WWW.SHUTTLEPRESSKIT.COM

Updated November 9, 2001

EXPEDITION FOUR EXPEDITION FOUR EXPEDITION FOUR International Space Station International Space Station

Science, Assembly 

and Spacewalks and Spacewalks

Science, Assembly Science, Assembly 

and Spacewalks Spacewalks
Expedition Four Press Kit 

Table of Contents

Mission Overview ..................................................................................................... 1 

Crew............................................................................................................................ 4 

EVA ............................................................................................................................. 6

Science Overview ...................................................................................................... 8 

Payload Operations Center..................................................................................... 14 

Russian Experiments ..........................................................................................................18

Experiments 

Advanced Astroculture (ADVASC) ............................................................................ 22 

Active Rack Isolation System ISS Characterization Experiment (ARIS ICE) ............ 24 

Cellular Biotechnology Operations Support System (CBOSS) ................................. 25 

Crew Earth Observations (CEO) ............................................................................... 26 

Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (CGBA) ........................................... 27 

Commercial Protein Crystal Growth (CPCG) ............................................................ 28 

Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle Schools (EarthKAM) ...................................... 29 

Protein Crystal Growth Single-locker Thermal Enclosure System Housing the 

Diffusion-controlled Crystallization Apparatus for Microgravity ................ 30 

A Study of Radiation Doses Experienced by Astronauts in EVA (EVARM). ............. 31 

Expedite the Processing of Experiments to the Space Station (EXPRESS Rack) .... 33 

Human Research Facility Rack 1 (HRF) ................................................................... 34 

H-Reflex: Effects of Space on Spinal Cord Excitability ............................................. 35 

Interactions – Crewmember and Crew-Ground Interactions during ISS Flight .......... 36 

Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System (MAMS) and Space 

Acceleration and Measurement System II (SAMS .................................................... 37 

Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) ...................................... 39 

Physics of Colloids in Space (EXPPCS) ................................................................... 40 

Protein Crystal Growth – Enhanced Gaseous Nitrogen Dewar (PCG-EGN) ............. 41 
Expedition Four Press Kit 

Protein Crystal Growth – Single Locker Thermal Enclosure System (PCG-STES) ... 42 

Effects of EVA and Long-Term Exposure to Microgravity on Pulmonary Function 

(PUFF) ...................................................................................................................... 43 

Renal Stone Risk During Spaceflight: Assessment and Countermeasures 

Validation .................................................................................................................. 44 

Sub-Regional Assessment of Bone Loss in Long-Term Spaceflight ......................... 45 

Effects of Microgravity on the Peripheral Subcutaneous Veno-Ateriolar Reflex in 

Humans (Xenon 1) .................................................................................................... 46 

Zeolite Crystal Growth Furnace (ZCG) ..................................................................... 47 

Media Contacts ....................................................................................................... 48 
Expedition Four

Overview 

Science, Spacewalks, Assembly Set for E4 

A continuing increase in science activities, a total of as many as eight spacewalks, the first 

piece of a truss that will form the backbone of the station and new software to support 

routing of power and data to and from it will be landmarks of the flight of the Expedition 

Four crew aboard the International Space Station. 

Expedition Four crewmembers are cosmonaut and commander Yury Ivanovich Onufrienko, 

40, a colonel and former senior pilot in his country’s air force and veteran of a mission to 

the Russian space station Mir; astronaut Daniel Bursch, 44, a Navy captain and former test 

pilot with three shuttle flights to his credit, and Carl Walz, 46, an Air Force colonel, a former 

test pilot and veteran of three spaceflights. 

New scientific experiments which were not on Increment Three include research in the 

biological sciences, physical sciences, and research in human physiology, much of it 

looking at effects of long-duration spaceflight. A number of experiments will continue from 

the previous increment. 

As many as four of the spacewalks are to be conducted by members of the Expedition Four 

crew. Two of them will be early in the increment, from the new Pirs docking compartment 

using Russian Orlan suits. Two may be done later in Expedition Four, using U.S. 

spacesuits. Four other spacewalks are scheduled during the STS-110/8A flight of Atlantis, 

no earlier than the end of February, midway through the increment. 

Those four spacewalks will focus on connecting the S0 Truss to the station’s U.S. 

laboratory Destiny. The S0 Truss is scheduled to be brought to the station on Atlantis. It 

will be the first segment of the station’s truss that eventually will support, among other 

things, four virtually identical solar wing assemblies. Among them will be the solar wings 

now atop the P6 truss, which already make the station the most powerful spacecraft ever. 

In terms of activities, Expedition Four can be divided into three major segments. Early in 

the increment the focus will be on the first two spacewalks. The middle of the mission 

centers on the new software upload in preparation for arrival of the S0 Truss and its arrival, 

installation and checkout, and the final two spacewalks. As the end of Expedition Four 

approaches, the orientation changes to the arrival of a Russian taxi crew bringing a new 

Soyuz crew return vehicle to the station and preparation for the arrival of the Expedition 

Five crew, no earlier than early May. 

Through all these activities, scientific investigations will continue. 

The first two spacewalks are scheduled for mid-January. The first will be by Onufrienko and 

Walz and the second by Onufrienko and Bursch. 

1
Expedition Four

Among tasks by Onufrienko and Walz on the first spacewalk are those relating to transfer 

of the Strela cargo boom to the Pirs docking compartment. The boom and other Strela 

components were attached to the station’s Pressurized Mating Adaptor 2 on previous 

shuttle flights. 

During the second spacewalk, tasks assigned to Onufrienko and Bursch include: 

Installation of thruster deflectors on the Zvezda service module. 

Installation of contamination-control system experiments pallets on the docking 

compartment and Zvezda. 

Installation of four antennas, for Ham Radio and Glisser TV, on Zvezda. 

Retrieval of the old Kromka materials experiment and installation of new samples. 

Photograph the Zvezda solar array flaps. 

About six weeks before the arrival of STS-110/8A flight the second mission segment, 

preparations of the space station and the Expedition Four crew for its arrival will begin. 

Uplink of the new, extensive software load should be complete about four weeks before 

Atlantis arrives. The software will support the new configuration of the station – with the 

truss – including power distribution and a variety of other systems. It should be activated 

and verified well before Atlantis arrives. 

The Expedition Four crew also will be doing on-orbit training with the station’s robotic arm, 

Canadarm2, to maintain proficiency for the S0 Truss installation. They also will verify the 

function of the arm after the software changes. 

The four spacewalks during Atlantis’ visit to the station will be dedicated to S0 Truss 

installation. Once that is completed, crewmembers will verify that all the connections have 

been made correctly. 

One or two more spacewalks may be done after Atlantis departs. They will be done in U.S. 

spacesuits out of the joint airlock Quest by Walz and Bursch and will use Canadarm2. 

Scheduled for April, the spacewalks will finish any needed S0 Truss installation and 

activation work. They also will do “get-ahead” tasks relating to future truss construction. 

The third Expedition Four segment is the home stretch. About two weeks after the final 

spacewalks, Expedition Four crewmembers will conduct the first of a series of air-to-ground 

conferences with their Expedition Five successors, which will include astronaut Peggy 

Whitson and two cosmonauts. Those conferences are part of lengthy preparations for 

Expedition Four’s return home, which include everything from packing personal belongings 

to detailed cataloging of station and scientific equipment and procedures. They also will 

prepare station equipment and discards for return to Earth in Endeavour. 

2
Expedition Four

They also will begin planning and preparation for the arrival of a taxi crew in a new Soyuz 

crew return vehicle, the fourth Soyuz to be docked at the station for that purpose. They will 

orient the taxi crew and work with them during their six-day stay. The taxi crew is to depart 

in late April in the third Soyuz, which has been attached to the station since before 

Expedition Four crewmembers’ arrival. 

The Soyuz is scheduled to undock two days before the scheduled launch of Endeavour on 

the STS-111/UF-2 mission that will take Expedition Four crewmembers home. 

Other tasks of Expedition Four crewmembers include maintenance replacement or 

enhancement. Electrical outlets will be replaced, as will the treadmill exercise device and 

its vibration isolation system in the Zvezda service module. Filters will be installed in 

thermal loops, more radiation shielding will be installed around Zvezda sleep stations and 

radiation monitors will be replaced. 

Throughout the fourth increment, heavy emphasis will be placed on research in life 

sciences, Earth sciences and microgravity sciences. One reason crewmembers and 

controllers on the ground are able to do this is the growing maturity of the station. 

Increment three reaped some of the scientific benefits, and increment four stands to reap 

even more. 

Here are the missions to the International Space Station during Expedition Four: 

• STS-108 (UF-1) will rotate the Expedition Three and Expedition Four crews and 

bring a Multipurpose Logistics Module with equipment and supplies to the station. 

• 7P will be the seventh Russian unpiloted supply spacecraft to be launched to the 

station with equipment, supplies, water and fuel. 

• STS-110 (8A) will bring the S0 Truss, the center of what will become the ISS 

backbone, to the station. 

• 4S will be the fourth Russian Soyuz spacecraft to be brought to the station by a ferry 

crew. The ferry crew will return to Earth in S3, the Soyuz that was at the station for 

several months. 

• STS-111 (UF-2) will rotate the Expedition Four and Expedition Five crews and bring 

a Multipurpose Logistics Module with equipment and supplies to the station. 

3
Expedition Four

Expedition Four Crew 

Commander: Yury Onufrienko 

Col. Yury Ivanovich Onufrienko, 40, a test cosmonaut and former 

senior pilot in his country’s air force, commanded the Mir 21 

expedition in 1996. Fellow crewmembers included Astronaut 

Shannon Lucid and ISS Expedition Two Commander Yury 

Usachev. As ISS commander, he will have overall responsibility 

for expedition safety and success of the space station and the 

Expedition Four crew. Onufrienko graduated from the V.M. 

Komarov Eisk Higher Military Aviation School for Pilots in 1982 

with a pilot-engineer's diploma, and from Moscow State University 

in 1994 with a degree in cartography. Upon graduation from 

aviation school, he served as a pilot and senior pilot in the Air 

Force. In 1989 he was named a cosmonaut candidate. 

Onufrienko was commander of the Mir 21 expedition from Feb. 21 to Sept. 2, 1996. He was 

named a Hero of Russia, and holds two Armed Forces medals. He also is a Chevalier in 

the French Legion of Honor. 

Flight Engineer: Daniel Bursch 

Daniel W. Bursch is a Navy captain, a former test pilot and test 

pilot school instructor, and a veteran of three spaceflights. He is a 

Naval Academy graduate and holds an M.S. in engineering from 

the Naval Postgraduate School. He has more than 3,100 flight 

hours in 35 aircraft types. He attended the Naval Postgraduate 

School in Monterey, Calif., from July 1989 until his selection to the 

astronaut program in 1990. He initially was assigned to the 

Astronaut Office Operations Development Branch, working on 

controls and displays for the shuttle and space station and 

subsequently worked as a capcom in mission control. Bursch was 

on STS-51, the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite 

and Shuttle Pallet Satellite flight, in September 1993. He also flew 

on STS-68, the Space Radar Lab-2 flight launched in September 1994, and on STS-77, the 

fourth Spacehab mission, in May 1996. 

4
Expedition Four

Flight Engineer: Carl Walz 

 Air Force Col. Carl E. Walz, a former test flight engineer and flight 

test manager, was selected as an astronaut in 1990 and is a 

veteran of three spaceflights. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in 

physics and enjoys sports and music – he is lead singer for MAXQ, the astronaut rock-n-roll band. For three years after his 1979 

graduation, Walz was responsible for analysis of radioactive 

samples from the Atomic Energy Detection System at McClellan 

AFB, Calif. He spent five years as a test flight engineer at the 

Combined Test Force at Edwards AFB, Calif., and subsequently 

served as a flight test manager. Walz flew with Bursch on STS-51, 

the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite and Shuttle 

Pallet Satellite flight, in September 1993. He also was a mission 

specialist on STS-65, the second International Microgravity Laboratory Spacelab module, in 

July 1994, and on STS-79, a mission to the Russian space station Mir, in September 1997. 

5
Expedition Four

EVAs 

Expedition Four International Space Station Spacewalks 

During the Expedition Four crew's planned five-month stay aboard the International Space 

Station, at least two, and possibly as many as four, spacewalks are planned from the 

station without the space shuttle present. Two spacewalks using Russian Orlan spacesuits 

and associated equipment are planned during the second month of the crew's stay. 

Commander Yury Onufrienko, a veteran of six spacewalks during missions on the Russian 

Mir space station, will participate in both spacewalks that will use Russian Orlan suits and 

originate from the station's Pirs docking compartment, accompanied outside the station on 

the first by Flight Engineer 1 Carl Walz, a veteran of one previous spacewalk conducted 

from the space shuttle, and on the second by Flight Engineer 2 Dan Bursch. 

6
Expedition Four

The first spacewalk using Russian spacesuits will relocate the cargo boom for the Russian 

Strela crane. The cargo boom was stowed on the exterior of the station's Pressurized 

Mating Adapter 1 during space shuttle mission STS-101 in May 2000. The boom will be 

moved by Onufrienko and Walz to join the rest of the Strela equipment on the exterior of 

the Pirs compartment. 

The second spacewalk using Russian spacesuits will have Onufrienko and Bursch install 

deflector shields to prevent potential contamination of some areas by the Zvezda module's 

jet thrusters; install external amateur radio antennas and equipment to accommodate a 

type of amateur television broadcasting, and change out a variety of external material 

samples that are part of ongoing experiments to characterize the environment outside of 

the station and gauge the effects on various products. 

The spacewalks that will use U.S. gear and originate from the Quest airlock, to be 

conducted by Walz and Bursch, are planned to take place late in Expedition 4, after space 

shuttle mission STS-110. That flight will install a central truss segment on the Destiny 

laboratory. The content of the spacewalks is flexible and may be used to finish work from 

that truss installation or perform get ahead activities related to station assembly, depending 

on the situation. 

7
Expedition Four

Science Overview 

ISS Expedition Four: Science Operations Overview 

The number of science investigations aboard the International Space Station will almost 

double during Expedition Four, and new equipment will make the research outpost even 

more productive. 

New experiments and science facilities will be ferried to the orbiting outpost during 

Expedition Four. The research complement will grow from 18 to 26 NASA payloads, seven 

of them new to the ISS Program. Of the 26, two are in fundamental biology, seven in 

human life sciences, six in microgravity science, six in space product development, and five 

are sponsored by the Office of Space Flight. 

New experiments are expected to lead to new insights in the fields of plant growth, embryo 

development, the long-term effects of spaceflight on humans, biotechnology, medicine, 

agriculture, electronics and pharmaceutical manufacturing. Several experiments begun on 

earlier expeditions will return to Earth, while several others will continue operating during 

Expedition Four. 

The three Expedition Four crewmembers are scheduled to devote nearly 500 hours to 

research. Those are in addition to the hours devoted by the station’s ever-present “fourth 

crewmember” – controllers and scientists on the ground who will continue to plan, monitor 

and operate experiments from the control centers around the country. In addition, the 

autonomous payloads will accrue several thousand hours of operational time. 

On Earth, a new cadre of controllers for Expedition Four will replace their Expedition Three 

colleagues in the station’s Payload Operations Center at NASA's Marshall Space Flight 

Center in Huntsville, Ala. Controllers work in three shifts around the clock, seven days a 

week in the Payload Operations Center, the world's primary science command post for the 

station. Its mission is to link earthbound researchers around the world with their 

experiments and the station crew. 

New Experiments 

Expedition Four shuttle flights will bring with them several new experiments, as well as 

several experiments making repeat flights aboard the station to continue their research. 

These include: 

Biomass Production System (BPS) and Photosynthesis Experiment and System 

Testing Operation (PESTO): The main goal of BPS is to validate equipment necessary to 

grow wheat and Brassica in microgravity and eventually develop a dedicated Plant 

Research Unit for the space station. The secondary objective is to study the effects of 

microgravity on wheat photosynthesis and metabolism. 

8
Expedition Four

Astronauts in EVA Radiation Study (EVARM): Spacewalking astronauts will wear three 

active dosimeter badges in pockets sewn into their spacesuits to determine the levels of 

radiation received to the skin, eyes and blood-forming organs. 

Protein Crystal Growth Enhanced Gaseous Nitrogen Dewar (PCG-EGN): Making its 

fourth space station flight, this passive experiment is designed to demonstrate a low-cost 

platform for growing biological materials and studying optimum growth conditions. 

Protein Crystal Growth Single Thermal Enclosure System (PCG-STES) Diffusion – 

controlled Crystallization Apparatus for Microgravity (DCAM): This experiment 

provides a controlled temperature environment to grow large, well-ordered protein crystals 

in microgravity using vapor diffusion. By examining the crystals’ molecular structure on 

Earth, scientists hope to learn more about key biological functions. 

Protein Crystal Growth Single Thermal Enclosure System (PCG-STES) Protein 

Crystallization for Microgravity (PCAM): A reflight of an Expedition Two experiment, this 

experiment uses the “sitting drop” method of vapor diffusion to grow biological 

macromolecular crystals in microgravity. Scientists hope the near-weightlessness 

conditions of low gravity will allow the growth of larger crystals, which may show greater 

atomic structural detail than crystals grown on Earth. 

Advanced Astroculture 02 (ADVASC): A reflight of an Expedition Two experiment facility, 

this commercial endeavor will be used to grow Arabidopsis from seed to maturity. A new 

feature on this flight will be the capability to collect samples of the growing plants while 

they’re growing in space. 

Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (CGBA): A reflight of the Expedition Two 

experiment looking at bacterial fermentation and antibiotic production in space. 

Commercial Biomedical Testing Module (CBTM): This experiment will help determine 

the effectiveness of a natural protein called osteoprotegerin as a possible countermeasure 

for osteoporosis. This “sortie” experiment will remain aboard the shuttle on the UF1 flight. 

Commercial Protein Crystal Growth (CPCG): This is the second flight for this commercial 

experiment to use microgravity to grow larger, high-quality crystals of proteins for use in 

postflight X-ray analysis. 

Zeolite Crystal Growth Furnace (ZCG): The goal of this commercial experiment is to grow 

larger crystals in microgravity with possible applications in chemical processes, electronic 

device manufacture and other applications on Earth. 

Microencapsulation Electrostatic Processing System (MEPS): This commercial 

experiment is aimed at developing a process for producing large quantities of multi-layered 

microcapsules of drugs that could be placed in the human body. 

9
Expedition Four

Continuing Experiments 

Many experiments from earlier expeditions remain aboard the space station and will 

continue to benefit from the long-term research platform provided by the orbiting laboratory: 

Space Acceleration Measurement System and Microgravity Acceleration 

Measurement System, designed to measure vibrations caused by crew, equipment and 

other sources that could disturb microgravity experiments. 

Active Rack Isolation System International Space Station Characterization 

Experiment, designed to test an experimental device comprised of “powered shock 

absorbers” to protect delicate microgravity experiments from vibrations caused by 

equipment, crew activities and other sources. 

Experiment on Physics of Colloids in Space, a fluids experiment that could lead to new 

materials and products. Colloids are found in numerous products, such as paint, milk, ink, 

copy machine toner and are used in many manufacturing processes, such as polishing 

silicon for computer chips and removing bitter tastes from wine and fruit juices. 

Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middleschool students, a program that lets students take 

pictures using an electronic camera on the space station. Students use the Internet to 

assign targets to the station camera and receive pictures, which they then use in a variety 

of classroom projects. 

Hoffman Reflex, an experiment to study changes in neurovestibular function with the goal 

of determining if exercise could be made more effective on long-term space flights; 

Crew Interactions experiment to identify and characterize interpersonal and cultural 

factors that may affect crew and ground support personnel performance during space 

station missions. 

Crew Earth Observations experiment to photograph natural and manmade changes on 

Earth. 

Cell Biotechnology Operations Support Systems used to grow three-dimensional tissue 

that retains the form and function of natural living tissue, a capability that could hold 

insights in studying human diseases, including various types of cancer, diabetes, heart 

disease and AIDS. 

Renal Stone, studying a possible countermeasure for kidney stone formation. 

Pulmonary Function in Flight experiment, examining long-term lung function in 

microgravity. 

Sub-regional Assessment of Bone Loss in the Axial Skeleton in Long-term Space 

Flight experiment, measuring bone loss and recovery on crewmembers on the 

International Space Station. 

10
Expedition Four

Xenon 1, a study of blood flow and ability of the body to adjust to the return to Earth after 

spaceflight. 

Materials International Space Station Experiment, attached to the outside of the space 

station to expose hundreds of sample materials to the space environment. By examining 

how the coatings fare in the harsh environment of space, researchers seek new insight into 

developing materials for future spacecraft, as well as making materials last longer on Earth. 

Returning Experiments 

Four payloads or sets of experiment samples are returning to Earth on STS-108 at the end 

of Expedition Three. Cell tissue growth samples grown on the space station during 

Expedition Three as part of the Cellular Biotechnology Operations Support System and 

biological materials grown in the Dynamically Controlled Protein Crystal Growth

experiments will be returned to Earth for study, while the experiment hardware remains on 

board to process additional samples during Expedition Four. A pair of Expedition Three 

experiments, the Advanced Protein Crystallization Facility and the Dreamtime High 

Definition TV camera, will be returned to Earth. 

11
Expedition Four

Facility/ 

Experiment 

Mission 

Information 

Duration Location on 

ISS 

Research 

Area 

Biomass 

Production 

System and 

Photosynthesis 

Experiment and 

System Testing 

Operation 

(PESTO) 

Up on 8A 

Down on UF2 

2 months EXPRESS 

Rack 4 

Destiny 

module 

Fundamental 

biology 

Astronauts in 

EVA Radiation 

Study (EVARM) 

Up on UF-1 

Down on 

ULF-1 

Expedition 

Four through 

Six 

U.S. 

spacesuits 

during 

operation; 

stored in 

Human 

Research 

Facility when 

not in use 

Human life 

sciences 

Protein Crystal 

GrowthEnhanced 

Gaseous 

Nitrogen (PCGEGN) Dewar 

Up on 8A 

Down on 

UF-2 

2 months FGB Microgravity 

biotechnology 

Protein Crystal 

Growth-Single 

Thermal 

Enclosure 

(PCG-STES) 

007 Diffusioncontrolled 

Crystallization 

Apparatus for 

Microgravity 

(DCAM) and 

PCG-STES 008 

Protein 

Crystallization 

Apparatus for 

Microgravity 

(PCAM) 

Up on UF-1 

Down on 8A 

4 months EXPRESS 

Rack 4 

Destiny 

module 

Microgravity 

biotechnology 

Cellular 

Biotechnology 

Operations 

Support System 

Up on 7A.1 

and UF1 

Down on UF1 

and 8A 

3 months BTR1- 

EXPRESS 

Rack 4 

Destiny

Cell science 

12
Expedition Four

Facility/ 

Experiment 

Mission 

Information 

Duration Location on 

ISS 

Research 

Area 

(CBOSS) module 

BSTCEXPRESS 

Rack 4 

Destiny 

module 

Advanced 

Astroculture 

(ADVASC) 02 

02: Up on 

UF-1 and 

down on 8A 

4 months EXPRESS 

Rack 4 

Destiny 

module 

Space product 

development 

Commercial 

Generic 

Bioprocessing 

Apparatus 

(CGBA) 

Up on 8A 

Down on UF2 

2 months EXPRESS 

Rack 4 

Destiny 

module 

Space product 

development 

Commercial 

Biomedical 

Testing Module 

(CBTM) 

Up and down 

on UF-1 

Sortie 

flight/no 

expedition 

ops 

Shuttle 

middeck 

Space product 

development 

Commercial 

Protein Crystal 

Growth (CPCG) 

Up on 8A 

Down on UF2 

2 months EXPRESS 

Rack 4 

Destiny 

module 

Space product 

development 

Zeolite Crystal 

Growth 

Furnace (ZCG) 

Up on UF-1 Permanent EXPRESS 

Rack 2 

Destiny 

module 

Space product 

development 

Microencapsula

tion 

Electrostatic 

Processing 

System (MEPS) 

Up on UF-1 Expedition 

Four through 

Six 

EXPRESS 

Rack 4 

Destiny 

module 

Space product 

development 

13
Expedition Four

The Payload Operations Center 

The Payload Operations Center (POC) at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, 

Ala., is the world’s primary science command post for the International Space Station. 

The Payload Operations team is responsible for managing all science research experiments 

aboard the station. The center also is home for coordination of the mission-planning work of a 

variety of international sources, all science payload deliveries and retrieval, and payload 

training and payload safety programs for the station crew and all ground personnel. 

State-of-the-art computers and communications equipment deliver round-the-clock reports 

from science outposts around the planet to systems controllers and science experts staffing 

numerous consoles beneath the glow of wall-sized video screens. Other computers stream 

information to and from the space station itself, linking the orbiting research facility with the 

science command post on Earth. 

The completed space station will boast six fully equipped laboratories, nearly 40 payload 

"racks" or experiment storage facilities, and more than 15 external payload locations for 

conducting experiments in the vacuum of space. 

Managing these science assets -- as well as the time and space required to accommodate 

experiments and programs from a host of private, commercial, industry and government 

agencies worldwide -- makes the job of coordinating space station research a critical one. 

The POC continues the role Marshall has played in management and operation of NASA’s onorbit science research. In the 1970s, Marshall managed the science program for Skylab, the 

first American space station. Spacelab -- the international science laboratory carried to orbit in 

the early '80s by the space shuttle for more than a dozen missions -- was the prototype for 

Marshall’s space station science operations. 

14
Expedition Four

The POC is the focal point for incorporating research and experiment requirements from all 

international partners into an integrated space station payload mission plan. 

Four international partner control centers -- in the United States, Japan, Russia and one 

representing the 11 participating countries of Europe -- prepare independent science plans for 

the POC. Each partner’s plan is based on submissions from its participating universities, 

science institutes and commercial companies. 

The U.S. partner control center incorporates submissions from Italy, Brazil and Canada until 

those nations develop partner centers of their own. The U.S. center’s plan also includes 

payloads commissioned by NASA from the four Telescience Support Centers in the United 

States. Each support center is responsible for integrating specific disciplines of study with 

commercial payload operations. They are: 

• Marshall Space Flight Center, managing microgravity (materials sciences, 

biotechnology research, microgravity research, space product development) 

• Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., managing gravitational biology and 

ecology (research on plants and animals) 

• John Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, managing microgravity (fluids and 

combustion research) 

• Johnson Space Center in Houston, managing human life sciences (physiological 

and behavioral studies, crew health and performance) 

15
Expedition Four

The POC combines inputs from all the partners into a Science Payload Operations master 

plan, delivered to the Space Station Control Center at Johnson Space Center to be integrated 

into a weekly work schedule. All necessary resources are then allocated, available time and 

rack space are determined, and key personnel are assigned to oversee the execution of 

science experiments and operations in orbit. 

Once payload schedules are finalized, the POC oversees delivery of experiments to the space 

station. These will be constantly in cycle: new payloads will be delivered by the space shuttle, 

or aboard launch vehicles provided by international partners; completed experiments and 

samples will be returned to Earth via the shuttle. This dynamic environment provides the true 

excitement and challenge of science operations aboard the space station. 

Housed in a two-story complex at Marshall, the POC is staffed around the clock by three shifts 

of 13 to 19 systems controllers -- essentially the same number of controllers that staffed the 

operations center for Spacelab more than a decade earlier. 

During space station operations, however, center personnel will routinely manage three to four 

times the number of experiments as were conducted aboard Spacelab, and also will be 

responsible for station-wide payload safety, planning, execution and troubleshooting. 

16
Expedition Four

The POC’s main flight control team, or the "cadre," is headed by the Payload Operations 

Director, who approves all science plans in coordination with Mission Control at Johnson, the 

station crew and various outside research facilities. 

The Payload Communications Manager, the voice of the POC, coordinates and delivers 

messages and project data to the station. The Systems Configuration Manager monitors 

station life support systems. The Operations Controller oversees station science operations 

resources such as tools and supplies. The Photo and TV Operations Manager is responsible 

for station video systems and links to the POC. 

The Timeline Maintenance Manager maintains the daily calendar of station work assignments, 

based on the plan generated at Johnson Space Center, as well as daily status reports from the 

station crew. The Payload Rack Officer monitors rack integrity, temperature control and the 

proper working conditions of station experiments. 

Additional systems and support controllers routinely monitor payload data systems, provide 

research and science expertise during experiments, and evaluate and modify timelines and 

safety procedures as payload schedules are revised. 

The international partner control centers include Mission Control Center, Moscow; the 

Columbus Orbital Facility Control Center, Oberpfaffenhoffen, Germany; Tsukuba Space 

Center, Tsukuba, Japan; and the Space Station Control Center at Johnson Space Center. 

NASA’s primary Space Station Control Center, Johnson, is also home to the U.S. partner 

control center, which prepares the science plan on behalf of the United States, Brazil, Canada 

and Italy. 

For updates to this fact sheet, visit the Marshall News Center at: 

http://www.msfc.nasa.gov/news

17
Expedition Four

ISS - 4 Russian Payloads Table 

Category Experiment Name Research Objective Hardware Used Up/Down 

Flight or 

Vehicle 

Power 

(Watts) 

Uni

Payl

Const

Commercial КНТ-1 

“GTS” – Global Timing System 

Verification of Global Timing System Electronic unit; 

Antenna unit with attachment mechanism. 

Existing 

On-orbit 

30 Imag

Require

Commercial КНТ-2 

“MPAC&SEED” (NASDA) 

Recording meteoroid and man-made particle impacts and exposure of material specimens on ISS RS Service Module exterior surface. 

Micro particles collection device and materials exposure array MPАC&SEED Special returnable cassette;  Adopter frame with interface; 

Existing 

On-orbit 

None 

Commercial КНТ-3 

“HDTV” (NASDA) 

Experiment in receiving HDTV images. - Video camera HDTV 

- Interface unit 

Existing 

On-orbit 

45 Imag

Require

Commercial KHT-4 

“Vzgliad” (Glance) 

Photo and video material acquisition with Kodak logo inside and outside of ISS 

- Kodak photo camera - Digital Video Camcorder - Kodak logo 

Existing 

On-orbit 

Progress 

M 8, Союз 4 

None Imag

Require

Geophysical ГФИ-1 

"Relaksatsiya" (Relaxation) 

Study of the chemiluminescent chemical reactions and atmospheric light phenomena that occur during high-velocity interaction between the exhaust products from space vehicles and atmosphere at orbital altitudes and during the entry of space vehicles into the Earth’s upper atmosphere. 

- “Fialka-MV-Kosmos” spectral-zonal 

ultraviolet system. 

Existing 

On-orbit 

60 

Geophysical ГФИ -8 

“Uragan” 

Experimental testing and verification of the ground-space system for predicting, reducing damage, and eliminating the impact of natural and man-made catastrophes. 

Binocular telescopic device Rubinar Standard equipment:- photo camera Hasselblad - video complex LIV. 

Existing 

On-orbit 

5 

onboard systems 

Imag

Require

Sha

Geophysical ГФИ-10 

Molnia-SM 

Study of atmosphere, ionosphere, and magnetosphere electromagnetic interaction related to storms and seismic activities using video-photometric systems 

BFS-3M video-photometric system Existing 

On-orbit 

Progress 

M-8 

45 

Biomedical МБИ-2 

“Diurez” 

Study of fluid and electrolyte metabolism and volume hormonal regulation in microgravity. 

- Urine collection devices kit Standard equipment: - Kriogen-03/1 refrigerator - Plazma-03 kit - Gematokrit-03 kit - Reflotron-4 equipment 

Progress 

M-8 

onboard systems 

Imag

Require

No

Biomedical МБИ-3 

“Parodont” 

Study of periodontal tissue condition under space flight conditions. 

- “Saliva-A Parodont” kit; - Kit with “Parodont” test tubes: Standard equipment:- “Kriogem-03/1” refrigerator. 

Progress 

M-8 

onboard systems 

Imag

Require

No

Biomedical МБИ-4 

“Farma” 

Study of the specificities of pharmacological effects under long-duration space flight conditions 

- Saliva-F kit Standard equipment: - Reflotron-4 kit 

Progress 

M-8 

onboard systems 

Imag

Require

No

Biomedical МБИ-5 

“Kardio-ODNT” 

Integrated study of the dynamics of the primary parameters of cardiac activity and blood circulation, using a lower body negative pressure (LBNP) apparatus. 

Standard equipment: - “Gamma-1M” equipment - ìChibisî LBNP device (ПВК)

Existing 

On-orbit 

onboard systems 

Imag

Require

Restr

18
Expedition Four

Category Experiment Name Research Objective Hardware Used Up/Down 

Flight or 

Vehicle 

Power 

(Watts) 

Uni

Payl

Const

Biomedical МБИBiotest Biochemical profile of human in spaceflight - "Plasma-03" consumables kit - КВ-03 container 

Standard equipment: - Kriogen-03/1 refrigerator - Plazma-03 kit - Gematokrit-03 kit Reflotron-4 equipment

Progress 

M-8 

- Imag

Require

No

Biomedical МБИ-8 

Profilaktika (Countermeasure) 

Study of mechanisms and efficiency of countermeasures for preventing muscular skeletal apparatus degradation in microgravity. 

Akusport kit Lactate kit TEEM-100M gas analyzerNominal hardware: Reflotron-4 complex TVIS treadmill VB-3 bicycle ergometer Bungee cords set Gamma-1M equipment Laptop Kardiokasseta-2000 set Power unit Tsentr

Existing Onorbit 15 onboard 

systems 

Biomedical РБО-1 

“Prognoz” 

Development of a method for real-time prediction of dose loads on the crews of manned space stations. 

Standard equipment:- P-16 radiometer; - ДБ-8 dosimeters (4 units) 

Existing Onorbit (Progress M 

4) 

onboard systems 

Imag

Require

No

Biomedical РБО -2 

“Bradoz” 

Bioradiation dosimetry during spaceflight. The purpose of the experiment is to use dosimeters to measure ionizing space radiation. Seeds of plants will be also be used. 

“Bradoz” kit Progress M8 onboard systems Imag

Require

Sha

Biotechnolo

gy 

БТХ-1 Glikoproteid 

Alpha virus glycoproterin E1-E2 isolation and investigation 

Biotechnolo

gy 

БТХ-2 Mimetik-K 

Anti-idiotypical antibodies as mimetics of adjuvantly active glycoproteins. 

Biotechnolo

gy 

БТХ-3 KAF 

Crystallization of CaflM protein and its structure with C-terminal peptide Cafl to create medicines and vaccines against yersinioses 

Biotechnolo

gy 

БТХ-4 Vaktsina-K 

Structural study of candidate-proteins in vaccines against AIDS. 

- Bio-crystallization equipment – CPCF Progress M8 None . 

Biotechnolo

gy 

БТХ-11 Biodegradatsia 

Evaluation of biodegradation initial stages and biodamage of structure materials surfaces 

Biodegradatsia -GO1 kit Biodegradatsia – GO2 kit 

Progress M8 None 

Technical 

Studies 

ТЕХ-3 Akustika-M 

Acoustic study of ISS crew voice communication optimization 

Akustika-M equipment Progress M8 None 

Technical 

Studies 

ТЕХ-5 “Meteoroid” (SDTO 16002-R) 

Recording meteoroid and man-made particle impacts on the exterior surface of ISS RS Service Module. 

Standard MMOD monitoring system: - MMK-2 electronic unit; - Stationary capacitor sensors КД1, КД2, 

КД3, КД4;

- removable capacitor sensor (КДС)

Existing Onorbit onboard systems Imag

Require

Technical 

Studies 

ТЕХ-13 “Tenzor” (SDTO 12001-R) 

Determining ISS dynamic properties Standard equipment: 

- ISS RS motion control system (СУД) 

sensors (micro accelerometers); 

- star tracker; - GPS GLONAS satellite systems . 

Existing Onorbit onboard systems Imag

Require

19
Expedition Four

Category Experiment Name Research Objective Hardware Used Up/Down 

Flight or 

Vehicle 

Power 

(Watts) 

Uni

Payl

Const

Technical 

Studies 

ТЕХ-14 “Vektor-T” (SDTO 12002-R) 

Study of the ISS system for high-accuracy motion prediction through the use of GPS receiver and GLONASS satellite radionavigation systems data periodically transmitted to the ground. 

Standard equipment:- ISS RS СУД sensors;

- ISS RS orbit radio tracking (РКО) 

system; 

- GPS and GLONASS satellite systems. 

Existing Onorbit Imag

Require

Technical 

Studies 

ТЕХ-15 “Izgib” (Bending - SDTO 13002-R) 

Study of the effect of onboard system operating modes on ISS flight conditions by measuring vibration disturbances, sources, and vibration fields in the ISS modules. 

Standard equipment: - ISS RS accelerometers and rotational 

speed sensors 

Existing Onorbit Imag

Require

Technical 

Studies 

ТЕХ-16 “Privyazka” (Alignment - SDTO 12003-R) 

Determination of science instruments orientation in space with allowance for deformation of the ISS hull. Information will be collected simultaneously from station attitude sensors and high-accuracy instruments to allow the development of a model of the station construction error under different attitudes, including non-uniform sunlight exposure and vibrations. 

Standard equipment: - ISS RS CУД sensors (micro 

accelerometers); 

Existing Onorbit Imag

Require

Technical 

Studies 

ТЕХ-17 “Iskazhenie” (Distortion - SDTO 16001-R) 

Determine the factors affecting the accuracy of ISS attitude determination using a magnetometer. Magnetometer data will be used in mathematical simulations of magnetic interference on the ISS to improve attitude determination accuracy. 

Standard equipment: ISS RS Service Module CУД attitude control sensors and control loop magnetometers. 

Existing Onorbit Imag

Require

Technical 

Studies 

ТЕХ-22 “Identifikatsiya” (Identification) (SDTO 13001-R) 

Identification of sources of perturbations in the ISS Microgravity environment by measuring disturbances during vehicle dockings/undockings, cosmonaut exercises, and operations of onboard systems.. 

Standard micro acceleration measurement system:- linear optical accelerometer (АЛО-034 

– 44 ea.) with cables; 

- micro acceleration measurement device 

(ИМУ-128 – 10 ea.) with cables. 

Existing Onorbit Imag

Require

Technical 

Studies 

TEX-3 “Skorpion” 

Monitoring of environmental parameters inside station compartments at various places and clarification of the conditions for conducting scientific and technical experiments 

Skorpion equipment (CKP-1) TBD 6 Imag

Require

Technical 

Studies 

ТЕХ-32 Kolibri 

Educational project Existing Onorbit None 

Technical 

Studies 

ИКЛ-1В

Platan 

Search for low energy heavy nuclei of solar and galactic origin 

Platan-M equipment Existing Onorbit None 

Technical 

Studies 

ПКЕ-1В

“Kromka” 

Study of the dynamics of extracting contaminating particles from the control jets during pulse activations and verifying the effectiveness of devices to protect ISS exterior surfaces from contamination. 

Cassette with exposed samples (КЭО) 

with packing (passive hardware). 

Existing Onorbit None Imag

Require

20
Expedition Four

Category Experiment Name Research Objective Hardware Used Up/Down 

Flight or 

Vehicle 

Power 

(Watts) 

Uni

Payl

Const

Study of Earth natural resources and ecological monitoring 

ДЗЗ-2 

"Diatomea" 

Study of stability of geographic location and frontiers configuration of the biologically productive oceanic waters observed by the crews of the space station 

Photo camera Nikon F5 Video camera DSR-PD1P Dictaphone laptop No3

"Diatomea" kit 

Existing Onorbit None 

Technical Studies 

КНТ-15 

"Spika-S" 

Investigation of spaceflight factors impact on electronic components’ tolerance to radiation. 

"Spika-S" equipment Existing Onorbit 7 

Biomedical БИО-1 

"Полиген"

Detection of genotype properties that determine individual differences in the tolerance of biological objects to longduration space flight factors. 

"Drosophila" kit Союз 4

Союз 3 

- 

 

Total 

21
Expedition Four

Experiments 

Advanced Astroculture (ADVASC) 

Principal Investigators: Tad Theno and Eric Brunsell, chief program scientists for Space 

Explorers Inc., and Dr. Weijia Zhou, Wisconsin Center for Space 

Automation and Robotics (WCSAR), University of WisconsinMadison 

Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Bratislav Stankovic, WCSAR 

Overview 

The first ADVANCED ASTROCULTURETM plant growth unit was used successfully to grow plants 

during Expedition Two. These plants were returned to investigators on Earth on the STS-104 space 

shuttle mission in July 2001. 

During their stay on the International Space Station during Expedition Two, the plants went through 

seed germination, plant growth and development, seed formation, and seed maturation -- 

completing an entire lifecycle. Of the 91 Arabidopsis seeds that were launched, about 90 percent 

germinated in space; and about 70 percent of the seeds grew to produce siliques that contained 

mature seeds. An average of 24 siliques per plant were produced, each containing an 

average of 36 seeds. The majority of siliques were rated as mature, while the others were 

moderately mature. 

Operations 

ADVANCED ASTROCULTURE provides a completely enclosed, environmentally 

controlled plant growth chamber. It requires no power during shuttle ascent and descent. 

Before the flight, scientists plant seeds in a root tray using a dry rooting material called 

Arcillite, a type of crushed clay. The seed tray is then attached to the ADVANCED 

ASTROCULTURE growth chamber. Reservoirs in the growth unit are loaded with water 

and nutrient solutions that plants need to live while aboard the ISS. 

The equipment is configured as two single middeck lockers that insert separately into a 

space station EXPRESS Rack. One locker contains the support systems. The other 

contains the plant growth chamber and ancillary hardware. This arrangement allows the 

support system to remain on board, while the shuttle transports plant growth units to and 

from the station with different experiments. 

For the Expedition Four experiment, the payload has been modified. A hatch was added so 

the crew can remove plant tissue while the plants are growing on board the station. The 

plant samples will be stored in tissue fixation tubes, designed by NASA’s Kennedy Space 

Center. Then, they will be placed inside the station’s Biotechnology Refrigerator. The plant 

tissues’ RNA genetic information will be preserved, which will allow scientists and the 

commercial partner to study microgravity impact on plants’ gene expression levels after the 

plants are returned to Earth. 

22
Expedition Four

The objectives of the Expedition Four ADVANCED ASTROCULTURE experiments are (1) to 

validate plant life support technologies used in the ADVASC payload; (2) to produce the second 

generation of seeds in space from the first generation produced during Expedition Two; and (3) to 

conduct a gene expression analysis to determine whether microgravity may alter plant gene 

expression levels. 

23
Expedition Four

Experiments 

Active Rack Isolation System (ARIS)— 

ARIS ISS Characterization Experiment (ARIS ICE) 

Principal Investigator: Jim Allen, The Boeing Co., Houston, Texas. 

Project Manager: Albert Reville, The Boeing Co., Huntsville, Ala. 

Program Manager: Naveed Quraishi, International Space Station Program Office, 

NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas. 

Overview 

Even in the virtually gravity-free environment of the International Space Station, tiny 

potential vibrations or disturbances—such as those caused by crew exercise—can upset 

the delicate balance of sensitive science experiments. The Active Rack Isolation System 

(ARIS) acts as a vibration absorber to help isolate them. By acting as a buffer between the 

experiment and these vibrations, ARIS protects delicate experiments housed in EXPRESS 

Rack No. 2 from outside influences that could potentially affect research results. The 

EXPRESS Rack, which stands for EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments to the Space 

Station, is a standardized payload rack system that transports, stores and supports 

experiments aboard the space station. 

A related experiment to the ARIS system, the ARIS ISS Characterization Experiment (ARIS 

ICE), is a separate payload created to characterize ARIS' on-orbit performance. In addition 

to generating controlled disruptions on and off the rack, ARIS ICE will enable real-time 

monitoring of the on-orbit vibration isolation capabilities of various ARIS configurations. 

History/Background 

A prototype of the ARIS system was tested during the STS-79 mission, a 1996 flight during 

which Space Shuttle Atlantis docked with the Russian Space Station Mir. To simulate the 

weight of future scientific payloads, five lockers within the ARIS rack on STS-79 were filled 

with 375 pounds of Russian food packages delivered to the Mir crew during the mission. 

After the ARIS system was activated, the astronauts conducted an extensive series of tests 

that indicate ARIS was successful in reducing the impact of off-board disturbances. 

Benefits 

The ISS will permit long-duration microgravity experiments in an environment similar to 

Earth-based laboratories—minus the gravity. The ARIS system will enhance the ability of 

scientists to conduct these experiments. By countering vibrational disturbances that could 

potentially damage the research results of certain delicate experiments, ARIS will play a 

key role in the success of this permanent laboratory in space. 

24
Expedition Four

Experiments

Cellular Biotechnology Operations Support System (CBOSS) 

Principal Investigators: Jeanne L. Becker, Ph.D., University of South Florida, Tampa; 

Timothy G. Hammond, M.B., B.S., Tulane University Medical 

Center, New Orleans; J. Milburn Jessup, M.D., University of Texas 

Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas; Peter I. Lelkes, Ph.D., 

Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pa. 

Program Manager: Dr. Neal Pellis, Manager, Cellular Biotechnology Program Office,

NASA Johnson Space Center 

Project Manager: Melody Anderson, Cellular Biotechnology Program Office, NASA 

Johnson Space Center 

Payload Experiment Fred R. Williams, Life Sciences Systems and Services, Wyle 

Developer: Labs, Inc. 

Overview 

The objective of the Cellular Biotechnology Operations Support System (CBOSS) is to 

provide a controlled environment for the cultivation of cells into healthy, three-dimensional 

tissues that retain the form and function of natural, living tissue. CBOSS will enable 

investigations on normal and cancerous mammalian cells, including ovarian and colon 

cancer cells, neural precursor and human renal cells. The system is comprised of the 

Biotechnology Specimen Temperature Controller, the Biotechnology Refrigerator, the Gas 

Supply Module and the Biotechnology Cell Science Stowage. The crew will periodically 

record scientific data, add fresh media to the tissue culture modules and process samples 

for return to Earth. The crew also will perform preventative maintenance. 

Background/Flight History 

The first cellular experiment flew aboard the space shuttle in the mid-1990s during STS-70 

and STS-85. Long-duration cellular biotechnology experiments also were conducted in the 

Biotechnology System Facility on the Russian space station Mir from 1996 through 1998. 

This experiment also flew on the space station during Expedition Three. 

Benefits 

Bioreactor cell growth in microgravity permits cultivation of in vitro tissue cultures of size 

and quantity not possible on Earth. Such a capability provides unprecedented 

opportunities for breakthrough research in human diseases, including various types of 

cancer, diabetes, heart disease and AIDS. 

More information on NASA biotechnology research and other Expedition Four experiments 

is available at: 

http://microgravity.msfc.nasa.gov

http://scipoc.msfc.nasa.gov

25
Expedition Four

Experiments 

Crew Earth Observations (CEO) 

Principal Investigator: Kamlesh Lulla, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas 

Payload Developer: Sue Runco, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas 

Overview 

By allowing photographs to be taken from space, the Crew Earth Observations (CEO) 

experiment provides people on Earth with data needed to better understand our planet. The 

photographs—taken by crewmembers using handheld cameras—record observable Earth 

surface changes over a period of time, as well as more fleeting events such as storms, 

floods, fires and volcanic eruptions. 

Orbiting 220 miles or more above the Earth, the International Space Station offers an ideal 

vantage point for crewmembers to continue observational efforts that began in the early 

1960s when space crews first photographed the Earth. This experiment on the space 

station began during Expedition One, STS-97 (ISS Assembly Flight 4A), and is planned to 

continue through the life of the space station. 

History/Background 

This experiment has flown on every crewed NASA space mission beginning with Gemini in 

1961. Since that time, astronauts have photographed the Earth, observing the world’s 

geography and documenting events such as hurricanes and other natural phenomena. 

Over the years, space crews also have documented human impacts on Earth -- city growth, 

agricultural expansion and reservoir construction. The CEO experiment aboard the ISS will 

build on that knowledge. 

Benefits 

Today, images of the world from 10, 20 or 30 years ago provide valuable insight into Earth 

processes and the effects of human developments. Photographic images taken by space 

crews serve as both primary data on the state of the Earth and as secondary data to be 

combined with images from other satellites in orbit. Worldwide more than one million users 

log on to the Astronaut Earth Photography database each year. Through their photography 

of the Earth, space station crewmembers will build on the time series of imagery started 35 

years ago -- ensuring this record of Earth remains unbroken. 

26
Expedition Four

Experiments 

Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (CGBA) 

Principal Investigators: Dr. Louis Stodiek, BioServe Space Technologies, University of 

Colorado, Boulder, and Dr. Raymond Lam, Bristol-Myers Squibb 

Pharmaceutical Research Institute, Wallingford, Conn. 

Project Manager: Cooperative agreement managed by John West, Office of Space 

Product Development, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, 

Huntsville, Ala., and technical management by BioServe at the 

University of Colorado, Boulder 

Overview 

The goal of the research conducted in the Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus 

(CGBA) payload is to develop commercial uses of the unique microgravity environment for 

the field of life sciences. The CGBA hardware is able to support many standard biological 

laboratory techniques that have been adapted to operate in space. The experiments are 

designed to further our understanding of how gravity influences various biophysical and 

biochemical actions. Applications of this knowledge are geared toward creating or 

improving various biologically derived products, as well as enhancing the processes used 

to create them. 

History/Background 

The CGBA is a commercial payload sponsored by NASA’s Space Product Development 

Program at the Marshall Space Flight Center. BioServe Space Technologies builds and 

manages the apparatus. BioServe is a NASA Commercial Space Center jointly located 

within the Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department at the University of Colorado in 

Boulder and the Division of Biology at Kansas State University in Manhattan. Bristol-Myers 

Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute in Wallingford, Conn., is BioServe’s sponsoring 

commercial partner for this research. Since 1991, BioServe has flown payloads in space on 

16 shuttle flights, two Mir flights and during Expedition Two. 

Benefits 

Gaining a better understanding of what is causing the stimulated production of antibiotics in 

space is helping scientists to design experiments that attempt to mimic this increase in 

productivity on Earth. These experimental techniques may lead to the development of 

methods for improving production efficiency in terrestrial pharmaceutical processing 

facilities. 

Additional information on CGBA can be found at: 

http://www.colorado.edu/engineering/BioServe/

27
Expedition Four

Experiments 

Commercial Protein Crystal Growth (CPCG) 

Principal Investigators: Dr. Larry DeLucas, Center for Biophysical Sciences and 

Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Ala. 

Project Manager: Steve Lide, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 

Overview 

The Commercial Protein Crystal Growth (CPCG) payload consists of 1,008 individual 

experiments in the High Density Protein Crystal Growth Assembly. This assembly will be 

stored in a Commercial Refrigerator Incubator Module for temperature control. The payload 

will be transferred to the International Space Station and the experiments will be activated. 

The crystal growth experiments, which require minimal crew interaction, will continue 

through the duration of the mission. The High Density Protein Crystal Growth System 

represents a major increase in capacity over the Center's previous crystal growth hardware, 

which contained only 128 individual experiments. 

History/Background 

Protein crystal growth experiments have been conducted by the Center for Biophysical 

Sciences and Engineering on 38 previous space shuttle missions, beginning in 1985. 

CPCG also flew aboard the space station during Expedition Two. 

Benefits 

Structural studies using microgravity-grown protein crystals may provide information that 

can be used in the development of new drugs. Many of the crystallization experiments 

conducted on the space shuttle have yielded crystals that furthered structural biology 

projects. With the advent of genomic information from humans and many other species, the 

roles proteins play in diseases and degenerative conditions is becoming more clear and the 

need for information about the structure of these proteins more critical. 

Additional information and photos on this experiment is available at: 

http://mix.msfc.nasa.gov/IMAGES/MEDIUM/9805360.jpg

http://mix.msfc.nasa.gov/IMAGES/MEDIUM/9401631.jpg

http://www.cmc.uab.edu/

28
Expedition Four

Experiments 

EarthKAM (Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students) 

Principal Investigator: Dr. Sally Ride, University of California, San Diego, Calif. 

Project Manager: Brion J. Au, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas 

Overview 

EarthKAM (Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle school students) is a NASA-sponsored 

educational program that enables students to photograph and examine the Earth from the 

vantage point of the International Space Station. EarthKAM is operated by the University of 

California, San Diego and NASA field centers. Using a digital camera mounted at the 

optical quality window in the station's Destiny Lab, EarthKAM students are able to remotely 

photograph the Earth's coastlines, mountain ranges and other geographic items of interest 

from the unique vantage point of space. 

Experiment Operations 

EarthKAM students determine the images they want to acquire, then their requests are 

collected and compiled into a "Camera Control File" at the University of California in San 

Diego. This file is then sent to a Station Support Computer aboard the ISS. This laptop 

activates the camera at specified times, taking the desired images and transferring them to 

the camera's hard disk card, which is capable of storing up to 81 images. The laptop 

computer then transfers these images to its own hard drive, storing them until they can be 

sent to Earth via the station's Operations Local Area Network (OPS LAN). Approximately 

one hour after receiving the images from the ISS, the EarthKAM team posts the images at 

http://www.earthkam.ucsd.edu/ for easy access by participating schools. 

Flight History/Background 

In 1994, Dr. Sally Ride, a physics professor, former NASA astronaut and the first American 

woman to fly in space, started what is now EarthKAM with the goal of integrating education 

with the space program. EarthKAM flew on five space shuttle flights before being taken to 

the space station. Since 1996, EarthKAM students from schools in the United States, 

Japan, Germany and France have taken thousands of photographs of the Earth. 

The EarthKAM camera was installed in February 2001 during STS-98 as part of the 

Expedition One, ISS Mission 5A. After the Expedition One crew mounted the camera at the 

Destiny Lab window, the payload required no further crew interaction for nominal 

operations. 

Benefits 

By integrating Earth images with inquiry-based learning, EarthKAM offers students and 

educators the opportunity to participate in a space mission and develop teamwork, 

communication and problem-solving skills. Educators also use the images alongside 

suggested curriculum plans for studies in physics, computers, geography, math, earth 

science, biology, art, history, cultural studies and more. 

29
Expedition Four

Experiments 

Protein Crystal Growth Single-locker Thermal Enclosure System 

Housing the Diffusion-controlled Crystallization Apparatus for 

Microgravity 

Principal Investigator: Dr. Daniel Carter, New Century Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Huntsville, Ala. 

Project Manager: Todd Holloway, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 

Overview 

Structural biological experiments conducted in the Single-locker Thermal Enclosure System 

(STES) may provide a basis for understanding the function of important macromolecules 

and possibly contribute to the development of new macromolecules. The scope of 

biological macromolecules includes proteins, polysaccharides and other carbohydrates, 

lipids and nucleic acids of biological origin, or those expressed in plant, animal, fungal or 

bacteria systems. The fundamental goal for growing biological macromolecular crystals is 

to determine their structure and the biological processes in which they are involved. 

Understanding these structures may impact the studies of medicine, agriculture, the 

environment and other biosciences. 

Operations 

The STES for the structural biology experiment is an incubator/refrigerator module that can 

house different devices for growing biological crystals in microgravity. During the STS-108 

mission, two of these STES units will be flown, one housing the Diffusion-controlled 

Crystallization Apparatus for Microgravity (DCAM) and the other housing the Protein 

Crystallization Apparatus for Microgravity (PCAM). Once on board the International Space 

Station, the units will be located in the U.S. lab EXPRESS Rack 4. The experiments are 

scheduled to return to Earth aboard the STS-110 mission in March 2002. 

The STES unit houses the DCAM, which is designed to grow crystals by dialysis and/or 

liquid-liquid diffusion. Eighty-one structural biology experiments are housed on three trays 

in the DCAM. Each sample container in the experiment is a little larger than a plastic can 

for 35mm film. The inside of the container is molded into two cylindrical chambers joined by 

a tunnel. The smaller chamber contains a buffer/precipitant solution. The end cap for this 

chamber holds the biological sample solution, covered by a semi-permeable membrane. 

This membrane allows the precipitant solution in the larger chamber to pass into the 

biological sample solution. A plug filled with porous material separates the two chambers 

and controls the rate of diffusion. Exposure to the precipitant causes the biological sample 

to crystallize. 

Benefits 

With science being performed on the ISS, scientists are no longer restricted to relatively 

short-duration flights to conduct structural biology experiments. This research will enable 

the more accurate mapping of the three-dimensional structure of macromolecules. Once 

the structure of a particular macromolecule is known, it may become much easier to 

determine how these compounds function. 

30
Expedition Four

Experiments 

Astronauts in EVA Radiation Study (EVARM) 

Principal Investigator: Ian Thomson, Thomson & Nielsen Electronics, Ltd., Ottawa, 

Canada 

NASA Project Manager: Michelle Kamman, Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas 

CSA Project Manager: Ron Wilkinson, Canadian Space Agency, Ottawa, Canada 

Overview 

Space travel can be dangerous for humans because of the large amounts of radiation to which they 

can be adversely exposed. This concern is particularly true for spacewalkers who venture outside 

the shielded walls of spacecraft protected by only a spacesuit. Construction and maintenance of the 

space station will require hundreds of hours of space-walking time over the life of the program. Very 

high doses of radiation can kill cells and damage tissue, leading to cancer, cataracts and even 

injury to the central nervous system. 

Monitoring devices have been flown on many space shuttle missions and Russia’s space station 

Mir to learn more about how to protect crews from the effects of radiation. But these devices were 

not specifically designed to study radiation dosages encountered during spacewalks. The 

Astronauts in EVA Radiation Study (EVARM) will be the first to measure radiation dosage 

encountered by the eyes, internal organs and skin during specific spacewalks and relate it to the 

type of activity, location and other factors. 

Flight History/Background 

Scientists have been measuring radiation in the Earth’s upper atmosphere and beyond 

since balloon launches in the 1940s. Radiation experiments have been part of many human 

space missions, measuring radiation exposure to spacecraft and space travelers. The 

Canadian Space Agency and the principal investigator for the experiment flew a similar 

radiation monitoring experiment on three missions aboard Russia’s space station Mir in the 

mid-1990s. That experiment used passive dosimeters that were read after they were 

returned to Earth. The dosimeters were placed in the cosmonauts’ sleeping quarters but 

were not carried on spacewalks. 

Benefits 

EVARM will help scientists better understand and predict radiation exposure encountered 

by astronauts during spacewalks and compare that to specific activities. For instance, 

scientists believe that spacewalkers who work close to the massive structure of the station 

will receive a lower radiation dosage than spacewalkers working at the end of the shuttle or 

station robot arms. The results of the investigation may offer ways to mitigate exposure to 

radiation during spacewalks. In addition, this space experiment will help further the 

technology used for radiation sensors on Earth. 

31
Expedition Four

More information on the EVARM and other Expedition Four experiments is available at: 

http://www.scipoc.msfc.nasa.gov

http://www.thomson-elec.com

http://www.space.gc.ca/csa_sectors/space_science/space_life_sciences/evarm/default.as

32
Expedition Four

Experiments 

EXPRESS Racks 

Project Manager: Annette Sledd, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 

Overview 

The EXPRESS Rack is a standardized payload rack system that transports, stores and 

supports experiments aboard the International Space Station. EXPRESS stands for 

EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments to the Space Station, reflecting the fact this 

system was developed specifically to maximize the station’s research capabilities. The 

EXPRESS Rack system supports science payloads (including commercial payloads) in 

several disciplines, including biology, chemistry, physics, ecology and medicine. 

Operations 

With its standardized hardware interfaces and streamlined approach, the EXPRESS Rack 

enables quick, simple integration of multiple payloads aboard the space station. The 

system is comprised of elements that remain on the ISS, as well as elements that travel 

back and forth between the space station and Earth via the space shuttle. EXPRESS 

Racks stay on orbit continually, while experiments are exchanged in and out of the 

EXPRESS Racks as needed – remaining on the space station for three months to several 

years. 

A total of eight EXPRESS Racks are to be used on the space station. The first two were 

installed during Expedition 2 on the STS-100 mission (ISS Assembly Flight 6A) in April 

2001. EXPRESS Racks 4 and 5 were installed during STS 105 (7A.1) in August 2001 at 

the beginning of Expedition Three 3. Express Rack No. 3 is to be installed in April 2002. 

Benefits 

By housing, supporting and transporting these experiments, the EXPRESS Rack could play 

a key role in the development of better medicines, more powerful computer chips or lighter 

metals. Similarly, by reducing the time, complexity and expense historically associated with 

orbital research, the EXPRESS Rack system will help universities and industry achieve 

these advances more quickly and for less money. 

More information on EXPRESS Racks and the ISS can be found at: 

http://www.scipoc.msfc.nasa.gov 

http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/Shuttle/ msl/science/express.html 

http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov 

http://flightprojects.msfc.nasa.gov/ fd31.html 

33
Expedition Four

Experiments 

Human Research Facility Rack 1 

Project Manager: Dennis Grounds, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas 

Overview 

The Human Research Facility, the first rack-sized payload to be installed in the U.S. 

Laboratory module of the International Space Station, provides an on-orbit laboratory that 

will enable life science researchers to study and evaluate the physiological, behavioral and 

chemical changes in human beings induced by spaceflight. 

The Human Research Facility is a rack that provides services and utilities to experiments 

and instruments installed within it. These include electrical power, command and data 

handling, cooling air and water, pressurized gases and vacuum. 

The first of two Human Research Facility racks was transported to the ISS on Mission 5A.1 

during Expedition Two. The second will launch in 2002 and will also be located in the U.S. 

laboratory Destiny. 

History/Background 

Experiments conducted on board Spacelab, the space shuttle and the Russian space 

station Mir have required unique equipment to be transported for individual investigations. 

The Human Research Facility is unique to the ISS because its standardized equipment can 

support multiple experiments, reducing the amount of equipment transported to and from 

the space station. 

The development phase began in 1996 with the formation of a science-working group 

made up of non-NASA researchers and medical practitioners. They defined the needs of 

prospective science experiment investigators and assisted NASA in designing and 

developing the rack and its hardware. 

Benefits 

Areas of concern to human well-being and performance, such as renal stone risk, bone 

density deterioration and the effects of ionizing radiation, will be studied using the Human 

Research Facility system and hardware. The human research will contribute to improving 

the scientific foundation of our understanding of the processes related to life, health and 

disease; strengthening the scientific underpinning of programs to assure safe and 

productive human spaceflight; and developing various applications of space technologies 

relevant to solutions of scientific and medical problems on Earth.

34
Expedition Four

Experiments 

Effects of Altered Gravity on Spinal Cord Excitability (H-Reflex) 

Principal Investigator: Dr. Douglas Watt, McGill University, Montreal, Canada 

Project Engineer: Luc Lefebvre, McGill University, Montreal, Canada

Overview 

Experiments performed on space shuttle missions and on Skylab and Mir have shown that 

exposure to weightlessness causes changes in a person’s neurovestibular system—

changes related to the inner ear, equilibrium and awareness of body or limb orientation. In 

the H-Reflex experiment, also carried out on Expedition Two and Expedition Three 

crewmembers, researchers for the Canadian Space Agency are seeking additional 

information on changes to the human neurological system that occur during long-duration 

space flights. Researchers already know prolonged weightlessness results in a loss of 

muscle strength and decreased bone density. Currently, the only known treatment for this 

problem is in-flight exercise. But does exercise work on a long space flight? 

A goal of the H-Reflex experiment is to help researchers determine if exercise could be 

made more effective on long space flights. The experiment measures spinal cord 

excitability—its ability to respond to stimuli. Researchers believe that spinal cord excitability 

decreases during prolonged space flight. If this proves true, they hypothesize that in-flight 

exercise would be less effective and the crews will have to work harder and longer to 

achieve any benefit. If spinal cord excitability does decrease on prolonged flights, 

researchers may be able to reverse the effect and lower the amount of exercise now 

required in space and thus increase crewmember productivity during the flight. 

History/Background 

Related experiments flew on eight previous space shuttle missions (STS-9, STS-41G, 

STS-61, STS-40, STS-42, STS-52, STS-58 and STS-78), on Skylab, and on Expedition 

Two and on Expedition Three. 

Benefits 

Studies such as the H-Reflex experiment will enable researchers to better understand and 

assess the physiological risks of long-duration space flight and help them better prepare 

crews for those flights. By knowing how a crewmember’s body is affected in space, 

scientists can reduce the risk of acute and chronic health problems, increase productivity 

and make the spacecraft more habitable. Benefits from the H-Reflex study range from the 

obvious—potential improvement of crewmember health—to the less obvious—the potential 

for improving health care on Earth. 

35
Expedition Four

Experiments 

Crewmember and Crew-Ground Interactions During ISS Missions 

(Interactions) 

Principal Investigator: Dr. Nick Kanas, Veterans Administration Medical Center, San Francisco, Calif. 

Overview 

Spaceflight places humans in an environment unlike any found on Earth. The nearly 

complete absence of gravity is perhaps the most prominent obstacle that astronauts face. It 

requires a significant modification of living and working habits by the astronauts. Not only 

do they have to learn to adapt to the way they perform routine operations, such as eating, 

moving and operating equipment, but they must also learn to adjust to the internal changes 

that their bodies experience and to the psychosocial stressors that result from working 

under isolated and confined conditions. 

The Interactions experiment seeks to identify and characterize important interpersonal and 

cultural factors that may impact the performance of the crew and ground support personnel 

during International Space Station missions. The study will examine — as it did in similar 

experiments on the Russian Space Station Mir and on Expedition Two and Expedition 

Three — issues involving tension, cohesion and leadership roles in the crew in orbit and in 

the ground support crews. The study will have both the crewmembers and ground control 

personnel complete a standard questionnaire. 

History/Background 

NASA performed similar “interaction” studies during the Shuttle/Mir Program in the late 

1990s. That experiment examined the crewmembers’ and mission control personnel’s 

perception of tension, cohesion, leadership and the crew-ground relationship. 

Benefits 

Because interpersonal relationships can affect crewmembers in the complicated day-to-day 

activities they must complete, studies such as this are important to crew health and safety 

on future long-duration space missions. Findings from this study will allow researchers to 

develop actions and methods to reduce negative changes in behavior and reverse gradual 

decreases in mood and interpersonal interactions during the ISS missions—and even 

longer missions, such as an expedition to Mars. 

36
Expedition Four

Experiment 

Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System (MAMS) 

Project Manager: William Foster, Glenn Research Center 

MAMS measures accelerations that affect the entire space station, including experiments 

inside the laboratory. It fits in a double middeck locker, in the U.S. laboratory Destiny in 

EXPRESS Rack No.1. During Expedition Three, it was preinstalled in the rack, which was 

placed in the laboratory during Expedition Two, ISS Flight 6A. At the start of Expedition 

Three, MAMS was relocated to EXPRESS Rack No. 4. 

The MAMS accelerometer sensor is a spare flight sensor from the Orbital Acceleration 

Research Experiment (OARE) program that characterizes similar accelerations aboard the 

space shuttle. Unlike SAMS-II, MAMS measures more subtle accelerations that only affect 

certain types of experiments, such as crystal growth. Therefore MAMS will not have to be 

on all the time. During early expeditions, MAMS will require a minimum operational period 

of 48 or 96 hours to characterize the performance of the sensors and collect baseline data. 

During later increments, MAMS can be activated for time periods sufficient to satisfy 

payload or space station requirements for acceleration data. 

MAMS is commanded on and off from the Telescience Support Center at Glenn. MAMS is 

activated when the crew switches on the power switch for the EXPRESS Rack No. 1, and 

the MAMS computer is powered up from the ground control center. When MAMS is 

powered on, data is sent to Glenn Research Center’s Telescience Support Center where it 

is processed and displayed on the Principal Investigator Microgravity Services Space 

Station Web site to be viewed by investigators. 

History/Background 

The Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) – on which SAMS-II is based -- first 

flew in June 1991 and has flown on nearly every major microgravity science mission. 

SAMS was used for four years aboard the Russian space station Mir where it collected 

data to support science experiments. 

37
Expedition Four

Experiment 

Space Acceleration Measurement System II (SAMS-II) 

Project Manager: William M. Foster, Glenn Research Center 

SAMS-II began operations on ISS Mission 6A. It measures vibrations that affect nearby 

experiments. SAMS-II uses small remote triaxial sensor systems that are placed directly 

next to experiments throughout the laboratory module. For Expedition Two, five sensors 

were placed in the EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments to the Space Station Racks 

(EXPRESS) with experiments before launch. 

As the sensors measure accelerations electronically, they transmit the measurements to 

the interim control unit located in an EXPRESS Rack drawer. SAMS-II is designed to 

record accelerations for the lifetime of the space station. As larger, facility-size experiments 

fill entire space station racks in the future, the interim control unit will be replaced with a 

more sophisticated computer control unit. It will allow on-board data analysis and direct 

dissemination of data to the investigators’ telescience centers located at university 

laboratories and other locations around the world. Special sensors are being designed to 

support future experiments that will be mounted on the exterior of the Space Station. 

38
Expedition Four

Experiments

Materials International Space Station Experiments 

Overview 

The Materials International Space Station Experiments (MISSE) Project is a NASA/Langley 

Research Center-managed cooperative endeavor to fly materials and other types of space 

exposure experiments on the space station. The objective is to develop early, low-cost, 

non-intrusive opportunities to conduct critical space exposure tests of space materials and 

components planned for use on future spacecraft. 

Johnson Space Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, Glenn Research Center, the 

Materials Laboratory at the Air Force Research Laboratory and Boeing Phantom Works are 

participants with Langley in the project. 

History/Background 

The MISSE experiments are the first externally mounted experiments conducted on the 

ISS. The experiments are in four Passive Experiment Containers (PECs) that were initially 

developed and used for an experiment on Mir in 1996 during the Shuttle-Mir Program. The 

PECs were transported to Mir on STS-76. After an 18-month exposure in space, they were 

retrieved on STS-86. 

PECs are suitcase-like containers for transporting experiments via the space shuttle to and 

from an orbiting spacecraft. Once on orbit and clamped to the host spacecraft, the PECs 

are opened and serve as racks to expose experiments to the space environment. 

The first two MISSE PECs were transported to the ISS on STS-105 in August 2001. The 

second two PECs will be launched to the ISS about 18 months later. 

Examples of tests to be performed in MISSE include: new generations of solar cells with 

longer expected lifetimes to power communications satellites; advanced optical 

components planned for future earth observational satellites; new, longer-lasting coatings 

that better control heat absorption and emissions and thereby the temperature of satellites; 

new concepts for lightweight shields to protect crews from energetic cosmic rays found in 

interplanetary space; and the effects of micrometeoroid impacts on materials planned for 

use in the development of ultra-light membrane structures for solar sails, large inflatable 

mirrors and lenses. 

Benefits 

New affordable materials will enable the development of advanced reusable launch 

systems and advanced spacecraft systems. 

39
Expedition Four

Experiments 

Physics of Colloids in Space (PCS) 

Principal Investigator: Prof. David Weitz, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. 

Co-Investigator: Prof. Peter Pusey, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK 

Project Manager: Michael Doherty, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

Overview 

A colloid is a system of fine particles suspended in a fluid. Paint, milk and ink are some 

common examples. Though these products are routinely produced and used, scientists still 

have much to learn about the underlying properties of colloidal systems. Understanding 

their properties may allow scientists to manipulate the physical structures of colloids -- a 

process called “colloidal engineering” -- for the manufacture of new materials and products. 

The PCS experiment began during Expedition Two with International Space Station 

Mission 6A (STS-100, April 2001) and is to conclude with the return of the samples on 

Flight UF-2. It gathers data on the basic physical properties of colloids by studying three 

different colloid sample types. This experiment represents the first in-depth study of the 

growth and properties of colloidal superlattices -- formed from mixtures of different-sized 

colloidal particles -- performed in a microgravity environment. Scientists hope to better 

understand how colloid structures grow and behave with the long-term goal of learning how 

to control their growth to create new materials. 

The experiment will focus on the growth and behavior of three different classes of colloid 

mixtures of tiny manmade particles of either polymethyl methacrylate or silica or 

polystyrene; these will include samples of binary colloidal crystal alloys, samples of colloidpolymer mixtures and samples of colloidal gels. Binary colloidal crystal alloys are 

dispersions of two different size particles in a stabilizing fluid. Colloid-polymer mixtures are 

solutions of mono-disperse particles mixed with a polymer in a stabilizing fluid, where the 

phase behavior -- solid, liquid and gas -- is controlled by the concentration of the polymer. 

Colloidal gels include aqueous solutions of particles, in this case aggregated on-orbit with a 

salt solution, to form fractal structures. The structure, stability and equilibrium properties of 

all the samples, as well as their structure, dynamics and mechanical properties, are being 

studied. 

History/Background 

The first generation experiments by these investigators in microgravity were Glovebox 

experiments with binary colloidal crystal alloys and colloid-polymer mixtures, flown on the 

Russian space station Mir and on the STS-95 mission in October 1998. 

40
Expedition Four

Experiments 

Protein Crystal Growth—Enhanced Gaseous Nitrogen Dewar 

(PCG-EGN) 

Principal Investigators: Dr. Alexander McPherson, University of California, Irvine 

Project Manager: Raymond A. French, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, 

Huntsville, Ala. 

Overview

The Enhanced Gaseous Nitrogen Dewar is a stainless steel and aluminum container 

assembly, similar to a thermos bottle, for carrying biological crystallization experiments 

aboard the space shuttle to the International Space Station. Approximately 500 plastic 

tubes, each containing a specific crystal-growth experiment, can fit inside the dewar 

assembly. The primary purpose of these experiments is to grow crystals of biological 

macromolecules in the low-gravity environment of space. These macromolecules include 

proteins, viruses and nucleic acids. 

Background/Flight History 

The EGN hardware is an upgrade from similar hardware and experiments flown on the 

Russian space station Mir. The upgraded EGN hardware incorporates devices for recording 

the temperatures inside the dewar and storing that data. The upgraded EGN flew to the 

space station during Expeditions One and Two. 

Benefits 

In order to better understand the basic processes of living things, scientists must first 

understand the structure and function of certain macromolecules. As the low-gravity 

environment of space often improves the quality of biological crystals beyond those grown 

on Earth, researchers expect the EGN experiments to contribute to their understanding of 

the three-dimensional and chemical structure of proteins, viruses and nucleic acids. 

Knowledge of precise three-dimensional molecular structure is important for protein 

engineering and drug design. 

Additional information on the Enhanced Gaseous Nitrogen Dewar and biological crystal 

growth is available at: 

http://www.microgravity.nasa.gov/

http://www.structure.uci.edu/frames/index.htm

http://crystal.nasa.gov/technical/egn.html

41
Expedition Four

Experiments 

Protein Crystal Growth— Single-locker Thermal Enclosure System 

(PCG-STES) Housing the Protein Crystallization Apparatus for 

Microgravity (PCAM) 

Principal Investigators: Dr. Daniel Carter and Dr. Craig Kundrot, New Century 

Pharmaceuticals, Huntsville, Ala. 

Project Manager: Todd Holloway, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 

Overview 

The STES is an incubator/refrigerator module that can house different devices for growing 

biological crystals in microgravity. Each STES unit houses six Protein Crystallization 

Apparatuses for Microgravity (PCAM), which are designed to grow the actual crystals. The 

fundamental goal for growing biological macromolecular crystals is to determine their 

structure and the biological processes in which they are involved. Scientists select 

macromolecules, crystallize them, and analyze the atomic details to determine the threedimensional atomic structure of the macromolecule. Understanding these structures may 

impact the studies of medicine, agriculture, the environment and other biosciences. 

Background/Flight History 

The STES hardware has previously flown on six shuttle missions (STS-63, 67, 73, 83, 85, 

95) and during Expedition Two. 

Benefits 

Structural biological experiments conducted in the PCG-STES will enable the more 

accurate mapping of the three-dimensional structure of macromolecules. Once the 

structure of a particular macromolecule is known, it may become much easier to determine 

how these compounds function. Every chemical reaction essential to life depends on the 

function of these compounds. 

Additional information on the STES and biological crystal growth is available at: 

http://crystal.nasa.gov/

http://www.microgravity.nasa.gov/ 

http://www.ssl.msfc.nasa.gov/msl1/images/pcambig.jpg

42
Expedition Four

Experiment 

PuFF - The Effects of EVA and Long-Term Exposure to Microgravity 

on Pulmonary Function

Principal Investigator: John B. West, M.D., Ph.D., Univ. of Calif. - San Diego 

Project Manager: Suzanne McCollum, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston 

Overview 

Little is known about how human lungs are affected by long-term exposure to the reduced 

pressure in spacesuits during spacewalks or long-term exposure to microgravity. Changes 

in respiratory muscle strength may result. The Pulmonary Function in Flight (PuFF) 

experiment focuses on the lung functions of astronauts both while they are aboard the 

International Space Station and following spacewalks. 

The first PuFF test was performed on the Expedition Three crew two weeks into their 

mission, then once monthly thereafter. Crewmembers also perform a PuFF test at least one 

week before each spacewalk. Following each spacewalk, the crewmembers will perform 

another PuFF test, either on the day of the spacewalk or on the following day. 

PuFF uses the Gas Analyzer System for Metabolic Analysis Physiology instrument in the 

Human Research Facility rack, along with a variety of other equipment. Data is stored in a 

personal computer located in the HRF rack and then transmitted to the ground. 

History/Background 

The PuFF experiment builds on research conducted during several Spacelab missions 

during the last decade. Comprehensive measurements of lung function in astronauts were 

first made during Spacelab Life Sciences-1 in June 1991. 

Benefits 

Gravity affects the way the lungs operate and may even exaggerate some lung disorders, 

such as emphysema and tuberculosis. In space, changes in lung anatomy may cause 

changes in lung performance. By performing lung experiments on astronauts living aboard 

the International Space Station, scientists hope to find new ways to not only protect the 

health of future space travelers, but to gain a better understanding of the effects of gravity 

on the lungs of people who remain on Earth. 

To read more about the Expedition Four science experiments, visit the Web at: 

www.scipoc.msfc.nasa.gov

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/science/index.html

43
Expedition Four

Experiments 

Renal Stone Risk During Space Flight: Assessment and 

Countermeasure Validation 

Principal Investigator: Dr. Peggy A. Whitson, Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas 

Project Manager: Michelle Kamman, Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas 

Overview 

Exposure to microgravity results in a number of physiological changes in the human body, 

including alterations in kidney function, fluid redistribution, bone loss and muscle atrophy. 

Previous data have shown that human exposure to microgravity increases the risk of 

kidney stone development during and immediately after spaceflight. Potassium citrate, a 

proven Earth-based therapy to minimize calcium-containing kidney stone development, will 

be tested during Expedition Four as a countermeasure to reduce the risk of kidney stone 

formation. This study also will assess the kidney stone-forming potential in humans based 

on mission duration, and determine how long after space flight the increased risk exists. 

Beginning three days before launch and continuing through 14 days after landing, each 

Expedition Four crewmember will either ingest two potassium citrate pills or two placebos 

daily with the last meal of the day. Urine will be collected for later study over several 24-

hour periods before, during and after flight. Food, fluid, exercise and medications also will 

be monitored before and during the urine collection period in order to assess any 

environmental influences other than microgravity. 

Benefits 

The formation of kidney stones could have severe health consequences for ISS 

crewmembers and negatively impact the success of a mission. This study will provide a 

better understanding of the risk factors associated with kidney stone development both 

during and after a spaceflight, as well as test the effectiveness of potassium citrate as a 

countermeasure to reduce this risk. Understanding how the disease may form in otherwise 

healthy crewmembers under varying environmental conditions also may provide insight into 

kidney stone-forming diseases on Earth. 

For more information on Expedition Four science experiments, visit the Web at: 

www.scipoc.msfc.nasa.gov

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/science/index.html

44
Expedition Four

Experiments 

Sub-regional Assessment of Bone Loss in the Axial Skeleton 

in Long-term Space Flight 

Principal Investigator: Dr. Thomas F. Lang, U. of California, San Francisco 

Project Manager: David K. Baumann, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston 

Overview 

As demonstrated by Skylab and Russian space station Mir missions, bone loss is an 

established medical risk in long-duration space flight. There is little information about the 

extent to which lost bone is recovered after spaceflight. This experiment is designed to 

measure bone loss and recovery experienced by crewmembers on the International Space 

Station. 

Experiment Operations 

Bone loss in the spine and hip will be determined by comparing preflight and postflight 

measurements of crewmembers’ spine and hipbones using Quantitative Computed 

Tomography -- a three-dimensional technique that examines the inner and outer portions of 

a bone separately. It can determine if the loss was localized in a small sub-region of the 

bone or over a larger area. 

Bone recovery will be assessed by comparing tomography data taken before and after 

flight and one year later. Results will be compared with ultrasound measurements and Dual 

X-Ray Absorptiometry taken at the same times. The measurements will include Dual X-Ray 

Absorptiometry of the spine, hip and heel, and ultrasound of the heel. The experiment 

began with the Expedition Two crewmembers. ISS crews through Expedition Six will be 

measured. To determine how the bone loss in space compares to the range of bone 

density in a normal adult population, crewmember bone measurements in the spine and hip 

will be compared to measurements of 120 healthy people of different genders and races 

between ages 35 and 45. 

Benefits 

This study will provide the first detailed information on the distribution of spaceflight-related 

bone loss between the trabecular and cortical compartments of the axial skeleton, as well 

as the extent to which lost bone is recovered in the year following return. The study will 

provide information that could be used in determining the frequency of crewmember 

assignments to long-duration missions, and for studying their health in older age. It also 

may be of use in the design of exercise or pharmacological countermeasures to prevent 

bone loss. Finally, comparison of bone mineral density in the hip and spine in the control 

population will help to improve understanding of the prevalence of osteoporosis between 

different race and gender sub-groups. 

45
Expedition Four

Experiments 

Xenon 1: Effects of Microgravity on the Peripheral Subcutaneous 

Veno-arteriolor Reflex in Humans 

Principal Investigator: Dr. Anders Gabrielson, National University Hospital, Copenhagen, 

Denmark. 

Project Manager: Suzanne McCollum, Johnson Space Center, Houston 

Overview 

When a person stands, there is a pooling of blood in the lower part of the body and legs. If 

blood circulation is impeded, this leads to a reduced filling of the heart, which in turn results 

in a decrease in blood pressure and possibly fainting or swooning. An important 

mechanism which is activated to protect the circulation is a reflex in muscle and skin called 

local veno-arteriolar reflex. 

Activation of these local reflexes results in constriction of the small blood vessels in skin 

and muscle tissue, which increases the resistance to blood flow and helps maintain blood 

pressure during upright posture. 

After being in the microgravity environment of space, the body's ability to regulate blood 

pressure while standing is reduced. This is called orthostatic intolerance, which can 

severely inhibit the functional capacity of crewmembers during re-entry and landing. The 

Xenon 1 study will investigate the mechanism of this syndrome, specifically the extent to 

which the blood vessels are active in maintaining normal blood pressure, laying an 

important foundation for the development of treatments for orthostatic intolerance. 

To study orthostatic intolerance, a tracer material, 133Xenon, will be injected just below the 

skin in the lower leg above the ankle. Arterial blood pressure will then be recorded 

continuously to calculate how blood vessels help regulate arterial blood pressure and 

prevent orthostatic hypotension, or dizziness when standing. The rate at which the Xenon 

is removed from the area by the circulatory system will also be measured. These 

measurements will be done on each of the Expedition Four crewmembers 30 days before 

their launch and repeated one day after they return to Earth. 

Benefits 

Understanding the local veno-arteriolar reflex following exposure to microgravity could lead 

to future treatments to ensure normal blood circulation for ISS crewmembers returning to 

Earth, enhancing mission effectiveness and crewmembers’ safety. 

For more information on Expedition Four science experiments, please visit the Web at: 

www.scipoc.msfc.nasa.gov

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/science/experiments/index.html

46
Expedition Four

Experiments 

Zeolite Crystal Growth Furnace (ZCG) 

Principal Investigator: Dr. Al Sacco, Jr., Center for Advanced Microgravity Materials 

Processing, Northeastern University, Boston, Mass. 

CSC Manager: Jeneene Sams, NASA Space Product Development Program, 

Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 

Overview 

Zeolites have a rigid crystalline structure with a network of interconnected tunnels and 

cages, similar to a honeycomb. While a sponge needs to be squeezed to release water, 

zeolites give up their contents when they are heated or under reduced pressure. Zeolites 

have the ability to absorb liquids and gases such as petroleum or hydrogen but remain as 

hard as a rock. Zeolites form the backbone of the chemical processes industry, and virtually 

all the world’s gasoline is produced or upgraded using zeolites. Industry wants to improve 

zeolite crystals so that more gasoline can be produced from a barrel of oil, making the 

industry more efficient and reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil. 

Operations 

The Zeolite Crystal Growth Furnace is designed for relatively low-temperature growth of 

crystals in solutions. Before the flight, two solutions will be loaded into metal, Teflon-lined, 

cylindrical containers (autoclaves). The furnace will be delivered during STS-108. The crew 

will install the hardware into a double middeck locker in EXPRESS Rack 2. The hardware 

will be checked out during UF-1 before the shuttle delivers samples during STS-110 in 

March 2002. When the autoclaves containing the sample solutions arrive, the crew will 

unstow them and load them in the furnace. At the end of the specified processing time, the 

crew will power down the furnace, unload the autoclaves containing the crystals and stow 

them for return to Earth. 

Flight History/Background 

A simpler version of this experiment has flown successfully on three space shuttle 

missions: STS-50 in 1992, STS-57 in 1993 and STS-73 in1995. During these earlier flights, 

zeolite crystals grown in space were larger and of better quality than crystals grown in a 

similar facility on the ground. 

Benefits 

Research with zeolites has the potential to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and the 

pollution associated with producing gasoline and other petroleum products. In the future, 

zeolites may even be used for storing new fuels that are cheaper and cleaner. Hydrogen is 

one candidate fuel that might be stored and transported safely using zeolites. Since 

hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, and it’s pollution-free, it is an ideal 

fuel. Scientists are seeking a solution to the efficient storage of hydrogen, and zeolites and 

zeo-type materials are being tested as possible storage media. 

47
Expedition Four

Media Contacts 

Debbie Rahn International Partners 202 358-1638 

NASA Headquarters 

Washington, DC 

debbie.rahn@hq.nasa.gov

Dwayne Brown Shuttle, Space Station Policy 202 358-1726 

NASA Headquarters 

Washington, DC 

dwayne.brown@hq.nasa.gov

Eileen Hawley Astronauts/Mission Operations 281 483-5111 

NASA Johnson Space Center 

Houston, TX 

eileen.hawley1@jsc.nasa.gov

Kari Kelley Allen International Space Station 281 336-4844 

The Boeing Company 

Houston, TX 

kari.k.allen@boeing.com

Kyle Herring Space Station Operations 281 483-5111 

NASA Johnson Space Center 

Houston, TX 

kyle.j.herring1@jsc.nasa.gov

Steve Roy Microgravity Programs 256 544-6535 

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center 

Huntsville, AL 

steve.roy@msfc.nasa.gov

48