NASA’S MICROGRAVITY RESEARCH PROGRAM

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration

George C. Marshall Space Flight Center

Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama 35812

NASA/TM – 2000-210615

NASA’S MICROGRAVITY RESEARCH PROGRAM

ANNUAL

REPORT

ANNUAL

REPORT
On the front cover...

In FY 99, the microgravity biotechnology program investigated the structure of macromolecules

through Earth- and space-grown crystals and conducted experiments in tissue engineering and basic

cellular functions both in ground laboratories and in

orbit. These cells were isolated from cartilage grown

on Russian Space Station Mir. Gray areas (green on

cover) indicate the presence of estaserase, a key

metabolic enzyme.

Discovering how processing affects the structure

and properties of materials is the focus of the materials science discipline. A microgravity environment

allows a simpler view of the relationship of processing to structure. Several experiments have been conducted and are planned for investigating the

formation of dendrites, a common microstructure in

metals. This dendrite of pivalic acid was formed

during a microgravity shuttle mission.

The study of combustion science in microgravity

contributes to the basic understanding of the combustion process and of how to prevent and control

burning on Earth and in space. This photo was taken

during an experiment on candle flames that took

place on Mir.

Fluid physicists participate in the microgravity

program to understand the fundamentals of fluid

behavior under various conditions. Microgravity

experiments investigating liquid drops have contributed to our knowledge of microscopic and

macroscopic processes, from the way atomic nuclei

undergo fission to how planets are formed. This

photo was taken during a drop experiment conducted

on the space shuttle.

Physicists use a microgravity environment to

help them discover and understand the laws governing our universe. Accurate clocks are important

research tools in such experiments. Physicists in the

microgravity program are developing a clock to be

flown on the International Space Station that will be

the most accurate clock to date and will be available

to everyone as a research tool. An artist’s rendering

of this clock is pictured here.
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Table of Contents

Executive Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Microgravity Research Conducted in FY 1999 . . . 8

Biotechnology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Combustion Science . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Fluid Physics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Fundamental Physics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Materials Science. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Acceleration Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Outreach and Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

For More Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Program Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Acronyms and Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

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Thermocapillary flow induced by a bubble on Earth is greatly

influenced by its inevitable interactions with buoyancy-driven convection. These pictures show steady-state flow fields generated by

an air bubble in a surrounding fluid (silicone oil) in normal gravity

(top) and microgravity (bottom). 

Due to a reduction in buoyancy-induced flows, flames in

microgravity experience a change in the onset of soot release and a

change in flame shape when compared to flames in normal gravity.

The top series of images shows onset of soot release occurring in the

annular shell at the flame tip (3rd flame from right). The middle

series of low-velocity microgravity flames shows that the onset of

soot release occurs in the annular layer, but that the flame shape is

flat before the onset (4th flame from right). The bottom series of

high-velocity microgravity flames shows that the onset of soot

release occurs at the center of the flame (third flame from left).

In an atom laser on the ground, atoms fall under the influence

of gravity, producing a nonlinear dispersion of matter waves (top).

An artist’s concept of an atom laser in space (bottom) shows that

coherent matter waves propagate free from gravity’s perturbation.

Many materials are available only as a powder. To achieve high

density in components shaped from these materials a process

known as liquid-phase sintering is often used. However, when the

liquid forms, the component can distort under its own weight (top

photo). The same type of compact when sintered in microgravity

generally attains a spherical shape (bottom).

Some genes respond to microgravity as evidenced by this

graph of spaceflight experiment results, which shows that of 10,000

genes expressed by human kidney cells, 1,600 genes changed their

expression levels when in microgravity. (Shear stress and heat shock

proteins are shown as green dots, transcription factors as red dots. A

change in expression is denoted by movement along the x and y axes.)

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On the back cover...

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Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), located in Huntsville,

Alabama, serves as NASA’s lead center for the Microgravity

Research Program (MRP). To support that work, MSFC’s

Microgravity Research Program Office (MRPO) is responsible for

advancing the microgravity mission through the coordination of

microgravity science research at NASA field centers, at universities,

and with industry partners. Basic and applied research in the five

microgravity disciplines (biotechnology, combustion science, fluid

physics, fundamental physics, and materials science) and work

conducted on behalf of the MRP’s acceleration measurement,

glovebox, and technology programs are managed by the MRPO

and implemented at the following NASA centers: the Jet

Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, which manages

investigations in fundamental physics and is responsible for

microgravity technology development and transfer activities;

Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, which manages the

cellular biotechnology discipline; Glenn Research Center in

Cleveland, Ohio, which manages studies in the combustion science

and fluid physics disciplines as well as microgravity measurement

and analysis support services for all the microgravity science

disciplines; and MSFC, which, in addition to serving as NASA’s

lead center for the MRP, manages research in the macromolecular

biotechnology and materials science disciplines and is responsible

for the microgravity glovebox program. The MRP’s program

goals for fiscal year (FY) 1999 follow:

Executive Summary 1

To use the microgravity environment of space as a tool to

advance knowledge; to use space as a laboratory to explore the nature

of physical phenomena, contributing to progress in science and technology on Earth; and to study the role of gravity in technological

processes, building a scientific foundation for understanding the consequences of gravitational environments beyond Earth’s boundaries.

— From the Microgravity Research Program’s Mission Statement

Goal 1

Sustain a leading-edge research program

focused in the areas of biotechnology, combustion

science, fluid physics, fundamental physics, and

materials science that effectively engages the

national research community.

Goal 2

Foster an interdisciplinary community to promote

synergy, creativity, and value in carrying out the

research program.

Goal 3

Enable research through the development of an

appropriate infrastructure of ground-based facilities,

diagnostic capabilities, and flight facilities/opportunities, and promote the use of smaller apparatus.

Goal 4

Promote the exchange of scientific knowledge

and technological advances among academic,

governmental, and industrial communities.

Disseminate results to the general public and to

educational institutions.

Goal 5

Raise the awareness of the microgravity research

community regarding the long-term direction of

NASA’s Human Exploration and Development of

Space Enterprise, and discuss with the community

the role of microgravity research in support of

agency objectives.
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Performance Goals

While the five program goals listed above are qualitative and

program-oriented, the MRP has also developed a set of performance

goals that describe specific activities, methods for implementation,

and planned outcomes. In addition to guiding the progress of the

program, these goals will also serve as measuring sticks, allowing

quantitative evaluation of the program. The performance goals were

developed in response to the general call to reinvent government

and the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, which

directs agencies within the executive branch to develop customerfocused strategic plans that align their activities with concrete mission

and goal statements. Performance goals have been developed that

support the MRP mission to use the microgravity environment of

space as a tool to advance knowledge; to use space as a laboratory to

explore the nature of physical phenomena, contributing to progress

in science and technology on Earth; and to study the role of gravity

in technological processes, building a scientific foundation for

understanding the consequences of gravitational environments

beyond Earth’s boundaries.

The MRP performance goals were finalized in FY 1998 in

fulfillment of Congress’ mandate and were used in FY 1999 to

assess the program’s progress. The MRP performance goals and an

update on progress in FY 1999 are listed in Table 1. Further

information on projects supporting each goal is available online at:

http://microgravity.hq.nasa.gov/research.htm.

Table 1 MRP Performance Goals and Progress in FY 1999

1.21 — Sustain a leading biotechnology research program that will assure continued

scientific and technical leadership.

1.22 — Enable increased combustion system efficiency, reduced pollution, and mitigation of fire risks through insights and databases obtainable only through

microgravity experiments.

1.23 — Pursue groundbreaking basic research in fluid physics and transport phenomena

to provide fundamental understanding of natural phenomena affected by

gravity for increased efficiency and effectiveness of space-based and

industrial processes.

1.24 — Unlock mysteries of the universe by exploring the frontiers of physics

obscured by Earth’s gravity, using laboratories in space. 

1.25 — Use microgravity to establish and improve quantitative and predictive relationships

between the structure, processing, and properties of materials.

1.9 — Successfully test a fundamental tenet of general relativity by completing an

internationally funded Satellite Test of the Equivalence Principle project by 2005.

2.2 — Identify materials processing issues and propose/test processing strategies to

enable human operations on the surface of the Moon/Mars using In-Situ

Resource Utilization (ISRU) concepts.

Goal Progress in FY 1999

103 biotechnology investigations were supported

in FY 1999.

72 combustion science investigations were supported

in FY 1999.

86 fluid physics investigations were supported in

FY 1999.

49 fundamental physics investigations were

supported in FY 1999.

105 materials science investigations were supported

in FY 1999.

1 fundamental physics investigation was supported

in FY 1999.

2 investigations were supported in FY 1999.
3

Program Highlights in FY 1999

• The MRP conducted broad, productive, Earth- and spacebased research, including the first-ever expression of new

genes under microgravity conditions in the bioreactor during

the STS-90 mission, which flew in March 1998. This

research revealed that the microgravity environment of space

fundamentally affects cellular processes and alters gene

expression. The research represents the first application of

recently developed gene array techniques to the understanding

of changes in cellular function in space. 

• Exciting fundamental research results from fluid physics

colloids experiments were obtained on the STS-95 mission,

which flew in October 1998. The Colloidal Gelation experiment

yielded insight into the formation of gels, near-rigid networks

of particles. This work is the essential first step in the synthesis

of new materials from colloidal particles. The Colloidal

Disorder-Order Transition experiment yielded insight into

the physics of the structure of materials at the atomic scale.

Colloid systems were used to macroscopically model particle

interactions among atoms.

2.4 — Develop methods, databases, and validating tests for material flammability

characterization, hazard reduction, and fire detection/suppression strategies

for spacecraft and extraterrestrial habitats.

2.5 — Advance the state of knowledge sufficiently to enable dust-control technologies

and bulk materials handling for extraterrestrial habitats and/or ISRU.

2.6 — Advance the state of knowledge sufficiently to allow development of reliable

and efficient heat transfer technology for space and extraterrestrial operations. 

2.7 — Advance the state of knowledge sufficiently to allow development of effective fluid management technology for space and extraterrestrial and

industrial operations.

2.8 — Establish the knowledge base required to design chemical process systems for

exploration missions.

2.9 — Determine the potential use of bioreactors to provide biological materials

supporting long-duration space travel.

2.10 — Develop new probe technologies that use living cells or subcellular components

to survey the impacts of extreme environments on terrestrial life. 

2.11 — Adapt precision measurement and control technologies developed by fundamental physics research activities to solve the needs of human and

robotic exploration of space.

4.1 — Involve Americans in the adventure of space exploration by sharing discoveries;

expand educational opportunities by opening participation in NASA’s

Microgravity Research Program.

8 investigations were supported in FY 1999.

8 investigations were supported in FY 1999.

19 investigations were supported in FY 1999.

3 investigations were supported in FY 1999.

12 investigations were supported in FY 1999.

12 investigations were supported in FY 1999.

5 investigations were supported in FY 1999.

2 investigations were supported in FY 1999.

Microgravity educational products were down-loaded

from microgravity web sites by more than 168,000

users.
• Spacecraft fire safety data were verified through cooperative

American/Russian experiments on Russian Space Station Mir.

The flammability of selected United States–supplied plastic

materials was tested under microgravity conditions in a combustion

tunnel supplied by Russia. The data were compared to reference

testing of the flammability, heat release, thermal properties, and

combustion products of identical materials in ground laboratories

at both the Russian Keldysh Research Center and at Johnson

Space Center’s White Sands Test Facility.

• Spacecraft radiation safety was advanced with an understanding

of the fundamental processes and appropriate materials for

shielding the spacecraft from space radiation. Progress included

the development of transport code and a nuclear database for

evaluation of spacecraft shielding; the assembly of a database

of 75 important materials, which are being characterized

according to their shielding properties; and an understanding

of the production of neutrons from collisions with spacecraft

shielding materials.

• Optical particle manipulation technologies called laser tweezers

and laser scissors, which were developed for colloids research,

are being applied to in-vitro fertilization research at University

Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. Interest in using the “tweezers” as

a noncontact method for manipulating gametes and embryos in

the laboratory prompted the collaboration with NASA microgravity researchers. In addition, cell fusion studies using laser

tweezers and scissors may be performed by bringing two cells

into contact and ablating the cell wall where they touch. 

• Feasibility testing of the Magneto-Optical Trap for studies in

fundamental physics was completed with the successful ground

demonstration of the technology. This technology will enable

significant increases in timekeeping and enable a broad range of

general relativity experiments in microgravity. The technology

has been baselined for upcoming fundamental physics research

on the International Space Station.

• Furthering the MRP’s continuing efforts to communicate and

interact with the industrial sector, an Industry Liaison Board

was formed through an initiative of the National Center for

Microgravity Research on Fluids and Combustion. The board,

convened by William Ballhaus, vice president of Lockheed

Martin Corporation, made an initial set of recommendations

for how NASA could enhance the value of its microgravity

research on fluids and combustion for the industrial sector.

Reaching out to the community in order to increase the awareness

of NASA’s microgravity activities is mandated by the MRP’s mission

statement and program goals and helps to maintain the strength and

relevance of its science program. The following are highlights of

education and outreach activities in FY 1999:

• Microgravity News, a quarterly update on NASA’s Microgravity

Research Program, reached increasing numbers of people in the

past year. The total distribution for each issue of the newsletter

grew to more than 10,800 copies in calendar year 1999. 

• Through NASA’s Graduate Student Research Program, 14

graduate students received funding to perform ground-based

microgravity research, supporting a commitment to encourage

the next generation of microgravity researchers.

• Microgravity science posters, teacher’s guides, mathematics

briefs, microgravity demonstrator manuals, and supplemental

curricular materials were made available to more than 44,700

elementary and secondary school teachers and administrators in

attendance at annual meetings of science, technology, and mathematics teacher’s associations.
Table 2 FY 1995–1999 Research Task Summary: Overview Information and Statistics

(includes some continuing projects at no additional cost)

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This fiscal year (FY) 1999 report describes key elements of

the NASA Microgravity Research Program (MRP) as conducted

by the Microgravity Research Division (MRD) within NASA’s

Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications. The

program’s goals, approach taken to achieve those goals, and available

resources are summarized. A “snapshot” of the program’s status

at the end of FY 1999 and a review of highlights and progress in

ground- and flight-based research are provided. Also described

are major space missions that flew during FY 1999, plans for

utilization of the research potential of the International Space

Station, technology development, and various education and

outreach activities. The MRP supports investigators from

academia, industry, and government research communities

needing a space environment to study phenomena directly or

indirectly affected by gravity.

Because they are natural extensions of traditional Earth-based

laboratory science, the experiments conducted under the MRP

benefit from the stable, long-duration microgravity environment

available on orbiting spacecraft. The microgravity environment

affords substantially reduced buoyancy forces, hydrostatic pressures,

and sedimentation rates, allowing gravity-related phenomena to

be isolated and controlled, and permitting measurements to be

made with an accuracy that cannot be achieved in ground-based

laboratories.

Table 2 summarizes information from the Microgravity

Science and Applications Program Tasks and Bibliography for FY

1999 that may be of particular interest to the reader. Data for FY

1995–1998 are shown for comparison with FY 1999 statistics.

Introduction 2

Number of principal investigators

Number of co-investigators

Number of research tasks

Total number of bibliographic listings

■ Proceeding papers

■ Journal articles

■ NASA technical briefs

■ Science/technical presentations

■ Books/chapters

Number of patents applied for or awarded

Number of students funded

Number of degrees granted based

on MRD-funded research

Number of states with funded research

(including District of Columbia)

FY MRD Budget ($ in millions)

FY 1995 FY 1996 FY 1997 FY 1998 FY 1999

290 358 329 377 409

287 396 375 446 487

347 508 414 465 485

1,200 1,573 1,428 1,868 2,280

140 237 177 305 350

526 600 576 683 905

11 14 10 31 30

509 706 647 823 962

14 16 18 26 33

1 2 4 8 26

534 780 748 853 969

178 247 243 277 368

34 35 36 36 36

163.5 159 105.3 100.4 113.7
Table 3 Microgravity Research Tasks and Types by Fiscal Year

(responsibilities by center) 

95 96 97 98 99 95 96 97 98 99 95 96 97 98 99 95 96 97 98 99

Center Ground Flight ATD* Center Totals

The Microgravity Research Program supports both basic

and applied research in five key areas:

• Biotechnology — focusing on macromolecular crystal

growth as well as the use of the unique space environment to

assemble and grow mammalian tissue.

• Combustion science — focusing on the processes of ignition,

flame propagation, and extinction during combustion of

gaseous, liquid, and solid fuels, and on combustion synthesis

in a low-gravity environment.

• Fluid physics — including aspects of fluid dynamics and

transport phenomena affected by the presence of gravity.

• Fundamental physics — including the study of critical phenomena; low-temperature, atomic, and gravitational physics;

and other areas of fundamental physics where significant

advantages exist for studies in a low-gravity environment.

• Materials science — including electronic and photonic materials,

glasses and ceramics, polymers, and metals and alloys.

Experiments in these areas are typically directed at providing

a better understanding of gravity-dependent physical phenomena

and exploring phenomena obscured by the effects of gravity.

Scientific results are used to challenge or validate contemporary

scientific theories, identify and describe new experimental techniques

that are unique to the low-gravity environment, and engender

the development of new theories explaining unexpected results.

These results and the improved understanding accompanying

them can lead to improved combustion efficiency and fire safety;

reduced combustion-generated pollutants; the development of

new technologies in industries as varied as medicine, chemical

processing, and materials processing; the development or

improvement of pharmaceuticals; and the expansion of fundamental knowledge in a broad range of science disciplines destined

to become the foundation for scientific and technological discoveries

in the future.

A complementary document to this MRP annual report is

the Microgravity Research Division Program Tasks and Bibliography

for FY 1999, available online at http://microgravity.hq.nasa.gov/

research.htm. Detailed information on the research tasks funded

by the MRD during FY 1999 is listed in that report, which serves

as an excellent reference for supplementary information to this

annual report. Also of interest is the NASA Microgravity Science

and Applications Program Strategic Plan, issued in June 1993, a

guide for development and implementation of the MRP plans

and activities to the year 2000. The Marshall Space Flight Center

(MSFC) Strategic Implementation Plan, January 1996, describes

MSFC’s lead center role for the MRP.

Table 3 lists the number of research tasks and types performed

at each NASA center for FY 1995–1999.

Glenn Research Center 125 203 137 152 163 32 46 40 44 43 6 6 7 6 5 163 255 184 202 211

Jet Propulsion Laboratory 28 45 23 42 40 5 7 5 9 9 3 3 3 3 3 36 55 31 54 52

Johnson Space Center 34 32 42 37 55 1 1 1 1 2 0 1 1 1 1 35 34 44 39 58

Marshall Space Flight Center 76 124 117 127 135 25 32 31 39 39 6 4 5 3 4 107 160 153 169 178

Research Task Totals 266 406 319 358 393 65 87 78 93 93 16 15 17 13 13 347 508 414 464 499

* Advanced Technology Development
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Table 4 shows the distribution of principal investigators by state, including the District of Columbia.

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25

15

5

6

10

5

5

67

2

40

29

8

1

4

3 29

4

23 2 9

2

27

6

7 1

21

13

13

5 3

1

3

3

1

6

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Microgravity Research Division

409* Principal Investigators funded in

36 states including the District of Columbia

+_ includes investigators that may not 

have received FY 1999 funds

DEDCRI- MACTNJMDTable 4 FY 1999 Microgravity Research Division Principal Investigators by State
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3 Microgravity Research Conducted in FY 1999

Biotechnology

Biotechnology is the application of knowledge concerning

biological systems for the production of consumer goods or services.

The Microgravity Research Program’s biotechnology discipline

furthers the advancement of biotechnology by sponsoring

research activities involving both spaceflight and ground-based

experiments. The fields most affected by this research are medicine and agriculture. Biotechnology also supports a broad range

of manufacturing industries, since processes that use biological

components or mimic biological systems can be used for a variety

of purposes including the creation of new materials, the removal

of contaminants, and the improvement of the efficiency of

chemical reactions. In addition, biotechnology applications are

important to NASA because they provide enabling technology

for space exploration.

Research in the microgravity biotechnology program

includes investigations in both molecular science and cellular science.

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) serves as the managing

center for the biotechnology discipline and directly oversees molecular research within the discipline. The Johnson Space Center

arm of the program manages projects involving cellular and tissue

research. Sponsored projects emerge from three categories: (1)

projects that use the space environment for research purposes; (2)

ground-based experiments that improve our ability to use space

as a research tool; and (3) research that enables space exploration.

Currently funded research projects include studies of cellular

development, tissue engineering, biomaterials, radiation effects,

the crystallization of biological materials, molecular structure,

and the purification of biological materials. 

Large, living organisms are constructed of systems of

organs, each of which comprises specific tissues. These in turn

are composed of cells, which contain billions of biological molecules. These biological molecules are much larger and more

complex than nonbiological molecules. The unique chemical

traits of these molecules are the foundation of life. A primary

goal of the biological sciences is to determine how these molecules

are constructed. This allows scientists to determine how they

interact and react with other molecules, and in turn, to understand

how cells function, how tissues form, and how an organism grows,

lives, and dies. The research conducted under the biotechnology

discipline focuses on the fundamental bases of how an organism

functions at the molecular and cellular levels.

Molecular Science Overview

The shape and chemical components of biological macromolecules determine their function. These molecules, mostly

proteins and nucleic acids, perform or regulate all the functions

necessary to maintain life. Thus, how a living organism functions

must be comprehended at the molecular level. Understanding

the function of a living organism is a complex task. About

100,000 different types of biological macromolecules are at work

in the human body. Substructures that make up these molecules

are called folds. There are an estimated 10,000 different types of

folds found in nature. 

An organism’s genetic code controls the production of its

molecules. Small differences between codes can result in major

differences between organisms. For example, humans and apes

share over 99 percent of the same genetic code. Small errors in

an organism’s code can cause misformed molecules that can

result in genetic defects and susceptibility to disease.

The most common way to study the structure of biological

molecules is called crystallography. Scientists first produce and

purify a significant amount of a molecule and then grow crystals

of the material. If the crystals are of sufficient quality, an X-ray

beam shining through the crystal can be used to produce a distinct

pattern of diffracted light. This diffraction pattern is unique to

the molecules that make up the crystal. Computer codes can then

be used to decipher the pattern and estimate the size, shape, and

structural composition of the molecule. The quality of the estimate

is largely determined by the quality of the crystal. This structural

information is vital in understanding how the molecule works.

The shape and composition of the molecule determines what other

molecules can and will interact with it. The analogies of a key

fitting in a lock or a hand in a glove are often used to describe

how one molecule in the body interacts with another. 

Scientists from a number of different fields specialize in the

study of biological macromolecules. Drug designers are particularly interested in molecules found in the human body. If a drug

is of the wrong molecular shape, size, or chemical function it is

likely to have no effect, or even worse, react with molecules that

it was not designed for. Molecular information is also important

to genetic engineers, scientists who chemically alter genetic codes

to make species with desirable properties. For example, yeast

has been engineered to make insulin, the molecule used to treat

diabetes. In addition, genetic engineering is used to make crop

plants more productive. Molecular knowledge is also the key to

understanding how some species function, survive, and thrive in

extreme environments such as arctic regions, volcanic vents, and

In fiscal year (FY) 1999, researchers in the Microgravity Research Program’s five science disciplines — biotechnology, combustion science,

fluid physics, fundamental physics, and materials science — worked to advance human understanding of fundamental physical phenomena

and processes through their investigations, which quantify the effects of and overcome the limitations imposed by gravity. Ground-based

experiments, coupled with experiments selected for flight definition, comprise a compelling and coherent strategy for understanding and

using the microgravity space environment. Highlights of research activity in FY 1999 are presented for each science discipline.
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nuclear reactors. An example of this ability to survive in extreme

conditions is found in a cold-water fish that produces a natural

antifreeze in its blood. 

Living organisms make large, complex, and in many cases,

multifunctional molecules that cannot be produced using nonliving materials. Therefore, materials scientists may require the

use of living systems to make some types of complex materials.

For example, one class of molecules, known as enzymes, catalyzes

chemical reactions. Enzymes could be used in industrial

processes to chemically convert waste or pollutants to innocuous

or useful material. An enzyme can be viewed as a molecularsized manufacturing plant — it takes other molecules and converts

them to something else. In this sense, enzymes are the ultimate

in nanotechnology. 

The microgravity biotechnology program has sponsored

research devoted to improving the ability of scientists to obtain

information about biological molecules. The primary thrust of

the research has been to use the spaceflight environment to perform

experiments. In orbit, the effects of buoyancy are nearly negligible.

Fluid flows due to density differences are greatly reduced.

Sedimentation virtually disappears. The reduction of these effects

can be a big advantage to a scientist. For example, crystals grown

slowly from a solution tend to be of better quality. However,

buoyancy-driven fluid flows inherent on Earth tend to speed the

formation of solution-grown crystals. In addition, when an

investigator tries to purify molecules by separating them from

impurities on Earth, buoyancy-driven fluid flows may keep the

impurities and molecules mixed. Spaceflight offers researchers

an opportunity to avoid these problems. 

The biotechnology discipline also funds a robust program of

ground-based molecular research. Sponsored studies include the

analysis of biological crystals, methods to control the quality of

crystals, the formation of substrates made from biological materials,

catalytic decomposition of sewage, separation technology, and

studies of molecules found in species living in extreme conditions.

Molecular Science Program Highlights in Fiscal

Year (FY) 1999 

• Gray Bunick, of Oak National Laboratory, reported at the

American Crystallographic Association (ACA) meeting that

his laboratory had determined the structure of the nucleosome

core particle to high resolution. The structure was determined

using crystals grown in the Diffusion-Controlled Crystallization Apparatus for Microgravity (DCAM) during the

series of space shuttle flights to Russian Space Station Mir.

The nucleosome core particle is found in all cells around the

DNA, but its function is poorly understood.

• Crystals of the enzymes RNAse P and 8-oxo-dGTPase

grown by the University of Alabama, Birmingham (UAB),

on the STS-95 mission in October 1998 diffracted to better

resolution than had been achieved previously. The enzymes

regulate RNA production and repair of DNA, respectively. 

• Development of high-brilliance X-ray diffraction equipment

continued. Diffraction systems that rely on tens of watts of

power as opposed to kilowatts of power were tested and

shown to be feasible. The work was performed in a cooperative

agreement with New Century Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and the

National Institutes of Health (NIH). Several diffraction data

sets have been obtained.

• Research conducted by Denis Wirtz, of Johns Hopkins

University, was published in the prestigious journal Nature.

The article, titled “Dynamics of Individual Flexible Polymers

in a Shear Flow,” describes how the shape of large molecules

can be affected by fluid flow. Polymeric material was observed

to exhibit large changes in shape depending on the fluid shear.

These observations may be applicable to biological molecules.

• A patent was issued for a blood replacement/expander

product co-owned by NASA and New Century

Pharmaceuticals. Walter Reed Army Hospital has signed

a cooperative agreement with the pharmaceutical company

and will conduct tests on the blood substitute. The patent

resulted from research conducted by Daniel Carter, of New

Century Pharmaceuticals, on serum albumin.

• A team consisting of Edward Snell, of the Universities

Space Research Association; Craig Kundrot, of MSFC;

Gloria Borgstahl, of the University of Toledo; and Henry

Bellamy, of Stanford University, has been awarded 40 days

of beamtime over the next two years at the Stanford

Synchrotron. The project supports three current NASA

Research Announcement (NRA) grants for which Snell,

Kundrot, and Borgstahl serve as either principal investigators

or co-investigators. Approximately half of all molecular

structures reported are determined using data from synchrotrons. Despite the difficulty in obtaining beamtime,

use of the facility is sought after because its high-intensity

beams enable most difficult structures to be determined.

Molecular Science Meetings, Awards, and Publications 

The 18th General Assembly of the International Union of

Crystallography, held once every three years, took place in

Glasgow, Scotland, August 4–13, 1999. More than 2,200 crystallographers from 53 different countries attended. NASA, in

coordination with the ACA and the International Center for

Diffraction Data, funded more than 20 U.S. crystallographers

to attend and present their results. Many expressed their thanks

to NASA in the ACA newsletter. NASA also sponsored a session

chaired by Edward Snell titled “New Frontiers in Macromolecular

Crystallization.” A number of NASA-funded experiments were

presented to the international community at the meeting, including talks by flight investigators Craig Kundrot and Lawrence

DeLucas, of UAB. NASA ground-based researchers were also

well-represented at the meeting, with several talks and many

posters in the sessions.
0

Three meetings were held with a task group of the National

Academy of Science of the National Research Council (NRC).

This task group was established to examine NASA’s plans for

biotechnology research on the International Space Station (ISS).

The task group is expected to provide critical assessments of all

aspects of the biotechnology program during the group’s yearlong review, which will culminate in a formal published report

in the spring of 2000. Chairing the task group was Paul Sigler,

of Yale University. Membership on the panel includes experts in

macromolecular science and cell science. 

The NASA biotechnology program assisted and partially

funded the ACA’s annual meeting. Several NASA investigators

served as session chairs and presenters. Most of the research

groups performing molecular-based science and funded by the

biotechnology discipline were represented and made presentations

on their research. 

Onofrio Annunziata, of Texas Christian University, and his

research team, including John Albright, won the Linus Pauling

prize at the ACA annual meeting. The award recognized a poster

presentation describing measurements of diffusivities of biological

macromolecules. The measurement technique was shown to be

useful for determining the electrostatic charge on the molecules.

Peter Vekilov, of the University of Alabama, Huntsville, was

one of 12 Americans invited to be speakers at the Third International Conference on Molecular Structural Biology. The conference

is one of the most respected in the field of molecular science. 

At NASA headquarters in June 1999, NASA Administrator

Daniel Goldin presented Alexander McPherson, of the University

of California, Irvine (UCI), with the Exceptional Scientific

Achievement Medal, which was awarded to just three scientists

this year. McPherson is considered the nation’s foremost authority

on macromolecular crystallization. The McPherson Laboratory

at UCI serves as a hub for scientific cooperation among scientists

from Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, and the United States.

Molecular Science Flight Experiments

Nine types of biological macromolecules were flown on

STS-95 in October 1998 using the Protein Crystallization

Apparatus for Microgravity (PCAM). The principal investigator

(PI) for the experiment was Daniel Carter. 

Crystals of EF hand proteins grown using PCAM on the

first Microgravity Science Laboratory (MSL–1) mission were

found to diffract to 0.9-angstrom resolution. This is one of the

higher resolutions ever achieved with a biological macromolecule. EF hand proteins are important in regulating calcium and

magnesium ions involved in signaling in the nervous system.

This research, conducted by Declercq (Université Catholique de

Louvain) and its partners, was published in Protein Science and

the Journal of Crystal Growth.

Crystals grown in DCAM during the Mir/shuttle flight

series are being studied by neutron diffraction. Carter, the PI for

the experiments, reports that one molecular structure has been

determined using neutron diffraction, and two others are in

progress. Only 12 structures of biological molecules have ever

been attempted by this technique. The technique requires exceptionally large crystals, which have been successfully produced in

spaceflight experiments in DCAM.

Nineteen types of biological molecules were flown on STS-95

using the Vapor-Diffusion Apparatus and the Commercial

Vapor-Diffusion Apparatus. Lawrence DeLucas, the PI for the

experiments, reports that 13 of the molecules produced

diffraction-quality crystals.

Crystals of NAD synthetase grown by UAB on STS-95

diffracted to 0.9-angstrom resolution, which indicates crystals of

exceptional quality. This resolution allows even hydrogen, the

smallest atom, to be found in the molecular structure. NAD synthetase is vital to the life cycle of all bacteria. The information

obtained from these crystals may be used in antibiotic research.

Proteinase K, grown by UAB on STS-95, diffracted to 0.98

angstroms. These data allowed resolution of the protein’s chemically active site. A paper on this experiment has already been

published in the Journal of Crystal Growth.

Cell Science Overview

More 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 aqueous solution of

chemicals. The simplest forms of life are solitary cells that propagate by dividing in two. Higher organisms, such as humans, are

like cellular cities in which groups of cells perform specialized

functions and are linked by intricate communications systems.

Cells occupy a halfway point in the scale of biological complexity.

We study them to learn, on the one hand, how they are made

from molecules, and on the other, how they cooperate to make

an organism as complex as a human being.

There are more than 200 different types of cells in the

human body. These are assembled into a variety of different

types of tissue such as epithelia, connective tissue, muscle, and

nervous tissue. 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. It is hard to see their

structure, hard to discover their molecular composition, and

harder still to find out how their various components function.

Differentiated cells perform specialized functions. 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. The culture of cells is one of the most basic tools used by

medical researchers. Growth of human cells outside the body

enables the investigation of the basic biological and physiological
11

phenomena that govern the normal life cycle and many of the

mechanisms of disease. In traditional methods, researchers culture

mammalian cells using vessels in which cells settle to the bottom

surface of the vessels under the influence of gravity. This results

in a thin sheet, or monolayer, of cells. Cells in human tissues,

however, are arranged in complex, three-dimensional structures.

When cells are grown in a monolayer, they do not function as

they would in a three-dimensional tissue. Although much valuable information is 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 form more tissue-like,

three-dimensional aggregates. Until the cellular biotechnology

program developed a unique technology, the NASA bioreactor,

experiments to form three-dimensional cell formations were

confined to the microgravity of space. 

The NASA bioreactor is an analog of microgravity cell culture. The completely 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 NASA bioreactor affords researchers exciting

opportunities by creating three-dimensional cell cultures that are

similar to 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 re-engineer

defective tissues, and to develop new hypotheses for the emergence

of diseases such as cancer. Finally, cells exposed to simulated and

true microgravity respond by making novel adaptational changes

that give new insights to cellular processes, establish a cellular

basis for the human response to microgravity and the space environment, and open the way for cell biology research in space on

the transition of terrestrial life to low-gravity environments.

Cell Science Program Highlights in FY 1999

• The NASA rotating bioreactor is not only a microgravity

cell culture analog, but it also engenders novel approaches

in tissue engineering. Lisa Freed and Gordana

Vunjak-Novakovic, both of the Massachusetts Institute of

Technology (MIT), used the bioreactor to engineer cardiac

tissue with techniques similar to those used to culture

functional cartilage tissue. These latest results from the

MIT tissue engineering effort are the first steps toward

engineering heart muscle tissue that may one day be used

to patch damaged human hearts. 

• J. Milburn Jessup, of the University of Texas Health Science

Center Medical School, used the bioreactor to develop a

model for metastasis of colon cancer cells to the liver. Jessup’s

group subsequently analyzed the effects of the tumor marker

Carcinoembryonic antigen (or CEA, which is produced by

human colorectal carcinoma) and how it enhances the ability

of weakly metastatic carcinoma cells to implant and survive

in the liver. They’ve also found that CEA induces production

of the cytokine IL-10 (Interleukin-10, which down-regulates

some immune responses) and are currently beginning to

apply this to the clinical situation by testing whether IL-10

may be modulated by CEA. 

• Wei-Shou Hu, of the University of Minnesota, and colleagues

are developing a bioartificial liver and investigating manufacturing tissue-like liver cells in the bioreactor for use in

clinical investigations.

• Several research efforts are under way to benefit the future

of microgravity research by developing technology that will

continuously monitor and control the cell culture environment

in bioreactors operating on orbit. Sophisticated sensors are an

important part of space exploration as well as of research on

cell culture. These sensors are needed to achieve a physiologically balanced culture environment that will enable growth

of tissues for transplantation. David Murhammer, of the

University of Iowa, and colleagues are investigating the use

of near-infrared spectroscopy for real-time, noninvasive

monitoring of selected parameters that are critical for animal

cell cultures. Melody Anderson, of Johnson Space Center

(JSC), and coworkers successfully developed and validated a

photometric-based pH sensor in a ground-based bioreactor

for a period greater than 90 days. Glenn Spaulding, of the

Clear Lake Medical Foundation, Inc., is working on optical

sensors that monitor cell culture media remotely. 

• Joshua Zimmerberg and Leonid Margolis, both of the

NASA/NIH Three-Dimensional Tissue Laboratory, have

established cell culture models of immune dysfunction using

human tonsilar tissue.

• Thomas Goodwin, of JSC, presented the first stable cell cultures of bowhead whale kidney, an important step in investigating the environmental toxicology of heavy metals.

Discovery that bowhead whale metallothionein (MTH)

protein is homologous to human MTH protein resulted

from the development of three-dimensional tissue cultures.

MTH is the primary site for binding heavy metals and other

toxins. The genetic sequence for this protein was logged

with the National Gene Bank.

• Timothy Hammond, of Tulane University, demonstrated

the vast array of genes affected when cells transition to

microgravity.

• H. Alan Wood, of Cornell University, demonstrated the

unique glycosylations that occur in bioreactor cultures of

insect cells expressing human genes. His finding opens new

possibilities in the production of biologically active human

glycoproteins.

• Neal Pellis and Alamelu Sundaresan, both of JSC, further

characterized the signal transduction lesion in cells exposed

to microgravity analog culture.
2

• The fluid environment of space- and ground-based bioreactors

was characterized independently by Paul Neitzel, of the

Georgia Institute of Technology, and Stanley Kleis, of the

University of Houston.

• Three patents were approved and five patents are pending in

the cellular biotechnology program in FY 1999.

• Fifty-nine investigations in cell science were funded for 1999

from the NRA in biotechnology (97-HEDS-02) released in

December 1997.

Cell Science Meetings, Awards, and Publications 

One of the most important events of FY 1999 for the cellular biotechnology program was the evaluation of NASA’s

Biotechnology Facility for the ISS, conducted by the NRC’s task

group. The cellular biotechnology program provided presentations in three meetings that specifically identified the science

requirements for the facility, the selection process for research to

be conducted in the facility, and the potential output of a dedicated facility. The NRC task group examined the use of the ISS

as a platform for biotechnology research. The final report will be

released in the spring of 2000. 

The cellular biotechnology program manager, Neal Pellis,

was a guest speaker at the annual meeting of the American

Association of Clinical Endocrinologists’ Upstate New York

Chapter and the joint International Juvenile Diabetes Foundation

and Diabetes Research Foundation’s Open Meeting on the New

Age of Diabetes Research and Care.

Twenty-two presentations covering ground and flight

research in basic cell science, tissue engineering, and protein

crystal growth were discussed at the 1999 Biotechnology Cell

Science Program Investigators’ Working Group Meeting in

Houston, Texas. 

Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic and colleagues at MIT presented

a talk titled “Microgravity Studies of Cells and Tissues: From

Mir to ISS” at the conference on International Space Station

Utilization — Biotechnology on the ISS, held in Albuquerque,

New Mexico.

The future of research relevant to improving the quality of

increased longevity and how space life sciences will contribute to

that aim was discussed at the Media Forum on Aging Research

at the National Press Club in conjunction with the Association

for Aging Research.

A report on the development of a model for the study of

heavy metals in cetaceans (whales) was presented at the International Whaling Commission’s annual meeting.

Cell science papers were presented at the Biannual Meeting

and General Assembly of the European Low-Gravity Research

Association, held in Rome, Italy, and at a session titled “Out of

This World Biotechnology — The NASA Connection” at the

Bio ’99 International Biotechnology Meeting and Exhibition in

Seattle, Washington.

Cell science investigators presented research results at the

following meetings and conferences in FY 1999: the 39th Annual

American Society for Cell Biology meeting, the 1999 Annual

American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases meeting,

the 15th Annual Meeting of the American Society for

Gravitational and Space Biology, the International Mechanical

Engineering Congress and Exposition/American Society of

Mechanical Engineers meeting, the Laboratory of Cellular and

Molecular Biophysics Laboratory Retreat, the 15th Congress of

the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists and

Fourth International Malpighi Symposium, the 217th American

Chemical Society Annual Meeting, the 90th Annual Meeting of

the American Association for Cancer Research, the Sixth World

Biomaterials Congress and 2000 Society for Biomaterials Joint

Meeting, the 1999 Transcriptional Regulatory Mechanisms

Symposium, the meeting of the Society for In-Vitro Biology, the

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics meeting, the

meeting of the American Chemical Society, the American

Institute of Chemical Engineers meeting, the American Diabetes

Association Annual Meeting, the Materials Research Society Fall

Meeting, the meeting of the American Physical Society, the

National Institute for Science and Technology — Biomaterials

Group Seminar, the North American Hyperthermia Society

18th Annual Meeting, and the meeting of the American

Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

Thomas Goodwin, of JSC, received the NASA Group

Achievement Award for outstanding contributions to the

NASA/Mir Phase 1 space station program.

Neal Pellis received the NASA Group Achievement

Award from the NASA/Mir Phase 1 Microgravity Science Team

for exceptional dedication to the science planning, development,

and operations support of microgravity experiments that have

flown onboard Mir as part of the Phase 1 program.

“Gene Expression in Space,” by Timothy Hammond, et al.,

was published in the April issue of Nature Medicine. The article

describes the influence of various gravitational environments on

gene expression by human renal cells in culture.

A team of researchers led by Lisa Freed published their

findings on engineered cardiac tissue in the American Journal of

Physiology and Biotechnology and Bioengineering.

An article discussing the research of Goodwin and collaborators on heavy metal contamination in arctic whales was published in The Scientist.

In FY 1999, cell science researchers published in such

diverse journals as Nature Medicine, Cancer Research, Advances in

Space Research, the Journal of Immunology, the Journal of Clinical

Investigation, Pharmacological Research, Biomaterials, the Journal

of Membrane Biology, In Vitro Cellular and Developmental Biology

— Animal, (Federation of American Societies for Experimental

Biology), Analytical Chimica Acta, Oncogene, the Journal of

Immunotherapy, International Reviews of Immunology,

Immunopharmacology, Gastroenterology, and the Applied

Spectroscopy Journal.
13

Cell Science Flight Experiments 

Evaluation of data from the first attempt to construct a

three-dimensional vascularized tumor model in microgravity on

STS-89/Mir-7 has indicated the beginning stages of angiogenesis.

Further data analysis is under way as preparations continue for

the repeat of this experiment on the ISS.

The following cell science payloads are under consideration

for early flights aboard the ISS: the Biotechnology Specimen

Temperature Controller (BSTC) on flight for 7A.1, the BSTC

on the first Utilization Flight (UF-1), and the Rotating Wall

Perfused System on UF-2.

The FY 1999 ground and flight tasks for biotechnology are

listed in Table 5. Further details on these tasks may be found in

the complementary document Microgravity Science and Applications

Program Tasks and Bibliography for FY 1999, available online at

http://microgravity.hq.nasa.gov/research.htm.

Flight Experiments

Protein Crystal Growth Facility–Based Microgravity Hardware: Science and

Applications 

Daniel C. Carter

New Century Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Huntsville, AL 

Microgravity Studies of Medically Relevant Macromolecules 

Lawrence J. DeLucas

University of Alabama, Birmingham; Birmingham, AL

Protein Crystal Growth in Microgravity 

Lawrence J. DeLucas

University of Alabama, Birmingham; Birmingham, AL

A Microgravity-Based, Three-Dimensional Transgenic Cell Model to Quantify

Genotoxic Effects in Space 

Steve R. Gonda

Johnson Space Center; Houston, TX

Growth, Metabolism, and Differentiation of MIP-101 Carcinoma Cells 

J. Milburn Jessup

University of Texas Health Science Center Medical School

San Antonio, TX

Macromolecule Nucleation and Growth Rate Dispersion Studies: A Predictive

Technique for Crystal Quality Improvement in Microgravity 

Russell Judge

Marshall Space Flight Center; Huntsville, AL

Optimizing the Use of Microgravity to Improve the Diffraction Quality of

Problematic Biomacromolecular Crystals 

Craig E. Kundrot

Marshall Space Flight Center; Huntsville, AL

An Observable Protein Crystal Growth Flight Apparatus 

Alexander McPherson Jr.

University of California, Irvine; Irvine, CA

Enhanced Dewar Program 

Alexander McPherson Jr. 

University of California, Irvine; Irvine, CA

Effects of Convective Transport of Solute and Impurities on Defect-Causing Kinetics

Instabilities in Protein Crystallization 

Peter G. Vekilov

University of Alabama, Huntsville; Huntsville, AL

Investigation of the Particle Dynamics in the Vicinity of Crystal Surfaces: Depletion

Zone Dynamics

Keith B. Ward

Naval Research Laboratory; Washington, DC

Ground-Based Experiments

Experimental Assessment of Multicomponent Effects in Diffusion-Dominated

Transport in Protein Crystal Growth and Electrophoresis and Chiral Separations

John G. Albright

Texas Christian University; Forth Worth, TX

Crystallization Mechanisms of Membrane Proteins 

James P. Allen

Arizona State University; Tempe, AZ

Novel Concepts in Acoustophoresis for Biotechnology Applications 

Robert E. Apfel

Yale University; New Haven, CT

Table 5 Biotechnology Tasks Funded by the Microgravity Research Division in FY 1999

(includes some continuing projects at no additional cost)
4

Real-Time Monitoring of Protein Concentration in Solution to Control Nucleation and

Crystal Growth

Mark A. Arnold

University of Iowa; Iowa City, IA

The Use of Bioactive Glass Particles as Microcarriers in Microgravity Environment

Portonovo S. Ayyaswamy

University of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, PA

Protein Crystal–Based Nanomaterials 

Jeffrey A. Bell

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Troy, NY

An Accoustically Assisted Bioreactor for Terrestrial and Microgravity Applications 

Joanne M. Belovich

Cleveland State University; Cleveland, OH

Expansion and Differentiation of Cells in Three-Dimensional Matrices Mimicking

Physiological Environments 

Rajendra S. Bhatnagar

University of California, San Francisco; San Francisco, CA

Searching for the Best Protein Crystals: Synchrotron-Based Mosaicity Measurements

of Crystal Quality and Theoretical Modeling 

Gloria Borgstahl

University of Toledo; Toledo, OH

Reversible Cryogenic Storage of Macromolecular Crystals Grown in Microgravity

Gerard J. Bunick

University of Tennessee; Oak Ridge, TN

Development of an Insulin-Secreting, Immunoprivileged Cell-Cell Aggregate Utilizing

the NASA Rotating Wall Vessel 

Donald F. Cameron

University of South Florida, College of Medicine; Tampa, FL

Quantitative, Multivariate Methods for Preflight Optimization and Postflight

Evaluation of Macromolecular Crystal Growth 

Charles W. Carter

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Chapel Hill, NC

Quantitative, Statistical Methods for Preflight Optimization and Postflight Evaluation

of Macromolecular Crystal Growth 

Charles W. Carter 

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Chapel Hill, NC

Origin of Imperfections in Growing Protein Crystals by In-Situ Rocking Curve Analysis 

Alexander A. Chernov

Universities Space Research Association, Marshall Space Flight

Center; Huntsville, AL

Infrared Signatures for Mammalian Cells in Culture 

Krishnan K. Chittur

University of Alabama, Huntsville; Huntsville, AL

Differentiation of Three-Dimensional Cocultures of Myofibroblasts, Preneoplastic

Epithelial and Mononuclear Cells 

Vimlarani Chopra

University of Texas Medical Branch; Galveston, TX

Microgravity-Simulated Prostate Cell Culture 

Leland W. Chung

University of Virginia; Charlottesville, VA

Modeling Prostate Cancer Skeletal Metastasis and Cell Therapy 

Leland W. Chung

University of Virginia; Charlottesville, VA

Ions and Protein Association: aw and Protein Crystals 

Kim D. Collins

University of Maryland Medical School; Baltimore, MD

Design, Synthesis, and Characterization of Well-Defined, Biomimetic Polypeptide

Networks 

Vincent P. Conticello

Emory University; Atlanta, GA

Investigation of Neuronal Physiology in Simulated Microgravity Using Smart

Fluorescent Microcarriers and Bulk Near-Infrared Sensors 

Gerard L. Cote

Texas A&M University; College Station, TX

Noninvasive, Near-Infrared Sensor for Continual Cell Glucose Measurement 

Gerard L. Cote

Texas A&M University; College Station, TX

A Comprehensive Investigation of Macromolecular Transport During Protein

Crystallization

Lawrence J. DeLucas

University of Alabama, Birmingham; Birmingham, AL

Development of Robotic Techniques for Microgravity Protein Crystal Growth 

Lawrence J. DeLucas

University of Alabama, Birmingham; Birmingham, AL

Macromolecular Crystallization: Physical Principles, Passive Devices, and Optimal

Protocols 

George T. DeTitta

Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute; Buffalo, NY

Use of Microgravity-Based Bioreactors to Study Intercellular Communication in

Airway Cells 

Ellen R. Dirksen

University of California, Los Angeles; Los Angeles, CA

Microbial Resistance to Solar Radiation: DNA Damage and Application of Repair

Enzymes in Biotechnology 

Jocelyne Diruggiero

University of Maryland, Biotechnology Institute; Baltimore, MD

Laser Scattering Tomography for the Study of Defects in Protein Crystals 

Robert S. Feigelson

Stanford University; Stanford, CA

Novel Strategy for Three-Dimensional In-Vitro Bone Induction 

John A. Frangos

University of California, San Diego; La Jolla, CA

Role of Fluid Shear on Three-Dimensional Bone Tissue Culture 

John A. Frangos

University of California, San Diego; La Jolla, CA

Microgravity Tissue Engineering 

Lisa E. Freed

Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA

Epitaxial Growth of Protein Crystals on Self-Assembled Monolayers 

Jonathan M. Friedman

University of Houston; Houston, TX
15

Protein and DNA Crystal Lattice Engineering 

D. T. Gallagher

Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology; Rockville, MD

In-Situ Optical Waveguides for Promoting and Monitoring Protein Crystal Growth 

Ursula Gibson

Dartmouth College; Hanover, NH 

Microgravity-Based Three-Dimensional Transgenic Cell Models 

Steve R. Gonda

Johson Space Center; Houston, TX

Lymphocyte Invasion Into Tumor Models Emulated Under Microgravity Conditions In Vitro 

Thomas J. Goodwin 

Johnson Space Center; Houston, TX

Application of Bioreactor Technology for a Preclinical Human Model of Melanoma 

Elizabeth A. Grimm

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas; Houston, TX

Application of Bioreactor Technology for Analysis and Counter Measure Development

of Microgravity-Induced Suppression of Innate Immunity 

Elizabeth A. Grimm 

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas; Houston, TX

Differentiation of Cultured Normal Human Renal Epithelial Cells in Microgravity 

Timothy G. Hammond 

Tulane University Medical Center; New Orleans, LA

Production of 1-25-diOH D3 by Renal Epithelial Cells in Simulated Microgravity Culture

Timothy G. Hammond

Tulane University Medical Center; New Orleans, LA

Determining the Conditions Necessary for the Development of Functional

Replacement Cartilage Using a Microgravity Reactor 

Carole A. Heath

Iowa State University; Ames, IA

New Cell Culture Technology 

Charles E. Helmstetter

Florida Institute of Technology; Melbourne, FL

The Effects of Microgravity on Viral Replication 

John H. Hughes

Ohio State University; Columbus, OH

Use of NASA Bioreactor to Study Cell Cycle Regulation 

J. Milburn Jessup

University of Texas Health Science Center Medical School

San Antonio, TX

Use of Rotating Wall Vessel to Facilitate Culture of Norwalk Virus 

Philip C. Johnson

University of Texas Medical School; Houston, TX

Stabilization and Preservation of Crystals for X-Ray Diffraction Experiments 

Frances Jurnak

University of California, Irvine; Irvine, CA

Protein Crystallization in Complex Fluids 

Eric W. Kaler

University of Delaware; Newark, DE

Applications of Atomic Force Microscopy to Investigate Mechanisms of Protein Crystal

Growth

John H. Konnert

Naval Research Laboratory; Washington, DC

Differentiation and Maintenance of Skeletal and Cardiac Muscle in Simulated

Microgravity 

William E. Kraus

Duke University Medical Center; Durham, NC

Regulation of Skeletal Muscle Development and Differentiation In Vitro by

Mechanical and Chemical Factors 

William E. Kraus

Duke University Medical Center; Durham, NC

Nutritional Immunomodulation in Microgravity: Application of Ground-Based In-Vivo

and In-Vitro Bioreactor Models to Study Role and Mechanisms of Supplemental

Nucleotides 

Anil D. Kulkarni

University of Texas Health Science Center; Houston, TX

Development of a Noninvasive Glucose Monitor 

James L. Lambert

Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Pasadena, CA

PC12 Pheochromocytoma Cells: A Proven Model System for Optimizing ThreeDimensional Cell Culture Biotechnology in Space 

Peter I. Lelkes

University of Wisconsin Medical Center; Milwaukee, WI

Multidisciplinary Studies of Cells, Tissues, and Mammalian Development in Simulated

Microgravity

Elliot M. Levine

Wistar Institute; Philadelphia, PA

Analysis of Electrophoretic Transport of Macromolecules Using Pulsed Field Gradient

NMR 

Bruce R. Locke

Florida State University; Tallahassee, FL

Quantitative Analysis of Surfactant Interactions During Membrane Protein

Crystallization 

Patrick J. Loll

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; Philadelphia, PA

Cellular Oxygen and Nutrient Sensing in Microgravity Using Time-Resolved

Fluorescence Microscopy

Henryk Malak

Microcosm, Inc.; Columbia, MD

Ground-Based Program for the Physical Analysis of Macromolecular Crystal Growth 

Alexander J. Malkin

University of California, Irvine; Irvine, CA

Growth Processes and Defect Structure of Macromolecular Crystals 

Alexander J. Malkin

University of California, Irvine; Irvine, CA

Thyroid Follicle Formation in Microgravity: Three-Dimensional Organoid Construction

in a Low-Shear Environment 

Andreas Martin

Mount Sinai Medical Center; New York, NY
6

Microgravity Regulation of Oncogene Expression and Osteoblast Differentiation 

Laura R. McCabe

Michigan State University; East Lansing, MI

Biological Particle Separation in Low Gravity 

D. J. Morré

Purdue University; West Lafayette, IN

Continuous, Noninvasive Monitoring of Rotating Wall Vessels and Application to the

Study of Prostate Cancer 

David W. Murhammer

University of Iowa; Iowa City, IA

Monitoring and Control of Rotating Wall Vessels and Application to the Study of

Prostate Cancer 

David W. Murhammer

University of Iowa; Iowa City, IA 

Diffusion, Viscosity, and Crystal Growth of Proteins in Microgravity 

Allan S. Myerson

Polytechnic University; Brooklyn, NY

Control of Transport in Protein Crystal Growth Using Restrictive Geometries 

Robert J. Naumann

University of Alabama, Huntsville; Huntsville, AL

Insect-Cell Cultivation in Simulated Microgravity 

Kim C. O’Connor

Tulane University; New Orleans, LA

Extremophilic Interfacial Systems for Waste Processing in Space 

Tonya L. Peeples

University of Iowa; Iowa City, IA

Microgravity and Immunosuppression: A Ground-Based Model in the Slow-Turning

Lateral Vessel Bioreactor 

Neal R. Pellis

Johnson Space Center; Houston, TX

Fluorescence Studies of Protein Aggregation in Under- and Over-Saturated Solutions 

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 

Marc L. Pusey

Marshall Space Flight Center; Huntsville, AL

Stem Cell Expansion in Rotating Bioreactors 

Peter J. Quesenberry

University of Massachusetts Medical Center; Worcester, MA

Islet Cell Assembly and Function in a NASA Microgravity Bioreactor 

Arun S. Rajan

Baylor College of Medicine; Houston, TX

Heterozygous Ataxia-Telangiectasia Human Mammary Cells as a Microgravity-Based

Model of Differentiation and Cancer Susceptibility 

Robert C. Richmond

Marshall Space Flight Center; Hunstville, AL

Evaluating Oxidative Stress in Virally Infected Cells in Simulated Microgravity 

Victor G. Rodgers

University of Iowa; Iowa City, IA

Impact of Microgravity on Immunogenicity Associated With Biostructural Changes in

Pancreatic Islets

Lynne P. Rutzky

University of Texas Health Science Center; Houston, TX

Cartilage Tissue Engineering: Circumferential Seeding of Chondrocytes Using Rotating

Reactors

Robert L. Sah

University of California, San Diego; La Jolla, CA

Enhancement of Cell Function in Culture by Controlled Aggregation Under

Microgravity Conditions

W. M. Saltzman

Cornell University; Ithaca, NY

Use of NASA Bioreactors in a Novel Scheme for Immunization Against Cancer 

Cherylyn A. Savary

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas; Houston, TX

Electrohydrodynamics of Suspensions 

Dudley A. Saville

Princeton University; Princeton, NJ

Influence of Impurities on Protein Crystal Growth 

Constance A. Schall

University of Toledo; Toledo, OH

Microgravity and the Biology of Neural Stem Cells 

William J. Schwartz

University of Massachusetts Medical School; Worcester, MA

Gastric Mucosal Cell Culture in Simulated Microgravity 

Adam J. Smolka

Medical University of South Carolina; Charleston, SC

Electrophoretic Focusing 

Robert S. Snyder

New Century Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Huntsville, AL

Application of pH, Glucose, and Oxygen Biosensors to NASA Rotating Culture Vessels 

Glenn F. Spaulding

Clear Lake Medical Foundation, Inc.; Houston, TX

Influence of Microgravity Conditions on Gene Transfer Into Expanded Populations of

Human Hematopoietic Stem Cells 

F. M. Stewart

University of Massachusetts Medical Center; Worster, MA

Production of Recombinant Human Erythropoietin by Mammalian Cells Cultured in

Simulated Microgravity 

Arthur J. Sytkowski

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Boston, MA

Defects, Growth, and Elastic Properties of Protein Crystals 

Robert E. Thorne

Cornell University; Ithaca, NY

Impurity Effects in Macromolecular Crystal Growth 

Robert E. Thorne

Cornell University; Ithaca, NY

Mechanisms for Membrane Protein Crystallization: Analysis by Small Angle Neutron

Scattering 

David M. Tiede 

Argonne National Laboratory; Argonne, IL
17

Preparation and Analysis of RNA Crystals 

Paul Todd

University of Colorado; Boulder, CO

Development of Microflow Biochemical Sensors for Space Biotechnology 

Bruce C. Towe

Arizona State University; Tempe, AZ

Self-Renewal Replication of Hematopoietic Stem Cells in Microgravity 

Christie M. Traycoff

Indiana Cancer Research Institute; Indianapolis, IN

Experimental Studies of Protein Crystal Growth Under Simulated Low-Gravity

Conditions 

Eugene H. Trinh

National Aeronautics and Space Administration; Washington, DC

Protein Precipitant–Specific Criteria for the Impact of Reduced Gravity on Crystal

Perfection 

Peter G. Vekilov

University of Alabama, Huntsville; Huntsville, AL

Two-Dimensional Protein Crystallization at Interfaces 

Viola Vogel

University of Washington; Seattle, WA

Two-Dimensional Crystal Growth in Microgravity 

Theodore G. Wensel

Baylor College of Medicine; Houston, TX

Rejuvenation of Spent Media via Supported Emulsion Liquid Membranes 

John M. Wiencek

University of Iowa; Iowa City, IA

Thermodynamics of Protein Crystallization and Links to Crystal Quality 

John M. Wiencek

University of Iowa; Iowa City, IA

Membrane Protein Crystallization Screens Based Upon Fundamental Phenomenology

of Detergent and Protein-Detergent Solutions 

Michael C. Wiener

University of Virginia Health Sciences Center; Charlottesville, VA

Metastable Solution Structure and Optimization Strategies in Protein Crystal Growth 

Lori J. Wilson

East Tennessee State University; Johnson City, TN

A Rational Approach for Predicting Protein Crystallization 

W. W. Wilson

Mississippi State University; Mississippi State, MS

Novel Approaches Regarding Protein Solubility 

W. W. Wilson

Mississippi State University; Mississippi State, MS

Novel Microgravity Optical Technique for Molecularly Engineering Electrophoretic

Media 

Denis Wirtz

Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore, MD

The Effects of Microgravity/Low Shear on Glycosylation and Eukaryotic DNA Virus

Replication 

H. A. Wood

Cornell University; Ithaca, NY

Ex-Vivo Hemopoieses in a Three-Dimensional Human Bone Marrow Culture Under

Simulated Microgravity 

J. H. David Wu

University of Rochester; Rochester, NY

Freely Suspended Liquid Films and Their Applications in Biological Research 

Xiao-lun Wu

University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh, PA

Liver Tissue Engineering in Microgravity Environment 

Boris Yoffe

Baylor College of Medicine; Houston, TX

Particle Interaction Potentials and Protein Crystal Quality 

Charles F. Zukoski

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Urbana, IL
8

Combustion Science

Combustion 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. Unfortunately, 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. Improved control of combustion would be of great benefit to society, yet beneficial control

of combustion is impeded by a lack of fundamental understanding

of combustion processes. Combustion research is hampered more

than other areas of science by the effects of gravitational forces on

Earth, since combustion intrinsically involves the production of

high-temperature gases in which low densities trigger buoyant

flows. These flows cause the reaction zone to collapse into very

thin, sheet-like regions that are impenetrable by current or anticipated instrumentation. Conducting experiments in microgravity

eliminates buoyancy and expands the reaction zone, thereby

improving the measurement resolution. The resulting data are

used to verify combustion theory, validate numerical models, and

develop fresh insight into elemental phenomena, all of which can

be applied to Earth-based combustion processes. Specific potential

benefits that may ensue, in part, from microgravity combustion

research include the following:

• Increased conversion efficiency of chemical energy stored in

fuels to useful heat and work in combustion devices, leading

to economic savings, reduced dissipation of scarce fuel

reserves, and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

• Reduction of combustion-related effluents that pollute the

atmosphere.

• Reduction of fire and explosion hazards.

• Improved hazardous waste incineration processes.

• Development of improved materials via combustion synthesis

for use in widely diverse applications such as bone replacement,

electrical components, and engines.

The microgravity combustion science program, in conjunction

with the combustion science discipline working group, has defined

the following high-priority areas for microgravity research and is

supporting research in each area:

Combustion-turbulence interactions — The majority of

practical combustion devices involve turbulent flows.

Microgravity uniquely limits the range of turbulent length and

time scales to those large enough to be tractable experimentally.

Soot processes — Soot is a critical element in many combustion

systems because it can have a strong effect on combustor lifetime,

efficiency, peak power output, and pollution generation. The lack

of buoyancy-induced flow acceleration in a microgravity environment results in longer periods of time in which primary soot formation, soot clustering, cluster-cluster agglomeration, and

oxidation can be investigated.

Diagnostics — Investment in technological improvements in

measurement capabilities is of high priority due to the payoff in

scientific data return from space experiments. Historically, spinoff opportunities have also resulted from successful development

of combustion diagnostics. 

Pressure effects — High pressure and/or supercritical operation of combustors yields improved thermodynamic efficiency at

the expense of increased generation of pollutants. Conventional

diesel engines operate at 50 atmospheres (atm), but most research

has been conducted at near-ambient conditions (1 atm). Research

at higher pressure levels is important because the influence of

buoyancy on combustion processes increases with pressure.

Benchmark data on laminar flames — Flames in practical

devices, although highly turbulent, operate in the “laminar

flamelet” regime; that is, their flames are typically smooth and

steady like butane lighters and gas stoves. Advances in understanding laminar flame structure and associated characteristics

will have a direct impact on the modeling of turbulent flames.

Spray and aerosol cloud combustion — This type of combustion, typical of the way cars burn fuel, accounts for 25 percent

of the world’s energy use yet remains poorly understood from

both fundamental and practical perspectives. Microgravity not

only offers a quiescent, nonbuoyant environment for the study of

spray and cloud combustion, it also overcomes the problem of

droplet settling in a 1 g environment.

Combustion synthesis — Flame-synthesized products

include valuable vapors (e.g., acetylene), ultrafine particles (e.g.,

fullerenes, silicon oxides, and titanium oxides), coatings (e.g., diamonds), and monolithic solids (e.g., boron carbide and titanium

boride). These materials are rapidly expanding in breadth of use

and value, but their production remains very much an art, rather

than a science. Sedimentation and buoyant plumes lead to short

residence times and interfere with investigation into the mechanisms of material production. Current research is geared toward

interpreting the differences between normal- and low-gravity

processing and toward improving the products.

Surface flame spread — Large-scale fires and fire spread on

Earth are complicated by buoyancy-fed turbulent processes and

thermal radiative interactions with surrounding materials, terrain,

and building structures. Current models of flame spread generally

omit thermal radiation because of the limited understanding of

this transport mechanism. Laboratory-scale experiments in

microgravity have begun to elucidate the importance of thermal

radiation and indicate that these results might be utilized in modeling large-scale fires.

Transient processes in gaseous flames — Microgravity

experimentation can provide insights into flame instabilities, such

as ignition, extinction, and imposed perturbations that are often

masked by buoyancy in normal gravity.

Spacecraft fire safety — Models used to study spacecraft fire

safety are still considered “primitive.” Further research is
19

required in the areas of microgravity flammability, fire spread,

fire and smoke detection, fire suppression, and postfire cleanup.

To aid in disseminating results to date and to engage in

discussion of potentially new investigation areas, the Fifth

Microgravity Combustion Workshop was held in Cleveland,

Ohio, May 18–20, 1999, and was attended by 280 scientists and

engineers from around the world. The workshop briefed potential

investigators on the opportunity to respond to the 1999 NASA

Research Announcement for combustion science (99-HEDS-04)

and focused on research opportunities that will soon be enabled

by the International Space Station (ISS). Current ground-based

and flight investigators presented research results to date in 16

sessions during the three-day workshop. The proceedings of this

workshop are available online at

http://www.ncmr.org/events/combustion1999.html.

Meetings, Awards, and Publications

Merrill King, of NASA Headquarters, and Jose Torero, of

the University of Maryland, chaired two microgravity combustion sessions of the 37th Aerospace Sciences Meeting in Reno,

Nevada, in January 1999. Sixteen papers on combustion science

research were presented.

Howard Ross, of Glenn Research Center (GRC), and Frank

Schowengerdt, of the Center for Commercial Applications of

Combustion in Space, chaired the microgravity combustion session

of the 1999 Space Technology and Applications International

Forum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in January 1999. Five

papers on combustion science research and hardware capabilities

were presented.

A special issue of Combustion and Flame was devoted to

microgravity combustion research. The issue included results

from the first Microgravity Science Laboratory (MSL–1) mission,

flown in April and July 1997; from a Get Away Special Canister

experiment on smoldering; and from ground-based facilities.

The cover of the January 1999 issue of Physics Today highlighted a picture of “fingering” in combustion. The image was

followed by a two-page article. The article prominently referenced

research conducted by Takashi Kashiwagi, of the National

Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and Sandra Olson,

of GRC, in the Radiative Ignition and Transition to Flame

Spread Investigation. In addition, modeling work on flame front

cellularity and development of instabilities in combustion in porous

media by Bernard Matkowsky, of Northwestern University, was

referenced and discussed. This work was also funded by the

microgravity combustion science program. 

In a White House ceremony, Howard Pearlman, a resident

researcher in the GRC Microgravity Science Division and assistant

professor at the University of Southern California, was awarded a

Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers

(PECASE) in recognition of his research on the combustion of

fuel-oxidizer mixtures under near-limit conditions and his

research in the area of cool flames leading to the development of

cleaner, more efficient engines. In his work, Pearlman discovered

the first evidence of a gas-phase diffusive thermal oscillation

behavior in a premixed fuel-oxidizer mixture. The PECASE, the

highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government to scientists and

engineers, was created to recognize exceptional potential for leadership at the frontiers of scientific knowledge.

Flight Experiments

Nineteen flight investigations were funded in fiscal year

(FY) 1999. Additionally, a number of flight system designs were

initiated in an effort to work toward achieving research goals

aboard the ISS.

Experimental verification of material flammability in space

research was conducted as an international cooperative project

aboard the Russian space station, Mir. The flammability of selected

U.S.–supplied plastic materials was tested under microgravity in

a Russia-supplied combustion tunnel operated on the space station.

Reference testing of the flammability, heat release, thermal properties, and combustion products of identical materials was conducted in ground laboratories at both the Russian Keldysh

Research Center and at Johnson Space Center’s White Sands Test

Facility. The Mir tests were conducted on samples of three different

materials: Delrin (polyacetal), PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate),

and high-density polyethylene. Postflight ground tests were performed at Keldysh and at White Sands using on-orbit atmospheric

oxygen levels as comparative data points. All three materials

showed a limiting velocity, defined as the minimum velocity

below which flame propagation is not possible. Polyethylene

burned rapidly and smoothly. Combustion of Delrin and PMMA

samples was less steady, with melting and particle ejection. All

samples showed a limiting air velocity for flame propagation on

the order of 0.3 to 0.5 cm/s. These data and their corrections for

the variable Mir oxygen concentrations have been reported by the

Keldysh investigators.

FY 1999 signaled the transition from space research conducted

on short-duration microgravity platforms to planning for research

to be conducted aboard the permanently inhabited ISS. Preparations

for conducting combustion research on the station were complemented by the readying of the Combustion Module-2 hardware

for launch aboard a shuttle SPACEHAB mission in early 2001.

The Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR), the first of three racks

that will make up the Fluids and Combustion Facility on the ISS,

continued to undergo design and development towards its 2003

launch. To effectively utilize the capabilities of the CIR, two

insert apparatus devices are also progressing through the flight

system design phase.

One of these devices, the Multiuser Droplet Combustion

Apparatus (MDCA), will be the first research payload in the CIR.

The MDCA, which is capable of supporting four investigations
0

simultaneously, entered its preliminary design stage in FY 1999.

Multiuser hardware such as the MDCA allows more effective

resource utilization of the ISS and the CIR; this hardware will

remain available for use with new investigations that may be proposed in the future. The following four investigations have been

identified as the initial set of research experiments to use the

combined capabilities of the CIR and MDCA systems:

• The goals of the Droplet Combustion Experiment-2 (DCE-2),

conceived by Forman Williams, of the University of

California, San Diego, and Frederick Dryer, of Princeton

University, are to study combustion kinetics relevant to

droplet combustion, controlling mechanisms in droplet

burning (transient and quasisteady), radiative heat loss,

and extinction phenomena.

• The Bi-Component Droplet Combustion Experiment

(BCDCE), conceived by Benjamin Shaw, of the University

of California, Davis, will study bi-component fuel droplets

where spherical symmetry is approached in the gas and liquid

phases. BCDCE will result in a better understanding of transient behaviors between liquid and gas interfaces in droplets

that are composed of two components with different boiling

and capillary properties.

• The Sooting and Radiation Effects in Droplet Combustion

Experiment, conceived by Mun Choi, of Drexel University,

is designed to study the effects of sooting and radiation influences on the overall burning behavior of droplets by means

of optical and intrusive techniques. Investigation results will

improve our understanding of soot processes, thermophoresis,

and radiative feedback from the flame to the fuel surface.

• The Dynamics of Droplet Combustion and Extinction

Experiment (DDCE), conceived by Vedha Nayagam, of the

National Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids and

Combustion, will study the effects of small convective flows

on burning droplets and better define the effects of flow on

the burning and extinction process. DDCE is relevant to

practical combustors in which droplets are always injected

with nonzero velocities.

Work on the preliminary design for the second insert for the

CIR, the Flow Enclosure Accommodating Novel Investigations

in Combustion of Solids (FEANICS) apparatus, has been initiated

and will result in a platform well-suited to the study of ignition

and flammability limits of thin and thick solid materials. These

investigations have direct applicability to terrestrial and spacecraft

fire safety and will be focused on the phenomena of combustion

of solid materials. Such investigations are highly relevant to the

understanding of ignition, flammability, and the extinction of

fires over real materials and are crucial to the increased understanding of terrestrial and spacecraft fire safety activities. The

following five investigations are currently under consideration for

selection for the initial research experiments in the FEANICS:

• The Solid Inflammability Boundary at Low Speed (SIBAL)

investigation, by James T’ien, of Case Western Reserve

University, is a study of flame spread under conditions of

very low induced air velocity. SIBAL will determine the

spread rate dependence and limiting conditions for spread.

• The Transition From Ignition to Flame Growth Under

External Radiation in Three Dimensions (TIGER-3D)

investigation is led by Takashi Kashiwagi, of NIST. TIGER-3D

is a study of the transition from momentary ignition to flame

spread. By studying radiatively ignited fuels, the conditions

that control the onset of flame spread or extinction will be

determined.

• The Flammability Diagrams of Combustible Materials in

Microgravity (FIST) investigation, guided by Carlos

Fernandez-Pello, of the University of California, Berkeley,

is a study of the ignitability of practical materials. FIST will

extend NASA’s current pass/fail acceptance program for

spacecraft materials to the consideration of the limiting

conditions for ignitability of materials.

• The Radiative Enhancement Effects on Flame Spread

(REEFS) investigation is headed by Paul Ronney, of the

University of Southern California. REEFS is a study of the

radiative participation of combustion product gases in flame

spread. The hot gas above the flame can participate in the

flame spread, depending upon the radiative properties of the

gases. This research is relevant for spacecraft fire safety, since

carbon dioxide, which is used to extinguish fires, is a strong

absorber and emitter in the infrared.

• The Investigation of Diffusion Flame Tip Thermo-Diffusive

and Hydrodynamic Instability Under Microgravity Conditions

experiment, led by Indrek Wichman, of Michigan State

University, studies flame spread at the limits of breakup of

the flame tip into smaller flamelets. Existence of these

flamelets represents the limiting conditions for flame spread. 

The FY 1999 ground and flight tasks for combustion science

are listed in Table 6. Further details on these tasks may be found

in the complementary document Microgravity Science and

Applications Program Tasks and Bibliography for FY 1999, available

online at http://microgravity.hq.nasa.gov/research.htm.
21

Table 6 Combustion Science Tasks Funded by the Microgravity Research Division in FY 1999

(includes some continuing projects at no additional cost)

Flight Experiments

Flame Design — A Novel Approach to Clean, Efficient Diffusion Flames 

Richard L. Axelbaum

Washington University; St. Louis, MO

Gravitational Effects on Laminar, Transitional, and Turbulent Gas Jet Diffusion

Flames 

M. Y. Bahadori

Science and Technology Development Corporation

Los Angeles, CA

Experiments and Model Development for Investigation of Sooting and Radiation

Effects in Microgravity Droplet Combustion 

Mun Y. Choi

University of Illinois; Chicago, IL

Candle Flames in Microgravity 

Daniel L. Dietrich

Glenn Research Center; Cleveland, OH

Investigation of Laminar Jet Diffusion Flames in Microgravity: A Paradigm for Soot

Processes in Turbulent Flames 

Gerard M. Faeth

University of Michigan; Ann Arbor, MI

Flammability Diagrams of Combustible Materials in Microgravity 

A. Carlos Fernandez-Pello

University of California, Berkeley; Berkeley, CA

Fundamental Study of Smoldering Combustion in Microgravity 

A. Carlos Fernandez-Pello

University of California, Berkeley; Berkeley, CA 

Combustion Characteristics of Fully Modulated, Turbulent Diffusion Flames in

Reduced Gravity 

James C. Hermanson

Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Worcester, MA

Ignition and the Subsequent Transition to Flame Spread in Microgravity 

Takashi Kashiwagi

National Institute of Standards and Technology; Gaithersburg, MD

Structure and Response of Spherical Diffusion Flames 

Chung K. Law

Princeton University; Princeton, NJ

Dynamics of Droplet Extinction in Slow Convective Flows 

Vedha Nayagam

National Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids and

Combustion; Cleveland, OH

The High–Lewis Number Diffusive-Thermal Instability in Premixed Gas Combustion

and Low-Temperature Hydrocarbon Oxidation and Cool Flames 

Howard G. Pearlman

Glenn Research Center; Cleveland, OH

Studies of Premixed Laminar and Turbulent Flames at Microgravity 

Paul D. Ronney

University of Southern California; Los Angeles, CA

Transport and Chemical Effects on Concurrent- and Opposed-Flow Flame Spread

at Microgravity

Paul D. Ronney

University of Southern California; Los Angeles, CA

Ignition and Flame Spread of Liquid Fuel Pools 

Howard D. Ross

Glenn Research Center; Cleveland, OH

Combustion Experiments in Reduced Gravity With Two-Component Miscible Droplets 

Benjamin D. Shaw

University of California, Davis; Davis, CA 

Combustion of Solid Fuel in Very Low-Speed Oxygen Streams 

James S. T’ien

Case Western Reserve University; Cleveland, OH

Investigation of Diffusion Flame Tip Instability in Microgravity 

Indrek S. Wichman

Michigan State University; East Lansing, MI

Droplet Combustion Experiment 

Forman A. Williams

University of California, San Diego; La Jolla, CA

Ground-Based Experiments

Effects of Energy Release on Near-Field Flow Structure of Gas Jets 

Ajay K. Agrawal

University of Oklahoma; Norman, OK

Formation of Carbon Nanotubes in a Microgravity Environment 

John M. Alford

TDA Research, Inc.; Wheat Ridge, CO

Radiant Extinction of Gaseous Diffusion Flames 

Arvind Atreya

University of Michigan; Ann Arbor, MI

High-Pressure Combustion of an Unsupported, Sooting Fuel Droplet in Microgravity 

C. T. Avedisian

Cornell University; Ithaca, NY

Multicomponent Droplet Combustion in Microgravity: Soot Formation, Emulsions,

Metal-Based Additives, and the Effect of Initial Droplet Diameter 

C. T. Avedisian

Cornell University; Ithaca, NY

Gas-Phase Combustion Synthesis of Metal and Ceramic Nanoparticles 

Richard L. Axelbaum

Washington University; St. Louis, MO 

Carbon Monoxide and Soot Formation in Inverse Diffusion Flames 

Linda G. Blevins

National Institute of Standards and Technology; Gaithersburg, MD

Combustion of Metals in Reduced-Gravity and Extraterrestrial Environments 

Melvyn C. Branch

University of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, CO
2

Ignition and Combustion of Bulk Metals in Microgravity 

Melvyn C. Branch

University of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, CO

A Numerical Model for Combustion of Bubbling Thermoplastic Materials in

Microgravity 

Kathryn M. Butler

National Institute of Standards and Technology; Gaithersburg, MD

Heterogeneous Combustion of Porous Solid Fuel Particles Under Microgravity: A

Comprehensive Theoretical and Experimental Study 

Harsha K. Chelliah

University of Virginia; Charlottesville, VA

Numerical Study of Buoyancy and Differential Diffusion Effects on the Structure and

Dynamics of Triple Flames 

Jyh-Yuan Chen

University of California, Berkeley; Berkeley, CA

Buoyancy Effects on the Structure and Stability of Burke-Schumann Diffusion Flames 

L.- D. Chen

University of Iowa; Iowa City, IA

Reflight of Enclosed Laminar Flames Investigation 

L.- D. Chen

University of Iowa; Iowa City, IA

Gravitational Effects on Premixed Turbulent Flames: Microgravity Flame Structures 

Robert K. Cheng

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Berkeley, CA

Investigation of Strain/Vorticity and Large-Scale Flow Structure in Turbulent,

Nonpremixed Jet Flames

Noel T. Clemens

University of Texas; Austin, TX

Turbulent Flame Processes via Vortex Ring–Diffusion Flame Interaction 

Werner J. Dahm

University of Michigan; Ann Arbor, MI

Combustion of Interacting Droplet Arrays in a Microgravity Environment 

Daniel L. Dietrich

Glenn Research Center; Cleveland, OH

Interaction of Burning Metal Particles 

Edward L. Dreizin

New Jersey Institute of Technology; Newark, NJ

Flame Vortex Interactions in Microgravity to Assess the Theory of Flame Stretch 

James F. Driscoll

University of Michigan; Ann Arbor, MI

Applications of Electric Field in Microgravity Combustion 

Derek Dunn-Rankin

University of California, Irvine; Irvine, CA

Aerodynamic, Unsteady, Kinetic, and Heat Loss Effects on the Dynamics and

Structure of Weakly Burning Flames in Microgravity 

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 

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 

Fokion N. Egolfopoulos

University of Southern California; Los Angeles, CA

Effects of Gravity on Sheared and Nonsheared Turbulent, Nonpremixed Flames 

Said E. Elghobashi

University of California, Irvine; Irvine, CA

Flow/Soot Formation in Nonbuoyant, Laminar Diffusion Flames 

Gerard M. Faeth

University of Michigan; Ann Arbor, MI

Soot Processes in Freely Propagating, Laminar Premixed Flames 

Gerard M. Faeth

University of Michigan; Ann Arbor, MI

Thickness Effects on Fuel Flammability 

Paul Ferkul

National Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids and

Combustion; Cleveland, OH

Large Eddy Simulation of Gravitational Effects on Transitional and Turbulent Gas Jet

Diffusion Flames

Peyman Givi

State University of New York; Buffalo, NY

Studies on the Behavior of Highly Preheated Air Flames in Microgravity 

Ashwani K. Gupta

University of Maryland, College Park; College Park, MD

The Extinction of Low–Strain Rate Diffusion Flames by an Agent in Microgravity 

Anthony Hamins

National Institute of Standards and Technology; Gaithersburg, MD

Characteristics of Nonpremixed Turbulent Flames in Microgravity 

Uday Hegde

National Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids and

Combustion; Cleveland, OH

Combustion Synthesis of Fullerenes and Fullerenic Nanostructures in Microgravity 

Jack B. Howard

Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA

Quantitative Interpretation of Optical Emission Sensors for Microgravity Experiments 

Jay B. Jeffries

SRI International; Menlo Park, CA

Real-Time, Quantitative, Three-Dimensional Imaging of Diffusion Flame Species 

Daniel J. Kane

Southwest Sciences, Inc.; Santa Fe, NM

The Impact of Buoyancy and Flame Structure on Soot, Radiation, and NOx Emissions

From a Turbulent Diffusion Flame 

Ian M. Kennedy

University of California, Davis; Davis, CA

Aerodynamics and Chemical Kinetics of Premixed Flames at High Pressures 

Chung K. Law

Princeton University; Princeton, NJ

Computational and Experimental Study of Laminar Diffusion Flames in a

Microgravity Environment

Marshall B. Long

Yale University; New Haven, CT
23

Dynamics of Liquid Propellant Combustion at Reduced Gravity 

Stephen B. Margolis

Sandia National Laboratories; Livermore, CA

Filtration Combustion for Microgravity Applications: (1) Smoldering, (2) Combustion

Synthesis of Advanced Materials — PHASE 2 

Bernard J. Matkowsky

Northwestern University; Evanston, IL

Simulation of Combustion Systems With Realistic G-Jitter 

William E. Mell

National Institute of Standards and Technology; Gaithersburg, MD

Gravitational Influences on Flame Propagation Through Nonuniform, Premixed Gas

Systems (Layers)

Fletcher J. Miller

National Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids and

Combustion; Cleveland, OH

A Fundamental Study of the Combustion Synthesis of Ceramic-Metal Composite

Materials Under Microgravity Conditions — Phase III: Effect of Gravity on the

Combustion Synthesis of Advanced, Engineered, Porous Materials 

John J. Moore

Colorado School of Mines; Golden, CO

Kinetics and Structure of Superagglomerates Produced by Silane and Acetylene 

George Mulholland

National Institute of Standards and Technology; Gaithersburg, MD

Stretched Diffusion Flames in Von Karman Swirling Flows 

Vedha Nayagam

National Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids and

Combustion; Cleveland, OH

Low-Stretch Diffusion Flames Over a Solid Fuel 

Sandra L. Olson

Glenn Research Center; Cleveland, OH

Gravitational Effects on Partially Premixed Flames 

Ishwar K. Puri

University of Illinois; Chicago, IL

Hyperspectral Imaging of Flame Spread Over Solid Fuel Surfaces Using Adaptive

Fabry-Perot Filters

W. T. Rawlins

Physical Sciences, Inc.; Andover, MA

Development of Methods for Producing and Utilizing Alternate Fuel/Oxidizer

Combinations Associated With Mars to Support ISRU-Based Propulsion and Power

Systems 

Eric E. Rice

Orbital Technologies Corporation; Madison, WI

Combustion of Individual Bubbles and Submerged Gas Jets in Liquid Fuels 

Daniel E. Rosner

Yale University; New Haven, CT

Combustion of Unconfined Droplet Clusters in Microgravity 

Gary A. Ruff

Drexel University; Philadelphia, PA

Flame Spreading and Extinction in Partial-Gravity Environments 

Kurt R. Sacksteder

Glenn Research Center; Cleveland, OH

Combustion of Han-Based Monopropellant Droplets in Reduced Gravity 

Benjamin D. Shaw

University of California, Davis; Davis, CA

Quantitative Species Measurements in Microgravity Combustion Flames 

Joel A. Silver

Southwest Sciences, Inc.; Santa Fe, NM

Acoustically Forced, Condensed-Phase Fuel Combustion Under Microgravity Conditions 

Owen I. Smith

University of California, Los Angeles; Los Angeles, CA

Computational and Experimental Study of Energetic Materials in a Counterflow

Microgravity Environment 

Mitchell D. Smooke

Yale University; New Haven, CT

Combustion of Rotating, Spherical, Premixed, and Diffusion Flames in Microgravity

Siavash H. Sohrab

Northwestern University; Evanston, IL

Investigation of Velocity and Temperature in Microgravity Laminar Jet Diffusion

Flames 

Peter B. Sunderland 

National Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids and

Combustion; Cleveland, OH

Reaction Kernel Structure and Diffusion Flame Stabilization 

Fumiaki Takahashi

University of Dayton Research Center; Dayton, OH

Diffusion Flame Structure, Shape, and Extinction: Geometrical Considerations 

Jose L. Torero

University of Maryland, College Park; College Park, MD

The Synthesis of Graphite-Encapsulated Metal Nanoparticles and Metal Catalytic

Nanotubes 

Randall L. Vander Wal

Glenn Research Center; Cleveland, OH

Laser Velocimeter for Studies of Microgravity Combustion Flowfields 

Philip Varghese

University of Texas, Austin; Austin, TX

Mechanistic Studies of Combustion and Structure Formation During Synthesis of

Advanced Materials

Arvind Varma

University of Notre Dame; Notre Dame, IN

High-Pressure Combustion of Binary Fuel Sprays 

Forman A. Williams

University of California, San Diego; La Jolla, CA
4

Fluid Physics

Fluid physics is the study of the motion of fluids and the

effects of such motion. Since of the four states of matter, three

(gas, liquid, and plasma) are fluid, and even the fourth (solid)

behaves like a fluid under many conditions, fluid physics encompasses a wide spectrum of industrial and natural processes and

phenomena. Fluid motion is responsible for most of the transport

and mixing that take place in the environment, in industrial

processes, in vehicles, and in living organisms. The ultimate goal

of research in fluid physics is to improve our ability to predict and

control the behavior of fluids in all of the above instances so as to

improve our ability to design devices and operate them. Fluid

motion, in most situations, is strongly influenced by gravity. The

low-gravity environment of space offers a powerful research tool

for the study of fluid physics, enabling the observation and control

of fluid phenomena in ways not possible on Earth. Experiments

conducted in this environment have clearly demonstrated the

value of microgravity by revealing results that are either completely

unexpected or unobservable in Earth’s gravitational field. These

results are providing new insight into the behavior of fluids in

terrestrial environments. 

The microgravity fluid physics program currently has four

major research areas: complex fluids, interfacial phenomena,

dynamics and instabilities, and multiphase flows and phase

change. There are 90 ground-based and 21 flight/flight-definition

principal investigators (PIs) conducting experimental research

and developing the theoretical framework for understanding the

effects of gravity on processes involving fluids. Work in complex

fluids covers colloids, foams, granular media, rheology of nonNewtonian fluids, and emulsions and suspensions. Interfacial

phenomena include liquid-vapor interface configurations, contact

line dynamics, capillary-driven flows, and the shape stability and

breakup of liquid bridges and drops. Dynamics and instabilities

include thermocapillary and thermosolutal flows, biofluid

mechanics, geological fluid flows, pattern formation, and electrokinetics and electrochemistry. Multiphase flows and phase change

include flow patterns in liquid-vapor/gas flows in microgravity,

nucleate boiling and its control using acoustic and electric fields

in microgravity, and flows of gas-solid and liquid-solid mixtures

in microgravity.

A total of 297 proposals were received in response to the

NASA Research Announcement for microgravity fluid physics

(98-HEDS-03) that was released in November 1998. The proposals

are undergoing peer review, and selections are to be made in early

fiscal year (FY) 2000. A listing of all of the fluid physics grants,

along with the PIs who received them, is provided in Table 7. 

NASA is in the process of defining a strategy for exploring

Mars and other planets in the “better, faster, and cheaper” framework. These missions pose considerable challenges, in that they

require humans and associated life support systems to be subjected

to prolonged exposure to microgravity during the interplanetary

transit phase, and to reduced gravity while on the planet’s surface.

As one might expect, fluid physics and transport phenomena play

a major role in many of the research and technology development

needs identified for exploration of Mars. The Microgravity Research

Division (MRD) has developed specific performance goals that

support these needs. The performance goals, which represent

new opportunities for the microgravity fluid physics and transport phenomena community, are listed below:

1. Advance the state of knowledge sufficiently to enable dust

control technologies and bulk material handling for extraterrestrial habitats and/or in-situ resource utilization.

2. Advance the state of knowledge sufficiently to allow development of reliable and efficient heat transfer technologies for

space and extraterrestrial operations.

3. Advance the state of knowledge sufficiently to allow development of effective fluid management technology for space

and extraterrestrial and industrial applications.

4. Establish the knowledge base required to design chemical

process systems for exploration missions. 

Some of the highlights of microgravity fluid physics research

conducted in space as well as on Earth in FY 1999 are included

below.

• Physics Today, the monthly magazine of the American

Institute of Physics, featured as its cover story an article

authored by microgravity fluid physics PIs Alice Gast, of

Stanford University, and William Russel, of Princeton

University. The article appeared in the December 1998 issue.

Titled “Simple Ordering in Complex Fluids: Colloidal

Particles Suspended in Solution Provide Intriguing Models

for Studying Phase Transitions,” the article reports findings

of spaceflight experiments as well as ground-based work

sponsored by the microgravity fluid physics program.

Results from the Colloidal Disorder-Order Transition

glovebox investigation and the Physics of Hard Spheres

Experiment were prominently cited, and photographs of

colloidal crystals formed in space were included.

• Bruce Ackerson, of Oklahoma State University, has filed a

patent application titled “A Fiber-Optic Multiple Scattering

Suppression Device.” The patent is based on work performed

under an MRD-funded grant. The invention provides a

method and apparatus for estimating single scattering functions, particularly in concentrated solutions. The instant

method utilizes two light detectors that are spatially and/or

angularly separated which simultaneously record the speckle

pattern from a single sample. The recorded patterns from

two detectors are then cross-correlated at zero-lag to produce

one point on a composite single/multiple scattering function

curve. By collecting and analyzing cross-correlation measurements that have been taken at a plurality of different

spatial/angular positions, the signal representative of single

scattering may be differentiated from the signal representative

of multiple scattering, and a near-optimum detector angle

for use in taking future measurements can be determined.
25

The technique is used for measuring colloid particle size in

concentrated solutions, where multiple scattering confounds

measurements.

• K.R. Sridhar, of the University of Arizona, is developing

solid oxide electrolysis (zirconia cells), which is one of the

leading concepts for producing oxygen from the Mars

atmosphere for propulsion and life support needs. A proofof-concept experiment investigating this process is manifested

to fly on the Mars 2001 lander as part of an in-situ resource

utilization demonstration experiment. In this process, the

predominantly carbon dioxide atmosphere of Mars is used as

a feed gas to produce oxygen and carbon monoxide. The

oxygen produced is separated as a 100 percent pure product

by the zirconia electrolyte, using solid state ionic conduction.

A laser texturing method was adopted to increase the surface

area of the cells and to control the dimensions of the valleys

and peaks. Tests show a marked improvement in the performance of cells using a laser-textured surface.

• John Goree, of the University of Iowa, and German colleagues

led by Gregor Morfill, at the Max Planck Institute Für

Extraterrestrische Physik, discovered a new phenomenon:

mach cones in a dusty plasma. Dusty plasma consists of

highly charged monodisperse microspheres levitated in a

charge-neutral laboratory plasma. The researchers are using

this system as a physical model to study the microscopic

structure and dynamics during the melting transition

between crystalline and liquid phases in two-dimensional

ground-based experiments and three-dimensional microgravity experiments. The newly discovered mach cones are

shock waves produced by an object moving faster than the

speed of sound through the dusty plasma. They are like the

V-shaped shock cones produced in gas dynamics by a supersonic aircraft. In this case, the relevant sound speed is the

speed of compressional waves in the suspension of ‘dust,’ or

particulates. The spacing between particles is compressed by

the shock wave, and the charge on the dust particles, due to

exposure to a plasma, provides an interparticle repulsion,

which leads to a sound propagation at a very low velocity of

typically a few centimeters per second.

• Harry Swinney, of the University of Texas Center for

Nonlinear Dynamics, authored a chapter titled “Emergence

and Evolution of Patterns” in the book Critical Problems in

Physics. Swinney reports on findings from his work funded

by a NASA microgravity fluid physics grant on “Surface

Tension–Driven Convection” in this book.

• Van Carey, of the University of California, Berkeley, has successfully demonstrated the effectiveness of using Marangoni

effects to enhance pool boiling using binary liquid mixtures.

The data obtained in this investigation imply that the

Marangoni effects arising from the surface tension gradients

due to concentration gradients are an active mechanism in

the boiling of binary mixtures such as 2-propanol/water. At a

molar concentration of 0.015 of 2-propanol in water, where

the surface tension gradient is highest among the concentrations tested, the critical heat flux is a factor of three greater

than that of pure water for similar conditions under normal

gravity. Models of pool boiling heat transfer and the critical

heat flux condition for binary mixtures are tested to correlate

the data. Comparison of boiling curves and critical heat flux

obtained at different orientations of the heater surface indicates

that there is a strong gravity-independent mechanism of

boiling heat transfer in these mixtures. This finding makes

binary mixtures attractive for microgravity applications. Carey

is continuing work to develop an improved understanding

of this phenomenon at a microscale level. 

• Mark McDowell and Thomas Glasgow, both of Glenn

Research Center (GRC), have been awarded a U.S. patent for the

Stereo Imaging Velocimetry technique developed under the

Advanced Technology Development (ATD) program. The

technique provides a full-field, quantitative, three-dimensional

map of any optically transparent fluid that is seeded with

tracer particles. This technique has been applied to track the

motion of the flame balls in the Structure of Flame Balls at

Low Lewis Number experiment, which flew on the first

Microgravity Science Laboratory mission (MSL–1).

• A patent application for “Microfluidic Controller and

Microvalve” has been filed by Alice Gast, of Stanford

University, and her research team. The patent represents a

method for synthesizing permanently linked monodisperse

paramagnetic chains by both covalently linking surfacefunctionalized polystyrene particles and physically linking

electrostatically stabilized paramagnetic emulsion droplets.

These anisotropic magnetoresponsive materials should be of

interest for their unique rheological, optical, electronic, and

micromechanical properties. Stanford has elected to retain

the title for this invention.

• Robert Behringer, of Duke University, reported a key finding:

the existence of a well-defined strengthening/softening transition in the dynamic behavior of two-dimensional granular

systems. Experiments on a slowly sheared two-dimensional

granular material show a continuous transition as the packing

fraction passes through a critical value of 0.776. The mean

stress plays the role of an order parameter. As the packing

fraction approaches this critical value from above, (1) the

compressibility becomes large, (2) a slowing down of the

mean velocity occurs, (3) the force distributions change, and

(4) the network of stress chains changes from intermittent

long radial chains near the critical packing fraction to a tangled,

dense network for larger packing fractions. This finding has

potential for significant impact in understanding the spatial

character of stress chains in granular media.

• The August 1999 issue of Notices of the American

Mathematical Society includes the feature article “Capillary

Surface Interfaces” by Robert Finn, of Stanford University, a
6

co-investigator funded by the Microgravity Research

Program. The colorful images on the front cover show

results from the Interfacial Configuration Experiment glovebox investigation, conducted on the second United States

Microgravity Laboratory (USML–2) mission and on the

Russian space station, Mir, along with data obtained from

the GRC drop tower. Capillary action is governed by highly

nonlinear equations. Some recently discovered formal consequences of these equations are at variance with predictions

from formal expansions, and experiments were conducted

on NASA and Mir flights to determine what actually occurs.

The article sketches the history of the problems, some of the

current theory, and relevant experimental results. Paul

Concus, of the University of California, Berkeley, is the PI

for this project, and Mark Weislogel, formerly of GRC, was

also a co-investigator for these investigations. 

• Research conducted by Noel Clark, of the University of

Colorado, was featured on the cover of the June 1999 Journal

of Materials Chemistry, published by the Royal Society of

Chemistry. The accompanying article is titled “The Case of

Thresholdless Antiferroelectricity: Polarization-Stabilized

Twisted Smc* Liquid Crystals Give V-Shaped Electro-Optic

Response.”

Meetings, Awards, and Publications

The 1998 Annual Meeting of the American Institute of

Chemical Engineers featured a special session titled

“Fundamental Research Fluid Mechanics II.” The session honored the 70th birthday of microgravity fluid physics PI Andrea

Acrivos, of the City College of the City University of New York,

on November 18, 1998. This special session was chaired by Gary

Leal, of the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Robert

Davis, of the University of Colorado, both fluid physics PIs. 

Harry Swinney, of the University of Texas Center for

Nonlinear Dynamics, was elected fellow of the American

Association for the Advancement of Science in January 1999.

Swinney is also a member of the microgravity fluid physics discipline advisory group.

Nancy Hall, of GRC, was selected to receive the 1999

National Society of Black Engineers Pre-College Community

Service Award. The award was presented during the second

annual Golden Torch Awards Ceremony on March 26, 1999, in

Kansas City, Missouri. The Golden Torch Award Ceremony is

the premier award and recognition program for African-American

engineers, scientists, and technologists. The primary goal of the

award is to recognize excellence among African-American technical professionals; corporate, government, and academic leaders;

and university and pre-college students. Hall’s extensive commitment and dedicated service to the pre-college student and teaching

communities through numerous educational outreach activities

were the basis for her nomination for this award.

The first international workshop on “Scientific Research

Against Sand Encroachment” was held in Medenine, Tunisia,

April 19–24, 1999. The meeting gathered American, Danish,

French, German, Icelandic, Mauritanian, Moroccan, and

Tunisian scientists from disciplines ranging from geology to engineering and physics. Funding for the non-African participants

was provided by CNRS (France’s national research organization),

NASA, and the National Science Foundation. The organization

of the meeting was shared by CNRS and Tunisia’s Institute des

Regions Arides (Institute of Arid Regions). Fluid physics PI

James Jenkins, of Cornell University, led a scientific contingent

from the United States. The present understanding of dune formation and migration was reviewed, and several phenomena critical to the problems of sand encroachment and desertification

were identified as requiring improved understanding, including

grain transport in extremely high winds, the onset and run-out of

intermittent avalanches, and the percolation and evaporation of

water in sand. A second conference is planned for 2001 in

Mauritania. Fluid physics PI Michel Louge, of Cornell

University, also participated and presented a paper.

A conference titled “Interfaces for the Twenty-First

Century: New Research Directions in Fluid Mechanics and

Materials Science” was held August 16–18, 1999, in Monterey,

California. Many fluid physics PIs played key roles in the

conference. This conference was also an opportunity to highlight

and celebrate the contributions to interface research in fluid

mechanics and materials science made by Stephen Davis, of

Northwestern University, on the occasion of his 60th birthday.

Davis is a fluid physics PI and past chair of the microgravity

fluid physics discipline working group.

Rafat Ansari, of the National Center for Microgravity

Research on Fluids and Combustion (NCMRFC) at GRC, was

awarded the NASA Public Service Medal on September 13, 1999,

at the NASA Honor Award ceremony at GRC. Ansari was honored for “pioneering work in the use of a compact, fiber

optic–based, laser light–scattering probe for the detection and

prevention of eye diseases.” The basis for this compact fiber-optic

probe technology was developed for spaceflight experiments

under the ATD program. This probe is currently being used at

the National Institutes of Health for human clinical trials for the

treatment of cataracts and at the Federal Drug Administration

on animal models for diabetes research.

John Brady, professor of chemical engineering and executive

officer for chemical engineering at the California Institute of

Technology, was elected to the National Academy of Engineering

(NAE). NAE membership is one of the highest professional distinctions accorded engineers, honoring those who have made

“important contributions to engineering theory and practice,

including significant contributions to the literature of engineering

theory and practice” and those who have demonstrated “unusual

accomplishments in the pioneering of new and developing fields

of technology.” 

Peter Wayner, of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, was

awarded the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ Heat
27

Transfer and Energy Conversion Division Award at the

November 1998 meeting in Miami, Florida. The award recognizes

an individual’s outstanding chemical engineering contributions

and achievement in heat transfer or energy conversion.

Andrea Prosperetti, of Johns Hopkins University, was

appointed associate editor of the International Journal of Multiphase

Flow and to the editorial board of the Physics of Fluids journal. 

A paper in the area of fluid physics has been selected for the

1998 GRC Distinguished Publication Award. The paper is titled

“Equilibration Near the Liquid-Vapor Critical Point in

Microgravity.” The authors are Allen Wilkinson, of GRC;

Gregory Zimmerli, of NCMRFC; Michael Moldover and Robert

Berg, both of the National Institute of Standards and Technology;

William Johnson, of Westminster College; and Hong Hao,

Richard Ferrell, and Robert Gammon, all of the University of

Maryland. The paper reports the results of a spaceflight experiment

that was the first to measure and verify the hypothesized density

changes associated with late-stage thermal equilibration near the

liquid-vapor critical point. The results are the closest ever to the

critical point by nearly two orders of magnitude and approach

within 1.4 millikelvins. The experiment was performed on the

first International Microgravity Laboratory (IML–1) mission in

January 1992.

Jeffrey Allen, of NCMRFC, was awarded the 1998 Manuel

Luan Jr. Student Paper Award at the Space Technology and

Applications International Forum in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The award recognized his paper titled “A Study of the

Fundamental Operation of a Capillary-Driven Heat Transfer

Device in Both Normal and Low Gravity, Part I: Liquid Slug

Formation in Low Gravity.” His co-author and academic adviser

is Kevin Hallinan, of the University of Dayton. The paper is

based on results obtained from the Capillary Heat Transfer

glovebox investigation, which was carried out on MSL–1 in April

and June 1997. The experiments were performed by Payload

Specialist Roger Crouch, of NASA headquarters.

Simon Ostrach, director of NCMRFC, organized and hosted

the first meeting of the Industry Liaison Board, which was

chaired by William Ballhaus Jr., vice president of science and

engineering at Lockheed Martin. The membership of the

Industry Liaison Board consists of 12 vice president–level representatives of a number of leading U.S. corporations. The board

was briefed on the technical content of the microgravity combustion

science and fluid physics programs and asked to provide feedback

on how these programs can better benefit industry. The board

was “pleasantly surprised at the breadth, depth, and quality of

microgravity science.” They also made a number of recommendations to strengthen ties with industry.

NCMRFC has organized a lecture series on fluid physics

and transport phenomena. The lectures will address topics of

increasing importance to microgravity and industrial research,

and are intended to broaden the perspective of attendees and provide a basis for further work on these more modern aspects of

fluid mechanics. Information and online registration are available

at the NCMRFC web site,

http://www.ncmr.org/events/fluid-annc.html.

Microgravity fluid physics PIs published numerous papers in

prestigious journals, such as Science, Nature, the Journal of Fluid

Mechanics, Physical Review Letters, Physical Review, Langmuir,

Physics of Fluids, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer,

and the Journal of Colloids and Interface Science.

The following meetings and conferences of note also took

place during FY 1999:

Meeting/Conference Date

American Society of Mechanical June 1998

Engineers’ Fluids Engineering Conference

National Heat Transfer Conference August 1998

11th International Heat Transfer Conference August 1998

American Physical Society’s Fluid November 1998

Dynamics Meeting 

American Institute of Chemical November 1998 

Engineers’ Annual Meeting 

American Society of Mechanical November 1998 

Engineers’ International Mechanical 

Engineering Congress and Exhibition

American Institute of Aeronautics January 1999 

and Astronautics’ Microgravity Science and 

Space Processing Meeting

Space Technology and Applications January 1999

International Forum — First Conference on 

Application of Thermophysics in Microgravity

Interfaces for the Twenty-First Century, August 1999

New Research Directions in Fluid Mechanics 

and Materials Science

Microgravity Fluid Physics and Heat Transfer Meeting September 1999

Flight Experiments

The Internal Flow in a Free Drop (IFFD) glovebox investigation was conducted on STS-95 in October 1998. The crew

was successful in deploying and manipulating the acoustically

positioned drops. Good video images with optimal resolution of

the internal tracer particles will allow the accurate measurement

of the internal motion of the liquid. The first demonstration of

noncontact fissioning of a single drop into two parts was

obtained with a static sound field. In addition, the new technique

for accurate, acoustically assisted drop deployment in microgravity

has been verified together with the feasibility of quiescently positioning a partially wetted drop at the end of a sting. A preliminary

review of the flight tapes indicated that thermocapillary flows

were clearly observed within a free drop in microgravity. Clear

evidence of an increase in the internal circulation in the drop has
8

been detected as the sting heater was activated in the vicinity of

the drop. Further analysis of the data is continuing. The PI for

IFFD is Satwindar Sadhal, of the University of Southern

California, and the co-investigator is Eugene Trinh, formerly of

the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The Growth and Morphology of Supercritical Fluids

(GMSF) experiment, also known as Growth and Morphology,

Boiling, and Critical Fluctuations in Phase-Separating

Supercritical Fluids, is a collaborative experiment between the

United States and France that was run in the French Alice-II

facility on the Russian space station, Mir, from 1998 to 1999. The

American PI is John Hegseth, of the University of New Orleans.

The French co-investigators are Daniel Beysens, of the French

Atomic Energy Commission in Grenoble, France, and Yves

Garrabos, of the University of Bordeaux. GMSF consists of three

experiments. One experiment distinguished two growth rate laws

that depend on the density deviation from the critical point standard

state and the size of the temperature step in going from a one-phase

fluid to a two-phase fluid. A second experiment examined rapid

interface dynamics when going from a two-phase state to a one-phase

state (supercritical boiling) using the same fluid as the first experiment. The third experiment sought to quantify the randomness of

density fluctuation structures that are smaller than the “correlation

length” very close to the liquid-vapor critical density and temperature. This experiment was conducted over a 20-day period. The

first experiment was successful and is under analysis. The second

experiment revealed differences from previous low-gravity experiments, and results are being published. The third experiment

failed due to a hardware malfunction.

The Extensional Rheology Experiment (ERE), designed by

Gareth McKinley, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is

intended to provide the first unambiguous quantitative measurements of the transient uniaxial extensional viscosity for a viscoelastic

polymer solution and to examine the relaxation behavior following

extensional deformation. The test fluid selected for ERE is a

Boger fluid composed of 0.025 weight percent of high molecular

weight monodisperse polystyrene dissolved in oligometric polystyrene. The complete test matrix involves eight non-Newtonian

tests on the Boger fluid covering the Deborah number range of

0.10 to 10.0, and two Newtonian tests using the oligometric polystyrene only. The experiments will be conducted on a Terrier

Black-Brant sounding rocket with an MK70 booster. A total of

five flights are needed to complete the 10-test matrix (two tests per

flight). Assembly of the ERE flight hardware was complete in

1999. Design changes to the force measurement system and optics

systems (flow-induced birefringence and digital particle image

velocimetry) were implemented, and system functional testing was

completed. The ERE payload completed flight acceptance vibration

testing in November 1999. Payload thermal testing was started in

1999 and completed in early 2000. Delays encountered during testing

resulted in the first sounding rocket launch schedule slip to July 2000.

The Physics of Colloids in Space (PCS) experiment, designed

by David Weitz, of Harvard University, and Peter Pusey, of the

University of Edinburgh, is slated to become the first fluid physics

experiment to be carried out on the International Space Station

(ISS). This experiment will be conducted in the Expedite

Processing of Experiments to Space Station (EXPRESS) rack,

located in the U.S. Laboratory Module. The scientific goals of this

experiment are to study fundamental colloid physics questions,

colloid engineering (using colloids as precursors for the fabrication

of novel materials), and the properties of new materials and their

precursors. Weitz and Pusey plan to conduct tests on eight colloid

samples of selected binary colloidal crystals, colloid/polymer mixtures (gels and crystals), and fractal colloidal gels. The flight

experiment hardware has been assembled, and system verification

testing has been initiated. All the science diagnostic operations,

which include fiber dynamic and static light scattering, Bragg

imaging, and low-angle imaging dynamic and static light scattering,

have been performed with the flight system and on the flight samples.

The experiment is completing the final verifications and preparations for shipment to Kennedy Space Center for rack integration

and integrated rack testing. PCS is scheduled to be launched on

ISS assembly flight 6A.

Preparation is under way for the third flight of the Mechanics

of Granular Materials (MGM-III) experiment. The PI is Stein

Sture, of the University of Colorado, Boulder. A total of nine very

successful triaxial compression experiments were performed on

dry sand specimens during the STS-79 (September 1996) and

STS-89 (January 1998) missions. The results have generated great

interest in related scientific and engineering communities. In

October 1999, MGM received the authority to proceed for another

flight after successfully completing an investigation continuation

review in October 1998. MGM-III experiments will be conducted

aboard the space shuttle during the STS-107 mission and will

investigate the constitutive and stability behavior of water-saturated

sand specimens in microgravity, where the science team will

employ a new specimen-reforming technique that enables recycling

the same specimen for additional experiments. The experiments

are expected to provide the first-ever measurements of sand

strength and stiffness modulus properties and induced pore water

pressures during cyclic loading similar to strong ground motion

observed during earthquakes. The newly devised specimenreforming technique will be of great importance for future space

station–based research, as it enables the reuse and retesting of the

same sample many times under controlled initial conditions. The

Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications has

ranked MGM one of its top discoveries and accomplishments in 1999.

Collisions Into Dust Experiment-2 (COLLIDE-2) is a

Complex Autonomous Payload experiment that studies the effects

of particle collisions on the formation of planetary rings and protoplanetary disks. The PI is Joshua Colwell, of the University of

Colorado. In the experiment, data are obtained on the outcome of

low-velocity collisions into a fine volcanic powder that simulates

regolith, the dust and small particles that coat the surfaces of most

bodies in the Solar System, such as asteroids, ring particles, and

the Moon. COLLIDE-2 continues the study that began with

COLLIDE, a Get Away Special payload that flew on STS-90 in

April 1998. Results from that experiment showed an absence of

any significant dust ejecta in the impact energy regime studies.
29

COLLIDE-2 will expand the experimental parameter space in

order to find the transition from purely accretional impacts to

those with some dust ejecta and to characterize the amount and

velocity of ejecta as a function of impact velocity and energy.

COLLIDE-2 is being designed and built at the Laboratory for

Atmospheric and Space Physics in Boulder, Colorado, with a significant amount of student involvement. Hardware design modifications have been completed, and the flight hardware is in the

process of being built and tested. The launcher mechanisms were

successfully tested on the KC-135 aircraft to verify the projectile

launch velocities as a function of launcher settings. The flight battery

boxes have been fabricated, and camera container boxes have been

fabricated and pressure tested.

The FY 1999 ground and flight tasks for fluid physics are listed

in Table 7. Further details regarding these tasks may be found in

the complementary document Microgravity Research Division

Program Tasks and Bibliography for FY 1999, available online at

http://microgravity.hq.nasa.gov/research.htm.

Table 7 Fluid Physics Tasks Funded by the Microgravity Research Division in FY 1999

(includes some continuing projects at no additional cost)

Flight Experiments

The Dynamics of Disorder-Order Transitions in Hard Sphere Colloidal Dispersions 

Paul M. Chaikin

Princeton University; Princeton, NJ

Collisions Into Dust Experiment-2 

Joshua E. Colwell

University of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, CO

Investigations of Mechanisms Associated With Nucleate Boiling Under

Microgravity Conditions 

Vijay K. Dhir

University of California, Los Angeles; Los Angeles, CA

The Melting of Aqueous Foams — Foam Optics and Mechanics 

Douglas J. Durian

University of California, Los Angeles; Los Angeles, CA

Microscale Hydrodynamics Near Moving Contact Lines 

Stephen Garoff

Carnegie Mellon University; Pittsburgh, PA

Growth and Morphology, Boiling, and Critical Fluctuations of Phase Separating

Supercritical Fluids

John J. Hegseth

University of New Orleans; New Orleans, LA

An Experimental Study of Richtmyer-Meshkov Instability in Low Gravity 

Jeffrey W. Jacobs

University of Arizona, Tucson; Tucson, AZ

Particle Segregation in Collisional Shearing Flows 

James T. Jenkins

Cornell University; Ithaca, NY

Magnetorheological Fluids: Rheology and Nonequilibrium Pattern Formation 

Jing Liu

California State University; Long Beach, CA

Studies of Gas – Particle Interactions in a Microgravity Flow Cell 

Michel Y. Louge

Cornell University; Ithaca, NY

Microgravity Experiments to Evaluate Electrostatic Forces in Controlling

Cohesion and Adhesion of Granular Materials 

John R. Marshall

Ames Research Center; Moffett Field, CA

The Dynamics of Miscible Interfaces: A Space Flight Experiment 

Tony Maxworthy

University of Southern California; Los Angeles, CA

Extensional Rheology Experiment 

Gareth H. McKinley

Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA

Industrial Processes Influenced by Gravity 

Simon Ostrach

Case Western Reserve University; Cleveland, OH

Diffusing Light Photography of Containerless Ripple Turbulence 

Seth J. Putterman

University of California, Los Angeles; Los Angeles, CA

Behavior of Rapidly Sheared Bubbly Suspensions 

Ashok S. Sangani

Syracuse University; Syracuse, NY

Studies in Electrohydrodynamics 

Dudley A. Saville

Princeton University; Princeton, NJ

Thermal Control and Enhancement of Heat Transport Capacity of Cryogenic

Capillary-Pumped Loops and Heat Pipes With Electrohydrodynamics 

Jamal Seyed-Yagoobi

Texas A&M University; College Station, TX

Mechanics of Granular Materials 

Stein Sture

University of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, CO

A Study of the Constrained Vapor Bubble Heat Exchanger 

Peter C. Wayner Jr. 

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Troy, NY

Physics of Colloids in Space 

David A. Weitz

Harvard University; Cambridge, MA

Colloidal Assembly in Entropically Driven, Low Volume–Fraction Binary Particle

Suspensions 

Arjun G. Yodh

University of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, PA 
0

Ground-Based Experiments

Experimental and Analytical Study of Two-Phase Flow Parameters in Microgravity 

Davood Abdollahian

S. Levy Inc.; Campbell, CA

The Synergism of Electrorheological Response, Dielectrophoresis, and ShearInduced Diffusion in Flowing Suspensions 

Andreas Acrivos

City College of the City University of New York; New York, NY

Dynamics and Statics of Nonaxisymmetric Liquid Bridges 

J. Iwan D. Alexander

National Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids and Combustion

Case Western Reserve University; Cleveland, OH

Ultrasonic Thermal Field Imaging of Opaque Fluids 

C. D. Andereck

Ohio State University; Columbus, OH 

Scientific Studies and Technological Potential of Acousto-Electrically Generated

Drop or Particle Clusters and Arrays 

Robert E. Apfel

Yale University; New Haven, CT

Fluid Physics of Foam Evolution and Flow 

Hassan Aref

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Urbana, IL

Marangoni Instability–Induced Convection in Evaporating Liquid Droplets 

V. S. Arpaci

University of Michigan; Ann Arbor, MI

Two-Phase Gas-Liquid Flows in Microgravity: Experimental and Theoretical

Investigation of the Annular Flow 

Vemuri Balakotaiah

University of Houston; Houston, TX

Numerical Simulation of Electrochemical Transport Processes in Microgravity

Environments 

Sanjoy Banerjee

University of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara, CA

Control of Flowing Liquid Films by Electrostatic Fields in Space 

S. G. Bankoff

Northwestern University; Evanston, IL

Forced Oscillation of Pendant and Sessile Drops 

Osman A. Basaran

Purdue University; West Lafayette, IN

Dynamics of Granular Materials 

Robert P. Behringer

Duke University; Durham, NC

Investigation of Drop Formation by a Vortex Ring in Microgravity 

Luis P. Bernal

University of Michigan; Ann Arbor, MI

Dynamic Modeling of the Microgravity Flow 

Jeremiah U. Brackbill

Los Alamos National Laboratory; Los Alamos, NM

Inertial Effects in Suspension Dynamics 

John F. Brady

California Institute of Technology; Pasadena, CA

Marangoni Effects on Near-Bubble Microscale Transport During Boiling of Binary

Fluid Mixtures 

Van P. Carey

University of California, Berkeley; Berkeley, CA

Structure, Hydrodynamics, and Phase Transitions of Freely Suspended Liquid

Crystals 

Noel A. Clark

University of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, CO

Dusty Plasma Dynamics Near Surfaces in Space 

Joshua E. Colwell

University of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, CO

Interface Morphology During Crystal Growth: Effects of Anisotropy and Fluid Flow 

Sam R. Coriell

National Institute of Standards and Technology; Gaithersburg, MD

Scaling of Multiphase Flow Regimes and Interfacial Behavior at Microgravity 

Christopher J. Crowley

Creare Inc.; Hanover, NH

Phoretic and Radiometric Force Measurements on Microparticles Under

Microgravity Conditions 

E. J. Davis

University of Washington; Seattle, WA

Cell and Particle Interactions and Aggregation During Electrophoretic Motion 

Robert H. Davis

University of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, CO

Thermocapillary-Induced Phase Separation of Dispersed Systems With Coalescence 

Robert H. Davis

University of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, CO

Theory of Solidification 

Stephen H. Davis

Northwestern University; Evanston, IL

Spectral-Element Simulations of Thermal Convection in a Rotating, Hemispherical

Shell With Radial Gravity and Comparison With Space-Laboratory Experiments 

Anil Deane

University of Maryland, College Park; College Park, MD

Attenuation of Gas Turbulence by a Nearly Stationary Dispersion of Fine Particles 

John K. Eaton

Stanford University; Stanford, CA

Effects of Gravity on Sheared Turbulence Laden With Bubbles or Droplets 

Said E. Elghobashi

University of California, Irvine; Irvine, CA

Evaporation, Boiling, and Condensation on/in Capillary Structures of High Heat

Flux, Two-Phase Devices 

Amir Faghri

University of Connecticut; Storrs, CT

The Influence of Gravity on Colloidal Crystallization and Field-Induced

Aggregation 

Alice P. Gast

Stanford University; Stanford, CA

Definition of Dust Aggregation and Concentration System for the Microgravity

Space Environment

Frank J. Giovane

Naval Research Laboratory; Washington, DC
31

Material Instabilities in Particulate Systems 

Joe D. Goddard

University of California, San Diego; La Jolla, CA

Thermoacoustic Effects at a Solid-Fluid Boundary: The Role of a Second-Order

Thermal Expansion Coefficient 

Ashok Gopinath

Naval Postgraduate School; Monterey, CA

Plasma Dust Crystallization 

John A. Goree

University of Iowa; Iowa City, IA

Capillary-Elastic Instabilities in Microgravity 

James B. Grotberg

University of Michigan; Ann Arbor, MI

Determination of the Accommodation Coefficient Using Vapor/Gas Bubble

Dynamics in an Acoustic Field in Microgravity Conditions 

Nail A. Gumerov

Dynaflow, Inc.; Fulton, MD

Instability Mechanisms in Thermally Driven Interfacial Flows in LiquidEncapsulated Crystal Growth

Hossein Haj-Hariri

University of Virginia; Charlottesville, VA

A Study of the Microscale Fluid Physics in the Near–Contact Line Region of an

Evaporating Capillary Meniscus 

Kevin P. Hallinan

University of Dayton; Dayton, OH

Engineering of Novel Biocolloidal Suspensions 

Daniel A. Hammer

University of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, PA

A Geophysical Flow Experiment in a Compressible Critical Fluid 

John J. Hegseth

University of New Orleans; New Orleans, LA

Experimental Investigation of Pool Boiling Heat Transfer Enhancement in

Microgravity in the Presence of Electric Fields 

Cila Herman

Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore, MD

Rheology of Foam Near the Order-Disorder Transition 

R. G. Holt

Boston University; Boston, MA

Sonoluminescence in Space: The Critical Role of Buoyancy in Stability and

Emission Mechanisms 

R. G. Holt 

Boston University; Boston, MA

Problems in Microgravity Fluid Mechanics: Thermocapillary Instabilities and

G-Jitter Convection

George M. Homsy

Stanford University; Stanford, CA

Surfactant-Based Critical Phenomena in Microgravity 

Eric W. Kaler

University of Delaware; Newark, DE

Bubble Generation in a Flowing Liquid Medium and Resulting Two-Phase Flow

in Microgravity 

Yasuhiro Kamotani

Case Western Reserve University; Cleveland, OH

Bubble Dynamics on a Heated Surface 

Mohammad Kassemi

National Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids and

Combustion; Cleveland, OH

Studies in Thermocapillary Convection of the Marangoni-Bénard Type 

Robert E. Kelly

University of California, Los Angeles; Los Angeles, CA

Two-Phase Annular Flow in Helical Coil Flow Channels in a Reduced-Gravity

Environment 

Edward G. Keshock

Cleveland State University; Cleveland, OH

Investigation of Pool Boiling Heat Transfer Mechanisms in Microgravity Using an

Array of Surface-Mounted Heat Flux Sensors 

Jungho Kim

University of Maryland, College Park; College Park, MD

Weakly Nonlinear Description of Parametric Instabilities in Vibrating Flows 

Edgar Knobloch

University of California, Berkeley; Berkeley, CA

Molecular Dynamics of Fluid-Solid Systems 

Joel Koplik

City College of the City University of New York; New York, NY

Thermocapillary Convection in Low Pr Materials Under Simulated Reduced-Gravity

Conditions

Sindo Kou

University of Wisconsin; Madison, WI

Electric Field–Induced Interfacial Instabilities 

Robert E. Kusner

Glenn Research Center; Cleveland, OH

Microscopic Visualization of Fluid Flow in Evaporating Droplets and Electro-Osmotic

Flows 

Ronald Larson

University of Michigan; Ann Arbor, MI

Interaction Forces and the Flow-Induced Coalescence of Drops and Bubbles 

L. G. Leal

University of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara, CA

The Micromechanics of the Moving Contact Line 

Seth Lichter

Northwestern University; Evanston, IL

Absolute and Convective Instability and Splitting of a Liquid Jet at Microgravity 

Sung P. Lin

Clarkson University; Potsdam, NY

Rheology of Concentrated Emulsions 

Michael Loewenberg

Yale University; New Haven, CT

The Dissolution of an Interface Between Miscible Liquids 

James V. Maher

University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh, PA

Using Surfactants to Enhance Thermocapillary Migration Bubbles and Drops and

Facilitate Drop Spreading to Hydrophobic Surfaces 

Charles Maldarelli

City College of New York; New York, NY
2

Passive or Active Radiation Stress Stabilization of (and Coupling to) Liquid Bridges

and Bridge Networks 

Philip L. Marston

Washington State University; Pullman, WA

Single Bubble Sonoluminescence in Low Gravity and Optical Radiation Pressure

Positioning of the Bubble 

Philip L. Marston

Washington State University; Pullman, WA

Fundamental Processes of Atomization in Fluid-Fluid Flows 

Mark J. McCready

University of Notre Dame; Notre Dame, IN

An Interferometric Investigation of Contact Line Dynamics in Spreading Polymer

Melts and Solutions

Gareth H. McKinley

Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA

Study of Two-Phase Gas-Liquid Flow Behavior at Reduced-Gravity Conditions 

John McQuillen

Glenn Research Center; Cleveland, OH

Fluid Dynamics and Solidification of Molten Solder Droplets Impacting on a

Substrate in Microgravity

Constantine M. Megaridis

University of Illinois; Chicago, IL

Determination of Interfacial Rheological Properties Through Microgravity

Oscillations of Bubbles and Drops 

Ali Nadim

Boston University; Boston, MA

NMRI Measurements and Granular Dynamics Simulations of Segregation of

Granular Mixtures

Masami Nakagawa

Colorado School of Mines; Golden, CO

Noncoalescence Effects in Microgravity 

G. P. Neitzel

Georgia Institute of Technology; Atlanta, GA

Production and Removal of Gas Bubbles in Microgravity 

Hasan N. Oguz

Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore, MD

Waves in Radial Gravity Using Magnetic Fluid 

Daniel R. Ohlsen

University of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, CO

On the Boundary Conditions at an Oscillating Contact Line: A Physical/Numerical

Experimental Program 

Marc Perlin

University of Michigan; Ann Arbor, MI

Experimental Studies of Multiphase Materials Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

(NMR) and NMR Imaging 

Robert L. Powell

University of California, Davis; Davis, CA

Dynamics of Accelerated Interfaces: Parametric Excitation and Fluid Sloshing in

Closed Containers and Open Tanks 

Constantine Pozrikidis

University of California, San Diego; La Jolla, CA

Acoustic Bubble Removal From Boiling Surfaces 

Andrea Prosperetti

Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore, MD

Containerless Ripple Turbulence 

Seth J. Putterman

University of California, Los Angeles; Los Angeles, CA

Complex Dynamics in Marangoni Convection With Rotation 

Hermann Riecke

Northwestern University; Evanston, IL

Decoupling the Role of Inertia and Gravity on Particle Dispersion 

Chris B. Rogers

Tufts University; Medford, MA

Design/Interpretation of Microgravity Experiments to Obtain Fluid/Solid

Boundary Conditions in Nonisothermal Systems 

Daniel E. Rosner

Yale University; New Haven, CT

Ground-Based Studies of Internal Flows in Levitated, Laser-Heated Drops 

Satwindar S. Sadhal

University of Southern California; Los Angeles, CA

Terrestrial Experiments on G-Jitter Effects on Transport and Pattern Formation 

Michael F. Schatz

Georgia Institute of Technology; Atlanta, GA

Free-Surface and Contact-Line Motion of Liquids in a Microgravity Environment 

Leonard W. Schwartz

University of Delaware; Newark, DE

Drop Breakup in Flow Through Fixed Beds as Model Stochastic Strong Flows 

Eric S. Shaqfeh

Stanford University; Stanford, CA

Lateral Motion of Particles and Bubbles Caused by Phoretic Flows Near a Solid

Interface 

Paul J. Sides

Carnegie Mellon University; Pittsburgh, PA

Fluid Physics and Transport Phenomena Research Support 

Bhim Singh

Glenn Research Center; Cleveland, OH

The Development of Novel, High-Flux, Heat Transfer Cells for Thermal Control in

Microgravity

Marc K. Smith

Georgia Institute of Technology; Atlanta, GA

Dynamics of the Molten Contact Line 

Ain A. Sonin

Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA

Modeling of Transport Processes in a Solid Oxide Electrolyzer Generating Oxygen

on Mars 

K. R. Sridhar

University of Arizona, Tucson; Tucson, AZ

Marangoni Effects on Drop Deformation and Breakup in an Extensional Flow: The

Role of Surfactant Physical Chemistry 

Kathleen J. Stebe

Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore, MD
33

Stability of Shapes Held by Surface Tension and Subjected to Flow 

Paul H. Steen

Cornell University; Ithaca, NY

Instabilities in Surface Tension–Driven Convection 

Harry L. Swinney

University of Texas, Austin; Austin, TX

Crystal Growth and Fluid Mechanics Problems in Directional Solidification 

Saleh Tanveer

Ohio State University; Columbus, OH

Microgravity Effects on Transendothelial Transport 

John M. Tarbell

Pennsylvania State University; University Park, PA

The Pool Boiling Crisis From Flat Plates: Mechanism(s) and Enhancement 

Theofanis G. Theofanous

University of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara, CA

Studies of Particle Sedimentation by Novel Scattering Techniques 

Penger Tong

Oklahoma State University; Stillwater, OK

Acoustic Streaming in Microgravity: Flow Stability and Heat Transfer Enhancement 

Eugene H. Trinh

National Aeronautics and Space Administration; Washington, DC

Computations of Boiling in Microgravity 

Gretar Tryggvason

University of Michigan; Ann Arbor, MI

Fluid Physics in a Stochastic Acceleration Environment 

Jorge Viñals

Florida State University; Tallahassee, FL

Enhanced Boiling on Microconfigured Composite Surfaces Under Microgravity

Conditions 

Nengli Zhang

Ohio Aerospace Institute; Cleveland, OH

The Small-Scale Structure of Turbulence 

Gregory Zimmerli

National Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids and

Combustion; Cleveland, OH
4

Fundamental Physics

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, 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. First, they seek 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. Second, researchers seek 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 arisen under these laws is amazingly complex

and diverse. By studying nature apart from 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 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. The pursuit of knowledge also serves to educate tomorrow’s scientists and technologists

and to fulfill the innate human desire to understand our place in

the universe. Humankind’s concept of the universe is changing

rapidly as the tools that NASA places in space, such as the

Hubble Space Telescope, detect new astronomical objects and

novel events; the understanding of the details of these phenomena

depends strongly on our understanding of fundamental forces

such as gravity.

To address the two long-term quests discussed above,

research is currently being pursued in three areas: gravitational

and relativistic physics, laser cooling and atomic physics, and

low-temperature and condensed matter physics. There is significant

synergy across the three research areas in terms of both scientific

overlap and overlap in experimental techniques. It is anticipated

that research in other areas, such as biological physics and highenergy physics, may be pursued in the future.

Gravitational and relativistic physics is perhaps the most

fundamental area of physics. Physicists have determined that

there are four kinds of forces that operate on matter: gravity,

electromagnetism, and the “strong” and “weak” forces within

atomic nuclei. Gravity is the weakest of these forces, yet paradoxically the most dominant, as it can act over very great distances.

In fact, the entire history of the universe illustrates the struggle to

counteract the gravitational force with the predictable eventuality

that all matter will succumb to it. In this regard, the gravitational

force is the most fundamental of all forces in nature. Every bit of

matter in the universe is under the influence, even if infinitesimally

so, of every other bit of matter. Relativity theories propose that

gravitational forces apply equally to all bodies. Furthermore,

Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity puts gravity at the heart

of the structure of the universe, proposing that even the orderly

space-time structure of the universe can be “warped” near a body

of large mass, such as the Sun or Earth. This warp would even

affect clocks. While these changes to the very fabric of space and

time near a large body are dramatic in their importance, they are

very subtle and difficult to measure accurately. Still, they are large

enough that they must be taken into account in even routine

astronomy observations and in measuring the position of satellites

and planets. Advanced technologies must be used to detect and

characterize these minute changes so that the corrections due to

relativistic phenomena can be precise. The fundamental physics

program currently is sponsoring the development of several experiments designed to improve accuracy in the measurements of

these effects and to test the basic foundations for Einstein’s theory. 

While studies in gravitational and relativistic physics examine

the most fundamental laws describing the universe on a large

scale, it is equally important to look at the tiny building blocks of

matter and how they manifest the same fundamental laws. Laser

cooling and atomic physics examines this area. Atoms are the

smallest systems in which we can study the basic principles of the

universe. New techniques allow the use of laser light to cool and

probe individual atoms as a starting point for exploration.

Careful study of individual atoms bridges the gap between the

actions of the smallest pieces of matter and the complex behavior

of large systems. Conducting these experiments in space allows

researchers to remove the influence of gravity and manipulate matter freely, without having to counteract “falling” of the specimens

within the instruments. The ability to observe the behavior of

atoms while they are completely under the experimenter’s control

promises novel results and new insights previously hidden from

view in Earth-bound laboratories. The NASA microgravity fundamental physics program is developing space experiments to

study clouds of atoms cooled by laser light to very near absolute

zero, yet freely floating without the forces that would be needed

to contain them on Earth. These novel conditions allow longer

observation times and measurements of higher precision. These

techniques are also employed to develop improved clocks, both

for testing basic theories of nature and for use in technological

applications in space.

Like laser cooling and atomic physics, low-temperature and

condensed matter physics is the study of fundamental laws of

nature on a small scale, at the atomic level. Condensed matter

physicists examine the properties of solids and liquids, the states

of matter in which atoms are condensed, or packed closely

together. Of particular interest to physicists is the behavior of

matter near a critical point, or conditions of pressure and temperature at which the properties of two different phases become

similar. For example, a substance at the liquid-vapor critical

point exhibits no distinction between the liquid phase and the
35

vapor phase. Properties of a substance often display anomalies at

a critical point. Many of the unusual phenomena exhibited at critical points can best be studied at low temperatures, where thermal

noise (heat-induced vibration) is much reduced. By understanding

the complex critical behavior of low-temperature materials, such

as liquid helium, we will learn more about the critical properties

of many systems, such as metallic alloys, magnetic materials, and

groups of fundamental particles, and even learn about larger-scale

phenomena, such as the percolation of water or the movement of

weather patterns, all of which exhibit critical point behavior.

Because critical point behavior is a function not only of temperature

but also of pressure, the pressure must be uniform throughout the

sample under observation. Earth’s gravity causes pressure differences

in a sample, so critical point phenomena on the ground can only

be observed in a very small region. If an experiment is conducted

in microgravity, the pressure can be uniform across the sample,

and much more comprehensive measurements can be made.

Furthermore, in microgravity, a drop of sample material can be

freely suspended without the interference of a container. This

freedom from external constraints is not possible in an Earthbound laboratory.

Ongoing investigations sponsored by the fundamental

physics program study critical point behavior in mixtures and in

confined media and test the universality of critical phase transitions and the scaling laws at such points. In addition, the dynamic

behavior of materials at critical points is studied to detect predicted

nonlinear responses to driving forces, and the effects of finite size

and of boundaries are studied near critical points. For example,

studies of large-scale quantum systems are being performed to

learn the hydrodynamics of such systems and of the melting and

freezing of quantum crystals.

Again this year, the list of discoveries and first observations

of new phenomena for the fundamental physics investigators is

impressive. Research discoveries have been published in the most

prestigious journals, such as Nature, Science, and Physical Review

Letters. Following are highlights of the microgravity fundamental

physics program in fiscal year (FY) 1999:

• Robert Berg, of the National Institute of Standards and

Technology (NIST), demonstrated in the Critical Viscosity

of Xenon experiment aboard the space shuttle that a nonpolymer fluid could be viscoelastic. The key to observing

xenon’s viscoelasticity was to bring the sample very close to

the critical point state, which is only possible in a freefall

environment.

• John Hall, of the University of Colorado, has filed two

patents that relate to his group’s work developing stable

oscillators employing laser-cooled atoms.

• Daniel Heinzen, of the University of Texas, generated ultracold molecules using a Bose-Einstein condensate of a dilute

atomic gas.

• Jason Ho, of Ohio State University, developed a theoretical

model for the superfluid state of optically trapped fermions.

• Randy Hulet, of Rice University, and his group have successfully

demonstrated their “atom skimmer” for loading 6

Li atoms

into a magneto-optical trap. This process allows for the

atomic beam source to be physically separated from the trapping region so that ultrahigh vacuum conditions can be

maintained in the trap.

• Juha Javanainen, of the University of Connecticut, has

demonstrated theoretically that, by simply sweeping the frequency of a photo-associating laser, a condensate of atoms

can be converted into a condensate of molecules. This discovery

may prove to be a key to establishing a molecular condensate.

• Mark Kasevich, of Yale University, demonstrated the highest

sensitivity reported thus far for a gravity gradiometer, with

an instrument based on atom interferometry.

• Wolfgang Ketterle, of the Massachusetts Institute of

Technology (MIT), observed excitation of standing and

rotating surface modes and domains of different spin orientations in a Bose-Einstein condensate. The structure of these

domains is established by applied magnetic fields and by orientation-dependent interactions between the atoms. The

MIT researchers also measured “zero-point motion” in a

sodium Bose-Einstein condensate for the first time.

• John Lipa, of Stanford University, and his team have completed their data analysis of the Confined Helium Experiment

flight results and data from different confinement sizes. The

results agree qualitatively with theoretical models describing

the nature of confinement effects.

• Lipa and his team report a tenfold improvement from previous

measurements in searching for the existence of a new force

acting in the 0.3 mm range. So far, the experiment has been a

null result.

• Horst Meyer, of Duke University, and his group directly

observed for the first time the predicted “adiabatic temperature gradient” effect in 3

He in a ground-based experiment.

• Richard Packard, of the University of California, Berkeley,

and his group have observed Shapiro steps in superfluid

weak links and have discovered an exotic current-phase relation in superfluid weak links. 

• William Phillips, of NIST, made the first observation of

four-wave mixing with atom waves resulting from the collision of three Bose-Einstein condensates to form a fourth one.

• Alvin Sanders, of the University of Tennessee, has been

awarded two patents related to his Satellite Energy

Exchange project. 

Meetings, Awards, and Publications

The American Physical Society held its centennial meeting

in Atlanta, Georgia, March 20–26, 1999. With 11,400 physicists

from more than 60 countries in attendance, this was the largest

physics meeting in history. Most of the microgravity fundamental

physics investigators participated in the meeting. Among the
6

exhibits that accompanied the meeting was a booth presenting an

overview of microgravity research to be performed aboard the

International Space Station. A tutorial titled “The Physics of

Cold Atoms at Millikelvin, Microkelvin and Nanokelvin

Temperatures” was organized by Wolfgang Ketterle at the meeting.

The 1999 Frequency Control Symposium was held jointly

with the European Frequency and Time Forum in Besançon,

France, April 13–16, 1999. Laser cooling flight project team members attended the conference, which featured sessions on space clocks,

laser-cooled frequency standards, and time-transfer techniques.

A mini-workshop discussing recent advances in studies of 4

He in a heat current near the superfluid transition, organized by

Robert Duncan, of the University of New Mexico, was held in

Washington, D.C., on April 28, 1999.

The 1999 NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

International Conference on Fundamental Physics in Space was

held April 29–May 1 in Washington, D.C. One hundred thirty

scientists representing all subdiscipline areas participated in the

meeting, which consisted of 38 oral presentations and 47 poster

presentations. A special opening session saw Congressman

Vernon Ehlers, R-Mich., reporting on the House Science

Committee’s work on updating our outdated National Science

Policy. Arnauld Nicogossian, of NASA headquarters; William

Phillips, of NIST; Kip Thorne, of the California Institute of

Technology; and Humphrey Maris, of Brown University, gave

keynote speeches. Maurice Jacobs, the European Space Agency

(ESA) Fundamental Physics Advisory Group chair, gave the banquet

speech. A breakfast meeting with Congressmen Ehlers;

Congressman Alan Mollohan, D-W.Va.; and Congressman Rush

Holt, D-N.J.; congressional aides Lee Alman and Richard

Oberman; Office of Management and Budget Representative

Douglas Comstock; and Office of Science and Technology Policy

Representative Colleen Hartman was sponsored by Stanford

University and held during the first day of the conference.

The 1999 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics and the

1999 Quantum Electronics Laser Science Conference were held

jointly May 23–28, 1999, in Baltimore, Maryland. Several investigators in the low-temperature and condensed matter physics area

attended and presented papers at the conference, which featured

a wide selection of topics in atomic and optical physics.

The Inner Space/Outer Space conference was held at the

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory May 26–29, 1999. NASA

Code S and the Department of Energy jointly organized this conference. Discussions were held with participants regarding Code

UG collaborations in the high-energy physics area.

Approximately 10 investigators participated in the Second

International Conference on Low-Temperature Physics held in

Chernogolovka, Russia, July 28–August 2, 1999.

Fundamental physics investigators presented more than 25

papers at the 22nd International Conference on LowTemperature Physics held in Helsinki, Finland, August 4–11,

1999. A number of fundamental physics investigators were invited

speakers at the conference.

Jason Ho and Mark Kasevich organized a workshop on

Bose-Einstein condensation, held at the Aspen Center for Physics

June 14–July 4, 1999. The workshop gathered more than 40 participants from all over the world to discuss the latest developments

in the field.

The number of presentations and publications by fundamental

physics investigators increased by 30 percent over last year. The

250 publications during 1999 comprised 114 journal articles, 53

presentations, 66 proceedings articles, 4 patents, 12 NASA New

Technology Reports, and 1 book.

Fundamental physics investigators garnered several awards

during FY 1999:

• John Dick, of JPL, received the 1999 European Time and

Frequency Award. The award, granted every two years by

the French Society of Microtechnology and Chronometry,

recognizes exceptional contributions in fundamental

advances for present or future applications.

• Robert Duncan was elected vice chair of the American

Physical Society’s (APS’) Topical Group on Instrumentation

and Measurement.

• Shin Inouye, a graduate student in Wolfgang Ketterle’s laboratory, won the 1999 Deutsch Award for Excellence in

Experimental Physics. The Deutsch Award is given every

other year to one graduate student at MIT.

• Ketterle was awarded the very prestigious Fritz London

Prize in Low-Temperature Physics at the 22nd International

Conference on Low-Temperature Physics in Helsinki, Finland.

• Daniel Stamper-Kurn, a graduate student working in

Ketterle’s laboratory, won the 1998 New Focus Student

Award of the Optical Society of America.

• William Phillips, of NIST, was awarded the 1998 APS

Arthur L. Schawlow Prize in Laser Science for his work in

developing methods for magnetic trapping of laser-cooled atoms.

Flight Experiments

The data analysis phase for the Confined Helium

Experiment (CHeX), which had a successful flight as part of the

fourth United States Microgravity Payload (USMP–4) mission

November 19–December 5, 1997, has been completed. Principal

Investigator John Lipa’s results demonstrate good agreement

with theories of finite size effect and with finite size scaling. A

manuscript summarizing the findings has been accepted for publication in Physical Review Letters. A successful investigation continuation review was held with a recommendation for a CHeX

reflight to study confinement in cylindrical pores with a diameter

roughly equal to the two-dimensional spacing from the first flight.

Unfortunately, the program has been unable to generate the

required funds and flight opportunity to implement the reflight.

The objective of the Critical Viscosity of Xenon-2 (CVX-2)

experiment, designed by Robert Berg, builds on the original CVX

experiment, launched on August 7, 1997, which met all scientific
37

objectives. Raw data converted to values of viscosity yielded accurate results to test viscoelasticity theory. The principal investigator

submitted a paper titled “Viscoelasticity of Xenon Near the

Critical Point,” which was accepted by Physical Review Letters.

Based on results from CVX, Berg proposed a follow-on experiment

to measure shear thinning predicted to occur near the critical point

of a pure fluid. CVX-2 uses the CVX flight hardware, with some

modifications, to achieve the viscometer precision and temperature

stability required. The flight hardware has been completed, and

all modifications have been tested. The same sample cell used for

CVX will also be used for CVX-2. The flight timeline includes

three passes through the critical temperature. CVX-2 was modified

to accommodate programmable viscometer frequencies and

amplitudes, and also to allow the principal investigator to make

timeline changes in real time. The first action of the experiment

is to locate the critical point to within 3 millikelvins while taking

a series of viscometer measurements. Primary viscosity data are

acquired during a series of measurements at a single viscometer

operating frequency and four different amplitudes. A third data

set will repeat the measurements at two different viscometer frequencies. A flight has not been identified for CVX-2, and the

hardware is currently in storage.

The six candidate experiments for the Low-Temperature

Microgravity Physics Experiments Project made significant

progress in their flight-definition activities. The Microgravity

Scaling Theory Experiment (MISTE) and the Superfluid

Universality Experiment (SUE) held successful science concept

reviews (SCRs) in December 1998. A nonadvocate science panel

and a nonadvocate engineering/programmatic panel reviewed the

experiments’ science significance, needs for microgravity, preliminary science requirements, and preliminary experiment implementation plans. MISTE, SUE, and the Critical Dynamics in

Microgravity experiment will compete for the two experiment

slots on the first mission (M1) of the Low-Temperature

Microgravity Physics Facility at their requirements definition

reviews (RDRs), planned for November 1999. The other three

experiments, Boundary Effects on the Superfluid Transition,

Experiments Along Coexistence near Tricriticality, and

Superconducting Microwave Oscillator, are working towards

their SCRs, which are planned for February 2000. Two of these

experiments will be selected for the M2 mission.

The multinational Satellite Test of the Equivalence Principle

(STEP) project completed the definition of science requirements

and put them under configuration control. Based on the maturity

of the project definition, the experiment’s SCR and RDR were

completed. STEP also defined the spacecraft and payload interface

requirements, allowing ESA to select Martra Marconi Space, of

the United Kingdom, to perform the spacecraft service module

study with a completion date of April 2000. STEP is currently

focusing its efforts on retiring key technical risks in the science

instrument by prototyping.

Once onboard the International Space Station (ISS), the

Primary Atomic Reference Clock in Space (PARCS) project will

measure various predictions of Einstein’s Theory of General

Relativity, including gravitational frequency shift and local position invariance, on the rate of clocks. PARCS will also achieve a

realization of the “second” (the fundamental unit of time tied to

the energy difference between two atomic levels in cesium) at an

order of magnitude better than is achievable on Earth and will

disseminate this accuracy to laboratories across the globe. The

PARCS SCR was successfully held in January 1999.

Utilizing the microgravity environment aboard the ISS, the

Rubidium Atomic Clock Experiment (RACE) will interrogate

rubidium (87Rb) atoms with precision one to two orders of magnitude better 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 limitations, and distribute

accurate time and frequency from the ISS. The RACE SCR has

been scheduled for June 2000.

The FY 1999 ground and flight tasks for fundamental

physics are listed in Table 8. Further details regarding these tasks

may be found in the complementary document Microgravity

Research Division Program Tasks and Bibliography for FY 1999,

available online at http://microgravity.hq.nasa.gov/research.htm.
8

Table 8 Fundamental Physics Tasks Funded by the Microgravity Research Division in FY 1999

(includes some continuing projects at no additional cost)

Flight Experiments

Boundary Effects on Transport Properties and Dynamic Finite-Size Scaling Near the

Superfluid Transition Line of 4He 

Guenter Ahlers

University of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara, CA

Microgravity Test of Universality and Scaling Predictions Near the Liquid-Gas

Critical Point of 3He

Martin B. Barmatz

Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Pasadena, CA

Critical Viscosity of Xenon-2 

Robert F. Berg

National Institute of Standards and Technology; Gaithersburg, MD

Critical Dynamics in Microgravity 

Robert V. Duncan

University of New Mexico; Albuquerque, NM

Investigation of Future Microgravity Atomic Clocks 

Kurt Gibble

Yale University; New Haven, CT

Experiments Along Coexistence Near Tricriticality 

Melora E. Larson

Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Pasadena, CA

A New Test of Critical Point Universality by Measuring the Superfluid Density Near

the Lambda Line of Helium 

John A. Lipa

Standford University; Stanford, CA

Confined Helium Experiment 

John A. Lipa

Stanford University; Stanford, CA

Fundamental Physics Experiments With Superconducting Cavity–Stabilized

Oscillators on Space Station 

John A. Lipa

Stanford University; Stanford, CA

Primary Atomic Reference Clock in Space 

Donald Sullivan

National Institute of Standards and Technology; Boulder, CO

Ground-Based Experiments

The Superfluid Transition of 4He Under Unusual Conditions 

Guenter Ahlers

University of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara, CA

New Phenomena in Strongly Counterflowing He-II near Tl

Stephen T. Boyd

University of New Mexico; Albuquerque, NM

Prediction of Macroscopic Properties of Liquid Helium From Computer Simulation 

David M. Ceperley

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Urbana, IL

Droplets of 3

He-4He Mixtures 

Siu-Tat Chui

University of Delaware; Newark, DE

The Lambda Transition Under Superfluid Flow Conditions 

Talso C. Chui

Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Pasadena, CA

Nucleation of Quantized Vortices From Rotating Superfluid Drops 

Russell J. Donnelly

University of Oregon; Eugene, OR

Kinetic and Thermodynamic Studies of Melting-Freezing of Helium in Microgravity 

Charles Elbaum

Brown University; Providence, RI

Satellite Test of the Equivalence Principle 

C. W. F. Everitt

Stanford University; Stanford, CA

Critical Dynamics of Ambient-Temperature and Low-Temperature Phase Transitions 

Richard A. Ferrell

University of Maryland, College Park; College Park, MD

Fundamental Physics Using Frequency-Stabilized Lasers as Optical “Atomic Clocks” 

John L. Hall

University of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, CO

Precision Measurements With Trapped Laser-Cooled Atoms in a Microgravity

Environment 

Daniel J. Heinzen

University of Texas, Austin; Austin, TX

Gravitational Effects in Bose-Einstein Condensate of Atomic Gases 

Tin-Lun Ho

Ohio State University; Columbus, OH

A Quantum Degenerate Fermi Gas of 6

Li Atoms 

Randall G. Hulet

Rice University; Houston, TX

Dynamic Measurements Along the Lambda Line of Helium in a Low-Gravity

Simulator on the Ground

Ulf E. Israelsson

Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Pasadena, CA

Turbidity and Universality Around a Liquid-Liquid Critical Point 

Donald T. Jacobs

The College of Wooster; Wooster, OH

Bose-Einstein Condensate and Atom Laser: Coherence and Optical Properties 

Juha Javanainen

University of Connecticut; Storrs, CT

Atom Interferometry in a Microgravity Environment 

Mark A. Kasevich

Yale University; New Haven, CT

Towards Precision Experiments With Bose-Einstein Condensates 

Wolfgang Ketterle

Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA
39

Second Sound Measurements Near the Tricritical Point in 3

He - 4He Mixtures 

Melora E. Larson

Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Pasadena, CA

Static Properties of 4He in the Presence of a Heat Current in a Low-Gravity Simulator 

Melora E. Larson

Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Pasadena, CA

Studies of Atomic Free Radicals Stored in a Cryogenic Environment 

David M. Lee

Cornell University; Ithaca, NY

A Renewal Proposal to Study the Effect of Confinement on Transport Properties by

Making Use of Helium Along the Lambda Line

John A. Lipa

Stanford University; Stanford, CA

A Test of Supersymmetry Theory by Searching for Anomalous Short-Range Forces 

John A. Lipa

Stanford University; Stanford, CA

High-Resolution Study of the Critical Region of Oxygen Using Magnetic Levitation 

John A. Lipa

Stanford University; Stanford, CA

Theoretical Studies of Liquid 4He Near the Superfluid Transition 

Efstratios Manousakis

Florida State University; Tallahassee, FL

Density Equilibration in Fluids Near the Liquid-Vapor Critical Point 

Horst Meyer

Duke University; Durham, NC

Indium Mono-Ion Oscillator II 

Warren Nagourney

University of Washington; Seattle, WA

Superfluid Gyroscopes for Space 

Richard E. Packard

University of California, Berkeley; Berkeley, CA

Search for Spin-Mass Interaction With A Superconducting Differential Angular

Accelerometer 

Ho Jung Paik

University of Maryland, College Park; College Park, MD

The Effect of Thermal History, Temperature Gradients, and Gravity on Capillary

Condensation of Phase-Separated Liquid 3

He-4He Mixtures in Aerogel 

Jeevak M. Parpia

Cornell University; Ithaca, NY

Nonlinear Relaxation and Fluctuations in a Nonequilibrium, Near-Critical Liquid With

a Temperature Gradient 

Alexander Z. Patashinski

Northwestern University; Evanston, IL

Evaporative Cooling and Bose Condensates in Microgravity: Picokelvin Atoms in

Space 

William D. Phillips

National Institute of Standards and Technology; Gaithersburg, MD

A Microgravity Helium Dilution Cooler 

Pat R. Roach

Ames Research Center; Moffett Field, CA

Finite Size Effects Near the Liquid-Gas Critical Point of 3

He 

Joseph Rudnick

University of California, Los Angeles; Los Angeles, CA

Research and Analysis in Support of Project Satellite Energy Exchange: Test of the

Equivalence Principle and Measurement of Gravitational Interaction Parameters in

an Ultra-Precise Microgravity Environment 

Alvin J. Sanders

University of Tennessee; Knoxville, TN

Dynamics and Morphology of Superfluid Helium Drops in a Microgravity

Environment 

George M. Seidel

Brown University; Providence, RI

Precise Measurements of the Density and Critical Phenomena of Helium Near Phase

Transitions 

Donald M. Strayer

Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Pasadena, CA

3

He-4He Mixtures and Droplets Stabilized in Cesiated Containers 

Peter Taborek

University of California, Irvine; Irvine, CA

Ground-Based Investigations With the Cryogenic Hydrogen Maser 

Ronald L. Walsworth

Smithsonian Institution; Cambridge, MA
0

Materials Science

The goal of the microgravity materials science research

program is to establish and improve the quantitative and predictive relationships among the structure, processing, and properties of materials. Production processes for most materials

include steps that are very heavily influenced by the force of

gravity. Typical gravity-related effects on materials science

research include buoyancy-driven convection, sedimentation,

and hydrostatic pressure. The opportunity to observe, monitor,

and study material production in low gravity promises to

increase our fundamental understanding of production processes

and their effects on the properties of the materials produced.

Through careful modeling and experimentation, the mechanisms

by which materials are formed can be better understood and can

result in improved processing controls. In this way, materials

scientists can design and manufacture new metal alloys, semiconductors, ceramics, glasses, and polymers with better properties,

such as increased strength and durability. These new materials

can be used to improve the performance of a wide range of

products, including complex computers.

In fiscal year (FY) 1999, the materials science program continued work on projects in support of the Human Exploration

and Development of Space Enterprise Strategic Plan. The plan

includes goals, performance measurements, and metrics. The

current status of efforts put forth toward meeting these goals was

presented to the associate administrator for life and microgravity

sciences and applications as part of the materials science program’s

annual assessment. In addition, the materials science office at

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was restructured under a

single department to enable better communications and organizational efficiency among the science, systems engineering, and the

projects implementing the program.

To ensure that investigations get approved for flight, the

materials science program has placed emphasis on providing

NASA resources to the principal investigator teams in the flightdefinition phase to help investigators through the science concept

review (SCR) and the requirements definition review (RDR)

processes in a timely manner. Multiple project science and engineering teams were established to assist the PI teams with

experiment concept development, technology identification,

modeling, breadboarding, and hardware prototyping. Additionally,

support for building apparatus for KC-135 aircraft, drop tube,

and electrostatic levitator operation was provided.

Due to the agency’s emphasis on initial hardware assembly

for the International Space Station (ISS) and the dedication of

space shuttle flights to build the station, no materials science

research missions or individual flight experiments were conducted

this year. Our flight researchers from prior space shuttle and

Spacelab flights concluded their analyses and published final

postflight results.

Development of the Materials Science Research Facility continued in FY 1999. This development effort includes independent

racks and components comprising experiment and insert modules

that can be interchanged and replaced on orbit. The inserts

include both low- and high-temperature instruments and diagnostics

devices that accommodate a wide range of applications. An envelope of potential experiment requirements for both current and

future investigations is being developed for Materials Science

Research Racks (MSRRs) #2 and #3 for the facility. These data

will be used for architectural system trade studies.

MSRR #1 completed its project definition review in June

1999 with the rack subsystems and the Quench Module Insert.

Activities have begun for the integrated design review, which will

be conducted in mid-2000. Currently the first rack is scheduled

for launch on the third Utilization Flight (UF-3) to the ISS.

Work continued with the European Space Agency (ESA) on

finalizing the scope of the Materials Science Laboratory module.

These efforts produced a significant step forward in establishing

design interfaces with our international partner engineering team. 

Implementation of apparatus for two glovebox investigations,

Pore Formation and Mobility, and Solidification Using a Baffle

in Sealed Ampoules, was initiated. The two experiments are

scheduled for flight on UF-1. Flight hardware delivery is expected

in mid-2001.

All SCRs for experiments selected from the 1994 NASA

Research Announcement (NRA) for microgravity materials science

were completed in FY 1999. Requirements definition for these

investigations will continue throughout FY 2000. During this

year, some project formulation support activities for the RDR

milestones were adjusted due to reduced levels of station funding

and delays in obtaining flight opportunities. An investigation

continuation review (ICR) for the Coarsening in Solid-Liquid

Mixtures investigation was conducted. A delta ICR to address

certain specific engineering changes will be held in early FY 2000.

Work continued on the investigation definition for the 10

experiments selected from the 1996 NRA for materials science.

SCRs for these investigations will be held in FY 2000. 

The evaluation of proposals in response to the 1998 NRA for

microgravity materials science (98-HEDS-05) was completed,

and award letters will be issued by the end of calendar year 2000.

It is anticipated that the total number of grants awarded will

increase slightly over prior annual cycles. 

The Electrostatic Levitator (ESL) became fully operational

at MSFC this year. The ESL is a state-of-the-art containerless

processing tool used by multiple materials science investigators.

With this new capability, MSFC can provide critical resources to

the materials science community to continue and enhance

ground-based research in support of the development of experiments during the transition to ISS flight opportunities. Processing

levitated materials represents an important area of research that

allows access to the metastable state of undercooled melts. By

levitating materials so that they are free from contact with the container wall, a high-purity environment can be obtained for the

study of reactive, high-temperature materials for experiments on

refractory solids and melts. William Johnson, of the California

Institute of Technology, uses data obtained from the ESL to

develop alloy systems for an exciting new class of materials, bulk

metallic glasses. FY 1999 highlights from research conducted in
41

the ESL include the extension of processing capabilities to oxide

glasses, such as Pyrex. Several facility upgrades contributed to this

success. Of these upgrades, the most critical were improvements

to the sample positioning and control system and an improved

ultraviolet charging system. These upgrades continue to

enhance ESL processing capabilities for metals and alloys. 

The developmental dendrite growth hardware, installed in

the Microgravity Development Laboratory last year, continues to

provide an important test platform for materials science investigations and engineering breadboarding. Data were provided to

evaluate transient and time-dependent dendritic growth by

employing the relatively large Clapeyron pressure/melting temperature effect in succinonitrile. Preliminary tests of the feasibility

of this idea confirmed the basic scientific concept. Significant

achievements also have been made in meeting imaging diagnostics

requirements, including the challenge of tracking the dendrite tip

radii. In parallel, both conventional optics and holography are

being developed and tested as a means of achieving the stringent

optics requirements of materials science investigations. 

The prototype furnace for the Bridgman Unidirectional

Dendrite in a Liquid Experiment (BUNDLE) is being utilized

to investigate the fundamentals of unidirectional solidification

of metal alloy samples. Unique to the furnace design is an in-situ

quench capability that ensures freezing without disturbing the

interfacial sample morphology. Increased throughput is achievable

by “bundling” multiple furnace cores together. An extensive test

program was initiated for a wide range of thermal parameters.

The BUNDLE furnace has successfully processed various samples

and sample configurations for more than 225 hours and 45 heat-up

cycles, at temperatures up to 1,100° C. The sharp delineation

between the growing dendrites and the eutectic structure in the

interfacial region proved the efficacy of the in-situ quench method.

Some notable scientific achievements during FY 1999 are

listed below:

• While conducting preparatory research for his Frontal

Polymerization in Microgravity investigation, John Pojman,

of the University of Southern Mississippi, was able to produce

in the tensiometer an interface between a monomer and its

polymer. This may be the first time an interface of this type

between miscible liquids has been stabilized and examined.

• Delbert Day, of the University of Missouri, and his team

have developed a new experimental method for determining

the nucleation rate, crystal growth rate, and concentration of

quenched-in nuclei in glasses using differential thermal

analysis. This new method is about 10 times faster and

requires only one-tenth the sample size while yielding

comparable accuracy, allowing otherwise unusable, damaged samples to be successfully analyzed.

• Richard Weber, of Containerless Research, Inc., reported

several significant accomplishments in FY 1999, including

the discovery of a method for controlling phase separation in

rare earth aluminate glasses, measuring the first X-ray-weighted

structure factor and radial distribution function for a deeply

undercooled rare earth aluminate liquid, and establishing

conditions for synthesizing bulk orthosilicate glass (forsterite,

Mg2SiO4).

• Randall German, of Pennsylvania State University, has begun

identification of the sequence of events that occur during sintering in normal gravity, showing that densification and distortion take place in series. Improved understanding of the

sintering process will allow the production of high-performance

sintered materials with improved dimensional control.

Meetings, Awards, and Publications

Richard Weber presented the invited keynote paper on the

investigation of liquid oxides under extreme conditions at the

American Ceramic Society Meeting in Cocoa Beach, Florida, in

January 1999.

The 37th American Institute of Aeronautics and

Astronautics’ Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit was held

January 11–14, 1999, in Reno, Nevada. This meeting highlighted

21 areas dealing with aeronautical, astronautical, and educational

aspects of materials science, including sessions on microgravity

and space processing. The meeting brought together scientists

and engineers to discuss fundamental science issues, technological

challenges, and basic research associated with aerospace engineering.

Carlos Coimbra, of Drexel University, and Roger Rangel, of the

University of California, Irvine, won the best paper award for

their work titled “Spherical Particle Motion in Unsteady Viscous

Flows.” The paper is based on work being done to support the

Spaceflight Holography Investigation in a Virtual Apparatus project, headed by James Trolinger, of MetroLaser, Inc.

The Martin E. Glicksman Symposium on Solidification and

Crystal Growth of the Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society’s

(TMS’) Annual Meeting was held in San Diego, California,

March 3, 1999. A workshop on containerless processing was also

conducted as part of the conference.

The Pittsburgh Conference ’99, an annual major conference

and trade show on analytical chemistry and applied spectroscopy,

was held in Orlando, Florida, March 8–11, 1999. Donald Gillies,

of MSFC, gave an invited talk titled “Materials Science on Space

Station” as part of the symposium “Analytical Chemistry on the

Space Station and Beyond.” Approximately 30,000 people attended

the conference.

During the Powder Metallurgy and Particulate Materials

conference held in Vancouver, Canada, June 20–24, 1999, three

presentations based on results obtained from the Gravitational

Effects on Distortion in Sintering experiment were given by a

Pennsylvania State University research team led by Randall

German. Although focusing on different material systems, all

three presentations concerned the role of porosity while sintering

in the presence of a liquid phase. 

The Society for Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers’

International Symposium on Optical Science and

Instrumentation took place in Denver, Colorado, July 18–23,
2

1999. The meeting featured a three-day conference on materials

research in low gravity, chaired by Narayanan Ramachandran, of

the Universities Space Research Association (USRA). The conference emphasized the use of external fields in materials processing.

Separate sessions were devoted to glasses, alloys, and melts; in-situ

monitoring and diagnostics; and analysis and modeling.

Doru Stefanescu, of the University of Alabama, was the plenary speaker at the Fourth Pacific Rim International Conference

on Modeling of Casting and Solidification, held in Seoul, South

Korea, September 4–8, 1999. Stephanescu’s talk was titled “An

Interface Tracking Numerical Model for Solidification of Pure

Metals and Alloys,” and was co-authored by Adrian Catalina, of

USRA. In this paper, the investigators proposed a two-dimensional

numerical model able to accurately track sharp solid/liquid interfaces during the solidification of pure metals and alloys.

Two principal investigators from the materials science program

were installed as Fellows of the American Society for Metals (ASM)

at its annual meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio, November 1, 1999.

Arun Gokhale, of the Georgia Institute of Technology, was recognized “for outstanding contributions to the field of stereology and

its applications to quantitative microstructural characterization.”

Jogender Singh, head of the Electron Beam–Physical Vapor

Deposition Coating Center at Pennsylvania State University, was

honored “for exceptional contributions in the applications of laser

beam processing to the synthesis of nanoparticles, coatings, surface

modifications, thin welds, welding, and cutting.”

Randall German received numerous awards, including the

1999 Outstanding Paper Award by the Metal Powder Industries

Federation; the Sauver Award by ASM International, Boston

Section; and the Lectureship Award by the Japan Institute for

Materials Technology. German gave an invited keynote presentation on “Innovations in Sintering” at the National Institute for

Standards and Technology’s Advanced Technology Program in

November 1999 and was named the first Nanyang Professor by

the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. German

was also awarded the Jubilee Tesla Medal for outstanding contribution to the field of natural science.

The 1999 Space Technology and Applications International

Forum was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in October.

Sharon Cobb, of MSFC, presented a paper titled “Preliminary

Concepts for the Materials Science Research Facility.” The materials science session included presentations on planned payloads

and experiments for the ISS, as well as updates on the predicted

microgravity environment and the Active Rack Isolation System.

Rohit Trevidi, of Iowa State University, who is the principal

investigator (PI) for the Interface Pattern Selection Criteria for

Cellular Structures in Directional Solidification project, was

honored with the David R. Boylan Eminent Faculty Award for

Research, given by the College of Engineering at Iowa State

University. Trevidi was also named Consultant Professor by

Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xian, China. 

TMS presented several awards to researchers active in the

materials science research program. Reza Abbaschian, of the

University of Florida, was cited as the Structural Materials Division

Distinguished Scientist/Engineer for his outstanding scientific

and technical contributions in the solidification and processing of

composites, leadership in materials science and engineering education activities, and service to TMS. Abbaschian was also the

recipient of the 1999 Leadership Award for outstanding academic

leadership and contributions to the materials profession through

TMS-sponsored and national activities. 

TMS’ Educator Award for 1999 was awarded to Merton

Flemings, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Flemings

was cited for outstanding contributions to the unification of the

fields of materials science and engineering and for disseminating

information on the contributions of leaders in materials processing

and solidification.

Flight Experiments

The Coarsening in Solid-Liquid Mixtures-2 (CSLM-2)

investigation is designed to investigate the factors controlling the

morphology of solid-liquid mixtures during Ostwald ripening, or

coarsening. Coarsening occurs in a wide variety of two-phase

mixtures, ranging from multiphase solids to multiphase liquids,

and has a significant impact on the high-temperature stability of

many technologically important materials. The objectives of the

experiment are (1) to produce coarsening data that for the first

time can be compared directly to theory with no adjustable

parameters, and (2) to support the development and accuracy of

theoretical models of the process. This investigation, which will

fly aboard the ISS in 2001, is a modified reflight of the CSLM

experiment, which flew on STS-83 and STS-94 in April and July

1997, respectively. In particular, experiments with longer coarsening

times will be carried out to eliminate possible transient effects. An

improved furnace will provide minimal gradients (less than 0.02°

C/cm) in order to control grain formation over longer processing

periods necessary for correlation theory. The experiment will be

carried out in the ISS Microgravity Science Glovebox. The PI,

Peter Voorhees, of Northwestern University, has tested the new

furnace and has found it greatly improved over the previous

design. The PI and engineering team are preparing to conduct

an investigation continuation review, after which an authorityto-proceed review will be scheduled.

The Coupled Growth in Hypermonotectics (CGH) experiment uses microgravity to establish and improve quantitative and

predictive relationships among the structure, processing, and

properties of materials. Engineering alloys typically consist of a

mixture of two or more metals that are melted together to form a

mixture with enhanced properties. However, there is a large

group of alloys that do not mix when melted. Instead, these

immiscible, or hypermonotectic, alloys form two separate liquids,

resulting in a situation similar to that seen when oil is added to

water. When hypermonotectic alloys are melted and solidified on

Earth, the heavier of the two liquids sinks to the bottom and limits

the usefulness of the alloy. Low-gravity conditions can prevent

the heavier liquid from sinking and allow the formation of internal
43

microstructures ideal for many engineering applications. The

CGH project uses low-gravity conditions to enhance our understanding of these intriguing and potentially beneficial alloys in an

attempt to improve the ability to produce the desired structures

on Earth. Immiscible alloys have potential beneficial characteristics

for use in superconductors, catalysts, bearings, electrical contacts,

magnetic materials, and microelectronic circuits. Barry Andrews,

of the University of Alabama, Birmingham, and his team are

preparing CGH for operations aboard the ISS in 2003. This

experiment is projected for processing in the Quench and HighGradient Directional Solidification Furnace module insert of the

Materials Science Research Facility. 

The primary objective of the Particle Engulfment and

Pushing by a Solid/Liquid Interface (PEP) experiment is to

develop the understanding of the pushing and engulfment of

particles by planar liquid/solid interfaces during the solidification

of metallic alloys. Composite materials, mixtures of two or more

materials which, when combined, provide specific, desired

properties, are developed to make new, superior materials that

take advantage of the properties of each component material.

Ground-based investigations have been inconclusive in accurately

understanding the physics of the problem due to convection and

sedimentation occurring in the liquid metal under terrestrial

gravity. Metal matrix composites, which consist of combinations

of metallic and ceramic components, have widespread applications

in the automotive and aerospace industries. To optimize properties,

it is essential to process the composite materials in such a way

that they produce a uniform dispersion of ceramic particles

within the metal matrix. During processing, the particles are

either pushed or engulfed. New understanding will also help in

other fields that see particles pushed by solidifying interfaces.

The investigation team, led by Doru Stefanescu, is preparing to

conduct flight investigations on the ISS in 2003. Findings from

this investigation may improve techniques for processing metal

alloys on Earth, resulting in stronger, lighter materials for use in

industry. PEP may also provide an understanding of how and

why potholes form on road surfaces and how to prevent them. 

The FY 1999 ground and flight tasks for materials science

are listed in Table 9. Further details regarding these tasks may

be found in the complementary document Microgravity Research

Division Program Tasks and Bibliography for FY 1999, available

online at http://microgravity.hq.nasa.gov/research.htm.

Table 9 Materials Science Tasks Funded by the Microgravity Research Division in FY 1999

(includes some continuing projects at no additional cost)

Flight Experiments

In-Situ Monitoring of Crystal Growth Using MEPHISTO 

Reza Abbaschian

University of Florida; Gainesville, FL

Coupled Growth in Hypermonotectics 

J. B. Andrews

University of Alabama, Birmingham; Birmingham, AL

Fundamental Aspects of Vapor Deposition and Etching Under Diffusion-Controlled

Transport Conditions

Klaus J. Bachmann

North Carolina State University; Raleigh, NC

Self-Diffusion in Liquid Elements 

R. M. Banish

University of Alabama, Huntsville; Huntsville, AL

Thermophysical Property Measurements of Te-Based II-VI Semiconductor

Compounds 

R. M. Banish

University of Alabama, Huntsville; Huntsville, AL 

Investigation of the Relationship Between Undercooling and Solidification Velocity 

Robert J. Bayuzick

Vanderbilt University; Nashville, TN

Equiaxed Dendritic Solidification Experiment 

Christoph Beckermann

University of Iowa; Iowa City, IA

Kinetics of Nucleation and Crystal Growth in Glass-Forming Melts in Microgravity 

Delbert E. Day

University of Missouri; Rolla, MO

Measurement of the Viscosity and Surface Tension of Undercooled Melts Under

Microgravity Conditions and Supporting Magnetohydrodynamic Calculations 

Merton C. Flemings

Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA

Microgravity Growth of PbSnTe 

Archibald L. Fripp

Langley Research Center; Hampton, VA

Gravitational Effects on Distortion in Sintering 

Randall M. German

Pennsylvania State University; University Park, PA

Isothermal Dendritic Growth Experiment 

Martin E. Glicksman

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Troy, NY

Evolution of Local Microstructures: Spatial Instabilities of Coarsening Clusters 

Martin E. Glicksman

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Troy, NY 

Physical Properties and Processing of Undercooled, Metallic, Glass-Forming Melts

William L. Johnson

California Institute of Technology; Pasadena, CA

Thermophysical Properties of Metallic Glasses and Undercooled Liquids 

William L. Johnson

California Institute of Technology; Pasadena, CA
4

Transient Dendritic Solidification Experiment 

Matthew B. Koss

Rensselaer Polytechic Institute; Troy, NY

Orbital Processing of Eutectic Rod-Like Arrays 

David J. Larson Jr.

State University of New York; Stony Brook, NY

Crystal Growth of II-VI Semiconducting Alloys by Directional Solidification 

Sandor L. Lehoczky

Marshall Space Flight Center; Huntsville, AL

Growth of Solid-Solution, Single Crystals 

Sandor L. Lehoczky

Marshall Space Flight Center; Huntsville, AL

Diffusion Processes in Molten Semiconductors 

David H. Matthiesen

Case West Reserve University; Cleveland, OH

Space- and Ground-Based Crystal Growth Using a Baffle 

Aleksandar G. Ostrogorsky

University of Alabama, Huntsville; Huntsville, AL

Comparison of Structure and Segregation in Alloys Directionally Solidified in

Terrestrial and Microgravity Environments 

David R. Poirier

University of Arizona, Tucson; Tucson, AZ

Frontal Polymerization in Microgravity 

John A. Pojman

University of Southern Mississippi; Hattiesburg, MS

Particle Engulfment and Pushing by Solidifying Interfaces 

Doru M. Stefanescu

University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa; Tuscaloosa, AL

Crystal Growth of ZnSe and Related Ternary Compound Semiconductors by Vapor

Transport 

Ching-Hua Su

Marshall Space Flight Center; Huntsville, AL

Reduction of Defects in Germanium-Silicon 

Frank R. Szofran

Marshall Space Flight Center; Huntsville, AL

Interface Pattern Selection Criterion for Cellular Structures in Direction Solidification 

Rohit K. Trivedi

Iowa State University; Ames, IA

Spaceflight Holography Investigation in a Virtual Apparatus 

James D. Trolinger

MetroLaser, Inc.; Irvine, CA

Coarsening in Solid-Liquid Mixtures-2 

Peter W. Voorhees

Northwestern University; Evanston, IL

Microgravity Studies of Liquid-Liquid Phase Transitions in Undercooled Alumina-Yttria

Melts 

Richard Weber

Containerless Research, Inc.; Evanston, IL

Identification and Control of Gravity-Related Defect Formation During Melt Growth of

Electro-Optic Single Crystals: Sillenites (Bi12SiO20), BSO 

August F. Witt

Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 

Ground-Based Experiments

Microgravity Impregnation of Fiber Preforms 

M. C. Altan

University of Oklahoma; Norman, OK

An Electrochemical Method to Visualize Flow and Measure Diffusivity in Liquid Metals 

Timothy J. Anderson

University of Florida; Gainesville, FL

The Effect of Convection on Morphological Stability During Coupled Growth in

Immiscible Systems 

J. B. Andrews

University of Alabama, Birmingham; Birmingham, AL

Nucleation and Growth Mechanisms Underlying the Microstructure of Polymer Foams

Produced by Dynamic Decompression and Cooling 

Robert E. Apfel

Yale University; New Haven, CT

Growth and Properties of Carbon Nanotubes 

Jerry Bernholc

North Carolina State University; Raleigh, NC

Dispersion Microstructure and Rheology in Ceramics Processing 

John F. Brady

California Institute of Technology; Pasadena, CA

Combustion Synthesis of Materials in Microgravity 

Kenneth Brezinsky

University of Illinois; Chicago, IL

Application of Parallel Computing for Two- and Three-Dimensional Modeling of Bulk

Crystal Growth and Microstructure Formation 

Robert A. Brown

Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA

Study of Development of Polymer Structure in Microgravity Using Ellipsometry 

Peggy Cebe

Tufts University; Medford, MA

Three-Dimensional Velocity Field Characterization in a Bridgman Apparatus:

Technique Development and Effect Analysis 

Soyoung S. Cha

University of Illinois; Chicago, IL

Morphological Stability of Stepped Interfaces Growing From Solution 

Alexander A. Chernov

Universities Space Research Association, Marshall Space Flight

Center; Huntsville, AL

Dynamic Reduction and the Creation of Fine-Grained Ceramics From Inviscid

Oxide/Silicate Melts

Reid F. Cooper

University of Wisconsin; Madison, WI

Gravity-Induced Settling in Interconnected Liquid-Solid Systems 

Thomas H. Courtney

Michigan Technological University; Houghton, MI

Improved Radiation Transport Code and Nuclear Database for Evaluation of

Spacecraft Shielding 

Francis A. Cucinotta

Johnson Space Center; Houston, TX
45

Fundamental Studies of Solidification in Microgravity Using Real-Time X-Ray Microscopy 

Peter A. Curreri

Marshall Space Flight Center; Huntsville, AL

Adaptive-Grid Methods for Phase-Field Models of Microstructure Development 

Jonathan A. Dantzig

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Urbana, IL

Atomistic Simulations of Cadmium Telluride: Toward Understanding the Benefits of

Microgravity Crystal Growth 

Jeffrey J. Derby

University of Minnesota; Minneapolis, MN

Theoretical Analysis of Three-Dimensional, Transient Convection and Segregation in

Microgravity Bridgman Crystal Growth

Jeffrey J. Derby

University of Minnesota; Minneapolis, MN 

Surface Transformation of Reactive Glass in a Microgravity Environment 

Paul Ducheyne

University of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, PA

White Beam X-Ray Topography and High-Resolution Triple Axis X-Ray Diffraction

Characterization 

Michael Dudley

State University of New York; Stony Brook, NY

Reverse Micelle-Based Synthesis of Microporous Materials in Microgravity

Prabir K. Dutta

Ohio State University; Columbus, OH

Gas Phase Polymerization and Nucleation Experiments in Microgravity 

M. S. El-Shall

Virginia Commonwealth University; Richmond, VA

Studies on Nucleation, Polymerization, and Nanoparticle Composites in

Supersaturated Vapors Under Microgravity Conditions 

M. S. El-Shall

Virginia Commonwealth University; Richmond, VA

Exploiting the Temperature Dependence of Magnetic Susceptibility to Control

Convection in Fundamental Studies of Solidification Phenomena 

James W. Evans

University of California, Berkeley; Berkeley, CA

Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of Vibrational Control of the Bridgman

Crystal Growth Technique

Alexandre I. Fedoseyev

University of Alabama, Huntsville; Huntsville, AL

Investigation of the Crystal Growth of Dielectric Materials by the Bridgman Technique

Using Vibrational Control 

Robert S. Feigelson

Stanford University; Stanford, CA

Development of Anionic Polyelectrolytes for Solid-State Battery Applications 

Andrienne C. Friedli

Middle Tennessee University; Murfreesboro, TN

Melt Stabilization of PbSnTe in a Magnetic Field 

Archibald L. Fripp

Langley Research Center; Hampton, VA

Solidification of II-VI Compounds in a Rotating Magnetic Field 

Donald C. Gillies

Marshall Space Flight Center; Huntsville, AL

Effect of Gravity on the Evolution of Spatial Arrangement of Features in Microstructure:

A Quantitative Approach 

Arun M. Gokhale

Georgia Institute of Technology; Atlanta, GA

Influence of Solutocapillary Convection on Macrovoid Defect Formation in Polymeric

Membranes 

Alan R. Greenberg

University of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, CO

Novel Directional Solidification Processing of Hypermonotectic Alloys

Richard N. Grugel

Marshall Space Flight Center; Huntsville, AL

Utilizing Controlled Vibrations in a Microgravity Environment to Understand and

Promote Microstructural Homogeneity During Floating-Zone Crystal Growth 

Richard N. Grugel

Marshall Space Flight Center; Huntsville, AL

Interdiffusion in the Presence of Free Convection 

Prabhat K. Gupta

Ohio State University; Columbus, OH

Metal Nanoshell Functionalization and Materials Assembly: Effects of Microgravity

Conditions

Naomi J. Halas

Rice University; Houston, TX

Radiation-Transmission Properties of In-Situ Materials 

Lawrence H. Heilbronn

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Berkeley, CA

Microgravity Processing of Oxide Superconductors 

William H. Hofmeister

Vanderbilt University; Nashville, TN

Dimensional Stability of Supermatrix Semiconductors 

Douglas E. Holmes

Electronic Materials Engineering; Camarillo, CA

Porosity and Variations in Microgravity Aerogel Nanostructures 

Arlon Hunt

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Berkeley, CA

Nonequilibrium Phase Transformations 

Kenneth A. Jackson

University of Arizona, Tucson; Tucson, AZ 

The Role of Dynamic Nucleation at Moving Boundaries in Phase and Microstructure

Selection 

Alain S. Karma

Northeastern University; Boston, MA

Determination of Gravity-Related Effects in Crystal Growth From Melts With an

Immiscibility Gap 

Mohammad Kassemi

National Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids and

Combustion; Cleveland, OH
6

Effect of Marangoni Convection Generated by Voids on Segregation During Low-Gravity

and Normal-Gravity Solidification

Mohammad Kassemi

National Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids and

Combustion; Cleveland, OH

Measurement of Liquid-to-Solid Nucleation Rates in Undercooled Metallic Melts 

Joseph L. Katz

Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore, MD

Phase Formation and Stability: Sample Size Effects 

Kenneth F. Kelton

Washington University; St. Louis, MO

Physical Simulation of Marangoni Convection in Weld Pools 

Sindo Kou

University of Wisconsin; Madison, WI

Colloidal Stability in Complex Fluids 

Jennifer A. Lewis

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Urbana, IL

A Comparative Modeling Study of Magnetic and Electrostatic Levitation in

Microgravity 

Ben Q. Li

Washington State University; Pullman, WA

Study of Magnetic Damping Effect on Convection and Solidification Under G-Jitter

Conditions 

Ben Q. Li

Washington State University; Pullman, WA

Influence of Natural Convection and Thermal Radiation on Multicomponent Transport

and Chemistry in MOCVD Reactors 

Samuel A. Lowry

CFD Research Corporation; Huntsville, AL

Numerical and Laboratory Experiments on the Interactive Dynamics of Convection,

Flow, and Directional Solidification 

Tony Maxworthy

University of Southern California; Los Angeles, CA

A Phase-Field/Fluid Motion Model of Solidification: Investigation of Flow Effects

During Directional Solidification and Dendritic Growth 

Geoffrey B. McFadden

National Institute of Standards and Technology; Gaithersburg, MD

Microgravity Investigation on the Formation of Oxides and Adsorbed Oxygen Films in

Solder Jetting Applications Pertinent to the Electronics Manufacturing Industry 

Constantine M. Megaridis

University of Illinois; Chicago, IL

Thermodynamic and Spectroscopic Studies of Secondary Nucleation in Microgravity 

Allan S. Myerson

Polytechnic University; Brooklyn, NY

Reduction of Convection in Closed-Tube Vapor Growth Experiments 

Robert J. Naumann

University of Alabama, Huntsville; Huntsville, AL

Gravitational Effects on the Morphology and Kinetics of Photodeposition of

Polydiacetylene Films From Monomer Solutions 

Mark S. Paley

Universities Space Research Association, Marshall Space Flight

Center; Huntsville, AL

Investigation of Convective Effects in Crystal Growth by Physical Vapor Transport 

Witold Palosz

Universities Space Research Association, Marshall Space Flight

Center; Huntsville, AL

Analysis of Containerless Processing and Undercooled Solidification Microstructures 

John H. Perepezko

University of Wisconsin; Madison, WI

Improved Crystal Quality by Detached Solidification in Microgravity 

Liya L. Regel

Clarkson University; Potsdam, NY

Thermophysical Property Measurement of Molten Semiconductors in Normal-Gravity

and Reduced-Gravity Conditions

Won-Kyu Rhim

Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Pasadena, CA

Undercooling Limits and Thermophysical Properties in Glass-Forming Alloys 

Won-Kyu Rhim

Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Pasadena, CA

Carbon-Based Reduction of Lunar Regolith 

Eric E. Rice

Orbital Technologies Corporation; Madison, WI

A Study of the Undercooling Behavior of Immiscible Metal Alloys in the Absence of

Crucible-Induced Nucleation 

Michael B. Robinson

Marshall Space Flight Center; Huntsville, AL

Determination of the Surface Energy of Liquid Crystals From the Shape Anisotropy of

Freely Suspended Droplets

Charles S. Rosenblatt

Case Western Reserve University; Cleveland, OH

Modeling of Macroscopic/Microscopic Transport and Growth Phenomena in Zeolite

Crystal Solutions Under Microgravity 

Albert Sacco Jr. 

Northeastern University; Boston, MA

Thermophysical Properties of High-Temperature Liquid Metals and Alloys 

Robert J. Schaefer

National Institute of Standards and Technology; Gaithersburg, MD

Gravitational Effect on the Development of Laser Weld–Pool and Solidification

Microstructure 

Jogender Singh

Pennsylvania State University; University Park, PA

Flight Experiment to Study Double Diffusive Instabilities in Silver-Doped Lead

Bromide Crystals 

N. B. Singh

Northrop-Grumman Corporation; Baltimore, MD

Kinetics of Nucleation and Growth From Undercooled Melts 

Frans A. Spaepen

Harvard University; Cambridge, MA

Development of Superior Materials for Layered, Solid Oxide Electrolyzers Based on

Mechanical and Thermal Failure Testing and Analysis 

K. R. Sridhar

University of Arizona, Tucson; Tucson, AZ

Magnetic Damping of Solid-Solution Semiconductor Alloys 

Frank R. Szofran

Marshall Space Flight Center; Huntsville, AL
47

The Features of Self-Assembling, Organic Bilayers Important to the Formation of

Anisotropic, Inorganic Materials in Microgravity Conditions 

Daniel R. Talham

University of Florida; Gainesville, FL

Dynamically Induced Nucleation of Deeply Supercooled Melts and Measurement of

Surface Tension and Viscosity 

Eugene H. Trinh

National Aeronautics and Space Administration; Washington, DC

Investigate the Influence of Microgravity on Transport Mechanisms in a Virtual

Spaceflight Chamber

James D. Trolinger

MetroLaser Inc.; Irvine, CA

Models of Magnetic Damping for Bridgman Semiconductor Crystal Growth in

Microgravity 

John S. Walker

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Urbana, IL

Process-Property-Structure Relationships in Complex Oxide Melts 

Richard Weber

Containerless Research Inc.; Evanston, IL

Use of Microgravity to Control the Microstructure of Eutectics 

William R. Wilcox

Clarkson University; Potsdam, NY

Improved Spacecraft Materials for Radiation Shielding 

John Wilson

Langley Research Center; Hampton, VA

Ground-Based Experiments in Support of Microgravity Research Results — Vapor

Growth of Organic, Nonlinear Optical Thin Film 

Maria I. Zugrav

University of Alabama, Huntsville; Huntsville, AL 
8

Acceleration measurement is the process by which data that

describe the quality of a microgravity environment are acquired,

processed, analyzed, and passed on to microgravity principal investigators (PIs). Because accelerations (commonly referred to as vibrations) cause disturbances such as convection, sedimentation, and

mixing within microgravity science experiments — effects that

researchers experimenting in microgravity conditions wish to avoid

— information about accelerations is critical to the interpretation of

science experiment results.

Experiments are usually conducted in microgravity to avoid

fluid flow as much as possible; however, accelerations can strongly

influence fluid motion. 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. In some fluids experiments, fluid

movement due to accelerations may mask fluid characteristics, such

as surface tension, that the experimenter wishes to observe.

Mechanical vibrations over a wide range of frequencies may cause

drastic temperature changes in low-temperature physics experiments,

where the samples are at temperatures close to absolute zero.

Accurately measuring the microgravity conditions of a microgravity

science experiment is crucial. PIs use acceleration data to determine

the influence of accelerations on their experiments and thus 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 Space Station Mir,

sounding rockets, parabolic flight aircraft, and the International

Space Station (ISS).

The device most frequently used to measure the quality of a

microgravity environment on the space shuttle has been the Space

Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS), which flew on 20 missions from its first flight on STS-40 in June 1991 until the landing

of its last flight on STS-87 in December 1997. The seven SAMS

units recorded high-frequency accelerations and have flown in support of microgravity science experiments in the shuttle middeck, in

the Spacelab module, on the Spacelab Mission Peculiar Experiment

Support Structure, and in the SPACEHAB module. SAMS units

on the space shuttle have supported experiments from all of the

microgravity science disciplines (biotechnology, combustion science,

fluid physics, fundamental physics, and materials science). After

flying on two shuttle missions, SAMS unit E was installed on Mir

in 1994, where it was operated intermittently as required to support

U.S. and Russian microgravity science and mechanical structure

experiments. Having traveled in orbit for three years and 10

months (approximately 532 million miles), the unit was returned to

Earth on STS-91 in June 1998. The unit, along with its data disks,

crew log books, summary reports, photographs, and drawings, was

donated to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington,

D.C. Originally designed for 14-day shuttle flights, the success of

the unit for nearly four years of on-orbit operations amazed its

engineers. The seven SAMS units have been retired from active use

on shuttle missions, but critical components, such as acceleration

sensors, are being recycled for use with the SAMS-II and SAMS

for Free Flyers (SAMS-FF) systems. The last spaceflight for a

SAMS unit was the return of unit E from Mir. The last mission of

a SAMS unit was in August 1999, when unit A flew on the KC-135

parabolic flight aircraft.

SAMS-FF, a new acceleration measurement device, is a compact

system consisting of a small triaxial sensor head connected to a

portable computer. The instrument supports microgravity measurements on a variety of space platforms. The flexible modular

design and the integration of commercial, off-the-shelf parts has

dramatically reduced the cost and size of the unit and increased

the performance of the system. The hardware can be easily adapted

to the requirements of each individual experiment. Presently the

system is manifested for flights on the KC-135, sounding rockets, the

space shuttle, and the ISS. The system is also capable of performing

ground characterizations of a wide range of environments.

The microgravity program also uses an instrument called the

Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment (OARE) to measure very

low–frequency accelerations in support of microgravity research.

The OARE has flown on 10 missions since its first flight on STS-40.

The Principal Investigator Microgravity Services (PIMS) project

works with other Microgravity Research Program participants, such

as vibration isolation programs, to lend assistance with data processing,

interpretation, and analysis. The information collected and produced

by the acceleration measurement program is made available through

the PIMS project in mission summary reports, data files on CDROM and on Internet file servers, and specialized analysis reports

for scientists. Some of the highlights of the fiscal year (FY) 1999

acceleration measurement program are discussed below.

Sounding Rockets

The SAMS-FF team supported the launch of the first TerrierOrion sounding rocket microgravity mission on December 17,

1999. The SAMS-FF system collected microgravity data in support

of the University of Maryland Microscale Heaters payload and

characterized the environment for future microgravity science

experiments. The rocket was launched at Wallops Flight Facility in

Virginia. This flight served as the initial demonstration of a lowercost sounding rocket for microgravity payloads and was the first of

10 planned flights. The flight offered approximately 3.5 minutes of

high-quality microgravity. This amount of time is adequate for a

number of payloads, including many combustion experiments.

Successful operation of the SAMS-FF system was verified in

real time by the telemetry downlink. The sensor data was also

recorded onboard the sounding rocket by the Control and Data

Acquisition Unit, which controlled the operation of the SAMS-FF

system. The system passed postmission testing and calibration and

was placed in storage for the next flight opportunity. The data were

analyzed and are presently available to interested parties. The data

indicated that this sounding rocket platform offers high-quality

microgravity for payloads requiring a very low–acceleration environment. 

4 Acceleration Measurement
49

KC-135

During FY 1999, several SAMS units provided support for

KC-135 flights. SAMS unit A, which has been retired from

spaceflight after five successful shuttle missions, was used during

three weeks of flight for microgravity experiments on NASA’s

newest KC-135 aircraft. SAMS unit A mapped the low-gravity

environment of the parabolic flight aircraft and provided payload-specific support on the KC-135 aircraft. Presently, software

is being developed by the SAMS-FF project to rate each parabola

in the KC-135’s flight path in terms of quality and duration.

Immediately after the flight, the software will produce a concise

table summarizing data on each parabola. This information will

help experimenters to consider with more efficiency the impact

of the microgravity environment on their experiments.

USMP–4

A mission summary report for the fourth United States

Microgravity Payload (USMP–4) mission, STS-87, was issued by

the PIMS team in January 1999. The report describes the microgravity environment for the STS-87 mission, which included a

SPARTAN satellite deployment and various experiments conducted

in the shuttle middeck. The accelerometers for this mission were

the SAMS units F and G, and the OARE.

STS-89

The PIMS mission summary report for STS-89 was released

in June 1999. This report describes the microgravity environment

for the STS-89 mission, which included nearly five days during

which the space shuttle was docked with the Mir space station.

Accelerometers involved with this mission were the SAMS unit

mounted in the SPACEHAB module in the shuttle cargo bay

and the SAMS unit on Mir. The SAMS unit in the SPACEHAB

module successfully supported the Mechanics of Granular

Materials experiment during the mission.

STS-95

Data from the SAMS-FF operations on STS-95 were analyzed

to support the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test

(HOST) payload and to characterize the acceleration environment

for the mission. The STS-95 mission was the first space shuttle

mission supported by the SAMS-FF acceleration measurement

system. A total of 43 measurement sessions were conducted during

the HOST mission, corresponding to various operating cycles of

the HOST cryocooler. The SAMS-FF data were analyzed by

PIMS and provided to the HOST team. These data have been

invaluable in determining the cryocooler’s potential effect on the

precise alignment capabilities of the Hubble telescope. The data

indicated that vibrations caused by the cryocooler were not a

problem, and the decision was made to install the cryocooler on

the telescope during the third servicing mission. 

ISS

Development of SAMS-II, a system for conducting acceleration

measurements on the ISS, continued this year and moved into the

deployment phase. Flight designs and buildup of the Interim

Control Unit (ICU) and Remote Triaxial Sensor (RTS) drawers

were completed. The flight ICU and RTS drawers are undergoing

verification testing and will be completed in early 2000. Operational

activities continued for interfacing SAMS-II with the ISS. Plans

for acceleration data handling were developed by the PIMS project

team and the Telescience Support Center. Successful tests were

performed with the SAMS-II and PIMS teams to demonstrate the

data handling and analysis interfaces. 

SAMS successfully supported the Active Rack Isolation

System Initial Capability Experiment on the ISS by supplying

SAMS-II engineering hardware. A capability test with the flight

hardware is planned for 2000. SAMS has a draft agreement with

the Physics of Colloids in Space experiment to provide a Remote

Triaxial Sensor Enclosure. SAMS is also working with the

Microgravity Science Glovebox and Fluids and Combustion

Facility projects to create similar agreements.

The Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System

(MAMS) was instituted to verify that the ISS produces a microgravity environment in accordance with ISS program requirements.

MAMS has independent high-frequency and quasi-steady (lowfrequency) sensor subsystems. MAMS low-frequency data will be

used to support microgravity science payloads. In FY 1999, the

MAMS flight unit was completed and verification testing was

initiated. MAMS flight software interfaces were verified using the

Suitcase Test Environment for Payloads provided by the ISS program. Crew activation procedures have been developed, and ground

operations planning has been completed. MAMS will be delivered

to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in FY 2000 for integration into

the ISS Expedite Processing of Experiments to Space Station

(EXPRESS) Rack #1 and launch on ISS assembly flight 6A.

The acceleration measurement discipline scientist served as a

co-chair for the Microgravity Constraints Tiger Team, which was

formed in July 1999 and continues to meet weekly. The team

comprises representatives for all ISS payloads, including payloads

from all of the NASA divisions and those from the international

partners. The team worked to develop an acceptable set of acceleration level requirements applicable to all ISS payloads.

Meetings and Conferences

The second annual Microgravity Environment Interpretation

Tutorial was presented at Glenn Research Center (GRC) in

September 1998 to a select group of scientists and microgravity

personnel. The response from the participants was very positive.

Excellent suggestions were also received for the third tutorial,

which was conducted in December 1999. Discipline project

scientists from GRC, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), as well as some PIs and

other Microgravity Research Program (MRP) representatives,
0

participated in the sessions. The tutorials were held over twoand-a-half days and covered the following topics: definitions and

accelerometer instrumentation, data collection and analysis

techniques, the measured environment of microgravity platforms,

and implications for microgravity experimenters. A 500-page

reference book was given to each participant. This tutorial will

continue in future years to reach MRP PIs through the program’s

project scientists.

Papers titled “Experiment-to-Experiment Disturbance of

Microgravity Environment” and “Principal Investigator

Microgravity Services Role in the ISS Acceleration Data

Distribution” were presented at the American Institute of

Aeronautics and Astronautics’ 37th Aerospace Sciences Meeting

and Exhibit in Reno, Nevada, in January 1999. The acceleration

measurement discipline scientist coordinated and chaired the

“Microgravity Environment” session, which included eight

papers on various aspects of the shuttle and Mir microgravity

environments and the expected environment of the ISS.

Coordination of a similar session was completed in preparation

for the 38th meeting, scheduled for January 2000.

The inaugural “Microgravity Environment Familiarization

Briefing” was presented in April 1999 to the 25 members of the

1998 astronaut class as part of their tour of GRC. This briefing

introduced class members to the concepts of the microgravity

environment on the ISS and the effect the crew may have on that

environment. Class members got a chance for hands-on demonstrations of functioning SAMS-II and SAMS-FF engineering

hardware. A briefing similar to this will be presented to each

astronaut class to familiarize future ISS crew members with the

impact of their activities on the microgravity environment in an

effort to improve the quality of the environment during microgravity science operations.

Papers titled “Comparison Tools for Assessing the

Microgravity Environment of Orbital Missions, Carriers, and

Conditions” and “SAMS-II — Microgravity Instrumentation for

the International Space Station Research Community” were presented at the 19th Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’

(IEEE’s) Instrumentation and Measurement Technology

Conference, held May 24–26, 1999, in Venice, Italy. Acceleration

measurement discipline personnel served as chairs for two sessions

at the conference. Before the IEEE conference, the acceleration

measurement discipline scientist presented two seminars at the

Microgravity Advanced Research and Support Center of the

Universita Degli Studi di Napoli Federico II in Napoli, Italy.

The 18th Microgravity Measurements Group meeting was

conducted in June 1999 in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Approximately

40 attendees from various disciplines within the international

microgravity community heard talks on a variety of microgravity

environment topics, including the ISS, acceleration measurement

and analysis results, science effects from microgravity accelerations,

vibration isolation, free-flyer satellites, and parabolic flight aircraft.

A 540-page summary of the meeting presentations was prepared

and mailed to all participants after the meeting.

The series of talks at the meeting provided a forum for

exchanging information and ideas about the microgravity environment and microgravity acceleration research in the MRP.

Investigators in all areas of microgravity research, including PIs,

project scientists, numerical modelers, instrumentation developers,

and acceleration data analysts, participated. The attendees included

representatives from NASA headquarters; GRC; JPL; Johnson

Space Center; KSC; MSFC; the Canadian Space Agency (CSA);

the French space agency (CNES); the German space agency

(DLR); the Japanese space agency (NASDA); universities in

Germany, Italy, Russia, and the United States; and commercial

companies in Germany, Russia, and the United States. A tour of

the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) at KSC was a feature

of the meeting. In the near future, participants at this meeting

will be characterizing the acceleration environment of the flight

hardware seen in the SSPF.

A poster titled “Impacts of the Microgravity Environment

on Experiments (and Vice Versa), Case Studies from the NASA

STS and Shuttle/Mir Programs” was presented at the Gordon

Research Conference on Gravitational Effects on Physico-Chemical

Systems, at New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire.

The conference was held June 27–July 2, 1999.

A paper titled “Effects of Exercise Equipment on the

Microgravity Environment” was published in the November

1999 issue of Advances in Space Research. This paper had been

presented at the 32nd COSPAR Scientific Assembly, which was

held July 12–19, 1998. COSPAR is the Committee on Space

Research of the International Council of Scientific Unions.

A paper titled “Measurement and Data Distribution for

Microgravity Acceleration on the International Space Station”

was presented at the 50th International Astronautical Congress,

held October 4–8, 1999, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The

paper was presented as part of the sessions on microgravity engineering sciences.
51

Advanced Technology Development Program

The Advanced Technology Development (ATD) Program

was developed in response to the challenges researchers face

when defining microgravity experiment requirements and

designing associated hardware. Technology development projects

addressed both focused and broad-based scientific concerns.

Focused development projects ensured the availability of technologies to satisfy the science requirements of specific microgravity

flight- or ground-based programs. Broad-based development

projects encompassed a long-term, proactive approach to meeting

the needs of future projects and missions within the Human

Exploration and Development of Space Enterprise. In fiscal year

(FY) 1999, the ATD Program was canceled due to budgetary

constraints; however, ATD projects already in progress were permitted to continue until their originally scheduled completion

dates. A plan for the Microgravity Integrated Technology

Program, leveraging other NASA and non-NASA technology

programs, is under development.

Historically, ATD projects have encompassed a broad range

of activities. Funded projects included the development of diagnostic instrumentation and measurement techniques, observational

instrumentation and data recording methods, acceleration characterization and control techniques, and advanced methodologies

associated with hardware design technology. 

In FY 1999, five NASA centers were involved in the

Microgravity Research Program–sponsored ATD Program:

Glenn Research Center (GRC), Goddard Space Flight Center

(GSFC), the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Johnson Space

Center (JSC), and Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The

FY 1999 projects, listed in Table 10, illustrate the breadth of

technologies covered by the ATD Program.

Technology 5

Table 10 FY 1999 ATD Projects

Magnetostrictive Cryogenic Actuators

Jennifer Dooley, JPL

The objective of this ATD project is to use the unique “giant”

magnetostrictive properties of terbium-dysprosium polycrystalline

alloys as the prime mover in a series of actuators and mechanisms

that include low-temperature valves, heat switches, precision

positioners, and lead screwdrivers. These materials and a family

of devices are being developed for low-temperature use based

on their unique properties of long stroke and high power with

negligible energy dissipation. This work is centered at JPL and

the California Institute of Technology in collaboration with

researchers at GSFC, the American Superconducting

Corporation, and the Naval Surface Warfare Center. The success

of this work has been demonstrated through two U.S. patent

applications filed by the investigators and JPL for the production

of the magnetostrictive polycrystalline terbium-dysprosium

materials by deformation processes and the use of these materials

in several cryogenic devices. Eleven New Technology Awards

have been issued for this work. A recent development in this

work is the possibility of using magnetostrictive polycrystalline

materials in passive cryogenic dampers. A primary focus of the

continued efforts will be on damping vibrations in low-temperature

space structures such as telescopes and large antennas.

Hydrofocusing Bioreactor

Steve Gonda, JSC

The goal of this project is to develop a space bioreactor that provides the capability to maintain a low-shear culture environment

on-orbit while simultaneously removing air bubbles from the

bioreactor vessel. This technology will enable the removal of

ubiquitous air bubbles formed in the culture fluid during on-orbit

operation, without degrading the delicate three-dimensional

tissue assemblies.

Space Bioreactor Bioproduct Recovery System

Steve Gonda, JSC

The purpose of this ATD effort is to develop a Bioproduct

Recovery System (BRS) that allows the selective removal of

molecules of interest from space bioreactors, thus enhancing the

productivity of those bioreactors. The BRS will be miniaturized

to meet volume and power constraints, and will be designed to

operate in microgravity.

Space Bioreactor Media Reclamation System

Steve Gonda, JSC

The overall goal of this project is to develop a media reclamation

system (MRS) that will enhance and extend the utility of space

bioreactors for long-duration, on-orbit operation while concommitantly reducing on-orbit resources. The MRS will integrate

online into the space bioreactor perfusion loop and provide continuous real-time conditioning and revitalization of culture

medium by supplementing specific media components and

removing specific toxic molecules.

Advanced Diagnostics for Combustion

Paul Greenberg, GRC

The goal of this ATD project is to develop a series of more

sophisticated measurement techniques applicable to the general
2

area of microgravity combustion science in order to improve the

accuracy and spatial/temporal yield of the data acquired and to

extend the range of applicability and access to the relevant parameters presently inaccessible through current methods.

Small High-Resolution Thermometer

Inseob Hahn, JPL

Smaller and lighter high-resolution thermometers (HRTs) have

been developed under this ATD project for lambda point experiments. In the Low-Temperature Microgravity Physics Facility on

the International Space Station (ISS), multiple experiments will

be performed within the same instrument package to reduce the

average cost per experiment; the new, smaller HRTs will benefit

these experiments.

Multiple Scattering Concerns in Dynamic Light Scattering

William Meyer, National Center for Microgravity Research on

Fluids and Combustion (NCMRFC), GRC

Maryjo Meyer, GRC

This ATD project provides a simple and novel optical scheme

that overcomes multiple scattering effects in turbid media. In

addition, ways to experimentally measure and provide a full

analytical solution for double, triple, and higher-order scattering

are being developed.

A Robust Magnetic Resonant Imager for Ground- and Flight-Based Measurements

of Fluid Phenomena

Benjamin Ovryn, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace

Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, NCMRFC, GRC

One of the primary factors that has limited the use of magnetic

resonance imaging for measurement has been the lack of a userfriendly, versatile, inexpensive nuclear magnetic resonance

(NMR) machine that could be utilized by members of the scientific

community who have little or no knowledge of NMR. To rectify

this situation, a user-friendly NMR imager will be developed

under this ATD project for use with myriad projects of relevance

to NASA’s scientific community. Ultimately, this type of machine

should be suitable for use on the ISS.

Solid-Liquid Interface Characterization Hardware

Palmer Peters, MSFC

This ATD project focuses on the real-time characterization of

temperature distributions within samples during directional

solidification. Present technologies are limited for many applications, especially those having nonplanar interfaces, by the size of

the thermocouples, when discrete thermocouples are used, and

by interpretation of the Seebeck signal. To overcome these limitations, arrays of micron-sized thin film thermocouples, all deposited

simultaneously with uniform properties and protective coatings,

will be developed.

A Diffractometer for Reciprocal Space Mapping of Macromolecular Crystals

Marc Pusey, MSFC

The primary objective of this ATD project is to develop technology

both instrumentally and theoretically for routine use in macromolecular crystal studies in the research laboratory. This technology

will enable the researcher to accurately and repeatably characterize

macromolecular crystal quality through X-ray mosaicity

measurements, topography, reciprocal space mapping, and direct

three-dimensional reciprocal lattice point measurements. The

results can then be used to quantitatively examine the effects of

microgravity and different growth regimes on protein crystal

growth.

Application of Superconducting Cavities to Microgravity Research

Don Strayer, JPL

This ATD project has two main objectives: (1) to use modern

microwave electronics; high quality factor, low-temperature

superconducting cavities; and high-resolution temperature control

to develop an ultrastable oscillator system that will provide a

comparison oscillator for the laser-cooled atomic oscillators now

under development in the Microgravity Research Program; and

(2) to develop high-temperature superconductor materials, high

quality factor cavities, and electronics that can be integrated with

a small cryocooler to provide an easy-to-use materials characterization system for use on the ISS.

Transient Torque Viscometer for Viscosity and Electrical Conductivity Measurements

Ching-Hua Su, MSFC

Obtaining data on the thermophysical properties of electrically

conducting melts is required for any meaningful investigation

of metallurgical or semiconductor processing. The principal

objective of this ATD project is to develop a novel technique

that will allow for the simultaneous measurement of the viscosity

and electrical conductivity of electrically conducting melts. An

essential feature of this technique is the utilization of a rotating

magnetic field.

A Pulsed Tunable Laser System for Combustion

Randall Vander Wal, NCMRFC, GRC

Howard Ross, GRC

The objective of this ATD project is to design, construct, and

demonstrate a pulsed solid state laser system in a microgravity

environment. High peak intensities and multiple wavelength

generation capabilities, characteristic of pulsed laser light, would

enable fluorescence, incandescence, and scattering measurements

in a wide range of combustion processes.

Vibration Isolation and Control System for Small Microgravity Payloads

Mark Whorton, MSFC

This project will deliver an active isolation device to provide a

quiescent acceleration environment required for investigations to

be carried out on the ISS.

A New Ultrahigh-Resolution Near-Field Microscope for Observation of Protein

Crystal Growth

William Witherow, MSFC

The primary objective of this ATD project is to build and test a

new optical method for observing protein crystals as they nucleate

and grow. The method is based on a tapered-fiber probe in a

near-field scanning optical microscope.
53

The Microgravity Research Program Office has established

itself as a leader in research with a history of highly successful

flights onboard the space shuttle and Russian Space Station Mir.

Table 11 lists these flights in chronological order. Following this

list are short descriptions of some of the investigations flown on

these missions and of the flight experiment apparatus that supported these missions. 

Hardware 6

Table 11 Shuttle Missions With Major Microgravity Experiments Onboard, Chronologically by Launch Date

April 1985 STS-51 SL–3 Spacelab–3

Jan. 1986 STS-61C Materials Science Demonstrations

Jan. 1992 STS-41 IML–1 International Microgravity Laboratory–1

June 1992 STS-50 USML–1 United States Microgravity Laboratory–1

Oct. 1992 STS-52 USMP–1 United States Microgravity Payload–1

March 1994 STS-62 USMP–2 United States Microgravity Payload–2

July 1994 STS-65 IML–2 International Microgravity Laboratory–2

June 1995 STS-71 Mir–1 Shuttle/Mir–1

July 1995 STS-70 Shuttle

Sept. 1995 STS-69 * Wake Shield Facility, Shuttle Pointed

Autonomous Research Tool for Astronomy

(SPARTAN)

Oct. 1995 STS-73 USML–2 United States Microgravity Laboratory–2

Nov. 1995 STS-74 Mir–2 Shuttle/Mir–2

Feb. 1996 STS-75 USMP–3 United States Microgravity Payload–3

March 1996 STS-76 Mir–3 Shuttle/Mir–3

June 1996 STS-78 LMS Life and Microgravity Spacelab

Sept. 1996 STS-79 Mir–4 Shuttle/Mir–4

Jan. 1997 STS-81 Mir–5 Shuttle/Mir–5

April 1997 STS-83 MSL–1 Microgravity Science Laboratory–1

May 1997 STS-84 Mir–6 Shuttle/Mir–6

July 1997 STS-94 MSL–1R Microgravity Science Laboratory–Reflight

Aug. 1997 STS-85 CRISTA–SPAS–2, Japanese Experiment

Module Flight Demonstration

Sept. 1997 STS-86 Mir–7 Shuttle/Mir–7

Nov. 1997 STS-87 USMP–4 United States Microgravity Payload–4

Jan. 1998 STS-89 Mir–8 Shuttle/Mir–8

March 1998 STS-90 Neurolab

Oct. 1998 STS-95 Shuttle

Launch Date Flight Mission Full Name

* Middeck and Get Away Special (GAS) microgravity payloads only. GAS payloads also flew on STS-40, STS-41, STS-43, STS-45, STS-47, STS-54, STS-57, STS-60, STS-63, STS-64, STS-66, STS-72, and STS-77. 

Experiment Hardware Flown on Space

Shuttle and Mir Flights
4

Advanced Automated Directional Solidification Furnace: This

instrument was a modified Bridgman-Stockbarger furnace for

directional soldification and crystal growth. (USMP–2, USMP–3,

USMP–4)

Biotechnology Refrigerator (BTR): The BTR had a refrigerated

volume of 0.57 cubic feet for cold storage of culture medium,

reagents, and specimens in support of biotechnology experiments.

The BTR provided a temperature range of 4–12° C.

(Shuttle/Mir–6, Shuttle/Mir–7, Neurolab)

Biotechnology Specimen Temperature Controller (BSTC): BSTC

was a thermally controlled, single-locker module designed to incubate multiple small cell cultures. It had a single chamber capable of

maintaining an internal temperature within the range of 36–40° C

and the capability of monitoring carbon dioxide concentrations

within the chamber in the range of 0–20 percent. BSTC was able to

deliver custom-blended air/carbon dioxide gas mixtures, was programmable, and was able to be operated either independently or in

conjunction with facility computers. (Shuttle/Mir–6, Neurolab)

Biotechnology System: This instrument was composed of a rotating

wall vessel bioreactor, a control computer, a fluid supply system, a

gas supply system, and a refrigerator for sample storage. (Mir)

Combustion Module-1: This module was developed to perform

multiple combustion experiments in orbit. The first two experiments were the Laminar Soot Processes experiment and the

Structure of Flame Balls at Low Lewis Number experiment.

(MSL–1, MSL–1R)

Comparative Soot Diagnostics: This Middeck Glovebox investigation studied the combustion intermediates and products from an

assortment of materials as measured by the space shuttle fire-detection system and the proposed International Space Station fire-detection system. Results of this work will be used in the design and

operation of future spacecraft smoke-detection systems. (USMP–3)

Confined Helium Experiment Apparatus: This apparatus provided

a thermometer resolution better than 100 picodegrees in measuring

properties of helium samples confined to a two-dimensional state. It

flew in the Low-Temperature Platform, where it was used to test

finite size effects under controlled conditions to uncover underlying

fundamental principles. (USMP–4)

Critical Fluid Light Scattering Experiment Apparatus: This apparatus provided a microkelvin-controlled thermal environment for

performing dynamic light scattering and turbidity measurements of

room-temperature critical fluids. (USMP–2, USMP–3)

Critical Viscosity of Xenon Experiment Apparatus: This apparatus

provided a precision-controlled thermal environment (microkelvin)

and an oscillating screen viscometer to perform viscosity measurements of room-temperature critical fluids. (STS-85)

Crystal Growth Furnace: This instrument was a modified

Bridgman-Stockbarger furnace for crystal growth from a melt or

vapor. (USML–1, USML–2)

Diffusion-Controlled Crystallization Apparatus for Microgravity

(DCAM): The DCAM hardware, which was designed for longduration protein crystal growth, combined liquid-liquid diffusion

and dialysis methods to effect protein crystal growth. Each DCAM

tray assembly consisted of 27 DCAM experiment chambers containing precipitant solutions and protein sample solutions.

(USML–2, five Mir flights) 

Drop Physics Module: This apparatus was designed to investigate

the surface properties of various suspended liquid drops, to study

surface and internal features of drops that are being vibrated and

rotated, and to test a new technique for measuring the surface tension between two immiscible fluids. (USML–1, USML–2)

Enclosed Laminar Flames (ELF): This Middeck Glovebox investigation was performed to improve the fundamental understanding

of the effects of flow environment on flame stability. ELF investigated

the effect of convective flows on the stability of laminar (nonturbulent) jet-diffusion flames in a ducted, co-flow environment.

(USMP–4)

Engineering Development Unit (EDU): The EDU was a rotation

cylinder bioreactor supported by subsystems that provided media

perfusion and exchange; continuous measurement and control of

nutrient media, pH, glucose, oxygen, and carbon dioxide; incubator

temperature control; and data storage. It was useful for the investigation of cell science and tissue engineering.

(STS-70, Shuttle/Mir–4, STS-85, Shuttle/Mir–8)

Experiment Control Computer (ECC): The ECC was designed to

provide the computer control resources required for automated,

long-duration cell science and tissue engineering investigations on

orbit. The ECC provided interfaces for communication and control

of experiment equipment, execution of experiment protocol, and

recording and archiving of experiment data and equipment performance data. (STS-70, STS-85, Shuttle/Mir–7)

Forced Flow Flame Spreading Test: This Middeck Glovebox investigation studied the effects of low airspeed and bulk fuel temperature

on flammability, ignition, flame growth, and flame spreading

behavior on solid fuels in a microgravity environment. (USMP–3)

Gas Supply Module (GSM): The GSM delivered research-grade

gases to the bioreactor and the ECC. This hardware housed and

provided air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and other gases at required

concentrations and pressures for long-duration, on-orbit cell culture

and tissue engineering investigations.

(Shuttle/Mir–4, Shuttle/Mir–8)

Gaseous Nitrogen (GN2) Dewar Protein Crystal Growth

Experiment Apparatus: The GN2 dewar was a device capable of

maintaining samples at cryogenic temperatures for about 13 days.

Frozen liquid-liquid diffusion and batch protein crystal growth

experiments were launched in the GN2 dewar and then allowed to

thaw to initiate the crystallization process in a microgravity environment. The GN2 dewar housed a protein crystal growth insert that

typically held approximately 200 protein samples. (Mir)
55

Geophysical Fluid Flow Cell: This instrument used electrostatic

forces to simulate gravity in a radially symmetric vector field, centrally directed toward the center of the cell. This allowed investigations to perform visualizations of thermal convection and other

research-related topics in planetary atmospheres and stars.

(Spacelab–3, USML–2)

Interferometer for Protein Crystal Growth (IPCG): The IPCG

was an apparatus designed to operate in the Microgravity

Glovebox to measure details of how protein molecules move

through a fluid and then form crystals. The IPCG comprised

three major systems designed to produce images showing density

changes in a fluid as a crystal forms: an interferometer, six fluid

assemblies, and a data system. (Shuttle/Mir–7)

Isothermal Dendritic Growth Experiment Apparatus: This apparatus was used to study the growth of dendritic crystals in transparent materials that simulate the solidification of some aspects of

pure metals and metal alloy systems. 

(USMP–2, USMP–3, USMP–4)

Lambda Point Experiment Apparatus: This apparatus provided

temperature control in the part-per-billion range of a bulk helium

sample near the superfluid transition at 2 K for testing the theory

of critical phenomena under well-controlled static conditions. It

flew in the Low-Temperature Platform. (USMP–1)

Mechanics of Granular Materials Experiment Apparatus: This

instrument used microgravity to gain a quantitative understanding

of the mechanical behavior of cohesionless granular materials

under very low confining pressures. 

(Shuttle/Mir–4, Shuttle/Mir–8)

Microencapsulation Electrostatic Processing System: This was an

automated system that formed multilayered, liquid-filled microcapsules containing pharmaceuticals. The unit automatically controlled fluid flows, recorded video of fluid interfaces as the

microcapsules were formed, harvested the capsules, and used electrostatic deposition to apply a thin coating of an ancillary polymer.

The system was also used for select fluid physics experiments.

(STS-95)

Microgravity Glovebox: This was a modified Middeck Glovebox

designed for Mir that enabled the collection of scientific and technological data prior to major investments in the development of

more sophisticated scientific instruments. (Mir)

Microgravity Smoldering Combustion Apparatus: This apparatus

was used to determine the smoldering characteristics of combustible materials in microgravity environments. (STS-69)

Middeck Glovebox: This apparatus was a multidisciplinary facility

used for small scientific and technological investigations.

(USMP–3, USMP–4, STS-95)

Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment Apparatus: This

instrument was developed to measure very low–frequency accelerations on orbit such as atmospheric drag and gravity gradient

effects. (Multiple missions)

Particle Engulfment and Pushing by a Solid-Liquid Interface:

This Middeck Glovebox investigation studied the solid-liquid

(freezing) interface as it moved, either pushing ahead of or engulfing

suspended particles into a solid material. (USMP–4)

Physics of Hard Spheres Experiment Apparatus: This hardware

supported an investigation to study the processes associated with

liquid-to-solid and crystalline-to-glassy phase transitions. (MSL–1)

Pool Boiling Experiment Apparatus: This apparatus was capable

of autonomous operation for initiating, observing, and recording

nucleate pool boiling phenomena. (Multiple missions)

Protein Crystallization Apparatus for Microgravity (PCAM):

PCAM was used to evaluate the effects of gravity on vapor-diffusion protein crystal growth and to produce improved protein crystals

in microgravity for the determination of molecular structures.

Each PCAM cylinder contained nine crystallization trays, each

with seven sample chambers, for a total of 63 chambers per cylinder.

The total number of samples that could be flown in a SingleLocker Thermal Enclosure System (STES) unit was 378. 

(Seven shuttle flights)

Radiative Ignition and Transition to Spread Investigation: This

Middeck Glovebox investigation studied the processes involved in

the transition to fire growth with a particular kind of ignition

source — radiative heating. The microgravity flame behavior was

compared with predictions from three-dimensional numerical

computations. (USMP–3)

Second-Generation Vapor-Diffusion Apparatus (VDA-2): The

VDA-2 trays were protein crystal growth devices based on a

syringe assembly design to provide mixing of protein and precipitant solutions in microgravity. A mixing chamber (third barrel)

was added to the original double-barreled VDA syringes to

improve mixing during activation of vapor-diffusion protein crystal

growth flight experiments. An STES held four VDA-2 trays.

Each VDA-2 tray had 20 sample chambers, for a total of 80 samples

per STES. (Five shuttle flights)

Single-Locker Thermal Enclosure System: The STES replaced a

single middeck locker and provided a controlled temperature environment within ±0.5° C of a set point in the range of 4–40° C. The

STES housed a variety of protein crystal growth experiment apparatus, including DCAM, PCAM, and VDA-2. (10 shuttle flights)

Solid Surface Combustion Experiment Apparatus: This instrument

was designed to determine the mechanism of gas-phase flame

spread over solid fuel surfaces in the absence of buoyancy-induced

or externally imposed gas-phase flow. (Multiple missions)

Space Acceleration Measurement System: This instrument measured

and recorded the acceleration environment in the space shuttle

middeck and cargo bay, in the Spacelab, in SPACEHAB, and on

Mir. (Multiple missions)

Surface Tension–Driven Convection Experiment Apparatus: This

apparatus was designed to provide fundamental knowledge of

thermocapillary flows and fluid motion generated by surface tension

and temperature gradients along a free surface. (USML–1, USML–2)
6

Transitional/Turbulent Gas Jet Diffusion Flames Experiment

Apparatus: This instrument was used to study the role of largescale flame structures in microgravity transitional gas jet flames.

(Get Away Special experiment)

Wetting Characteristics of Immiscibles: This Middeck Glovebox

investigation studied the effects when two nonmixing alloys

(immiscibles such as oil and water), which had been stirred and

frozen in normal gravity, were melted and resolidified in microgravity. (USMP–4)

Experiment Hardware Flights to the International

Space Station

Below are two lists of selected payloads for the International

Space Station (ISS) and the associated EXPRESS (Expedite

Processing of Experiments to Space Station) racks and microgravity facilities in the order of their flight to the station. Early

on, microgravity research is limited to EXPRESS payloads and

Microgravity Science Glovebox investigations, as reflected in the

first list, which includes investigations currently manifested. The

second list comprises payloads in development that are candidates

for later flights. Future flights to the ISS with major significance

to microgravity science are listed chronologically by launch date

in Table 12. 

Protein Crystal Growth — Enhanced Gases Nitrogen Dewar:

This apparatus is a GN2 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 200 protein samples. (First flight: 5A; proposed future

flight: 2A.2b) 

Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System (MAMS):

MAMS provides quasi–steady state microgravity acceleration levels at low frequencies (0.01 to 2 Hz) with extreme accuracy. It is

an enhanced version of the Orbital Acceleration Research

Experiment space shuttle system. 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 will be an early addition

to the ISS and will most likely remain onboard for the life of the

station. SAMS-II will measure vibratory accelerations (transients)

in support of a variety of microgravity science experiments. It

will also characterize 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

VDA-2, DCAM, and PCAM. (First flight: 6A)

Protein Crystal Growth — Biotechnology Ambient Generic

(PCG-BAG): This apparatus flies PCAM, DCAM, or VDA-2

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 trays, the PCG-BAG holds six trays. 

(First flight: to be determined) 

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: to be determined)

Protein Crystallization Apparatus for Microgravity (PCAM):

PCAM uses the vapor-diffusion method to produce large, highquality crystals of selected proteins. Each PCAM is a cylindrical

stack of nine trays, each with seven chambers, to provide 63

chambers for protein crystal growth. The PCG-STES holds six

cylinders; the PCG-BAG holds eight. (First flight: to be determined)

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 three components: the control

locker, the vapor locker, and the temperature locker. The command

locker controls experiment processes in both the temperature and

vapor lockers. It also collects data, performs telemetry functions,

and is programmable from the ground. The vapor locker holds

40 protein samples; the temperature locker holds 50 protein samples. (First flight: 7A.1)

Lab Support Equipment — Digital Thermometer: This instrument is an off-the-shelf digital thermometer that will be used by

ISS payloads to measure temperatures by utilizing a variety of

thermocouple probes. (First flight: 7A.1)

Biotechnology Specimen Temperature Controller (BSTC): This

apparatus will provide a platform for the study of basic cell-tocell interactions in a quiescent cell culture environment and the

role of these interactions in the formation of functional cell

aggregates and tissues. BSTC will operate primarily in the incubation mode. The Biotechnology Refrigerator (BTR),

Biotechnology Cell Science Stowage (BCSS), and the Gas Supply

Module (GSM) support BSTC research. (First flight: 7A.1)
57

Pore Formation and Mobility: This investigation promotes

understanding of detrimental pore formation and mobility during

controlled directional solidification processing in a microgravity

environment. This Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) investigation will utilize a transparent material, succinonitrile, so that

direct observation and recording of pore generation and mobility

during controlled solidification can be made. 

(First flight: first Utilization Flight (UF-1))

Glovebox Integrated Microgravity Isolation Technology (g-LIMIT):

The g-LIMIT hardware was developed to provide attenuation of

unwanted accelerations within the MSG; to characterize the

glovebox acceleration environment; and to demonstrate high-performance, robust control technology. (First flight: UF-1)

Solidification Using a Baffle in Sealed Ampoules: 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-1)

Rotating Wall Perfused System (RWPS): The RWPS apparatus

will use the microgravity environment to investigate, support, and

enhance the formation of three-dimensional functional tissue

equivalents in a continuously perfused environment for tissue engineering and cell culture. RWPS will also be used to study models

of cellular systems in order to understand cellular processes and

investigate cellular adaptation to the space environment. The BTR,

BCSS, and GSM will support RWPS research. (First flight: UF-2)

Interferometer for Protein Crystal Growth (IPCG): The IPCG is

an apparatus designed to operate in the MSG in order to measure

details of how protein molecules move through a fluid and then

form crystals. The IPCG comprises three major systems designed

to produce images showing density change in fluid as a crystal

forms: an interferometer, six fluid assemblies, and a data system.

(First flight: UF-2)

Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates From

Colloidal Emulsions (InSPACE): InSPACE hardware is being

designed to be accommodated by the MSG. Observations of

three-dimensional microscopic structures of magnetorheological

fluids in a pulsed magnetic field will be made. (First flight: UF-2)

Coarsening of Solid-Liquid Mixtures-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: UF-2)

Microencapsulation Electrostatic Processing System (MEPS):

Microencapsulation research in space has developed a new drug

delivery system consisting of multilayered microcapsules. MEPS

is an automated system that forms multilayered, liquid-filled

microcapsules containing pharmaceuticals. The unit will automatically control fluid flow, record video of fluid interfaces as the

microcapsules are formed, and harvest the capsules. Electrostatic

deposition is used to apply a thin coating on the microcapsules to

make them less recognizable by immune cells in the blood

stream. MEPS can also be used for select fluid physics experiments.

(First flight: UF-1)

Payloads that are planned and/or in development that have

not yet been manifested are listed below in alphabetical order.

Colloidal Disorder-Order Transition-2 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 USML–2 and STS-95.

Dynamic Studies of Cellular and Dendritic Interface Pattern

Formation: This investigation is designed to provide a fundamental

scientific understanding of cellular and dendritic microstructure

formation under directional solidification conditions.

Glovebox Laser-Cooled Atomic Clock Experiment (GLACE):

The GLACE investigation is designed to develop a laser-cooled

cesium atomic space clock using a magneto-optic trap, highly stable

lasers, vacuum systems, and a flywheel oscillator. GLACE will

also measure the interaction properties of cesium at nanokelvin

temperatures.

Laser Microscopy Module (LMM): The capabilities of this complex

microscope will include video microscopy, white light illumination,

image-analyzing interferometry, confocal microscopy, laser

tweezers, and spectrophotometry. The first four experiments to

use the LMM will be the Constrained Vapor Bubble experiment,

the Physics of Hard Spheres-2 experiment, the Physics of

Colloids in Space-2 experiment, and the Low–Volume Fraction

Entropically Driven Colloidal Assembly experiment. 

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.

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 (the

fundamental unit of time, which is tied to the energy difference

between two atomic levels in cesium) 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
8

improve clock tests of general relativity, advance clock limitation,

and distribute accurate time and frequency from the ISS. 

Shear History Extensional Rheology Experiment (SHERE):

SHERE hardware is being designed to be accommodated in the

MSG. The experiment will measure the viscoelastic tensile shear

stresses in monodisperse dilute polymer solutions while they are

being rapidly stretched. An instrument called the Microfilament

Extensional Rheometer will perform this measurement.

The following international payload is planned to be flown

on the ISS.

Facility for the Study of Crystal Growth and of Fluids Near the

Critical Point (DECLIC): The DECLIC facility is being developed by the French space agency (CNES) in cooperation with

Glenn Research Center to provide an autonomous or teleoperated

capability at middeck locker–scale to accommodate research on

high-pressure samples of fluids near the critical point, transparent

materials systems during solidification, and other fluids experiments

that are compatible with available diagnostics. Through cooperative interagency agreements (negotiated but unsigned at the end

of 1999), NASA will provide launch, integration, and resources

for DECLIC and will share in the utilization of the facility.

Table 12 ISS Flights With Major Significance to Microgravity Science, Chronologically by Launch Date

Oct. 2000 S204 2R Soyuz Vehicle: Three-Person Permanent International 

Human Presence Capability

Jan. 2001 STS-98 OV 104 5A U.S. Laboratory Delivery

Feb. 2001 STS-102 OV 103 5A.1 U.S. Laboratory Outfitting — Delivery of International

Standard Payload Racks

April 2001 STS-100 OV 105 6A First Two EXPRESS Racks, Microgravity Capability

May 2001 STS-104 OV 104 7A Phase 2 Complete — Delivery of Hyperbaric Airlock

June 2001 STS-105 OV 103 7A.1 U.S. Laboratory Outfitting, Two Additional 

EXPRESS Racks

Aug. 2001 STS-106 OV 105 UF-1 Utilization Flight — Continued U.S. Laboratory 

Outfitting, MSG Rack

Jan. 2002 STS-110 OV 105 UF-2 Utilization Flight — Continued U.S. Laboratory 

Outfitting, Fifth EXPRESS Rack

Oct. 2002 STS-118 OV 104 12A.1 Continued U.S. Laboratory Outfitting

Sept. 2003 STS-125 OV 103 1J Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Laboratory Delivery

Oct. 2003 STS-127 OV 104 UF-3 Utilization Flight — External Payload Pallet Delivery, 

Combustion Integrated Rack, and First Materials 

Science Research Rack (MSRR-1)

Jan. 2004 STS-128 OV 103 UF-4 Utilization Flight — External Payload and Added 

External Payload Pallet Delivery

Feb. 2004 STS-129 OV 105 2J/A Delivery of the External Facility of the JEM

June 2004 STS-132 OV 105 UF-5 Utilization Flight — External Payload Pallet Delivery, 

Fluids Integrated Rack, X-Ray Crystallography 

Facility, and Sixth EXPRESS Rack

Oct. 2004 STS-135 OV 105 1E European Space Agency (ESA) Laboratory Delivery

Jan. 2005 STS-136 OV 103 17A Six-Person Life Support Capability, Seventh 

EXPRESS Rack

March 2005 STS-138 OV 104 19A Transition to Six-Person Crew, Eighth and Final 

EXPRESS Rack

Launch Date* Flight Vehicle ISS Flight Milestone

Designation
59

*Dates based on International Space Station Revision E DCN04 Interim Assembly Sequence

June 2005 STS-140 OV 105 UF-7 Utilization Flight — Centrifuge Accommodations 

Module Delivery

July 2005 STS-141 OV 104 UF-6 Utilization Flight — Laboratory Outfitting

Sept. 2005 STS-142 OV 103 16A Delivery of Crew Habitation Module; Seven-Person 

Permanent Crew Capability; Biotechnology Facility; 

Fluids and Combustion Facility Shared Accommodations 

Rack; MSRR-2; MSRR-3

Space Station Facilities for Microgravity Research

The Microgravity Research Program (MRP) continues to

develop several multiuser facilities specifically designed for longduration 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. In total, the MRP has defined requirements

for five multiuser facilities for the ISS: the Biotechnology Facility

(BTF), the Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF), the LowTemperature Microgravity Physics Facility (LTMPF), the

Materials Science Research Facility (MSRF), and the

Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG).

BTF

The BTF, in the planning stages at Johnson Space Center, is

designed to meet the requirements of the science community for

conducting low-gravity, long-duration biotechnology experiments.

The facility is intended to serve the community of 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, which will be operated continuously on the ISS, 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. Capable of processing 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 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. 

Biotechnology research during the early phases of the ISS

will be conducted using a modular accommodations rack system

known as the Expedite Processing of Experiments to Space

Station (EXPRESS) rack. The EXPRESS rack requires individual

payloads to develop additional capabilities and involves science

implementation trade-offs. The EXPRESS rack will hold currently

existing equipment previously flown on the space shuttle and on

Mir. It will also accommodate the first generation of equipment

built specifically to meet space station requirements. The BTF is

targeted to be operational in 2005.

FCF

The FCF is a modular, multiuser facility that will be permanently located in the U.S. Laboratory Module of the ISS to

accommodate sustained, systematic microgravity experimentation

in both the fluid physics and combustion science disciplines. The

FCF flight segment consists of three powered racks and up to

one rack of on-orbit stowage in the ISS. The powered racks are

called the Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR), the Fluids

Integrated Rack (FIR), and the Shared Accommodations Rack

(SAR). These FCF racks will be incrementally deployed to the

ISS, then fully integrated into the FCF system upon the arrival of

the SAR. The three racks will operate together with payload

experiment equipment, ground-based operations facilities, and

the FCF ground segment to perform at least five fluids physics

experiments and five combustion science experiments per year

with available FCF and ISS resources. Owing to the modularity,

capability, and flexibility of the FCF system, experiments from

science disciplines outside of fluids and combustion, as well as

commercial and international payloads, can also be supported by

the FCF.

The FCF is being developed at Glenn Research Center

(GRC). GRC in-house definition of the FCF concluded in fiscal

year (FY) 1999, culminating in a successful preliminary design

review of the CIR (the first FCF rack that will be deployed to the

ISS) and a baseline of the science requirements envelope document.

A request for industry proposals was released and proposals were

evaluated by GRC in FY 1999 for the selection of a prime contractor to develop the FCF and its initial fluids and combustion

payloads for the ISS. This Microgravity Research Development

and Operations Contract will also support integration, operations,

and fluids/combustion payload developments after the deployment

of the FCF to the ISS and during steady-state operations. 

Common design of CIR, FIR, and SAR subsystems was

enhanced in FY 1999 to improve the performance and
0

cost-effectiveness of the FCF system and to facilitate shared use

of facility capabilities by the fluids and combustion science disciplines. FCF science diagnostics were modularized to permit on-orbit

reconfiguration, replacement, and shared use of FCF advanced

imaging capabilities. These and other innovative solutions implemented in the FCF design resulted in the nomination of the FCF

for NASA’s Continuous Improvement Award in FY 1999. GRC

also received a Federal Laboratories Technology Transfer Award

in FY 1999 for successfully transferring to industry the FCF

embedded web software, which was recognized as NASA

Software of the Year in 1998. 

Significant progress was also made in the definition of initial

fluids and combustion payloads for the FCF in FY 1999. Payload

developments were redirected toward multiuser apparatus that

customize the FCF for experimentation in a given fluids or combustion subdiscipline. This approach lowers the cost of experiments

and makes more efficient use of ISS resources by facilitating

reuse of payload hardware for multiple experiments. A Multiuser

Droplet Combustion Apparatus and Light Microscopy Module

are currently on parallel development paths with the CIR and

FIR, respectively, to accommodate a number of the initial combustion and fluids experiments planned for the FCF.

LTMPF

The LTMPF project saw a very busy year during which the

facility’s requirements definition review (RDR) was completed

successfully and the authority to proceed was granted. The science requirements envelope document, the preliminary project

plan, the project implementation plan, and the functional

requirements document were all completed as was required to

support the RDR. Trade studies have been ongoing in FY 1999 to

further define the best facility configuration given cost, mass, and

schedule constraints. 

The current facility configuration is a single helium dewar

with one probe insert that can support two or more experiments

during each flight. An engineering model of the probe was developed and characterized. Shake tests of the probe with flight-like

components from three candidate experiments have been scheduled

for early next year.

A preliminary software requirements document has been

completed and a prime candidate single-board computer and

Ethernet interface circuit boards have been selected. These components will be radiation tested early next year. To maximize the

program-wide benefits, the LTMPF project and the FCF project

are jointly performing these radiation tests. This joint effort is

resulting in large savings to both projects, greater investment

from vendors supplying the test articles, and potential savings to

many more ISS payload projects in the future. 

A number of modifications to the ISS manifest in FY 1999

have resulted in a proposed launch delay for the first LTMPF

mission from July 2003 to June 2004.

MSRF

The MSRF is being developed to provide a flexible, permanent

platform in the U.S. Laboratory for conducting experiments in

materials science. The modularity of the MSRF will satisfy the

requirements of the majority of materials science investigations

and will enable the development of experiment modules specifically

suited for individual classes of materials, thereby avoiding the

development and deployment of redundant supporting systems.

The MSRF will also incorporate technology improvements

through phased rack and hardware deployment and will employ

common designs in the follow-on racks and experiment modules

in order to optimize flexibility and accommodation of the various

multidiscipline and materials science themes, along with new initiatives in development in the NASA microgravity program. The

MSRF is being developed to promote international cooperation

and provide the most cost-effective and productive near-term and

long-range approaches to performing science investigations in the

microgravity environment on the ISS.

The modular facility comprises autonomous Materials

Science Research Racks (MSRRs). The initial MSRF concept consists

of three MSRRs (MSRR-1, MSRR-2, and MSRR-3), which will

be developed for phased deployment beginning on the third

Utilization Flight (UF-3). Each MSRR will be composed of either

on-orbit replaceable experiment modules; module inserts; investigation-unique apparatus; and/or multiuser, generic processing

apparatus. The ISS Active Rack Isolation System will be

employed in the MSRRs to reduce the detrimental effects of

vibrations on the station. The MSRRs will support a wide range

of materials science themes, allowing the MSRF to support investigations in basic and applied research in the fields of solidification

of metals and alloys, thermophysical properties, polymers, crystal

growth of semiconductor materials, and ceramics and glasses, as

well as new multidiscipline initiatives planned by NASA. 

The first experiment module planned for MSRR-1 is currently

being developed collaboratively by NASA and ESA. This module,

called the Materials Science Laboratory (MSL), will incorporate

several processing devices, or module inserts. This first materials

science payload will be integrated into an International Standard

Payload Rack, which will initially be shared with a NASA

Commerical Payload, the Space Experiment Facility (SEF)

experiment module. Following completion of its on-orbit

research activities, the SEF will be replaced with a follow-on

materials science experiment module. 

NASA is currently developing the Quench Module Insert

(QMI) and the Diffusion Module Insert (DMI) for the MSL. The

QMI is a high-temperature Bridgman-type furnace with an

actively cooled cold zone. The QMI is being designed to accommodate a rapid quenching capability. The DMI is a Bridgman-type

furnace insert designed to accommodate processing temperatures

up to 1,600° C. The requirements for this insert include precise

control and the ability to operate in a mode with high isothermality.

ESA is currently developing the Low Gradient Furnace (LGF)
61

and Solidification Quench Furnace (SQF) module inserts. The

LGF is a Bridgman-Stockbarger furnace and is primarily intended

for crystal growth experiments, providing for directional solidification processing with precise temperature and translation control.

The SQF is being optimized for metallurgical experiments

requiring large thermal gradients and rapid quenching of samples.

Both of the ESA module inserts can accommodate processing

temperatures up to 1,600° C. Additional module inserts can be

developed and utilized over the lifetime of the MSL.

MSRR-2 and MSRR-3 rack configurations will be consistent

with ongoing Reference Experiment Studies and Rack

Architectural Studies currently being conducted at Marshall

Space Flight Center. These racks will have optimum flexibility

for on-orbit maintenance and change-out of key components.

They will be designed to accommodate the cadre of current

materials science investigations and future NASA Research

Announcement selections through the use of a variety of on-orbit,

replaceable, investigation-unique experiment modules. The racks

will also be capable of accommodating experiment modules

developed by space station international partners in addition to

apparatus supporting multidisciplinary research. MSRR-2 will

support the first of the follow-on experiment modules and will

incorporate new technology and enable automated operations. Its

anticipated launch readiness date is mid-2005. MSRR-3’s anticipated launch readiness date is in late 2007. Several experiment

modules to accommodate science investigations on MSRR-2 and

MSRR-3 are currently in concept definition. 

MSG

The MSG is a multidisciplinary facility for small, low-cost,

rapid-response scientific and technological investigations in the

areas of biotechnology, combustion science, fluid physics, fundamental physics, and materials science. It allows preliminary data

to be collected and analyzed prior to any major investment in

sophisticated scientific and technological instrumentation.

Additionally, its enclosed working volume offers a safe interface

between investigations of potentially hazardous materials and

space station crewmembers and the environment of the space

station. NASA’s previous successes with gloveboxes flown on the

space shuttle and on Mir provided valuable experience in determining the requirements for the MSG.

The MSG is being developed through an international

agreement between NASA and the European Space Agency

(ESA). In exchange for developing the MSG, the agreement

provides ESA with early utilization opportunities in the facility

without any exchange of funds between the two agencies. ESA’s

prime contractor for the MSG is Astrium. In FY 1999, the MSG

project completed its critical design review. The MSG ground

unit was shipped to Marshall Space Flight Center in September

1999. The MSG flight unit is tentatively scheduled to launch to

the ISS in October 2001.

Ground-Based Microgravity Research Support Facilities

In FY 1999, NASA continued to maintain very productive

ground facilities for reduced-gravity research. These facilities

included KC-135 parabolic flight aircraft, a drop tower, the Zero

Gravity Facility, a drop tube, and several other facilities. The

reduced-gravity facilities at Glenn Research Center (GRC),

Johnson Space Center (JSC), and Marshall Space Flight Center

(MSFC) have supported numerous investigations addressing

various processes and phenomena in several research disciplines.

A state of apparent weightlessness, also known as microgravity,

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 up to 20 seconds,

this available test time has been found to be sufficient to advance

the scientific understanding of many phenomena. Also, many

experiments scheduled to fly on the space shuttle and the

International Space Station are tested and validated in the

ground facilities prior to testing 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 the primary aircraft for reduced-gravity

research. The KC-135 can accommodate several experiments

during a single flight. Low-gravity conditions can be obtained

for approximately 20 seconds as the aircraft makes a parabolic

trajectory. The trajectory begins with a shallow dive to increase

air speed, followed by a rapid climb at up to a 50- to 55-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 approximately 6,000 feet is experienced. More than 50 parabolas can be performed in a single

flight. In FY 1999, 42 experiments were performed during 2,401

trajectories over 134.2 flight hours.

The GRC 2.2-Second Drop Tower offers a shorter test time

than the KC-135, but its simple mode of operation and capability

of performing several 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 18,995 tests have been performed in the

drop tower to date. In FY 1999, as in the past several years, the

number of drop tests conducted averaged more than 100 per month.

Reduced-gravity conditions in the drop towers are created

by dropping an experiment in an enclosure known as a drag

shield to isolate the test hardware from aerodynamic drag during

a 24-meter freefall in an open environment. Seventeen experiments
2

were supported during the 1,355 drops performed in FY 1999.

As in the past, several of these experiments were in support of 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 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 1999, five major projects were

supported as 137 test drops were executed.

The Drop Tube Facility, located at MSFC, consists of sections

of a stainless steel pipe with a 26-centimeter diameter vertically

assembled into a tube 105 meters long. With air completely evacuated, the tube can produce freefall times of 4.6 seconds. Vacuum

levels of less than a billionth of an atmosphere are achievable.

The drop tube is especially useful for high-temperature material

processing assays and experiments in droplet dynamics and engineering tests, such as the ones designed to yield results for the

Tethered Satellite Mission. In FY 1999, two experiments were

supported during 300 drops. 

Table 13 summarizes activities at ground-based microgravity

research facilities in FY 1999.

Table 13 Use of Ground-Based Low-Gravity Facilities in FY 1999

KC-135 2.2-Second Zero Gravity Drop Tube

Drop Tower Facility Facility

Number of investigations supported 42 17 5 2

Number of drops or trajectories 2,401 1,355 137 300

Number of flight hours 134.2 N/A N/A N/A
63

Outreach and Education 7

Getting 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 Microgravity Research

Program’s (MRP’s) outreach efforts are aimed at a broad audience

that includes researchers who have not yet considered the benefits

of conducting experiments in microgravity, industrial engineers

and scientists, students in all grade levels, instructors and administrators in a variety of educational settings, and the lay public.

Methods for communicating with these groups are also broad.

Microgravity researchers and support personnel are involved in a

number of outreach activities that include visiting classrooms,

staffing exhibits at national conferences, offering tours and open

houses at microgravity science facilities, and sponsoring student

researchers at NASA research centers. In addition, print and

World Wide Web (WWW) publications highlighting specific

research projects allow the MRP to reach a worldwide audience. 

In fiscal year (FY) 1999, more than 44,700 elementary and

secondary school teachers and administrators attended annual

meetings of the National Science Teachers Association, the

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the International

Technology Education Association, and the National Association

of Biology Teachers, all of which featured booths staffed by MRP

personnel. These major national educator conferences give

NASA the opportunity to demonstrate new ways to teach students

about the importance of microgravity research. Microgravity science

and mathematics posters, teacher’s guides, mathematics briefs,

microgravity demonstrator manuals, microgravity mission and

science lithographs, and WWW microgravity site sheets were

distributed to teachers at these conferences. 

In addition to these efforts, several new microgravity education

products were developed and made available to educators in FY

1999. Two new NASA educational briefs were developed:

Microgravity — Fall Into Mathematics and the NASA Protein

Crystallography Cookbook. Efforts were increased in FY 1999 to

make educators aware of all the microgravity research education

products that are available online through MRP WWW pages,

NASA Spacelink, and the NASA CORE (Central Operation of

Resources for Educators) education distribution system. 

The MRP’s quarterly newsletter, Microgravity News, continues

to reach thousands of K–12 teachers, curriculum supervisors,

science writers, university faculty, graduate students, scientists,

principal investigators, and technology developers. Microgravity

News features articles on experiment results, flight missions, science

and technology developments, research funding opportunities,

meetings, collaborations, and microgravity science researchers.

Distribution for each newsletter has grown to 10,800 copies, an

increase from the 10,300 copies distributed last year. A rise has

been seen in the number of individuals requesting to be added to

the mailing list via e-mail submission to the address

microgravitynews@msfc.nasa.gov. In addition, distribution of

Microgravity News to public and private associations, corporations,

laboratories, and educator resource centers continues to grow.

The newsletter can also be accessed on the WWW at

http://mgnews.msfc.nasa.gov/site/. 

The Microgravity Research Program Office’s (MRPO’s)

WWW home page at http://microgravity.msfc.nasa.gov provides

regular updates on microgravity news highlights, information

about upcoming conferences, microgravity-related research

announcements, enhanced links to microgravity research centers,

educational links, and links to the microgravity image archive.

The newly developed Research Results web site at

http://mgnews.msfc.nasa.gov/site/resindex.html features reviews of

several successful benchmark microgravity flight experiments. A

list of important microgravity WWW sites is presented in Table 14. 

The MRP was represented to more than 25,000 attendees at

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s (RPI’s) Space Week activities in

Troy, New York, April 5–12, 1999. During the week-long celebration of space, the MRP’s exhibit was on display in the

Rensselaer field house exhibit area. NASA Administrator Daniel

Goldin was the keynote speaker for the event marking the 175th

anniversary of RPI, NASA’s 40th anniversary, and the 30th

anniversary of the Apollo moon landing. Other conferences in FY

1999 at which exhibits and materials developed by Microgravity

Outreach and Education staff were used include the American

Association for the Advancement of Science conference; the

National Manufacturer’s Association conference; Georgetown

University’s Lombardi Cancer Center Gala; the American Society

for Gravitational and Space Biology meeting; the American

Public Health Association’s conference; the American Association

of Pharmaceutical Scientists conference; the International Space

Station Utilization conference; the Biophysical Society’s annual

meeting; the Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society conference;

the NASA Spacelab Forum; the Materials Research Society conference; the Society for Biomaterials conference; the American

Crystallographic Association conference; the American Society of

Mechanical Engineers conference; and the Experimental Aircraft

Association’s AirVenture ’99 airshow.

Outreach and Education Highlights 

Microgravity researchers and support personnel contributed

their time and expertise to a number of successful outreach products

and activities in FY 1999, including the following notable projects:

Public Outreach

• NASA bioreactor demonstrations and poster presentations

of biotechnology cell science research were on display at

Johnson Space Center’s (JSC’s) annual in-house activities.

These activities included the Open House, where the public

was invited to tour JSC facilities, and Inspection ’99, which

was aimed at showcasing technologies for educators and for

business and industry audiences. JSC also provided exhibits

in support of the MRPO and NASA headquarters at the

National Association of Biology Teachers’ conference, the

meeting of the American Association for the Advancement

of Science, and the American Institute of Aeronautics and

Astronautics conference. Microgravity program research scientists jointly developed presentations for public audiences
4

on space life sciences in cooperation with Ames Research

Center and a network of museums, planetariums, science

and technology centers, and academic and commercial organizations. The Life Science Museum Partners Network was

inaugurated and will cooperate with the Star Station One

Foundation for similar presentations focused on the

International Space Station (ISS).

• At the American Association for the Advancement of

Science meeting in Anaheim, California, demonstrations of

freefall, superconducting levitation, magnetostriction devices,

a bioreactor, and atomic clocks highlighted the display representing the Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences and

Applications’ (OLMSA’s) plans for scientific investigation on

the ISS. Posters displayed the broad areas of science inquiry

being carried out in the OLMSA program.

• Several microgravity scientists from the Jet Propulsion

Laboratory (JPL) participated in the “Physics Is Fun Day” at

Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. A drop tower

display provided demonstrations on how fluids, flames, and

mechanical devices perform differently when placed in

freefall, intriguing the many students who visited the JPL

display area.

• On October 10–11, 1998, Lewis Research Center (now Glenn

Research Center [GRC]) held a public open house with

48,000 visitors in attendance. The MRP was represented in

several ways. The Zero Gravity Facility housed a “Mission

Specialist” activity for children; the Zero Gravity Facility,

KC-135 parabolic aircraft, Telescience Support Center, ISS

U.S. Laboratory module mock-up, and ISS Fluids and

Combustion Facility racks were each open for tours; and several microgravity-related children’s activities were included

in DiscoveryFEST (Future Engineers and Scientists in

Training) tents.

• The Microgravity Science Division was well-represented at the

GRC name change ceremony in May 1999. The ceremony

brought more than 200 children to the center. During their

visit, the children used a variety of tools to investigate bubbles

and soap films. The record “bubble on the table” had a diameter

of 27 inches. Microgravity science mission lithographs, activity

sheets, and lists of WWW sites (including bubble-related sites)

were distributed to the children, teachers, and parents.

• The 1999 JPL Open House drew 55,000 visitors to the laboratory June 5–6, 1999. Volunteers from the microgravity fundamental physics program described the behavior of

phenomena in microgravity using a mini drop tower;

demonstrated methods used by investigators in the program,

such as superconductor levitation, and described the process

of developing flight apparatus and experiments for investigations in space. 

• The cellular biotechnology program manager spoke to

Discovery Channel viewers of the program Science Live!

about some of the research that is being conducted with the

NASA bioreactor. Science Live! highlights new developments

in various areas of science including space and spacecraft. The

interview was conducted for the episode titled “Science Live!

on Location at the Johnson Space Center,” which aired

November 3, 1999.

Reaching Out to Students and Educators

• Fourteen graduate students were selected to receive support

for research to be performed during the 1999–2000 academic

year through the Graduate Student Research Program (GSRP).

The GSRP is a center-wide activity in which students from a

national pool of applicants are selected to receive support for

ground-based microgravity research. Graduate students also

have the opportunity to conduct a portion of their research at

a NASA facility. All selections were based on a competitive

evaluation of academic qualifications, proposed research

plans, and the student’s projected use of NASA and/or other

research facilities. 

• The National Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids

and Combustion (NCMRFC) has developed a brochure

announcing up to three graduate assistantships per year that

would provide full tuition at Case Western Reserve University

(CWRU), a stipend for graduate study in the Department of

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and the opportunity

to conduct research with NCMRFC scientists. Students may

apply for an assistantship commencing in either the fall or

spring semester. The brochure has been sent to a comprehensive list of engineering deans at universities across the United

States and to a list of four-year historically black colleges and

universities and other minority universities, and has been

announced to Ohio’s state-funded universities through a

cooperative agreement with the Ohio Aerospace Institute.

Three students are currently being supported at CWRU

through this program.

• A number of educator workshops were conducted in FY

1999. A key feature of many of these workshops was the use

of the Microgravity Demonstrator, a portable mini drop

tower, to explain various aspects of microgravity research.

The demonstrator has become a staple of the outreach program

and continues to be frequently requested by educators. As an

example of the effectiveness of the Microgravity

Demonstrator as an outreach tool, in December 1998, GRC,

in conjunction with NCMRFC, shipped a demonstrator unit

to New York for the third annual Garcia Materials Research

Science and Engineering Center Open House at Queens

College. The demonstrator was seen by more than 300 students

(mostly in grades 10 and 11) and 20 teachers during the open

house. In addition, the demonstrator was used in several local

high schools while out on loan. Proving that you’re never too

old to learn, GRC also used the Microgravity Demonstrator

to explain microgravity research to residents of a local nursing

home. Many high school physics teachers are using the

Microgravity Demonstrator manual and videotape to build

their own drop towers. The PDF version of the Microgravity

Demonstrator manual, available through the NASA
65

Education Program’s Spacelink web page at

http://spacelink.nasa.gov, was downloaded by almost 1,000

users in FY 1999. 

• Another key product of the MRP’s K–12 education initiative

is the Microgravity Teacher’s Guide. This popular NASA educator’s guide was downloaded from the Spacelink web site

by over 159,000 users in FY 1999.

• Work was begun on a collaborative project between the

NASA Microgravity Research Program and the

International Technology Education Association (ITEA) to

develop a microgravity technology curriculum guide.

Representatives from ITEA and curriculum developers visited

NASA’s MRP field centers to gather ideas for the guide and

to receive technical input on potential curriculum content.

This effort represents NASA’s first cooperative activity with

ITEA and serves as a benchmark for other NASA

Enterprise/ITEA cooperative activities. The curriculum

guide is scheduled for completion in early FY 2000 and will

be presented at the ITEA annual conference. 

• Biotechnology research scientists volunteered their time to

bring hands-on science activities to seven- to twelve-year-old

children in JSC’s “Sizzling Summer Camp” pilot program

and at the annual “Bring Our Children to Work Day.”

Scientists also presented flight experiment photos and video

to high school students and mentored NASA summer intern

and co-op students. Two other scientists taught organic

chemistry and space cell biology classes at local universities.

• A draft plan has been created for leveraging the resources of

the Educator Resource Center (ERC) at JPL to train K–5

teachers in basic physics principles. That focus fills a critical

need, as supplements for elementary-level curriculum and

training support in physics and related mathematics are scarce. 

• During the past year, JPL hosted three graduate students

and 12 undergraduate students pursuing work in fundamental

physics. JPL also contributed fundamental physics content to

two NASA microgravity CD-ROMS.

• Through the California Institute of Technology Precollege

Science Initiative (CAPSI), an inquiry-based curriculum unit

on matter was developed for eighth-grade students. This

curriculum unit is being tested in classrooms in Pasadena,

California, to refine the subject matter and the teaching

techniques. JPL is also beginning to work actively with the

ERC and its Classroom of the Future. 

• Especially popular with younger visitors to JPL in FY 1999

was a demonstration of a superconducting instrument called

Mr. SQUID, in which a small hidden magnet swinging on a

string was detected. Students, with the help of Mr. SQUID,

were asked to guess which hand held the magnet. 

• Student activities at JPL have resulted in numerous useful

instructional devices, including a new stroboscopic apparatus

to study drop collisions and a computer-interfaced compound

pendulum for demonstrating deterministic chaos and showing

the sensitivity of pendulum motions to initial conditions.

• A fall 1998 NCMRFC microgravity workshop for 19 middle

school science and math teachers from Lakewood, Ohio, led

to continuing involvement with several teachers. In May

1999, an NCMRFC K–12 representative visited Emerson

Middle School and used the Microgravity Demonstrator and

other tools to prepare teachers for their upcoming class trip

to Cedar Point amusement park. NCMRFC staff then

accompanied Emerson students on their field trip to the

park to test microgravity amusement park physics materials.

Lessons learned during the trip and pre-trip activities will be

incorporated into the draft microgravity amusement park

science guide.

• On November 21, 1998, 150 seventh- and eighth-grade girls

and two teachers in the Stark County “EQUALS” workshop

saw demonstrations that helped explain microgravity

research. This event was designed to encourage middle

school girls to stick with math and science by showing them

positive role models. 

• During National Chemistry Week in November 1998, representatives of the GRC Microgravity Science Division and

NCMRFC provided demonstrations to high school students

and members of the general public during a special weekend

event at the Great Lakes Science Center. A variety of

exhibits, including the Microgravity Demonstrator, were

located in the atrium area of the science center so that visitors

could participate in the demonstrations without having to

pay museum admission. A presentation was made in the

“Situation Room” about the STS-95 space shuttle mission

following its landing earlier that day. 

• Forty-five children toured the 2.2 Second Drop Tower during

the 1999 “Bring Our Children to Work Day” at GRC. The

children saw microgravity demonstrations and actual drops

in the tower. 

• A workshop to create a program for student involvement in

a research flight experiment was conducted in February 1999

at the University of Alabama, Huntsville. Educators from

across the United States, business representatives, and

Marshall Space Flight Center representatives were in attendance. As a result of the meeting, science kits for growing the

best possible crystals in space are being developed. Once the

pilot program successfully demonstrates feasibility and incorporation of classroom lessons, it will be expanded to include

all 50 states and other corporate sponsors. Twelve teacher

workshops have been conducted to instruct educators on how

to prepare and perform experiments in the classroom.

Thirteen student/school visitations were conducted in which

students prepared ground samples to be compared with

future flight samples. The flight and ground samples will

utilize the same crystallization conditions for a one-to-one

comparison. Workshops were conducted in which high

school students were certified to load flight samples using

the flash-freezing technique of sample preparation. These

students then prepared 123 flight samples.
6

• In March 1999, a set of seminars was presented to students at

Andrews High School, a college preparatory school for girls

in Willoughby, Ohio. Two teachers and 40 advanced placement

physics and chemistry students from Andrews participated

in a tour of GRC. At two of the four stops, the students were

given a tour of the Zero Gravity Facility and learned about

microgravity research while seeing the Microgravity

Demonstrator in use.

• Three great minds of science — Galileo, Newton, and

Einstein — are the subjects of a new NASA educational

brief titled Microgravity: Fall Into Mathematics. This publication,

developed by the NCMRFC K–12 Educational Program,

provides mathematical challenges and has descriptions of

different types of microgravity research platforms. The brief

was developed to coincide with the debut of a new microgravity

educational exhibit conceived by the NCMRFC and created

by MRPO support personnel. Artwork from the educational

brief was used for the first time at the April 1999 National

Council of Teachers of Mathematics convention. The exhibit

artwork and educational brief text are being modified to fit a

poster format and will be available in spring 2000 under document number EW-2000-01-001-GRC.

• In summer 1999, the GRC Office of Educational Programs

sponsored two NASA education workshops for teachers.

During each of the two-week-long workshops, 25 teachers

were treated to a “Microgravity Day,” which featured a

gravity song, hands-on activities, and tours of facilities.

NCMRFC summer teacher and student interns helped with

Microgravity Day sessions and an associated egg drop competition. During the workshops, several teachers were mentored by microgravity personnel through day-long

shadowing opportunities and full two-week guidance of

urban school teams.

• NCMRFC received 27 applications to its Summer Internship

Program. Twenty-one applicants were from Ohio, and the

remainder were from Mississippi, New Jersey, New York,

Puerto Rico, and West Virginia. NCMRFC also received 13

teacher applications: two from California, two from Indiana,

one from Kansas, seven from Ohio, and one from South

Carolina. The teacher applicants indicated their grade levels

as follows: five high school teachers, six middle school teachers,

one elementary school teacher, and one teacher doing postgraduate work. Selection of two students and one teacher

was completed in April 1999. The two students spent half

their time working in microgravity laboratories at GRC and

the other half developing educational material that is available

on the NCMRFC WWW site. 

• In July 1999, six teachers from California, Maryland, Ohio,

and South Carolina spent a week at the NCMRFC brainstorming ideas for a new K–4 microgravity activity guide.

The teachers heard presentations about gravity and microgravity, crystal growth, fluids, combustion science, and

sounding rockets. They participated in a live video tour of

the ISS mock-up at JSC, toured and saw drops at the 2.2

Second Drop Tower and Zero Gravity Facility, saw the

engineering model of the Combustion Integrated Rack, and

participated in a number of hands-on activities. The teacher

focus group developed a plethora of ideas for activities dealing with how microgravity conditions are created, density

studies, crystal growth, how candles burn, buoyancy-driven

convection, and other related topics. Some of the activities

will be incorporated into elementary-level products under

development at NCMRFC.

• On September 7, 1999, Kathy Higgins, of the Hudson,

Ohio, school system, joined NCMRFC as the first teacher

on sabbatical sponsored by the K–12 Educational Program.

Higgins is an elementary school teacher who has taught

first, second, and fifth grades. During her tenure at GRC,

she will develop an early primary activity guide and help

with educator workshops.

Outreach to the Science Community

• Almost 9,000 people visited NASA’s biotechnology program

exhibit at the following seven conferences in FY 1999: the

meeting of the American Association of Pharmaceutical

Scientists, the American Crystallographic Association meeting,

the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular

Biology meeting, the meeting of the Society for Biomaterials,

the Biophysical Society conference, the INTERPHEX conference, and the meeting of the Protein Society.

• Cell science research in the NASA bioreactor was presented

to officials of the Republic of Costa Rica during their visit to

JSC. Throughout the year, representatives from Congress

and other visitors to JSC were given laboratory tours, hardware

demonstrations, and research highlights from both space- and

ground-based research using the NASA bioreactor.

• JPL scientists supported JSC in staffing a NASA outreach

booth at the Centennial American Physical Society meeting

in Atlanta, Georgia. Displays highlighted research planned

for the ISS. More than 11,000 physicists attended the meeting,

and those visiting the booth were provided information

about NASA-sponsored research opportunities in all of the

microgravity disciplines. 

• From November 1998 to June 1999, GRC and NCMRFC

presented nine talks on fluid physics and transport phenomena

delivered by eminent lecturers from universities across the

country. The series was marketed to the microgravity fluid

physics research community and to area industries through a

brochure and mailing campaign. A significant accomplishment

of the lecture series was 14.8 percent participation by industry

and organizations external to GRC. 

Industrial Outreach

• NCMRFC identified and surveyed principal investigators

within the fluids and combustion research programs regarding

current interactions with industry. Within the fluids research
67

program, interactions with 52 companies were identified,

including five companies represented by current principal

investigators (PIs) or co-investigators. Within the combustion

research program, interactions with 56 companies were identified, including 11 companies represented by current PIs or

co-investigators. The surveys helped identify promising

applications areas for the program.

• NCMRFC formed an Industry Liaison Board as part of a

major endeavor in its fundamental role of adding value to

NASA’s Microgravity Research Program in fluids and combustion. NCMRFC successfully recruited a 10-member

board of key individuals (vice presidents of research and

technology or their equivalents) across a broad spectrum of

aerospace and nonaerospace organizations. The board is

chaired by William Ballhaus Jr., vice president of science and

engineering at Lockheed Martin Corporation. Companies

represented on the board in FY 1999 were TRW, Inc.; the

Eaton Corporation; the Cleveland Clinic Foundation; GE;

AlliedSignal, Inc.; Sandia National Laboratory; Sherwin

Williams Company; Teledyne Continental Motors; and Ford

Motor Company. The board is chartered to identify industry

applications where microgravity fluids and combustion

research is potentially relevant; evaluate current research for

relevance to applications; and provide recommendations to

enhance the program’s value to industry. 

• Ann Heyward, industrial outreach manager for NCMRFC,

attended the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’

(ASME’s) Fluids Engineering Division Meeting July 19–22,

1999, in San Francisco, California, to participate in the meeting’s Industry Exchange Program and the formation of the

Coordinating Group for Industrial Technology (CGIT).

This group is charged with developing ASME’s Fluids

Engineering Division’s Industry Exchange Program for future

meetings. Participation in the CGIT affords NASA the opportunity for additional industry contacts and exposure to industrial applications priorities in the fluids engineering arena.

Table 14 Important Microgravity WWW Sites

NASA Home Page

NASA current events and links to NASA Strategic Enterprise sites. 

http://www.nasa.gov/

Microgravity Research Division Home Page

NASA headquarters’ Microgravity Research Division and

microgravity sites with links to news, other programs, and

NASA Research Announcements.

http://microgravity.hq.nasa.gov/

Microgravity Research Program Home Page

Information about microgravity research activities with links to

image archives and related science and technology web sites.

http://microgravity.msfc.nasa.gov/

Microgravity News Home Page

Online issues of Microgravity News, a quarterly newsletter about

the field of microgravity science.

http://mgnews.msfc.nasa.gov/site/newsindex.html

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Home Page

Links to information about MSFC, the International Space

Station, and research at MSFC’s laboratories.

http://www1.msfc.nasa.gov/

Glenn Research Center (GRC) Home Page

Information on GRC and links to descriptions of special facilities,

such as the Wind Tunnel Complex, the Propulsion System

Laboratory, and drop towers.

http://www.grc.nasa.gov/

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Homepage

Links to the latest news, status reports, and images from JPL’s

missions, as well as information about the laboratory at JPL.

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/

Microgravity Combustion and Fluids Database

Information on microgravity combustion science, fluid physics,

and acceleration measurement experiments and publications.

http://microgravity.grc.nasa.gov/fcarchive/index.html

Microgravity International Distributed Experiment Archives (IDEA) Database

Information on microgravity science experiments.

http://mgravity.itsc.uah.edu/microgravity/idea/idea.stm

European Space Agency (ESA) Microgravity Database

Experiment descriptions, results, diagrams, and video sequences.

http://www.esrin.esa.it/htdocs/mgdb/mgdbhome.html

Zero Gravity Research Facility

Description and images of one of the GRC drop towers.

http://zeta.grc.nasa.gov/facility/zero.htm

NASA Human Spaceflight

A comprehensive source for information on NASA’s spaceflight

programs that support the Human Exploration and

Development of Space Enterprise.

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/index-n.html

Shuttle Flights

Information on the most recent mission with links to all shuttle

flights to date.

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/index.html

International Space Station

General and detailed information about the development of the

International Space Station, including links to recent news,

details of assembly, and images.

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/index.html
8 For More Information

NASA’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 Microgravity Research

Program 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, which is conducting business better, cheaper, and faster

through cooperative ventures and other streamlined practices. 

By disseminating knowledge and transferring technology

among private industries, universities, and other government

agencies, NASA’s Microgravity Research Program continues to

build on a foundation of professional success, 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 and Mir research missions, as well as experiments

performed in short-duration microgravity facilities, are yielding

new understanding about our world and the universe around us,

while paving the way for long-duration microgravity science on

the International Space Station.

For more information about NASA’s Microgravity Research

Program, use the following contact information:

8

Understanding Gravity and Microgravity 

The definition of microgravity and how it is achieved, with links

to microgravity science disciplines.

http://microgravity.msfc.nasa.gov/wimg.html

NASA Spacelink: A Resource for Educators

NASA education information, materials, and services.

http://spacelink.nasa.gov/

Spacelink: Microgravity Teacher’s Guide

Microgravity Teacher’s Guide with physical science activities for

grades 6–12.

http://spacelink.nasa.gov/Instructional.Materials/NASA.Educational.

Products/Microgravity/

Spacelink: Mathematics of Microgravity

Mathematics of Microgravity Guide identifying the underlying

mathematics and physics principles that apply to microgravity.

http://spacelink.nasa.gov/Instructional.Materials/Curriculum.Support/

Physical.Science/Microgravity/Mathematics.of.Microgravity/.index.html

Spacelink: Microgravity-Fall Into Mathematics

The great minds of microgravity — Galileo, Newton, and

Einstein — are the subjects of this NASA Educational Brief.

http://spacelink.nasa.gov/Instructional.Materials/Curriculum.Support/

Physical.Science/Microgravity/Microgravity-Fall.Into.

Mathematics/.index.html

Spacelink: Microgravity Demonstrator

The Microgravity Demonstrator is a tool designed by NASA

engineers to demonstrate and teach principles of microgravity

science and relationships to science and math. The manual provides

instructions for building a microgravity demonstrator and

includes classroom activities.

http://spacelink.nasa.gov/Instructional.Materials/Curriculum.Support/

Physical.Science/Microgravity/Microgravity.Demonstrator/.index.html

Spacelink: Microgravity Video Resource Guide

This video resource guide contains background material and

classroom activities dealing with the five scientific disciplines in

NASA’s microgravity research program.

http://spacelink.nasa.gov/Instructional.Materials/Curriculum.

Support/Physical.Science/Microgravity/Microgravity.Video.Resource.

Guide/.index.html

Microgravity Meetings and Symposia

Bulletin board of meetings, conferences, and symposia and a list

of societies and web sites of interest to the microgravity science

community.

http://zeta.grc.nasa.gov/ugml/ugml.htm

Microgravity Research Division

NASA Headquarters

300 E Street, S.W.

Washington, D.C. 20546-0001

Fax: (202) 358-3091

Phone: (202) 358-1490

World Wide Web address:

http://microgravity.hq.nasa.gov/

http://microgravity.msfc.nasa.gov/
69

Funding for the Microgravity Research Program in fiscal year

(FY) 1999 totaled $183.9 million. This figure includes the

Microgravity Research Program budget of $113.7 million and $70.2

million of the Office of Space Flight’s budget, which is allocated for

International Space Station (ISS) utilization and facilities. These

funds supported a variety of activities across the microgravity science disciplines of biotechnology, combustion science, fluid physics,

fundamental physics, and materials science, including an extensive

ground-based research and analysis program; development and

flight of microgravity space shuttle and sounding rocket missions;

planning and technology and hardware development for the ISS;

and outreach and education. The funding distribution for combined flight and ground efforts in the various microgravity research

disciplines is illustrated in Figure 1. 

Figure 2 presents funding in support of ISS mission planning,

development of ISS technology and hardware, development of

flight- and ground-based research projects, execution of flight and

ground investigations, and development of technology to support

those investigations.

The Microgravity Research Program operates primarily

through four NASA field centers. Figure 3 illustrates the funding

distribution among these centers and includes NASA headquarters

funding. The Microgravity Research Program science discipline

authority and major responsibilities are as follows:

• Glenn Research Center — combustion science, fluid physics,

and microgravity measurement and analysis.

• Jet Propulsion Laboratory — fundamental physics and

advanced technology development.

• Johnson Space Center — cell and tissue culture portion of the

biotechnology discipline.

• Marshall Space Flight Center — materials science, molecular

science portion of the biotechnology discipline, and the glovebox program.

Program Resources for FY 1999 9

Figure 1 — FY 1999 Microgravity Funding Distribution 

by Science Discipline

Materials science

25%

Fundamental 

physics

13%

Biotechnology

21%

Combustion 

science

18%

Fluid physics

23%

Figure 2 — FY 1999 Microgravity Funding by Mission Function

Flight research 

and development

19%

ISS utilization 

and facilities

37%

Ground research and

development

14%

Technology investigations

2%

Flight research

investigations

8%

Ground research

investigations

20%

(Includes Office of Space 

Flight funds for ISS 

utilization & facilities)

Figure 3 — FY 1999 Microgravity Funding Distribution by NASA Field Centers

Goddard Space Center

Langley Research Center < 1%

< 1%

Glenn Research 

Center

34%

Headquarters

3%

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

9%

Johnson Space Center

9%

Marshall Space Flight 

Center

44%
0

10 Acronyms and Abbreviations

ACA..................... American Crystallographic Association

APS.................... American Physical Society

ASM .................. American Society for Metals

ASME ................ American Society of Mechanical Engineers

ATD .................... Advanced Technology Development

atm.................... atmosphere

BCDCE.................... Bi-Component Droplet Combustion Experiment

BCSS.................. Biotechnology Cell Science Stowage

BRS .................... Bioproduct Recovery System

BSTC ...................... Biotechnology Specimen Temperature Controller

BTF.................... Biotechnology Facility

BTR.................... Biotechnology Refrigerator

BTS .................... Biotechnology System

BUNDLE ............ Bridgman Unidirectional Dendrite in a 

............................ Liquid Experiment

CAPSI................ Caltech Precollege Science Initiative

CEA .................... Carcinoembryonic antigen

CGH..................... Coupled Growth in Hypermonotectics

CGIT .................... Coordinating Group for Industrial Technology

CHeX ................ Confined Helium Experiment

CIR .................... Combustion Integrated Rack

CNES.................. French space agency

COLLIDE............ Collisions Into Dust Experiment

CORE.................. Central Operation of Resources for Educators

COSPAR ............ Committee on Space Research of the 

............................ International Council of Scientific Unions

CSA.................... Canadian Space Agency

CSLM ................ Coarsening in Solid-Liquid Mixtures

CVX.................... Critical Viscosity of Xenon

CWRU................ Case Western Reserve University

DCAM................ Diffusion-Controlled Crystallization 

............................ Apparatus for Microgravity

DCE.................... Droplet Combustion Experiment

DCPCG .............. Dynamically Controlled Protein Crystal 

............................ Growth

DDCE.................. Dynamics of Droplet Combustion and 

............................ Extinction Experiment

DECLIC .............. Facility for the Study of Crystal Growth and 

............................ of Fluids Near the Critical Point

DLR .................... German Aerospace Research Establishment

DMI.................... Diffusion Module Insert

ECC .................... Experiment Control Computer

EDU.................... Engineering Development Unit

ELF .................... Enclosed Laminar Flames

ERC .................... Educator Resource Center

ERE .................... Extensional Rheology Experiment

ESA .................... European Space Agency

ESL .................... Electrostatic Levitator

EXPRESS .......... Expedite Processing of Experiments to 

............................ Space Station

FCF .................... Fluids and Combustion Facility

FEANICS............ Flow Enclosure Accommodating Novel 

............................ Investigations in Combustion of Solids

FIR...................... Fluids Integrated Rack

FIST .................. Flammability Diagrams of Combustible 

............................ Materials in Microgravity

FY ...................... fiscal year

GAS.................... Get Away Special

GLACE................ Glovebox Laser-Cooled Atomic Clock 

............................ Experiment

g-LIMIT ............ Glovebox Integrated Microgravity Isolation 

............................ Technology

GMSF ................ Growth and Morphology of Supercritical 

............................ Fluids

GN2 .................... Gaseous Nitrogen

GRC.................... Glenn Research Center

GSFC.................. Goddard Space Flight Center

GSM .................. Gas Supply Module

GSRP ................ Graduate Student Research Program

HOST.................. Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test

HRT .................... high-resolution thermometer

ICR .................... investigation continuation review

ICU .................... Interim Control Unit

IDEA...................... International Distributed Experiment Archives

IEEE ...................... Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

IFFD .................. Internal Flows in a Free Drop

IML.................... International Microgravity Laboratory

InSPACE............ Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic 

............................ Aggregates From Colloidal Emulsions

IPCG .................. Interferometer for Protein Crystal Growth

ISRU .................. In-Situ Resource Utilization

ISS .................... International Space Station

ITEA .................. International Technology Education 

............................ Association

JPL .................... Jet Propulsion Laboratory

JSC .................... Johnson Space Center

KSC.................... Kennedy Space Center

LGF.................... Low Gradient Furnace
71

LMM .................. Laser Microscopy Module

LMS.................... Life and Microgravity Spacelab

LTMPF .............. Low-Temperature Microgravity Physics 

............................ Facility

MAMS................ Microgravity Acceleration Measurement 

............................ System

MDCA................ Multiuser Droplet Combustion Apparatus

MEPS ................ Microencapsulation Electrostatic 

............................ Processing System

MGM.................. Mechanics of Granular Materials

MISTE................ Microgravity Scaling Theory Experiment

MIT .................... Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MRD .................. Microgravity Research Division

MRP .................. Microgravity Research Program

MRPO................ Microgravity Research Program Office

MRS .................. media reclamation system

MSFC ................ Marshall Space Flight Center

MSG .................. Microgravity Science Glovebox

MSL.................... Microgravity Science Laboratory

MSRF ................ Materials Science Research Facility

MSRR ................ Materials Science Research Rack

MTH .................. metallothionein

NAE.................... National Academy of Engineering

NASDA .............. Japanese space agency

NCMRFC............ National Center for Microgravity 

............................ Research on Fluids and Combustion

NIH .................... National Institutes of Health

NRA.................... NASA Research Announcement

NRC.................... National Research Council

NIST .................. National Institute of Standards and 

............................ Technology

NMR .................. nuclear magnetic resonance

OARE ................ Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment

OLMSA.............. Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences 

............................ and Applications

OPCGA.............. Observable Protein Crystal Growth 

............................ Apparatus

PARCS .............. Primary Atomic Reference Clock in Space

PCAM ................ Protein Crystallization Apparatus for 

............................ Microgravity

PCG-BAG.......... Protein Crystal Growth — Biotechnology 

............................ Ambient Generic

PCG-STES ........ Protein Crystal Growth — Single Thermal 

............................ Enclosure System

PCS .................... Physics of Colloids in Space

PECASE ............ Presidential Early Career Award for 

............................ Scientists and Engineers

PEP .................... Particle Engulfment and Pushing by a 

............................ Solid/Liquid Interface

PI........................ principal investigator

PIMS .................. Principal Investigator Microgravity Services

QMI.................... Quench Module Insert

RACE.................. Rubidium Atomic Clock Experiment

RDR.................... requirements definition review

REEFS ................ Radiative Enhancement Effects on Flame 

............................ Spread

RPI .................... Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

RTS .................... Remote Triaxial Sensor

RWPS ................ Rotating Wall Perfused System

SAMS ................ Space Acceleration Measurement System

SAMS-FF.......... Space Acceleration Measurement System 

............................ for Free Flyers

SAR.................... Shared Accommodations Rack

SCR .................... science concept review

SHERE................ Shear History Extensional Rheology 

............................ Experiment

SIBAL.................... Solid Inflammability Boundary at Low Speed

SL ...................... Spacelab

SQF.................... Solidification Quench Furnace

SSPF.................. Space Station Processing Facility

STEP.................. Satellite Test of the Equivalence Principle

STES .................. Single-Locker Thermal Enclosure System

STS .................... Space Transportation System

SUE.................... Superfluid Universality Experiment

TIGER-3D ........ Transition From Ignition to Flame 

............................ Growth Under External Radiation in 

............................ Three Dimensions

TMS .................. Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society

UAB.................... University of Alabama, Birmingham

UCI .................... University of California, Irvine

UF ...................... Utilization Flight

USML ................ United States Microgravity Laboratory

USMP ................ United States Microgravity Payload

USRA ................ Universities Space Research Association

VDA.................... Vapor-Diffusion Apparatus

WWW................ World Wide Web


NASA’S MICROGRAVITY RESEARCH PROGRAM

National Aeronautics

and Space Administration

Microgravity Research Division

NASA/TM – 2000-210615

In the microgravity environment of space, the effects

of Earth’s gravity are dramatically reduced, allowing

scientists to pursue

research not possible in

ground-based laboratories.