SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION STS-91
PRESS KIT
JUNE 1998
MIR RENDEZVOUS, DOCKING & UNDOCKING
| INTRODUCTION |
| ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY |
| ASTROCULTURE (ASC) |
| X-RAY DETECTOR TEST (XDT) |
| OPTIZON LIQUID PHASE SINTERING EXPERIMENT (OLIPSE) |
| EARTH SCIENCES |
| VISUAL EARTH OBSERVATIONS |
| VISUAL OBSERVATIONS-WINDOW SURVEY OF MIR COMPLEX |
| TEST SITE MONITORING |
| HUMAN LIFE SCIENCES |
| CREWMEMBER AND CREW-GROUND INTERACTIONS DURING NASA-MIR (INTERACTIONS) |
| MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI) |
| AUTONOMIC INVESTIGATIONS (CARDIO) |
| BONE MINERAL LOSS AND RECOVERY AFTER SHUTTLE/MIR FLIGHTS (BONE) |
| ASSESSMENT OF HUMORAL IMMUNE FUNCTION DURING LONG-DURATION SPACEFLIGHT (IMMUNITY) |
| RENAL STONE RISK ASSESSMENT DURING LONG-DURATION SPACE FLIGHT (RENAL-2) |
| INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION RISK MITIGATION |
| COSMIC RADIATION AND EFFECTS ACTIVATION MONITOR (CREAM) |
| SPACE PORTABLE SPECTROREFLECTOMETER |
| TEST OF PCS HARDWARE (TPCS) |
| RADIATION MONITORING EQUIPMENT (RME) |
| MICROGRAVITY |
| MICROGRAVITY ISOLATION MOUNT FACILITY OPERATIONS (MIM) |
| PROTEIN CRYSTAL GROWTH (PCG-DEWAR) |
| SPACE ACCELERATION MEASUREMENT SYSTEM (SAMS) |
| QUEENS UNIVERSITY EXPERIMENT IN LIQUID DIFFUSION (QUELD) |
| BIOTECHNOLOGY SYSTEM DIAGNOSTIC EXPERIMENT REFLIGHT (BTSDE) |
| BTS COCULTURE (COCULT) |
| AMBIENT DIFFUSION CONTROLLED PROTEIN CRYSTAL GROWTH (DCAM) |
ALPHA MAGNETIC SPECTROMETER (AMS)
GET AWAY SPECIAL (GAS) EXPERIMENTS
SPACE EXPERIMENT MODULE (SEM)
COMMERCIAL PROTEIN CRYSTAL GROWTH (CPCG)
SOLID SURFACE COMBUSTION EXPERIMENT (SSCE)
GROWTH AND MORPHOLOGY, BOILING AND CRITICAL FLUCTUATIONS IN PHASE
SEPARATING SUPERCRITICAL FLUIDS (GMSF)
SHUTTLE IONOSPHERIC MODIFICATION WITH PULSED LOCAL EXHAUST (SIMPLEX)
STS-91 CREW BIOGRAPHIES
| Shuttle Program Contacts | ||
| Debra Rahn / Jennifer McCarter Headquarters, Washington, D.C | Space Shuttle Mission, International Cooperation, Policy, Management | 202/358-1639 |
| Eileen Hawley / Ed Campion
Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX | Mission Operations, Astronatus | 281/483-5111 |
| Bruce Buckingham
Kennedy Space Center, FL | Launch Processing, KSC Landing Info. | 407/867-2468 |
| Fred Brown
Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA | DFRC Landing Info | 805/258-2663 |
| June Malone
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL | External Tank, Solid Rocket Boosters, Shuttle Main Engines | 205/544-7061 |
| STS-91 Payload Contacts | ||
| Linda Matthews-Schmidt
Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX | STS-Mir Science | 281/483-5111 |
| Mike Braukus
Headquarters, Washington, D.C. | AMS | 202/358-1979 |
| Jim Sahli,
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD | GAS, SEM | 301/286-8955 |
| Lori Rachel
Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, OH | SSCE, GMSF | 216/433-8806 |
NINTH SHUTTLE-MIR DOCKING MISSION HIGHLIGHTS
STS-91
The first phase of the cooperative effort in space exploration between the United States and Russia will be completed in June 1998 with the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on the ninth and final docking mission with the Russian Space Station Mir. The flight, designated STS-91, will deliver logistics and supplies to Mir and will bring home NASA Astronaut Andrew Thomas, who has been on the Russian complex since late January.
Flying on STS-91 is an experiment by Nobel
laureate Dr. Samuel C. C. Ting, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer
(AMS) experiment. In 1995, Dr. Ting's research proposal for the
AMS space experiment was formally selected by the U.S. Department
of Energy. The AMS will fly for the first time on the STS-91 mission
and a second time on the International Space Station. Professor
Ting has been among the world's leading researchers in the field
of high-energy particle physics for decades. He has received many
awards and honors for his research, including the Nobel Prize
in Physics in 1976 for the discovery of the "J" sub-atomic
particle.
The AMS experiment is the first of a new
generation of space-based experiments which use particles instead
of light to study the Universe. The experiment will help answer
questions about the creation, growth and future of the universe.
It will also help probe further into questions surrounding the
"Big Bang theory".
Researchers will use the AMS detector to
search for both antimatter and "dark matter" to answer
two specific questions: First, if equal amounts of matter and
antimatter were produced at the beginning of the universe as described
by the Big Bang scenario, and the galaxies we now see are made
only of matter, where has the antimatter gone? Second, since the
mass of a galaxy seems to be greater than the visible mass of
all its stars, gas and dust, is there dark matter of a new kind
that has eluded discovery?
The STS-91 crew will be commanded by Charlie Precourt, who will be making his fourth shuttle flight and third trip to Mir. The pilot, Dominic Gorie, will be making his first flight. There are four mission specialists assigned to STS-91. Franklin Chang-Diaz is serving as Mission Specialist-1 and the Payload Commander and will become the third human to fly in space six times. Wendy Lawrence is making her third space flight as Mission Specialist-2 and flight engineer and is visiting Mir for the second time in less than a year. Janet Kavandi is Mission Specialist-3 and will be making her first flight. Valery Ryumin, a veteran Russian cosmonaut and manager of the Russian Mir program, will serve as Mission Specialist-4. STS-91 will be Ryumin's fourth space flight, his first aboard the Space Shuttle. After Discovery docks to Mir and Thomas once again becomes a shuttle crewmember, he will be designated as Mission Specialist-5 for the remainder of the mission as he completes his second space flight.
Discovery is targeted for
launch on June 2, 1998, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center Launch
Complex 39-A. The current launch time of 6:10 p.m. EDT may vary
slightly based on calculations of Mir's precise location in space
at the time of liftoff. The STS-91 mission is scheduled to last
9 days, 19 hours, 53 minutes.
An on-time launch on June 2 and nominal mission duration would
have Discovery landing back at Kennedy Space Center on June 12
at 2:03 p.m. EDT.
STS-91 will be the first time Discovery
docks with the Mir. The first eight docking missions were conducted
by Atlantis and Endeavour.
Discovery's rendezvous and
docking with the Mir begins with the precisely timed launch, setting
the shuttle on a course for rendezvous with the orbiting Russian
facility. Over the next two to three days, periodic firings of
Discovery's small jet thrusters will gradually bring Discovery
to its linkup to Mir.
The STS-91 mission is part
of the Phase One program, consisting of nine Shuttle-Mir dockings
and seven long-duration flights of U.S. astronauts aboard the
Russian space station.
This series of missions has
expanded U.S. research on Mir by providing astronauts with a laboratory
in orbit for long-term research, similar to the kind of continuous
research capability which will exist on the new International
Space Station. By the time Discovery lands, U.S. astronauts will
have spent almost 1,000 days aboard Mir, including more than 26
continuous months since the arrival of Shannon Lucid on the STS-76
mission in March 1996.
For the STS-91 mission, Discovery
carries the single SPACEHAB module in the payload bay of the orbiter.
The module houses experiments to be performed by the astronauts
and serves as a cargo carrier for the items to be transferred
to Mir and those to be returned to Earth.
During the docked phase of STS-91, astronauts
and cosmonauts will transfer from the Mir to the Shuttle the science
samples collected by Thomas and his Mir colleagues. Crew members
will also transfer hardware and supplies to Mir to support the
crew and future science investigations. This continued research
will focus on studies
in of advanced technology, human life sciences, and microgravity
research.
The research from the advanced technology
discipline will evaluate new technologies and techniques using
the Mir space station and the Shuttle as a test bed. This research
will enhance knowledge base for implementation on the International
Space Station and other space vehicles.
Human life sciences research consists of investigations that focus on the crew members adaptation to weightlessness in terms of skeletal muscle and bone changes, cardiovascular acclimatization, and psychological interactions. This set of investigations will continue the characterization of the integrated human response to a prolonged presence in space.
Microgravity research has the general goal
of advancing scientific understanding through research in materials
science. The QUELD furnace will heat capsules containing metallic
binary systems, bring them to room temperature, and return them
to Earth for analysis of the effects of microgravity on diffusion
processes. This experiment will be performed using the Microgravity
Isolation Mount (MIM).
Also flying in Discovery's cargo bay will
be four Get Away Special (GAS) and two Space Experiment Module
(SEM) payloads that will examine the effects of microgravity on
various plants and materials, study the way materials processing
changes in space, look at new ways to extract oil from the Earth
and clean up accidental spills in the environment as well as investigate
the degree to which DNA is damaged by exposure to cosmic radiation
in a space environment.
The current Russian cosmonaut
crew aboard Mir began its mission on January 31 when Mir 25 Commander
Talgat Musabayev and Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin were launched
from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakstan along with French researcher
Leopold Eyharts. They arrived on Mir on January 31. Eyharts returned
to Earth three weeks later with Mir 24 cosmonauts Anatoly Solovyev
and Pavel Vinogradov. Musabayev and Budarin are scheduled to return
to Earth on or about August 10 when they are replaced by the Mir
26 crew of Commander Gennady Padalka, Flight Engineer Sergei Avdeyev
and researcher Yuri Baturin, who are scheduled to be launched
August 2 for an docking on August 4.
STS-91 will be the 24th flight
of Discovery and the 91st mission flown since the start
of the Space Shuttle program in April 1981.
NASA Television Transmission
NASA Television is
available through the GE2 satellite system which is located on
Transponder 9C, at 85 degrees west longitude, frequency 3880.0
MHz, audio 6.8 MHz.
The schedule for television transmissions
from the orbiter and for mission briefings will be available online
through the NASA Shuttle Web.
Print copies are distributed at Kennedy Space Center, FL; Marshall
Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL; Dryden Flight Research Center,
Edwards, CA; Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX; and NASA Headquarters,
Washington, DC. The television schedule will be updated to reflect
changes dictated by mission operations.
Status Reports
Status reports on countdown and mission progress,
on-orbit activities and landing operations will be produced by
the appropriate NASA newscenter. They will be available online
through the NASA Shuttle Web.
Briefings
A mission press briefing schedule will be
issued before launch. During the mission, status briefings by
a flight director or mission operations representative and when
appropriate, representatives from the payload team, will occur
at least once each day. The updated NASA television schedule will
indicate when mission briefings are planned.
General Information
General information on NASA and its programs
is available through the NASA Home Page and
the NASA Public Affairs Home Page.
| Launch Date/Site: | June 2, 1998/KSC Launch Pad 39-A |
| Launch Time: | 6:10 P.M. EDT (appx) |
| Launch Window: | 5-10 minutes |
| Orbiter: | Discovery, (OV-103), 24th flight |
| Orbit Altitude/Inclination: | 173 nautical miles, 213 n.m. for Mir docking / 51.6 degrees |
| Mission Duration: | 9 days, 19 hours, 53 minutes |
| Landing Date: | June 12, 1998 |
| Landing Time: | 2:03 P.M. EDT |
| Primary Landing Site: | Kennedy Space Center, Florida |
| Abort Landing Sites: | Return to Launch Site - KSC |
| Transoceanic Abort Sites - Zaragoza, Spain | |
| Ben Guerir, Morocco | |
| Moron, Spain | |
| Abort-Once Around - Kennedy Space Center, FL | |
| Crew: | Charlie Precourt, Commander (CDR), 4th flight |
| Dom Gorie, Pilot (PLT), 1st flight | |
| Franklin Chang-Diaz, Payload Commander, 6th flight | |
| Wendy Lawrence, Mission Specialist 2 (MS 2), 3rd flight | |
| Janet Kavandi, Mission Specialist 3 (MS 3), 1st flight | |
| Valery Ryumin, Mission Specialist 4 (MS 4), 4th flight | |
| Andy Thomas, Mission Specialist 5 (MS 5) | |
| docking-landing, 2nd flight | |
| EVA Crewmembers: | Franklin Chang-Diaz (EV 1), Janet Kavandi (EV 2) |
| (if required) | |
| Cargo Bay Payloads: | Orbiter Docking System |
| Spacehab Module | |
| Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) | |
| Space Experiment Module (SEM) | |
| GAS Canisters | |
| In-Cabin Payloads: | Commercial Protein Crystal Growth |
| Solid Surface Combustion Experiment |
| Payloads | Prime | Backup |
| Rendezvous | Precourt | Gorie |
| Rendezvous Tools | Gorie | Others |
| Orbiter Docking System | Lawrence | Gorie |
| Spacehab Systems | Kavandi | Chang-Diaz, Ryumin |
| Spacehab Science | Chang-Diaz | Kavandi |
| Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer | Chang-Diaz | Kavandi |
| EVA (if required) | Chang-Diaz (EV 1) | Kavandi (EV 2) |
| Intravehicular Crewmember | Lawrence | ------ |
| Transfers | Lawrence | Ryumin, others |
| Earth Observations | Gorie | Kavandi, Ryumin |
| Ascent Seat on Flight Deck | Chang-Diaz | ------ |
| Entry Seat on Flight Deck | Kavandi | ------ |
| Commercial Protein Crystal | Lawrence | Gorie |
| Solid Surface Combustion | Gorie | Lawrence |
| Get Away Special (GAS) | Precourt | Lawrence |
(based on a June 2, 1998 launch; times are approximate)
| EVENT | MET | TIME OF DAY (EDT) |
| Launch | 0/00:00 | 6:10 PM, June 2 |
| Spacehab Activation | 0/02:30 | 8:40 PM, June 2 |
| Discovery/Mir Docking | 1/18:49 | 12:59 PM, June 4 |
| Hatch Opening | 1/20:30 | 2:40 PM, June 4 |
| Crew News Conference/Farewell | 4/18:35 | 12:45 PM, June 7 |
| Final Hatch Closure | 5/14:15 | 8:25 AM, June 8 |
| Discovery/Mir Undocking | 5/17:51 | 12:01 PM, June 8 |
| Final Seperation Burn | 5/19:13 | 1:23 PM, June 8 |
| Deorbit Burn | 9/18:45 | 12:55 PM, June 12 |
| KSC Landing | 9/19:53 | 2:03 PM, June 12 |
DEVELOPMENTAL TEST OBJECTIVES / DETAILED SUPPLEMENTARY OBJECTIVES / RISK MITIGATION EXPERIMENTS
| DTO 685: | Ascent/Entry Kneeboard Situational Awareness Display |
| DTO 690: | Urine Collection Device |
| DTO 700-11: | Orbiter Space Vision System Flight Unit Testing |
| DSO 700-15: | Integrated GPS/Inertial Navigation System Test |
| DSO 1118: | Micrometeoroid/Orbital Debris Photo-TV Survey of Mir |
| DSO 802: | Educational Activities |
| RME 1312: | Real-Time Radiation Monitoring Device |
| RME 1319: | Inventory Management System |
| RME 1320: | Radiation Monitoring Experiment-III |
| RME 1331: | Shuttle Condensate Collection for International Space Station |
| Vehicle/Payload | Pounds |
| Orbiter (Discovery) empty and 3 SSME's | 182,610 |
| Shuttle System at SRB Ignition | 4,514,510 |
| Orbiter Weight at Landing with Cargo | 259,834 |
| Spacehab Module | 22,251 |
| Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer | 9,196 |
| Orbiter Docking System | 4,016 |
| Remote Manipulator System | 994 |
Flight Day One:
Launch/Ascent
OMS-2 Burn
Payload Bay Door Opening
Spacehab Activation
Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) Activation and Checkout
Flight Day 2:
Water Bag Fills
Spacehab Module Setup and Secondary Science Activity
Rendezvous Tool Checkout
Orbiter Docking System Checkout
Flight Day 3:
Discovery/Mir Docking
Hatch Opening and Welcoming Ceremony
Thomas Transfers to the Shuttle
Logistics Transfers
Flight Day 4:
Logistics Transfers
Spacehab Science Activity
Flight Day 5:
Remote Manipulator Checkout
Spektr Gas Release
Logistics Transfers
Spacehab Science Activity
Flight Day 6:
Logistics Transfers
Spacehab Science Activity
Crew News Conference and Farewell Ceremony
Flight Day 7:
Final Farewells and Hatch Closure
Undocking, Flyaround and Spektr Gas Release
Final Seperation Burn
Transfer Item Stowage
Flight Day 8:
AMS Data Collection
Secondary Experiments
Off Duty Time
Flight Day 9:
AMS Data Collection
Secondary Experiments
Educational Video Recording
Flight Day 10:
AMS Data Collection
Cabin Stow
Flight Control System Checkout
Reaction Control System Hot-Fire
Spacehab Module Teardown
Flight Day 11:
Final Cabin Stow
Spacehab Deactivation
Deorbit Prep
Deorbit Burn
KSC Landing
Space Shuttle launch abort philosophy aims
toward safe and intact recovery of the flight crew, Orbiter and
its payload. Abort modes for STS-89 include:
* Abort-To-Orbit (ATO) -- Partial loss of
main engine thrust late enough to permit reaching a minimal 105-nautical
mile orbit with the orbital maneuvering system engines.
* Abort-Once-Around (AOA) -- Earlier main
engine shutdown with the capability to allow one orbit of the
Earth before landing at Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
* Transoceanic Abort Landing (TAL) -- Loss
of one or more main engines midway through powered flight would
force a landing at either Zaragoza or Moron in Spain or Ben Guerir
in Morocco.
* Return-To-Launch-Site (RTLS) -- Early shutdown
of one or more engines, and without enough energy to reach a TAL
site, would result in a pitch around and thrust back toward Kennedy
until within gliding distance.
STS-91 MIR RENDEZVOUS, DOCKING, UNDOCKING
AND SPEKTR GAS RELEASE
Discovery's rendezvous and docking with the Russian Space Station
Mir actually begins with the precisely timed launch of the Shuttle
on a course for the Mir, and, over the next two days, periodic
small engine firings that will gradually bring Discovery to a
point eight nautical miles behind Mir on docking day, the starting
point for a final approach to the station.
Mir Rendezvous & Docking-- Flight Day 3
About two hours before the scheduled docking time on Flight Day
three of the mission, Discovery will reach a point about eight
nautical miles behind the Mir Space Station at which time the
astronauts conduct a Terminal Phase Initiation (TI) burn, beginning
the final phase of the rendezvous. Discovery will close the final
eight nautical miles to Mir during the next orbit. As Discovery
approaches, the shuttle's rendezvous radar system will begin tracking
Mir, providing range and closing rate information to Discovery's
astronauts. The crew members will also begin air-to-air communications
with the Mir crew using a VHF radio.
As Discovery reaches close proximity to Mir, the Trajectory Control
Sensor, a laser ranging device mounted in the payload bay, will
supplement the shuttle's onboard navigation information by supplying
additional data on the range and closing rate. As Discovery closes
in on the Mir, the shuttle will have the opportunity for four
small successive engine firings to fine-tune its approach using
its onboard navigation information. Flying a slightly modified
rendezvous profile for improved efficiency, Discovery will aim
for a point directly below Mir, along the Earth radius vector
(R-Bar), an imaginary line drawn between the Mir center of gravity
and the center of Earth. Approaching along the R-Bar, from underneath
the Mir, allows natural forces of Earth's gravity to assist in
braking Discovery's approach. During this time, the crew will
begin using a hand-held laser ranging device to supplement distance
and closing rate measurements made by other shuttle navigational
equipment.
Discovery will intercept the R-Bar at a point 600 ft below Mir.
Commander Charlie Precourt will fly the shuttle from the aft flight
deck controls as Discovery begins moving up toward Mir. Because
of the approach from underneath Mir, Precourt will have to perform
very few braking firings. However, if such firings are required,
the shuttle's jets will be used in a mode called "Low-Z,"
a technique that uses slightly offset jets on Discovery's nose
and tail to slow the spacecraft rather than firing jets pointed
directly at Mir. This technique avoids contamination of the space
station and its solar arrays by exhaust from the shuttle steering
jets.
Using the centerline camera fixed in the center of Discovery'
docking mechanism, Precourt will align Discovery's docking mechanism
with the Docking Module mechanism on Mir, continually refining
this alignment as he approaches within 300 feet of the station.
When Discovery is 170 feet from the station, the Shuttle will
briefly stop and perform a stationkeeping maneuver to maintain
its distance from Mir. At that time, a final go or no- go decision
to proceed with the docking will be made by flight control teams
in both Houston and the Russian Mission Control Center in Korolev,
outside Moscow.
At a distance of about 30 feet from docking, Precourt will again
stop Discovery briefly to adjust the docking mechanism alignment,
if necessary.
When Discovery proceeds with docking, the shuttle crew will use
ship-to-ship communications with Mir to inform the Mir crew of
the shuttle's status and to keep them informed of major events,
including confirmation of contact, capture and the conclusion
of damping. Damping, the halt of any relative motion between the
two spacecraft after docking, is performed by shock absorber-type
springs within the docking device. Mission Specialist Wendy Lawrence
will oversee the operation of the Orbiter Docking System from
onboard Discovery.
Undocking, Seperation and Spektr Gas Release
Once Discovery is ready to undock from Mir, the initial seperation
will be performed by springs that will gently push the shuttle
away from the docking module. Both the Mir and Discovery will
be in a configuration called "free drift" during the
undocking, which keeps the steering jets of each spacecraft shut
off to avoid any inadvertent firings.
Once the docking mechanism's springs have pushed Discovery away
to a distance of about two feet from Mir, and the two spacecraft
are clear of one another, Discovery' steering jets will be turned
back on to increase the seperation distance between the two vehicles.
The shuttle will continue to back away through a corridor similar
to that used during approach until it reaches a distance of approximately
240 feet below the Mir. Pilot Dom Gorie will then perform a nose
forward flyaround of the station.
During the flyaround, about 20 minutes after undocking, Discovery
will reach a point about 240 feet directly in front of the Mir,
on what is known as the velocity vector. About three minutes prior
to sunrise, Mir 25 Commander Talgat Musabayev and Flight Engineer
Nikolai Budarin will release a tracer gas comprised of acetone
and biacetyl into the depressurized Spektr module using a special
device attached to the Spektr's modified hatch.
The release of gas into Spektr should last about 20 minutes, enabling
Discovery's astronauts to document any ionization glow from the
gas through the hole in Spektr's hull prior to sunrise and any
fluorescent glow from the gas after sunrise. If lighting conditions
are right, the gas could appear as a dull green cloud. The test
is designed to pinpoint the location of the breach in Spektr's
hull resulting from last year's collision of a Progress resupply
ship with the Russian station. Two days earlier, a similar release
of gas into Spektr will be conducted by the cosmonauts while Discovery
is docked to Mir to test the gas release system and enable the
crew members to document any areas of special interest for the
flyaround experiment.
Finally, almost an hour and a half after undocking, Gorie will
fire Discovery's jets one more time as the shuttle passes directly
above the Mir to separate from the Russian station for the final
time.
STS-91 will be the sixth in a series of Shuttle-Mir missions which
will carry a SPACEHAB single module onboard. The SPACEHAB single
module is a pressurized, mixed-cargo carrier designed to augment
the Orbiter Middeck by providing a total cargo capacity of up
to 4,000 pounds. SPACEHAB is connected to the Orbiter through
a modified Spacelab tunnel adapter, and in the aft half of the
unit, contains systems necessary to support the habitat for the
astronauts, such as ventilation, lighting, and limited power.
The module accommodates various quantities, sizes, and locations
of experiment hardware. Attachment locations are available on
the bulkheads, the rack support structures and on the top exterior
surfaces. Standard experiment accommodations include lockers and
racks, and for Earth and space viewing, there is the capability
to mount to the optical viewport on the module top panel. Also,
there are attachment capabilities on the flat top of the module
exterior, in order to provide direct access to space.
Russian Logistics -- A double rack will be dedicated to some of
the Russian Logistics and three Russian Storage Batteries will
be mounted on the aft bulkhead of the SPACEHAB module for transfer
to Mir. During docked operations, the crew will remove the batteries
and transfer them to Mir. Numerous Russian Logistics items, totaling
approximately 2,600 pounds, will be carried in the SPACEHAB. Items
include food and water containers, clothing and sleeping articles,
Personal Hygiene Aids (PHAs), a variety of film cases, and Cosmonaut
Return Packages.
American Logistics -- Water (1200 lbs) will be transferred from
the Shuttle to Mir; a cosmonaut family package, phase 1 program
gifts and crew gifts will be transferred from the Shuttle to Mir;
and new film will be swapped for film already shot onboard Mir.
Science and Technology -- The SPACEHAB Universal
Communication System (SHUCS) payload will be used to send
and receive telephone voice and faxes, as well as provide video
images of the crew from the SPACEHAB module, to test the improved
availability of payload uplink and downlink communications with
the ground. On STS-91, the crew will have scheduled voice and
fax contacts that are pre-approved by the Flight Control Team.
SHUCS "roundtrip" latency of 0.7 - 1.2 seconds allows
file transfer, commanding, up/downlink fax and voice communications
globally via three ground stations and the INMARSAT satellite
system.
Scientific research has always been a major objective of both
the United States and Russian space programs. The Phase 1 NASA-Mir
science program is a joint research program between Russia and
the US which was initiated to conduct long duration space research
in the most efficient manner possible, utilizing both countries'
resources and personnel. Using the Russian space station Mir as
a platform for jointly developed hardware and science investigations
allows US researchers to conduct experiments in microgravity for
several months at a time. This currently is not possible to do
within the US space program, since the average Shuttle mission
lasts only a 1-2 weeks.
Long duration space flight presents a unique opportunity for the
US, as many human adaptation to spaceflight experiments, along
with crystal growth, space sciences, and other biological investigations
cannot be performed within the short time span of a typical Shuttle
mission. In return for the use of facilities on their space station,
the Russian Space Agency has access to 9 Shuttle flights that
dock to the station. These Shuttle flights allow additional resupply
for both station maintenance and science experiments, along with
transportation of an American crewmember to the Mir. The American
is trained as a Mir crewmember to perform routine maintenance
on the station, in addition to performing joint science activities,
and will be a permanent resident until his replacement arrives
on the next Shuttle. The Shuttle provides a unique opportunity
for the Russian space program, since large science payloads can
now be delivered to the Mir, along with providing significant
refrigerator and freezer space for samples taken to the station
or returned to Earth.
Both partners in this program are being given the opportunity
to do things that they could not do independently. This international
cooperation provides a wealth of knowledge about space flight,
and is the first of its kind on this magnitude. Not since the
days of Apollo-Soyuz has an international cooperation between
space programs returned so much. These first steps coupling both
programs to increase their respective yields leads directly to
the framework for the International Space Station, which is slated
for launch in 1998.
The American long duration astronauts perform the majority of
the experiment operations while on orbit, while their Russian
counterparts primarily concern themselves with station upkeep
and maintenance. All are equal contributors to the joint program
and have dedicated their time during intensive training in both
the US and Russia, as well as by staying on board the Mir for
several months.
Dr. Norm Thagard was the American who took the first step in this
era of joint space cooperation by staying onboard the Mir for
116 days (which set the space duration record for an American).
He was also the first astronaut to travel to Mir on a Soyuz rocket,
with his Mir 18 crewmates. Dr. Thagard was followed by Dr. Shannon
Lucid, who stayed on the Mir for 188 days, breaking Dr. Thagard's
record and setting a new record as the longest stay in space for
a woman. Colonel John Blaha replaced Dr. Lucid in September 1996.
Dr. Jerry Linenger replaced Col. Blaha in January 1997. Dr. C.
Michael Foale replaced Dr. Linenger in May 1997 and he was replaced
by Dr. David Wolf in September 1997. Dr. Andy Thomas replaced
Dr. Wolf in January 1998, and will remain on Mir until June, when
STS-91 will retrieve him. These American crewmembers' stays on
Mir have demonstrated to the world the commitment of both countries
to work together for the betterment of human kind through scientific
advancement.
STS-91 marks the ninth and final mission to dock an American Space
Shuttle with Russia's Mir space station. This mission will retrieve
Astronaut Andrew Thomas from Mir and will return him to Earth.
In addition to the NASA 7 crewmember, the Shuttle will transport
approximately 370 pounds of research equipment and supplies to
the station. The other crewmembers of STS-91 include: Charles
J. Precourt, Commander; Dominic L. Gorie, Pilot; and Mission Specialists
Wendy B. Lawrence, Franklin Chang-Diaz, Janet Kavandi, and Valeri
Ryumin (Russian Space Agency).
During the docked phase of STS-91, astronauts and cosmonauts will
transfer from the Mir space station to the Shuttle the science
samples collected by the Mir 25/NASA 7 crew. After return to Earth,
the samples will be analyzed by researchers on the ground. Crewmembers
will also transfer hardware and supplies to Mir in support of
the health and well being of the Mir 25 crew and future investigations
on the station. This continued research will focus on
studies in the areas of Advanced Technology, Human Life
Sciences, and Microgravity Research.
The commercial initiated research from the Advanced Technology
discipline will evaluate new technologies and techniques using
the Mir space station and the Shuttle as a test bed. Such research
in reduced gravity will contribute to an enhanced knowledge base
for implementation on the International Space Station and other
space vehicles.
Human Life Sciences research consists of investigations that focus
on the crewmembers' adaptation to weightlessness in terms of skeletal
muscle and bone changes, cardiovascular acclimatization, and psychological
interactions. This set of investigations will continue the characterization
of the integrated human response to a prolonged presence in space.
Microgravity research has the general goal of advancing scientific
understanding through research in materials science. The QUELD
furnace will heat capsules containing metallic binary systems,
bring them to room temperature, and return them to Earth for analysis
of the effects of microgravity on diffusion processes. This experiment
will be performed using the Microgravity Isolation Mount (MIM).
The success of all the past Shuttle/Mir missions is due to the
dedication of all the researchers involved in these different
areas, as well as all the mission support personnel, crew trainers,
and the crew themselves. The Phase 1 program is a difficult and
unique program because of its international scope and length of
mission duration, but it is providing both an excellent scientific
return, and a training ground for future operations on the International
Space Station.
Experiment Objectives
Experiment Description
The Astroculture (ASC) flight experiment is a space-based controlled
environment chamber that provides all the conditions required
to support plant growth in microgravity. The main payload components
include subsystems required to provide temperature, humidity,
and carbon dioxide control in an isolated chamber. A unique LED
lighting system is used to meet plant light requirements. Ethylene
released by the plants is removed from the atmosphere of the plant
chamber with a photocatalytic oxidation unit that does not require
any consumables. The ASC payload is configured as a standard Priroda
locker and contains a single board computer which provides data
download and video observation/recording capabilities.
Flight Protocol
The Astroculture unit was transferred to the Mir during the docked phase of STS-89. The ASC system is designed to operate in a fully automated mode with continuous power.
The NASA crewmember will perform a daily monitoring of the ASC,
as well as, a weekly download and downlink of plant data and video
from the ASC. Crew interaction with ASC will be done via the MIPS
System, built-in LCD displays and LED indicators, and ASC Video
System. The ASC will remain on orbit until the unit is returned
on STS-91.
| Mission Assignment | Previous Phase 1 Missions |
| STS-91 | STS-89, NASA 7 |
Investigator: Raymond Bula, Wisconsin Center for Space Automation
and Robotics, Univerisity of Wisconsin
Experiment Objectives
Experiment Description
The XDT experiment is being flown in an effort to understand the
high energy radiation environment of space. The XDT system consists
of three detectors which will measure the incidence rate of cosmic
rays and induced background levels expected for future x-ray crystallography
systems to be flown in the International Space Station. Besides
the detectors, it includes a microcomputer system and flash disk
mass storage devices to allow virtually autonomous operations
during several months of data-taking on-board Mir.
Flight Protocol
The XDT system was activated and operated on-board STS-89 for
four consecutive days. Once Shuttle operations were concluded,
the XDT system was deactivated, transferred to the Mir and reactivated
for long duration operations. Although the XDT is designed to
operate in a fully automated mode with continuous power, the NASA
crewmember will perform a weekly monitoring of the XDT to ensure
experiment integrity. The XDT will remain on orbit until the unit
is returned on STS-91.
| Mission Assignment | Previous Phase 1 Missions |
| STS-91 | STS-89, NASA 7 |
Investigator:
Lawrence DeLucas, University of Alabama Center for Macromolecular
Crystallography
Experiment Objectives
Experiment Description
Liquid Phase Sintering (LPS) is a process in which a liquid coexsists
with a particulate solid. This experiment seeks to understand
and quantify phenomena within LPS that are dominated by gravity.
The industrial importance of "defect trapping in microgravity"
is also being investigated.
Flight Protocol
The experiment consists of heating samples of compressed metal
powders to the melting point of one of the constituents, holding
the temperature approximately 50°C above the melting point
for a predetermined period of time, and then letting the sample
cool.
The following types of materials are planned for use in the Optizon
Furnace: Copper (melting point 1375 K), Silver (melting point
1234 K), and mixtures of Copper and Silver. These mixtures are
cold compressed at high pressures and installed in quartz ampoules.
The ampoules are to be vented to the vacuum during furnace processing.
The furnace is to be vented to vacuum during the entire heat up
and cool down phase with heating and cooling following Onyx programs.
| Mission Assignment | Previous Phase 1 Missions |
| Mir 25 | STS-76, NASA 2, Mir 21 |
| STS-86, Mir 24b, NASA 6 | |
| STS-89 |
Investigator:
James Smith, University of Alabama at Huntsville
Experiment Objective
Experiment Description
The Earth's surface is changing dramatically everyday, but due
to our limited view, these large scale phenomena cannot be easily
observed or recorded. A space station is a platform available
for continual observations from low-Earth orbit. Sites are selected
to document geologic structures using variable sun angles, seasonal
events such as biomass burning, longer-term changes like the rise
and fall of lake levels, gradual changes in land-use patterns,
dynamic patterns in the ocean surface waters, and globally distributed
episodic events like tropical storms, floods, forest fires, volcanic
eruptions, and dust storms.
Flight Protocol
Site selection is a joint US/Russian activity based on long-term
planning of known regions of interest, and near-term replanning
of targets based on the trajectory and attitude of the space vehicle,
current events, and weather patterns. Photography of special,
unpredictable events, such as tropical storms, floods, forest
fires, volcanic eruptions, and dust storms, will be requested
of the crew as they occur in real-time during NASA 7. Film was
taken to Mir on STS-89, and the film will be returned to Earth
by STS-91.
| Mission Assignment | Previous Phase 1 Missions |
| STS-91 | STS-74, STS-76, Mir 21, NASA 2 |
| STS-79, Mir 22, NASA 3 | |
| STS-81, Mir 23, NASA 4 | |
| STS-84, Mir 24, NASA 5 | |
| STS-86, Mir 24, NASA 6, STS-89 | |
| Mir 25, NASA 7 |
Investigators:
Kamlesh Lulla, Ph.D., NASA/Johnson Space Center
Cynthia Evans, Ph.D., Lockheed-Martin Corporation
Lev Desinov, Ph.D., Russian Academy of Sciences
Experiment Objective
Experiment Description
Hand held photographs of the window surfaces in the KVANT-2, Base
Block, and Spektr (if available) modules will be performed using
a Nikon F-3 camera to document characteristics that may affect
Earth Observation photography.
Flight Protocol
Associated hardware for this flight was transported to Mir by
STS-89. All photographs will be returned to Earth for post-flight
analyses on STS-91.
| Mission Assignment | Previous Phase 1 Missions |
| STS-91 | STS-84, Mir 24, NASA 5 |
| STS-89, Mir 25, NASA 7 |
Investigators:
Kamlesh Lulla, Ph.D., NASA/Johnson Space Center
Premkumar Saganti, Ph.D., NASA/Johnson Space Center
Experiment Objective
Experiment Background
Environmental monitoring of several rapidly changing regions on
Earth will provide vital information to scientists from many different
research disciplines. Data obtained from this investigation will
be compared to the information in a historical database of these
areas to assess the nature and rate of change. Routinely, at least
seasonally, data will be collected from the Aral Sea, Galveston
Bay (Texas), the region of South Florida and the Northern Bahamas,
and the Panama Canal Zone. Monitoring of rapidly changing regions
provides information to several interdisciplinary studies. Scientists
will then be able to extend observations from historical databases
and ground-based studies to produce a more comprehensive assessment
of the nature and rate of the changes in these selected areas
of the Earth. Data collection will be planned based on orbit trajectory,
attitude, and weather conditions.
Flight Protocol
During the Mir 25/NASA 7 mission, the sites of interest will be
photographed at regular intervals. Weather information, such as
cloud cover, sun angles, and any other information will be provided
to the crew to guide their photographic sessions. Film was taken
to Mir on STS-89, and the film will be returned to Earth by STS-91.
| Mission Assignment | Previous Phase 1 Missions |
| STS-91 | STS-74, STS-76, Mir 21, NASA 2 |
| STS-79, Mir 22, NASA 3 | |
| STS-81, Mir 23, NASA 4 | |
| STS-84, Mir 24, NASA 5 | |
| STS-86, Mir 24, NASA 6, STS-89 | |
| Mir 25, NASA 7 |
Investigators:
Kamlesh Lulla, Ph.D., NASA/Johnson Space Center
Cynthia Evans, Ph.D., Lockheed-Martin Corporation
Lev Desinov, Ph.D., Russian Academy of Sciences
Experiment Objective
Experiment Description:
During future space missions involving a space station or a trip
to Mars, international crews will be engaged in complicated activities
over long periods of time. A number of interpersonal issues must
be addressed in order to ensure healthy crewmember interaction
and optimal performance.
A review of the literature of space analog studies on Earth, reports
from previous space missions, and the principal investigator's
own work involving astronauts and cosmonauts have isolated crew
tension, cohesion, and leadership as important interpersonal issues.
This experiment also correlates the mood of the crew to that of
the ground control team, and also has a critical incident log
to help identify stressful periods.
Flight Protocol
Crewmembers and ground personnel will complete computerized mood,
experience, and interpersonal group climate questionnaires along
with the critical incident log throughout the course of the Mir
25/NASA 7 mission. Mir crew data will be correlated with ground
crew data once the questionnaires and logs are returned to Earth
on STS-91.
| Mission Assignments | Previous Phase 1 Missions |
| Mir 25 | STS-76, STS-79, Mir 22, NASA 3 |
| STS-91 | STS-81, Mir 23, NASA 4 |
| STS-84, Mir 24, NASA 5 | |
| STS-86, Mir 24, NASA 6 | |
| STS-89, NASA 7 |
Investigators:
Nick A. Kanas, M.D., University of California, San Francisco
Vyacheslav Salnitskiy, M.D., Institute of Biomedical Problems
Experiment Objectives
Experiment Description
When muscles are not used regularly, they begin to deteriorate
and weaken, a condition known as atrophy. Measurements on the
crew of the Spacelab-Japan mission (STS-47) showed that there
was significant muscle atrophy after only eight days in weightlessness.
Bed-rest studies have documented the degree of atrophy after several
months of muscle inactivity. This investigation will document
the degree of muscle weakening after long-duration space flight
following a stay on the Mir space station.
The spine, or backbone, supports the body against gravity. During
upright activity on Earth, the downward pull of gravity actually
compresses the spine and the spinal discs. However, weightlessness
results in expansion of the spine which causes the astronauts
to become taller and is believed to cause back pain and discomfort.
This investigation will also study the relationship between spinal
expansion and back pain in astronauts. These measurements will
be made before and after space flight using Magnetic Resonance
Imaging (MRI).
Flight Protocol
An MRI examination will be performed on the back and legs preflight
to establish baseline data. It is then repeated three times post-flight
to determine the extent of changes in the body due to space flight
and the crewmembers' readaptation to the Earth environment. Both
during and after the Mir 25 and NASA 7 mission, crewmembers will
complete questionnaires to record any perceived back discomfort.
The questionnaires that were taken to Mir on STS-89 will be returned
after their completion on STS-91.
| Mission Assignments | Previous Phase 1 Missions |
| Mir 25 | STS-74, STS-76, Mir 21, NASA 2 |
| STS-91 | STS-79, Mir 22, NASA 3 |
| STS-81, Mir 23, NASA 4 | |
| STS-84, Mir 24, NASA 5 | |
| STS-86, Mir 24, NASA 6 STS-89, NASA 7 |
Investigators:
Adrian LeBlanc, Ph.D., Baylor College of Medicine
Inessa Kozlovskaya, M.D., Russian Institute for Biomedical
Problems
Experiment Objective
Experiment Background
There is little evidence to suggest major systemic cardiovascular
dysfunction in microgravity, but clinically highly significant
cardiovascular abnormalities become apparent during and immediately
after return to Earth gravity. Adequate understanding of these
mechanisms can only be achieved by physiological studies that
examine specific cardiovascular regulatory mechanisms and relate
findings in microgravity to results obtained on Earth before and
after space flight. The results of this investigation are expected
to have a clinical significance and will provide a basis for new
and effective approaches to the prevention of post-flight orthostatic
intolerance. There are also compelling general scientific reasons
to take advantage of the access to microgravity to study the dynamic
aspects and integration of neural regulation of the cardiovascular
system. The unique environment of space, with the absence of hydrostatic
gradients and the reduction in the overall level of physical activity,
drastically alters the operating conditions of the cardiovascular
system. Analysis of the effects of microgravity on specific aspects
of neural regulatory mechanisms as proposed in the present application
has the potential to provide new information on the properties
on important physiological control mechanisms.
Flight Protocol
Associated hardware for this flight was transported to Mir on
STS-89. Holter monitoring will be conducted over several twenty-four
hour periods during the NASA 7 mission. Holter monitoring information
will be recorded on Holter data tapes which will be returned to
Earth for post-flight analyses on STS-91.
| Mission Assignment | Previous Phase 1 Missions |
| Mir 25 | None. |
Investigators:
C. Gunnar Blomqvist, M.D., Ph.D. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Dwain L. Eckberg, M.D. McGuire Research Institute
Experiment Objectives
Experiment Background
Previous studies have shown that long duration exposure to microgravity
causes bone loss. In the absence of gravity, bone mass decreases
in the load-bearing regions of the skeleton. The occurrence of
this condition in space mimics osteoporosis, a medical condition
characterized by brittle bones. By learning more about the process
of bone mineral loss and recovery, researchers hope to be able
to implement effective countermeasures in space, and develop more
effective treatments for those who suffer from bone disorders
on Earth.
This investigation will measure the space flight-induced losses
in bone mineral density and lean body mass of long duration crewmembers,
and will determine the rate and extent of recovery after returning
to Earth.
Flight Protocol
In this study, preflight and post-flight blood and urine samples
will be obtained to measure hormones involved in bone formation
and resorption and other indicators of bone metabolism. Muscle
strength testing will be performed in conjunction with bone density
measurements to study the relationship between muscular fitness
and changes in bone density. Bone density and muscle strength
measurements will be obtained periodically for up to three years
post flight to gain important information regarding the rate of
bone recovery after return to Earth's gravity.
| Mission Assignment | Previous Phase 1 Missions |
| Mir 25 | Mir 18, Mir 21, NASA 2 |
| Mir 22, NASA 3 | |
| Mir 23, NASA 4 | |
| Mir 24, NASA 5 | |
| Mir 24, NASA 6, NASA 7 |
Investigators:
Linda Shackelford, M.D., NASA/Johnson Space Center
Victor Oganov, M.D., Institute of Biomedical Problems
Experiment Objective
Experiment Description
Experiments concerned with the effects of space flight on the
human immune system are important to protect the health of long
duration crews. The human immune system involves both humoral
(blood-borne) and cell-mediated responses to foreign substances
known as antigens. Humoral responses include the production of
antibodies and specialized blood cells which appear to be suppressed
during long duration space missions. These immunity products can
be measured in samples of the saliva and blood serum.
Flight Protocol
The antigen and associated equipment was transferred to Mir on
STS-89. After immunization of the crewmember during the NASA 7
mission, blood and saliva samples are collected and processed
periodically over 4 weeks. These samples are then frozen and returned
for analysis on STS-91. The results are compared to pre- and post
flight blood and saliva samples, as well as samples collected
just prior to immunization.
| Mission Assignment | Previous Phase 1 Missions |
| STS-91 | STS-76, NASA 2 |
| STS-79, NASA 3 | |
| STS-81, NASA 4 | |
| STS-86, NASA 6 | |
| STS-89, NASA 7 |
Investigators:
Clarence Sams, Ph.D., NASA/Johnson Space Center
A. T. Lesnyak, Institute of Biomedical Problems
Experiment Objective
Experiment Description
It has been suggested that space flight increases the risk of
kidney stone formation, and the risk is proportional to the time
spent in space. This risk is assessed using methods similar to
those used on Earth: urine samples are collected over time and
analyzed. The concentrations of ions and minerals present in the
urine indicate the chances for renal stone formation. Samples
are taken prior to launch, in flight, and after return to Earth.
These samples are compared to determine if an increased risk of
renal stone formation exists in microgravity. The results from
this study will provide a better understanding of renal stone
formation, which may lead to ways of counteracting the formation
of these stones both in space and on Earth.
Flight Protocol
Associated hardware for this flight was transported to Mir on
STS-89. Urine will be collected over several twenty-four hour
periods during the NASA 7 mission, then it will be preserved and
returned to Earth for post-flight analyses on STS-91. A metabolic
log will be kept to monitor food, fluid, medication intake, and
exercise to assess any environmental contributions to renal stone
formation.
| Mission Assignments | Previous Phase 1 Missions |
| Mir 25 | STS-76, Mir 21, NASA 2 |
| STS-91 | STS-79, Mir 22, NASA 3 |
| STS-86, Mir 24, NASA 6 | |
| STS-89, NASA 7 |
Investigators:
Peggy Whitson, Ph.D., NASA/Johnson Space Center
German Arzamazov, M.D., Institute of Biomedical Problems
Experiment Objectives
Experiment Background
The Mir modules, and the forth coming International Space Station,
represent opportunities to explore new radiation environments
in order to obtain data on different shielding levels and the
effects of radiation on larger spacecraft. The Cosmic Radiation
Effects and Activation Monitor (CREAM) measures the Linear Energy
Transfer (LET) effects within silicon and provides information
relevant to single event upsets (SEU's) on avionics equipment.
Flight Protocol
The associated hardware for this experiment was transported on
STS-89. After transfer to Mir, the CREAM hardware will be deployed
and photographed at predetermined locations on Mir. Once initiated,
the CREAM Active Monitor will begin a standard two week data collection
period at one of two predetermined locations on Mir. Once the
data collection period is completed, the Active Monitor is moved
to the other location for data collection. The Active Monitor
will be exchanged between these locations and allowed to collect
data for the remainder of NASA 7. Prior to undocking, specified
NASA 7 CREAM hardware, along with the NASA 6 CREAM hardware, will
be transferred to STS-91/Discovery for return to Earth.
| Mission Assignment | Previous Phase 1 Missions |
| STS-91 | STS-86, NASA 6 |
| STS-89, NASA 7 |
Investigators:
Peter Truscott, Defense Evaluation and Research Agency, Ministry of Defense of the UK
Michael Golightly, NASA/ Johnson Space Center
Experiment Objectives
Experiment Description
The Space Portable Spectroreflectometer provides an in-space inspection
instrument for non-destructive, quantitative engineering evaluation
of spacecraft interior. The SPSR measures total hemispherical
reflectance as an identification of effects of the space environment
on materials such as thermal control coatings, viewing windows,
reflectors, and solar power systems. It will provide valuable
data for determining how materials degrade when exposed to the
space environment within the Shuttle/Mir implementation framework.
Flight Protocol
The SPSR will be utilized during various Extravehicular Activity
(EVA) operations to check spacecraft surfaces for optical performance.
Reflectance data gathered by the SPSR will be stored in the units
Data Acquisition and Control System (DACS), to be transferred
to a Mir Interface to Payloads System (MIPS) computer for storage
on optical disk and to the ground via telemetry. The SPSR will
return on STS-91.
| Mission Assignment | Previous Phase 1 Missions |
| STS-91 | STS-86, Mir 24b, NASA 6 |
| STS-89 |
Investigators::
Ralph Carruth NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center
Dr. Stanislov Naumov, RSC Energia
Experiment Objective
Experiment Background
The TPCS is an International Space Station (ISS) Risk Mitigation
experiment designed to provide information on the effects of space
radiation on computer systems, namely single event upsets (SEUs)
that occur when the computer hardware suffers from space radiation
strikes in volatile memory. Exposure of the TPCS system to the
radiation environment of low earth orbit will allow examination
of the effects of radiation on the communications and data storage
methods used within the Portable Computer System (PCS).
Flight Protocol
At specified intervals during the NASA 7 mission, the TPCS software
is activated to measure and record SEUs that occur during testing.
The data will be stored on the TPCS hard drives and returned on
STS-91for post flight analysis.
| Mission Assignment | Previous Phase 1 Missions |
| STS-91 | STS-86, Mir 24, NASA 6 |
| STS-89, NASA 7, Mir 25 |
Investigator:
Rod Lofton, NASA/Johnson Space Center
Experiment Objectives
Experiment Background
Exposure of crew, equipment, and experiments to the ambient space
radiation environment in low Earth orbit poses one of the most
significant health problems to long term space habitation. The
RME will measure the radiation exposure in two different locations
in the Mir, and by comparing the exposure data, the investigators
are hoping to gain information about the local "East-West"
radiation effect. This effect counters popular theory which states
that the radiation levels are equal throughout the station, only
varying due to shielding. Data obtained from previous missions
have indicated that the local "east" side of the station
has a lower radiation dose than the local "west" side.
Comparisons will be made with measurements from previous space
missions and predictions from mathematical models, and will hopefully
lead to lowered crew exposure rates by taking advantage of this
effect.
Flight Protocol
The radiation monitoring units will be transported to Mir on STS-91,
and returned on the same Shuttle. The two units will operate side
by side for approximately 12 hours, then for the next 48 hours
the units will operate in opposing ends of the Mir space station.
At the end of this time, the units will operate in different locations
within the same Mir module for approximately 30 hours, and then
for the balance of the remaining docked time, the two units will
be relocated to a new module location.
| Mission Assignment | Previous Phase 1 Missions |
| STS-91 | STS-84 |
| STS-86 |
Investigators:
Mike Golightly, NASA/Johnson Space Center
Francis Afinidad, NASA/Johnson Space Center
Vladislav Petrov, Institute of Biomedical Problems
Experiment Objective
Experiment Background
Experience with the flight of microgravity experiments has demonstrated
that the acceleration environment on board spacecrafts is characterized
by continual vibrational disturbances termed g-jitters. These
g-jitters typically cause disturbance levels significantly higher
than is desired for many sensitive experiments. The MIM attempts
to provide isolation or controlled disruption for any experiment
using this facility.
Flight Protocol
The NASA 7 crewmember will activate and evaluate the MIM Facility
for proper function, as well as, prepare the MIM for experiment
operations.
| Mission Assignment | Previous Phase 1 Missions |
| Mir 25 | Mir 21, NASA 2, Mir 22 |
| NASA 3, Mir 23, NASA 4 | |
| Mir 24, NASA 5 | |
| Mir 24, NASA 6 | |
| NASA 7 |
Investigators:
Bjarni Trygvasson, Ph.D., Canadian Space Agency
Laurence Venzina , Canadian Space Agency
Experiment Objectives
Experiment Description
Growing crystals in microgravity can provide significant advantages
over processes used on Earth. Development of crystals in space
is of interest to researchers because the crystals grown are more
pure and generally more free of defects than those that crystallize
in our gravitational environment on Earth.
Frozen solutions from which the crystals will grow are loaded
into a dewar before a Mir docking Shuttle flight and then transferred
to the Mir after Shuttle docking. Once on board the Mir, the samples
slowly thaw and the crystallization process is initiated. Crystals
are grown aboard Mir using several different methods of growth,
and the samples are returned to Earth for analysis.
Flight Protocol
The GN2 dewar is used in this experiment. Quick frozen
samples are prepared and placed in the GN2 dewar to
maintain them until post docking. The system is designed so that
the nitrogen charge keeps the samples frozen until they are in
orbit. As the system absorbs heat, the nitrogen boils away and
the chamber approaches ambient temperature. As the samples thaw,
crystal growth within the dewar takes place. The unit will be
left undisturbed during the entire NASA 7 mission. The crystals
are allowed to form throughout the long duration mission and are
returned to Earth on STS-91 for analysis. Aside from transfer
of the Dewar to Mir, there is little crew interaction with this
experiment.
| Mission Assignment | Previous Phase 1 Missions |
| STS-91 | STS-74, Mir 20 |
| STS-76, Mir 21, NASA 2 | |
| STS-79, Mir 22, NASA 3 | |
| STS-81, Mir 23, NASA 4 | |
| STS-84, Mir 24, NASA 5 | |
| STS-86, Mir 24, NASA 6 | |
| STS-89, Mir 25, NASA 7 |
Investigators:
Alexander McPherson, Ph.D., University of California, Riverside
Stan Koszelak, University of California, Riverside
Anatoly Mitichkin, Ph.D., RSC Energia
Experiment Objective
Experiment Description
Materials science experiments require a very stable environment
to yield the best results. Thruster firings, vehicle dockings,
and movements of the crewmembers cause random vibrations and accelerations
which can affect an experiment, possibly compromising the results.
The Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) records these
fluctuations in the microgravity environment so that researchers
can apply this information when interpreting the results of an
investigation. By characterizing the acceleration environment
of the space vehicle, researchers can learn where regions of high
acceleration forces exist, avoiding those areas for experiment
placement.
Flight Protocol
The SAMS unit was developed by the NASA Lewis Research Center.
It measures the accelerations through three triaxial remote sensor
heads. Each sensor head contains orthogonally positioned accelerometers.
Two optical disk drives in the unit provide the data-recording
capability. SAMS will be activated during specific events of interest
during NASA 7, such as dockings, and in support of other investigations.
The SAMS unit was taken to Mir by a Progress vehicle prior to
the Phase 1 Program. The optical disks with the recorded data
will be returned on STS-91.
| Mission Assignment | Previous Phase 1 Missions |
| STS-91 | STS-74, STS-76, Mir 21, NASA 2 |
| STS-79, Mir 22, NASA 3 | |
| STS-81, Mir 23, NASA 4 | |
| STS-84, Mir 24, NASA 5 | |
| STS-86, Mir 24, NASA 6 | |
| STS-89, Mir 25, NASA 7 |
Investigators:
Richard DeLombard, Ph.D., NASA/Lewis Research Center
S. Ryaboukha, Ph.D., RSC Energia
Experiment Objectives
Experiment Description
The QUELD is a joint investigation between the US, Canadian, and
Russian space agencies. The QUELD unit is a fixed furnace facility
that provides an experimental method of measuring the diffusion
coefficients in some two metal systems during exposure to microgravity.
Accurate diffusion coefficients are of considerable importance
in modeling the diffusion process on Earth. During the course
of this experiment, diffusion coefficients of selected systems
will be placed in graphite crucibles, each contained in a separate
stainless steel tube. This tube is rapidly heated to a constant
temperature and held there for a given time period. Following
this period, the tube is placed in an aluminum chill block and
quenched to room temperature.
Flight Protocol
The QUELD unit is supported by the Microgravity Isolation Mount
(MIM), which will attempt to isolate the experiment from microaccelerations
that exist in the Mir space station. The samples used in the QUELD
furnace were previously transported to Mir on STS-84, and will
be returned for post flight analysis on STS-91.
| Mission Assignment | Previous Phase 1 Missions |
| Mir 25 | STS-74, STS-76, Mir 21, NASA 2 |
| STS-79, Mir 22, NASA 3 | |
| STS-81, Mir 23, NASA 4 | |
| STS-84, Mir 24, NASA 5 | |
| Mir 24, NASA 6, Mir 25, NASA 7 |
Investigator:
Reginald Smith, Ph.D., Queen's University, Canada
Experiment Objective
Experiment Background
The BTS is a facility designed to support long-duration biotechnology
experiments in a low-gravity environment on the Mir Space Station.
It was launched to the Mir aboard the Priroda module. The facility
consists of six modules, four of which are contiguous and house
the main facility. The remaining two modules are for passive stowage.
All modules are designed for easy changeout in order to accommodate
changing science requirements and advancements made during the
several year period of its operation. Facility and experiment
specific hardware, consumables and biological samples will be
transported to and from the facility by the Space Shuttle during
scheduled visits to the Mir.
Flight Protocol
The crewmember will have knowledge of BTS nominal, contingency,
and malfunction procedures. The BTS Facility is activated and
evaluated for proper function using diagnostic hardware. All BTSDE
Diagnostic hardware will be returned on STS-91.
| Mission Assignment | Previous Phase 1 Missions |
| STS-91 | STS-81, Mir 23, NASA 4 |
| STS-89, Mir 25, NASA 7 |
Investigators:
Steve Gonda, Ph.D., NASA /Johnson Space Center
Experiment Objectives
Experiment Background
BTS-COCULT is a test bed for growth, maintenance and study of
long term on-orbit cell growth for the purpose of tissue engineering.
In this experiment a human endothelial cell line and a human breast
carcinoma cell line will be cultivated first in the Biotechnology
Specimen Temperature Controller-Mir (BSTC-M) and then combined
and cocultivated in the Engineering Development Unit-Mir (EDU-M)
to attempt the first vascularization of a solid tumor in microgravity.
The procedures employed in engineering this specific type of tissue
model may be of great benefit in the development of engineered
tissue models of completely normal tissues in future experiments.
Flight Protocol
Cell cultures in temperature controlled vessels and associated
hardware were transported on STS-89, and integrated in the Biotechnology
Experiment Module (BEM) in the Biotechnology System (BTS) on Mir.
Culture periods will vary with media exchanges, sample fixations,
light microscopy, photography and video camera monitoring throughout.
Samples will be stored at low temperatures or fixed and will be
returned on STS-91 for post flight analysis.
| Mission Assignment | Previous Phase 1 Missions |
| STS-91 | STS-89, Mir 25 |
| NASA 7 |
Investigators:
Timothy Hammond, Ph.D., Louisiana State University
Peter Lelkes, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin School of Medicine
Experiment Objective
Experiment Description
The primary objective of the DCAM experiment is to produce large,
high-quality crystals of selected proteins under controlled conditions
in microgravity. Crystals of sufficient size and suitable quality
are essential for protein crystallographic analysis of molecular
structures via x-ray diffraction and computer modeling.
All proteins are preloaded into the DCAM prior to the STS ferry
flight. The experiment is self- activated once integrated into
Mir, and the crystals will grow for the remainder of the flight.
Flight Protocol
The DCAM is designed for the growth of protein crystals in a microgravity
environment. In the DCAM, a "button" holds a small protein
sample, which is covered by a semipermeable membrane that allows
the precipitant solution to pass into the protein solution to
initiate the crystallization process.
The DCAM has no mechanical systems. Diffusion starts on Earth
as soon as the chambers are filled. However, the rate is so slow
that no appreciable change occurs before the samples reach orbit
one or two days later. The DCAM was transported to the Mir on
STS-89 and left undisturbed for the duration of NASA 7. The DCAM
unit will be returned on STS-91. Such an apparatus is ideally
suited for long duration Mir Space Station missions.
| Mission Assignment | Previous Phase 1 Missions |
| STS-91 | STS-74, STS-76, Mir 21, NASA 2 |
| STS-79, Mir 22, NASA 3 | |
| STS-81, Mir 23, NASA 4 | |
| STS-84, Mir 24, NASA 5, STS-89 | |
| Mir 25, NASA 7 |
Investigator:
Dan Carter, Ph.D., NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center
AMS AND THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY - HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS IN SPACE-
As part of its long-standing role in high energy physics research,
the U.S. Department of Energy is supporting the scientific leadership
and part of the funding for the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS)
experiment that will fly on the Space Shuttle Discovery and later
the International Space Station.
The AMS experiment is the first time a high energy particle magnetic
spectrometer will be placed in orbit. As high energy physicists
continue to prove the fundamental laws that govern our universe,
they ask such basic questions as: What are the ultimate building
blocks of matter? What are the fundamental forces through which
these basic particles interact? Fifteen Nobel Prizes in Physics
have gone to high energy physicists for their discoveries. In
1995, Department of Energy-funded scientists found the top quark,
the last to be discovered of the basic particles believed to make
up all known matter.
The AMS will continue this scientific journey of discovery in a region here to date untapped by high energy physics research, the environment of space. The space environment provides a copious flux of atomic and subatomic particles which have been naturally accelerated to energies which are impossible to achieve in Earth bond accelerators. The AMS will provide the first
in-situmagnetic detector of these particles and will open a unique
and rich new area of experimental high energy physics.
On STS-91, a group of eminent scientists in the field who reviewed
AMS for the department unanimously endorsed its scientific merit.
Researchers will use the detector to search for both antimatter
and "dark matter" to answer two specific questions:
First, if equal amounts of matter and antimatter were produced
at the beginning of the universe as described by the Big Bang
scenario, and the galaxies we now see are made only of matter,
where has the antimatter gone? Second, since the mass of a galaxy
seems to be greater than the visible mass of all its stars, gas
and dust, is there dark matter of a new kind that has eluded discovery?
Secretary of Energy Federico Pena hailed the research that will
be done with the AMS experiment as literally "out of this
world." He congratulated the experiment's international collaboration
of scientists from 37 research institutions, headed by MIT Professor
and Nobel Laureate Dr. Samuel Ting. The collaboration designed
and built the 3-1/2 ton detector in record time. "I am delighted
that the Department of Energy as a science agency has been able
to support Dr. Ting during much of his brilliant scientific career
and that we are able to help make possible this 'first-of-a-kind'
experiment that conceivably could rewrite science textbooks,"
Secretary Pena said.
Dr. Ting received the 1976 Nobel Prize for his co-discovery of
the J particle.
The Department of Energy is the federal government's primary steward
for the field of physics that seeks to understand the fundamental
nature of matter and energy. The department provides over 90 percent
of federal support for high energy physics research in the United
States. Its $680 million annual budget for high energy physics
is, in turn, part of the $2.5 billion annual funding for basic
research that supports the department's science, energy, environmental
and national security missions.
High energy physics is basic research that over the years has
led to many practical benefits. Advances in medical diagnostic
imaging, parallel processing computing and superconducting magnets
have come out of the technologies developed to build and use powerful
particle accelerators for this research. High energy physicist
Allan Cormack shared the 1979 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his
role in the development of the CAT scan by applying mathematical
methods for reconstructing images of particle collisions from
detector data. More recently, the World Wide Web, which has transformed
the world of communication and information, was originally developed
in the early 1990s so that the thousands of high energy physicists
involved in international collaborations could quickly and efficiently
communicate electronically.
Much of the experimental work of high energy physicists is done
at particle accelerators such as at the Department of Energy's
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FERMILAB) outside of Chicago,
Illinois, the Department's Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
(SLAC) in California, or at high energy physics laboratories in
Europe. In these accelerators, subatomic particles collide at
velocities approaching the speed of light so researchers can study
the resulting reactions and new particles produced.
High energy particles also exist as cosmic rays produced at the
beginning of the universe and in supernovae stars and near black
holes. The particles AMS will search for cannot be detected on
the ground because they are absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere,
so the detector must be deployed in space. When installed on the
Space Station, the AMS will gather data for three years.
The collaboration between the Department of Energy and NASA on
the AMS experiment is the latest partnership in a long history,
but this is the first joint effort with a purely scientific mission.
The department's facilities have built radioisotope thermoelectric
generators and heater units that power and warm spacecraft, such
as Viking, Voyager, Galileo and most recently the Cassini space
probe to Saturn. The department's national laboratories have provided
sensors for reconnaissance satellites that help verify arms control
and nonproliferation treaties. Most recently, a Department of
Energy laboratory provided the instrument package for the Lunar
Prospector that found evidence of ice on the Moon. The AMS collaboration
will be the first time such a detector has been put in orbit and
reflects a new level of cooperation among particle physicists
and astrophysicists as they seek answers to the kinds of questions
about the universe humankind has striven to answer at least since
the ancient Greeks.
AMS Science
The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) will be the first large
magnet experiment ever placed in Earth's orbit. The scientific
goal of this high energy physics experiment is to increase our
understanding of the composition and origin of the universe. It
is designed to detect and catalogue with a high degree of precision
high energy charged particles, including antimatter, outside the
Earth's atmosphere. The charge of such particles can be identified
only by their trajectories in a magnetic field.
The Big Bang scenario describes a universe that began with equal
amounts of matter and antimatter. Measurements reveal that galaxies
as far as 20 million light years from our galaxy are made of matter,
so the unanswered question is, where is the antimatter? Are there
entire galaxies of antimatter beyond what we have detected, or
did an early small imbalance of matter over antimatter yield a
universe of matter? The AMS experiment is sensitive enough to
detect minute quantities of antimatter present in cosmic rays
coming from outside the galaxy. AMS can measure one anti-particle
per 100 million Helium nuclei. Thus, AMS may be the first experiment
to detect this antimatter. Such observations could signal the
existence of antimatter galaxies.
A related question about the composition of the universe is, where
is the "dark matter?" The mass of a galaxy, measured
from the motion of gas clouds about its center, is greater than
the visible mass of all its stars, gas and dust. The unseen portion
is known as dark matter because it is undetected by optical telescopes
and other instruments. If the dark matter consists of particles
predicted by theory, collisions among them could produce antiprotons
and positrons (the electron antiparticle). Scientists hope the
energy spectra of the positrons detected by the AMS will indicate
or set limits on the nature of the missing matter which has long
remained a mystery.
In the 10 days that AMS will orbit the Earth on the Space Shuttle
Discovery, AMS will first perform a complete system check to ensure
that it will function properly for three years on the Space Station.
AMS will also carry out a search for anti-Helium and anti-Carbon
nuclei as well as measure the spectrum of antiprotons.
The AMS project is an international scientific collaboration that
includes 37 research institutions in (with lead collaborators):
China (H.S.Chen), Finland (J. Torsti), France (J.P. Vialle), Germany
(K. Luebelsmeyer), Italy (R. Battiston), Portugal (G.Barreira),
Romania (A. Mihul), Russia (Y. Galaktionov), Spain (C. Mana),
Switzerland (M. Bourquin, H. Hofer), Taiwan (S.C. Lee), the United
Kingdom (R. Marshall) and the United States (U. Becker). The U.S.
portion of the AMS experiment is sponsored by the U.S. Department
of Energy.
AMS - What It Is, How It Works
The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer is a particle detector that weighs
3-1/2 tons and consists of five major elements: a permanent magnet,
time-of-flight scintillators, a silicon microstrip tracker, anti-coincidence
counters and an aerogel Cerenkov threshold counter. The AMS also
has electronics, a support structure and interfaces to computers
on the Space Shuttle and at Johnson Space Center.
The permanent magnet is a cylindrical shell made of blocks of
magnetic material called neodymium-ferrous-boron. The blocks are
arranged around the cylinder to create a magnetic field confined
inside the magnet. The trajectory that a particle takes when it
enters the magnetic field allows researchers to determine its
charge.
The time-of-flight counters provide the primary trigger when a
charged particle or anti-particle passes through the detector.
This starts the readout of the tracker and helps measure the particle's
velocity.
The silicon microstrip tracker has 1,921 silicon sensors in six
layered horizontal planes. The sensors measure the particles'
trajectories.
The veto counters flag the entry of any secondary particles into
the detector so the signals of these background particles can
be rejected. The counters are arrayed in a cylindrical shell between
the inner skin of the magnet and the tracker.
The aerogel threshold Cerenkov counter at the bottom of the AMS
enhances the detector's capability to identify particles. One
hundred sixty-eight phototubes view the 10 cm thick layer of aerogel
to measure its index of refraction as particles pass through.
This will ensure identification of anti-protons and also help
distinguish positrons (anti-electrons) from other particles such
as protons, pions and muons.
The electronics recognize that a particle of interest to scientists
has passed through the detector, digitize the detector signals,
collect the signals from the particle's passage into an "event,"
and transmit the event data to Earth. The electronics relay commands
from Earth to the detector. They also monitor and operate the
detector.
The detector rests in a support structure of vertical aluminum
I-beams. The entire payload weighs 9200 pounds and will be mounted
in the rear of the Space Shuttle payload bay.
NASA will fly AMS twice. During the STS-91 mission, AMS will have
100 hours of dedicated system checkout and data gathering. During
the Space Station mission, AMS will be an externally attached
payload and gather data for three years. For both missions, commands
will be issued and then data collected on the ground in real time.
The high inclination and altitude of the Space Shuttle and Space
Station missions are vital for the experiment because they provide
data collection time near the geomagnetic poles where the influence
of the Earth's magnetic field on inbound particles is minimized.
More information about the AMS project is available on the World Wide Web at:
www-lns.mit.edu
Flying on the STS-91 Space Shuttle mission will be four Get Away
Special (GAS) payloads which were manifested by the Shuttle Small
Payloads Project at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt,
Md. Below is a brief description of those GAS experiments.
G-648
The Atlantic Canada Thin Organic Semiconductors (ACTORS) experiment
is sponsored by the Canadian Space Agency's Microgravity Sciences
Program. This payload (G-648) prepared by the University of Moncton
in New Brunswick will process an important type of semiconductor
organic material.
The ACTORS organic materials will be processed in space where the gravitational forces are minimal. Under microgravity, more uniform thin films will be formed. This improvement in uniformity is due to absence of convection, a phenomenon which influences Earth processes. Scientists will be able to compare the thin films produced in microgravity with those produced on Earth.
A better understanding of the role gravity plays in affecting
the forming of thin films should lead to improved Earth based
manufacturing. The semiconductor material (Perylene Tetracarboxylic
Dianhydride) studied has many uses. In particular, it can be used
in high sensitivity particle beam detectors and electro-optic
device applications.
The principal investigator for the experiment is Dr. Truong Vo-Van
of the University of Moncton. The mission manager is Susan Olden
form Goddard while Lee Shiflett also from Goddard serves as the
technical manager.
G-765
Through G-765, the Canadian Space Agency and several partners
are launching an exciting set of space experiments in search of
new ways to extract oil from the Earth and clean up accidental
spill in the environment.
The purpose of the Microgravity Industry Related Research for
Oil Recovery (MIRROR) payload is to use space's microgravity
environment to develop new technologies which could have an impact
on the Canadian oil industry, environmental clean-up and the world's
future oil reserves. For example, researchers from the Petroleum
Recovery Institute, Calgary, Alberta in Canada expect the MIRROR
space experiments will provide insight into the physical properties
of the foams used for extracting oil, which could help scientists
and engineers develop more efficient and less costly extraction
processes.
In operating oil fields, conventional means of extraction still
leave huge amounts of the oil in the ground. Initially, oil is
forced to the surface by its own naturally occurring pressure.
When the pressure subsides, more oil is artificially forced out
of the ground by pumping water or gas into the reserve. This still
leaves about two-thirds of the oil trapped in tiny pores of rock
beneath the Earth's surface.
The three MIRROR experiments aboard STS-91 are self contained
and fully automated. The first experiment is the Diffusion Coefficients
of Crude Oil (DCCO). DCCO will aid in developing accurate numerical
models for the prediction of oil reservoir properties for DCCO.
The experiment is being conducted by Professor Jean-Claude Legros
of the Microgravity Research Center in Brussels, Belgium. Next,
is the Foam Stability experiment. Scientists will study forces
that affect the behavior and longevity of foams of interest to
oil companies, as well as aid in the development of new foam products.
Dr. Laurier Schramm of the Petroleum Recovery Institute is the
principal investigator for this experiment. Lastly, the Capillary
Flow experiment will study the magnitude of capillary forces on
fluid flow in porous rock/soil and develop techniques to change
the flow characteristics in reservoirs or contaminated soils.
Dr. D'Arcy Hart of C-Core, St. John's, New Foundland, Canada is
the principal investigator.
Partners for the MIRROR program are the Canadian Space Agency,
European Space Agency, Province of Newfoundland & Labrador
and the oil industry. The mission manager for this Get Away Special
payload is Susan Olden of Goddard. Lee Shiflett, is the technical
manager and is also from Goddard.
G-090
Utah State University in Logan, designed the GAS payload G-090
which consists of three experiments built by high school students.
On board will be a power supply and computer controls built by
Utah State students and several packages of popcorn that will
be used for experiments by students at the St. Vincent Elementary
School in Salt Lake City. The purpose of G-090 is to give
high school students an opportunity to design and build GAS experiments
with the university students acting as mentors, coordinating integration
and building computer and power interfaces.
The first experiment is the Chemical Unit Process (CUP). CUP was built by students at Shoshone-Bannock Junior/Senior High School on the Fort Hall Reservation, Idaho. Students hope to learn how microgravity effects extracting phosphate ions, used widely as a fertilizer, from phosphate ore mined on their reservation. This is the first GAS payload built by Native Americans students.
The second experiment, Nucleic Boiling, designed by Box Elder
High School in Brigham City, Utah, will study the effects of microgravity
on bubble formation and temperature gradients as water is heated
to a boil during the flight. This process is affected on Earth
by gravity, convection and liquid density.
Moscow (Idaho) High School and Moscow University, Idaho, have
formulated a crystal growth experiment that will study the formation
and growth of chemical crystals in a microgravity environment.
Lastly, the fourth experiment is a passive experiment from St.
Vincent Elementary School in Salt Lake City. Students will
do experiments comparing traits of popcorn and radish seeds exposed
to space with control seeds kept on Earth. This will be done by
growing the space seeds and the Earth seeds on the ground to see
if there will be any differnece in the radishes produced. They
will also compare the two popcorn samples by popping them on Earth
to see what differences will occur within the two sample groups.
The purpose of this experiment is to foster interest in space
among young children.
The principal investigator for this payload is Jan Sojka from
Utah State University. Susan Olden from Goddard is the mission
manager. Charles Knapp, also from Goddard, is the technical manager.
G-743
Broward (Davie, Fla.) and Brevard (Cocoa, Fla.), Community Colleges
along with Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in Miami, have
constructed a genotoxicology experiment to determine the degree
to which DNA is damaged by exposure to cosmic radiation in a space
environment.
For this payload experiment, DNA will be extracted from tissues
of a variety of vertebrate organisms including chicken, fish and
humans. The DNA samples will be loaded into sterile quartz tubes
and sealed. Identical control samples will be prepared, but will
not be flown in space. The DNA will be tested by measuring the
average length of the DNA in each sample.
Also seeds of the mustard plant, Arabodopsis, will be flown in
space and then grown on Earth to look for the effects of chromosome
damage. Germination (growth) and viability will also be compared
to a control population. Most of this work will be done by the
high school and college students upon return to Earth.
The G-743 payload team has said that the ultimate experiment objective
is to develop a community interest in space exploration activities,
and that "from humble beginnings, great things will come".
The principal investigator for this payload is Rolando Branly
from Broward Community College. Technical mentorship is provided
by John Bickham at Texas A&M University in College Station,
Texas. Susan Olden from Goddard is the mission manager for this
payload. Also, from Goddard is Charles Knapp, serving as the technical
manager.
Two Space Experiment Module (SEM) canisters (SEM-03 and SEM-05)
will be flying on Space Shuttle Mission STS-91. Each module contains
multiple experiments from middle school, high school and college
students around the country. The following SEM experiments will
be onboard:
SEM-03:
Shoreham (N.Y.) Wading River High School - The Effect of
Microgravity on Crossing-Over in Sordaria Fimicola
The experiment will study the effect of microgravity on the crossover rate (union between strains of a species) of the fungus called Sordaria Fimicola. Genetic cross-over is a form of natural genetic recombination (which is another term for crossovover) without which a species of organisms can experience reduced genetic variability. The students hypothesize that microgravity will generate a
significant reduction in genetic crossover. If proven true, the
implied lack of genetic variability could prove very detrimental
to any organism which reproduces in a microgravity environment
over a long period of time.
Inside the experiment module, a motor will align Petri dishes
containing the fungus and growth medium (food that will sustain
the fungus) which will allow contact and breeding to begin. Temperature
of the Sordaria will be thermostatically controlled. At two days,
seven hours and thirty minutes, active thermal control will be
discontinued by the pre-programmed commands of the students
and the experiment will continue unpowered. The fungi will be
allowed to grow and multiply for the duration of the flight. Upon
landing, the fungi will be examined to discover the rate at which
cross-over has occurred and compared to ground control data.
Tomasita Young Astronauts Club, Albuquerque, N.M. - Crystal
Growth in Microgravity
The purpose of this experiment is to compare the growth of crystals
in a microgravity environment to those grown on the ground. Crystals
will be measured for purity and the structure will also be examined
through the use of a scanning electron microscope located at the
University of New Mexico. Also, the growth pattern of crystals
in space will be compared to those grown on Earth through a comparison
of photographic records. The data will add to the general knowledge
of crystal growth behavior in a microgravity environment. Exceptionally
pure crystals are regularly grown in space to aid materials, semiconductor
and medical research.
Crystals will be grown using a supersaturation method. Pickling
alum will be dissolved in distilled water. The solution will be
cooled, allowing crystals to form on a piece of Zircon mounted
on a piece of platinum wire. The mineral Zircon has the same crystalline
structure as crystallized alum and will act as a seed crystal.
It is insoluble in water as well so it can be left in the solution
at all times.
During the flight, the crystal growth process will be photographed
with a specially modified 35 milimeter camera that is controlled
by the SEM Module Electronics Unit. Postflight, the samples will
be examined for purity and structure with the assistance of the
University of New Mexico's Geology Department.
Norfolk (Va.) Public Schools Science and Technology Advanced
Research (NORSTAR)
Experiment 1. Effect of Microgravity on development of Daphnia,
Eubranchipus and Triops eggs
The purpose of this experiment is to observe the development of
Daphnia, Eubranchipus and Triops eggs (freshwater organisms with
a shell) after they have been exposed to microgravity. The eggs
will be flown in space in a state of suspended animation within
a Plexiglas container. On their return to Earth their development
into adults will be observed and compared to eggs which developed
on Earth. The potential scientific value of the experiment includes:
new insights into developmental biology, developing strategies
to create artificial diapause in higher animals and altering cell
development and differentiation under microgravity conditions
Experiment 2. Separation of Immiscible Fluids in Microgravity
The purpose of the experiment is to observe the behavior (displacement)
of immiscible liquids (liquids incapable of being mixed) in a
microgravity environment in order to determine whether displacement
is due to surface tension, viscosity, or both. The separation
of oil and colored water in the experiment will be videotaped
in a microgravity environment. During the flight, a 50/50 combination
of colored salt water and vegetable oil will be mixed within a
Lexan container. A Teflon-coated magnetic stirring device will
be used to mix the liquids. Pre-mixing, mixing, and post-mixing
phases of the experiment will be videotaped over a two hour period.
The potential scientific value of the experiment includes: benefits
to the pharmaceutical industry in preparing medications, and development
of better food processing of salad dressings and other foods containing
significant amounts of oil and water. This experiment is a reflight
of one that flew on STS-80.
Boy Scouts Troop 177 and Four Rivers District, Gambrills, Md.
- Merit Badge Madness
The main purpose of this passive experiment is to determine how
the environment of space and radiation will affect soil, water,
and seed samples and their yield when planted. Each of the soil,
water, and seed samples will be contained in test tubes provided
by Goddard Space Flight Center.
When the samples are returned to Earth after the spaceflight,
each of the samples will be given a battery of tests to identify
pH level, which is used to describe the level of acidity or alkalinity
of a solution. Seeds will be planted and their growth and yield
will be evaluated. Flight samples will be compared with ground
samples.
Can Do Project, Charleston, S.C.
Experiment 1. MAVIS - Magnetic Attraction Viewed In Space
The purpose of the investigation is to capture an image of magnetic
fields in microgravity and to compare them to the fields of the
same magnets on Earth. A Light Emitting Diode will expose sheets
of fine grain positive film capturing the shadow pattern (shadowgram)
of thin iron filing filled boxes using electromagnets. Patterns
will be compared to those captured by the same apparatus on the
ground and by a similar experiment on a previous flight (STS-80).
Experiment 2. BEST - Big Experiments in Small Tubes
A variety of passive materials will be flown as part of this experiment.
Each sample is contained in a separate color coded "Cryovial".
Samples of photographic film and a particle track detector are
also contained in the module. Flown samples will be compared with
ground control samples that have been exposed to one of the following:
centrifugation, high radiation, liquid nitrogen freezing or passive
storage. Student teams will analyze and compare the samples.
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.- Cosmic Radiation
Effects on Programmable Logic Devices (CREPLD)
The purpose of this experiment is to determine the effects of
cosmic radiation on unshielded Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs).
PLDs are integrated circuits which can be programmed to perform
many functions. The devices retain their program even when not
powered, and they have a long shelf life. The experiment will
involve programming sample PLDs prior to flight, running the program
inflight, and run the program again postflight. Changes to the
program and correlation to cosmic radiation exposure and shielding
will be evaluated.
The potential scientific value of these measurements is the determination
of the amount of shielding needed for PLDs to be reliable in space.
If it is determined that the PLD is largely unaffected by cosmic
radiation, future SEM projects and other space experiments could
cut costs, experiment volume, and power requirements by using
a single PLD to do the work of many fixed-use chips.
Two identical circuits, one flown, one as ground control will
use PLDs programmed with a infinite loop program. Additionally,
fourteen non-powered Programmable Logic Devices will be flown
to provide additional data points. Once the flight PLD is returned
to Earth, its program will be compared to the ground control PLD's
program. The degree of corruption of the flight program, if any,
will be measured.
Woodmore Elementary School, Mitchellville, Md. - WESTAR
An assortment of passive experiment items
including seeds, soil, and other organic materials will be flown
in polycarbonate vials. The flight samples will be compared with
ground samples over a variety of physical characteristics.
SEM-05:
Chesapeake Bay Girl Scout Council, Salisbury,
Md. - The Effect of Spaceflight
on Food Yield
The effect of spaceflight on food yield is
the basis of this passive experiment. A medley of food materials
contained in NASA-provided polycarbonate vials are included such
as grass, peas, popcorn, and yeast. Once returned to Earth, the
space flown samples will be compared to ground samples. Factors
such as vitality, growth rate, yield, volume, etc. will be measured.
Excel interactive Science Museum, Salisbury,
Md. - Exposure of the SEM to the
Space Environment
The experiment will investigate the effects of the space environment
on electronic data storage, electrical circuits, magnetized metals,
growth of simple plants, and photographic film sensitivity. Data
disks with known data file structure will be analyzed when returned
to Earth for data corruption. The magnetic field strength of steel
nails will be measured before and after the flight then compared
to a ground-based control sample. The signal levels of voice recording
electronic circuits wrapped in two different materials will be
compared when returned to Earth. Similarly, the pulsing frequency
of 555-based pulsing circuits (a type of electronic circuit having
a numerical designation) will be measured on their return to Earth.
Germination and growth rate of space-exposed grass seed will be
investigated. Different photographic film types will be flown
and compared for X-ray sensitivity.
Grand Coulee (Wash.) Elementary School- Comparative
Microgravity Response of Fungi and Mold
The purpose of the experiment is to study the effect of microgravity
on the reproductive and growth mechanisms of simple plant species.
Samples of bread and orange peel will be qualitatively and quantitatively
compared to ground-based control samples upon their return to
Earth.
Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute, Ocononmowoc, Wis.- The
Effect of Microgravity on Plant Seeds
The experiment aims to be a basis for understanding the growth
patterns of microgravity-exposed grains, seed-bearing plants,
fruits, nuts, and trees. The growth rate, color, life span and
seed production of a diverse variety of seeds will be studied
once they are returned to Earth. Additionally, the space-flown
seeds will be compared to control seeds that have undergone radiation,
sub-zero temperature, centrifugal forces, and storage exposures.
Virginia Parent Teachers and Students Association, Accomac,
Va. - Flower Garden in Space
The effect of microgravity and temperature exposure on flower
and foliage seeds will be studied. Once returned to Earth, a variety
of growth factors of the seeds and resulting seedlings will be
qualitatively and quantitatively compared with ground-based control
samples.
Wicomico High School, Salisbury, Md. - Effects of Microgravity
on Sordaria Fimicola
The purpose of this experiment is to study the effects of microgravity
on the reproduction of the fungus Sordaria Fimicola. Also, an
aim is to determine what effects, if any, microgravity has on
the meiotic process, which is the division of cells resulting
in the production of fungus spores. The resulting spores will
be examinined for any evidence of crossover within the two fungus
strains. Additionally, an attempt to map the genes involved in
the determination of spore coat color will be made. Separate Petri
dishes of a tan strain and wild strain of Sordaria fimicola as
well as dishes containing both strains will be flown and examined
once returned to Earth.
The Commercial Protein Crystal Growth (CPCG) payload is designed
to conduct experiments which will supply information on the scientific
methods and commercial potential for growing large high-quality
protein crystals in microgravity. The CPCG will be installed and
operated in the Orbiter middeck. The CPCG payload consists of
a Commercial Refrigerator Incubator Module (CRIM), its contents,
and various stowed items.
A primary objective of the CPCG payload on this flight is to grow
parasitic enzyme crystals in space for the ChagaSpace Project.
ChagaSpace is a joint project between NASA and several universities
and institutions, with EARTH College as the coordinating entity
to study Chagas disease. Chagas disease affects 16 to 18 million
people, mostly in Latin America, with 90 to 100 million at risk.
It is estimated that the disease causes approximately 20,000 deaths
per year.
Chagas disease is caused by the flagellate protozoan parasite,
Trypanosomacruzi, and is transmitted to humans by the feces
of "kissing bugs." The parasite has been extending its
reach, mostly due to blood transfusion, and has spread to new
areas like Europe and the United States.
Growing higher quality crystals in space often yields higher resolution
data important for developing drugs against diseases. This study
represents the first Latin American experiment performed in space
Below and on the next page is information on the various proteins
which are flying as part of the CPCG experiment on STS-91. Also
shown is the organization or institution affiliated with each
protein experiment along with some background information about
each particular study.
|
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|
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| Lysozyme | Dr. Shigeo Aibara
Kyoto University, Kyoto Japan | The purpose of this study is to grow orthorhombic lysozyme crystals to compare the molecular order and mosaicity of ground and space grown crystals. Synchrotron radiation will be used to collect x-ray diffraction data. |
| Proteinase K
Proteinase K/substrate Complex | Dr. Christian Betzel
DESY, Hamburg, Germany | Previous microgravity-grown crystals diffracted to 0.95 Å and gave the best x-ray data ever collected for this protein complex. The goal of this project to get better structural data for use in designing inhibitors for pharmaceutical applications. |
| NAD Synthetase Complex | Dr. Yancho Devedjiev
Center for Macromolecular Crystallography/Eli Lilly, Inc. | NAD Synthetase is the key enzyme in NAD biosynthesis and is the target for the structure-based design of antibacterial drugs; previous microgravity crystals have produced significant enhancements to the structural data. |
| Pseudomonal Surface Protein A | Dr. Mark Jedrzedas
Center for Macromolecular Crystallography | This is one of the major virulence factors of Streptococcus pneumoniae; it has proven potential for the development of therapeutic agents against pneumonia. |
| Influenza Virus N8 and N2 Neuraminidase | Dr. Graeme Laver
John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University | Neuraminidase is a protein on the surface of all viral influenza particles; the protein is a target for the structure-based drug design studies involving influenza. |
| Glyceraldehyde-3 -Phosphate Dehydrogenase complexed with Inhibitor 1 | Dr. Glaucius Oliva
University of São Paulo/União Química Farmaceutica Nacional S/A | This protein is a drug target for the treatment of Chagas' disease. The complex involves Inhibitor 1, which is a small molecule extracted from a Brazilian plant. |
| Glyceraldehyde-3 -Phosphate Dehydrogenase complexed with Inhibitor 2 | Dr. Glaucius Oliva
University of São Paulo/União Química Farmaceutica Nacional S/A | This protein is a drug target for the treatment of Chagas' disease. The complex involves Inhibitor 2, which is a small molecule extracted from a Brazilian plant. |
| Glyceraldehyde-3 -Phosphate Dehydrogenase complexed with Inhibitor 3 | Dr. Glaucius Oliva
University of São Paulo/União Química Farmaceutica Nacional S/A | This protein is a drug target for the treatment of Chagas' disease. The complex involves Inhibitor 3, which is a compound synthesized as a structure-based drug design target. |
| MutT | Dr. Stephen Quirk
Georgia Institute of Technology | This is an enzyme that protects DNA from oxidative damage prior to replication by hydrolyzing damaged DNA precursors. It prevents spontaneous mutations and is found in all organisms. |
| Clumping Protein-B | Dr. Narayana Sthanam
Center for Macromolecular Crystallography/ Inhibitex, Inc. | This protein has been shown to be bind to the and chains of fibrinogen and to be involved in Staphylococcus aureus clumping. |
| Multiple Adhesion Protein-10 | Dr. Narayana Sthanam
Center for Macromolecular Crystallography/ Inhibitex, Inc. | This is a surface bacterial adhesion protein and it is involved in the first step of bacterial attack on cells. It is a target in the design of drugs to combat bacterial infections. |
| Grass Pollen Allergen Phl p 5b | Dr. Wolfgang Weber
University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany | This allergen induces allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma. Therefore, it is a target for the design of drugs to block interactions with IgE antibodies. |
Principal Investigator: Robert A. Altenkirch, Professor and Dean, Washington State University
Project Manager: Franklin Vergilii, NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, OH
Project Scientist: Kurt Sacksteder, NASA Lewis Research
Center, Cleveland, OH
Experiment Description: The SSCE series of experiments
are designed to characterize flame spreading in microgravity and
its differences from normal gravity behavior, leading to a better
understanding of the physical processes involved. The knowledge
gained is expected to enhance our understanding of fire behavior,
both in space and on Earth. On Earth, gravity causes hot gases
produced by flames to rise in the same way that oil floats on
water, or helium balloons rise. Air flow induced by gravity is
called buoyant convection. This convection brings fresh oxygen
to meet the fuel vapor coming from the burning material. The spread
rate of the flame is directly affected by the rate at which the
fuel and oxygen are mixed with the help of buoyant convection.
Objectives:
To measure the spread rates and temperatures of flames spreading over solid fuels (i.e. ashless filter paper and Plexiglas) in microgravity.
To determine the effect of air pressure and oxygen concentration on flame spread rate and temperature.
To determine the mechanism of flame spreading in the absence of any forced or convective airflow.
To validate existing numerical models of the flame spreading process.
To contribute to improved methods of fire safety and fire control of space travel.
Principal Investigator: John Hegseth, University of New Orleans, LA
Project Manager: Monica Hoffmann, NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, OH
Project Scientist: R. Allen Wilkinson, NASA Lewis Research
Center, Cleveland, OH
Objective: To perform three separate experiments that will
test current theories and measure properties not possible in Earth's
gravity for phase transitions, vapor to liquid and vice-versa,
near a unique thermodynamic state, the "critical point."
Experiment Description: All three mission experiments will
use a typical gas, pure sulfur-hexafluoride, which has been used
both as a refrigerant and an electrical insulator in transformers,
compressed to about the density of water by a pressure of about
38 atmospheres and at a temperature of 45.5 degrees Centigrade.
At this "critical" pressure, density and temperature,
the fluid has unusual properties like infinite capacity to store
heat and the ability to conduct heat infinitely fast, which comes
from the fluid having many intense density fluctuations. Density
fluctuations are common in the dense gases of the Sun and in our
atmosphere.
The first experiment will provide data that will help decide which
of two different mathematical equations to apply in determining
the growth rate of droplets in a homogeneous fluid (uniform in
its density) when it is cooled from a state (temperature, pressure
and density) where liquid and gas have no separate existence to
a state where they are separate. The second experiment will observe
the formation of bubble surfaces, their location, shape and rate
of shape and size change during gentle boiling of the fluid while
going from the state where liquid and gas are separate to the
state where the gas and liquid are indistinguishable. The third
experiment will look at the pattern and size of the density fluctuations
near the "critical" point. That is, many different sized
regions of the fluid have measurably different densities that
increase and decrease rapidly. Images taken during this experiment
will be analyzed to determine if the fluctuation size is random,
or obeying some other probability law. To date, this experiment
has not been possible to do in ground-based facilities because
the fluid collapses under its own weight near the "critical
point."
Significance: These microgravity experiments will increase
our knowledage in the fundamental science of critical fluids.
The theory of critical phase transitions; vapor to liquid, normal
to super-fluids with no viscosity and normal to super-conductors
with no resistance to electric currents have common theoretical
foundations. Further development of the theories to fully predict
their behavior will be useful in manufacturing processes and applications.
Past fundamental research in critical fluids has enabled us to
use supercritical (above critical temperature and pressure) extraction
of caffeine from coffee beans using carbon dioxide and the mixing
of paint and solvent in manufacturing processes.
The Shuttle Ionospheric Modification With Pulsed Local Exhaust
(SIMPLEX) contains no flight hardware. The SIMPLEX experiment
will use Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) thruster firings to
create Ionospheric disturbances for observation by the three SIMPLEX
radar sites in Arecibo, Kwajalein, and Jicamarca.
The objective is to determine the source of very high frequency
(VHF) radar echoes caused by the orbiter and its OMS engine firings.
The principal investigator will use the collected data to examine
the effects of orbital kinetic energy on ionospheric irregularities
and to understand the processes that take place with the venting
of exhaust materials.
Charles J. Precourt (Colonel, USAF)
STS-91 Mission Commander
PERSONAL DATA - Born June 29, 1955, in Waltham, Massachusetts,
but considers Hudson, Massachusetts, to be his hometown. Married
to the former Lynne Denise Mungle of St. Charles, Missouri. They
have three daughters, Michelle, Sarah, and Aimee. Precourt enjoys
golf and flying light aircraft. He flies a Varieze, an experimental
aircraft that he built. His parents, Charles and Helen Precourt,
reside in Hudson. Her parents, Loyd and Jerry Mungle, reside in
Streetman, Texas.
EDUCATION - Graduated from Hudson High School, Hudson, Massachusetts,
in 1973; received a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical
engineering from the United States Air Force Academy in 1977,
a master of science degree in engineering management from Golden
Gate University in 1988, and a master of arts degree in national
security affairs and strategic studies from the United States
Naval War College in 1990. While at the United States Air Force
Academy, Precourt also attended the French Air Force Academy in
1976 as part of an exchange program.
ORGANIZATIONS - Member of the Association of Space Explorers,
the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP), the Soaring Society
of America, and the Experimental Aircraft Association.
SPECIAL HONORS - Defense Superior Service Medal (2); Air Force
Meritorious Service Medal (2); Distinguished graduate of the United
States Air Force Academy and the United States Naval War College.
In 1978 he was the Air Training Command Trophy Winner as the outstanding
graduate of his pilot training class. In 1989 he was recipient
of the David B. Barnes Award as the Outstanding Instructor Pilot
at the United States Air ForceTest Pilot School.
EXPERIENCE - Precourt graduated from Undergraduate Pilot Training
at Reese Air Force Base, Texas, in 1978. Initially he flew as
an instructor pilot in the T-37, and later as a maintenance test
pilot in the T-37 and T-38 aircraft. From 1982 through 1984, he
flew an operational tour in the F-15 Eagle at Bitburg Air Base
in Germany. In 1985 he attended the United States Air Force Test
Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Upon graduation,
Precourt was assigned as a test pilot at Edwards, where he flew
the F-15E, F-4, A-7, and A-37 aircraft until mid 1989, when he
began studies at the United States Naval War College in Newport,
Rhode Island. Upon graduation from the War College, Precourt joined
the astronaut program. His flight experience includes over 6,500
hours in over 50 types of civil and military aircraft. He holds
commercial pilot, multi-engine instrument, glider and certified
flight instructor ratings.
NASA EXPERIENCE - Selected by NASA in January 1990, Precourt became
an astronaut in July 1991. His technical assignments to date have
included: Manager of ascent, entry, and launch abort issues for
the Astronaut Office Operations Development Branch; spacecraft
communicator (CAPCOM), providing the voice link from the Mission
Control Center during launch and entry for several Space Shuttle
missions; Director of Operations for NASA at the Gagarin Cosmonaut
Training Center in Star City, Russia, from October 1995 to April
1996, with responsibility for the coordination and implementation
of mission operations activities in the Moscow region for the
joint U.S./Russian Shuttle/Mir program. He also served as Acting
Assistant Director (Technical), Johnson Space Center. A veteran
of three space flights, he has logged over 696 hours in space.
He served as a mission specialist on STS-55 (April 26 to May 6,
1993), was the pilot on STS-71 (June 27 to July 7, 1995), and
was the spacecraft commander on STS-84 (May 15-24, 1997). Precourt
is assigned to command STS-91, the final scheduled Shuttle/Mir
docking mission, concluding the joint U.S./Russian Phase I Program.
STS-91 is scheduled for a May 1998 launch.
SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE - STS-55 Columbia launched from Kennedy
Space Center, Florida, on April 26, 1993. Nearly 90 experiments
were conducted during this German-sponsored Spacelab D-2 mission
to investigate life sciences, materials sciences, physics, robotics,
astronomy and the Earth and its atmosphere. STS-55 also flew the
Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX) making contact with students
in 14 schools around the world. After 160 orbits of the earth
in 240 flight hours, the 10-day mission concluded with a landing
on Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on May 6,
1993.
STS-71 (June 27 to July 7, 1995) was the first Space Shuttle mission
to dock with the Russian Space Station Mir, and involved an exchange
of crews (seven-member crew at launch, eight-member crew on return).
The Atlantis Space Shuttle was modified to carry a docking system
compatible with the Russian Mir Space Station. It also carried
a Spacehab module in the payload bay in which the crew performed
various life sciences experiments and data collections. STS-71
Atlantis launched from and returned to land at the Kennedy Space
Center, Florida. Mission duration was 235 hours, 23 minutes.
STS-84 Atlantis (May 15-24, 1997) carried a seven-member international
crew. This was NASA's sixth Shuttle mission to rendezvous and
dock with the Russian Space Station Mir. During the 9-day flight,
the crew conducted a number of secondary experiments and transferred
nearly 4 tons of supplies and experiment equipment between the
Space Shuttle and the Mir station. STS-84 Atlantis launched from
and returned to land at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Mission
duration was 221 hours and 20 minutes.
Dominic L. Pudwill Gorie (Commander, USN)
STS-91 Pilot
PERSONAL DATA - Born May 2, 1957, in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Married to Wendy Lu Williams of Midland, Texas. They have two
children. He enjoys skiing, hiking, bicycling, golf and family
activities. His mother, Shirley Pudwill, resides in Casselberry,
Florida. His adoptive father, William Gorie, resides in Palm City,
Florida. His father, Paul Pudwill, is deceased. Her mother, Laura
Williams, resides in Midland, Texas. Her father, Deen Williams,
is deceased.
EDUCATION - Graduated from Miami Palmetto High School, Miami,
Florida, in 1975. Bachelor of Science degree in ocean engineering
from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1979. Master of science degree
in aviation systems from the University of Tennessee in 1990.
SPECIAL HONORS - Distinguished Flying Cross with Combat "V",
Joint Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal (2), Navy Commendation
Medal with Combat "V" (2), Navy Achievement Medal, 1985
Strike Fighter Wing Atlantic Pilot-of-the-Year.
EXPERIENCE - Designated a Naval Aviator in 1981. Flew the A-7E
Corsair with Attack Squadron 46 aboard the USS America from 1981
to 1983. Transitioned to Strike Fighter Squadron 132 in 1983,
flying the F/A-18 Hornet aboard the USS Coral Sea until 1986.
Attended the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in 1987 and served as
a Test Pilot at the Naval Air Test Center from 1988 to 1990. Then
was assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 87 flying the F/A-18 aboard
the USS Roosevelt until 1992. Participated in Operation Desert
Storm, flying 38 combat missions. In 1992 received orders to U.S.
Space Command in Colorado Springs for two years before reporting
to Strike Fighter Squadron 106 for F/A-18 refresher training.
Was enroute to his command tour of Strike Fighter Squadron 37
when selected as an Astronaut Candidate.
Gorie has accumulated over 3500 hours in more than 30 aircraft
and has over 600 carrier landings.
NASA EXPERIENCE - Selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in December 1994, Gorie reported to the Johnson Space Center in March 1995. He completed a year of training and evaluation and then was initially assigned to work safety issues for the Astronaut Office. Gorie next served as a spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) in Mission Control for numerous Space Shuttle flights. Gorie is currently assigned as pilot on STS-91, the final scheduled Shuttle/Mir docking mission, concluding the joint U.S./Russian Phase I Program. STS-91 is scheduled for a May 1998 launch.
Franklin R. Chang-Díaz (Ph.D.)
STS-91 Mission Specialist
PERSONAL DATA - Born April 5, 1950, in San José, Costa
Rica, to the late Mr. Ramón A. Chang-Morales and Mrs. María
Eugenia Díaz De Chang. Married to the former Peggy Marguerite
Doncaster of Alexandria, Louisiana. Four children. He enjoys music,
glider planes, soccer, scuba-diving, hunting, and hiking. His
mother resides in Costa Rica.
EDUCATION - Graduated from Colegio De La Salle in San José,
Costa Rica, in November 1967, and from Hartford High School in
Hartford, Connecticut, in 1969; received a bachelor of science
degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Connecticut
in 1973 and a doctorate in applied plasma physics from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1977.
SPECIAL HONORS - Recipient of the University of Connecticut's
Outstanding Alumni Award (1980); NASA Space Flight Medal (1986);
the Liberty Medal from President Ronald Reagan at the Statue of
Liberty Centennial Celebration in New York City (1986); the Medal
of Excellence from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (1987); NASA
Exceptional Service Medals (1988, 1990, 1993); American Astronautical
Society Flight Achievement Award (1989); NASA Space Flight Medals
(1986, 1989, 1992, 1994). Outstanding Technical Contribution Award,
Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Conference (1993).
Awarded the Cross of the Venezuelan Air Force by President Jaime
Lusinchi during the 68th Anniversary of the Venezuelan Air Force
in Caracas, Venezuela (1988). Recipient of three Honoris Causa
Doctorates: Doctor of Science from the Universidad Nacional de
Costa Rica; Doctor of Science from the University of Connecticut
and Doctor of Law from Babson College. Also Honorary faculty from
the College of Engineering of the University of Costa Rica. Honorary
Citizenship from the government of Costa Rica (April 1995). This
is the highest honor Costa Rica confers to a foreign citizen,
making him the first such honoree who was actually born there.
EXPERIENCE - While attending the University of Connecticut, he
also worked as a research assistant in the Physics Department
and participated in the design and construction of high energy
atomic collision experiments. Following graduation in 1973, he
entered graduate school at MIT, becoming heavily involved in the
United States' controlled fusion program and doing intensive research
in the design and operation of fusion reactors. He obtained his
doctorate in the field of applied plasma physics and fusion technology
and, in that same year, joined the technical staff of the Charles
Stark Draper Laboratory. His work at Draper was geared strongly
toward the design and integration of control systems for fusion
reactor concepts and experimental devices, in both inertial and
magnetic confinement fusion. In 1979, he developed a novel concept
to guide and target fuel pellets in an inertial fusion reactor
chamber. More recently he has been engaged in the design of a
new concept in rocket propulsion based on magnetically confined
high temperature plasmas. As a visiting scientist with the M.I.T.
Plasma Fusion Center from October 1983 to December 1993, he led
the plasma propulsion program there to develop this technology
for future human missions to Mars. In December 1993, Dr. Chang-Díaz
was appointed Director of the Advanced Space Propulsion Laboratory
at the Johnson Space Center where he continues his research on
plasma rockets. He is an Adjunct Professor of Physics at the University
of Houston and has presented numerous papers at technical conferences
and in scientific journals.
In addition to his main fields of science and engineering, he
worked for 2-1/2 years as a house manager in an experimental community
residence for de-institutionalizing chronic mental patients, and
was heavily involved as an instructor/advisor with a rehabilitation
program for hispanic drug abusers in Massachusetts.
NASA EXPERIENCE - Selected by NASA in May 1980, Dr. Chang-Díaz
became an astronaut in August 1981. While undergoing astronaut
training he was also involved in flight software checkout at the
Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL), and participated
in the early Space Station design studies. In late 1982 he was
designated as support crew for the first Spacelab mission and,
in November 1983, served as on orbit capsule communicator (CAPCOM)
during that flight. From October 1984 to August 1985 he was leader
of the astronaut support team at the Kennedy Space Center. His
duties included astronaut support during the processing of the
various vehicles and payloads, as well as flight crew support
during the final phases of the launch countdown. He has logged
over 1,800 hours of flight time, including 1,500 hours in jet
aircraft. Dr. Chang-Díaz was instrumental in implementing
closer ties between the astronaut corps and the scientific community.
In January 1987, he started the Astronaut Science Colloquium Program
and later helped form the Astronaut Science Support Group, which
he directed until January 1989.
A veteran of five space flights (STS 61-C in 1986, STS-34 in 1989,
STS-46 in 1992, STS-60 in 1994, and STS-75 in 1996), he has logged
over 1,033 hours in space. Dr. Chang- Díaz is currently
assigned as a mission specialist on STS-91, the final scheduled
Shuttle/Mir docking mission, concluding the joint U.S./Russian
Phase I Program. STS-91 is scheduled for a May 1998 launch.
SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE - STS 61-C (January 12-18, 1986) which
launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on the Space
Shuttle Columbia. STS 61-C was a 6-day flight during which Dr.
Chang-Díaz participated in the deployment of the SATCOM
KU satellite, conducted experiments in astrophysics, and operated
the materials processing laboratory MSL-2. Following 96 orbits
of the Earth, Columbia and her crew made a successful night landing
at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Mission duration was 146
hours, 3 minutes, 51 seconds.
On STS-34 (October 18-23, 1989), the crew aboard Space Shuttle
Atlantis successfully deployed the Galileo spacecraft on its journey
to explore Jupiter, operated the Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet
Instrument (SSBUV) to map atmospheric ozone, and performed numerous
secondary experiments involving radiation measurements, polymer
morphology, lightning research, microgravity effects on plants,
and a student experiment on ice crystal growth in space. STS-34
launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, and landed at Edwards
Air Force Base, California. Mission duration was 119 hours and
41 minutes and was accomplished in 79 orbits of the Earth.
STS-46 (July 31-August 8, 1992), was an 8-day mission during which
crew members deployed the European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA)
satellite, and conducted the first Tethered Satellite System (TSS)
test flight. Mission duration was 191 hours, 16 minutes, 7 seconds.
Space Shuttle Atlantis and her crew launched and landed at the
Kennedy Space Center, Florida, after completing 126 orbits of
the Earth in 3.35 million miles.
STS-60 (February 3-11, 1994), was the first flight of the Wake
Shield Facility (WSF-1), the second flight of the Space Habitation
Module-2 (Spacehab-2), and the first joint U.S./Russian Space
Shuttle mission on which a Russian Cosmonaut was a crew member.
During the 8-day flight, the crew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery
conducted a wide variety of biological materials science, earth
observation, and life science experiments. STS-60 launched and
landed at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The mission achieved
130 orbits of Earth in 3,439,705 miles.
STS-75 (February 22 to March 9, 1996), was a 15-day mission with
principal payloads being the reflight of the Tethered Satellite
System (TSS) and the third flight of the United States Microgravity
Payload (USMP-3). The TSS successfully demonstrated the ability
of tethers to produce electricity. The TSS experiment produced
a wealth of new information on the electrodynamics of tethers
and plasma physics before the tether broke at 19.7 km, just shy
of the 20.7 km goal. The crew also worked around the clock performing
combustion experiments and research related to USMP-3 microgravity
investigations used to improve production of medicines, metal
alloys, and semiconductors. The mission was completed in 252 orbits
covering 6.5 million miles in 377 hours and 40 minutes.
Wendy B. Lawrence (Commander, USN)
STS-91 Mission Specialist
PERSONAL DATA - Born July 2, 1959, in Jacksonville, Florida. She
enjoys running, rowing, triathlons and gardening. Her father,
Vice Admiral William P. Lawrence (USN, retired), resides in Crownsville,
Maryland. Her mother, Anne Haynes, resides in Alvadore, Oregon.
EDUCATION - Graduated from Fort Hunt High School, Alexandria,
Virginia, in 1977; received a bachelor of science degree in ocean
engineering from U.S Naval Academy in 1981; a master of science
degree in ocean engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in 1988.
ORGANIZATIONS - Phi Kappa Phi; Association of Naval Aviation;
Women Military Aviators; Naval Helicopter Association.
SPECIAL HONORS - Awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, the
NASA Space Flight Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal and the Navy
Achievement Medal. Recipient of the National Navy League's Captain
Winifred Collins Award for inspirational leadership (1986).
EXPERIENCE - Lawrence graduated from the United States Naval Academy
in 1981. A distinguished flight school graduate, she was designated
as a naval aviator in July 1982. Lawrence has more than 1,500
hours flight time in six different types of helicopters and has
made more than 800 shipboard landings. While stationed at Helicopter
Combat Support Squadron SIX (HC-6), she was one of the first two
female helicopter pilots to make a long deployment to the Indian
Ocean as part of a carrier battle group. After completion of a
master's degree program at MIT and WHOI in 1988, she was assigned
to Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light THIRTY (HSL-30) as
officer-in-charge of Detachment ALFA. In October 1990, Lawrence
reported to the U.S. Naval Academy where she served as a physics
instructor and the novice women's crew coach.
NASA EXPERIENCE - Selected by NASA in March 1992, Lawrence reported
to the Johnson Space Center in August 1992. She completed one
year of training and is qualified for assignment as a mission
specialist on future Space Shuttle missions. Her technical assignments
within the Astronaut Office have included: flight software verification
in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL); Astronaut
Office Assistant Training Officer. She flew as the ascent/entry
flight engineer and blue shift orbit pilot on STS-67 (March 2-18,
1995). She next served as Director of Operations for NASA at the
Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, with responsibility
for the coordination and implementation of mission operations
activities in the Moscow region for the joint U.S./Russian Shuttle/Mir
program. In September 1996 she began training for a 4-month mission
on the Russian Space Station Mir, but in July 1997 NASA decided
to replace Lawrence with her back-up, Dr. David Wolf. This decision
enabled Wolf to act as a backup crew member for spacewalks planned
over the next several months to repair the damaged Spektr module
on the Russian outpost. Because of her knowledge and experience
with Mir systems and with crew transfer logistics for the Mir,
she flew with the crew of STS-86 (September 25 to October 6, 1997).
A veteran of two space flights, she has logged 658 hours in space.
Lawrence is currently assigned as a mission specialist on STS-91,
the final scheduled Shuttle/Mir docking mission, concluding the
joint U.S./Russian Phase I Program. STS-91 is scheduled for a
May 1998 launch.
SPACEFLIGHT EXPERIENCE - STS-67 Endeavour (March 2-18, 1995) was
the second flight of the ASTRO observatory, a unique complement
of three telescopes. During this 16-day mission, the crew conducted
observations around the clock to study the far ultraviolet spectra
of faint astronomical objects and the polarization of ultraviolet
light coming from hot stars and distant galaxies. Mission duration
was 399 hours and 9 minutes.
STS-86 Atlantis (September 25 to October 6, 1997) was the seventh
mission to rendezvous and dock with the Russian Space Station
Mir. Highlights included the exchange of U.S. crew members Mike
Foale and David Wolf, a spacewalk by two crew members to retrieve
four experiments first deployed on Mir during the STS-76 docking
mission, the transfer to Mir of 10,400 pounds of science and logistics,
and the return of experiment hardware and results to Earth. Mission
duration was 259 hours and 21 minutes.
NASA Astronaut
PERSONAL DATA - Born July 17, 1959 in Springfield, Missouri. Married
to John Kavandi. They have two children. She enjoys snow skiing,
hiking, camping, horseback riding, windsurfing, flying, scuba
diving, piano. Her parents, William and Ruth Sellers of Cassville,
Missouri, are deceased.
EDUCATION - Graduated from Carthage Senior High School, Carthage
Missouri, in 1977; received a bachelor of science degree in chemistry
from Missouri Southern State College - Joplin in 1980; master
of science degree in chemistry from the University of Missouri
- Rolla in 1982; doctorate in analytical chemistry from the University
of Washington - Seattle in 1990.
SPECIAL HONORS - Elected to the National Honor Society, 1977.
Valedictorian of Carthage Senior High School, 1977. Awarded Presidential
Scholarship from Missouri Southern State College, 1977. Graduated
magma cum laude from Missouri Southern State College, 1980. Elected
to Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges,
1980; Who's Who of Emerging Leaders in America, 1989-90, 1991-92;
and Who's Who in the West, 1987-88. Awarded certificates for Team
Excellence and Performance Excellence from Boeing Missile Systems,
1991.
EXPERIENCE - Following graduation in 1982, Dr. Kavandi accepted
a position at Eagle-Picher Industries in Joplin, Missouri, as
an engineer in new battery development for defense applications.
In 1984, she accepted a position as an engineer in the Power Systems
Technology Department of the Boeing Aerospace Company. During
her ten years at Boeing, Kavandi supported numerous programs,
proposals and red teams in the energy storage systems area through
power analyses, trade studies, sizing, selection, development,
testing and data analysis. She was lead engineer of secondary
power for the Short Range Attack Missile II, and principal technical
staff representative involved in the design and development of
thermal batteries for Sea Lance and the Lightweight Exo-Atmospheric
Projectile. Other programs she supported include Space Station,
Lunar and Mars Base studies, Inertial Upper Stage, Advanced Orbital
Transfer Vehicle, Get-Away Specials, Small Spacecraft, Air Launched
Cruise Missile, Minuteman, and Peacekeeper. In 1986, while still
working for Boeing, she was accepted into graduate school at the
University of Washington, where she began working toward her doctorate
in analytical chemistry. Her doctoral dissertation involved the
development of a pressure-indicating coating that uses oxygen
quenching of porphyrin photoluminescence to provide continuous
surface pressure maps of aerodynamic test models in wind tunnels.
Commercial imaging technology was used for data collection and
analysis. This non-intrusive technique was developed to supplement
or replace the more expensive and time consuming pressure tap
method. Her work on pressure indicating paints has resulted in
two patents to date. In addition to her patents, Dr. Kavandi has
published and presented several papers at technical conferences
and in scientific journals.
NASA EXPERIENCE - Dr. Kavandi was selected as an astronaut candidate
by NASA in December 1994 and reported to the Johnson Space Center
in March 1995. Following an initial year of training, she was
assigned to the Payloads and Habitability Branch where she supported
payload integration for the International Space Station. Dr. Kavandi
is currently assigned as a mission specialist on STS-91, the final
scheduled Shuttle/Mir docking mission, concluding the joint U.S./Russian
Phase I Program. STS-91 is scheduled for a May 1998 launch.
Russian Cosmonaut / STS-91 Mission Specialist
PERSONAL DATA - Born August 16, 1939 in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur
in the Russian Far East. Married. Has two daughters and a son.
His hobbies include tennis, angling, hunting, walking through
forests, and travel.
EDUCATION - In 1958, he was graduated from the Kaliningrad Mechanical
Engineering Technical College with the specialty "Cold Working
of Metal." In 1966, he was graduated from the Department
of Electronics and Computing Technology of the Moscow Forestry
Engineering Institute with the specialty "Spacecraft Control
Systems."
SPECIAL HONORS - Ryumin has been decorated twice as Hero of the
Soviet Union, and has been awarded other Russian and foreign decorations.
EXPERIENCE - From 1958 to 1961, Ryumin served in the army as a
tank commander.
From 1966 to the present, he has been employed at the Rocket Space
Corporation Energia, holding the positions of: Ground Electrical
Test Engineer, Deputy Lead Designer for Orbital Stations, Department
Head, and Deputy General Designer for Testing. He helped develop
and prepare all orbital stations, beginning with Salyut-1. In
1973, he joined the RSC Energia cosmonaut corps. A veteran of
three space flights, Ryumin has logged a total of 362 days in
space. In 1977, he spent 2 days aboard Soyuz-25, in 1979, he spent
175 days aboard Soyuz vehicles and the Salyut-6 space station,
and in 1980, he spent 185 days aboard Soyuz vehicles and the Salyut-6
space station.
From 1981 to 1989, Ryumin was flight director for the Salyut-7
space station and the Mir space station. Since 1992, he has been
the Director of the Russian portion of the Shuttle-Mir and NASA-Mir
program.
In January 1998, NASA announced Ryumin's selection to the crew
of STS-91, the final scheduled Shuttle-Mir docking mission, concluding
the joint U.S./Russian Phase I Program. STS-91 is scheduled for
a May 1998 launch.
STS-89 / Mir-25 / STS-91
PERSONAL DATA - Born December 18, 1951, in Adelaide, South Australia.
Single. He enjoys horse riding and jumping, mountain biking, running,
wind surfing, and classical guitar playing. His father, Adrian
C. Thomas, resides in Hackham, South Australia. His mother, Mary
E. Thomas, resides in North Adelaide, South Australia.
EDUCATION - Received a bachelor of engineering degree in mechanical
engineering, with First Class Honors, from the University of Adelaide,
South Australia, in 1973, and a doctorate in mechanical engineering
from the University of Adelaide, South Australia, in 1978.
ORGANIZATIONS - Member of the American Institute of Aeronautics
and Astronautics.
EXPERIENCE - Dr. Thomas began his professional career as a research
scientist with the Lockheed Aeronautical Systems Company, Marietta,
Georgia, in 1977. At that time he was responsible for experimental
investigations into the control of fluid dynamic instabilities
and aircraft drag. In 1980, he was appointed Principal Aerodynamic
Scientist to the company and headed a research team examining
various problems in advanced aerodynamics and aircraft flight
test.
This was followed in 1983 by an appointment as the head of the
Advanced Flight Sciences Department to lead a research department
of engineers and scientists engaged in experimental and computational
studies in fluid dynamics, aerodynamics and aeroacoustics. He
was also manager of the research laboratory, the wind tunnels,
and the test facilities used in these studies. In 1987, Dr. Thomas
was named manager of Lockheed's Flight Sciences Division and directed
the technical efforts in vehicle aerodynamics, flight controls
and propulsion systems that supported the company's fleet of production
aircraft.
In 1989, he moved to Pasadena, California, to join the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory (JPL) and, shortly after, was appointed leader of the
JPL program for microgravity materials processing in space. This
NASA-sponsored research included scientific investigations, conducted
in the laboratory and in low gravity on NASA's KC-135 aircraft,
as well as technology studies to support the development of the
space flight hardware for future Shuttle missions.
NASA EXPERIENCE - Dr. Thomas was selected by NASA in March 1992
and reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1992. In August
1993, following one year of training, he was appointed a member
of the astronaut corp and was qualified for assignment as a mission
specialist on Space Shuttle flight crews.
While awaiting space flight assignment, Dr. Thomas supported shuttle
launch and landing operations as an Astronaut Support Person (ASP)
at the Kennedy Space Center. He also provided technical support
to the Space Shuttle Main Engine project, the Solid Rocket Motor
project and the External Tank project at the Marshall Space Flight
Center. He trained at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in
Star City, Russia in preparation for a long-duration stay aboard
the Russian Space Station. Dr. Thomas flew on STS-77 (May 19-29,
1996) and has logged 240 hours and 39 minutes in space. He currently
serves as Board Engineer 2 aboard the Russian Space Station Mir.
SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE - In June 1995 Dr. Thomas was named as
payload commander for STS-77 and flew his first flight in space
on Endeavour in May 1996. During this 10-day mission the crew
of STS-77 deployed two satellites, tested a large inflatable space
structure on orbit and conducted a variety of scientific experiments
in a Spacehab laboratory module carried in Endeavour's payload
bay. The flight was launched from the Kennedy Space Center on
May 19, 1996 and completed 160 orbits 153 nautical miles above
the Earth while traveling 4.1 million miles and logging 240 hours
and 39 minutes in space.
On January 22, 1998, Dr. Thomas launched aboard Space Shuttle
Endeavour as part of the STS-89 crew. Following docking, January
25, 1998 marked the official start of his expected 4-month stay
aboard Space Station Mir.