For the first MSL mission, a Glovebox and a Protein Crystal Growth Facility will be installed in the shuttle's middeck, which is in the lower front portion of the shuttle. A Glovebox is a small box that can that can be tightly sealed and has gloves attached to it for the astronauts to reach the experiment inside. The Glovebox protects astronauts from any hazardous experiment byproducts. The Protein Crystal Growth Facility, also a small piece of experiment equipment, has temperature controls to regulate the growth of protein and virus crystals. The first MSL mission, MSL-I, is planned for launch in the spring of 1997.
Scientists grow crystals of proteins and viruses to understand their molecular structure.
This knowledge helps in designing disease-fighting drugs and producing plants with greater nutritional yield. On Earth, gravity interferes with the growth of the large crystals needed for molecular studies. During the MSL series, scientists will use several methods tor growing crystals of many protein and virus samples. Heated gas rises from the top of the flames and cool gas is rapidly drawn in at the bottom to replace it. In microgravity, these flows are absent, allowing scientists to study the combustion process with less interference.