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

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION 

SPACE SHUTTLE 

MISSION 

STS-52 

PRESS KIT 

OCTOBER 1992 

LASER GEODYNAMICS SATELLITE (LAGEOS) 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 2 

STS-52 INSIGNIA 

STS052-S-001 -- The STS-52 insignia, designed by the crewmembers, features a large gold star to 

symbolize the crew's mission on the frontiers of space. A gold star is often used to symbolize the frontier 

period of the American West. The red star in the shape of the Greek letter lambda represents both the laser 

measurements to be taken from the Laser Geodynamic Satellite (LAGEOS II) and the Lambda Point 

Experiment, which is part of the United States Microgravity Payload (USMP-1). The LAGEOS II is a joint 

Italian/U.S. satellite project intended to further our understanding of global plate tectonics. The USMP-1 

is a microgravity facility which has French and U.S. experiments designed to test the theory of cooperative 

phase transitions and to study the solid/liquid interface of a metallic alloy in the low gravity environment. 

The remote manipulator and maple leaf are emblematic of the Canadian payload specialist who will 

conduct a series of Canadian flight experiments (CANEX-2), including the Space Vision System test. 

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

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

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

do not anticipate, it will be publicly announced. 

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

PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS 

NASA HEADQUARTERS 

Office of Space Flight/Office of Space Systems Development 

Mark Hess/Jim Cast/Ed Campion 

(Phone: 202/453-8536) 

Office of Space Science and Applications 

Paula Cleggett-Haleim/Mike Braukus/Brian Dunbar 

(Phone: 202/453-1547) 

Office of Commercial Programs 

Barbara Selby 

(Phone: 202/358-1983) 

Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology 

Drucella Andersen/Les Dorr 

(Phone: 202/453-2754) 

Office of Safety & Mission Quality/Office of Space Communications 

Dwayne Brown 

(Phone: 202/358-0547) 

Ames Research Center Langley Research Center 

Jane Hutchison Jean Drummond Clough 

(Phone: 415/604-4968) (Phone: 804/864-6122) 

 

Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility Lewis Research Center 

Nancy Lovato Mary Ann Peto 

(Phone: 805/258-3448) (Phone: 216/433-2899) 

 

Goddard Space Flight Center Marshall Space Flight Center 

Susan Marucci June Malone 

(Phone: 301/286-2806) (Phone: 205/544-0054) 

 

Jet Propulsion Laboratory Stennis Space Center 

James Wilson Myron Webb 

(Phone: 818/354-5011) (Phone: 601/688-3341) 

 

Johnson Space Center Wallops Flight Center 

James Hartsfield Keith Koehler 

(Phone: 713/483-5111) (Phone: 804/824-1579) 

Kennedy Space Center 

Lisa Malone 

(Phone: 407/867-2468) 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 4 

CONTENTS 

GENERAL BACKGROUND 

 General Release 5 

 Media Services Information 7 

 Quick-Look-Facts 8 

 Summary of Major Activities 9 

 Payload and Vehicle Weights 10 

 Trajectory Sequence of Events 11 

 Space Shuttle Abort Modes 12 

 Pre-Launch Processing 13 

 

CARGO BAY PAYLOADS 

 Laser Geodynamics Satellite (LAGEOS) 14 

 U.S. Microgravity Payload (USMP) 20 

 Attitude Sensor Package (ASP) 22 

 Canadian Experiments (CANEX) 24 

 Space Technology And Science Experiments 26 

 Tank Pressure Control Experiment (TPCE) 30 

 

MIDDECK PAYLOADS 

 Physiological Systems Experiment (PSE) 31 

 Heat Pipe Performance Experiment (HPP) 32 

 Shuttle Plume Impingement Experiment (SPIE) 34 

 Commercial Materials Dispersion Apparatus 

 And ITA Experiment (CMIX) 35 

 Crystals by Vapor Transport Experiment (CVTE) 37 

 Commercial Protein Crystal Growth (CPCG) 38 

 

CREW BIOGRAPHIES & MISSION MANAGEMENT 

 STS-52 Crew Biographies 40 

 Mission Management for STS-52 43 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 5 

RELEASE: 92-153 October 1992 

COLUMBIA TO DEPLOY LAGEOS-II, SERVE AS TECHNOLOGY TESTBED 

Shuttle flight STS-52 will be an ambitious mission, demonstrating the versatility of orbiter Columbia as a 

satellite launcher, science platform and technology testbed. Launch is planned for Oct. 15 from the 

Kennedy Space Center, FL. The 9-day, 20-hour and 54-minute mission is scheduled to land on Oct. 25 at 

the Kennedy center. 

A crew of six and 11 major payloads will be aboard Columbia's 13th mission, the 51st Space Shuttle flight. 

Mission Commander is James Wetherbee with Michael Baker the Pilot. Mission specialists are Charles 

Lacy Veach, William Shepherd and Tamara Jernigan. Steve MacLean is the Payload Specialist and the 

third Canadian citizen to fly aboard the Shuttle. 

LAGEOS 2 - Small Satellite, Big Results 

Columbia will eject the LAGEOS-II satellite from the cargo bay on the second mission day. Built by the 

Italian Space Agency using NASA blueprints, this small, 900-pound satellite will help geologists fill in 

important details about the Earth. The first LAGEOS was launched in 1976. Adding a second spacecraft 

will enable researchers to gather twice the data. 

"The satellite may be small, but the data returned is big time science," says Program Scientist Dr. Miriam 

Baltuck. This information will be particularly useful for monitoring regional fault movement in 

earthquake-prone areas. 

Baltuck said geologists use this information to monitor the extremely slow movements of the Earth's 

crustal plates, to measure and understand the "wobble" in the Earth's axis of rotation, collect information 

on the Earth's size and shape and more accurately determine the length of the day. 

Baltuck explained that ground-based researchers from 30 countries will participate in collecting and 

analyzing the data received from the satellite . The researchers will bounce laser beams off the mirrorcovered spacecraft and log how long it takes the beams to make the round-trip voyage. 

"We know the speed that light travels," said Baltuck. "So by plugging that into our formula, we can 

measure precisely the distances between stations on the Earth and the satellite." 

USMP Makes Debut 

A major new materials processing payload makes its debut on STS-52 -- the first United States 

Microgravity Payload (USMP-1). The payload consists of three experiments mounted on a new carrier, 

derived from the previously flown Materials Science Lab, in Columbia's cargo bay. 

"This is an excellent use of the Shuttle to perform microgravity experiments that are primarily operated 

remotely from the ground," said Program Manager David Jarrett. This type of remote operations will help 

prepare the science community for Space Station Freedom prior to its permanently manned operational 

phase. 

Experiments on USMP-1 will explore using the unique space environment to do research that is not 

possible on Earth. The science, while basic in nature, could impact applications on Earth in areas such as 

computer memory, metals and semiconductors. Another experiment will measure the Shuttle's vibrations, 

information critical to scientists understanding the current experiments and planning future experiments. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 6 

Canada Provides Variety of Experiments 

Canadian Payload Specialist MacLean will perform a bevy of experiments called CANEX-2. Many of 

these experiments are extensions of work carried out by Dr. Marc Garneau as part of the CANEX group of 

experiments that flew in 1984. 

CANEX-2 is actually 10 separate investigations. Results from CANEX-2 have potential applications in 

machine vision systems for use with robotic equipment in space and in environments such as mines and 

nuclear reactors. Other potential applications relate to the manufacturing of goods, the development of new 

protective coatings for spacecraft materials, improvements in materials processing, and a better 

understanding of Earth's stratosphere which contains the protective ozone layer. 

Greater knowledge of human adaptation to microgravity is another objective of the CANEX-2 payload. 

MacLean will conduct experiments on back pain, body water changes and the effect of weightlessness on 

the vestibular system. 

Columbia, An Orbiting Testbed 

Columbia will be turned into an orbiting test-bed for other STS-52 experiments. One, called the Attitude 

Sensor Package built by the European Space Agency, will gather information on the performance and 

accuracy of new sensors. Space is the best place to test these sensors. The data returned could be used in 

the design of sensors for future spacecraft. 

Other space technology experiments will examine how very cold liquids behave in space, the use of heat 

pipe technology for temperature control, and the effects of atomic oxygen on different materials -- 

technologies that may have important contributions to the design of future spacecraft. 

Commercial Office Payloads 

Major payloads, sponsored by NASA's Commercial Programs Office, will examine a compound for 

possible use in combating diseases which involve loss of bone mass; thin-film membrane research which 

has potential application in the biotechnology and pollution control field; and a new facility for growing 

semiconductor crystals which permits interaction from the crew to achieve optimum growth. 

A commercial protein crystal growth facility will fly on STS-52. Scientists hope the new facility will result 

in more crystals that are better ordered, larger and more uniform in size than their ground-based 

counterparts. 

With the exception of the Canadian Payload Specialist, there are no "rookie" astronauts on this flight. STS52 will mark Wetherbee's second Shuttle flight. He was the Pilot on the STS-32 Columbia mission. Baker 

also will be making his second flight, but his first as a Pilot. Baker was a mission specialist on STS-43. 

Veach, Shepherd and Jernigan are Shuttle veterans. Veach previously flew on STS-39, and Shepherd has 

two previous flights, STS-27 and -41. Jernigan last flew on STS-40, a Columbia mission devoted to life 

sciences research. 

MacLean is one of six Canadian astronauts selected in December 1983. In addition to his CANEX-2 duties, 

he is the Program Manager for the Advanced Space Vision System experiment. 

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

MEDIA SERVICES INFORMATION 

NASA Select Television Transmission 

NASA Select television is available on Satcom F-2R, Transponder 13, located at 72 degrees west 

longitude; frequency 3960.0 MHz, audio 6.8 MHz. 

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

during the mission at Kennedy Space Center, FL; Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.; AmesDryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, Calif.; Johnson Space Center, Houston and NASA 

Headquarters, Washington, DC. The television schedule will be updated to reflect changes dictated by 

mission operations. 

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

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

schedule is updated daily at noon Eastern time. 

Status Reports 

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

produced by the appropriate NASA news center. 

Briefings 

A mission press briefing schedule will be issued prior to launch. During the mission, change-of-shift 

briefings by a flight director and the science team will occur at least once per day. The updated NASA 

Select television schedule will indicate when mission briefings are planned. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 8 

STS-52 QUICK LOOK 

Launch Date and Site: Oct. 15, 1992 

Kennedy Space Center, FL -- Pad 39B 

 

Launch Window: 11:10 a.m. EDT (1510 GMT) to 

1:37 p.m. EDT (1737 GMT) 

 

Orbiter: Columbia's 13th Flight 

 

Orbit/Inclination: 160 x 163 n.m. (LAGEOS)/ 28.45 degrees 

 110 x 111 n.m. (CANEX)/ 28.45 degrees 

 

Landing Date: October 25 

 

Landing Time: 8:04 a.m. EDT (1204 GMT) 

 

Primary Landing Site: Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 

 

Abort Landing Sites: Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 

Return To Launch Site Abort: Banjul, The Gambia -- Prime 

Transatlantic Abort Landing Ben Guerir, Morocco -- Alternate 

Moron Spain -- Alternate 

Abort-Once-Around: Edwards AFB, Calif. -- Prime 

 KSC, Fla./White Sands, N.M. -- Alternates 

 

Crew: James Wetherbee - Commander 

 Michael Baker - Pilot 

 Charles Lacy Veach - MS1 

 William Shepherd - MS2 

 Tamara Jernigan - MS3 

 Steven MacLean - PS1 

 

Cargo Bay Payloads: Laser Geodynamics Satellite (LAGEOS) 

 U.S. Microgravity Payload (USMP-1) 

 Canadian Experiments (CANEX-2) 

 Attitude Sensor Package (ASP) 

 Tank Pressure Control Experiment. (TPCE) 

 

Middeck Payloads: Commercial Protein Crystal Growth (CPCG) 

 Commercial Materials ITA Experiment (CMIX) 

 Crystals by Vapor Transport Experiment (CVTE) 

 Heatpipe Performance Experiment (HPP) 

 Physiological Systems Experiment (PSE) 

 Shuttle Plume Impingement Experiment (SPIE) 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 9 

STS-52 SUMMARY OF MAJOR ACTIVITIES 

Day One Launch/Post Insertion 

 LAGEOS Checkout 

 

Day Two LAGEOS Deploy 

 Robot Arm (RMS) Checkout 

 Heatpipe Performance Experiment (HPP) 

 

Day Three Lower Body Negative Pressure (LBNP) 

 Space Vision Systems Operations (CANEX) 

 HPP 

 

Day Four HPP 

 Commercial Protein Crystal Growth (CPCG) 

 

Day Five LBNP/HPP 

 

Day Six LBNP/CPCG/HPP 

 Phase Partitioning in Liquids (CANEX) 

 Crystals by Vapor Transport Experiment Setup/Activation 

 

Day Seven LBNP/CPCG 

 Phase Partitioning in Liquids 

 

Day Eight LBNP 

 Material Exposure in Low Earth Orbit (CANEX) 

 Attitude Sensor Package Maneuvers 

 

Day Nine LBNP/SVS Operations 

 Material Exposure in Low Earth Orbit (MELEO) 

 Orbiter Glow Experiment (OGLOW) 

 

Day Ten Canadian Target Assembly Release 

 Control Surface Checkout 

 Reaction Control System Hotfire 

 Cabin Stow 

 

Day Eleven Deorbit Preparation 

 Deorbit Burn and Landing at Kennedy Space Center 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 10 

STS-52 VEHICLE AND PAYLOAD WEIGHTS 

 Pounds

 

Orbiter Columbia Empty and three SSMEs 181,502 

Laser Geodynamics Satellite (LAGEOS) 5,512 

LAGEOS Support Equipment 2,214 

U.S. Microgravity Payload (USMP-1) 8,748 

Attitude Sensor Package (ASP) 632 

Canadian Experiments (CANEX-2) 301 

Commercial Protein Crystal Growth (CPCG) 63 

Heatpipe Performance Experiment (HPP) 100 

Physiological Systems Experiment (PSE) 142 

Detailed Supplementary Objectives (DSO) 96 

Total Vehicle at Solid Rocket Booster Ignition 4,511,341 

Orbiter Landing Weight 214,289 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 11 

STS-52 TRAJECTORY SEQUENCE OF EVENTS 

Event 

Elapsed Time 

(d/h:m:s) 

Velocity 

(fps) Mach 

Altitude 

(ft) 

 

Launch 00/00:00:00 

Begin Roll Maneuver 00/00:00:10 188 0.17 799 

End Roll Maneuver 00/00:00:14 299 0.26 1,956 

SSME Throttle To 67 Percent 00/00:00:29 692 0.62 8,573 

Max. Dynamic Pressure (Max Q) 00/00:01:00 1,371 1.36 34,977 

SSME Throttle Up (104 Percent) 00/00:01:06 1,576 1.63 42,771 

SRB Separation 00/00:02:04 4,111 3.84 151,131 

Main Engine Cutoff (MECO) 00/00:08:31 24,512 22.73 363,666 

Zero Thrust 00/00:08:37 24,509 362,770 

Fuel Tank Separation 00/00:08:50 

OMS-2 Burn 00/00:39:55 

Deorbit Burn (orbit 158) 09/19:54:00 

Landing at KSC (orbit 159) 09/20:54:00 

Apogee, Perigee at MECO: 156 x 35 nautical miles 

Apogee, Perigee after OMS-2: 163 x 160 nautical miles 
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SPACE SHUTTLE ABORT MODES 

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

its payload. Abort modes include: 

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

105-nautical mile orbit with orbital maneuvering system engines. 

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

around before landing at either Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., White Sands Space Harbor, NM, or 

the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) at the Kennedy Space Center, FL. 

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

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

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

reach Banjul would result in a pitch around and thrust back toward KSC until within gliding distance 

of the Shuttle Landing Facility. 

STS-52 contingency landing sites are Edwards Air Force Base, the Kennedy Space Center, White Sands 

Space Harbor, Banjul, Ben Guerir and Moron. 
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STS-52 PRELAUNCH PROCESSING 

With three other vehicles at various processing stages, the KSC's Shuttle team began work on July 10 to 

ready Columbia for its 13th voyage into space - the day after its unscheduled landing at KSC. Columbia 

was towed to Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) bay 1 where post-flight inspections and tests were 

accomplished. 

In August, technicians installed the Shuttle orbiter main engines. Engine 2030 is in the number 1 position, 

engine 2015 is in the number 2 position and engine 2028 is in the number 3 position. 

Following completion of space vehicle assembly and associated testing, the Terminal Countdown 

Demonstration Test with the STS-52 flight crew was scheduled for late September. 

A standard 43-hour launch countdown is scheduled to begin 3 days prior to launch. During the countdown, 

the orbiter's fuel cell storage tanks and all orbiter systems will be prepared for flight. 

About 9 hours before launch, the external tank will be filled with its flight load of a half million gallons of 

liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellants. About 2 and one-half hours before liftoff, the flight crew 

will begin taking their assigned seats in the crew cabin. 

Columbia's end-of-mission landing is planned at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. KSC's 

landing and recovery team will perform convoy operations on the runway to safe the vehicle and prepare it 

for towing to the OPF. 

Columbia's next flight, STS-55, targeted for early next year, is a 10-day mission with the German Spacelab 

D-2 module. 
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LASER GEODYNAMICS SATELLITE (LAGEOS) II 

The Laser Geodynamics Satellite (LAGEOS) II, like its predecessor launched in 1976, is a passive satellite 

dedicated exclusively to laser ranging. Laser ranging involves sending laser beams from Earth to the 

satellite and recording the round-trip travel time. This measurement enables scientists to precisely measure 

the distances between laser ranging stations on the Earth and the satellite. 

LAGEOS is designed to provide a reference point for laser ranging experiments that will monitor the 

motion of the Earth's crust, measure and understand the "wobble" in the Earth's axis of rotation, collect 

information on the Earth's size and shape and more accurately determine the length of the day. The 

information will be particularly useful for monitoring regional fault movement in earthquake-prone areas 

such as California and the Mediterranean Basin. 

The LAGEOS II project is a joint program between NASA and the Italian space agency, Agenzia Spaziale 

Italiana (ASI), which built the satellite using LAGEOS I drawings and specifications, handling fixtures, 

dummy spacecraft and other materials provided by the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, 

MD. GSFC also tested the corner-cube retroreflectors on the surface of LAGEOS II. ASI provided the 

Italian Research Interim Stage (IRIS) and the LAGEOS Apogee Stage (LAS), the two upper stages that 

will transport LAGEOS II to its proper altitude and circularize its orbit. NASA is providing the launch 

aboard Space Shuttle Columbia. 

The Spacecraft 

The LAGEOS II satellite is a spherical satellite made of aluminum with a brass core. It is only 24 inches 

(60 cm) in diameter yet it weighs approximately 900 pounds (405 kg). This compact, dense design makes 

the satellite's orbit as stable as possible. 

The LAGEOS design evolved from several trade-offs that proved necessary to achieve the program 

objectives. For example, the satellite had to be as heavy as possible to minimize the effects of nongravitational forces, yet light enough to be placed in a high orbit. The satellite had to be big enough to 

accommodate many retroreflectors, but small enough to minimize the force of solar pressure. 

Aluminum would have been too light for the entire body of the sphere. Design engineers finally decided to 

combine two aluminum hemispheres bolted together around a brass core. They selected the materials to 

reduce the effects of the Earth's magnetic field. LAGEOS II should remain in orbit indefinitely. 

LAGEOS II has the dimpled appearance of a large golf ball. Imbedded into the satellite are 426 nearly 

equally spaced, cube-corner retroreflectors, or prisms. Most of the retroreflectors (422) are made of 

suprasil, a fused silica glass. The remaining four, made of germanium, may be used by lasers of the future. 

About 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) in diameter, each retroreflector has a flat, circular front-face with a prism-shaped 

back. 

The retroreflectors on the surface of LAGEOS II are three-dimensional prisms that reflect light, in this case 

a laser beam, directly back to its source. A timing signal starts when the laser beam leaves the ground 

station and continues until the pulse, reflected from one of LAGEOS II's retroreflectors, returns to the 

ground station. 

Since the speed of light is constant, the distance between the station and the satellite can be determined. 

This process is known as satellite laser ranging (SLR). Scientists use this technique to measure movements 

of the Earth's surface up to several inches per year. By tracking the LAGEOS satellites for several years, 

scientists can characterize these motions and perhaps correlate them with Earth dynamics observed on the 

ground. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 15 
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Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 18 

LAUNCH, ORBIT INSERTION AND DATA COLLECTION 

After the Shuttle releases LAGEOS II, two solid-fuel stages, the Italian Research Interim Stage (IRIS) and 

the LAGEOS Apogee Stage (LAS), will engage. The IRIS will boost LAGEOS II from the Shuttle's 184-

mile (296 km) parking orbit to the satellite injection altitude of 3,666 miles (5,900 km). The LAS will 

circularize the orbit. This will be the first IRIS mission and will qualify the IRIS, a spinning solid fuel 

rocket upper stage, for use in deploying satellites from the Space Shuttle cargo bay. 

LAGEOS II's circular orbit is the same as that of LAGEOS I, but at a different angle to the Earth's equator: 

52 degrees for LAGEOS II and 110 degrees for LAGEOS I. The complementary orbit will provide more 

coverage of the seismically active areas such as the Mediterranean Basin and California, improving the 

accuracy of crustal-motion measurements. It also may help scientists understand irregularities noted in the 

position of LAGEOS I, which appear to be linked to erratic spinning of the satellite itself. 

LAGEOS II will undergo a very intensive tracking program in its first 30 days of flight. This will allow 

laser ranging stations to precisely calculate and predict the satellite's orbit. By the end of the 30 days, full 

science operations will have begun. 

NASA operates 10 SLR stations. Four are Transportable Laser Ranging Systems (TLRS), built to be 

moved easily from location to location. Four Mobile Laser Ranging Systems (MOBLAS) are in semipermanent locations in Australia and North America, including GSFC. The University of Hawaii and the 

University of Texas at Austin operate the other two NASA systems. 

NASA and ASI have selected 27 LAGEOS II science investigators from the United States, Italy, Germany, 

France, the Netherlands and Hungary. The investigators will obtain and interpret the scientific results that 

come from measurements to the satellite. By tracking both LAGEOS I and LAGEOS II, scientists will 

collect more data in a shorter time span than with LAGEOS I alone. 

Data from LAGEOS II investigations will be archived in the Crustal Dynamics Data and Information 

System (CDDIS) at GSFC. It will be available worldwide to investigators studying crustal dynamics. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 19 
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U.S. MICROGRAVITY PAYLOAD 1 (USMP) 

The first U.S. Microgravity Payload (USMP-1) will be launched aboard Space Shuttle Columbia for a 10-

day mission. The USMP program is a series of NASA missions designed for microgravity experiments that 

do not require the "hands-on" environment of the Spacelab. The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), 

Huntsville, Ala., manages USMP for NASA's Office of Space Science and Applications. 

The USMP-1 payload will carry three investigations. The Lambda-Point Experiment (LPE) will study fluid 

behavior in microgravity. The Materials for the Study of Interesting Phenomena of Solidification on Earth 

and in Orbit, (Materiel pour l'Etude des Phenomenes Interessant la Solidification sur Terre et en Orbite, or 

MEPHISTO) will study metallurgical processes in microgravity. The Space Acceleration Measurement 

System (SAMS) will study the microgravity environment onboard the Space Shuttle. 

In orbit, the crew will activate the carrier and the experiments, which will operate for about 6 days during 

the mission. Science teams at MSFC's Payload Operations Control Center will command and monitor 

instruments and analyze data. 

Two Mission-Peculiar Equipment Support Structures (MPESS) in the Shuttle cargo bay make up USMP-1. 

Carrier subsystems mounted on the front MPESS provide electrical power, communications, data-handling 

capabilities and thermal control. MSFC developed the USMP carrier. 

Lambda-Point Experiment (LPE) 

Principal Investigator: Dr. J. A. Lipa, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. 

Project Manager: R. Ruiz, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 

The Lambda-Point Experiment will study liquid helium as it changes from normal fluid to a superfluid 

state. In the superfluid state, helium moves freely through small pores that block other liquids, and it also 

conducts heat 1,000 times more effectively than copper. This change occurs at liquid helium's "lambda 

point" (-456 degrees Fahrenheit or 2.17 degrees Kelvin). Because the transition from one phase to another 

causes the organized interaction of large numbers of particles, it is of great scientific interest. 

The transition from fluid to superfluid state can be studied more closely in microgravity than on Earth. 

Gravity causes a sample of liquid helium to have greater pressure at the bottom than at the top, in turn 

causing the top of the sample to become superfluid at higher temperatures. 

Onboard USMP, a sample of helium cooled far below its lambda point will be placed in a low-temperature 

cryostat (an apparatus used to keep something cold, such as a thermos bottle). During a series of 2-hour 

runs controlled by an onboard computer, the helium's temperature will be raised through the transition 

point by a precision temperature- control system. Sensitive instruments inside the cryostat will measure the 

heat capacity of the liquid helium as it changes phases. The temperature of the helium sample will be 

maintained to within a billionth of degree during the experiment. 

Materials for the Study of Interesting Phenomena of Solidification on Earth and in Orbit 

(MEPHISTO) 

Principal Investigator: Dr. J. J. Favier, Commissariat a' l' Energie Atomique, Grenoble, France 

Project Manager: G. Cambon, Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales, Toulouse 

MEPHISTO is a joint American-French cooperative program. The definition and development of the flight 

hardware has been led by CNES (French Space Agency) and CEA (French Atomic Energy Commission). 

This mission will be the first of a series of six flights, about 1 per year, provided by NASA on the USMP 

carrier. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 21 

MEPHISTO will study the behavior of metals and semiconductors as they solidify to help determine the 

effect gravity has during solidification at the point where solid meets liquid, called the solid/liquid 

interface. Data gathered from MEPHISTO will be used to improve molten materials. For example, more 

resilient metallic alloys and composite materials could be designed for engines that will power future 

aircraft and spacecraft. 

The cylindrical-shaped MEPHISTO furnace experiment will contain three identical rod-shaped samples of 

a tin-bismuth alloy. MEPHISTO will process the samples using two furnaces, one fixed and one moving. 

As a run begins, the mobile furnace will move outward from the fixed furnace, melting the samples. The 

mobile furnace then moves back toward the fixed furnace, and the sample resolidifies. The fixed furnace 

contains a stationary solid/liquid interface to be used as a reference for studying the mobile solid/liquid 

interface. 

MEPHISTO has been designed to perform quantitative investigations of the solidification process by using 

several specific diagnosis methods. During the experiment runs, a small electrical voltage will constantly 

measure the temperature changes at the interface to verify solidification rates. During the last experimental 

run, electrical pulses will be sent through one sample, "freezing" the shape of the interface for post-mission 

analysis. 

The MEPHISTO apparatus allows many cycles of solidification and remelting and is particularly welladapted for long-duration missions. During the mission, scientists will compare the electrical signal to data 

from a SAMS sensor to see if the Shuttle's movement is disturbing the interface. They then can make 

adjustments to the experiments if necessary. Post-mission analysis of the space-solidified sample will allow 

correlation between the electrical measurements and changes in the sample. 

Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) 

Scientific Investigator: Charles Baugher, MSFC, Huntsville, AL 

Project Manager: R. De Lombard, Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, OH 

The Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) is designed to measure and record low-level 

acceleration during experiment operations. The signals from these sensors are amplified, filtered and 

converted to digital data before it is stored on optical disks and sent via downlink to the ground control 

center. 

USMP-1 will be the first mission for two SAMS flight units in the cargo bay configuration. The two units 

each will support two remote sensor heads. Two heads will be mounted in the Lambda Point Experiment 

(LPE) and the other two heads will be mounted to the MPESS structure near the MEPHISTO furnace. 

Some of the data will be recorded on optical disks in the SAMS units, while other data will be down-linked 

to the Marshall Space Flight Center's Payload Operations Control Center. 

The down-linked SAMS data will be utilized during experiment operations by the principal investigators 

(PI) involved with LPE and MEPHISTO. The SAMS data also will be monitored by the SAMS project 

team. 

The PIs will look for acceleration events or conditions that exceed a threshold where the experiment results 

could be affected. This may be, for example, a frequency versus amplitude condition, an energy content 

condition or simply an acceleration magnitude threshold. Experiment operations may be changed based on 

the observed microgravity environment. 

SAMS flight hardware was designed and developed in-house by the NASA Lewis Research Center and 

Sverdrup Technology Inc. project team. The units have flown on STS-40, STS-43, STS-42, STS-50 and 

STS-47 missions. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 22 

ATTITUDE SENSOR PACKAGE (ASP) 

STS-52 will carry the third Hitchhiker payload to fly in space. Hitchhikers are a part of Goddard Space 

Flight Center's (GSFC) Shuttle Small Payloads Project (SSPP). Hitchhiker provides quick-response, 

economical flights for small attached payloads that have more complex requirements than Get Away 

Special experiments. 

The STS-52 Hitchhiker payload carries one foreign reimbursable experiment, the Attitude Sensor Package 

(ASP) experiment. This experiment was prepared by the In-Orbit Technology Demonstration Programme 

of the European Space Agency (ESA). 

The ASP experiment consists of three unique spacecraft attitude sensors, an on board computer and a 

support structure. The primary sensor is the Modular Star Sensor (MOSS). The other two sensors are the 

Yaw Earth Sensor (YESS) and the Low Altitude Conical Earth Sensor (LACES). The ASP sensors and 

their support structure are assembled on a Hitchhiker small mounting plate. The Hitchhiker avionics, 

mounted to another small mounting plate, provides power and signal interfaces between the ASP 

experiment and the Shuttle. 

Often the performance of the space instruments cannot be predicted accurately on Earth because of the lack 

of knowledge of and actual simulation of the space environment. The ASP experiment exposes these 

attitude sensors to actual space conditions, demonstrating their performance and accuracy. This flight 

experience will be evaluated by ESA for possible use of these sensors on future ESA programs. 

During the mission, the ASP experiment will operate for 16 orbits from the Hitchhiker Payload Operations 

Control Center (POCC) located at GSFC, Greenbelt, MD. ESA personnel and contractors will operate their 

ground support equipment in the POCC during the Shuttle flight. 

The SSPP is managed by Goddard for NASA's Office of Space Flight. The Hitchhiker Program, managed 

by the SSPP, performs overall mission management duties for Hitchhiker payloads flying on the NASA 

Shuttle, including experiment integration on the Shuttle and operations management during the flight. 

Theodore C. Goldsmith is SSPP Project Manager. Chris Dunker is Goddard's ASP mission manager. The 

In-Orbit Technology Demonstration Programme Manager for ESA is Manfred Trischberger, the ESA ASP 

payload Manager is Roberto Aceti and the ESA Principal Investigator is Peter Underwood. The In-Orbit 

Technology Demonstration Programme is part of the European Space Technology and Engineering Center, 

Noordwijk, The Netherlands. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 23 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 24 

CANADIAN EXPERIMENTS (CANEX) 

The Canadian Space Agency 

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) was formed in 1989 with a mandate to promote the peaceful use and 

development of space, to advance the knowledge of space through science and to ensure that space science 

and technology provide social and economic benefits for Canadians. 

To meet these objectives, CSA coordinates a variety of programs involving space science, space 

technology, Space Station development, satellite communications, remote sensing and human space flight. 

An integral part of CSA, the Canadian Astronaut Program, supports space research and development in 

close cooperation with scientists and engineers in government, universities and the private sector. These 

investigations focus on space science, space technology and life sciences research carried out on Earth and 

in space. 

Canadian Experiments-2 (CANEX-2) 

CANEX-2 is a group of space technology, space science, materials processing and life sciences 

experiments which will be performed in space by Canadian Payload Specialist Dr. Steve MacLean during 

the STS-52 mission of Space Shuttle Columbia. Bjarni Tryggvason is a backup crew member and alternate 

to Dr. MacLean for this mission. 

The potential applications of CANEX-2 space research include machine vision systems for use with 

robotic equipment in space and in environments such as mines and nuclear reactors. Other potential 

applications relate to the manufacturing of goods, the development of new protective coatings for 

spacecraft materials, improvements in materials processing, a better understanding of the stratosphere 

which contains the protective ozone layer, and greater knowledge of human adaptation to microgravity. 

Many of these experiments are extensions of the work carried out by Dr. Marc Garneau as part of the 

CANEX group of experiments that helped form his 1984 mission. 

Space Vision System Experiment (SVS) 

Principal Investigator: Dr. H. F. Lloyd Pinkney, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. 

Space is a difficult visual environment with few reference points and frequent periods of extremely dark or 

bright lighting conditions. Astronauts working in space find it difficult to gauge the distance and speed of 

objects such as satellites. 

The development of the Space Vision System (SVS), a machine vision system for robotic devices, such as 

the Canada arm, was undertaken to enhance human vision in the unfavorable viewing conditions of space. 

The SVS can provide information on the exact location, orientation and motion of a specified object. Dr. 

MacLean will evaluate an experimental Space Vision System for possible use in the Space Shuttle and in 

the construction of Space Station Freedom. 

The Space Vision System uses a Shuttle TV camera to monitor a pattern of target dots of known spacing 

arranged on an object to be tracked. As the object moves, the SVS computer measures the changing 

position of the dots and provides a real-time TV display of the location and orientation of the object. This 

displayed information will help an operator guide the Canada arm or the Mobile Servicing System (MSS) 

when berthing or deploying satellites. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 25 

For the CANEX-2 experiments, target dots have been placed on the Canadian Target Assembly (CTA), a 

small satellite carried in the Space Shuttle's cargo bay. During the flight, a mission specialist will use the 

arm to deploy the CTA and take it through a series of maneuvers using the information displayed by the 

SVS. Dr. MacLean will evaluate SVS performance and investigate details that need to be considered to 

design a production model of the system. 

Beyond its possible application as a computerized eye for the Space Shuttle, a system derived from the 

Space Vision System may be used to help construct and maintain the Space Station. In another application, 

an SVS-based system could guide small, remotely-operated space vehicles for satellite retrieval and 

servicing. On Earth, advances in machine vision could lead to improvements in the manufacturing of 

products, in auto plants for example, and to applications involving work in environments such as mines or 

nuclear reactors. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 26 

SPACE TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS 

Materials Exposure in Low-Earth Orbit (MELEO) 

Principal Investigator: Dr. David G. Zimcik, Canadian Space Agency, Ottawa, Ontario. 

Plastics and composite materials used on the external surfaces of spacecraft have been found to degrade in 

the harsh environment of space. Evidence suggests that this degradation is caused by interaction with 

atomic oxygen which induces damaging chemical and physical reactions. The result is a loss in mass, 

strength, stiffness and stability of size and shape. 

The MELEO experiment is an extension of work performed by the CSA which began with the Advanced 

Composite Materials Experiment (ACOMEX) flown on Marc Garneau's 1984 mission. Researchers now 

want to extend the valuable baseline date obtained to further investigate the deterioration process, try new 

protective coatings and test materials designed for use on specific space hardware such as the Mobile 

Servicing System (MSS) for the Space Station Freedom and RADARSAT, the Canadian remote sensing 

satellite scheduled for launch in early 1995. 

The MELEO experiment will expose over 350 material specimens mounted on "witness plates" on the 

Canada arm and analyzed after the mission. Typical spacecraft materials will be tested along with new 

developments in protective measures against atomic oxygen. The specimens will be exposed in the flight 

direction for at least 30 hours. Dr. MacLean periodically will photograph the specimens to record the 

stages of erosion. All materials will be returned to Earth for detailed examination. 

The MELEO experiment uses active elements called Quartz Crystal Microbalances (QCMs), attached to 

the end of the Canada arm, to measure the erosion of material with a very high degree of accuracy. Their 

electrical functions are regulated by a controller located on the aft flight-deck of the Shuttle orbiter. Data 

will be recorded using the on- board Payload General Service Computer (PGSC). This will enable the 

Canadian Payload Specialist to have real-time readouts of the erosion data during the mission. 

It is expected that the MELEO experiment will provide data on the performance of new materials exposed 

to the true space environment and provide information to be used in the development of effective groundbased space simulation facilities capable of testing and screening spacecraft materials in the laboratory. 

Orbiter Glow-2 (OGLOW-2) 

Principal Investigator: Dr. E. J. (Ted) Llewellyn, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon. 

Photographs taken by astronauts have revealed a glow emanating from Shuttle surfaces facing the direction 

of motion. This phenomenon is thought to be caused by the impact of high-velocity atoms and the effect of 

the orbiter's surface temperature. 

In the first OGLOW experiment, Dr. Marc Garneau successfully photographed the glow phenomenon. 

Computer analysis of these photographs and of corresponding video recordings revealed the bright areas to 

be concentrated around the Shuttle's tail section instead of around the entire Shuttle, as had been expected. 

Additional data, obtained when Dr. Garneau took several photographs while the Shuttle's thrusters were 

firing, led to the need for an OGLOW-2 experiment. This experiment will explore in greater detail the 

gaseous reactions caused by the orbiter thrusters through the post-flight analysis of the thruster-induced 

glow spectrum. 

Photographs of the Shuttle's tail, primarily while the thrusters are firing, will be taken. On-board TV 

cameras will obtain corresponding video recordings. The OGLOW-2 experiment also should determine 

when theoretical measurements taken from the Shuttle might be adversely affected by the glow. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 27 

As part of the experiment, Dr. MacLean will use newly developed equipment to photograph the Canadian 

Target Assembly with its different material surfaces. The OGLOW-2 experiment also will study the glow 

from the Earth's upper atmosphere. 

Queen's University Experiment in Liquid-Metal Diffusion (QUELD) 

Principal Investigator: Prof. Reginald W. Smith, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario. 

Atoms of any substance, whether liquid or solid, are in constant motion. Knowledge of the rate at which 

atoms move around and in between each other (diffusion) is important for a variety of industrial processes. 

On Earth, the effects of convection make it difficult to measure the actual degree of diffusion taking place 

within a substance. In space, where convection is eliminated, it is possible to obtain more accurate 

information. 

The QUELD experiment will allow diffusion coefficient measurements of a number of liquid state metals. 

The QUELD apparatus contains two small electric furnaces in which over 40 specimens will be heated in 

tiny graphite crucibles until the test metals are molten. They will be allowed to diffuse for 30 minutes or 

more and then rapidly cooled to solidify the metals for post-flight analysis. 

The researchers hope to use the data to help develop a general theory to predict the rate of diffusion for any 

metal in the liquid state, as well as provide fundamental information about the structure of liquid metals. 

This is expected to lead to creation of better crystals for use in the fabrication of computer microchips and 

radiation sensors and to the development of special alloys which cannot be made on Earth. 

Sun Photo Spectrometer Earth Atmosphere Measurement (SPEAM-2) 

Principal Investigator: Dr. David I. Wardle, Environment Canada, Toronto, Ontario. 

The measurement of atmospheric structure and composition using space-based instruments has provided a 

vast new capability for environmental monitoring. SPEAM-2 will add to an expanding body of information 

about the stratosphere, the part of the upper atmosphere containing most of Earth's protective ozone layer. 

The SPEAM-2 experiment comprises two measuring instruments and a control computer developed by the 

Atmospheric Environment Service of Environment Canada. The Sun Photo Spectrometer (SPS) will make 

multi-spectral measurements of ozone and nitrogen compounds which play an important role in controlling 

ozone balance especially in the presence of chlorine. Atmospheric transmission, or the degree to which 

light is absorbed in the Earth's atmosphere, also will be measured in the visible and near-infrared parts of 

the solar spectrum. This hand-held instrument will be aimed at the sun by Dr. MacLean during several 

sunset and sunrise periods. 

The Airglow Imaging Radiometer (AIR) will observe atmospheric air glow from atmospheric molecular 

oxygen in several regions of the electromagnetic spectrum and possibly from OH radicals, highly reactive 

molecules composed of oxygen and hydrogen, which affect the ozone concentration in the stratosphere. 

These measurements will provide information about the chemical processes which take place in the 

stratosphere and affect the protective ozone layer. SPEAM-2 data will complement other measurements 

including those from NASA's Solar Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) and other ground- based 

observations. 

It is expected that the SPEAM-2 experiment will provide extremely useful information about the upper 

atmosphere and the capabilities of the new instruments. The engineering data and experience gathered will 

enable Canadian atmospheric scientists to make more effective use of future space platforms such as 

research satellites and Space Station Freedom. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 28 

Phase Partitioning in Liquids (PARLIQ) 

Principal Investigator: Dr. Donald E. Brooks, Department of Pathology and Chemistry, University of 

British Columbia, Vancouver. 

Phase partitioning is being studied as a way of separating, from complex substances, different kinds of 

cells which differ only subtly in their surface properties. 

The process uses two types of polymers (compounds formed by repeated units of similar but not identical 

molecules) dissolved together in water. They form two solutions, called "phases", which react to one 

another like oil and vinegar, one floating up to lie on top of the other once they have been mixed and left to 

stand. When mixtures of small particles such as cells are added to the liquids, some are attracted to one of 

the phases, some to the other. Consequently, the liquids separate the cell types. 

The astronaut will shake a container holding a number of chambers with solutions containing different 

mixtures of model cells visible through windows. The container then will be observed and photographed at 

short intervals as partitioning occurs. At the end of the experiment, the separated phases containing their 

cells will be isolated and returned to Earth. The effects of applying an electric field on the separation 

process also will be studied. 

The ultimate objective is to increase the purity of the separated cells. On Earth, it is difficult to separate 

substances and achieve maximum purity using this process because of gravity-induced fluid flow. In 

microgravity, the combined forces acting on the liquids and the cells are entirely different from those on 

Earth, and the physics of the process can be better understood. 

A phase partitioning experiment using the same apparatus was performed by Dr. Roberta Bondar and other 

crew members during her January 1992 mission. This investigation was itself an extension of an 

experiment carried out in 1985 on Shuttle mission 51D in which test solutions separated in a way that had 

not been observed previously. The results of this experiment will be of interest to medical researchers 

because the results apply to the separation and purification of cells involved in transplants and treatment of 

disease. 

Space Adaptation Tests and Observations (SATO) 

Principal Investigator: Dr. Alan Mortimer, CSA, Ottawa, Ontario. 

Every flight by a Canadian astronaut includes research into human adaptation to space flight. Dr. 

MacLean's mission is no exception. The data obtained will supplement the results of similar experiments 

performed during the missions of Drs. Marc Garneau and Roberta Bondar. What follows are descriptions 

of the investigations which make up the SATO group of experiments. 

Vestibular-Ocular Reflex Check 

Investigator: Dr. Doug Watt, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec. 

An experiment performed by Marc Garneau in October 1984 investigated the effect of weightlessness on 

the vestibulo-ocular reflex, an automatic response triggered by the vestibular system that keeps the eyes 

focused on a given object despite head motion. Although researchers expected at least a slight deterioration 

in the functioning of this reflex, systematic testing revealed no change. 

Since these unexpected results were obtained several hours after launch, time during which considerable 

adaptation could have occurred, it is now necessary to test the vestibulo-ocular reflex at the time of entry 

into microgravity. 

The payload specialist will use a hand-held target and by rotating the head back and forth, determine the 

ability of the eyes to track correctly. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 29 

Body Water Changes in Microgravity 

Investigators: Dr. Howard Parsons, Dr. Jayne Thirsk and Dr. Roy Krouse, University of Calgary. 

In the absence of gravity there is a shift of body fluids towards the head which leads to the "puffy face" 

syndrome observed in astronauts after several days of space flight. There also is a loss of water from the 

body early in a space flight. Preliminary results from Dr. Roberta Bondar's IML-1 mission indicate that 

there may be significant dehydration occurring. 

This test will determine changes in total body water throughout the space flight. The payload specialist will 

ingest a sample of heavy water at the beginning and end of the mission, and saliva samples will be 

collected daily. Upon return, the samples will be analyzed to determine total body water. 

The results of this experiment are important in developing nutritional protocols for long duration space 

flight and will contribute to the development of countermeasures to be used during re-entry. 

Assessment of Back Pain in Astronauts 

Investigator: Dr. Peter C. Wing, Head, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of British 

Columbia,, University Hospital, Vancouver. 

More than two thirds of astronauts have reported experiencing back pain during space flight. The pain 

seems to be worst during the first few days in space. This may be due to the astronauts' total height 

increase of up to 7.4 cm as recently documented during Dr. Roberta Bondar's IML-1 mission. 

The height increase in the absence of gravity results from spinal column lengthening and the flattening of 

the normal spinal curves. This probably results from an increase in the water content and thus, the height of 

the discs between the vertebrae of the spine. This in turn may result in an increase in the distance between 

the vertebrae and may cause pain from tension on soft tissue such as muscle, nerves and ligaments. 

This experiment will continue the investigation of the causes of back pain in space which began during the 

IML-1 mission. The ultimate goal is to develop techniques to be used either before or during space flight to 

alleviate its effects. During the mission, Dr. Steve MacLean will measure his height and use a special 

diagram to record the precise location and intensity of any back pain. It is expected that the results of this 

experiment will lead to an increased understanding of back pain on Earth. 

Illusions During Movement 

Investigator: Dr. Doug Watt, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec. 

Astronauts have experienced the disconcerting illusion that the floor is moving up and down while 

performing deep knee bends in space and after return to Earth. 

The objective of this test is to determine when these illusions occur and to investigate how visual and 

tactile inputs may affect such illusions. For example, the payload specialist may hold onto a fixed object 

such as a seat while doing knee bends to see if that alters the illusion of the floor moving. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 30 

TANK PRESSURE CONTROL EXPERIMENT/THERMAL PHENOMENA 

An important issue in microgravity fluid management is controlling pressure in on-orbit storage tanks for 

cryogenic propellants and life support fluids, particularly liquid hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. The 

purpose of the Tank Pressure Control Experiment/Thermal Phenomena (TPCE/TP) is to provide some of 

the data required to develop the technology for pressure control of cryogenic tankage. 

TPCE/TP represents an extension of the data acquired in the Tank Pressure Control Experiment (TPCE) 

which flew on STS-43 in 1991. The flight of TPCE significantly increased the knowledge base for using 

jet-induced mixing to reduce the pressure in thermally stratified subcritical tanks. Mixing represents a 

positive means of limiting pressure build-up due to thermal stratification and may allow non-vented storage 

of cryogenics for some of the shorter duration missions. 

Longer missions, however, will require venting and will likely use thermodynamic vent systems for 

pressure control. The efficient design of either active or passive pressure control systems will depend on 

knowledge of the thermodynamic processes and phenomena controlling the pressure build-up in a lowgravity environment. 

The purpose of the reflight, TPCE/TP, is to focus on the thermal phenomena involved in the selfpressurization of subcritical tanks in a low-g environment. 

New technology for managing fluids in low gravity will be required for future space systems, such as the 

Space Transfer Vehicle, Space Station Freedom, space exploration initiatives, serviceable satellites, 

hypervelocity aerospace vehicles and space defense systems. 

Both TPCE and TPCE/TP are part of NASA's In-Space Technology Experiments Program (IN-STEP), 

managed by NASA's Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology. The TPCE/TP Project Manager is 

Richard Knoll, NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland. Lewis investigators proposed and are managing 

the reflight. M. M. Hasan from Lewis is the Principal Investigator. Boeing Aerospace Co., Seattle, 

Washington, developed the original flight hardware. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 31 

PHYSIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS EXPERIMENT 

The Physiological Systems Experiment-02 (PSE-02) is a middeck payload resulting from a collaboration 

by Merck & Co., Inc., and the Center for Cell Research (CCR), a NASA Center for the Commercial 

Development of Space located at Pennsylvania State University. 

Physiological systems experiments use microgravity-induced biological effects, such as bone loss, muscle 

atrophy, depressed hormone secretion, decreased immune response, cardiac deconditioning, 

neurovestibular disturbances or other changes to test pharmaceutical products or to discover new 

therapeutic agents. 

PSE-02 will evaluate a compound being developed to treat osteoporosis. The experiment will test the 

ability of the compound to slow or stop bone loss induced by microgravity. Merck scientists will examine 

whether the lower gravity experienced on a space flight accelerates the rate at which bone mass is lost, 

compared to losses observed when a limb is immobilized on Earth. 

The compound to be tested in PSE-02 is currently in large scale human clinical studies as a treatment for 

osteoporosis associated with menopause. In post-menopausal women, this loss is a consequence of 

estrogen depletion. 

Today, 25 million Americans, primarily women, have the bone-thinning disease known as osteoporosis. 

Osteoporosis often progresses without symptoms or pain until a fracture occurs, typically in the hips, spine 

or wrist. Each year, it leads to more than 1.3 million fractures that can cause permanent disability, loss of 

independence or death. 

PSE-02 could help determine if the compound will be useful in treating the bone loss caused by prolonged 

immobilization of weight-bearing limbs in bedridden or paralyzed patients. The experiment also may have 

direct application in space, as a preventative for bone loss that might effect astronauts on extended flights. 

In this experiment, six healthy, adolescent, male, albino rats will be treated with the Merck developmental 

anti-osteoporotic compound prior to flight. An equivalent number of flight rats will remain untreated to 

serve as controls. The two groups will be housed in completely self- contained units called Animal 

Enclosure Modules (AEMs) during the flight. The AEMs will contain enough food and water for the 

duration of the mission. No interaction with the crew is required on orbit. A clear plastic cover on the AEM 

will permit the crew to visually inspect the condition of the rats. 

The experiment protocol has been reviewed and approved by the Animal Care and Use Committees of both 

NASA and Merck. Veterinarians oversee selection, care and handling of the rats. 

After the flight, tissues from the rats will be evaluated in a series of studies by teams of scientists from both 

Merck and the CCR. These studies are expected to last several months to a year. 

Dr. W. C. Hymer is Director of the Center for Cell Research at Penn State and co-investigator for PSE. Dr. 

William W. Wilfinger is the CCR Director of Physiological Testing. Dr. Gideon Rodan of Merck & Co., 

Inc., is Principal Investigator. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 32 

HEAT PIPE PERFORMANCE EXPERIMENT (HPP) 

The Heat Pipe Performance experiment is the latest in a series of tests to develop technology that will make 

it easier for a space vehicle to reject excess heat generated by its equipment and crew. 

Current heat control technology - as found on the Shuttle orbiter, for example - uses a complex system of 

pumps, valves and radiators to dump waste heat into space. A fluid, Freon 21, circulates through a loop 

where heat is collected and then pumped between two flat plates that radiate the heat to space. But radiators 

can be damaged by orbital debris and mechanical pumping systems may not be reliable for longer 

missions. 

A heat pipe system provides a simple, highly reliable way to reject heat. It is a closed vessel containing a 

fluid and does not have moving mechanical parts. Instead, it relies on the natural phenomenon of liquids 

absorbing heat to evaporate and releasing that heat when condensing. The waste heat generated by a 

spacecraft evaporates the liquid at one end of the heat pipe, and the vapor condenses and releases heat to 

space at the other end. Capillary action moves the fluid back to the evaporator end. 

The Heat Pipe Performance experiment on STS-52 will evaluate the sensitivity of state-of-the-art heat 

pipes to large and small accelerations. It also will gather data on the force needed to 'deprime' (dry out) 

heat pipes and how long it takes them to recover. 

Columbia's crew will test two designs for fluid return by capillary action: eight heat pipes with axial 

grooves and six with a fibrous wick. Some of the heat pipes consist of a copper vessel with water as the 

working fluid and the others of aluminum with Freon 113. 

During the mission, one or two astronauts will assemble HPP in the orbiter's middeck area and conduct the 

tests. Four heat pipes will be evaluated in each experiment run by rotating them on a cross-shaped frame. A 

motor on an instrument unit mounted to the middeck floor will drive the assembly. A battery-powered data 

logger will record the data. 

The HPP device will spin at various rates to simulate different levels of spacecraft acceleration and body 

forces. Crew members also will do 're-wicking' tests to measure the time needed for the heat pipes to 

reprime and operate after excessive spin forces make them deprime. Mission plans call for 18.3 hours of 

HPP flight tests with another 4.5 hours needed for setup and stowage. 

Researchers will carefully check the results of the tests with existing computer models and static ground 

tests to see how well they can predict heat pipe performance in microgravity. 

Heat Pipe Performance is part of NASA's In-Space Technology Experiments Program (IN-STEP) that 

brings NASA, the aerospace community and universities together to research potentially valuable space 

technologies using small, relatively inexpensive experiments. 

NASA's Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology selects the experiments and manages the program. 

Hughes Aircraft Co. designed and built the HPP hardware. The experiment is managed at NASA's 

Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 33 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 34 

SHUTTLE PLUME IMPINGEMENT EXPERIMENT 

The Shuttle Plume Impingement Experiment (SPIE) will record measurements of atomic oxygen and 

contamination from Shuttle thruster firings during STS-52. 

With sensors located at the end of Columbia's mechanical arm, SPIE will support the CANEX-2 MELEO 

experiment as it exposes materials to the atomic oxygen in the vicinity of Columbia. During these 

operations, the mechanical arm will be positioned to place the SPIE sensor package in the direction of 

travel of Columbia, and the atomic oxygen levels will be recorded on a portable computer in the Shuttle 

cabin. 

To measure contamination from Columbia's steering jets, the SPIE package at the end of the arm will be 

positioned above the nose of the Shuttle and a large or primary reaction control system (RCS) jet will be 

fired in its vicinity. Quartz Crystal Microbalances are the sensors used to measure the contaminants. In 

addition, any particles ejected by the thrusters will be collected via a sticky piece of Kapton material that is 

part of the sensor package. 

Measurements from the quartz sensors will be recorded on the Payload and General Support Computer 

(PGSC), a portable lap-top computer in the crew cabin of Columbia, for later analysis on the ground. 

Measurements of the amount and kinds of contamination produced by thruster firings from the Shuttle will 

assist designers in assessing the materials planned for use in constructing Space Station Freedom. 

Contamination will be a part of space station operations because the Shuttle will fire its thrusters as it 

docks and departs from the station on each visit. Designers want to know what and how much 

contamination should be planned for in building Freedom. The SPIE principal investigator is Steve Koontz 

of the Non-Metallic Materials Section in the Structures and Mechanics Division at the Johnson Space 

Center, Houston. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 35 

COMMERCIAL MDA ITA EXPERIMENTS 

NASA's Office of Commercial Programs is sponsoring the Commercial MDA ITA Experiments (CMIX) 

payload, with program management provided by the Consortium for Materials Development in Space 

(CMDS). CMDS is one of NASA's 17 Centers for the Commercial Development of Space (CCDS). CMDS 

is based at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). 

Flight hardware for the payload, including four Materials Dispersion Apparatus (MDA) Minilabs, is 

provided by Instrumentation Technology Associates, Inc. (ITA), Exton, Penn., an industry partner of the 

UAH CMDS. 

ITA has a commercial agreement with the UAH CMDS to provide its MDA hardware for five Shuttle 

missions. The arrangement is a "value exchange" by which the MDA will be flown in exchange for a 

designated amount of MDA capacity provided to NASA's CCDS researchers. The agreement is for a 5-year 

period or until the five flight activities are complete, whichever comes first. 

The MDA was developed by ITA as a commercial space infrastructure element and as such, is in support 

of the Administration's and NASA's Commercial Development of Space initiatives. Financed with support 

from private sector resources over the past 5 years, the MDA hardware provides generic turnkey space 

experiments equipment for users who want to conduct suitable science in the microgravity environment of 

space. The company performs the integration and documentation, thus freeing the user to concentrate on 

the experiment. 

The objective of the CMIX payload is to provide industry and CCDS users with low-cost space 

experimentation opportunities, thereby supporting one of the objectives of the NASA CCDS program to 

provide commercial materials development projects that benefit from the unique attributes of space. 

The MDA was initially developed to grow protein crystals in space. However, since flying on two Shuttle 

missions and several suborbital rocket flights, use of the MDA has been expanded to include other research 

areas, including thin-film membrane formation, zeolite crystal growth, bioprocessing and live test cells. 

During the STS-52 mission, 31 different types of experiments will be conducted in these research areas. 

The goal of the protein crystal growth experiments is to produce larger, more pure crystals than can be 

produced on Earth. The pharmaceutical industry will use such crystals to help decipher the structure of a 

protein using X-Ray crystallographic analysis. The principal commercial application of such data is in the 

development of new drugs or treatments. 

Data collected from experiments in thin-film membrane formation will be used in gaining an understanding 

of membrane structures applicable to producing membranes made on the ground. The microgravity 

environment may be used to develop a more uniform membrane structure, specifically one with few 

irregularities and with uniform thickness and internal structure. Potential commercial applications of 

membranes produced in microgravity exist in areas such as gas separation, biotechnology, pollution control 

and waste stream recovery. 

Results from zeolite crystal growth experiments are applicable in improving the manufacturing of zeolites 

on Earth because those found in nature and made by man are small and do not feature uniform molecular 

structures. Zeolites are a class of minerals whose crystal structure is porous rather than solid. Because of 

this, zeolites are full of molecular size holes that can be used as sieves. Synthetic zeolites are used by the 

petrochemical industry for catalytic cracking of large hydrocarbon molecules to increase the yield of 

gasoline and other products. Zeolites also are used to clean up low-level nuclear wastes and other 

hazardous wastes. 

Bioprocessing experiments will provide knowledge on benefits from space processing and on how to 

improve bioprocessing efforts on Earth. One example is the use of microgravity for self-assembly of 

macromolecules. This type of research has potential in the development of new implant materials for heart 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 36 

valves, replacement joints, blood vessels and replacement lenses for the human eye. Another commercial 

application exists with the assembly of complex liposomes and virus particles to target specific drugs to 

treat cancer. 

Recently modified to accommodate live test cells, the MDAs also will carry several human and mouse cell 

types. Information from live test cells will be used in identifying low-response cells for potential 

development of pharmaceuticals targeted at improving the undesirable effects of space travel. 

In addition to the 31 CCDS- and industry-sponsored experiments, ITA is donating five percent of the four 

MDA Minilabs to high school students, for a total of seven experiments. Among these student-designed 

experiments are investigations of seed germination, brine shrimp growth and crystal formation in the lowgravity of space. ITA sponsors these experiments as part of its space educational program. 

The MDA Minilab is a brick-sized materials processing device that has the capability to bring into contact 

and/or mix as many as 100 different samples of multiple fluids and/or solids at precisely timed intervals. 

The MDA operates on the principles of liquid-to-liquid diffusion and vapor diffusion (osmotic 

dewatering). 

Throughout STS-52, the four MDA Minilabs, each consisting of an upper and lower block, will remain in 

the thermally-controlled environment of a Commercial Refrigerator/Incubator Module (CRIM). The upper 

and lower blocks, misaligned at launch, will contain an equal number of reservoirs filled with different 

substances. When the experiment is activated, blocks will be moved in relation to each other, and the selfaligning reservoirs will align to allow dispersion (or mixing) of the different substances. 

To complete microgravity operations, the blocks again will be moved to bring a third set of reservoirs to 

mix additional fluids or to fix the process for selected reservoirs. A prism window in each MDA allows the 

crew member to determine alignment of the blocks. 

To activate the four MDAs, the crew will open the CRIM door to access the MDAs and the MDA 

Controller and Power Supply. Activation will occur simultaneously and is required as early as possible in 

the mission, followed by minimum microgravity disturbances for a period of at least 8 hours. The crew will 

operate switches to activate each MDA and once all the MDAs are activated, the CRIM door will be 

closed. 

Deactivation of each MDA will occur at different intervals. For example, one MDA will automatically 

deactivate within minutes of being activated. Whereas one will not deactivate at all. Deactivation of the 

other two MDAs will occur later in the mission. Once the Shuttle lands, the MDA Minilabs will be 

deintegrated, and the samples will be returned to the researchers for post-flight analyses. 

Principal Investigator for the CMIX payload is Dr. Marian Lewis of the UAH CMDS. Dr. Charles 

Lundquist is Director of the UAH CMDS. John Cassanto, President, Instrumentation Technology 

Associates, Inc., is co- investigator. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 37 

CRYSTAL VAPOR TRANSPORT EXPERIMENT 

NASA's Office of Commercial Programs is sponsoring the Crystal Vapor Transport Experiment (CVTE) 

payload, developed by Boeing Defense & Space Group, Missiles & Space Division, Kent, Wash. 

The Boeing-designed crystal growth experiment will enable scientists to learn more about growing larger 

and more uniform industrial crystals for use in producing faster and more capable semiconductors. The 

CVTE equipment designed to produce these crystals is a precursor to the kinds of scientific work planned 

to take place aboard Space Station Freedom later this decade. 

This experiment is important to the semiconductor industry because the ability of semiconductors to 

process and store information is dependent on the quality of the crystals used. Thus, large, uniform crystals 

grown in space may lead to greater speed and capability of computers, sensors and other electronic devices. 

Although materials scientists have succeeded in producing very high-quality silicon found in today's 

computer chips, certain effects caused by Earth's gravitational pull - - known as thermal convection, 

buoyancy and sedimentation -- have limited scientists' ability to produce more advanced materials on 

Earth. 

Thermal convection is turbulence induced by variations in densities caused by the temperature differences 

that occur in a material when it's heated. Buoyancy and sedimentation is a similar phenomenon, created by 

Earth's gravitational pull, that makes less dense materials rise (buoyancy) and denser materials sink 

(sedimentation). Because of these gravity-induced phenomena, crystals grown on Earth are smaller and less 

ordered, containing imperfections that limit the capability of transistors, sensors and other types of 

electronic devices. 

In the microgravity environment of space, the Boeing CVTE system will attempt to grow purer and more 

uniform crystals using a cadmium telluride compound and a process called vapor transport. 

The cadmium telluride compound is a solid, sealed inside a glass tube placed inside the CVTE furnace and 

heated to 850 degrees Celsius. When heated, the compound evaporates and forms two gaseous materials: 

cadmium and tellurium. This process is reversed during crystallization. Both evaporation and 

crystallization processes occur in the CVTE glass tube. 

Cadmium telluride vaporizes at one end of the glass tube and crystallizes at the other. By carefully 

controlling the temperatures and temperature profile inside the glass tube, large single crystals can be 

produced. The high temperature used in this experiment is expected to produce samples as large in 

diameter as a dime -- whereas previous crystal- growth facilities only have been able to grow samples 

about the size of a pencil eraser. 

Unlike previous, fully automated crystal-growth experiments conducted in space, the Boeing experiment 

will be tended by the orbiter crew. The CVTE system has a transparent window allowing the crew to 

observe the growing crystal and adjust its position and furnace temperature to achieve optimum growth. 

STS-52 astronauts Bill Shepherd and Mike Baker trained with Boeing scientists to learn to work the CVTE 

equipment. By having the astronauts monitor and observe the on-orbit crystal growth, it is hoped that they 

might be able to better interpret the resulting data and ultimately help industry produce superior crystals. 

In addition to the astronauts monitoring the experiment, NASA still cameras will document, every several 

minutes, the rate of crystal growth. Scientists later will use these photos to further analyze the crystal's 

growth. 

The CVTE system is accommodated in a structure about the size of a telephone booth, which will be 

installed in the galley area of the Shuttle orbiter mid-deck. 

Principal investigators for CVTE are Dr. R. T. Ruggeri and Dr. Ching-Hua Su, both of Boeing. The CVTE 

Program Manager is Barbara Heizer and the Chief Engineer is David Garman, both of Boeing. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 38 

COMMERCIAL PROTEIN CRYSTAL GROWTH 

The Commercial Protein Crystal Growth (CPCG) payload is sponsored by NASA's Office of Commercial 

Programs. Program management and development of the CPCG experiments is provided by the Center for 

Macromolecular Crystallography (CMC), a NASA Center for the Commercial Development of Space 

(CCDS) based at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The CMC's goal is to develop the technology 

and applications needed for successful space-based protein crystal growth (PCG). 

Metabolic processes involving proteins play an essential role in the living of our lives from providing 

nourishment to fighting disease. Protein crystal growth investigations are conducted in space because 

space-grown crystals tend to be larger, purer and more highly structured than their ground- based 

counterparts. Having high-quality protein crystals to study is important because they greatly facilitate 

studies of protein structures. Scientists want to learn about a protein's three-dimensional structure to 

understand how it works, how to reproduce it or how to change it. Such information is a key to developing 

new and more effective pharmaceuticals. 

The technique most-widely used to determine a protein's three-dimensional structure is X-Ray 

crystallography, which needs large, well-ordered crystals for analysis. While crystals produced on Earth 

often are large enough to analyze, usually they have numerous gravity-induced flaws. By comparison, 

space-grown crystals tend to be purer and have more highly-ordered structures, significantly enhancing XRay crystallography studies. Besides the increased size and quality, space-grown crystals are important 

because they may be the first crystals large enough to reveal their structure through X-Ray analysis. 

With the tremendous role that proteins play in everyday life, research in this area is quickly becoming a 

viable commercial industry. In fact, the profit potential for commercial applications has attracted firms in 

the pharmaceutical, biotechnological and chemical industries. In response to industry interest, the CMC has 

formed affiliations with a variety of companies that are investing substantial amounts of time, research and 

funding in developing protein samples for use in evaluating the benefits of microgravity. 

For the past 10 years, exponential growth in protein pharmaceuticals has resulted in the successful use of 

proteins such as insulin, interferons, human growth hormone and tissue plasminogen activator. Pure, wellordered protein crystals of uniform size are in demand by the pharmaceutical industry as tools for drug 

discovery and drug delivery. 

Structural information gained from CPCG activities can provide, among other information, a better 

understanding of the body's immune system, and ultimately aid in the design of safe and effective treatment 

for disease and infections. For these reasons, CPCG crystal structure studies have been conducted on 7 

Shuttle missions starting in 1988. 

During 1991 and 1992, other CPCG experiments were conducted on three Shuttle missions, and successful 

results were obtained using a CMC-developed hardware configuration know as the Protein Crystallization 

Facility (PCF). These efforts focused on the production of relatively large quantities of crystals that were 

pure and uniform in size. The space-grown crystals were much larger than their Earth- grown counterparts. 

On STS-52, the CPCG flight hardware will consist of the PCF and the third flight of a newly-designed, 

"state-of-the- art" Commercial Refrigerator/Incubator Module (CRIM). Its thermal profile is programmed 

prior to launch, and it monitors and records CRIM temperatures during flight. 

The objectives for producing protein crystals using the PCF hardware are to grow them in large batches 

and to use temperature as the means to initiate and control crystal growth. Using temperature as an 

activator in the microgravity environment of space is advantageous because essentially no temperatureinduced convection currents are generated to interfere with protein crystal growth. 

The PCF, as used in two past missions, comprises four plastic cylinders. Each PCF cylinder is encapsulated 

within individual aluminum containment tubes supported by an aluminum structure. Prior to launch, the 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 39 

cylinders will be filled with protein solution and mounted into a CRIM. Each cylinder lid will pass through 

the left wall of the aluminum structure and come into contact with a temperature-controlled plate inside the 

CRIM. As configured for the STS-52 mission, the PCF will comprise 50-milliliter cylinders. 

Shortly after achieving orbit, the crew will activate the experiment by initiating the pre-programmed 

temperature profile. The CRIM temperature will be changed gradually over several days to cause the 

protein solution to form protein crystals. The change in CRIM temperature will be transferred from the 

temperature-controlled plate through the cylinder lids to the protein solution. 

Changing the solution temperature will allow crystals to form and based on previous experience, these 

crystals will be well-ordered due to a reduction in the damaging effects of the Earth's gravity. Once 

activated, the payload will not require any further crew interaction except for periodic monitoring, nor will 

it require any modifications for landing. 

Due to the protein's short lifetime and the crystals' resulting instability, the payload will be retrieved from 

the Shuttle within 3 hours of landing and returned to the CMC for post-flight analyses. The crystals will be 

analyzed by morphometry to determine size distribution and absolute/relative crystal size. They also will be 

analyzed with X-Ray crystallography and biochemical assays of purity to determine internal molecular 

order and protein homogeneity. 

The CPCG activities associated with the STS-52 mission are sponsored by NASA's Office of Commercial 

Programs. Lead investigators for the experiment include CMC Director Dr. Charles Bugg, CMC Deputy 

Director Dr. Lawrence DeLucas and CMC Associate Director Dr. Marianna Long. 

Principal Investigators for CVTE are Dr. R. T. Ruggeri and Dr. Ching-Hua Su, both of Boeing. The CVTE 

Program Manager is Barbara Heizer and the Chief Engineer is David Garman, both work for Boeing. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 40 

STS-52 CREWMEMBERS 

STS052-S-001 -- These five NASA astronauts and a Canadian payload specialist are assigned to the STS-52 flight 

aboard Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, scheduled for later this year. Pictured on the back row are (left to 

right) pilot Michael A. Baker, mission commander James D. Wetherbee, and payload specialist Steven G. 

MacLean. In the front row are (left to right) mission specialists Charles Lacy Veach, Tamara E. Jernigan and 

William M. Shepherd. Crewmembers are wearing launch and entry suites (LESs) with the flags of the United States 

(U.S.) and Canada displayed behind them. MacLean represents the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). Portrait made 

by NASA JSC contract photographer Scott A. Wickes. 

No copyright is asserted for this photograph. If a recognizable person appears in the photo, use for commercial 

purposes may infringe a right of privacy or publicity. It may not be used to state or imply the endorsement by 

NASA or by any NASA employee of a commercial product, process or service, or used in any other manner that 

might mislead. Accordingly, it is requested that if this photograph is used in advertising and other commercial 

promotion, layout and copy be submitted to NASA prior to release. 

PHOTO CREDIT: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 41 

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA 

JAMES (JIM) D. WETHERBEE, 39, U.S. Navy Commander, is Commander of Columbia's 13th space 

mission. Selected to be an astronaut in 1984, Wetherbee, from Flushing, NY, is making his second Shuttle 

flight. 

Wetherbee served as Pilot on Columbia's STS-32 mission in January 1990 to rendezvous with and retrieve 

the Long Duration Exposure Facility and to deploy a Navy communications satellite. 

A graduate of Holy Family Diocesan High School in South Huntington, NY, in 1970, Wetherbee received 

a bachelor of science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 1974. 

He was commissioned in the U.S. Navy in 1975 and was designated a Naval Aviator in 1976. He has 

logged more than 3,500 hours flying time in 20 different types of aircraft. His first Shuttle mission lasted 

261 hours. 

MICHAEL (MIKE) A. BAKER, 38, U.S. Navy Captain, is Pilot of STS-52. From Lemoore, Calif., he 

was selected as an astronaut candidate in 1985 and flew his first Shuttle mission aboard Atlantis' STS-43 

mission in August 1991. 

As a crewmember on that flight, Baker helped in conducting 32 experiments as well as the primary mission 

to deploy a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite. 

Baker graduated from Lemoore Union High School in 1971 and received a bachelor of science degree in 

Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas in 1975. 

He completed flight training in 1977 and has logged more than 3,600 hours flying time in almost 50 types 

of aircraft. Baker logged more than 213 hours in space on his first Shuttle mission. 

CHARLES L. (LACY) VEACH, 48, is Mission Specialist 1. Prior to being selected as an astronaut in 

1984, he served as an instructor pilot in the Shuttle Training Aircraft used to train pilot astronauts to land 

the Space Shuttle. Veach from Honolulu, Haw., previously was a mission specialist on STS-39 in April 

1991. 

Veach was responsible for operating a group of instruments in support of the unclassified Department of 

Defense mission aboard Discovery to better understand rocket plume signatures in space as part of the 

Strategic Defense Initiative. 

A graduate of Punahou School in Honolulu, Veach received a bachelor of science degree in Engineering 

Management from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1966. 

He was commissioned in the Air Force after graduation and received his pilot wings at Moody AFB, GA, 

in 1967. Veach has logged more than 5,000 hours in various aircraft. His first Shuttle mission lasted more 

than 199 hours. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 42 

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA 

WILLIAM M. SHEPHERD, 43, Navy Captain, is Mission Specialist 2. He was selected as an astronaut 

in 1984 and is from Babylon, NY. STS-52 is Shepherd's third Space Shuttle flight. 

He served as a mission specialist on Atlantis' STS-27 mission, a Department of Defense flight in December 

1988. His second flight also was as a mission specialist on STS-41, a Discovery flight in October 1990 to 

deploy the Ulysses spacecraft designed to explore the polar regions of the Sun. 

Shepherd graduated from Arcadia High School, Scottsdale, AZ, in 1967 and received a bachelor of science 

degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Naval Academy in 1971. In 1978 he received the degrees of 

Ocean Engineer and master of science in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of 

Technology. 

Prior to joining NASA, Shepherd served with the Navy's Underwater Demolition Team, Seal Team and 

Special Boat Unit. He has logged more than 203 hours in space. 

TAMARA (TAMMY) E. JERNIGAN, 33, is Mission Specialist 3. Born in Chattanooga, TN, she was 

selected to be an astronaut in 1985. She first flew on Columbia's STS-40 Spacelab Life Sciences-1 mission. 

As a mission specialist, Jernigan participated in experiments to better understand how the human body 

adapts to the space environment and then readapts to Earth's gravity. The Spacelab mission was the first 

dedicated to life sciences aboard the Shuttle. 

She graduated from Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe Springs, Calif., in 1977. She received a bachelor of 

science degree in Physics and a master of science degree in Engineering Science from Stanford University 

in 1981 and 1983. Jernigan also received a master of science degree in Astronomy from the University of 

California-Berkeley in 1985 and a doctorate in Space Physics and Astronomy from Rice University in 

1988. 

Prior to becoming an astronaut, Jernigan worked in the Theoretical Studies Branch at NASA's Ames 

Research Center. With her first Shuttle mission, Jernigan has logged more than 218 hours in space. 

STEVEN (STEVE) GLENWOOD MACLEAN, 37, is Payload Specialist 1. Born in Ottawa, Ontario, he 

will be making his first Shuttle flight. 

MacLean attended primary and secondary school in Ottawa and received a bachelor of science degree in 

Honours Physics and doctorate in Physics from York University in 1977 and 1983, respectively. 

He was one of six Canadian astronauts selected in December 1983. He was designated as the payload 

specialist to fly with the CANEX-2 set of Canadian experiments manifested on the STS-52 flight. 

MacLean is currently actively involved in the development of space technology, space science, materials 

processing and life sciences experiments that he will perform in space on the mission. He is astronaut 

advisor to the Strategic Technologies in the Automation and Robotics Program and Program Manager of 

the Advanced Space Vision System being flown on the mission. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 43 

MISSION MANAGEMENT FOR STS-52 

NASA HEADQUARTERS, WASHINGTON, DC 

Office of Space Flight 

Jeremiah W. Pearson III Associate Administrator 

Brian O'Connor Deputy Associate Administrator 

Tom Utsman Director, Space Shuttle 

Office of Space Science 

Dr. Lennard A. Fisk Associate Administrator 

Alphonso V. Diaz Deputy Associate Administrator 

Dr. Shelby G. Tilford Director, Earth Science and Applications 

Robert Benson Director, Flight Systems 

Robert Rhome Director, Microgravity Science and Applications 

Louis Caudill LAGEOS II Program Manager 

Dr. Miriam Baltuck LAGEOS II Program Scientist 

David Jarrett USMP-1 Program Manager 

Office of Commercial Programs 

John G. Mannix Assistant Administrator 

Richard H. Ott Director, Commercial Development Division 

Garland C. Misener Chief, Flight Requirements and Accommodations 

Ana M. Villamil Program Manager, Centers for the Commercial Development of Space 

Raymond P. Whitten Director, Commercial Infrastructure 

Office of Safety and Mission Quality 

Col. Frederick Gregory Associate Administrator 

Dr. Charles Pellerin Jr. Deputy Associate Administrator 

Richard Perry Director, Programs Assurance 

Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology 

Richard H. Petersen Associate Administrator 

Gregory M. Reck Director for Space Technology 

Jack Levine Manager, Space Experiments Office 

Arthur R. Lee Program Manager, Heat Pipe Performance Experiment 

Richard A. Gualdoni Program Manager, Tank Pressure Control Experiment/Thermal Phenomena 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 44 

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL 

Robert L. Crippen Director 

James A. "Gene" Thomas Deputy Director 

Jay F. Honeycutt Director, Shuttle Management and Operations 

Robert B. Sieck Launch Director 

Bascom Murrah Columbia Flow Director 

J. Robert Lang Director, Vehicle Engineering 

Al J. Parrish Director of Safety Reliability and Quality Assurance 

John T. Conway Director, Payload Management and Operations 

P. Thomas Breakfield Director, Shuttle Payload Operations 

Joanne H. Morgan Director, Payload Project Management 

Mike Kinnan STS-52 Payload Processing Manager 

MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER, HUNTSVILLE, AL 

Thomas J. Lee Director 

Dr. J. Wayne Littles Deputy Director 

Harry G. Craft Manager, Payload Projects Office 

Alexander A. McCool Manager, Shuttle Projects Office 

Dr. George McDonough Director, Science and Engineering 

James H., Ehl Director, Safety and Mission Assurance 

Otto Goetz Manager, Space Shuttle Main Engine Project 

Victor Keith Henson Manager, Redesigned Solid Rocket Motor Project 

Cary H. Rutland Manager, Solid Rocket Booster Project 

Parker Counts Manager, External Tank Project 

R. E. Valentine Mission Manager, USMP-1 

Sherwood Anderson Asst. Mission Manager 

Dr. S. L. Lehoczky Mission Scientist, USMP-1 

Dr. M. Volz Asst. Mission Scientist 

Lyne Luna Payload Operations Lead 

Rose Cramer Payload Operations Lead 

JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, HOUSTON, TX 

Aaron Cohen Director 

Paul J. Weitz Acting Director 

Daniel Germany Manager, Orbiter and GFE Projects 

Donald Puddy Director, Flight Crew Operations 

Eugene F. Kranz Director, Mission Operations 

Henry O. Pohl Director, Engineering 

Charles S. Harlan Director, Safety, Reliability and Quality 

Assurance 

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, BAY ST. LOUIS, MS 

Roy S. Estess Director 

Gerald Smith Deputy Director 

J. Harry Guin Director, Propulsion Test Operations 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 45 

AMES-DRYDEN FLIGHT RESEARCH FACILITY, EDWARDS, CA 

Kenneth J. Szalai Director 

T. G. Ayers Deputy Director 

James R. Phelps Chief, Shuttle Support Office 

AMES RESEARCH CENTER, MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA 

Dr. Dale L. Compton Director 

Victor L. Peterson Deputy Director 

Dr. Joseph C. Sharp Director, Space Research 

GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER, GREENBELT, MD 

Dr. John M. Klineberg Director 

Peter T. Burr Deputy Director 

Vernon J. Weyers Director, Flight Projects Directorate 

Jerre Hartman Project Manager, International Projects 

James P. Murphy Deputy Project Manager for LAGEOS 

Dr. Ronald Kolenkiewicz Project Scientist 

ITALIAN SPACE AGENCY 

Prof. Luciano Guerriero President, Italian Space Agency 

Prof. Carlo Buongiorno Director General, Italian Space Agency 

Cesare Albanesi Program Manager, LAGEOS II, Italian Space Agency 

Giovanni Rum Program Manager, IRIS, Italian Space Agency 

Dr. Roberto Ibba Mission Manager, LAGEOS II/IRIS 

CANADIAN SPACE AGENCY 

W. MacDonald Evans Vice President, Operations 

Bruce A. Aikenhead CANEX-II Program Manager And Director-General, Astronaut Program 

Bjarni V. Tryggvason Alternate Payload Specialist And Payload Operations Director 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 46 

SHUTTLE FLIGHTS AS OF OCTOBER 1992 

50 TOTAL FLIGHTS OF THE SHUTTLE SYSTEM -- 25 SINCE RETURN TO FLIGHT 

STS-42 

01/22/92 - 01/30/92 

STS-48 

09/12/91 - 09/18/91 

STS-50 

06/25/92 - 07/09/92 

STS-39 

04/28/91 - 05/06/91 

STS-46 

07/31/92 - 08/08/92 

STS-40 

06/05/91 - 06/14/91 

 STS-41 

10/06/90 - 10/10/90 

STS-45 

03/24/92 - 04/02/92 

STS-35 

12/02/90 - 12/10/90 

STS-51L 

01/28/86 

STS-31 

04/24/90 - 04/29/90 

STS-44 

11/24/91 - 12/01/91 

STS-32 

01/09/90 - 01/20/90 

STS-61A 

10/30/85 - 11/06/85 

STS-33 

11/22/89 - 11/27/89 

STS-43 

08/02/91 - 08/11/91 

STS-28 

08/08/89 - 08/13/89 

STS-51F 

07/29/85 - 08/06/85 

STS-29 

03/13/89 - 03/18/89 

STS-37 

04/05/91 - 04/11/91 

STS-61C 

01/12/86 - 01/18/86 

STS-51B 

04/29/85 - 05/06/85 

STS-26 

09/29/88 - 10/03/88 

STS-38 

11/15/90 - 11/20/90 

STS-9 

11/28/83 - 12/08/83 

STS-41G 

10/05/84 - 10/13/84 

STS-51-I 

08/27/85 - 09/03/85 

STS-36 

02/28/90 - 03/04/90 

STS-5 

11/11/82 - 11/16/82 

STS-41C 

04/06/84 - 04/13/84 

STS-51G 

06/17/85 - 06/24/85 

STS-34 

10/18/89 - 10/23/89 

STS-4 

06/27/82 - 07/04/82 

STS-41B 

02/03/84 - 02/11/84 

STS-51D 

04/12/85 - 04/19/85 

STS-30 

05/04/89 - 05/08/89 

STS-3 

03/22/82 - 03/30/82 

STS-8 

08/30/83 - 09/05/83 

STS-51C 

01/24/85 - 01/27/85 

STS-27 

12/02/88 - 12/06/88 

STS-2 

11/12/81 - 11/14/81 

STS-7 

06/18/83 - 06/24/83 

STS-51A 

11/08/84 - 11/16/84 

STS-61B 

11/26/85 - 12/03/85 

STS-47 

09/12/92 - 09/20/92 

STS-1 

04/12/81 - 04/14/81 

STS-6 

04/04/83 - 04/09/83 

STS-41D 

08/30/84 - 09/05/84 

STS-51J 

10/03/85 - 10/07/85 

STS-49 

05/07/92 - 05/16/92 

 

OV-102 

Columbia 

(12 flights) 

OV-099 

Challenger 

(10 flights) 

OV-103 

Discovery 

(14 flights) 

OV-104 

Atlantis 

(12 flights) 

OV-105 

Endeavour 

(2 flights)