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

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION 

SPACE SHUTTLE 

MISSION 

STS-65 

PRESS KIT 

JULY 1994 

INTERNATIONAL MICROGRAVITY LABORATORY-2 (IML-2) 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 2 

STS-65 INSIGNIA 

STS065-S-001 -- Designed by the crew members, the STS-65 insignia features the International 

Microgravity Laboratory (IML-2) mission and its Spacelab module which will fly aboard the space shuttle 

Columbia. IML-2 is reflected in the emblem by two gold stars shooting toward the heavens behind the IML 

lettering. The space shuttle Columbia is depicted orbiting the logo and reaching off into space, with 

Spacelab on an international quest for a better understanding of the effects of space flight on materials 

processing and life sciences. 

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

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

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

do not anticipate, it will be publicly announced. 

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

PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS 

For Information on the Space Shuttle 

Ed Campion Policy/Management 202/358-1778 

 NASA Headquarters 

 Washington, DC 

 

 

James Hartsfield 

 Johnson Space Center 

 Houston, TX 

Mission Operations 

Astronauts 

713/483-5111 

 

Bruce Buckingham 

 Kennedy Space Center, FL 

Launch Processing 

KSC Landing Information 

407/867-2468 

 

June Malone 

 Marshall Space Flight Center 

 Huntsville, AL 

External Tank/SRBs/SSMEs 205/544-0034 

 

Don Haley 

 Dryden Flight Research Center 

 Edwards, CA 

DFRC Landing Information 805/258-3448 

For Information on NASA-Sponsored STS-65 Experiments 

Mike Braukus 

 NASA Headquarters 

 Washington, DC 

IML-2 Payloads 202/358-1979 

 

Deborah Rahn 

 NASA Headquarters 

 Washington, DC 

International Cooperation 202/358-1639 

 

Charles Redmond 

 NASA Headquarters 

 Washington, DC 

CPCG 202/358-1757 

 

Terri Sindelar 

 NASA Headquarters 

 Washington, DC 

SAREX-II 202/358-1977 

For Information on DOD-sponsored STS-65 Experiments 

Dave Hess 

 Johnson Space Center 

 Houston, TX 

AMOS, MAST 713/483-3498 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 4 

CONTENTS 

GENERAL BACKGROUND 

General Release 5 

Media Services Information 7 

Quick-Look Facts 8 

Shuttle Abort Modes 10 

Summary Timeline 11 

Payload and Vehicle Weights 12 

Orbital Events Summary 13 

Crew Responsibilities 14 

Crew Assignments 15 

 

CARGO BAY PAYLOADS & ACTIVITIES 

International Microgravity Laboratory-2 (IML-2) 16 

Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment (OARE) 94 

 

IN-CABIN PAYLOADS 

Commercial Protein Crystal Growth (CPCG) 95 

Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS) 96 

Military Applications of Ship Tracks (MAST) 97 

Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment 98 

 

STS-65 CREW BIOGRAPHIES 99 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 5 

RELEASE: 94-96 

INTERNATIONAL MICROGRAVITY LABORATORY MAKES SECOND FLIGHT 

Shuttle Mission STS-65 will see Space Shuttle Columbia and her seven-person crew conduct the second 

flight of the International Microgravity Laboratory-2 (IML-2), a payload that involves a world-wide 

research effort into the behavior of materials and life in the weightless environment of Earth- orbit. 

The STS-65 crew will use furnaces and other facilities to produce a variety of material structures, from 

crystals to metal alloys. From the experiments conducted, scientists will be able to examine subtle forces 

which affect material development in microgravity. Investigators also will be able to study fluid processes 

that are masked or distorted on Earth. This knowledge may help us develop the next generation of 

materials needed for high-tech applications and lead to refinement of materials such as semiconductors, 

superconductors, and exotic ceramics and glasses. 

The life science experiments conducted during IML-2 will help reveal the role of gravity in shaping life as 

we know it and show us how living organisms react and adapt to microgravity. The reduced gravity 

encountered in space allows certain characteristics of cells and organisms to be studied using innovative 

laboratory hardware and techniques. Insights scientists gain about life in space can increase knowledge of 

the factors which govern life and health on Earth. 

Scientists from NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), the French Space Agency (CNES), the German 

Space Agency (DARA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the National Space Development Agency 

of Japan (NASDA) have cooperated in planning experiments which will be performed during the STS-65 

mission. More than 200 scientists developed over 80 investigations for the IML-2 mission. 

Leading the STS-65 crew will be Mission Commander Robert D. Cabana who will be making his third 

flight. Pilot for the mission is James Donald Halsell Jr. who is making his first flight. The four mission 

specialists aboard Columbia are Richard J. Hieb, the STS-65 Payload Commander, who will be making his 

third flight; Carl E. Walz who will be making his second flight; Leroy Chiao, who will be making his first 

flight; and Donald A. Thomas who will be making his first flight. Chiaki Naito-Mukai from the National 

Space Development Agency of Japan will serve as a payload specialist for the STS- 65 mission and will be 

making her first flight. 

Launch of Columbia currently is scheduled for no earlier than July 8, 1994, at 1:11 p.m. EDT. The planned 

mission duration is 13 days, 17 hours, 56 minutes. An on-time launch on July 8 would produce a landing at 

7:07 a.m. EDT on July 22, 1994, at the Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility. 

The Commercial Protein Crystal Growth payload, sponsored by the Office of Advanced Concepts and 

Technology (OACT), will be making its fifth flight on STS-65, using the Commercial 

Refrigerator/Incubator Module (CRIM) in the Shuttle middeck. This complement of experiments contains 

60 different samples focusing on six proteins in various formulations to enhance the probabilities for 

successful results. 

Two Department of Defense-sponsored experiments will be flown during the STS-65 mission. The Air 

Force Maui Optical System (AMOS) is an electrical-optical facility on the Hawaiian island of Maui. The 

AMOS facility tracks the orbiter as it flies over the area and records signatures from thruster firings, water 

dumps or the phenomena of “shuttle glow.” The information obtained by AMOS is used to calibrate the 

infrared and optical sensors at the facility. The Military Applications of Ship Tracks (MAST) experiment 

on STS-65 is part of a five- year research program to examine the effects of ships on the marine 

environment. The objective of MAST is to determine how pollutants generated by ships modify the 

reflective properties of clouds. MAST will help in understanding the effects of man- made aerosols on 

clouds and the resulting impact on the climate system. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 6 

The STS-65 crew will take on the role of teacher as they educate students in the United States and other 

countries about STS-65 mission objectives. Using the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment-II (SAREX-II), 

astronauts aboard Columbia will discuss with students what it is like to live and work in space. 

STS-65 will be the 17th flight of Space Shuttle Columbia and the 63rd flight of the Space Shuttle system. 

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

STS-65 MEDIA SERVICES INFORMATION 

NASA Television Transmission 

NASA television is now available through a new satellite system. NASA programming can now be 

accessed on Spacenet-2, Transponder 5, located at 69 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 and NASA Headquarters, 

Washington, D.C. The television schedule will be updated to reflect changes dictated by mission 

operations. 

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

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

schedule is provided daily at noon EDT. 

Status Reports 

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

produced by the appropriate NASA news center. 

Briefings 

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

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

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

mission briefings are planned. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 8 

STS-65 QUICK LOOK 

Launch Date/Site: July 8, 1994/Kennedy Space Center - Pad 39A 

Launch Time: 1:11 p.m. EDT 

Orbiter: Columbia (OV-102) - 17th Flight 

Orbit/Inclination: 160 nautical miles/28.45 degrees 

Mission Duration: 13 days, 17 hours, 56 minutes 

Landing Time/Date: 7:07 a.m. EDT July 22, 1994 

Primary Landing Site: Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 

Abort Landing Sites: Return to Launch Site - KSC, Fla. 

 TransAtlantic Abort Landing: - Banjul, The Gambia 

 Ben Guerir, Morocco 

 Moron, Spain 

 Abort Once Around: - Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. 

 

STS-65 Crew: Robert Cabana, Commander (CDR) 

 Jim Halsell, Pilot (PLT) 

 Rick Hieb, Payload Commander (MS1) 

 Carl Walz, Mission Specialist 2 (MS2) 

 Leroy Chiao, Mission Specialist 3 (MS3) 

 Don Thomas, Mission Specialist 4 (MS4) 

 Chiaki Mukai, Payload Specialist 1 (PS1) 

 

 Red shift: Cabana, Halsell, Hieb, Mukai 

 Blue shift: Chiao, Thomas, Walz 

 

Cargo Bay Payloads: International Microgravity Lab-2 (IML-2) 

 

Middeck Payloads: Commercial Protein Crystal Growth (CPCG) 

 Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment-II (SAREX-II) 

 Orbiter Acceleration Research Experiment (OARE) 

 Military Applications of Ship Tracks (MAST) 

 

Other: Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS) 
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Detailed Test Objectives/Detailed Supplementary Objectives: 

DTO 251 Entry Aerodynamic Control Surfaces Test 

DTO 301D Ascent Structural Capability Evaluation 

DTO 307D Entry Structural Capability Evaluation 

DTO 312 External Tank Thermal Protection System Performance 

DTO 319D Orbiter/Payload Acceleration and Acoustics Environment Data 

DTO 414 Auxiliary Power Unit Shutdown Test 

DTO 623 Cabin Air Monitoring 

DTO 655 Foot Restraint Evaluation 

DTO 663 Acoustic Noise Dosimeter Data 

DTO 665 Acoustic Noise Sound Level Data 

DTO 667 Portable In-Flight Landing Operations Trainer 

DTO 674 Thermo-Electric Liquid Cooling System Evaluation 

DTO 805 Crosswind Landing Performance 

DTO 913 Microgravity Measurement Device 

 

DSO 314 Acceleration Data Collection 

DSO 326 Window Impact Observations 

DSO 484 Assessment of Circadian Shifting in Astronauts by Bright Light 

DSO 485 Inter Mars TEPC 

DSO 487 Immunological Assessment of Crewmembers 

DSO 491 Characterization of Microbial Transfer Among Crewmembers During Space Flight 

DSO 603B Orthostatic Function During Entry, Landing and Egress 

DSO 604 Visual-Vestibular Integration as a Function of Adaptation 

DSO 605 Postural Equilibrium Control During Landing/Egress 

DSO 608 Effects of Space Flight on Aerobic and Anaerobic Metabolism During Exercise 

DSO 610 In-Flight Assessment of Renal Stone Risk 

DSO 614 The Effect of Prolonged Space Flight on Head and Gaze Stability During Locomotion 

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

DSO 626 Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Responses to Standing Before and After Space Flight 

DSO 901 Documentary Television 

DSO 902 Documentary Motion Picture Photography 

DSO 903 Documentary Still Photography 
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SPACE SHUTTLE ABORT MODES 

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

its payload. Abort modes include: 

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

105-nautical mile orbit with orbital maneuvering system engines. 

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

around before landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. 

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

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

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

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

distance of the Shuttle Landing Facility. 

STS-65 contingency landing sites are the Kennedy Space Center, Edwards Air Force Base, Banjul, Ben 

Guerir and Moron. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 11 

STS-65 Summary Timeline 

Flight Day 1 

Ascent 

OMS-2 burn (163 n.m. x 160 n.m.) 

IML-2 activation/operations 

Blue Flight Days 2-13 

IML-2 operations 

Red Flight Days 2-14 

IML-2 operations 

Blue Flight Day 14 

IML-2 operations 

Red Flight Day 14 

Flight Control Systems Checkout 

Lower Body Negative Pressure Device 

Blue/Red Flight Day 15 

Cabin stow 

Payload deactivation 

IML-2 deactivation 

Deorbit 

Entry 

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

STS-65 VEHICLE AND PAYLOAD WEIGHTS 

Pounds

 

Orbiter (Columbia) empty and 3 SSMEs 181,443 

International Microgravity Lab-2 21,187 

Commercial Protein Crystal Growth 58 

Orbiter Acceleration Research Experiment 249 

Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment-II 37 

Military Applications of Ship Tracks 66 

Detailed Supplementary/Test Objectives 205 

Total Vehicle at SRB Ignition 4,522,321 

Orbiter Landing Weight 228,640 
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STS-65 ORBITAL EVENTS SUMMARY 

Event 

Start Time 

(dd/hh:mm:ss) 

Velocity Change 

(feet per second) 

Orbit 

(n.m.) 

 

OMS-2 00/00:42:00 221 fps 163 x 160 

Deorbit 13/16:56:00 270 fps N/A 

Touchdown 13/17:56:00 N/A N/A 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 14 

STS-65 CREW RESPONSIBILITIES 

Task/Payload Primary Backups/Others 

 

Middeck Payloads: 

SAREX Cabana Thomas 

CPCG Cabana Walz 

MAST Walz Cabana 

OARE Thomas Walz, Halsell 

 

Detailed Test Objectives: 

DTO 312 Thomas Chiao 

DTO 414 Halsell Walz 

DTO 623 Walz Halsell 

DTO 655 Chiao Hieb 

DTO 663 Cabana Walz 

DTO 665 Cabana Walz 

DTO 667 Cabana Halsell 

DTO 805 Cabana Halsell 

 

Detailed Supplementary Objectives: 

DSO 314 Halsell Walz 

DSO 485 Cabana Walz 

 

Other: 

Photography/TV Halsell Walz 

In-Flight Maintenance Walz Halsell 

EVA Chiao (EVA1) Thomas (EV2), Walz (IV) 

Earth Observations Halsell Cabana 

Medical Cabana Walz 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 15 

IML -2 PAYLOADS: CREW ASSIGNMENTS 

Payload Primary Backups/Others 

 

AAEU Thomas Mukai, Chiao, Hieb 

APCF Chiao Hieb, Thomas, Mukai 

BDPU Thomas Mukai, Chiao, Hieb 

Biorack Chiao Hieb, Thomas, Mukai 

CPF Chiao Hieb, Thomas, Mukai, Cabana 

EDOMP Mukai Hieb, Thomas, Chiao 

FFEU Mukai Thomas, Hieb, Chiao 

LIF Mukai Thomas, Hieb, Chiao 

NIZEMI Chiao Hieb, Thomas, Mukai 

PAWS Cabana Halsell, Walz 

QSAM Thomas Mukai, Chiao, Hieb 

RAMSES Thomas Mukai, Chiao, Hieb 

RRMD Mukai Thomas, Hieb, Chiao 

SAMS Thomas Mukai, Chiao, Hieb 

SCM Hieb Mukai 

TEI/CCK Mukai Thomas, Hieb, Chiao 

TEMPUS Thomas Mukai, Chiao, Hieb 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 16 

IML-2: THE SECOND INTERNATIONAL MICROGRAVITY LABORATORY 

The second International Microgravity Laboratory Spacelab mission brings together scientists from around 

the world in a search for answers which might only be found in the unique laboratory of space. 

As the Shuttle orbits Earth, it provides a nearly weightless, or microgravity, environment. Microgravity 

cannot be duplicated for longer than a few seconds with Earth-based facilities. The IML-2 mission 

objective is to conduct microgravity and life sciences research that can only be accomplished in this lowgravity environment. 

In a space laboratory, some of the physical processes which affect experiments on Earth are not as 

dominant. Gravity-related disturbances such as buoyancy, sedimentation and hydrostatic pressure cannot 

only limit the quality of some materials but also limit the ways materials can be studied. 

IML-2 scientists will use furnaces and other facilities to produce a variety of material structures, from 

crystals to metal alloys. They will examine subtle forces which affect material development in 

microgravity. Scientists also will be able to study fluid processes that are masked or distorted on Earth. 

Nearly every physical science depends on an understanding of these basic mechanisms. This knowledge 

may help us develop the next generation of materials needed for high-tech applications and lead to 

refinement of materials such as semiconductors, superconductors, and exotic ceramics and glasses. 

Life science research on IML-2 will help reveal the role of gravity in shaping life as we know it and show 

us how living organisms react and adapt to microgravity. Before we can make space our second home, we 

must understand how living things are affected by reduced gravity and radiation in the space environment. 

Insights scientists gain about life in space can increase knowledge of the factors which govern life and 

health on Earth. 

For instance, previous space flights have demonstrated that high quality protein crystals, suitable for X-ray 

analysis, can be grown in space. If the structures of certain proteins can be determined by examining these 

crystals, not only will we learn about an essential component of all life forms, but we could use this 

knowledge to improve the medical treatment of many diseases. 

IML-2 Science 

More than 200 scientists from six space agencies developed over 80 investigations for the IML-2 mission. 

Representatives of the European Space Agency (ESA), the French Space Agency (CNES), the German 

Space Agency (DARA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the National Space Development Agency 

of Japan (NASDA) are joining NASA in this mission of discovery. 

An international crew will conduct these experiments inside Spacelab, a versatile research laboratory 

which fits in the Space Shuttle cargo bay. It is an appropriate place for multi-national research, since 

Spacelab was developed by the ESA in the late 1970s and early 1980s as its contribution to the American 

Space Shuttle Program. IML-2 uses the pressurized Spacelab module. With its extra work area, power 

supplies, data management capability and versatile equipment racks, scientists in space can work much as 

they would in their laboratories on Earth. 

Many IML-2 experiments owe their heritage to earlier Skylab, sounding rocket and ground-based 

experiments. Some have evolved over several Spacelab missions. Facilities flown on previous flights are 

being flown again to probe new scientific questions or to expand on prior studies. This mission also will 

introduce some new experiment facilities, designed to give scientists additional tools for finding answers in 

the microgravity of space. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 17 

MATERIALS SCIENCE: NASDA’s Large Isothermal Furnace melts and uniformly mixes compounds, 

then cools them to produce a solid sample. The Electromagnetic Containerless Processing Facility from 

Germany positions metal alloys so they do not touch container walls and melts them in an ultra-pure 

environment. The facility records information on the alloys as they solidify. 

FLUID SCIENCE: The European Space Agency’s Bubble, Drop and Particle Unit contains special 

optical diagnostics, cameras and sensors for studying fluid behavior in microgravity. Their Critical Point 

Facility, which flew on IML-1, investigates fluids as they undergo critical phase transitions from liquids to 

gases. 

MICROGRAVITY ENVIRONMENT AND COUNTERMEASURE: NASA’s Space Acceleration 

Measurement System, on its tenth flight, will be joined on IML-2 by the German Space Agency’s QuasiSteady Acceleration Measurement experiment. Together, they will give scientists the most complete 

picture yet of the subtle motions which can disturb sensitive microgravity experiments. Japan’s Vibration 

Isolation Box Experiment System will test a special material designed to reduce the effect of those 

accelerations. 

BIOPROCESSING: ESA’s Advanced Protein Crystallization Facility will provide a versatile 

environment for growing a variety of protein crystals using three different techniques. A video recording 

device will allow scientists to study the crystal growth process after the mission. Two experiment facilities, 

Applied Research on Separation Methods Using Space Electrophoresis from France and the Free Flow 

Electrophoresis Unit from Japan, will use electric fields to separate biological materials into their 

individual components. The process is widely used on Earth to produce ultra-pure products for 

pharmaceutical drugs. 

SPACE BIOLOGY: Two space biology facilities from the 1992 Japanese Spacelab-J mission will fly on 

IML-2. Scientists will study the spawning, fertilization, embryology and behavior of newts and fish housed 

in the Aquatic Animal Experiment Unit. The Thermoelectric Incubator/Cell Culture Kit will 

accommodate the study of plant and animal cells. IML-2 will be the third flight for the European Space 

Agency’s Biorack, which supports investigations into the effects of microgravity and cosmic radiation on 

cells, tissues, plants, bacteria, small animals and other biological samples. The Slow Rotating Centrifuge 

Microscope from Germany contains equipment for observing the movement and behavior of one-celled 

and multi-cellular organisms at various gravity levels. Materials scientists will take advantage of its 

capabilities to observe the solidification of a transparent model alloy as well. 

HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY: Canada’s Spinal Changes in Microgravity experiment, an expanded version 

of an IML-1 investigation, will use stereophotographs and special ultrasound and monitoring equipment to 

record changes in crew members’ spinal and neurosensory systems. NASA’s Extended Duration Orbiter 

Medical Project will continue investigations designed to maintain and evaluate crew health and safety on 

long-duration Shuttle flights. The crew will use the Performance Assessment Workstation, a laptop 

computer, to help determine their mental ability to perform operational tasks during long-duration 

missions. 

RADIATION BIOLOGY: Germany’s Biostack, a veteran of three Spacelab missions, sandwiches 

biological specimens between radiation detectors in a sealed container to determine how cosmic radiation 

affects them. Japan’s Real-Time Radiation Monitoring Device will test methods which may be used for 

space radiation forecasting aboard future spacecraft. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 18 

Mission Operations 

The Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages IML-2 for NASA’s Office of Life and 

Microgravity Science and Applications, Washington, D.C. Experiment operations for the 14-day flight will 

be directed from the agency’s Spacelab Mission Operations Control facility at Marshall. 

During the mission, hundreds of scientists and engineers representing the many IML-2 experiments will 

work in the Science Operations Area. From there, they can monitor experiments via video and voice links 

with the Shuttle, send remote commands to their instruments, discuss operations with the crew in space, 

and coordinate mission activities with their colleagues from other experiment teams. The ESA experiment 

teams will be backed up by colleagues working at remote sites in Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Brussels, 

Belgium; Naples, Italy; Toulouse, France; and Cologne, Germany. Additional science teams will be located 

at the Johnson Space Center and the Kennedy Space Center. 

Primary responsibility for operating the experiments in orbit belongs to the Spacelab science crew. Payload 

Commander Rick Hieb, Mission Specialists Leroy Chiao and Don Thomas, and Payload Specialist Chiaki 

Mukai will work in two 12-hour shifts. Operating the Spacelab 24 hours a day enables scientists to get the 

most from valuable time in orbit. The crew will work from a preplanned master timeline, with adjustments 

made for unexpected opportunities. 

After landing, many experiment samples, some of which have limited lifetimes, will be returned to the 

scientists for evaluation. Later, experiment hardware will be returned to the space agency that developed it. 

Computer tapes, voice recordings, video tapes and other data will be organized and forwarded to 

investigators. Analysis of the results will start even before the Shuttle touches down and may continue for 

several years. 

The investigators will be rewarded with new insights into the intrinsic properties of materials, increased 

knowledge about how gravity affects living systems on Earth, and no doubt new questions to be answered 

in the unique laboratory of space. 

Large Isothermal Furnace 

Payload Developer: NASDA 

Objective: The Large Isothermal Furnace uniformly heats large materials samples in a vacuum, then cools 

them rapidly to determine the relationships between the structure, processing and properties of materials. 

On IML-2, scientists will solidify five samples under various temperature conditions, studying 

ceramic/metallic composites, semiconductor alloys, and liquid phase sintering. Sintering is a process for 

combining dissimilar metals, using heat and pressure to join them without reaching the melting point of 

one or both metals. 

Significance: Knowledge gained from post-flight sample analysis will help scientists better understand and 

improve production techniques on Earth. They also will use the results to assess the feasibility of 

producing unique materials in space. 

Science: In order to create lighter, stronger or more temperature-resistant materials, metallurgists often 

combine two or more different metals into an alloy which has more desirable qualities than each of its 

ingredients. Or they may combine dissimilar substances such as metals and ceramics to produce structural 

materials that are stronger and lighter than conventional metals. 

The key to success is the uniform distribution of the various chemical components throughout the finished 

product. On Earth, gravity causes ingredients with dissimilar densities to settle differently as heavier 

components are pulled downward. This gravity-induced movement, called sedimentation, causes uneven 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 19 

particle distribution throughout the material. It can diminish the uniformity of its microscopic structure, 

distort the finished product’s shape, and decrease the precision of the casting process. 

A microgravity environment greatly reduces buoyancy- driven convection and sedimentation. This may 

allow the uniform mixture of dissimilar materials in spite of great density differences. 

Experiment Hardware and Operations: The facility is a resistance-heated vacuum furnace designed to 

uniformly heat large samples. It has a maximum operating temperature of about 2,900 degrees Fahrenheit 

(1,600 !C) and can rapidly cool a sample by admitting helium gas into the heating chamber. 

The furnace consists of a sample container and heating element, surrounded by a vacuum chamber. A crew 

member inserts a sample cartridge through an access port in the front of the facility. A screw-type 

connector secures the sample in the furnace. Air within the chamber is evacuated through the Spacelab 

vent system. 

The furnace control equipment runs through a pre- programmed heating/cooling cycle to process the 

sample, and data from temperature sensors are recorded. A gas-driven piston within the sample cartridge 

can be used to apply pressure to the sample during the experiment. 

At the end of the experiment, helium gas is injected into the furnace to allow rapid cooling of the sample. 

The cartridge is then removed and another can be installed to start a new experiment. Sample cartridges are 

returned to Earth for analysis. 

Background: The Large Isothermal Furnace was developed by the National Space Development Agency 

of Japan (NASDA). It flew on the Spacelab-J mission in September 1992. Eight samples were processed 

successfully during that flight and are being analyzed by investigators. 

Gravitational Role in Liquid Phase Sintering 

Experiment Facility: Large Isothermal Furnace

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Randall M. German 

Pennsylvania State University 

University Park, Pa. 

Objective: This experiment will determine how gravity changes heavy alloys of tungsten, nickel and iron 

during sintering, a process for combining dissimilar metals. Sintering uses heat and pressure to join 

powdered forms of different metals without both components. 

The material will be heated so the iron and nickel form a liquid, surrounding the uniformly dispersed 

powdered tungsten. Samples will be analyzed post-flight to investigate both macrostructural changes, such 

as those in shape and texture, and microstructural changes, including density and high-temperature 

strength. 

Significance: Liquid phase sintering is a process used to produce alloys of novel compositions. For 

example, due to density differences between the tungsten and the iron-nickel liquid that forms at high 

temperatures, sintering is the only process by which this alloy can be fabricated. This IML-2 investigation 

will add to ground-based research, which indicates that gravity plays a role in distorting the microstructure 

of samples sintered on Earth. Tungsten heavy alloys were chosen for this experiment because of 

widespread interest in the alloy system, extensive sintering experience on Earth, a large database on 

properties, and approximately a factor of two density difference between the liquid and solid phases. 

Background: Five different compositions of tungsten-nickel alloy were sintered at 2,730 degrees 

Fahrenheit (1,500 degrees C) in the Large Isothermal Furnace during the Spacelab-J mission. One sample 

set was sintered for 60 minutes, and another was sintered for 300 minutes. Samples with larger percentages 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 20 

of nickel tended to behave like liquids. Since they were not distorted by gravity as they would have been 

on Earth, they solidified into spherical shapes. Scientists concluded that the mixture of liquid and small 

solid particles behaves like liquid in microgravity, regardless of density differences in the materials, when a 

continuous liquid layer is formed at the surface. 

Operations: A crew member will load a sample cartridge containing seven different compositions of 

tungsten heavy alloy into the Large Isothermal Furnace, then activate a preprogrammed, computercontrolled processing sequence. The cartridge will be rapidly heated to 2,730 degrees Fahrenheit (1,500 

degrees C) for a little over an hour, gradually cooled with water for almost another hour, then rapidly 

cooled by a continuous flow of helium for about 3-1/2 hours more. The astronaut then will remove the 

cartridge and stow it for return to Earth. 

The procedure will be repeated with two more cartridges. Sintering time and sample composition will be 

varied to identify their effects on final properties of the composites. 

The samples, as well as thermal and acceleration data collected during the experiment, will be analyzed 

post-flight. 

Mixing of a Melt of Multicomponent Compound Semiconductor 

Experiment Facility: Large Isothermal Furnace 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Akira Hirata 

Waseda University 

Tokyo, Japan 

Objective: This investigation will develop a new method for uniformly mixing melted compound 

semiconductors. It will test whether the components can be mixed faster and more uniformly using 

Marangoni convection, that is, fluid flows driven by the concentration differences on the surface of a 

liquid. 

Science: Semiconductors are made of several constituents with different densities. On Earth, gravity 

separates the components, as heavier materials settle from lighter ones. In space, without any mixing 

devices, it may be possible to mix these components more uniformly and faster using Marangoni 

convection, a type of fluid flow driven by differences in surface tension. Although these flows exist on 

Earth, they are masked by the much stronger forces of sedimentation and buoyancy-driven convection, 

caused by density differences within the liquid. 

Surface tension is the force which causes falling water to form into drops. In space, away from gravity’s 

distortion, it forms an uncontained liquid into a perfect sphere. Previous space experiments have 

demonstrated that variations in the temperature on the free surface of a fluid create predictable flow 

patterns within that fluid. Investigators for this experiment will test whether this gentle flow is a useful tool 

for uniformly mixing semiconductor components. 

Significance: Semiconductors are materials whose conductivity is poor at low temperatures, but is 

improved by application of heat, light or voltage. They are widely used in computers and other electronic 

devices to transmit electrons in a controlled manner. A better mixture would result in a semiconductor with 

more uniform content, allowing it to transmit electrons more efficiently. 

Operations: Two different compounds of indium-gallium-antimony (InGaSb) will be melted and solidified 

in the Large Isothermal Furnace to form semiconductors. The experiment cartridge will contain a total of 

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

Four samples will be processed using Marangoni convection to mix the components. As a material cools 

and contracts, a void is left in the sample ampoule. Material next to the void forms a free surface which 

does not touch the sides of the ampoule, allowing Marangoni convection to occur. 

Two samples will be processed using only molecular diffusion to mix the components. The void created by 

cooling and contraction, and the resulting free surface will be eliminated by a gas-driven piston within the 

cartridge. It will automatically move forward to take up the empty space as the sample material contracts. 

The solidified crystals will be compared postflight to determine crystal quality, crystal shape, and size of 

crystal particulates. Scientists also will compare the effects of the two processing methods on mixing of the 

melted components and the uniformity of the solidified semiconductor. 

Background: Dr. Masami Tatsumi grew an indium-gallium-arsenide crystal in the Spacelab-J Gradient 

Heating Furnace. A piston was used to prevent Marangoni convection within that experiment. The 

resulting mixture was more uniform than that of a comparison crystal grown on Earth, but it was not 

completely homogeneous. 

Effect of Weightlessness on Microstructure and 

Strength of Ordered TiAl Intermetallic Alloys 

Experiment Facility: Large Isothermal Furnace 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Masao Takeyama 

National Research Institute of Metals 

Tokyo, Japan 

Objective: This experiment will melt and resolidify a titanium-aluminum alloy to which ceramic particles 

of titanium diboride have been added. The particles should increase the high-temperature strength of the 

material, improving the microstructure and thus the mechanical properties of the alloy. 

Science: Ceramic particles must be evenly distributed within an alloy to improve grain structure and 

mechanical properties. On Earth, differences in density between the particles and the alloy prevent uniform 

distribution, because gravity pulls the heavier particles downward. In microgravity, the uneven distribution 

caused by density differences should be prevented. Heat convection, which also affects solidification, 

should be minimal. 

Significance: Results should help investigators understand some of the principal influences that occur 

during this type of material processing. Insights gained about microstructural control could be applied to 

producing more effective materials on Earth. This technology for controlling alloy microstructure may be 

applied to improve high-temperature alloys needed for high-tech aircraft and spacecraft. 

Operations: A crew member will place a cartridge containing four titanium-aluminum samples, each 18 

mm in diameter and 25 mm long, in the Large Isothermal Furnace. Two of the samples will have ceramic 

particles added; the others will not. They will be heated to approximately 2820 degrees Fahrenheit (1550 

degrees C), then solidified in microgravity. 

This is planned to be the last sample cartridge processed in the furnace during IML-2, and it will remain in 

the facility until after landing. Post flight, scientists will study the effect of the resulting microstructure on 

mechanical properties such as strength. In addition to the two flight samples being compared with one 

another, they will be compared with those processed on the ground. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 22 

Electromagnetic Containerless Processing Facility 

Tiegelfreies Elektromagnetisches Prozessieren UnterSchwerelosigkeit 

(TEMPUS) 

Payload Developer: German Space Agency (DARA) 

Objective: To study the solidification of materials from the liquid state, a subject of immense scientific 

and practical interest. Not only are solidification phenomena important to science, but many industrial 

processes involve solidification. 

On Earth, liquids generally must be held in containers, which can affect the liquid’s properties. For 

example, a container determines a liquid’s shape, and contact with the container walls can diminish the 

purity of the metal sample. 

In microgravity, samples can be processed in a containerless facility, which avoids contact with any 

surface. The Electromagnetic Containerless Processing Facility, known as TEMPUS, is a levitation melting 

facility for containerless processing of metallic samples in an ultraclean microgravity environment. It was 

developed by the German Space Agency. 

Science: In the absence of a container, most pure molten metals can be cooled to below their solidification 

point and still remain fluid. Crystalline solidification begins when small, isolated clusters of atoms arrange 

in a regular, repeating form. This process is known as nucleation, and the clusters are called nuclei. Atoms 

fall into place on these clusters causing the sites to grow until the entire mass becomes solid. 

Nucleation occurs at solid to liquid boundaries, such as the boundary between solid container walls and the 

liquid sample it holds. The container walls, consisting of arranged atoms, act as the nuclei site. The 

resulting solid will appear as a patchwork of many small crystals as opposed to fewer, larger crystals 

produced by fewer nucleation sites in microgravity. It is this undercooling phenomenon that scientists are 

interested in studying. 

Background: This is the maiden flight for the TEMPUS facility. The 22 samples accommodated by the 

facility are being shared by many of the principal investigators so as to gather the maximum scientific data 

from the limited number of alloy samples available. Therefore, as a general rule, each sample is of interest 

to more than one principal investigator. 

Hardware: The TEMPUS system uses an electric current flowing through coils of copper tubes to produce 

magnetic fields. By carefully forming the coils, it is possible to create an area of minimum field strength in 

which the sample will levitate or float. 

On Earth, lifting a sample in apparent defiance of gravity requires a very powerful electromagnetic force. 

Not only does this deform the sample and agitate the melted alloy, but independent temperature control is 

impossible. In microgravity, positioning of the sample and temperature control can be accomplished 

accurately and precisely because the power necessary for positioning the sample is greatly reduced. The 

reduced amount of current results in diminished fluid motion which is less intrusive on the phenomena 

being examined. 

The 22 spherical specimens, each up to 0.4 inch (10 millimeters) in diameter, can be accommodated on a 

storage disk within the TEMPUS unit. The disk rotates until the desired specimen is positioned over a 

transfer mechanism. The mechanism unlocks the sample holder and transfers the sample to the processing 

area within the levitation coils. Processing can occur in a vacuum, or in an ultra-pure helium/argon 

atmosphere. As the sample cools, experimental data are recorded. Different views of the process are 

recorded by video cameras. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 23 

The TEMPUS system provides the means for physically manipulating the sample during processing. 

Rotations and oscillations can be controlled through the application of a direct current magnetic field. 

Nucleation can be initiated at any desired undercooled temperature by touching the sample with a needle 

driven by the transfer mechanism, causing the entire sample to rapidly solidify. Also, the sample can be 

vibrated by applying short power pulses to the heating or levitation coils. By observing how the sample 

reacts to vibration, properties such as surface tension and viscosity can be inferred. 

Operations: Experiment procedures are almost completely microprocessor-controlled and require very 

little crew interaction other than start up and shut down. The TEMPUS unit is reprogrammed between each 

experiment from the ground. The crew on board, or ground controllers, can modify any experiment 

parameters during sample processing. 

The team of investigators will study various thermodynamic and kinetic properties of 22 samples. The 

metallic samples have melting points between 1634 and 3362 degrees Fahrenheit (890 and 1850 degrees C) 

when heated in the TEMPUS unit. 

Effects of Nucleation by Containerless Processing in Low Gravity 

Experiment Facility: TEMPUS 

Principal Investigator: 

Robert J. Bayuzick 

Vanderbilt University 

Nashville, Tenn. 

Objective: This experiment has a two-fold purpose: - to better understand specific details of how metals 

solidify, and - to investigate ways in which the solidification process can be controlled. 

An extensive series of experiment runs will be conducted to provide comparative data for determining the 

time and temperature at which a metal begins to turn into a solid. Scientists hope to pinpoint what 

phenomenon “kicks-off” the solidification process. The series will be conducted in the Electromagnetic 

Containerless Processing Facility or TEMPUS. 

On Earth, the electromagnetic force necessary to levitate the sample so that it floats in apparent defiance of 

gravity, is so powerful that it deforms and agitates the molten metal sample. Also, levitation techniques in a 

1-g environment result in large liquid flows, or convection currents, within the sample. In microgravity, the 

amount of electromagnetic forces required is reduced, thus causing less disturbance and stress to the freefloating, spherical sample. This containerless environment will allow the molten metal to nucleate and 

grow a crystal without being influenced by a container’s molecular structure. 

Science: Pure liquid metals can remain in a liquid state below the point at which they should solidify. This 

process is called undercooling. In this experiment, scientists will try to keep the metal in a molten state for 

as long as possible, at the lowest possible temperature. 

The condition when an undercooled liquid first begins to solidify is called nucleation. A cluster of atoms 

acts as a nucleation site, or foundation, for the crystal to build upon. Free-moving atoms attach themselves 

to this site, growing into a solid crystal structure. Scientists hope to determine the nucleation properties for 

the element zirconium, a strong, ductile metallic element used chiefly in ceramic and refractory compounds 

as an alloying agent. The nucleation properties are what characterize the molten liquid’s random movement 

of atoms into an ordered pattern as a solid metal. Scientists want to study this process under the condition 

of a high degree of undercooling. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 24 

Significance: Solidifying metals is one of the most important processes in industry. Learning more about 

the basic nucleation phenomena may provide clues for making different materials. The nucleation 

phenomenon is the most basic process governing the solidification of metals. 

Background: This experiment has been performed on Earth using drop tubes that simulate low gravity for 

a few seconds. However, the precise measurement of temperature is difficult because during freefall the 

specimen is moving with respect to the detectors. 

Operations: A spherical sample of zirconium about three- eighths of an inch (8 to 10 mm) in diameter will 

be levitated, heated to 3542 degrees Fahrenheit (1950 degrees Celsius), melted and then cooled about 300 

degrees below the normal solidification point when nucleation is expected to take place. The experiment 

will consist of approximately 100 melting, cooling, nucleation and solidification cycles. The series will 

take place over four hours. Each time the sample is melted and resolidified, the nucleation temperature and 

rate of crystal growth will be recorded for comparison with Earth-based results to further the understanding 

of nucleation phenomena. 

Non-Equilibrium Solidification of Largely Undercooled Melts 

Experiment Facility: TEMPUS 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Dieter M. Herlach 

DLR Institute for Space Simulation 

Cologne, Germany 

Objective: This experiment has a two-fold objective. First, it will investigate dendritic and eutectic 

solidification velocity resulting from undercooling. These measurements can be used to test and refine 

dendritic and eutectic solidification theories. Second, this investigation will study the nucleation of 

metastable phases below an alloy’s normal solidification temperature. 

Science: Dendrites -- from the Greek word for “tree” -- are tiny branching structures that form inside 

molten metal alloys when they solidify during manufacturing. The size, shape and structure of the dendrites 

have a major effect on the strength, ductility and usefulness of an alloy. 

A eutectic substance -- also from a Greek word (“well-melting”) -- is a material that has a melting point 

lower than that of any of its components. This property makes it an important material, one whose 

microstructure has a strong impact on mechanical, electrical and magnetic properties. An example of the 

eutectic phenomenon is putting salt onto ice. The salt-water mixture lowers the melting point, causing the 

ice to melt. 

Nucleation is the starting point for solidification. The tiniest possible crystal, which scientists call an 

embryo, sets the solidification process into motion. If the atomic arrangement within the embryo differs 

from that in the usual stable solid, a metastable crystalline phase forms. 

The atoms of these metastable crystals have different structural arrangements that change the alloy’s 

properties, such as improving mechanical elasticity and strength. Coal is an example of a material produced 

at the normal solidification temperature. It is the stable, solid form of carbon. When the atomic structure 

solidifies at specific conditions, a diamond is created. Diamond is the metastable solid form of carbon. This 

means that in thousands of years a diamond will eventually turn into a piece of coal, the material’s more 

stable form. When nucleation occurs at other temperatures below the normal solidification point, other 

materials can be created. Coal and diamond are just two of many possibilities, all dependent on the 

conditions at which nucleation occurs. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 25 

Significance: There are two reasons why these experiments are performed in microgravity. First, crystal 

growth can be strongly affected by convective fluid flow in the molten metal. The low acceleration 

environment in space effectively eliminates convection. Comparing space experiment data with Earth 

experiment data is the only practical way to separate the effects of convection from the underlying 

mechanism of crystal growth. On the other hand, the experiment conditions such as containerless 

processing of melts in an ultraclean environment promise a substantial extension of the degree of 

undercooling that can be achieved. It is at these very low undercooling temperatures that scientists hope to 

observe the nucleation of various metastable phases. 

Operations: Two methods will be used to study these phenomena in the containerless environment 

provided within the TEMPUS facility. First, iron-nickel, nickel-carbon and nickel-silicon will be heated to 

100 degrees above their melting point. Then they will be allowed to cool as far into the undercooling range 

as possible, until nucleation spontaneously occurs, and many independent, separate dendrites grow. The 

solidification velocity will be measured once nucleation occurs. 

The second method will use a needle to terminate the undercooling phase. The needle will provide a 

nucleation site, inducing solidification at a specific temperature below the normal solidification point. 

Investigators will carefully control where and when dendrites begin to grow inside the experiment sample. 

Several different time profiles at various temperatures will be obtained for each sample. The microstructure 

of the materials will be analyzed post flight, along with temperature, pressure and acceleration data. 

Alloy Undercooling Experiments 

Experiment Facility: TEMPUS 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Merton C. Flemings 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology 

Cambridge, Mass. 

Objective: Atoms in a molten liquid alloy line up in a specified order as the alloy cools and becomes a 

solid crystal. Scientists hope to learn more about the order in which atoms attach to each other as they grow 

into a crystal structure. They also want to study the speed at which the crystallization process occurs. 

Science: Liquid alloys allowed to solidify slowly at their natural freezing point repeatedly form what is 

called an equilibrium atomic structure. Atoms are consistently ordered in an identical pattern. When the 

solidification process is changed, the atomic structure is affected. Molten liquids that are undercooled 

below the point where they usually become a solid crystallize faster than when they solidify at their normal 

freezing point. The particles are frozen rapidly right where they are, in a matter of milliseconds. This quick 

cooling creates metastable solid phases that are not considered “normal” or stable. Scientists hope their 

results reveal how the fast-frozen solids are different and if the metal alloy’s characteristics are improved. 

It is possible the alloy will be stronger. 

The metal’s properties are expected to change because undercooling allows the scientist to “supersaturate” 

the nickel-tin alloy. Tin makes up a small percentage of the initial alloy sample. However, when the alloy 

is supersaturated, a higher concentration of the sample is comprised of tin. This should alter the metal’s 

properties. 

Significance: Scientists and engineers will study the experiment results to determine how the properties of 

metals change in an unstable fast-frozen, supersaturated state. This may help industry make better metals. 

For example, in the casting of high-performance metal components like jet engine turbine blades, each 

blade is the result of a crystal grown from a single nucleation site. Improving this process may make 

possible turbine blades that would have greater operating efficiency if the blades can be constructed of a 

metal capable of withstanding higher temperatures. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 26 

Operations: Three alloy samples will be levitated, melted and solidified in the Electromagnetic 

Containerless Processing Facility, nicknamed TEMPUS. Two nickel-tin spheres, one containing 25 percent 

tin and one almost one-third tin, will be tested and a third sample, of pure nickel, will be processed for a 

control experiment. 

Structure and Solidification of Largely Undercooled Melts of Quasicrystal-Forming Alloys 

Experiment Facility: TEMPUS 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Knut Urban 

Institute for Solid State Physics Research Center Julich 

Julich, Germany 

Objective: This experiment studies a unique feature of some metallic alloys - the presence of structural 

elements based on atom arrangements with 20 triangular sides, a shape called icosahedral. These multisided structures are a fairly recent discovery known as quasicrystals. 

Science: Quasicrystals are so small they are called nano- crystals. Scientists are not even sure they can be 

considered true crystals. Because they are multi-sided -- having the icosahedral shape -- they are unstable 

building blocks. Therefore, they are distributed in small pockets throughout some metal alloys. As an 

analogy, children’s building blocks - - squares, triangles and rectangles -- fit together in repetitive patterns 

forming a sturdy, solid structure. However, icosahedral shapes cannot tightly fit together, leaving empty 

spaces that weaken a building arrangement such as a crystal structure. 

This investigation also is interested in the undercooling phenomena of these quasicrystals. Using the 

TEMPUS facility, metallic alloys can be cooled well below their melting temperature without 

solidification. 

The quasicrystalline state in metallic alloys was discovered in 1984 as the third state of solid matter. The 

other two are normal crystalline and glassy states. Quasicrystals exhibit excellent structural order based on 

atom arrangements that do not permit long-range periodicity. This feature provides quasicrystalline 

materials with a high degree of hardness and novel electrical and physical properties. Small pockets of 

quasicrystals are located throughout the alloy. 

Significance: This experiment contributes not only to the understanding of why and how these new 

quasicrystals form, but also to our knowledge about the structure of molten alloys. Scientists hope to gain 

insight into how atoms cluster together and eventually grow into a crystal, a process called nucleation. 

Operations: Spherical samples of aluminum-copper-cobalt and aluminum-copper-iron about three-eighths 

of an inch in diameter (8 to 10 mm) will be levitated, melted and solidified at different temperatures using 

the TEMPUS. The samples will be analyzed post flight and the temperature, pressure and acceleration data 

recorded during the STS-65 flight, will be studied. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 27 

Thermodynamics and Glass Formation in Undercooled Liquid Alloys 

Experiment Facility: TEMPUS 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Hans J. Fecht 

Technical University-Berlin 

Berlin, Germany 

Metallic Glass Research in Space: Thermophysical Properties of Metallic 

Glasses and Undercooled Alloys 

Experiment Facility: TEMPUS 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. William L. Johnson 

California Institute of Technology 

Pasadena, Calif. 

The objective and significance of Dr. Johnson’s, as well as Dr. Fecht’s investigations, are quite similar. 

The experimenters share their data and results, which is why they also can be described together. Dr. 

Fecht’s experiment uses three alloys: zirconium-iron, zirconium-cobalt and zirconium- nickel. Dr. 

Johnson’s alloys are zirconium-nickel and niobium- nickel. 

Objective: This experiment uses a new mathematical method, termed the AC method, to calculate heat 

capacity, an important physical characteristic of metallic alloys cooled to temperatures below the point 

when they would normally solidify. While the formula has been evolving over several years, this will be 

the first time it has been used to determine heat capacity. This is possible because pure molten alloys can 

remain liquid at cooler-than-normal temperatures when they are suspended in a containerless processing 

environment such as that provided by the TEMPUS facility. 

Science: A key point in understanding the physics of this experiment is that undercooled metals can remain 

molten many degrees below the temperature at which they normally start to form a solid crystal. At these 

reduced temperatures, areas with a glass-like quality can form in zirconium-based alloys. While these are 

not transparent, they are referred to as glass because the atoms are arranged in a similar pattern as glass 

used for windowpanes. The angles at which atoms are joined is not regular; in fact, the atomic structure has 

no long-range order at all. 

As short, repetitive bursts of heat are rapidly applied to the alloy sample, its temperature will 

correspondingly rise and fall. This temperature increase or decrease lags slightly behind the influx of heat, 

which is modulated through the metal in a wavelike fashion. The time difference between the addition or 

subtraction of heat and the resulting temperature fluctuations is directly related to the alloy’s heat capacity, 

defined as the amount of heat required to increase the temperature of 1 gram of material by 1 degree 

Celsius. Scientists will use specially designed computer software to determine the heat capacity from this 

temperature lag. 

Significance: Understanding the fundamentals of undercooling and formation of metallic glasses is vital 

for designing such materials. They may find applications in many technological areas because of their 

unique mechanical and physical properties. Some present areas of application include high- powered laser 

choke switches, transformer cores, brazing alloys, wear-resistant coatings, and reinforcing fibers in metal 

matrices. In the future, these injection-molded, bulk metallic glasses could influence the state of materials 

science and engineering. 

Operations: The pure metal samples and the alloys will be levitated and heated above their melting point 

and then allowed to cool until they solidify. These experiments involve a series of melting-solidification. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 28 

Viscosity and Surface Tension of Undercooled Melts 

Experiment Facility: TEMPUS 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Ivan Egry 

DLR Institute for Space Simulation 

Cologne, Germany 

Measurement of the Viscosity and Surface Tension of Undercooled Melts 

under Microgravity Conditions and Supporting Magnetohydrodynamic Calculations 

Experiment Facility: TEMPUS 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Julian Szekely 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology 

Cambridge, Mass. 

The experiments of Drs. Egry and Szekely show the same area of specialization and follow identical 

procedures. Therefore only one description is necessary to explain the background and the goal of these 

experiments. Dr. Egry uses samples of the system gold-nickel; Dr. Szekely uses gold-copper samples. 

Objective: The aim is to gain a better understanding of microscopic interactions within molten metals, 

such as gold, in the unusual condition of undercooling. This experiment specifically focuses on studying 

viscosity and surface tension characteristics. Such measurements on undercooled metals have never before 

been possible. On the ground, gravity distorts the molten sample, making it difficult to determine what is 

taking place at the atomic level. 

Science: The study of viscosity and the measurement of surface tension have to do with microscopic 

interactions within molten metals. Materials that have high viscosity are thick and flow slowly, such as 

molasses and 50-weight oil as compared to 10- weight oil. Materials with low viscosity are thin and flow 

readily, such as water. A droplet made up of gold atoms has an even lower viscosity and therefore is 

expected to take a long time returning to a stable, non-oscillating sphere. 

Surface tension is the force acting in the surface of a liquid -- similar to a membrane -- that causes a 

quantity of liquid to try to minimize its total surface area. For example, it causes a drop to be spherical, in 

the absence of gravity. 

When a liquid drop is levitated and its normally spherical shape is disturbed, it will return to a sphere 

through a series of oscillations. The surface tension may be deduced from the frequency of the oscillations. 

Viscosity can be determined from the rate at which these oscillations slow down to a stable spherical 

shape. 

Significance: Understanding the underlying principles governing thermophysical properties of liquid 

metals, in particular, viscosity and surface tension, is a matter of high scientific interest and of benefit to 

industries, such as electronics and manufacturing. 

Knowledge of the viscosity of melts below the temperature at which they solidify will make an important 

contribution to the study of fluid dynamics of undercooled liquid metals. The growing field of 

electromagnetic processing of materials, especially the area of electromagnetic shaping of electrically 

conducting fluids, will benefit from this research. 

Operations: This experiment will levitate and heat a gold- copper alloy sample and a pure copper sample. 

Then the heating unit will be switched off, and the liquid metal will be cooled below its melting point. At 

predetermined temperatures, the sample will be squeezed by pulsing the heating coils, thus producing 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 29 

oscillations in the sample. When the squeezing force is switched off, scientists on the ground will monitor 

the frequency and rate of decay of the oscillations until the metal sample becomes stable and stops 

oscillating. 

Free Flow Electrophoresis Unit (FFEU) 

Payload Developer: NASDA 

Objective: The Free-Flow Electrophoresis Unit is being used to study whether space-based electrophoresis 

will improve the purity of certain biological materials which are normally difficult to separate on Earth. 

Electrophoresis is a process that separates biological materials into individual components using electric 

fields. The method is widely used with gel matrix in the DNA sequence analysis and clinical diagnosis. 

Significance: Widely used Earth-based electrophoresis is run in a gel matrix providing better separation, 

but limited for only small molecules. Matrix free free-flow electrophoresis, however, tends to remix the 

components during separation. Gravity-induced fluid movements such as convection (fluid flows caused 

by density differences) and sedimentation (settling of heavier components) tend to remix the components 

during separation. This prevents the production of suitable quantities of very pure substances. In space, 

however, with gravity no longer a dominant factor, these effects are minimal. 

In space, other physical processes affecting the separation of molecules, which are masked by gravity on 

Earth, become more apparent. Scientists are interested in how these effects might influence future spacebased electrophoresis. They also can use what they learn to better understand electrophoresis processes on 

Earth. 

Science: Particles of any element or compound have an electrical charge. When exposed to an electric 

field, a charged molecule of an element will move toward the side of the field with the opposite charge. 

Eventually, all the molecules within a fluid will segregate according to their charge. 

Molecules separate not only according to whether they are positively or negatively charged, but also 

according to the strength of the charge and the size of the molecule. Molecules with greater positive or 

negative charges move more quickly than those with less charge. Movement of larger molecules is slowed 

by increased resistance from the solution in which they are suspended. 

During electrophoresis separation on Earth, gravity introduces flows which mix and disperse components 

of a solution. For molecules with nearly the same charge, the fluid movement is a more powerful influence 

than the tug of the electric field. Microgravity virtually eliminates these flows, making possible more 

thorough separation and thus more pure materials. 

Background: This facility is furnished by the National Space Development Agency of Japan. Along with 

the Thermoelectric Incubator, Cell Culture Kits and the Aquatic Animal Experiment Unit, it was part of the 

First Material Processing Test P Life Sciences which flew aboard Spacelab-J in 1992. IML-2 experiments 

will add to experience gained during the earlier mission to evaluate how much microgravity increases the 

effectiveness of electrophoretic separation. 

McDonnell Douglas Corp. flew a Continuous Flow Electrophoresis Experiment on several Space Shuttle 

flights in the early 1980s. 

Operations: The Free Flow Electrophoresis Unit separates and analyzes the distribution of materials in a 

solution, using a method called continuous-flow electrophoresis. In this method, material to be separated is 

placed into a moving stream of buffer solution. As the material passes through an electric field, the 

components separate into individual streams within the solution. The constant flow of material allows 

processing of large quantities of product. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 30 

Three types of buffer solutions are contained in separate tanks. A crew member will inject the biological 

sample into the main electrophoresis unit, along with the selected buffer solution. The astronaut then will 

apply an electric field across the flowing solution stream to charge the particles suspended in it. Individual 

components within the mixture will separate into sub-streams, based on their relative charge and size, then 

flow into up to 60 separation collection tubes which can be stowed for post-flight analysis. 

The crew in space and scientists on the ground monitor progress of the experiment through a display 

window at the top of the facility. Depending on the samples being studied, they can determine 

concentrations of the various separation products by how they scatter light or by how much ultraviolet light 

the products absorb. 

Gravitational Role in Electrophoretic Separations of Pituitary Cells and Granules 

Experiment Facility: FFEU 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Wes Hymer 

Pennsylvania State University 

University Park, Pa. 

Objective: This experiment will use electrophoresis to separate pituitary cells which produce different 

hormones into single hormone producing components. The results will evaluate whether separation in 

microgravity is superior to separation on Earth. In addition, the experiment will help determine how 

pituitary growth hormone and prolactin, an immune-system controller, are affected by spaceflight. 

Science: The pituitary system produces many hormones which regulate how the body functions. Two of 

the hormones which are produced throughout life are growth hormone and prolactin. Growth hormone not 

only promotes development of long bones during adolescence; it also increases muscle mass and promotes 

the breakdown of fat in adults. Prolactin plays a part in controlling the immune system and stimulating 

milk production in women after birth. Growth hormone and prolactin come from types of specialized 

pituitary cells which manufacture the hormones and store them in secretory granules inside the cells before 

release into the bloodstream. 

Microgravity has been shown to negatively influence parts of this system in humans and animals. This 

experiment will attempt to determine whether the changes observed in pituitary cells after spaceflight are 

caused by an alteration to the surface of the cell, or by changes within the internal cell structure. 

Significance: In addition to furthering scientific knowledge of electrophoresis techniques, this experiment 

will shed light on how spaceflight affects growth hormone and prolactin- containing cells and granules, 

information important to the long-term health of space travelers. 

Background: Dr. Hymer studied rats from two Russian Biocosmos missions and from the 1985 Spacelab 3 

mission. Post flight studies in each instance showed the rats’ pituitary cells were less active after exposure 

to microgravity. Hymer’s Shuttle middeck experiment aboard STS-46 in 1992 flew rat pituitary cells only, 

but the same changes occurred. This experiment takes his research to the next step, to help determine the 

reason for the changes. 

Operations: Rat pituitary cells loaded in three cell culture chambers are the samples for this experiment. 

Products of cells from one chamber will be stored in the Thermoelectric Incubator at 98.6 degrees 

Fahrenheit (37 !C) for most of the mission. Astronauts will periodically extract samples of the cell products 

with a syringe and refrigerate them for post flight analysis. Scientists will use these samples to determine 

structural and functional changes induced by various durations of exposure to microgravity. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 31 

A crew member will separate cells carried in the second chamber into 30 Free Flow Electrophoresis Unit 

tubes. These 30 samples will be cultured in space to determine how the cells function after separation. 

On Flight Day 5, pituitary cells from the third chamber will be broken apart into sub-cellular particles. 

Electrophoresis will be used to separate prolactin and growth hormone granules. The granules will be 

frozen for post flight analysis to determine if internal changes occurred during the first five days of flight.

Separation of Chromosome DNA of a Nematode, C. elegans, by Electrophoresis 

Experiment Facility: FFEU 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Hidesaburo Kobayashi 

Josai University 

Saitama, Japan 

Objective: This experiment will employ a sensitive method for electrophoresis called isoelectric focusing 

to separate chromosome DNA from a nematode worm. 

Electrophoresis is a process for separating biological materials into individual components using electric 

fields. This experiment uses isoelectric focusing, one of several methods for performing continuous flow 

electrophoresis. Isoelectric focusing is an advanced electrophoresis technique for producing very pure 

separations of proteins, viruses, cells and other biological materials on a small scale. 

Science: Chromosome DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the element of a cell nucleus which is the 

molecular basis for heredity in many organisms. The small nematode is an excellent animal for studying 

the genetic basis for animal development. It is transparent, and its cellular structure is simple, with just six 

chromosomes. 

Because chromosome DNA has nearly constant electric charge density, it cannot be separated from tiny 

organisms like the nematode worm using standard electrophoresis techniques. Therefore, this experiment 

will separate the nematode chromosomes based upon their molecular sizes and minimal charge differences. 

Since there is no gravity-induced convection or mixing in space, the electric charge should be dominant, 

resulting in a successful separation. 

Normally, the solution in which samples are suspended for electrophoresis has a uniformly neutral pH 

(acid/alkaline) level. In isoloelectric focusing, the pH is graduated from more alkaline to more acidic levels 

across the buffer solution. The speed with which various molecules move during separation varies 

according to buffer solution pH levels. Different molecules stop moving, or reach their “isoelectric point,” 

at known pH levels. Therefore, scientists design isoelectric focusing experiments so motion of the material 

they want to collect halts at a given pH level, and unwanted materials pass on to different parts of the 

buffer solution. 

Significance: The ability to separate chromosomes and test the method in space may help solve problems 

in genetic mapping and molecular biology. 

Operations: An astronaut will inject concentrated suspensions of chromosome DNA into the Free Flow 

Electrophoresis Unit, along with a special buffer solution designed to test isoelectric focusing. 

The solution will create a pH (acid/alkaline) gradient in the flow to allow separation of materials with small 

charge differences. After the suspensions are separated, the astronaut will stow the products in separation 

tubes for post flight analysis. Investigators on the ground will subject the chromosomes to standard genetic 

and biochemical tests.
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 32 

Experiments Separating the Culture Solution of Animal Cells 

in High Concentration under Microgravity 

Experiment Facility: FFEU 

Principal Investigator: 

Mr. Tsutomu Okusawa 

Hitachi, Ltd. 

Ibaraki, Japan 

Objective: This experiment grows animal cells in cultures, then separates their cellular secretions in the 

Free Flow Electrophoresis Unit. Animal cells synthesize substances which can be valuable medical drugs. 

Investigators believe that two fundamental aspects of pharmaceutical production, the rate of separation and 

the amount of separated product, may be improved by space processing. 

Electrophoresis is a process for separating biological materials into individual components using electric 

fields. It is expected that the method is useful in the production and purification of drugs and medicines on 

Earth. 

Science: Drugs expected to work for cancer diagnosis and treatment include monoclonal antibodies, which 

are effective for both treatment and prevention because they provide a disease immunity. These antibodies 

are obtained from cultured animal cells on Earth. In the present commercial production method, animal 

cells are multiplied to the highest concentration possible in cell cultures. A recent method for culturing 

animal cells on the ground is being used to grow cells at ten times the previous rate. Then, the useful 

substance is separated from the culture medium through a refining process. After the medium is passed 

through a series of filters, final removal of unnecessary substances is accomplished by a process called 

liquid chromatography. However, the method is complicated and inefficient. The substances must be 

refined further to obtain a pure pharmaceutical product in larger quantities. 

Ground-based electrophoresis has been used to analyze the separation process. It has not been practical for 

commercial processing, though, because convective flows within the separation fluid caused by gravity 

reduce its effectiveness. 

Separation by electrophoresis in space shows promise for yielding larger amounts of a purer product. In 

addition, previous experiments indicate that the cells may produce antibodies at much faster rates in 

microgravity. 

Significance: Results from experiments such as this should verify the validity of the electrophoresis 

method in space and provide useful knowledge for establishing space-based biotechnology production in 

the future. 

Operations: A crew member will place one type of hybrid animal cell from the Cell Culture Kits into the 

Thermoelectric Incubator, both IML-2 life-science equipment furnished by the Japanese Space Agency. 

The culture will incubate and grow for five days. Then, the highly concentrated cell solution will be 

injected into the Free Flow Electrophoresis Unit, where the cellular secretions will be separated from the 

solution. 

The sample will be separated under three different conditions, varying flow rates and the timing and 

intensity of electrical charges. The crew member operating the experiment and ground controllers will 

determine which conditions proved the most effective. The fractions of the sample separated under those 

conditions will be collected and frozen for post- flight analysis.
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 33 

Aquatic Animal Experiment Unit (AAEU) 

Payload Developer: NASDA 

Objective: The facility provides an environment supporting studies of live fish and small amphibians 

under microgravity conditions. It permits observations of spawning, fertilization, embryonic stages, 

vestibular functioning and behavior in microgravity. 

Hardware: This aquarium consists of two independent life- support systems, called fish and aquarium 

packages. 

Small fish and amphibians, such as newts, live in four cassette-type aquariums, and there is a larger tank 

designed for fish. A special life-support system supplies oxygen, removes carbon dioxide and waste (such 

as ammonia and organic substances), and regulates the temperature as desired, between 59 and 77 degrees 

Fahrenheit (15 to 25 degrees C). The crew can view the animals through a window and access them by 

means of a port in each enclosure. 

A video system can be attached to the viewing port for recording observations of behavior, such as 

swimming patterns. Close-up observations can be made of fertilization and embryonic development. These 

images, along with housekeeping data on water temperature and pressure and other parameters, are 

downlinked to scientists supporting the mission on the ground. 

Background: The AAEU was flown successfully on the Spacelab-J mission (STS-47), in a slightly 

different configuration. It was referred to as the vestibular function unit, and supported studies with carp. 

Mechanism of Vestibular Adaptation of Fish under Microgravity 

Experiment Facility: AAEU 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Akira Takabayashi 

Fujita-Gakuen Health University 

Toyoake, Japan 

Objective: This experiment further explores the hypothesis that space motion sickness is caused by 

conflicting messages sent from the eyes and the otoliths. Investigators expect to clarify the interaction 

between otolith organs located in the inner-ear and other gravity-sensing organs. Six goldfish will be used 

to study how their vestibular systems adapt to microgravity and readapt to Earth’s gravity after landing. 

Significance: Space motion sickness usually is experienced by roughly half of all human space travelers, 

and may occur in other species. The investigator’s team wants to evaluate mechanisms which may cause 

space motion sickness. This will help the effort to develop preventive measures. 

Science: On the ground, animals control their posture and motion by sensing gravity by means of their 

vestibular and eye system. Posture control is achieved by integrating information in the brain received from 

both the eyes and vestibular system. When animals are placed in microgravity, they tend to lose their 

balance, then gradually adapt with time. 

The most important gravity-sensing mechanism is the vestibular-otolith system in the inner ear on both 

sides of the goldfish. However, in microgravity, goldfish might maintain their balance only by visual input. 

Background: This experiment is an extension of an experiment flown as part of Spacelab-J (STS-47). 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 34 

Operations: In goldfish, the vestibular apparatus contains two otolith organs. Before launch one or both 

otoliths will be removed by surgery from five goldfish; a sixth goldfish will have both otoliths intact. All 

six goldfish will be flown in the Aquatic Animal Experiment Unit. 

The fish behavior will be videotaped once a day and analyzed after the mission. One aspect of behavior to 

be observed is how the fish react to light stimulation from a direction perpendicular to the aquarium (dorsal 

light response). Swimming patterns, including measurements of the tilting angle, velocity, and how these 

characteristics change over time, will be studied to learn how the fish adapt in microgravity. 

After Columbia lands, the readaptation process to Earth’s gravity will be observed for 10 days. 

Otoconia: Early Development of A Gravity-Receptor Organ in Microgravity 

Experiment Facility: AAEU 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Michael L. Wiederhold 

University of Texas Health Science Center 

San Antonio, Texas 

Objective: The purpose is to study how the gravity-sensing organs located in the middle ear develop in 

microgravity using embryos of the Japanese red-bellied newt. Scientists will study the development of both 

the gravity-sensing otolith organs and angular-acceleration sensors, the semicircular canals. 

Science: All vertebrates (creatures with a spinal column) and most invertebrates have specialized receptors 

in their inner ears to sense gravity. In many organisms, including humans, this gravity perception occurs in 

organs known as otoliths. The organ contains mineral crystals called otoconia. The organ detects gravity by 

an interaction of the otoconia and tiny hairs (cilia) inside the inner ear. The crystals have greater density 

than the fluid surrounding them, so gravity pulls them down. The fall of the crystals (stones) on the hairs 

deflects hair bundles on top of the hair cells, causes excitation of vestibular-nerve fibers to the brain 

indicating body position. 

There is uncertainty about how the crystals, their associated receptor cells and the connections of the nerve 

fibers within the brain develop in space without gravity. 

The investigator’s team wants to clarify this reflex process and also study growth development in the 

absence of gravity. 

Significance: Observations should clarify gravity-dependent vestibular information processing. These 

findings will help explain the fundamental role of gravity on the otoliths and how it affects development of 

balance control. 

Operations: The development process of the vestibular system including rotational acceleration sensors or 

semicircular canals will be investigated using Japanese red-bellied newts. Newts are very suitable for this 

experiment because these animals’ vestibular system can develop within the planned IML-2 mission 

duration of 14 days. 

Female newts will be used, since they store the fertilized eggs in their bodies. The crew injects some of the 

newts with a hormone during the spaceflight to observe the early development of the gravity sensor in an 

embryo grown in a microgravity environment. The size of the otoliths and associated sensory structures 

will be determined by three- dimensional reconstruction of sections of the inner ear. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 35 

The rate of calcification will be determined by labeling new calcium deposits with two different fluorescent 

calcium-binding dyes applied four days apart. Otolith function will be assessed by examining the newts’ 

larvae vestibular- ocular reflex. 

Data from the newts flown in microgravity will be compared to controls on the ground, to embryos whose 

growth began three to five days before launch, and to newt embryos whose growth began on orbit. By 

comparing these groups, the investigators can determine if otoconial formation proceeds normally in 

microgravity. 

Fertilization and Embryonic Development of Japanese Newts in Space 

Experiment Facility: AAEU 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Masamichi Yamashita 

Institute for Space and Astronautical Science 

Kanagawa, Japan 

Objective: Unique aquatic animals will be used to investigate the effects of gravity on cells during early 

developmental stages. 

Science: Previous experiments have indicated that gravity affects amphibian eggs before their first 

cleavage. A single egg divides into many cells, and those cells mature or differentiate to form all the organs 

whose function makes up the living organism. Gravity is one factor that regulates this process. By studying 

cell differentiation in microgravity, scientists may be able to determine the effects of gravity on cells at 

early developmental stages. 

The Japanese newt starts its life from a large, single-cell egg. Gravity plays a role in the egg’s development 

by orienting the heavy vegetal hemisphere of the egg downward. Early stages of development may be very 

sensitive to gravity. This may occur even before the single cell divides into two cells. To investigate this 

effect, scientists will study newt eggs exposed to microgravity. 

Significance: Fertilized newt eggs will be observed during the most dynamic stage of their life. Findings 

on the effects of the absence of gravity on their early development could help scientists acquire knowledge 

about the benefits of Earth’s gravity for a biological system in early developmental stages and the 

mechanisms involved. 

Background: The experiment on IML-2 may enrich scientific results and provide a larger number of 

specimens to establish a good statistical base. It also provides an opportunity to compare data from 

independent experiments. This “AstroNewt” experiment also is scheduled to fly on the first mission of the 

Space Flyer Unit. This Japanese space platform will be launched by an H-II rocket. 

Operations: Japanese red-bellied newts mate in the autumn. The female newts go into hibernation, storing 

sperm in their bodies for fertilizing their eggs in the springtime. The hibernating newts will be collected 

and stored under controlled conditions until just before the STS-65 launch. Hibernation can be successfully 

terminated at any time by warming the creatures to 59 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius). 

During the IML-2 mission, four newts will be kept in three water tanks in the Aquatic Animal Experiment 

Unit onboard Columbia. The female newts will be induced by a hormonal treatment to lay eggs in the 

water tanks. Two newts will receive a hormone injection on the ground prior to launch. This should result 

in their laying eggs three to four days later. Crew members will inject the other two newts in space. 

When space-borne eggs are obtained, those eggs are isolated from the mothers by a partition. Close-up 

video images of the eggs and embryos will be recorded to trace their time course of development. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 36 

Some embryos will be preserved at specific development stages, while some will continue further 

development after Columbia lands. They will be kept until they hatch on Earth for the morphological and 

behavior studies. 

A simultaneous control experiment will be conducted on the ground. 

The adult newts and eggs will be shared with Dr. Wiederhold’s “Otoconia” experiment. 

Mating Behavior of the Fish (Medaka) and Development of Their Eggs in Space 

Experiment Facility: AAEU 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Ken-ichi Ijiri 

University of Tokyo 

Tokyo, Japan 

Objective: To study whether the freshwater fish, Medaka, can mate and lay eggs under the weightlessness 

conditions of spaceflight. If eggs are laid, scientists will study their development. The swimming behavior 

of this special strain of Medaka also will be observed during and after the flight. 

Significance: Aquaculture in space could become an important nutritional theme in the future. Fish may be 

included in a controlled ecological life-support system being developed for long-term human stays in 

space. 

In a practical system, fish would mate and spawn eggs, thus increasing their numbers. This experiment 

tests the feasibility of such an aquaculture design in microgravity, checking the mating behavior and 

embryonic development of a small fish. Results may help scientists plan other experiments for breeding 

fish in space. 

Science: Medaka is a small freshwater fish commonly found in ponds and rivers all over Japan’s 

countryside. It is an excellent experimental species because it has a relatively short life cycle of three 

months from one generation to the next. Also, the transparent body provides for easy observation and 

identification of its organs during embryonic development. Therefore, scientists can determine whether 

microgravity impacts normal development processes. 

Fish usually swim in loop patterns when they are exposed to microgravity. However, a special breed of the 

Medaka species has not exhibited this behavior when exposed to microgravity for short periods of time on 

parabolic flights aboard aircraft. This tolerance to microgravity should be inherited by future generations of 

this breed. This experiment will examine whether this strain continues to swim normally during a longer 

stay in space. 

Operations: Two pairs of male and female Medaka will be transferred to a small cassette-type aquarium 

about two days prior to launch. The life support for the Medaka is continuously provided by the Aquatic 

Animal Experiment Unit for the entire mission. 

Each day, mating behavior should be completed within two hours after the transition from a 10-hour dark 

period to light period. After crew members visually verify the first spawning onboard Columbia, a video 

camera will record activity for the first two hours of the light period, which should be enough time to 

record the fish mating behavior. 

Once spawning starts, the fish will continue to lay eggs once every day for a month. Newly laid eggs first 

form a cluster on the belly of the female fish. After a few hours, the eggs fall away from her body. The 

detached eggs should flow with the water into an area separated by a mesh structure. The crew will 

continue video observations of the developing embryos at predetermined intervals. Detailed observations 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 37 

of its early embryonic development are possible because the egg envelope is transparent. The fry are 

expected to hatch about eight days after spawning. Investigators expect to see hatched fry swimming in the 

aquarium during the mission. They also are interested in the swimming behavior of the fry and adults after 

Columbia lands. 

Genetic studies of the fish will be conducted post flight. Computer analysis of fish movement based on the 

video images recorded on the ground and in orbit is also planned. 

Applied Research on Separation Methods Using Space Electrophoresis 

Recherche Appliquee sur les Methodes de Separation en Electrophorese Spatiale 

(RAMSES) 

Payload Developer: The French Space Agency (CNES) 

Objective: Scientists will conduct experiments using RAMSES to better understand the basic mechanisms 

that govern electrophoresis and assess gravity’s impact on the process. Separating and collecting ultra-pure 

components of biological substances is an area of research with great importance to the pharmaceutical 

industry. Electrophoresis is a process for separating biological materials into individual components using 

an electrical field. These purified materials can then be used for other processes, such as growing crystals. 

This technology has been adapted for use in microgravity in the RAMSES electrophoresis unit. RAMSES 

is the French acronym for Applied Research on Separation Methods using Space Electrophoresis. This 

multi-user facility was developed by the French Space Agency in conjunction with European industrial 

partners. 

Gravity-induced fluid movements such as sedimentation (settling of heavier elements in the solution) and 

convection (flows within fluids caused by temperature and concentration differences) tend to remix the 

compounds during separation on Earth. RAMSES will allow researchers to escape these limits by taking 

advantage of the reduction of gravity-induced phenomena in space. 

The basis of the electrophoresis separation process is complex. Biological molecules in a fluid carry 

electric charges. Each type of molecule moves within an electric field at different speeds depending on its 

charge polarity, size and shape. For example, a molecule that is very negative will feel greater attractive 

and repulsive forces from the electric field than a slightly negative particle. Consequently, it will move 

more quickly than the molecule possessing less charge. The fluid in which the particles are suspended also 

plays a role in this process. The viscosity of the fluid or carrier solution hinders the forward movement of 

large molecules. 

With the virtual absence of convection and sedimentation in microgravity, other important phenomena 

normally masked by gravity come into play, affecting the separation of molecules. Scientists are 

particularly interested in these electro-hydrodynamic effects. These are rotating movements of the liquid 

that are produced by the electric field. 

Hardware and Operations: RAMSES is a continuous flow electrophoresis unit, meaning the biological 

sample to be purified is continuously injected into a carrier solution flowing up the length of a transparent 

separation chamber. An adjustable electric field is applied across the flow, causing the differently charged 

components to diverge into a wide beam consisting of separate streams. The separated streams of 

molecules pass through 40 outlets into collection tubes. A light absorption instrument, called a photometer, 

monitors the process. When it detects a significant concentration of biological material in the outlet flow, 

crew members will recover those collection tubes which, after storage in a refrigerator, will be returned for 

analysis. Otherwise the flow is diverted to a waste tank. 

Separation parameters -- flow rates, electric field strengths and carrier fluid temperature -- can be altered to 

study a wide range of conditions. This will allow the optimum separation conditions to be determined. 

Crewmembers can monitor the separation experiments and photograph them through a transparent window 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 38 

in the instrument front panel. A specialized light source provides a “sheet” of illumination across the 

separation chamber, producing a cross-sectional view of the sample flow behavior. 

The RAMSES Control Command and Acquisition System directs the operation of the complete system. It 

provides the user interface, acquires and stores experiment data, and provides connections with the science 

team on the ground. Crew members can also make adjustments. The crew will be responsible for setting up 

operations, monitoring the separation process and the photometer which indicates the collection tubes that 

are gathering the highest quality samples. These are the samples that will be returned to scientists on the 

ground for further research. 

Optimization of Protein Separation 

Experiment Facility: RAMSES 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Victor Sanchez 

National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) Chemical Engineering Laboratory 

University Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France 

Objective: This investigation will use a unique process to separate protein solutions into individual 

components using an electric field. The process is called electrophoresis. Solutions of proteins will be 

purified by separating them into several streams, each one containing proteins of only one kind. Just one 

milligram (a thirty thousandth of an ounce) of protein purified for use in pharmaceuticals can be very 

expensive. Performing this purification in the absence of gravity may allow scientists to gather purer 

protein in larger quantities than is possible on Earth. 

Two series of experiments will be conducted to evaluate the degree of protein purification that is possible 

in microgravity. Three samples each contain two pure proteins that have been mixed together. This will 

allow the process to be tested with well-known products. Three other samples contain a great number of 

proteins extracted from a bacterial culture. Here most of the proteins are unidentified, and scientists are 

interested in how these solutions will separate. Another objective is to test whether the biological activity 

remains intact in the purified product. 

Science: A protein molecule is a complex structure that has an electric charge. Each type of protein moves 

at a different rate across the chamber when exposed to an electric field. Therefore, when a solution of 

protein molecules is passed through a separation chamber, the molecules will move away from the side 

with the same charge toward the opposite-charged side of the field. The particles will separate and fan out 

into an array of bands as they flow through the chamber. At the outlet they can be collected for further 

research. 

The principal investigator’s team hopes to study a three-fold combination of effects: 

• how the separation process is affected by the strength of the electric field and by the length of time 

spent traveling through it 

• how the protein molecules interact with ions and molecules of the carrier solution 

• electro-hydrodynamics, a rotating movement of the carrier liquid caused by disturbances in the electric 

field due to the presence of the protein. 

Significance: Tomorrow’s pharmaceuticals will be developed using proteins produced by biotechnology. 

Therefore, scientists require a precise knowledge of protein structure. To obtain this, highly purified 

protein molecules are necessary in sufficient quantity to allow protein crystals to be formed. 

Working in microgravity eliminates buoyancy forces, allowing scientists to use more highly concentrated 

protein solutions, higher electric field strengths and slower carrier flow rates for longer separation times. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 39 

Background: IML-2 scientists will build on past progress with continuous flow electrophoresis operations 

in microgravity by studying a variety of biological materials and further characterizing this type of 

processing and the operating conditions that affect it. Investigations into electrophoresis for separating 

biological materials began in the 1950s. McDonnell Douglas Corp. conducted several experiments onboard 

the Space Shuttle during the 1980s. This French team of investigators became interested in this process in 

the mid- 1980s. 

Operations: In continuous-flow electrophoresis, a stream of carrier solution flows through a thin, 

rectangular chamber. When a protein mixture is injected into this flowing solution, it moves with the flow 

and an electric field causes the proteins to move apart across the width of the chamber. A direct current 

field is used here to keep the proteins always moving in the same direction. A photometer (measuring light 

absorption) will be used during operation for measuring protein concentrations in the 40 samples. A crew 

member will refrigerate the samples with the highest protein concentrations, which will be returned for 

post flight analysis. The first sample to be treated will contain two colored proteins. These are easily 

separated and will be processed under the same conditions as on Earth. This will demonstrate that the 

instrument is operating correctly on its maiden flight. This instrument can treat up to one milligram of 

protein per hour, which is considered a large amount of matter. 

Electrohydrodynamic Sample Distortion 

Experiment Facility: RAMSES 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Robert Snyder 

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center 

Huntsville, Ala. 

Objective: This experiment focuses specifically on electro- hydrodynamics. This is the movement of liquid 

driven by an electric field. In this case, the movement will be made apparent by the use of a suspension of 

latex particles in liquid. Scientists will examine how the shape of a stream of particles is modified by an 

electric field. 

Electro-hydrodynamic effects are more easily observed in the absence of gravity, where convection caused 

by buoyancy is virtually eliminated. Sedimentation, the settling and separation of heavier elements from 

lighter ones, also is greatly reduced. The principal investigator’s team plans to stop the flow of a carrier 

liquid and immobilize the stream of latex particles. On Earth, the particles would immediately settle to the 

bottom of the chamber. In microgravity, the originally cylindrical stream of particles should be deformed 

by the electric force without interference from any other movement. 

Significance: Continuous-flow electrophoresis is a process that allows protein mixtures, or living cell 

populations, to be separated into batches of highly purified products in sufficient quantity for them to be 

used in other processes, such as protein crystallization. 

However, before highly concentrated samples can be processed on a large scale, the factors governing 

electrophoresis must be more fully understood. One is the electro-hydrodynamic spreading of a sample 

stream in electrophoresis, resulting in remixing of the components that are meant to be separated, thus 

harming the purity of the product. 

Improved understanding of the physics underlying electro-hydrodynamics will help scientists better control 

this phenomenon and thereby improve the separation in electrophoresis. Microgravity allows highly 

concentrated samples to be used and observations to be made even when the carrier flow is entirely 

stopped. 

Science: Latex particles are bigger and less complex in structure than protein molecules so they are easier 

to study. Like proteins, the latex particles retain a positive or negative charge. This means that they also 

can be influenced by an electric field. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 40 

The electric field around a stream of latex particles can be distorted either by varying differences in 

electrical conductivity or by using differences in dielectric constant. The manipulation of electrical 

conductivity in theliquid results in local areas through which electric current passes more easily, and areas 

of greater opposition to current flow. The result is a non-uniform field in the liquid. 

The dielectric constant involves the way in which molecules or particles tend to be oriented by an electric 

field. A non-uniform field causes the liquid in and around the latex-particle stream to rotate, showing up as 

a change in shape of the stream of particles. 

Background: Electro-hydrodynamic effects such as these were originally observed in the 1960s. Previous 

continuous-flow electrophoresis experiments exhibited electro-hydrodynamic spreading of the sample 

stream when electrical properties (such as conductivity and dielectric constant) of the sample stream were 

not the same as those of the carrier solution. 

Operations: Two different samples will be used to study the effect of varying the latex-particle 

concentration. The suspension of latex particles will be injected into a carrier solution flowing through the 

separation chamber of the RAMSES electrophoresis unit. 

The first part of this experiment uses AC fields, in which the positive and negative poles of the field are 

rapidly switching. The latex particles should not exhibit any net movement, allowing the electrohydrodynamic effect itself to be observed. As the solution flows through the chamber it should widen into 

a continuous ribbon of latex particles. A thin sheet of light will illuminate a cross-section of this ribbon so 

that a crew member may view and photograph any distortions to the flow of latex particles. 

Advanced Protein Crystallization Facility 

Payload Developer: European Space Agency (ESA) 

Objective: Advanced Protein Crystallization Facility (APCF) research has two objectives: to provide 

difficult-to-produce, biologically important protein crystals for analysis, and to determine the physical 

mechanisms that govern protein crystal growth. It is the first space facility ever designed to use three 

different protein crystal growth techniques. 

Significance: Proteins are complex molecules responsible for a great many biochemical functions essential 

to life on Earth. Scientists strive to determine the structure and function of proteins to better understand 

living systems and to develop medicines. For example, the pharmaceutical industry uses structural 

information to design drugs which bind to a specific protein, blocking chemically active sites. Such a drug 

fits a protein like a key in a lock to “turn off” the protein’s activity, thus regulating metabolic processes. 

The three-dimensional structures of proteins are determined by X-ray analysis of protein crystals. 

However, many proteins that interest medical researchers have not produced crystals of adequate size and 

quality to allow X-ray data to be collected. Crystals grown in space, where they are virtually free from the 

distortions of gravity, often provide better structural information than their counterparts grown on Earth. 

Hardware: The Advanced Protein Crystallization Facility is a fully autonomous facility except that it 

requires electrical power from the Shuttle and activation by a crew member when orbit is reached. 

Temperature control, any value between 4 and 25 degrees C is possible, activation/deactivation of the 

protein growth chambers, monitoring of basic housekeeping parameters, video image taking and recording 

of all data on a digital tape recorder are performed under control of a microprocessor. Two experiment 

units exist, each of which occupies one Shuttle mid-deck locker. For IML-2, both units will be held at a 

constant temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20!C). Each unit can accommodate 48 modular protein 

crystal growth chambers, 12 of which can be observed with a high- resolution, black and white video 

camera. Chambers for each of the three crystallization techniques are available in different volumes. All 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 41 

types and volumes of chambers are interchangeable within the units, so researchers can choose the best 

combination for their particular studies. 

The three protein crystallization techniques available to users of the facility are: 

Vapor diffusion: The protein is suspended as a drop at the end of a syringe tip in a chamber surrounded by 

material soaked in a concentrated precipitation agent. As water migrates from the protein solution to the 

precipitant solution, the concentration of protein within the drop increases. Eventually, it supersaturates, 

and crystal growth begins. 

Liquid-liquid diffusion: The protein solution, a buffer solution, and a precipitant solution are initially 

separated by shutters. When the shutters are removed, the precipitant diffuses through the central buffer 

solution into the protein solution, causing the protein to become less soluble and initiating crystal growth. 

Dialysis: The protein solution is separated from a reservoir of precipitating agent by a thin membrane of 

material that allows passage of some substances while blocking others. The precipitant moves across the 

membrane into the protein solution, initiating crystal development. 

Operations: The crew activates the Protein Crystallization Facility after reaching orbit, monitors the 

facility as it operates, and deactivates the equipment when experiments end. No data are transmitted to the 

ground during the mission. 

Crystal growth begins by causing a protein solution to “supersaturate,” a condition where more protein is 

present than can remain dissolved within a volume of fluid. As a result of this supersaturation, the protein 

crystals precipitate out of solution and begin to grow. 

Video images will be made of crystals as they form. After the mission, the approximately 5,000 images 

will allow investigators to study the history of crystal development in microgravity. 

Background: This experiment facility was developed by the European Space Agency. It has flown once 

before, on the Spacehab-1 mission (STS-57) in 1993. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 42 

Principal Investigator Proposed Protein(s) Method 

 

N. Chayen/P. Zagalsky 

Great Britain 

alpha Crystacyanine vapor diffusion 

A. Ducruix/M. Ries Collagenase diffusion vapor 

CNRS Laboratory of 

Crystallography 

Gif sur Yvette, France 

Rhodobacter Spheroides liquid-liquid diffusion 

 

V. Erdmann/S. Lorenz 

Free University of Berlin 

Berlin, Germany 

RNA vapor diffusion 

dialysis 

 

R. Giege/A. Theobald 

CNRS Institute of Molecular 

and Cellular Biology 

Strasbourg, France 

Aspartyl-tRNA Synthetase vapor diffusion 

dialysis 

 

W. deGrip/J.V. Oostrum 

University of Njimegen 

Nijmegen, The Netherlands 

Rhodopsin vapor diffusion 

 

J. Helliwell/E. Snell 

University of Manchester 

Manchester, England 

Lysosyme (collaboration with 

Sjolin) 

dialysis 

 

J. Martial/L. Wyns 

Belgium 

Octarellin 

Copperoxalate 

liquid-liquid diffusion, dialysis 

vapor diffusion 

 

A. McPherson/S. Koszelak 

U. of California at Riverside 

Riverside, California 

Satellite Tomacco Mosaic Virus 

Satellite Panicum Mosaic Virus 

Cucumber Mosaic Virus 

Turnip Yellow Mosaic Virus 

liquid-liquid diffusion 

 

L. Sjolin 

Chalmers U. of Technology 

Goetborg, Sweden 

Ribonuclease S 

(collaboration with Helliwell) 

vapor diffusion 

 

G. Wagner 

Justus-Liebig U. of Giessen 

Giessen, Germany 

Bacteriorhodopsin dialysis 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 43 

Principal Investigator Proposed Protein(s) Method 

 

A. Yonath/H. Hansen 

Max Planck-Laboratory for 

Ribosomal Structure 

Hamburg, Germany 

Haloarcula marismortui 

50S 

vapor diffusion 

 

F. Jurnak 

U. of California at Riverside 

Riverside, California 

Pectate lyase 

liquid 

liquid diffusion 

 

M. Garavito 

University of Chicago 

Chicago, Illinois 

OmpF porin liquid-liquid diffusion 

 

K. Ward 

Naval Research Laboratory 

Aequorin 

Phosphoilpase A1 

Green fluorescent protein 

liquid-liquid diffusion 

 

H. Einspahr 

Bristol-Meyers-Squibb 

Cytochrome c (tuna) liquid-liquid diffusion 

P. Weber 

DuPont 

Alpha-thrombin (human) liquid-liquid diffusion 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 44 

Bubble, Drop and Particle Unit 

Payload Developer: European Space Agency 

Objective: Subtle aspects of fluid physics, normally hidden by the effects of Earth’s gravity, will be 

investigated in microgravity with the Bubble, Drop and Particle Unit, developed by the European Space 

Agency. 

Researchers will study fluid behaviors and interactions such as bubble growth, evaporation, condensation, 

thermocapillary flows (fluid motions generated by temperature differences along the surfaces of liquids). 

Such phenomena are difficult to observe on Earth because their effects are masked by gravity-induced fluid 

movements. 

Science: Our intuitive expectations of how fluids (liquids or gases) normally behave are based on their 

actions under the influence of gravity. For example, hot air rises because it is less dense than cooler air, and 

gravity’s pull similarly induces convection -- flows within a fluid caused by density differences. Muddy 

water will clear when left standing because gravity also causes sedimentation (the separation and settling of 

heavier elements from lighter ones) of soil particles suspended within the water. 

In a microgravity environment, such gravity-driven convective flows are minimized, and other more subtle 

fluid movements, such as thermocapillary flows, can be observed. The flows become the main mechanism 

of heat transfer within fluids. Suspended particles, bubbles and liquid drops behave differently in 

microgravity. For example, drops of liquid become spherical, instead of teardrop, as their shape becomes 

dominated by surface tension effects instead of gravity. 

Significance: Results may be used to improve the design of spacecraft life support and fuel management 

systems as well as materials processing both on Earth and in space. The behavior of fluids is at the heart of 

many phenomena in materials processing, biotechnology and combustion science. Surface tension-driven 

flows (fluid flow from hot regions to cold) affect semiconductor crystal growth, welding and the spread of 

flames on liquids. The dynamics of liquid drops are an important aspect of chemical process technologies 

and in meteorology. 

Hardware: Crew members will exchange interchangeable experiment test containers with dedicated fluid 

cells located in the Bubble Drop and Particle Unit. The fluid cells can incorporate mechanical or acoustic 

stirrers for fluid mixing, injectors for bubbles or droplets, and heating and cooling elements to impose 

temperature differences within the fluid. 

Modular optics components support several different diagnostic techniques, including Schlieren 

(shadowgraph), interferometric and infrared imaging. The sample can be illuminated using fluorescent 

lamps, or a Helium-Neon laser. Experiments are automatically controlled by a microprocessor. 

Investigators on the ground can monitor the processing of their experiments and can change parameters. 

Crew members can also adjust and modify conditions. 

Cameras and sensors will observe and record temperature, density, position and interactions within the 

liquid-filled test cells. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 45 

Bubble Migration, Coalescence and Interaction with Melting and Solidification Fronts 

Experiment Facility: Bubble Drop Particle Unit (BDPU) 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Rodolfo Monti 

University of Naples 

Naples, Italy 

Objective: Bubbles form as molten alloys, crystals and glasses begin to solidify both on Earth and in 

microgravity. Scientists are interested in why these bubbles are not uniformly distributed within the metal, 

whether processed on Earth or in space. This investigation will use a transparent material to observe the 

movement of bubbles at the liquid- solid interface as the material first melts, then solidifies. It also will 

study how drops of liquid behave when exposed to a temperature gradient and interact with the 

solidification front -- the moving boundary where a molten substance is crystallizing into solid. 

Significance: This research is significant for improving techniques for material processing in space. It is 

important to learn how to control the movement of bubbles in a material during phase changes, such as 

from liquid to solid. Scientists are interested in knowing how to solidify materials, both with the bubbles 

included and excluded from the substance. 

These findings have potential applicability for industries in areas such as the production of crystals in 

electronic devices. Another area of industrial interest is refining the capability to disperse one material into 

another with extremely high uniformity by controlling the Marangoni migration of inclusions in melts. This 

is the movement of bubbles or drops driven by surface forces when a liquid’s surface tension is affected by 

heat, in the form of a temperature gradient. 

Science: On Earth, gravity-induced convection and buoyancy alter processes that would benefit from 

gravity- and disturbance-free conditions. This experiment will allow scientists to observe bubble movement 

and the interaction with the solidification front in the absence of gravity with bubble-drop dimensions not 

achievable on the ground. 

Operations: The test sample will be a solid piece of tetracosane, a transparent material that melts at a low 

temperature. The material sample includes pre-formed bubbles of different sizes. 

The tetracosane will be heated above its melting point 131 degrees Fahrenheit (55 degrees Celsius). As the 

melting front reaches each bubble, the bubble will be released and is expected to migrate toward the hot 

side of the liquid, away from the melting front. The locations, dimensions and movement of the bubbles 

released by the melting front will be recorded. Other characteristics of the migration will be studied and 

documented. 

Thermocapillary Migration and Interactions of Bubbles and Drops 

Experiment Facility: Bubble Drop Particle Unit (BDPU) 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. R. Shankar Subramanian 

Clarkson University 

Potsdam, NY 

Objective: This experiment will study the movement and shape of gas bubbles and liquid drops in silicone 

oil when a temperature gradient is established within the container. The bubbles are expected to move from 

a position near the cold wall toward the hot wall. The gas bubbles and liquid drops will have a range of 

diameters and densities. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 46 

Significance: Bubbles and drops are encountered in various materials processes, such as solidification and 

preparation of composite materials. Also, for long-duration space voyages, recycling of waste material will 

be essential, and separation processes used for this purpose may involve bubbles and drops. Therefore, it is 

important to understand the motion of bubbles and drops and to learn to manipulate them under lowgravity conditions where buoyancy is negligible. 

Science: Bubbles do not behave in space like they do on Earth. By managing bubbles and drops and 

measuring how fast they move because of a temperature difference, scientists may be able to predict 

various engineering applications and hardware designs. This heating and cooling simulates the melting and 

solidification of metals and other basic scientific principles used in other experiments. 

The investigator’s team will study how fast the bubbles move, their size and shape. These data will be 

compared with mathematical predictions. 

Operations: A series of experiments, each lasting about four hours, will be conducted. Before each series, 

a temperature gradient will be established in the container. Thereafter bubbles and drops will be injected 

into a small rectangular cell filled with a fluid. Approximately six bubbles (or drops) will be injected in 

sequence. Their motion will be monitored on the ground via video. Then, the bubbles or drops will be 

extracted through an extraction net, in preparation for the next series of runs. Results from the experiments 

will be compared with predictions from theoretical models. Temperature control and bubble/drop injection 

can be performed automatically and under control of the investigator on the ground or by an IML-2 crew 

member. 

Bubble Behavior Under Low Gravity 

Experiment Facility: Bubble Drop Particle Unit (BDPU) 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Antonio Viviani 

Seconda Universita degli Studi di Napoli (SUN) 

Aversa, Italy 

Objective: This experiment investigates how different size bubbles of inert gas move within a liquid. The 

liquid, n- heptanol, will be subjected to an uneven temperature distribution. The membrane encasing the 

gas bubble will react to the temperature variation within the liquid. The membrane toward the colder 

temperatures contracts -- a result dependent on a surface tension change on that portion of the membrane -- 

causing the bubble to move. 

The motion of the bubbles is driven by variations in the surface tension, which are induced by temperature 

differences along the interface (thermocapillary effect), between the liquid and the bubble. This particular 

kind of liquid permits measurement of an unusual, non-linear temperature- dependent surface tension. The 

fluid region where surface tension is at a minimum is of great interest. 

Science: This phenomenon can be illustrated with an analogy. Soiled clothes are washed in hot water 

which relaxes the surface tension of the cloth fibers permitting the dirt to be extracted. This investigation 

will use temperature differences and thermodynamic principles to move and extract bubbles. Scientists also 

want to determine if higher temperatures will cause bubbles in molten glass to migrate to an exterior 

surface so they can be eliminated. 

Significance: Earth’s gravitational field acts on density differences between air and liquid, making 

buoyancy forces predominant. In the absence of gravity, density is eliminated and only the effects of 

surface tension are observed. The effects of this phenomenon on Earth are masked by buoyancy. In space, 

scientists can observe how bubble movement is affected solely by surface tension to gain a better 

understanding of the role surface tension plays on Earth. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 47 

Operations: Bubbles of inert gas will be injected into the liquid n-heptanol under a temperature gradient. 

Investigators will determine the non-uniform velocity of the injected bubbles for different temperature 

ranges. They want to observe the behavior of the bubbles when they reach the center of the container 

where the surface tension will be at a minimum and the bubbles are expected to stop. 

The experiment will be repeated with several bubbles of varying size. The temperatures of the chamber 

walls will be varied. Sometimes the bubbles will move toward the hotter chamber wall. At other times, they 

will move toward the cold wall. 

The investigators also plan to inject two bubbles to observe what happens when they come together. 

Images of the bubble migration will be recorded and sent to investigators on the ground. The experiment 

sequence is three-fold: establish optimal temperature conditions, inject bubbles, and extract the bubbles 

using a net mechanism. 

Interfacial Phenomena in a Multilayered Fluid System 

Experiment Facility: Bubble Drop Particle Unit (BDPU) 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Jean N. Koster 

University of Colorado 

Boulder, Colo. 

Objective: Even in everyday life, we frequently observe that some fluids, such as oil and water, do not 

mix. Instead, they form layers when placed in the same container. This investigation is designed to study 

what is happening at the place where the immiscible liquid molecules touch each other, called the liquidliquid interface, when temperature-driven fluid motion is generated at the contact surface. The experiment 

will be conducted using a multilayered immiscible fluid system. 

Science: Studying interface forces in low gravity will provide new and fundamental insight into a complex 

field of fluid physics that cannot be studied on the ground. Earth’s gravity causes liquids to move 

convectively upward and downward when a temperature difference is generated across the surface of a 

liquid. So, in order to isolate and study fluid motion caused by temperature variations along the surfaces of 

fluids (thermocapillary motion), it is necessary to escape gravity’s effects. 

The interface tension-driven flow where the molecules of the different liquids interact is a complex 

process. An industrial interest in this process developed when investigators became interested in liquidencapsulated crystal growth, where one liquid is processed while enveloped in another liquid. For example, 

gallium arsenide, a useful semiconductor material, has been grown using a liquid encapsulation technique 

to keep the arsenide, a toxic substance, from escaping. 

Significance: This experiment will help scientists to better understand thermocapillary fluid physics. 

Physicists wanted a crystal growth furnace where the heating would not create convective flows, especially 

time-dependent flows, in the molten metal. Scientists believe this type of furnace, with liquid encapsulated 

electronic melt, could improve crystal growth in microgravity by reducing or eliminating the 

thermocapillary motion in electronic material. 

Findings from this experiment will benefit research in other areas, including environmental science, 

geology, advanced aerospace materials development and future space power systems. 

- Environmental scientists are interested in learning about the interaction between oil and the water it is 

floating on. Understanding immiscible fluid flows is of value for cleaning up environmental water 

pollution caused by oil spills. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 48 

- An interesting geological application will use this knowledge to study the Earth’s mantle. Two 

convecting, adjacent layers have an interface that physically behaves in the same manner. Computer 

models are used to examine tectonic movement. 

Operations: A special test container was developed for this experiment and that of Dr. Legros. Three 

fluids which do not mix are used to establish two liquid-liquid interfaces in this three-layer system 

composed of fluorinert, silicone oil and fluorinert. Until the experiment is begun on orbit, the three fluid 

layers are separated by two metal curtains in the container. At the initiation of the experiment these curtains 

will be retracted. Using temperature variations, fluid motions are initiated at the two liquid-liquid 

interfaces, such that motion at one interface competes with the other. Temperature-driven flow throughout 

all three fluid layers will be visualized using tracers inside the liquid. 

Scientists on the ground will observe the behavior of the interfaces. For example, they will be able to study 

the interdependent interactions between the individual layers due to temperature gradients. These data will 

be compared with computer model results and will subsequently help validate the mathematical models. 

Findings will provide a better understanding of the underlying physics involved in these processes. 

Thermocapillary Instability in a Three-Layer System 

Experiment Facility: Bubble Drop Particle Unit (BDPU) 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Jean-Claude Legros 

Free University of Brussels 

Brussels, Belgium 

Objective: Surface-tension forces within three layers of fluids will be studied. The investigator’s team 

wants to learn how to control fluid flows within the middle layer. 

Significance: Understanding these complex types of fluid flows and finding ways to control them are 

significant to the field of material science, particularly the specialized field of directional solidification. 

Directional solidification is a method for growing crystalline materials such as metals and semiconductors. 

In this technique, molten material is cooled so that the boundary between solid and liquid material moves 

from one end towards the other during solidification. It is this boundary region that is particularly 

significant to researchers. 

Science: This experiment, along with Dr. Koster’s investigation, is expected to provide the first 

information on the departure from the rest state of a multi-layer system under the influence of surfacetension forces. Using these findings, scientists should be able to devise ways to counteract or eliminate 

some of the undesirable effects of surface-tension forces in space. 

The basic mechanisms which cause these types of flows are understood, but not the means for effectively 

controlling them. This type of control becomes highly desirable when, for instance, researchers want to 

create flawless silicons and metals for the electronics industry. 

Operations: Experiment procedures will allow scientists to describe quantitatively the convective pattern 

arising in three layers of immiscible liquids, fluorinert, silicone oil, and fluorinert. The experiment will be 

conducted in a test container identical to that used in Dr. Koster’s experiment. Curtains inside the cell, 

separating the three layers, will be retracted and heat will be applied. Heating sources above and below the 

liquid layers are used to create a temperature gradient that is perpendicular to the two liquid-liquid 

interfaces established between the fluids. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 49 

When set temperatures are reached and stabilized, video and infrared images of the convective motion are 

downlinked to investigators on the ground. This phase is repeated several times with different thermal 

gradients. 

Nucleation, Bubble Growth, Interfacial Micro-Layer, Evaporation and Condensation Kinetics 

Experiment Facility: Bubble Drop Particle Unit (BDPU) 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Johannes Straub 

Technical University of Munich 

Munich, Germany 

Objective: This experiment is designed to provide a better understanding of boiling processes. It uses 

vapor bubbles within a liquid to study the process of evaporation and condensation at a liquid interface, the 

point where a liquid phase of a fluid forms a common surface with its vapor phase. 

Science: Evaporation occurs when a liquid changes to a gas due to increased heat. Condensation is the 

reverse process, when the gas cools to a liquid. Scientists will create a small gas bubble in an evenly 

heated, liquid refrigerant. The bubble will become larger as it draws heat from the liquid, until the 

temperatures of the liquid and gas reach a state of equilibrium. 

Scientists will study physical changes during evaporation and condensation at the interface where the 

bubble contacts the liquid. In Earth’s gravity, bubbles disappear very rapidly from the field of view, 

hindering such studies. In microgravity, the vapor bubble will remain where it is formed and grow in size, 

making it easier to observe. 

Significance: Evaporation and condensation at liquid-gas interfaces are fundamental processes in our 

lakes, seas and rivers. The processes also have technical applications in heat exchangers, energy 

conservation systems and the chemical industry. A precise knowledge of the kinetics, or energy processes, 

which govern boiling, is important to understanding environmental effects and improving technical 

systems. 

Background: The science team has conducted this experiment in the brief weightless conditions available 

during parabolic flights with a specialized Caravelle aircraft, a drop tower and a sounding rocket flight. 

However, this will be its first time in orbit. 

Operations: A crew member will place a sealed aluminum container filled with Freon into the Bubble, 

Drop and Particle Unit. Heaters within the container will warm the refrigerant evenly from all sides. A 

compressor will increase pressure in the container to remove any air bubbles which may exist in the liquid, 

then reduce pressure so the liquid will reach a supersaturated state, where it remains liquid at a temperature 

above that at which it would normally become a gas. 

Then, experiment scientists on the ground will command a short heat pulse from a spot heater, which will 

create a gas bubble inside the liquid. The bubble will draw heat from the supersaturated liquid and continue 

to expand until the gas and liquid reach equilibrium. Cameras and sensors will observe and record 

temperature, Freon density, and positions of the bubble. After each phase of the experiment, controllers 

will increase the pressure to condense the bubble. 

They will repeat the experiment at six different heat levels, between room temperature and approximately 

185 degrees Fahrenheit (85C). 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 50 

Static and Dynamic Behavior of Liquid in Corners, Edges and Containers 

Experiment Facility: Bubble, Drop and Particle Unit 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Dieter Langbein 

ZARM Institute 

Bremen, Germany 

Objective: This experiment will record the behavior in microgravity of liquid surfaces, making precise 

measurements of the angles where liquids and solid surfaces meet. 

Science: In a weightless environment, liquid movements due to gravity are minimized, allowing for 

observations of more subtle fluid dynamics, such as thermocapillary flows. This type of liquid movement 

becomes the main mechanism of heat transfer within fluids. During IML-2, this fluid investigation will 

confirm the existence and stability limits of liquid surfaces in a cylinder. 

Significance: This experiment will give scientists insight into the wetting phenomena caused by capillary 

forces. The data collected during this experiment will also help design better surface-tension tanks (tanks 

that provide fuel at the outlet valve via capillary effects alone, without relying on gravity or pistons). 

Equipment and Operation: Silica Matched Liquid Cargille 50350, a liquid which has the same refractive 

index as quartz, will be injected into the quartz test cell of the Bubble, Drop and Particle Unit. This test 

cell, which contains four different transparent, polygonal cavities with different wall angles, will be 

maintained between 68 and 175 degrees Fahrenheit (20 and 80 degrees Celsius), using heaters situated 

between each cell. The surface shapes produced as the temperature and liquid volumes are changed will be 

observed using background and cross-section illumination. 

Background: IML-2 is the first on-orbit flight for this experiment. Previously, this investigation was 

conducted from sounding rockets launched in Sweden and inside a drop tower in Germany. 

Critical Point Facility 

Developed by: European Space Agency (ESA) 

European Space Research and Technology Center 

(ESTEC) Noordwijk, The Netherlands 

Objective: Several experiments will be able to measure and visually record special fluid properties at their 

“critical point” with the Critical Point Facility, developed by the European Space Agency. 

At the critical point, a fluid is neither a gas nor a liquid, it is both; more precisely, the material fluctuates 

back and forth in small volumes from one state to another so that the state of the total volume is 

indistinguishable. Scientists have been unable to study this interesting behavior closely in normal gravity. 

In Earth’s gravity, critical point experiments are difficult to perform due to the fluid being very 

compressible. Most of the sample cannot be maintained at the critical density because the fluid’s own 

weight compresses part of the sample to a density greater than the critical density. The most critical region 

literally collapses under the weight of the fluid. 

Significance: Critical point phenomena are common to many different materials. Understanding how 

matter behaves at the critical point can provide insight into a variety of physics problems ranging from 

phase changes in fluids to magnetization changes in solids. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 51 

Information gathered from these experiments refines the physical theories that describe the mechanism and 

the rate of change of fluid states. 

Background: On Earth, gravity blocks experimental efforts in working with pure fluid critical-point 

systems. The feverish experimental activity of the 1960s and 1970s in critical phenomena slowed in the 

1980s partly because of gravitational limitations on the acquisition of experimental data closer to the 

critical temperature. However, some unexpected observations of near-critical fluids in low gravity have 

encouraged the study of equilibration dynamics with new enthusiasm in critical phenomena research. 

Hardware Description: The facility is a multi-user system capable of accommodating the experiments of 

several researchers sequentially in any one mission. Interchangeable thermostats for controlling the 

temperature of an experimental sample are inserted in the facility, where they are surrounded by an optical 

diagnostics system to monitor the phenomena of interest. 

Temperature is extremely important in critical point experiments. So, the facility was designed to provide 

extremely accurate thermal control of the test fluid. 

The CPF hardware is composed of two interconnected drawers: the electronics and the experiment 

drawers. 

The front panel of the electronics drawer allows the crew to manipulate the experiment via an 

alphanumeric key pad display, switches and lamps. 

The experiment drawer contains a front panel access door through which different experiment thermostats 

can be inserted for processing. 

A black and white video camera is a useful tool in the apparatus. This camera is used to monitor fluid 

dynamics of the sample when it undergoes temperature cycling during an experiment. A 35 mm camera is 

attached to the front of the experiment drawer for still photos. A laser and a light emitting diode, which 

serve as light sources for the experiment also are located inside the drawer. 

The facility will measure density fluctuations near the critical point through the use of laser light scattering 

and interferometry. Interferometry splits and subsequently reunites beams of light after they travel different 

paths. The two separated beams interact (interfere) with each other in such a way as to allow precise 

measurement of very small distances and thicknesses. These data show the local fluid density changes in 

various parts of the cell. 

Operations: The sample fluid held near its critical density is housed within sealed cells. The cells are 

installed in a high precision thermostat which holds them at a temperature between 86 and 140 degrees 

Fahrenheit (30 and 60 degrees Celsius). As the sample approaches its critical pressure and temperature 

from above, the normally clear gas becomes opalescent (cloudy) as it passes through the critical point. On 

Earth, this change takes place within a matter of seconds. In microgravity, the change happens uniformly 

over minutes, permitting scientists to gather large amounts of data. 

Unusual density fluctuations occur at the critical point. These fluctuations strongly scatter the light and 

reduce its intensity. Detectors measure these variations. After the critical point has been crossed, these 

fluctuations diminish, and the sample forms patches of either liquid or gas phases. 

Intermittent television video is available to investigators on the ground. Operators also gather nearly fulltime digitized video snapshots at six-second intervals of the phenomena in progress. Once activated on 

orbit, the facility can operate in a fully automatic mode. Experiments are then conducted according to a 

prerecorded timeline. During the mission, however, the investigator’s team can send remote commands to 

modify their experiments in real-time after analyzing optical, thermal and pressure data received at 

Spacelab Mission Operations in Huntsville, Ala. More than 1,100 such commands were sent successfully 

during the first flight of the CPF on IML-1, during some 120 hours of continuous operation. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 52 

The Piston Effect 

Experiment Facility: Critical Point Facility (CPF) 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Daniel Beysens 

CEA Department of Condensed Matter Physics 

Gif sur Yvette, France 

Objective: This investigation explores a specialized field within fluid physics. A hot layer within a 

contained volume of fluid is generated and expands and heats the rest of the fluid in a way somewhat 

similar to compressing it with a piston. This unique phenomenon by which a particular temperature can 

become uniformly distributed throughout a container of fluid has been given the name, the “piston effect”. 

The effect arises only in fluids when they are at or near their critical point, and therefore highly 

compressible, or elastic. Such highly compressible fluids can be easily compressed into a given amount of 

space. One result is that they are very sensitive to thermodynamic effects. 

As part of this experiment, the principal investigator’s team is interested in what will happen to the 

pressure within the sample cell during two Space Shuttle maneuvers which submit the test cell and fluid to 

a weak and controlled acceleration. 

Science: When a substance is brought to its critical point condition and then heated beyond it, it has unique 

characteristics for a fluid and is said to be “supercritical.” In this condition, one attribute of the substance is 

unusually high compressibility, or elasticity. A related property is that the fluid can exhibit very rapid 

transmission of heat through a type of flow similar to convection, but not caused by gravity. In fact, this 

type of transmission appears somewhat similar to the way sound waves travel through a fluid. 

For a small fluid container, this piston effect form of heat transport occurs at a typical time range of 

between a hundredth of a second and 30-50 seconds, depending on the temperature relative to the fluid’s 

critical temperature. This can be compared to “acoustic time,” based on the velocity of sound -- which is in 

the range of only a few microseconds -- and “diffusion time,” which is on the order of hours or even days 

for a substance near its critical temperature. The typical time for the piston effect is much longer than 

acoustic time, but shorter than diffusion time. It is a significant property because this is the time at which 

thermalization occurs. Thermalization, the process of a local temperature chance becoming uniformly 

distributed, for a supercritical fluid occurs at the typical time for this piston effect. 

Significance: This research has potential to help us understand the effective management of fluids used in 

fuel cells and rocket propulsion tanks. 

Another expanding field of study uses supercritical fluids in industrial extraction processes, because the 

supercritical fluids are remarkable solvents. 

Background: Recent numerical simulations and experiments on sounding rockets, the first Spacelab 

International Microgravity Laboratory mission, and the MIR space station have demonstrated the existence 

of the thermocompressible transport of heat, but scientists still know very little about the characteristics of 

this effect. 

Operations: A number of experiments will be performed to determine the temperature, density, and 

pressure evolution using a temperature sensor or a laser beam as a local heat source. For this experiment, 

two fluid samples in the same thermostat will be studied simultaneously over a 43-hour period. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 53 

Thermal Equilibration in a One-Component Fluid 

Experiment Facility: Critical Point Facility (CPF) 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Richard A. Ferrell 

University of Maryland 

College Park, Md. 

Objective: This experiment is designed to study the critical-point properties of a fluid composed of 

identical molecules. At the critical temperature, there is no distinction between the liquid and the gas. The 

two phases become indistinguishable. 

During these phase changes, energy is received and released by either heat diffusion or subjecting the 

substance to pressure changes -- a form of work. Heat diffusion occurs very slowly near the critical point, 

while pressure changes (the mechanism of imposed work) happen rapidly within the fluid. Studying how 

these two energy-transfer mechanisms interact is the goal of this experiment. 

Significance: While it is of fundamental scientific importance, this experiment will also provide results of 

importance to other low-gravity, critical-point experiments now under development. In order for 

researchers to plan the timelines for these experiments, it is necessary to determine how quickly their test 

samples will reach thermal equilibrium after temperature step changes near the critical point. 

Science: Any pure fluid possesses a liquid-vapor critical point where liquid and vapor are no longer 

distinguishable. The fluid also is highly compressible. This compressibility is the root of difficulties posed 

by gravity, when attempting to study critical point phenomena. At a given temperature, the critical zone is 

too small on Earth to measure. But the absence of gravity reduces the weight of the fluid on itself and 

widens the critical zone for a given temperature, allowing scientists to maintain critical point conditions 

over a large enough region to allow studying the critical behavior in detail. 

Background: The first thermal equilibration experiment flew on the first International Microgravity 

Laboratory mission in 1992. 

Operations: The investigation has two experiments, each made up of two parts. One experiment is called 

“thermal equilibration-B.” It studies thermal transmission by the diffusion process, by setting up a steady 

heat flow across the cell, using a small heater attached to one side. Interferometry and light scattering will 

again be used to track the time evolution of density and temperature. 

The second, “adiabatic fast equilibration,” studies how “pressure work” transports energy from one part of 

the test cell to another. Temperature changes will be induced both externally, by changing the temperature 

of the confining windows, and internally, by heat from a pulse of current passing through a resistance wire 

inside the cell. 

When the wire is charged to a static potential of up to 500 volts, the sulfur-hexafluoride in the cell is pulled 

into the electric field around the wire, causing a local density change observable by an optical technique 

known as interferometry. The electric field allows for fast change of cell conditions without heat input. 

This is a unique way to study diffusion in non-critical fluids. 

This investigation will be conducted with the fluid sulfur-hexafluoride. The thermostat for each experiment 

will hold two fluid cells with a layer of fluid about a sixteenth of an inch thick (1 or 2 mm) confined 

between transparent windows at the proper critical density. One cell will be for interferometry 

measurements and the other for visualization. 

The response of the fluid in both thermostats will be monitored visually with a video camera as well as by 

interferometry and light scattering. Interferometry gives information on the local fluid density changes in 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 54 

various parts of the cells. Light scattering becomes more intense near the critical point. Therefore, it is a 

sensitive measure of temperature changes. 

Density Equilibration Time Scale 

Experiment Facility: Critical Point Facility (CPF) 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Hermann Klein 

DLR Institute for Space Simulation 

Cologne, Germany 

Objective: The experiment is aimed at improved understanding of mechanisms by which heat flow and 

density stabilization occur in a fluid substance, particularly close to its critical point. 

Science: Subjecting a fluid substance to any change, for instance a tiny addition of heat, results in effects 

such as the introduction of localized density variations. Assuming the system was previously in a stable 

state, this amounts to a temporary disruption, or imbalanced state. Then, a relaxation or smoothing-out 

process will occur as the localized differences dissolve and conditions adjust toward uniformity throughout 

the fluid. Scientists refer to such a process, which ends with the substance at stable conditions, as 

“equilibration.” They are particularly interested in the detailed physical mechanisms by which such 

changes occur -- mechanisms which include thermal transport, or how heat is moved, and mass transport, 

or how matter is rearranged. 

As an example of such a process, a fluid which is below its critical temperature consists of distinct gas and 

liquid phases. One can see a boundary, or meniscus, between the two. However, heating of the fluid -- 

causing it to pass through its critical temperature -- causes this visible boundary to disappear. The fluid has 

entered a new single- phase condition where the liquid and gas are indistinguishable. When conditions 

such as density and temperature have stabilized following the phase-change process, the fluid is 

homogeneous. Local imbalances will be present and the system will be in a non-equilibrium state until 

mass transport is able to achieve a balance among the areas of density in homogeneity. It takes time for the 

stabilization to occur; this time element is of particular interest to physicists. 

An analogous situation occurs when a fluid sample is cooled from above to below the critical point. It 

starts as a single fluid phase and becomes separate, coexisting phases of gas and liquid with a 

distinguishable boundary between the two. However, it again takes time before the equilibrium densities of 

the two phases have become fully developed, and while this is going on, there is an associated 

redistribution of mass under way, or rearrangement of matter within the fluid. 

Significance: The study of fluid systems is a fundamental area of physics and one of the key objectives in 

the fluid systems field is understanding of equilibration processes and times. Equilibration times are very 

significant for obtaining meaningful experimental results in the measurement of physical properties. Near 

the critical point, physical properties take on a remarkable nonlinear character, something which can only 

be fully assessed when equilibrium states and equilibration processes are thoroughly known. 

This research is also expected to provide a better understanding of the behavior of fluids in rocket and 

spacecraft thruster reservoirs, of processes inside heat exchangers, and of cleaning methods involving 

fluids at high pressure. 

Operations: Sulfur hexafluoride is also the sample fluid for this experiment, because it is chemically inert 

and reaches its critical point at moderate conditions. During experiment runs, the sample is subjected to 

precisely controlled changes of temperature, to produce subtle physical effects such as described above. In 

the Critical Point Facility, a laser beam is directed through the sample. The amount to which the light 

intensity diminishes after passing through the sample -- the degree of light attenuation -- is an indicator of 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 55 

how close the sample is to the actual critical point, and also permits observing the progressive stages from 

disequilibrium to equilibrium and vice versa. 

Crew involvement in the experiment consists primarily of unstowing and installing the dedicated 

experiment thermostat and powering up the laser and camera systems early in the mission. They will 

perform specific steps to initiate the experiment and verify that data is being properly gathered. After that, 

a combination of programmed commands and ground control inputs are used to cycle the sample through 

experiment runs. 

Heat Transport and Density Fluctuations in a Critical Fluid 

Experiment Facility: Critical Point Facility (CPF) 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Antonius Michels 

University of Amsterdam 

Amsterdam, The Netherlands 

Objective: This experiment will measure the propagation of heat within a fluid near its critical point. 

Science: Fluids reach their critical point when a precise combination of temperature and pressure compels 

their liquid and gas phases to become identical and form one phase. In this unusual state, the properties of 

the fluids can be altered dramatically. 

One process of interest to scientists is how heat is transported within a critical fluid. There are three 

fundamental mechanisms which transport heat: propagation of sound, thermal diffusion and adiabatic 

compression heating, which is heating where there is negligible external input or release of heat. The latter 

two mechanisms are the focus of this experiment. 

With liquids and gases, thermal diffusion is predominant. However, it becomes slower and slower as the 

fluid nears its critical point. Since fluid becomes increasingly compressible as it approaches the critical 

point, the compression heating becomes dominant in the near-critical state. 

On Earth, heat transport investigations are flawed by gravity-driven convection. This space-based 

experiment allows scientists to study the relative importance of thermal diffusion and adiabatic 

compression heating in a convection- free environment. 

Significance: Critical fluids are useful in technical applications such as extraction processes, where 

materials are transferred from low density to high density with very little force. Manufacturers must 

accurately calculate the feasibility of the technique for their specific process. If they are only a few 

percentage points off in these calculations, the process could be too expensive or inefficient to be practical. 

A better understanding of how heat transport mechanisms are altered near the critical point is important to 

improve the accuracy of these calculations. 

Knowledge gained from this experiment will also improve scientific understanding of fundamental fluid 

physics. 

Operations: A sealed canister containing sulfur hexafluoride will be placed in the Critical Point Facility by 

a crew member. Pre-programmed computer commands will begin the search for the critical point, which 

will be achieved at a temperature between 113 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit (45 and 46 !C). The sample will 

be heated to about three degrees higher than the critical temperature, then it will be lowered step by step Q 

two thirds of the difference, then two-thirds again, until the critical point is reached. 

The experiment team will monitor density differences within the fluid via downlinked video images as the 

critical point is crossed several times. Motion of the density differences, along with readings from 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 56 

temperature sensors within the sample container, will tell them how heat is being transported. A remote 

team in Amsterdam will receive simultaneous video and data, which they will process for more accurate 

understanding of the experiment. 

Background: Dr. Michels performed a different experiment in the Critical Point Facility during the 1992 

IML-1 mission. It helped confirm the effectiveness of the experiment facility for space-based 

investigations. 

Vibration Isolation Box Experiment System (VIBES) 

Payload Developer: NASDA 

Objective: The Vibration Isolation Box Experiment investigates the effects of so-called “g-jitter,” 

disturbances caused by crew movement and experiment equipment operations in space laboratories such as 

Spacelab. The information will be useful for experiment systems sensitive to the quality of the 

microgravity environment. 

The experiment will test the effectiveness of a box designed to isolate sensitive experiments from 

vibrations caused by g-jitter. 

Significance: The IML-2 mission has been designed especially to provide the highest quality microgravity 

environment available in the Space Shuttle. However, it is impossible to totally eliminate all disturbances 

to such an environment. Crew movements, equipment operations and occasional thruster firings can disrupt 

the quiet low-gravity environment and may affect some science experiments. 

The Vibration Isolation Box Experiment System will support two experiments to study how g-jitter affects 

natural fluid flows, diffusion and thermally driven fluid flows under microgravity. 

Both experiments will be performed with and without a damping system, to see how well the isolation box 

counteracts the effects of g-jitter on sensitive microgravity experiments. 

Experiment Hardware and Operations: This system consists of a lockable vibration isolation box, two 

experiment units and an acceleration measurement unit. 

Experiment units are placed inside the vibration isolation box inner container. The container is attached to 

an outer frame by a visco-elastic damping material. When the damping system is enabled, it should isolate 

experiments inside the box from some of the movements which would otherwise disturb them. Windows in 

the experiment units and the isolation box allow experiment operations to be videotaped. 

The system has an acceleration measurement feature, consisting of two accelerometer sensor heads and a 

recording apparatus. One is mounted within the isolation box inner container, and another is mounted in 

the system’s exterior framework, allowing accelerations to be measured both inside and outside the 

isolation box. After the mission, scientists can compare the acceleration measurements with fluid 

movement recorded on videotape. 

Background: This experiment system is provided by the National Space Development Agency of Japan. A 

similar system was flown as an avian egg container in Spacelab-J to protect the egg from launch vibration. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 57 

Influence of G-Jitter on Natural Convection and Diffusive Transport 

Experiment Facility: Vibration Isolation Box Experiment System (VIBES) 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Hisao Azuma 

National Aerospace Laboratory 

Chohu-shi, Japan 

Objective: This experiment will measure the effects of disturbances on flow and diffusion in a liquid 

within the Shuttle. It also will study the ability of the Vibration Isolation Box Experiment System to isolate 

experiments from these disturbances. 

Significance: Disturbances caused by crew movement and equipment operations, known as g-jitter, can 

interrupt the quiet microgravity environment needed for some space experiments. In most cases, these 

disturbances are unavoidable. Experience from previous missions has proved the value of having 

astronauts onboard a space laboratory to operate, observe and adjust experiments. Essential equipment 

operations, from the hum of experiment systems to the motion of the TV antenna that transmits signals to 

ground controllers, create disturbances as well. 

This experiment will determine how much g-jitter influences natural convection and diffusion in a liquid, 

as it is heated from one side to create a fluid flow. The experiment will be performed with and without the 

isolation box damping system, to test how well the system counteracts g-jitter effects. 

Operations: A crew member will set up the convection and diffusion unit inside the isolation box during a 

time when all seven astronauts are awake and active. The unit is a rectangular container filled with diluted 

salt water that includes indicator dye. Both the isolation box and experiment unit have observation 

windows. 

One side of the container will be heated to create a temperature difference in the water. Flows caused by 

residual gravity in the Shuttle and g-jitter can be tracked by observing the colored dye, and live video of 

the fluid motion will be transmitted to ground controllers. The experiment then will be repeated with the 

isolation box suspended from the facility’s outer frame, with a visco-elastic damper. Scientists will 

evaluate how much the damping system protects the experiment from external disturbances. 

The system’s acceleration measurement system will record motion detected by its sensors for later 

comparison with the video. 

Study on Thermally Driven Flow Under Microgravity 

Experiment Facility: Vibration Isolation Box Experiment System (VIBES) 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Masao Furukawa 

NASDA Tsukuba Space Center 

Ibaraki, Japan 

Objective: This experiment studies the basis for a more efficient spacecraft thermal management system. It 

is planned to confirm the basic function of liquid transport mechanisms in space using the principle of 

differential vapor pressure. 

Science: One method for managing excess heat is a two-phase fluid loop, which transports liquid that 

separates from the co-existing vapor in microgravity. This experiment will test the fluid-transporting 

characteristics of a device known as an accumulator -- comparing its performance with and without a 

mechanism designed to damp, or check, vibrations created by motion within the spacecraft. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 58 

On Earth, the system works well because water vapor rises to the top of the heated chamber, displacing 

some of the water to the other side. In microgravity, however, factors masked by gravity on Earth like the 

tension on the surface of the fluid will play a significant role in separating the fluid flow. 

Significance: The next generation of spacecraft will be larger, more complex to operate, and will generate 

more heat. Therefore, their thermal management systems must have greater heat acquisition and rejection 

capability and be able to transport waste heat over a long distance. This study helps develop fluid 

management technologies such as gas and liquid separation, liquid reorientation, or liquid transport. 

Experiment scientists consider it indispensable for developing a two-phase fluid loop system, considered to 

be a primary candidate for future spacecraft thermal management. 

Results also will contribute to the design of fuel cells, power plants, and environmental and life support 

systems which require thermal management of liquids. 

Operations: A crew member will place the accumulator inside the Vibration Isolation Box, then heat the 

fluid on one side to observe the transfer process. 

One experiment run will be completed without the isolation box damping mechanism engaged. For the 

other run, the isolation box will be suspended from the facility’s outer frame with a visco-elastic damper. 

Behavior of the liquid flow and two-dimensional vapor/liquid diffusion will be recorded on video during 

both runs. Scientists evaluate how much the damping system protects the experiment from external 

disturbances. 

The system’s accelerometer will record motion detected by its sensors for later comparison with the video. 

Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) 

Payload Developer: NASA 

Principal Investigator: 

Mr. Charles Baugher 

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center 

Huntsville, Ala. 

Objective: The Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) instrument will monitor and record 

higher-frequency onboard accelerations and vibrations experienced in the Spacelab module during flight. 

After the mission, scientists for IML-2 microgravity investigations will compare these records with their 

own data to identify accelerations which may have influenced their experiments. 

Significance: Many of the IML-2 experiments require a very smooth ride through space so their delicate 

operations will not be disturbed. To maintain the most stable environment possible, the Shuttle will fly 

most of the mission with its tail toward Earth. In this orientation, called a gravity- gradient attitude, the 

vehicle’s position is maintained primarily by natural forces, reducing the number of orbiter thruster firings 

which disturb acceleration-sensitive experiments. 

Even in a gravity-gradient attitude, though, accelerations caused by crew movements, equipment 

operations and occasional thruster firings can temporarily disrupt the quiet low- gravity environment and 

may affect microgravity science experiments. 

Different kinds of disturbances show up at different frequencies. They are measured in terms of fractions 

of Earth’s gravity. Accelerations at one frequency may interrupt one type of experiment but have no effect 

on others. By studying SAMS data, scientists can determine not only that a disturbance occurred but can be 

fairly certain what caused it. They can then make allowances for the disturbance as they analyze their 

experiment results. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 59 

Scientists’ growing understanding of how various accelerations affect individual experiments is helping 

researchers improve equipment and procedures for future flights on the Shuttle and for Space Station 

operations. 

Experiment Hardware and Operations: Three remote sensor heads, each measuring motion in three 

dimensions, are located near selected experiments within the Spacelab module. They measure accelerations 

as small as one-millionth of Earth’s gravity. The signals are transmitted via cable links to a central control 

unit in the center aisle of the module, where they are amplified, filtered and converted to digital data for 

storage on optical disks. Each disk can store up to 400 million bytes of data. 

The sensor located near the Bubble, Drop and Particle Unit measures frequencies in the range of 10 Hertz, 

the sensor next to the Critical Point Facility measures frequencies of about 5 Hertz, and the one near the 

Electromagnetic Containerless Processing Facility measures frequencies in the 100 Hertz range. These 

materials and fluids science experiments are particularly sensitive to the frequency ranges SAMS will 

record. 

The crew will activate the SAMS experiment halfway through Flight Day 1, then change out optical disks 

daily as they are filled. The experiment operates continuously for the duration of the mission. 

Background: Prior to IML-2, the Space Acceleration Measurement System flew on nine Shuttle missions, 

including IML-1 in January 1992. In addition to the information SAMS provides for other experiments, 

NASA has used its data to better understand the microgravity environment in different areas of the Shuttle. 

The instrument is provided by NASA’s Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. 

Quasi-Steady Acceleration Measurement (QSAM) 

Payload Developer: German Aerospace Research Establishment (DLR) 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Hans Hamacher 

DLR Institute for Space Simulation 

Cologne, Germany 

Objective: The Quasi-Steady Acceleration Measurement (QSAM) experiment is primarily designed to 

detect steady, very low-frequency, residual accelerations between 0 and 0.02 Hertz. These disturbances to 

the Spacelab microgravity environment include tidal accelerations caused by variations in Earth’s 

gravitational field, atmospheric drag, and the slow rotation of the orbiter necessary to maintain its 

orientation toward the Earth. 

Significance: This experiment, along with the Space Acceleration Measurement System, will provide the 

IML-2 mission with the most effective acceleration measurement systems. 

Nearly all the IML-2 experiments rely on the state of microgravity -- commonly known as weightlessness -

- to accomplish their goals. However, various disturbances exist in a spacecraft which make it impossible 

to achieve complete zero-gravity conditions. These include rapidly changing movements, like those of the 

crew or periodic equipment operations; and steady accelerations such as the slight pull on the Shuttle 

created by atmospheric drag. 

All experiments can tolerate a certain level of disturbance. But different experiments are sensitive to 

different types of accelerations. Scientists need to know the exact level of accelerations that occur during 

their experiments to correctly interpret their results. In the past, the whole range of accelerations could not 

be covered by one system. QSAM will fill in the gaps by measuring steady, low-frequency accelerations, 

which affect some physical processes more than higher frequency accelerations. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 60 

Experiment Hardware and Operations: This experiment uses four rotating sensor heads and three 

stationary sensors to measure residual quasi-steady accelerations. The stationary sensors record 

accelerations of up to 50 Hertz. To achieve reliable measurements in lower frequencies, the accuracy of the 

sensors must be tested, or calibrated, in orbit. The rotating sensors measure accelerations in one axis, then 

flip 180 degrees and measure them in another, ensuring the accuracy of the readings. They should be able 

to sense disturbances as small as one ten-millionth of Earth’s gravity (10 -7), ten times more still than 

theoretical “microgravity” (10 -6). 

Measurements will be recorded throughout the mission on optical disks. The crew will activate the 

experiment about 12 hours after launch and change out disks approximately once every two days. 

Otherwise, the experiment operates autonomously. 

Background: IML-2 is the first flight for this experiment, and one of the first which will take 

measurements of steady, very low frequency residual accelerations. The Quasi-Steady Acceleration 

Measurement system was developed by the German Aerospace Research Establishment (DLR). 

Biostack (BSK) 

Payload Developer: DLR 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Guenther Reitz 

DLR Institute for Aerospace Medicine 

Cologne, Germany 

Objective: Biostack is part of a multinational program to determine the impact of high atomic number, 

high-energy cosmic radiation particles on life in space. It uses radiation detectors enclosed between a 

variety of biological specimens to monitor particles entering the Spacelab module. The specimens will be 

studied post flight to locate the path and entry point of each heavy ion in the biological layer, and 

determine the extent of any changes or damage it may have caused to the organism. 

Significance: Orbiting spacecraft operate in a complex environment of electromagnetic radiation, charged 

particles from solar and galactic radiation, and charged particles created by the interaction of galactic 

radiation with Earth’s atmosphere. Previous experiments indicate that particles of high atomic number and 

high energy have potentially serious side effects on living organisms. These effects cannot be fully 

investigated on Earth, because the atmosphere filters out most of this radiation. Biostack will help scientists 

understand the importance, effect and hazard of these high- energy particles on various living organisms in 

space. This is important to development of space radiation forecasting systems which may be needed for 

longer space flights. 

Experiment Hardware and Operations: Three sealed aluminum Biostack containers are mounted in a 

Spacelab rack. Inside the containers, layers of different biological specimens are placed between different 

types of detectors to measure incoming radiation. When cosmic particles pass through the Biostack, they 

deposit their high energies in the layers of radiation detectors and specimens. This allows scientists to 

locate the trajectory of each heavy ion in the biological layer and to identify the site of penetration inside 

the biological subject. 

The experiment uses two different strains of shrimp eggs and salad seeds. After the mission, scientists 

compare any damage to the specimens with cosmic particle penetrations identified by the detectors. This 

helps them assess how specific amounts of radiation affect different types of life. 

The experiment, which is entirely passive, will collect particles throughout the mission. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 61 

Background: Biostack has a long history in the space program. Similar instruments flew in the 1970s on 

Apollo 16 and 17 and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. This experiment, developed by the German 

Aerospace Research Establishment (DLR), has flown previously on three Spacelab missions: Spacelab 1 in 

1983, Spacelab-D1 in 1985, and IML-1 in 1992. Results from the early missions demonstrated that highenergy particles can have serious biological effects on an organism, since complete cells can be damaged 

or destroyed. The ultimate consequences of such damage depend on the organism’s ability to repair or 

replace the affected cell. 

Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project (EDOMP) 

Payload Developer: NASA 

Objective: The Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project is designed to protect the health and safety of 

the crew during 12- to 17-day missions aboard the Space Shuttle. The series of investigations is designed 

to assess the medical status of the crew members and the environment in which they work. 

Significance: As Space Shuttle missions become longer and as plans are made for extended stays aboard 

Space Station, it is essential to both understand the effects of weightlessness and radiation on space 

travelers and develop measures to protect them from harm. 

Background: This medical project was developed by NASA’s Johnson Space Center for missions where 

Extended Duration Orbiter equipment allows Shuttle flights to increase from the 7-to-10-day range to the 

13-to 16-day flights. 

The project is an umbrella designation for various activities designed to assess or protect crew health 

during long missions. Though elements of the project were included on earlier missions, it flew as a 

separate payload aboard the USML-1 Spacelab in 1992. IML-2 will be its second flight as a Spacelab 

payload. 

For IML-2, the Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project includes two experiments. The Lower Body 

Negative Pressure apparatus continues evaluation of a treatment to counteract orthostatic intolerance, the 

dizziness astronauts can experience as blood pools in their legs on return to gravity. The Microbial Air 

Sample tests air in the Spacelab and crew cabin for accumulations of airborne bacteria and fungi which 

may cause human illnesses. 

Lower Body Negative Pressure 

Experiment Group: Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project (EDOMP) 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. John Charles 

NASA Johnson Space Center 

Houston, Texas 

Objective: The Lower Body Negative Pressure (LBNP) experiment evaluates the effectiveness of a 

treatment designed to counteract orthostatic intolerance, the “lightheadedness” astronauts sometimes 

experience when returning to Earth from space. 

Significance: Without the force of gravity, astronauts’ body fluids shift toward their heads and upper 

torsos. This shift is associated with other changes, such as fluid volume loss and altered control of 

cardiovascular functions. When space travelers return to Earth and “normal” gravity, body fluids are pulled 

back to the legs. Sometimes this creates a reduced blood flow to the brain when they stand up. In extreme 

cases, it could cause loss of consciousness. Treatments to counteract these effects protect the long-term 

health of the crew and ensure they will be alert for critical landing operations. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 62 

Background: LBNP was used on Skylab in 1973-4 to monitor loss of orthostatic tolerance in astronauts 

who spent up to 84 days in space. The current LBNP equipment first flew on STS-32 in 1990 as an 

independent payload. IML-2 will be its ninth flight. 

Results from previous flights indicate that orthostatic intolerance can be countered by ingesting salt tablets 

and water while exposing the lower body to four hours of reduced pressure. This combined treatment has 

been shown to recondition the cardiovascular system for up to 24 hours. Spacelab-J tests on female 

astronauts indicated it is as effective on women as men, contrary to predictions based on bed-rest studies 

on the ground. 

Operations: The primary equipment for the LBNP activity is a fabric bag in which a partial vacuum can 

be created. It encases the astronaut’s lower body and seals at the waist. By slightly lowering the pressure 

within the bag, body fluids are drawn back to the lower extremities, mimicking the natural fluid 

distribution that occurs when a person stands up on Earth. This conditions the cardiovascular system to 

accept the ingested salt and water for reentry and improves orthostatic tolerance. 

Two different procedures are conducted in the experiment. Four times during the flight, the LBNP device 

will be used to monitor the adaptation to space flight by Payload Specialist Chiaki Mukai and Payload 

Commander Rick Hieb. In these 45- minute “ramp” tests, the LBNP is gradually lowered and raised again. 

Measurements will be made of heart size and function by ultrasound cardiology, blood pressure and heart 

rate. Leg circumference will be measured before and after the sessions to determine the volume of blood in 

the lower body. 

The day before landing, Hieb and Mukai will spend four hours with their lower body encased in the lowpressure bag. During the first hour of this “soak” treatment, they will drink water and take salt tablets. This 

combined treatment will pull fluids back into the lower body where they should remain for up to 24 hours. 

Scientists will evaluate the success of the treatment by examining cardiovascular data taken on Hieb and 

Mukai shortly after landing. 

Microbial Air Sampler 

Experiment Group: Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project (EDOMP) 

Principal Investigator: 

Mr. Duane L. Pierson 

NASA Johnson Space Center 

Houston, Texas 

Objective: The Microbial Air Sampler collects information on airborne contaminant levels in the Shuttle 

throughout the mission. Results from IML-2 will be added to data from previous flights to establish 

baseline microbial levels during missions of different lengths and to evaluate potential risks to crew health 

and safety. 

Significance: Because certain microorganisms can cause allergic reactions or infections, maintaining 

acceptable air quality in “tight buildings” with little or no outdoor air is important to protect the health of 

people who inhabit those buildings. Spacecraft are the ultimate tight buildings, because the air supply is 

completely contained within the vehicle. In addition, particles that normally settle down onto the ground or 

other surfaces on Earth remain airborne in space. 

Measurements of air quality taken before and after brief Shuttle missions suggest that inflight microbial 

levels are typical of those from crowded indoor environments. In the closed environment of the Shuttle, 

however, bacteria levels gradually increase during flight. This is not unexpected, since the Shuttle’s airhandling system was not designed to remove airborne organisms. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 63 

If results show that levels of microorganisms increase during relatively long Shuttle missions to the point 

of becoming a concern, recommendations will be made to counter these effects with additional air-filtration 

devices. 

Background: The Microbial Air Sampler first flew on the Spacelab Life Sciences-1 mission in 1991. IML2 will be its eleventh flight. 

Results from previous missions indicate that the low relative humidity in the Spacelab tends to reduce 

fungal propagation. Bacteria identified were those commonly associated with the human body, and the 

number tended to rise and then fall by the end of the mission. However, data collection on long-term 

missions is considered insufficient at this point to predict whether another rise in microbial particles may 

occur later in a long flight. 

Operations: This experiment uses a hand-held, battery- powered air sampler. Air is pulled into the sampler 

by a motorized fan. Particles in the air are trapped within the device on plastic strips containing agar, a 

gelatinous material used to culture bacteria. 

Crew members will insert an agar strip into the sampler, expose it to the surrounding air for two minutes to 

collect bacteria samples, then store the strip in a plastic bag for analysis back on Earth. They then will 

repeat the process with another strip, treated with a different solution to attract fungi microbes. 

Astronauts will collect air samples from selected areas of the Spacelab, flight deck, or middeck near the 

beginning, middle and end of the flight. This procedure allows the number and type of airborne 

microorganisms to be identified over a relatively long Shuttle mission. 

Slow Rotating Centrifuge Microscope 

Niedergeschwindigkeits-Zentrifugen-Mikroskop (NIZEMI) 

Payload Developer: German Space Agency (DARA) 

Objective: The Slow Rotating Centrifuge Microscope, NIZEMI, facility will provide scientists with the 

capability to observe both living and non-living matter exposed to levels of gravity ranging from 10-3 g 

(one thousandth of Earth’s gravity) to 1.5 g. Free from Earth’s gravitational pull, investigators will be able 

to see how organisms react to different gravity levels, and learn more about their gravity- sensing 

mechanisms. 

Science: For IML-2, living matter such as slime mold, Loxodes, Euglena, jellyfish, Chara, cress roots and 

lymphocytes will be examined to determine how gravity affects cells and unicell and multicell organisms. 

Also, to investigate the solidification process of non-living matter at different gravity levels, scientists will 

observe a two- component mixture of succinonitrile-acetone, a transparent material which solidifies like 

metal. 

Significance: Some plants and animals have specialized cells or organs that are responsible for perceiving 

gravity. Gravity-sensing mechanisms work, along with light and chemical substances, to keep the living 

organisms oriented. In order to provide an ecologically sound environment for extended stays in space, 

scientists must know more about the effects of microgravity on both living and non-living matter. 

Experiment Hardware and Operations: The NIZEMI facility consists of three 19-inch (48 cm) modules. 

The NIZEMI Experiment Module contains a support module and the rotating centrifuge. The support 

module includes a halogen lamp to illuminate the samples as they react to the gravity variations, an electric 

motor drive for the centrifuge and special locking devices for the centrifuge during launch and landing. A 

front panel of the control unit displays the status of NIZEMI and the required crew activities. The 

centrifuge module contains two observation units, a microscope and a macroscope. The microscope has 

magnification powers of 32x, 20x, 10x, 5x and 2.5x. The macrounit has a field of view of 30 mm X 40 mm 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 64 

(about 1.2 by 1.6 inches) and a depth of focus of approximately 8 mm (0.3 inch). The samples, cameras 

and stages for moving and focusing the samples during the experiment are located in the centrifuge 

module. 

The NIZEMI Control Module has a monitor, recorder, front panel and the electronics of the video system. 

The video system permits display and storage of video signals generated by the two cameras located on the 

centrifuge of the experiment module. These video signals will be merged with display data from the 

Experiment Control Unit. 

During the mission, the control module will generate Spacelab closed-circuit television, record and display 

video signals, and select the camera signal (macro or micro) to be transferred to the monitor, recorder or 

Spacelab. 

The experiment control unit has the display, keyboard, control electronics and power electronics. This 

module performs data acquisition for housekeeping and experiment data, controls the experiment flow and 

monitors the status of the NIZEMI facility. 

Cuvettes are somewhat akin to slides used with a conventional microscope, and house samples from each 

of eight different experiment types. Once the sample is secured in the centrifuge module, the crew member 

will coordinate with the principal investigator on the ground to make sure the sample can be observed and 

recorded during the experiment run. Temperatures and centrifuge rotation are predetermined and controlled 

through the ECU. 

Background: The NIZEMI facility will be used for the first time during IML-2. 

Gravisensitivity and Geo(Gravi)taxis of the Slime Mold Physarum polycephalum (Slime Mold) 

Experiment Facility: Niedergeschwindigkeits-Zentrifugen-Mikroskop (NIZEMI) 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Ingrid Block 

DLR Institute for Aerospace Medicine 

Cologne, Germany 

Objective: To add to the understanding of how a single- cell organism, the slime mold, senses gravity, and 

to attempt to locate the specific site at which this perception occurs. 

Significance: When the slime mold (Physarum polycephalum) is on a vertical solid surface it moves 

downward when surrounded by air. On the same surface, this same slime mold would move upward when 

submerged in water. Scientists do not fully understand how or why the ectoplasm (elastic wall) of the slime 

mold accomplishes rhythmic contractions, although changes in response to light intensity and gravity have 

been documented on previous Space Shuttle flights. 

Up to this point, investigators have not been able to pinpoint the specific site in the slime mold where it can 

sense and react to changes in gravity. By observing the behavior of the slime mold in the NIZEMI facility, 

scientists hope to be able to witness changes in the organism as it is subjected to different levels of gravity. 

Operations: This experiment involves observing the single- cell organism, slime mold, as it is exposed to 

gravity ranging from 1.5-g to microgravity. After placing a videotape into the facility’s video recording 

unit, the crew member will remove a selected slime mold cuvette from the incubator and place it in the 

NIZEMI centrifuge. Temperature and lighting are automatically controlled when the door is closed and 

locked by the crew member. Next, the crew member will focus on the sample slime mold and coordinate 

with the principal investigator on the ground. Once the scientist is satisfied with the location and quality of 

the sample view, NIZEMI will automatically process the sample. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 65 

Graviorientation in Euglena gracilis (Euglena) 

Experiment Facility: Niedergeschwindigkeits-Zentrifugen-Mikroskop (NIZEMI) 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Donat P. Hder 

Friedrich-Alexander-University 

Erlangen, Germany 

Objective: This experiment is intended to determine the lowest level of gravity which can be sensed by a 

simple plant organism called Euglena gracilis. This free-moving single- cell flagellate orients itself in the 

water in relation to gravity and light, to reach the best habitat for photosynthesis and reproduction. 

Scientists hope to learn how the plant’s structure changes in microgravity. Some of the Euglena aboard 

Columbia are expected to reproduce, splitting into two organisms. The principal investigator’s team wants 

to study if these organisms, which develop entirely in microgravity, react differently from the cells carried 

into space. Simple organisms are easier to study than complex, so scientists expect to gain insight into 

Euglena’s threshold of sensitivity to gravity. For example, higher multi-cellular plant life perceives gravity 

with an organelle located in the root tip. The signal has to be transferred to a different part of the root, 

which then reacts to gravity’s location. In this simple plant, all three of these activities -- perception, 

transduction and reaction, take place within one cell. Possible experiments for future missions would 

determine how the single plant cell transfers and reacts to this information. 

Significance: Results based on studies of this unicellular “primitive” organism are ideal for interpreting 

and extrapolating the behavioral responses in more complex organisms and even humans. Furthermore, 

these organisms are ubiquitous and responsible for the production of oxygen. They also serve as sensitive 

evaluators for ultraviolet energy and toxic pollutants, such as heavy metals, which affect the orientation 

mechanisms of the cells. 

Background: This is the first Shuttle flight for the experiment, but it has been preceded by extensive work 

on the ground. However, one theory suggests that perceiving levels of gravity is a passive process. It is 

believed that the back of the unicellular Euglena is heavier, similar to a buoy in water, causing the cell to 

always swim upward. 

Other scientists believe that sensing gravity is an active process where a gravity receptor senses the 

direction of the Earth’s gravitational field and signals the organism to swim in the opposite direction. First, 

Euglena was exposed to small amounts of ultraviolet radiation which impaired its ability to sense gravity. 

Scientists believe if Euglena used the passive, physical process to sense gravity, it would swim upwards 

even when exposed to radiation. 

Operations: Team members believe they can determine the gravity-sensing mechanism by establishing the 

minimum gravity level the plant cell can detect and show a reaction to. 

The microorganism will be exposed to various levels of simulated gravity in five-minute- increments in the 

NIZEMI slow rotating centrifuge microscope. A sample carried onboard the Shuttle in a 1-g centrifuge is 

scheduled to be placed in the NIZEMI early in the mission. This will be a control sample to determine 

Euglena’s “normal” threshold of sensitivity to gravity. The run will start at 0-g, gradually increasing to 1.5-

g in five-minute-increments for one hour. Mid-flight, one sample will be placed in the NIZEMI for an 

experiment run starting at 1.5-g and gradually decreasing over one hour to 0-g. Other experiment runs 

conducted at the middle and end of the mission will begin at 0-g, gradually advancing to 1.5-g. 

These experiments should enable scientists to assess how Euglena adapts to microgravity. Video images 

will be analyzed with specially designed software, during the mission and after Columbia lands, to 

determine precisely when the micro-organism starts to perceive the simulated gravity and if the pull of 

gravity is being sensed by a gravity receptor. A microscope for observing single cells is mounted on the 

centrifuge plate of the NIZEMI apparatus. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 66 

Influence of Accelerations on the Spatial Orientation of the Protozoan Loxodes Striatus (Loxodes) 

Experiment Facility: Niedergeschwindigkeits-Zentrifugen-Mikroskop (NIZEMI) 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Ruth Hemmersbach-Krause 

DLR Institute for Aerospace Medicine 

Cologne, Germany 

Objective: This experiment will study the orientation, velocities and swimming tracks of the unicellular 

organism, Loxodes striatus, to determine the threshold levels at which the organism begins to perceive 

gravitational forces. 

Science: Previous experiments have demonstrated how some unicell organisms use gravity for their spatial 

orientation. One such organism, known as Loxodes striatus, has a specialized structure, the Muller

organelle, which may be responsible for the perception of gravity. By exposing Loxodes cells to increasing 

accelerations in NIZEMI and observing changes in cell behavior, scientists can better determine the 

threshold of gravity perception in these organisms. 

Significance: Since these cells may work similarly to the inner ear of vertebrates, this information is 

necessary for scientists to better understand the underlying mechanisms by which living creatures sense 

gravity. 

Operations: The crew member will load a videotape into the NIZEMI video recording unit. Next, the crew 

member will select a sample of Loxodes cells from the passive thermal conditioning unit and place it into 

the facility’s centrifuge. When the door to the centrifuge is closed and locked, temperature and lighting are 

automatically controlled. The crew member will then adjust the microscope to properly focus on the 

Loxodes, coordinating with scientists on the ground to ensure the best available view. NIZEMI automatic 

operations will then take over, exposing the Loxodes cells to increasing levels of acceleration, or artificial 

gravity, while a magnified view of the organisms’ behavior is provided by the combination 

microscope/video camera system. 

After landing, the Loxodes cells will be examined at high magnification by electron microscopy to 

determine changes in the structure of the gravity receptor and obtain information on the biomineralization 

of single cells. 

Effects of Microgravity on Aurelia Ephyra Behavior and Development (Jellyfish) 

Experiment Facility: Niedergeschwindigkeits-Zentrifugen-Mikroskop (NIZEMI) 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Dorothy Spangenberg 

Eastern Virginia Medical School 

Norfolk, Virginia 

Objective: This study of aurelia ephyra, a jellyfish, is intended to improve scientists’ understanding of the 

effects of microgravity on the developmental processes of animals and the role that gravity plays in the 

developmental responses of organisms on Earth. 

Science: Ten jellyfish will be used inflight during the IML-2 mission. Six Earth-developed ephyrae will be 

used to study behavior. Four ephyrae samples will be maintained in a microgravity environment and the 

other two will be maintained at 1-g, or simulated Earth gravity. Two jellyfish in microgravity will have no 

gravity-sensing organs (statoliths). These two will be exposed to different levels of gravity to determine 

their gravity threshold for normal behavior. Data will be obtained post-landing from inflight videotaping of 

some of the jellyfish experiments. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 67 

The remaining four jellyfish will be flown as polyps and be exposed to iodine during the flight, causing 

them to transform into ephyrae in space. Two of these jellyfish will be kept in microgravity and two will be 

centrifuged at 1-g in the NIZEMI. These jellyfish will be observed at regular intervals to compare the 

developmental stages of the ephyrae. Again, gravity thresholds will be determined by exposing the jellyfish 

to different levels of gravity and observing their behavior. The gravity receptors and muscles of the 

ephyrae that develop during flight will be examined after the mission to determine the presence and nature 

of any abnormalities. 

Significance: This experiment will help scientists better understand the effects of microgravity on 

developmental processes of animals and the role of gravity in the behavioral and developmental responses 

of organisms on Earth. 

Background: A related experiment flew on the Spacelab Life Sciences 1 mission in June 1991. Among 

other things, it confirmed that, even under microgravity conditions, jellyfish polyps undergo 

metamorphosis Q transforming into the free- swimming ephyrae. However, the behavior of the ephyrae 

was modified in microgravity, whether the metamorphosis occurred in space or on Earth. During space 

flight, the ephyrae did not orient themselves as they do on Earth, where they sink mouth-downward when 

they stop pulsing. Rather, these ephyrae circled or looped while swimming and froze when they stopped 

pulsing. 

Operations: After loading a videotape into the facility’s video recording unit, the crew member will 

remove a cuvette containing a jellyfish from middeck stowage, place it in a cuvette holder and install it in 

the NIZEMI centrifuge. The crew member will coordinate with the principal investigator before the 

centrifuge door is closed and the experiment begins to run automatically, exposing the jellyfish to varying 

levels of microgravity. Some of the jellyfish will be preserved for post-flight analysis. 

Gravireaction in Chara Rhizoids in Microgravity (Chara) 

Experiment Facility: Niedergeschwindigkeits-Zentrifugen-Mikroskop (NIZEMI) 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Andreas Sievers 

Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University 

Bonn, Germany 

Gravireaction in Chara Rhizoids in Microgravity (Chara) 

Experiment Facility: Niedergeschwindigkeits-Zentrifugen-Mikroskop (NIZEMI) 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Andreas Sievers 

Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University 

Bonn, Germany 

Objective: This investigation will use the viewing capability of the NIZEMI facility to determine the 

threshold values and minimal amount of gravitational force necessary for rhizoids of the simple plant, 

Chara, to react to gravity and change their direction of growth. 

Science: Chara is a type of green algae that attaches to the base or material to which a plant is attached and 

from which it gets nutrients (substratum) by single cells called rhizoids. These rhizoids, tube-shaped, rootlike organs that grow only at the tip of the cell, have membrane-enclosed barium sulfate crystals (statoliths) 

which cause the rhizoids to shift toward the force of gravity when the cell is turned or tilted. On Earth, it 

has been impossible to determine when the rhizoids first become sensitive to gravity. Knowledge of rhizoid 

growth and structural organization will be combined with video recordings of microscopic views of 

statoliths still attached to the rhizoids. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 68 

Significance: This investigation will help scientists understand how sensitive these single cells are to 

gravity and how they adjust to variations in gravity levels. This experiment, along with the study of cress 

roots, will add to scientists’ understanding of gravity-sensing mechanisms, which have been studied 

intensively on Earth and in space. 

Operation: Video microscopy will be used to observe the behavior of these statoliths in microgravity. The 

statoliths will be exposed to microgravity of varying strengths and durations. A sample of rhizoids will be 

labeled by the actin- binding drug phalloidin to allow investigators to observe the microfilament system 

where the statoliths are suspended. The crew member will put a videotape into the NIZEMI facility 

recorder before loading a Chara cuvette into the centrifuge. The crew member will coordinate all 

adjustments to the microscope with investigators on the ground. This experiment will run automatically. 

Gravisensitivity of Cress Roots (Cress) 

Experiment Facility: Niedergeschwindigkeits-Zentrifugen-Mikroskop (NIZEMI) 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Dieter Volkmann 

Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University 

Bonn, Germany 

Objective: This experiment will involve exposing chemically prepared samples of roots from cress plants 

to varying levels of gravity, to determine the lowest level at which the roots become sensitive to changes in 

gravity. 

Significance: If we are to consider raising plants for food and oxygen in space, we must first understand 

how changes in gravity will affect plant growth. 

Science: Seedlings of cress must sense gravity in order to survive. Previous experiments have shown that 

their roots are extremely sensitive to even short periods of exposure to gravity. After the samples have been 

subjected to gravitational stimulation in the NIZEMI centrifuge, they will be examined for indications of 

any resultant changes. Some of them will be preserved inflight for postflight examination with an electron 

microscope. 

Future experiments with cress roots may reveal whether they can “remember” receiving tiny doses of 

gravity that may fall below their normal threshold doses. 

Operation: A videotape will be placed in the NIZEMI centrifuge to capture the data from this experiment. 

Once this has been accomplished, the crew member will install a cress root cuvette and adjust the 

microscope to provide the best image possible during processing. This investigation is automatically 

controlled through the onboard experiment control unit. 

Lymphocyte Movements and Interactions (Motion) 

Experiment Facility: Niedergeschwindigkeits-Zentrifugen-Mikroskop (NIZEMI) 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Augusto Cogoli 

University of Sassari 

Sassari, Italy 

Space Biology Group of ETH 

Zurich, Switzerland 

Objective: This experiment is intended to determine whether or not T- and B-cells (immune system cells) 

can contact each other in a weightless environment. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 69 

Science: The activation of T-and B-cells is based on the exchange of messages, through soluble factors 

called lymphokines, as well as through cell-to-cell contact. In this experiment, colorless, weakly motile 

cells produced in lymphoid tissue (lymphocytes) will be observed to determine if they can make contact in 

space. 

Significance: These cell interactions are critical for many biological functions, such as antigen recognition 

by immune cells. Observing these cells away from the influence of Earth’s gravity will help scientists 

better understand the natural workings of the cells. An understanding of how the immune system works in 

microgravity will also be important during extended stays in space. 

Operation: These cells will be activated with concavalir-A and incubated in the 37 degree Celsius (about 

98.6 degree Fahrenheit) Biorack facility. The crew will remove a lymphocyte cuvette from the incubation 

rack and place the sample in the NIZEMI facility. Adjustments to the microscope will be made and the 

experiment started. The crew will be watching the cells’ movements and contacts through the facility’s 

microscope and views of the cells will be downlinked to scientists on the ground. 

Background: This new Biorack experiment, which has not flown before, uses the NIZEMI facility for 

observation. A recent sounding rocket experiment provided direct evidence of cell contacts, with 

movements of cells in microgravity being detected by microscopic observations. 

Convection Stability of a Planar Solidification Front (Moni) 

Experiment Facility: Niedergeschwindigkeits-Zentrifugen-Mikroskop (NIZEMI) 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Klaus Leonartz 

Aachen Center for Solidification in Space (ACCESS e.V.) 

Aachen, Germany 

Objective: This experiment will use the NIZEMI facility to test a mathematical model for making 

predictive calculations of the onset of convection, a type of flow which is caused by localized density 

differences in a fluid, such as melted metal. 

Science: Convection fluid flow changes the properties of the melt, as well as the resulting solid. The 

solidification process is influenced by gravity, the concentration of the mixture, temperature levels at 

which it is heated and cooled and the speed at which the liquid forms a solid. 

Significance: Low-gravity experiments will help improve materials in the future as scientists begin to 

understand more about the solidification process. Many materials are produced from a melt. Commercially, 

the most important materials produced in this manner are metals, and the solidification process plays a key 

role in determining the resulting properties, such as strength and weight. 

Operation: For this experiment, a two-component mixture of succinonitrile-acetone, which is transparent, 

will be used because it solidifies like metal. A crew member will place the cuvette containing the 

succinonitrile-acetone mixture into the NIZEMI facility. The transparent quality of this mixture allows the 

NIZEMI optical system to be used for observations of the solidification process as it occurs in low gravity. 

Biorack 

Payload Developer: European Space Agency 

Objective: The effect of microgravity and cosmic radiation on isolated cells, tissues, bacteria, small 

animals and plants will be studied using the Biorack facility. A multi- user facility, Biorack was developed 

by the European Space Agency to permit scientists to conduct life sciences experiments in space. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 70 

For IML-2, Biorack will accommodate 19 experiments from seven European countries. While the hardware 

used in each study will be unique, all experiment specimens fit into containers stored within Biorack. 

About 200 experiment containers will carry chemicals and biological materials ranging from bacteria, 

mammalian and human cells, isolated tissues and eggs to sea urchin larvae, fruit flies and plant seedlings. 

Significance: Since specimens may evolve through several stages of their lives (or in some cases, several 

generations) over the course of the mission, scientists can learn a great deal about the effects of 

microgravity and cosmic radiation on living tissues. Also, fundamental gravity-dependent processes on 

Earth can be studied in the microgravity environment where this force is reduced. 

Background: The STS-65 flight will be the third Spacelab mission for ESA’s multi-user facility. Biorack 

was used for the first time on the D-1 German Spacelab mission in 1985 and again on the first International 

Microgravity Laboratory mission in 1992. 

Hardware: The Biorack configuration is smaller than for the previous missions. It is a single lab rack 

consisting of a glovebox, two incubators, two centrifuges, two stowage containers and a cooler. The 

thermo-electric cooler , which is connected to the Spacelab cooling water loop, was recently developed for 

the IML-2 mission. 

The Biorack provides the crew with “laboratory” cabinets and work space. It contains modules which 

enable a wide range of biological experiments. Container racks and centrifuges are mounted on trays that 

slide in and out for easy access. Exposing duplicate samples to a simulated 1-g environment in the two 

centrifuges will help scientists differentiate between the influence of microgravity and other space 

conditions, such as radiation. 

The glovebox of the Biorack is a class-100, particle-free, enclosed work area that provides safe conditions 

for the handling of materials. The glovebox keeps materials from floating across the Spacelab and keeps 

chemical fixatives confined. Crew members have the option of using gloves that extend into the sealed 

work area to handle specimens. 

To enhance observation and documentation of samples, a still camera or a video camera can be mounted on 

the glovebox. The glovebox photo camera with a winder and a pneumatic shutter control can be installed to 

photograph objects inside. 

Experiments are housed in sealed containers, a small Type I container, about the size of a deck of playing 

cards, and a larger Type II container, about three times the size of a Type I container. Each container can 

be fitted with a standard electrical connector to interface with power and data lines provided by Biorack. 

The incubators house 24 containers on static racks as well as 16 containers on two centrifuges that simulate 

Earth’s gravity. The centrifuges can only hold Type I containers. They have a fixed speed of 107 rpm. 

Five Shuttle middeck lockers are available for age- sensitive biological material and unstable chemicals. 

(Some of these lockers will be shared with the German NIZEMI facility.) To provide the necessary 

temperature environment during launch and landing, Passive Thermal Conditioning Units are used in the 

middeck area. 

Operations: Biological specimens have to be transferred to Spacelab before being loaded onto the Biorack 

for experiment operations. The containers will be kept at +41 degrees Fahrenheit and +50 degrees 

Fahrenheit (+5 degrees and +10 degrees C). In-flight and during landing, NASA’s Life Science Laboratory 

Equipment freezer provides -4 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees Celsius) for containers carrying frozen 

specimens. In addition, flight samples are either cooled at 5 degrees Celsius or returned at ambient 

temperature for post flight analysis. Three hours after landing at Kennedy Space Center, the experiments 

stowed in the middeck during descent are returned to the principal investigators. Three hours later, frozen 

samples are returned for evaluation. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 71 

Antigen Presentation and T-Cell Proliferation in Micro-G (Antigen) 

Experiment Facility: Biorack

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Augusto Cogoli 

University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy, and 

Space Biology Group of ETH, Zurich, Switzerland 

Objective: This experiment examines how white blood cells recognize and respond to foreign substances 

that enter the body. These foreign proteins, derived from pollen, virus or bacteria, are called antigens. 

Antibodies attached to the surface of the white blood cells recognize these foreign proteins and attach to 

them, provoking an antagonistic reaction. 

Science: The human body has white blood cells, known as T- cells, on standby. Each particular type is 

responsible for recognizing, and finally fighting, millions of different “invaders”. When called upon, the Tcells divide and proliferate. The antibodies, or surface receptor molecules, ride piggy-back on the T-cell. 

These antibodies recognize and adhere to the antigens much like puzzle pieces fitting exactly together. The 

antibodies can be released into the blood stream to fight the infection or, when the antigen is attached to a 

cell, the T-cells make cell-to-cell contact, invading the antigens to destroy or inactivate them chemically. 

Significance: Infectious diseases have long been identified as the leading culprits behind human death 

worldwide. This experiment investigates basic processes that contribute to the understanding of diseases 

and how the immune system responds to external triggers such as germs and chemical factors (mitogens). 

It will specifically study the T-cell activation after exposure to antigens. Scientists want to know if the 

activation mechanism of lymphocytes by their specific antigens is also altered in space as is known to 

occur from studies using mitogen-activated cells. If both activation processes show similar changes, then a 

common gravity-dependent step must be affected by the space environment. 

Operations: Cultures of mouse lymphocytes have been refined to specific T-cells. Some of these samples 

will be exposed to antigens, then incubated for 72 hours. Other samples will be incubated with a mitogen. 

The response of the lymphocytes is detected by marking cell products with a radioactive tracer. Scientists 

can observe the presence of this tracer in exceptionally small amounts of cell products. 

Lymphocyte Activation, Differentiation, and Adhesion Dependence on Activation (Adhesion) 

Experiment Facility: Biorack

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Augusto Cogoli 

University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy, and 

Space Biology Group of ETH, Zurich, Switzerland 

Objective: This experiment will seek deeper insight into the complex mechanism of white blood cell 

activation, which is essential for immune defense. 

White blood cells, or lymphocytes, multiply to fight infections or to heal wounds. Before these cells can 

fight foreign substances within the body, they must be activated and proliferate. The substance that can 

stimulate cell division is called the mitogen. 

Science: Lymphocytes can detect invading organisms or chemicals because they are equipped with surface 

receptor molecules (antibodies). The genes for those receptors can be shuffled and varied to produce 

structures that match virtually any foreign substance. 

White blood cells free-floating in a liquid medium, called a suspension culture, will be used. On Earth, 

white blood cells are non-adhesive cells, meaning they do not attach to any surfaces. In this experiment, 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 72 

tiny plastic balls, resembling a fine powder, will be added to the suspension. They are called microcarrier 

beads. An interesting phenomenon which has been observed is that white blood cells adhere to the 

microcarrier beads. When they are growing on the microcarrier beads, the number of white blood cells 

activated more than doubles in microgravity. The inclusion of microcarrier beads increases the surface area 

available to the white blood cells to adhere to. 

Significance: The power of the immune system to deal with infection is remarkable. However, the 

complexity of the immune response presents challenges to scientists and their attempts to decipher it. A 

deeper understanding of how the immune system responds to infectious agents is necessary. 

An illustration of how this immune response works is that, on the cellular level, proteins situated on the 

cell membrane receive “passwords” from other cells flowing by. When a foreign cell or substance (antigen) 

is identified by these proteins, the white blood cells known as T-cells respond with production of specific 

substances (cytokines) which are controlled by the genes located inside the cell’s nucleus. One step in this 

reaction chain seems to be gravity- dependent. Studying the process in orbit makes it possible to compare 

what happens in microgravity and under simulated 1-g conditions. 

Background: A precursor experiment was Dr. Cogoli’s investigation, “Lymphocyte Proliferation in 

Weightlessness,” which flew on the Spacelab Life Sciences-1 mission in 1991. 

Operations: Cells floating in a liquid called a suspension or attached to microcarrier beads will be 

incubated, activated with a mitogen, labeled with a tracer and preserved for postflight analysis. 

Lymphocyte Movements and Interactions (Motion) 

Experiment Facility: Biorack 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Augusto Cogoli 

University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy, and 

Space Biology Group of ETH, Zurich, Switzerland 

Objective: Cell-to-cell contacts are one way in which white blood cells, such as T-cells and B-cells, 

exchange messages. This experiment will study the mechanics of this communication process by making 

direct observations of this phenomenon using the NIZEMI slow-rotating centrifuge and microscope. 

Samples that have been chemically fixed in previous space flights indicate that cell-to-cell communication 

is taking place. Scientists wonder how the cells find each other in microgravity. They will directly observe 

if it is a random or active motion process. 

Science: Postflight microscopic evaluations have shown that clusters of cells are formed, and that they 

communication through the cellular membranes. Changing their shape allows the lymphocytes to move 

much like an amoeba and to find each other. Cell-to-cell contacts are important for the chemical exchange 

of information. 

Significance: These cell interactions have a key role in many biological functions, such as immune cells 

recognizing disease-forming cells. Cell-to-cell contacts also are important for the exchange of chemicals 

which are a prerequisite for the human body’s immune responses. 

Background: A sounding rocket experiment has provided direct evidence of cell movements and contacts. 

The cell movements were detected by real-time microscopic observations. 

Operations: Lymphocytes will be activated in the Biorack glovebox. They will then be incubated and 

transferred to the NIZEMI slow rotating centrifuge microscope. Crew members will observe the samples 

using that facility’s specialized microscope at three different times during the mission. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 73 

Effect of Microgravity on Cellular Activation: The Role of Cytokines (Cytokines) 

Experiment Facility: Biorack 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Didier Schmitt 

Medical School Rangueil 

Toulouse, France 

Objective: The efficiency of activation of white blood cells, such as T-lymphocytes and monocytes, will 

be studied by measuring the production of substances that promote cell division. Cytokines, the production 

of which is inhibited in microgravity, are necessary to promote activation and proliferation of immune cells 

to fight disease. Investigators will measure the production of specific cytokines interleukin-1, interleukin-2 

and gamma-interferon. 

Science: Immune cells are those which help the body resist infection. Lymphocytes and monocytes, two 

types of immune cells, can be activated to produce cytokines, which in turn are necessary to activate other 

cells of the immune system. Monocytes can be activated by either adding synthetic growth- promoting 

factors such as phorbol esters or by increasing the intracellular calcium concentration. This is achieved by 

adding a specific calcium transport molecule to ease the calcium import to the cell. In contrast, T-cell 

lymphocytes need both of these methods simultaneously to be activated. 

Significance: Previous space experiments have shown that the absence of gravity is interfering somewhere 

in this reaction chain. Scientists hope to determine which part of the reaction chain is altered in 

microgravity. They believe the information is being received by the cell, but the cell is not responding by 

dividing, as it normally would on Earth. 

Operations: Cells are incubated in microgravity and on the 1-g centrifuge. About 15 hours after activation, 

cultures are filtered, the culture medium isolated, and cells are inactivated by a detergent. Postflight, 

scientists will compare the synthesis of different proteins in the cells and the culture medium will be 

examined for cytokines. If the medium contains these substances, scientists know that the nucleus was 

activated and responded properly by creating new cytokines. In addition, they will measure sugar 

consumption in the culture medium to determine the rate of cell growth and multiplication. 

Effect of Microgravity on Cellular Activation: The Role of Cytokines (Phorbol) 

Experiment Facility: Biorack

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Didier Schmitt 

Medical School Rangueil 

Toulouse, France 

Objective: Immune cells can be activated to divide through the binding to a receptor of an artificial cell 

growth- promoting factor called phorbol ester. The phorbol ester crosses through the cell membrane to 

reach the receptor located within the cell. This receptor is an enzyme called protein kinase C (PKC). The 

phorbol ester attaches to the receptor much like two puzzle pieces fitting together. 

If the ester does not bind to the proper protein receptor, cellular maturation slows down or the cells do not 

multiply. Investigators will use a radioactively marked phorbol ester to measure first if the ester joined to 

the PKC and, second, to see if the message was transmitted to the internal part of the cell. 

Science: Previous experiments in microgravity have shown that microgravity dramatically reduces cells’ 

maturation and proliferation. A related experiment on the Soviet satellite Biocosmos 2044 showed a 

decrease in the secretion of cytokines, that promote cell division of immune cells. Cytokines are proteins 

which serve as messengers between cells of the immune system. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 74 

Significance: Scientists believe the “activation” information is being received by the cell in microgravity, 

but the cell is not responding by dividing, as it normally would on Earth. Phorbol ester, a growth 

promoting factor, will be used to activate the lymphocytes. Scientists want to determine what is preventing 

the cell from multiplying. Then, they may be able to develop a synthetic drug to duplicate what is 

happening in the absence of gravity and be able to inhibit the free multiplication of cells, such as cancer 

cells. 

Operations: For this study, lymphocytes will be incubated in microgravity and in simulated gravity on a 

Biorack centrifuge. During this time, the radioactively marked phorbol esters can bind to their receptors. 

Then, the binding is stopped and the cells are frozen. Postflight chemical analysis will reveal how 

effectively the phorbol esters bound to the intracellular receptor. 

Cell Microenvironment and Membrane Signal Transduction in Microgravity (Signal) 

Experiment Facility: Biorack

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Philippe Bouloc 

CNRS Jacques Monod Institute 

Paris, France 

Objective: Previous space flight experiments have indicated that the membranes of animal cells may have 

altered permeability properties in microgravity. It also has been suggested that bacteria may be more 

sensitive to antibiotics in microgravity. This experiment is designed to test possible changes that take place 

in bacteria during space flight. Scientists will observe cell response to a natural stimulus (carbon dioxide 

gas) and an artificial one (sodium chloride). They will study the effect of the absence of fluid convection 

and gas exchange on cell growth. 

Science: A non-infectious strain of Escherichia coli bacteria will be used. Thermal and gravity-driven fluid 

convection (fluid flows) are essentially absent in microgravity. Therefore, carbon dioxide gas produced 

during respiration is expected to remain concentrated in the direct environment of the bacterium, resulting 

in growth stimulation. This time frame will be measured. 

How the cell responds to an artificial change in its environment -- the addition of a salt solution -- also will 

be observed. Using a “sensor” protein located in their outer membrane, cells can detect changes in the 

osmotic pressure of the fluid surrounding them. This is the pressure at which a dissolved substance 

attempts to make its way through a membrane, by means of osmosis. The bacteria respond in a number of 

ways, one of which is to produce an enzyme. Changes in the cell membrane would be likely to affect the 

transfer of information. Scientists anticipate that the bacteria will react to the salt solution in some way to 

retain its intracellular fluid. 

Significance: If membrane alterations are detected in bacterial cells cultivated in microgravity, it will 

reinforce the interpretation of earlier findings using animal cells by indicating that the phenomenon is quite 

general, covering the entire range of life forms. 

The investigation also will provide a convenient model system for studying the changes within the cell’s 

membrane, which may involve the absence of convection in microgravity. An understanding of the 

phenomenon may, in turn, permit specialists to avoid possible undesirable effects of membrane alterations 

on astronauts. 

Operations: The crew will inject glucose into bacteria suspensions, which should begin their growth and 

multiplication process. When the growth has started, some of the cultures will be injected with a salt 

solution to increase the osmotic pressure. Finally, an antibiotic will be injected to halt the growth process, 

but not kill the cells. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 75 

After Columbia lands, scientists will measure how much growth actually took place between the injection 

of glucose and the antibiotic injection. They also will observe if a particular enzyme was produced in 

response to the presence of the salt solution. 

Effect of Stirring and Mixing in a Bioreactor Experiment in Microgravity (Bioreactor) 

Experiment Facility: Biorack 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Augusto Cogoli 

Space Biology Group of ETH 

Zurich, Switzerland 

Objective: This technology experiment studies the effect of stirring and mixing on the growth 

characteristics of baker’s yeast in microgravity. The growth of baker’s yeast is directly related to the 

consumption of nutrients, such as glucose and oxygen. Investigators will determine if stirring the solution 

increases the amount of growth that takes place because the cells are continually being redistributed. 

Scientists also will measure the threshold where the yeast solutions change from normal growth into the 

production of alcohol, which is a critical part of the experiment. 

Significance: This experiment may have broad implications for future life science experiments. The 

phenomena discussed here imply that a 1-g reference centrifuge aboard space laboratories is not 

necessarily an optimal control for all types of space experiments. Rather, stirring or mixing to achieve a 

homogenous reaction mixture of cells and solutes may be better suited. On a future mission, it will be 

desirable to study if there is any difference when this solution is stirred while in simulated gravity on a 

centrifuge. This would show if a centrifuge itself is a proper method to simulate gravity for reference 

experiments in space. 

Science: On Earth, most cells in cultures sediment and form pellets if they are not mixed. Cells within 

these pellets on the bottom of the container quickly become depleted of oxygen and nutrients and are 

exposed to increasing levels of waste products. 

Lack of sedimentation and convection in microgravity favors the formation of oxygen and nutrient 

gradients. An analogy would be the addition of chocolate to milk. On Earth, the chocolate sinks to the 

bottom. In microgravity, the chocolate and milk molecules hang side-by-side. Stirring the solutions might 

achieve a homogenous mixture, similar to mixing the chocolate syrup into the milk. 

Operations: The yeast cells are contained in two special bioreactors; each fits into a Biorack Type II 

container and has a reactor chamber, a reservoir for nutrients and waste, mechanical components and 

electronics. Three milliliters (0.1 fluid ounce) of yeast culture is incubated in the reactor chamber. Fresh 

nutrient medium will be pumped at constant flow rates from the reservoir bag to the reaction chamber. The 

flow rate will be increased step by step to observe when the yeast switches from respiration to fermentation 

and begins forming alcohol. 

Cells and medium will flow out through a one-way valve into the waste reservoir so that the volume of the 

culture remains constant. Experiment parameters of the chamber are controlled by a microprocessor, 

resulting in a stable environment. The bioreactor will run automatically for eight days, and data will be 

transmitted to the ground. 

The crew will remove samples on specific days throughout the mission to determine if the yeast is 

expanding. The samples will be preserved for postflight analysis. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 76 

Molecular Biological Investigations of Animal Multi- Cell Aggregates 

Reconstituted under Microgravity (Aggregate) 

Experiment Facility: Biorack 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Uwe Heinlein 

Heinrich-Heine University 

Dusseldorf, Germany 

Objective: This experiment will evaluate whether organized tissues can be reassembled from single 

primary cells in microgravity. If the cells reassemble, or aggregate, to form organized, tissue-like cell 

layers, microgravity could be the key to learning how cells recognize one another and interact to form 

specific patterns. 

Science: As organisms develop from embryos, the many tissues which form must recognize like cells and 

group to form the various parts of the organism. On Earth, the processes of cellular recognition are difficult 

to study outside the body in cell cultures. Gravity disturbs the cell surface interactions necessary for 

optimal pattern formation. Instead of attaching to each other, as they do when forming a tissue, the cells 

rapidly attach to the bottom of the culture flask. In microgravity, cells should not move toward the bottom 

of the flask but remain suspended and reaggregate to form organized tissue-like cell layers. 

As gravity will not interfere with aggregation in space, the most likely influence will be molecular 

characteristics of the cell surfaces. Different cell samples are being flown with various types of adhesion 

molecules on their surfaces. Comparisons after the mission will help determine how cell surface structure 

influences aggregation. 

Significance: Increased knowledge of how cells recognize one another to form tissues can be applied to 

overcoming problems related to tissue formation on Earth. For instance, some couples have difficulty 

conceiving children. One reason could be that the sperm does not recognize the egg, so fertilization cannot 

take place. If scientists can learn how cells communicate with one another, they might eventually be able to 

improve or prevent fertilization in humans. 

Background: This experiment has not flown in space before. 

Operations: This Biorack experiment will use primary cells prepared from two mouse tissues, brain cells 

from cerebellum and sperm-forming cells from testis. There are only five different kinds of cells in each 

tissue, making the tissues simple to study. Cells from the two kinds of tissues will be mixed before the 

experiment begins, to evaluate how well they can recognize like cells to aggregate into tissue over the 

course of the experiment. 

Two containers with 10 cell cultures each will be placed in the Biorack incubator, one in microgravity and 

one in simulated gravity. A crew member will feed the cultures inside the glovebox on days two, four and 

six, by injecting a medium into the cell cultures. Growth will be chemically stopped, or fixed, on day six, 

and the containers will be stowed for the remainder of the mission. They will undergo postflight structural 

and chemical analysis. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 77 

Regulation of Cell Growth and Differentiation by Microgravity: 

Retinoic Acid-Induced Cell Differentiation (Mouse) 

Experiment Facility: Biorack 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Siegfried de Laat 

Netherlands Institute for Developmental Biology 

Utrecht, The Netherlands 

Objective: This experiment will study the effect of microgravity on mouse cell differentiation which has 

been induced by exposure to retinoic acid, a Vitamin A group acid. Cell differentiation is the process by 

which embryonic cells divide to form into the different types of cells which make up an organism. 

Science: This experiment is one of several aboard IML-2 examining early cell differentiation and growth. 

The ability to “turn off the gravity” in space gives scientists a valuable tool for studying cell differentiation 

processes without introducing chemicals or other materials inside the cells themselves. 

It has been known for a decade that the removal of gravity affects early cellular development, for instance 

that of the immune system’s lymphocytes. Sounding rocket experiments have established that the change 

does not take place on the surface of the cells. Therefore, it must happen at some point farther along in the 

reaction chain of cell development. The various IML-2 cellular experiments are attempting to identify that 

point. 

Mouse cells serve as a model for cellular behavior in other animals and in humans. Retinoic acid has a 

profound effect on their early differentiation, particularly on the pattern in which the limbs form. This 

experiment will investigate where the gravity-dependent step is located in the reaction chain of cell 

response to retinoic acid. It also will study how the mouse cells multiply after exposure to the retinoic acid 

in microgravity. 

Significance: Identifying the stages in the reaction chain of early cellular development would provide a 

valuable tool for fighting a multitude of diseases. 

Background: IML-2 is the first flight for this Biorack experiment 

Operations: Sixteen containers housing two culture chambers each will be processed for this experiment. 

On the second day of the mission, a crew member will load them into the Biorack incubator, in the 

microgravity rack and the simulated-gravity centrifuge. There, they will be processed through a preprogrammed, automatic experiment sequence for seven days. Experiment controllers on the ground can 

verify that each event has occurred on schedule by viewing data transmitted from the Biorack facility. 

After medium exchange, activation and fixation are complete, the crew will transfer 10 of the containers to 

the Biorack cooler and the rest to middeck stowage for return to Earth and subsequent analysis. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 78 

Sea Urchin Larva, a Potential Model for Studying 

Biomineralization and Demineralization Processes in Space (Urchin) 

Experiment Facility: Biorack 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Hans-Jurg Marthy 

CNRS Observatoire Ocanologique 

Banyuls-sur-Mer, France 

Objective: This experiment studies sea urchin embryos and larvae to determine if the mineralization 

process that creates the typical sea urchin larva skeleton is normal in space. 

Science: This is one of several experiments aboard IML-2 which researches the mechanisms involved in 

bone demineralization in weightlessness. 

Previous tests of astronauts and small organisms have shown the lack of gravitational force on bone causes 

demineralization, the loss of calcium and other minerals. Although calcium loss may level off during space 

flight, the possibility that crew members could break weakened bones may affect their ability to function in 

Earth’s gravity after an extended mission. 

Significance: If this experiment finds there is a progressive loss of calcium and other minerals in the 

formed skeletons of sea urchins, that demineralization might be a good model for the loss of bone minerals 

experienced by humans in microgravity. Knowledge of the factors which govern bone demineralization 

could be applied to fighting disorders experienced by people on Earth such as osteoporosis, as well as 

helping protect space travelers. 

Operations: A crew member will p lace containers with sea urchin eggs at two different stages of 

development in the Biorack incubator, in microgravity and in the gravity-simulating centrifuge. Several 

times during the mission, an astronaut will use the Biorack glovebox and a camcorder to make microscopic 

videotapes of swimming specimens. 

Sea urchin larvae from all containers will be preserved at different stages of development. After the 

mission, scientists will analyze the preserved skeletons to assess their mineral composition and content. 

Background: This Biorack experiment has not flown before. 

The Effects of Microgravity and Varying 1-g Exposure Periods on 

Bone Resorption; an In Vitro Experiment (Bones) 

Experiment Facility: Biorack 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. J. Paul Veldhuijzen 

Amsterdam Academic Center for Dentistry 

Amsterdam, The Netherlands 

Objective: This experiment will attempt to verify recent indications that exposing cultured fetal mouse 

bones to simulated gravity during space flight can prevent microgravity-related bone loss. Scientists want 

to see if exposure to a short period of gravitational force during each day in space would be sufficient to 

prevent adverse microgravity effects on the skeleton. 

Science: Tests on astronauts and small organisms during previous space flights indicate that the lack of 

gravitational force on bones causes demineralization, the loss of calcium and other minerals. Scientists are 

still researching whether this calcium loss continues indefinitely or levels off during flight. If it continues, 

the 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 79 

likelihood that crew members will break those weakened bones increases the longer a mission lasts. 

Significant calcium loss also affects a person’s ability to function in Earth’s gravity after landing. 

It has been shown that exposure of cultured fetal mouse bones to reduced gravity during space flight 

increased calcium loss. This suggests that cultured embryonic mouse long bones can serve as a model for 

studies on the cellular effects of microgravity on bone mineralization and demineralization in humans. 

Different cells govern bone mineralization, the input of calcium into the bones, and demineralization, or 

calcium export. In childhood, the input is greater, stimulating bone growth. The two processes reach a state 

of equilibrium in adulthood. Export cells become more dominant as a person or animal grows old, causing 

bone deterioration, or osteoporosis. This experiment will attempt to identify how much of the calcium loss 

in microgravity is due to a repression of mineralization and how much is caused by an acceleration of 

demineralization. 

Results of this experiment on IML-1 showed a significant increase in calcium loss in the microgravity 

samples as opposed to those in Biorack’s simulated-gravity centrifuge, suggesting that exposure to 

artificial gravity counteracts bone deterioration. The IML-2 experiment will expose embryonic mouse long 

bones to varying durations of simulated gravity to determine how much exposure is needed to deter 

calcium loss. 

Significance: Exercise which stresses astronauts’ bones in space, much as the pull of gravity stresses them 

on Earth, has been shown to be effective in counteracting calcium loss. Information gained from this 

experiment could eventually be the basis for determining how much, or how little, exercise is necessary for 

it to be a useful countermeasure. 

Bone demineralization is an integral part of the aging process. Insights into basic bone building and 

destruction processes are useful in fighting bone disorders on Earth such as osteoporosis, which affects a 

large percentage of elderly people. 

Background: This experiment flew in Biorack on IML-1 and on the Russian Biocosmos satellite. The 

indications were that both bone mineralization and demineralization are influenced by microgravity. 

Operations: Four cell culture containers containing fetal mouse long bones will be processed in the 

Biorack incubator in microgravity. One will be put into the simulated-gravity centrifuge, where it will 

remain for the duration of the experiment. Between the first and fourth flight days, three of the 

microgravity containers will be exposed daily to three, six and 12 hours of simulated gravity, respectively. 

Then all the samples will be chemically fixed to stop growth. Scientists will analyze the samples after the 

mission to determine how exposure to various levels of gravity affected bone growth and deterioration. 

Investigation of the Mechanisms Involved in the Effects of Space 

Microgravity on Drosophila Development, Behavior and Aging (Drosophila) 

Experiment Facility: Biorack 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Roberto Marco 

Independent University of Madrid 

Madrid, Spain 

Objective: This experiment will study the development of fruit flies to test a theory about why the aging 

process of adult flies is accelerated in space. 

Science: This experiment is one of several IML-2 investigations which attempts to determine if organisms 

can develop normally in space. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 80 

Previous experiments have shown that the exposure of young fruit flies to microgravity results in numerous 

effects on their development. These include an increase in the formation of eggs and an increase in the time 

required to complete the development process. However, the aging process of adult flies in these 

experiments has been accelerated. 

During this long-duration flight, scientists will test an hypothesis that life shortening in space is linked to 

increased activity as the flies attempt to move in microgravity, along with excessive respiration. This 

ultimately results in damage to the part of the cell that provides energy to the cell by the respiration 

process. 

Significance: Because the life span of flies is relatively short, almost their entire aging process can be 

studied during a Shuttle mission. Insights gained from this experiment could prove to be useful models in 

studying the factors which influence aging in humans. 

Background: In a 1985 Spacelab D-1 experiment, investigators observed that the aging process was 

accelerated in flies exposed to microgravity. When this experiment flew on the Russian Biocosmos 

satellite, video of the flies’ movement showed that their activity levels were greatly increased. An almost 

identical experiment flew on Biorack during IML-1 in 1992. However, the flies did not survive the flight. 

A small hole covered with a fine nylon mesh has been added to the fly containers to supply them with fresh 

air. 

Operations: Fruit flies will be flown in space within the Biorack facility, both in microgravity and in the 

simulated gravity of the centrifuge. Activities of male flies will be recorded by video observations 

periodically throughout the mission. Embryos deposited by female flies will be frozen on specific days to 

preserve them for postflight analysis. 

After the mission, the preserved embryos and live adult flies will be studied. Scientists will examine the 

flies’ physical characteristics, biochemical makeup and behavior to determine the effects of microgravity 

on the genetic background, development processes, sexual behavior, orientation to gravity and aging. 

The Role of Gravity in the Establishment of Embryonic 

Axes in Amphibian Embryo (Eggs) 

Experiment Facility: Biorack 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Geertje Ubbels 

The Netherlands Institute for Developmental Biology 

The Hubrecht Laboratory 

Utrecht, The Netherlands 

Objective: This experiment examines the early stages of frog egg cell division, to determine the role 

gravity plays in directing cell division and differentiation as the cells form a new organism. 

Science: Before space flight, organisms always developed with reference to gravity. Scientists are just 

beginning to study whether normal offspring will result when organisms mate and reproduce in space. This 

experiment will help them determine how organisms reproduce and develop without gravity. It also will 

give them greater insight into gravity’s role in these processes. 

On Earth, the eggs of clawed toads rotate shortly after they are fertilized, with a selected pole oriented 

downward toward gravity. Previous experiments suggest that gravity cooperates with the sperm in 

specifying the correct orientation, or axis. 

The time and pattern of subsequent cell divisions are crucial in this early stage of embryonic pattern 

formation. At first, the cells divide almost in the same way at the same time. At later stages, this synchrony 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 81 

is progressively lost, making a “wave” of cell divisions over the egg. The cell population splits into 

compartments, each with its own division rhythm that corresponds to areas for later development of the 

organs, bones, etc. This experiment examines whether normal division synchrony in the early embryo is 

maintained under microgravity. 

Significance: Insights into the early stages of cell development can serve as models for understanding the 

factors involved in normal development from a single cell to a complete organism. 

Background: During a brief sounding rocket flight prior to the 1992 IML-1 mission, this experiment 

demonstrated for the first time that fertilization can take place in microgravity. Embryo development in 

space went on much longer during the IML-1 Shuttle flight. Postflight analysis of those embryos showed 

an irregularity in the thickness of cell layers at one stage of cell division. 

A related experiment flew on Spacelab-J later in 1992, where eggs of live frogs were fertilized in space. 

The resulting embryos developed normally, indicating that any irregularity in cell formation due to 

microgravity was repaired during later stages of development. The IML-2 experiment will attempt to 

isolate the specific point at which the irregularity occurred. 

Both IML-1 and Spacelab-J experiments indicate that gravity is not responsible for the orientation of the 

cell axis. This experiment will help confirm those results. 

Operations: A crew member will place identical samples in Biorack’s two incubators, with four samples 

in microgravity and two in the simulated gravity of a Biorack centrifuge. At the same time, identical 

samples will be incubated on the ground. Frog eggs will be fertilized within a microprocessor-controlled 

culture vessel. Samples from each test environment will be fixed to stop growth on the fourth and eighth 

cleavage, or cell division step, and in a later stage of embryonic development. 

Postflight, samples from microgravity, simulated gravity in space, and Earth’s gravity will be compared. 

The pattern of cell divisions, as well as the distribution of cellular constituents, will be determined in 

relation to axis formation. 

Effect of Microgravity on Lentil Morphogenesis (Lentil) 

Experiment Facility: Biorack 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Grald Perbal 

Pierre and Marie Curie University 

Paris, France 

Objective: The purpose of this experiment is to test a theory about how the gravity-sensing cells at the tip 

of plant roots regulate root growth. 

Science: Gravity sensing cells called statocytes are found in a cap covering the plant root tip. The subcellular components are arranged within these cells with respect to gravity. The nucleus is always located 

in the top part, and membrane-enclosed crystals of barium sulfate, called statoliths, congregate on the 

bottom. When the root is placed in a horizontal position, the statoliths move toward the longitudinal wall 

but never touch the plasma membrane. It is generally accepted that the statoliths are responsible for sensing 

gravity, but the way they do that is still controversial. This experiment tests the hypothesis that the settling 

down of the statoliths on the endoplasmic reticulum, a web-like structure within the cell protoplasm, 

regulates root growth. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 82 

Significance: Scientists are still investigating which direction plant roots will grow when there is no 

distinguishable up or down, as is the case in the weightless environment of space. Researchers also want to 

know if root growth is inhibited by changes in growth direction. These questions must be answered before 

plants can be grown as part of a controlled ecological environment needed for long-term stays in space. 

Equipment and Operations: In this IML-2 experiment, six different groups of lentil seeds will be 

exposed to both microgravity (after germination on the 1-g centrifuge) and 1- g environments. The seeds 

will be hydrated with water or cytochalasin B in the Biorack glovebox on day 10 of the mission and 

transferred to the 22 degree Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit) incubator. After one day of growth, the 

seedlings will be photographed with the glovebox camera. The principal investigator on the ground will 

observe the seedlings via television and will talk with the crew to confirm the correct growth status. The 

seedlings from the centrifuge will be returned to incubate in the static rack and those in the static rack will 

be placed on the centrifuge. The seedlings will be photographed again two hours later (also with video 

downlink) and fixed (preserved with glutaraldehyde) for analysis after the mission. 

Background: This experiment is nearly identical to the “Roots” experiment flown on IML-1. It uses the 

same hardware, biological samples and chemicals, with the addition of mini-syringes containing 

cytochalasin B for IML-2. Results from the IML-1 Roots investigation show that plant roots were sensitive 

to periods of alternating gravity and microgravity. However, scientists do not fully understand how 

changes in the growth direction of these roots will affect overall growth. 

Root Orientation, Growth Regulation, Adaptation, and Agravitropic Behavior 

of Genetically Transformed Roots (Transform) 

Experiment Facility: Biorack 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Tor-Henning Iversen 

University of Trondheim 

Dragvoll, Norway 

Objective: This experiment will test whether the growth of plants that grow in any direction apparently 

unaffected by gravity (agravitropic roots) on Earth is similar to normal roots grown in microgravity. 

Science: Three clones of transformed, agravitropic roots have been isolated. Normal gravitropic roots, 

which grow downward, will be used as the control subject specimens for this experiment. In addition, 

single transformed cells which have been isolated from these roots will be tested. These cells will be 

isolated as protoplasts (cells from which the cell walls have been removed). After the mission, scientists 

will attempt to regenerate intact plants from the protoplasts. 

Significance: Transformation of plant cells by strains of a bacteria known as Agrobacterium causes 

dramatic changes in the metabolism of the transformed cells and the physical characteristics of the intact 

plants regenerated from the transformed cells. Wild type strains of Agrobacterium rhizomes are known to 

induce transformed roots called “hairy roots.” These roots have a high growth rate, branch out excessively 

and, in some cases, do not exhibit curvature in response to gravity (gravitropism). Scientists must learn 

more about plant growth in microgravity before plants can be included as part of the ecological 

environment system for longer stays in space. 

Experiment Hardware and Operation: The plant chambers for this experiment are made of aluminum 

frames with clear windows to allow for photography. The protoplast cultures will be in plastic bags, heatsealed at one end, with a sterile seal (septum) at the other end. 

During IML-2, containers with root segments will be incubated at 22 degrees Celsius (72 degrees 

Fahrenheit). At selected times, the plant chambers will be exposed to 1-g, placed in the photobox for 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 83 

automatic photography, fixed (preserved with glutaraldehyde) in the glovebox, and stored in the Biorack 

cooler. The protoplast cultures will undergo incubation (in both microgravity and 1-g), fixation, washing 

with a buffer and cooling. 

Background: This is a new Biorack investigation that has not flown before. However, the hardware is 

similar to the Roots and Proto experiments flown on IML-1. The photobox is identical to that flown on 

IML-1, but the sample holder has been modified to accommodate experiments for IML-2. 

Plant Growth and Random Walk (Random) 

Experiment Facility: Biorack 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Anders Johnsson 

University of Trondheim 

Dragvoll, Norway 

Objective: This experiment will observe root behavior in a weightless environment, with the aim of 

increasing our knowledge of root growth dynamics. 

Science: Experiments on Earth have shown that plants exposed to gravity levels higher than 1-g grow in a 

more “straight” fashion. Changes in the normal growth patterns are caused by spontaneous random 

movements and the nature of these movements can only be studied in an environment free from Earth’s 

gravitational pull. 

Scientists have hypothesized that the random movements can be described and treated as a “random walk” 

process (similar to the random motions of molecules in a liquid). This hypothesis will be tested in the 

weightless environment of space during IML-2. Although photographs will provide the main source of 

information from this experiment, samples will be fixed (preserved with glutaraldehyde) and returned to 

Earth for analysis. 

Significance: A quantitative study of root behavior in space will test the random walk hypothesis and 

increase our knowledge of the dynamics of root growth. Research such as this will help reveal the role of 

gravity in shaping life as we know it and show us how living organisms react and adapt to microgravity. 

Operations: Lepidium sp. seedlings, which are housed in plant chambers with clear windows, will be 

transferred to a photobox at about 11 and 17 hours into the mission. Time-lapse photography will be 

performed over a 35-hour period. Other containers of seedlings will be exposed to 1-g on the centrifuge 

inside the 22 degrees Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit) incubator for 18 and 20 hours and will then be 

transferred to the photobox to provide visual documentation of their growth patterns. 

Background: This is a new Biorack experiment that has not been flown before. It is, however, similar to 

the “Roots” experiment flown on IML-1. The photobox is identical to the one flown on IML- 1, but the 

sample holder has been modified to accommodate this experiment and the mirrors have been removed. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 84 

Dosimetric Mapping Inside Biorack on IML-2 (Dosimetry)

Experiment Facility: Biorack 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Guenther Reitz 

DLR Institute for Aerospace Medicine 

Cologne, Germany 

Objective: This investigation is designed to provide a baseline of radiation data for all Biorack scientists to 

use when analyzing their respective experiment results. 

Science: This information is a precondition for any investigation in space that might be susceptible to 

radiation. In order to provide scientists with a good baseline of radiation information, this experiment will 

document the radiation environment inside the Biorack facility and compare the data with theoretical 

predictions and data from previous flight experiments. 

Significance: From the data collected during this experiment, principal investigators will be able to 

distinguish microgravity effects from radiation effects on samples that were placed in the Biorack facility. 

Although the Spacelab module has special radiation shielding, cosmic radiation does penetrate the 

spacecraft. Previous investigations have shown that radiation can be particularly damaging to single cells. 

Scientists must be able to predict and measure the influence of cosmic radiation when determining flight 

parameters and the amount of shielding needed to conduct experiments in space. 

Equipment and Operations: Each of the seven dosimeters contains three types of visual track detectors 

with various layers of cellulose nitrate, Delrin, Kapton foil and nuclear emulsion. Before launch, 

dosimeters will be placed in the 22-degree Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit) and 37-degree Celsius (99 

degrees Fahrenheit) incubators; one will be loaded into the Biorack cooler, one into the Biorack stowage, 

one to overhead stowage, and the remaining two will be kept in ambient stowage. 

Background: This experiment is identical to the investigation of the same name that flew on IML-1. For 

IML- 2, all experiment hardware has been newly fabricated. Results from IML-1 showed that radiation in 

the two Biorack incubators was similar. By placing additional dosimeters in other areas of the Biorack 

facility, scientists will be able to see if radiation levels are different throughout the facility. 

Efficiency of Radiation Repair in Prokaryotes (Repair) 

Experiment Facility: Biorack

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Gerda Horneck 

DLR Institute for Aerospace Medicine 

Cologne, Germany 

Objective: This experiment will test the hypothesis that gravity affects the ability of biological systems to 

repair and recover from radiation damage. Scientists will observe radiation-damaged Bacillus subtilis 

bacteria to see if they form microcolonies to begin their repair process. 

Science: Scientists for this experiment have selected a variety of bacteria cultures that are genetically welldefined, each having a different capacity to repair damage to its deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). The first 

step in the repair process is for cell proteins to recognize damaged sites in the DNA. This involves the 

initial random collision of molecules and may be affected by gravity. 

Significance: Scientists will use data from this experiment to understand more about the ability of 

biological systems to repair themselves after radiation damage in space. Before humans can stay in space 

on longer 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 85 

Space Shuttle flights or live and work for extended periods of time aboard the space station, we must know 

more about the role that microgravity plays in the ability of cells to repair themselves after being exposed 

to radiation on orbit. 

Operations: Three containers with X-ray irradiated bacteria spores and a pipette with a culture medium 

syringe are launched in Spacelab. During the last days of IML-2, bacteria cultures will be activated and 

placed into the Biorack 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37-degree Celsius) incubator. After about 20 hours of 

incubation, photographs will be taken of the microcolonies using the Biorack glovebox camera. Scientists 

on the ground will watch downlink television to determine when the cells should be preserved. The 

kinetics and efficiency of these bacteria cells in repairing DNA will be analyzed after the mission. 

Background: This is a new investigation that has not flown before. 

Radiation Repair Kinetics in Eukaryotes (Kinetics) 

Experiment Facility: Biorack 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Gerda Horneck 

DLR Institute for Aerospace Medicine 

Cologne, Germany 

Objective: This experiment will examine the ability of radiation-damaged cells to repair themselves in 

microgravity. 

Science: Scientists will use human skin fibroblast and bacterial cells, Escherichia coli and Deinococcus 

radiodurans, to understand more about how cells repair themselves in space. Although scientists are aware 

that microgravity and radiation exposure affect living organisms, the ability of cells to repair and recover 

has not been explored in microgravity. 

Significance: The Spacelab module has special radiation shielding, but some cosmic radiation does 

penetrate the spacecraft. Previous investigations indicate that radiation can be particularly damaging to 

single cells and that cells exposed to both microgravity and radiation may suffer more damage than cells 

exposed to only one of these effects. Before humans can stay in space for extended periods of time, we 

must first understand how cells repair themselves when they have been exposed to microgravity and 

radiation. 

Operation: For this experiment, the cells will be exposed to ionizing radiation before the mission to 

damage their deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), causing effects such as strand breakage in the double helix. 

The cells will be frozen until this experiment begins to prevent them from starting the healing process 

before they are exposed to microgravity on orbit. A commercial thermos has been modified to keep 

samples frozen during launch. Immediately after Spacelab activation, the vessels containing the cell 

samples will be transferred to the refrigerator/freezer where they will remain until they are activated during 

the mission. After activation, the cell samples will be incubated at 37 degrees Celsius (99 degrees 

Fahrenheit) for defined periods of time to allow the cells’ enzyme systems to repair the damage from the 

ionizing radiation. After the various incubation periods, these samples will be returned to the 

refrigerator/freezer for their flight back to Earth. Freezing the cells in different stages of repair will allow 

scientists to see how much radiation damage was left unrepaired in microgravity. After the mission, 

investigators will examine the DNA and compare the cells that repaired themselves in microgravity with 

samples that repaired themselves on Earth. 

Background: This is a new Biorack experiment that has not been flown before. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 86 

Real-Time Radiation Monitoring Device (RRMD) 

Payload Developer: NASDA

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Tadayoshi Doke 

Waseda University 

Tokyo, Japan 

Objective: This device will actively measure the high- energy cosmic radiation which enters the Spacelab 

in orbit, then transmit those measurements to the science team at the Payload Operations Control Center in 

Huntsville. The signals also will be transmitted to remote centers where they will be compared with other 

current radiation information, such as optical and X-ray observations. 

In addition to real-time radiation monitoring, the device will contain bacteria with high radiation 

sensitivity. Scientists will analyze the bacteria cells post flight to measure radiation damage and study their 

ability to recover and repair themselves after a cosmic-ray impact. 

Significance: This IML-2 device is the first to transmit radiation information to the ground during a 

mission. It serves as the beginning toward creation of a space weather- forecasting network which might be 

established for future spacecraft. 

Space is a complex environment filled with electromagnetic radiation and charged particles. Previous 

experiments have shown that particles of high-energy radiation have potentially serious biological effects 

on living organisms. Earth’s atmosphere shields people on the ground from most of these effects, but space 

travelers do not have the atmosphere to protect them. On longer spaceflights, radiation storms due to 

increased levels of solar activity could be hazardous to astronauts. A reliable space radiation forecasting 

system could warn them to take shelter in a protected area of their spacecraft until the danger has passed. 

Experiment Hardware and Operations: The Real-time Radiation Monitoring Device consists of a 

detector unit, a control unit, and passive track dosimeters. The detector rapidly collects data necessary to 

analyze the influences of radiation on the crew, the payload and biological specimens. During the flight, 

each time a cosmic ray particle enters the Spacelab, a spectroscope sensor measures the energy and 

direction of the particle. The electronic control unit records signals from the detector and transmits them to 

the ground. Also, the radiation-sensitive bacteria are sandwiched between solid-state nuclear track 

detectors in a container on top of the spectrometer. 

The crew will mount the monitoring device in the Spacelab aft end cone shortly after launch. It will collect 

data throughout the mission. Crew members will change the direction the device faces about once every 

three days. 

After the mission, records of real-time radiation readings will be compared to information from the passive 

radiation trackers, attached with biological specimens on top of the active detectors. They also will be 

compared with Biostack detector data from this and previous missions. 

Background: IML-2 is the first flight of this experiment. It was developed by the National Space 

Development Agency of Japan as an addition to their life science hardware from Spacelab-J. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 87 

Microgravity Effects on Standardized Cognitive Performance Measures 

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Samuel G. Schiflett 

U. S. Air Force Armstrong Laboratory 

San Antonio, Texas 

Objective: This experiment will help determine astronauts’ mental ability to perform operational tasks in 

space. Scientists want to measure how well the crew processes information so they can distinguish between 

the effects of microgravity and fatigue. 

Six computerized cognitive performance tests called the Performance Assessment Workstation (PAWS) 

will be used during the flight. After Columbia lands, Air Force personnel, standing in for the STS-65 crew, 

will re-enact all mission procedures. The scientists will compare the results of the two groups in an effort to 

precisely pinpoint the effects of microgravity. 

Significance: As technology takes us physically and mentally farther away from the evolutionary 

environment of Earth, humans will be exposed to a variety of conditions that may cause their performance 

to deteriorate. The Performance Assessment Workstation provides scientists with a tool to assess cognitive 

performance and, thus, measure the impact of new and unknown stress factors. 

While measurement of performance is only the first step toward understanding the effects of spaceflight on 

cognitive functioning, it also allows space scientists to quantify any problem so that specific solutions can 

be developed to counteract any loss of productivity. 

The results will provide information to help planners more effectively schedule astronauts’ work under a 

variety of conditions, such as fatigue. This should lead to improved productivity during space missions 

through, for example, scheduling tasks at times when crew members’ performance is optimum. 

Science: Present day space travelers are subject to a variety of stresses during space flight. These include 

the microgravity environment, physical isolation, confinement, lack of privacy, fatigue and changing workrest cycles. On Earth, both fatigue and changing work-rest cycles are known to degrade cognitive 

performance and productivity. 

Hardware: The crew will undergo performance tests using a laptop computer. The Performance 

Assessment Workstation tests are based on current theoretical models of human performance. They were 

selected by analyzing tasks involved in space missions that might be sensitive to microgravity. Subjective 

questions also are included in PAWS for interpreting fatigue and mood states. 

The investigation uses a set of six computerized cognitive performance tests taken from the Unified TriService Cognitive Performance Assessment Battery. The series of tests is internationally recognized and 

has proven sensitive to many environmental stressors. 

Operations: While in orbit, crew members will take the tests daily. The computer will record the speed 

and accuracy of the astronaut’s responses to rotated images, letter sequences, math calculations, spatial 

patterns and recollection of numbers. It also records the astronaut’s ability to track an unstable object on 

the computer screen using a precision trackball. 

Perhaps the most challenging test for the astronaut will be to do two things at one time and rapidly switch 

attention between the two tasks. The computer screen will be divided in half to feature two test questions. 

Each screen will be answered in a sequential manner determined by an indicator at the bottom of the 

screen. For example, the left screen might illustrate a spatial ability test while the right screen features an 

addition test. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 88 

Performance criteria for comparison will be collected during practice sessions held during the weeks before 

launch for the crew member subjects. Also, scientists will continue to gather data after the astronauts return 

to Earth. The postflight data will be collected to determine the rate of recovery of any detrimental effects of 

microgravity on cognitive information processing. 

Spinal Changes in Microgravity 

Payload Developer: Canadian Space Agency

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. John R. Ledsome 

Canadian Space Agency 

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 

Objective: Two out of every three people who go into space experience back pain that scientists believe 

may be related to a lengthening of the spinal column in microgravity. 

The objective of this IML-2 experiment is to determine whether the lengthening of the spinal column can 

be associated with changes in the function of the spinal cord or spinal nerve roots which branch off the 

spinal cord. It will investigate the effects of nerves that are stretched close to their limits by the lengthened 

spinal column, as well as the changes in body function controlled by the central nervous system. 

In addition, the study will determine for the first time if the lengthening of the spinal column causes 

changes in the cardiovascular and bladder functions. 

Science: The back does more than allow us to stand up straight. It houses the spinal cord and nerves that 

connect the spinal cord to the other parts of the body. It’s likely that when the nerves are stretched they will 

not work properly. This experiment will study two types of these nerves: sensory nerves that carry signals 

from the skin to the brain and autonomic nerves that are responsible for involuntary bodily functions such 

as blood flow. 

To determine the function of the sensory nerves, the ability of the spinal cord to conduct an electrical 

impulse from the foot to the brain will be measured. Normally when we breathe in, our heart rate 

decreases. When the breath is released, the heart rate increases. If there is a change in the interaction 

between breathing and heart rate, it might be due to changes to the autonomic nerves going to the heart. 

The spacing between discs in the vertebrae will be measured to determine if that is the reason for the height 

increase, or if it is due to the straightening of the back’s curvature. 

Significance: This experiment will provide an insight into the function of the major nerves of the spinal 

cord during space flight and help understand the back pain reported by astronauts. The information has 

already proved valuable in understanding and assessing chronic back pain on Earth. Some of the 

techniques have been applied to back surgery performed in Canada. 

Background: On IML-1, the first systematic measurements of changes in height and spinal contour were 

performed. Results indicated that the astronauts increased in height from two to three inches. There also 

was flattening of the normal spinal contour. Scientists believe this may be the cause of the back pain that 

many astronauts experience during space flight. 

Operations: The STS-65 crew will complete a daily questionnaire describing any back pain and associated 

symptoms of spinal cord dysfunction, such as numbness. Crew members also will measure their height 

daily. 

Three times during the flight -- at the beginning, middle and end -- they will take stereophotographs in 

seven different positions designed to provide information about changes in spinal contour, height and the 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 89 

range of motion of the vertebral column. They also will be conducted pre- and post flight, along with 

magnetic resonance imaging of the spine and clinical back examination. 

To study sensory nerves, crew members will stimulate their nerves with a tiny electric impulse at the ankle 

and time how long it takes the signal to reach the brain using a nerve stimulation and recording device. On 

Earth, it usually takes about 50-thousandths of a second, whereas in space the transit time is unknown. 

To study autonomic nerves, crew members will squeeze a hand grip measuring device for several minutes -

- a form of isometric exercise. At the same time, blood pressure and heart rate are measured to determine 

the adaptation of the heart to muscular work. A second study will measure heart rate as the astronaut 

synchronizes breathing to cues on an audiotape. Changes in the breathing/heart rate relationships are 

sensitive indicators of cardiac changes. 

Thermoelectric Incubator (TEI) and 

Cell Culture Kits (CCK) 

Payload Developer: NASDA 

Objective: The Thermoelectric Incubator is a general- purpose incubator used in the Spacelab module to 

maintain biological specimens at a constant temperature, humidity and carbon-dioxide concentration. It 

provides a growth environment for both animal and plant cells. 

The Cell Culture Kits will be used to culture slime mold and plant and animal cells in microgravity. The 

kits allow observation of cell growth, the extraction of materials produced by these cells, and the fixation 

of the cells for inspection after return to Earth. 

The incubator and cell culture kits also will be used in conjunction with some of the Free Flow 

Electrophoresis Unit experiments. 

Significance: This equipment allows scientists in the microgravity environment of Spacelab to study cell 

development and growth in much the same way as they would in their labs on Earth. Results will provide 

insight into how microgravity and radiation affect the development of cells in space. Comparison with 

ground-based experiments will help scientists understand how gravity shapes life on Earth. 

Experiment Hardware and Operations: Cell-culture kits are pre-assembled packages of various items 

the scientist in orbit needs to perform culture experiments. They allow astronauts to take maximum 

advantage of the time available, as the kits make available in a single location all the equipment needed for 

a particular experiment. 

Each kit includes a main chamber, containers for culture mediums, waste collectors, applicators, syringes 

and containment bags. For IML-2, three different types of kits will support animal cell-culture and 

electrophoresis experiments. Petri-dish-type chambers will be used for the slime mold and plant cells. 

Animal cell culture kits have transparent windows which allow crew members to observe cell cultures 

grown in orbit with a Biological Microscope. They will use a 35-mm camera, which attaches to the 

microscopes, to make still photographs of the samples. 

For the slime mold culture, a video system will record and downlink real-time images of specimens to 

scientists at Spacelab Mission Operations Control in Huntsville. The Thermoelectric Incubator will operate 

at around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees C). Experiment samples within the incubator are secured by 

a bungee cord to prevent damage from vibration and keep them from floating away when the door is 

opened. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 90 

Background: This equipment is provided by the National Space Development Agency of Japan. Along 

with the Free Flow Electrophoresis Unit and the Aquatic Animal Experiment Unit, it was part of the First 

Material Processing Test P Life Sciences, which flew aboard the Spacelab-J mission in 1992. 

Gravity and the Stability of the Differentiated State of Plant Embryos 

Experiment Facility: Cell Culture Kits

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Abraham Krikorian 

State University of New York at Stony Brook 

Stony Brook, New York 

Objective: This experiment aims at determining the role gravity plays in the earliest stages of plant 

development. It will grow dally and carrot cells in two different culture environments to validate the 

outcome of its predecessor experiment on Spacelab-J. On that mission, a large number of plant cells 

developed with two nuclei. Cell division was taking place, but the walls which should have separated the 

two cells did not form. 

Significance: This experiment will help determine if cell development can begin in the absence of gravity. 

It tests and profiles critical stages in plant cell development, called embryogenesis, and examines the effect 

of microgravity on cell division and chromosome behavior. The experiment also tests for other space 

environment effects such as radiation. 

Results will provide fundamental biology information about the workings of a cell on Earth. Potential longterm benefits could range from manufacture of artificial seeds to the storage of vast, varied food supplies in 

a very small space (the size of a culture dish). This knowledge is critical for implementing space-based 

plant biotechnologies to feed future space travelers on long planetary flights. 

Operations: Carrot and dally cells will be grown in six plant cell chambers and six plant fixation 

chambers, so that two basic types of cell culture environments can be evaluated. 

Astronauts will place a radiation detector with the plant cell chambers and store them in a Spacelab rack 

compartment when the experiment begins. Cells with the ability to develop into embryos will be launched 

in a culture medium which keeps them inactive. Within a few days, the cells will be automatically 

developed themselves. These samples will be stored in the rack as well. Late in the flight, the crew will add 

a chemical to some of the cells to stop their growth and preserve their characteristics. 

Comparison of the preserved samples with those returned to Earth alive will ensure that any abnormalities 

seen in the cells are not due to the stress of landing. Some of the space flight embryos will be incubated 

after the flight and examined on an ongoing basis for any temporary or longer-term effects of their genesis 

in the absence of gravity. 

Background: On Dr. Krikorian’s Spacelab-J experiment, both the degree and rate of development of plant 

cell generation were altered. There were significant abnormalities in the status and behavior of the nucleus 

of cells making up the embryo, with fracturing and changes in chromosome structure. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 91 

Effects of Microgravity on the Growth and Differentiation of Cultured Bone-Derived Cells 

Experiment Facility: TEI

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Yasuhiro Kumei 

Tokyo Medical and Dental University 

Tokyo, Japan 

Objective: This experiment compares functional differences in bone cell cultured in Earth’s gravity 

compared to cells cultured in microgravity and determines the genes responsible for any differences. The 

ultimate goal is to clarify the causes for the bone atrophy, or osteoporosis, induced by space flight. 

Significance: Previous Shuttle experiments have shown that animals lose calcium during space flight. 

Ninety percent of the calcium is found in the bone. Bone loss could pose more serious hazards for space 

travelers on long-duration missions. It’s hypothesized that genes governing bone production are either 

stimulated or suppressed during space flight. 

In addition to benefiting the health of future space crews, an increased understanding of the mechanism of 

osteoporosis eventually could help prevent bone disease on Earth and improve therapy for immobilized 

patients who experience similar bone atrophy. 

Operations: Four culture chambers filled with bone cells from the back legs of young adult rodents will be 

studied in this experiment. Those cells are particularly sensitive to the sudden absence of gravity’s pull on 

the skeleton in space. Astronauts will make microscopic and photographic observations of cell growth 

through transparent windows in the animal cell culture containers. 

The cultures will grow in the Thermoelectric Incubator at 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees C), 

beginning just a few hours after launch. Three days later, crew members will remove two culture chambers 

from the incubator. They will extract cell samples from both chambers and refrigerate them. Other samples 

from those two containers will be frozen. The two remaining cell culture containers will continue to 

incubate until Flight Day 9, when the collection procedure will be repeated. 

After the mission, the samples will be examined for the differences in bone cell production during 

exposure to microgravity. 

Differentiation of Dictyostelium discoideum in Space 

Experiment Facility: Cell Culture Kits

Principal Investigator: 

Dr. Takeo Ohnishi 

Nara Medical University 

Nara, Japan 

Objective: This experiment will provide information on how microgravity and radiation stress cells in 

space and affect their genetic development and shape. Two strains of slime mold cells (Dictyostelium 

discoideum), whose distinctive development has been studied extensively on Earth, will be grown in space 

to identify any differences. 

Significance: Slime molds, found among decaying forest leaves and in topsoil, emerge from spores. 

During cell differentiation, (the process through which the molds attain their adult form) the spores show 

very distinct structural changes at various stages of cell division. Scientists are quite familiar with these 

structural stages on Earth, so comparisons with cells grown in orbit should provide extensive insight into 

how cell development and differentiation are affected by the space environment. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 92 

Operations: This experiment will grow a radiation- sensitive strain of slime mold and a wild-type strain 

which should be capable of DNA repair against radiation damage. Comparison of the two strains’ 

development will help distinguish between the effects of microgravity and those of cosmic rays. 

The organisms will be grown in plant cell culture chambers. Shortly after the IML-2 payload is activated, a 

crew member will remove the slime mold cell culture kit from its middeck locker. After attaching a 

radiation detector to the kit, the astronaut will place it in the middeck refrigerator/incubator. 

On Flight Day 2, an astronaut will remove the slime mold kit from the refrigerator, incubate it for an hour 

in the Biorack incubator, then activate growth by injecting a buffer solution into the culture. The kit will be 

put back in the Biorack incubator, where it will remain for 4-1/2 days at 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees 

C). A video camera attached to the culture chamber will observe and record changes in cell shapes during 

growth. As they are taken, the images will be downlinked to experiment controllers on the ground. 

After the flight, scientists will evaluate the health of the spores grown in space. Radiation effects will be 

determined by comparing the two types of slime mold. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 93 

ORBITAL ACCELERATION RESEARCH EXPERIMENT (OARE) 

Payload Developer: NASA 

Project Manager: 

Mr. Jose L. Christian Jr. 

NASA Lewis Research Center 

Cleveland, Ohio 

Objective: There is no hard boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and space, no line where one ends and the other 

begins. The planet’s atmosphere is thickest at the surface and thins gradually with increasing elevation. Even the 

altitudes reached by the Space Shuttle are not completely devoid of air. The Shuttle travels very rapidly through 

this tenuous atmosphere (near vacuum), and is slightly slowed (decelerated) by friction with it. Because the density 

of the atmosphere changes from day to night, the amount of friction (decelerating force) varies proportionally. 

The Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment (OARE) makes extremely accurate measurements of these 

variations and other disturbances with a sensor called an accelerometer and records them for later analysis. By 

analyzing these and other types of microgravity disturbances, researchers can assess the influence of Shuttle 

accelerations on scientific experiments carried onboard. 

Significance: The OARE is an instrument that monitors and records extremely small accelerations (changes in 

velocity) and vibrations experienced during Space Shuttle on-orbit operations. The OARE has already flown 

successfully on a number of Space Shuttle missions as part of the Orbiter Experiment Program (OEX). These 

previous missions had two objectives: to provide scientists with important information regarding aerodynamic drag 

(friction with the atmosphere) and upper atmosphere density (thickness of the air at high altitudes) that is 

impossible to obtain on Earth, and to study the high velocity, low density flight environment known as rarefied 

flow aerodynamics. This basic research has helped scientists better understand the upper atmosphere and 

aerodynamic behavior in it. 

The OARE hardware is being pressed into service once again, this time to augment the ongoing study of the Space 

Shuttle’s acceleration environment. The OARE will extend measurements currently being provided by the Space 

Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS). The OARE is capable of sensing and recording accelerations on the 

order of one billionth the acceleration of Earth’s gravity (1 nano-g) at a rate of change (frequency) of less than once 

per second (1 Hz). These measurements will provide a more complete picture of the microgravity (low gravity) 

environment in the Space Shuttle. Scientists will use this information to determine how the disturbances influence 

experiment behavior. 

Experiment Hardware and Operations: At the heart of the OARE system is the Miniature Electrostatic 

Accelerometer (MESA). The MESA has a cylindrical mass (called a proof mass) suspended within the 

accelerometer housing. The proof mass is pulled in different directions by static electric fields applied to electrodes 

within the housing. When the fields exert an equal pull in all directions on the proof mass, it floats between them. 

This is known as electrostatic suspension. An acceleration in any direction will cause the proof mass to move with 

respect to its enclosure, distorting the suspending electrostatic field. These field distortions are proportional to the 

applied acceleration and are measured and interpreted by OARE’s electronics. 

The accelerometer mounts on a movable table that allows accurate alignment with respect to the Shuttle’s flight 

direction. In-flight calibration is also made possible by the movable mounting system. During calibration of the 

accelerometer, any inherent accelerometer error is determined and can be compensated for in post-flight data 

analysis. The OARE’s nano-g sensitivity makes it impossible to calibrate on Earth, since there is no place quiet 

(vibration free) enough at this level of acceleration. 

Once activated, the OARE operates autonomously and follows a pre-programmed sequence of operation modes. 

For example, calibration is normally performed at regular, predetermined intervals, but a sensor saturation (an 

acceleration greater than the sensor is designed to measure) will trigger an automatic initialization and calibration. 

the OARE software conditions the acceleration data by removing frequencies above 1 Hz, and records the data on 

magnetic tape. 

The instrument is provided by NASA’s Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 94 

COMMERCIAL PROTEIN CRYSTAL GROWTH 

This payload is sponsored by the Office of Advanced Concepts and Technology (OACT) as part of the 

commercial development of space programs within the OACT Space Processing Division. The payload and 

payload management are with the Center for Macromolecular Crystallography located at the University of 

Alabama at Birmingham, a NASA Center for the Commercial Development of Space. 

This is the fifth flight (CPCG-05) of the protein crystal growth secondary payloads using the Commercial 

Refrigerator/Incubator Module (CRIM) in the Shuttle middeck. This complement of experiments contains 

60 different samples focusing on six proteins in various formulations to enhance the probabilities for 

successful results. The crystals will be grown using the CMC Vapor Diffusion Apparatus (VDA) which 

allows proteins to be processed at a temperature of four degrees C rather than the normal 22 degrees C. The 

lower temperature requires a longer processing time which will be satisfied by the STS-65 14-day mission 

duration. 

Commercial partners on this experiment with the UA-B CMC are SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals 

and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The firms and the university are researching the development of drugs which 

could provide some benefit to victims of AIDS, osteoporosis and toxic shock syndrome as well as 

providing a better understanding of the regulation of the human immune system and antibiotic resistance. 

Dr. Larry DeLucas is the Director of the Center for Macromolecular Crystallography. The UA-B protein 

crystal growth apparatus first flew on STS-26 in September 1988, and in various improved versions, has 

flown 16 previous missions, the most recent of which was STS-62 in March. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 95 

AIR FORCE MAUI OPTICAL SYSTEM 

The Air Force Maui Optical System (AMOS) is an electrical-optical facility on the Hawaiian Island of 

Maui. No hardware is required aboard Columbia to support the experimental observations. The AMOS 

facility tracks the orbiter as it flies over the area and records signatures from thruster firings, water dumps 

or the phenomena of “Shuttle glow,” a well-documented fluorescent effect created as the Shuttle interacts 

with atomic oxygen in Earth orbit. The information obtained by AMOS is used to calibrate the infrared and 

optical sensors at the facility. AMOS is a Department of Defense payload and is flown under the direction 

of the DOD Space Test Program. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 96 

MILITARY APPLICATIONS OF SHIP TRACKS 

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is sponsoring the Military Applications of Ship Tracks (MAST) 

experiment on STS- 65. MAST is part of a five-year research program developed by ONR to examine the 

effects of ships on the marine environment. The Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, Calif., will conduct 

the experiment at JSC during the mission. The objective of MAST is to determine how pollutants generated 

by ships modify the reflective properties of clouds. Ship tracks are observed in satellite imagery as long, 

narrow, curvilinear cloud features that have greater brightness than the surrounding clouds. The STS-65 

crew will photograph ship tracks using handheld cameras. These high-resolution photographs will provide 

insight into the processes of ship track production on a global scale. MAST will help in understanding the 

effects of man-made aerosols on clouds and the resulting impact on the climate system. MAST is a 

Department of Defense payload and is being flown under the direction of the DOD Space Test Program. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 97 

SHUTTLE AMATEUR RADIO EXPERIMENT (SAREX) 

Students in the U.S., Germany and Japan will have a chance to speak, via amateur radio, with astronauts 

aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia during STS-65. Ground-based amateur radio operators (“hams”) will 

be able to contact the Shuttle through automated computer-to-computer amateur (packet) radio links. There 

also will be voice contacts with the general ham community as time permits. 

Shuttle mission specialists Donald A. Thomas (call sign KC5FVF) and Robert D. Cabana (license pending) 

will talk with students in 13 schools in the U.S., Germany and Japan using “ham radio.” 

Students in the following schools will have the opportunity to talk directly with orbiting astronauts for 

approximately 4 to 8 minutes: 

• Sacred Hearts Academy, Honolulu, HI (WH6CJU) 

• Kline School, Costa Mesa, Calif. (WB6NUD) 

• Mountain View School, Phoenix, AZ (WB7VVD) 

• Granite Mountain Middle School, Prescott, AZ (KB7TRE) 

• West Monroe High School, West Monroe, LA (N5MYH) 

• Our Lady Queen of Heaven, Lake Charles, LA (N5JDB) 

• Richland Elementary, Ft. Worth, TX (KB5CXR) 

• West-Oak High School, Westminster, SC (KR5GZ) 

• Brentwood School, Sanderville, GA (AD4ID) 

• Bair Middle School, Sunrise, FL (W4ROA) 

• South Seminole Middle School, Casselberry, FL (KD4SRD) 

• Fronhofer-Realschule Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany (DG4MKR) 

• Tatebayashi Children’s Science Exploratorium, Gunma, Japan (JQ1GOE) 

The radio contacts are part of the SAREX (Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment) project, a joint effort by 

NASA, the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), and the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 

(AMSAT). 

The project, which has flown on 13 previous Shuttle missions, is designed to encourage public 

participation in the space program and support the conduct of educational initiatives through a program to 

demonstrate the effectiveness of communications between the Shuttle and low-cost ground stations using 

amateur radio voice and digital techniques. 

Information about orbital elements, contact times, frequencies and crew operating schedules will be 

available during the mission from NASA, ARRL (Steve Mansfield, 203/666- 1541) and AMSAT (Frank 

Bauer, 301/ 286-8496). AMSAT will provide information bulletins for interested parties on INTERNET 

and amateur packet radio. The ARRL bulletin board system (BBS) number is (203) 688-0578. 

The ARRL ham radio station (W1AW) will include SAREX information in its regular voice and teletype 

bulletins. 

Mission information will be available on-line from the Johnson Space Center computer bulletin board (8 N 

1 1200 baud): dial (713) 244-5625. BBS information is available from the Goddard Space Flight Center 

amateur radio club via Internet. The address is: wa3nan@gsfc.nasa.gov. 

The amateur radio station at the Goddard Space Flight Center, (WA3NAN), will operate around the clock 

during the mission, providing SAREX information, retransmitting live Shuttle air-to-ground audio, and 

retransmitting many SAREX school group contacts. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 98 

STS-65 SAREX Frequencies 

Routine SAREX transmissions from the Space Shuttle may be monitored on a worldwide downlink 

frequency of 145.55 MHz. 

The voice uplink frequencies are (except Europe): 

144.91 MHz 

144.93 

144.95 

144.97 

144.99 

The voice uplink frequencies for Europe only are: 

144.70 

144.75 

144.80 

Note: The astronauts will not favor any one of the above frequencies. Therefore, the ability to talk with an 

astronaut depends on selecting one of the above frequencies chosen by the astronaut. 

The worldwide amateur packet frequencies are: 

Packet downlink 145.55 MHz 

Packet uplink 144.49 MHz 

The Goddard Space Flight Center amateur radio club planned HF operating frequencies: 

3.860 

MHz 

7.18

5 

14.29

5 

 21.39

5 

28.65

0 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 99 

STS-65 CREWMEMBERS 

STS065-S-002 -- STS-65 Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, International Microgravity Laboratory 2 

(IML-2) official crew portrait shows its seven crewmembers wearing launch and entry suits (LESs). The six 

NASA astronauts and a Japanese payload specialist take a break from STS-65 training to pose for their 

portrait. Left to right are mission specialist and payload commander Richard J. Hieb, holding mission 

insignia, mission specialist Leroy Chiao, pilot James D. Halsell Jr., mission commander Robert D. 

Cabana, payload specialist Chiaki Mukai, mission specialists Donald A. Thomas, holding launch and entry 

helmet (LEH), and Carl E. Walz. Mukai represents the National Space Development Agency (NASDA) of 

Japan. Portrait made by NASA JSC contract photographer Scott A. Wickes. 

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

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

endorsement by NASA or by any NASA employee of a commercial product, process or service, or used in 

any other manner that might mislead. Accordingly, it is requested that if this photograph is used in 

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

PHOTO CREDIT: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 100 

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA 

ROBERT D. CABANA, 45, Col., USMC, will be Commander (CDR) of STS-65. Selected as an astronaut in 1985, 

Cabana was born in Minneapolis, Minn., and will be making his third space flight. 

Cabana graduated from Washburn High School, Minneapolis, in 1967 and received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics 

from the Naval Academy in 1971. 

Cabana completed naval flight officer training in 1972 and then served as an A-6 bombardier/navigator with Marine 

Air Wings, Cherry Point, N.C., and Iwakuni, Japan, until 1975. He then completed pilot training and was designated a 

naval aviator in 1976, and assigned to Cherry Point where he flew A-6 Intruders. In 1981, he graduated from the Naval 

Test Pilot School and later served at the Naval Air Test Center as the A-6 program manager, X-29 advanced 

technology demonstrator project officer, and as a test pilot for flight systems and ordnance separation testing on the A6 and A-4 aircraft. At the time of his selection by NASA, he was serving as the assistant operations officer of Marine 

Aircraft Group Twelve in Iwakuni. 

Cabana’s first Shuttle flight was as pilot of STS-41 in October 1990, a mission that deployed the Ulysses planetary 

probe to study the polar regions of the Sun. He next flew as pilot of STS-53 in December 1992, a mission that 

deployed the classified Department of Defense-1 payload. 

Cabana has logged more than 273 hours in space and more than 4,700 flying hours in 32 different types of aircraft. 

JAMES DONALD HALSELL Jr., 37, Lt. Col., USAF, will serve as Pilot of STS-65. 

Selected as an astronaut in 1990, Halsell was born in Monroe, La., and will be making his first space flight. 

Halsell graduated from West Monroe High School in 1974; received a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the Air 

Force Academy in 1978; received a master’s degree in management from Troy University in 1983; and received a 

master’s degree in space operations from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1985. 

Halsell completed undergraduate pilot training at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi, in 1979 and was assigned to 

Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, Nev., as an F-4D aircraft commander. In 1981, he was stationed at Moody Air Force 

Base, Valdosta, Ga., serving as squadron flight lead, instructor pilot, strike package commander and chief of the 

Squadron Standardization/Evaluation Branch. Later, as a student at the Air Force Institute of Technology, WrightPatterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Oh., his master’s thesis prototyped a space rescue transfer vehicle using off-theshelf equipment and was sponsored by the Johnson Space Center’s (JSC) Crew Systems Division. Halsell then 

attended the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., serving as a test pilot in the F-4, F-16 and 

the SR-71 aircraft in the years following his graduation. 

RICHARD J. HIEB, 38, will be Payload Commander and Mission Specialist 1 (MS1). Selected as an astronaut in 

1985, Hieb was born in Jamestown, N.D., and will be making his third space flight. 

Hieb graduated from Jamestown High School in 1973; received a bachelor’s degree in math and physics from 

Northwest Nazarene College in 1977; and received a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of 

Colorado in 1979. 

Hieb joined NASA in 1979, working at JSC in crew procedures development and crew activity planning. He worked 

on the ascent team in Mission Control for STS-1 and during rendezvous phases of many subsequent missions, 

specializing in rendezvous and proximity operations. 

He first flew as a Mission Specialist on STS-39 in May 1991, a Department of Defense mission that deployed and later 

retrieved the Infrared Background Signature Survey satellite. His next flight was as a Mission Specialist on STS- 49 in 

May 1992, a mission that retrieved and repaired the stranded Intelsat VI F3 communications satellite. During that 

flight, Hieb performed three space walks totaling more than 17 hours for the capture and repair of the satellite. 

Hieb has logged more than 400 hours in space. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 101 

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA 

CARL E. WALZ, 38, Lt. Col., USAF, will be Mission Specialist 2 (MS2). selected as an astronaut in 1990, Walz was 

born in Cleveland, Oh., and will be making his second space flight. 

Walz graduated from Charles F. Brush High School, Lyndhurst, Oh., in 1973; received a bachelor’s degree in physics 

from Kent State University in 1977; and received a master’s degree in solid state physics from John Carroll University 

in 1979. 

Walz was commissioned in the Air Force following graduation from Kent State, and after completing graduate studies 

at John Carroll, he was assigned to the 1155th Technical Operations Squadron at McClellan Air Force Base, Calif. In 

1983, he attended the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., as a flight test engineer, and he 

was assigned to the F-16 Combined Test Force at Edwards following graduation. 

Walz’ first Shuttle flight was as a Mission Specialist on STS-51 in September 1993, a mission that deployed the 

Advanced Communications Technology Satellite. Walz has logged more than 236 hours in space. 

LEROY CHIAO, Ph.D., 33, will be Mission Specialist 3 (MS3). Selected as an astronaut in 1990, Chiao considers 

Danville, Calif., his hometown and will be making his first space flight. Chiao graduated from Monte Vista High 

School in Danville in 1978; received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of California, 

Berkeley, in 1983; and received a master’s degree and a doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of 

California, Santa Barbara, in 1985 and 1987, respectively. 

In 1987, Chiao joined the Hexcel Corporation in Dublin, Calif., working in process, manufacturing and engineering 

research on advanced aerospace materials. Chiao joined the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 1989 and 

performed processing research on filament-wound and thick- section aerospace composites. Chiao developed and 

demonstrated a mechanistic cure model for graphite fiber/epoxy composite material. 

Chiao’s technical assignments as an astronaut have included Shuttle flight software verification and work with crew 

equipment design issues. 

DONALD A. THOMAS, Ph.D., 39, will be Mission Specialist 4 (MS4). Selected as an astronaut in 1990, Thomas was 

born in Cleveland, Oh., and will be making his first space flight. 

Thomas graduated from Cleveland Heights High School in 1973; received a bachelor’s degree in physics from Case 

Western Reserve University in 1977; and received a master’s degree and a doctorate in materials science from Cornell 

University in 1980 and 1982, respectively. 

Thomas joined AT&T Bell Laboratories in 1982 as a senior member of the technical staff, working on high density 

interconnections of semiconductor devices. He also served as an adjunct professor in the Trenton State College Physics 

Department. 

In 1987, he joined Lockheed Engineering and Sciences Company in Houston where his work involved reviewing 

materials for Shuttle payloads. He joined NASA in 1988 as a materials engineer at JSC, performing work that involved 

lifetime projections of advanced composite materials for use on space station. He also was a principal investigator for 

the Microgravity Disturbances Experiment, a crystal growth experiment which flew on STS-32 in January 1990. 

Thomas’ technical assignments in the Astronaut Office have included working as a spacecraft communicator in 

Mission Control and as a representative to the safety and operations development branches. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 102 

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA 

CHIAKI NAITO-MUKAI, MD, Ph.D., 41, will be Payload Specialist 1 (PSI). Selected as a science astronaut by the 

National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) in 1985, Mukai was born in Tatebayashi, Gumma Prefecture, 

Japan, and will be making her first space flight. 

Mukai graduated from Keio Girls’ High School, Tokyo, in 1971; received her doctor of medicine degree from Keio 

University School of Medicine in 1977; and received a doctorate in physiology from the Keio University School of 

Medicine in 1988. She was board certified as a cardiovascular surgeon by the Japan Surgical Society in 1989. 

Mukai was board certified for Clinical Medicine in 1977, and, until 1979, worked as a resident in General Surgery at 

Keio University Hospital, Tokyo. In 1978, she was on the medical staff in Emergency Surgery at Saiseikai Kanagawa 

Hospital, Kangewa Prefecture. In 1980, she began work as a resident in cardiovascular surgery at Keio University 

Hospital and on the medical staff of cardiovascular surgery at Saisekai Utsunomiya Hospital, Tochigi Prefecture. In 

1983, she returned to Keio University Hospital as the chief resident in cardiovascular surgery and later became the 

assistant professor of the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery. 

Mukai was selected by NASDA in 1985 as one of three payload specialist candidates for the Japanese Spacelab, 

Spacelab-J, on Shuttle mission STS-47. She became a visiting scientist of the Division of Cardiovascular Physiology at 

the Space Biomedical Research Institute at JSC from 1987 to 1988. Mukai is credited with more than 50 publications 

since 1979. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 103 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001, Page 104 

SHUTTLE FLIGHTS AS OF JULY 1994 

62 TOTAL FLIGHTS OF THE SHUTTLE SYSTEM -- 37 SINCE RETURN TO FLIGHT 

STS-60 

02/03/94 - -2/11/94 

STS-51 

09/12/93 - 09/22/93 

STS-62 

03/04/94 - 03/18/94 

STS-56 

04/08/83 - 04/17/93 

STS-58 

10/18/93 - 11/01/93 

STS-53 

12/02/92 - 12/09/92 

STS-55 

04/26/93 - 05/06/93 

STS-42 

01/22/92 - 01/30/92 

STS-52 

10/22/92 - 11/01/92 

STS-48 

09/12/91 - 09/18/91 

STS-50 

06/25/92 - 07/09/92 

STS-39 

04/28/91 - 05/06/91 

STS-46 

07/31/92 - 08/08/92 

STS-40 

06/05/91 - 06/14/91 

STS-41 

10/06/90 - 10/10/90 

STS-45 

03/24/92 - 04/02/92 

STS-35 

12/02/90 - 12/10/90 

STS-51L 

01/28/86 

STS-31 

04/24/90 - 04/29/90 

STS-44 

11/24/91 - 12/01/91 

STS-32 

01/09/90 - 01/20/90 

STS-61A 

10/30/85 - 11/06/85 

STS-33 

11/22/89 - 11/27/89 

STS-43 

08/02/91 - 08/11/91 

STS-28 

08/08/89 - 08/13/89 

STS-51F 

07/29/85 - 08/06/85 

STS-29 

03/13/89 - 03/18/89 

STS-37 

04/05/91 - 04/11/91 

STS-61C 

01/12/86 - 01/18/86 

STS-51B 

04/29/85 - 05/06/85 

STS-26 

09/29/88 - 10/03/88 

STS-38 

11/15/90 - 11/20/90 

STS-9 

11/28/83 - 12/08/83 

STS-41G 

10/05/84 - 10/13/84 

STS-51-I 

08/27/85 - 09/03/85 

STS-36 

02/28/90 - 03/04/90 

STS-59 

04/09/94 -04/20/94 

STS-5 

11/11/82 - 11/16/82 

STS-41C 

04/06/84 - 04/13/84 

STS-51G 

06/17/85 - 06/24/85 

STS-34 

10/18/89 - 10/23/89 

STS-61 

12/02/93 - 12/13/93 

STS-4 

06/27/82 - 07/04/82 

STS-41B 

02/03/84 - 02/11/84 

STS-51D 

04/12/85 - 04/19/85 

STS-30 

05/04/89 - 05/08/89 

STS-57 

06/21/93 - 07/01/93 

STS-3 

03/22/82 - 03/30/82 

STS-8 

08/30/83 - 09/05/83 

STS-51C 

01/24/85 - 01/27/85 

STS-27 

12/02/88 - 12/06/88 

STS-54 

01/13/93 - 01/19/93 

STS-2 

11/12/81 - 11/14/81 

STS-7 

06/18/83 - 06/24/83 

STS-51A 

11/08/84 - 11/16/84 

STS-61B 

11/26/85 - 12/03/85 

STS-47 

09/12/92 - 09/20/92 

STS-1 

04/12/81 - 04/14/81 

STS-6 

04/04/83 - 04/09/83 

STS-41D 

08/30/84 - 09/05/84 

STS-51J 

10/03/85 - 10/07/85 

STS-49 

05/07/92 - 05/16/92 

 

OV-102 

Columbia 

(16 flights) 

OV-099 

Challenger 

(10 flights) 

OV-103 

Discovery 

(18 flights) 

OV-104 

Atlantis 

(12 flights) 

OV-105 

Endeavour 

(6 flights)