Major areas of focus on USML-2 include biomedical testing and drug development, ecological systems development and biomaterials products and processes. Ala. The experiment consists of four transparent hand-held diffusion test cells, attached to the outside of a Shuttle middeck locker so they are easily seen. In this unique crystal growth facility, proteins and precipitants diffuse into one another by random action of molecules instead of being mixed. Sacco spent about 4 hours this afternoon in the Glovebox facility activating protein crystal growth samples. Later the samples were transferred to a specialized incubator maintained at a prescribed temperature.
Proteins play important roles in daily life, from providing nourishment to fighting disease.
Crew members on the upcoming 12-hour shift will continue work in the Drop Physics Module and the Surface Tension Driven Convection Experiment.