRA includes a special

focus theme of Materials Science for Advanced Space

Propulsion. This technology will help NASA’s vision

become a reality. Ron Litchford, of the Marshall Space

Flight Center (MSFC) Transportation Directorate highlighted this announcement at the conference in a plenary

address. The importance of supporting the NASA and

MSFC program in propulsion was further emphasized to

all conference attendees in the banquet speech by

Michael Houts, also of the MSFC Transportation

Directorate, which focused on materials requirements for

nuclear-fueled space missions.

Workshops in FY 2001–2002 were also organized to support the new research themes. The Materials

Science for Advanced Space Propulsion Workshop was

held October 8–10, 2001, in Huntsville, Alabama, to

provide input for the

propulsion NRA. Attendees

brainstormed possible materials needed to develop new

propulsion systems that will

enable the space program to

expand the frontiers of

space.

The Space Radiation

Shielding Materials Workshop

took place April 3–5, 2002, at

Langley Research Center in

Hampton, Virginia. Experts in

engineering, space and

nuclear physics, technology,

materials science, and radiation safety gathered to develop

a comprehensive understanding of design methods and

requirements related to the design of advanced spacecraft

and space habitat radiation shielding. 

The In-Space Manufacturing of Space

Transportation Infrastructure Workshop was held 

June 11–13, 2002, at MSFC in Huntsville, Alabama.

Sponsored by the NASA Exploration Team, the workshop brought together a variety of engineering and

manufacturing specialists, aerospace contractors, and

members of the academic science community to address

strategies for developing a robust in-space transportation

infrastructure that might eventually include permanent

refueling stations and maintenance platforms in space.

Attendees analyzed NASA’s goals to determine its

needs for materials advances.

Several notable invitations were extended to

participants in the microgravity materials science program in FY 2002. In August, Ken Kelton, of

Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, was invited

to deliver a plenary lecture at the 11th International

Conference on Rapidly Quenched Metals, at Oxford

University, Oxford, England. His research deals with

the solid-state precipitation process of oxygen, one of

the major impurities in electronic grade silicon, and as

such, one of the remaining limiting factors to further

progress of the advancement of personal computers. In

his lecture, to be published in the Philosophical

Transactions of the Royal Society, Kelton outlined a

new theory of so-called coupled-flux nucleation. Kelton

is using nucleation in liquids held below their freezing

points to validate his theories, and the work will culminate in experiments on the International Space Station

(ISS). Preparatory ground-based research is being done

in the electrostatic levitator at MSFC. The importance

of the work is further demonstrated by the fact that, in

addition to NASA, the National Science Foundation

and industry partners are helping to sponsor this work. 

Designed to isolate experiments inside the Microgravity

Science Glovebox, the

g-LIMIT apparatus will protect

physical sciences research

that is very sensitive to vibrations and accelerations on

the space station.

credit: NASA
62 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

MATERIALS SCIENCE 7

Narayanan Ramachandran, of MSFC, gave an

invited talk at the International Symposium on Optical

Science and Technology on “Magnetic Microspheres for

Therapeutical Applications” in July 2002. Co-authored

by Konstantin Mazuruk, Universities Space Research

Association, the paper dealt with the possible use of

magnetic microspheres for in-situ hyperthermia therapy

for cancerous tumors.

Maria Zugrav and William Carswell, both of the

University of Alabama, Huntsville, gave a conference

presentation at the Microgravity Transport Processes in

Fluid, Thermal, Biological, and Materials Sciences

Conference II held in Banff, Alberta, Canada, September

30–October 5, 2001. The presentation, titled “Vapor

Transport Growth of Organic Solids in Microgravity and

Unit Gravity: Some Comparisons and Results to Date,”

summarized and reviewed four years’ worth of work

studying materials for potential applications in the

emerging field of optoelectronics. This exciting area of

research is the merging of physical, optical, electronic,

chemical, and materials sciences to develop newer,

faster, and more efficient ways of exploiting the properties of light. Advances can be seen in areas as diverse as

telecommunications, manufacturing, aerospace, medicine, and entertainment. Zugrav and Carswell are co-PIs

for this investigation.

Notable papers published during FYs 2001 and

2002 included “Crystal Engineering: From Structure to

Function,” by Mark Hollingsworth, of Kansas State

University, Manhattan, which appeared in Science

295(5564), 2410–13. The paper discussed modern crystal

engineering, which allows chemists to control the internal structure and symmetry of crystals and produce

materials with useful chemical and physical properties.

Another paper, titled “Triggered Nucleation in Ni60Nb40

Using an Electrostatic Levitator,” by Tom Rathz et al.,

was accepted for publication in the Journal of Materials

Science Letters. The article describes the first occasion in

which a levitated molten metal drop was forced to solidify by being touched or triggered by an external probe.

The purpose of the study is to establish the variety of

new and potentially useful structures that can be 

produced by such techniques. 

Flight Experiments

The materials science program conducted its first

experiments aboard the ISS in FY 2002. The investigations were carried out in the Microgravity Science

Glovebox (MSG), a small, contained unit shared among

all the disciplines. Construction of the MSG was completed during FY 2001 by the European Space Agency

(ESA). The facility was launched to the space station in

June 2002 and began operations in July 2002. 

The first investigation conducted in the MSG

facility was Solidification Using a Baffle in Sealed

Ampoules (SUBSA). SUBSA is designed to test whether

the addition of a baffle, a device used to regulate the

flow of the liquid metal in the sample, to the directional

solidification process, in which the liquid is frozen from

one end of the container to the other, will significantly

reduce convection that naturally occurs in the melt and

result in better-mixed, less-segregated alloy materials

with improved properties. Aleksander Ostrogorsky, of

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, is the

PI for SUBSA.

Once SUBSA was completed, the Pore

Formation and Mobility Investigation (PFMI) was

installed in the MSG, and its series of experiments was

initiated. PFMI investigates the formation of undesirable

holes, or pores, in a material as it solidifies. The experiment was performed using a transparent material called

succinonitrile; the transparency of the sample allows the

researchers to directly observe and record how the pores

are formed and how they move during processing. PFMI

was led by PI Richard Grugel, of MSFC.

During FYs 2001 and 2002, integration activities

were under way for a series of experiments to be conducted in the MSG in FY 2003. These included four

experiments from ESA plus four new NASA-sponsored

experiments. The NASA experiments are the

Investigation of the Structure of Paramagnetic

Aggregates From Colloidal Emulsions, the Coarsening in

Solid-Liquid Mixtures-2 experiment, the Fiber Supported

Droplet Combustion experiment, and the Glovebox

Integrated Microgravity Isolation Technology (g-LIMIT)

apparatus. Following its on-orbit characterization and

testing, the g-LIMIT device will be made available to

any future MSG experiments that have a particular sensitivity to low-level vibrations and require special vibration isolation. 

In addition to the MSG, the Materials Science

Research Rack-1 (MSRR-1) will house microgravity

materials science experiments in the Destiny laboratory

module of the ISS. The MSRR-1 continued to make

progress toward completion and installation on the space

station, as did experiment modules designed for the facility. The MSRR-1 is scheduled for launch to the ISS in

2005. For more details about the MSRR-1 and its associated modules, see the International Space Station section

of this report.

During FY 2002, final preparations were completed for integrating the Mechanics of Granular

Materials (MGM) investigation on the STS-107 space

shuttle flight, scheduled for launch in January 2003. This

experiment is a continuation of earlier studies regarding 
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

7 MATERIALS SCIEN

properties of granular materials for the advancement of

soil science. The microgravity environment provides

data on granular materials that cannot be collected on

Earth, where gravity collapses the materials so quickly

that scientists cannot take measurements. Knowledge

derived from the MGM experiments will further the

understanding of design models for soil movement

under confinement and various stresses. These models

can be applied to strengthening building foundations,

managing undeveloped land, and handling powdered

and granular materials in chemical, agricultural, and

other industries. The knowledge obtained is also

expected to be valuable in understanding technical

issues in fields such as earthquake engineering, terrestrial and planetary geology, mining engineering, and

coastal and off-shore engineering. 

Highlights

Solidifying the Future 

The beautiful structure of a snowflake is a wellknown example of the way tiny water droplets freezing into

ice form branching crystals. Such branching crystals are

called “dendrites” from an ancient Greek word for tree. As a

puddle freezes, however, a continuing dendritic network of

ice crystals forming across its surface traps air within the

water, bubbles that remain when the puddle is frozen solid. 

Many metals and alloys also have dendritic structures. When molten metals or alloys are solidified for commercial applications, uniformly distributing the dendrites and

controlling or eliminating gas pockets are crucial to ensuring

the materials’ strength. 

Principal Investigator Richard Grugel examines his Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation apparatus inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox. The

project melted samples of a transparent modeling material to observe how bubbles form in the samples and study their movements and interactions.

credit: NASA
Richard Grugel at Marshall Space Flight Center,

investigator for the Microgravity Science Glovebox

(MSG) on the International Space Station (ISS), is seeking to understand the subtle forces that act on gas bubbles in molten metals and alloys. Grugel and his team

have created the Pore Formation and Mobility

Investigation (PFMI) to study how bubbles move and

interact with one another as a material is melted and

solidified in microgravity.

On Earth, gravity-driven buoyancy allows the

bubbles that form in most liquids to rise quickly to the

surface, pop, and disappear. But in cooling molten metal,

bubbles can become trapped in the solid when they are

caught between dendrites or under the solidifying skin

on the top of a casting. Such bubbles become pores, or

trapped pockets of gas — defects that undermine the

material’s strength. Gravity-driven buoyancy so dominates the behavior of bubbles on Earth that it hinders scientists from observing slighter influences on bubble

dynamics. In microgravity, however, buoyancy is minimized, and bubbles do not rise and disappear, allowing

for a more complete study of their subtler behavior. 

The PFMI apparatus flew to the ISS aboard

space shuttle mission STS-111 in June 2002. The PFMI

thermal chamber, the experiment cameras, and other

data-collecting devices were installed in the Microgravity

Science Glovebox.

The experiment consists of the controlled melting of a transparent material that is structurally similar to

metals, in this case, succinonitrile and succinonitrile

mixed with a small amount of water. The samples are

processed inside a thermal chamber installed in the

glovebox’s workspace. As the sample melts, video cameras record bubble formation and movement near the liquid-solid interface. 

Once a sample is loaded into the chamber, an

ISS crewmember starts the experiment with the glovebox

laptop computer and inserts a videocassette into a VCR

to record the experiment. As the temperature of a movable heater at the far end of the glass tube heats the sample to a maximum of 130°C (266°F), the succinonitrile

material at the end of the sample melts. The heater is

then moved down the length of the tube, melting the

solid in a controlled manner. During this step most of the

bubble activity is observed and recorded. Then the direction is reversed, and the tube moves through a cold section of the thermal furnace (the succinonitrile solidifies

at about 13°C [55°F]) where the liquid is directionally

resolidified. Each experimental run lasts 10 to 12 hours. 

Video plays a crucial role in this experiment,

providing a visual record of the way bubbles form,

move, and interact as the sample melts and later 

resolidifies. The science team hypothesized that the bubbles would travel to the hotter end of the sample through

the applied temperature gradient, with bigger bubbles

moving faster than the smaller ones. The video confirmed

their hypothesis, recording the movement of bubbles

emerging from the “centerline crack” during melting.

During the solidification portion of the experiment, bubble generation between dendrites was observed as well

as the formation of defects known as “rat tails.” 

The PFMI investigation, with its ability to control and visualize melting and solidification over a wide

range of temperature gradient and translation parameters,

is enhancing our knowledge of bubble movement and

porosity, liquid-solid interface dynamics, and solidification phenomena. Results from this ongoing study are

expected to benefit materials scientists on Earth as well

as future flight experiment investigators.

This is the first use of the PFMI apparatus in the

ISS glovebox facility. It has well demonstrated its capability, and Grugel believes its generic design makes it a

potential candidate for use in future investigations.

Baffling Flows in Microgravity

Better semiconductors could mean improvements and innovations in technologies for a range of

fields from telecommunications to medicine to manufacturing. An experiment recently conducted on the ISS

may play a role in helping industry to grow better crystals of semiconductors and bring about a new generation

of semiconductor capability.

On Earth, buoyancy forces cause a fluid motion

called convection that can be undesirable during materials

processing. During semiconductor crystal growth in particular, buoyancy forces can cause an uneven distribution

of dopants, or impurities used to control the properties of

the crystals. If dopants are not properly distributed in the

crystal as it grows, the electronic and optical properties

of the semiconductor are degraded, potentially reducing

their ability to transmit signals using electrons and

photons. In microgravity, these buoyancy forces can be

reduced by a factor of up to 1 million. Nevertheless,

analyses of crystals previously grown in space have indicated that a weak motion can still persist in a melt even

in microgravity, interfering with the hypothetical 

convection-free process. SUBSA experiment, run by 

PI Aleksandar Ostrogorsky, of Rensselaer Polytechnic

Institute, Troy, New York, tests the use of a submerged

baffle during the solidification of semiconductor crystals

from a melted material to further reduce or control

convection in microgravity. 

For this investigation, tellurium and zinc are

added as dopants to molten indium antimonide specimens

64 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

MATERIALS SCIENCE 7
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

that are cooled by directional solidification to form a single solid crystal. The baffle placed inside the melt limits

the length of the solidifying liquid column and aids in

reducing convective motion, while microgravity further

helps to establish an extremely calm environment that

can provide scientific data of high precision. After

growth, the distribution of the dopants will be measured

and can indicate the degree of convection that existed

during the growth process. The microgravity environment will enable scientists to enhance their theoretical

knowledge of the crystal growth process. 

From July 11 to September 10, 2002, Expedition

Five’s Science Officer Peggy Whitson conducted a series

of experiment runs for the SUBSA investigation on the

ISS. SUBSA has the distinction of being the first investigation to be conducted in the Microgravity Science

Glovebox after its installation in the Destiny laboratory

module on the space station. During experiment operations, a real-time video camera was focused on transparent ampoules containing samples that were melted in the

SUBSA furnace. The camera sent images to Earth so that

the progress of the experiment could be observed directly

by the investigator and his team. Thus, during the melting

of the material, the movement of the liquid-solid interface toward a solid single crystal seed could be observed

and crystal growth initiated on command when a small

amount of the seed had melted. Movement of the interface in the material was observed during both heating

and cooling cycles, and appropriate actions were taken

by the experimental team through the command capability of the Telescience Support Center. 

With the return of the samples to Earth, the effectiveness of the baffle will be determined after the samples

have been comprehensively analyzed. As a bonus to the

management of the crystal seeding, the real-time images

allowed scientists to make a direct measurement of the

solidification rate, leading to more accurate data. The

information obtained during the SUBSA experiments

will increase the knowledge and understanding of the

solidification process in microgravity and determine how

effective baffles can be in producing quality semiconductors in orbit. Furthermore, data will be used as a guide

for future ground-based research. If the experiments

yield the expected results, directional solidification with

the baffle may become a useful technique for future

crystal growth in space.

7 MATERIALS SCIEN

One of the first materials science experiments on the space station, the Solidification Using a Baffle in Sealed Ampoules investigation was

also the first experiment to be run in the newly installed Microgravity Science Glovebox. Principal Investigator Aleksandar Ostrogorsky

examines one of the sealed ampoules.

credit: NASA
66 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

ariations in the quality of a microgravity environment can have an adverse effect

on experiment results. Sometimes the very

tools that enable an experiment to be conducted in microgravity can be responsible for these

variations. Experiment hardware, crewmembers, and even the flight vehicle itself can

cause accelerations, commonly known as

vibrations, that affect microgravity levels and

disturb sensitive experiments. Because accelerations can cause convection, sedimentation,

and mixing in microgravity science experiments — effects that researchers experimenting

in microgravity generally wish to avoid — information about accelerations is critical to the interpretation of science experiment results. Acceleration

measurement is the process by which data that

describe the quality of a microgravity environment

are acquired, processed, and analyzed. The data are

then passed on to microgravity principal investigators (PIs) to aid them in analyzing the results of

their own investigations. 

Experiments are usually conducted in microgravity to avoid the by-products of gravity, such as

buoyancy-driven convection and sedimentation;

however, accelerations can strongly influence fluid

motion and the motion of particles or bubbles in

fluids. For example, in materials science experiments, heavier elements such as mercury tend to

settle out of solution when subjected to steady

accelerations. Such settling can also damage protein

crystals grown in biotechnology experiments.

Convection due to low-frequency accelerations

tends to cause hot gases in combustion experiments

to move. Fluid movement due to accelerations may

mask fluid characteristics, such as surface tension

forces, that the experimenter wishes to observe.

Mechanical vibrations over a wide range of frequencies may cause drastic temperature changes in lowtemperature physics experiments, where the samples

are at temperatures close to absolute zero. 

OVERVIEW

ACCELERATION MEASUREMENT 8

V

For many ISS experiments con

stant microgravity conditions ar

essential. Disturbances such as

those created by a Soyuz

spacecraft docking with the

space station can affect experiment results. The goal of the

acceleration measurement program is to help researchers to

understand the impact of accelerations on their experiments. 

credit: NA
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

8 ACCELERATION MEASUREMEN

Program Summary

Accurate measurement of the microgravity conditions during a spaceflight is crucial. PIs use acceleration data to determine the influence of accelerations on

their experiments in order to gain a more accurate picture

of the phenomena under observation. The primary objective of the acceleration measurement program is to characterize the reduced-gravity environment of the various

experiment carriers, such as the space shuttle; Russia’s

former space station, Mir; sounding rockets; parabolic

flight aircraft; drop towers; and the International Space

Station (ISS). 

Devices used to measure the quality of a microgravity environment onboard the various experiment carriers are known as accelerometers. Several different

accelerometer units have been developed to meet the

requirements of a wide range of experiments and, initially, to fly aboard different experiment carriers. Although

developed separately, the systems all complement each

other in their measurements. Quasisteady sensors measure the microgravity environment for low-frequency

accelerations. Vibratory sensors measure higherfrequency accelerations (up to 400 hertz, Hz). 

Current Space Acceleration Measurement

Sensors (SAMS) operational systems include the 

following:

• Remote Triaxial System (RTS) — an ISS vibratory system (0.01–400 Hz). There is an RTS in every

EXPRESS (EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments to

Space Station) Rack with Active Rack Isolation System

capability and in the Microgravity Science Glovebox

(MSG), and there are two RTS Drawers in EXPRESS

Rack 1.

• Microgravity Acceleration Measurement

System (MAMS) — an ISS system using a quasisteady

sensor (direct current to 1 Hz) and a vibratory sensor

(0.01–100 Hz). It is deployed in EXPRESS Rack 1.

• Triaxial Sensor Head–Free Flyer (TSH–FF) —

used to support ground facilities and aircraft operations

(0.01–400 Hz).

• Parabolic Acceleration Rating System (PARS)

— deployed on the KC-135, PARS provides a rating

number to the pilots and acceleration data to the

researchers. It utilizes a TSH–FF sensor head.

• Triaxial Sensor Head–Ethernet/Standalone

(TSH–ES) — will be deployed for the first time on the

Fluids and Combustion Facility and the Combustion

Integrated Rack on the ISS. It greatly reduces the size

and power required by the RTS with the same performance.

• Roll Rate Sensor (RRS) — enables the measurement of rotational accelerations by using a fiber optic

gyroscope. It has been used on sounding rocket and

space shuttle flights.

Helping researchers better understand the microgravity environment that their experiments will be exposed

to and teaching them how to quantify and analyze the

impact of such an environment on their experiments is the

goal of the acceleration measurement program’s

Microgravity Environment Interpretation Tutorial. For

the fourth and fifth consecutive years, the acceleration

measurement program offered its tutorial to PIs and project scientists in the Physical Sciences Research Division

during three-day sessions in Cleveland, Ohio, March

6–8, 2001, and March 5–7, 2002. The tutorials covered

topics in accelerometer instrumentation, data collection

and analysis techniques, the quality of the microgravity

environment on NASA’s various carriers, and the implications of those environments for microgravity experiments. A 500-page reference book provided participants

with a guide to maximizing the success of their microgravity research. 

PIs were also invited to attend the 20th International Microgravity Measurements Group meeting, held

August 7–9, 2001, in Cleveland. During the meeting,

talks about the ISS, the effects of microgravity accelerations on scientific experiments, the various acceleration

measurement systems, and analysis of acceleration environment data were presented to U.S. and international

representatives from each of the physical science disciplines and to other ISS program participants. Proceedings

were made available on CD-ROM.

In addition to sharing information with investigators, the acceleration measurement program educates

astronauts about the microgravity environment. On

January 28, 2002, Principal Investigator Microgravity

Services (PIMS), a team that supports researchers with

data analyses of the microgravity environment, conducted a training session with the astronaut candidate class at

Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas. 

Seventeen astronaut candidates attended and

learned about the effect of accelerations on experiment

results, sources of disturbances to the environment,

means of maintaining the desired environment, and

methods PIMS uses to analyze and present the environment data. The session leaders also explained how

the astronauts themselves contribute to the environment (e.g., by exercising) and offered suggestions for

how astronauts can minimize the generation of vibrations as they work in spacecraft. Crews for ISS increments 2–9 were also trained in the operation of SAMS

and SAMS subsystems as well as in interpretation of

the data.
68 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

ACCELERATION MEASUREMENT 8

PIMS takes data from SAMS and MAMS and displays it in a format that shows researchers when and at what frequency vibrations

occur on the ISS. Here the vibrations associated with the use of Human Research Facility Gas Analyzer System for Metabolic

Analysis Physiology (GASMAP) hardware to study the effects of space walks and long-term exposure to microgravity on pulmonary

function (PuFF) are presented.

credit: NASA

80

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

75

Frequency (Hz)

16:00 19:00 17:00 23:00 18:00 00:00 20:00 21:00 22:00

GMT 26—January—2002,026hh:mm

6

12

11

10

9

8

7

SAMS 121f02

Start GMT 26—January—2002, 026/16:00:00

sams2, 121f02 at LAB1O2, ER1, Drawer 1:[ 128.73 •23.53 144.15]

500.0 sa/ sec (200.00 Hz)

∆f = 0.122 Hz, Nfft = 4096

Temp. Res. = 8.192 sec, No = 0

Increment: 4, Flight: UF1

Sum

Hanning, k = 3486

Span = 8.00 hours

FAN

SAMPLE PUMP

GASMAP put into operate

GASMAP calibration started

PuFF run starts

PuFF run complete

2nd PuFF run completeVolume calibrationGASMAP and laptop are powered off

Σ PSD Magnitude [log10(g 2 /Hz)]
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

8 ACCELERATION MEASUREMEN

A one-day introductory Microgravity

Environment Interpretation Tutorial was held October 10,

2002, and the 21st International Microgravity

Measurements Group meeting was held October 11,

2002, as associated events of the World Space Congress

in Houston, Texas. The training was a condensed version

of the regular three-day training offered by PIMS. The

meeting of the International Microgravity Measurements

Group included presentations on predictions of ISS

microgravity conditions in given situations, improvements to space accelerometers, and environment concerns of experiments, as well as discussions by members

of the International Partners program. Offering the training and holding the meetings during the World Space

Congress — a once-a-decade event attended by thousands of scientists, engineers, and space science–interested public from around the world — made the events

more accessible to many more international participants. 

Flight Experiments 

In fiscal year (FY) 2001, operation of accelerometers aboard the ISS began. SAMS subsystems —

MAMS, the RTS, and the Interim Control Unit (ICU) —

were ferried to the ISS on STS-100 in April 2001 and

installed. The MAMS subsystem began operations in

May, and the RTS and ICU subsystems began operation

in June. The SAMS subsystems have operated on ISS

with very little need for diagnostics or corrective actions.

Most operational trouble has been related to rack or ISS

subsystem problems associated with the growing pains of

operating new equipment on a new space platform.

The PIMS project has analyzed thousands of

hours of SAMS and MAMS data from the ISS. Analyses

have included the following activities and conditions:

space shuttle dockings to the ISS; Progress dockings to

the ISS; ISS systems and subsystems operations; science

experiment operations; crew exercise, nominal operations,

and sleep periods; ISS vehicle attitudes and methods of

control; and extravehicular activity for ISS assembly and

maintenance.

Tasks for the project team supporting these

instruments for the first year and a half of operations

have included monitoring flight and ground systems,

maintaining continuous contact with JSC and Marshall

Space Flight Center employees by using pagers, maintaining console operations on an as-needed basis, archiving instrument health and status data, and supporting

increment transitions. 

In June 2002, space shuttle mission STS-111

delivered two sensor head electronic enclosures to the

ISS. They were installed in the MSG and EXPRESS

Rack 3, facilities that support investigations in a variety

of disciplines on the ISS. 

A new SAMS vibratory sensor head to simplify

the installation and operation in users’ equipment was

designed in FY 2002. The new sensor head will become

the primary sensor for vibratory acceleration measurement, with the same or better performance capabilities,

but in a smaller package. In an effort to further reduce

resources for acceleration measurement systems, a TSHMEMS concept was developed during FYs 2001 and

2002. This head will provide acceleration measurement

from 1 to 400 Hz and will complement the TSH-ES.

The acceleration measurement program analyzes

the actual microgravity environment during space missions, but it also helps to predict what that environment

will be. In 2001, the Engineering Design and Analysis

Division at Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland,

Ohio, acquired the function of producing predictive

analyses of the ISS microgravity environment. This

effort contributes to ensuring that the ISS and its payloads will be creating a world-class microgravity acceleration environment for the science experiments conducted

onboard. Support and assistance to PIs is also offered

through experiment modeling and the division’s experience in how science experiments can impact and be

impacted by the microgravity environment.

Before experiments and equipment are installed

on the ISS, their effect on the environment can be tested.

GRC’s Microgravity Emissions Laboratory (MEL) is a

one-of-a-kind laboratory that simulates and verifies

acceleration emissions generated by ISS payloads and

their components, including disk drives, pumps, motors,

solenoids, fans, and cameras.

MEL uses a low-frequency acceleration measurement system for the characterization of rigid body inertial forces generated by various operating components of

the ISS. Twenty-six tests in MEL between May 2000 and

December 2002 have included ISS subsystem components, payload rack subsystem components, payload

components, and entire payloads. The weight capacity of

the facility has been increased to accommodate tests of

equipment at an ISS rack–level weight. The Physics of

Colloids in Space (PCS) experiment hardware was tested

in MEL May 4–10, 2000. The Zeolite Crystal Growth

(ZCG) flight hardware was tested January 23–26, 2001,

and backup flight hardware was tested April 15–19,

2001. The wire rope isolators with the air thermal control

unit fans and housing assembly of the Fluids and

Combustion Facility were tested in MEL on November

1, 2001. The Lord isolators for the Light Microscopy

Module were also tested in MEL June 2–14, 2002.

The PCS and ZCG experiments were tested in

the emissions laboratory to define on-orbit vibratory

disturbance predictions. The PCS and ZCG tests were

successful, and payload integrators were provided with
the necessary information to determine their compliance

to ISS requirements. The MEL test data of the PCS

experiment apparatus has been validated against flight

measurements of SAMS data from ISS operations. 

The Fluids and Combustion Facility and Light

Microscopy Module projects have both used the MEL

laboratory to demonstrate the effectiveness of vibration

isolators for their projects. MEL was utilized to define

the most effective isolator treatments during the design

phase of the engineering level hardware. Flight design

changes were implemented due to the initial MEL characterization of the vibration response expected from

component hardware. Both of these projects have also

utilized the MEL component data to predict flight

rack–level vibratory disturbances. 

On January 5–16, 2001, MEL contributed to

NASA’s goals for future space exploration by providing

transmissibility characterization of two opposing Stirling

Technology Company’s 55-Watt Technology

Demonstration Converters that are to be installed into a

power system for onboard electric power for NASA deep

space missions. The MEL testing was a part of a successful technology advancement of the development of these

power converters.

70 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

ACCELERATION MEASUREMENT 8

It is important for ISS crewmembers to exercise to maintain their health

in a microgravity environment. Crewmembers also participate in biomedical research experiments by jogging on treadmills and undertaking

other exercise-related activities. The acceleration measurement program records and analyzes the small vibrations caused by such necessary activities and makes the data available to researchers.

credit: NASA
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Highlights 

Minimizing Shake, Rattle, and Roll

Most of the experiments aboard the ISS are

there to take advantage of the microgravity environment

afforded by low Earth orbit. But even the smallest

motions, such as the subtle vibrations created by movement of the crew or hardware (such as the robotic arm),

can affect those experiments by changing the microgravity environment aboard the ISS. The Active Rack

Isolation System (ARIS) is designed to mitigate the effects

of such vibrations by absorbing the shock of motion and

thereby protecting experiments from that motion.

Currently operating on the ISS, the ARIS system

is connected to Rack 2 of the EXPRESS program, a

facility that is accommodating early ISS investigations in

a variety of disciplines. The ability of ARIS to isolate the

experiments in EXPRESS Rack 2 from minor disturbances

and vibrations is being analyzed in an experiment of its

own called the ARIS ISS Characterization Experiment

(ICE). 

ARIS operates by using sensors that detect disturbances on the ISS. When a disturbance is detected, the

ARIS actuators deliver a reactive force to the rack to

counter the effects detected by the sensors. In effect,

ARIS acts as a shock absorber for EXPRESS Rack 2. 

ARIS, however, is much more complex than the shock

absorbers that you might find on your car. ARIS components include accelerometer assemblies that measure disturbances and send that information to the electronic

unit, “push rods” that apply force against the ISS framework, and a microgravity rack barrier that prevents accidental crew disturbances of the ARIS rack. During ICE,

the on-orbit vibration-reduction capabilities of the ARIS

system will be examined. ICE in part involves the use of

a shaker unit that has been installed in EXPRESS Rack 2.

The shaker unit provides a precise, measurable disturbance that will allow ground controllers to evaluate the

efficacy of ARIS.

NASA expects ARIS to play a key role in the

successful completion of a number of biological, chemical, and physical science experiments that depend on a

microgravity environment for obtaining useful data.

Through its ability to help maintain a disturbance-free

microgravity environment aboard the ISS, ARIS will

contribute to the advancement of scientific knowledge on

Earth and to the success of the ISS as a space-based scientific laboratory.

Team Develops Award-Winning Software

Innovative software developed by the Principal

Investigator Microgravity Services (PIMS) team received

a Space Act Award and was a first runner-up for the

Software of the Year Award in 2002.

The new Microgravity Analysis Software System

collects, archives, and processes acceleration data on a

continuous, untended basis and broadcasts uninterrupted

analyses of the microgravity environment on the Internet

so that PIs in the ISS program and other interested parties have real-time access to data. The group has developed new techniques appropriate for analyzing the vast

amount of microgravity acceleration environment data

being acquired from the complex ISS vehicle and its

variety of operational modes. 

The PIMS team provides critical support to PIs

and other Physical Sciences Research Division participants in spaceflight missions, such as vibration isolation

programs. To do this, PIMS must provide acceleration

analyses both in real time during missions and after

spaceflight, as well as respond to requests to analyze specific aspects of the microgravity environment from

archived data. In addition to real-time analyses, PIMS

publishes Increment Reports describing the ISS microgravity environment for periods of several months at a

time and prepares custom reports or data sets specifically

requested by individual researchers. 

8 ACCELERATION MEASUREMEN

This shaker device was used to create known distubances

in EXPRESS Rack 2 to test the Active Rack Isolation

System (ARIS).

credit: NASA
72 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

he International Space Station (ISS) provides researchers with a permanent orbiting laboratory in

space where one of the fundamental forces of nature —

gravity — is greatly reduced. Conducting research in this

facility will enable world-class scientists from a variety

of discrete fields, as well as across a wide range of multidisciplinary pursuits, to obtain research results that are

impossible to reproduce in any other venue. The benefits

of a permanent human presence in space aboard the

space station are expected to be infinite in scope,

enhancing our understanding of fundamental scientific

processes and bringing exciting new applications to benefit humans both on Earth and in their exploration of

space. 

The physical sciences division will contribute

enormously to these discoveries through the development of science experiments that can benefit from the

unique environment the ISS provides and through the

application of knowledge gained about the microgravity

environment to exploration initiatives planned by NASA.

To that end, the Physical Sciences Research Division has

designed several multiuser experiment facilities specifically for long-duration scientific research aboard the ISS.

To obtain an optimal balance between science capabilities, costs, and risks, facility requirements definitions

have been aligned with evolving space station capabilities. These facilities are the Biotechnology Facility

(BTF); the EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments to

Space Station (EXPRESS) Racks; the Fluids and

Combustion Facility (FCF); the Low-Temperature

Microgravity Physics Facility (LTMPF); the Materials

Science Research Rack-1 (MSRR-1); and the

Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG). Their descriptions appear below.

Space Station Facilities for Microgravity

Research

Biotechnology Facility (BTF)

The Biotechnology Facility is designed to meet

the requirements of the science community for conducting

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION 9

T

The International Space Station provides a unique environment in which scientists from a variety of disciplines can conduct research nearly free

from the effects of gravity.

credit: NA
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

9 INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATIO

low-gravity, long-duration biotechnology experiments.

The facility is intended to serve biotechnologists from

academic, governmental, and industrial venues in the

pursuit of basic and applied research. Changing science

priorities and advances in technology are easily

accommodated by the BTF’s modular design, allowing

experiments in cell culture, tissue engineering, and

fundamental biotechnology to be supported by this

facility.

The BTF brings space science forward from the

era of the space shuttle payload to the new age of the

long-term space laboratory and will elevate space

research productivity to a level that is consistent with the

productivity of ground-based laboratories. The BTF will

be operated continuously on the ISS. It is a single-rack

facility with several separate experiment modules that

can be integrated and exchanged with each space shuttle

flight to the ISS. The facility provides each experiment

module with power, gases, thermal cooling, computational capability for payload operation and data archiving,

and video signal handling capabilities. Able to process

3,000 to 5,000 specimens a year, the BTF will provide

sufficient experimental data to meet demands for objective analysis and publication of results in relevant journals. Careful design of experiments can result in the

publication of two to five primary articles per year.

Validation of BTF concepts and operations were successfully completed onboard the Russian space station, Mir,

using the Biotechnology System (BTS). The BTS served

as an important risk-mitigation effort for the BTF,

demonstrating the technology and systems that will support biotechnology investigations for long-duration

operations.

In fiscal year (FY) 2002, the BTF project team

initiated the requirements definition phase, which

involves defining the engineering aspects of operating

the facility in space. A system requirements review

(SRR) was held in July 2002, and the science requirements and system specifications were baselined later in

the year. Currently, preparations for the facility’s preliminary design review (PDR) are under way. The scheduled

launch date for the first phase of the BTF facility is late

2006.

Biotechnology research during the early phases

of the ISS will be conducted using a modular accommodations rack system known as the EXPRESS Rack.

The EXPRESS Rack requires individual experiments

to develop additional capabilities and involves science

implementation trade-offs. The EXPRESS Rack will

hold currently existing biotechnology equipment 

previously flown on the space shuttle and on Mir.

It will also accommodate the first operation of 

equipment built specifically to meet space station

requirements. 

EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments to Space

Station (EXPRESS) Racks

The EXPRESS Rack is the standardized payload

rack system that transports, stores, and supports ISS

experiments. The EXPRESS Rack is housed in an

International Standard Payload Rack (ISPR) — a refrigerator-sized container that provides the shell for the

EXPRESS Rack — and supplies standard interfaces

between the space station and the payload. EXPRESS

Rack payloads can be operated from the payload front

panel, from the EXPRESS Rack front control panels, by

the ISS crew, or from the ground.

The EXPRESS Rack includes both elements that

remain on the ISS and elements that travel to and from

the ISS. While the racks remain on the ISS, experiments

may be changed out as needed. Payloads may use the

entire rack or a portion of the rack. If more than one payload is included in one rack, the payloads can be operated individually. By providing a design into which

research modules can be integrated, the rack helps to

reduce the cost in money, time, and complexity of developing payloads, thereby making the microgravity

environment of low Earth orbit more accessible to

researchers from academia, government, and industry.

When construction on the ISS is completed, a total of six

EXPRESS Racks will be included on board.

The EXPRESS Racks support payloads from a

variety of research disciplines, including biology,

physics, chemistry, ecology, and medicine. Various modules that have been designed for use in the EXPRESS

Racks are described in the following paragraphs. 

The Apparatus for the Study of Material Growth

and Liquids Behavior Near Their Critical Point

(DECLIC) facility is being developed by the French

space agency (CNES) in cooperation with Glenn

Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland, Ohio, to provide a

compact autonomous or tele-operated capability for fluids research. The facility consists of two middeck lockers

that will fit into an EXPRESS Rack. It will support

research on fluids near the critical point and transparent

materials systems during solidification, as well as other

fluids experiments that are compatible with available

imaging, interferometric, and light scattering diagnostics.

Through cooperative interagency agreements signed in

early 2000, NASA will provide launch, integration, and

resources for DECLIC and will share in the utilization of

the facility.

An experiment-specific insert is being developed

for the DECLIC facility to support research related to

testing the theories that describe nontraditional forces at

the diffusive interface in flow regimes. The insert is

expected to be operational in 2006.
74 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION 9

Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF)

The Fluids and Combustion Facility is a modular, multiuser facility that will be located in Destiny, the

U.S. laboratory module of the ISS, and will accommodate sustained, systematic microgravity experimentation

in both the fluid physics and combustion science disciplines. The FCF flight unit consists of two powered

racks called the Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) and

the Fluids Integrated Rack (FIR). The CIR, to be

deployed to the ISS in FY 2004, and the FIR, to be

deployed to the ISS in FY 2005, will be linked by fiber

optic cable to provide direct communication between the

two racks, resulting in a fully integrated FCF system.

The two racks will operate together with payload experiment equipment, ground-based operations facilities, and

the FCF ground unit. The facility will also support

experiments from science disciplines other than fluids

and combustion and commercial and international

investigations. 

The FCF is being developed at GRC. A contract

called the Microgravity Research Development and

Operations Contract was initiated by GRC in FY 2000

for primary development of the FCF by Northrup

Grumman, who will also develop, integrate, and support

the operation of the initial FCF combustion science and

fluid physics payloads. The FCF preliminary design

review was successfully accomplished in FY 2001,

which led to the completion of engineering model

designs. In FY 2002, the FCF successfully finished 

the assembly and checkout of the CIR and FIR engineering model units. Results of environmental and performance testing of the CIR and FIR engineering

model units are being used to finalize the flight design

in preparations for the FCF critical design review in

early FY 2003.

The Granular Flow Module (GFM) is a minifacility initially designed to conduct three microgravity

granular experiments in the FIR on the ISS. Granular

materials, such as dry sand, soil, and powders, exhibit

flow characteristics that are similar to those of liquids in

some ways, but quite different in other ways. The microgravity environment provides data on granular materials

that cannot be collected on Earth, where gravity collapses the materials so quickly that scientists cannot take

measurements of their movement. Studying the flow of

granular materials will further the understanding of

design models for soil movement under confinement and

various stresses, including shear stress, which is the

force that causes two objects (e.g., grains of sand) to

slide relative to each other in a direction parallel to their

plane of contact. These models can be applied to

strengthening building foundations, managing undeveloped land, and handling powdered and granular materials

in chemical, agricultural, and other industries.

The GFM will provide three experiment shear

apparatuses; a multispeed low/high-frame-rate camera;

the ability to supply and remove the spheres used to

model granular flow; and systems to control the rotation

of the boundaries, stress measurement, and nitrogen

flow. 

The GFM will allow for on-orbit operations

through imbedded software. The software will control the

experiment operations, data collection, and data transfer

to the ground. The module will also allow for ground

control. The GFM will permit on-orbit reconfiguration

and maintenance that can support follow-on experiments.

The ISS and the FIR will provide many significant functions and resources to the GFM. The ISS will provide the

space platform and communication to ground for the

FIR. The FIR supplies an environmentally controlled

space, an optic bench, power, cooling fluid and gas, vacuum exhaust, avionics, image processing, data storage,

and additional science diagnostic hardware. The facility

is designed to minimize vibration transmission to the

experiment shear apparatus, the FIR, and the ISS, as 

well as to minimize crew time, power requirements,

and mass.

The Light Microscopy Module (LMM) will be

the first integrated payload into the FIR aboard the ISS.

The development of the LMM, an automated, remotely

controllable microscope for experiments in complex fluids, has made tremendous progress toward the critical

design of the spaceflight hardware. The LMM is planned

as a subrack facility, allowing flexible scheduling and

operation of fluids and biotechnology experiments. 

The LMM flight unit features a modified commercial off-the-shelf Leica RXA microscope, which is

enhanced to operate automatically with some interaction

from the ground support staff or the astronaut crew. A

researcher can choose from six objective lenses of different magnifications and numerical aperture to obtain the

required science data. In addition to video microscopy

techniques used to record sample features, including

basic structures and crystal growth dynamics, the microscope is modified and enhanced to provide the following

additional capabilities: interferometry to measure vapor

bubble thin-film thickness, laser tweezers for sample particle manipulation and patterning, confocal microscopy

to provide three-dimensional visualization of sample

structures, and spectrophotometry to measure photonic

properties. This suite of measurements allows a very

broad characterization of fluids, colloids, and two-phase

media, including biological samples. The LMM will use

cameras and light sources provided by the FIR to accomplish these imaging techniques.

The LMM will receive power, communications,

air and water cooling, vacuum exhaust, avionics, image
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

9 INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATIO

processing, data storage, and additional science diagnostic

hardware from the FIR rack. The LMM will be installed

while the ISS is in orbit, and will remain in the FIR for a

period of 30 months performing five separate fluid

physics experiments. 

Low-Temperature Microgravity Physics Facility

(LTMPF)

The Low-Temperature Microgravity Physics

Facility is a complete cryogenic laboratory that will be

attached to the Japanese Experiment Module–Exposed

Facility (JEM-EF) on the ISS. The LTMPF consists of

two identical dewars, each of which can support two

experiments in parallel operations. The facility is

designed for studies of low-temperature (as low as 1.6

kelvins) and condensed matter physics. 

The LTMPF project made significant progress in

finalizing the critical design of the facility subsystems

for its first mission (M1). In preparation for a system

critical design review previously scheduled for

November 2002, the project successfully held a series of

thorough and in-depth technical peer reviews for all subsystems and M1 instruments during September and

October 2002. The peer reviews validated critical designs

in all key areas and examined the plans and readiness for

flight fabrication, integration, and test. Schedule-critical

hardware development is well under way, with substantial progress made in the areas of flight dewar fabrication, dewar welding, flight computer and key electronics

boards, M1 flight instrument sensor packages, and common flight hardware such as superconducting quantum

interference device sensors. 

A two-year delay of the JEM-EF launch and

budget reductions had a significant adverse impact on the

LTMPF’s development. Critical flight design and development were scaled back, and the project went through a

major replanning process at the end of calendar year

2002. As a result, the LTMPF will not be available for

use by researchers until July 2007. Other major milestones for the M1 mission are delayed accordingly, with

the system’s critical design review now scheduled in

September 2003. Additional options for attaching the

LTMPF to the ISS are also being considered.

Materials Science Research Rack-1 (MSRR-1)

The MSRR-1 is being developed to provide a

flexible, permanent platform in the U.S. Laboratory module dedicated to investigations in materials science. This

facility will support research on a range of materials,

including metals and alloys, glasses, electronic materials,

ceramics, polymers, and other special purpose materials.

The MSRR-1 will be composed of experiment modules

and module inserts that can be delivered to the ISS by

the space shuttle, then

integrated and

exchanged by crew

members aboard the

station. In its initial

configuration, the

MSRR-1 will house

two independent experiment modules, each

designed for different

materials processing

techniques. Both experiment modules can

operate simultaneously,

sharing common subsystems and interfaces

required for the operation of experiment

hardware. This design

concept avoids the

need for developing

and deploying redundant support systems

for each type of investigation. The MSRR-1

is being developed to

provide cost-effective,

productive near-term

and long-range

approaches for performing science 

investigations in the

microgravity environment on the ISS.

The MSRR-1 successfully passed the phase 2

flight safety review conducted by Johnson Space

Center’s (JSC’s) Payload Safety Review Panel in

September 2001. This significant milestone clears the

way for construction of ground and flight hardware to

proceed. MSRR-1 also completed the integrated payload

critical design review in June 2002 and the Marshall

Space Flight Center’s (MSFC’s) Systems Management

Office independent annual review in June 2002. The

MSRR-1 is currently scheduled for launch in July 2005.

The first experiment module planned for use in

the MSRR-1 is the Materials Science Laboratory (MSL),

which is being developed by the European Space Agency

(ESA). Occupying approximately one-half of the rack,

the MSL module will be launched and integrated into the

MSRR-1 unit in August 2003. The MSL will accommodate materials processing inserts that contain experimentspecific hardware. 

NASA is building a furnace for the MSL called

the Quench Module Insert (QMI). The QMI is a hightemperature, Bridgman-type furnace with an actively

With its standardized hardware interfaces 

streamlined approach, the EXPRESS Ra

enables quick, simple integration of mult

payloads aboard the International Space

Station.

credit: N
76 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION 9

cooled cold zone. It is being designed to create an

extremely high-temperature gradient for the directional

solidification processing of metals and alloys. Directional solidification is a process by which a long, thin

sample is melted, then slowly solidified, starting at one

end of the ampoule and proceeding to the other. This technique is useful for studying the solidification behavior of

materials and for the growth of high-quality single crystals. 

The QMI also has a feature known as “quench

capability.” This allows the furnace to rapidly freeze the

sample at the liquid-solid interface, where most of the

interesting science takes place during directional

solidification. Quenching preserves this liquid-solid

interface, allowing scientists to examine it carefully

when the samples are returned to Earth, where

researchers can develop models that recreate and explain

exactly what was happening during solidification. The

QMI successfully completed its phase 2 flight safety

review by the JSC’s Payload Safety Review Panel in

August 2001. 

In addition to NASA’s QMI, two module inserts

are being developed by ESA for the MSL, the Low

Gradient Furnace (LGF) and the Solidification and

Quenching Furnace (SQF). Both furnaces can accommodate processing temperatures up to 1600°C. The LGF is

primarily intended for crystal growth experiments requiring directional solidification processing in which precise

temperature requirements and control of translation

speed are needed. The SQF will be used for metallurgical

experiments requiring large thermal gradients and rapid

quenching of samples. Additional module inserts can be

developed and processed over the lifetime of the MSL

and the MSRR-1. 

The second experiment module, completing the

initial MSRR-1 configuration, is a commercial research

facility: the Space Product Development furnace. This

commercial furnace will be replaced in orbit with other

NASA materials science modules after approximately

one year. 

Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG)

The MSG facility enables scientists from multiple disciplines to participate actively in the assembly

and operation of experiments in space with much the

same degree of involvement they have in their own

research laboratories. Developed by ESA and integrated by MSFC, the MSG was launched to the ISS in

June 2002. This facility offers an enclosed work area

that is accessible to the crew through sealed glove

ports and to ground-based scientists through real-time

data links and video. Because the MSG work area can

be sealed and held at a negative pressure, the crew can

manipulate experiment hardware and samples without

the potential hazard of small parts, particulates, fluids,

and gases escaping into the open laboratory module. 

For conducting investigations, each experiment

apparatus is mounted to the floor of the MSG working

area (approximately 90 cm x 50 cm) and connected on

the back wall to standard utilities such as power, computer communications, and control units. The work area unit

is designed to slide forward on rails that can extend out

of the volume of the rack. This forms an enclosed “tabletop” for experiment containment and operation. 

A notable feature of the MSG system is its substantial video, data acquisition, and command and control

During Expedition 5, Peggy Whitson completes the installation of the

Microgravity Science Glovebox in the Destiny module and prepares it for 

the first series of experiments.

credit: NASA
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

9 INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATIO

capabilities. Up to four color cameras are available for viewing and recording experiment

processes. Flat-screen monitors can display

views of any two of these cameras and simultaneously share the views with the investigator on

the ground. The entire system is controllable

through computer interfaces either with the

onboard MSG computer or via the ISS data system from the ground. These resources allow

researchers to adjust experiment processes as they

occur, based on the results of their observations.

To facilitate the use of the MSG by the

scientific community, MSFC maintains an

active group of managers, engineers, and support personnel to assist investigators with the

complex task building and operating an experiment in space. Construction of the MSG was

completed by ESA in 2001, and the facility was

subsequently launched and integrated into the

ISS. Prior to the end of FY 2002, the unit had

been successfully used to conduct a series of

materials science experiments in two different

investigations, Solidification Using a Baffle in a

Sealed Ampoule and the Pore Formation and

Mobility Investigation. In both cases, the teamwork concept inherent in the MSG design

demonstrated that enhanced scientific return is

possible when the crew and scientists can easily

interact.

For future MSG experiments that are

particularly sensitive to low-level vibrations, a

new device, the Glovebox Integrated

Microgravity Isolation Technology (g-LIMIT)

apparatus, is undergoing final phases of development and testing. After the g-LIMIT unit has

been delivered to the ISS and has completed

on-orbit characterization and testing, vibrationsensitive experiments will be mounted to an

electromagnetically levitated top plate of the

g-LIMIT unit. Specially designed umbilicals

will connect experiments to the MSG utilities.

Additional experiments, sponsored by both

NASA and ESA, are planned for FY 2003.

These new experiments will extend the use of

the MSG unit to additional disciplines, including

biotechnology, combustion, and fluid science.

Schedule of Flights

Approximately 25 flight opportunities have been

planned to date for the delivery of the U.S. Laboratory

module of the ISS and its components (including the

microgravity facilities described above), the utilization of

the space station for microgravity experiments, and the

delivery of modules and racks developed by NASA and

its international partners. A list of milestones, flights, and

dates significant to the Physical Sciences Research

Division are listed in Table 8. Descriptions of flight hardware to support microgravity experiments are listed in

Appendix B.

Table 8 — ISS Flights Significant to the Physical Sciences

Research Division

Milestone Assembly

Flight

STS

Flight 

Launch

Date*

U.S. Laboratory Delivery 5A STS-98 February 20

U.S. Laboratory Outfitting 5A.1 STS-102 March 200

First two EXPRESS Racks,

Microgravity Capability 6A STS-100 April 2001

Phase Two Complete 7A STS-104 July 2001

U.S. Laboratory Outfitting,

Two Additional EXPRESS Racks 7A.1 STS-105 Aug 2001 

Utilization Flight UF-1 STS-108 Dec 2001

Utilization Flight, Fifth EXPRESS Rack,

Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) Rack UF-2 STS-111 June 2002

First Utilization & Logistics Flight ULF-1 STS-114 Under Revi

Spacehab Flight, Continued U.S.

Laboratory Outfitting 12A.1 STS-116 Under Revi

Spacehab Flight, Continued U.S.

Laboratory Outfitting 13A.1 STS-118 Under Revi

ISS U.S. Core Complete, Node 2 10A STS-120 Under Revi

Utilization & Logistics Flight,

Sixth EXPRESS Rack ULF-2 STS-121 Under Revi

European Space Agency (ESA) 

Laboratory (Columbus Module) 1E STS-122 Under Revi

Utilization Flight,

Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) UF-3 STS-123 Under Revi

Utilization Flight UF-4 STS-125 Under Revi

Utilization Flight, Fluids Integrated

Rack (FIR), and First Materials Science

Research Rack (MSRR-1)

UF-5 STS-126 Under Revi

Utilization Flight, EXPRESS Pallet-1

Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) UF-4.1 STS-127 Under Revi

Utilization Flight UF-6 STS-128 Under Revi

EXPRESS Pallet-2 1 J/A STS-129 Under Revi

Japanese Experiment Module (JEM)

Laboratory 1 J STS-130 Under Revi

Utilization & Logistics Flight,

Biotechnology Facility (BTF) Science ULF-3 STS-131 Under Revi

Utilization Flight UF-7 STS-133 Under Revi

JEM Exposed Facility (JEM-EF) 2 J/A STS-134 Under Revi

Utilization & Logistics Flight,

Seventh EXPRESS Rack ULF-5 STS-135 Under Revi

EXPRESS Pallet-3 (EP3)

Low-Temperature Microgravity Physics

Facility (LTMPF)

14A STS-136 Under Revi

* Launch dates subject to cha
78 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

GROUND - BASED MICROGRAVITY RESEARCH SUPPORT FACILITIES 10

n fiscal years (FYs) 2001 and 2002, NASA

continued to maintain very productive ground facilities

for reduced-gravity research. These facilities included

KC-135 parabolic flight aircraft, the 2.2 Second Drop

Tower, and the Zero Gravity Research Facility. The

reduced-gravity facilities at Glenn Research Center

(GRC) and Johnson Space Center (JSC) have supported

numerous investigations addressing a variety of processes and phenomena in several research disciplines.

Microgravity, a state of apparent weightlessness, can be

created in these facilities by executing a freefall or semifreefall condition, where the force of gravity on an object

is offset by its linear acceleration during a “fall” (a drop

in a tower or a parabolic maneuver by an aircraft). 

Even though ground-based facilities offer relatively short experiment times of less than 25 seconds,

this available test time has been found to be sufficient to

advance the scientific understanding of many phenomena. Experiments scheduled to fly on the space shuttle and

the International Space Station are frequently tested and

validated in the ground facilities prior to being conducted in space. Experimental studies in a low-gravity environment can enable new discoveries and advance the

fundamental understanding of science. Many tests performed in NASA’s ground-based microgravity facilities,

particularly in the disciplines of combustion science and

fluid physics, have resulted in exciting findings that are

documented in a large body of literature.

JSC’s KC-135 is

NASA’s primary aircraft

for ground-based reducedgravity research and is the

only facility that can provide partial-gravity environments similar to those

found on the Moon or

Mars. The KC-135 can

accommodate several

experiments during a single flight. Low-gravity

conditions can be

obtained for approximately 18–25 seconds as the

aircraft traces a parabolic

trajectory. The trajectory

begins with a shallow

dive to increase air speed,

followed by a rapid climb

at up to a 45- to 50-degree

angle. The low-gravity

period begins with the

pushover at the top of the

climb and continues until

the pullout is initiated

when the aircraft reaches

a 40-degree downward

angle. During the parabola, an altitude change of

about 1,800 meters

(approximately 6,000

feet) is experienced. More

than 50 parabolas can be

performed in a single

flight. In FY 2001, 36

experiments were performed during 1,604 trajectories over 80 flight

hours. Of the 36 experiments supported, 6 were

I

Glenn Research Center’s 2.2 Second Drop Tower has a normal throughput capacity of 12 tests per

day. Its ease of operation makes it an attractive and highly utilized test facility, particularly for performing evaluation and feasibility tests. The drop tower is able to provide gravitational levels ranging from 1

percent of Earth’s gravitational acceleration to 0.01 percent. 

credit: NASA

A cutaway drawing of the 2.2

Second Drop Tower, showing the

levels on which an experiment

package is prepared, released, and

captured.

Locking drag shield.

Closing the doors of the

drag shield and hoisting

it to the drop point.

Free-falling package.

A bird’s eye 

view of the 

drop shaft.

And here’s what you’ve

been waiting for — a

drop!
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

10 GROUND - BASED MICROGRAVITY RESEARCH SUPPORT FACILITI

combustion experiments, 29 were fluid physics experiments, and 1 was an exploration research experiment. In

FY 2002, 59 experiments were performed during 1,871

trajectories over 108 flight hours. Of these 59 experiments, 24 were in combustion, 30 were in fluid physics,

3 were in materials science, 1 was in fundamental

physics, and 1 was in exploration research.

The GRC 2.2 Second Drop Tower offers a shorter test time than the KC-135, but its simple mode of

operation and normal throughput capacity of 12 tests per

day make it an attractive and highly utilized test facility,

particularly for performing evaluation and feasibility

tests. The drop tower is able to provide gravitational levels that range from 1 percent of Earth’s gravitational

acceleration to 0.01 percent. More than 23,000 tests have

been performed in the drop tower to date. In FY 2002,

the number of drop tests conducted averaged more than

80 per month. 

Reduced-gravity conditions in the drop tower are

created by dropping an experiment contained within an

enclosure known as a drag shield, which isolates the test

hardware from aerodynamic drag during a 24-meter

freefall in an open environment. Twenty-five experiments were supported during 1,241 drops performed in

FY 2001, and 29 experiments were supported during the

1,024 drops performed in FY 2002. As in the past, several of these experiments were aiding the development of

research that will be conducted in space. The steady utilization of the drop tower is expected to

continue, as many new experiments are

in the design and fabrication phases of

development for the coming years.

The Zero Gravity Research

Facility at GRC, a registered U.S.

national landmark, provides a quiescent

low-gravity environment for a test duration of 5.18 seconds as experiments are

dropped in a vacuum chamber that goes

132 meters (432 feet) underground.

Aerodynamic drag on the freely falling

experiment is nearly eliminated by dropping in a vacuum. This procedure

restricts drop tests to two per day, resulting in fewer projects supported in this

facility than in the 2.2 Second Drop

Tower. However, the relatively long test

time and excellent low-gravity conditions more than compensate for the

lower test throughput rate. In FY 2001, 8

major projects were supported as 174

test drops were executed. In FY 2002,

10 major projects were supported with

148 test drops being completed.

Table 9 — Use of Ground-Based Low-Gravity Facilities in FY 2001/2002

KC-135 2.2 Second

Drop Tower

Zero Gravity

Research Facility

Investigations supported 36/59 25/29 8/10

Drops or trajectories 1,604/1,871 1,241/1,024 174/148

Flight hours 80/108 N/A N/A

Investigators can fly experiments aboard NASA’s KC-135 turbojet transport, which

flies parabolic arcs to produce 20 to 25–second periods of microgravity. This platform

allows the investigators to prepare their experiments for the microgravity environment

of low Earth orbit.

credit: NASA
80 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

etting the word out about what microgravity researchers do and why they do it is crucial

to maintaining the

strength and relevance of

the science program. The

Physical Sciences

Research (PSR)

Division outreach and

education efforts target a

broad audience. That

audience includes

researchers who have not yet considered the benefits

of conducting experiments in microgravity, scientists and engineers in industry, students of all grade

levels, instructors and administrators in a variety of

educational settings, and the lay public.

Methods for communicating the substance of

the program are as varied as the audiences served.

Microgravity researchers and support personnel are

involved in a number of outreach activities that

include visiting classrooms; staffing exhibits at

national technical, educational

and public outreach conferences;

offering tours and open houses at

microgravity science facilities;

and sponsoring student

researchers at NASA centers. In

addition, print and World Wide

Web (WWW) publications highlighting specific research projects

allow the PSR Division to share

its information worldwide.

G

OVERVIEW

OUTREACH AND EDUCATION 11

Participants from NASA’s

Educator Resource Centers

receive training in the use of

the microgravity demonstrator,

also known as the mini drop

tower.

credit: NASA

One of NASA’s newest educa

tion publications, How High Is 

made its debut at the annual

National Council of Teachers o

Mathematics conference in Ap

2001. An educator’s guide wit

activities focused on scale mo

els of distances was presente

by author Carla Rosenberg, w

led teachers in several handsactivities from the guide during

the conference. 

credit: NASA

Who said science can’t be fun?

Students participating in the second DIME competition assemble

a plastic pipe structure under

water in a scuba exercise similar

to the training astronauts receive

at Johnson Space Center in

Houston, Texas.

credit: NASA
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

11 OUTREACH AND EDUCATIO

Program Summary

The outreach and education team for microgravity research in the physical sciences has continued to

communicate how the microgravity research mission

benefits life on Earth and advances the capability of

long-term human exploration. In fiscal years (FYs) 2001

and 2002, the outreach and education program supported

24 major educational, scientific, and public outreach conferences with speakers, materials, and exhibits. Some

events supported include the Aerospace Science Meeting

and the national meetings of the American Institute of

Aeronautics and Astronautics and American Association

for the Advancement of Science. Outreach and education

team members also made many visits to schools, museums, and science centers throughout the country.

Major national educator conferences give NASA

the opportunity to demonstrate new ways to teach students about the importance of microgravity research.

More than 75,000 elementary and secondary school

(K–12) teachers and administrators attended annual

meetings of the National Science Teachers Association,

the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the

International Technology Education Association, the

National Association of Biology Teachers, and the

American Association of Physics Teachers, all of which

featured booths staffed by PSR Division personnel.

Microgravity science and mathematics posters, teacher’s

guides, mathematics briefs, microgravity demonstrator

manuals, microgravity technology guides, microgravity

mission and science lithographs, and WWW microgravity resources sheets were distributed to teachers at

these conferences. 

The National Center for Microgravity Research

K–12 Outreach Program had 12 new educational products in process during FY 2001–2002, including three

educator guides. Two of the guides, How High Is It? and

Amusement Park Physics With a NASA Twist, are for

middle school teachers and were evaluated in pilot programs. The finalized publications will become available

in the spring of 2003. The third educator guide, Science

in a Box: NASA Glovebox Activities in Science,

Mathematics, and Technology, is for high school teachers. This guide contains schematics for fabricating a

wooden glovebox with camera, lighting, fan, and power

systems. The students can then conduct experiment

activities based on either actual glovebox flight investigations or microgravity research in biology, physics,

and chemistry. 

The PSR Division, along with the Office of

Biological and Physical Research (OBPR) and its other

research divisions, initiated a formal collaborative effort

with the National Association of Biology Teachers

(NABT) in FY 2001. The PSR Cell Sciences Program at

Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and the

Physical Sciences Outreach and Education Program at

Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama,

developed a bioreactor education guide targeting high

school biology classes. The curriculum supplement,

which demonstrates the unique cell and tissue culture

research possible using NASA’s rotating wall vessel

bioreactor, was featured in an NABT workshop. Wayne

Carley, executive director of the NABT, commented,

“We see NASA research as an incredibly engaging way

to bring people into the world of science.” Carley finds

the cutting-edge fundamental biology research conducted

by NASA especially valuable to NABT members: “We

have members who teach subjects such as neurobiology

and human performance who could use direct examples

of space research in these areas in their lesson plans.”

The Student Access to Space Program, founded

by Alexander McPherson of the University of California,

Irvine, teaches students how to perform crystallization

experiments in the classroom and on the International

West Virginia students worked with NASA and university scientists to

load biological samples for an International Space Station experiment as part of the Student Access to Space program. Once delivered to the space station, the samples thawed and formed crystals

to be returned to Earth for further study. The space experiment and

the educational workshops were sponsored by NASA’s Marshall

Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and the University of

California, Irvine. 

credit: NASA
82 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

OUTREACH AND EDUCATION 11

Space Station (ISS). The program uses the Enhanced

Gaseous Nitrogen (EGN) Dewar project, an inexpensive,

simple, high-capacity system for the crystallization of

different samples in space aboard the ISS. Teachers

attend workshops where they learn about a classroom

version of the experiment and curriculum activities on

structural biology. Students also compete to participate in

the Protein Crystals in Space Program, where they attend

a Student Flight Sample Workshop. They prepare and

load actual flight samples into the EGN-Dewar facility,

are present at launch, and receive their samples back

after flight. This program seeks to reach underserved

inner-city and rural schools, special needs and gifted students, and mainstream schools. Approximately 58,000

students and almost 1,200 teachers have been involved in

this program so far. Of those, more than 420 students and

260 teachers have been involved in the Student Flight

Sample Workshops. 

Microgravity News, the quarterly

newsletter reporting on microgravity

research in the physical sciences, was

redesigned and expanded in FY 2001

to cover activities in all four research

divisions of the OBPR enterprise.

Now called Space Research, the

newsletter continues to reach thousands of K–12 teachers, curriculum

supervisors, science writers, university faculty, graduate students, scientists, principal investigators, and technology developers, among others.

Each issue of Space Research

includes a feature on a topic important to the entire enterprise, research

updates for each division, spotlights

about special events or awards, meetings, research announcements and

selections, and a profile of a member

of OBPR’s research community. At

the end of FY 2002, the distribution

for each issue totaled about 20,000

copies, almost double that of

Microgravity News. Space Research

has a subscriber base of 8,000 and is

mailed to 38 countries. A significant

rise has been seen in the number of

individuals requesting to be added to

the mailing list. Both Space Research

and archived issues of Microgravity

News are available on the WWW at

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov/general_

info/prespublic.html#newsletters.

A key element of outreach is the

effective use of images. Images are a

critical element in telling a compelling and interesting science story, and the PSR

Division outreach team continues to improve its repository of still images for this purpose. The microgravity

portion of the web-based image archive at

http://mix.msfc.nasa.gov grows by approximately 250

new physical sciences images each year and was chosen

as the basis for an enterprise-wide image archive for the

OBPR in FY 2003. Video is also an important means of

communicating about microgravity research. In FY 2002,

a lending video library was established by Johnson

Space Center’s Biological Systems Office Outreach

and Education department that is available to scientists

and outreach staff to support events such as exhibits

and lectures. The library is made up of more than 100

items available in VHS, 8 mm, Mini DV, or CD/DVD

format. Topics covered include general program information, flight and ground experiments, and hardware

tests. 

Microgravity News, a quarterly newsletter that covered physical sciences

research, was redesigned and renamed Space Research. The newsletter now

covers all four research divisions of the Office of Biological and Physical

Research. 
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

11 OUTREACH AND EDUCATIO

Sites on the Internet sponsored by the physical

sciences research program continue to serve as clearinghouses of information for the science community, the

public, and educators. Hundreds of thousands of Internet

users visit these program-sponsored sites each year. The

PSR Division’s primary web site at http://spaceresearch.

nasa.gov/research_projects/microgravity.html provides

detailed information about microgravity research and

highlights of current events and milestones as well as

links to other important sites under the physical sciences

umbrella. The Microgravity Research Program Office’s

(MRPO’s) web page at http://microgravity.nasa.gov

provides links to news highlights, information about

upcoming conferences, and microgravity-related

research announcements, as well as enhanced links to

microgravity research centers and projects, educational

links, and links to the microgravity image archive. A list

of microgravity-related web sites sponsored by the program is presented on page 87.

The Internet also continues to be an important

distribution method for microgravity outreach and education products. Efforts were ongoing in FYs 2001 and

2002 to make educators aware of all the microgravity

research education products that are available online

through the MRPO web site, NASA Spacelink, and the

NASA CORE (Central Operation of Resources for

Educators) education distribution system. The table

above lists several K–12 education products and the

number of separate “downloads” for each in FY 2001

Table 10 - Physical Sciences Outreach and Education Products Downloaded From Spacelink 

in FY 2001–2002

Month

Microgravity

Teacher’s

Guide

The Mathematics

of Microgravity

Microgravity

Video Resource

Guide

Microgravity

Demonstrator

Microgravity —

Fall Into

Mathematics

Recipe for

Protein

Crystallography

How High

Is It? 

NASA

Student

Glovebox 

Microgravity

Bookmark

10/2000 8,402 490 62 132 556

11/2000 18,154 874 34 150 519 570 

12/2000 4,969 288 52 96 440 186 

1/2001 7,544 434 40 130 435 250 

2/2001 6,199 425 82 172 543 254 

3/2001 6,230 452 84 160 509 258 

4/2001 15,910 507 47 173 487 314 

5/2001 7,525 401 44 203 500 217 3,763 

6/2001 14,512 448 53 192 438 264 1,382 252 

7/2001 6,531 370 91 171 401 326 1,655 466 

8/2001 5,458 304 57 155 393 314 1,390 333

9/2001 14,550 286 43 118 821 264 874 324 

FY 2001 115,984 5,279 689 1,852 6,042 3,217 9,064 1,375 

10/2001 13,205 478 139 193 489 397 1,312 567 

11/2001 15,829 522 97 317 567 406 1,454 879 

12/2001 9,336 491 133 222 511 486 1,101 285 

1/2002 21,868 386 123 314 553 539 1,280 312 

2/2002 7,975 396 80 221 366 522 1,823 618 

3/2002 12,544 502 128 218 481 544 1,146 365 

4/2002 15,693 449 139 218 586 505 1,601 320 

5/2002 17,910 500 144 344 636 444 1,190 514 

6/2002 17,402 394 126 245 473 458 850 336 

7/2002 12,420 620 394 548 710 709 939 592

8/2002 9,876 628 424 540 783 769 1,669 2,078 545

9/2002 15,384 725 476 521 869 858 1,312 672 472 

FY 2002 169,442 6,091 2,403 3,901 7,024 6,637 15,677 7,538 1,017 
84 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

OUTREACH AND EDUCATION 11

and FY 2002. This number is considered a more accurate

accounting of actual product use than the frequently used

number of hits, because it indicates those users who

downloaded the PDF files to their computers.

Highlights

Make the Connection

The “NASA-Iowa Connection: International

Space Station Project” is bringing rich learning opportunities to Iowa teachers and students through Iowa’s

fiber optic and broadcast system known as the Iowa

Communications Network (ICN). Marshall Space Flight

Center’s Education Programs Department and

Microgravity Research Program Office are participating

in this pilot distance-learning project for the educational

communities of Iowa. Twila Schneider, an Infinity

Technology Inc. employee based in Huntsville, Alabama,

supporting the Microgravity Research Program Office,

conducted a workshop on February 27, 2002, for Iowa

teachers. She presented an introduction to the basic concepts of microgravity and research conducted in the

Microgravity Science Glovebox. The teachers received

background information regarding ISS physical sciences

research and were provided a guide for making their own

classroom glovebox using a standard copier paper box.

Middle school students involved in this distancelearning project designed and constructed models of a

future space station from everyday household materials.

Students also learned about the ISS and other spacerelated topics, including space food. Several “Ask the

Expert” sessions were conducted for the students. One

included scientists from the NASA Food Technology

Commercial Space Center at Iowa State University (ISU)

in Ames, who explained about how space food was manufactured, packaged, and prepared in space. Astronaut

and ISU alumnus Clayton Anderson also participated in

this session. If this pilot project is successful, it could be

conducted in other states with statewide distance-learning networks similar to the ICN.

Question and Answer Sessions About Space

The Physical Sciences Research Division was

heavily involved in the Second Pan-Pacific Basin

Workshop on Microgravity Science held in Pasadena,

California, May 1–4, 2001. Almost 200 scientists representing 82 universities and 12 countries gathered to share

their latest research related to microgravity and the space

environment. They also learned firsthand how outreach

and education can play a key role in explaining the benefits of their work to large numbers of people. Steven

Sample, chairman of the Association of Pacific Rim

Universities, one of the hosting organizations, said, “We

all recognize the common basic need for increased education and knowledge about the effects of gravity and

microgravity in countless areas of our lives.”

A few of the scientists shared their work with yet

a broader audience during two satellite broadcast sessions held at the California Science Center in Los

Angeles. More than 800 students and adults participated

in real-time discussions about a variety of topics, from

why scientists conduct research in microgravity to why

astronauts get “Moon face” when in orbit. Participants

were all beneficiaries of NASA’s efforts to increase

awareness of careers in science and mathematics and

identify ways in which members of the public can be

involved in NASA science programs. 

The first session was geared toward encouraging

young people to go into careers in science or mathematics. For this event, the science center hosted more than

100 local high school students and three panelists (a

materials scientist, a biologist, and a physician who is a

former astronaut). Students at the location, as well as

Astronaut Clayton Anderson, a graduate of

Iowa State University’s aerospace engineering program, participated in two Iowa

Communications Network sessions for the

NASA-Iowa Connection program. A cooperative project between NASA and Iowa

Public Television, this program teaches

middle school students about science and

technology in space. 

credit: NASA
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

11 OUTREACH AND EDUCATIO

another 200 students at three other science centers across

the country, saw presentations by the panelists and then

asked them questions about their research and space travel.

The second session was geared toward building

interest in microgravity research among the general

public. The session featured presentations on atomic

clocks and combustion research along with firsthand

accounts of travel on a space shuttle. Viewers at two

other U.S. science centers and at Flinders University in

Adelaide, Australia, could see the presentations in real

time and then ask questions of the panelists: a fundamental physicist, a combustion scientist, and Chiaki Mukai, a

Japanese physician who is currently an astronaut. The

investigators at the science center explained how their

microgravity research resulted in commercial products

for use on the ground. As well, Mukai, who flew as a

payload specialist on space shuttle flight STS-95,

described the experience of being in space and how she

performed science experiments during her flight.

Participants at both sessions also viewed a short video

featuring conversations with students and laypeople from

countries around the pan-Pacific Basin about their perspectives on space and space travel.

These outreach and education sessions supported

the purpose of the conference, which was to go beyond

cultural differences to advance microgravity research and

promote the understanding of its importance. As Sample

noted, “All these [cultural] differences can be and often

are obstacles to communication and understanding, but

it’s important to remember that people on both sides of

the Pacific share quite similar fundamental ideas and

goals: to build better societies. And these goals can’t be

reached without building better-educated societies and

without the open sharing of knowledge.” 

Drop a DIME for Education

The NASA Dropping in a Microgravity

Environment (DIME) student competition pilot project

came to a successful conclusion April 25–27, 2001, at

Marshall Space Flight Center employees visited DuPont Manual High School in Louisville,

Kentucky, as part of an outreach session of the Second Annual Pan-Pacific Basin

Workshop on Microgravity Science. Materials engineer Chris Cochrane explains the operation of NASA’s Mini Drop Tower to demonstrate freefall. 

credit: NASA
Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland, Ohio. The

competition involved high school–aged student teams

who developed concepts for microgravity experiments

and prepared experiment proposals. A team of NASA

scientists and engineers evaluated the student team proposals and selected two teams. Mentored by NASA scientists, the two student teams — one from COSI Academy,

sponsored by the Columbus, Ohio, Center of Science and

Industry (COSI), and the other from Sycamore High

School in Cincinnati, Ohio — designed microgravity

experiments, fabricated the experimental apparatus, and

visited GRC to operate their experiments in the 2.2

Second Drop Tower. 

The COSI Academy team investigated the effects

of density and phases of matter in a microgravity environment by observing the interaction of soybeans in

small bottles of ginger ale. The Sycamore High School

team investigated the effects of microgravity on the combustion of cotton — an experiment developed after the

team discovered that NASA astronaut clothing is often

made of 100 percent cotton. While the pilot year

involved teams based in Ohio, for school year

2001–2002, teams based in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan,

Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin are eligible. In future

years, teams from the 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C.,

and Puerto Rico will be eligible.

86 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

OUTREACH AND EDUCATION 11

A colored oil flow toy was part of a student-designed experiment used in the 2001–2002 program year Dropping in a

Microgravity Environment competition held April 23–25, 2002, at NASA’s Glenn Research Center (GRC). Two teams from

Sycamore High School, Cincinnati, Ohio, one from Bay High School, Bay Village, Ohio, and one from COSI Academy,

Columbus, Ohio, competed by running their experiments on GRC’s 2.2 second drop tower. 

credit: NASA
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Microgravity World Wide Web Sites 

NASA

http://www.nasa.gov/

NASA current events and links to NASA Strategic

Enterprise sites.

NASA Office of Biological and Physical Research

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov/

Goals and organization of Biological and Physical

Research Enterprise, and links to research opportunities.

Microgravity Research Program Office

http://microgravity.nasa.gov/

Information about microgravity research activities with links to

an image gallery and related science and technology web sites.

Space Research

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov/general_info/

spaceresearchnews.html

Online issues of Space Research, a quarterly newsletter

about research in microgravity.

Microgravity Research Task Book and Bibliography

http://microgravity.nasa.gov/tb.html

Descriptions of research funded by the program.

Microgravity Meetings

http://zeta.grc.nasa.gov/ugml/ugmltext.htm

List of meetings, conferences, and symposia related to

microgravity research topics.

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)

http://www.msfc.nasa.gov

Information about MSFC, including ongoing research

and facilities at the center.

Glenn Research Center (GRC)

http://www.grc.nasa.gov

Information about GRC, including ongoing research and

facilities at the center.

Microgravity Science Division at GRC

http://microgravity.grc.nasa.gov

Descriptions of microgravity projects and facilities sponsored by GRC.

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/

Information about JPL, including ongoing research and

facilities at the center.

Microgravity Fundamental Physics (JPL)

http://funphysics.jpl.nasa.gov

Contains background material, descriptions, and results for

fundamental physics experiments funded by the program.

Johnson Space Center (JSC)

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov

Information about JSC, including ongoing research and

facilities at the center.

NASA Science News

http://science.nasa.gov

Breaking news stories about NASA science research.

National Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids and

Combustion

http://www.ncmr.org/ 

Information about research and events sponsored by the center.

Microgravity Experiment Data and Information Archives

http://mgravity.itsc.uah.edu/microgravity_experiment_

archive.html

Provides searchable information about NASA microgravity flight experiments.

KC-135 Reduced Gravity Research Program

http://jsc-aircraft-ops.jsc.nasa.gov/kc135/

Overview of the program, which uses the KC-135 aircraft

to provide brief periods of microgravity for research.

Spacelink – Microgravity Educational Products

http://spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov/

NASA education information, materials, and services.

NASA Human Spaceflight

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/

Information about all of NASA’s spaceflight programs.

Space Shuttle Flights

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/

http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/index.htm

Information on the space shuttle missions.

International Space Station (ISS)

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/

http://scipoc.msfc.nasa.gov/factchron.html

Information about the development of the ISS, including

links to recent news, details of assembly, and images.

Student Access to Space

http://spacecrystal.nasa.gov

Source for teachers and students interested in the

Student Access to Space program.

Microgravity Sciences and Applications Department at MSFC

http://msad.msfc.nasa.gov

Information on projects and events within the department.

NASA Kids

http://www.nasakids.com/

Student-oriented educational guide to space exploration.

11 OUTREACH AND EDUCATIO
Appendix A: Fiscal Years 2001 and 2002

Grant Recipients, by State

(includes some continuing projects at no additional cost)

ALABAMA

J. Barry Andrews 

University of Alabama, Birmingham; Birmingham, AL

Coupled Growth in Hypermonotectics 

Materials Science

2001–2002

J. Barry Andrews

University of Alabama, Birmingham; Birmingham, AL

The Effect of Convection on Morphological Stability

During Coupled Growth in Immiscible Systems

Materials Science

2001–2002

John Baker

University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa; Tuscaloosa, AL

Magnetically-Assisted Combustion Experiment (MACE)

Combustion Science

2001–2002

R. M. Banish

University of Alabama, Huntsville; Huntsville, AL

Self-Diffusion in Liquid Elements

Materials Science

2001

R. M. Banish 

University of Alabama, Huntsville; Huntsville, AL

Thermophysical Property Measurements of Te-Based 

II-VI Semiconductor Compounds

Materials Science

2001–2002

Daniel Carter

New Century Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Huntsville, AL

Neutron Diffraction: Microgravity Applications in

Structure-Guided Drug Development

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Daniel Carter

New Century Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Huntsville, AL

Protein Crystal Growth Facility–Based Microgravity

Hardware

Biotechnology

2001–2002 

Alexander Chernov

Universities Space Research Association, Huntsville, AL

Origin of Imperfections and Convection in

Macromolecular Crystal Perfection

Biotechnology

2001

Alexander Chernov

Universities Space Research Association, Huntsville, AL

Morphological Stability of Stepped Interfaces Growing

From Solution

Materials Science

2001–2002

Alexander Chernov

Universities Space Research Association, Huntsville, AL

The Role of Impurities and Convection in

Macromolecular Crystal Perfections

Biotechnology

2002

Krishman Chittur

University of Alabama, Huntsville; Huntsville, AL

Infrared Signatures for Mammalian Cells in Culture

Biotechnology

2001

Ewa Ciszak

Universities Space Research Association, Huntsville, AL

Crystal Structure of Human Pyruvate Dehydrogenase

Complex Facilitated by Microgravity

Biotechnology

2001

Ewa Ciszak

University of Alabama, Huntsville; Huntsville, AL

Crystal Structure of Human Pyruvate Dehydrogenase

Complex Facilitated by Microgravity

Biotechnology

2002

Lawrence J. DeLucas 

University of Alabama, Birmingham; Birmingham, AL

Microgravity Studies of Medically Relevant Macromolecules

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Lawrence J. DeLucas

University of Alabama, Birmingham; Birmingham, AL

Protein Crystal Growth in Microgravity

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Edwin Ethridge 

Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL

Mechanism for the Crystallization Studies of ZBLAN

Materials Science

2001–2002

APPENDIX A

88 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Alexandre I. Fedoseyev

University of Alabama, Huntsville; Huntsville, AL

Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of

Vibrational Control of the Bridgman Crystal Growth

Experiment

Materials Science

2001

Donald C. Gillies

Marshall Spaceflight Center, Huntsville, AL

Solidification of II-VI Compounds in a Rotating

Magnetic Field

Materials Science

2001

Donald C. Gillies

Marshall Spaceflight Center, Huntsville, AL

Use of Computed Tomography for Characterizing

Materials Grown Terrestrially and in Microgravity

Materials Science

2001–2002

Russell A. Judge

University of Alabama, Huntsville; Huntsville, AL

Macromolecule Nucleation and Growth Rate Dispersion

Studies: A Predictive Technique for Crystal Quality in

Microgravity

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Craig E. Kundrot

Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL

Optimizing the Use of Microgravity to Improve the

Diffraction Quality of Problematic Biomacromoleclar

Crystals

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Sandor L. Lehoczky

Marshall Spaceflight Center, Huntsville, AL

Crystal Growth of II-VI Semiconducting Alloys by

Directional Solidification

Materials Science

2001–2002

Sandor L. Lehoczky

Marshall Spaceflight Center, Huntsville, AL

Growth of Solid Solution Single Crystals

Materials Science

2001–2002

Daniel W. Mackowski

Auburn University, Auburn, AL

Coupled Radiation/Thermophoresis Effects in Sooting

Microgavity Flames

Combustion Science

2001-2002

Jimmy Mays

University of Alabama, Birmingham; Birmingham, AL

Controlled Synthesis of Nanoparticles Using Block

Copolymers: Nanoreaction in Microgravity

Conditions

Materials Science

2001

Konstantin Mazuruk

Universities Space Research Association, Huntsville, AL

Effects of Traveling Magnetic Field on Dynamics of

Solidification

Materials Science

2001–2002

Robert J. Naumann

University of Alabama, Huntsville; Huntsville, AL

Control of Transport in Protein Crystal Growth Using

Restrictive Geometries

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Robert J. Naumann

University of Alabama, Huntsville; Huntsville, AL

Reduction of Convection in Closed-Tube Vapor Growth

Experiments

Materials Science

2001–2002

Marc L. Pusey

Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL

A Diffractometer for Reciprocal Space Mapping of

Macromolecular Crystals to Study Their Microstructure

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Marc L. Pusey

Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL

The Role of Specific Interactions in Protein Crystal

Nucleation and Growth Studied by Site-Directed

Mutagenesis

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Marc L. Pusey 

Marshall Spaceflight Center, Huntsville, AL

The Study and Optimization of Flow in Solution

Biological Crystal Growth

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Narayanan Ramachandran

Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL

Study of Fluid Flow Control in Protein Crystallization

Using Strong Magnetic Fields 

Fluid Physics

2002

APPENDIX 

12 GRANT RECIPIENT
Robert C. Richmond

Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL

Heterozygous Ataxia-Telangiectasia Human Mammary

Cells as a Microgravity-Based Model of Differentiation

and Cancer Susceptibility

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Edward H. Snell

Universities Space Research Association/Marshall

Spaceflight Center, Huntsville, AL

Cool Crystals — A Physical and Biochemical Study of

Macromolecular Crystal Cyropreservation

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Robert Snyder

New Century Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Huntsville, AL

Electrophoretic Focusing

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Doru Stefanescu

University of Alabama,Tuscaloosa; Tuscaloosa, AL

Particle Engulfment and Pushing by solidifying

Interfaces (PEP)

Materials Science

2001–2002

Ching-Hua Su

Marshall Spaceflight Center, Huntsville, AL

Crystal Growth of Zn-Se and Related Ternary Compound

Semiconductors by Vapor Transport

Materials Science

2001–2002

Ching-Hua Su

Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL

Structural Fluctuations and Thermophysical Properties

of Molten II-VI Compounds

Materials Science

2001–2002

Frank R. Szofran

Marshall Spaceflight Center, Huntsville, AL

Reduction of Defects in Germanium-Silicon (RDGS)

Materials Science

2001–2002

William Witherow

Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL

A New Ultra-High Resolution Near-Field Microscope for

Observation of Protein Crystal Growth

Biotechnology

2001

Maria I. Zugrav 

University of Alabama, Huntsville, AL

Ground-Based Experiments in Support of Microgravity

Research Results — Vapor Growth of Organic Nonlinear

Optical Thin Film

Materials Science

2001–2002

ARIZONA

James P. Allen

Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

Crystallization Mechanisms of Membrane Proteins

Biotechnology

2001

Cho Lik Chan

University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

Resonance Effects in Single- and Double-Diffusive

Systems Under Gravity Modulation

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Kenneth A. Jackson

University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

Growth of Rod Eutectics

Materials Science

2001–2002

Jeffrey W. Jacobs

University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

An Experimental Investigation of Incompressible

Richtmyer-Meshkov Instability

Fluid Physics

2002

Pierre Meystre

University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

Atom Optics in Controlled and Microgravity Environments

Fundamental Physics

2001

David Poirier

University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

Comparison of Structure and Segregation in Alloys

Directionally Solidified in Terrestrial and Microgravity

Environments

Materials Science

2001–2002

Peter Smith

University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

Mars Atmospheric Dust in the Optical and Radio

(MATADOR)

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

APPENDIX A

90 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

K. R. Sridhar

University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

Modeling of Transport Processes in a Solid Oxide

Electrolyzer Generating Oxygen on Mars

Fluid Physics

2001

K. R. Sridhar

University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

Development of Superior Materials for Layered Solid

Oxide Electyrolyzers Based on Mechanical and Thermal

Failure Testing and Analysis

Materials Science

2001–2002

Bruce Towe

Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

A Microfluidic Bioreporter for Exploratory Probes

Biotechnology

2001–2002

CALIFORNIA

Guenter Ahlers

University of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara, CA

The Superfluid Transition of 4He Under Unusual

Conditions

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Guenter Ahlers

University of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara, CA

Boundary Effects on Transport Properties and Dynamic FiniteSize Scaling near the Superfluid Transition Line of 4He

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Ralph Curtis Aldredge

University of California, Davis; Davis, CA

Flame Propagation in Low-Intensity Turbulence Under

Microgravity Conditions

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Eduardo A. C. Almeida

Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA

Biosensor Nanovesicles

Biotechnology

2002

Mark S. Anderson

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA

Biomolecular Imaging with Atomic Force MicroscopeMediated Raman Spectroscopy

Biotechnology

2002

Sanjoy Banerjee

University of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara, CA

Direct Numerical Simulation of Turbulent Flows with

Phase Change in Microgravity

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Martin Barmatz

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA

Microgravity Test of Universality and Scaling

Predictions near the Liquid-Gas Critical Point of 3He

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Josette Bellan

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA

High-Pressure Transport Properties of Fluids: Theory

and Data From levitated Drops at Combustion-Relevant

Temperatures

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Subrata Bhattacharjee

San Diego State University, San Diego, CA

Dynamics of Flame Spread in Microgravity Environment

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Linda G. Blevins

Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA

Carbon Monoxide and Soot Formation in Inverse

Diffusion Flames

Combustion Science

2001–2002

John F. Brady

California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA

Dispersion Microstructure and Rheology in Ceramics

Processing

Materials Science

2001–2002

John F. Brady

California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA

Inertial Effects in Suspension Dynamics

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

David S. Cannell

University of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara, CA

Gradient-Driven Fluctuations

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Geoffrey Chang

Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA

Crystallization of Integral Membrane Proteins Using

APPENDIX 

12 GRANT RECIPIENT
Microgravity

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Jyh-Yuan Chen

University of California, Berkeley; Berkeley, CA

Numerical Study of Bouyancy and Differential Diffusion

Effects on the Structure and Dynamics of Triple Flames

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Robert K. Cheng

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA

Field Effects of Gravity on Lean Premixed Turbulent

Flames

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Talso C. Chui

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA

Heat Current Effects on the Superfluid Transition

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Vijay K. Dhir

University of California, Los Angeles; Los Angeles, CA

Investigation of Mechanisms Associated With Nucleate

Boiling Under Microgravity Conditions

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Vijay K. Dhir

University of California, Los Angeles; Los Angeles, CA

Transition From Pool to Flow Boiling–The Effect of

Reduced Gravity

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Derek Dunn-Rankin

University of California, Irvin; Irvine, CA

Applications of Electric Field in Microgravity

Combustion

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Douglas J. Durian

University of California, Los Angeles; Los Angeles, CA

Foam Optics and Mechanics

Fluid Physics

2001

Douglas J. Durian

University of California, Los Angeles; Los Angeles, CA

The Melting of Aqueous Foams

Fluid Physics

2002

John K. Eaton

Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Attenuation of Gas Turbulence by a Nearly Stationary

Dispersion of Fine Particles

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Fokion N. Egolfopoulos

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Detailed Studies on the Structure and Dynamics of

Reacting Dusty Flows at Normal- and Microgravity

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Fokion N. Egolfopoulos

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Quantitative Studies on the Propagation and Extinction

of Near-Limit Flames Under Normal- and Microgravity

Combustion Science

2001–2002

James W. Evans

University of California; Berkeley, Berkeley, CA

Exploiting the Temperature Dependence of Magnetic

Susceptibility to Control Convection in Fundamental

Studies of Solidification Phenomena

Materials Science

2001–2002

Francis Everitt

Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Satellite Test of the Equivalence Principle (STEP)

Fundamental Physics

2002

Robert Feigelson

Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Investigation of the Crystal Growth of Dielectric

Materials by the Bridgeman Technique Using Vibrational

Control 

Materials Science

2001–2002

Robert Feigelson

Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Laser Scattering Tomography for the Study of Defects in

Protein Crystals

Biotechnology

2001

Carlos A. Fernandez-Pello 

University of California; Berkeley, Berkeley, CA

Flammability Diagrams of Combustible Materials and

Microgravity

Combustion Science

2001–2002

APPENDIX A

92 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Carlos A. Fernandez-Pello 

University of California; Berkeley, Berkeley, CA

Fundamental Study of Smoldering Combustion in

Microgravity

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Carlos A. Fernandez-Pello 

University of California; Berkeley, Berkeley, CA

Two Dimensional Smoldering and Its Transition in

Flaming in Microgravity

Combustion Science

2001–2002

John Frangos

University of California, San Diego; San Diego, CA

Novel Strategy for Tridimensional In-Vitro Bone Induction

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Curtis W. Frank

Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Production and In-Flight Regeneration Active Biological

Membranes 

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Michael Y. Frenklach 

University of California, Berkeley; Berkeley, CA

Microgravity Production of Nanoparticles of Novel

Materials Using Plasma Synthesis

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Alice P. Gast

Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Anisotropic Colloidal Self-Assembly

Fluid Physics

2001

Joe D. Goddard

University of California, San Diego; San Diego, CA

Vibratory Dynamics and Transport of Granular Media at

Various g Levels

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

David L. Goodstein

California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA

The CQ Experiment

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Harvey Allen Gould

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA

Electron Electric Dipole Moment Experiment with LaserCooled Atoms in a Microgravity Environment

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Inseob Hahn

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA

Coexistence Boundary Experiment

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Michael H. Hecht

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA

Compatibility Assessment (MECA)

Materials Science

2002

Lawrence H. Heilbronn 

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA

Radiation Transmission Properties of In Situ Metals

Materials Science

2001–2002

George Homsy

University of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara, CA

Microgravity Fluid Mechanics:g-Jitter Convection and

the Mechanics of Fluidized Beds

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Arlon J. Hunt

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA

Porosity and Variations in Microgravity Aerogel

Nanostructures

Materials Science

2001

Melany L. Hunt

California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA

Granular Materials Flows With Interstitial Fluid Effects

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Ulf E. Israelsson

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA

Dynamic Measurements Along the Lambda Line of

Helium in a Low-Gravity Simulator on the Ground

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Farrokh Issacci

Honeywell International, Torrance, CA

Two-Phase Flow in Multi-Channels – Liquid Holdup and

Capillary Flow

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

William Johnson

California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA

APPENDIX 

12 GRANT RECIPIENT
Thermophysical Properties of Undercooled Metallic

Glass-Forming Liquids – Atomic Diffusion Studies in the

Undercooled Melt Using an Electrostatic Levitation

Platform

Materials Science

2001–2002

Frances Jurnak

University of California, Irvine; Irvine, CA

Stabilization and Preservation of Crystals for X-Ray

Diffraction Experiments

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Ian Kennedy

University of California, Davis; Davis, CA

The Impact of Bouyancy and Flames in Microgravity

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Edgar Knobloch

University of California, Berkeley; Berkeley, CA

Weakly Nonlinear Description of Parametric Instabilities

in Vibrating Flows

Fluid Physics

2002

Shankar Krishnan 

KLA-Tenor, San Jose, CA

Structure-Property Correlations of Phase Transitions in

Group IV and III-V Liquids

Materials Science

2001–2002

Melora E. Larson

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA

Static Properties of 4He in the Presence of a Heat

Current in a Low-Gravity Simulator

Fundamental Physics

2001

Melora E. Larson

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA

Experiments Along Coexistence Near Tricriticality

(EXACT)

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

L. Gary Leal

University of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara, CA

Interaction Forces and the Flow-Induced Coalescence of

Drops and Bubbles

Fluid Physics

2001

Shoudan Liang

Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA

High-Throughput Metabolic Profiling by

Multidimensional NMR and Mathematical Modeling of

Metabolic Networks

Biotechnology

2002

John A. Lipa

Stanford University, Stanford, CA

A Test of Supersymmetry Theory By Searching for

Anomolous Short-Range Forces 

Fundamental Physics

2001

John A. Lipa

Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Testing the Renormalization Group Theory of Matter Near

the Superfluid Transition of Helium on the Space Station

Fundamental Physics

2001

John A. Lipa

Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Tests of Universality and Confinement Near the Lambda

Point

Fundamental Physics

2001

John A. Lipa

Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Fundamental Physics Experiments With Superconducting

Cavity-Stabilized Oscillators on Space Station

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

John A. Lipa

Stanford University, Stanford, CA

High-Resolution Study of the Critical Region of Oxygen

Using Magnetic Levitation

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Feng-chuan Liu

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA

Critical Thermal Transport in a Crossover Range From

Three-Dimensional to Two-Dimensional Behavior

Fundamental Physics

2001

Jing Liu

California State University, Long Beach, CA

Magnetorheological Fluids: Rheology and

Nonequilibrium Pattern Formation

Fluid Physics

2001

Yuanming Liu

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA

APPENDIX A

94 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Effects of Heat Current on the Superfluid Transition in a

Low-Gravity Simulator

Fundamental Physics

2001

John R. Marshall 

SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA

Microgravity Experiments to Evaluate Electrostatic

Forces in Controlling Cohesion and Adhesion of

Granular Materials

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Tony Maxworthy

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

The Dynamics of Miscible Interfaces: A Spaceflight

Experiment

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Christopher P. McKay

Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA

Fluorometric Detection of Microorganisms on Sterilized

Surfaces

Biotechnology

2002

Alexander McPherson Jr.

University of California, Irvine; Irvine, CA

An Observable Protein Crystal Growth Flight Apparatus

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Alexander McPherson Jr.

University of California, Irvine; Irvine, CA

Enhanced Dewar Program

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Eckart H. Meiburg

University of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara, CA

The Dynamics of Miscible Interfaces: Simulations

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Eckart H. Meiburg

University of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara, CA

The Dynamics of Particulate Deposition and Resuspension

Processes at Moderate-to-High Reynolds Numbers

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Meyya Meyyappan

Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA

High-Resolution Imaging of Biological Samples

Biotechnology

2002

Jack Miller

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA

Radiation Transport Properties of Potential In Situ–

Developed Regolith-Epoxy Materials for Martian

Habitats

Materials Science

2001–2002

Carlo D. Montemagno

University of California, Los Angeles; Los Angeles, CA

Engineering Control of a Biomolecular-Powered

Nanochemical Device

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Zuhair A. Munir

University of California, Davis; Davis, CA

Electric Field Effects in Self-Propagating HighTemperature Combustion Synthesis Under Microgravity

Conditions

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Jay L. Nadeau

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA

Miniature Electronic Dynamic Ion Channel Sensor

(MEDICS)

Biotechnology

2002

Cun-Zheng Ning

Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA

Technology Development of Miniaturized Far-Infrared

Sources for Biomolecular Spectroscopy

Biotechnology

2002

Douglas Dean Osheroff

Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Tests of Fundamental Physics Through Studies of

Superfluid Helium Three

Fundamental Physics

2001

Richard E. Packard

University of California, Berkeley; Berkeley, CA

Superfluid Gyroscopes in Space

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Andrew Pohorille

Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA

Computational Techniques for Reconstruction and

Discovery of Metabolic, Signal Transduction, and

Evolutionary Pathways

Biotechnology

2002

APPENDIX 

12 GRANT RECIPIENT
Andrew Pohorille

Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA

Development of NASA-Specific Bioinformatics Environment

Biotechnology

2002

Adrian Ponce

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA

Biomimetic Self-Assembly of Mesostructures in

Microgravity: The Nature of the Capillary Bond

Fundamental Physics

2001

Robert L. Powell

University of California, Davis; Davis, CA

Experimental Studies of Multiphase Materials Using

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and NMR Imaging

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Constantine Pozrikidis

University of California, San Diego; San Diego, CA

Dynamics of Accelerated Interfaces: Parametric

Excitation and Fluid Sloshing in Closed Containers and

Open Tanks

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Leslie Eileen Prufert-Bebout

Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA

Microbial Assay Technologies for Space (MATS): A

Coordinated Ecosystem Response Assay Technology

Biotechnology

2002

Seth J. Putterman

University of California, Los Angeles; Los Angeles, CA

Diffusing Light Photography of Containerless Ripple

Turbulence

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Won-Kyu Rhim

California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA

Measurement of Thermophysical Properties of Molten

Silicon and Germanium

Materials Science

2001–2002

Pat R. Roach

Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA

A Microgravity Helium Dilution Cooler

Fundamental Physics

2001

Paul D. Ronney

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Extinction and Instability Mechanisms of Polymerization

Fronts

Materials Science

2001–2002

Paul D. Ronney

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Studies of Premixed Laminar and Turbulent Flames at

Microgravity

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Paul D. Ronney

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Transport and Chemical Effects on Concurrent and

Opposed-Flow Flame Spread at Microgravity

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Satwindar S. Sadhal

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Nonintrusive Measurement of Thermophysical

Properties of Liquids by Electrostatic-Acoustic Hybrid

Levitation

Materials Science

2001

Satwindar S. Sadhal

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Nonintrusive Measurement: The Role of Gravity and

Electric Field Enhancement

Materials Science

2002

Robert L.-Y. Sah

University of California, San Diego; San Diego, CA

Cartilage Tissue Engineering: Circumferential Seeding

of Chondrocytes Using Rotating Reactors

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Robert L.-Y. Sah

University of California, San Diego; San Diego, CA

Fabrication and Growth of Engineered Tissues:

Articular Cartilage With Biological and Functional

Stratification

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Eric S. G. Shaqfeh

Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Drop Breakup and DNA Advection in Fixed Beds of

Fibers: Hairpin Dynamics in Ordered and Disordered

Media

Fluid Physics

2002

APPENDIX A

96 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Benjamin D. Shaw

University of California, Davis; Davis, CA

Combustion Experiments in Reduced Gravity With TwoComponent Miscible Droplets

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Benjamin D. Shaw

University of California, Davis; Davis, CA

Combustion of HAN-Based Monopropellant Droplets

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Peter H. Siegel

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA

Nanoconverters: Remotely Coupled THz RF-to-DC

Power for Driving Microdevices 

Biotechnology

2002

Gregory P. Smith

SRI International, Menlo Park, CA

Quantitative Interpretation of Optical Emission Sensors

for Microgravity Experiments

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Owen I. Smith

University of California, Los Angeles; Los Angeles, CA

Acoustically Forced, Condensed Phase Fuel Combustion

Under Microgravity Conditions

Combustion Science

2001

Viktor Stolc

Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA

Nanopores for DNA Sequencing

Biotechnology

2002

Viktor Stolc

Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA

Solid-Surface DNA Sequencing Array

Biotechnology

2002

Donald Strayer

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA

Precise Measurements of the Density and Critical

Phenomena of Helium Near Phase Transitions

Fundamental Physics

2001

David P. Summers

SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA

A New Ultrasensitive Technique for the Detection of

Organisms and Their Biomarkers

Biotechnology

2002

Henryk Szmacinski

Microcosm, Inc., El Segundo, CA

Cellular Oxygen and Nutrient Sensing in Microgravity

Using Time-Resolved Fluorescence Microscopy

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Peter Taborek

University of California, Irvine; Irvine, CA

Superfluid Contact Line Dynamics

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Peter Taborek

University of California, Irvine; Irvine, CA

3He-4He Droplets Stabilized in Cesiated Containers

Fluid Physics

2002

Douglas G. Talley

Edwards Air Force Base, CA

Supercritical and Transcritical Shear Flows in

Microgravity: Experiments and Direct Numerical

Simulations

Fluid Physics

2002

Theofanis G. Theofanous

University of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara, CA

The Pool Boiling Crisis From Flat Plates: Mechanism(s)

and Enhancement

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Theofanis G. Theofanous

University of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara, CA

The Limits of Coolability in Thermal Systems for

Space

Fluid Physics

2002

James Trolinger

MetroLaser, Inc., Irvine, CA

Investigate the Influence of Microgravity on Transport

Mechanisms in a Virtual Spaceflight Chamber

Biotechnology

2001

James Trolinger

MetroLaser, Inc., Irvine, CA

Spaceflight Holography Investigation in a Virtual

Apparatus (SHIVA)

Materials Science

2001–2002

APPENDIX 

12 GRANT RECIPIENT
Forman A.Williams

University of California, San Diego; San Diego, CA

High-Pressure Combustion Experiment (DCE/

DCE-2)

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Forman A.Williams

University of California, San Diego; San Diego, CA

High-Pressure Combustion of Binary Fuel Sprays

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Cary J. Zeitlin

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA

Measurement of Charged-Particle Interactions in

Spacecraft and Planetary Habitat Shielding Materials

Materials Science

2001–2002

Fang Zhong

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA

Measurement of the Thermal Conductivity Near the

Liquid-Vapor Critical Point of He-3 and He-4

Fundamental Physics

2001

COLORADO

John Alford

TDA Research, Inc., Wheat Ridge, CO

Formation of Carbon Nanotubes in a Microgravity

Environment

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Melvyn C. Branch

University of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, CO

Combustion of Metals in Reduced-Gravity and

Extraterrestrial Environments

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Noel A. Clark

University of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, CO

Structure and Dynamics of Freely Suspended Liquid

Crystals

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Joshua Colwell

University of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, CO

Collisions into Dust Experiment 2

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Joshua Colwell

University of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, CO

Dusty Plasma Dynamics Near Surfaces in Space

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Joshua Colwell

University of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, CO

Physics of Regolith Impacts in Microgravity Environment

(PRIME)

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Joshua Colwell

University of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, CO

Dynamics of Charged Dust Near Surfaces in Space

Fluid Physics

2002

Robert H. Davis

University of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, CO

Surface Collisions Involving Particles and Moisture

(SCIP'M)

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Robert H. Davis

University of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, CO

Thermocapillary-Induced Phase Separation of Dispersed

Systems With Coalescence

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Alan Greenberg

University of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, CO

Influence of Solutocapillary Convection of Macrovoid

Defect Formation in Polymeric Membranes

Materials Science

2001–2002

John L. Hall

Joint Institute of Laboratory Astrophysics and University

of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, CO

Fundamental Physics Using Frequency-Stabilized Lasers

as Optical “Atomic Clocks”

Fundamental Physics

2001

John L. Hall

Joint Institute of Laboratory Astrophysics and University

of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, CO

Ultrastable Local Oscillator

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

John E. Hart

University of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, CO

APPENDIX A

98 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Stratified Taylor-Couette Flow With Radial Buoyancy

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

David W. M. Marr

Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO

A Novel Colloidal Microfluidics Platform for Spaceborne

Micro Total Analysis Systems

Biotechnology

2001–2002

John J. Moore 

Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO

A Fundamental Study of the Combustion Synthesis of

Ceramic-Metal Composite 

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Jacques I. Pankove

Astralux, Inc., Boulder, CO

Optoelectric Neural System

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Stein Sture

University of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, CO

Mechanics of Granular Materials

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Mark M. Weislogel

TDA Research, Inc.; Wheat Ridge, CO

Capillary Flow in Interior Corners

Fluid Physics

2001

CONNECTICUT

Robert Apfel

Yale University, New Haven, CT

Novel Concepts in Acoustopheresis for Biotechnology

Applications

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Robert Apfel

Yale University, New Haven, CT

Nucleation and Growth Mechanisms Underlying the 

Microstructure of Polymer Foams Produced By Dynamic

Decompression and Cooling

Materials Science

2001

Robert Apfel

Yale University, New Haven, CT

Studies of the Dynamics, Control, and Evaporation of

Three-Dimenstional Droplet Arrays

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Jerzy Blawzdziewicz

Yale University, New Haven, CT

Drop Coalescence: Drainage and Stabilization of Thin

Liquid Films

Fluid Physics

2002

Amir Faghri

University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT

Heat Transfer in Rotating Thin Liquid Films Including

Nucleate Boiling

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Juha Javanainen

University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT

Bose-Einstein Condensate and Atom Laser: Coherence

and Optical Properties

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Mark A. Kasevich

Yale University, New Haven, CT

Atom Interferometer Test of the Equivalence Principle

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Mark A. Kasevich,

Yale University, New Haven, CT

Atom Interferometry in a Microgravity Environment

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Michael Loewenberg

Yale University, New Haven, CT

Bubble-Scale Modeling of Foams 

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Michael Loewenberg

Yale University, New Haven, CT

Flows of Wet Foams and Concentrated Emulsions

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Daniel E. Rosner

Yale University, New Haven, CT

Combustion of Individual Bubbles and Submerged Gas

Jets in Liquid Fuels

Combustion Science

2001–2002

APPENDIX 

12 GRANT RECIPIENT
Mitchell D. Smooke

Yale University, New Haven, CT

Computational and Experimental Study of Energetic

Materials in a Counterflow

Combustion Science

2001–2002

DELAWARE

Robert E. Akins

A. I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE

Cell-Mediated Assembly of Cardiac Tissue in

Microgravity Environment

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Siu-Tat Chui 

University of Delaware, Newark, DE

Droplets of Mixtures of He3-He4 Fluids

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Eric W. Kaler

University of Delaware, Newark, DE

Surfactant-Based Critical Phenomena in Microgravity

Fluid Physics

2001

Eric W. Kaler

University of Delaware, Newark, DE

Protein Crystallization in Complex Fluids 

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Eric W. Kaler

University of Delaware, Newark, DE

Surfactant Structures Guide Membrane Protein

Crystallization

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Leonard W. Schwartz

University of Delaware, Newark, DE

Free-Surface and Contact-Line Option of Liquids in a

Microgravity Environment 

Fluid Physics

2001

Hai Wang

University of Delaware, Newark, DE

Soot Formation in Purely Curved Premixed Flames and

Laminar Flame Speeds of Soot-Forming Flames

Combustion Science

2001–2002

FLORIDA

Reza Abbaschian

University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

In-Situ Monitoring of Crystal Growth Using 

MEPHISTO

Materials Science

2001

Reza Abbaschian

University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

Morphological Stability of Faceted Interfaces

Materials Science

2001–2002

Timothy Anderson

University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

An Electrochemical Method to Visualize Flow in Liquid

Metals

Materials Science

2001–2002

Jeanne L. Becker

University of South Florida, Tampa, FL

3-D Growth Effects on Drug Resistance in Human

Ovarian Tumor Cells

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Don F. Cameron

University of South Florida College of Medicine, 

Tampa, FL

Development of an Insulin-Secreting Immunoprivileged

Cell-Cell Aggregate Utilizing the NASA Rotating Wall

Vessel 

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Ravindran Chella

Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL

Lattice-Boltzmann Techniques for Multiphase Flow and

Transport in Microgravity Environment

Fluid Physics

2001

Charles Helmstetter

Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL

New Cell Culture Technology

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Luca Inverardi

Diabetes Research Institute, Miami, FL

Cell Transplantation Therapy for Diabetes Utilizing

Immunoprivileged Sertoli-Islet Cell Aggregates (SICA)

Biotechnology

2001–2002

APPENDIX A

100 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Anthony J. C. Ladd

University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

Microgravity-Driven Instabilities in Gas-Fluidized

beds

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Efstratios Manousakis

Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL

Predicting Static and Dynamic Critical Properties of

Bulk and Confined Helium

Fundamental Physics

2001

Efstratios Manousakis

Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL

Theoretical Studies of Liquid Helium Near the Superfluid

Transition

Fundamental Physics

2001

Ranga Narayanan

University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

Separation of Species by Oscillatory Flow

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Samuel Saporta

University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, FL

Creation and Transplantation of Imunoprivileged SertoliNeuron-Aggregated-Cells (SNACs) for the Treatment of

Parkinson’s Disease

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Daniel Talham

University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

The Features of Self-Assembling Organic Bilayers

Important to the Formation of Anisotropic Inorganic

Materials in Low-Gravity Conditions

Materials Science

2001–2002

GEORGIA

Vincent P. Conticello

Emory University, Atlanta, GA

Design, Synthesis, and Characterization of Well-Defined,

Biomimetic Polypeptide Networks

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Leland Chung

Emory University, Atlanta, GA

Modeling Prostate Cancer Skeletal Metastasis and Gene

Therapy

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Nikolaus Dietz

Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA

Optical Characterization of Gas Phase, Gas-Phase

Chemistry, and Surface Chemistry During High-Pressure

Vapor-Phase Deposition Processes Under Laminar and

Turbulent Flow Conditions

Materials Science

2001–2002

Arun Gokhale

Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA

Effect of Gravity on the Evolution of Spatial

Arrangement of Features in Microstructure: A

Quantitative Approach

Materials Science

2001

David P. Landau

University of Georgia, Athens, GA

Computer Simulations of Confined Quantum Systems in

Microgravity

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Jeffrey F. Morris

Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA

Droplet Formation Processes From Particle-Laden

Liquids

Fluid Physics

2002

G. Paul Neitzel

Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA

Noncoalescence in Microgravity: Science and

Technology

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Marc K. Smith

Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA

VIBE Technology for Microgravity Heat Transfer

Applications

Fluid Physics

2002

Eric R. Weeks

Emory University, Atlanta, GA

Confocal Microscopy of the Colloidal Glass Transition

Fluid Physics

2002

Minami Yoda

Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA

Novel Optical Diagnostic Techniques for Studying

APPENDIX 

12 GRANT RECIPIENT
Particle Contact and Deposition Upon a Large Cylinder

in a Sheared Suspension

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

ILLINOIS

Jens Alkemper 

Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

The Evolution of Dendrite Morphology During

Isothermal Coarsening 

Materials Science 

2001–2002

Hassan Aref

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Urbana, IL

Fluid Physics of Foam Evolution and Flow

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

John Buckmaster

University of Illinois, Chicago, IL

Smolder-Edge-Waves and Edge-Flames

Combustion Science

2001–2002

David M. Ceperley

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Urbana, IL

Properties of Liquid Helium From Computer Simulation

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Soyoung Stephen Cha

University of Illinois, Chicago, IL

Three-Dimensional Velocity Field Characterization an a

Bridgman Apparatus

Materials Science

2001

Jonathan A. Dantzig

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Urbana, IL

Adaptive-Grid Methods for Phase-Field Models of

Microstructure Development

Materials Science

2001

Jonathan A. Dantzig

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Urbana, IL

Phase-Field Modeling of Microstructure Development in

Microgravity

Materials Science

2001–2002

Stephen H. Davis

Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

Interfacial Dynamics

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Ronald S. Kaplan

Finch University of Health Sciences/The Chicago

Medical School, Chicago, IL

Crystallization of the Mitochondrial Metabolite

Transport Proteins

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Jennifer A. Lewis

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Urbana, IL

Colloidal Stability in Complex Fluids

Materials Science

2001–2002

Chang Liu

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Urbana, IL

Integrated Biomimetic Sensors Using Artifical Hair 

Cells

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Moshe Matalon

Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

Modeling Microgravity Non-Premixes Combustion

Systems 

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Bernard J. Matkowsky

Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

Filtration Combustion for Microgravity Applications: (1)

Smoldering 

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Constantine M. Megaridis

University of Illinois, Chicago, IL

Microgravity Investigation on the Formation of Oxides

and Adsorbed Oxygen Films in Solder Jetting

Applications Pertinent to the Electronics Manufacturing

Industry

Materials Science

2001–2002

Constantine M. Megaridis

University of Illinois, Chicago, IL

Molten-Metal Droplet Deposition on a Moving Substrate

in Microgravity: Aiding the Development of Novel

Technologies for Microelectronic Assembly

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Allan Myerson

Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL

APPENDIX A

102 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Diffusion, Vicosity, and Crystal Growth of Proteins in

Microgravity

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Allan Myerson

Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL

Thermodynamic and Spectroscopic Studies of Secondary

Nucleation in Microgravity

Materials Science

2001–2002

Alexander Z. Patashinski

Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

The Order Parameter for the Critical Point of LiquidLiquid Transition in Single-Component Liquids

Fundamental Physics

2001

Ishwar K. Puri

University of Illinois, Chicago, IL

Gravitational Effects on Partially Premixed Flames

Biotechnology

2001

Hermann Riecke

Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

Complex Dynamics in Marangoni Convection With Rotation

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Mary Silber

Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

Competing Instabilities and the Spatio-Temporal

Dynamics of Interfacial Wave Patterns

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Siavash H. Sohrab

Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

Combustion of Rotating Spherical Premixed and

Diffusion Flames in Microgravity

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Peter Voorhees

Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

Coarsening in Solid-Liquid Mixtures (CSLM)-2

Materials Science

2001–2002

John S. Walker

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Urbana, IL

Models of Magnetic Damping for Bridgman

Semiconductor Crystal Growth in Microgravity

Materials Science

2001–2002

John S. Walker

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Urbana, IL

Models to Optimize the Benefits of Rotating Magnetic

Fields for Semiconductor Crystal Growth in Space

Materials Science

2001–2002

Richard Weber

Containerless Research, Inc., Evanston, IL

Microgravity Studies of Liquid-Liquid Phase Transitions

in Undercooled Alumina-Yttria Melts

Materials Science

2001–2002

Richard Weber

Containerless Research, Inc., Evanston, IL

Process-Property-Structure Relationships in Complex

Oxide Melts

Materials Science

2001–2002

Charles Zukoski

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Urbana, IL

Particle Interaction Potentials and Protein Crystal Quality

Biotechnology

2001–2002

INDIANA

Hsueh-Chia Chang

University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN

Microcirculation Anomalies in Microgravity Blood Flow

Fluid Physics

2002

James A. Glazier

University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN

Diffusive Coarsening of Liquid Foams in Microgravity

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Barbara L. Golden

Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN

Engineering a Ribozyme for Diffraction Properties 

Biotechnology

2001–2002

David R. Johnson

Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN

Experimental and Numerical Investigations of Growth

Morphologies of Peritectic Reactions

Materials Science

2001–2002

V. Alan Kostelecky

Indiana University, Bloomington; Bloomington, IN

APPENDIX 

12 GRANT RECIPIENT
Theoretical Studies of Lorentz and CPT Symmetry

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Issam Mudawa

Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN

Investigation of Critical Heat Flux in Reduced Gravity

Using Photomicrographic Techniques

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Shripad T. Revankar

Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN

Study of Co-Current and Counter-Current Gas-Liquid

Two-Phase Flow Through Packed Bed in Microgravity

Fluid Physics

2002

Yudaya R. Sivathanu

En’Urga, Inc., West Lafayette, IN

Fan Beam Emission Tomography for Non-Symmetric

Laminar Fires

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Paul Todd

Space Hardware Optimization Technology Inc., Floyd

Knobs, IN

Preparation and Analysis of RNA Crystals

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Christie Marie Traycoff

Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN

Self-Renewal Replication of Hematopoietic Stem Cells in

Microgravity

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Arvind Varma

University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN

Mechanic Studies of Combustion and Structure

Formation During Synthesis of Advanced Materials

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Carl R. Wassgren

Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN

Granular Flow Around Immersed Objects

Fluid Physics

2002

IOWA

Mark Arnold

University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

Real-Time Monitoring of Protein Concentration in

Solution to Control Nucleation and Crystal Growth

Biotechnology

2001

Mark Arnold

University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

Noninvasive Near-Infrared Monitors for Protein

Crystallization and Biomedical Systems 

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Christoph Beckermann

University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

Dendritic Alloy Solidification Experiment (DASE)

Materials Science

2001–2002

Christoph Beckermann

University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

Equiaxed Dendritic Solidification Experiment (EDSE)

Materials Science

2001–2002

Amitava Bhattacharjee

University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

Theory and Simulation of Ground-Based and

Microgravity Dusty Plasma Experiments

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Lea Dur Chen

University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

Reflight of ELF (Enclosed Laminar Flames)

Investigation

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Gerald M. Colver

Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa

Quenching of Particle-Gas Combustible Mixtures Using

Electric Particulate Suspension(EPS) and Dispersion

Methods

Combustion Science

2001–2002

John A. Goree

University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

Plasma Dust Crystallization

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

John A. Goree

University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

Optically Excited Waves in 3-D Dusty Plasmas

Fluid Physics

2002

APPENDIX A

104 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Jeffrey S. Marshall

University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

Rivulet Dynamics With Variable Gravity and Wind

Shear

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

David W. Murhammer

University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

Monitoring and Control of Rotating Wall Vessels and

Application to the Study of Prostate Cancer

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Tonya Peeples

University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

Extremophilic Interfacial Systems for Waste Processing

in Space 

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Victor Rodgers

University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

Evaluating Oxidative Stress in Virally Infected Cells in

Simulated Microgravity

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Rohit Trivedi

Iowa State University, Ames, IA

Dynamical Selection of Three-Dimensional Interfacial

Patterns in Directional Solidification

Materials Science

2001–2002

Rohit Trivedi

Iowa State University, Ames, IA

Interface Pattern Selection Criterion for Cellular

Structures in Directional Solidification

Materials Science

2001–2002

John M. Wiencek

University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

Rejuvenation of Spent Media via Supported Emulsion

Liquid Membranes

Biotechnology

2001–2002

John M. Wiencek

University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

Thermodynamics of Protein Crystallization and Links to

Crystal Quality

Biotechnology

2001–2002

KANSAS

Mark D. Hollingsworth

Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS

Crystal Growth of New Families of Ferroelastic Materials

Materials Science

2001–2002

Kenneth J. Klabunde

Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS

Nanocrystal Superlattices: Synthesis and Properties

Materials Science

2001–2002

Christopher Sorensen

Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS

Gelation in Aerosols: Non-Mean-Field Aggregation

Kinetics

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

KENTUCKY

Lori Wilson

Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY

Metastable Solution Structure and Optimization

Strategies in Protein Crystal Growth

Biotechnology

2001–2002

LOUISANNA

Donald P. Gaver

Tulane University, New Orleans, LA

Investigations of the Influence of Air-Liquid Interfacial

Stresses on Pulmonary Epithelial Cells in a Microgravity

Environment

Fluid Physics

2002

John J. Hegseth

University of New Orleans, Lakefront, LA

Geophysical Flow Experiment in a Rotating Spherical

Capacitor

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Timothy G. Hammond

Tulane University Health Sciences Center, 

New Orleans, LA

Transcription Factors Mediating Gene Expression

Changes During Renal Cell Rotating Wall Vessel

Culture

Biotechnology

2001–2002

APPENDIX 

12 GRANT RECIPIENT
Larry W. Mason

Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, New

Orleans, LA

CO2 Acquisition Membrane (CAM)

Materials Science

2001–2002

Cheryl A. Nickerson

Tulane University Health Sciences Center, 

New Orleans, LA

Effect of Simulated Microgravity on Gene Expression in

the Enteric Pathogen Salmonella typhimurium

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Kim C. O’Connor

Tulane University Health Sciences Center, 

New Orleans, LA

Spatial Organization Within Prostate Cancer Spheroids

Biotechnology

2001–2002

MARYLAND

Robert F. Berg

National Institute of Standards and Technology,

Gaithersburg, MD

Critical Viscosity of Xenon 2 (CVX-2)

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Kim D. Collins

University of Maryland Medical School,

College Park, MD

Ions and Protein Association: aw and Protein Crystals

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Anil E. Deane

University of Maryland, College Park, MD

Geophysical Flow Experiment in a Rotating Spherical

Capacitor

Fluid Physics

2002

Jocelyne Diruggiero

University of Maryland, College Park, MD

Microbial Resistance to Solar Radiation: DNA

Damage and Application of Repair Enzymes in Biotechnology

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Richard A. Ferrell

University of Maryland, College Park, MD

Theory of Phase Transitions and Simulations in

Superfluid Helium

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

D. Travis Gallagher

Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology,

Rockville, MD

Protein and DNA Crystal Lattice Engineering

Biotechnology

2001

Ashwani K. Gupta

University of Maryland, College Park, MD

Studies on the Behavior of Highly Preheated Air Flames

in Microgravity

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Anthony Hamins

National Institute of Standards and Technology,

Gaithersburg, MD

The Extinction of Low–Strain Rate Diffusion Flames by

an Agent in Microgravity

Combustion Science

2001–2002

James L. Harden

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

A Modular Library of Self-Assembling Artificial Proteins

for Three-Dimensional Tissue Culture

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Leo W. Hollberg

National Institute of Standards and Technology,

Gaithersburg, MD

Advanced Optical Frequency Standard for Space

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Takashi Kashiwagi

National Institute of Standards and Technology,

Gaithersburg, MD

Ignition and the Subsequent Transition to Flame Spread

in Microgravity

Combustion Science

2001

Takashi Kashiwagi

National Institute of Standards and Technology,

Gaithersburg, MD

Transition From Ignition to Flame Growth Under

External Radiation in Three Dimensions

Combustion Science

2002

Jungho Kim

University of Maryland, College Park, MD

APPENDIX A

106 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Investigation of Pool Boiling Heat Transfer Mechanisms

in Microgravity Using an Array of Surface Mounted

Heat Flux Sensors

Fluid Physics

2001

Jungho Kim

University of Maryland, College Park, MD

Pooling Boiling Transfer Mechanisms in Microgravity

and Partial Gravity

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Wolfgang Losert

University of Maryland, College Park, MD

Granular Flow Instabilities: Transients, Aging, and

Segregation Dynamics

Fluid Physics

2002

Richard Maurer

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

Development of a Neutron Spectrometer to Asses

Biological Radiation Damage Behind Spacecraft

Materials

Materials Science

2001–2002

Geoffrey McFadden

National Institute of Standards and Technology,

Gaithersburg, MD

Convective and Morphological Instabilities During

Crystal Growth

Materials Science

2001–2002

Geoffrey McFadden

National Institute of Standards and Technology,

Gaithersburg, MD

A Phase-Field/Fluid Motion Model of Solidification:

Investigation of Flow Effects During Directional

Solidification and Dendritic Growth

Materials Science

2001–2002

Michael R. Moldover

National Institute of Standards and Technology,

Gaithersburg, MD

Acoustic Study of Critical Phenomena in Microgravity

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

George W. Mulholland

National Institute of Standards and Technology,

Gaithersburg, MD

Kinetics and Structure of Superagglomerates Produced

by Silane and Acetylene

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Hasan N. Oguz

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

Production and Removal of Gas Bubbles in Microgravity

Fluid Physics

2001

Ho Jung Paik

University of Maryland, College Park, MD

Search for Spin-Mass Interaction With a

Superconducting Differential Angular Accelerometer

Fundamental Physics

2001

William D. Phillips

National Institute of Standards and Technology,

Gaithersburg, MD

Condensate Laboratory Aboard the Space Station

(CLASS)

Fundamental Physics

2001

William D. Phillips

National Institute of Standards and Technology,

Gaithersburg, MD

Evaporative Cooling and Bose Condensates in

Microgravity: Picokelvin Atoms in Space

Fundamental Physics

2001

Andrea Prosperetti

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

Acoustic Bubble Removal From Boiling Surfaces

Fluid Physics

2001

Andrea Prosperetti

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

Acoustic Bubble Removal From Boiling Surfaces and Its

Optimization

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Kathleen J. Stebe

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

Using Surfactants To Control Bubble Growth

Coalescence in Nucleate Pool Boiling

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Donald Sullivan

National Institute of Standards and Technology,

Gaithersburg, MD

Primary Atomic Reference Clock in Space 

(PARCS)

APPENDIX 

12 GRANT RECIPIENT
Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Jose L. Torero

University of Maryland, College Park, MD

Material Properties Governing Co-Current Flame

Spread in Micro-Gravity

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Denis Wirtz

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

Novel Microgravity Optical Technique for Molecularly

Engineering Electrophoretic Media

Biotechnology

2001

MASSACHUSETTS

George Benedek

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

Kinetic Evolution of Stable and Metastable States in

Protein Solutions

Materials Science

2001–2002

Peggy Cebe

Tufts University, Medford, MA

Study of Development of Polymer Structure in

Microgravity Using Ellipsometry

Materials Science

2001–2002

Michael Cima

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

Forces During Manufacture and Assembly of Microscale

Discrete Electronic Components

Materials Science

2001–2002

Merton C. Flemings

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

The Role of Convection and Growth Competition on

Phase Selection in Microgravity

Materials Science

2001–2002

Seth Fraden

Brandeis University, Waltham, MA

Nucleation of Colloidal and Protein Crystals in the

Vicinity of a Metastable Critical Point

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Lisa E. Freed

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

Microgravity Tissue Engineering

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Alice P. Gast

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

Anisotropic Colloidal Self Assembly

Fluid Physics

2002

James C. Hermanson

Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA

Stability and Heat Transfer Characteristics of

Condensing Films in Reduced Gravity

Fluid Physics

2001

James C. Hermanson

Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA

Combustion Characteristics of Fully Modulated,

Turbulent Diffusion Flames in Reduced Gravity

Combustion Science

2001–2002

R. Glynn Holt

Boston University, Boston, MA

Sonoluminescence in Space: the Critical Role of

Buoyancy in Stability and Emission Mechanisms

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

R. Glynn Holt

Boston University, Boston, MA

Rheology of Foam Near the Order-Disorder Transition

Fluid Physics

2002

David L. Kaplan

Tufts University, Medford, MA

Hierarchical Assembly of Collagen

Materials Science

2001–2002

Alain S. Karma

Northeastern University, Boston, MA

Phase-Field Simulations of Dendritic Growth at 

Low Undercooling: Confronting Theory and 

Experiment

Materials Science

2001–2002

Alain S. Karma

Northeastern University, Boston, MA

The Role of Dynamic Nucleation at Moving Boundaries

in Phase and Microstructure Selection

Materials Science

2001

APPENDIX A

108 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Wolfgang Ketterle

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

Towards Precision Experiments with Bose-Einstein

Condensates II

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Matthew B. Koss

College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA

Transient Dendritic Solidification Experiment 

(TDSE)

Materials Science

2001–2002

Gareth H. McKinley

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

An Interferometric Investigation of Contact-Line

Dynamics in Spreading Polymer Melts and Solutions

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Gareth H. McKinley

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

Resin-Spinning of Synthetic Polymer Fibers With SilkLike Properties

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Gareth H. McKinley

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

Extensional Rheology Experiment (ERE)

Fluid Physics

2002

Keith E. Oslakovic

Molecular Geodesics, Inc., Boston, MA

Functionally Adapted Biomimetic Material for Space

Exploration

Biotechnology

2001–2002

W. Terry Rawlins

Physical Sciences Inc., Andover, MA

Hyperspectral Imaging of Flame Spread Over Solid Fuel

Surfaces Using Adaptive Fabry-Perot Filters

Combustion Science

2001-2002

Thomas Russell

University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA

Capillary Wavelengths at Interfaces: The Role of Gravity

and Electric Field Enhancement

Materials Science

2001–2002

Albert Sacco

Northeastern University, Boston, MA

Modeling of Macroscopic/Microscopic Transport and

Growth Phenomena in Zeolite Crystal Solutions Under

Microgravity

Materials Science

2001

Donald Sadoway

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

From Oxygen Generation to Metal Production: In Situ

Resource Utilization by Molten Oxide Electrolysis

Materials Science

2001–2002

William J. Schwartz

University of Massachusetts Medical School, 

Worcester, MA

Microgravity and the Biology of Neural Stem Cells

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Irwin Shapiro

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA

Test of the Equivalence Principle in an Einstein

Elevator

Fundamental Physics

2001

Frans Spaepen

Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

Kinetics of Nucleation and Growth From Undercooled Melts

Materials Science

2001

Frans Spaepen

Harvard University, Cambrdige, MA

Glass Formation, Nucleation, and Diffusion in Metallic

Melts

Materials Science

2001–2002

Arthur J. Sytkowski

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA

Growth Factor Receptor Function and Cell

Differentiation in a Low-Shear Environment

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Gretar Tryggvason

Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA

Computations of Boiling in Microgravity

Fluid Physics

2001

Gretar Tryggvason

Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA

Computational Modeling of the Effect of Secondary

Forces on the Phase Distribution in Dispersed

APPENDIX 

12 GRANT RECIPIENT
Multiphase Channel Flows

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Michael Tsapatsis

University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA

Thin-Film Molecular Sieve Synthesis: ProcessingMicrostructure Relationships and the Effect of Gravity

on Microstructure

Materials Science

2001–2002

Ronald L. Walsworth

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA

Ground-Based Investigations With the Cryogenic

Hydrogen Maser

Fundamental Physics

2001

Ronald L. Walsworth

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA

Probing Planck-Scale Physics With a 21Ne-3He Zeeman

Maser

Fundamental Physics

2001

David A. Weitz

Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

Fabrication of Photonic Structure With Colloid

Engineering

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

David A. Weitz

Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

Physics of Colloids in Space (PCS)

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

David A. Weitz

Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

Engineering of Novel Biocolloidal Suspensions

Fluid Physics

2002

August Witt

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

Identification and Control of Gravity-Related Defect

Formation During Melt Growth of Electro-optic Single

Crystals: Sillenites (Bi12SiO20, BSO)

Materials Science

2001–2002

MICHIGAN

Arvind Atreya

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Radiant Extinction of Gaseous Diffusion Flames

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Andre Benard

Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI

Investigation of Solidification Processes With Convection

Using Meshless Methods and Quantitative Experimental

Verification

Materials Science

2001–2002

Thomas Courtney

Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI

Gravity-Induced Settling in Interconnected Liquid-Solid

Systems

Materials Science

2001–2002

Werner Dahm

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Turbulent Flame Processes via Vortex-Ring-Diffusion

Flame Interaction

Biotechnology

2001

James F. Driscoll

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

To Assess the Theory of Flame Stretch

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Gerard M. Faeth

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Flow/Soot-Formation in Nonbouyant Laminar Diffusion

Flames

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Gerard M. Faeth

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Investigation of Laminar Jet Diffusion Flames in Microgravity

Combustion Science

2001–2002

James B. Grotberg

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Capillary-Elastic Instabilities in Microgravity

Fluid Physics

2001

James B. Grotberg

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Fluid Dynamics and Interfacial Stability of Pulmonary

Airway Closure and Reopening in Microgravity

Fluid Physics

2002

APPENDIX A

110 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Ronald G. Larson

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Microscopic Visualization of Fluid Flow in Evaporating

Droplets and Electro-Osmotic Flow

Fluid Physics

2001

Ronald G. Larson

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Microfluidic and Dielectric Processing of DNA

Fluid Physics

2002

Laura R. McCabe

Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI

Microgravity Regulation of Oncogene Expression and

Osteoblast Differentiation

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Marc Perlin

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Using Nonlinearity and Contact Lines to Control Fluid

Flow in Microgravity

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Michael J. Solomon

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Aggregation and Gelation in Suspensions of Anisometric

Particles: Studies of Colloidal Platelets and Rods

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Indrek S. Wichman

Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI

Investigation of Diffusion Flame Tip Instability in

Microgravity

Combustion Science

2001–2002

MINNESOTA

Jeffrey Derby

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

Atomistic Simulations of Cadmium Telluride: Toward

Understanding the Benefits of Microgravity Crystal Growth

Materials Science

2001

Jeffrey Derby

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

First Principles Calculations of Molten II-VI Compounds

and Their Solidification Behavior

Materials Science

2001–2002

Jeffrey Derby

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

Theoretical Analysis of 3-D Transient Convection and

Segregation in Microgravity Bridgman Crystal Growth

Materials Science

2001–2002

MISSISSIPPI

John Pojman

University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS

Transient Interfacial Phenomena in Miscible Polymer

Systems

Materials Science

2001–2002

Joe B. Whitehead

University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS

Phase Separation and Self-Assembly of Liquid Crystals

and Polymer Dispersions: A Ground-Based Feasibility

Study for Microgravity

Materials Science

2001–2002

W. W. Wilson

Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS

High-Throughput Screening of Protein-Protein

Interactions by Microchip SPACE

Biotechnology

2001–2002

W. W. Wilson

Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS

Novel Approaches Regarding Protein Stability

Biotechnology

2001–2002

MISSOURI

Richard L. Axelbaum

Washington University, St. Louis, MO

Flame Design — A Novel Approach to Clean, Efficient

Diffusion Flames

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Delbert E. Day

University of Missouri, Rolla; Rolla, MO

Kinetics of Nucleation and Crystal Growth in GlassForming Melts in Microgravity

Materials Science

2001–2002

Kenneth F. Kelton

Washington University, St. Louis, MO

APPENDIX 

12 GRANT RECIPIENT
Phase Formation and Stability: Sample Size Effects

Materials Science

2001

Kenneth F. Kelton

Washington University, St. Louis, MO

Studies of Nucleation and Growth, Specific Heat and

Viscosity of Undercooled Melts of Polycrystals and

Polytetrahedral Phase-Forming Alloys

Materials Science

2001–2002

MONTANA

Kenneth L. Nordtvedt

Northwest Analysis, Bozeman, MT

Optimizing Science From a STEP Mission

Fundamental Physics

2001

NEVADA

Garcia Almeida-Porada

University of Nevada, Reno, NV

Stem Cell Plasticity Under Simulated Gravity

Biotechnology

2001–2002

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Christopher J. Crowley

Creare, Incorporated, Hanover, NH

Scaling of Multiphase Flow Regimes and Interfacial

Behavior at Microgravity

Fluid Physics

2001

Ursula Gibson

Dartmouth College Hanover, NH

In-Situ Optical Waveguides for Pomoting and

Monitoring Protein Crystal Growth

Biotechnology

2001–2002

NEW JERSEY

Paul M. Chaikin

Princeton University, Princeton, NJ

The Control and Dynamics of Hard-Sphere Colloidal

Dispersions

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Edward L. Dreizin

New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ

High-Temperature Phases and Phase Equilibria in

Reactive Molten Metal–Based Systems

Materials Science

2001–2002

Benjamin J. Glasser

Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ

The Effect of Gravity on the Mechanics of Fluidized

Beds

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

David G. Keil

Titan Corporation, Princeton, NJ

Particle Generation and Evolution in Silane/Acetylene

Flames in Microgravity

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Harry Kojima

Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ

Stress-Driven Instabilities on Helium-4 Crystals

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Chung K. Law

Princeton University, Princeton, NJ

Aerodynamics and Chemical Kinetics of Premixed

Flames at High Pressures

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Chung K. Law

Princeton University, Princeton, NJ

Structure and Response of Spherical Diffusion Flames

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Dudley A. Saville

Princeton University, Princeton, NJ

Electrohydrodynamic Flows in Electrochemical Systems

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Dudley A. Saville

Princeton University, Princeton, NJ

Electrohydrodynamics of Suspensioons

Biotechnology

2001–2002

NEW MEXICO

Alex V. Babkin

University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM

APPENDIX A

112 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Surface Physics With Helium Crystals

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Stephen Boyd

University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM

New Phenomena in Strongly Counterflowing He-II near

T-Lambda

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Robert V. Duncan

University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM

Critical Dynamics in Microgravity

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Eichi Fukushima

New Mexico Resonance, Albuquerque, NM

A Robust Magnetic Resonance Imager for Ground- and

Flight-Based Measurements of Fluid Physics Phenomena

Fluid Physics

2001

Joel A. Silver

Southwest Sciences, Inc., Santa Fe, NM

Quantitative Species Measurements in Microgravity

Combustion Flames

Combustion Science

2001–2002

NEW YORK

Andreas Acrivos

City College of the City University of New York, 

New York, NY

The Synergism of Electrorheological Response,

Dielectrophoresis, and Shear-Induced Diffusion in

Flowing Suspensions

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Andreas Acrivos

City College of the City University of New York, 

New York, NY

Particle Segregation in a Flowing Concentrated

Suspension Subject to High-Gradient Strong Electric

Fields

Fluid Physics

2002

C. Thomas Avedisian

Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Influence of Pressure and Composition on Combustion of

Sooting Fuel Droplets in Microgravity

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Carl A. Batt

Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Biodegradable Polymers

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Jeffrey A. Bell

NYS Department of Health, Albany, NY

Protein Crystal-Based Nanomaterials

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Morris A. Benjaminson

NSR-Touro Applied Bioscience Research Consortium,

Bay Shore, NY

Gravity, Time Interactions, and the Cycle of Life

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Lance R. Collins

Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Dynamics of Aerosol Particles in Stationary, Isotropic

Turbulence

Fluid Physics

2002

George T. DeTitta

Hauptman-Woodard Medical Research Institute, 

Buffalo, NY

High Throughput Methods for Rational Prediction of

Macromolecular Crystallization Conditions

Biotechnology

2001–2002

George T. DeTitta

Hauptman-Woodard Medical Research Institute, 

Buffalo, NY

Macromolecular Crystallizaton, Physical Principles,

Passive Devices, and Optimal Protocols

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Michael Dudley

State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY

White-Beam X-Ray Topography and High-Resolution

Triple-Axis X-Ray Diffraction Characterization

Materials Science

2001

Peyman Givi

University of New York, Buffalo, NY

Large Eddy Simulation of Gravitational Effects in

Transitional and Turbulent Diffusion Flames

APPENDIX 

12 GRANT RECIPIENT
Combustion Science

2001–2002

Martin E. Glicksman

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY

Evolution of Local Microstructures (ELMS): Spatial

Instabilities of Coarsening Clusters

Materials Science

2001–2002

Martin E. Glicksman

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY

Follow-On Research Activities for the Rensselaer

Isothermal Dendritic Growth Experiment

Materials Science

2001–2002

Bing Gong

University of Buffalo (SUNY), Buffalo, NY

A New Class of Unnatural Folding Oligomers: Helices

with Nano-Sized Cavities

Biotechnology

2001–2002

James T. Jenkins

Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Particle Segregation in Collisional Shearing Flows

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

James T. Jenkins

Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Sheet Flows, Avalanches, and Dune Evolution on Earth

and Mars

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Donald L. Koch

Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Turbulence-Induced Coalescence of Aerosol 

Particles

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Joel Koplik

City College of the City University of New York, New

York, NY

Molecular Dynamics of Fluid-Solid Systems

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

David J. Larson

NASA Headquarters/State University of New York,

Stony Brook, NY

Defects Numerically Decreased (DENUDE)

Materials Science

2001–2002

David Lee

Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Studies of Atomic Free Radicals Stored in a Cryogenic

Environment

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Sung P. Lin

Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY

Absolute and Convective Instability and Splitting of a

Liquid Jet at Microgravity

Fluid Physics

2001

Michel Y. Louge

Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Studies of Gas-Particle Interactions in a Microgravity

Flow Cell

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Charles Maldarelli

City College of the City University of New York, New

York, NY

Using Remobilizing Surfactants to Enhance the

Thermocapillary Migration of Bubbles Retarded by the

Adsorption of Surfactant Impurities

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Aleksandar Ostrogorsky

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY

Space- and Ground-Based Crystal Growth Using a

Baffle (CGB)

Materials Science

2001–2002

Jeevak Parpia

Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

The Effect of Thermal History, Temperature Gradients,

and Gravity on Capillary Condensation of PhaseSeparated Liquid 3He-4He Mixtures in Aerogel

Fundamental Physics

2001

Lois Pollack

Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Microscale Mixer for Protein Folding

Fundamental Physics

2001

Miriam Rafailovich

State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY

Microgravity Processing of Polymer Thin Films

Materials Science

2001–2002

APPENDIX A

114 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Liya L. Regal

Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY

Improved Crystal Quality by Detached Solidification in

Microgravity

Materials Science

2001–2002

Ashok S. Sangani

Syracuse University; Syracuse, NY

Rapidly Sheared Bubbly Suspensions

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Hayley H. Shen

Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY

Constitutive Relation in Transitional Granular Flows

Fluid Physics

2002

Albert J. Sievers

Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Influence of Homogeneity and Fragility on the

Dynamical Properties of Glassy Networks

Materials Science

2001–2002

Paul H. Steen

Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Stability of Shapes Held by Surface Tension and

Subjected to Flow

Fluid Physics

2001

Paul H. Steen

Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Dynamics and Stability of Capillary Systems: Moving

Liquids by Design

Fluid Physics

2002

Shankar R. Subramanian

Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY

Motion of Drops on Surfaces With Wettability

Gradients

Fluid Physics

2002

Robert E. Thorne

Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Defects, Growth, and Elastic Properties of Protein

Crystals

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Robert E. Thorne

Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Impurity Effects in Macromolecular Crystal Growth

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Robert E. Thorne

Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Macromolecular Crystal Growth: Techniques

Development, Fundamental Studies, and Applications

to Complexes Affecting Cell Growth and Division

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Peter C. Wayner Jr.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY

A Study of the Constrained Vapor Bubble Heat

Exchanger

Fluid Physics

2001

Peter C. Wayner Jr.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY

Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of the

Stability of an Evaporating Constrained Vapor 

Bubble

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Peter C. Wayner Jr.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY

Research and Development Work on the Constrained

Vapor Bubble System for a Microgravity Experiment

Fluid Physics

2002

William Wilcox

Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY

Use of Microgravity to Control the Microstructure of

Eutectics

Materials Science

2001

William Wilcox

Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY

Residual Gas Effects on Detached Solidification in

Microgravity

Materials Science

2001–2002

J. H. David Wu

University of Rochester, Rochester, NY

Ex-Vivo Hematopoiesis in a Three-Dimensional Human

Bone Marrow Culture Under Simulated Microgravity

Biotechnology

2001

J. H. David Wu

University of Rochester, Rochester, NY

Circadian Rhythm and Control of Hematopoiesis

APPENDIX 

12 GRANT RECIPIENT
Biotechnology

2001–2002

Nicholas Zabaras

Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

On the Control of the Effects of Gravity on the

Solidification Microstructures Using Optimally

Designed Thermal Boundary Fluxes and

Electromagnetic Fields

Materials Science

2001–2002

NORTH CAROLINA

Klaus Bachmann

North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC

Fundamental Aspects of Vapor Deposition and Etching

Under Diffusion-Controlled Transport Comditions

Materials Science

2001

Robert P. Behringer

Duke University, Durham, NC

Gravity and Granular Materials

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Jerry Bernholc

North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC

Growth and Properties of Carbon Nanotubes

Materials Science

2001–2002

Charles Carter

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC

Quantitative Multivariate Methods for Pre-Flight

Optimization and Post-Flight Evaluation of

Macromolecular Crystal Growth

Biotechnology

2001–2002

William Kraus

Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC

Differentiation and Maintenance of Skeletal and Cardiac

Muscle in Simulated Microgravity

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Andrey V. Kuznetsov

North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC

Investigation of Interactions Between Bioconvection and

Natural Convection and Biofilm Growth in Porous

Media

Fluid Physics

2002

Nancy Ma

North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC

Models of Mass Transport During Microgravity Crystal

Growth of Alloyed Semiconductors in a Magnetic Field

Materials Science

2001–2002

Horst Meyer

Duke University, Durham, NC

Density Equilibration in Fluids Near the Liquid-Vapor

Critical Point

Fundamental Physics

2001

John E. Thomas

Duke University, Durham, NC

Quantum Coherence in Ultracold Fermionic Vapors

Fundamental Physics

2001

OHIO

J. Iwan D. Alexander

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH

Vibrations and G-Jitter: Transport Disturbances Due to

Residual Acceleration During Low Gravity Directional

Solidification Experiments

Materials Science

2001

C. David Andereck

Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

Ultrasound Thermal Field Imaging of Opaque Fluids

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Ramaswamy Balasubramaniam

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH

Instability of Miscible Interfaces

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Joanne Belovich

Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH

An Acoustically Assisted Bioreactor for Terrestrial and

Microgravity Applications

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Gloria Borgstahl

University of Toledo, Toledo, OH

Searching for the Best Protein Crystals: Integration of

Synchrotron-Based Quality Measurements and Structure

Determination

Biotechnology

2001–2002

APPENDIX A

116 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Gloria Borgstahl

University of Toledo, Toledo, OH

Searching for the Best Protein Crystals: SynchrotronBased Mosaicity Measurements of Crystal Quality and

Theoretical Modeling

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Daniel Dietrich

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH

Candle Flames in Microgavity

Combustion Science

2001

Prabir Dutta

Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

Fundamantal Studies of Crystal Growth of Microporous

Materials

Materials Science

2001–2002

Walter M. B. Duval

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH

Stereo-Imaging Velocimetry of Mixing Driven by

Buoyancy-Induced Flow Fields

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

David G. Fischer

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH

Three-Dimensional, Reflection-Mode Near-Field

Microscopy for Microfluidic Phenomena

Fluid Physics

2002

DeVon W. Griffin

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH

Phase-Shifting Point Diffraction Interferometer for

Microgravity Fluid Physics

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Prabhat K. Gupta

Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

Interdiffusion in the Presence of Free Convection

Materials Science

2001–2002

Tin-Lun (Jason) Ho

Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

Quantum Gases in Novel Environments: Optical Lattices

and Rapidly Rotating Potentials

Fundamental Physics

2002

Donald T. Jacobs

College of Wooster, Wooster, OH

Turbidity and Universality Around a Liquid-Liquid

Critical Point

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Yasuhiro Kamotani

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH

Gas Evolution Effect on Mass Transfer in Rotating

Electrochemical Cells Under Microgravity Conditions

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Mohammad Kassemi

National Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids and

Combustion, Cleveland, OH

Effect of Marangoni Convection Generated by Voids on

Segregation During Low-g and 1-g Solidification

Materials Science

2001

William B. Krantz

University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH

Microscopic Flow Visualization in Demixing Fluids

During Polymeric Membrane Formation in Low-g

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

David Matthiesen

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH

Diffusion Processes in Molten Semiconductors (DPIMS)

Materials Science

2001–2002

John McQuillen

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH

A Study of Bubble and Slug Gas-Liquid Flow in a

Microgravity Environment

Fluid Physics

2001

John McQuillen

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH

Study of Two-Phase Gas-Liquid Flow Behavior at

Reduced-Gravity Conditions

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Fletcher Miller

National Center for Microgravity Research, 

Cleveland, OH

Gravitational Influences on Flame Propagation Through

Non-Uniform Premixed Gas Systems (Layers)

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Vedha Nayagam

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH

APPENDIX 

12 GRANT RECIPIENT
Dynamics of Droplet Combustion and Extinction in a

Slow Convective Flow (DDCE)

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Vedha Nayagam

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH

Stretched Diffusion Flames in Von Karman Swirling

Flows

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Sandra L. Olson

Glenn Research Center, Clevelamd, OH

Development of an Earth-Based Apparatus to Assess

Material Flammability in Low-Convection Environments

for Microgravity and Extraterrestrial Fire-Safety

Applications

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Sandra L. Olson

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH

Low-Stretch Diffusion Flames Over a Solid Fuel

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Charles S. Rosenblatt

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH

Determination of the Surface Energy of Liquid

Crystals From the Shape Anistropy of Freely

Suspended Droplets

Materials Science

2001

Charles S. Rosenblatt

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH

Simulated Microgravity Measurement Techniques for

the Study of Dynamic Effects in Phospholipid

Surfactants

Fundamental Physics

2001

Howard D. Ross

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH

Ignition and Flame Spread of Liquid Fuel Pools

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Howard D. Ross

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH

Secondary Fires: Initiation and Extinguishment

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Gary A. Ruff

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH

Combustion of Unsupported Droplet Clusters in

Microgravity

Combustion Science

2002

Kurt R. Sacksteder

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH

Flame Spread and Extinction in Partial Gravity

Environments

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Constance Schall

University of Toledo, Toledo, OH

Influence of Impurities on Protein Crystal Growth

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Constance Schall

University of Toledo, Toledo, OH

Optimization of Cryogenic Cooling of Protein Crystals

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Peter B. Sunderland

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH

Investigation of Velocity and Temperature in

Microgravity Laminar Jet Diffusion Flames

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Fumiaki Takahashi

National Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids and

Combustion, Cleveland, OH

Physical and Chemical Aspects of Fire Suppression in

Extraterrestrial Environments

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Fumiaki Takahashi

National Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids and

Combustion, Cleveland, OH

Reaction Kernel Structure and Diffusion Flame

Stabilization

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Saleh Tanveer

Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

Dendritic Crystal Growth

Fluid Physics

2002

James S. T’ien

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH

Combustion of Solid Fuel in Very Low-Speed Oxygen

Streams

APPENDIX A

118 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Padetha Tin

National Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids and

Combustion, Cleveland, OH

Interfacial Energy Determination of Succinonitrile and

Succinonitrile-Acetone Alloy Using Surface LightScattering Spectrometer

Materials Science

2001–2002

David L. Urban

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH

Characterization of Smoke From Microgravity Fires for

Improved Spacecraft Fire Detection

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Randall L. Vander Wal

National Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids and

Combustion, Cleveland, OH

Carbon Nanostructure: Its Evolution and Its Impact

Upon Soot Growth and Oxidation

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Randall L. Vander Wal

National Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids and

Combustion, Cleveland, OH

Splashing Droplets

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Randall L. Vander Wal

National Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids and

Combustion, Cleveland, OH

The Synthesis of Graphite Encapsulated Metal

Nanoparticles and Metal Catalytic Nanotubes

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Allen Wilkinson

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH

Measuring the Distribution Function Moments of the

Subcorrelation Length Critical Fluid Fluctuations

Fundamental Physics

2001

Zeng-Guang Yuan

National Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids and

Combustion, Cleveland, OH

Effects of Electric Field on Soot Processes in NonBouyant Hydrocarbon-Fueled Flame

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Nengli Zhang

Ohio Aerospace Institute, Cleveland, OH

Enhanced Boiling on Microconfigured Composite

Surfaces Under Microgravity Conditions

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

OKLAHOMA

Ajay K. Agrawal

University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK

Gravitational Effects on Flow Instability and Transition

in Low-Density Gas Jets

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Ramkumar Parthasarathy

University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK

Instability and Breakup of Gas jets Injected in CoFlowing Fluids

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Penger Tong

Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK

Studies of Particle Sedimentation by Novel Scattering

Techniques

Fluid Physics

2001

OREGON

Mark M. Weislogel

Portland State University, Portland, OR

Capillary Flow in Interior Corners

Fluid Physics

2002

PENNSYLVANIA

Ali Borhan

Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA

Dynamics of Drops and Bubbles in Confined Flows of

Complex Fluids

Fluid Physics

2002

Tauseef Butt

LifeSensors, Inc., Malvern, PA

Microfabrication of a Cell-Based Estrogen Sensor Switch

on a Plastic Microchip

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

APPENDIX 

12 GRANT RECIPIENT
Moses H. W. Chan

Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA

Critical Casimir Forces

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Mun Y. Choi

Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA

Experiments and Model Developments for Investigation

of Sooting and Radiation Effects in Microgravity Droplet

Combustion

Combustion Science

2002

Lance R. Collins

Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA

Dynamics of Aerosol Particles in Stationary, Isotropic

Turbulence

Fluid Physics

2001

Paul Ducheyne

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Surface Transformation of Reactive Glass in a

Microgravity Environment

Materials Science

2001–2002

Andrzej Fertala

Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA

Genetically Engineered Collagen II for Smart Biomaterials

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Stephen Garoff

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA

Microscale Hydrodyamics Near Moving Contact Lines

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Randall M. German

Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA

Gravitational Effects on Distortion in Sintering

Materials Science

2001–2002

Kurt Gibble

Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA

Investigation of Future Microgravity Atomic Clocks

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Daniel Hammer

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Engineering of Novel Biocolloidal Suspensions

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Daniel A. Hammer

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Polymosomes: Tough Giant Vesicles From Block

Copolymers

Materials Science

2001–2002

Peter Lelkes

Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA

PC12 Pheochromocytoma Cells: A Proven Model

System for Optimizing 3-D Cell Culture

Biotechnology in Space

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Patrick J. Loll

MCP-Hahnemann University, Philadelphia, PA

Detergent Interactions Affecting Membrane Protein

Crystallization: Analysis and Use in Screen Design

Biotechnology

2001

Patrick J. Loll

Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA

Detergent Interactions Affecting Membrance Protein

Crystallization: Analysis and Use in Screen Design

Biotechnology

2002

Howard G. Pearlman

Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA

The Cool Flames Space-Flight Experiment

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Howard G. Pearlman

Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA

Determination of Cool Flame Quenching Distances at

Microgravity 

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Gregory Roher

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA

Shape Evolution of Small Ceramic Materials

Materials Science

2001–2002

Gary A. Ruff

Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA

Combustion of Unconfined Droplet Clusters in

Microgravity

Combustion Science

2001

Peter Schiffer

Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA

APPENDIX A

120 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Experimental and Theoretical Studies of Wet Granular

Media

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Robert Sekerka

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA

Lattice Boltzmann Computations of Binary Diffusion in

Liquids Under Stochastic Microgravity

Materials Science

2001–2002

Irving M. Shapiro

Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA

Effect of Microgravity on Human Osteoblast Life History

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Paul J. Sides

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA

Lateral Motion of Particles and Bubbles Caused by

Phoretic Flows Near a Solid Interface

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Jogender Singh

Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA

Gravitational Effect on the Development of Laser WeldPool and Solidification Microstructure

Materials Science

2001–2002

John M. Tarbell

Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA

Microgravity Effects on Transendothelial Transport

Fluid Physics

2001

John M. Tarbell

Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA

Microgravity Effects on Transvascular Transport and

Vascular Control

Fluid Physics

2002

Robert D. Tilton

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA

Electroosmotic and Electrophoretic Self-Assembly

Techniques To Promote Mass Transfer in Biosensors

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Xiao-lun Wu

University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Forced Two-Dimensional Trubulence in Freely Suspended Films

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Xiao-lun Wu

University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Freely suspended Liquid Films and Their Applications in

Biological Research

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Xiao-lun Wu

University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Full-Field Interferometric Measurements of Thickness of

Freely Suspended Liquid Films

Fluid Physics

2002

Arjun G. Yodh

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Colloidal Assembly in Entropically Driven, Low-VolumeFraction Binary Particle Suspensions

Fluid Physics

2001

RHODE ISLAND

Charles Elbaum

Brown University, Providence, RI

Kinetic and Thermodynamic Studies of Melting-Freezing

of Helium in Microgravity

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Mohammad Faghri

University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI

Phase Change in Low and Jittering Gravity Environment

Simulated via Electromagnetic Field

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Humphrey J. Maris

Brown University, Providence, RI

Coalescence of Superfluid Helium Drops in a

Microgravity Environment

Fundamental Physics

2001

James M. Valles

Brown University, Providence, RI

Magnetic Field Gradient Levitation System for Physics

and Biophysics

Fundamental Physics

2001

SOUTH CAROLINA

Adam Smolka

Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC

APPENDIX 

12 GRANT RECIPIENT
Gastric Mucosal Cell Culture in Simulated Microgravity

Biotechnology

2001–2002

TENNESSEE

Robert Bayuzick

Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

Investigation of the Relationship Between Undercooling

and Solidification Velocity

Materials Science

2001–2002

Gerard Bunick

University of Tennessee, Oak Ridge, TN

Reversible Cryogenic Storage of Macromolecular

Crystals Grown in Microgravity

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Gerard Bunick

University of Tennessee, Oak Ridge, TN

Structural Studies of Nucleosomes and Chromatin

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Kenneth Debelak

Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

Recovery of Minerals in Martian Soils Via Supercritical

Fluid Extraction

Materials Science

2001–2002

Adrienne C. Friedli

Middle Tennessee University, Murfreesboro, TN

Development of Anionic Polyelectrolytes for Solid-State

Battery Applications

Materials Science

2001–2002

M. Douglas LeVan

Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

Separation of Carbon Monoxide for Mars ISRU

Fluid Physics

2001

M. Douglas LeVan

Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

Separation of Carbon Monoxide and Carbon Dioxide for

Mars ISRU

Fluid Physics

2002

Jimmy W. Mays

University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN

Controlled Synthesis of Nanoparticles Using Block

Copolymers: Nanoreaction in Microgravity Conditions

Materials Science

2002

John Michael Ramsey

Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN

Automated Microfluidic Devices for Monitoring

Biological Systems In Space

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Alvin J. Sanders

University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN

Research and Analysis in Support of Project SEE

(Satellite Energy Exchange): Test of the Equivalence

Principle and Measurement of Gravitational Interaction

Parameters in an Ultraprecise Microgravity

Environment

Fundamental Physics

2001

Lawrence W. Townsend

University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN

Development of a Monte Carlo Radiation Transport

Code System for HEDS

Materials Science

2001–2002

TEXAS

John Albright

Texas Christian School, Fort Worth, TX

Experimental Assessment of Multicomponent Effects in

Diffusion-Dominated Transport in Protein Crystal

Growth and Electrophoresis and Chiral Separations

Biotechnology

2001

Vemuri Balakotaiah

University of Houston, Houston, TX

Fundamental Studies on Two-Phase Gas-Liquid Flows

Through Packed-Beds in Microgravity

Fluid Physics

2002

Vimlarani Chopra

University of Texas, Medical Branch, Galveston, TX

Differentiation of 3-Dimensional Co-cultures of

Preneoplastic Epithelial and Mononuclear Cells

Biotechnology

2001

Vimlarani Chopra 

University of Texas, Medical Branch, Galveston, TX

Differentiation of 3-Dimensional Co-cultures of

Myofibroblasts, Preneoplastic Epithelial and

APPENDIX A

122 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Mononuclear Cells

Biotechnology

2002

Noel T. Clemens

University of Texas, Austin, TX

Investigation of Strain/Vorticity and Large-Scale Flow

Structure in Turbulent Nonpremixed Jet Flames

Combustion

2001–2002

Gerard L. Cote

Texas A&M University; College Station, TX

Investigation of Neuronal Physiololgy in Simulated

Microgravity Using Smart Flourescent Microcarriers

and Bulk Near-Infrared Sensors

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Jonathan M. Friedman

University of Houston, Houston, TX

Epitaxial Growth of Protein Crystals on Self-Assembled

Monolayers

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Steve R. Gonda

Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX

Microgravity-Based Three-Dimensional Transgenic Cell

Model to Quantify Genotoxic Effects in Space

Biotechnology

2001

Elizabeth Grimm

University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center,

Houston, TX

Application of Bioreactor Technology for a Preclinical

Human Model of Melanoma

Biotechnology

2001

Naomi Jean Halas

Rice University, Houston, TX

Metal Nanoshell Functionalization and Materials

Assembly: Effects of Microgravity Conditions

Materials Science

2001–2002

Daniel J. Heinzen

University of Texas, Austin; Austin, TX

Search for Time-Reversal Symmetry Violation With

Laser-Cooled Atoms

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Randall G. Hulet

Rice University, Houston, TX

Superfluid Phase Transition in an Ultracold Fermi Gas

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Kenneth D. Kihm

Texas A & M University, College Station, TX

Microscale Investigation of the Thermo-Fluid Transport

in the Transition Film Region of an Evaporating

Capillary Meniscus Using a Microgravity Environment

Fluid Physics

2002

Anil D. Kulkarni

University of Texas, Health Science Center, Houston, TX

Nutritional Immunomodulation in Microgravity:

Application of Ground-Based In-Vivo and In-Vitro

Bioreactor Models to Study Roles and Mechanisms of

Supplemental Nucleotides

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Lawrence Pinsky

University of Houston, Houston, TX

Development of a Space Radiation Monte Carlo

Simulation Based Upon the FLUKA and ROOT Codes

Materials Science

2001–2002

Arun S. Rajan

Baylor College of Medicine, Dallas, TX

Islet Cell Assembly and Function in a NASA

Microgravity Bioreactor

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Lynne P. Rutzky

University of Texas, Health Science Center, Houston, TX

Effect of Microgravity on Pancreatic Islet

Xenotransplantation, Vascularization, and Stem Cell

Growth

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Lynne P. Rutzky

University of Texas, Health Science Center, Houston, TX

Impact of Microgravity on Immunogenicity Associated

With Biostructural Changes in Pancreatic Islets

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Cherylyn Savary

University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center,

Houston, TX

Use of NASA Bioreactors in a Novel Scheme for

Immunization Against Cancer

Biotechnology

2001–2002

APPENDIX 

12 GRANT RECIPIENT
Jamal Seyed-Yagoobi

Texas A&M University; College Station, TX

Thermal Control and Enhancement of Heat-Transport

Capacity of Cryogenic Capillary Pumped Loops and

Heat Pipes With Electrohydrodynamics

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Glenn Spaulding

Clear Lake Medical Foundation, Inc., Houston, TX

Application of pH, Glucose, and Oxygen Biosensors to

NASA Rotating Culture Vessels

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Harry L. Swinney

University of Texas, Austin, TX

Instabilities in Surface Tension–Driven Convection

Fluid Physics

2001

Philip Leslie Varghese

University of Texas, Austin, TX

Laser Velocimeter for Studies of Microgravity

Combustion Flowfields

Combustion Science

2001

Peter G. Vekilov

University of Houston, Houston, TX

Protein Precipitant–Specific Criteria for the Impact of

Reduced Gravity on Crystal Perfection

Biotechnology

2001

Peter G. Vekilov

University of Houston, Houston, TX

Effects of Convective Transport of Solute and Impurities

on Defect-Causing Kinetics Instabilities in Protein

Crystallization

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Peter G. Vekilov

University of Houston, Houston, TX

Physico-Chemical Tools for Rational Optimization of the

Growth Conditions of Biological Crystals

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Theodore G. Wensel

Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX

Two-Dimensional Crystal Growth in Microgravity

Biotechnology

2001

Boris Yoffe

Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX

Liver Tissue Engineering in a Microgravity Environment

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Anvar A. Zakhidov

University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX

Advanced Materials Growth in Microgravity: Carbon

Nanotubes, Semiconductors, and Advanced

Nanocomposites

Materials Science

2001–2002

UTAH

Jules Magda

University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT

Novel Microstructures for Polymer-Liquid Crystal

Composite Materials

Materials Science

2001–2002

William E. Mell

University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT

Simulation of Combustion Systems With Realistic G-Jitter

Combustion Science

2001–2002

VIRGINIA

M. S. El-Shall

Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA

Gas-Phase Polymerization and Nucleation Experiments

in Microgravity

Materials Science

2001–2002

Michael Wiener

University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

A Directed Approach to Membrane Protein Crystallography

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Michael Wiener

University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

Membrane Protein Crystallization Screens Based Upon

Fundamental Phenomenology of Detergent and ProteinDetergent Solutions

Biotechnology

2001–2002

John Wilson

Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA

APPENDIX A

124 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Improved Spacecraft Materials for Radiation Shielding

Materials Science

2001

WASHINGTON

Eric G. Adelberger

University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Feasibility Study for a Space-Based Test of the Strong

Equivalence Principle Using Lunar Laser Ranging

Fundamental Physics

2001–2002

Albert Folch

University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Microarrays of Cellular Membrane Patches for In-Flight

Studies of Ion Channel Function

Biotechnology

2001–2002

James C. Hermanson

University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Stability and Heat Transfer Characteristics of

Condensing Films in Reduced Gravity

Fluid Physics

2002

Ben Q. Li

Washington State University, Pullman, WA

Study of Magnetic Damping Effects on Convection and

Solidification Under Jitter Conditions

Materials Science

2001

Ben Q. Li

Washington State University, Pullman, WA

A Comparative Modeling Study of Magnetic and

Electrostatic Levitation in Microgravity

Materials Science

2001–2002

Ben Q. Li

Washington State University, Pullman, WA

Study of Magnetic Field Effects on Convection and

Solidification in Normal and Microgravity

Materials Science

2001–2002

Philip L. Marston

Washington State University, Pullman, WA

Passive and Active Stabilization of Liquid Bridges in

Low Gravity

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Thomas J. Matula

University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Buoyancy-Driven Instabilities in Single-Bubble

Sonoluminescence

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Warren Nagourney

University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Ultra-High Resolution Optical Frequency Standard

Using Individual Indium Atoms

Fundamental Physics

2001

James J. Riley

University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Investigation of the Liftoff and Blowout of Transitional

and Turbulent Jet Flames

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Ward TeGrotenhuis

Battelle Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,

Richland, WA

Microchannel Phase Separations for In-Situ Resource

Utilization

Fluid Physics

2002

Viola Vogel

University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Motor Proteins as Shuttles for Directed Transport in

Synthetic Matrices

Biotechnology

2001–2002

WEST VIRGINIA

Thomas Meloy

West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV

Mars Environmental Compatibility Assessment (MECA)

Biotechnology

2001

WISCONSIN

Reid Cooper

University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI

Dynamic Reduction and the Creation of Fine-Grained

Ceramics From Inviscid Oxide/Silicate Melts

Materials Science

2001–2002

Sindo Kou

University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI

Physical Simulation of Marangoni Convection in Weld

APPENDIX 

12 GRANT RECIPIENT
Pools

Materials Science

2001–2002

John Perepezko

University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI

Analysis of Containerless Solidification Microstructures

in Undercooled Melts and Composite Systems

Materials Science

2001–2002

Eric E. Rice

Orbital Technologies Corporation, Madison, WI

Carbon-Based Reduction of Lunar Regolith

Materials Science

2001

Eric E. Rice

Orbital Technologies Corporation, Madison, WI

Development of Methods of Producing and Utilizing

Alternate Fuel/Oxidizer Combinations

Combustion Science

2001–2002

Thad G. Walker

University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI

All-Optical High-Density Atom Sources

Fundamental Physics

2001

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Alexander Malkin

Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC

Growth Processes and Defect Structure of

Macromolecular Crystals

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Gopal Patnaik

Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC

Unsteady Multidimensional Numerical Simulations of

Flame Vortex Interactions in Microgravity 

Combustion Science

2002

John Milburn Jessup

Georgetown University Medical Center,

Washington, D.C.

Gene Expression of Human Colorectal Carcinoma in

Microgravity

Biotechnology

2001–2002

John Milburn Jessup

Georgetown University Medical Center, 

Washington, D.C.

Use of NASA Biorector to Study Cell Cycle Regulation

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Glenn R. Joyce

Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC

Modeling Dusty Plasmas in Microgravity

Fluid Physics

2001–2002

Wu Ma

Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC

Neurogenesis in Cell-Hydrogel-Bioreactor System

Forming Neuronal Networks in Microgravity

Biotechnology

2001–2002

Keith Ward

Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC

Investigation of the Particle Dynamics in the Vicinity of

Crystal Surfaces: Depletion Zone Dynamics

Biotechnology

2001–2002

APPENDIX A

126 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Flights to the International Space Station

elow are two lists of selected payloads for

the International Space Station (ISS) and the associated

EXPRESS (EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments to

Space Station) Racks and microgravity facilities in the

order of their flight to the station. Early on, microgravity

research will consist of EXPRESS payloads,

Microgravity Science Glovebox investigations, and

Combustion Integrated Rack payloads, as reflected in the

first list, which includes investigations currently manifested. The second list comprises payloads in development that are candidates for later flights. 

Protein Crystal Growth–Enhanced Gaseous Nitrogen

Dewar (PCG-EGN): This apparatus is a gaseous nitrogen dewar that can maintain samples at cryogenic temperature for about 10 days. Frozen liquid-liquid diffusion

and batch protein crystal growth experiments are

launched in a dewar and then allowed to thaw to initiate

the crystallization process in a microgravity environment. The dewar houses a protein crystal growth insert

typically holding approximately 500 protein samples.

(First flight: 2A.2B) 

Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System

(MAMS): MAMS provides measurement of quasisteady-state microgravity acceleration levels at low frequencies (0.01 to 2 hertz) with extreme accuracy. It is an

enhanced version of the Orbital Acceleration Research

Experiment system used on the space shuttle. Using

MAMS data, the microgravity level at any point in the

U.S. Laboratory or on the ISS can be calculated using a

transformation matrix and a known center of gravity for

the station. (First flight: 6A)

Space Acceleration Measurement System, Second

Generation (SAMS-II): The SAMS-II instrument is an

early addition to the ISS and will most likely remain

onboard for the life of the station. SAMS-II measures

vibratory accelerations (transients) in support of a variety

of microgravity science experiments. It also characterizes

the ISS microgravity environment for future payloads.

(First flight: 6A)

Protein Crystal Growth–Single Thermal Enclosure

System (PCG-STES): The PCG-STES hardware is a

single EXPRESS locker that provides a controlled temperature environment within ± 0.5°C of a set point in the

range from 4–40°C. The PCG-STES houses a variety of

protein crystal growth apparatus, including the SecondGeneration Vapor Diffusion Apparatus, the DiffusionControlled Crystallization Apparatus for Microgravity,

and the Protein Crystallization Apparatus for

Microgravity. (First flight: 6A)

Protein Crystal Growth–Biotechnology Ambient

Generic (PCG-BAG): This apparatus flies SecondGeneration Vapor Diffusion Apparatus, DiffusionControlled Crystallization Apparatus for Microgravity, or

Protein Crystallization Apparatus for Microgravity hardware as ambient stowage items within a middeck locker

or Cargo Transfer Bag. (First flight: 7A)

Vapor Diffusion Apparatus, Second Generation

(VDA-2): VDA-2 uses the vapor-diffusion method

(hanging drop technique) for protein crystal growth in

order to produce large, high-quality crystals of selected

proteins. The 20 growth chambers need to be activated to

start the process and deactivated to stop it. The PCGSTES holds four VDA-2 trays; the PCG-BAG holds six

trays. (First flight: 6A, as part of the PCG-STES) 

Protein Crystallization Apparatus for Microgravity

(PCAM): PCAM uses the vapor-diffusion method to

produce large, high-quality crystals of selected proteins.

Each PCAM is a cylindrical stack of nine trays, each

with seven chambers, providing 63 chambers for protein

crystal growth. The PCG-STES holds six cylinders; the

PCG-BAG holds eight. (First flight: 6A, as part of the

PCG-STES)

Physics of Colloids in Space (PCS): The PCS experiment hardware supports investigations of the physical

properties and dynamics of formation of colloidal superlattices and large-scale fractal aggregates using laser

light scattering. PCS advances understanding of fabrication methods for producing new crystalline materials.

(First flight: 6A)

Dynamically Controlled Protein Crystal Growth

(DCPCG): The DCPCG apparatus comprises two components: the control locker and the vapor locker. The

command locker controls experiment processes in the

vapor locker. It also collects data, performs telemetry

functions, and is programmable from the ground. The

vapor locker holds 40 protein samples. (First flight:

7A.1)

Cellular Biotechnology Operations Support System

(CBOSS): This hardware provides a platform for the

study of basic cell-to-cell interactions in a quiescent cell

culture environment and the role of these interactions in

the formation of functional cell aggregates and tissues.

The Biotechnology Specimen Temperature Controller

(BSTC) operates primarily in the incubation mode. The

Biotechnology Refrigerator, Biotechnology Cell Science

Stowage, and the Gas Supply Module support BSTC

research. (First flight: 7A.1)

B

APPENDIX 

12 MICROGRAVITY EXPERIMENT HARDWAR
128 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic

Aggregates From Colloidal Emulsions (InSPACE):

InSPACE hardware was designed to be accommodated

by the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG).

Observations of three-dimensional microscopic structures

of magnetorheological fluids in a pulsed magnetic field

will be made. (First flight: UF-2)

Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation (PFMI):

This investigation promotes understanding of detrimental

pore formation and mobility during controlled directional

solidification processing in a microgravity environment.

This MSG investigation utilizes a transparent material,

succinonitrile, so that direct observation and recording of

pore generation and mobility during controlled solidification can be made. (First flight: UF-2)

Solidification Using a Baffle in Sealed Ampoules

(SUBSA): This investigation will test the performance of

an automatically moving baffle in microgravity and

determine the behavior and possible advantages of liquid

encapsulation in microgravity conditions. This low-cost

MSG experiment will resolve several key technological

questions and lessen the risk and uncertainties of using a

baffle and liquid encapsulation in future major materials

science facilities. (First flight: UF-2)

Coarsening of Solid-Liquid Mixtures-2 (CSLM-2):

This MSG investigation is designed to obtain data on

steady-state coarsening behavior of two-phase mixtures

in microgravity. For the first time, coarsening data with

no adjustable parameters will be collected and then

directly compared with theory. This will allow a greater

understanding of the factors controlling the morphology

of solid-liquid mixtures during coarsening. (First flight: 11A)

Diffusion-Controlled Crystallization Apparatus for

Microgravity (DCAM): The DCAM system can use the

liquid-liquid diffusion or dialysis method of protein crystal growth to produce high-quality single crystals of

selected proteins. Three DCAM trays, each with 27

chambers, are flown per PCG-STES or PCG-BAG. (First

flight: 11A)

Capillary Flow Experiment (CFE): The CFE hardware consists of two modules that have identical fluid

injection mechanisms and similarly sized test chambers. The experiment can be performed in the MSG or

as a stand-alone experiment. Its purpose is to provide

fundamental insight into the mechanics of capillary

flow that can be immediately applied by designers of

low-gravity fluids systems. Specifically, the experiment will produce conclusive data about large-lengthscale capillary flows, flow phenomena in complex

geometries, and critical damping resulting from moving

contact lines. The fluids used are benign, flight-qualified

silicone oil and immersion oil. (First flight: 12P)

In Space Soldering Investigation (ISSI): This investigation will study surface tension–driven convection phenomena as well as the microscale physics of the interfacial zone of molten metals. The soldering experiments

will consist of systematically investigating a number of

key solidification/fabrication parameters. (First flight: 12P)

Miscible Fluids in Microgravity (MFMG): The objectives of this investigation are twofold: 1) to determine

whether isothermal miscible fluids can exhibit transient

interfacial phenomena similar to those observed with

immiscible fluids; and 2) to determine whether miscible

fluids in a thermal gradient can exhibit transient interfacial phenomena similar to those observed with immiscible fluids. (First flight: 12P)

Glovebox Integrated Microgravity Isolation

Technology (g-LIMIT): G-LIMIT hardware is being

developed to provide attenuation of unwanted accelerations within the MSG; to characterize the MSG acceleration environment; and to demonstrate high-performance,

robust control technology. It will also be available to provide vibration isolation and measurement to other MSG

investigations. (First flight: ULF-1)

Physics of Colloids in Space Plus (PCS+) Experiment:

This investigation complements and extends the research

begun with the original PCS investigation, flown on

flight 6A. The PCS+ hardware consists of an avionics

section, a test section, auxiliary hardware, operating system hard drives, and mass data storage hard drives. It utilizes light scattering and rheological measurements to

investigate colloidal hard sphere disorder-order transitions as well as the properties of the resulting ordered

phase. (First flight: 12A.1)

Fiber Supported Droplet Combustion-3 (FSDC-3):

The objective of this investigation, utilizing the MSG, is

to provide critical data on multicomponent droplet combustion, which will enable the development of theoretical

models for use in multidroplet (spray) applications. The

FSDC-3 hardware consists of an experiment module, liquid fuel syringes, deployment needles, droplet tethers,

igniters, nozzles, diagnostics, and a computer control

interface. (First flight: 12A.1)

Observable Protein Crystal Growth Apparatus

(OPCGA): The OPCGA flight investigation hardware

comprises three major components: the mechanical system, the optical system, and the video data acquisition

and control system. The OPCGA hardware also provides

96 individual experiment cells with the capability to collect optical data on 72 cells. (First flight: 12A.1)

MICROGRAVITY EXPERIMENT HARDWARE 12

APPENDIX B
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Metastable Solution Structure in Protein Crystal

Growth (XLINK): The XLINK consists of the 

Low-Temperature, Low-Energy Carrier and Group

Activation Pack hardware. The objective of XLINK is to

study the presence and distribution of aggregates in solutions that lead to crystal growth of lysozyme and insulin.

The experiment will investigate the effects of gravity

on the formation of aggregates, the size distribution of

and/or average size of aggregates, and the transport of

the aggregates to the crystal surface. (First flight:

12A.1)

Delta-L: The Delta-L investigation will replace hardware previously known as the Interferometer for Protein

Crystal Growth. This MSG investigation will study the

crystal growth characteristics of biological macromolecules in microgravity. Data from Delta-L will be used to

verify the theory that growth rate dispersion plays a role

in crystal quality improvement in microgravity. (First

flight: 13A.1)

Smoke Points in Coflow Experiment (SPICE): This

investigation, using the MSG, evaluates the effect of oxidizer and fuel velocities on the laminar smoke point (the

propensity of flames to emit soot). The SPICE hardware

consists of an experiment module, 12 gaseous fuel bottle

assemblies, igniters, nozzles, and a video camera. (First

flight: 13A.1)

Shear History Extensional Rheology Experiment

(SHERE): SHERE will study the effects of pre-shear on

the transient evolution of the microstructure and viscoelastic tensile stresses for viscoelastic polymer solutions. The SHERE hardware consists of a rheometer

assembly, a camera arm, and a fluid module tray containing 25 fluid modules. Each fluid module contains a single sample for testing. (First flight: 15A)

Droplet Combustion Experiment-2 (DCE-2): DCE-2

will study single pure fuel droplet combustion in microgravity to better understand combustion kinetics through

droplet combustion extinction diameter measurements. It

will also improve the understanding of transient liquid

and gas phase phenomena. DCE-2 will be conducted in

the Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) designed specifically to support advanced combustion research in the

microgravity environment. DCE-2 is the first of four

experiments to use the Multiuser Droplet Combustion

Apparatus (MDCA) in the CIR. (First flight: ULF-2)

Bi-Component Droplet Combustion Experiment

(BCDCE): BCDCE will study bi-component fuel droplet

combustion in microgravity, where spherical symmetry is

approached in both gas and liquid phases of the droplet,

to better understand the transient buildup of the less

volatile component on the liquid side of the liquid/gas

interface. BCDCE will be conducted in the CIR. BCDCE

is the second experiment to use the MDCA in the CIR.

(First flight: ULF-2)

Candle Flames in Microgravity-2 (CFM-2): CFM-2

will exploit candle geometry as a platform for fundamental science and educational outreach to determine the

limiting oxygen concentration for a microgravity candle,

whether a steady microgravity candle flame can exist in

air, if the microgravity flame will oscillate for a prolonged period, and the interactions and extinction behavior between two neighboring flames. CFM-2 will be

operated in the MSG. (First flight: ULF-2)

Microheater Boiling Experiment (MABE): This experiment determines boiling heat transfer mechanisms and

tests the hypotheses that bubble coalescence is the primary bubble removal mechanism, heat is transferred by

small satellite bubbles, and heat transfer from the small

bubbles is not affected by gravity level. Specific experiment hardware consists of a set of miniature heaters and

heater controllers installed in the Boiling Experiment

Facility (BXF). The BXF itself will be operated in the

MSG. (First flight: ULF-2)

Nucleate Pool Boiling Experiment (NPBX): The objective of this experiment is to validate boiling models with

descriptions of such aspects as bubble growth and

departure at single nucleation sites, as well as bubble

merger, bubble-bubble interaction and vapor removal

from predesigned cavities on a heater surface during

quasistatic conditions. This experiment, like MABE,

will be performed in the BXF in the MSG. (First flight:

ULF-2)

Physics of Colloids in Space-3 (PCS-3): PCS-3 is a follow-on to the PCS and PCS+ experiments. Using the

same techniques of light scattering, PCS-3 will address

fundamental questions about nucleation, growth, morphology, and dynamics of binary colloidal crystal alloys,

colloid-polymer gels, fractals, anisometric colloids, and

colloidal glasses. It will examine samples provided by

three separate principal investigators. (First flight: 

ULF-2)

Payloads that are planned and/or in development and that have not yet been manifested are listed

below in alphabetical order.

Binary Colloidal Alloy Test-3 (BCAT-3): BCAT-3 is

being developed with the heritage from BCAT and

BCAT-2. BCAT-3 is designed to operate as a stand-alone

experiment in the ISS’s Maintenance Work Area. In

BCAT-3, the long-term behavior of crystals of binary

colloidal alloys will be studied in a microgravity environment, where the effects of sedimentation and convection are greatly reduced, to allow a better understanding

of colloids and how to engineer their properties. The

APPENDIX 

12 MICROGRAVITY EXPERIMENT HARDWAR
130 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

experiment’s predecessor, BCAT-2, was flown on the

Russian space station, Mir.

Biotechnology Facility (BTF): BTF, the next generation

of on-orbit cellular biotechnology hardware, serves as a

new platform for cellular research. BTF automates many

of the functions performed by the crew during the earlier

CBOSS experiments and allows for increased science

throughput. The Phase I BTF is a two-rack facility that

includes three Automated Stationary Culture System

units for processing various types of cells as supported

by two Gas Supply Module units to supply carbon

dioxide–enriched medical-grade air, and an Automated

Culture Water Assembly to create cell growth media.

BTF also provides cold storage at 4 °C, -80 °C, and 

-180 °C. The Phase II BTF will add a Multivessel

Rotating Bioreactor and data analysis equipment. 

Buoyancy-Driven Instabilities in Single-Bubble

Sonoluminescence (BDISL): This experiment will

quantify buoyancy-induced instabilities that may play a

dominant role in the mechanism for sonoluminescence

extinction. The influence of chemical instabilities will be

tested by using different gas-water concentrations.

BDISL will be operated in the MSG.

Colloidal Disorder-Order Transition-3 (CDOT-3)

Apparatus: This hardware fits in a glovebox and is used

to photograph samples of dispersions of very fine particles as they form various crystalline or gel structures.

This hardware was flown previously on the second

United States Microgravity Laboratory payload and on

STS-95.

Coupled Growth in Hypermonotectics (CGH):

Hypermonotectic alloys consist of two separated phases

not only in the solid, but also in the liquid. With liquids

of different densities, sedimentation of the denser phase

takes place on the ground. This Materials Science

Research Rack (MSRR) payload will help in elucidating

the theory behind the formation, and hence will improve

our ability to produce the desired structures on the

ground.

Chain Aggregation Investigation by Scattering

(CHAINS): This experiment will investigate the fluctuations and dynamics responsible for the cross-linking of

dipolar chains in magnetorheological fluids. CHAINS

will be operated in the MSG.

Comparison of Structure and Segregation in Alloys

Directionally Solidified in Terrestrial and

Microgravity Environments (CSS): The primary purpose of this MSRR payload is to compare the structure

and segregation in binary metallic alloys that are directionally solidified in terrestrial and low-gravity environments. 

Constrained Vapor Bubble (CVB): This experiment

will investigate heat conduction in microgravity as a

function of liquid volume and heat flow rate to determine, in detail, the transport process characteristics in a

curved liquid film. CVB is being developed to run in the

Light Microscopy Module (LMM) in the Fluids

Integrated Rack (FIR).

Dynamical Selection of Three-Dimensional Interface

Patterns in Directional Solidification (DSIP): The

objective of this investigation is to establish fundamental

principles that govern the spatial-temporal evolution of

cellular and dendritic interface patterns in directional

solidification. Low-gravity experiments will be used to

validate a rigorous numerical model of pattern evolution

dynamics that are currently being developed using the

phase-field approach.

Dynamics of Droplet Combustion and Extinction

(DDCE): This experiment will investigate the effects of

small convective flows on burning droplets to better

define the influences of such flows on the extinction

process. DDCE extends the knowledge generated in the

study of droplet combustion by DCE-2 and BCDCE

before it. DDCE is the fourth experiment to use the

MDCA in the CIR. 

Dynamics of Miscible Interfaces (MIDAS): This experiment will investigate the dynamics of miscible interfaces, as well as document flow fields and concentration

gradients near an evolving fluid interface within a precisely controlled, two-fluid flow system. MIDAS will be

operated in the DECLIC facility, developed by the

French space agency (CNES), in an EXPRESS Rack.

Foam Optics and Mechanics (FOAM): This experiment is being designed by the European Space Agency

(ESA) for operation in the ESA-developed Fluid Science

Laboratory. The objective of FOAM is to understand the

unusual nature of foam rheology in terms of behavior at

the bubble scale, the packing structure, the rearrangement dynamics, and the coarsening of foams via gas diffusion. Video microscopy, multiple light scattering, and

rheology techniques will be employed to examine foams

as a systematic function of liquid content, shear rate, and

foam age.

Forced Ignition and Spread Test (FIST): This experiment will validate a proposed new flammability test

methodology for homogeneous and composite materials

under environmental conditions found only in crewoccupied spacecraft or extraterrestrial habitats. FIST will

be conducted in the CIR. FIST is the first of at least five

experiments to use the Flow Enclosure Accommodating

Novel Investigations in Combustion of Solids (FEANICS) in the CIR. 

MICROGRAVITY EXPERIMENT HARDWARE 12

APPENDIX B
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Gravitational Effects on Distortion in Sintering

(GEDS): The GEDS apparatus will use the Low

Gradient Furnace (LGF). The microgravity Liquid Phase

Sintering (LPS) experiments contained in the GEDS

apparatus are designed to isolate gravity-porosity interactions with respect to densification, component distortion,

and underlying microstructure evolution. Findings from

this research will be used to improve modeling of LPS

by including gravity-porosity effects.

Interface Pattern Selection Criteria for Cellular

Structures in Directional Solidification (IPSIDS): The

objective of this MSRR payload is to obtain benchmark

data on cellular and dendritic growth under conditions

that produce negligible convection. Precise measurements of interface shape, cell/dendrite tip radius, tip

composition, and tip temperature as functions of composition, growth rate, and thermal gradient will be carried

out. These measurements will be used to characterize

conditions for the planar to cellular, shallow cells to deep

cells, and deep cells to dendrites transition.

Kinetics of Nucleation and Crystal Growth in Glass

Forming Melts in Microgravity (CROMIS): CROMIS

will investigate why glass forms more easily and is more

chemically homogeneous in microgravity than on Earth.

The flight experiment will include melting lithium disilicate, a glass with well-known properties, then treating it

at selected temperatures for different amounts of time at

each temperature. Measurements of the rates of nucleation and crystal growth in microgravity will be compared to those on Earth.

Levitation Observation of Dendrite Evolution in Steel

Ternary Alloy Rapid Solidification (LODESTARS):

This payload will help to develop a better understanding

of how nucleation and growth of the austenitic phase

affect phase selection in ternary steel alloys following

formation of a primary metastable ferritic dendritic

array.

Light Microscopy Module (LMM): LMM is a remotely controllable, automated, on-orbit microscope, allowing flexible scheduling and control of physical science

and potential biological science experiments within the

FIR on the ISS. Its key features include video microscopy,

confocal microscopy, laser tweezers, an oil immersion

system, thin-film interferometry, and spectrophotometry.

Particle Engulfment and Pushing by Solidifying

Interfaces (PEP): This investigation, which flew previously in the Middeck Glovebox, will study the effects

when two nonmixing alloys (immiscibles such as oil and

water) are stirred and frozen in normal gravity and then

melted and resolidified in microgravity. PEP will be conducted in the MSG.

Physics of Colloids in Space-2 (PCS-2): The objective

of PCS-2 is to carry out further investigation of critical

fundamental problems in colloid science and to fully

develop the evolving field of “colloid engineering,” as

well as to create materials with novel properties using

colloidal particles as precursors. PCS-2 is being developed to run in the LMM in the FIR.

Physics of Hard Spheres-2 (PHaSE-2): This experiment will investigate the growth, structure, and properties of hard sphere colloidal crystals in microgravity and

how applied fields affect these systems. PHaSE-2 is

being developed to run in the LMM in the FIR.

Quasicrystalline Alloys for Space Investigation

(QUASI): This payload will perform studies of aluminum-thulium and titanium/zirconium-thulium liquids

to better understand the local atomic structure of phases

in relation to undercooled liquids, the growth mechanism

for complex periodic and ordered nonperiodic phases,

and nucleation when the composition of initial and final

phases are different.

Quench Module Insert (QMI): QMI is being designed

for materials science research inside the Materials

Science Laboratory in MSRR-1. QMI is a high-temperature, Bridgman-type furnace with an actively cooled cold

zone. The apparatus will create an extremely high-temperature gradient for the directional solidification processing of metals and alloys. It is also capable of rapidly

freezing (quenching) samples at the liquid-solid interface, where most of the science takes place during directional solidification. 

Radiative Enhancement Effects on Flame Spread

(REEFS): This experiment will investigate the transport

and chemical effects of various atmospheres on flame

spread over solid fuel beds with emphasis on radiative

enhancements likely to be present in fires that may occur

in microgravity. REEFS is the second experiment to use

the FEANICS in the CIR. 

Reduction of Defects in Germanium-Silicon (RDGS):

The RDGS experiment will likely be conducted in the

LGF. RDGS investigates the mechanism leading to

detached crystal growth in the Bridgman configuration

and determines the parameters essential for the controlled use of the furnace for detached growth. A comparison of processing-induced defects in Bridgman,

detached Bridgman, and float-zone growth configurations in germanium-silicon crystals will be made. A

determination as to whether detached Bridgman or floatzone processing can produce germanium-silicon crystals

with fewer defects will also be made, and any differences will be quantified.

APPENDIX 

12 MICROGRAVITY EXPERIMENT HARDWAR
132 ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Smoke: Increasing mission durations and the expanded

size of habitable space aboard spacecraft require enhanced

fire detection capability. This experiment will improve the

ability to detect spacecraft fires by studying the particle

size distribution of smoke generated in microgravity.

Results from research conducted as part of the United

States Microgravity Payload in 1996, indicate that smoke

structure changes significantly in low gravity. Current ISS

and space shuttle smoke detectors were designed based

upon data collected in Earth’s gravity. The Smoke experiment is being designed for operation in the MSG. 

Sooting and Radiation Effects in Droplet Combustion

(SEDC): This experiment will investigate the effects of

sooting and radiation influences on the overall burning

behavior of droplets by means of optical and intrusive

techniques. SEDC extends the knowledge generated in

the study of droplet combustion by DCE-2 and BCDCE

before it. SEDC is the third experiment to use the

MDCA in the CIR.

Spaceflight Holography Investigation in a Virtual

Apparatus (SHIVA): SHIVA will record particle motion

in a fluid using holographic data. SHIVA plans to use the

MSG and possibly g-LIMIT.

Transient Interfacial Phenomena in Miscible Polymer

Systems (TIPMIPS): This experiment will measure the

fluid flow induced by a temperature gradient along the

interface between a polymer and its monomer and the

fluid flow induced by a variation in the initial width of

the interface between a polymer and its monomer. TIPMIPS will also determine if Marangoni instability can

occur at a miscible interface and if a bubble driven by a

temperature gradient penetrates a miscible interface.

Ultraviolet-Visible-Infrared Spectrophotometer

(UVIS): This experiment will provide spectrophotometry

capabilities from 200 nanometers to 2,400 nanometers to

determine the photonic band structures of crystals and

support future fluid physics and biotechnology experiments. UVIS will be operated in the MSG.

Water Mist: This experiment will investigate how different sizes and concentrations of droplets will affect a

thin layer of flame, known as a laminar flame. The Water

Mist investigation is developed by the Center for

Commercial Applications of Combustion in Space and

will be conducted in the CIR.

Wetting Characteristics of Immiscibles (WCI): The

WCI investigation, which flew previously in the

Middeck Glovebox, will study the effects when two nonmixing alloys are stirred and frozen in normal gravity

and then melted and resolidified in microgravity. WCI

will be conducted in the MSG.

The Physical Sciences Research Division currently has two unpressurized payload candidates in addition to the Low-Temperature Microgravity Physics

Facility. These payloads are described below.

Primary Atomic Reference Clock in Space (PARCS):

The PARCS investigation will measure various predictions of Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity, including gravitational frequency shift and the local position

invariance on the rate of clocks. PARCS will also

achieve a realization of the second, a fundamental unit of

time, as a function of the energy difference between two

atomic levels in a cesium atom at an order of magnitude

better than that achievable on Earth.

Rubidium Atomic Clock Experiment (RACE): The

RACE investigation will interrogate rubidium (87Rb)

atoms one to two orders of magnitude more precisely

than Earth-based systems, achieving frequency uncertainties in the 10-16 to 10-17 range. RACE will improve

clock tests of general relativity, advance clock limitation,

and distribute accurate time and frequency from the ISS. 

The following international payloads are

planned for the ISS.

Apparatus for the Study of Material Growth and

Liquids Behavior Near Their Critical Point

(DECLIC): The DECLIC facility is being developed by

CNES in cooperation with Glenn Research Center in

Cleveland, Ohio, to provide an autonomous or tele-operated capability at middeck locker–scale to accommodate

research on high-pressure samples of fluids near their

critical points, transparent materials systems during

solidification, and other fluids experiments that are compatible with available diagnostics. Through cooperative

interagency agreements (signed in 2000), NASA will

provide launch, integration, and resources for DECLIC

and will share in the utilization of the facility. 

Fluid Science Laboratory (FSL): The FSL is part of

ESA’s Microgravity Facilities for Columbus Programme.

It will support basic and applied research in fluid physics

under microgravity conditions. The design provides easy

exchange of FSL modules in the case of upgrades and

modifications. The facility can be operated in fully automatic mode, following a preprogrammed sequence of commands, or in semiautomatic telescience mode, enabling the

user to interact with the facility in quasi–real time from the

ground. This will allow scientists to follow the evolution of

their experiments and to provide feedback on the data they

receive at the ground station.

MICROGRAVITY EXPERIMENT HARDWARE 12

APPENDIX B