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STS 107
 STS-107 Shuttle Press Kit 

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration 

Table of Contents 

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

Timeline Overview ................................................................................................... 9 

Mission Profile ........................................................................................................ 17 

Crew ........................................................................................................................ 19 

Payloads 

SPACEHAB Research Double Module and 

SPACEHAB Commercial Payloads .......................................................................... 26 

Master Experiment List ............................................................................................ 32 

Biology Experiments 

Biological Research in Canisters (BRIC) ................................................................. 34 

Biotechnology Demonstration System (BDS-05) ..................................................... 36 

European Space Agency BIOPACK ......................................................................... 38 

Anatomical Studies of Central Vestibular Adaptation................................................ 40 

Arterial Remodeling and Functional Adaptations ...................................................... 42 

Choroidal Regulation Involved in the Cerebral Fluid................................................. 44 

Magnetic Field Apparatus (MFA/BIOTUBE).............................................................. 46 

Biomedical Research and Counter Measures Experiments 

Calcium Kinetics During Spaceflight ......................................................................... 48 

Flight Induced Changes in Immune Defenses .......................................................... 50 

Incidence of Latent Virus Shedding During Spaceflight ............................................ 52 

Microbial Physiology Flight Experiments................................................................... 54 

Protein Turnover During Spaceflight......................................................................... 56 
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Renal Stone Risk During Spaceflight........................................................................ 58 

Sleep-Wake Actigraphy and Light Exposure During Spaceflight............................... 60 

Earth & Space Sciences 

Mediterranean Israeli Dust Experiment (MEIDEX).................................................... 62 

Shuttle Ionospheric Modification (SIMPLEX) ............................................................ 64 

Shuttle Ozone Limb Sounding Experiment-2 (SOLSE-2).......................................... 65 

Solar Constant Experiment (SOLCON-3) ................................................................. 67 

Physical Sciences 

Combustion Module-2 (CM-2)................................................................................... 69 

Critical Viscosity of Xenon-2 (CVX-2) ....................................................................... 71 

Laminar Soot Processes-2 (LSP-2) .......................................................................... 73 

Mechanics of Granular Materials-3 (MGM-3)............................................................ 75 

Space Acceleration Measurment System Free Flyer (SAMS-FF) and 

Orbiter Acceleration Research Experiment (OARE) ................................................. 78 

Structures of Flame Balls (SOFBALL) ...................................................................... 80 

Space Product Development 

ASTROCULTURE ô................................................................................................ 82 

Commercial Instumentation Technology (CIBX-2).................................................... 85 

Commercial Protein Crystal Growth (CPCG-H) ........................................................ 88 

Water Mist Fire Suppresion Experiment (MIST)........................................................ 90 

Zeolite Crystal Growth (ZCG).................................................................................... 93 

Technology Development 

Low Power Transceiver (LPT)................................................................................... 95 

Ram Burn Observations (RAMBO) ........................................................................... 96 

Vapor Compression Distillation Flight Experiment .................................................... 97 
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Advanced Respiratory Monitoring System (ARMS) Support System .............. 100 

European Space Agency (ESA) Payloads Overview.......................................... 102 

Fast Reaction Experiments Enabling Science, 

Technology, Applications and Research (FREESTAR) ..................................... 104 

National Space Development Agency of Japan 

(NASDA) STS-107 Space Experiment Project..................................................... 115 

Space Technology and Research Students 

(STARS) Student Experiments............................................................................. 120 

Detailed Test Objectives (DTOs) and 

Detailed Supplementary Objectives (DSOs) ...................................................... 124 

Shuttle Reference Data ........................................................................................ 125 

Acronyms and Abbreviations ............................................................................. 143 

Media Assistance ................................................................................................. 148 

Media Contacts .................................................................................................... 150 
 STS-107 Shuttle Press Kit 

National Aeronautics and 

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Mission Overview 

STS-107: Providing 24/7 Space Science Research 

Space shuttle mission STS-107, the 28th flight of the space shuttle Columbia and the 113th 

shuttle mission to date, will give more than 70 international scientists access to both the 

microgravity environment of space and a set of seven human researchers for 16 

uninterrupted days. 

The STS-107 crew. Seated in front are astronauts Rick Husband, commander, and 

Willie McCool, pilot. Standing are (from left) mission specialists Dave Brown, Laurel 

Clark, Kalpana Chawla, Mike Anderson (payload commander) and payload specialist 

Ilan Ramon, representing the Israeli Space Agency. 

Columbia’s 16-day mission is dedicated to a mixed complement of competitively selected 

and commercially sponsored research in the space, life and physical sciences. An 

international crew of seven, including the first Israeli astronaut, will work 24 hours a day in 

two alternating shifts to carry out experiments in the areas of astronaut health and safety; 

advanced technology development; and Earth and space sciences. 

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The Spacehab Research Double Module is prepared for flight 

at Kennedy Space Center 

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When Columbia is launched from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39A it will carry a 

SPACEHAB Research Double Module (RDM) in its payload bay. The RDM is a pressurized 

environment that is accessible to the crew while in orbit via a tunnel from the shuttle’s 

middeck. Together, the RDM and the middeck will accommodate the majority of the 

mission’s payloads/experiments. STS-107 marks the first flight of the RDM, though 

SPACEHAB Modules and Cargo Carriers have flown on 17 previous space shuttle 

missions. 

Astronaut Rick Husband (Colonel, USAF) will command STS-107 and will be joined on 

Columbia’s flight deck by pilot William “Willie” McCool (Commander, USN). Columbia will 

be crewed by Mission Specialist 2 (Flight Engineer) Kalpana Chawla (Ph.D.), Mission 

Specialist 3 (Payload Commander) Michael Anderson (Lieutenant Colonel, USAF), Mission 

Specialist 1 David Brown (Captain, USN), Mission Specialist 4 Laurel Clark (Commander, 

USN) and Payload Specialist 1 Ilan Ramon (Colonel, Israeli Air Force), the first Israeli 

astronaut. 

STS-107 marks Husband’s second flight into space – he served as pilot during STS-96, a 

10-day mission that saw the first shuttle docking with the International Space Station. 

Husband served as Chief of Safety for the Astronaut Office until his selection to command 

the STS-107 crew. Anderson and Chawla will also be making their second spaceflights. 

Anderson first flew on STS-89 in January 1998 (the eighth Shuttle-Mir docking mission) 

while Chawla flew on STS-87 in November 1997 (the fourth U.S. Microgravity Payload 

flight). McCool, Brown, Clark and Ramon will be making their first flights into space. 

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STS-107 Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon, from Israel, trains on equipment at 

SPACEHAB, Cape Canaveral, Fla. 

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The seven crewmembers will work in two shifts throughout their 16 days in space. The Red 

Shift will include Husband, Chawla, Clark and Ramon, while the Blue Shift will include 

McCool, Brown and Anderson. The seven astronauts will work round-the-clock to complete 

a multidisciplinary research program involving 32 payloads with 59 separate investigations. 

Under an agreement with NASA, SPACEHAB, Inc. has marketed 18 percent of the 

module’s capacity of 9,000 pounds to international and industry commercial users from 

around the world – NASA research will utilize the remaining 82 percent of the payload 

capacity. 

Experiments in the SPACEHAB RDM include nine commercial payloads involving 21 

separate investigations, four payloads for the European Space Agency with 14 

investigations, one payload/investigation for ISS Risk Mitigation and 18 payloads 

supporting 23 investigations for NASA’s Office of Biological and Physical Research 

(OBPR). 

In the physical sciences, three studies inside a large, rugged chamber will examine the 

physics of combustion, soot production and fire quenching processes in microgravity. 

These experiments will provide new insights into combustion and fire-suppression that 

cannot be gained on Earth. An experiment that compresses granular materials, in the 

absence of gravity, will further our understanding of construction techniques. This 

information can help engineers provide stronger foundations for structures in areas where 

earthquakes, floods and landslides are common. Another experiment will evaluate the 

formation of zeolite crystals, which can speed the chemical reactions that are the basis for 

chemical processes used in refining, biomedical and other areas. Yet another experiment 

will use pressurized liquid xenon to mimic the behaviors of more complex fluids such as 

blood flowing through capillaries. 

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At SPACEHAB, Cape Canaveral, Fla., members of the STS-107 crew 

familiarize themselves with experiments and equipment for the mission. 

Pointing at a piece of equipment (center) is Mission Specialist Laurel Clark. 

At right is Mission Specialist Kalpana Chawla. 

In the area of biological applications, two separate OBPR experiments will allow different 

types of cell cultures to grow together in weightlessness to enhance their development of 

enhanced genetic characteristics – one will be used to combat prostate cancer, the other to 

improve crop yield. Another experiment will evaluate the commercial usefulness of plant 

products grown in space. A facility for forming protein crystals more purely and with fewer 

flaws than is possible on Earth may lead to a drug designed for specific diseases with fewer 

side effects. A commercially sponsored facility will house two experiments to grow protein 

crystals to study possible therapies against the factors that cause cancers to spread and 

bone cancer to cause intense pain to its sufferers. A third experiment will look at developing 

a new technique of encapsulating anti-cancer drugs to improve their efficiency. 

Other studies will focus on changes, due to spaceflight, in the cardiovascular and 

musculoskeletal systems; in the systems which sense and respond to gravity; and in the 

capability of organisms to respond to stress and maintain normal function. NASA is also 

testing a new technology to recycle water prior to installing a device to recycle water 

permanently aboard the International Space Station. 

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The European Space Agency (ESA), through a contract with SPACEHAB, is flying an 

important payload focused on astronaut health, biological function and basic physical 

phenomena in space. These experiments will address different aspects of many of the 

same phenomena that NASA is interested in, providing a more thorough description of the 

effects of spaceflight, often in the same subjects or specimens. ESA will perform seven inflight experiments, and one ground-based, on the cardiopulmonary changes that occur in 

astronauts. Additional ESA biological investigations will examine bone formation and 

maintenance; immune system functioning; connective tissue growth and repair; and 

bacterial and yeast cell responses to the stresses of spaceflight. A special facility will grow 

large, well-ordered protein and virus crystals that are expected to lead to improved drug 

designs. Another will study the physical characteristics of bubbles and droplets in the 

absence of the effects of Earth’s gravity. 

SPACEHAB is also making it possible for universities, companies and other government 

agencies to do important research in space without having to provide their own spacecraft. 

The Canadian Space Agency is sponsoring three bone-growth experiments, and is 

collaborating with ESA on two others. The German Space Agency will measure the 

development of the gravity-sensing organs of fish in the absence of gravity. A university is 

growing ultra-pure protein crystals for drug research. Another university is testing a 

navigation system for future satellites. The U.S. Air Force is conducting a communications 

experiment. Students from six schools in Australia, China, Israel, Japan, Liechtenstein and 

the United States are probing the effects of spaceflight on spiders, silkworms, inorganic 

crystals, fish, bees and ants, respectively. 

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Columbia's payload bay doors are ready to be closed for mission STS-107. Installed 

inside are the Hitchhiker Bridge, a carrier for the Fast Reaction Experiments 

Enabling Science, Technology, Applications and Research (FREESTAR) that 

incorporates eight high priority secondary attached shuttle experiments, plus the 

SHI Research Double Module (SHI/RDM), also known as SPACEHAB. 

There are also experiments in Columbia’s payload bay, including three attached to the top 

of the RDM: the Combined Two-Phase Loop Experiment (COM2PLEX), Miniature Satellite 

Threat Reporting System (MSTRS) and Star Navigation (STARNAV). There are six 

payloads/experiments on the Hitchhiker pallet – the Fast Reaction Experiments Enabling 

Science, Technology, Applications and Research (FREESTAR), which is mounted on a 

bridge-like structure spanning the width of the payload bay. These six investigations look 

outward to the Sun, downward at Earth’s atmosphere and inward into the physics of fluid 

phenomena, as well as testing technology for space communications. 

FREESTAR will hold the Critical Viscosity of Xenon-2 (CVX-2), Low Power Transceiver 

(LPT), Mediterranean Israeli Dust Experiment (MEIDEX), Space Experiment Module (SEM14), Solar Constant Experiment-3 (SOLCON-3) and Shuttle Ozone Limb Sounding 

Experiment (SOLSE-2). The SEM is made up of 11 separate student experiments from 

schools across the U.S. and is the 14th flight of a SEM on the space shuttle. 

Additional secondary payloads are the Shuttle Ionospheric Modification with Pulsed Local 

Exhaust Experiment (SIMPLEX) and Ram Burn Observation (RAMBO). 

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Summary Timeline 

(Last Updated: Dec. 8, 2002) 

Below is a brief outline of what each STS-107 crewmember will be doing on any given 

Flight Day during their mission. For a more detailed overview of the daily activities of any 

crewmember, please see the daily Execute Package. Details on the various experiments, 

listed below by acronym, can be found in this press kit beginning on p. x or online at 

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle

Common Experiment Acronyms: 

ARMS - Advanced Respiratory Monitoring System 

AST - Astroculture 

BACTER - Bacterial Physiology & Virulence on Earth and in Microgravity (BIOPACK) 

BDS - Biotechnology Demonstration System 

BIOKN - microgravity influences on bacterial growth(BIOPACK) 

BIOPACK - ESA facility to conduct biological experiments (eight total) 

LSP - Laminar Soot Process (in Combustion Module) 

MEIDEX - Mediterranean Israeli Dust Experiment (payload bay instrument) 

MGM - Mechanics of Granular Materials 

MIST - Water Mist Fire Suppression (in Combustion Module) 

MPFE - Microbial Physiology Flight Experiments 

PCBA - Portable Clinical Blood Analyzer 

PhAB4 - Physiology and Biochemistry Team (four experiments) 

SOFBALL - Structures of Flame Balls at Low Lewis-numbers (in Combustion Module) 

SOLSE - Shuttle Ozone Limb Sounding Experiment (payload bay instrument) 

STARS - Space Technology and Research Students (six international student experiments 

on Columbia’s middeck) 

STROM - bone marrow stromal cells (BIOPACK) 

VCD - Vapor Compression Distillation 

YSTRS - Yeast Cells Under Stress (BIOPACK) 

ZCG - Zeolite Crystal Growth 

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FD1:

Blue Team: 

McCool - post-launch activities, sleep 

Brown - post-launch activities, sleep 

Anderson - post-launch activities, sleep 

Red Team: 

Husband - Columbia post-launch configurations, SOLSE activation, attitude maneuvering 

Chawla - Spacehab activation, BDS set-up 

Clark - Spacehab activation; ARMS set-up and Rebreathe experiment 

Ramon - Spacehab activation; MEIDEX set-up, ARMS set-up and Rebreathe experiment; 

PhAB4 set-up 

FD2:

Blue Team: 

McCool - Spacehab set-up, BIOPACK (Leukin) and MEIDEX 

Brown - Spacehab set-up, ARMS (muscle), MEIDEX ops and PhAB4 set-up 

Anderson - ARMS (rebreathe and muscle), MEIDEX check-out, STARS activation and 

PhAB4 set-up 

Red Team: 

Husband - SOLSE 

Chawla - ZCG, MGM, BIOPACK (bones) and BDS 

Clark - BDS, AST, ZCG, OSTEO, CIBX and ARMS (muscle) 

Ramon - PhAB4, MEIDEX, ARMS (muscle), AST and MPFE 

FD3:

Blue Team: 

McCool – PCBA, MEIDEX and ARMS 

Brown - ARMS (pulmonary), PhAB4 and MEIDEX 

Anderson - PhAB4 and ARMS (pulmonary) 

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Red Team: 

Husband - MEIDEX, PCBA, various systems and experiments checks 

Chawla – VCD, BDS, MGM set-up and activation, and ZCG 

Clark - PhAB4, OSTEO and ARMS (pulmonary) 

Ramon – AST, PhAB4, ARMS (pulmonary) and MPFE check 

FD4:

Blue Team: 

McCool - attitude maneuvering for MEIDEX 

Brown - LSP, MEIDEX and PhAB4 

Anderson - LSP, PhAB4 and PCBA 

Red Team: 

Husband - attitude maneuvering for MEIDEX and SOLSE 

Chawla - LSP, VCD, AST, MGM and BIOPACK (Bones) 

Clark – ZCG, PhAB4, BDS, VCD and CIBX 

Ramon - PhAB4, MEIDEX, LSP, MPFE and PCBA 

FD5:

Blue Team: 

McCool - attitude maneuvering for SOLCON and MEIDEX, and PhAB4 

Brown - LSP and MEIDEX 

Anderson - LSP 

Red Team: 

Husband - attitude maneuvering for SOLCON and MEIDEX, and PhAB4 

Chawla - attitude maneuvering, MGM, PhAB4, AST and LSP 

Clark - BDS, VCD, AST, OSTEO and MPFE 

Ramon - ZCG, LSP, MEIDEX, LSP and PCBA 

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FD6:

Blue Team: 

McCool - attitude maneuvering for SOLSE, SOLCON and MEIDEX 

Brown - LSP and MEIDEX 

Anderson - LSP, MGM and PCBA 

Red Team: 

Husband - attitude maneuvering for SOLCON and SOLSE 

Chawla - MEIDEX, ZCG, VCD, attitude maneuvering for SOLSE, and MGM 

Clark - BDS, AST, VCD, OSTEO and BIOPACK (Bones) 

Ramon - PhAB4 stow, LSP, MEIDEX, SOLSE and MPFE 

FD7: (includes some off duty time for all seven crewmembers) 

Blue Team: 

McCool - SOLSE, attitude maneuvering for MEIDEX 

Brown - MEIDEX 

Anderson - LSP 

Red Team: 

Husband - attitude maneuvering 

Chawla – LSP and SOFBALL 

Clark - VCD, BDS, OSTEO and AST 

Ramon - ZCG, LSP, MPFE and SOFBALL 

FD8:

Blue Team: 

McCool - attitude maneuvering for SOLCON and MEIDEX, and ARMS 

Brown - SOFBALL and ARMS (pulmonary and muscle) 

Anderson - SOFBALL and ARMS 

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Red Team: 

Husband - attitude maneuvering for MEIDEX, and OSTEO 

Chawla - MEIDEX, SOFBALL and VCD 

Clark - ZCG, BDS, ARMS (pulmonary), MPFE, VCD and AST 

Ramon - ARMS (pulmonary and muscle), MEIDEX and SOFBALL 

FD9:

Blue Team: 

McCool - ARMS and attitude maneuvering for SOLSE, SOLCON and MEIDEX 

Brown - SOFBALL and ARMS 

Anderson - ARMS (pulmonary and muscle) 

Red Team: 

Husband - attitude maneuvering for SOLSE 

Chawla - BDS, BIOPACK (Bacter), SOFBALL 

Clark - ARMS (pulmonary and muscle), AST and OSTEO 

Ramon - MEIDEX, SOFBALL, ARMS and AST 

FD10:

Blue Team: 

McCool - attitude maneuvering for SOLCON and MEIDEX 

Brown - SOFBALL and MEIDEX 

Anderson - SOFBALL and MGM 

Red Team: 

Husband - attitude maneuvering for MEIDEX 

Chawla - ZCG, MGM, SOFBALL and AST 

Clark - BDS, BIOPACK (Bacter), OSTEO and MPFE 

Ramon - SOFBALL 

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FD11:

Blue Team: 

McCool - attitude maneuvering for MEIDEX, and BIOPACK (STROM, BIOKN and YSTRS) 

Brown - SOFBALL and MEIDEX 

Anderson - SOFBALL and MGM 

Red Team: 

Husband - attitude maneuvering for MEIDEX and SOLCON 

Chawla - SOFBALL 

Clark - BIOPACK (YSTRS), ZCG, BDS and PhAB4 

Ramon - AST, MEIDEX, PhAB4 and PCBA 

FD12:

Blue Team: 

McCool - attitude maneuvering for SOLSE, and PCBA 

Brown - SOFBALL, PhAB4, and attitude maneuvering 

Anderson - PhAB4 and SOFBALL shutdown 

Red Team: 

Husband - orbiter systems and experiments checks, SOLSE, PCBA 

Chawla - MIST and BDS 

Clark - BDS, PhAB4, AST and MPFE deactivation 

Ramon - MIST, MEIDEX and PhAB4 

FD13: (includes some off duty time for all seven crewmembers) 

Blue Team: 

McCool - orbiter systems and experiments checks 

Brown - PhAB4 and PCBA 

Anderson - BCR, PhAB4 and MEIDEX 

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Red Team: 

Husband - attitude maneuvering and PCBA 

Chawla - MIST 

Clark - ZCG, BDS and PhAB4 

Ramon - PhAB4, MIST and AST 

FD14:

Blue Team: 

McCool - BIOPACK (YSTRS), SOLSE, PhAB4 and PCBA 

Brown - ARMS (pulmonary and muscle) 

Anderson - MIST and ARMS 

Red Team: 

Husband - attitude maneuvering for MEIDEX, PCBA and PhAB4 

Chawla - BDS and PhAB4 

Clark - ARMS (pulmonary and muscle) and ZCG 

Ramon - MEIDEX and ARMS 

FD15:

Blue Team: 

McCool - ARMS, MIST, SOLSE and OMS engine burn 

Brown - MIST, ARMS and PCBA 

Anderson - ARMS (pulmonary and muscle) and MEIDEX 

Red Team: 

Husband - OMS engine burn and attitude maneuvering, SOLSE 

Chawla - ZCG, OMS engine burn and MEIDEX 

Clark - BDS, OMS engine burn and ARMS 

Ramon - ARMS (pulmonary and muscle) 

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FD16:

Blue Team: 

McCool - BIOPACK (YSTRS), SOLSE, attitude maneuvering, Flight Control System 

checkout and Reaction Control System hotfire 

Brown - ARMS teardown and stow, MEIDEX, MIST shutdown and cabin stow 

Anderson - MIST shutdown and cabin stow 

Red Team: 

Husband - Flight Control System checkout, Reaction Control System hotfire, attitude 

maneuvering and cabin stow 

Chawla - Flight Control System checkout, attitude maneuvering for MEIDEX, cabin stow 

and ZCG stow 

Clark - BDS, Flight Control System checkout, Reaction Control System hotfire, cabin stow, 

ZCG powerdown and PhAB4 stow 

Ramon - cabin stow, MEIDEX and PhAB4 stow 

FD17:

Blue Team: 

McCool - Ku stow, ergometer stow, cabin stow, SOLSE deactivate, cabin stow, deorbit prep 

and landing 

Brown - cabin stow, Spacehab teardown and entry prep, deorbit prep and landing 

Anderson - cabin stow, Spacehab teardown and entry prep, deorbit prep and landing 

Red Team: 

Husband - deorbit prep and landing 

Chawla - deorbit prep and landing 

Clark - deorbit prep and landing 

Ramon - deorbit prep and landing 

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Mission Profile 

Crew

Commander: Rick D. Husband

Pilot: William C. McCool

Mission Specialist 1: David M. Brown 

Mission Specialist 2: Kalpana Chawla

Mission Specialist 3: Michael P. Anderson (Payload Commander)

Mission Specialist 4: Laurel B. Clark

Payload Specialist: Ilan Ramon

Launch

Orbiter: Columbia (OV-102)

Launch Site: Kennedy Space Center Launch Pad 39A

Launch Window: 2.5 Hours

Altitude: 150 Nautical Miles

Inclination: 39 Degrees

Duration: 15 Days, 22 Hours, 17 Minutes

Vehicle Data

Shuttle Liftoff Weight: 452,842 lbs.

Orbiter/Payload Liftoff 

Weight:

263,701 lbs.

Orbiter/Payload Landing 

Weight:

232,788 lbs.

Software Version: OI-29

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Space Shuttle Main Engines:

SSME 1: 2055 SSME 2: 2053 SSME 3: 2049

External Tank: ET-93A (Super Light Weight Tank) 

SRB Set: BI116PF

Shuttle Aborts

Abort Landing Sites

 RTLS: Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility 

 TAL: Primary ñ Moron; Alternates Zaragoza, Ben Guerir 

 AOA: Edwards Air Force Base, California

Landing

Landing Date: February 1, 2003

Primary Landing Site: Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing 

Facility

 

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Crewmembers 

Commander: Rick D. Husband 

Rick Husband, 45, a colonel in the U.S. Air Force, is a test 

pilot and veteran of one spaceflight. He will serve as 

commander for STS-107. Husband received a bachelor of 

science in mechanical engineering from Texas Tech 

University in 1980 and a master of science in mechanical 

engineering from California State University-Fresno in 1990. 

As commander, Husband will be responsible for the overall 

conduct of the mission. During the mission, he will be 

maneuvering Columbia as part of several experiments in the 

shuttle's payload bay that will focus on the Earth and the Sun. 

He will also be the senior member of the Red Team and will 

work with the following experiments: European Research In 

Space and Terrestrial Osteoporosis (ERISTO); Mediterranean 

Israeli Dust Experiment (MEIDEX); Osteoporosis Experiment in Orbit (OSTEO); the 

Physiology and Biochemistry Team (PhAB4) suite of experiments, which includes Calcium 

Kinetics, Latent Virus Shedding, Protein Turnover and Renal Stone Risk; and Shuttle 

Ozone Limb Sounding Experiment (SOLSE-2). Husband will also land Columbia at the end 

of the mission. 

Selected by NASA in December 1994, Husband served as the pilot of STS-96 in 1999 - a 

10-day mission during which the crew performed the first docking with the International 

Space Station. He has logged more than 235 hours in space. 

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Pilot: William C. McCool 

William C. McCool, 41, a commander in the U.S. Navy, is 

a former test pilot. He will serve as pilot for STS-107. He 

received a bachelor of science in applied science from the 

U.S. Naval Academy in 1983, a master of science in 

computer science from the University of Maryland in 1985, 

and a master of science in aeronautical engineering from 

the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1992. McCool, as a 

member of the Blue Team, will work with the following 

experiments: European Space Agency (ESA) Advanced 

Respiratory Monitoring System (ARMS); ESA Biopack 

(eight experiments); Mediterranean Israeli Dust 

Experiment (MEIDEX); and the Physiology and 

Biochemistry Team (PhAB4) suite of experiments, which 

includes Calcium Kinetics, Latent Virus Shedding, Protein 

Turnover and Renal Stone Risk. He will also be responsible for maneuvering Columbia 

as part of several experiments mounted in the shuttle's payload bay. 

Selected by NASA in April 1996, McCool will be making his first spaceflight. 

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Payload Commander: Michael P. Anderson 

Michael P. Anderson, 43, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air 

Force, is a former instructor pilot and tactical officer, and a 

veteran of one spaceflight. He will serve as Payload 

Commander and Mission Specialist 3 for STS-107. As 

payload commander he is responsible for the success 

(management) of the science mission aboard STS-107. 

Anderson received a bachelor of science in 

physics/astronomy from University of Washington in 1981 and 

a master of science in physics from Creighton University in 

1990. Anderson, as a member of the Blue Team, will work 

with the following experiments: European Space Agency 

Advanced Respiratory Monitoring System (ARMS); 

Combustion Module (CM-2), which includes the Laminar Soot 

Processes (LSP), Water Mist Fire Suppression (MIST) and Structures of Flame Balls at 

Low Lewis-number (SOFBALL) experiments; Mediterranean Israeli Dust Experiment 

(MEIDEX); Mechanics of Granular Materials (MGM); and the Physiology and Biochemistry 

Team (PhAB4) suite of experiments, which includes Calcium Kinetics, Latent Virus 

Shedding, Protein Turnover and Renal Stone Risk. 

Selected by NASA in December 1994, Anderson flew on STS-89 in 1998 - the eighth 

Shuttle-Mir docking mission. Anderson has logged over 211 hours in space. 

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Mission Specialist 1: David M. Brown 

David M. Brown, 46, a captain in the U.S. Navy, is a naval 

aviator and flight surgeon. He will serve as Mission Specialist 

1 for STS-107. Brown received a bachelor of science in 

biology from the College of William and Mary in 1978 and a 

doctorate in medicine from Eastern Virginia Medical School in 

1982. Brown, as a member of the Blue Team, will work with 

the following experiments: European Space Agency 

Advanced Respiratory Monitoring System (ARMS); 

Combustion Module (CM-2), which includes the Laminar Soot 

Processes (LSP), Water Mist Fire Suppression (MIST) and 

Structures of Flame Balls at Low Lewis-number (SOFBALL) 

experiments; Mediterranean Israeli Dust Experiment 

(MEIDEX); and the Physiology and Biochemistry Team 

(PhAB4) suite of experiments, which includes Calcium 

Kinetics, Latent Virus Shedding, Protein Turnover and Renal Stone Risk. 

Selected by NASA in April 1996, Brown will be making his first spaceflight. 

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Mission Specialist 2: Kalpana Chawla 

Kalpana Chawla, 41, is an aerospace engineer and an FAA 

Certified Flight Instructor. Chawla will serve as Flight 

Engineer and Mission Specialist 2 for STS-107. She received 

a bachelor of science in aeronautical engineering from Punjab 

Engineering College, India, in 1982, a master of science in 

aerospace engineering from the University of Texas-Arlington 

in 1984, and a doctorate in aerospace engineering from the 

University of Colorado-Boulder in 1988. As a member of the 

Red Team, Chawla, with CDR Rick Husband, will be 

responsible for maneuvering Columbia as part of several 

experiments in the shuttle's payload bay. Chawla will also 

work with the following experiments: Astroculture (AST); 

Advanced Protein Crystal Facility (APCF); Commercial Protein Crystal Growth 

(CPCG_PCF); Biotechnology Demonstration System (BDS); ESA Biopack (eight 

experiments); Combustion Module (CM-2), which includes the Laminar Soot Processes 

(LSP), Water Mist Fire Suppression (MIST) and Structures of Flame Balls at Low Lewisnumber (SOFBALL) experiments; Mechanics of Granular Materials (MGM); Vapor 

Compression Distillation Flight Experiment (VCD FE); and the Zeolite Crystal Growth 

Furnace (ZCG). 

Selected by NASA in December 1994, Chawla was the prime robotic arm operator on STS87 in 1997, the fourth U.S. Microgravity Payload flight. STS-87 focused on how the 

weightless environment of space affects various physical processes. Chawla has logged 

more than 376 hours in space. 

23
 STS-107 Shuttle Press Kit 

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration 

Mission Specialist 4: Laurel Blair Salton Clark 

Laurel Clark, 41, a commander (captain-select) in the U.S. 

Navy and a naval flight surgeon, will be Mission Specialist 4 

on STS-107. Clark received a bachelor of science in zoology 

from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1983 and a 

doctorate in medicine from the same school in 1987. Clark, as 

a member of the Red Team, will work with the following 

experiments: European Space Agency (ESA) Advanced 

Respiratory Monitoring System (ARMS); Astroculture (AST-1 

and 2); Biotechnology Demonstration System (BDS); ESA 

Biopack (eight experiments); Application of Physical & 

Biological Techniques to Study the Gravisensing and 

Response System of Plants: Magnetic Field Apparatus 

(Biotube-MFA); Closed Equilibrated Biological Aquatic System (CEBAS); Commercial ITA 

Biological Experiments (CIBX); the Microbial Physiology Flight Experiments Team (MPFE) 

experiments, which include the Effects of Microgravity on Microbial Physiology and 

Spaceflight Effects on Fungal Growth, Metabolism and Sensitivity to Antifungal Drugs; 

Osteoporosis Experiment in Orbit (OSTEO); the Physiology and Biochemistry Team 

(PhAB4) suite of experiments, which includes Calcium Kinetics, Latent Virus Shedding, 

Protein Turnover and Renal Stone Risk; Sleep-Wake Actigraphy and Light Exposure 

During Spaceflight (SLEEP); and the Vapor Compression Distillation Flight Experiment 

(VCD FE). 

Selected by NASA in April 1996, Clark will be making her first spaceflight. 

24
 STS-107 Shuttle Press Kit 

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration 

Payload Specialist 1: Ilan Ramon 

Ilan Ramon, 48, a colonel in the Israeli Air Force, is a fighter 

pilot who will be the only payload specialist on STS-107. 

Ramon received a bachelor of science in electronics and 

computer engineering from the University of Tel Aviv, Israel, 

in 1987. Ramon, as a member of the Red Team, will be the 

prime crewmember for the Mediterranean Israeli Dust 

Experiment (MEIDEX), a multispectral camera that will 

measure small dust particles (dust aerosols) in the 

atmosphere over the Mediterranean and the Saharan coast of 

the Atlantic. He will also be working with the following 

experiments: European Space Agency Advanced Respiratory 

Monitoring System (ARMS); Astroculture (AST-1 and 2); 

Biological Research in Canister - Development of Gravity 

Sensitive Plant Cells in Microgravity (BRIC); Combustion 

Module (CM-2), which includes the Laminar Soot Processes (LSP), Water Mist Fire 

Suppression (MIST) and Structures of Flame Balls at Low Lewis-number (SOFBALL) 

experiments; the Microbial Physiology Flight Experiments Team (MPFE) experiments, 

which include the Effects of Microgravity on Microbial Physiology and Spaceflight Effects on 

Fungal Growth, Metabolism and Sensitivity to Anti-fungal Drugs; the Physiology and 

Biochemistry Team (PhAB4) suite of experiments, which includes Calcium Kinetics, Latent 

Virus Shedding, Protein Turnover and Renal Stone Risk; and Space Technology and 

Research Students Bootes (STARS Bootes). 

Ramon was selected as a Payload Specialist by the Israeli Air Force in 1997 and approved 

by NASA in 1998. He reported for training at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston 

in July 1998 and will be making his first spaceflight. 

25
 STS-107 Shuttle Press Kit 

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration 

Payloads 

SPACEHAB Research Double Module (RDM) 

SPACEHAB Inc.’s Research Double Module (RDM) is making its first flight on STS-107. 

The RDM is a pressurized aluminum habitat that is carried in the space shuttle’s cargo bay 

to expand working space aboard the shuttle. The RDM is connected to the shuttle middeck 

by a pressurized access tunnel. Boeing-Huntsville performed the RDM’s systems 

integration for SPACEHAB and serves as the company’s mission integration contractor. 

SPACEHAB Single Modules outfitted for research or logistics and Double Modules outfitted 

for logistics have flown on 15 space shuttle missions to date. 

The SPACEHAB Research Double Module (RDM) and pressurized access tunnel 

are lowered toward Columbia's payload bay. 

26
 STS-107 Shuttle Press Kit 

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration 

The RDM is approximately 20 feet long, 14 feet wide, and 11 feet high. Outfitted as a stateof-the-art laboratory, it has a pressurized volume of 2,200 cubic feet and can hold up to 61 

space shuttle middeck lockers (up to 60 pounds and 2 cubic feet each) plus six Double 

Racks (1,400 pounds and 45 cubic feet each). The RDM also can accommodate 

International Space Station Payload Racks (ISPRs). The Module has two viewports and 

can carry powered rooftop payloads (three on STS-107) using feed-through plates in the 

module ceiling. The RDM, which has a payload capacity of 9,000 pounds, will carry about 

7,500 pounds of research payloads on STS-107. An additional 800 pounds of SPACEHABintegrated payloads are flying on the shuttle middeck, making a total of 8,300 pounds of 

research payloads on STS-107. 

27
 STS-107 Shuttle Press Kit 

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration 

STS-107 crewmembers check out equipment in the SPACEHAB RDM. Mission 

Specialist Kalpana Chawla (left) holds a data manual while Mission Specialist David 

Brown stretches out on the floor to get a closer look during the Crew Equipment 

Interface Test activities, which include equipment and payload familiarization. 

The RDM provides investigators with the latest in telemetry and command control 

capabilities that are compatible with the International Space Station. The Module provides 

payload data downlink services via the shuttle’s Ku-band communication system, 

increasing available downlink bandwidth up to 25 Mbps. It is equipped with an enhanced 

environmental control system designed for a four-person load capability, a key requirement 

to support round-the-clock crew operations on STS-107. 

The Module provides AC and DC power plus air and water cooling for experiments. STS107 payloads using time-critical components, such as biological samples, require access to 

the RDM for loading as late as L-31 hours before launch. SPACEHAB will be loading 

approximately 40 percent of the payloads for STS-107 on the RDM after the Module is 

installed in the shuttle cargo bay and the shuttle is on the launch pad. 

28
 STS-107 Shuttle Press Kit 

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration 

STS-107 Payload Commander Michael Anderson checks equipment 

during training at SPACEHAB. 

SPACEHAB’s flight services contract with NASA provides the company with 12 percent of 

the RDM’s payload capacity to sell to commercial customers on STS-107. 

SPACEHAB’s commercial payloads on the mission include: 

 * Advanced Respiratory Monitoring System (ARMS), European 

Space Agency: ARMS is an investigation of pulmonary and 

cardiovascular changes in humans during rest and exercise in early and 

later phases of spaceflight. The ARMS facility measures gas compositions 

during inspiration and expiration of different gas mixtures, heart rate, blood 

pressure and respiratory rate. STS-107 is the first flight of ARMS. For 

more information, see the ARMS section in this press kit. 

 * Closed Equilibrated Biological Aquatic System (CEBAS), DLR 

(German Space Agency): CEBAS, a middeck payload, is a habitat for 

aquatic organisms and serves as a facility for conducting microgravity 

experiments in zoology, botany, developmental biology and ecosystems 

research. CEBAS flew on STS-89 and STS-90. 

29
 STS-107 Shuttle Press Kit 

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration 

* Miniature Satellite Threat Reporting System (MSTRS), U.S. Air Force:

This payload is a communications technology demonstration developed by 

the Air Force Research Laboratory in Albuquerque, N.M. STS-107 is the 

first flight of MSTRS. 

* Commercial Macromolecular Protein Crystal Growth 

(CMPCG),University of Alabama-Birmingham Center for Biophysical 

Science and Engineering (UAB CBSE) and SPACEHAB: CPMG is a 

commercial facility sponsored by SPACEHAB, which has partnered with 

UAB CBSE to use the CMPCG facility for the production of large, highquality protein crystals under controlled conditions in microgravity. 

Primary customers are the National Space Development Agency of Japan, 

Canadian Space Agency, and Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. 

* Combined 2-Phase Loop Experiment (COM2PLEX), European Space 

Agency: The COM2PLEX rooftop test facility is designed to investigate 

the behavior of capillary-pumped loops in microgravity. The facility will 

demonstrate three different two-phase loops by transporting different 

amounts of heat from evaporator to condenser and radiating heat into 

space. STS-107 is the first flight of COM2PLEX. 

* STARS-Bootes: For information see the STARS Student Experiments. 

 * STARNAV Star Navigation Experiment, Texas A&M University:

This experiment, a rooftop payload, is designed to validate a new 

algorithm for determining precise spacecraft attitude without prior 

knowledge of position and develop educational interest in space 

technology and astronomy. 

* Osteoporosis Experiment in Orbit (OSTEO), Canadian Space Agency:

OSTEO is an in-vitro evaluation of bone cell activity in microgravity. 

Baseline bone cell activity and the effects of specific pharmaceutical 

agents will be assessed. This payload flew on STS-95. 

* European Research In Space and Terrestrial Osteoporosis (ERISTO), 

European Space Agency in coordination with the Canadian Space 

Agency: ERISTO, an in-vitro evaluation of bone cell activity in 

microgravity, uses the same facility hardware as the OSTEO experiment. 

STS-107 is the first flight of ERISTO. 

30
 STS-107 Shuttle Press Kit 

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration 

* Physiology and Biochemistry 4 (JSC-HLS/PhAB4), NASA Johnson 

Space Center: This experiment package includes four life science 

investigations - Protein Turnover During Spaceflight, Calcium Kinetics 

During Spaceflight, Renal Stone Risk, and Viral Shedding. Experiment 

hardware includes blood collection kits; urine collection kits; saliva 

collection kits; tracer kits; a Portable Clinical Blood Analyzer; an Orbiter 

Centrifuge; an Enhanced Orbiter Refrigerator/Freezer (EOR/F) that flew 

on STS-55, STS-58, STS-71, STS-74, STS-84, STS-89, and STS-95; and 

a Thermoelectric Holding Module (TEHM) that made multiple flights on the 

space shuttle middeck and is flying for the first time in a SPACEHAB 

Module on STS-107. 

For more information visit: 

http://www.spacehab.com/sts107

31
Biological

Cardiovascular/cardiopulmonary

2-DK, Effects of Microgravity on Total Peripheral Vascular Resistance in Humans,

Peter Norsk, M.D., Ph.D., DAMEC Research, Copenhagen, Denmark, ESA

4-I, Arterial Baroreflex Control of Sinus Node during Exercise in Microgravity Conditions, Fernando Iellamo, M.D, Univ, of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy, ESA

8-D, Influence of Weightlessness on Heart Rate & Blood Pressure Regulation—

Responses to Exercise & Valsalva Maneuver, Uwe Hoffmann, Ph.D.,

Deutsche Sport Hochschule, Cologne, Germany, ESA

9-NL, Physiological Parameters that Predict Orthostatic Intolerance After Spaceflight, John Karemaker, Ph.D., Univ, of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands, ESA

11-DK, Initial Effects of Microgravity on Central Cardiovascular Variables in Humans,

Regitze Videbaek, M.D., Univ, Hospital Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark,

ESA

12-I, Adaptation of Spontaneous Baroreflex Sensitivity to Microgravity, Marco

Di Rienzo, Ph.D., Centro di Bioingegneria LaRC, Milano, Italy, ESA

E386, Arterial Remodeling and Functional Adaptations Induced by Microgravity,

Michael Delp, Ph.D., Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, NASA

Gravito-inertial sensitivity

BRIC-14, Development of Gravity Sensitive Plant Cells in Microgravity, Fred D,

Sack, Ph.D., OH State Univ., Columbus, OH, NASA

CEBAS, Fish Otolith Growth and Development of Otolith Asymmetry at Microgravity, H, Rahmann and R, Anken, Univ, of Stuttgart-Hohenmeim, Stuttgart,

Germany, DLR

DSO 635 & E118, Spatial Reorientation Following Spaceflight, William Paloski,

Ph.D., NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, NASA

E127, Anatomical Studies of Central Vestibular Adaptation, Gay R, Holstein,

Ph.D., Mt, Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY, NASA

MFA, Application of Physical & Biological Techniques to study the Gravisensing

and Response System of Plants, Karl H, Hasenstein, Ph.D., University of

Louisiana - Lafayette, Lafayette, LA, NASA

Musculo-skeletal

7-S, Cardiopulmonary & Muscular Adaptations During & After Microgravity, Dag

Linnarsson, M.D., Ph.D., Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, ESA

BONES, The Role of Bone Cells in the Response of Skeletal Tissues in Microgravity,

J.P, Velduijzen, ACTA Vrije University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, ESA

CONNECT, Function of the Focal Adhesion of Plaque of Connective Tissue

in Microgravity, Ch.-M, Lapiere and A, Kholti, University of Liege, Liege,

Belgium, ESA

E048, Protein Turnover During Spaceflight, Arny Ferrando, Ph.D., Univ, of TX

Medical Branch/Shriners Burns Institute, Galveston, TX, NASA

E381S, Calcium Kinetics During Spaceflight, Scott M, Smith, Ph.D., NASA

Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, NASA

OBLAST, Comparative Analysis of Osteoblastic (bone-forming) Cells at Microgravity and 1G, C, Alexandre, Paris, Paris, France, ESA

OCLAST, Microgravity Effects on Osteoclast (bone-removing) Driven Resorption

in vitro, A, Zallone, Bari, Bari, Italy, ESA

OSMIN, Osteoblasts in Space, Dr, L, Vico, Mr, A, Guignandon, LBBTO, St,

Etienne, France, ESA

OSPACE, Osteoclasts in Space, Prof, A, Zallone, Dr, Mori, Univ, of Bari, Bari,

Italy, ESA

OSTEOGENE, Identification of Microgravity-Related Genes in Osteoblastic Cells,

R, Bouillon, Leuven, Leuven, Italy, ESA

[bone gene regulation], Osteoporosis Experiment in Orbit, Dennis R, Sindrey,

NPS Allelix, Mississauga, Ont., Canada, CSA

[hormones and osteoblasts], Osteoporosis Experiment in Orbit, Dr, Leticia G,

Rao, St, Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Ont., Canada, CSA

[sleep & immune effects on bone], Osteoporosis Experiment in Orbit, Dr, Reginald

M, Gorczynski & Dr, Harvey Moldofsky, University Health Network, Toronto,

Ont., Canada, CSA

Stress responses, homeostasis and integrative physiology/Educational

Ant Colony, students, G.W, Fowler High School, Syracuse, NY, Syracuse University plus local corporate sponsors

Astrospiders—Spiders in Space, students, Glen Waverley Secondary College, Royal

Melbourne Institute of Technology, Royal Melbourne Zoo, Melbourne,

Australia, RMIT, RMZ

Carpenter Bees In Space, students, Form 4a, Liechtensteinisches Gymnasium,

Vaduz, Liechtenstein, Liechtensteinishe VP Bank

Flight of the Medaka Fish, Maki Niihori (biology student), Ochanomizu University, Tokyo, Japan, Japan Space Utilization Promotion Center (JSUP)

Silkworm Lifecycle During Space Flight, students (initiator: 5th grade student

Li Taotao), Jingshan School, Beijing, China, China Time Network Co, Ltd.

Stress responses, homeostasis and integrative physiology

10-I, Multiparametric Assessment of the Stress Response in Astronauts During

Spaceflight, Massimo Pagani, M.D., Ph.D., University of Milan, Milan, Italy,

ESA

BACTER, Bacterial Physiology and Virulence on Earth and in Microgravity, Barry

H, Pyle, Ph.D., Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, NASA

BDS-05, Biotechnology Cell Science Payload (Bioreactor), Leland Cheung,

Emory University, Atlanta, GA, NASA

BIOKIN-3, Determination of the Space Influence on Bacterial Growth Kinetics,

J, van der Waarde, Bioclear B.V., University of Gronigen, Gronigen, The

Netherlands, ESA

CEBAS, Immunological Investigations with Xiphiphorus helleri, R, Goerlich, Univ,

of Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany, DLR

CEBAS, Plant Physiological Experiments with Ceratophyllum demersum, H,

Levine, Dynamac Corp., Kennedy Space Center, FL, DLR

CEBAS, Reproductive Biological and Embryological Research in Xiphiphorus

helleri, V, Bluem, Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany, DLR

DSO 632B, Pharmacokinetics & Contributing Physiologic Changes During Spaceflight, Lakshmi Putcha, Ph.D., NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, NASA

E057, Renal Stone Risk During Spaceflight: Assessment and Countermeasure

Validation, Peggy A, Whitson, Ph.D., NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, NASA

E210, Flight Induced Changes in Immune Defenses, Duane Pierson, Ph.D.,

NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, NASA

E240, Spaceflight Effects on Fungal Growth, Metabolism, and Sensitivity to Antifungal Drugs, Michael R, McGinnis, Ph.D., Univ, of TX Medical Branch,

Galveston, TX, NASA

E394, Sleep-Wake Actigraphy and Light Exposure During Spaceflight, Charles

A, Czeisler, Ph.D., M.D., Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical

School, Cambridge, Mass., NASA

98-E409, Choroidal Regulation Involved in the Cerebral Fluid Response to Altered

Gravity, Jacquelin Gabrion, Ph.D., Institut des Neurosciences, Centre

National de Recherche Scientifique, Paris, France, CNES

E409, Incidence of Latent Virus Shedding During Spaceflight, Duane Pierson,

Ph.D., NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, NASA

E562, Effects of Microgravity on Microbial Physiology, Randolph W, Schweickart,

Ph.D., ICOS Corp., Bothell, WA, NASA

LEUKIN, Role of Interleukin-2 Receptor in Signal Transduction and Gravisensing

Threshold in T-Lymphocytes, A, Cogoli, ETH, Zurich, Switzerland, ESA

RADCELLS, Biological Dosimetry in Space Using Haemopoetic Stem Cell

Functions, P.v, Oostveldt & A, Poffijn, Gent, Gent, Belgium, ESA

REPAIR, Fidelity of DNA Double-Strand Break Repair in Human Cells Under

Microgravity, J, Kiefer, University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany, ESA

STROMA, Bone Marrow Stromal Cells Differentiation and Mesenchymal Tissue

Reconstruction in Microgravity, R, Cancedda, University of Genova,

Genova, Italy, ESA

YSTRES, Yeast Cell Stress Under Microgravity, I, Walther, ETH, Zurich,

Switzerland, ESA

Support systems

Ergometer & Advanced Respiratory Monitoring System, ESA

EOR/F, Enhanced Orbiter Refrigerator/Freezer, NASA Johnson Space Center,

Houston, TX, NASA

TEHM, Thermoelectric Holding Module, NASA Johnson Space Center,

Houston, TX, NASA

Biology

STS–107 Master Experiment List

Note: This is a complete listing of experiments planned for STS–107. It includes

non-NASA government, commercial, and international payloads. The subheadings reflect a general breakdown and not the managerial divisions that NASA

employs for its own payloads. In general, each listing gives the acronym name

likely to be used during air-to-ground conversations, the formal title, the name and

affiliation of the principal investigator(s), and the payload sponsor.

32
Atmospheric

MEIDEX, Mediterranean Isreali Dust Experiment, Joachim H. Joseph, Ph.D.,

Tel Aviv Univ., Tel Aviv, Israel, NASA

SIMPLEX, Shuttle Ionospheric Modification with Pulsed Local Exhaust Experiment, USA, Space Test Program, Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque, NM, USAF

SOLSE-2, Shuttle Ozone Limb Sounding Experiment, Dr. Ernest Hilsenrath and

Crystallography and Molecular Structure/Educational

The Chemical Garden, 35 @ 8th-grade students, ORT Kiryat Motzkin Middle

School (teacher: Dr. Birnbaum), Technion University (Prof. Eliezer Kolodne),

Kiryat Motzkin, Israel, Technion University, Haifa

Crystallography and Molecular Structure

APCF (Advanced Protein Crystallization Facility), Crystal Structure Analysis of

the Outer Surface Glycoprotein of the Hyperthermophile Methanothermus

Fervidus, J.P. Declerq, University of Louvain, Louvain, Belgium, ESA

APCF, Crystallization of Enzyme and Substrate-Analog Complexes for Highest

Resolution Data Collection and Refinement, C. Betzel, University of Hamburg,

Hamburg, Germany, ESA

APCF, Crystallization of Photosystem I under Microgravity, P. Fromme, University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany, ESA

APCF, Effect of Different Conditions on the Quality of Thaumatin and AspartyltRNA Synthetase Crystals Grown in Microgravity, R. Giege & N. Lorber,

Institut de Biologie Moleculaire et Cellulaire du CNRS, Paris, France, ESA

APCF, Solution Flows and Molecular Disorder of Protein Crystals Growth of

Ferrition Crystals, S. Weinkauf, University of Munich, Munich, Germany, ESA

APCF, Testing New Trends in Microgravity Protein Crystallization: Comparison

of Long Chambers With and Without Capillaries, J.M. Garcia-Ruiz & S.

Weinkauf, University of Granada & University of Munich, Granda & Munich,

Spain & Germany, ESA

APCF, Testing New Trends in Microgravity Protein Crystallisation: Solution Flows

and Molecular Disorder of Protein Crystals - Growth of High-quality Crystals

and Motions of Lumazin Crystals, J.M. Garcia-Ruiz & S. Weinkauf, University of Granada & University of Munich, Granda & Munich, Spain &

Germany, ESA

Attitude Control

STARNAV, Star Navigation, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, CSCE/

SPACEHAB

Communications

LPT, Low Power Transmitter, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH,

NASA

MSTRS, Miniature Satellite Threat Reporting System, Patrick Serna, Air Force

Research Laboratory, Albuquerque, NM, U.S. Air Force

Biological processes

AST 10/1, AstrocultureTM 10/1, Plant Growth Experiment, Dr. Weija Zhou, Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics, College of Engineering,

Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, NASA

AST 10/2, AstrocultureTM 10/2, Gene Transfer Experiment, Dr. Weija Zhou, Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics, College of Engineering,

Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, Madison, WI, NASA

Crystallography and Molecular Structure

CIBX-2, Commercial ITA Biological Experiments-2, Bence Jones Protein Crystal Growth Project, Dr. Allen Edmundson, Oklahoma Medical Research

Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK, NASA

CIBX-2, Commercial ITA Biological Experiments-2, Urokinase Protein Crystal

Growth Project, ITA, Instrumentation Technology Associates, Inc., Exton,

PA, NASA

CMPCG, Commercial Macromolecular Protein Crystal Growth, L. DeLucas,

Ph.D., University of AL-Birmingham and seven others, Birmingham, AL,

NASA

Space Product Development

Physical Sciences

Earth & Space Sciences

Technology Development

Dr. Richard McPeters, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD

USA, NASA

Solar

SOLCON-3, Solar Constant Experiment, Dr. Alexandre Joukoff, Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium, Brussels, Belgium, NASA

APCF, X-Ray Crystallography at Atomic Resolution, Molecular Mechanism of Ca/

Mg Exchange with the EF-Hand Parvalbumin, J.P. Declerq, Univeristy of

Louvain, Louvain, Belgium, ESA

Physical processes

CVX-2, Critical Viscosity of Xenon-2, Robert F. Berg, Ph.D., National Institute of

Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, NASA

FAST, Adsorption Dynamics and Transfer at Liquid/liquid Interfaces, L. Liggieri

+3, ICFAM-CNR, Genova, Italy, ESA

FAST, Dilational Properties of Interfaces, R. Miller +2, MPI-KG, Berlin, Germany,

ESA

FAST, Interfacial Rheology and the Effects of Vibrations on Interfacial Properties, G. Loglio +2, UFIR-DCO & IROE-CNR, Firenze, Italy, ESA

LSP, Laminar Soot Processes, G.M. Faeth, Ph.D., Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor,

MI, NASA

MGM, Mechanics of Granular Materials, Stein Sture, Ph.D., Dept. of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, Univ. of Colorado at Boulder,

Boulder, Colorado, NASA

SOFBALL, Structures of Flame Balls at Low Lewis-number, Paul D. Ronney,

Ph.D., University of Southern CA, Los Angeles, CA, NASA

Support systems

SAMS-FF, Space Acceleration Measurement System Free Flyer. Robert J. Sicker.

NASA Glenn Research Center. Cleveland, OH, NASA

OARE, Orbiter Acceleration Research Experiment. Robert J. Sicker, NASA Glenn

Research Center. Cleveland, OH, NASA

CPCG-PCF, Commercial Protein Crystal Growth-Protein Crystal Facility, Larry

DeLucas, Ph.D., Center for Biophysical Sciences and Engineering (CBSE),

University of AL-Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, NASA

Drug Delivery

CIBX-2, Commercial ITA Biological Experiments-2, Microencapsulation of Drugs,

Dr. Denis Morrison, NASA Johnson Space Center, Institute for Research,

Inc., and ITA Inc., Houston, TX, and Exton, PA, NASA

Physical processes

Mist, Water Mist Fire Suppression Experiment, J. Thomas McKinnon, Ph.D.,

Center for Commercial Applications of Combustion in Space (CCACS),

Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado, NASA

ZCG, Zeolite Crystal Growth Furnace, Albert Sacco, Ph.D., Center for Advanced

Microgravity Materials Processing (CAMMP), Northeastern Univ., Boston,

MA, NASA

Educational

SEM-14, Space Experiment Module, 11 elementary and middle schools, Houston,

TX, NASA

Environmental control

VCD, Vapor Compression Distillation Flight Experiment, NASA Johnson Space

Center, Houston, TX, NASA

COM2PLEX, Combined Two-Phase Loop Experiment, Reinhard Schlitt, OHB

GmBH, Bremen, Germany, ESA

Satellite sensor calibration

RAMBO, Ram Burn Observation, USAF Space and Missile Center, Los Angeles, CA,

U.S. Air Force

FS-2002-06-108-MSFC

33
STS–107: Space Research and You National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov

Principal Investigator: Dr. Fred Sack, Ohio State University

Co-investigator: Dr. Volker Kern, Ames Research Center

Project Manager: Guy Etheridge, Kennedy Space Center

Project Engineer: Dave Reed, Kennedy Space Center

Moss Sample in Petri Dish.

Effects of Phototropism

Moss from STS–87, showing spiral growth patterns

developed in the dark in

microgravity.

Seeking the Light

Gravity Without the Influence of Gravity

All living things sense gravity like humans

might sense light or sound. The Biological Research

In Canisters (BRIC–14)experiment, explores how

moss cells sense and respond to gravity and light.

This experiment studies how gravity influences

the internal structure of moss cells and seeks to

understand the influences of the spaceflight environment on cell growth. This knowledge will help

researchers understand the role of gravity in the

evolution of cells and life on earth.

Plants respond to gravity (gravitropism) and

light (phototropism). Typically, plant shoots will

grow away from the direction of gravity and grow

towards a light source. Some plants are primarily

gravitropic while others are primarily phototropic.

The moss, Ceratodon, is comprised of long chains

of cells that grow from the filament tips. On earth,

heavy particles in these tip cells fall toward gravity, causing the moss to grow away from the direction of gravity. When exposed to the microgravity

environment of space, gravitropic forces no longer

affect the moss. Due

to decreased gravity, heavy particles

don’t fall out in the

same manner. The

resulting random

particle distribution

will cause changes

in growth characteristics. Light direction is not altered in

microgravity so the

plant will still grow phototropically (towards light)

just like on earth.

The scientist’s original hypothesis was that

both random cell structure and cell growth

would occur in space.

The objectives for

BRIC–14 experiment

were developed from

the knowledge gained during a previous shuttle

flight, STS–87. Unexpectedly,

moss specimens grown on

STS–87 showed non-random

subcellular component distribution and spiral growth.

For STS–107, the BRIC–14

experiment expands on the

previous results with three

major objectives.

1. Determine the age or

developmental stage at

which moss grows in

a non-random pattern

when exposed to microgravity conditions;

2. Determine the minimum illumination level

required to impose a phototropic response on

the growth pattern of the moss in the absence

of gravity; and

3. Understand how microgravity affects the

distribution of cell substructures.

34
Background Information

Columbia

Approximate location of this payload aboard STS–107.

Non-random spiral growth

after phototropicallyinduced directional growth

(from STS–87).

Cellular substructure distribution

(from the STS–87 experiment).

Science Discipline Supported

This research primarily addresses Fundamental Space Biology, but

can also be related to other disciplines.

Future Similar Experiments

on International Space Station

Similar flight experiments can be conducted on the International

Space Station to increase knowledge of how natural processes

react to space and enrich life on Earth through people living and

working in space.

KSC-2002-057e

To address the first objective of this flight experiment,

selected moss colonies will be grown while exposed to a

directional light for six days before launch. Once in space,

the lights will be turned off and the

moss will continue to grow in darkness. This moss will be compared to

moss that is grown without any

exposure to light but has had similar

exposure time to microgravity. This

part of the experiment will help

determine the age and developmental growth stage of the moss at which

non-random spiral growth is exhibited.

The second objective of the experiment is to determine

the illumination intensity required to induce a phototropic

response in the absence of gravity. This part of the experiment will expose moss to three different levels of light and

observe at which light intensity samples respond. The moss

will grow in the dark for seven days in space prior to the

lights turning on. This will allow the moss time to establish

a random growth pattern prior to exposure to a directional

light source.

The third objective is to understand how the nonrandom distribution of cell substructure takes place in space.

Scientists have known for quite some time that fibers

inside cells are responsible for the organization of subcellular components called organelles. An unexpected finding

from STS–87 is that these heavy organelles, which are

affected by gravity on earth, form non-random groups within

the cells. The investigators

hypothesize that this grouping is organized by these

same fibers, although normally, the fibers don’t cause

grouping on earth. To test

this theory, chemicals will

be applied that breakdown

the fibers. If the fibers play

a role, then the organelles

should become randomly

distributed inside the cells

during spaceflight. This

experiment will provide

information about how the positions of heavy organelles are

controlled and organized inside cells on earth.

The astronauts will check the temperature and verify

that the flight hardware is functioning each day. They will

also switch the growth lights on and off at various locations

in the flight hardware and will use a specialized tool to

apply chemicals to the moss. These chemicals, called fixatives, will stop the growth process of the moss and preserve

the specimens for analysis after the mission has ended.

35
Standard cell culture in 1g

5 min. 30 min. 5 hours

Standard cell culture in mg

5 min. 30 min. 5 hours

STS–107: Space Research and You National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

A Good Neighborhood for Cells

Bioreactor Demonstration System (BDS–05)

Good neighborhoods help you grow. As with a

city, the lives of a cell are governed by its neighborhood connections. Connections that do not work

are implicated in a range of diseases. One of those

connections — between prostate cancer and bone

cells — will be studied on STS–107 using the

Bioreactor Demonstration System (BDS–05).

Prostate cancer strikes about 200,000 men a year

and is easily cured when diagnosed early, according to the American

Cancer Society. Once it

spreads to the skeleton

it is inevitably fatal and

kills more than 30,000

men a year. The public

health cost is more than

$2 billion a year. To

improve the prospects

for finding novel therapies, and to identify

biomarkers that predict

disease progression,

scientists need tissue

models that behave the

same as metastatic or

spreading cancer.

This is one of several NASA-sponsored lines of

cell science research that use the microgravity

environment of orbit in an attempt to grow lifelike

tissue models for health research.

As cells replicate, they “self associate” to form

a complex matrix of collagens, proteins, fibers, and

other structures. This highly evolved microenvironment tells each cell who is next door, how it should

grow and into what shapes, and how to respond to

bacteria, wounds, and other stimuli.

Studying these mechanisms outside the body

is difficult because cells do not easily self-associate

outside a natural environment. Most cell cultures

produce thin, flat specimens that offer limited

insight into how cells work together. Ironically,

growing cell cultures in the microgravity of space

produces cell assemblies that more closely resemble

what is found in bodies on Earth.

NASA’s Bioreactor comprises a miniature life support system and a rotating vessel containing cell specimens in a nutrient medium. Orbital BDS experiments

that cultured colon and prostate cancers have been

highly promising. Long-duration experiments are

planned for the International Space Station where

multiple generations of cells can be grown.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Leland W.K. Chung, Emory University,

Atlanta, GA

Project Scientist and Project Manager: Thomas J. Goodwin,

NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX

Prostate cancer is a key health

issue that eventually affects 1 in

6 American males. For AfricanAmerican males, the disease and

mortality rates are up to 50 percent

and 200 percent higher, respectively, according to the National

Prostate Cancer Coalition.

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov

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

eventually become too large to stay suspended in the nutrient

media. In the microgravity of orbit, the cells stay suspended.

Rotation then is needed for gentle stirring to replenish the media

around the cells.

Targeted health issues

Therapies: Musculoskeletal tissue disorders (in space and on Earth)

Cancer models: Prostate, breast, ovary, lung, and colon cancers

Diabetes: Pancreatic tissue for transplant

Drug efficacy: Non-animal/nonclinical testing of drug effects

and toxicity

On STS–107, the BDS will grow a three-dimensional prostate culture model to support studies of

the cellular interaction between the prostate and

bone stromal (connective tissue) cells. The model

will help scientists assess the effects of gene therapy

on the growth of prostate cancer cell aggregates in

research, clinical diagnoses, and treatments.

36
Background Information

FS-2002-06-068-MSFC

Research partners

National Institutes of Health: Center for Three Dimensional Tissue

Culture, studying HIV-1 pathogenesis in tissue models, among other

health issues.

Juvenile Diabetes Foundation: Studying the best route for cultivating and transplanting beta cells into Type 1 diabetics.

StelSys: Research in drug development and on a liver-assist device.

Science

A key factor in the growth of prostate cancer is the stimulation of tumor cells by the hormone testosterone. Understanding the factors that control the reproduction and spread

of tumor cells will help researchers discover how to slow or

stop the growth of a cancer. The BDS–05 experiment will culture human prostate cancer cells in microgravity so investigators can characterize the biochemical, molecular, and

behavioral alterations of prostate cancer cells derived from

reconstituted prostate organoids (RPCaO) grown under hormone-enriched or -deprived conditions. This will support

studies of the “bystander” effects of toxic gene therapy on

organoids. The ultimate goal is to develop a model for preclinical studies of drug and gene therapy, preparatory to the

establishment of an effective clinical trial protocol.

Flight Research Equipment

The heart of the BDS is a clear plastic rotating wall vessel,

about the size of a soup can, containing the cell culture. A

cylindrical filter down the center of the vessel rotates with

the vessel and passes oxygen in and carbon dioxide out.

Periodically, spent media are pumped into a waste bag and

replaced by fresh media. The vessel rotates to provide gentle

stirring of media without causing shear forces that would

damage or kill the cells.

An Experiment Control Computer controls the Bioreactor,

records conditions, and alerts the crew when problems

occur. The crew operates the system through a laptop computer. The Biotechnology Specimen Temperature Controller

holds cells until their turn in the Bioreactor, and a Biotechnology Refrigerator holds fixed tissue culture bags at 4 °C

(39 °F) for return to Earth and analysis. A Gas Supply Module

provides oxygen.

On STS–107, the

crew will monitor the

BDS, inject specimen

cells, and periodically

withdraw and fix cells

and media samples

for post-flight analyses. The crew also will

exchange media bags

as needed. At the end

of the mission they

will deactivate the

system and fix all

remaining cultures.

This prostate cancer construct was grown during NASA-sponsored

bioreactor studies on Earth. Cells are attached to a biodegradable

plastic lattice that gives them a head start in growth.

Columbia

Approximate location of this payload aboard STS–107.

Commercial applications

In 1990, NASA granted Synthecon Inc. of Houston an exclusive

commercial license to NASA patents for the bioreactor system.

Since then, Synthecon has sold more than $2 million worth of

Rotary Cell Culture SystemsTM and sponsored several related

research agreements.

In 2000, NASA signed a Space Act Agreement with StelSys, a

new venture formed by Fisk Ventures, Inc. and In Vitro Technologies, Inc. StelSys, based in Baltimore, will develop commercial medical products based on Bioreactor technology. They will focus on

drug development and a liver-assist device for patients in need of

transplant surgery.

The major component of the Bioreactor

Demonstration System is the transparent

rotating wall vessel. It resides in a locker

containing nutrient media bags and an

oxygenator, plus associated plumbing to

operate the system.

Photos. NASA.

Previous Results

Experience aboard Mir has turned microgravity Bioreactor

research into a mature science. In its first long-duration experiment, large cultures of bovine cartilage cells grew in the

Bioreactor. The last NASA stay aboard Mir was crucial as it

brought everything together in an effort to culture human

tissue in the Bioreactor. Since then, the NASA Bioreactor team

has been synthesizing these lessons into an advanced

program being developed for the International Space Station.

The principal investigator’s team has conducted extensive ground-based experiments on prostate tumors in

rotating-wall vessels and developed an extensive understanding of many of the chemical pathways and chromosomal changes involved in growing prostate cells. One set

of results suggests that bone stromal cells can serve as

“suicidal carriers” that deliver and express toxic genes that

mediate tumor cell kills in vivo.

37
STS–107: Space Research and You National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

The Effect of Microgravity on the Smallest Space Travelers

Bacterial Physiology and Virulence on Earth and in Microgravity

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov

Principal Investigator: Dr. Barry Pyle, Montana State University,

Bozeman, Montana

Project Scientist: Marilyn Vasques, NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA

Project Manager: Rudy Aquilina, NASA Ames Research Center,

Mountain View, CA

Since the first human flights outside of Earth’s

gravity, crew health and well-being have been

major concerns. Exposure to microgravity during spaceflight is known to affect the human

immune response, possibly making the crew

members more vulnerable to infectious disease.

In addition, biological experiments previously

flown in space have shown that bacteria grow

faster in microgravity than they do on Earth.

The ability of certain antibiotics to control

bacterial infections may also differ greatly in

microgravity. It is therefore critical to understand

how spaceflight and microgravity affect bacterial virulence, which is their ability to cause disease. By utilizing spaceflight hardware provided

by the European Space Agency (ESA), Dr. Barry

Pyle and his team at Montana State University,

Bozeman, will be performing an experiment to

study the effects of microgravity on the virulence

of a common soil and water bacterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Importantly, these bacteria have

been detected in the water supplies of previous

Space Shuttle flights. The experiment will examine the effects of microgravity exposure on bacterial growth and on the bacterium’s ability to

form a toxin called Exotoxin A.

Another goal is to evaluate the effects of

microgravity on the physiology of the bacteria

by analyzing their ability to respire (produce

energy), by studying the condition of the plasma

membrane surrounding the cell, and by determining if specific enzymes remain active. Proteins

produced by the bacteria will also be assayed to

see if the normal functions of the bacteria are

affected. In the context of human life support in

spaceflight, the results of this experiment will

Bacterial respiration in response to microgravity is measured

by providing cells with an indicator of respiratory enzyme

activity, r-iodonitrotetrazolium violet (INT). Respiring cells take

up INT and convert it to an insoluble form. Upon return to

Earth, the cells are visualized via staining with the fluorescent

molecule SYBR Green, and cells that were respiring on orbit

(fluorescent cells containing black spots) are counted.

Earth Benefits and Applications

This experiment will provide valuable insight to the field of

microbiology regarding the growth, physiology, and virulence

of the common soil and water bacterium, P. aeruginosa, that

is also able to cause disease in humans.

offer guidance in providing the highest possible

water quality for the Shuttle in order to limit the

risk of infection to human occupants and to minimize water system and spacecraft deterioration.

38
Columbia

Picture credits. Pyle (page 1), Ames Research Center (page 2)

Approximate location of this payload aboard STS–107.

Background Information

KSC-2002-057d

Science

Pathogenic species such as P. aeruginosa cause disease

by producing toxins that affect the physiological functions

of the host cells. Before launch, a strain of P. aeruginosa that

produces Exotoxin A will be cultured in the laboratory under conditions that repress toxin production. Samples will

be loaded into the cassettes and kept at +5 °C until they are

activated on orbit to stimulate toxin production. The cassettes

will be incubated for 24±1 hours at +37 °C, exposed to various treatments, and refrigerated at +5 °C until landing. Upon

return to Earth, assays for exotoxin production, cell toxicity,

proteins, and bacterial physiology will be performed.

Hardware

This experiment will be performed using ESA’s Biopack

spaceflight hardware which provides an incubator with centrifuges and a built-in cooler. On board the Space Shuttle,

samples can be exposed to gravity levels ranging from

microgravity to twice Earth’s gravity. Biopack is designed to

accommodate small biological samples, e.g. bacterial cultures, mammalian cell, tissue cultures and small plants or

The experiment cassettes developed for the Biopack hardware

contain the bacteria samples in culture chambers that will be activated

in flight. Each Phorbol cassette contains six culture chambers (left

side of cassette), six activation chambers (upper chambers, right side)

and six fixative chambers (lower chambers). Pre-flight, cultures and

solutions are loaded into their respective chambers. At the time of

activation, the green/activation sluice is turned to the “open” position

and the contents of the activation chambers is injected into the culture

chambers using a plunger tool. The sluice is then closed and the

cassettes are incubated. At the time of termination, a similar procedure

is followed (red/termination sluice).

Science Discipline Supported

This experiment supports NASA’s priorities for research aimed at

understanding and alleviating problems that may limit astronauts’

ability to survive and/or function during prolonged spaceflight,

and will provide the field of microbiology valuable insight into the

growth, physiology, and virulence of the common soil and water

bacterium, P. aeruginosa.

insects. Dr. Pyle’s experiment use the +37 °C incubator, while

pre- and post-incubation refrigeration will be provided by a

+5 °C Passive Thermal Conditioning Unit (PTCU).

The cultures will be housed in experiment cassettes that

are contained in sealed containers. The experiment will

utilize a total of 16 of these devices. Eight containers will

comprise the flight set and eight containers will comprise

the ground control set. On flight day 8, the astronaut crew

will activate the cultures by pushing six activator plungers

to transfer the bacteria into the growth medium. The containers will then be placed in the Biopack +37 °C incubator

for 24 hours. For the flight experiment, four containers will

be incubated in a stationary holder to expose the bacteria to

the effects of microgravity, and four containers will be

centrifuged for the on-orbit 1g control. Following incubation the crew will return the cassettes to refrigeration for the

duration of the flight.

Previous Results

Preliminary data analysis from the NASA/ESA Biorack

program (STS–81, Shuttle Atlantis, January 1997) suggests that

the numbers of attached cells in biofilms grown in

microgravity were several times greater than their Earthbased counterparts. The STS–107 experiment proposes to utilize this research opportunity to obtain further data on the

effects of microgravity and spaceflight on the growth, physiology and virulence of waterborne bacteria. The results from

this experiment will further our understanding of bacterial

behavior in spaceflight and on Earth.

39
STS–107: Space Research and You National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Understanding How Astronauts Adapt to Space and to Earth

Anatomical Studies of Central Vestibular Adaptation

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov

Principal Investigator: Dr. Gay Holstein, Mount Sinai School of

Medicine, New York, New York

Project Scientist: Marilyn Vasques, NASA Ames Research Center,

Mountain View, CA

Project Manager: Rudy Aquilina, NASA Ames Research Center,

Mountain View, CA

Significant changes take place in the nervous

systems of astronauts during and following exposure to microgravity. These changes, particularly

in the part of the brain that controls balance, the

vestibular system, can cause sensations of rotation,

dizziness, and vertigo, as well as space adaptation

syndrome. Adaptation to the microgravity environment usually occurs within one week, and a subsequent re-adaptation period of several days is

often required upon return to Earth. In order to

realize long-term spaceflight, effective countermeasures for these symptoms must be developed.

The structural changes that take place in one of

the vestibular regions of the brain (the cerebellar

cortex) during the process of adaptation to Earth’s

gravity remain unclear and are the subject of an

experiment being conducted on STS–107 by Dr. Gay

Holstein of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in

New York. Using the rat as a model, Dr. Holstein

and her team will seek to identify the cellular

changes underlying the vestibular changes experienced by astronauts.

Electron micrographs of the cerebellar cortex from a rat after

24 hours of spaceflight. One unusual change observed in the

ultrastructure of the Purkinje cells was the presence of extensive

enlargements of the cisternal membranes into organelles called

lamellar bodies (A, arrows). Panel B illustrates electron-dense

degeneration in Purkinje cell dendrites (asterisks). Synaptic

contacts with the degenerated cells are indicated by black

arrows. The scale bar is 0.5 μm long. These observations will

be further studied on STS–107.

40
Columbia

Picture credits. Holstein (page 1), Ames Research Center (page 2).

Approximate locations of this payload aboard STS–107.

Background Information

KSC-2002-057c

Science

For this experiment, five flight and five ground control

animals will be housed in two Animal Enclosure Modules

(AEMs). The five flight animals will be flown aboard the

Shuttle in one AEM, for a total of 16 days. Ground based

72-hour delayed control rats will be housed in the other

AEM. Ultrastructural studies will then be carried out using

electron microscopy. The results of this experiment will

help to identify the cellular bases underlying the vestibular

changes experienced by astronauts during periods of

adaptation and re-adaptation to altered gravitational

forces, and may provide insights for the development of

effective pharmacotherapeutic countermeasures.

Science Discipline Supported

This experiment supports NASA’s priorities for research aimed at

understanding fundamental biological processes in which gravity

is known to play a direct role and alleviating problems that may

limit astronauts’ ability to survive and/or function during prolonged

spaceflight.

This experiment is part of the Fundamental Rodent Experiments

Supporting Health (FRESH)-02 payload which consists of 13 rats

housed in 3 AEMs. The animals, which will be shared among several

different investigators, will experience microgravity for 16 days on

board the Shuttle Columbia. The AEMs have been used successfully

on many previous shuttle flights.

The AEM has been designed for minimum crew interaction and the animals adapt very well to this virtually

self-contained system. The only nominal operations required

are a daily hardware check, a daily visual animal health

check, and periodic water refills.

Hardware

The AEMs is a rodent habitat that provides ventilation,

continuous filtered air flow to control waste and odor, timed

lighting, food in the form of foodbars attached to the side of

the cage, and a water supply which can be refilled as required. Rodents in the cage compartment of the AEM are

not accessible but can be viewed through the clear lexan

cover. This also allows for viewing of water level remaining

in the AEM water box.

Earth Benefits and Applications

The results of this experiment will help to identify the cellular bases

underlying vestibular changes that occur during periods of adaptation and re-adaptation to different gravitational forces. In that light,

the findings may provide insights for the development of effective

pharmacotherapeutic countermeasures for vestibular changes during spaceflight. In addition, since the short- and long-term changes

in neural structure and connectivity that occur during adaptation to

microgravity mimic the neuronal alterations that occur in many progressive neurological disorders such as stroke and Parkinson’s Disease, findings from this study using a rat model could offer guidance in the development of strategies for neurorehabilitation and

treatment of these disorders.

Previous Results

The results from a previous experiment flown on

STS–90 suggest that immediately following exposure to

spaceflight, substantial structural reorganization takes

place in the regions of the brain involved in controlling

balance and equilibrium. Observations of brain tissue obtained after 24 hours of spaceflight indicate that several

structural alterations occur in specific regions and cells of

the rat brain. These alterations are not apparent in the cage

control animals. The primary goal of the present project is

to study these ultrastructural alterations in greater detail.

41
STS–107: Space Research and You National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Understanding How Space Travel Affects Blood Vessels

Arterial Remodeling and Functional Adaptations Induced by Microgravity

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov

Principal Investigator: Dr. Michael Delp, Texas A&M University,

College Station, TX

Project Scientist: Marilyn Vasques, NASA Ames Research Center,

Mountain View, CA

Project Manager: Rudy Aquilina, NASA Ames Research Center,

Mountain View, CA

Ever rise quickly from the couch to get something from the kitchen and suddenly feel dizzy?

With a low heart rate and relaxed muscles, the

cardiovascular system does not immediately provide the resistance necessary to keep enough

blood going to your head. Gravity wins, at least

for a short time, before your heart and blood

vessels can respond to the sudden change in

position and correct the situation.

Actually, the human cardiovascular system is

quite well adapted to the constant gravitational

force of the Earth. When standing, vessels in the

legs constrict to prevent blood from collecting

in the lower extremities. In the space environment, the usual head-to-foot blood pressure and

tissue fluid gradients that exist during the

upright posture on Earth are removed.

The subsequent shift in fluids from the lower

to the upper portions of the body triggers adaptations within the cardiovascular system to

accommodate the new pressure and fluid gradients. In animal models that simulate microgravity, the vessels in the head become more robust

while those in the lower limbs become thin

and lax. Similar changes may also occur in

This figure shows feed arteries and first-order arterioles from

control rats and from rats that have experienced simulated

microgravity. After flight, the small blood vessels in hindlimb

skeletal muscles that provide blood pressure resistance will

be analyzed for their responses to chemical signals and

pressure changes, and for changes in vessel structure and

gene expression. Earth Benefits and Applications

This experiment will contribute toward attaining a better understanding of how fundamental biological systems, such as

the cardiovascular system, respond to the microgravity

environment.The detailed study of the resulting vascular adaptations triggered by microgravity will yield essential information

on the basic physiological responses of individual blood vessels

involved in blood flow and pressure regulation. This information

will also support the development of treatments or countermeasures to improve crew health and performance following their

return to a gravitational environment.

humans during spaceflight and while these

adaptations are appropriate for a microgravity

environment, they can cause problems when the

astronauts return to Earth or perhaps another

planet. Astronauts often develop orthostatic intolerance which means they become dizzy or faint when

standing upright.

This dizziness can persist for a number of

days making routine activities difficult. In an

effort to understand the physiological details of

these cardiovascular adaptations, Dr. Michael

Delp at Texas A&M University, uses the rat as a

model for his studies. For the experiment flown

on STS–107, he will test the hypothesis that blood

vessels in the rats’ hindlimbs become thinner,

weaker, and constrict less in response to pressure

changes and to chemical signals when exposed

to microgravity. In addition, he will test the

hypothesis that arteries in the brain become

thicker as a result of microgravity-induced fluid

shifts toward the head.

42
Columbia

Picture credits. Delp (pages 1, 2), Ames Research Center (AEM).

Approximate location of this payload aboard STS–107.

Background Information

KSC-2002-057a

Science Discipline Supported

This experiment supports NASA’s priorities for research aimed at

understanding fundamental biological processes in which gravity

is known to play a direct role and alleviating problems that may

limit astronauts’ ability to survive and/or function during prolonged

spaceflight.

A cross section of the basilar artery from the brain of a control rat (A)

and a rat that experienced simulated microgravity (B). This experiment is part of the Fundamental Rodent Experiments Supporting Health (FRESH)-02 payload which consists of 13 rats housed

in 3 AEMs. The animals, which will be shared among several different

investigators, will experience microgravity for 16 days on board the

Shuttle Columbia. The AEMs have been used successfully on many

previous shuttle flights.

This experiment will address the effects of microgravity

on vascular smooth muscle and vascular endothelial cell

function and structure in resistance arteries and arterioles

isolated from skeletal muscle and the brain. Three groups of

rats will be studied. These will consist of 8 rats flown in

microgravity, 8 rats from a ground-based vivarium cage control group, and 8 rats from a ground-based AEM control

group. Resistance arteries or arterioles will be isolated and

used for physiology experiments, in gene expression studies,

and structural analyses. This work will provide potentially

important information about the mechanisms underlying the

orthostatic intolerance experienced by astronauts returning

to Earth.

Hardware

The Animal Enclosure Module (AEM) is a rodent habitat that provides ventilation, continuous filtered air flow to

control waste and odor, timed lighting, food in the form of

foodbars attached to the side of the cage, and a water supply

which can be refilled as required. Rodents in the cage compartment of the AEM are not accessible but can be viewed

through the clear lexan cover. This also allows for viewing

of water level remaining in the AEM water box.

The AEM has been designed for minimum crew interaction and the animals adapt very well to this virtually selfcontained system. The only nominal operations required are

a daily hardware check, a daily visual animal health check,

and periodic water refills.

Science

From previous studies using models that simulate

microgravity, it is now evident that the shift of fluid toward

the head and the unloading of postural muscles together alter

the mechanical forces exerted on arteries, the vessels responsible for regulating blood flow and arterial blood pressure.

The purpose of the present study is to determine whether

the fluid shifts and muscle unloading that occur in actual

microgravity, similarly alter rodent arterial vessel structure

and function.

43
STS–107: Space Research and You National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Understanding Fluid Shifts in the Brain

Choroidal Regulation Involved in the Cerebral Fluid Response to Altered Gravity

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov

Principal Investigator: Dr. Jaqueline Gabrion, University of Pierre

and Marie Curie, Paris, France

Project Scientist: Marilyn Vasques, NASA Ames Research Center

Project Manager: Rudy Aquilina, NASA Ames Research Center

Fluid balance and regulation of body fluid production are critical aspects of life and survival on

Earth. In space, without gravity exerting its usual

downward pulling effect, the fluids of the human

body shift in an unnatural, headward direction.

After awhile, humans and other mammalian species adapt to the microgravity environment which

leads to changes in the regulation and distribution

of these body fluids. Previous spaceflight experiments have indicated that production of fluid in

the brain and spinal cord, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF),

might be reduced in rats exposed to microgravity.

Dr. Gabrion will study the effects of microgravity on proteins

responsible for water and ion transport in the brain and in other

tissues. The choroid plexus which produces CSF is located in

the cerebral ventricles (left). The right panel illustrates detection of aquaporin 1 messenger RNAs in the choroid plexus

(black staining).

CSF production is influenced by the neurotransmitter serotonin. In frozen brain sections, serotonin receptor messenger

RNAs in choroid plexus are shown in red (left). Serotonin

receptors have also been detected in choroid plexus through

their capability to specifically bind a serotonin-like probe (right,

in red).

investigated in other areas of the brain and body

to better understand the regulatory responses

affecting these important water channel proteins.

In addition to producing essential and basic

information about fluid production in the brain

and body, this experiment will reveal fundamental information about the mechanisms

involved in cerebral adaptation and fluid balance

during spaceflight.

In this experiment conducted by Dr. Jacqueline

Gabrion (University of Pierre and Marie Curie,

France), proteins important for CSF production,

and several molecules that regulate water and mineral transport, will be investigated in rats flown on

the Shuttle. Dr. Gabrion and her team will determine the amounts of these proteins and molecules

present in the brain in order to evaluate whether

any changes have taken place during the rats’

adaptation to microgravity. The levels of different

aquaporins (proteins that act as a channel for

water transport in and out of cells) will also be

Earth Benefits and Applications

Because of its impact on fluid balance, spaceflight provides unique

opportunities to investigate mechanisms of adaptation that involve

fluid balance in the brain, kidneys and lungs. This experiment will

contribute to a better understanding of basic mechanisms which

regulate body fluid balance and homeostasis, and is important for

the advancement of fundamental biology.

44
Columbia

Picture credits. Gabrion (pages 1, 2), Ames Research Center (AEM).

Approximate location of this payload aboard STS–107.

Background Information

KSC-2002-057b

Science

Spaceflight is well known to induce headward fluid shifts

and thus offers unique opportunities to analyze the role of

gravity in body fluid distribution and fluid balance.

However, the difficulties involved in measuring CSF volume

and flow in these extreme experimental conditions, have

prevented extensive study of CSF production and its

transport processes during adaptation to altered gravity. To

begin to understand CSF balance during adaptation to altered

gravity, Dr. Gabrion and her team initiated studies over 10

years ago to determine the effects of spaceflight on choroidal

structures and regulation in the rat.

This STS–107 experiment specifically focuses on 2

important families of transport proteins and on the

biochemical signaling molecules that regulate CSF

production. Biosynthesis of choroidal Aquaporin 1 and

sodium-potassium (Na-K) dependent ATPase will be studied

using molecular staining techniques on fixed and/or frozen

samples of choroid plexus. The expression levels of different

aquaporins will also be investigated in other brain areas, the

hypophysis, the kidney, and the lung.

This experiment is part of the Fundamental Rodent Experiments Supporting Health (FRESH)-02 payload which consists

of 13 rats housed in 3 Animal Enclosure Modules (AEMs). The

animals, which will be shared among several different investigators, will experience microgravity for 16 days on board the

Shuttle Columbia. The AEMs have been used successfully on

many previous shuttle flights.

Science Discipline Supported

This experiment supports NASA’s priorities for research aimed at

understanding fundamental biological processes in which gravity

is known to play a direct role and alleviating problems that may

limit astronauts’ ability to survive and/or function during prolonged

spaceflight.

Immunodetection of aquaporin 1 (in green) and sodiumpotassium ATPase (in red) at the apical pole of choroid plexus,

(A, B) in a control rat and (C, D) in a ground-based model

simulating some effects of spaceflight. A net decrease in both

proteins was noted at the epithelial cells, suggesting that CSF

production was decreased.

Previous flight experiments have demonstrated that

reduced gravity dramatically alters the fine structure,

functions, and maturation of the choroid plexus in the rat

brain. Although no direct measurements of CSF secretion in

microgravity have been performed to date, these findings

indicate that adult rats likely experience a net reduction in

CSF production during spaceflight. Such results might be

generalized to humans and could partly explain headaches

frequently endured by astronauts in space.

Hardware

The Animal Enclosure Module (AEM) is a rodent habitat that provides ventilation, continuous filtered air flow to

control waste and odor, timed lighting, food in the form of

foodbars attached to the side of the cage, and a water supply

which can be refilled as required. Rodents in the cage compartment of the AEM are not accessible but can be viewed

through the clear lexan cover. This also allows for viewing

of water level remaining in the AEM water box.

The AEM has been designed for minimum crew interaction and the animals adapt very well to this virtually selfcontained system. The only nominal operations required are

a daily hardware check, a daily visual animal health check,

and periodic water refills.

45
Space Magnets Attracting Interest on Earth

Applications of Physical and Biological Techniques

In the Study of Gravisensing and Response System of Plants

The BioTube/Magnetic Field

Apparatus (MFA) research is

designed to provide insight into

the organization and operation of

the gravity sensing systems of

plants and other small organisms.

This experiment on STS–107 uses

magnetic fields to manipulate

sensory cells in plant roots, thus

using magnetic fields as a tool to

study gravity-related phenomena. The experiment

will be located in the SPACEHAB module and is

about the size of a household microwave oven.

The goal of the experiment is to improve our

understanding of the basic phenomenon of how

plants respond to gravity. The BioTube/MFA

experiment specifically examines how gravitational

forces serve as a directional signal for growth in

the low-gravity environment of space. As with all

basic research, this study will contribute to an

improved understanding of how plants grow and

will have important implications for improving

plant growth and productivity on Earth.

In BioTube/MFA, magnetic fields will be used

to determine whether the distribution of subcellular starch grains, called amyloplasts, within plant

cells predicts the direction in which roots will grow

and curve in microgravity.

On Earth amyloplasts in plant cells accumulate in the direction of gravity causing a change

in the cell. This essentially translates to a signal

indicating which direction is “up” or “down”. The

BioTube/MFA experiment utilizes high-gradient

magnetic fields to change the distribution of

STS–107: Space Research and You National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov

amyloplasts in flax roots. The

magnetic field is concentrated

at a specific point which produces magnetic gradient. As the

root grows, it approaches the

wedge and moves into the magnetic gradient. The starch grains are then repelled

by the magnetic gradient, causing the roots to curve

in the direction of the displaced starch grains.

The BioTube/MFA experiment contains dry flax

seeds (also known as Linum usitatissimum) that will

germinate in space. The seeds will be watered

and the roots will begin to grow across the highgradient magnetic field wedges in two Magnetic

Field Chambers. A third Magnetic Field Chamber

will provide a uniform (non-gradient) magnetic

field for the roots as a comparison to the highgradient magnetic field. Time-lapse imagery will

record pictures of the roots as they grow. Approximately 48 hours after seed watering, a chemical

fixative will preserve the flax specimens for

microscopic analysis and the experiment will end.

The science objectives of the BioTube/MFA

experiment address three major questions:

1. Are amyloplasts the organelles in plant cells that

perceive gravity?

2. Does the position or movement of the amyloplasts (sedimentation on earth, or, response to

a high gradient magnetic field in orbit) affect

the root growth direction?

3. Does gravity exert an effect on the deposition

of cell wall material and the organization of

plant cells organelles?

Principal Investigator: Dr. Karl H. Hasenstein, University of

Louisiana at Lafayette

Project Manager: David Cox, Kennedy Space Center

Project Engineer: April Boody, Kennedy Space Center

Flax root growing

in Magnetic Field

Chamber hardware.

BioTube/MFA in locker.

46
Background Information

Approximate location of this payload aboard STS–107.

 These goals will provide insight into the fundamental

organization and operation of the gravity response system

of plants and determine if, other than the root cap, other parts

of the plant require cues for directional growth.

Science Discipline Supported

The BioTube/MFA research primarily addresses Fundamental Space

Biology, but applies to other disciplines.

Astronauts will turn on the BioTube/MFA experiment

three days prior to landing. All experiment operations will

be complete within a 48 hour period. The BioTube/MFA software automatically controls a series of events that will

deliver water to the seeds, take images of the growing roots

and deliver a chemical fixative which preserves the roots for

later analysis. The astronaut crew will periodically check on

the equipment as the experiment progresses and will turn

the power off following chemical fixation.

The left panel depicts the random orientation of amyloplasts in

a simulated spaceflight experiment. The right panel shows the

effect of a magnetic force displacing amyloplasts to the left.

The left panel belongs to a normal root with the amyloplasts

sedimented to the root cap region. The center panel shows a

root cap with a lateral high-gradient magnetic field displacing

amyloplasts to the left. The right panel shows a gravitationally

affected root with amyloplasts sedimented to the left.

Columbia

Future Similar Experiments

on International Space Station

Similar flight experiments could be conducted on the International

Space Station to increase the knowledge of how biological processes are affected by microgravity.

KSC-2002-057f

47
Did you know that when astronauts are in

space, their height increases about two inches?

This happens because the weightlessness of space

allows the spine, usually compressed in Earth’s

gravity, to expand. While this change is relatively

harmless, other more serious things can happen

with extended stays in weightlessness, notably

bone loss. From previous experiments, scientists have

observed that astronauts lose bone mass

at a rate of about one

percent per month

during flight. Scientists

know that bone is a

dynamic tissue — continually being made

and repaired by specialized bone cells

throughout life. Certain

cells produce new

bone, while other cells are responsible for removing and replacing old bone. Research on the

mechanisms of bone metabolism and the effects

of space flight on its formation and repair are

part of the exciting studies that will be performed

during STS–107.

Calcium plays a central role because 1) it gives

strength and structure to bone and 2) all types of

cells require it to function normally. Ninety-nine

percent of calcium in the body is stored in the

skeleton. However, calcium may be released, or

resorbed, from bone to provide for other tissues

when you are not eating. 

To better understand how and why weightlessness induces bone loss, astronauts will

participate in a study of calcium kinetics — that

is, the movement of calcium through the body,

including absorption from food, and its role in the

formation and breakdown of bone. They will

receive small amounts of special forms of calcium

known as tracers. These allow scientists to trace

the movement of calcium in the body. By tracking

these tracers, we will see how calcium was

processed and where it traveled in the body. Then,

comparing the results from before, during, and after

flight, we will learn how calcium metabolism

changes when humans are in space.

From Milk to Bones,

Moving Calcium Through the Body

Calcium Kinetics During Space Flight

Principal Investigator: Dr. Scott Smith, NASA Johnson

Space Center, Houston, TX

Project Scientist: Dr. Jacob Bloomberg, NASA Johnson Space

Center, Houston, TX

Project Manager: Angie Lee, NASA Johnson Space

Center, Houston, TX

Earth Benefits and Applications

• Examining the role of vitamin D in calcium metabolism

• Understanding calcium kinetics

• Investigating the formation and resorption of bone

• Engineering healthy bone

• Preventing osteoporosis and other bone diseases

• Decreasing fractures.

During STS–60, astronaut Drew

Gaffney (center) draws blood from

Millie Hughes-Fulford (left) while

James Bagian looks on.

Intestines

Ca++ in 

blood and tissues

Bone

Calcium Kinetics

Increased

Decreased

Unchanged

Dietary Ca++

Urinary excretion

Fecal excretion

Absorption Secretion

Bone 

formation

Bone

breakdown

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov

STS–107: Space Research and You National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration

This diagram shows the normal pathways of calcium movement in the body and indicates changes (green arrows) seen

during preliminary space flight experiments.

48
Background Information

Science

Bones are living tissue, meaning that each day we build

and break down bone. For this to occur we must provide

adequate nutrition, including calcium, along with exercise.

The preferred exercises are those that are weight bearing —

walking, dancing, weight lifting, and other exercises that

place weight on the legs. Astronauts exercise in space to try

to keep their bones and muscles in shape. Despite this, bone

loss still occurs, thereby providing an ideal laboratory to

study the breakdown and rebuilding of bone and the path

that calcium takes in reaching bone.

Bone loss in microgravity has serious implications for

bone health, including increased risk for bone fractures

and kidney stones during flight and upon return to Earth.

The bone loss experienced by astronauts in space is similar

to the bone loss experienced by patients with osteoporosis

or paralyzed individuals. To better understand calcium and

bone changes during space flight, calcium kinetics and

other aspects of bone and calcium metabolism will be measured. These measurements will be made before, during, and after

flight. Information on the mechanisms of space-induced

bone loss will be applicable to developing effective countermeasures for astronauts, and may help in developing

treatments for osteoporosis or other bone-related diseases

on Earth.

The calcium kinetics experiment will study how space

flight affects calcium balance, calcium absorption, and bone

resorption. This procedure requires that astronauts take two

stable, non-radioactive forms of calcium (one orally and one

intravenously). Samples of blood, urine, saliva, and feces

(before and after flight only) will be collected and analyzed

for the two calcium tracers. Using mathematical modeling

techniques, scientists will determine the rates of calcium

movement based on the tracer analyses. Specific parameters

to be determined include the absorption of calcium from

food, removal of calcium from the body, deposition of calcium

in bone, and resorption of calcium out of bone. 

Hormones, and other compounds which play a role in

the control of bone and calcium metabolism, will also

be measured to provide a more complete picture of the

mechanisms involved. This study will deepen our understanding of calcium movement through the body, the effects

of weightlessness on regulation of bone and calcium, and

the recovery of these systems after return to Earth.

Operations

The calcium tracers will be administered before, during,

and after flight, with biological samples collected for up to

10 days after each tracer administration. Biochemical, hormone, and other endocrine markers of bone metabolism

will be measured from blood and urine samples. Food

intake during flight will be recorded to measure the amount

of calcium entering the body. Mathematical modeling techniques (developed by the National Institutes of Health) will

be utilized to integrate the data and determine the movement of calcium through the body. Specifically, these

analyses will determine the rates of calcium absorption, the

rates of calcium excretion in urine and feces, and the rates

of bone calcium deposition and resorption.

Earlier Results

Calcium loss has been measured since the Skylab missions of the 1970s, which showed that calcium excretion

increased compared to preflight levels. Biochemical markers of bone also indicated that bone resorption was greatly

increased during the Skylab missions. 

Calcium studies continued during the Mir missions of

the 1990s. Mir crewmembers showed 1) decreased vitamin D,

a vitamin/hormone that plays an important role in calcium

balance; 2) unchanged or decreased levels of osteocalcin

and bone alkaline phosphatase, markers of bone formation;

and 3) increased excretion of products from the breakdown

of collagen, a major structural protein of bone. Since sufficient subjects are needed to obtain meaningful data, this

research continues calcium kinetics studies performed

previously on NASA-Mir and Shuttle-Mir missions.

Dietary calcium is an important source of calcium for the body. The

calcium is absorbed into your body from the food you eat and then

stored in your bones.

FS-2002-03-051-JSC

Approximate location of this payload aboard STS–107.

Columbia

49
The organisms that make us ill, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi, are like attacking armies.

We now know a great deal more about this

unseen world of microscopic invaders. Fortunately for us, the human immune system is ever

vigilant against them.

Microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and

fungi occupy almost every corner of the Earth,

and even parts of the human body. Some organisms are beneficial to us, helping to produce milk,

cheese or yogurt. Others are potentially harmful,

yet we don’t always develop illnesses from them;

they are kept in check by the sentinels of our

immune system. Our immune system is routinely

challenged by these organisms every day. When

the immune response is diminished, our ability to

fight off these “bugs” is lowered. And that’s when

we become ill.

Space flight presents a challenge to the

immune system. Scientists believe that the stressful conditions of space flight — launch into orbit,

adapting to microgravity, heavy workloads, and

isolation from family and friends, to name but a

few — reduce the astronauts’ immunity. This

immune suppression makes them more susceptible to common illnesses from bacteria and to

re-infections from latent viruses in the body. In

addition, risk of spreading illness in the confined

environment of the Space Shuttle is high.

Understanding changes in immune function will

help scientists develop ways to keep astronauts

healthy in space. This knowledge can also benefit

earthbound populations.

This experiment will give scientists insight

into the immune system by comparing how certain

cells of astronauts’ innate immune system — the

first line of defense against invaders — function

after flight compared to before flight.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Duane Pierson, Johnson Space Center,

Houston, TX

Project Scientist: Dr. Jacob Bloomberg, Johnson Space Center,

Houston, TX

Project Manager: Angie Lee, Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX

Astronauts John Grunsfeld (left) and Richard Linnehan

participate in a space walk on STS–109 to work on the

Hubble Space Telescope. Space walks can present significant physical and psychological stress on astronauts,

possibly challenging their immune systems.

Earth Benefits and Applications

With greater understanding of the immune system in space, we

can:

• Prevent impaired immunity for humans in confined conditions on 

Earth, such as polar stations, submarines, hospitals, and nursing 

homes

• Develop better vaccines

• Develop more precise treatments and drugs for illnesses

• Prevent emerging diseases.

Letting Our Cells Do the Fighting

Flight-Induced Changes in the Immune Response

STS–107: Space Research and You National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov

50
Science

To minimize the health risk during flight, astronauts

undergo preventive measures (such as immunization and

physical exams) before flight. In order to understand the

changes the immune system undergoes in microgravity and

upon return to Earth, scientists must learn how immune

cells behave before and after flight — measured as the

response to invaders or the intensity of that response.

The body’s immune system actually consists of two

types of systems — the adaptive immune system and the

innate immune system; they complement each other to provide effective protection. The adaptive arm responds to a

foreign invader to destroy it and then retains a memory, an

antibody against that specific invader should it ever attack

again. This system is at work when you are vaccinated.

Vaccination exposes you to a small, non-virulent dose of the

foreign microorganism, which will not make you ill but

allows your adaptive immune cells to respond and know

what to look for in the future.

The innate arm of the immune system is the first line of

defense, so its cells do not focus on specific invaders. In this

way, it is non-specific and attacks cells recognized as foreign to

eliminate them quickly. Innate cells destroy mainly through an

action called phagocytosis, by which the foreign microorganism is engulfed and destroyed. They can also work with the

adaptive immune system to destroy invaders.

The cells of interest in this experiment are three types of

white blood cells of the innate immune system — specifically, neutrophils, monocytes, and a special set of

lymphocytes called natural killer cells; all of these play

important roles in warding off infection and illness.

However, like any military force, these soldiers have different

methods of attack.

Neutrophils, ready as the first line of defense, circulate

in the bloodstream. They move out of the blood and into

infected tissue to destroy infected cells. The results of their

action can be seen in everyday life; for example, the pus

from a boil is mostly a collection of dead neutrophils that

have destroyed the microbial invaders.

Monocytes also circulate in the bloodstream. These cells

are important not only for their defense in the bloodstream,

but also because they mature and migrate into tissues where

they become potent macrophages. These macrophages have

the ability to engulf foreign antigens and destroy them with

certain enzymes. Macrophages can also break down the

microorganism into smaller pieces and present these to

other immune cells for antibody production.

Natural killer (NK) cells are the last type of white blood

cell to be studied. They belong to a subset of white blood

cells known as lymphocytes. NK cells recognize foreign targets in a non-specific manner and destroy them. They play

key roles in fighting tumor cells and cells infected with

viruses or bacteria.

Operations

The data for this experiment will come from blood

samples taken before and after flight. Three blood samples

will be taken — 10 days before flight, on the day of return

to Earth, and 23 days after return. The only restriction given

to the astronauts is that they must record any medication

taken. Once isolated from blood samples, these cells will be

tested for any alteration in function.

Earlier Studies

Similar studies performed before and after shorter missions (lasting 5 to 11 days) have shown a decrease in the

function of neutrophils and monocytes immediately before

and after space flight when compared to non-astronauts.

This suggests that astronauts are stressed before

launch and after flight when

returning back to Earth.

These effects may also be

dependent on mission length.

Previous studies performed on Apollo, Skylab, and

Shuttle missions have studied

the adaptive arm of the

immune system. While NK

cells were previously studied

by Russian investigators,

this is the first study to

investigate the neutrophils and monocytes of the innate

immune system.

This STS–107 study examines how the complex space

flight environment affects the functions of immune cells

before and after the mission. This contributes to our evermaturing understanding of the immune system as it

performs on Earth and in microgravity.

Immune cells in action: one kind of

a human white blood cell, the

lymphocyte, is shown here.

Background Information

FS-2002-03-052-JSC

51
Your body protects you from illness with its own

security system — the immune system. This system

keeps illness at bay not only by mounting a defense

against foreign organisms, but also by controlling the

population of bacteria

and viruses that normally live in your

body. But there’s no

need to panic: certain

microbes can actually

exist in your body

without causing illness. Some bacteria

are even beneficial—

like the E. coli in the

large intestine that are

an important source of

vitamin K.

While viruses are

not exactly considered beneficial, they

can also inhabit the

human body without

causing immediate

harm or infection. A

good example is the

herpes simplex virus

type 1 (HSV1), more commonly known as cold

sores or fever blisters. This virus infects 70 to 80

percent of all adults but remains latent much of

the time. While latent, the virus within cells

remains dormant. Activation of the dormant virus

causes it to make copies of itself (known as replication) constantly—detectable in body fluids such

as urine or saliva in a process called shedding.

When a person becomes sick or stressed, however,

this weakened condition allows the virus to

reactivate and multiply. These elevated levels

may be enough to produce symptoms, but shedding can also occur without symptoms. This

ability to shed without showing signs of infection,

or asymptomatic shedding, is of great interest, as

it increases the chances of infecting others.

The stresses associated with space flight —

adapting to microgravity, isolation from family

and friends, living and working in a confined

space, sleep deprivation, and busy schedules, to

name but a few — may weaken astronauts’

immune systems, leaving them at greater risk of

viral reactivation. Members of the STS–107 crew

will participate in this experiment, Incidence of

Latent Viral Shedding in Space Flight, to help scientists understand how reactivation works in

space, and at what level replication reaches before

symptoms begin to show. This study also promises more insight into the behavior of the larger

virus family, herpesvirus, which will help us

understand how to prevent infection in populations

on Earth and reactivation in those already infected.

Maintaining the Body’s Immune System

Incidence of Latent Virus Shedding During Space Flight

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov

Earth Benefits and Applications

• Better understanding of latent virus shedding, which affects populations on Earth, will improve approaches for minimizing 

shedding and further infecting others

• This molecular approach may be a rapid and reliable tool for early 

detection of stress and diminished immunity

• This technology may provide clinically relevant data to help 

patients suffering from chronic and acute stress

• Viral monitoring may lead to early intervention that minimizes 

adverse health effects of acute and chronic stress.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Duane Pierson, Johnson Space Center,

Houston, TX

Project Scientist: Dr. Jacob Bloomberg, Johnson Space Center,

Houston, TX

Project Manager: Angie Lee, Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX

Astronaut Frank Culbertson, Jr.,

exercises on a treadmill on the

International Space Station. Exercise

is one way to counter the negative

effects of space flight.

STS–107: Space Research and You National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

52
Science

Roughly 80 million people in the United States are

infected with the herpes virus, which is the leading infectious cause of blindness. While we do not fully understand

how viruses establish latency and later become reactivated,

we do know that a weakening of the immune system

increases the incidence (how often people are affected) and

duration (how long they are affected) of viral reactivation

and shedding. The results of this study will help develop

treatments for fighting viruses and for reducing the spread

of latent viruses on Earth as well as in space.

Additionally, scientists will consider other questions:

What are the levels for latent shedding, and how much does

it differ between individuals? At what level

of reactivation does the

virus produce symptoms? Since astronauts

rely on medical care

from physicians on

Earth, finding answers

to these questions and

minimizing health risks

are critical for success.

With this study, scientists will test their

hypothesis that the incidence and duration of

virus reactivation and

shedding will increase in flight. Astronauts face any number of stresses before and during their mission, which can

weaken their immune systems; scientists therefore expect to

see a higher count of viruses during space flight as compared to before or after. In addition, scientists will compare

the astronauts’ data to data collected from a control group

of people who remain on Earth to show whether the shedding in astronauts is different from the general earthbound

population. Space flight may well be a major factor in viral

reactivation and this study will help validate this hypothesis.

The viruses of interest in this investigation belong to the

herpesvirus group, which is the most readily detectable of

all latent viruses. The targeted strains are the herpes simplex virus types 1 and type 2, cytomegalovirus, varicella

zoster virus, and Epstein-Barr virus.

Operations

For this study, astronauts give samples of saliva and

urine, and blood—the body fluids into which viruses are

shed—at various times before, during, and after flight

according to the schedule shown in the following table. 

Saliva and urine samples are analyzed for the presence

of the four herpesviruses using an analytic process called

the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which allows the

detection and counting of both symptomatic and asymptomatic virus shedding. To test blood samples, scientists use

enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. This test will reveal

the levels of antibody generated against the four viruses,

indicating how active or weak the immune system is.

Antibody levels before flight can be compared to levels after

flight, showing how each astronaut’s immune system

changed. These results are also compared to those from the

ground-based population, to determine if space flight and

its stressors played a detectable role.

Earlier Results

Earlier studies from short-duration (Space Shuttle) and

long-duration (Russian space station Mir) flights support

the scientists’ hypothesis of increased reactivation and

shedding during space flight, in some cases increased by

eight- to ten-fold. These results were also supported by

findings from analogous environments on Earth, such as

Antarctic winter excursions and closed-chamber studies.

These data give an indication that space flight and analogous environments on Earth do indeed have some role in

viral reactivation.

Approximate location of this payload aboard STS–107.

FS-2002-03-048-JSC

To yield accurate data, the astronauts must adhere to certain

guidelines:

• No food or fluid for at least 15 minutes before saliva collection.

• All drug intake and stressful conditions should be logged.

• In the event of a cold sore, a sample swab should be taken for 

postflight analysis.

• Saliva collection should be taken at the same time during each 

mission day, after waking up and before brushing teeth.

The varicella zoster virus, shown above, is

the cause of shingles. This virus is a member of the herpesvirus group. Courtesy of

Dr. Frank Fenner of the John Curtin School

of Medical Research, and the International

Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses

Database (ICTVdb).

From 6

months to 5

months, every

other day

50 days Daily Landing 14 days

saliva

blood

urine saliva

blood

urine

saliva

saliva

Before Flight In Flight After Flight

Background Information

10 days

blood

urine

1 nm

Columbia

53
New York City, the most populated city in the

United States, is home to over 8 million humans.

This means over 26,000 people per square mile!

Imagine, though, what the view would be if you

peeked into the world of microscopic organisms.

Scientists estimate that a gram of soil may contain

up to 1 billion of these microbes, which is as much

as the entire human population of China!

Scientists also know that the world of microbes is

incredibly diverse—possibly 10,000 different

species in one gram of soil—more than all the different types of mammals in the world.

Microbes fill every niche in the world—from

20 miles below the Earth’s surface to 20 miles

above, and at temperatures from less than –20 °C

to hotter than water’s boiling point. These organisms are ubiquitous because they can adapt

quickly to changing environments, an effective

strategy for survival.

Although we may not realize it, microbes

impact every aspect of our lives. Bacteria and

fungi help us break down the food in our bodies,

and they help clean the air and water around us.

They can also cause the dark, filmy buildup on

the shower curtain as well as, more seriously, illness and disease. Since humans and microbes

share space on Earth, we can benefit tremendously from a better understanding of the

workings and physiology of the microbes. This

insight can help prevent any harmful effects on

humans, on Earth and in space, as well as reap the

benefits they provide.

Space flight is a unique environment to study

how microbes adapt to changing environmental

conditions. To advance ground-based research in

the field of microbiology, this STS–107 experiment

will investigate how microgravity affects bacteria

and fungi. Of particular interest are the growth

rates and how they respond to certain antimicrobial substances that will be tested; the same tests

will be conducted on Earth at the same times.

Comparing the results obtained in flight to those

on Earth, we will be able to examine how microgravity induces physiological changes in the

microbes.

Musing over Microbes in Microgravity

Microbial Physiology Flight Experiment

Principal Investigator: Dr. Randolph Schweickart, ICOS Corp.,

Bothell, WA, and Dr. Michael McGinnis, University of Texas Medical

Branch, Galveston, TX

Project Scientist: Dr. Jacob Bloomberg, Johnson Space Center,

Houston, TX

Project Manager: Angie Lee, Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX

Earth Benefits and Applications

Space-based research of microorganisms results in:

• Improved development of treatments for infectious diseases

• New knowledge on how microorganisms grow and develop with 

changing conditions.

The astronauts and cosmonauts of STS–105 and Expeditions

Two and Three gather for one of their first joint meals on the

International Space Station. A better understanding of microbial physiology will help prevent illness for humans in the

remote environment of space.

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov

STS–107: Space Research and You National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration

54
Background Information

Science

Microbiologists have long studied the physiology and

metabolic pathways of microbes by manipulating environmental factors such as temperature, pH, and the content of

the growth medium to see how their growth and function

are affected. From this knowledge, we have developed

antimicrobial agents and antibiotic treatments. This does

not mean, however, that we have a complete knowledge of

microbial physiology. Bacteria, for example, are constantly

adapting and may develop resistance to antimicrobial

agents. With the rise in the last few decades of antibiotic use

and coincident resistance, the mechanisms for developing

resistance are being studied intensely. We still have much to

learn about microbial physiology and the genetic programming that allows for adaptation to changing conditions.

Gravity plays a unique role in that it is one environmental

condition in which all life forms have evolved. In these experiments, the absence of gravity will present the microbes

with a challenge that they have not before encountered.

The experiment consists of two separate microbial studies:

one with bacteria (four species) and fungi (four species) as

subjects, and the other with fungi alone (two species). Both

studies follow the same procedures and use the same hardware. Their investigators are looking for the same data

parameters — growth, use of components of the growth

medium (different nitrogen and carbon sources), and reaction to antimicrobial agents — to show the effect of microgravity

on the microorganisms. These studies will continue during

a second phase in future flights to test the microbes against

specific formulations of growth media and antimicrobials. 

Hardware

These studies measure microbial growth during flight

using a device called the automated microbial analysis system (AMS), a commercial instrument manufactured by

bioMérieux Vitek, Inc., that has been adapted for space

flight. Before flight, the bacterial and fungal strains to be

tested are introduced, or inoculated, to cards containing the

various growth media or antimicrobial agents being tested.

These cards are refrigerated, sealed, and placed onto card

trays to minimize the handling of the test cultures by

crewmembers. This measure ensures the health of the crew

was well as preserving the integrity of the experiment. 

Once the cards containing the test strains have been

loaded into the AMS, its heater and circulation fan maintain

constant incubator temperatures for microbial growth. The

optical array of the AMS measures the optical density of

each microbial sample, indicating the population and

growth over time. A laptop computer serves as the interface

between crewmembers and the AMS and also saves the

data for analysis after flight.

Operations

The experiment will begin on the first day of flight with

the setup and activation of the AMS. The six card trays for

bacterial and fungal testing will be loaded into the AMS and

tested in 24-hour incubation cycles for days one through six

on orbit. The card trays for

fungal testing alone will be

loaded and tested in 48-hour

incubation cycles for days

seven through ten. To produce control data, identical

procedures will be performed simultaneously on

the ground with the same

card populations. By comparing the data obtained in

flight with those on Earth,

researchers will be able to home in on the physiological

response to microgravity.

Earlier Results

Prior space flight research indicates that exposure to

microgravity can lead to increased growth rates (Biosatellite

in 1967) and increased resistance to antimicrobial agents

(Salyut in 1982 and Spacelab D1 in 1985). However, there is

limited data and conflicting results because experimental

conditions are difficult to replicate. The STS–107 experiment

uses a well-controlled methodology adapted for microbial

research in flight to obtain conclusive results.

The cards containing the microbial

test strains will be loaded into the

AMS, shown above, during flight.

FS-2002-02-061-JSC

Approximate location of this payload aboard STS–107.

The scanning electron micrographs show Saccharomyces cerevisiae grown in microgravity (A) and gravity (B). In microgravity yeast

cells grow in clusters. S. cerevisiae will be one of the fungal strains

tested on STS-107 for changes in growth pattern and physiology.

Columbia

55
STS–107: Space Research and You

Building Muscles, Keeping Muscles

Protein Turnover During Space Flight 

As we age we lose muscle mass and strength.

The problem is a matter of use it or lose it and more

— a fact to which any active senior can attest. An

imbalance in the natural cycle of protein turnover may be a contributing factor to decreased

muscle mass. But the answer is not so simple,

since aging is associated with changes in hormones,

activity levels, nutrition, and often, disease. 

The human body constantly uses amino acids

to build muscle protein, which then breaks down

and must be replaced. When protein turnover

gets out of balance, so that more protein breaks

down than the body can replace, the result is muscle loss. This is not just the bane of aging,

however. Severely burned people may have difficulty building new muscle long after the burned

skin has been repaired.

Answers to why we lose muscle mass and

strength — and how doctors can fix it — may

come from space. Astronauts usually eat a wellbalanced diet and maintain an exercise routine to

stay in top health. During long-duration flight,

they exercise regularly to reduce the muscle loss

that results from being in a near-weightless environment. Despite these precautions, astronauts

lose muscle mass and strength during most missions. They quickly recover after returning to

Earth — this is a temporary condition in an otherwise healthy population.

Members of the STS–107 crew are participating in a study of the effects of space flight,

hormone levels, and stress on protein turnover.

When we are under stress, the body responds with

a change in hormone levels. Researchers hypothesize that this stress-induced change in hormones

along with the near-weightlessness might result in

the body synthesizing less muscle protein, causing

muscles to lose their strength and size. Astronauts, who

must perform numerous duties in a confined and

unusual environment, experience some stress during

their flight, making them excellent candidates for

testing the researchers’ hypothesis.

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration

Principal Investigator: Dr. Arny Ferrando, University of Texas

Medical Branch, Galveston, TX

Project Scientist: Dr. Jacob Bloomberg, Johnson Space Center,

Houston, TX

Project Manager: Angie Lee, Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov

Mission Specialist Scott Parazynski takes a blood sample from

U.S. Senator John Glenn, Jr., during STS–95. Senator Glenn

and Mission Specialist Pedro Duque were the first to participate in the protein turnover study. Data collected during

STS–107 will be added to that from STS–95.

Earth Benefits and Applications

• Hormone models derived from missions mean better

treatments for muscle atrophy on Earth.

• Hormone therapy may be more than a treatment for postmenopausal women; it may be the route to healthier muscles for 

the aging population, people with metabolic problems, and 

astronauts.

56
Background Information

Science

Muscle protein is always being created and broken

down. If something disrupts this process, by decreasing the

formation of new muscle, or speeding up the breakdown of

existing muscle, we lose muscle. It usually is part of aging

and can affect people with metabolic problems, but

researchers believe it is treatable.

Testosterone increases lean body mass and promotes

muscle development during puberty. As we age, testosterone levels normally decrease from youthful levels. Stress

and lack of physical activity may also cause a reduction in

testosterone. Cortisol, a steroid produced by the adrenal

glands increases as we age. Too much cortisol in the bloodstream can cause the muscles to lose much of their amino

acid content. The muscle proteins loose these amino acids,

which are used instead to make glucose in the liver. This

may cause diabetes resulting from increased blood

glucose levels, but also

means an additional loss

of muscle protein. 

During space flight,

a decrease in testosterone and an increase in

cortisol may be behind

reduced muscle mass.

Researchers will examine

the effects of stress, hormonal levels, and protein

turnover in astronauts. By

studying the relationship

between altered hormonal

levels and changes in protein turnover caused by

the stresses of space

flight, researchers can

apply this information

toward preventing muscle

loss in astronauts.

Operations

Two months before launch, researchers use dual-energy

X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), a low-dose X-ray technique,

to determine each astronaut’s lean body mass. Blood samples are taken over three days, starting 60 days before

launch. Before breakfast, astronauts give their first sample,

and then they are given an alanine capsule containing a

tracer chemical. Alanine is an amino acid that transports

nitrogen throughout the body. By measuring the alanine

and tracer in the blood, researchers know how quickly the

body is creating muscle. Twelve hours after the first capsule, astronauts take 3-methylhistidine capsule labeled with

a tracer. Three-methylhistidine, an amino acid produced

when muscle is broken down, is used to determine the rate

of protein breakdown. Another blood sample is taken 10

minutes later.

The sampling process is conducted twice before launch,

twice during flight, and twice more after landing. DEXA

whole-body images are collected before and after flight.

Astronauts log everything they eat, medications they take,

and exercise they do. Women also note where they are in

their menstrual cycle. Findings from STS–107 will be compared to data from similar tests on the ground.

Earlier Results 

Studies focusing on healthy, active men suggest that

muscle loss in older individuals may result from the

body’s inability to make

muscle proteins. This may

be a result of hormone

imbalance, lack of physical activity, or poor

nutrition. Furthermore,

men over 60 with low

testosterone levels who

take supplements to

maintain normal levels

have increased muscle

volume and improved

strength within months of

beginning treatment. Burn

patients also experience

better muscle development

with testosterone treatment.

Yury Usachev, Expedition Two

crewmember, wears a harness

while exercising aboard the

International Space Station.

Approximate location of this payload aboard STS–107.

FS-2002-03-053-JSC

Loss of muscle can affect mobility and

independence. A well-balanced diet

and moderate exercise, combined

with hormone therapy only if needed,

may help the elderly and people with

metabolic illnesses maintain and

improve their strength.

Columbia

57
Renal stones, popularly known as kidney or

bladder stones, are small rock-like objects formed

in the kidneys or urinary tract by deposits of calcium and other minerals. The problem arises

when the stones block the drainage of the kidney,

resulting in urinary obstruction and pain. Passing

these stones can be one of the most painful experiences a person will endure so doctors often

prescribe pain relievers to ease the experience.

Drinking plenty of fluids, which help flush

waste out of the body, and eating a well-balanced

diet are the first steps to preventing stones. For

individuals at risk, this may not be enough, and a

doctor may recommend a special diet and medications. Unfortunately, approximately 60 percent

of people who have had a renal stone will experience a recurrence. This is particularly true of men,

who are four to five times more likely to develop

stones than women. Renal stones do not discriminate based on age; even children are at risk.

Astronauts are particularly at risk of developing renal stones because they lose bone and

muscle mass; calcium, other minerals, and protein

normally used for bone and muscle end up in the

bloodstream and then in the kidneys. Without

plenty of fluid to wash them away, crystals can

form and then grow into stones. This factor compounds the risk for astronauts, since they also

perceive that they are less thirsty in space and will

drink less than normal during the mission. To

minimize all of these factors, doctors must instead

treat the stone-forming compounds with medication. This study will use potassium citrate to

reduce the risk of stone formation. 

Renal stones are never convenient, but they

are a particular concern for astronauts who have

limited access to treatment during flight.

Researchers are examining how earthbound

preventions for renal stone formation work in

flight, ensuring missions are not ended prematurely due to this medical condition. During

STS–107, earthbound preventions and treatments

become astronauts’ gain.

Protecting Space Travelers from Kidney Stones

Renal Stone Risk During Space Flight

Principal Investigator: Dr. Peggy Whitson, NASA Johnson Space

Center, Houston, TX

Project Scientist: Dr. Jacob Bloomberg, NASA Johnson Space

Center, Houston, TX

Project Manager: Angie Lee, NASA Johnson Space Center,

Houston, TX

Drink plenty of water, Mr. Senator! U.S. Senator and astronaut John Glenn, Jr, takes a break with a beverage tube.

Renal stones can usually be prevented by fluid intake, diet,

and medication, but researchers are seeking more effective

ways to prevent stone formation.

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov

Earth Benefits and Applications

• Examine the direct effect of potassium citrate on development of 

renal stones by determining changes in urine chemicals

• Use potassium citrate to prevent or reduce renal stone formation 

for patients who have continual problems with renal stones

• Lower the number of hospitalizations per year due to renal stones —

400,000 in the U.S.

STS-107: Space Research and You National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

58
Background Information

Science

Waste proteins, chemicals, and minerals move from the

bloodstream and are filtered out by the kidneys. Usually, if

a person drinks enough water, this diluted waste is washed

out as urine. However, painful renal stones occasionally

form.

Changes in diet (in the United States, vegetarians are

half as likely as meat-eaters to develop stones) and an

increase in fluids can minimize stones, but for some,

these precautions are not

enough. A number of medical conditions, such as

osteoporosis and hypercalcuria, also increase calcium

and other minerals in urine

and cannot be corrected

with diet alone.

Potassium citrate,

used in the STS–107 study,

is a common preventive

treatment for renal stones.

Citrate binds to calcium in

the urine, preventing the calcium from crystallizing and

developing into a stone. Citrate also makes the urine less

acidic, reducing the risk of uric acid stones. By testing

potassium citrate on astronauts, who have no medical conditions other than exposure to space to be at risk for stones,

researchers examine the direct effect of the medication on

excess minerals and the potential development of stones. 

Operations

During STS–107, each crewmember receives a packet of

pills. They take two pills at dinnertime, beginning three

days before launch and ending 14 days after landing. The

crewmembers also log everything they eat or drink, when

they exercise, and what medication they take. They provide

samples using urine collection kits.

After flight, researchers measure how much urine each

crewmember voided during the mission and examine it for

stone-forming chemicals, such as calcium and sodium.

They also check the urine’s pH, to see if the potassium citrate raised the pH to a less acidic value. The STS–107 data

will be compared with results obtained from International

Space Station (ISS) missions. Participation by the ISS

Expedition Three crewmembers, who were in space for several months, helps researchers determine the effectiveness

of potassium citrate over a longer period of time.

Hardware

Each urine collection kit comes with a urine collection

device (UCD) designed for either men or women. Each

UCD contains lithium chloride, which acts as a volume

marker when it is filled. By measuring the amount of

lithium in the urine sample, researchers determine how

much urine the astronaut produced during flight. The astronaut uses a syringe to remove a small sample from the

UCD. Both the UCD and the syringe sample are closed in a

leak-proof container and stored at room temperature until

the end of the flight, when they are returned to a laboratory

for careful analysis.

Earlier Results 

While in space, astronauts have an increased risk of

developing stones due to 1) the excess salts and minerals in

their bodies, 2) the fact that they drink less fluids, and 3) the

lower volume of urine produced. Earlier studies show that

drinking extra fluid after flight, during the period when

astronauts are readjusting to normal gravity, helps reduce

the risk of renal stones.

Drinking extra fluid in

flight, however, simply

washes the excess salts

and minerals into the

kidneys, increasing the

astronauts’ risk of developing stones. This makes

medication, such as

potassium citrate, the

most promising way to

stop stone formation.

On the ground,

potassium citrate, combined with a carefully

regulated diet, has shown

promising results in

reducing the risk of stone

formation. For those with

stones, taking potassium

citrate can significantly

reduce the recurrence of

a renal stone.

Stones can form in the kidney,

ureter, and bladder. New treatments

involving medication, ultrasound, or

other non-invasive methods allow

doctors to break up larger stones

that cannot pass through the ureter.

FS-2002-03-049-JSC

Approximate location of this payload aboard STS–107.

The micrograph shows calcium

oxalate crystals in urine. These

small crystals can develop to form

renal stones.

Bladder

Renal stone

forming in 

the kidney

Renal stone

in the ureter

Columbia

59
The success and effectiveness of human space

flight depends on astronauts’ ability to maintain a

high level of cognitive performance and vigilance.

This alert state ensures the proper operation of

sophisticated instrumentation. An important way

for humans to remedy fatigue and maintain alertness is to get plenty of rest. Astronauts, however,

commonly experience difficulty sleeping while

in space. During flight, they may also experience

disruption of the body’s circadian rhythm — the

natural phases the body goes through every day

as we oscillate between states of high activity during the waking day and recuperation, rest, and

repair during nighttime sleep. Both of these factors are

associated with impairment of alertness and performance, which could have important consequences

during a mission in space.

The human body was designed to sleep at

night and be alert and active during the day. We

receive these cues from the time of day or amount

of light, such as the rising or setting of the sun.

However, in the environment of the Space Shuttle

or the International Space Station where light levels are highly variable, the characteristics of a

24-hour light/dark cycle are not present to cue

the astronauts’ bodies about what time of the day

it is. Astronauts orbiting Earth see a sunset and

sunrise every 90 minutes, sending potentially disruptive signals to the area of the brain that

regulates sleep.

On STS–107, researchers will measure sleepwake activity with state-of-the-art technology

to quantify how much sleep astronauts obtain

in space. Because light is the most powerful time

cue to the body’s circadian system, individual

light exposure patterns of the astronauts will also

be monitored to determine if light exposure is

associated with sleep disruption. 

The results of this research could lead to the

development of a new treatment for sleep disturbances, enabling crewmembers to avoid the

decrements in alertness and performance due to

sleep deprivation. What we learn about sleep in

space informs treatment for earthbound populations, such as the elderly and insomniacs, who

experience frequent sleep disturbances or altered

sleep patterns.

Astronauts Need Their Rest Too

Sleep-Wake Actigraphy and Light Exposure During Space Flight

Principal Investigator: Dr. Charles Czeisler, Brigham and

Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

Project Scientist: Dr. Jacob Bloomberg, Johnson Space Center,

Houston, TX

Project Manager: Angie Lee, Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX

Earth Benefits and Applications

This research could benefit the health, productivity, and safety of

certain earthbound populations with similar conditions:

• Insomniacs

• Shift workers

• The elderly 

• Travelers with jetlag.

Scott Altman, mission commander for STS–109, sleeps on

the flight deck of the Space Shuttle Columbia.

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov

STS–107: Space Research and You National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration

60
Background Information

Science

Astronauts will wear a light-recording and activitymonitoring device called the Actilight watch for the

duration of the mission. Data on sleep-wake activity and

light exposure patterns obtained during flight will be compared with those measured for two weeks on Earth,

approximately 90 days prior to

flight. This will allow researchers

to compare how much the astronauts slept in space versus how

much they sleep normally. Astronauts will also wear the Actilight

watch for the 11 days immediately

prior to launch to determine if

astronauts sleep less prior to flight.

Recovery from space flight will

also be assessed for one week following landing. 

Each astronaut will also fill

out a sleep log each morning. The

logs are their subjective evaluation

of the amount and quality of sleep.

If an astronaut reports that his or

her sleep was disturbed, questions

in the log address the cause of the disturbance. The astronauts will also report how much caffeine they consumed or

if they took medication, as both could impact sleep.

Hardware

The Actilight watch and a sleep log will be used for

each astronaut in the study. The Actilight watch is a flightapproved version of the Actiwatch-L product, made by

Mini-Mitter, Inc. This device resembles a small wristwatch

and measures the wearer’s activity and exposure to ambient

light. It is powered by a lithium manganese battery and

can record data for about 30 days. The sleep log is a hard

copy booklet.

Operations

The crewmembers will don their Actilight watches as

soon as possible in flight, and simply wear them continuously on their non-dominant wrists outside of their sleeves.

The watches can be removed temporarily for specific activities, such as a spacewalk. Upon landing they will turn in

the watches for analysis. In addition, each crewmember will

complete a sleep log every day, recording how long they

slept and rating the quality of sleep and how alert they feel.

Baseline data will be collected before and after the

flight using the same methods. Comparison of the data

obtained in flight to baseline data will indicate to scientists the changes in astronauts’ sleep-wake cycle and light

exposure patterns.

Earlier Results

The results of previous research on both short- and

long-duration space missions suggest that approximately

25 percent of crewmembers

experience dramatic impairment of amount and/or quality

of sleep. Hypnotic medications are the most frequently

administered medications after

the first several days in flight.

This suggests that insomnia is

a prevalent symptom among

astronauts. Despite these data,

little is known of the cause,

prevalence, or severity of

sleep disruption during shortduration missions and less is

known about the effects on

sleep during long-duration

missions. Scientists hope that deeper understanding of

sleep disturbances in space will lead to the development

of treatments to help astronauts, as well as those who

experience sleep disorders on Earth. 

The sun rises over Earth in this photo taken during STS–101 (the rear

of the Space Shuttle Atlantis is silhouetted in the foreground). The

Shuttle environment has highly variable light levels, a factor possibly

contributing to astronauts’ sleeping difficulties.

FS-2002-04-059-JSC

Approximate location of this payload aboard STS–107.

Shown is an actiwatch, similar

to the model that STS–107

astronauts will don.

Astronauts of STS–51 are

caught during a sleep

period in the Shuttle

Discovery’s middeck.

Columbia

61
Deciphering the Role of Desert Dust in the Climate Puzzle

The Mediterranean Israeli Dust Experiment (MEIDEX)

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov

Numerous studies have shown that aerosol particles may be one of the primary agents that can

offset the climate warming induced by the increase

in the amount of atmospheric greenhouse gases.

Desert aerosols are probably the most abundant and

massive type of aerosol particles that are present

in the atmosphere worldwide.

These aerosols are carried over large distances

and have various global impacts. They interact with

clouds, impact the efficiency of their rain production and change their optical properties. They constitute one of the primary sources of minerals for

oceanic life and influence the health of coral reefs.

They have direct effects on human health, especially

by inducing breathing difficulties in children. It was

lately discovered that desert particles carry pathogens from the Sahara desert over the Atlantic Ocean,

a fact that may explain the migration of certain

types of diseases.

Aerosols not only absorb solar radiation but also

scatter it, so that their climatic effect is influenced

not only by their physical properties and height

distribution but also by the reflectivity of the underlying surface. This latter property changes greatly

over land and is low over ocean surfaces.

Aerosol plumes are emitted from discrete, sporadic

sources in the desert areas of the world and are transported worldwide by the atmosphere’s wind systems.

For example, Saharan dust reaches Mexico City,

Florida, Ireland, Switzerland and the Mediterranean

region, while Asian dust reaches Alaska, Hawaii and

the continental United States. This means that in order

to assess its global effects, one must observe dust from

Principal Investigators: Prof. Zev Levin and Prof. Joachim Joseph,

Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences, Tel-Aviv

University, Israel

Project Scientists: Prof. Yuri Mekler, Dr. Peter Israelevich, Dr. Eli

Ganor, Tel-Aviv University, Israel

Participating NASA Scientists: Dr. Ernest Hilsenrath and Dr. Scott

Janz, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD

Payload Manager: Dr. Adam Devir, Tel-Aviv University, Israel; Maj.

M. Moalem, Israeli Air Force

Project Coordinator: Dr. Yoav Yair, The Open University, Tel-Aviv, Israel

STS–107: Space Research and You National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

I

III

II

Equator

0o

space. The Space Shuttle is a unique platform, because

it flies over the major deserts of our planet, enabling

measurements and remote sensing of the aerosols

as they travel from source to sink regions. Such

efforts must always be accompanied by in-situ data

for validation and calibration, with direct sampling

of the airborne particles. MEIDEX is a joint project

of the Israel Space Agency (ISA) and NASA, under

a cooperation agreement between the two agencies.

Three primary study areas for MEIDEX. The upper edge of Area I

is the northern limit of Columbia’s orbit.

The long-range impact of the Saharan dry season can be seen in

four days of images taken by the Total Ozone Mapping

Spectrometer, June 15–18, 1999. The color scale shows the

aerosol index from red (heaviest amounts of dust present) to green

(the thinnest present). Under the darkest red the amount of

ultraviolet sunlight is reduced to half its normal value, while under

the green areas, UV sunlight is reduced by about 20 percent.

62
b mul oC ai

lumbia Co

Approximate location of MEIDEX aboard STS–107.

Background Information

NP-2002-5-289-HQ

Science

The primary mission of the Mediterranean Israeli Dust

Experiment (MEIDEX) isto study the temporal and spatial

distribution and physical properties of atmospheric desert

aerosols over North Africa, the Mediterranean Sea and the

adjacent Atlantic Ocean. This aim is achieved by a remote

sensing experiment operated by the astronauts aboard the

Space Shuttle. The second aim of the MEIDEX will be the

inter-calibration of two primary current methods for the

remote investigationof desert aerosols. Spectral channels of

the MEIDEX radiometric camera combine in one multispectral camera, two wavelengths of the Total Ozone Mapping

Spectrometer instrument in the ultraviolet band and four of

the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (on the

Terra satellite) in the visible and near-infrared parts of the

solar spectrum.

These remote measurements will be complemented by

airborne in-situ measurements of aerosol properties such as

size distributions and chemical composition as well as other

atmospheric parameters. Research flights will be conducted

daily by a team of scientists in an instrumented airplane

based in Sicily, when the Shuttle passes over the Mediterranean Sea. The co-location and simultaneity of Shuttle, aircraft and ground-based correlated data will enable the

validation of the remote space based observations. Forecast

models will be used in order to predict the location and

extent of dust clouds.

The output of the remote sensing experiment will be

sequences of images of the target areas. In order to derive

the desert aerosol properties from these images, the radiance

from each pixel in an image will be analyzed. The problem

of finding desert aerosol parameters will be the inversion of

radiative transfer equations for a scattering and absorbing

atmosphere above the surface with the given bi-directional

reflection distribution functions (BDRF). Special computer

models will be used to solve this problem.

Hardware

The payload consists of a radiometric camera (Xybion

IMC–201) equipped with six narrow-band filters centered at

340 nm, 380 nm, 470 nm, 555 nm, 660 nm, and 860 nm. The

Xybion camera has a field of view of 10.7 × 14.0 ̊, with a

nadir footprint (looking straight down) of 52 × 68 km. It is

boresighted with a second, wide (60°) field of view video

camera that functions as a viewfinder. Both cameras are

mounted on a special gimbaled truss housed inside a pressurized Getaway Special canister with a coated quartz window. The truss can be tilted 22° to each side; this enables the

crew to point the cameras to targets not directly below the

Shuttle ground-track. Images from the cameras are recorded

on three digital video recorders in the canister and inside

the crew cabin. The MEIDEX canister is located on the aft

side of FREESTAR in the payload bay.

Sprite observed by a University of Alaska, Fairbanks,

research aircraft.

Gimbal Motor

and Worm Drive

SEKAI WFOV

Camera

Upper Support

Plates (2)

Optical

Bench/Support

Xybion Camera

Lens and Baffle

Upper End Plate

w/ Quartz Window

Lower End Plate

Avionics Plate

w/Electronics

Bearing and Brake

(Both Sides)

MEIDEX Instrument

Dust collector mounted atop research aircraft.

Secondary Observations

Sprites: The Xybion camera will be used for nighttime limb observations of Transient Luminous Events (sprites, jets and elves)

associated with the electric discharges between thunderclouds

and the lower ionosphere. The

measurements of the optical

emission will be correlated with

ground based ELF/VLF electromagnetic measurements from

several stations in Israel, the

United States, and Antarctica.

Slant Visibility: The astronauts will

observe a set of surface targets

that are located close to observation stations that monitor the optical properties of the atmosphere. The observations by the astronauts of the first view of a

target and its subsequent disappearance along an orbit will

enable, together with analysis of the accompanying data on

the optical and meteorological properties of the neighboring

atmosphere, the construction of an experimental model of slant

visibility.

Sea-Surface Bi-Directional Reflection Function (BDRF): The

BDRF is a crucial parameter in remote sensing and in any problem involving climate and weather. The properties of the ocean

BDRF are still a subject of investigation. The sea surface

albedo will be measured directly by instruments aboard the aircraft, and measured from space by the MEIDEX cameras when

there are no clouds or dust in the area.

63
STS-107: Space Research and You 

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration 

Shuttle Ionospheric Modification with Pulsed Localized Exhaust 

(SIMPLEX) 

SIMPLEX is a Department of Defense experiment that observes shuttle Orbital 

Maneuvering System engine burns. The orbiter OMS thruster firings are used to create 

ionospheric disturbances for observation by the SIMPLEX radars. There is no flight 

hardware associated with this payload. 

The SIMPLEX radars are located at: 1) Arecibo, Puerto Rico, 2) Kwajalein, Marshall 

Islands, 3) Millstone Hill, Mass., 4) Jicamarca, Peru, and 5) the Very Large Array near 

Socorro, N.M. 

The purpose of SIMPLEX is to determine the source of Very High Frequency (VHF) radar 

echoes caused by the Orbiter’s OMS engines. On STS-107 a burn will be performed over 

the VLA. 

64
STS–107: Space Research and You

The ozone layer above Earth is our planet’s

fragile sunscreen, protecting people, vegetation,

and wildlife. NASA has been measuring ozone

for more than 20 years by looking down, but

SOLSE–2 will show that more information is

available by looking at ozone from the side, at

Earth’s limb or atmospheric boundary.

When the ozone layer is compromised,

increased ultraviolet (UV) levels from the sun

cause health problems ranging from severe sunburns to skin cancer and cataracts. A concerted

global effort has been made to reduce or eliminate

the production of chemicals that deplete ozone,

but the ozone layer is not expected to recover for

many decades because these chemicals can remain

active in the atmosphere for up to 100 years.

We know now that ozone monitoring needs to be

focused in the lower stratosphere. The discovery of

the ozone hole in 1985 demonstrated that very large

changes in ozone were occurring in the lower stratosphere near 20 km, instead of the upper stratosphere

as first expected, and where current ozone instruments are focused. Measuring ozone from a tangential perspective that is centered at the limb provides

ozone profiles concentrated in the lower stratosphere.

The first flight of SOLSE proved that this 

technique achieves the accuracy and coverage of

traditional measurements, and surpasses the 

altitude resolution and depth of retrieval of conventional techniques. Results from the first flight

convinced the science community to design the

next generation ozone monitoring satellite based

on SOLSE. The Ozone Mapping and Profiling

Suite (OMPS) is currently being built for the

NPOESS satellite. The primary objective of

SOLSE–2 is to confirm the promising results of

the first flight over a wider range of viewing

conditions and spectral wavelengths.

Sometimes a really hard problem can be

solved when you look at it from a different angle!

While scientists conduct research, protect yourself by observing the UV index and spend less

unprotected time outdoors.

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Looking at Ozone From a New Angle

Shuttle Ozone Limb Sounding Experiment–2 (SOLSE–2)

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov

This illustration shows how ozone is seen using light 

scattered from the Earth’s limb.

Principal Investigators: Dr. Richard McPeters and Dr. Ernest

Hilsenrath, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD

Project Scientist: Dr. Scott Janz, NASA Goddard Space Flight

Center, Greenbelt, MD

Project Manager: Tammy Brown, NASA Goddard Space Flight

Center, Greenbelt, MD

65
Science

SOLSE demonstrates a conventional ozone measuring

technique from a new perspective in order to focus on the

stratosphere. The atmosphere scatters UV radiation from the

sun back into space. When viewed from above, as 

current ozone monitoring instruments do, this is called

“backscatter.” Backscattered measurements cannot resolve

ozone down to the lower stratosphere where ozone levels are

changing the most. Limb scattered sunlight varies with altitude, so that SOLSE can distinguish the altitude distribution

with high resolution into the lower stratosphere. Stratospheric ozone depletion is a global concern because the ozone

layer there keeps 95 percent of the UV radiation from striking

the Earth. High altitude resolution and global coverage are

necessary to reduce the uncertainty of the ozone trends

derived from the measurement. Limbscattered measurements

will also increase the capability of atmospheric models to

evaluate other factors in ozone depletion.

The Shuttle provides the perfect testbed to demonstrate

new technology and measurement techniques without

committing the funds for a flight instrument. Once proven

over a wider range of viewing conditions, the SOLSE 

technique will be used to routinely measure ozone by the

next generation weather satellites. NASA, NOAA, and the

Department of Defense form the Integrated Program Office

(IPO) that funds the SOLSE–2 demonstration as a risk

reduction for OMPS.

Background Information

SOLSE instrument is a Czerny-Turner imaging spectrometer.

Hardware

SOLSE is an imaging spectrometer designed to produce high

quality 2-dimensional images of the limb in visible and UV

light while minimizing internal stray light. A holographic

grating disperses the image of the limb into a spectrum that

is focused onto a CCD array of 1024 × 1024 pixels. The backthinned array is sensitive to UV and visible wavelengths.

The optical slit is masked with a linear attenuation filter

that normalizes the intensity of the limb that varies by a factor of 100 from top to bottom. A shutter controls the 

exposure of each frame. The Limb Ozone Retrieval

Experiment (LORE) is a complementary filter wheel imaging

photometer with a linear diode array detector. The filter

wheel housing encloses 6 ion-assisted deposition filters at UV

and visible wavelengths. Together, SOLSE and LORE retrievals

span the atmosphere from 15 to 50 km above Earth’s surface.

Previous Results

SOLSE and LORE provided the first retrieval of stratospheric

ozone by limb scattering as a Shuttle payload on STS–87 in

1997. The results from the first flight demonstrated that

limb sounding of ozone can achieve 1–3 km altitude resolution down to 15 km. The spectral coverage of SOLSE was

changed for the reflight to include visible wavelengths in

addition to UV to achieve LORE’s depth of retrieval, which

clearly detected the edge of the troposphere. The ground

track of STS–107 is limited to 39° latitude north and south,

but higher latitude coverage will be simulated with Shuttle

maneuvers to observe the poles and seasonal patterns to verify

the limb-viewing technique over wider viewing conditions.

NP-2002-3-442-GSFC

Approximate location of SOLSE payload aboard STS–107.

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66
of thermal infrared radiation to cold space. Earth will

gain more heat and hence the temperature will rise.

Another perturbation of the balance can occur

through variation of the amount of energy emitted

by the sun. When the sun emits more energy, this

will directly cause a rise of temperature on Earth.

For a long time scientists believed that the energy

emitted by the sun was constant. The “solar constant”

is defined as the amount of solar energy received per

unit surface at a distance of one astronomical unit (the

average distance of Earth’s orbit) from the sun. Accurate measurements of the variations of the solar constant have been made since 1978. From these we know

that the solar constant varies approximately with the

11-year solar cycle observed in other solar phenomena, such as the occurrence of sunspots, dark spots

that are sometimes visible on the solar surface. When

a sunspot occurs on the sun, since the spot is dark,

the radiation (light) emitted by the sun drops instantaneously. Oddly, periods of high solar activity, when

a lot of sunspot numbers increase, correspond to

periods when the average solar constant is high. This

indicates that the background on which the sunspots

occur becomes brighter during high solar activity.

STS–107: Space Research and You National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Measuring Solar Radiation Incident on Earth

Solar Constant–3 (SOLCON–3)

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov

Life on Earth is possible because the climate

conditions on Earth are relatively mild. One element of the climate on Earth, the temperature, is

determined by the heat exchanges between the

Earth and its surroundings, outer space. The heat

exchanges take place in the form of electromagnetic

radiation. The Earth gains energy because it absorbs

solar radiation, and it loses energy because it emits

thermal infrared radiation to cold space.

The heat exchanges are in balance: the heat gained

by the Earth through solar radiation equals the heat

lost through thermal radiation. When the balance

is perturbed, a temperature change and hence a climate change of the Earth will occur.

One possible perturbation of the balance is the

CO2 greenhouse effect: when the amount of CO2

in the atmosphere increases, this will reduce the loss

Variation of the solar constant with time since 1978. The variation has a of period of approximately 11 years. The downward

spikes correspond to the occurrence of dark sunspots which

mark the height of the solar cycle. Some dark sunspots are

visible on the background image of the sun.

1362

1363

1364

1365

1366

1367

1368

1369

1370

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

TSI (W/m2)

SARR Total Solar Irradiance

Developer and Initiator: Dr. Dominique Crommelynck, Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium, Brussels

Principal Investigator: Dr. Alexandre Joukoff, Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium, Brussels

Project Scientist: Dr. Steven Dewitte, Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium, Brussels

Project Manager: Andre Chevalier, Royal Meteorological Institute

of Belgium, Brussels

Incoming

solar energy

100%

Reflected by

atmosphere

6%

Reflected

by clouds

20%

Reflected

by clouds

4%

Radiated to space

from clouds and 

atmosphere

Absorbed by

atmosphere 16%

Absorbed by

clouds 3%

61% 6%

Radiated

directly

to space 

from Earth

Radiation

absorbed by

atmosphere

15%

Carried to clouds

and atmosphere by

latent heat in

water vapor 23%

Absorbed by land

and oceans 51%

Conduction and

rising air 7%

Earth’s Energy Budget

Earth gains energy through solar radiation and loses energy

through thermal infrared radiation lost to space. The balance

between energy gains and losses determines the temperature

on Earth.

67
b mul oC ai

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Photo credits. Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium (graph page 1; page 2),

NASA (drawing, page 1), Catania Astrophysical Laboratory (sun, page 1).

Approximate location of this payload aboard STS–107.

Background Information

NP-2002-5-288-HQ

Why measure solar constant from orbit?

• SOLCON measures the solar irradiance from space to

avoid perturbations by the atmosphere of the earth.

• SOLCON is used as a reference to construct a long

duration time series of the solar irradiance.

Science

To know the influence of the sun on climate changes on

Earth, it is necessary to make long-term, accurate measurements of the solar constant. The most accurate measurements

can be made from space, thus avoiding perturbations by

Earth’s atmosphere. A number of instruments to measure

the solar constant have been flown since 1978 on satellites.

Each of these satellite instruments has a limited lifetime.

As the different instruments measure a different mean level

of the solar constant, and as their measurements have to be

combined into one single time series of the solar constant, a

common reference, the Space Absolute Radiometric Reference (SARR), has been defined. It provides, for each individual instrument, a SARR adjustment coefficient to bring

all the different instruments to the same mean level.

The SOLCON instrument is a reference instrument for

the measurement of the solar constant. It is flown regularly

during short periods on the Space Shuttle. During shuttle

flights SOLCON is used to determine the SARR adjustment

coefficients of the satellite instruments that are active at the

same time.

Instrument Principle

The SOLCON radiometer is the first differential absolute solar radiometer in space, developed at the Royal

Meteorological Institute of Belgium. Basically solar radiation

is measured through absorption in a cavity covered with

black paint.

The SOLCON radiometer’s core is formed

by two blackened cavities constructed side by

side on a common heat

sink. In between each

cavity and the heat sink

a heat flux transducer is

mounted. The difference

between the two transducers’ outputs gives a

differential heat measurement. This measurement principle is analogous to a household pair

of scales which give a differential measurement

of weight.

Both cavity channels are equipped with

a shutter in front to

block or admit light to

the cavity. In the open

shutter phase, solar radiation flows

into the cavity through a precision

aperture and is absorbed. Besides

the heating of the cavity by the sun,

the cavity can be heated electrically

trough a resistor.

Equilibrium between the two

cavity heat fluxes is maintained by

a regulating servo system. In the default measurement sequence a constant electrical power is fed into one

cavity, the “reference” cavity, while

its shutter remains closed. The electrical power in the other cavity, the

“measurement” cavity, is regulated

continuously, while its shutter

sequentially opens and closes (both

open and close phases take 90 seconds). When the instrument is

pointed at the sun, the equilibrium

electrical power in the measurement

cavity drops proportionally to the

absorbed solar power when going

from the closed to the open phase.

Accurate electrical power measurements are obtained by

separate measurement of the voltage over and the current

through both cavity heating resistors. The basic measurement

of the solar radiative flux is proportional to the drop in

the measurement cavity electrical power divided by the precision aperture area.

Earlier Results

The SOLCON type instrument flew on the space shuttle

on Spacelab 1 (1983), the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science missions — ATLAS 1 (1992), 2 (1993),

and 3 (1994) — and on Hitchiker missions as SOLCON–1

(1997) and –2 (1998). During this last mission, SOLCON was

used to determine the SARR adjustment coefficients of the

Variability of Solar Irradiance and Gravity Oscillations

(VIRGO) radiometers on the Solar Oscillation and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) satellite, and to verify the SARR

adjustment coefficients of the Active Cavity Radiometer

Irradiance Monitor (ACRIM 2) and Earth Radiation Budget

Satellite instruments. During its flight on Fast Reaction

Experiments Enabling Science, Technology, Applications and

Research (FREESTAR), SOLCON will be used to determine

the SARR adjustment coefficient of the ACRIM 3 instrument,

and to verify the stability of the SARR adjustment coefficients

of the VIRGO radiometers on SOHO.

SOLCON–3 radiometer unit

sitting atop FREESTAR.

The digital processor unit is

out of view to the right.

Closed Shutter

Open Shutter

Precision

Aperture

Cavity

Heat Sink

The central elements of SOLCON are a

pair of blackened cavities on a common

heatsink. Sunlight is absorbed in a cavity when the shutter in front is opened.

68
Studying Fires in Orbit

Combustion Module–2 (CM–2)

Light a candle and it quickly forms the familiar

teardrop shape caused by hot, spent air rising and

cold, fresh air flowing in behind it to keep the fire

going. But this airflow also obscures many of the

fundamental processes that we need to understand

if we are to fine tune the many ways we control

combustion in manufacturing, transportation, heating, fire safety and pollution.

Conducting combustion experiments in the

microgravity environment of orbit eliminates gravitational effects and slows many combustion processes so they become easier to study. Almost

everything about fires changes in microgravity,

and many differences are counter-intuitive:

• Microgravity fires may spread faster upwind

than downwind, opposite to the behavior seen

on Earth,

• While fire in space is often weaker than on

Earth, flames in microgravity can be sustained

under more extreme conditions than flames on

Earth, and

• Turbulent flames, thought to be completely

independent of gravitational influence, have

doubled in size in microgravity conditions.

Professor Gerard Faeth at the University of

Michigan has said that these findings show that

gravity has impeded the rational development of

combustion science much as the atmosphere has

impeded astronomy.

To build on what we have learned from space

about combustion, the STS–107 mission will refly

the Combustion Module that flew on the Microgravity Sciences Laboratory 1 and 1R (STS–83 and

–94) in 1997. Upgraded and designated CM–2, the

module will accommodate three experiments,

Laminar Soot Processes (LSP):

Evaluate and predict flame shape

and internal structures; determine the

nature of the soot emission process;

validate new universal equations for

soot and temperature in a flame; and

investigate the soot-bursting hypothesis. Results will improve our

understanding of turbulent flames

found in many combustion devices

on Earth.

Structures of Flame Balls At Low

Lewis-Number (SOFBALL–2):

Improve our understanding of the flame

ball phenomenon and lean (low fuel)

burning combustion; determine the

conditions under which they can

exist; test predictions of duration; and

derive better data for critical model

comparison. Results will lead to

improvements in engine efficiency,

reduced emissions, and fire safety.

Mist: Measure the effectiveness of

fine water mists to extinguish a flame

propagating inside a tube to gain a

better understanding of the mist firesuppression phenomenon. What is

learned will help us design and build

more effective mist fire-suppression

systems for use on Earth, as well as

in space.

STS–107: Space Research and You National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

CM–2 Experiments

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov

Project Manager: Ann Over, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH

Deputy Project Manager: David Frate, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH

CM-2 Science Contact: Dr. David Urban, NASA Glenn Research

Center, Cleveland, OH

Laminar Soot Processes (LSP–2), Structure of Flame

Balls at Low Lewis-number (SOFBALL–2), and

Water Mist Fire Suppression Experiment (Mist).

LSP–2 and SOFBALL–2 are reflights from the

Microgravity Sciences Laboratory 1; Mist is a new

experiment. They are detailed in separate fact sheets.

CM–2 will complete the primary science plan for

these investigations, and help set the stage for

expanded, long-term experiments aboard the International Space Station with the Fluids and Combustion Facility that will be installed in Destiny, the U.S.

lab module.

69
Background Information

Columbia

Approximate location of this payload aboard STS–107.

FS-2002-06-070-MSFC

CM–2 Background

The Combustion Module (CM) is a state-of-the-art space

laboratory to let a wide range of users perform combustion

experiments in space. Until 1997, combustion experiments were

developed for individual experiments. This was time-consuming and costly. NASA decided that a better and less expensive

approach was a reusable, modular combustion facility that

could accommodate diverse experiments with the same support hardware and unique Experiment Mounting Structures

(EMS). This approach led to the CM.

CM–2 Design

Most CM–2 subsystems are in a double rack and a single

rack standing side-by-side in the SPACEHAB module. Flight

spares and EMS’s are carried in a Maximum Envelope Stowage System that is the same size as a double rack. Central to

the CM–2, in the double rack, is the Experiment Package, a

90-liter combustion chamber with six ports for three intensified near-infrared cameras, one color camera, and three black

and white cameras; a gas chromatograph; crew switches; and

thermistors. The Fluid Supply Package, in the single rack, is

a complex gas control and distribution system containing

20 composite overwrapped compressed gas bottles.

The Videocassette Recorder Package consists of four Hi-8

video recorders. The Exhaust Vent Package includes a blower,

canister, and other fluid components for cleanup and evacuation of chamber gases. The Dedicated Experiment Processor

Package is the main processor for experiment command and

control, and connects to the crew laptop (the CM–2 human

interface). The Video Interface Package is the primary video

interface for switching, routing, and display. The Diagnostic

Processor Package is the video frame grabber and storage system for digital data. The Power Distribution Package controls

and conditions the power from the Shuttle/SPACEHAB for all

CM–2 packages. Finally, the EMS are experiment-unique chamber inserts. Each contains an ignition system and special

sensors; the Mist EMS also contains test gases, a water mist

generator, and a canister to remove water and carbon monoxide after each test.

CM–2 Statistics

Size: Main racks — 2.13 m tall by 1.52 m wide by 0.91 m deep

(7×5×3 ft)

Weight: Main racks — 835 kg (1840 lb); other CM–2 hardware —

161 kg (355 lb)

Subsystems: Eight rack-mounted components, three chamber inserts

Power Usage: Average — 419 W (dc);Peak — 543 W (dc)

Chamber Size: 40 cm (16 in.) dia. × 76 cm (30 in.) long; 91 liters

(23.4 gal.) empty

Cameras: Seven — one color, three intensified near-infrared, three

black and white

Lasers: Two sets of low-power beams for LSP and Mist

measurements

Sensors: Dozens of pressure, temperature, and radiation sensors

Gas Analysis: Gas chromatograph determines percent of each kind

of gas

Gas Bottle Sizes: 21 — three × 10 liters, nine × 3.8 liters, eight ×

0.7 liters, one × 0.4 liters

Gas Bottle Usage: Fourteen SOFBALL mixes, two air, two LSP

fuel, three gas chromatographs

Software: Three 25 MHz computers, ~35,000 lines of code

Video: Four VCRs, frame grabber, and two-channel downlink

capability; 15.2 cm (6-in.) diagonal screen onboard

Data: 13.3 gigabytes storage (20 hard drives/flash memory

cartridges)

Crew Time: 92 hours

Flight Operations

Although the flight crew is in the spotlight for shuttle missions, a team of engineers, scientists, and other support personnel on the ground will make it all possible. The CM–2 team,

comprising almost 40 engineers and scientists, will work sideby-side with the NASA Johnson Space Center Mission Control

team in Houston, TX. For STS–107, 16 days of around-the-clock

operations are conducted to ensure safety and mission success.

The CM–2 experiments timeline spans the entire mission.

The LSP experiment includes 15 burns lasting about five

minutes each, with active participation by the crew to adjust

test conditions during the burn. The 15 SOFBALL burns

range from 25 to 167 minutes each, during which the Shuttle

is placed in “free drift” with no attitude control so that the

flame balls float freely inside the combustion chamber. The

crew checks on the flame balls every ten minutes and

adjusts camera gains as needed. The 36 Mist burns are each

very short ranging from less than one second to several seconds in duration. Mist includes six tests run by the crew and

30 tests run by the ground team using commands sent

directly to CM–2’s on-board computer.

Power

Distribution

Package

Experiment

Package

Exhaust

Vent

Package

Fluid

Supply

Package

Video

Interface

Package

Video

Cassette

Recorder

Package

Diagnostic Processor Package

Dedicated Experiment Processor Package

Photos. Page 1 from top: University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, University of

Southern California, Colorado School of Mines; page 2, NASA.

70
STS–107: Space Research and You National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Stirring Up an Elastic Fluid

Critical Viscosity of Xenon–2 (CVX–2)

Whipped cream stays in place even when

turned upside down. Yet it readily flows through

the nozzle of a spray can to reach the dessert plate.

This demonstrates the phenomenon of shear

thinning that is important to many industrial and

physical processes. Paints, film emulsions, and

other complex solutions that are highly viscous

under normal conditions but become

thin and flow easily

under shear forces.

A simple fluid, such

as water, does not exhibit

shear thinning under

normal conditions. Very

close to the liquid-vapor

critical point, where the

distinction between

liquid and vapor

disappears, the fluid

becomes more complex

and is predicted to

display shear thinning.

At the critical point,

xenon atoms interact

over long distances in

a classical model of

cooperative phenomena. Physicists rely

on this system to

learn how long-range

order arises.

The Critical Viscosity

of Xenon Experiment

(CVX–2) will measure

the viscous behavior of

Fluctuation in

low shear-rate flow

Fluctuation in

high shear-rate flow

xenon, a heavy inert gas

used in flash lamps and

ion rocket engines, at its

critical point. Although

it does not easily

combine with other

chemicals, its viscosity

at the critical point can

be used as a model for a

range of fluids.

Viscosity originates

from the interactions

of individual molecules. It is so complicated that, except for

the simplest gas, it cannot be calculated accurately from theory.

Tests with critical fluids can provide key

data, but are limited on

Earth because critical

fluids are highly compressed by gravity.

CVX–2 employs a tiny

metal screen vibrating between two electrodes in a bath of critical

xenon. The vibrations and how they dampen are

used to measure viscosity.

CVX flew on STS–85 (1997), where it revealed that,

close to the critical point, the xenon is partly elastic: it

can “stretch” as well as flow. For STS–107, the hardware has been enhanced to determine if critical

xenon is a shear-thinning fluid.

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov

Whipped cream and the filling for

pumpkin pie are two familiar materials

that exhibit the shear-thinning effect

seen in a range of industrial applications. It is thick enough to stand on

its own atop a piece of pie, yet

flows readily when pushed through

a tube. Shear thinning will cause a

normally viscous fluid (below) to

deform and flow more readily under

high shear conditions.

Resembling a bit of window screen,

the oscillator at the heart of CVX–2

will vibrate between paddle-like

Applications

Understanding shear thinning in a

simple fluid such as xenon may

help scientists understand more

complex, industrially important

fluids, such as:

• Paints, emulsions, and foams

• Polymer melts

• Pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic products.

Affected Fields

Hydrodynamics: Nonlinear response to oscillatory flows of

moderate amplitude.

Physics: Universal behavior of pure fluids at the liquid-vapor

critical point.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Robert F. Berg, National Institute of

Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD

Co-principal Investigator: Dr. Michael R. Moldover, National

Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD

Project Scientist: Dr. Gregory A. Zimmerli, NASA Glenn Research

Center, Cleveland, OH

Project Manager: Susan M. Motil, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH

71
Background Information

Science

Viscosity — the “thickness” of fluids — is determined

by complex interactions between molecules. Except for low

density helium, fluid viscosity cannot be predicted accurately by current

theory. Progress

is being made

with experiments

using simple fluids near their critical points, a combination of pressure and temperature at which a

fluid is balanced

between the liquid and gaseous

states. This causes

the fluid to fluctuate spontaneously between liquid and gas at a microscopic

scale. It is somewhat like a soft drink with carbonation bubbling in and out.

Experiments on Earth are highly limited. At 0.001  ̊C

above its critical temperature (Tc), xenon (a heavy, inert gas)

is 6,000 times more compressible than air. Even a fluid layer

as thin as a dime (1mm)

compresses under its own

weight. Experiments in the

microgravity of orbit eliminate density differences and

allow extended experiments

to achieve the precision that

scientists need.

Flight Research Equipment

The heart of CVX–2 is a

nickel screen that vibrates

between two pairs of brass

electrodes in a xenon bath.

The grid is 7 × 19 mm (0.28 ×

0.74 in) and weighs less than

1 mg. An electrode is positioned 4 mm (0.16 in) to each

side of the screen. An electrical charge applied by the

electrodes will oscillate the

screen. The electrodes measure

the screen’s displacement

and period, like a pendulum

swinging in a liquid. The cell

holds a small quantity of

xenon near its critical temperature (Tc=16.6 °C, or 62 °F)

and critical density (1.1 times

that of water) at 58 atmospheres, equivalent to a

depth under water of almost

0.6 kilometer (1,914 ft). FS-2002-06-069-MSFC

b mul oC ai

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Approximate location of this payload aboard STS–107.

Degrees from critical temperature

Viscosity near

xenon's critical point

In microgravity

On Earth

0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10

5

6

7

Percent of water's viscosity

100

1,000

10

1

0.1

-200 -100

Temperature,  ̊C

Solid

Liquid

Vapor

Triple

point

Critical

point

0 100

Pressure (atmospheres)

Different combinations of temperature and pressure will change the xenon’s phase, or allow

two or three phases to exist simultaneously.

Because xenon near

the critical point will

compress under its

own weight, experiments on Earth (blue

line) are limited as

they near the critical

point (to the left). In

the microgravity (red

line), CVX moved into

new territory that scientists had not been

able to reach.

Brass electrode

Copper body

Sapphire window

Nickel screen

The sample cell (top) at the heart of

CVX comprises a copper body

(above) that conducts heat efficiently

and smooths out thermal variations

that would destroy the xenon's uniformity. The cell sits inside a thermostat (bottom) providing three

layers of insulation.

The thermostat for CVX sits inside the

white cylinder on a support structure that

is placed inside a pressure canister.

A similar canister holds the electronics and control systems. The CVX–2

arrangement is identical.

The experiment

plan involves four

“sweeps” as the temperature gently moves

up and down through

Tc while the screen

oscillates and data are

continuously recorded.

CVX–2 will determine

Tc to within 0.001 °C.

These first results will

be compared to those

from CVX.

On CVX, the screen

oscillated at less than

13 cycles per second

(13 Hz) through a distance of less than 0.01

mm, less than the thickness of a hair, to avoid

disrupting the density

fluctuations in the

xenon. On CVX–2, the

screen vibrates at up to

25 Hz and amplitudes of 0.3 mm in a deliberate attempt to

disrupt the density fluctuations and cause shear thinning.

Previous Results

CVX operated well on its first flight on STS–85 in 1997.

It accurately measured the viscosity of xenon to within

0.0001 °C of Tc and showed a viscosity increase of 37 percent, double the best measurements on Earth. CVX also

showed that xenon’s viscoelastic response (a partly elastic

response to shear stress) was twice as great as predicted by

theory. The results were published in two journals, Physical

Review Letters [82, 920 (1999)] and Physical Review E [60, 4079 (1999)].

Photos. NASA, National Institute of Standards and Technology.

72
Tackling a Hot Paradox

Laminar Soot Processes–2 (LSP–2)

The last place you want to be in traffic is behind

the bus or truck that is belching large clouds of soot

onto your freshly washed car. Besides looking and

smelling bad, soot is a health hazard. Particles range

from big enough to see to microscopic and can

accumulate in the lungs, potentially leading to

debilitating or fatal lung diseases.

Soot is wasted energy, and therein lies an interesting paradox: Soot

forms in a flame’s

hottest regions where

you would expect

complete combustion and no waste.

Soot enhances the

emissions of other

pollutants (carbon

monoxide and polyaromatic hydrocarbons, etc.) from

flames and radiates

unwanted heat to

combustion chambers (a candle’s yellowish glow is soot

radiating heat),

among other effects.

The mechanisms of soot formation are among the

most important unresolved problems of combustion

science because soot affects contemporary life in so

many ways. Although we have used fire for centuries,

many fundamental aspects of combustion remain

elusive, in part because of limits imposed by the effects

of gravity on Earth. Hot or warm air rises quickly

and draws in fresh cold air behind it, thus giving

flames the classical teardrop shape. Reactions occur

in a very small zone, too fast for scientists to observe,

in detail, what is happening inside the flame.

The Laminar Soot Processes (LSP–2) experiments aboard STS–107 will use the microgravity

environment of space to eliminate buoyancy effects

and thus slow the reactions inside a flame so they

can be more readily studied. “Laminar” means a

simple, smooth fuel jet burning in air, somewhat

like a butane lighter. This classical flame approximates combustion in diesel engines, aircraft jet propulsion engines,

and furnaces and

other devices.

LSP–2 will

expand on surprising results

developed from

its first two

flights in 1997.

The data suggest the existence of a universal relationship,

the soot paradigm, that, if

proven, will be

used to model

and control combustion systems on Earth. STS–107

experiments also will help set the stage for extended

combustion experiments aboard the International

Space Station.

Principal Investigator: Prof. Gerard M. Faeth, The University

of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Project Scientist: Dr. David L. Urban, NASA Glenn Research

Center, Cleveland, OH

Project Manager: Ann Over, NASA Glenn Research Center,

Cleveland, OH

Applications

Fine-tune burner design and operation to:

• Control soot production in combustion processes,

• Reduce radiative heat transfer from soot particles that can

damage engines

• Improve electric power generation efficiency by increasing

radiative transfer from soot in flame to furnace walls while

maintaining complete soot burnout (no emission),

• Enhance soot production in processes for carbon black used in

tires and applications,

• Enhance computational combustion studies to design new systems that are optimized at the start, and retrofit existing systems.

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration STS–107: Space Research and You

Soot belched by a diesel engine is

more than ugly — it’s dangerous. While

the largest particles may wash out of

the air when it rains, smaller particles

linger and possibly endanger human

health and the environment.

Soot particles from MSL–1 experiments

(top) are about 10 to 60 nm across and

formed aggregates 1,000 nm (1 micron)

wide. This is similar to soot formed in

terrestrial sources.

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov

73
Background Information

Science

Microgravity provides an unprecedented opportunity to

investigate soot processes relevant to practical flames. The

chemical pathways that form soot are highly controversial

in the science community. When the flame temperature falls

below about 1300 °K (1900 °F), no soot is formed. Above that,

hydrocarbon fuels pyrolyze or break down, even as most of

the reactions form carbon dioxide and water

vapor. These molecular fragments produce other molecules,

including polycyclic

aromatic hydrocarbons

(PAH’s) that coalesce

into solid carbonaceous

particles — soot — that

are linked to human

cancers in a number

of studies.

The LSP investigation observes soot processes within laminar

jet diffusion flames

where a hydrocarbon

jet burns in still air.

Microgravity produces

nonbuoyant laminar jet

flames which allow observations of soot processes that cannot be

duplicated on Earth.

Normal gravity generates buoyant motion

due to the large variations of gas densities in

flames. These motions

introduce soot particle motions that do not represent most

practical flame environments where local effects of buoyancy

are small.

Hardware

LSP–2 experiments will be conducted inside the Combustion Module (CM–2) facility flown in 1997 and modified

for SPACEHAB. CM-2

will also host the Structure of Flame Balls at

Low-Lewis number –2

(SOFBALL–2) and Water

Mist experiments. CM–2 is

detailed in a separate fact

sheet. Diagnostic instruments for LSP include a

color camera, a soot volume

fraction system (using the

dimming of a laser shining through the flame),

and a soot temperature

measurement system. An Experiment Mounting Structure

provides a large volume to allow laminar flames to form on

one of two burners with diameters of 0.4 mm (0.016 in.) and

0.8 mm (0.0315 in). They produce a flame 20 to 60 mm long

(0.8 to 2.4 in). Soot samplers (for six test points) snap through

the flame to capture particles for post-flight analysis.

On-Orbit Operations

LSP–2 science operations will last almost 42 hours and

cover 15 test points using ethylene or propane fuel in air.

LSP–2 is operated by the flight crew through a laptop

computer connected to the CM–2. Setting the smoke height

will require guidance from the science team at Johnson

Space Center.

Previous Results

On the Microgravity Sciences Lab–1 mission in 1997,

LSP yielded several surprises. The LSP team discovered a

new mechanism of flame extinction caused by radiation

from soot. The mechanism

is unusual because the

flame quenches near its

tip, unlike conventional

extinction of buoyant

flames where the flame

quenches near its base.

This phenomenon has

significant implications

for spacecraft fire safety

and for selecting test conditions for future studies

of nonbuoyant soot containing flames. The team

also made the first observations of steady sootcontaining nonbuoyant

flames both with and

without soot emissions. These provided textbook examples

of soot formation processes in practical flames that are

invaluable for developing methods for controlling the

emissions of pollutant soot.

Affected Fields

Transportation: Internal combustion engines on aircraft (jet and

piston), rail, ships, trucks, buses.

Industry: Power plants, process plants that use combustion heating.

Safety: Reduced loss of life and property due to improved

understanding of building fires.

LSP uses a small jet burner, similar

to a classroom butane lighter, that

produces flames up to 60 mm (2.3 in)

long. Measurements include color

TV imagery (above), and laser

shadowgraphs whose dimming

indicates the quantity of soot produced in the flame (below).

Dr. Roger Crouch, a payload

specialist on MSL–1, services the

LSP experiment.

Columbia

Approximate location of this payload aboard STS–107.

FS-2002-06-072-MSFC

Dividing

stream line

Soot

pathline

Soot

production

Buoyant

flame

Nonbuoyant

flame

Dividing

streamline

Soot

pathline

In buoyant flames (bottom left), soot

mainly nucleates at the outer boundary

of the soot production region, then

moves inward before approaching the

flame sheet once again near the flame

tip. In nonbuoyant flames (bottom center and right), soot mainly nucleates near

the inner boundary of the soot production region, and then is drawn directly toward the flame sheet.

Photos. NASA, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

74
STS-107: Space Research and You 

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration 

Mechanics of Granular Materials-3 (MGM-3) 

Experiment Name: Mechanics of Granular Materials-3 (MGM-3) 

Mission: STS-107 

Experiment Location: SPACEHAB Module 

Principal Investigator: Dr. Stein Sture, University of Colorado at Boulder 

Project Scientist: Dr. Khalid Alshibi, Louisiana State University-Southern University, Baton 

Rouge, La. 

Project Manager: Buddy Guynes, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, 

Huntsville, Ala. 

Overview 

Scientists are going to space to understand how earthquakes and other forces disturb 

grains of soil and sand. They will examine how the particle arrangement and structure of 

soils, grains and powders are changed by external forces and gain knowledge about the 

strength, stiffness and volume changes properties of granular materials at low pressures. 

The Mechanics of Granular Materials (MGM) experiment uses the microgravity of orbit to 

test sand columns under conditions that cannot be obtained in experiments on Earth. 

Research can only go so far on Earth because gravity-induced stresses complicate the 

analysis and change loads too quickly for detailed analysis. 

This new knowledge will be applied to improving foundations for buildings, managing 

undeveloped land, and handling powdered and granular materials in chemical, agricultural, 

and other industries. NASA wants to understand the way soil behaves under different 

gravity levels so that crews can safely build habitats on Mars and the Moon. 

Future MGM experiments will benefit from extended tests aboard the International Space 

Station, including experiments under simulated lunar and Martian gravity in the science 

centrifuge. 

75
STS-107: Space Research and You 

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration 

Flight History 

MGM has flown twice on the space shuttle (STS-79 and -89), involving nine dry sand 

specimens. Several significant finds have emerged from these flights and are helping 

scientists test a number of hypotheses about soil behavior. For example, results showed 

strength properties two to three times greater and stiffness properties 10 times greater than 

conventional theory predicted. 

Experiment Operations 

On STS-107, scientists will investigate conditions with water-saturated sand resembling soil 

on Earth. Three sand specimens will be used in nine experiments. 

The heart of the experiment is a column of sand held in a latex sleeve and compressed 

between tungsten metal plates. Each cell uses about 1.3 kilograms (2.8 pounds) of Ottawa 

F-75 banding sand, 7.5 centimeters in diameter by 15 centimeter wide (3 x 6 inches). 

Ottawa sand, natural quartz sand with fine grains, is widely used in civil engineering 

experiments. 

The specimen assembly is contained in a water-filled Lexan jacket. A load cell measures 

force, and three CCD cameras videotape the experiment. The flight crew controls the 

experiment through a laptop computer. The system takes the volume of four middeck 

lockers in the SPACEHAB module. 

After return to Earth, computed tomography (CT) scans produce a series of 1024 x 1024-

pixel images to make three-dimensional images showing internal details. Then, specimens 

are stabilized by injecting epoxy in sand pores. Finally, the columns are sawed into 1-

millimeter (0.4 inch) thick disks for detailed inspection under an optical microscope. 

Applications 

• Soil mechanics, geotechnical engineering 

• Earthquake engineering 

• Mining of open pits, strip mines, tunnels, shafts 

• Grain silos, powder feed systems, coal, ash, pharmaceuticals, and fertilizers 

• Coastal and offshore engineering 

• Geology and geophysics of wind and water erosion of soils, slope development and 

decay, deposit of volcanic materials 

76
STS-107: Space Research and You 

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration 

• Off-road vehicle engineering 

• Planetary geology 

• Microgravity handling of powders 

More information on the MGM experiment and other STS-107 experiments is available at: 

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov/

www.scipoc.msfc.nasa.gov

www.spaceflight.nasa.gov 

http://www.microgravity.nasa.gov

77
STS–107: Space Research and You National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

The Awful Truth About Zero-Gravity

Space Acceleration Measurement System; Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov

Earth’s gravity holds the Shuttle in orbit, as it

does satellites and the Moon. The apparent weightlessness experienced by astronauts and experiments

on the Shuttle is a balancing act, the result of free-fall,

or continuously falling around Earth.

An easy way to visualize what is happening is

with a thought experiment that Sir Isaac Newton

did in 1686. Newton envisioned a mountain extending above Earth’s atmosphere so that friction with

the air would be eliminated. He imagined a cannon atop the mountain and aimed parallel to

the ground. Firing the cannon propels the cannonball forward. At

the same time,

Earth’s gravity

pulls the cannonball down to

the surface and

eventual impact.

Newton visualized

using enough

powder to just

balance gravity

so the cannonball would circle Earth. Like

the cannonball,

objects orbiting

Earth are in continuous free-fall, and it appears that gravity has

been eliminated.

Yet, that appearance is deceiving. Activities

aboard the Shuttle generate a range of accelerations

that have effects similar to those of gravity. The

crew works and exercises. The main data relay

antenna quivers 17 times per second to prevent

‘stiction,’ where parts stick then release with a jerk.

Cooling pumps, air fans, and other systems add

vibration. And traces of Earth’s atmosphere, even

200 miles up, drag on the Shuttle.

While imperceptible to us, these vibrations can

have a profound impact on the commercial research

and scientific experiments aboard the Shuttle. Measuring these forces is necessary so that researchers

and scientists can see what may have affected their

experiments when analyzing data. On STS–107 this

service is provided by the Space Acceleration Measurement System for Free Flyers (SAMS-FF) and

the Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment

(OARE). Precision data from these two instruments

will help scientists analyze data from their

experiments and eliminate outside influences

from the phenomena they are studying during

the mission.

SAMS Shuttle Project Manager: Ronald J. Sicker, Glenn Research

Center, Cleveland, OH

PIMS Project Manager: Kevin M. McPherson, Glenn Research

Center, Cleveland, OH

SAMS and OARE will record data in two separate areas of the

vibration spectrum, and with a modest amount of overlap. Different

activities have different effects on sensitive payloads on the Shuttle,

and the broad range that each has. Frequency (Hz) indicates

vibrations per second. Notice that “0-g” is never reached.

Newton’s Thought Experiment: A cannonball fired with enough force could fall

endlessly around (or orbit) the Earth.

Gravity

gradient

effects

Solar

Radiation

Pressure

Crew motion

& Orbiter

rotation

Pumps, fans,

machinery

Orbiter

drag ISS requirement

Vernier thrusters

Primary

thrusters

SAMS envelope

OARE envelope

2.5 Hz

5 Hz

10 Hz25 Hz

50 Hz

100 Hz

0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1.0 10.0 100.0

Frequency (Hz)

Range (g)

OARE and SAMS Orbital Operating Envelopes 101

100

10-1

10-2

10-3

10-4

10-5

10-6

10-7

10-8

10-9

78
b mul oC ai

lumbia Co

Picture credits. NASA.

Approximate locations of this payload aboard STS–107.

Background Information

FS-2002-06-073-MSFC

The primary means for scientists to learn more about

the microgravity conditions affecting their research is from

the Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS). The

SAMS system is produced by the Microgravity Environment

Program (MEP) at the NASA Glenn Research Center. The

MEP produces a variety of microgravity measurement hardware for on-orbit spacecraft (the International Space Station

(ISS) and the Space Shuttle) and ground-based flights (drop

towers, parabolic aircraft, and sounding rockets). The various SAMS (SAMS, SAMS-FF (free flyer), and SAMS-II) have

supported 22 shuttle missions, and the Mir space station,

and provide long-term support on the ISS. STS–107 will use

a SAMS-FF. This is the second Shuttle mission for the SAMS-FF,

which is a third-generation SAMS system. It uses industrialgrade components to provide a flexible, modular system that

is easily customized for each particular mission.

Space Acceleration Measurement System-Free-Flyer

SAMS-FF consists of a control and data acquisition unit

(CDU), three remote acceleration sensor heads, and a fiberoptic gyroscope (FOG). The CDU is similar to a desktop computer packaged to meet the rigors of spaceflight. It controls

the operation from the ground and process data from the

sensors through a telemetry data stream, which can be seen

on NASA computers on the ground. This lets experimenters

view the data collected during the mission so they can correlate their science results with the SAMS data in real time.

Three accelerometers are precisely mounted at right angles

to form a triaxial sensor head (TSH). This allows the sensor

head to detect vibrations in three different directions of movement: what would be on Earth up and down, forward and

backward, and side-to-side (called X, Y, and Z axes). The data

are processed to provide the resultant vector of the magnitude and direction, as well as the frequency content, of various time intervals. The TSH is a microcontroller-based data

acquisition system capable of measuring the microgravity

accelerations of the Shuttle. Sensitive inertial grade accelerometers are used to resolve the very low forces experienced

during quiet periods and have the dynamic range to measure

the larger vibration disturbances.

A new sensor on STS–107 is a fiber-optic gyroscope

(FOG). To fully capture the motion of the vehicle, not only

are the forces examined in three linear directions, but also

the rotation of the vehicle is measured to understand the

torque forces. FOG has no moving parts and is used to measure precisely the roll, pitch, and yaw of the shuttle. It does

this by comparing the phases of beams of light traveling in

opposite directions around a very long coil of fiber. If there

is no rotation, the beams recombine at exactly the same phase.

However, if the coil is rotated in a particular direction, travel

takes longer in the opposite direction before it exits the coil.

This difference is detected by sensitive electronic circuits to

determine the rate at which the rotation occurs. Lower grade

versions of FOG gyroscopes are used in automobiles,

combined with GPS data for electronic positioning displays.

Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment

In addition to SAMS, the OARE accelerometer system

characterizes (measures) the quasi-steady acceleration environment. OARE measures very low frequency microgravity

accelerations caused by upper atmospheric drag (as the

shuttle passes through the upper atmosphere), rigid body

inertial rotations, gravity-gradient effects, shuttle’s mass

expulsion, and crew activities. OARE acceleration data

complement that of SAMS by providing the scientists a more

thorough understanding of the various accelerations that can

affect the experiments onboard the shuttle or any orbiting

spacecraft in a low Earth orbit.

Principal Investigator Microgravity Services

The PIMS group at NASA Glenn is responsible for processing, analyzing, and archiving the acceleration data measured by the two accelerometer systems previously

described. During STS–107, acceleration data will be transmitted to the ground via telemetry links for real-time processing and analysis so that the scientists can assess the

impact of the reduced-gravity environment in near real time

on their experiments. Specialized displays are developed by

the PIMS group to help the scientists make near real-time

decisions in order to lessen the impact of the reduced-gravity environment on their science results, thereby maximizing good science data collection. PIMS will prepare an

STS–107 mission microgravity characterization summary

report which will highlight the reduced-gravity environment

during the STS–107 mission to help the scientists take into

account the adverse impact of the environment on their science results. PIMS will provide real-time support and post

mission support to the Combustion Module–2 (CM–2) facility.

SAMS-FF includes the control data unit (left), a triaxial sensor head

(center) and the fiber-optic gyroscope (right). Two additional triaxial

sensor heads will be remotely mounted with payloads.

79
National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Great (Flame) Balls of Fire!

Structure of Flame Balls a t Low Lewis-number–2 (SOFBALL–2)

Everyone knows that an automobile engine

wastes fuel and energy when it runs with a fuelrich mixture. “Lean” burning, mixing in more air

and less fuel, is better for the environment. But lean mixtures also lead to engine misfiring and

rough operation. No

one knows the ultimate limits for lean

operation, for “weak”

combustion that is

friendly to the environment while still

moving us around.

This is where the

accidental verification of a decades-old prediction may have strong

implications for designing and running low-emissions engines in the 21st century. In 1944, Soviet

physicist Yakov Zeldovich predicted that stationary, spherical flames are possible under limited

conditions in lean fuel-air mixtures.

Dr. Paul Ronney of the University of Southern

California accidentally discovered such “flame

balls” in experiments with lean hydrogen-air mixtures in 1984 during drop-tower experiments that

provided just 2.2 seconds of near weightlessness.

Experiments aboard NASA’s low-g aircraft confirmed the results, but a thorough investigation was

hampered by the aircraft’s bumpy ride. And stable

flame balls can only exist in microgravity.

The potential for investigating combustion at the

limits of flammability, and the implications for

spacecraft fire safety, led to the Structure of Flame

Balls at Low Lewis-number (SOFBALL) experiment

flown twice aboard the Space Shuttle on the

STS–107: Space Research and You

Microgravity Sciences Laboratory–1 (MSL–1) in 1997.

Success there led to the planned reflight on STS–107.

Flame balls are the weakest fires yet produced

in space or on Earth. Typically each flame ball produced only 1 watt of thermal power. By comparison,

a birthday candle produces 50 watts.

The Lewis-number measures the rate of

diffusion of fuel into the flame ball relative to the

rate of diffusion of heat away from the flame ball.

Lewis-number mixtures conduct heat poorly.

Hydrogen and methane are the only fuels that

provide low enough Lewis-numbers to produce

stable flame balls, and even then only for very

weak, barely flammable mixtures. Nevertheless,

under these conditions flame balls give scientists

the opportunity to test models in one of the simplest

combustion experiments possible. SOFBALL–2

science objectives include:

• Improving our understanding of the flame ball

phenomenon,

• Determining the conditions under which flame

balls exist,

• Testing predictions of flame ball lifetimes, and

• Acquiring more precise data for critical model

comparison.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Paul Ronney, University of Southern

California, Los Angeles

Project Scientist: Dr. Karen J. Weiland, NASA Glenn Research

Center, Cleveland, OH

Project Manager: Ann Over, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov

Flame balls (seen in a 1997 space

experiment) seem to shine bright as stars,

but only because they are observed in the

dark by a video camera with an image

intensifier. Under normal lighting in a space

module, the flame balls would be invisible

— to the eye and to fire detectors — and

thus potentially hazardous.

Applications

• Lean-burning car engines under consideration to meet

California’s ultra low emissions standards, or natural-gas

powered cars, like the test model (above) in New York.

• Assessment of fire and explosion hazards in mine shafts, oil

refineries, and chemical plants.

• Spacecraft safety where gases from waste systems or fuel

cells could provide a fuel source for long-lived flame balls.

80
Background Information

Affected Fields

Combustion physics: Study the simplest interaction of chemistry

and transport.

Spacecraft design: Systems that handle hydrogen or biological

products (food, waste, lab animals) that produce hydrogen and

other combustible gases.

Automotive engineering: Design of lean-burning engines using

pure hydrogen or using hydrocarbon fuels in which hydrogen

combustion is a significant component.

Science

SOFBALL burns extremely lean fuel-air mixtures that

are near the lower limit of combustion. Because the mixture is lean and has a low Lewis-number, the flame does

not spread across the mixture. It forms a spherical shell

filled with combustion products. Fuel and oxygen diffuse

inward while heat and combustion products diffuse outward. This diffusion-controlled

combustion process produces the

weakest known

flames and provides a mechanism

to study the limits

of lean combustion. This works

only in the microgravity environment, in the absence of buoyant

flow that would

otherwise overwhelm diffusion.

Hardware

SOFBALL–2 experiments will be

conducted inside

the Combustion

Module–2 (CM–2)

facility flown on

Spacelab in 1997

and modified for

flight on SPACEHAB. CM–2 will

also host the Laminar Soot Processes (LSP) and Water Mist

experiments. CM–2 is described in a separate fact sheet.

The SOFBALL–2 Experiment Mounting Structure in CM–2

is a cylinder about 62 cm long and 40 cm in diameter (24.4 ×

15.7 in), and weighs approximately 39 kg (87 lb). The main

components are the spark igniter; temperature sensors,

arranged as a rake of six thin thermocouple wires; two pairs

of radiometers; a mixing fan; and volume compensators to

reduce the amount of gas needed for each test. Improvements

for SOFBALL–2 include longer tests times, two new gas

mixtures, addition of a close-up camera, and using an

accelerometer for real-time decisions during tests.

On-Orbit Operations

The flight crew will run the first three test points through

the CM–2 laptop computer. The SOFBALL science team on

Earth will adjust conditions from one burn to the next, but

the flight crew will initiate combustion, determine whether flame balls

exist, adjust and monitor

instruments, terminate

the experiment, and

initiate a reburn if

needed. SOFBALL operations will take about

160 hours of flight time.

Key science measurements include: flame ball

size, brightness, temperature, radiant emission, lifetime, and

combustion product composition.

SOFBALL test points will use five gas combinations —

hydrogen-air, hydrogen-oxygen-sulfur hexafluoride, hydrogen-oxygen-carbon dioxide, hydrogen-oxygen-carbon dioxide-helium, and methane-oxygen-sulfur hexafluoride —

at 1 to 3 atmospheres, each with varying concentrations.

Flame balls will burn for 1,500 to 10,000 seconds (almost

2.8 hours) depending on experiment objectives.

Previous Results

The biggest discovery from the first SOFBALL flights

(MSL–1 and 1R) was the long life of flame balls. Scientists

expected that flame balls would extinguish or drift into the

chamber walls in

a few minutes.

Instead, most could

have burned for

hours had they

not been automatically terminated

at 500 seconds.

The experiments

also provided conclusive evidence

about the limitations of existing

computer models

of lean combustion, and demonstrated the effects of flames reabsorbing their own

radiation, which can also affect large engines and

industrial boilers.

Fuel concentration ~ 1-1/r

(rises with distance)

Reaction zone

Temperature ~ 1/r

(drops with distance)

Fuel & oxygen

diffuse inward

Heat & products

diffuse outward

Interior

filled

with

combustion

products

Higher Lower

Drift

Direction Affected

ball

Fuel concentration

Fuel concentration profile

Adjacent

ball

All the combustion in a flame ball takes place

in a razor-thin reaction zone that depends on

diffusion to keep the ball alive (above). Such

a fragile balance is impossible on Earth. Flame

balls always drift away from each other

(below) at a continually decreasing rate,

indicating that they move into areas of greater

fuel concentration.

Columbia

Approximate location of this payload aboard STS–107.

FS-2002-06-071-MSFC

3 3.5 4 4.5 5

2

4

6

8

0

10

12

Hydrogen concentration in air (mole percent)

Radius (mm)

Space

results

Preflight

predictions

Theory does not always predict behavior.

Predictions for hydrogen-air flame balls were

quite different from SOFBALL tests on MSL–1.

Photos. NASA, New York State Dept. of Transportation (auto); University of

Southern California (diagrams).

Dr. Janice Voss, a mission specialist

services the CM during MSL–1 in 1997.

81
STS-107: Space Research and You 

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration 

ASTROCULTURE Commercial Plant Growth Unit and Glove Box 

Insert 

Experiment Name: ASTROCULTURE Commercial Plant Growth Unit and Glove Box 

Insert 

Mission: STS-107 

Experiment Location: SPACEHAB Module 

Commercial Space Center: Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics 

(WCSAR), University of Wisconsin-Madison 

Project Manager and Commercial Space Center Director: Dr. Weijia Zhou 

Industry Partner for Gene Transfer Experiment: Producers’ Natural Processing Inc., 

West Laffeyatt, Ind.

Industrial Partner for Essential Oil Production Experiment: International Flavors and 

Fragrances, New York 

Commercial Space Center Manager: Steve Lambing, NASA Marshall Space Flight 

Center, Huntsville, Ala. 

Overview 

Two commercial plant investigations will be conducted during the STS-107 mission: living 

flower essential oil production and gene transfer. The research will be done using the 

ASTROCULTURE hardware, which builds on similar experiments flown in the past on the 

space shuttle. 

A miniature rose was grown in space for the first time during the STS-95 space shuttle 

mission in the fall of 1998. Scientists at the company sponsoring this research – 

International Flavors and Fragrances in New York – verified that microgravity altered the 

fragrance of the rose and produced a new scent. 

The fragrance ingredient produced in space was incorporated into two commercial 

products: a perfume, called Zen, developed by Shiseido in 2000 and a body spray, called 

Impulse, developed by Unilever in early 2002. The search for new aromas is always 

important to the multibillion-dollar-a-year flavors and fragrances business, which is why 

International Flavors and Fragrances decided to team with the Wisconsin Center for Space 

Automation and Robotics (WCSAR) again to conduct another novel experiment on the 

STS-107 mission. 

82
STS-107: Space Research and You 

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration 

This research will investigate how microgravity might affect the formation of the volatile

chemical compounds – the essential oils – produced by two different types of living flowers.

The flowers will be cultured in the ASTROCULTURETM plant chamber, which provides an 

enclosed and controlled environment. 

As the flowers bloom in space, they will produce essential oils, and these volatile 

compounds will be collected using International Flavors and Fragrance’s proprietary Solid 

Phase Micro Extraction (SPME) technology. They will be preserved using WCSARdeveloped technology. After they are returned to Earth, the Micro Extraction devices will be 

sent to International Flavors and Fragrance’s analytical laboratory for constituent and 

structural analysis. 

The gene transfer experiment examines a newly developed transformation system to see if 

it operates efficiently in the microgravity environment. This research is important for the 

development of genetically engineered crops, also known as transgenic crops. It also is 

useful for producing valuable proteins.

On a prior flight, scientists used bacteria to transfer a gene carrying a desirable trait to 

soybean seedlings. The traits are inherited by subsequent generations of plants. On Earth, 

the expected transformation event for soybeans is at best 1 plant in 1,000 or 0.1 percent. 

Previous commercial research on STS-95 and STS-101 has shown that agrobateriumbased transformation system greatly improved the transformation events or efficiency in 

microgravity. The increased effectiveness is partially because microbes, such as bacteria 

used to transfer the desired traits, thrive in microgravity. 

This experiment, again sponsored by Producers’ Natural Processing Corp. in West 

Laffeyatt, Ind., will demonstrate the effectiveness of a refined agrobacterium-based 

transformation system using wheat microspores as target material. 

Experiment Operations 

Both the ASTROCULTURE glovebox and the ASTROCULTURE plant growth unit were 

developed by one of NASA’s 17 Commercial Space Centers – the Wisconsin Center for 

Space Automation and Robotics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This center 

specializes in the development of controlled environment technologies/facilities and agribiotech research, and has conducted eight experiments on the space shuttle and two 

experiments on board the International Space Station. 

Applications 

The food industry and the flavors and fragrances industry are multibillion-dollar businesses. 

Fields that benefit from this type of research include: 

• Agriculture 

83
STS-107: Space Research and You 

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration 

• Personal Care 

• Fragrances 

• Biotechnology 

More information on the ASTROCULTURE experiment and other STS-107 experiments 

is available at: 

http://wcsar.engr.wisc.edu/

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov/

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

www.spaceflight.nasa.gov

www.spd.nasa.gov

www.commercial.nasa.gov

84
STS-107: Space Research and You 

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration 

Commercial Instrumentation Technology Associates Inc. 

Biomedical Experiments Payload (CIBX-2) 

Experiment Name: Commercial Instrumentation Technology Associates Inc. Biomedical 

Experiments Payload (CIBX-2) 

Mission: STS-107 

Experiment Location: SPACEHAB Module 

Commercial Space Company: Instrumentation Technology Associates Inc. (ITA), Exton, 

Penn. 

Project Scientists: Dr. Dennis Morrison, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas; 

Dr. Allen Edmundson, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, Okla. 

Commercial Manager: Keith Robinson, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, 

Ala. 

Overview 

Experiments to find solutions for a range of biomedical issues are being hosted by the 

Commercial Instrumentation Technology Associates Inc. (ITA) Biomedical Experiments 

(CIBX-2) payload. This research encompasses more than 20 separate experiments 

including cancer research, commercial experiments and hands-on student experiments 

from 10 schools as part of ITA’s ongoing University Among the Stars program. 

Protein crystal growth experiments will address the structure of urokinase – a protein that 

has been identified as a key enzyme in the spread of brain, lung, colon, prostate and breast 

cancers. Crystals of Bence Jones, a protein associated with bone cancer, will also be 

grown. Understanding their structures may help scientists develop treatments. 

In a related area, the Microencapsulation of Drugs (MEPS) is an anti-cancer drug delivery 

system, based on a 10-year partnership with NASA’s Johnson Space Center. On this 

mission, the co-encapsulation of antibodies and immune stimulants will be made in submicron microcapsules to target pulmonary and bacterial infections. 

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Other investigations include: 

• Regeneration of Nerve-cell Growth Factor in Micro-g, Biospace Group and Oakwood 

College, both in Huntsville, Ala. 

• Biofilm Formation, Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas 

• Effect of Zero-G on Bacteria and Crystal Growth Experiments, Milton Academy, 

Milton, Mass. 

• EdVenture Lab Crystal Growth Experiments, The Challenger Center, Alexandria, Va. 

• Student Crystal Growth Experiments (Elementary Students), Lockheed Martin, 

Houston, Texas 

• Muscle Cell Gene Expression, Brown University, Providence, R.I. 

More than 3,000 students and 50 teachers have participated in Iota’s University Among the 

Stars. This will be the seventh shuttle mission carrying ITA student experiments. 

Flight History 

ITA has provided low-cost multi-user space hardware for 19 missions on the space shuttle, 

the Russian space station Mir and sounding rockets. The STS-107 mission uses hardware 

that was flown in 1998 on STS-95 as CIBX-1. 

An STS-95 experiment produced a large crystal of the Bence Jones protein that showed 

details of the protein’s structure. This helped scientists identify the active site on the protein 

related to its painful disposition in the tissues of bone cancer patients. Now, scientists are 

producing better crystals on Earth for mapping analysis and to find ways to block the active 

site that causes the excruciating pain of bone cancer. These results are typical of the 

commercial, proprietary results obtained by ITA and its partners. 

Experiment Operations 

Two sets of equipment, the Dual-Materials Dispersion Apparatus (DMDA) and the Liquids 

Mixing Apparatus (LMA) are used. The DMDA is a multi-user space-processing laboratory. 

It accommodates microgravity experiments in cell biology, thin film membrane casting, 

macromolecular and inorganic crystal growth, seed germination, collagen research, fluid 

sciences, diffusion experiments, microencapsulation of drugs, and other biomedical and 

technical disciplines. 

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The LMA is a manually operated system that holds larger volumes per sample than the 

DMDA. It is used to mix two or three liquids or biomaterials in microgravity at 

predetermined times. 

Applications 

These experiments have a variety of biomedical applications. 

For more information on this experiment and other STS-107 experiments visit: 

 http://www.itaspace.com

http://www.spaceoutreach.com

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov/

www.scipoc.msfc.nasa.gov

www.spaceflight.nasa.gov 

www.spd.nasa.gov

www.commercial.nasa.gov

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Commercial Protein Crystal Growth – Protein Crystallization Facility 

(CPCG-H) 

Experiment Name: Commercial Protein Crystal Growth – Protein Crystallization Facility 

(CPCG-H) 

Mission: STS-107 

Experiment Location: SPACEHAB Module 

Commercial Space Center: Center for Biophysical Science and Engineering, University of 

Alabama at Birmingham 

Commercial Space Center Director: Lawrence J. DeLucas, O.D., Ph.D. 

Commercial Space Center Manager: John West, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, 

Huntsville, Ala. 

Overview 

Within the human body, there are thousands of different proteins that serve a variety of 

different functions, such as making it possible for red blood cells to carry oxygen in our 

bodies. Yet proteins can also be involved in diseases. 

Each protein has a particular chemical structure, which means it has a unique shape. It is 

this three-dimensional shape that allows each protein to do its job by interacting with 

chemicals or binding with other proteins. If researchers can determine the shape, or 

shapes, of a protein, they can learn how it works. 

This information can then be used by the pharmaceutical industry to develop new drugs or 

improve the way medications work. The NASA Commercial Space Center sponsoring this 

experiment – the Center for Biophysical Sciences and Engineering at the University of 

Alabama at Birmingham – has more than 60 industry and academic partners who grow 

protein crystals and use the information in drug design projects. 

Experiment Operations 

While there are several ways to determine the structure of proteins, the most widely used 

method is protein crystallography. Just as water evaporates from a sugar solution to form 

sugar crystals, protein crystals will form in a solution that contains water. For this flight, 

numerous samples are processed in the Protein Crystallization Facility, which supports 

large-scale protein crystal growth. 

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When the crystals are returned to Earth, scientists can study them using X-ray diffraction. 

Scientists send a beam of X-rays through the crystals and measure how the X-rays are 

bent by the atoms of the crystal. 

By studying the pattern made by the X-rays, they can then map the locations of the 

different atoms, allowing them to create a diagram of the protein’s structure. With this as a 

guide, researchers can determine how the protein does its job. 

Once this is known, researchers can find ways to help or hinder a given protein by 

designing pharmaceutical compounds that fit the protein like a key in a lock. Because the 

drug is targeted at a specific protein, less of the drug may be necessary. The drug may be 

more effective because it reacts only with a specific protein. There may be few, if any, side 

effects, which are caused when drugs react with other compounds in the body. 

Flight History 

Protein crystal growth experiments began flying on the space shuttle in 1985. Today, more 

than 40 protein crystal payloads have flown, producing diffraction-quality crystals of many 

proteins. 

Applications 

Structural studies of microgravity-grown crystals have provided information for the 

development of new drugs. For example, studies conducted by Dr. Lawrence DeLucas on 

crystals grown on shuttle flights have been used in the design of inhibitors, which may 

serve as broad-spectrum antibiotics. 

More information on this experiment and other STS-107 experiments is available at: 

http://www.cbse.uab.edu/

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov/

www.scipoc.msfc.nasa.gov

www.spaceflight.nasa.gov 

www.spd.nasa.gov

www.commercial.nasa.gov

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Water Mist Fire Suppression Experiment (MIST) 

Experiment Name: Water Mist Fire Suppression Experiment (MIST) 

Mission: STS-107 

Experiment Location: In NASA's Combustion Module-2 inside the SPACEHAB Module 

Commercial Space Center: The Center for Commercial Applications of Combustion in 

Space (CCACS), Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colo. 

Commercial Space Center Director: Dr. F.D. Schowengerdt 

Project Scientists: J. Thomas McKinnon, Angel Abbud-Madrid and Edward P. Riedel -- all 

of CCACS 

Industry Partners: Environmental Engineering Concepts Inc., Palm Springs, Calif., and 

Arizona Mist Inc., Gilbert, Ariz.

Commercial Space Center Manager: Jeneene Sams, NASA Marshall Space Flight 

Center, Huntsville, Ala. 

Overview 

Researchers are going to space to study how a water mist system puts out flames. The 

research is aimed at developing a commercially viable, water-based fire-fighting system. 

This system could replace the current fire-fighting chemicals including Halons, which are 

being banned because they damage Earth’s ozone layer. This ban makes water, once 

again, the prime tool for fighting fire, since no other replacements have been found. 

How do you put out fires with water and still reduce or eliminate property damage? Fine 

water mists may be the answer on Earth as well as in the air on commercial and military 

planes and even on spacecraft. 

The STS-107 experiment that studies fine water mist fire suppression is sponsored by two 

companies -- MicroCool, in Palm Springs, Calf., and Arizona Mist Inc., in Gilbert, Ariz. They 

are working with the Center for the Commercial Applications of Combustion in Space 

(CCACS) -- one of NASA's 17 Commercial Space Centers that help industry conduct space 

experiments. 

Space may be the ideal place to examine how water interacts with flame. On Earth, gravity 

causes lighter, hotter air to rise -- creating air currents that make it difficult to study the 

combustion process and fire-fighting techniques. 

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In microgravity -- the low-gravity environment created as the space shuttle orbits Earth -- 

these currents are reduced or eliminated. This allows scientists to study exactly what 

happens in the combustion process. For this experiment, scientists will observe how water 

droplets, like those in a fine fog, interact with a flame and extinguish it. 

These observations will help industry determine the optimum water concentration and 

water droplet size needed to suppress fires. The information can be used to improve 

models for designing the next generation of environmentally friendly, low-cost fire-fighting 

systems. 

Flight History/Background

This is the first spaceflight for the experiment, but the companies and CCACS have 

conducted extensive ground-based research, as well as research in drop towers and 

NASA's KC-135 aircraft, which both expose experiments to microgravity for brief periods. 

Research conducted at the Arvada Fire Training and Research Center in Arvada, Colo., 

demonstrated that the ultra-fine misting heads developed by Environmental Engineering 

Concepts produced fine mists that were extremely effective in fighting common fires. Tests 

showed that mists used significantly less water to put out fires than larger water droplets 

produced by conventional sprinkler systems. 

Experiment Operations 

The Water Mist experiment studies how different sizes and concentrations of droplets affect 

a thin layer of flame, known as a laminar flame. The water droplets will be between 20 to 40 

microns in size, as opposed to droplets from conventional sprinklers that are larger than 1 

millimeter. 

The flame will be produced by igniting a mixture of propane and air inside a transparent 

tube in the Combustion Module-2 (CM-2). 

The Combustion Module, which has flown on several shuttle flights, was developed by 

NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. It enables safe combustion research in 

space and is the forerunner for a similar facility being designed for the International Space 

Station. 

Future water mist investigations on the space station can be larger and more complex, 

enabling companies to test different water injection systems, droplet sizes, and other fire 

scenarios. 

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Applications 

With halon replacements expected to become an increasingly large part of the $2 billion-ayear fire suppression industry, this experiment is of great commercial interest to the fire 

fighting industry. 

• Ships (machinery spaces) 

• Aircraft (passenger cabin and cargo) 

• Spacecraft 

• Libraries, museums 

• Telecommunications racks 

• Commercial cooking areas. 

More information on the Water Mist experiment and other STS-107 experiments is 

available at: 

http://www.mines.edu/research/ccacs/

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov/

www.scipoc.msfc.nasa.gov

www.spaceflight.nasa.gov

www.spd.nasa.gov

www.commercial.nasa.gov

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Zeolite Crystal Growth 

Experiment Name: Zeolite Crystal Growth 

Mission: STS-107 

Experiment Location: SPACEHAB Module 

Commercial Space Center: Center for Advanced Microgravity Materials Processing 

(CAMMP) at Northeastern University, Boston, Mass. 

Commercial Space Center Director: Dr. Al Sacco 

Commercial Space Center Manager: Jeneene Sams, NASA Marshall Space Flight 

Center, Huntsville, Ala. 

Overview 

Zeolites are as hard as rocks but work like sponges. They have a rigid crystalline structure 

with a network of interconnected tunnels and cages, similar to honeycomb. These tunnels 

can store chemicals, like fuels, and then release them when the zeolites are heated. 

The Center for Advanced Microgravity Materials Processing (CAMMP) – one of 17 NASAsponsored Commercial Space Centers – is working to improve zeolite materials for storing 

hydrogen fuel. The center is also applying zeolite research to detergents, optical cables, 

gas and vapor detection for environmental monitoring and control, and chemical production 

techniques that significantly reduce hazardous by-products. 

Experiment Operations 

A large part of CAMMP’s research depends on figuring out the molecular structure of 

zeolites. Because the molecules are extremely small (2 to 8 microns), it is difficult to get 

accurate structural information about zeolites. Such information can be obtained, if zeolites 

can be grown 200 to 1,000 times their normal size. Through prior space experiments, 

CAMMP has discovered that it is possible to grow such large crystals in the microgravity 

conditions on the space shuttle. 

STS-107 research will use new and improved hardware developed and also being used on 

the International Space Station. The hardware consists of sample tubes that hold the 

components that form zeolites, and a furnace unit used to process samples. 

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Operations will begin with the crew using a cordless screwdriver to mix the component 

elements in the sample tubes together. The mixing protocol will vary with each sample so 

that researchers can gain a better understanding of the nucleation process – the beginning 

of crystal formation -- and how to control it. 

Once mixing is complete, the samples will be placed in the furnace for automated 

processing. Scientists will analyze the samples after they are returned to Earth. Data from 

the shuttle experiment can also help scientists select the best types of samples for longterm processing in the zeolite furnace, now being operated on the International Space 

Station. 

When enough is known about these materials to manipulate both the nucleation and the 

growth, CAMMP can custom design them for specific applications, such as hydrogen fuel 

storage. 

Applications 

Zeolites could help us move from an economy that relies on petroleum to one that uses 

hydrogen for its fuel. Hydrogen would be infinitely renewable, pollution-free fuel. It is the 

most abundant element in the universe, and the main product of hydrogen combustion is 

water. One of the major problems to be solved is the efficient storage of hydrogen, but 

zeolite and zeo-type materials are being tested as a possible storage medium. 

Since chemical processing is a trillion-dollar industry worldwide, any improvement in 

understanding zeolites could have an enormous economic impact. 

More information on this experiment and other STS-107 experiments is available at: 

http://www.dac.neu.edu/cammp/

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov/

www.scipoc.msfc.nasa.gov

www.spaceflight.nasa.gov 

www.spd.nasa.gov

www.commercial.nasa.gov

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Low Power Transceiver 

One of the FREESTAR experiments, the Low Power Transceiver (LPT) experiment is a 

low-power, lightweight software programmable transceiver prototype technology 

demonstration that is being developed by NASA as a low-cost S-band spacecraft 

navigation and communication device. 

The LPT prototype receives Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite signals for 

spacecraft navigation support and provides both forward and return, low-rate data 

communications links to the Merritt Island (MILA) and Dryden Flight Research Facility 

(DFRC) ground stations and to the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS). 

The experiment is designed to demonstrate the system’s ability to do simultaneous 

communications and navigation, as well as multi-mode communications and 

reconfiguration. LPT is managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and sponsored 

by NASA/HQ Code M. 

The LPT experiment consists of one thermally conductive box containing the electronics 

stack, three S-band antennas and one L-band antenna. The LPT payload uses general 

Orbiter services, including power control, command, and telemetry provided through the 

HHC avionics. On-orbit, the LPT payload will be primarly operated via direct 

communications between LPT and ground stations (MILA, WLPS, or DFRC) and/or 

TDRSS, with backup command and telemetry capability provided via the hitchhiker avionics 

and remote Payload Operations Control Center. During operations, LPT will utilize high Sband frequencies for communications. 

The LPT TDRSS (and GN) forward link (uplink) frequency is 2106.40625 MHz and their 

TDRSS (and GN) return link (downlink) frequency is 2287.5 MHz (utilizing Left-handed 

Circular Polarization to work with the TDRSS MA system). Two standard switch panel 

switches will be utilized to prohibit inadvertent operation of the antenna. An additional 

inhibit will be provided through the HH avionics power relay to the LPT. 

For more on this experiment see the section on FREESTAR experiments in this press kit. 

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Ram Burn Observations (RAMBO) 

Ram Burn Observations (RAMBO) is a Department of Defense experiment that observes 

shuttle Orbital Maneuvering System engine burns for the purpose of improving plume 

models. On STS-107 the appropriate sensors will observe selected rendezvous and orbit 

adjust burns. 

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Vapor Compression Distillation Flight Experiment 

Mission: Launch and return on STS-107 

Experiment Location: SPACEHAB module double rack 

Principal Investigator: Cindy F. Hutchens, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, 

Huntsville, Ala.

Overview: 

One of the major requirements associated with operating the International Space Station is 

the transportation -- space shuttle and Russian Progress spacecraft launches – necessary 

to re-supply station crews with food and water. 

The Vapor Compression Distillation (VCD) Flight Experiment, managed by NASA’s 

Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., is a full-scale demonstration of technology 

being developed to recycle crewmember urine and wastewater aboard the International 

Space Station and thereby reduce the amount of water that must be re-supplied. Based on 

results of the VCD Flight Experiment, an operational urine processor will be installed in 

Node 3 of the space station in 2005. 

Experiment Summary: 

Vapor compression distillation systems mechanically mimic Earth’s natural process of 

evaporation. Instead of heating water with the power of the Sun, however, these systems 

boil wastewater to produce and collect water vapor that is 97 percent free of minerals, 

chemicals and microbes. However, the boiling process relies on gravity-driven buoyancy 

and convection not present in the low gravity environment of the space station. 

The VCD Flight Experiment is designed to verify the vapor compression distillation 

processing concept in “weightlessness,” as well as the performance of the various 

components. Urine is processed using a “phase change” process – from the liquid phase to 

the vapor phase and back to liquid. The heart of the experiment is the distillation assembly. 

To efficiently induce this phase change, the pressure inside this cylindrical distillation 

assembly is lowered to 0.7 pounds per square inch so that the boiling point where liquid 

turns to vapor is also lowered. For the VCD experiment, de-ionized water containing some 

salts will be used instead of urine. The water will be fed into the distillation assembly’s 

rotating drum, spinning at 220 revolutions per minute, where it will form a thin film that will 

coat the walls of the drum. In the low-pressure environment, liquid will boil off at between 

90 and 105 degrees Fahrenheit. The water vapor will be collected by a “de-mister” in the 

center of the drum and then fed into a compressor to raise the pressure slightly. It is then 

injected on to a thin wall around the outside of the drum where it condenses, transferring its 

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heat to another thin film of liquid inside the wall of the drum to continue the recycling 

process. 

For the flight experiment, the process ends there. In actual operation aboard the station, 

however, after the brine – leftover solids and some liquid – reaches a high concentration, 

the brine and its tank are returned to Earth for cleaning and replaced with a clean tank, 

while the clean water will then be sent to a water processing assembly aboard the station. 

This assembly will further improve it before going into a clean water storage tank to be 

used for cleaning, cooking, drinking or other personal use aboard the station. 

The VCD Flight Experiment is an intermediate risk mitigation step between the design of 

flight hardware and actual installation aboard the station. 

Hardware/Operations: 

The VCD Flight Experiment occupies a refrigerator-sized rack in the SPACEHAB module in 

the shuttle payload bay for the STS-107 mission. The key components are the distillation 

assembly, two pumps, wastewater storage feed tanks, air injection tank, a gas/liquid 

separator apparatus and a recycling filter tank. The crew will activate the experiment on 

flight day three of the mission. The first day of operations will be devoted mainly to pumping 

the air out of the distillation assembly to create a low pressure boiling environment without 

increasing the temperature. During the second, third and fourth days, the system will 

undergo a series of normal and abnormal operating scenarios, such as shutting down the 

processor at full speed and then starting it again. 

The VCD Flight Experiment is largely automated, with the experiment team monitoring 

operations and receiving data in a control room at Johnson Space Center in Houston. The 

crew will be involved in setting up and activating the experiment for its six-hour run time 

each day. They are required to open and close air injection valves and collect water 

samples throughout the test period. 

Background/Flight History 

Experimental vapor compression distillation equipment and related Environmental Control 

and Life Support (ECLSS) hardware has undergone development at the Marshall Center 

since 1986. The Volatile Removal Assembly, including part of the station’s water processor 

system, was tested on a SpaceHAB module on the STS-89 space shuttle mission in 

January 1998. Another VCD Flight Experiment was flown aboard a KC-135 aircraft in 2002 

to simulate the microgravity conditions it would encounter aboard the shuttle. That 

hardware included a clear acrylic drum so that engineers could observe the fluid behavior. 

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Benefits 

When installed on the space station, VCD technology will process about 4,400 pounds 

(2,000 kg) of water annually to support station crews. Human exploration beyond the Moon 

will require such recycling systems. The technology may also have applications on Earth, 

where many people do not have an abundant, reliable and affordable source of drinking 

water. As the human population surpasses 6.2 billion, water is becoming a precious 

commodity. 

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The Advanced Respiratory Monitoring System

(ARMS) is a suite of monitoring instruments and

supplies used to study the heart, lungs, and

metabolism. Many experiments sponsored by the

European Space Agency (ESA) will be conducted

using ARMS during STS–107.

The near-weightless environment of space

causes the body to undergo many physiological

adaptations, and the regulation of blood pressure is no exception.

Astronauts also experience a decrease in

blood volume as an

adaptation to microgravity.

Reduced blood

volume may not

provide enough blood

pressure to the head

during entry or landing. As a result,

astronauts often experience light-headedness, and sometimes even fainting,

when they stand

shortly after returning

to Earth.

To help regulate

blood pressure and heart rate, baroreceptors, sensors located in artery walls in the neck and near

the heart, control blood pressure by sending

information to the brain and ensuring blood flow

to organs. These mechanisms work properly in

Earth’s gravity but must adapt in the microgravity environment of space. However, upon return

to Earth during entry and landing, the cardiovascular system must readjust itself to gravity, which

can cause fluctuation in the control of blood pressure and heart rate. Although the system recovers

in hours or days, these occurrences are not easily

predicted or understood — a puzzle investigators

will study with the ARMS equipment.

In space, researchers can focus on aspects of

the cardiovascular system normally masked by

gravity. The STS–107 experiments using ARMS

will provide data on how the heart and lungs

function in space, as well as how the nervous

system controls them. Exercise will also be

combined with breath holding and straining (the

Valsalva maneuver) to test how heart rate and

blood pressure react to different stresses.

This understanding will improve astronauts’

cardiopulmonary function after return to Earth,

and may well help Earthbound patients who

experience similar effects after long-term bed rest.

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov

Exploring Heart and Lung Function in Space

ARMS Experiments

Project Scientist: Dr. Andre Kuipers, European Space Agency

Project Manager: Michael Cork, European Space Agency

Operations Engineer: Marine LeGouic, European Space Agency

Earth Benefits and Applications

Studies with ARMS during STS–107 mean:

• Better understanding of the basic workings of the heart, lungs, 

and supporting systems 

• Helping to develop new diagnostic tools for predicting illness and

establishing rehabilitation techniques when problems do occur

• Applying rehabilitation techniques to treatment of patients confined to long-term bed rest.

ARMS measurements are taken

during exercise, with astronaut

subject Mike Anderson, in a groundbased test of the equipment.

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Science

ARMS experiments will investigate pulmonary (lung),

respiratory (airway), and cardiovascular (heart and blood

vessels) changes during rest and exercise. ARMS instruments measure gas composition during inspiration and

expiration, flow rate, mouthpiece pressure, heart rate, electrocardiogram (ECG), blood

pressure, and respiratory rate

— basic indications of how

efficiently the lungs and heart

are working. Astronauts undergo

a range of health tests to make

sure they are in peak physical

condition before flight. Since

preexisting health problems

can be ruled out as a contributing factor, researchers

can attribute changes to astronauts’ cardiopulmonary systems

to the effects caused by the

space environment. Researchers

use this information to create

models that can be applied to

future space travelers and

humans on Earth.

Hardware

The ARMS equipment, which is designed for non-invasive research on the respiratory, pulmonary, and cardiovascular systems, consists of three modules in SPACEHAB.

The equipment contains two multi-gas analyzers, a flow

meter, and a valve system into which the astronauts

breathe. This system measures and records pressure, flow,

and gas concentration during different activities performed

by the astronauts. The system also includes a blood pressure

cuff, an ECG, and a respiratory inductance plethysmograph,

a device used to measure breathing frequency.

Multi-gas analyzers are instruments that measure the

gas concentrations in inhaled and exhaled gas, including gases not

found in air used to probe various aspects of heart and lung

function. Respiratory flow meters measure gas flow and

volume. The astronauts breathe into the respiratory valve

system, which includes a pressure sensor inside the mouthpiece/airway to record the pressures generated during the

straining maneuver. A gas supply subsystem provides the

special respiratory gas mixtures used for both calibration

and certain breathing tests. ECG instrumentation for monitoring the astronaut’s heart rate, and blood pressure

instrumentation for measuring peripheral arterial blood

pressure are part of the equipment. A special belt will record

rib cage expansion during the test. Environmental conditions

of temperature, pressure, and relative humidity will be

recorded using the ambient conditions monitoring system.

Using specific tracer gases which will then be measured

by the ARMS hardware, it is possible to determine the lung

volume and amount of blood pumped by the heart, among

other things. All measurements gathered for the experiments are recorded onto a laptop computer and later

downloaded for study.

Operations

During flight, STS–107 astronauts take measurements

while performing activities. They must follow strict procedures for ARMS measurements. The ARMS laptop computer

contains detailed instructions on all experiment protocols

including resting and exercise protocols, as well as special

breathing patterns and other techniques the astronauts

must perform.

Researchers track changes in the respiratory and cardiovascular systems using the data collected before, during,

and after flight.

Earlier Studies

This flight furthers the ongoing study of heart and lung

function from the European Space Agency’s EUROMIR 95

mission and Spacelab. 

Background Information

Approximate location of this payload aboard STS–107.

The data and resulting insight

from the continuing ARMS

studies will help researchers

develop rehabilitation techniques to treat patients

confined to long-term bed rest.

FS-2002-03-054-JSC

Columbia

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European Space Agency Payloads 

Overview 

Advanced Protein Crystallization Facility (APCF): 

Objective: To grow large, well ordered crystals of different proteins and viruses for analysis 

and characterization using a crystallization facility. Operations are fully automated with 

minimal crew interaction. 

Facility for Adsorption and Surface Tension (FAST): 

Objective: To measure the response of surface tension to carefully controlled dynamic 

changes in the surface area of bubbles or droplets using a multi-user facility. Operations 

are fully automated with minimal crew interaction. 

BIOPACK: 

Fully automated, multi-user facility that provides capability to conduct biological 

experiments under varying gravity conditions using two standard facility containers. Facility 

includes an incubator with three centrifuges, a cooler and a freezer. Eight investigations 

are: 

LEUKIN: Role of Interleukin-2 Receptor in signal transduction and gravisening 

threshold in T-Lymphocytes. 

REPAIR: Fidelity of DNA double-strand break repair in human cells under 

microgravity. 

CONNECT: Function of the focal adhesion of plaque of connective tissue in 

microgravity. 

BIOKIN-3: Determination of the space influence on bacterial growth kinetics. 

YSTRES: Yeast cell stress under microgravity. 

BONES: The role of bone cells in the response of skeletal tissues in 

microgravity. 

STROMA: Bone marrow stromal cells differentiation and mesenchymal tissue 

reconstruction in microgravity. 

BACTER: Bacterial physiology and virulence on Earth and microgravity. 

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BIOBOX: 

Multi-user facility that hosts a variety of biological experiments with the overall goal of 

observing the effects of weightlessness on living systems. Operations are fully automated 

with the exception of facility activation and occasional filter cleaning. Four investigations 

are: 

OBLAST: Comparative analysis of osteoblastic (bone-forming) cells at 

microgravity and 1G. 

OCLAST: Microgravity effects on osteoclast (bone-removing) driven resorption in 

vitro. 

OSTEOGENE: Identification of microgravity-related genes in osteoblastic cells. 

RADCELLS: Biological dosimetry in space using haemopoetic stem cell 

functions. 

For more on ESA experiments, see the SPACEHAB commercial experiments list in the 

SPACEHAB RDM section. 

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Fast Reaction Experiments Enabling Science, Technology, 

Applications and Research (FREESTAR) 

Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) manages NASA’s 

Shuttle Small Payloads Project (SSPP). The SSPP designs, develops, tests, integrates and 

flies a group of small payload carrier systems for the space shuttle. These carriers - the 

Hitchhiker, Getaway Specials (GAS), and Space Experiment Module (SEM) - support 

payloads supplied by NASA, other U.S. government agencies, universities, high schools, 

domestic commercial customers, and foreign nationals and governments. These carriers 

can support payloads that range in size between 50 lbs. (23 kg) and 4,000 lbs. (2,270 kg). 

Payload Description 

The FREESTAR payload will include six separate experiments mounted on a crossbay 

support structure. The six experiments include: 

• Mediterranean Israeli Dust Experiment (MEIDEX) - MEIDEX is managed by the 

Israeli Space Agency and Tel-Aviv University. NASA/HQ Office of Earth Science 

sponsors MEIDEX. 

• Solar Constant Experiment-3 (SOLCON-3) – The SOLCON series is managed by 

the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium. The SOLCON experiment has 

previously flown on STS-85 and STS-95 as part of the International Extreme 

Ultraviolet Hitchhiker experiment and on the first Spacelab mission, the Eureca 

platform and on Atlas missions. 

• Shuttle Ozone Limb Sounding Experiment-02 (SOLSE-02) - SOLSE is managed by 

NASA/GSFC Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Branch. The SOLSE 

experiment has previously flown on STS-87. NASA/HQ Office of Earth Science 

sponsors the SOLSE experiments. 

• Critical Viscosity of Xenon-2 (CVX-2) - CVX-2 is managed by NASA Research 

Center. The CVX experiment has previously flown on STS-85. The CVX experiment 

series is sponsored by NASA/HQ Office of Biological and Physical Research. 

• Low Power Transceiver (LPT) is managed by NASA/GSFC Microwave Systems 

Branch. LPT is sponsored by NASA/HQ Office of Space Flight. 

• Space Experiment Module (SEM) – SEM, which consists of 10 experiment modules, 

contains student experiments from U.S. grade schools. The SEM program is 

managed by the NASA/GSFC Shuttle Small Payloads Project Office. 

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MEIDEX Experiment Description 

The primary mission of the Mediterranean Israeli Dust Experiment (MEIDEX) payload is to 

study the temporal and spatial distribution and physical properties of atmospheric desert 

dust over North Africa, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Saharan regions. This aim is 

achieved by a remote sensing experiment operated by the astronauts aboard the space 

shuttle. In addition to the primary desert aerosol observations, MEIDEX will accomplish 

diverse secondary science objectives by performing slant visibility observations, seasurface reflectivity observations, desert surface observations and observations of Transient 

Luminous Events, better known as sprites. 

The MEIDEX experiment includes remote as well as in-situ measurements of light 

scattering by desert aerosol particles in six different wavelength intervals from the near 

Ultraviolet to the Solar Infrared. The wavelengths selected for space-borne remote 

measurements of desert aerosols include two wavelengths used by the Total Ozone 

Mapping Spectrometer instruments as well as four of those installed on the Moderate 

Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, an instrument aboard both NASA’s Terra and Aqua 

spacecraft. 

This facilitates the calibration of the TOMS-like information acquired by the instrument in 

the UV spectral region by that provided simultaneously by the MODIS-like bands on the 

same instrument. The MEIDEX scientific initiative will also incorporate supporting groundbased and airborne measurements in order to provide both optical observations and direct 

sampling. The airborne measurements will be planned so as to fly under or in the vicinity of 

the shuttle orbits. 

MEIDEX Physical Description 

• A Xybion IMC-201 radiometric camera equipped with six narrow-band filters 

centered at 340 nm, 380 nm, 470 nm, 555 nm, 660 nm, and 860 nm. 

• The Xybion camera has a field of view of 10.7 x 14.0° with a nadir footprint (looking 

straight down) of 52 x 68 km. 

• Second wide (60°) field of view video camera that operates as a viewfinder. 

• Both cameras are mounted in a single-axis gimbaled truss located in a standard 

Hitchhiker 5.0 cubic-foot canister equipped with a 5-inch extension and a Hitchhiker 

Motorized Door Assembly. 

• The MEIDEX canister is also equipped with a 16-inch quartz window with a 

broadband anti-reflective coating. Other Hitchhiker equipment consists of two 

Hitchhiker Video Interface Units. 

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SOLCON-3 

History/Background 

To understand the influence of the Sun on climate changes on Earth, it is necessary to 

make long-term, accurate measurements of the solar constant, the amount of solar energy 

received per unit surface at a distance of one astronomical unit (the average distance of 

Earth’s orbit) from the Sun. The SOLCON instrument is a reference instrument for the 

measurement of the solar constant. It is flown regularly during short periods on the space 

shuttle. 

SOLCON-3 Experiment Description 

The SOLCON instrument is designed to accurately measure the solar constant and identify 

variations in the value during a solar cycle. SOLCON measures the solar irradiance forms 

in space to avoid perturbations by the atmosphere of the Earth. It is also used as a 

reference to construct a long duration time series of the solar irradiance. This data will 

ensure continuity of the solar constant level obtained by instruments mounted on free 

flyers, over climate time scale duration. Solar measurements are performed by determining 

the power difference required to bring two cavities into thermal balance when one is open 

to the Sun and the other is closed. The SOLCON-3 payload utilizes general space shuttle 

services including power control, command, and telemetry provided through the Hitchhiker 

carrier avionics equipment. 

SOLCON- 3 Physical Description 

• Solcon-3 will be mounted on an HH Single Bay Pallet on top of the Hitchhiker 

Multipurpose Equipment Support Structure 

• Solcon-3 consists of a radiometer and a digital processor unit covered by a thermal 

blanket to provide Passive Thermal Control 

• The radiometer unit houses the Sun pointing monitor, shutter assembly, radiometer 

assembly and electronics 

• The digital processor unit houses the experiment control and interface to the 

Hitchhiker avionics 

• The radiometer unit consists of two channels through which solar radiation may be 

sensed 

• Each channel contains a radiation sensor and has two apertures 

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• Independent shutters protect the first aperture of each channel. Each shutter seals 

out any solar radiation from the radiation sensor when closed and allows the sensor 

to receive solar radiation when open 

• An opening and closing outer cover on the radiometer unit provides protection from 

contamination during non-operating periods 

SOLSE-2 

History/Background 

The discovery of the ozone hole in 1985 demonstrated the very large changes in ozone 

that were occurring in the lower stratosphere near 20 km, instead of the upper stratosphere 

as first expected, and where current ozone instruments are focused. The Shuttle Ozone 

Limb Sounding Experiment (SOLSE-2) will show that more information is available by 

looking at ozone from the side, at Earth’s limb or atmospheric boundary. Ozone monitoring 

should be focused in the lower stratosphere by measuring ozone from a tangential 

perspective that is centered at the limb, which provides ozone profiles concentrated in the 

lower stratosphere. Stratospheric ozone depletion is a global concern because the ozone 

layer there keeps 95 percent of the UV radiation from striking the Earth. 

The first flight of the Shuttle Ozone Limb Sounding Experiment (SOLSE) proved that this 

technique achieves the accuracy and coverage of traditional measurements, and 

surpasses the altitude resolution and depth of retrieval. SOLSE demonstrated that vertical 

profiles of ozone could be measured with high resolution using solar ultraviolet scattering 

from the Earth’s atmospheric limb. 

SOLSE-2 Experiment Description 

SOLSE is an imaging spectrometer designed to produce high quality 2-dimensional images 

of the limb in visible and UV light while minimizing internal stray light. As one of the 

experiments flying aboard the Hitchhiker payload, the principle mission of SOLSE-2 is to 

demonstrate a new technique to measure the vertical distribution of ozone in the 

atmosphere. The ozone layer near the tangent point strongly absorbs radiation at particular 

wavelengths of light. SOLSE infers the presence of ozone with high altitude resolution by 

measuring the relative absence of radiation at those wavelengths according to height. 

Using a limb viewing geometry, SOLSE-2 will demonstrate the feasibility of measuring limbscattered radiation to retrieve ozone with improved vertical resolution than a traditional 

nadir looking instrument can achieve. Second, SOLSE will demonstrate the feasibility of 

using Charged Coupled Device technology to eliminate moving parts, which could lead to 

simpler, cheaper, ozone mapping instruments. The shuttle provides the perfect testbed to 

demonstrate new technology and measurement techniques without committing the funds 

for flight instrument. Once proven over a wider range of viewing conditions, the SOLSE-2 

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technique will be used to routinely measure ozone by the next generation weather 

satellites. 

SOLSE-2 Physical Description 

• The instrumentation subsystem consists of a visible and UV spectrograph with a 

CCD array detector, photodiode array and visible light cameras, calibration lamp, 

optics and baffling 

• The experiment is housed in a Hitchhiker canister with canister extension ring and 

equipped with an Hitchhiker Motorized Door Assembly 

• The optical slit is masked with a linear attenuation filter that normalizes the intensity 

of the limb that varies by factor of 100 from top to bottom 

• A shutter controls the exposure of each frame 

• The filter wheel housing encloses 6 ion-assisted deposition filters at UV and visible 

wavelengths 

CVX-2 

History/Background 

The Critical Viscosity of Xenon-1 Experiment first flew on STS-85 in 1997 as part of the 

Hitchhiker payload TAS-01. CVX revealed that when close to the liquid vapor critical point, 

xenon is partly elastic: it can “stretch” as well as flow. For STS-107, the hardware has been 

enhanced to determine if critical xenon is a shear thinning fluid. An understanding of shear 

thinning in a simple fluid will enable scientists to understand the phenomenon in more 

complex, industrially important fluids, such as: paints, emulsions, foams, polymer melts, 

pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic products. 

CVX-2 Experiment Description 

The Critical Viscosity of Xenon-2 Experiment will measure the viscous behavior of xenon - 

a heavy, inert gas used in flash lamps and ion rocket engines - at its critical point. The 

effects of gravity limit viscosity experiments on Earth. Xenon, near the critical point, will 

collapse under its own weight when exposed to Earth’s gravity, thereby increasing the 

density at the bottom. Experiments in the microgravity of orbit eliminate density differences 

and allow extended experiments to achieve the precision that scientists need. 

Shear thinning occurs in complex fluids, such as paints and blood that become “thin” and 

flow easily under a shear stress such as stirring or pumping. CVX-2 will be the first 

experiment to examine the shear-thinning phenomenon in a simple fluid. 

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CVX-2 Physical Description 

• Viscometer comprised of a nickel screen that vibrates between two pairs of brass 

electrodes in a xenon bath

• The grid is 7x 19 mm (0.28 x 0.74 in) and weighs less than 1 mg. 

• An electrode is positioned 4 mm (0.16 in) to each side of the screen

• An electrical charge is applied by the electrodes that will oscillate the screen

• The electrodes then measure the screen’s displacement

• The sample cell is a copper cylinder, 62 mm long by 38 mm wide (2.45 x 1.5 in), that 

conducts heat and adds thermal inertia to ensure slow, even changes in temperature

• The cell is enclosed in a three-layer thermostat to improve thermal control

• CVX-2 is contained in two Hitchhiker canisters mounted on the Multi-Purpose 

Equipment Support Structure 

• One canister houses the Experiment Package. The second canister houses the 

Avionics Package which includes the data acquisition and control electronics, and 

the power conditioning systems 

• The experiment plan involves four “sweeps.” That is, the temperature will be gently 

moved up and down while the screen oscillates and data are continuously recorded 

LPT 

History/ Background 

The paradigm of spacecraft design is changing throughout the space industry. Designs are 

requiring smaller, cheaper, and more capable systems. A key technology component that 

will enable these types of designs is a small, highly integrated, reprogrammable, multipurpose communications and navigation payload that can withstand the radiation 

environments encountered over a variety of orbits. 

LPT Experiment Description 

The Low Power Transceiver (LPT) is a compact, flexible device that can be configured to 

perform custom communications and navigation functions in terrestrial, airborne, and space 

applications. The LPT is a collection of interchangeable hardware modules that form a 

software programmable platform for a variety of communication and navigation 

applications. The LPT can simultaneously process multiple radio frequencies (RF bands) in 

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the transmittance or retrieval direction, and simultaneously process multiple data channels 

within each RF band; further, its modular architecture provides a flexible arrangement of 

signal processing resources. This technology thrust strives to return the maximum possible 

scientific information from instruments on board a spacecraft to the customer/principal 

investigator on Earth. GSFC engineers are working rapidly to prototype and demonstrate 

applicable Internet technologies and methodologies and to infuse them into flight missions 

where they will significantly reduce development costs and greatly increase mission 

flexibility. Furthermore, they expect these technologies to enable entirely new, distributed, 

system and mission models in the future. 

LPT Physical Description 

• One thermally conductive box containing the LPT electronics stack. 

• The LPT experiment will be mounted on two HH Single Bay Pallets, one of which is 

shared with SOLCON-3, on top of the HH MPESS. 

• LPT has been integrated with a commercial processor board functioning as the flight 

computer, along with an three S-Band Receive Antenna, and one L-Band Antenna 

or Low Gain Transmit Antenna, all mounted to the top of the HH Multi-purpose 

Equipment Support Structure (MPESS) via a HH Single Bay Pallet (SBP). 

• The flight computer will use GPS-Enhanced Orbit Navigation System (GEONS) 

software to process the Global Positing System (GPS) data. 

• The flight computer will run the Linux operating system, and use Mobile IP over all of 

the RF links. 

• The LPT TDRSS (and GN) forward link frequency is 2106.40625 MHz and the 

TDRSS (and GN) return link frequency is 2287.5 MHz. 

• Two Standard Switch Panel (SSP) switches will be incorporated to prohibit 

inadvertent Radio Frequency (RF) transmission from the antenna. 

SEM- 14 Experiments 

Does Popcorn Pop the Same After Being in Space? 

Does a crystal grow the same in space as it does on Earth? 

Does heat transfer any differently in zero gravity? 

Now there's a way for students to answer questions like these. NASA has developed an 

educational program for kids who want to discover more about space by building 

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experiments that may ultimately fly on a space shuttle. The program is called the Space 

Experiment Module or SEM. 

SEM is open to U.S. students in grades K-12 and university level. Grades 9-12 may also 

apply through the NASA Student Involvement Program (NSIP), which is an annual national 

competition. 

Through SEM, kids will learn all about putting a scientific experiment into space. With the 

help of a teacher or mentor, students will create, design and build an experiment that is 

their own. The SEM program focuses on the science of zero gravity and microgravity. 

Selected student experiments are flown in NASA provided modules. The SEM carrier 

system accommodates 10 modules in a standard Get Away Special canister that mounts in 

the cargo bay of the space shuttle. Experiments are qualified for the program through a 

flight certification process that includes an experiment proposal review and a Customer 

Agreement. There is no cost for student experiments to fly in the program. 

For more information on grades 9-12 NSIP competition visit: 

http://www.nsip.net/index.cfm 

International students interested in SEM should contact the SEM mission manager: 

Charles.L.Brodell.1@gsfc.nasa.gov 

“Garden from the Stars” - Central Park Middle School, Schenectady City School 

District, and Farnsworth Middle School, Guilderland Central School District, 

Guilderland, N.Y. 

The experiment involves sending selected seeds, representative of wildflowers from the 

ecologically unique and sensitive land area of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve, into space to 

measure effects of spaceflight and zero gravity on growth of plants. It is hypothesized that 

there will be measurable differences in growth of plants from “space” seeds compared with 

plants grown from “nonspace” control seeds. These differences may include germination 

period, size of plant, number of petals, shape of leaves, and color variations. Plants grown 

from the “space” seeds will be donated to the City of Schenectady’s Central Park Gardens 

and some will be returned to the Pine Bush to help in restoration of the native plant 

population. 

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“United Voyager, Moving and Shaking at M.S. 135 & M.S. 143” - Frank D. Whalen 

Middle School and Peter Tetard Middle School, New York, N.Y. 

Students from Frank D. Whalen Middle School & Peter Tetard Middle School in New York 

City will partner in this experiment. They will be investigating cosmic radiation, g-forces of 

space travel, and effects of space travel on plant growth patterns. The plant growth 

investigation will use tomato seeds (native to the Bronx) along with soil samples. Other 

sample materials will include chalk, marbles, gum, gum/taffy, iron filings, small magnets, 

candles, crayons, film, yeast, and a pendulum watch. Control groups will be maintained on 

Earth and used to determine the changes caused by the spaceflight. 

“Wearable Radiation Protection” - The Mott Hall-CCNY STARS Program, the Mott 

Hall School-IS223 & The City College of New York, New York, N.Y. 

Living and non-living things that travel outside of the Earth’s atmosphere and the Earth’s 

magnetic field will be subjected to levels of radiation that are higher than those to which 

they are exposed on the surface of the Earth. This experiment tests the effectiveness of 

various flexible materials as a barrier to this radiation. Natural and synthetic fabrics made 

of organic and inorganic materials will be wrapped around dosimeters that measure 

exposure to radiation. It will then be possible to see if any of the tested materials provide a 

significant amount of protection against radiation when worn. The students in the SEM 

team are participating in a program called the Mott Hall-CCNY STARS (Student 

Apprenticeships in Research). STARS is a partnership between the City College of New 

York and The Mott Hall School. Each year eighth-graders spend three hours a week 

working with mentors in CCNY science and engineering research laboratories. The goal of 

STARS is to empower and encourage minority students to pursue careers in science and 

engineering. The Mott Hall School - IS 223 is a public school in Community School District 

6 in the North Harlem/Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City. It is a grade 4-8 

magnet school for 450 students offering advanced studies in math, science and technology. 

Most of the students, 85 percent of the student population, are first- or second- generation 

immigrants from Latin America, especially the Dominican Republic. About 10 percent are 

African Americans. The others are almost all immigrants from other countries. 

“NYC KISS (Kids Investigations in Space Science)” - American Museum of 

Natural History, Rose Center for Earth and Space, New York, N.Y. 

The NYC KISS program consists of the Rose Center for Earth and Space, part of the 

American Museum of Natural History, working in conjunction with six New York City 

educators to introduce hundreds of New York City schoolchildren to space and the hazards 

and beauties that it holds. Experiments will determine how the space environment will 

change a variety samples. Experiment samples will include DNA samples, composting 

materials, magnets, film, sunscreen, and other passive material samples. 

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“VIRUS- T4” - Bishop Borgess High School & Academy, Redford, Mich. 

Students will study two different aspects of the effect of the Near-Earth Space Environment 

(NESE) on biological materials. In one experiment, they will study the degradation of 

antibiotic activity in NESE compared to control (terrestrial) samples. They will perform 

standard Kyrby-Bauer antibiotic sensitivity tests on the NESE and terrestrial samples of 

various antibiotics. The second experiment will measure the viability of the T4 Virus 

samples exposed to the NESE (X-rays and Gamma Rays) and compare that to the viability 

of terrestrial samples. 

A radiation dosimetry badge will be enclosed in the module for measuring radiation 

exposure. Students will perform a standard dilution plaque assay on both the space and 

terrestrial samples, under the direction of a trained microbiologist. Students will learn 

experimental design and data interpretation, and will calculate antibiotic and virus viability 

using their math skills. They will also study the effects of radiation on fluorescent dyes to 

determine if they will glow brighter after exposure to the NESE. The students will 

communicate their results in a written report, in which data will be presented in tabular and 

graphic forms. This will also include a brief oral presentation. 

“OGRE” - Ogdensburg Public School, K-8, Ogdensburg, N.J. 

Students at the Ogdensburg School are preparing an experiment that will test the affects of 

radiation and weightlessness on florescent minerals. Ogdensburg is famous for its Sterling 

Hill Mine where there is an abundance of florescent minerals. These minerals have been 

displayed in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., the Museum of Natural History in 

New York and other museums around the world. Students will be collecting mineral samples 

and dividing them into a control group, which will stay on Earth, and an experimental group, 

that will fly in the space shuttle. They will photograph both groups of minerals under 

ultraviolet light, so they can compare their luminescence once the minerals return from 

space. Mineral spectrographs will be taken before and after flight using the Cary Variance 

Florescent Mineral Spectrophotometer at Varian technologies. The mass of the minerals will 

also be measured to see if any changes occur from the space environment. 

“Worms & Mold in Space” - East Norriton Middle School, Norristown, Pa. 

The first part of this experiment addresses food preservation as it’s affected by zero gravity 

and above normal levels of radiation. Five samples of bread will be sent into space while 

five identical samples will be maintained on Earth for control purposes. Examination and 

comparison of variables and controls will hopefully show if zero gravity and radiation had 

any effects on bread mold growth and life activities. Data will then possibly be applied to 

future NASA missions. The second part of the experiment will investigate mealworms. 

Mealworms are popular sources of food for reptilian pets and they also go through a 

metamorphosis. Their food and oxygen requirements are minimal. The hope is that the 

samples will survive the trip and return to Earth for comparison with the earthbound control 

group. Mutations and compatibility with populations left on Earth will be examined. 

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“C.D. in Space?” - Country Centre 4-H Space Science Project, Sacramento, Calif. 

 “CD in Space” is an extension of the Country Centre 4-H Space Science “A Seed for 

Larger Service” project. This hands-on 4-H space science project encourages experiencing 

math, science, scientific research and the scientific process in an after school setting. 

The experiment team is comprised of one 4-H space science project leader and 14 youth 

ranging between the ages of 5 and 16 who reside in Sacramento County. Other individuals 

involved include professionals in the greater community to consult and aid in the 

experiment process. The purpose of this experiment is to test how radiation, vibration and 

temperature extremes in the space environment might affect a compact disc. A control 

group of CDs will remain on Earth and, using technology and scientific methods of analysis, 

the youths will compare the control group with the flight group. 

“How Do Our Space Beans Grow?” - J.M. Bailey School Kindergarten, Bayonne, N.J. 

The kindergarten students at John M. Bailey School in Bayonne, N.J., will send bean seeds 

into space. This experiment will be done in conjunction with the life science curriculum 

“PLANTS -Seeds and Plant Growth.” Children will discover if a change in environment will 

affect the growth rate of seeds. Will seeds kept in the dark germinate? Will it make a 

difference if they are in air, sand, soil or water? After seeds return from space, they will be 

planted along with a control group of seeds kept on Earth. Both sets of seeds will be 

monitored for rate of growth. Children will compare the development of buds, flowers and 

leaves. Math skills will be incorporated through measuring and graphing plant growth. 

Children will keep a journal to record observations and data during the project. 

“St. John’s Seeds” - St. John the Baptist Preschool, New Freedom, Pa. 

The experiment will investigate how the space environment will affect tomato seeds. The 

students suspect that the seeds will grow “funny” on their return. The students will get to 

see first-hand the effects of space travel. The group will be connecting this experiment to 

units on spring and the life cycle of the seed. 

“Natural Space Art (NSA)” - Shoshone-Bannack High School, Fort Hall, Idaho 

Students and staff at the Shoshone-Bannock High School located on the Fort Hall Indian 

Reservation at Fort Hall, Idaho, are planning an experiment that will investigate if urinefiltered water will mix with paint dyes. The team will be building on past space science 

projects and experiments. The team will fly the mixtures to see how they react in space. 

Students and staff will also paint small objects like canvas, wood, rocks, and metal with the 

mixtures and see how they survive the extreme temperatures of space. The team will run a 

control in the lab and compare results. Some of the questions to be investigated include: 

Will the rigors of spaceflight affect the painted materials? Will solutions of urine, water and 

dyes be usable once returned back from space? Could astronauts use filtered urine water 

for art purposes in space? 

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National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) Space 

Experiment Project 

Mission Overview 

The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) will implement protein 

crystal growth experiments for about 16 days on space shuttle mission STS-107 prior to 

actual utilization of the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) “KIBO.” Biological 

fundamental research experiments and experiments on medical applied research for 

pharmaceuticals will be conducted with the Commercial Macromolecular Protein Crystal 

Growth (CMPCG) equipment. NASDA is also providing an opportunity for a space 

education program in protein crystal growth for high school students. 

In addition, the Biospecimen Sharing Program (BSP) will clarify the effects of space on 

living organisms using rodents carried aboard the space shuttle in the Animal Enclosure 

Module (AEM). 

The experiments using the space environment will produce significant results for protein 

research and the BSP. 

Significance of Protein Research 

Today we recognize numerous growing threats to human bodies including aging, 

viruses, various diseases, and chemical substances such as environmental hormones, 

which are strongly related to various functions of proteins, important components of 

living organisms. The functions of proteins heavily depend on their three-dimensional 

structure. Clarifying the protein’s functions and its structure at the atomic level will 

contribute to research in bioscience and medicine. 

Decoding of the human genome was almost completed in June 2000, and analyses of 

protein functions and structures have received much attention as post-genomesequence research. Structure-Based Drug Design (SBDD), which applied the protein 

research in a medical development for disease treatment, has attracted many 

pharmaceutical companies. 

Protein Crystallization in Space 

High-quality single-protein crystals suitable for research are essential for highly detailed 

protein structure analysis by X-ray diffraction, the instrument used for determining the 3-

dimensional structure of macromolecules. On Earth, gravity causes crystal 

sedimentation and convection, which affect the quality of crystals. The microgravity 

environment of space has been used to grow high-quality crystals; however, there are 

still more challenges to growing high-quality crystals with high probability. Hence 

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experiments in space must be conducted continuously to clarify the crystallization 

process. 

Protein crystal growth experiments will be performed to clarify functions of various 

biologically important proteins and differences between proteins crystallized in space 

and on the Earth. High-quality crystals produced in space provide a better 

understanding of the relation between protein functions and structures and of conditions 

necessary for growing crystals of high quality. Science research themes are: study of 

the relationship between crystallization condition and crystal quality for Cytochrome; 

high-quality GCS crystal growth in microgravity; high-quality NfsB crystal growth in 

microgravity; crystallization of high-quality Congerin and Congerin mutants in 

microgravity; and crystallization of complex protein crystals in microgravity. 

Applied research themes for the STS-107 experiments are: applied research on protein 

crystallization in space for designing anti-inflammatory and anti-somnolent drugs; 

molecular design of novel drugs for parasitic diseases based on the crystal structure; 

drug discovery study for specific inhibitor of geriatric diseases; and studies on 

crystallization of a photoreceptor protein. 

 NASDA is developing common and basic techniques leading to success for space 

experiments. Such techniques would enable the prediction of optimum experimental 

conditions in space from the results of ground experiments. Protein crystal growth 

experiments will be performed to verify the developed optimal techniques for 

microgravity experiments using vapor diffusion. 

NASDA will also provide an opportunity for high school students to conduct protein 

crystal growth experiments using CMPCG aboard the space shuttle. Students will learn 

the significance of research on proteins and microgravity by conducting preparative and 

space experiments and writing papers on their analyses. 

Animal Research 

The International Space Station will be assembled at the beginning of the 21st Century. 

The advance of humans into space will then have finally started in earnest. It is 

essential to perform animal studies using mammalians, such as rodents, to ensure safe 

human space activities. Detailed analysis of the effects of the space environment on 

mammalian physiology is very important from the life science and medical viewpoints. 

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Biospecimen Sharing Program (BSP) 

Rodent experiments will be performed to clarify functions of various biologically 

significant differences between space and Earth environments. Nine experiments in the 

following four scientific fields will be performed on STS-107 by Japanese principal 

investigators. The four fields are bone and muscle, metabolism and endocrinology, 

neural system and radiation biology. The nine experiments are: 

• Effects of spaceflight on the gene expression of skeletal muscle in rats 

• Effects of spaceflight on the characteristics of fast and slow hindimb muscles of 

rats 

• Osteoactivin: A novel glycoprotein inhibiting adhesion of osteoblastic cells to 

bone matrix 

• Analysis of gene and protein expressions of cytochrome P450 and stressassociated molecules in rat livers after spaceflight 

• The effects of microgravity on mRNA expression in the vestibular endorgans 

• Effect of space environment on the metabolism of nicotinamide adenine 

dinucleotide (NAD) metabolism in rats 

• Gene expression of p53-regulated gene after exposure to space environment in 

rat 

• Effects of spaceflight on spermatogenesis in rat-expression and quantification 

factors implicated spermatogenesis 

• Effects of microgravity on the fiber component of the aortic depressor nerve in 

the Fisher 344 rat 

Commercial Macromolecular Protein Crystal Growth (CMPCG) 

CMPCG equipment provided by the University of Alabama at Birmingham and 

SPACEHAB, Inc. will be carried aboard the space shuttle. The CMPCG consists of 

1,008 crystal growth cells, using vapor diffusion methods, trays for loading the cells, and 

an incubator for cell-temperature control. NASDA will use 306 of the 1,008 cells for 

crystal growth experiments. 

Animal Enclosure Module (AEM) 

The Animal Enclosure Module (AEM) provided by NASA Ames Research Center will be 

carried aboard the space shuttle for the experiments on rodents. 

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Hardware Description 

The AEM is a rodent-housing facility that supports up to six 250-gram rats. The unit fits 

inside a standard space shuttle middeck or SPACEHAB locker with a modified locker 

door. The AEM remains in the stowage locker during launch and landing. On orbit, the 

AEM may be removed partway from the locker and the interior viewed or photographed 

through a Lexan cover on the top of the unit. With the addition of an Ambient 

Temperature Recorder, temperatures at up to four locations within the unit can be 

recorded automatically. 

Subsystems 

Air Quality: Cabin air is exchanged with the AEM through a filter system. Four fans 

create a slight negative pressure inside the AEM, ensuring an inward flow of air and 

particulate entrapment by the treated outlet filter. Cabinet air is drawn through front 

panel inlet slots, then along the side plenum walls to the rear of the AEM, then through 

the inlet filter, across the cage/animal habitat area, through the exhaust filter, and exits 

the front of the AEM. High-efficiency air (inlet and outlet) filters (electrostatic and 

phosphoric acid-treated Fiberglas pads) prevent the escape of particulate matter into 

the cabin atmosphere. Treated charcoal inside the filters helps contain animal odor and 

neutralize urine within the AEM. The filter system is rated for 21 days of odor control. 

Lighting: Four internal incandescent lamps (two used as backup) provide illumination 

and are controlled by an automatic timer to provide a standard 12:12 light/dark cycle. 

The timer is programmable for other light/dark cycles and a backup battery maintains 

the timer if AEM power is disrupted. Only two lamps are used during the light cycle to 

keep cage compartment heating to a minimum. The lamps are covered with clear caps 

to protect them from animal debris and breakage. 

Food: Rodent food bars are attached to four slide-in food bar plates inside the rodent 

cage. The food, a sterilized laboratory formula (either standard or principal investigatorformulated), is molded into rectangular bars accessible to the animals at all times during 

the mission. 

Water Box: The AEM accommodates an internal water supply containing four lixit 

drinking valves and two flexible plastic bladders for water storage. Remaining water can 

be observed through the Lexan window on top of the water box. 

Water Refill Box: This water refill box (WRB) is used for in-flight refill of drinking water 

in the AEM. Water can be pumped from the refill box to the AEM by the WRB’s 

peristatic pump. The bladder in the box can hold up to 3 liters. The box also can be 

refilled from the orbiter galley if necessary. 

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Specifications: 

Dimensions: 17(W) x 20(D) x 9.6 (H) inches 

Weight: 55 lbs (including rodents, food and water) 

Power: 35 W (2 lights only) 

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STARS Student Experiments 

SPACEHAB’s complement of commercial experiments includes six educational 

experiments designed and developed by students in six different countries under the 

auspices of Space Technology and Research Students (STARS), a global education 

program managed by SPACEHAB subsidiary Space Media. The student investigators who 

conceived these experiments will monitor their operations in space. The experiments will be 

housed in BioServe Space Technologies' Isothermal Containment Module (ICM --a small 

temperature-controlled facility that provides experiment support such as physical 

containment, lighting, and video imaging) and stowed in a middeck-size locker aboard the 

Research Double Module. 

ASTROSPIDERS - SPIDERS IN SPACE 

Glen Waverely Secondary College, Melbourne, Australia 

http://www.gwsc.vic.edu.au/stars/index.htm

Spider silk is one of the strongest materials on Earth. Each fiber can stretch 40 percent of 

its length and absorb 100 times as much energy as steel without breaking. The spider's 

unique method of silk production is comparable to methods for producing advanced 

materials such as carbon fiber and Kevlar. While artificial fibers can be expensive and 

environmentally unfriendly, spiders can manufacture superior materials in the relatively 

benign environment of their internal organs. The spider species chosen for flight is the 

Garden Orb Weaver (Eriophora biapicata), because it builds a perfect orb web, renews its 

web every night, is nonpoisonous, has a placid nature, and is commonly found in Australia 

and New Zealand while similar species are found in North America. 

The hypothesis for this experiment is that the spider will build a different web than the sort 

of web it would make on Earth. The web's makeup may also be affected. The aim of this 

experiment is to investigate how a spider adapts to life in microgravity, determine how 

spiders spin their webs in microgravity, observe how spiders eat in a weightless 

environment, and capture web samples for analysis on Earth. 

The Victorian Department of State and Regional Development is sponsoring this 

experiment. The Melbourne Zoo and the RMIT University are providing assistance. 

SILKWORM LIFE CYCLE DURING SPACEFLIGHT 

Jingshan School, Beijing, China 

The objective of this experiment is to observe and characterize the effects of spaceflight on 

the development of silkworm eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults. Upon their return to Earth, 

the silkworms and the silk they produce in space will be examined and compared to 

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equivalent organisms and silk grown under identical environmental conditions on the 

ground. 

The hypothesis for this experiment is that silkworm larvae will develop differently in a lowgravity environment, possibly due to the direct effects of microgravity or to indirect effects 

such as altered eating habits or other behavioral changes; that microgravity will affect the 

placement and construction of the silkworms' cocoons as well as the process of emergence 

for adult moths; and that microgravity will affect the development of silkworm eggs, 

particularly during the first hours of cell division. 

China Time Network is providing support to Jingshan School for this experiment. 

CHEMICAL GARDEN 

Ort-Matzkin School, Haifa, Israel 

This experiment is designed to allow investigators to observe the growth of cobalt and 

calcium chloride salt filaments in a sodium silicate solution. In Earth gravity, thin crystal 

filaments grow towards the surface of the aqueous medium. Investigators surmise that this 

preference toward upward growth may be negated during spaceflight, allowing them to 

investigate the growth mechanisms of crystalline fibers. 

Investigators anticipate that, in space, the crystalline fibers or filaments will grow differently 

in microgravity because the fiber growth mechanisms are gravitropic. One hypothesis is 

that air bubbles often appearing at the tips of growing filaments could act as a buoyant 

force, pulling filaments toward the top of the aqueous medium. A second hypothesis 

involves the effects of hydrostatic pressure differential. Typically, filaments grow in small 

stages, appearing somewhat like a continual stack of tiny spheres. The pressure differential 

between the top and the bottom of a sphere may cause the top of the sphere to crack and 

act as the nucleation site for the next sphere. In either case, elimination of the gravity field 

should provide insight into the growth mechanisms of salt filaments. 

Technion University is providing support to this experiment. 

FLIGHT OF THE MEDAKA FISH 

Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan 

This experiment will examine the effect of microgravity on a closed aquatic environment 

including Medaka fish embryos during a 16-day spaceflight. 

Student investigator Maki Nihori of Ochanomizu University has hypothesized that Medaka 

fish fry will develop faster in microgravity, possibly due to lower expenditure of energy. She 

also anticipates that Medaka fish fry hatched in microgravity will behave normally and have 

an adaptation period followed by normal swimming behavior after returning to Earth. 

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Sponsors and partners for this experiment include the Tokyo Institute of Technology 

Foundation, the Japanese Space Promotion Center, and the Japan-U.S. Science, 

Technology and Space Applications Program. Paragon Space Development Corp. of 

Tucson, Arizona, is providing its Autonomous Biological System, a self-contained life 

support system, for this experiment; Paragon also provided the student investigator with a 

two-month internship in ecosystems research. 

SPICE BEES IN SPACE 

Liechtenstein Gymnasium, Liechtenstein 

This experiment studies the behavior of carpenter bees. Female carpenter bees construct 

nests by boring tunnels in flower stalks or wood. When the bees construct tunnels in wood, 

their chewing can be heard from several feet away. A female bee may construct several 

tunnels a season. Each finished tunnel branches into a series of cells, in which the female 

deposits pollen and nectar and then lays eggs on the food mass. 

Investigators hypothesize that carpenter bees will exhibit different behaviors in microgravity 

than they do on Earth. Their tunneling habits will likely be altered since they may find it 

difficult to determine their gravity vectors in space. Tunnels drilled in space therefore may 

take on a different shape than those made on the ground. 

The VP Bank of Liechtenstein is sponsoring this experiment. 

ANTS IN SPACE 

Fowler High School, Syracuse, New York 

The objective of this experiment is to observe and characterize the effects of spaceflight on 

the tunneling behavior of harvester ants, focused on their activity level and social 

interactions. Upon their return to Earth, the ants and their tunnels will be examined and 

compared to an equivalent colony kept under similar environmental conditions on the 

ground. A special transparent gel will serve as the ants' tunneling medium, food and water 

source, and antifungal material. 

The hypothesis for this experiment is that the ants will tunnel at a slower rate in 

microgravity than they do on Earth. Investigators anticipate that ants will tunnel and forage 

differently in microgravity, possibly due to the direct effects of microgravity or indirect 

effects such as altered eating habits or other behaviors. As the ants begin to build their 

tunnels as a means of foraging for food, microgravity may affect the ants' placement and 

construction of tunnels as well as their foraging habits. Further, microgravity may affect the 

structure of tunnels once they are made, particularly during the latter stages of flight. 

Because ants are highly social and collectively industrious creatures, some changes in 

colony behavior can be expected. The stresses involved in adapting to microgravity may 

cause deterioration in the social fabric of the colony and changes in collective behavior. 

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Syracuse University is providing support to this experiment. 

Contacts for more information: 

U.S. “Ants in Space” experiment: 

Prof. Eric Spina 

Syracuse University 

Phone: 315-443-3604 

efspina@syr.edu 

 

Israeli “Chemical Garden” experiment: 

Prof. Yigal Khomem 

Technion University, Tel Aviv 

Phone: 011/972-4829-4581, x. 91 

khomem@techunix.technion.ac.il

Japanese “Medaka Fish” experiment: 

Dr. Osamu Odawara, 

odawara@echem.titech.ac.jp 

 

Australian “Astrospiders” experiment: 

Mr. Kevin Manning 

Phone: 011-61-3-5995-1255 

aei@hqspacehab.com

Liechtenstein “Spice Bees” experiment, Liechtenstein Gymnasium: 

Mr. Manfred Schlapp 

Phone: 011-42-3-236-0606 

Manfred@schlapp.li

Chinese "Silk Worms in Space” experiment: 

Mr. Hu Ji, 

China Time Network, 

Phone: 011-86-1-0639-1688, x. 309 

huji@chinatimenet.com

For more information on STARS student experiments see: 

http://www.spacehab.com/stars

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Detailed Test Objectives (DTOs) and Detailed Supplementary 

Objectives (DSOs) 

Detailed Test Objectives (DTOs) 

Single String Global Positioning System (DTO 700-14) 

The purpose of this experiment is to demonstrate the performance and operations of the 

GPS during orbiter ascent, entry and landing phases utilizing a modified military GPS 

receiver processor and the existing orbiter GPS antennas. 

Crosswind Landing Performance (DTO 805—DTO of Opportunity) 

The purpose of this experiment is to demonstrate the capability to perform a manually 

controlled landing in the presence of a crosswind. 

Pre- and Post-flight Detailed Supplementary Objectives (DSOs) 

Pharmacokinetics & Contributing Physiologic Changes During Spaceflight – 

Protocol B (DSO 632) 

Changes in gastrointestinal function and physiology as a result of spaceflight affect drug 

absorption and the bioavailability of oral medications, which can compromise therapeutic 

effectiveness. This DSO will lead to the design and development of effective 

pharmocological countermeasures and therapeutic adjustments for spaceflight. 

Spatial Reorientation Following Spaceflight (DSO 635) 

A previous observation suggested that discordant sensory stimuli caused by an unusual 

motion environment disrupted spatial orientation and balance control in a returning 

crewmember by triggering a state change in central vestibular processing. The findings of 

the current investigation are expected to demonstrate the degree to which challenging 

motion environments may affect post-flight (re)adaptation to gravity. 

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Shuttle Reference Data 

Shuttle Abort History 

RSLS Abort History: 

(STS-41 D) June 26, 1984 

The countdown for the second launch attempt for Discovery’s maiden flight ended at T-4 

seconds when the orbiter’s computers detected a sluggish valve in main engine #3.The 

main engine was replaced and Discovery was finally launched on August 30, 1984. 

(STS-51 F) July 12, 1985 

The countdown for Challenger’s launch was halted at T-3 seconds when onboardcomputers detected a problem with a coolant valve on main engine #2. The valve 

wasreplaced and Challenger was launched on July 29, 1985. 

(STS-55) March 22, 1993 

The countdown for Columbia’s launch was halted by on-board computers at T-3seconds 

following a problem with purge pressure readings in the oxidizer preburner onmain engine 

#2 Columbia’s three main engines were replaced on the launch pad, andthe flight was 

rescheduled behind Discovery’s launch on STS-56. Columbia finallylaunched on April 26, 

1993. 

(STS-51) August 12, 1993 

The countdown for Discovery’s third launch attempt ended at the T-3 second markwhen onboard computers detected the failure of one of four sensors in main engine #2which 

monitor the flow of hydrogen fuel to the engine. All of Discovery’s main engineswere 

ordered replaced on the launch pad, delaying the Shuttle’s fourth launch attemptuntil 

September 12, 1993. 

(STS-68) August 18, 1994 

The countdown for Endeavour’s first launch attempt ended 1.9 seconds before liftoffwhen 

on-board computers detected higher than acceptable readings in one channel of asensor 

monitoring the discharge temperature of the high pressure oxidizer turbopump inmain 

engine #3. A test firing of the engine at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi 

onSeptember 2nd confirmed that a slight drift in a fuel flow meter in the engine caused 

aslight increase in the turbopump’s temperature. The test firing also confirmed a 

slightlyslower start for main engine #3 during the pad abort, which could have contributed 

tothe higher temperatures. After Endeavour was brought back to the Vehicle 

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AssemblyBuilding to be outfitted with three replacement engines, NASA managers set 

October2nd as the date for Endeavour’s second launch attempt. 

Abort to Orbit History: 

(STS-51 F) July 29, 1985 

After an RSLS abort on July 12, 1985, Challenger was launched on July 29, 1985. 

Fiveminutes and 45 seconds after launch, a sensor problem resulted in the shutdown 

ofcenter engine #1, resulting in a safe "abort to orbit" and successful completion of 

themission. 

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Shuttle Reference Data 

Shuttle Abort Modes 

RSLS ABORTS 

These occur when the onboard shuttle computers detect a problem and command a halt 

inthe launch sequence after taking over from the Ground Launch Sequencer and before 

SolidRocket Booster ignition. 

ASCENT ABORTS 

Selection of an ascent abort mode may become necessary if there is a failure that 

affectsvehicle performance, such as the failure of a space shuttle main engine or an 

orbitalmaneuvering system. Other failures requiring early termination of a flight, such as a 

cabinleak, might also require the selection of an abort mode. There are two basic types of 

ascent abort modes for space shuttle missions: intact aborts 

and contingency aborts. Intact aborts are designed to provide a safe return of the orbiter 

toa planned landing site. Contingency aborts are designed to permit flight crew 

survivalfollowing more severe failures when an intact abort is not possible. A contingency 

abort would generally result in a ditch operation. 

INTACT ABORTS 

There are four types of intact aborts: abort to orbit (ATO), abort once around (AOA), 

transoceanic abort landing (TAL) and return to launch site (RTLS). 

Return to Launch Site 

The RTLS abort mode is designed to allow the return of the orbiter, crew, and payload 

tothe launch site, Kennedy Space Center, approximately 25 minutes after lift-off.The RTLS 

profile is designed to accommodate the loss of thrust from one space shuttle main engine 

between lift-off and approximately four minutes 20 seconds, at which time not enough main 

propulsion system propellant remains to return to the launch site. An RTLS can be 

considered to consist of three stages--a powered stage, during which the space shuttle 

main engines are still thrusting; an ET separation phase; and the glide phase, during which 

the orbiter glides to a landing at the Kennedy Space Center. The powered RTLS phase 

begins with the crew selection of the RTLS abort, which is done after solid rocket booster 

separation. The crew selects the abort mode by positioning the abort rotary switch to RTLS 

and depressing the abort push button. The time at which the RTLS is selected depends on 

the reason for the abort. For example, a three-engine RTLS is selected at the last moment, 

approximately three minutes 34 seconds into the mission; whereas an RTLS chosen due to 

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an engine out at lift-off is selected at the earliest time, approximately two minutes 20 

seconds into the mission (after solid rocket booster separation). 

After RTLS is selected, the vehicle continues downrange to dissipate excess main 

propulsion system propellant. The goal is to leave only enough main propulsion system 

propellant to be able to turn the vehicle around, fly back towards the Kennedy Space 

Center and achieve the proper main engine cutoff conditions so the vehicle can glide to the 

Kennedy Space Center after external tank separation. During the downrange phase, a 

pitch-around maneuver is initiated (the time depends in part on the time of a space shuttle 

main engine failure) to orient the orbiter/external tank configuration to a heads up attitude, 

pointing toward the launch site. At this time, the vehicle is still moving away from the launch 

site, but the space shuttle main engines are now thrusting to null the downrange velocity. In 

addition, excess orbital maneuvering system and reaction control system propellants are 

dumped by continuous orbital maneuvering system and reaction control system engine 

thrustings to improve the orbiter weight and center of gravity for the glide phase and 

landing. 

The vehicle will reach the desired main engine cutoff point with less than 2 percent excess 

propellant remaining in the external tank. At main engine cutoff minus 20 seconds, a 

pitchdown maneuver (called powered pitch-down) takes the mated vehicle to the required 

external tank separation attitude and pitch rate. After main engine cutoff has been 

commanded, the external tank separation sequence begins, including a reaction control 

system translation that ensures that the orbiter does not recontact the external tank and 

that the orbiter has achieved the necessary pitch attitude to begin the glide phase of the 

RTLS. 

After the reaction control system translation maneuver has been completed, the glide 

phase of the RTLS begins. From then on, the RTLS is handled similarly to a normal entry. 

Transoceanic Abort Landing 

The TAL abort mode was developed to improve the options available when a space shuttle 

main engine fails after the last RTLS opportunity but before the first time that an AOA can 

be accomplished with only two space shuttle main engines or when a major orbiter system 

failure, for example, a large cabin pressure leak or cooling system failure, occurs after the 

last RTLS opportunity, making it imperative to land as quickly as possible. 

In a TAL abort, the vehicle continues on a ballistic trajectory across the Atlantic Ocean to 

land at a predetermined runway. Landing occurs approximately 45 minutes after launch. 

The landing site is selected near the nominal ascent ground track of the orbiter in order to 

make the most efficient use of space shuttle main engine propellant. The landing site also 

must have the necessary runway length, weather conditions and U.S. State Department 

approval. Currently, the three landing sites that have been identified for a due east launch 

are Moron, Spain; Zaragoza, Spain; and Ben Guerur, Morocco (on the west coast of 

Africa). 

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To select the TAL abort mode, the crew must place the abort rotary switch in the TAL/AOA 

position and depress the abort push button before main engine cutoff. (Depressing it after 

main engine cutoff selects the AOA abort mode.) The TAL abort mode begins sending 

commands to steer the vehicle toward the plane of the landing site. It also rolls the vehicle 

heads up before main engine cutoff and sends commands to begin an orbital maneuvering 

system propellant dump (by burning the propellants through the orbital maneuveringsystem 

engines and the reaction control system engines). This dump is necessary to increase 

vehicle performance (by decreasing weight), to place the center of gravity in the proper 

place for vehicle control, and to decrease the vehicle's landing weight. 

TAL is handled like a nominal entry. 

Abort to Orbit 

An ATO is an abort mode used to boost the orbiter to a safe orbital altitude when 

performance has been lost and it is impossible to reach the planned orbital altitude. If a 

space shuttle main engine fails in a region that results in a main engine cutoff under speed, 

the Mission Control Center will determine that an abort mode is necessary and will inform 

the crew. The orbital maneuvering system engines would be used to place the orbiter in a 

circular orbit. 

Abort Once Around 

The AOA abort mode is used in cases in which vehicle performance has been lost to such 

an extent that either it is impossible to achieve a viable orbit or not enough orbital 

maneuvering system propellant is available to accomplish the orbital maneuvering system 

thrusting maneuver to place the orbiter on orbit and the deorbit thrusting maneuver. In 

addition, an AOA is used in cases in which a major systems problem (cabin leak, loss of 

cooling) makes it necessary to land quickly. In the AOA abort mode, one orbital 

maneuvering system thrusting sequence is made to adjust the post-main engine cutoff orbit 

so a second orbital maneuvering system thrusting sequence will result in the vehicle 

deorbiting and landing at the AOA landing site (White Sands, N.M.; Edwards Air Force 

Base; or the Kennedy Space Center). Thus, an AOA results in the orbiter circling the Earth 

once and landing approximately 90 minutes after lift-off. 

After the deorbit thrusting sequence has been executed, the flight crew flies to a landing at 

the planned site much as it would for a nominal entry. 

CONTINGENCY ABORTS 

Contingency aborts are caused by loss of more than one main engine or failures in other 

systems. Loss of one main engine while another is stuck at a low thrust setting may also 

necessitate a contingency abort. Such an abort would maintain orbiter integrity for in-flight 

crew escape if a landing cannot be achieved at a suitable landing field. 

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Contingency aborts due to system failures other than those involving the main engines 

would normally result in an intact recovery of vehicle and crew. Loss of more than one main 

engine may, depending on engine failure times, result in a safe runway landing. However, 

in most three-engine-out cases during ascent, the orbiter would have to be ditched. The 

inflight crew escape system would be used before ditching the orbiter. 

ABORT DECISIONS 

There is a definite order of preference for the various abort modes. The type of failure and 

the time of the failure determine which type of abort is selected. In cases where 

performance loss is the only factor, the preferred modes would be ATO, AOA, TAL and 

RTLS, in that order. The mode chosen is the highest one that can be completed with the 

remaining vehicle performance. 

In the case of some support system failures, such as cabin leaks or vehicle cooling 

problems, the preferred mode might be the one that will end the mission most quickly. In 

these cases, TAL or RTLS might be preferable to AOA or ATO. A contingency abort is 

never chosen if another abort option exists. 

The Mission Control Center-Houston is prime for calling these aborts because it has a more 

precise knowledge of the orbiter's position than the crew can obtain from onboard systems. 

Before main engine cutoff, Mission Control makes periodic calls to the crew to tell them 

which abort mode is (or is not) available. If ground communications are lost, the flight crew 

has onboard methods, such as cue cards, dedicated displays and display information, to 

determine the current abort region. 

Which abort mode is selected depends on the cause and timing of the failure causing the 

abort and which mode is safest or improves mission success. If the problem is a space 

shuttle main engine failure, the flight crew and Mission Control Center select the best 

option available at the time a space shuttle main engine fails. 

If the problem is a system failure that jeopardizes the vehicle, the fastest abort mode that 

results in the earliest vehicle landing is chosen. RTLS and TAL are the quickest options (35 

minutes), whereas an AOA requires approximately 90 minutes. Which of these is selected 

depends on the time of the failure with three good space shuttle main engines. 

The flight crew selects the abort mode by positioning an abort mode switch and depressing 

an abort push button. 

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Shuttle Reference Data 

Space Shuttle Rendezvous Maneuvers 

COMMON SHUTTLE RENDEZVOUS MANEUVERS 

OMS-1 (Orbit insertion) - Rarely used ascent abort burn 

OMS-2 (Orbit insertion) - Typically used to circularize the initial orbit following ascent, 

completing orbital insertion. For ground-up rendezvous flights, also considered a 

rendezvous phasing burn 

NC (Rendezvous phasing) - Performed to hit a range relative to the target at a future time 

NH (Rendezvous height adjust) - Performed to hit a delta-height relative to the target at a 

future time 

NPC (Rendezvous plane change) - Performed to remove planar errors relative to the 

target at a future time 

NCC (Rendezvous corrective combination) - First on-board targeted burn in the 

rendezvous sequence. Using star tracker data, it is performed to remove phasing and 

height errors relative to the target at Ti 

Ti (Rendezvous terminal intercept) - Second on-board targeted burn in the rendezvous 

sequence. Using primarily rendezvous radar data, it places the Orbiter on a trajectory to 

intercept the target in one orbit 

MC-1, MC-2, MC-3, MC-4 (Rendezvous midcourse burns) - These on-board targeted 

burns use star tracker and rendezvous radar data to correct the post-Ti trajectory in 

preparation for the final, manual proximity operations phase 

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Shuttle Reference Data 

Space Shuttle Main Engines 

Developed in the 1970s by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., the 

Space Shuttle Main Engine is the most advanced liquid-fueled rocket engine ever built. Its 

main features include variable thrust, high performance, reusability, high redundancy, and a 

fully integrated engine controller. 

The shuttle’s three main engines are mounted on the Orbiter aft fuselage in a triangular 

pattern. Spaced so that they are movable during launch, the engines are used – in 

conjunction with the Solid Rocket Boosters – to steer the shuttle vehicle. 

Each of these powerful main engines is 14 feet (4.2 meters) long, weighs approximately 

7,000 pounds (3,150 kilograms) and is 7.5 feet (2.25 meters) in diameter at the end of its 

nozzle. 

The engines operate for about eight-and-one-half minutes during liftoff and ascent -- 

burning more than 500,000 gallons (1.9 million liters) of super-cold liquid hydrogen and 

liquid oxygen propellants stored in the huge external tank attached to the underside of the 

shuttle. The engines shut down just before the shuttle, traveling at about 17,000 mph 

(28,000 kilometers per hour), reaches orbit. 

The Main Engine operates at greater temperature extremes than any mechanical system in 

common use today. The fuel, liquefied hydrogen at -423 degrees Fahrenheit (-

253 degrees Celsius) is the second coldest liquid on Earth. When it and the liquid oxygen 

are combusted, the temperature in the main combustion chamber is 6,000 degrees 

Fahrenheit (3,316 degrees Celsius), hotter than the boiling point of iron. 

The main engines use a staged combustion cycle so that all propellants entering the 

engines are used to produce thrust or power -- more efficiently than any previous rocket 

engine. In a staged combustion cycle, propellants are first burned partially at high pressure 

and relatively low temperature -- then burned completely at high temperature and pressure 

in the main combustion chamber. The rapid mixing of the propellants under these 

conditions is so complete that 99 percent of the fuel is burned. 

At normal operating level, the engines generate 490,847 pounds of thrust (measured in a 

vacuum). Full power is 512,900 pounds of thrust; minimum power is at 316,100 pounds of 

thrust. 

The engine can be throttled by varying the output of the pre-burners, thus varying the 

speed of the high-pressure turbopumps and, therefore, the flow of the propellant. 

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At approximately 26 seconds into launch the main engines are throttled down to 316,000 

pounds of thrust to keep the dynamic pressure on the vehicle below a specified level -- 

about 580 pounds per square foot or max q. Then, the engines are throttled back up to 

normal operating level at approximately 60 seconds. This reduces stress on the vehicle. 

The main engines are throttled down again at approximately seven minutes 40 seconds 

into the mission to maintain 3 g’s – three times the Earth’s gravitational pull – again 

reducing stress on the crew and the vehicle. This acceleration level is about one-third the 

acceleration experienced on previous crewed space flights. 

Approximately 10 seconds before Main Engine Cutoff or MECO, the cutoff sequence 

begins; about three seconds later the main engines are commanded to begin throttling at 

10-percent thrust per second to 65-percent thrust. This is held for approximately 

6.7seconds, and the engines are shut down. 

The engine performance has the highest thrust for its weight of any engine yet developed. 

In fact, one Space Shuttle Main Engine generates sufficient thrust to maintain the flight of 

two-and-one-half 747 airplanes. 

The Space Shuttle Main Engine is also the first rocket engine to use a built-in electronic 

digital controller, or computer. The controller will accept commands from the Orbiter for 

engine start, change in throttle, shutdown, and monitor engine operation. In the event of a 

failure, the controller automatically corrects the problem or safely shuts down the engine. 

NASA continues to increase the reliability and safety of shuttle flights through a series of 

enhancements to the Space Shuttle Main Engines. The engines were modified in 1988, 

1995, 1998 and 2001. Modifications include new high-pressure fuel and oxidizer 

turbopumps that reduce maintenance and operating costs of the engine, a two-duct 

powerhead that reduces pressure and turbulence in the engine, a single-coil heat 

exchanger that lowers the number of post flight inspections required. Another modification 

incorporates a large-throat main combustion chamber that improves the engine’s reliability 

by reducing pressure and temperature in the chamber. 

NASA projects an upcoming enhancement – the Advanced Health Management System – 

will further improve safety, reliability and performance. The Advanced Health Management 

System is a high tech system that couples optical and vibration sensors with advanced 

processing and computing technology. It will monitor the main engines and “see” any 

problems. After the orbiter lands, the engines are removed and returned to a processing 

facility at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., where they are rechecked and readied for the next 

flight. Some components are returned to the main engine’s prime contractor, Rocketdyne 

Propulsion & Power unit of the Boeing Company, Canoga Park, Calif., for regular 

maintenance. The main engines are designed to operate for 7.5 accumulated hours. 

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Shuttle Reference Data 

Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters 

The two SRBs provide the main thrust to lift the space shuttle off the pad and up to an 

altitude of about 150,000 feet, or 24 nautical miles (28 statute miles). In addition, the two 

SRBs carry the entire weight of the external tank and orbiter and transmit the weight load 

through their structure to the mobile launcher platform. 

Each booster has a thrust (sea level) of approximately 3,300,000 pounds at launch. They 

are ignited after the three space shuttle main engines' thrust level is verified. The two SRBs 

provide 71.4 percent of the thrust at lift- off and during first-stage ascent. Seventy- five 

seconds after SRB separation, SRB apogee occurs at an altitude of approximately 220,000 

feet, or 35 nautical miles (40 statute miles). SRB impact occurs in the ocean approximately 

122 nautical miles (140 statute miles) downrange. 

The SRBs are the largest solid-propellant motors ever flown and the first designed for 

reuse. Each is 149.16 feet long and 12.17 feet in diameter. 

Each SRB weighs approximately 1,300,000 pounds at launch. The propellant for each solid 

rocket motor weighs approximately 1,100,000 pounds. The inert weight of each SRB is 

approximately 192,000 pounds. 

Primary elements of each booster are the motor (including case, propellant, igniter and 

nozzle), structure, separation systems, operational flight instrumentation, recovery avionics, 

pyrotechnics, deceleration system, thrust vector control system and range safety destruct 

system. 

Each booster is attached to the external tank at the SRB’s aft frame by two lateral sway 

braces and a diagonal attachment. The forward end of each SRB is attached to the 

external tank at the forward end of the SRB’s forward skirt. On the launch pad, each 

booster also is attached to the mobile launcher platform at the aft skirt by four bolts and 

nuts that are severed by small explosives at lift-off. 

During the downtime following the Challenger accident, detailed structural analyses were 

performed on critical structural elements of the SRB. Analyses were primarily focused in 

areas where anomalies had been noted during postflight inspection of recovered hardware. 

One of the areas was the attach ring where the SRBs are connected to the external tank. 

Areas of distress were noted in some of the fasteners where the ring attaches to the SRB 

motor case. This situation was attributed to the high loads encountered during water 

impact. To correct the situation and ensure higher strength margins during ascent, the 

attach ring was redesigned to encircle the motor case completely (360 degrees). 

Previously, the attach ring formed a C and encircled the motor case 270 degrees. 

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Additionally, special structural tests were performed on the aft skirt. During this test 

program, an anomaly occurred in a critical weld between the hold-down post and skin of 

the skirt. A redesign was implemented to add reinforcement brackets and fittings in the aft 

ring of the skirt. 

These two modifications added approximately 450 pounds to the weight of each SRB. 

The propellant mixture in each SRB motor consists of an ammonium perchlorate (oxidizer, 

69.6 percent by weight), aluminum (fuel, 16 percent), iron oxide (a catalyst, 0.4 percent), a 

polymer (a binder that holds the mixture together, 12.04 percent), and an epoxy curing 

agent (1.96 percent). The propellant is an 11-point star-shaped perforation in the forward 

motor segment and a double-truncated-cone perforation in each of the aft segments and aft 

closure. This configuration provides high thrust at ignition and then reduces the thrust by 

approximately a third 50 seconds after lift-off to prevent overstressing the vehicle during 

maximum dynamic pressure. 

The SRBs are used as matched pairs and each is made up of four solid rocket motor 

segments. The pairs are matched by loading each of the four motor segments in pairs from 

the same batches of propellant ingredients to minimize any thrust imbalance. The 

segmented-casing design assures maximum flexibility in fabrication and ease of 

transportation and handling. Each segment is shipped to the launch site on a heavy-duty 

rail car with a specially built cover. 

The nozzle expansion ratio of each booster beginning with the STS-8 mission is 7-to-79. 

The nozzle is gimbaled for thrust vector (direction) control. Each SRB has its own 

redundant auxiliary power units and hydraulic pumps. The all-axis gimbaling capability is 8 

degrees. Each nozzle has a carbon cloth liner that erodes and chars during firing. The 

nozzle is a convergent-divergent, movable design in which an aft pivot-point flexible 

bearing is the gimbal mechanism. 

The cone- shaped aft skirt reacts the aft loads between the SRB and the mobile launcher 

platform. The four aft separation motors are mounted on the skirt. The aft section contains 

avionics, a thrust vector control system that consists of two auxiliary power units and 

hydraulic pumps, hydraulic systems and a nozzle extension jettison system. 

The forward section of each booster contains avionics, a sequencer, forward separation 

motors, a nose cone separation system, drogue and main parachutes, a recovery beacon, 

a recovery light, a parachute camera on selected flights and a range safety system. 

Each SRB has two integrated electronic assemblies, one forward and one aft. After 

burnout, the forward assembly initiates the release of the nose cap and frustum and turns 

on the recovery aids. The aft assembly, mounted in the external tank/SRB attach ring, 

connects with the forward assembly and the orbiter avionics systems for SRB ignition 

commands and nozzle thrust vector control. Each integrated electronic assembly has a 

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multiplexer/ demultiplexer, which sends or receives more than one message, signal or unit 

of information on a single communication channel. 

Eight booster separation motors (four in the nose frustum and four in the aft skirt) of each 

SRB thrust for 1.02 seconds at SRB separation from the external tank. Each solid rocket 

separation motor is 31.1 inches long and 12.8 inches in diameter. 

Location aids are provided for each SRB, frustum/drogue chutes and main parachutes. 

These include a transmitter, antenna, strobe/converter, battery and salt water 

switchelectronics. The location aids are designed for a minimum operating life of 72 hours 

and when refurbished are considered usable up to 20 times. The flashing light is an 

exception. It has an operating life of 280 hours. The battery is used only once. 

The SRB nose caps and nozzle extensions are not recovered. 

The recovery crew retrieves the SRBs, frustum/drogue chutes, and main parachutes. The 

nozzles are plugged, the solid rocket motors are dewatered, and the SRBs are towed back 

to the launch site. Each booster is removed from the water, and its components are 

disassembled and washed with fresh and deionized water to limit salt water corrosion. The 

motor segments, igniter and nozzle are shipped back to Thiokol for refurbishment. 

Each SRB incorporates a range safety system that includes a battery power source, 

receiver/ decoder, antennas and ordnance. 

HOLD-DOWN POSTS 

Each solid rocket booster has four hold-down posts that fit into corresponding support posts 

on the mobile launcher platform. Hold-down bolts hold the SRB and launcher platform 

posts together. Each bolt has a nut at each end, but only the top nut is frangible. The top 

nut contains two NASA standard detonators, which are ignited at solid rocket motor ignition 

commands. 

When the two NSDs are ignited at each hold-down, the hold-down bolt travels downward 

because of the release of tension in the bolt (pretensioned before launch), NSD gas 

pressure and gravity. The bolt is stopped by the stud deceleration stand, which contains 

sand. The SRB bolt is 28 inches long and is 3.5 inches in diameter. The frangible nut is 

captured in a blast container. 

The solid rocket motor ignition commands are issued by the orbiter''s computers through 

the master events controllers to the hold-down pyrotechnic initiator controllers on the 

mobile launcher platform. They provide the ignition to the hold-down NSDs. The launch 

processing system monitors the SRB hold-down PICs for low voltage during the last 16 

seconds before launch. PIC low voltage will initiate a launch hold. 

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SRB IGNITION 

SRB ignition can occur only when a manual lock pin from each SRB safe and arm device 

has been removed. The ground crew removes the pin during prelaunch activities. At T 

minus five minutes, the SRB safe and arm device is rotated to the arm position. The solid 

rocket motor ignition commands are issued when the three SSMEs are at or above 90- 

percent rated thrust, no SSME fail and/or SRB ignition PIC low voltage is indicated and 

there are no holds from the LPS. 

The solid rocket motor ignition commands are sent by the orbiter computers through the 

MECs to the safe and arm device NSDs in each SRB. A PIC single-channel capacitor 

discharge device controls the firing of each pyrotechnic device. Three signals must be 

present simultaneously for the PIC to generate the pyro firing output. These signals--arm, 

fire 1 and fire 2--originate in the orbiter general-purpose computers and are transmitted to 

the MECs. The MECs reformat them to 28-volt dc signals for the PICs. The arm signal 

charges the PIC capacitor to 40 volts dc (minimum of 20 volts dc). 

The fire 2 commands cause the redundant NSDs to fire through a thin barrier seal down a 

flame tunnel. This ignites a pyro booster charge, which is retained in the safe and arm 

device behind a perforated plate. The booster charge ignites the propellant in the igniter 

initiator; and combustion products of this propellant ignite the solid rocket motor initiator, 

which fires down the length of the solid rocket motor igniting the solid rocket motor 

propellant. 

The GPC launch sequence also controls certain critical main propulsion system valves and 

monitors the engine-ready indications from the SSMEs. The MPS start commands are 

issued by the onboard computers at T minus 6.6 seconds (staggered start--engine three, 

engine two, engine one--all approximately within 0.25 of a second), and the sequence 

monitors the thrust buildup of each engine. All three SSMEs must reach the required 90- 

percent thrust within three seconds; otherwise, an orderly shutdown is commanded and 

safing functions are initiated. 

Normal thrust buildup to the required 90-percent thrust level will result in the SSMEs being 

commanded to the lift-off position at T minus three seconds as well as the fire 1 command 

being issued to arm the SRBs. At T minus three seconds, the vehicle base bending load 

modes are allowed to initialize (movement of approximately 25.5 inches measured at the tip 

of the external tank, with movement towards the external tank). 

At T minus zero, the two SRBs are ignited, under command of the four onboard computers; 

separation of the four explosive bolts on each SRB is initiated (each bolt is 28 inches long 

and 3.5 inches in diameter); the two T-0 umbilicals (one on each side of the spacecraft) are 

retracted; the onboard master timing unit, event timer and mission event timers are started; 

the three SSMEs are at 100 percent; and the ground launch sequence is terminated. 

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The solid rocket motor thrust profile is tailored to reduce thrust during the maximum 

dynamic pressure region. 

ELECTRICAL POWER DISTRIBUTION 

Electrical power distribution in each SRB consists of orbiter-supplied main dc bus power to 

each SRB via SRB buses A, B and C. Orbiter main dc buses A, B and C supply main dc 

bus power to corresponding SRB buses A, B and C. In addition, orbiter main dc bus C 

supplies backup power to SRB buses A and B, and orbiter bus B supplies backup power to 

SRB bus C. This electrical power distribution arrangement allows all SRB buses to remain 

powered in the event one orbiter main bus fails. 

The nominal dc voltage is 28 volts dc, with an upper limit of 32 volts dc and a lower limit of 

24 volts dc. 

HYDRAULIC POWER UNITS 

There are two self-contained, independent HPUs on each SRB. Each HPU consists of an 

auxiliary power unit, fuel supply module, hydraulic pump, hydraulic reservoir and hydraulic 

fluid manifold assembly. The APUs are fueled by hydrazine and generate mechanical shaft 

power to a hydraulic pump that produces hydraulic pressure for the SRB hydraulic system. 

The two separate HPUs and two hydraulic systems are located on the aft end of each SRB 

between the SRB nozzle and aft skirt. The HPU components are mounted on the aft skirt 

between the rock and tilt actuators. The two systems operate from T minus 28 seconds 

until SRB separation from the orbiter and external tank. The two independent hydraulic 

systems are connected to the rock and tilt servoactuators. 

The APU controller electronics are located in the SRB aft integrated electronic assemblies 

on the aft external tank attach rings. 

The APUs and their fuel systems are isolated from each other. Each fuel supply module 

(tank) contains 22 pounds of hydrazine. The fuel tank is pressurized with gaseous nitrogen 

at 400 psi, which provides the force to expel (positive expulsion) the fuel from the tank to 

the fuel distribution line, maintaining a positive fuel supply to the APU throughout its 

operation. 

The fuel isolation valve is opened at APU startup to allow fuel to flow to the APU fuel pump 

and control valves and then to the gas generator. The gas generator's catalytic action 

decomposes the fuel and creates a hot gas. It feeds the hot gas exhaust product to the 

APU two-stage gas turbine. Fuel flows primarily through the startup bypass line until the 

APU speed is such that the fuel pump outlet pressure is greater than the bypass line's. 

Then all the fuel is supplied to the fuel pump. 

The APU turbine assembly provides mechanical power to the APU gearbox. The gearbox 

drives the APU fuel pump, hydraulic pump and lube oil pump. The APU lube oil pump 

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lubricates the gearbox. The turbine exhaust of each APU flows over the exterior of the gas 

generator, cooling it, and is then directed overboard through an exhaust duct. 

When the APU speed reaches 100 percent, the APU primary control valve closes, and the 

APU speed is controlled by the APU controller electronics. If the primary control valve logic 

fails to the open state, the secondary control valve assumes control of the APU at 112-

percent speed. 

Each HPU on an SRB is connected to both servoactuators on that SRB. One HPU serves 

as the primary hydraulic source for the servoactuator, and the other HPU serves as the 

secondary hydraulics for the servoactuator. Each sevoactuator has a switching valve that 

allows the secondary hydraulics to power the actuator if the primary hydraulic pressure 

drops below 2,050 psi. A switch contact on the switching valve will close when the valve is 

in the secondary position. When the valve is closed, a signal is sent to the APU controller 

that inhibits the 100-percent APU speed control logic and enables the 112-percent APU 

speed control logic. The 100-percent APU speed enables one APU/HPU to supply 

sufficient operating hydraulic pressure to both servoactuators of that SRB. 

The APU 100-percent speed corresponds to 72,000 rpm, 110-percent to 79,200 rpm, and 

112-percent to 80,640 rpm. 

The hydraulic pump speed is 3,600 rpm and supplies hydraulic pressure of 3,050, plus or 

minus 50, psi. A high-pressure relief valve provides overpressure protection to the hydraulic 

system and relieves at 3,750 psi. 

The APUs/HPUs and hydraulic systems are reusable for 20 missions. 

THRUST VECTOR CONTROL 

Each SRB has two hydraulic gimbal servoactuators: one for rock and one for tilt. The 

servoactuators provide the force and control to gimbal the nozzle for thrust vector control. 

The space shuttle ascent thrust vector control portion of the flight control system directs the 

thrust of the three shuttle main engines and the two SRB nozzles to control shuttle attitude 

and trajectory during lift-off and ascent. Commands from the guidance system are 

transmitted to the ATVC drivers, which transmit signals proportional to the commands to 

each servoactuator of the main engines and SRBs. Four independent flight control system 

channels and four ATVC channels control six main engine and four SRB ATVC drivers, 

with each driver controlling one hydraulic port on each main and SRB servoactuator. 

Each SRB servoactuator consists of four independent, two-stage servovalves that receive 

signals from the drivers. Each servovalve controls one power spool in each actuator, which 

positions an actuator ram and the nozzle to control the direction of thrust. 

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The four servovalves in each actuator provide a force-summed majority voting arrangement 

to position the power spool. With four identical commands to the four servovalves, the 

actuator force-sum action prevents a single erroneous command from affecting power ram 

motion. If the erroneous command persists for more than a predetermined time, differential 

pressure sensing activates a selector valve to isolate and remove the defective servovalve 

hydraulic pressure, permitting the remaining channels and servovalves to control the 

actuator ram spool. 

Failure monitors are provided for each channel to indicate which channel has been 

bypassed. An isolation valve on each channel provides the capability of resetting a failed or 

bypassed channel. 

Each actuator ram is equipped with transducers for position feedback to the thrust vector 

control system. Within each servoactuator ram is a splashdown load relief assembly to 

cushion the nozzle at water splashdown and prevent damage to the nozzle flexible bearing. 

SRB RATE GYRO ASSEMBLIES 

Each SRB contains two RGAs, with each RGA containing one pitch and one yaw gyro. 

These provide an output proportional to angular rates about the pitch and yaw axes to the 

orbiter computers and guidance, navigation and control system during first-stage ascent 

flight in conjunction with the orbiter roll rate gyros until SRB separation. At SRB separation, 

a switchover is made from the SRB RGAs to the orbiter RGAs. 

The SRB RGA rates pass through the orbiter flight aft multiplexers/ demultiplexers to the 

orbiter GPCs. The RGA rates are then mid-value- selected in redundancy management to 

provide SRB pitch and yaw rates to the user software. The RGAs are designed for 20 

missions. 

SRB SEPARATION 

SRB separation is initiated when the three solid rocket motor chamber pressure 

transducers are processed in the redundancy management middle value select and the 

head-end chamber pressure of both SRBs is less than or equal to 50 psi. A backup cue is 

the time elapsed from booster ignition. 

The separation sequence is initiated, commanding the thrust vector control actuators to the 

null position and putting the main propulsion system into a second-stage configuration (0.8 

second from sequence initialization), which ensures the thrust of each SRB is less than 

100,000 pounds. Orbiter yaw attitude is held for four seconds, and SRB thrust drops to less 

than 60,000 pounds. 

The SRBs separate from the external tank within 30 milliseconds of the ordnance firing 

command. 

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The forward attachment point consists of a ball (SRB) and socket (ET) held together by one 

bolt. The bolt contains one NSD pressure cartridge at each end. The forward attachment 

point also carries the range safety system cross-strap wiring connecting each SRB RSS 

and the ET RSS with each other. 

The aft attachment points consist of three separate struts: upper, diagonal and lower. Each 

strut contains one bolt with an NSD pressure cartridge at each end. The upper strut also 

carries the umbilical interface between its SRB and the external tank and on to the orbiter. 

There are four booster separation motors on each end of each SRB. The BSMs separate 

the SRBs from the external tank. The solid rocket motors in each cluster of four are ignited 

by firing redundant NSD pressure cartridges into redundant confined detonating fuse 

manifolds. 

The separation commands issued from the orbiter by the SRB separation sequence initiate 

the redundant NSD pressure cartridge in each bolt and ignite the BSMs to effect a clean 

separation. 

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Shuttle Reference Data 

Space Shuttle Super Light Weight Tank (SLWT) 

The super lightweight external tank (SLWT) made its first shuttle flight June 2, 1998, on 

mission STS-91. The SLWT is 7,500 pounds lighter than the standard external tank. The 

lighter weight tank will allow the shuttle to deliver International Space Station elements 

(such as the service module) into the proper orbit. 

The SLWT is the same size as the previous design. But the liquid hydrogen tank and the 

liquid oxygen tank are made of aluminum lithium, a lighter, stronger material than the metal 

alloy used for the shuttle's current tank. The tank's structural design has also been 

improved, making it 30% stronger and 5% less dense. 

The SLWT, like the standard tank, is manufactured at Michoud Assembly, near New 

Orleans, Louisiana, by Lockheed Martin. 

The 154-foot-long external tank is the largest single component of the space shuttle. It 

stands taller than a 15-story building and has a diameter of about 27 feet. The external tank 

holds over 530,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen in two separate tanks. The 

hydrogen (fuel) and liquid oxygen (oxidizer) are used as propellants for the shuttle's three 

main engines.

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Acronyms and Abbreviations 

A/D Analog to Digital 

ACCESS Advanced Carrier Equipment Support System 

ADC Analog-to-Digital Conversion 

ADVCR Airborne Digital Video Camera Recorder 

AIA Avionics Interface Adapter 

AIREX TBD 

AMP Avionics Mounting Plate 

AMS Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer 

AMUX AIA Analog Multiplexer 

AP Avionics Package 

APVM TBD 

ASPC Attached Shuttle Payload Center 

ATLAS Analysis of Thrust Structure Loads and Stresses 

B-SROC Belgian Space Remote Operation Center 

B-USOC Belgian-University Science Operation Center 

BDRF Bidirectional Reflectivity 

BIA Bus Interface Adapter 

C&DH Command and Data Handling Subsystem 

CANDOS Communications and Navigation Demonstration on Shuttle 

CCD Charge Coupled Device 

CCTV Closed-Circuit Television 

CDHS Command and Data Handling System 

CGSE Customer Ground Support Equipment 

CPM Central Processing Module 

CPU Central Processing Unit 

CVX Critical Viscosity in Xenon 

D/A Digital to Analog 

DACS Digital Acquisition and Control System 

dc direct current 

DFRC Dryden Flight Research Facility 

DIARAD Differential Absolute Radiometer 

DPU Digital Processing Unit 

DSP Digital Signal Processor 

DTMF Dual Tone Multifrequency 

DTP Data Take Period 

EDO Extended Duration Orbiter 

EEPROM Electrically Erasable Read-Only Memory 

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EMI Electromagnetic Interference 

EMP Experiment Mounting Plate 

EP Experiment Package 

EPROM Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory 

ESA European Space Agency 

ESOC European Space Operations Cent 

EURECA European Retrievable Carrier 

EVA Extravehicular Activity 

FCP Fuel Cell Purge 

FES Flash Evaporator System 

FOV Field of View 

FREESTAR Fast Reaction Enabling Science Technology and Research 

GLAS Geoscience Laser Altimeter System 

GMT Greenwich Mean Time 

GN Ground Network 

GPS Global Positioning System 

GRC Glenn Research Center 

GSE Ground Support Equipment 

GSFC Goddard Space Flight Center 

HH Hitchhiker 

HH-Jr. Hitchhiker Junior 

HMDA Hitchhiker Motorized Door Assembly 

HOP High Output Paraffin 

HRIU Hitchhiker Remote Interface Unit 

HVIU Hitchhiker Video Interface Unit 

HVODS TBD 

I/O Input/Output 

IFM In-Flight Maintenance 

IP Internet Protocol 

IR Infrared 

IRIG-B Interrange Instrumentation Group Type B 

ISS International Space Station 

JSC Johnson Space Center 

KUSP Ku-Band Signal Processor 

LED Light Emitting Diode 

LEP Lower End Plate 

LISA Lid Interlock Switch Assembly 

LMT Landmark Track Maneuver 

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LORE Limb Ozone Retrieval Experiment 

LOS Loss of Signal 

LPT Low Power Transceiver 

LV Low Voltage 

MA Multiaccess 

MCC-H Mission Control Center - Houston 

MCU Master Control Unit 

MDM Multiplexer/Demultiplexer 

MDRU Medium Rate Data Processing Unit 

MEIDEX Mediterranean Israeli Dust Experiment 

MET Mission Elapsed Time 

MILA Merritt Island 

MLI Multilayer Insulation 

MMM Mass Memory Module 

MMU Mass Memory Unit 

MODIS Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer 

MRM Medium Rate Multiplexer 

MPESS Multipurpose Experiment Support Structure 

MSOCC Multisatellite Operations Control Center 

MSTRS Miniature Satellite Threat Reporting System 

Mux Multiplexer 

NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

NCEP National Centers for Environmental Protection 

NET Not Earlier Than 

NIST National Institute of Science and Technology 

NLT Not Later Than 

NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

NOAH TBD 

OCA Orbiter Communications Adapter 

ODERACS Orbital Debris Radar Calibration System 

OMS Orbital Maneuvering System 

OSC Orbital Sciences Corporation 

PCB Printed Circuit Board 

PCM Pulse Control Modulation 

PDI Payload Data Interleaver 

PET Payload Event Time 

PGSC Payload General Support Computer 

PI Payload Interrogator 

PL CAB Payload Cabin 

PL PRI Payload Primary 

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PLB Payload Bay 

PLBD Payload Bay Door 

PMT TBD 

POCC Payload Operations Control Center 

PRCS Primary Reaction Control System 

PSP Payload Signal Processor 

PSRD Prototype Synchronotron Radiation Detector 

PTB Payload Timing Butter 

RDM Research Double Module 

RF Radio Frequency 

RFI Radio Frequency Interference 

ROI Regions of Interest 

RUPS Recorder Utility Processing System 

SAA South Atlantic Anomaly 

SARR TBD 

SBP Single Bay Pallet 

SEM Space Experiment Module 

SIM Spacecraft Interface Module 

SMA TBD 

SOLCON Solar Constant Experiment 

SOLSE Shuttle Ozone Limb Sounding Experiment 

SPIF Shuttle/POCC Interface Facility 

SOVA TBD 

SROC Space Remote Operation Center 

SSP Standard Switch Panel 

 SOLCON Science Program 

SSPP Small Shuttle Payload Program 

SSPPO Small Shuttle Payload Program Office 

STD Standard 

T-Mux Thermal Multiplexer 

TAC Telemetry and Command Processor 

Tc Critical Temperature 

TCA Time of Closest Approach 

TDM Time-Division Multiplexer 

TDRS Track and Data Relay Satellite 

TDRSS Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System 

TEC Thermoelectric Cooler 

TIM Time Interface Module 

TLE Transient Luminous Event 

TMON Target Monitor 

TOMS Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer 

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TR Terminator Rise 

TS Terminator Set 

TSD Technical Services Division 

UARS Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite 

UEP Upper End Plate Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite 

UIM User Interface Module 

UV Ultraviolet 

V/F Velocity/Frequency 

VCR Videocassette Recorder 

VIS Visible 

VRCS Vernier Reaction Control System 

WFOV Wide Field of View 

YAP Yttrium-Aluminum Perovskite 

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Media Assistance 

NASA Television Transmission 

NASA Television is available through the GE2 satellite system which is located on 

Transponder 9C, at 85 degrees west longitude, frequency 3880.0 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, Fla.; Marshall Space Flight Center, 

Huntsville, Ala.; Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif.; Johnson Space Center, 

Houston, Texas; and NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC. The television schedule will be 

updated to reflect changes dictated by mission operations. 

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 before launch. During the mission, status 

briefings by a flight director or mission operations representative and when appropriate, 

representatives from the payload team, will occur at least once each day. The updated 

NASA television schedule will indicate when mission briefings are planned. 

Internet Information 

Information is available through several sources on the Internet. The primary source for 

mission information is the NASA Human Space Flight Web, part of the World Wide Web. 

This site contains information on the crew and its mission and will be updated regularly with 

status reports, photos and video clips throughout the flight. The NASA Shuttle Web's 

address is: 

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov

General information on NASA and its programs is available through the NASA Home Page 

and the NASA Public Affairs Home Page: 

http://www.nasa.gov

or 

http://www.nasa.gov/newsinfo/index.html

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Shuttle Pre-Launch Status Reports 

http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/status/stsstat/current.htm

Information on other current NASA activities is available through the Today@NASA page: 

http://www.nasa.gov/today/index.html

The NASA TV schedule is available from the NTV Home Page: 

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/nasatv/schedule.html

Resources for educators can be found at the following address: 

http://education.nasa.gov

Access by CompuServe 

Users with CompuServe accounts can access NASA press releases by typing "GO NASA" 

(no quotes) and making a selection from the categories offered. 

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Media Contacts 

Kyle Herring 

NASA Headquarters 

Washington 

Space Shuttle/Space Station Policy 

202-358-1874 

Dolores Beasley 

NASA Headquarters 

Washington 

Space Science Policy, Budget 

dbeasley@hq.nasa.gov 

202-358-1753 

Eileen Hawley 

Johnson Space Center 

Houston 

Astronauts/Mission Operations 

Eileen.hawley1@jsc.nasa.gov

281-483-5111 

George Diller 

Kennedy Space Center 

Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 

Space Shuttle Launch Operations 

George.Diller-1@ksc.nasa.gov 

321-867-2468 

Bruce Buckingham 

Kennedy Space Center 

Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 

Launch Operations 

Bruce.Buckingham-1@kmail.ksc.nasa.gov

321-867-2468 

Steve Roy 

Marshall Space Flight Center 

Huntsville, Ala. 

Microgravity Programs 

steve.roy@msfc.nasa.gov

256-544-6535 

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Dave Drachlis 

Marshall Space Flight Center 

Huntsville, Ala. 

Space Shuttle 

Dave.Drachlis@msfc.nasa.gov 

256-544-0034 

Lori Rachul 

Glenn Research Center 

Cleveland, Ohio 

Combustion, Fluid Physics and Acceleration Measurement Experiments 

216-433-8806 

Dewayne Washington 

Public Affairs Specialist 

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center 

Greenbelt, MD 20771 

FREESTAR Experiments 

Ph: 301-286-0040 

Fax: 301-286-1707 

Kari Kelley Allen 

Payloads Processing 

The Boeing Company 

kari.k.allen@boeing.com

281-226-4844 

Dan Beck 

Boeing Rocketdyne 

Canoga Park, Calif. 

Space Shuttle Main Engines 

Daniel.c.beck@boeing.com

818-586-4572 

Jessica Rye 

United Space Alliance 

Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 

RyeJF@usano.ksc.nasa.gov 

Shuttle Processing 

321-861-4358 

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Pete Paceley 

SPACEHAB STS-107 Mission Manager 

Work Phone: 713-558-5241 

Pager: 281-434-9367 

Console Number, Customer Support Room, Mission Control Center: 281-483-8975 

Kimberly Campbell 

STARS Payload Manager 

SPACEHAB 

Work phone: 713-558-5049 

Cell phone: 832-276-4681 

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STS-107: Media Contacts 

Barbara Kakiris 

Glenn Research Center 

Cleveland, Ohio 

Combustion, Fluid Physics and Acceleration Measurement Experiments 

216-433-2513 

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