Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 1 

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION 

SPACE SHUTTLE 

MISSION 

STS-63 

PRESS KIT 

FEBRUARY 1995 

SHUTTLE-MIR RENDEZVOUS 

SPACEHAB-3; SPARTAN-204 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 2 

STS-63 INSIGNIA 

STS063-S-001 -- Designed by the crewmembers, the STS-63 insignia depicts the orbiter maneuvering to 

rendezvous with Russia's Space Station Mir. The name is printed in Cyrillic on the side of the station. 

Visible in the Orbiter's payload bay are the commercial space laboratory Spacehab and the Shuttle 

Pointed Autonomous Research Tool for Astronomy (SPARTAN) satellite which are major payloads on the 

flight. The six points on the rising sun and the three stars are symbolic of the mission's Space 

Transportation System (STS) numerical designation. Flags of the United States and Russia at the bottom of 

the insignia symbolize the cooperative operations of this mission. 

The NASA insignia design for space shuttle flights is reserved for use by the astronauts and for other 

official use as the NASA Administrator may authorize. Public availability has been approved only in the 

form of illustrations by the various news media. When and if there is any change in this policy, which we 

do not anticipate, it will be publicly announced. 

PHOTO CREDIT: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 3 

PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS 

For Information on the Space Shuttle 

Ed Campion 

 NASA Headquarters 

 Washington, DC 

Policy/Management 202/358-1778 

 

Rob Navias 

 Johnson Space Center 

 Houston, TX 

Mission Operations 

Astronauts 

713/483-5111 

 

Bruce Buckingham 

 Kennedy Space Center, Fl 

Launch Processing 

KSC Landing Information 

407/867-2468 

 

June Malone 

 Marshall Space Flight Center 

 Huntsville, AL 

External Tank/SRBs/SSMEs 205/544-0034 

 

Cam Martin 

 Dryden Flight Facility 

 Edwards, CA 

DFRF Landing Information 805/258-3448 

For Information on STS-63 Experiments & Activities 

Rob Navias 

 Johnson Space Center 

 Houston, TX 

Mir Rendezvous & Fly Around 713/483-5111 

 

Debra Rahn 

 NASA Headquarters 

 Washington, DC 

International Cooperation 202/358-1639 

 

Jim Cast 

 NASA Headquarters 

 Washington, DC 

SPACEHAB-3 202/358-1779 

 

Mike Braukus 

 NASA Headquarters 

 Washington, DC 

SSCE 202/358-1979 

 

Don Savage 

 NASA Headquarters 

 Washington, DC 

SPARTAN-204 202/358-1547 

 

Tammy Jones 

Goddard Space Flight Center 

Greenbelt, MD 

CGP/ODERACS-II 301/286-5566 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 4 

CONTENTS 

GENERAL BACKGROUND 

General Release 5 

Media Services Information 7 

Quick-Look Facts 8 

Shuttle Abort Modes 10 

Summary Timeline 11 

Payload and Vehicle Weights 12 

Orbital Events Summary 14 

Crew Responsibilities 

CARGO BAY PAYLOADS & ACTIVITIES 

Shuttle-Mir Rendezvous and Fly Around 16 

SPARTAN-204 21 

CGP/ODERACS 29 

STS-63 Extravehicular Activities (EVA) 31 

IN-CABIN PAYLOADS 

SPACEHAB-3 32 

Solid Surface Combustion Experiment (SSCE) 47 

Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS) 48 

STS-63 CREW BIOGRAPHIES 49 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 5 

RELEASE: 95-5 

RENDEZVOUS WITH RUSSIAN SPACE STATION 

HIGHLIGHTS FIRST SHUTTLE FLIGHT OF 1995 

A significant step in the growing cooperative effort between the United States and Russia will take place 

during NASA’s first Shuttle mission of the year when Discovery and her crew perform a rendezvous and 

fly around of the Russian Space Station Mir. 

In addition, the STS-63 mission will see the third flight of the commercial SPACEHAB facility in which a 

number of microgravity research experiments will be conducted. Discovery’s crew also will deploy and 

retrieve a free-flyer astronomy payload and two crew members will perform a five hour spacewalk. 

The STS-63 crew will be commanded by James D. Wetherbee who will be making his third Shuttle flight. 

Eileen M. Collins will serve as pilot. She will be making her first spaceflight, becoming the first woman to 

pilot a Space Shuttle. The four mission specialists aboard Discovery will include Bernard A. Harris Jr., the 

Payload Commander and Mission Specialist-1 who will be making his second flight; Michael C. Foale, 

Mission Specialist-2 who will be making his third flight; Janice Voss, Mission Specialist-3 who will be 

making her second flight; and Cosmonaut Vladimir Georgievich Titov, Mission Specialist-4 who will be 

making his first flight aboard the Shuttle and fourth flight into space. 

Launch of Discovery is currently targeted for February 2, 1995, at approximately 12:49 a.m. EST from 

Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39-B. The actual launch time is expected to vary by several 

minutes based on new Mir state vectors for Shuttle rendezvous phasing requirements which will be 

updated closer to launch. The available window to launch Discovery is approximately 5 minutes each day. 

The STS-63 mission is scheduled to last 8 days, 6 hours, 13 minutes. A 12:49 a.m. launch on February 2 

would produce a landing at Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility on February 10 at 

approximately 6:15 a.m. EST. 

The Discovery crew’s primary objective is to rendezvous with the Russian Space Station Mir in a dress 

rehearsal of missions that will follow later in 1995. The rendezvous is scheduled to take place on the fourth 

day of the mission and will serve to test the systems and techniques currently planned for the first Shuttle 

docking mission with Atlantis on Mission STS-71, currently scheduled for launch in June 1995. 

The rendezvous will validate a number of flight techniques that will be employed on subsequent docking 

missions. These techniques include the use of precision flying as the Shuttle closes in on Mir, validating 

the use of a centerline camera for targeting the docking mechanism on Mir, verifying the absence of plume 

effects, demonstrating VHF radio communications, inspecting the Mir complex through photographs and 

video, and demonstrating the joint operations between Mission Control Centers in Houston, and 

Kaliningrad, Russia. 

While the fly-around will provide valuable information for flight designers planning the docking missions, 

the completion of these objectives is not mandatory for the STS-71 mission. 

The STS-63 mission will see the third flight of the SPACEHAB module, a pressurized, commerciallydeveloped space research laboratory located in the forward end of Discovery’s cargo bay. The 

SPACEHAB module significantly increases the pressurized working and storage volume normally 

available aboard the Shuttle. Over 20 SPACEHAB-3 experiments, sponsored by NASA’s Offices of Space 

Access and Technology and Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications together with the 

Department of Defense, represent a diverse cross-section of technological, biological and other scientific 

disciplines. These experiments were developed for flight by an equally-diverse complement of university, 

industry and government organizations nationwide. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 6 

Also being carried on Discovery is the Shuttle Pointed Autonomous Research Tool for Astronomy-204 

(SPARTAN-204) designed to obtain data in the far ultraviolet region of the spectrum from diffuse sources 

of light. 

Spartan 204’s mission will occur in two distinct phases. The first phase will have the crew grapple the 

Spartan spacecraft with the robot arm and unberth it from its support structure. The crew then will conduct 

scientific observations by pointing Spartan at the Shuttle’s tail to observe surface glow. It also will point at 

a primary Reaction Control System thruster to obtain far ultraviolet spectrographs of a thruster firing. 

After the Mir rendezvous portion of the mission is complete, a crew member will again use the robot arm 

to lift the Spartan spacecraft from the payload bay and release it over the side of the Shuttle. It will be 

deployed from the Shuttle so that it can operate independently. For approximately 40 hours, Spartan 204’s 

instrument will observe various celestial targets. Discovery will then rendezvous with Spartan 204 and the 

robot arm will be used to retrieve the payload. 

The STS-63 mission will continue laying the groundwork for future space activities when Mission 

Specialists Mike Foale and Bernard Harris perform an almost five-hour spacewalk to test spacesuit 

modifications and practice handling large objects in microgravity. 

The spacewalk has two specific objectives: to evaluate modifications to the spacesuits that provide 

astronauts with better thermal protection from cold and to perform several mass handling exercises in a 

series of activities designed to increase NASA’s experience base as it prepares for the on-orbit assembly of 

the International Space Station. 

Also being carried aboard Discovery will be a series of experiments that are part of the Hitchhiker 

Program, managed at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. The program is designed for 

customers who wish to fly quick- reaction and low-cost experiments on the Shuttle. 

The first of four Hitchhiker missions scheduled for this year is CGP/ODERACS-II and will be aboard 

STS-63. This payload’s acronym stems from the following experiments: Cryo System Experiment (CSE) 

whose overall goal is to validate and characterize the on-orbit performance of two thermal management 

technologies that comprise a hybrid cryogenic system; the Shuttle Glow (GLO-2) experiment which will 

investigate the mysterious shroud of luminosity, called the “glow phenomenon” observed by astronauts on 

past Shuttle missions; and the Orbital Debris Radar Calibration System-II (ODERACS-II) experiment 

which will provide a vehicle whereby small calibration targets are placed in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for the 

purpose of calibrating ground-based radar and optical systems so that they may more accurately provide 

information regarding small debris in LEO. 

The Solid Surface Combustion Experiment (SSCE) being flown on the Discovery is a continuing effort to 

study how flames spread in a microgravity environment. Comparing data on how flames spread in 

microgravity with knowledge of how flames spread on Earth may contribute to improvements in all types 

of fire safety and control equipment. This will be the eighth time SSCE has flown aboard the Shuttle, 

testing the combustion of different materials under different atmospheric conditions. 

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

(END OF GENERAL RELEASE; BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOLLOWS.) 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 7 

MEDIA SERVICES INFORMATION 

NASA Television Transmission 

NASA Television is available through Spacenet-2 satellite system, transponder 5, channel 9, at 69 degrees 

West longitude, frequency 3880.0 MHz, audio 6.8 Megahertz. 

The schedule for television transmissions from the Orbiter and for mission briefings will be available 

during the mission at Kennedy Space Center, FL; Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL; Dryden 

Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA; Johnson Space Center, Houston; NASA Headquarters, Washington, 

DC; and the NASA newscenter operation at Mission Control-Moscow. The television schedule will be 

updated to reflect changes dictated by mission operations. 

Television schedules also may be obtained by calling COMSTOR 713/483-5817. COMSTOR is a 

computer data base service requiring the use of a telephone modem. A voice update of the television 

schedule is updated daily at noon Eastern time. 

Status Reports 

Status reports on countdown and mission progress, on- orbit activities and landing operations will be 

produced by the appropriate NASA newscenter. 

Briefings 

A mission press briefing schedule will be issued prior to launch. During the mission, status briefings by a 

Flight Director or Mission Operations representative and when appropriate, representatives from the 

payload team, will occur at least once per day. The updated NASA television schedule will indicate when 

mission briefings are planned. 

Access by Internet 

NASA press releases can be obtained automatically by sending an Internet electronic mail message to 

domo@hq.nasa.gov. In the body of the message (not the subject line) users should type the words 

“subscribe press- release” (no quotes). The system will reply with a confirmation via E-mail of each 

subscription. A second automatic message will include additional information on the service. 

Informational materials also will be available from a data repository known as an anonymous FTP (File 

Transfer Protocol) server at ftp.pao.hq.nasa.gov under the directory /pub/pao. Users should log on with the 

user name “anonymous” (no quotes), then enter their E-mail address as the password. Within the /pub/pao 

directory there will be a “readme.txt” file explaining the directory structure. 

Access by fax 

An additional service known as fax-on-demand will enable users to access NASA informational materials 

from their fax machines. Users calling (202) 358-3976 may follow a series of prompts and will 

automatically be faxed the most recent Headquarters news releases they request. 

Access by Compuserve 

Users with Compuserve accounts can access NASA press releases by typing “GO NASA” (no quotes) and 

making a selection from the categories offered. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 8 

STS-63 QUICK LOOK 

Launch Date/Site: Feb. 2, 1995/KSC Pad 39B 

Launch Time: 12:49 a.m. EST * 

Launch Window: 5 minutes 

Orbiter: Discovery (OV-103) - 20th flight 

Orbit/Inclination: 170 nautical miles/51.6 degrees 

Mission Duration: 8 days, 6 hours, 13 minutes 

Landing Time/Date 6:15 a.m. EST, Feb. 10, 1995 

Primary Landing Site: Kennedy Space Center, Florida 

Abort Landing Sites: Return to Launch Site - KSC 

 Transoceanic Abort Landing - Zaragoza, Spain 

 Moron, Spain 

 Ben Guerir, Morocco 

 Abort Once Around - KSC 

 

Crew: Jim Wetherbee, Commander (CDR) 

 Eileen Collins, Pilot (PLT) 

 Bernard Harris, Payload Commander, 

 Mission Specialist 1 (MS 1) 

 C. Michael Foale, Mission Specialist 2 (MS 2) 

 Janice Voss, Mission Specialist 3 (MS 3) 

 Vladimir Titov, Mission Specialist 4 (MS 4) 

 

Extravehicular 

Crewmembers 

Foale (EV 1), Harris (EV 2) 

 

Cargo Bay Payloads: SPACEHAB-03 

 SPARTAN-204 

 CGP-ODERACS-2 (Cryo Systems Experiment/Orbital Debris Radar 

Calibration Spheres) 

 ICBC (IMAX Cargo Bay Camera) 

 

Middeck Payloads: SSCE (Solid Surface Combustion Experiment) 

* Actual launch time is expected to vary by several minutes based on new Mir state vectors for Shuttle 

rendezvous phasing requirements which will be updated closer to launch. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 9 

Developmental Test Objectives/Detailed Supplementary Objectives: 

DTO 301D: Ascent Structural Capability Evaluation 

DTO 305D: Ascent Compartment Venting Evaluation 

DTO 306D: Descent Compartment Venting Evaluation 

DTO 307D: Entry Structural Capability 

DTO 312: External Tank Thermal Protection System Performance 

DTO 319D: Orbiter/Payload Acceleration and Acoustics Data 

DTO 414: APU Shutdown Test 

DTO 524: Landing Gear Loads and Brake Stability Evaluation 

DTO 623: Cabin Air Monitoring 

DTO 671: EVA Hardware for Future Scheduled EVA Missions 

DTO 672: EMU Electronic Cuff Checklist 

DTO 700-2: Laser Range and Range Rate Device 

DTO 700-5: Payload Bay Mounted Rendezvous Laser 

DTO 700-7: Orbiter Data for Real-Time Navigation Evaluation 

DTO 805: Crosswind Landing Performance 

DTO 832: Target of Opportunity Navigation Sensors 

DTO 833: EMU Thermal Comfort Evaluations 

DTO 835: Mir Approach Demonstration 

DTO 836: Tools for Rendezvous and Docking 

DTO 838: Near Field Targeting and Reflective Alignment System 

DTO 1118: Photographic and Video Survey of Mir Space Station 

DTO 1210: EVA Operations Procedures/Training 

DSO 200B: Radiobiological Effects 

DSO 201B: Sensory-Motor Investigations 

DSO 204: Visual Observations from Space 

DSO 327: Shuttle-Mir VHF Voice Link Verification 

DSO 483: Back Pain Pattern in Microgravity 

DSO 484: Assessment of Circadian Shifting in Astronauts by Bright Light 

DSO 486: Physical Examination in Space 

DSO 487: Immunological Assessment of Crewmembers 

DSO 491: Characterization of Microbial Transfer Among Crewmembers During Flight 

DSO 492: In-Flight Evaluation of a Portable Clinical Blood Analyzer 

DSO 604: Visual-Vestibular Integration as a Function of Adaptation 

DSO 608: Effects of Space Flight on Aerobic and Anaerobic Metabolism 

DSO 621: In-Flight Use of Florinef to Improve Orthostatic Intolerance Postflight 

DSO 626: Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Responses to Standing Before and After Space Flig

DSO 901: Documentary Television 

DSO 902: Documentary Motion Picture Photography 

DSO 903: Documentary Still Photography 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 10 

SPACE SHUTTLE ABORT MODES 

Space Shuttle launch abort philosophy aims toward safe and intact recovery of the flight crew, Orbiter and 

its payload. Abort modes for STS-63 include: 

• Abort-To-Orbit (ATO) -- Partial loss of main engine thrust late enough to permit reaching a minimal 

105-nautical mile orbit with the orbital maneuvering system engines. 

• Abort-Once-Around (AOA) -- Earlier main engine shutdown with the capability to allow one orbit of 

the Earth before landing at the Kennedy Space Center, FL. 

• Transatlantic Abort Landing (TAL) -- Loss of one or more main engines midway through powered 

flight would force a landing at either Zaragoza, Spain; Moron, Spain; or Ben Guerir, Morocco. 

• Return-To-Launch-Site (RTLS) -- Early shutdown of one or more engines, and without enough energy 

to reach Zaragoza, would result in a pitch around and thrust back toward Kennedy until within gliding 

distance of the Shuttle Landing Facility. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 11 

STS-63 SUMMARY TIMELINE 

Flight Day 1 

Ascent 

OMS-2 Burn 

SPACEHAB activation 

ODERACS deploy 

RMS checkout 

Flight Day 2 

SPACEHAB experiments 

SPARTAN attached operations 

Flight Day 3 

SPACEHAB experiments 

Mir Rendezvous Burns 

Flight Day 4 

Mir Rendezvous 

Flight Day 5 

SPARTAN Deploy 

SPACEHAB experiments 

Flight Day 6 

EMU checkout 

Flight Control Systems Checkout 

SPARTAN Rendezvous Burns 

Flight Day 7 

EVA Prep 

SPARTAN Rendezvous and Retrieval 

EVA 

Flight Day 8 

SPACEHAB experiments 

Crew News Conference 

Cabin Stow 

Flight Day 9 

Deorbit Prep 

Deorbit Burn 

Entry 

Landing 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 12 

PAYLOAD AND VEHICLE WEIGHTS 

 Pounds

 

Orbiter (Discovery) empty and 3 SSMEs 173,716 

Spacehab-03 8,765 

Spacehab Support Equipment 662 

Spartan 204 Airborne Support Equipment 2,409 

Spartan 204 Deployable Payload 2,572 

CGP/ODERACS-2 4,406 

Solid Surface Combustion Experiment 139 

Detailed Test/Supplementary Objectives 247 

Shuttle System at SRB Ignition 4,511,889 

Orbiter Weight at Landing 211,318 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 13 

STS-63 ORBITAL EVENTS SUMMARY 

(Based on a Feb. 2, 1995 Launch) 

Event MET Time of Day (EST) 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

KSC Landing 8/06:13 7:04 AM, Feb. 10 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 14 

STS-63 CREW RESPONSIBILITIES 

Task/Payload Primary Backups/Others 

 

Primary Payloads/Activities 

Mir Rendezvous Operations Wetherbee Collins, Foale 

Spacehab-3 Harris Titov, Voss 

Spartan-204 Foale Voss 

 

Secondary Payloads 

CSE Wetherbee 

GLO-2 Wetherbee Collins 

ODERACS-2 Wetherbee Collins, Harris 

AMOS Wetherbee Collins 

CONCAP-II Wetherbee Collins 

ICBC Voss Titov 

MSX Collins Wetherbee 

SSCE Foale Titov 

CTOS Harris Voss 

 

Spacehab-3 Experiments 

ASC-IV Titov Voss, Harris 

BRIC-03 Foale Voss 

BPL-03 Wetherbee Collins, Harris 

CHARLOTTE Titov Voss, Harris 

CHROMEX-06 Titov Voss, Harris 

CGBA-05 Titov Harris, Voss 

CPCG-VDA Voss Titov 

CREAM-06 Wetherbee Foale, Titov 

ECLiPSE-HAB-3 Harris Titov 

F-GBA Wetherbee Collins, Harris 

GPPM-02 Voss Harris 

IMMUNE-02 Harris Titov, Foale, Voss 

NIH-C-03 Harris Foale 

PCG-STES-03 Voss Foale, Titov 

PCF-LST-03 Harris Voss 

RME-III-13 Wetherbee Foale 

SAMS-03 Foale Wetherbee, 

3-DMA Collins Titov 

WINDEX-01 Foale Collins, Titov 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 15 

DTOs/DSOs 

Task Payload Primary Backups/Others 

 

DSO 200B (Radiobio Effects) All 

DSO 201B (Sensory-Motor) Wetherbee, Collins, Harris, 

Foale, Voss, Titov 

DSO 204 (Visual Observ.) Titov, Foale 

DSO 483 (Back Pain Pattern) Collins, Foale, Voss 

DSO 484 (Circadian Shifting) Wetherbee, Collins, Voss, Titov 

DSO 486 (Physical Exam) Wetherbee, Collins, Harris (doctor), 

Foale, Voss, Titov 

DSO 487 (Immun. Assessment) All 

DSO 491 (Microbial Transfer) All 

DSO 492 (Blood Analyzer) Wetherbee, Harris, Voss 

DSO 608 (Ergometer) Harris, Foale 

 

Photography/TV Foale Titov 

In-Flight Maintenance Titov Foale 

Earth Observations Titov Foale 

RMS Voss Titov, Foale 

Medical Harris Foale 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 16 

SHUTTLE MIR RENDEZVOUS AND FLY AROUND 

STS-63’s primary objective is to rendezvous with the Russian Space Station Mir in a dress rehearsal of 

cooperative missions that will follow later in 1995. The approach will serve to test the systems and techniques 

currently planned for the first Shuttle docking mission, STS-71, currently scheduled for June 1995. 

The rendezvous sequence will begin about nine hours into the mission when a reaction control system jet firing 

adjusts the rate at which Discovery is closing on Mir. Over the next few days, additional burns will gradually 

bring Discovery to within eight nautical miles behind Mir. At this point, the Ti burn is fired and the final phase of 

the rendezvous begins. Discovery will close the final 8 nautical miles to Mir during the next one-and-a-half-hour 

orbit. At this point, the Shuttle’s rendezvous radar system begins providing range and closing rate information to 

the crew. 

The manual phase of the operation begins just after Discovery passes about a half-mile below Mir when 

Commander Jim Wetherbee takes the controls at a distance of about 2,000 feet. Wetherbee will be flying the 

Shuttle from the aft flight deck controls as Discovery circles up to intersect the velocity vector of Mir. The 

velocity vector, also known as the V-Bar, is an imaginary line drawn along Mir’s direction of travel. 

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

Mir. 

After the Shuttle moves to within 1,000 feet of Mir, Discovery’s steering jets will be fired in a mode called “Low 

Z”. This approach uses braking jets that are slightly offset to the Mir rather than steering jets pointed directly at 

the Station, thus avoiding contaminating or damaging the Station. Also, as Discovery reaches close proximity to 

Mir, the Trajectory Control Sensor, a laser ranging device mounted in the payload bay, will supplement the 

navigation information by supplying data on the Shuttle’s range and closing rate to Mir. 

Discovery will maintain its position 400 feet in front of Mir until Flight Control teams in Russia give a “go” for 

the Shuttle’s approach. Wetherbee will then slowly fly the Orbiter from 400 feet to a point about 30 feet from 

Mir, aligning with the Station’s docking module in a rehearsal of a docking approach planned for Shuttle mission 

STS-71. To assist with the alignment, Wetherbee will watch the approach from a centerline television camera, 

mounted in the upper window of the Spacehab module, on a monitor in the aft flight deck. When within about 

200 feet of Mir, Discovery will begin air-to-air communications with cosmonauts on Mir using a VHF radio 

system. 

At 30 feet from the docking port, Wetherbee will again stationkeep, rehearsing a maneuver to orient Discovery 

properly to the docking port, before slowly backing the Orbiter away from Mir. 

When Discovery is again about 400 feet from Mir, Wetherbee will begin a slow fly-around, maintaining a 

distance of about 450 feet from Mir. Discovery will completely circle Mir once over the next 45 minutes. 

The two spacecraft will begin the separation sequence when Discovery reaches a point about 450 feet above Mir 

for the second time. The Orbiter will then fire its steering jets in a maneuver that will put it on a course to 

eventually take it ahead of Mir as Discovery opens the distance between the two spacecraft with each orbit. 

Throughout the operation, Discovery’s crew will use video and still cameras to document the exterior of the Mir. 

The rendezvous will validate a number of flight techniques that will be employed on subsequent docking 

missions. These techniques include the use of precision flying as the Shuttle closes in on Mir, validating the use 

of a centerline camera for targeting the docking mechanism on Mir, verifying the absence of plume effects, 

demonstrating VHF radio communications, inspecting the Mir complex through photographs and video, and 

demonstrating the joint operations between Mission Control Centers in Houston, and Kaliningrad, Russia. 

While the fly-around will provide valuable information for flight designers planning the docking missions, the 

completion of these objectives is not mandatory in preparation for the STS-71 mission. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 17 
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SPARTAN 204 

Background 

The Spartan program is designed to provide easy and relatively inexpensive access to Earth orbit via the 

Space Shuttle for science experiments. Spartan’s design consists of a basic carrier, which, with the addition 

of a science experiment, becomes a complete spacecraft designed to meet specific science objectives on 

each mission. Spartan missions include stellar, solar, Earth fine-pointing, and microgravity science and 

technology experiments requiring space environments away from the Space Shuttle. 

The Spartan program was conceived in the mid-1970s and developed by the Special Payloads Division, 

Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD, and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, 

Washington, DC, to extend the capabilities of sounding rocket-class science experiments by making use of 

the Space Shuttle. 

In June 1985, a Spartan mission successfully carried an X-Ray telescope aboard STS-51G. Another carrier, 

Spartan Halley, was on board Shuttle Mission STS-51L. In April 1993 and September 1994, Spartan 201 

was flown aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on missions STS-56 and STS-64. This is the first flight of 

the Spartan 204 carrier system. 

SPARTAN 204 Mission 

Spartan 204 will obtain data in the far ultraviolet region of the spectrum from diffuse sources of light. For 

this mission, the Spartan 204 spacecraft is designed to operate both while attached to the Shuttle’s Remote 

Manipulator System (RMS) or robot arm, and in free-flight away from the Orbiter. 

Spartan 204’s mission will occur in two distinct phases. The first phase will be on flight day 2, when the 

crew will grapple the Spartan spacecraft with the robot arm and unberth it from its support structure. The 

crew then will conduct scientific observations for about 4.5 hours by pointing Spartan at the Shuttle’s tail 

to observe surface glow. It also will point at a primary Reaction Control System thruster to obtain far 

ultraviolet spectrographs of a thruster firing. After these operations Spartan will be reberthed in the Orbiter 

bay as other Shuttle operations take place. 

The second phase of Spartan 204 operations will begin on Flight Day 5, when the free-flight operations 

begin. The crew will prepare Spartan by again grappling it with the robot arm and unberthing it from its 

support structure. Spartan then will be released from the robot arm, and the Orbiter will back away from 

the Spartan free-flyer spacecraft. 

Spartan will operate autonomously in free-flight for a mission duration of approximately 43.5 hours 

following a pre-programmed science mission, providing its own battery power, pointing system and 

recorder for capturing data. The scientific observations will be recorded on film on board Spartan 204, and 

analyzed by scientists and engineers after it is returned from space. 

After its free-flyer mission ends on Flight Day 7, the Orbiter will fly back to the Spartan 204 spacecraft, 

retrieve it with the robot arm, and power it off. The Spartan spacecraft will be reberthed in the Orbiter bay, 

completing its scientific mission. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 22 

SPARTAN 204 Science 

The Far Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (FUVIS) experiment objectives are to study astronomical and 

artificially-induced sources of diffuse far-ultraviolet radiation. The astronomical diffuse sources include 

nebulae, celestial diffuse background radiation and nearby external galaxies. The artificial sources include 

emissions associated with the Orbiter -- the recently discovered Shuttle surface glow and emissions due to 

Shuttle Reaction Control system rocket engines. 

The FUVIS astrophysical science objectives are primarily concerned with improving scientific 

understanding of the composition, physical and chemical properties, and distribution in space of the 

interstellar medium. 

The interstellar medium is the gas and dust which fills the space between the stars, and which is the 

material from which new stars and planets are formed. 

The Orion Nebula is an example of a cloud of interstellar material which is excited to glow by the farultraviolet light emitted by the very hot stars embedded within it. The Cygnus Loop is an example of a 

supernova remnant - a shell of interstellar gas which is excited to glow by the outwardly-moving shock 

wave produced by a stellar explosion -- a supernova -- which occurred about 50,000 years ago. 

The unique features of FUVIS are that it observes in the far-ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic 

spectrum, which can provide new information unobtainable in other spectral regions, and it is optimized 

for the study of diffuse sources rather than point sources (e.g., stars). However, since FUVIS is an imaging 

spectrograph, it also can obtain spectra of stars for in-flight calibration, and can separate out the 

contributions of stars from those of truly diffuse sources. 

The FUVIS instrument is designed to provide the highest possible diffuse source sensitivity in the farultraviolet, but also provides efficient means for study of large, faint galactic nebulae such as the Barnard 

Loop, North America, and Cygnus Loop nebulae, comets, and diffuse emissions associated with the 

Shuttle. It also is capable of mapping nearby galaxies such as the Magellanic Clouds and the Andromeda 

Galaxy. 

Detailed FUVIS plans include observations of stellar UV radiation which is scattered by interstellar dust 

particles to obtain information on the physical properties, composition, and spatial distribution of the dust; 

and of emission lines from the gaseous phases of the interstellar medium; i.e., diffuse nebulae and the 

general interstellar medium, which provides information on gas temperature, composition, and spatial 

distribution. 

Department of Defense objectives include studies to determine the UV spectral intensity distributions in, 

and chemical species contributing to the emission from, Shuttle glow and rocket engine plumes. 

Spartan 204 science objectives are sponsored by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Washington, 

DC. The FUVIS science investigation team consists of Principal Investigator Dr. George Carruthers of 

NRL, and Co- Investigators Dr. Adolf Witt, University of Toledo, Dr. Reginald Dufour, Rice University, 

and Dr. John Raymond, Center for Astrophysics. 

SPARTAN Operations 

Attached Operations 

The science payload is mounted aboard the Spartan carrier. When the Shuttle is on orbit and the payload 

bay doors are open, a crew member uses the robot arm to lift Spartan from the payload bay. The instrument 

on the Spartan carrier is controlled over a command path through the robot arm while a crew member 

points the spacecraft on the end of the arm using the robot arm’s controls. Several pointing sequences will 

be performed over one and a half orbits. After this part of the science mission is over, tracking control 

system tests will be performed using the spacecraft on the end of the robot arm before the spacecraft is 

berthed. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 23 

Free-flight Deployment 

After the Mir rendezvous portion of the mission is complete, a crew member will again use the robot arm 

to lift the Spartan spacecraft from the payload bay, and this time will release it over the side of the Shuttle. 

It will be deployed from the Shuttle so that it can operate independently and leave the Orbiter free for other 

activities. Because the Spartan and Shuttle become separated, the Spartan will be able to view the celestial 

targets clear of any contamination which might be generated by Shuttle thruster firings. 

After initialization, Spartan is designed to operate autonomously. During the free-flight, the Shuttle crew 

has no interaction with the satellite other than deploying and retrieving it. 

For approximately 40 hours, Spartan 204’s instrument will observe various celestial targets of interest as 

the Space Shuttle paces it from behind. About four hours prior to the scheduled retrieval, the Shuttle will 

perform engine firings allowing it to close on Spartan 204, eventually passing directly below it before a 

crew member manually flies the final few hundred feet (approximately 100 meters) to allow the satellite to 

be grasped by the robot arm. Once caught by the arm, Spartan 204 will be brought back into the cargo bay. 

Detailed Test Objectives (DTOs) 

Besides its scientific mission, the Spartan 204 spacecraft will support two Space Station Detailed Test 

Objectives, or DTOs. For the first DTO, Spartan 204 has six laser retroreflectors mounted on it to aid in 

testing the Tracking Control System (TCS). They will be used during proximity operations after the 

attached operations on Flight Day 2, as well as during deployment and retrieval on flight days 5 and 7. 

For the second DTO, the Spartan 204 spacecraft will be used as a large mass handling object by the EVA 

crew members. They will demonstrate the ability to move large objects without the robot arm, using new 

equipment and techniques. 

During their EVA, the astronauts will practice moving Spartan 204 around the payload bay after its science 

mission is complete, on Flight Day 7. The Spartan 204 spacecraft has mounted on it three EVA handling 

attachment points to aid the crew in controlling the spacecraft. After the mass- handling portion of the 

EVA, the astronauts will put the Spartan spacecraft back onto its support structure for the remainder of the 

mission. 

SPARTAN 204 STATISTICS 

Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-63) 

Deployment Altitude: Approximately 190 nautical miles 

Inclination: 51.6 degrees 

Spacecraft Weight: 2,661 lbs. (1,210 kg) 

SPARTAN 204 MANAGEMENT 

The Spartan-204 mission is sponsored by the Air Force Space Test Program. The FUVIS is the primary 

scientific instrument on the Spartan-204. The FUVIS experiment is sponsored, designed and constructed at 

the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC. 

The Spartan project is managed by GSFC for the Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. The acting 

Spartan Project Manager is Dave Shrewsberry, and the Goddard Space Flight Center Mission Manager is 

Mark Steiner. GSFC provides the Spartan carrier and manages its integration with the Shuttle. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 24 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 25 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 26 

STS-63 HITCHHIKER PROGRAM/PAYLOAD OVERVIEW 

The Hitchhiker Program, managed by the Shuttle Small Payloads Project at GSFC, is designed for 

customers who wish to fly quick-reaction and low-cost experiments on the Shuttle. The program’s system 

is designed to be modular and expandable in accordance with customer requirements. The system provides 

power, data or command services to operate these experiments. Typically, payloads receive their power 

and data handling through the Hitchhiker Avionics which provides standardized electrical, telemetry, and 

command interfaces between the Orbiter and the experiments. During the mission operations, 

experimenters will receive real-time communications between themselves and their payloads at the Payload 

Operations Control Center (POCC) located at GSFC. 

The first of four Hitchhiker missions manifested for 1995 is CGP/ODERACS-II. The payload’s acronym 

stems from the following experiments: Cryo System Experiment (CSE), Shuttle Glow (GLO-2) experiment 

and the Orbital Debris Radar Calibration System-II (ODERACS-II) experiment. An IMAX Camera also is 

flying in this configuration. The Hitchhiker carrier used to support the CGP/ODERACS-II experiments is a 

crossbay carrier referred to as a Mission Peculiar Equipment Support Structure (MPESS). Displays of orbit 

position, attitude, ancillary data, and any downlink data will allow the experimenters to monitor the status 

of their payloads during the mission. 

Experiment: Cryo System Experiment (CSE) 

Customer: Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Hughes Aircraft Corporation 

Principal Investigator: Russell Sugimura (JPL), Sam Russo (Hughes) 

Mission Manager: Susan Olden, Hitchhiker Program, GSFC 

The Cryo System Experiment (CSE) is a space flight experiment conducted by the Hughes Aircraft Co., in 

a cooperative program with NASA. The overall goal of the CSE is to validate and characterize the on-orbit 

performance of two thermal management technologies that comprise a hybrid cryogenic system. These 

thermal management technologies consist of: 1) a new generation, long life, low vibration, 65 K Stirlingcycle cryocooler, and 2) an oxygen diode heat pipe that thermally couples the cryocooler and a cryogenic 

thermal energy storage device. The experiment is necessary to provide a high confidence zero-gravity 

database for the design of future cryogenic systems for NASA and military space flight applications. 

These technologies promise to satisfy many of the currently defined system performance goals for planned 

NASA and military space programs. Feasibility of each technology has already been demonstrated in 

independent R&D ground based laboratory tests. However, questions raised by the scientific community 

relative to the performance of these components in a zero-gravity environment must be answered before 

these technologies can be optimized for application to flight systems. The CSE flight experiment is 

configured to: 1) provide data necessary to resolve performance and design issues, 2) validate capability of 

the hybrid cooling system to meet future mission requirements, and 3) provide for the high confidence and 

the design of flight system concepts currently being considered. 

During on-orbit operation, test data will be recorded to characterize performance of the technology 

including 1) oxygen diode heat pipe temperature gradient and transport capacity in steady-state and 

transient conditions, 2) system vibration levels attributed to the active cryocooler, and 3) integrated, 

extended operations of the cooling system. 

An understanding of the performance of these components in flight is required to develop accurate 

performance models for designing flight hardware. Key issues to be addressed include: 1) heat pipe 

transfer capacity and start up behavior, 2) cryocooler mechanical disturbance and cryocooler dynamic 

balance. 

Ground-based life testing of the cryocooler has been initiated at Hughes in support of the experiment and 

will continue into next year for comparison with flight data. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 27 

The flight experiment results will be significant to a number of satellites scheduled for deployment in the 

late 1990s, for which cryocooler technologies are contemplated, including those in support of NASA’s 

Mission to Planet Earth and Astrophysics Programs. 

The Cryo System Experiment illustrates an important type of NASA in-space flight experiment in which a 

relatively mature system technology is validated to provide the option for subsequent application for future 

space system development. A successful experiment could be followed by the use of the technology in an 

operational system. 

Experiment: Shuttle Glow Experiment (GLO-2) 

Customer: University of Arizona and USAF/Phillips Laboratory 

Principal Investigator: Dr. Lyle Broadfoot (Univ. of AZ), Dr. Edmond Murad (Phillips Lab) 

Mission Manager: Susan Olden, Hitchhiker Program, GSFC 

This experiment originated as the Shuttle Glow experiment sponsored by the USAF/Phillips Laboratory. 

The nature of the instrument makes it ideal for studies of Earth’s thermosphere. Consequently, it has 

become a joint program with NASA/Space Physics Division of the Office of Space Science. 

The GLO-2 will investigate the mysterious shroud of luminosity, called the “glow phenomenon,” observed 

by astronauts on past Shuttle missions. Theory suggests that the glow may be due to atmospheric gases 

collisionally interacting on the windward or ram side surface of the Shuttle with gaseous engine effluents 

and contaminant outgassing molecules. 

To understand why spacecraft glow, and the potential effects of glow on space-based sensors, USAF 

Phillips Laboratory is sponsoring the experiment to collect spectral and imaging data to characterize the 

optical emissions. The principal investigators, Dr. Edmond Murad from the Phillips Laboratory and Dr. 

Lyle Broadfoot from the University of Arizona, plan to collect high resolution (0.5 nanometer) spectra over 

a wide spectral range including the ultraviolet and visible portions of the spectrum. The spatial extent of 

the glow will be mapped precisely (0.1 degrees), and the effects of ambient magnetic field, orbit altitude, 

mission elapsed time, Shuttle thruster firings, and surface composition on the intensity and spectrum of the 

glow will be measured. An optical emission model will then be developed from the data. 

The GLO-2 experiment consists of imagers and spectrographs, which are bore-slighted to the imagers, so 

that both sensors are focused onto the same area of observation, for example, the Shuttle tail. The imagers 

serve to unambiguously identify the source region of the glow spectrum as well as to map the spatial extent 

of the luminosity. Unique features of the sensors are their high spectral and spatial resolution. Each 

spectrograph employs a concave holographic grating that focuses and disperses light within a small field of 

view (0.1 by 2.0 degrees) over the wavelength range of 115-1100 nanometers. The sensor comprises nine 

separate channels, each of which operates simultaneously and independently, to cover individual segments 

of the spectrum. Spectrally resolved light from the grating is amplified by image intensifiers that are 

optically coupled to a charge-coupled-device (CCD) detector. CCD-pixel readouts are summed in groups 

to achieve spatial mapping with a resolution of about 0.1 degrees. 

The imager comprises six separate telescopes, of which four are intensified. Images are conducted to the 

single CCD by fiberoptics. One image channel is wide angle, and one has high magnification. The other 

four channels are filtered to different wavelength bands. The spectrographs and imagers are mounted on a 

scan platform, which rotates about the vertical and horizontal axes, and provides sensor scanning in 

azimuth and elevation over glowing Shuttle surfaces. Experiment hardware units include the sensor head, a 

scan platform, electronics, and high- and low- voltage power supplies. 

The Shuttle glow experiments are short in duration compared to the total flight time of the mission, 

therefore, the remainder of the flight is dedicated to studies of Earth’s atmosphere. This phase of the 

experiment is called the Arizona Airglow Experiment. The scientific objectives are related to the 

ionosphere, thermosphere and mesosphere section of the NASA Space Physics Division. A scientific team 

will receive 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 28 

the data, assist in planning the experiments, and coordinate the overflights with ground- based sites or 

networks. The period of the flight is identified in the scientific community as a campaign. Active 

participants who have ground-based instrumentation will attempt to make observations throughout the 

campaign. The data are correlated and deposited in a data bank at the National Center for Atmospheric 

Research, Boulder, CO, for use by the community. The coordination of this data is important to relate local 

observation to the global picture provided by the GLO observations from the Shuttle. 

An accurate description of the process leading to the emissions from the sunlit thermosphere is being 

pursued by the GLO experiment. The two prominent ion emissions are the [OII] (7320 ) and the N2+ 

(1N) systems. Presently, both emissions have shortcomings as reliable signatures of the ionosphere 

conditions. The nature of the nitrogen ion N2+ (1N) emission in the twilight and dayglow has still not been 

fully explained. The intensity of the emission is greater, by about a factor of two, than models predict. The 

nature of the emission is further confused since neither the extended rotational nor vibrational distributions 

are understood. Earlier data sets have not had the quality to resolve these problems. Investigators believe 

that the GLO data will provide more insight. 

The nature of the mesospheric reactions in the night atmosphere have eluded proper investigation. The 

ability of the GLO experiment to observe all of the night sky emission simultaneously has already 

demonstrated its usefulness. The GLO observation from a previous mission demonstrated that vertical 

profiles through the emitting layer are easily obtained and will add markedly to understanding of these 

mesospheric processes. 

An important task for the GLO experiment is concerned with atmospheric model validation. Atmospheric 

models typically predict vertical profiles of reaction products which give rise to emissions. The models do 

not account for the manifold of energy distribution within systems but, rather, predict the total product in 

excited states. Establishing the relationship of the total production to the observation is the responsibility of 

the experiment and the spectral analyst. The relationship of the model to the observation is the 

responsibility of the theorist. Again, collaboration is the most powerful tool; each party contributes its 

expertise to a single problem. 

A graduate student program will provide the interface between the model and the experiment. The modeler 

will be involved in the planning to optimize his/her validation. The observation will be advocated by the 

graduate student and the data product will be prepared and defended by the graduate student using the 

spectral analysis capabilities at the GLO data center at the University of Arizona. 

In the next few years the GLO experimenters, USAF/Phillips Lab and the University of Arizona 

representatives, will be changing research practices because the overall objective is to understand the 

nature of our atmosphere on a global basis. Global models are already well underway, but the hope of 

verifying those models on a global scale is unrealistic. Our nearest approach to the global verification will 

come through coordinated observational opportunities. No one type of experiment, orbit or ground-based 

observation is a sufficient test. Our closest approach will be through coordinated studies, ground stations, 

rocket and satellite coordination. 

Experiment: IMAX Cargo Bay Camera (ICBC) 

Customer: Johnson Space Center 

Payload Manger: Dick Walter 

Mission Manager: Susan Olden, Hitchhiker Program, GSFC 

The IMAX Cargo Bay Camera is a space-qualified, 65 mm color motion picture camera system that 

consists of a camera, lens assembly, and a film supply magazine containing approximately 3500 feet of 

film and an empty take-up magazine. The camera is housed in an insulated, pressurized enclosure with a 

movable lens window cover. The optical center line of the 60 mm camera lens is fixed and points directly 

out of the payload bay along the Orbiter Z axis with a 15 degree rotation towards the Orbiter nose. Heaters 

and 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 29 

thermal blankets provide proper thermal conditioning for the camera electronics, camera window, and film 

magazines. 

The 65 mm photography will be transferred to 70 mm motion picture film for playing in IMAX theaters. 

An audio tape recorder with microphones will be used in the crew compartment to record middeck audio 

sounds and crew comments during camera operations. The audio sound is then transferred to audio tapes or 

compact discs for playing in coordination with the IMAX motion picture. 

The camera system is operated by the crew from the Aft Flight Deck with the enhanced Get Away Special 

Autonomous Payload Controller (GAPC). Commands such as on/off, camera standby, and camera run/stop 

may be initiated by the crew. Additional commands for camera setups such as f/stop, focus, and frame rate 

status of exposed film footage also are accomplished by the crew using the GAPC. A light level 

measurement unit will be used by the crew to set the lens aperture. Four focus zones and seven aperture 

settings are available for this flight. 

The normal camera speed is 24 frames per second (fps). On this flight, this also can be changed to 3 fps for 

photographing slower moving objects. The 3500 feet of film in the ICBC will last approximately 10.5 

minutes at 24 fps and much longer at 3 fps. Film cannot be changed in flight and ICBC operations are 

terminated when all film is exposed. ICBC is managed by Dick Walter of the Johnson Space Center. 

Experiment: Orbital Debris Radar Calibration System-II (ODERACS-II) 

Customer: Johnson Space Center 

Principal Investigator: Gene Stansbery 

Mission Manager: Susan Olden, Hitchhiker Program, GSFC 

Man-made debris, now circulating in a multitude of orbits about the Earth as a result of the exploration and 

use of space, poses a growing hazard to future space operations. Since the launch of Sputnik 1, more than 

3200 launches have placed about 6500 artificial orbiting objects, weighing 2 million kilograms (4.4 million 

pounds) in orbit around the Earth. While these objects are cataloged by the Space Surveillance Network 

operated by United States Space Command (USSPACECOM), only six percent represent functional 

satellites; the rest are considered debris. Additionally, USSPACECOM tracks only objects larger than 10 

cm in diameter. However, history has proven that smaller objects cause considerable damage to spacecraft. 

Hence, orbital debris is a critical factor in the shielding design and mission planning of the International 

Space Station. 

For the past decade, the Johnson Space Center has led efforts, such as using the Haystack Radar, to 

characterize the debris environment for sizes smaller than 10 cm. The Orbital Debris Radar Calibration 

System (ODERACS) provides a vehicle whereby small calibration targets are placed in Low Earth Orbit 

(LEO) for the purpose of calibrating ground- based radar and optical systems so that they may more 

accurately provide information regarding small debris in LEO. 

Radar facilities include: the Millstone, Haystack, and the Haystack Auxiliary Radars in Massachusetts; the 

Kwajalein Radars (TRADEX, ALCOR, Millimeter Wave, and ALTAIR) in the South Pacific; the Eglin 

Radar in Florida; the PARCS Radar in North Dakota; and the FGAN Radar in Germany. Optical facilities 

include: the worldwide GEODDS telescope network, the NASA/JSC telescope, and the Super- RADOT 

telescope facility in the South Pacific. Other USSPACECOM sensor facilities also will support the mission 

as necessary. This experiment enables the correlation of controlled empirical optical and radar debris 

signatures of targets whose physical dimensions, compositions, reflectivity, and electromagnetic scattering 

properties are precisely known, thereby verifying or improving the sensors’ accuracy and ultimately 

leading to better knowledge of the debris environment. 

The ODERACS-II experiment, whose Principal Investigator is Gene Stansbery of Johnson, will release six 

targets, three spheres and three dipoles of different sizes from the Shuttle payload bay. The targets will be 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 30 

observed, tracked and recorded using ground-based radar and optical sensors. The spheres are composed of 

polished, blackened, and whitened stainless steel and aluminum. The sphere group consists of one 2-inch 

diameter stainless steel sphere, one 4-inch diameter aluminum sphere and one 6-inch diameter aluminum 

sphere. The dipoles consist of platinum alloys chosen to maximize orbital lifetime. The dipole group 

consists of one 1.740 inches x .040 inch diameter wire and two 5.255 inches x .040 inch diameter wires. 

The targets will be ejected retrograde along the Shuttle velocity vector at velocities between 1.4 and 3.4 

meters per second (4.5 to 11.1 feet per second). The estimated average orbital lifetime of the targets ranges 

from about 20 to 280 days and is highly dependent on solar flux and the resultant atmospheric heating. All 

targets will completely burn up during reentry. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 31 

STS-63 EVA ACTIVITIES 

STS-63 will continue laying the groundwork for future space activities on the flight’s seventh day when 

Mission Specialists Mike Foale and Bernard Harris perform an almost five-hour spacewalk to test spacesuit 

modifications and practice handling large objects in microgravity. 

During the extravehicular activity, Foale will carry the designation EV1 and will be wearing red stripes on 

the legs of his spacesuit, while Harris will be EV2. Pilot Eileen Collins will assist the spacewalkers from 

inside the crew cabin by monitoring their progress through the EVA timeline and will serve as the primary 

communicator between the spacewalkers and the crew inside Discovery. Russian Mission Specialist 

Vladimir Titov will operate the robot arm during the spacewalk and will assist Harris and Foale into their 

suits. 

The spacewalk has two specific objectives: to evaluate modifications to the spacesuits that provide 

astronauts with better thermal protection from cold and to perform several mass handling exercises in a 

series of activities designed to increase NASA’s experience base as it prepares for the on-orbit assembly of 

the International Space Station. 

Past EVA experience has demonstrated that, even with the spacesuit’s thermal controls, a spacewalking 

astronaut can become chilled when working in open or shaded areas. During most Shuttle EVAs, crew 

members work in the payload bay where the Orbiter’s radiated heat keeps the spacewalkers warm. The 

assembly of the International Space Station, however, will require astronauts to work in extremely cold 

conditions frequently. 

Several modifications have been made to the spacesuit systems to prevent astronauts’ hands from 

becoming cold. On the liquid cooling garment, for example, the cooling tubes running down the arms have 

been bypassed so the spacewalkers’ arms are not cooled. Additional layers of material have been added to 

the thermal undergarment and the exterior of the suit’s gloves for warmth. 

The evaluation of the modifications will be performed when Discovery is positioned with its belly pointed 

toward the Sun and the payload bay shadowed, creating the coldest environment possible. The robot arm, 

with Foale and Harris on it, will be extended above the payload bay, clear of the Orbiter’s radiated heat. 

Foale and Harris will stay in that position without performing any work for about 15 minutes, all the time 

providing ground engineers with objective feedback and data on their thermal comfort levels. 

The mass handling exercises will be performed with the Spartan spacecraft, which will have been returned 

to the payload bay only a few minutes before start of the EVA. The exercise will begin with Foale in a 

Portable Foot Restraint on the end of the robot arm and Harris in a restraint on the Spartan’s support 

structure. 

Titov will move Foale into position to grab Spartan from its berthing platform. Foale will then hand the 

satellite to Harris who will perform a series of translation and rotation maneuvers. When he is finished, 

Harris will hand the satellite back to Foale, who will repeat the activity on the end of the robot arm. 

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

delayed. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 32 

SPACEHAB-3 

The primary payload for the STS-63 mission is SPACEHAB-3, a pressurized, commercially-developed 

space research laboratory located in the forward end of Discovery’s cargo bay. The laboratory is accessed 

by crew members from the Orbiter’s middeck through a tunnel adapter connected to the vehicle’s airlock. 

This is the third flight of SPACEHAB-- the first two highly-successful missions were flown in June, 1993, 

and February, 1994, aboard STS-57 and STS-60, respectively. 

Under a contract awarded in 1990 with SPACEHAB, Inc., of Arlington, VA, NASA is leasing space 

aboard SPACEHAB-3 to support the Agency’s commercial development of space program by providing 

access to space to test, demonstrate or evaluate techniques or processes in the environment of space and 

thereby reduce operational risks to a level appropriate for commercial development. The 5-1/2 ton space 

module significantly increases the pressurized working and storage volume normally available aboard the 

Shuttle. 

New System Features 

As a result of experience gained on SPACEHAB-1 and -2, it is clear that there are some resources the 

SPACEHAB shares with the Space Shuttle that are very scarce. One of those resources is crew time. 

SPACEHAB, Inc., has developed two new system features to significantly reduce the demands on crew 

time. The first new feature is a video switch to reduce the demand for crew time in video operations, and 

the second new feature is an experiment interface to the SPACEHAB telemetry system to reduce the 

demand for crew time in experiment data down link. 

The SPACEHAB video system uses camcorders that are tied to the Orbiter closed circuit television system 

and then down linked through the Orbiter. On SPACEHAB-1 and -2, the crew set up the camcorders and 

manually switched from one camera scene to another, a time-consuming operational arrangement. For 

SPACEHAB-3, SPACEHAB, Inc., installed a video switching unit allowing up to eight camcorders to be 

cabled into the SPACEHAB video switch. Then, by ground control, one of the camcorders can be switched 

into the Orbiter system for down link. Also, another one of the camcorders can collect a digital image on a 

freeze frame and send it down through SPACEHAB’s telemetry stream, independent of other Orbiter video 

down link operations. This new video switch and digital television down link capability will provide 

operational flexibility that will be very valuable on this flight and on subsequent flights. 

SPACEHAB, Inc., also has enhanced the experiment data interface with the SPACEHAB telemetry system 

in the interest of on-orbit efficiency. The system now allows an experimenter with a standard RS232 

computer interface to tie directly into the system and send continuous information down to the ground, off 

loading this task from the crew and enhancing ground controller monitoring of experiment status. 

Also, on the roof of the SPACEHAB laboratory there will be two 12-inch diameter windows installed for 

STS-63. One window will have a NASA docking camera in it to assist in the Mir proximity operations. 

Experiments 

Over 20 SPACEHAB-3 experiments, sponsored by NASA’s Offices of Space Access and Technology and 

Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications together with the Department of Defense, represent a 

diverse cross-section of technological, biological and other scientific disciplines and were developed for 

flight by an equally-diverse complement of university, industry and government organizations nationwide. 

A summary of experiments to be flown aboard STS-63 follows: 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 33 

The ASTROCULTURETM payload is sponsored by the Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and 

Robotics (WCSAR), a NASA Center for the Commercial Development of Space (CCDS), located at the 

University of Wisconsin at Madison. 

Extended space ventures that involve human presence will require safe and reliable life support at a 

reasonable cost. Plants play a vital role in the life support system present here on Earth. Likewise, it can be 

expected that plants will be a critically important part of a life support system in space because they can be 

a source of food while also providing a means of purifying air and water. Currently, no satisfactory plantgrowing unit is available to support long-term plant growth in space. Several industry affiliates including 

Automated Agriculture Assoc., Inc., Dodgeville, WI; Quantum Devices, Inc., Barneveld, WI; and Orbital 

Technologies Corp., Madison, WI; together with WCSAR have been involved with this cooperative 

program to develop the technologies needed for growing plants in a space environment. 

The objective of the ASC series of flights is to validate the performance of plant growth technologies in the 

microgravity environment of space. Each of the flight experiments involves the incremental addition of 

important subsystems required to provide the necessary environmental control for plant growth. The flight 

hardware is based on commercially-available components thereby significantly reducing the hardware 

costs. The information from these flight experiments will become the basis for developing large scale 

plant-growing units required in a life support system. In addition, these technologies also will have 

extensive uses on Earth, such as improved dehumidification/humidification units, water-efficient irrigation 

systems, removal of hydrocarbons and other pollutants from indoor air and energy-efficient lighting 

systems for plant growth. 

The ASC-1 flight experiment, conducted during the USML- 1 mission on STS-50, evaluated the WCSAR 

concept for providing water and nutrients to plants. 

The ASC-2 flight experiment, conducted during the SPACEHAB-1 mission on STS-57, provided 

additional data on the water nutrient delivery concept, plus an evaluation of the light-emitting diode-based 

plant lighting concept. The ASC-3 flight experiment, included in the SPACEHAB-2 STS-60 mission, 

provided data for a concept to control temperature and humidity in a closed-plant growth chamber. Results 

from these flight experiments confirmed the validity of these concepts for use in a space-based growing 

unit. 

The ASTROCULTURETM ASC-4 flight experiment aboard the STS-63 mission will be the first to include 

plants. Wheat seedlings and special fast-growing plants developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison 

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will be used to confirm the performance of the ASC 

environmental control subsystems. Also being evaluated is the Zeoponics nutrient composition control 

system developed by researchers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Houston. 

Demonstration of successful plant growth in space using the ASTROCULTURETM unit will represent a 

major advance in the ability to provide superior environmental control for plant growth in an inexpensive 

and reliable flight package. 

A supplemental experiment is being conducted in cooperation with researchers at NASA’s Ames Research 

Center, CA. This experiment is referred to as the Fluid Dynamics in a Porous Matrix (FDPM) experiment 

and consists of three test units being flown as stowage. This experiment will investigate capillary migration 

of liquids in granular beds. This knowledge is essential for the optimization of a substrate-based nutrient 

and water delivery system for plant growth in space. 

The flight hardware for this mission is accommodated in a SPACEHAB locker located in the module, and 

weighs approximately 50-pounds. The ASC-4 flight unit includes humidity and temperature control, 

lighting, water and nutrient delivery, nutrient composition control, CO2 control, atmospheric contaminant 

removal, video and data acquisition. These subsystems provide essentially all the environmental regulation 

needed for plant growth. The next ASC flight experiment beyond SPACEHAB-3 will be a 16-day 

experiment on STS-73 to study plant starch metabolism and carbohydrate translocation in potato leaves. 

Principal Investigator on ASTROCULTURETM is Dr. Raymond J. Bula, WCSAR. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 34 

BioServe Pilot Laboratory-3 (BPL-3) 

The BioServe Pilot Laboratory-3 payload is sponsored by BioServe Space Technologies, a NASA Center 

for the Commercial Development of Space (CCDS) based at the University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, and 

Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS. 

BioServe developed the BPL to provide a “first step” opportunity to companies interested in exploring 

low-gravity research in a wide variety of life sciences areas with primary emphasis on cellular studies. For 

STS-63, two series of investigations will be carried out on bacterial products and processes. 

BioServe will examine Rhizobium trifolii behavior in microgravity. Rhizobia are special bacteria that form 

a symbolic relationship with plants. The bacteria infect the plants early in seedling development to form 

nodules on the plant roots. The bacteria in these nodules derive nutritional support from the plant while, in 

turn, providing the plant with nitrogen fixed from the air. Plants that form such relationships with rhizobia 

are called legumes and include alfalfa, clover and soybean. Such plants do not require synthetic fertilizers 

to grow. In contrast, many important crop plants such as wheat and corn are dependent on synthetic 

fertilizers since they do not form symbolic relationships with rhizobia. Understanding the multi-step 

process associated with rhizobia infection of legumes may make it possible to manipulate the process to 

cause infection of other crop plants. The potential savings in fertilizer production would be tremendous. 

Another BioServe investigation concerns the bacteria E. Coli. These bacteria are normally found in the 

gastrointestinal tracts of mammals, including man. E. Coli have been thoroughly studied as a model system 

for bacterial infection, population dynamics and genetics research. E. Coli has been manipulated to produce 

bacteria capable of secreting important pharmaceutical products and also has served as a model for bacteria 

used in waste treatment and water reclamation. 

BioServe will study these bacteria to determine changes in growth and behavior that occur as a 

consequence of exposure to microgravity. The commercial objectives include understanding and 

controlling bacterial infection in closed environments; exploiting bacteria and other microorganisms in the 

development of ecological life support systems and waste management; determining the opportunity for 

enhanced genetic engineering; and enhanced pharmaceutical production using bacterial systems. For STS63, the BPL will consist of 40 Bioprocessing Modules (BPMs) stowed in a standard locker in the middeck 

of Discovery. The BPMs will contain the biological sample materials. The stowage locker also will contain 

an Ambient Temperature Recorder which will provide a temperature history of the payload throughout the 

mission. 

For most of the investigations, simultaneous ground controls will be run. Using similar hardware and 

identical sample fluids, ground personnel will activate and terminate BPMs in parallel with the flight crew. 

Synchronization will be accomplished based on voice downlink from the crew. Ground controls will be 

conducted at the SPACEHAB Payload Processing Facility at Cape Canaveral, FL. 

After the Orbiter has landed, the stowage locker containing the BPMs will be turned over to BioServe 

personnel for de-integration. Some sample processing will be performed at the landing site. However, most 

BPMs will be shipped or hand-carried back to the sponsoring labs for detailed analysis. 

Dr. George Morgenthaler, Director of the BioServe CCDS, is Program Manager. Dr. Louis Stodieck and 

Keith Pharris, also of BioServe, are responsible for mission management. 

Biological Research in Canisters (BRIC-3) 

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

Soybeans and other carbohydrate-rich plants would provide an ideal food source for long-duration space 

missions, including Space Station. This experiment will investigate the basic processes involved in 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 35 

carbohydrate production by observing how exposure to microgravity affects the production of consumable 

food products. 

In this research, soybean seeds are rolled in germination paper and placed in tubes located inside BRIC 

canisters. The experiment will be sealed and housed in the middeck of the Space Shuttle. The experiment 

itself is passive, however, the crew is required on mission day five to transfer one canister to the freezer. 

Freezing these samples will dramatically increase the science return for this investigation by allowing an 

examination of plants developed in microgravity to be contrasted with control groups developed in regular 

gravity. 

The experiment will be removed immediately after landing in order to freeze the second canister’s soybean 

seedlings before the effects of gravity are re-established. 

BRIC experiments are sponsored by NASA’s Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications 

and managed by NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, FL. Dr. Christopher Brown, Plant Space Biology 

Program, Kennedy Space Center, is Principal Investigator. 

Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (CGBA-6) 

The Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus-6 payload is sponsored by BioServe Space 

Technologies, a NASA Center for the Commercial Development of Space (CCDS), located at the 

University of Colorado, Boulder, and Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS. The purpose of the CGBA 

is to allow a wide variety of sophisticated biomaterials, life sciences and biotechnology investigations to be 

performed in one payload in the low gravity environment of space. 

Corporate affiliates include the Center for Cancer Research, Manhattan, KS; Kansas Agricultural 

Experiment Station, Manhattan, KS; NeXagen, Boulder, CO; Synchrocell, Inc.; and Water Technology 

Industries. 

During the STS-63 mission, BioServe will support 26 separate commercial investigations which can be 

classified in three application areas: biomedical testing and drug development; small agricultural and 

environmental systems development; and biomaterials and biotechnology systems development. 

In the Biomedical Testing and Drug Development category, eight biomedical models will be tested in 

microgravity. Of the eight models, three are related to immune disorders: one will study the ability of 

macrophage cells to function normally; one will study the ability of T- lymphocyte cells to secrete essential 

communication modules; and one will study the ability of immune system cells to respond to infectioustype materials. The other five models are related to bond and developmental disorders, wound healing, 

cancer and cellular disorders. Analysis of the test results will provide information to better understand 

diseases and disorders that affect human health, including cancer, osteoporosis and AIDS. In the future, 

these models may be used for the development and testing of new drugs to treat these diseases. 

In the category of Small Agricultural and Environmental Systems Development, BioServe will conduct 

seven ecological studies: five on seed germination and seedling processes; one on brine shrimp; and one on 

a new material’s ability to control build-up of unwanted bacteria and other microorganisms. 

In the third category, Biomaterials and Biotechnology Systems Development, BioServe will investigate 

eleven different biomaterials and biotechnology products and processes in the following areas: large 

protein and RNA crystals for use in commercial drug development; assembly of virus shells for use in a 

commercially-developed drug delivery system; enzymatic breakdown of fibrin, collagen and cellulose 

materials with application to engineering of tissue implants; bacterial systems with application to 

understanding proliferation, antibiotic resistance, pharmaceutical production and response to 

environmental 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 36 

stress; and evaluation of the use of microscopic magnetic particles, called magnetosomes, to form strong, 

collagen- based materials for possible use in artificial implants. 

Some experiments will require astronaut involvement while others will be automated. For most 

investigations, simultaneous ground controls will be run in synchronization with flight crew participation. 

After Discovery has landed, the stowage lockers will be retrieved and turned over to BioServe personnel 

for de-integration. Some sample processing will be performed at the SPACEHAB Payload Processing 

Facility in Florida, but most will be shipped or hand-carried back to the sponsoring laboratories for detailed 

analysis. 

Dr. George Morgenthaler, Director of the BioServe CCDS, is Program Manager for CGBA. Dr. Louis 

Stodieck and Keith Pharris, also of BioServe, are responsible for mission management. 

CHARLOTTE 

An experimental robotic device built by McDonnell Douglas Aerospace (MDA) will fly aboard the 

SPACEHAB module to demonstrate automated servicing of experimental payloads and allow remote video 

observation aboard the pressurized space research laboratory. 

Through the compact device, roughly the size of a small microwave oven, investigators hope to 

demonstrate the advantages of a simple, safe, low power, rigid, easily- installed robotic device to relieve 

the workload of future flight crews. 

Nicknamed “Charlotte” by its MDA developers, this robot does not employ gantries, jointed-arms or 

complicated systems. Charlotte, when deployed by the STS-63 crew, will be suspended on cables which 

are relatively easy to install and remove. 

Among Charlotte’s experimental objectives are to operate knobs, switches and buttons inside the 

SPACEHAB module. The robot also has the capability to changeout experimental samples and data 

cartridges and perform many other inspection and manipulation tasks thereby automating many routine 

procedures and freeing the flight crew to perform other tasks. 

CHROMEX-6 

In previous spaceflight experiments, it has been observed that plants exposed to microgravity exhibit 

abnormalities in cell shape and structure. Many of these observations can be linked to changes in the plant 

cell walls. These cell walls of plants determine many aspects of plant growth, including shape, growth rate, 

cell-cell recognition, and composition of fiber to name a few. Many of the biochemical features that 

characterize mature, functional cell walls are catalyzed by cell wall-associated enzymes. The CHROMEX6 study will help explain the role of these enzymes in establishing normal cell wall structure and function. 

The species being studied is Superdwarf Wheat (Tritucum aestivum) which will be planted 48 hours prior 

to flight. These plants will develop under laboratory conditions until specimens are loaded for flight. The 

plants will be loaded into the Orbiter during the late load timeframe. Upon return to Earth, the plants will 

be dissected, fixed by exposure to cryogenics, and analyzed for cell wall associated enzymes. 

CHROMEX-5, which flew on STS-68, examined the effects of space flight on early reproductive events in 

plants and was the first occurrence of successful pollination, fertilization and embryo development 

(formation of young seed) for a U.S. investigator. A longer-duration flight opportunity will be necessary in 

order to produce mature seed from seed that is planted in space. 

Earlier attempts at successful plant reproduction in space flight (CHROMEX-3 and 4) may have failed 

because of poor airflow or replacement in the chambers housing the plants in the Plant Growth Unit (PGU) 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 37 

and/or insufficient CO2 availability to the plants due perhaps to the microgravity environment lacking 

connective air movement. CHROMEX-5 employed the new active Air Exchange System (AES) for the 

PGU for the first time to enhance air circulation to and around the plants. And the CHROMEX-5 plants are 

being analyzed for increased carbohydrate levels and other evidence of improved growth and development. 

The experiment is sponsored by NASA’s Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications and 

managed by NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, FL. Dr. Elizabeth E. Hood, Utah State University, is 

Principal Investigator. 

Commercial Protein Crystal Growth (CPCG) 

The Commercial Protein Crystal Growth (CPCG) experiments aboard STS-63 are sponsored by the Center 

for Macromolecular Crystallography (CMC), based at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The 

CMC is a NASA Center for the Commercial Development of Space (CCDS) which forms a bridge between 

NASA and private industry by developing methods for the crystallization of macromolecules in 

microgravity. These crystals are used to determine the three-dimensional structure of the molecules by XRay crystallography. The structural information not only provides a greater understanding of the functions 

of macromolecules in living organisms, but it also provides scientific insight into the development of new 

drugs. 

By the technique of protein crystallography, crystals of purified proteins are grown in the laboratory, and 

X-Ray diffraction data are collected on these crystals. The three-dimensional structure is then determined 

by analysis of this data. Unfortunately, crystals grown in the gravity environment of Earth frequently have 

internal defects that make such analysis difficult or impossible. Space-grown crystals often have fewer 

defects and are much better than their Earth-grown counterparts. 

The protein crystal growth experiments aboard STS-63 will consist of two crystallization systems: the 

Vapor Diffusion Apparatus (VDA) and the Protein Crystallization Facility (PCF). 

The objective of the VDA experiments aboard STS-63 is to use the microgravity environment to produce 

large, well- ordered crystals that yield X-Ray diffraction data that are superior to the data from their Earthgrown counterparts. This will be the 18th flight of the Vapor Diffusion Apparatus experiments, and the 

series of experiments has produced the highest-quality crystals ever grown of several proteins. 

Crystallographic analysis has revealed that on average 20% of proteins grown in space in the VDA are 

superior to their Earth-grown counterparts. 

The objective of the PCF experiment, contained in a thermal control enclosure located in the middeck, will 

be to crystallize human alpha interferon protein. Alpha interferon is a protein pharmaceutical that currently 

is used against human viral hepatitis B and C. The objective is to discover the next generation alpha 

interferon pharmaceuticals and formulations. 

With continued research, the commercial applications developed using protein crystal growth have 

phenomenal potential, and the number of proteins that need study exceeds tens of thousands. Current 

research, with the aid of pharmaceutical companies, may lead to a whole new generation of drugs that 

could help treat diseases such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, periodontal disease, influenza, septic shock, 

emphysema, aging and AIDS. 

A number of pharmaceutical companies partner with the CMC including: BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc; 

Eli Lilly and Co.; Schering-Plough; DuPont Merck Pharmaceuticals; Eastman Kodak; Upjohn Co.; Smith 

Kline Beecham Pharmaceuticals; and Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Principal Investigator for the STS-63 

protein crystal growth experiments is Dr. Larry DeLucas, Director of the CMC. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 38 

Equipment for Controlled Liquid Phase Sintering Experiments (ECLIPSE) 

The Consortium for Materials Development in Space (CMDS), based at the University of Alabama in 

Huntsville (UAH) has developed the Equipment for Controlled Liquid Phase Sintering Experiments 

(ECLIPSE). This furnace was developed in a very rapid and cost-effective manner. Development of 

ECLIPSE was supported by Wyle Laboratories. It successfully flew on the first two SPACEHAB missions 

and is now available as space-qualified hardware and is a key part of the nation’s commercial space 

infrastructure. 

The SPACEHAB-3 ECLIPSE experiment will investigate the “Liquid Phase Sintering” (LPS) of metallic 

systems. “Sintering” is a well-characterized process by which metallic powders are consolidated into a 

metal at temperatures only 50% of that required to melt all of the constituent phases. In LPS on Earth, a 

liquid coexists with the solid which can produce sedimentation, thus producing materials that lack 

homogeneity and dimensional stability. To control sedimentation effects, manufacturers limit the volume 

of the liquid. The ECLIPSE experiment examines metallic composites at or above the liquid volume limit 

to understand more fully the processes taking place and to produce materials that are dimensionally stable 

and homogeneous in the absence of gravity. The concept of “defect trapping in microgravity” will be 

pursued during this experiment. The knowledge gained from the experiments will be applied toward 

preventing or controlling defect formation. 

This flight of the ECLIPSE payload is building on the experience of other ECLIPSE flights on sub-orbital 

rockets. Sub-orbital flights have provided 1-3 minutes of sample processing time. Longer flight durations 

are made possible by the Shuttle. The STS-63 flight will be the longest melt period (approximately one 

hour) for the copper series. Copper is the metal that melts and provides the liquid phase in the sintering 

process. 

Composites of hard metals in a tough metal matrix have excellent wearing properties of the hard material 

and the strength of the touch material. Applications of such a composite include stronger, lighter, more 

durable metals for bearings, cutting tools, electric brushes, contact point and irregularly-shaped mechanical 

parts for high stress environments. 

Industry partners on the ECLIPSE experiment, besides Wyle Laboratories, are Kennametal, Inc.; 

Automatic Switch Co.; Parker Hannifin Corp.; and Machined Ceramics. Principal Investigator for 

ECLIPSE is Dr. James E. Smith Jr., Associate Professor and Chairman, Department of Chemical and 

Materials Engineering at UAH. 

Fluids Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus-1 (FGBA-1) 

The Fluids Generic Processing Apparatus-1 is the first of three commercial payloads being developed by 

BioServe Space Technologies. BioServe is a NASA Center for the Commercial Development of Space 

(CCDS) located at the University of Colorado, Boulder. A consortium of private businesses, universities 

and government, including The Coca- Cola Company, Atlanta, GA; Martin Marietta, Denver, CO; 

Ohmeda, Boulder, CO; University of Colorado, Boulder; Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS; and 

NASA’s Office of Space Access and Technology, Washington, DC, have combined resources to sponsor 

the FGBA commercial program. 

The consortium has a major long-range objective in advancing fluid management technology in 

microgravity. Consistent with this objective, this first BioServe FGBA experiment represents a significant 

opportunity to obtain fundamental data on containment, manipulation and transfer of pressurized, 

supersaturated two-phase fluids. During STS-63, this program is expected to further the commercial 

objectives of The Coca-Cola Company in developing both terrestrial and space applications. The CocaCola Company has a strong interest in developing hardware to carbonate water on demand and to mix and 

dispense beverages with minimal loss of carbonation. Developing technology to accomplish these 

objectives in microgravity may 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 39 

likely evolve into terrestrial applications that could further the long-range research and development 

objectives of The Coca- Cola Company. 

This flight will provide baseline data on changes in astronauts’ taste perception of beverages consumed in 

microgravity. The beverages to be used in the evaluation are Coca-Cola and diet Coke. The taste 

perception changes experienced by astronauts on-orbit will be compared to their taste perception of these 

beverages in matched pre- and post-flight ground controls involving the same crew members. 

Dr. George Morgenthaler, Director of the BioServe CCDS, is Program Manager for the FGBA experiment. 

Drs. Louis Stodieck and Alex Hoehn, also of BioServe, are responsible for mission management. Dr. Ashis 

Gupta is the principal engineer for this experiment for The Coca-Cola Company. 

Gas Permeable Polymer Materials (GPPM) 

The Gas Permeable Polymer Materials (GPPM) payload is sponsored by NASA Langley Research Center, 

Hampton, VA, and its commercial affiliate, Paragon Vision Sciences of Phoenix, AZ. 

Plastic materials, which are made of very large molecules called “polymers”, are used in everyday life in 

many ways. Some polymers prevent gases, such as oxygen, from passing through. These polymers are used 

in keeping foods fresh for long periods of time in a refrigerator or freezer. Other polymers allow one or 

more gases to pass through. These polymers, called gas permeable polymeric materials, also have many 

uses. Gravity may affect many properties of the polymer while it is being made. As early as 1984, it was 

suggested that these effects may be eliminated or at least reduced if the polymer were made in the low 

gravity of space flight. 

The Gas Permeable Polymer Materials (GPPM) flight experiment is a follow on to the first GPPM flight, 

which took place in July 1993. The purpose of these flights is to determine if certain types of polymers 

made in low gravity while the Space Shuttle is in orbit, differ greatly from the same polymers made at the 

same time on the ground. The current flight will evaluate new materials based on results from the first 

GPPM flight. 

This second flight also will determine if polymers can be made from monomers which cannot be mixed on 

the ground. As in the first GPPM mission, there also will be ground experiment samples tested to compare 

the results of the polymer manufacturing process in a gravity-based setting. 

Gas permeable polymeric materials have many uses. One use is the potential improvement in contact lenses 

for long- term wear, allowing greater oxygen to pass through the lens and adding comfort to the wearer. 

Paragon Vision Sciences is a leading manufacturer of polymers for contact lenses, and is using these flight 

activities to determine if formation of polymers in microgravity has application to their line of optical 

products. 

There are other potential applications of polymers developed in microgravity, including medical 

applications such as dialysis and blood gas monitoring, and industrial processes associated with the 

manufacture of pure gases. Langley researchers are interested in further exploring other uses for polymer 

materials developed in low gravity. 

After the return of the samples from the STS-63 mission, Paragon Vision Sciences and NASA researchers 

will assess the mission results and make the determination on what the next steps will be. Langley 

researchers will use the results from the flight to determine what might be possible new research paths to 

take using polymer development in microgravity. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 40 

Handheld Diffusion Test Cell (HH-DTC) 

The Handheld Diffusion Test Cell (HH-DTC) apparatus will evaluate experiment chambers designed for 

the new Observable Protein Crystal Growth Apparatus (OPCGA), which will use sophisticated optical 

techniques to analyze the growth of individual crystals in orbit. Scientists have been growing protein 

crystals in space for almost a decade. There is good evidence that in about 25 percent of the cases crystals 

can be grown in space that are superior to any grown on Earth. Determining exactly why some spacegrown crystals are better is the goal of the Observable Crystal Growth System and the transparent test cells 

being tested on this flight. If scientists can pinpoint the underlying mechanisms which influence growth in 

space versus that on Earth, the fundamental knowledge they gain could suggest improved methods of 

crystal growth in orbit as well as in Earth-based laboratories. Past studies on small-molecule crystal 

growth, for instance involving semiconductors and laser optics, have produced such improved methods. 

The STS-63 experiment also will evaluate the growth of protein crystals by diffusion of one liquid into 

another, since crystals produced by the liquid diffusion process will be better suited for observation 

experiments on upcoming flights. 

The majority of previous Shuttle protein crystal growth experiments have involved growth by vapor 

diffusion, concentrating a droplet by evaporation to force the remaining material to crystallize. However, 

planned OPCGA observations cannot be done with the round droplets found in vapor diffusion. 

In liquid-liquid diffusion, different fluids are brought into contact but not mixed. Over time, the fluids will 

diffuse into each other through random motion of molecules. The gradual increase in concentration of the 

precipitant within the protein solution causes the proteins to crystallize. Liquid-liquid diffusion is difficult 

on Earth because differences in solution densities allow mixing by gravity-driven thermal convection. In 

addition, the greater density of the crystals allows them to settle into inappropriate parts of the cell. 

Four HH-DTC units containing four test cells each will be flown, for a total of 16 test cells. The end of the 

test cells where crystals will grow and the containment housing are made of clear plastic, so the crew can 

photograph growth during the mission. Three HH-DTC units will be housed in Spacehab lockers, and the 

other will be mounted on the Spacehab module wall for periodic video recording. 

Each test cell has three chambers: protein solution, buffer solution, and precipitant solution. The buffer 

solution chamber cuts across the width of a shaft between protein and precipitant solutions. Before the 

experiment, a valve is positioned so each fluid is isolated from the others. An astronaut will activate the 

experiment by rotating the valve 90 degrees, so the buffer contacts the protein and precipitant and the three 

form a single volume. The rotating valve minimizes liquid movement, limiting alteration of the liquids’ 

shapes and volumes. When the three liquids are in contact, they will slowly diffuse into each other. The 

crew will close the valves before return to Earth. 

Candidate proteins for growth in the HH-DTC include several which have been crystallized in previous 

Shuttle experiments to allow comparisons of results from the different growth methods. The proteins 

include lysozyme, hemoglobin, satellite tobacco mosaic virus, concanavalin B and canavalin. Dr. 

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

Immune System Experiment - 2 (IMMUNE-2) 

The IMMUNE-2 experiment is a commercial middeck payload sponsored by BioServe Space 

Technologies. BioServe is a NASA Center for the Commercial Development of Space at the University of 

Colorado, Boulder, and Kansas State University, Manhattan. The corporate affiliate leading the IMMUNE2 investigation is Chiron Corporation, Emeryville, CA. NASA’s Ames Research Center, Mountain View, 

CA, provides payload and mission integration support. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 41 

The goal of IMMUNE-2 is to further understand and define the ability of Polyethylene Glycol-Interleukin2 (PEG-IL2) to prevent or reduce the detrimental effects of space flight on immune responses in rats. 

This is a follow-on experiment to IMMUNE-1, which showed that PEG-IL2 did induce a trend toward a 

reduction in space flight-caused changes in immune responses. These experiments may result in greater 

understanding of immunodeficiencies in general. In particular, they may lead to development of new 

therapeutic approaches for dealing with the effects of space flight on the human immune system and on 

physiological systems affected by the immune system. 

Hardware for the IMMUNE-2 experiment consists of two suitcase-size Animal Enclosure Modules 

(AEMs) in the Shuttle’s middeck area. Ames Research Center developed the AEMs to support NASA’s 

space life sciences research program. The AEMs provide a safe habitat and all life support functions for 

rats during a Space Shuttle mission. AEMs have had a very successful flight history, with 13 flights in 

support of other NASA investigations. IMMUNE-2 is the sixth experiment to use the AEM in support of 

activities to develop the commercial uses of space. 

Each of the two AEMs will hold six white male rats. Six of the rats will be treated pre-flight with a 

prescribed dosage of a compound similar to the commercially available recombinant Interleukin-2 (IL-2). 

IL-2 is known to stimulate the immune system. The compound, PEG-IL2, is longer-lasting than 

recombinant Interleukin-2. Scientists hope it will reduce or prevent the suppression of the immune system 

seen in rats flown in space. The other six rats will receive a placebo. 

The rats will live in an environment similar to that of the astronauts in terms of launch stress, length of 

exposure to microgravity, and the forces of Shuttle re-entry and recovery. These conditions are known to 

result in a suppression of the immune system similar to “shipping fever” in cattle. The utility of PEG-IL2 

in preventing space flight-induced effects on the immune system may lead to its use as a therapeutic 

treatment for shipping fever in animals on Earth. 

The longer-lasting PEG-IL2 probably will be useful in clinical settings as well. It might reduce the 

frequency of injections required, to perhaps once a week instead of up to three times a day, as is necessary 

with recombinant IL-2. The development of recombinant IL-2 for treatment of some human cancers is still 

being investigated, although it is licensed for high-dose therapy of kidney cancer in humans. 

Based on recent experimental findings, PEG-IL2 (and recombinant IL-2) appears to have potential as an 

immunoregulatory agent leading to control of microbial infections. As such, PEG-IL2 may become part of 

a therapy used to treat various opportunistic infections associated with AIDS and other non-AIDS related 

infectious diseases. 

It also may become useful for the nation’s aging population, because aging individuals show decreased 

levels of Interleukin-2. The PEG-IL2 treatment could accompany flu shots to bolster the immune system of 

the elderly. These important applications present exciting commercial opportunities for Chiron Corp. 

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

experiment. 

National Institutes of Health C-3 

The NIH-C-3 payload is composed of three collaborative biomedical experiments sponsored by NASA and 

the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These three experiments will make use of a computerized tissue 

culture incubator known as the Space Tissue Loss (STL) Culture Module. STL was developed at the 

Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, to study cells under microgravity. 

These three experiments are sponsored by NASA’s Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences and 

Applications and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases: 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 42 

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

Principal Investigator: Dr. Ruth Globus, Department of Medicine 

University of California at San Francisco 

Several U.S. Shuttle flights and the Russian Cosmos biosatellite series of space flights showed that 

weightlessness causes bone loss in rats and humans, apparently because of abnormal functions of the boneforming cells called osteoblasts. The investigators do not yet know whether the reduced gravitational 

environment experienced by astronauts in space directly harms osteoblast function, or alternatively, 

whether changes in hormones or other systemic factors lead to the bone loss. 

The investigators will test the hypothesis that exposure to space flight causes abnormal function of boneforming osteoblasts grown in culture, even though those cells are isolated from systemic influences. An 

experiment using isolated rat osteoblasts flown on the Shuttle (STS 59) in the STL previously showed that 

space flight might directly impair both the energy metabolism and the mature function of isolated 

osteoblasts. Comparable changes in the activity of astronaut’s osteoblasts during space flight may 

contribute to their loss of bone mass. 

Investigators will confirm and extend previous results; they will determine whether space flight regulates 

specific genes which are needed for normal osteoblast function. 

They also will evaluate the quality of bone-like tissue formed by the cultured osteoblasts during space 

flight. They expect information gathered from this experiment to contribute substantially to the 

understanding of how gravity regulates bone cell function, a basic question that remains largely 

unanswered. 

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

Muscle loss) 

Principal Investigator: Dr. David A. Kulesh, Capt., USAF 

Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington, DC 

While many of the overt physiological effects of microgravity can be compensated for by various 

countermeasures, effects at the cellular and molecular levels may require other means of intervention. 

However, little detail is known about the direct effect of microgravity at the molecular and cellular level. 

Insight into the cellular and molecular events responsible for muscle cell growth and development come in 

large part from in-vitro studies with established cell lines. This investigation will use a well-characterized 

rat skeletal muscle cell line, in the STL module. The specific goals of the muscle cell culture model are to 

augment the whole animal model studies and simplify the molecular and cellular analysis of microgravity 

effects on muscle tissue in general. 

For Dr. Kulesh’s research, rat muscle cells will be cultured in individual cell cartridges and sustained in the 

STL module. The experiment itself is passive, requiring no in-flight manipulation except for temperature 

monitoring. The experiment requires special preparations before launch and immediate removal from the 

Shuttle after landing, to access the effects of microgravity on the growth of muscle cells, before the effects 

of full gravity are re- established. 

Post flight experiments with the space flown muscle cells will evaluate the overall effect of microgravity 

on cellular characteristics (shape, doubling times, etc.). In addition, the investigator will begin to assess 

possible changes in the expression of proteins and genes after their exposure to microgravity. 

Gravity may play an integral role in the biological functioning of single cells. Information on the effects of 

gravity on muscle cell development will help scientists overcome the deleterious effects of space travel. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 43 

These studies in weightlessness will also contribute to the understanding of cell proliferation, cell 

differentiation, development and wound healing. 

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

Principal Investigator: Dr. William J. Landis 

Children’s Hospital Boston, MA 

In humans and other vertebrates, the weightless environment of space flight causes defective skeletal 

growth, marked by a loss of bone mass and a change toward lower bone maturity. The development of 

defective bone is believed to involve matrix production controlled by bone cells, bone mineralization, or an 

interaction between bone matrix production and bone mineralization. 

The investigators will use established cell lines of chicken osteoblasts in the STL module. The 

investigators will analyze rates of cell growth, aspects of collagen and bone development, and 

mineralization both inside and outside the cultured cells. Data obtained in the flight experiments should 

provide knowledge on the effects of gravity on osteoblast activity and function, protein development, and 

mineralization. The studies will have implications for long duration space flight, as well as application to 

the diagnosis and treatment of prolonged skeletal immobilization or mineral abnormalities. 

Protein Crystallization Apparatus for Microgravity 

The Protein Crystallization Apparatus for Microgravity (PCAM), to be carried in the Shuttle middeck, tests 

a new design for growing large quantities of protein crystals in orbit. The apparatus holds more than six 

times as many samples as are normally accommodated in the same amount of space. 

Proteins are important, complex biochemicals that serve a variety of purposes in living organisms. 

Determining their molecular structures will lead to a greater understanding of how those organisms 

function. Knowledge of the structures also can assist the pharmaceutical industry in the development of 

disease-fighting drugs. 

Many proteins can be grown as crystals and their molecular structure determined through analysis of the 

crystals by X-Ray crystallography. Unfortunately, crystals grown in the gravity environment of Earth often 

have internal defects that make such analysis difficult or impossible. As demonstrated on Space Shuttle 

missions since 1985, some protein crystals grown in space ¥ away from gravity’s distortions ¥ are larger 

and have fewer defects. 

The PCAM will grow crystals using the vapor diffusion method, which has been highly effective in 

previous Shuttle experiments. In vapor diffusion, liquid evaporates from a protein solution and is absorbed 

by a reservoir solution contained in a wicking material. As the protein concentration rises, the proteins 

form crystals. 

A controlled-temperature enclosure occupying a single Shuttle mid-deck locker, called the Single-locker 

Thermal Enclosure System (STES), will hold six cylinders containing a total of 378 samples ¥ one of the 

largest quantities in any single protein crystal growth experiment to date. In previous experiments of this 

type, a single locker accommodated a maximum of 60 samples. The STES will maintain temperatures at 72 

degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius). 

Each cylinder contains nine trays held in position by guide rods and separated from each other by bumper 

plates with springs. The trays are sealed by an adhesive elastomer. Each tray holds seven sample wells, 

surrounded by a donut-shaped reservoir with a wicking material to absorb the protein carrier solution as it 

evaporates. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 44 

To start the experiment, an astronaut will open the front of the thermal enclosure, then rotate a shaft on the 

end of the cylinder with a ratchet from an Orbiter tool kit. This will allow diffusion to start and protein 

crystal growth to begin. Near the end of the mission, an astronaut will rotate the shaft in the opposite 

direction to stop diffusion. 

A few of the candidate proteins for this flight of the PCAM are human cytomegalovirus assembling (a 

factor in virus duplication), parathyroid hormone antagonist (a controlling factor in bone growth), 

pseudoknot 26 (a potential HIV inhibitor), and human antithrombin III (a blood clotting factor). 

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

PCAM. 

Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) 

STS-63 will be the 13th mission SAMS has supported and will be the third on a Spacehab mission. For this 

mission, SAMS will be flying in the mid-deck instead of the Spacehab module as it has in the past. SAMS 

will be supporting three different protein crystal experiments (PCG-STES, CPCG-VDA and PCF-LST). 

These experiments require late access for launch which can only be accommodated in the mid-deck of the 

Space Shuttle. Each of these experiments will have a dedicated 10 Hz triaxial sensor head (TSH) to 

monitor its particular vibration environment. Shortly before activation, the crew will mount the three TSHs 

at their designated locations close to the experiments. 

SAMS will provide the scientists conducting these experiments with the information of the microgravity 

environment they experienced during the mission. The scientists will be able to account for the rocket 

thruster firings, crew activity and background vibrations that influence these delicate experiments. The 

instrument is managed by NASA’s Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, OH, for the agency’s Office of Life 

and Microgravity Sciences and Applications, Washington, DC. 

Three-Dimensional Microgravity Accelerometer (3-DMA) 

The Consortium for Materials in Space (CMDS) is sponsoring the Three Dimensional Microgravity 

Accelerometer on the STS-63 mission. The CMDS is a NASA Center for the Commercial Development of 

Space (CCDS) based at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). 

The acceleration measurement experiment system will help chart the effects of deviations from zerogravity on experiments conducted in space. The microgravity environment inside the SPACEHAB Space 

Research Laboratory will be measured in the three dimensions by the 3-DMA at four different locations, 

allowing researchers to review experiment results against deviations from zero-gravity. This information 

will be used to determine the degree of microgravity achieved inside the SPACEHAB. 

The 3-DMA will measure disturbances caused by operating various experiments in SPACEHAB and the 

residual microgravity resulting from Orbiter rotational motions and by residual resistance at the upper 

atmosphere fringes. No crew interaction is required on-orbit other than occasional status checks. Status 

data also are sent to the ground by telemetry. 

The 3-DMA, which successfully flew aboard the first two SPACEHAB missions, has been developed as a 

low-cost system suitable for commercialization by the CMDS. 

A potential application of 3-DMA would be to characterize potential microgravity environment of the 

International Space Station in support of experiments, research and commercialization activities. 

Principal Investigator for 3-DMA is Jan Bijvoet of the UAH CCDS. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 45 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 46 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 47 

SOLID SURFACE COMBUSTION EXPERIMENT 

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

The Solid Surface Combustion Experiment (SSCE) is a major study of how flames spread in a 

microgravity environment. Comparing data on how flames spread in microgravity with knowledge of how 

flames spread on Earth may contribute to improvements in all types of fire safety and control equipment. 

This will be the eighth time SSCE has flown aboard the Shuttle, testing the combustion of different 

materials under different atmospheric conditions. The experiment hardware is flown in the Shuttle middeck in place of the four middeck stowage lockers. 

In the SSCE test planned for STS-63, scientists will investigate flame spread along a sample of Plexiglas in 

an environment of 50% oxygen and 50% nitrogen at 1 atmosphere pressure. This flight will be the third 

test with the Plexiglas fuel. The previous tests were performed on STS-54 with an environment of 70% 

oxygen and 30% nitrogen at 1 atmosphere and STS-64 with an environment of 50% oxygen and 50% 

nitrogen at 2 atmospheres. 

Scientists will use computer image enhancement techniques to analyze the film record of the Solid Surface 

Combustion Experiment. They will then compare the enhanced images and recorded temperature and 

pressure data with a computer simulation of the flame spreading process. Reconciliation of data and 

predictions is expected to provide new insights into the basic process of combustion of solid surfaces. The 

data from the previous missions are still being analyzed but have already provided insights into the 

combustion process and improvements to the combustion model that the principal investigators have 

developed. 

The experiment is sponsored by NASA’s Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications and 

managed by NASA’s Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, OH. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 48 

AIR FORCE MAUI OPTICAL SITE (AMOS) 

The Air Force Maui Optical System (AMOS) is an electrical-optical facility on the Hawaiian island of 

Maui. No hardware is required aboard Discovery to support the experimental observations. The AMOS 

facility tracks the Orbiter as it flies over the area and records signatures from thruster firings, water dumps 

or the phenomena of “Shuttle glow,” a well-documented fluorescent effect created as the Shuttle interacts 

with atomic oxygen in Earth orbit. The information obtained by AMOS is used to calibrate the infrared and 

optical sensors at the facility. AMOS is a Department of Defense payload and is flown under the direction 

of the DOD Space Test Program. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 49 

STS-63 CREWMEMBERS 

STS063-S-002 -- With the United States and Russian flags in the background, five NASA astronauts and a 

Russian cosmonaut named to fly aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery for the STS-63 mission pose for the 

flight crew portrait at JSC. Left to right (front row) are Janice E. Voss, mission specialist, Eileen M. 

Collins, pilot; James D. Wetherbee, mission commander; and Vladimir Titov of the Russian Space Agency, 

mission specialist. In the rear are Bernard A. Harris Jr., payload commander; and C. Michael Foale, 

mission specialist. 

No copyright is asserted for this photograph. If a recognizable person appears in the photo, use for 

commercial purposes may infringe a right of privacy or publicity. It may not be used to state or imply the 

endorsement by NASA or by any NASA employee of a commercial product, process or service, or used in 

any other manner that might mislead. Accordingly, it is requested that if this photograph is used in 

advertising and other commercial promotion, layout and copy be submitted to NASA prior to release. 

PHOTO CREDIT: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 50 

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA 

JAMES (JIM) D. WETHERBEE, 42, Commander, USN, will be the Commander (CDR) of STS-63. 

Wetherbee was born in Flushing, NY, and will be making his third space flight. 

Wetherbee graduated from Holy Family Diocesan High School in South Huntington, NY, in 1970; 

received a bachelor of science degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 

1974; and completed training at the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, MD, in 1981. 

His first Shuttle flight was as pilot of Columbia during STS-32, a mission that successfully deployed the 

Syncom IV-F5 satellite and retrieved the Long Duration Exposure Facility. He next flew as commander of 

STS-52, a mission that deployed the Laser Geodynamic Satellite and operated the first U.S. Microgravity 

Payload. 

Wetherbee has logged more than 497 hours in space and more than 4,200 hours flying time and 345 carrier 

landings in 20 different types of aircraft. 

EILEEN M. COLLINS, 38, Lt. Col., USAF, will serve as Pilot (PLT). Born in Elmira, NY, Collins was 

selected as an astronaut in 1990. She will be making her first space flight, becoming the first woman to 

pilot a Space Shuttle. 

Collins graduated from Elmira Free Academy, Elmira, NY, in 1974; received an associate of science 

degree in mathematics/science from Corning Community College in 1976; a bachelor of arts degree in 

mathematics and economics from Syracuse University in 1978; a master of science degree in operations 

research from Stanford University in 1986; and a master of arts degree in space systems management from 

Webster University in 1989. She is a 1990 graduate of the Air Force Test Pilot School. 

She served as a T-38 instructor pilot and C-141 aircraft commander and instructor pilot. Collins has logged 

more than 4,000 hours in 30 different types of aircraft. 

BERNARD A. HARRIS JR., 38, will be Payload Commander, Mission Specialist 1 (MS1) and 

Extravehicular Crewman 2 (EV2) on STS-63. Harris was born in Temple, TX, and will be making his 

second space flight. 

Harris graduated from Sam Houston High School, San Antonio, TX, in 1974; received a bachelor of 

science degree in biology from the University of Houston in 1978; and a doctorate in medicine from Texas 

Tech University School of Medicine in 1982. After completing residency training in internal medicine at 

the Mayo Clinic, Harris conducted research in the field of musculoskeletal physiology and disuse 

osteoporosis under a Research Council Fellowship at the Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA. 

Harris’ first Shuttle flight was as a mission specialist on board Columbia during STS-55 in 1993. That 

mission saw a variety of research done in physical and life sciences. Harris has logged over 239 hours in 

space. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 51 

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA 

C. MICHAEL (MIKE) FOALE, 38, will be Mission Specialist 2 (MS2) and Extravehicular Crewman 1 

(EV1) on STS-63. Selected as an astronaut in 1987, Foale was born in Louth, England, but considers 

Cambridge, England, to be his hometown. Foale will be making his third space flight. 

Foale graduated from Kings School, Canterbury, in 1975; received a bachelor of arts degree in physics, 

National Science Tripos, with first class honors from Queens College in 1978; and a doctorate in 

laboratory astrophysics from Cambridge University in 1982. 

Foale’s first flight was as a mission specialist on STS-45 in March and April, 1992, a mission that saw the 

first of the ATLAS flights to study the atmosphere and its interaction with the Sun. He also flew as a 

mission specialist on STS-56, carrying the ATLAS-2 and the SPARTAN retrievable satellite which made 

observations of the solar corona. Foale has logged more than 436 hours in space. 

JANICE VOSS, 38, will be Mission Specialist 3 (MS3) on STS-66. Born in South Bend, IN, Voss 

considers Rockford, IL, her home town. She was selected as an astronaut in 1990 and will be making her 

second Shuttle flight. 

Voss graduated from Minnechaug Regional High School, Wilbraham, MA, in 1972; received a bachelor of 

science degree in engineering science from Purdue University in 1975; a master of science degree in 

electrical engineering and a doctorate in aeronautics/astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of 

Technology in 1977 and 1987, respectively. 

Voss’ first Shuttle flight was as a mission specialist on STS-57 in June 1993. STS-57 included the retrieval 

of the European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA) satellite, and the first flight of the Spacehab mid-deck 

module. Voss has logged more than 239 hours in space. 

VLADIMIR GEORGIEVICH TITOV, 48, Colonel, Russian Air Force, will be Mission Specialist 4 

(MS4) on STS-63. Titov will be making his first flight on board the Space Shuttle, becoming the second 

cosmonaut to fly on an American spacecraft. 

In October 1992, Titov was one of two Russian cosmonauts named by the Russian Space Agency for 

mission specialist training. Titov trained as back-up mission specialist for Sergei Krikalev, who flew on 

STS-60 in February 1994. 

Titov graduated from the Higher Air Force College in Chernigov, Ukraine, in 1970 and the Yuri Gagarin 

Air Force Academy in 1987. He joined the cosmonaut team in 1976 and is a veteran of three space flights 

with a total of 368 days in space. 

Titov served as commander on Soyuz T-8 and Soyuz T-10 in 1983 and Soyuz TM-4 in 1987. Soyuz T-8, a 

mission to repair a faulty Salyut 7 solar array, lasted 2 days, 17 minutes and 48 seconds when the 

rendezvous was aborted. Soyuz T-10 was aborted following a launch pad fire. The crew module was pulled 

clear of the rocket by the launch escape system and after a flight of 5 minutes, 30 seconds, landed 2.5 miles 

from the launch vehicle. 

During his third space flight in December 1987, Titov rendezvoused with the Mir Space Station spending a 

record 365 days, 22 hours, 39 minutes in space. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 52 

SHUTTLE FLIGHTS AS OF FEBRUARY 1995 

66 TOTAL FLIGHTS OF THE SHUTTLE SYSTEM -- 412 SINCE RETURN TO FLIGHT 

STS-64 

09/09/94 - 09/20/94 

STS-60 

02/03/94 - -2/11/94 

STS-65 

07/08/94 0 07/23/94 

STS-51 

09/12/93 - 09/22/93 

STS-62 

03/04/94 - 03/18/94 

STS-56 

04/08/83 - 04/17/93 

STS-58 

10/18/93 - 11/01/93 

STS-53 

12/02/92 - 12/09/92 

STS-55 

04/26/93 - 05/06/93 

STS-42 

01/22/92 - 01/30/92 

STS-52 

10/22/92 - 11/01/92 

STS-48 

09/12/91 - 09/18/91 

STS-66 

11/03/94 - 11/14/94 

STS-50 

06/25/92 - 07/09/92 

STS-39 

04/28/91 - 05/06/91 

STS-46 

07/31/92 - 08/08/92 

STS-40 

06/05/91 - 06/14/91 

STS-41 

10/06/90 - 10/10/90 

STS-45 

03/24/92 - 04/02/92 

STS-35 

12/02/90 - 12/10/90 

STS-51L 

01/28/86 

STS-31 

04/24/90 - 04/29/90 

STS-44 

11/24/91 - 12/01/91 

STS-32 

01/09/90 - 01/20/90 

STS-61A 

10/30/85 - 11/06/85 

STS-33 

11/22/89 - 11/27/89 

STS-43 

08/02/91 - 08/11/91 

STS-28 

08/08/89 - 08/13/89 

STS-51F 

07/29/85 - 08/06/85 

STS-29 

03/13/89 - 03/18/89 

STS-37 

04/05/91 - 04/11/91 

STS-61C 

01/12/86 - 01/18/86 

STS-51B 

04/29/85 - 05/06/85 

STS-26 

09/29/88 - 10/03/88 

STS-38 

11/15/90 - 11/20/90 

STS-68 

09/30/94 - 10/11/94 

STS-9 

11/28/83 - 12/08/83 

STS-41G 

10/05/84 - 10/13/84 

STS-51-I 

08/27/85 - 09/03/85 

STS-36 

02/28/90 - 03/04/90 

STS-59 

04/09/94 - 04/20/94 

STS-5 

11/11/82 - 11/16/82 

STS-41C 

04/06/84 - 04/13/84 

STS-51G 

06/17/85 - 06/24/85 

STS-34 

10/18/89 - 10/23/89 

STS-61 

12/02/93 - 12/13/93 

STS-4 

06/27/82 - 07/04/82 

STS-41B 

02/03/84 - 02/11/84 

STS-51D 

04/12/85 - 04/19/85 

STS-30 

05/04/89 - 05/08/89 

STS-57 

06/21/93 - 07/01/93 

STS-3 

03/22/82 - 03/30/82 

STS-8 

08/30/83 - 09/05/83 

STS-51C 

01/24/85 - 01/27/85 

STS-27 

12/02/88 - 12/06/88 

STS-54 

01/13/93 - 01/19/93 

STS-2 

11/12/81 - 11/14/81 

STS-7 

06/18/83 - 06/24/83 

STS-51A 

11/08/84 - 11/16/84 

STS-61B 

11/26/85 - 12/03/85 

STS-47 

09/12/92 - 09/20/92 

STS-1 

04/12/81 - 04/14/81 

STS-6 

04/04/83 - 04/09/83 

STS-41D 

08/30/84 - 09/05/84 

STS-51J 

10/03/85 - 10/07/85 

STS-49 

05/07/92 - 05/16/92 

 

OV-102 

Columbia 

(17 flights) 

OV-099 

Challenger 

(10 flights) 

OV-103 

Discovery 

(19 flights) 

OV-104 

Atlantis 

(13 flights) 

OV-105 

Endeavour 

(7 flights)