STS-87 LAUNCH DATE/TIME: November 19, 1997, 1:46PM CST LAUNCH SITE: KSC/Pad 39B LAUNCH WINDOW: 2 hours 30 minutes LANDING DATE/TIME: December 5, 1997, 6:19AM CST NOMINAL LANDING SITE: KSC ABORT LANDING SITES: Return to Launch Site -- KSC Transoceanic Abort Landing -- Banjul Alternates - Ben Guerir, Moron Abort Once Around -- EAFB ORBITER: OV-102 (Columbia) ALTITUDE: 150 nm INCLINATION: 28.45 degrees DURATION: 16 Flight days (Two additional days are provided for contingency ops and weather avoidance) CREW: Kevin Kregel, Commander Stevn Lindsey, Pilot Winston Scott, Mission Specialist Kalpana Chawla, Mission Specialist Takao Doi, Mission Specialist Leonid Kadenyuk, Payload Specialist CARGO BAY PAYLOADS: USMP-04 (United States Microgravity Payload) SPTN-201-04 (Spartan-201) OARE (Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment) EDFT-05 (EVA Demonstration Flight Test-05) SOLSE (Shuttle Ozone Limb Sending Experiment) LPH (Loop Heat Pipe) NaSBE (Sodium Sulfur Battery Experiment) TGDF (Turbulent GAS Jet Diffusion) G-744 (Get Away Special 744) AERCam/ (Autonomous EVA Robotic Camera/Sprint) Sprint CARGO BAY EQUIPMENT: EDO Pallet (Extended Duration Orbiter Pallet) IN-CABIN PAYLOADS: MGBX (Middeck Glove Box Payload) CUE (Collaborative Ukrainian Experiment) HIGHLIGHTS: SPARTAN-201 operations. Deploy on orbit 18 and retrieve on orbit 52. Operations of the United States Microgravity Payload. A scheduled EVA to demonstrate International Space Station assembly and maintenance operations. LEAD FLIGHT DIRECTOR: Bill Reeves/JSC 244-8022 FLIGHT INTEGRATION MANAGER: Ed Tarkington/JSC 483-1362 LEAD FLIGHT ACTIVITIES OFFICER: Tracy Calhoun/JSC 244-1129 SYNOPSIS OF FLIGHT: The primary objective of this flight is to successfully perform the operations necessary to fulfill the requirements of the United States Microgravity Payload-04 (USMP-04) and Spartan-201. The secondary objectives of this flight are to perform the operations of the Collaborative Ukraine Experiment (CUE), EVA Demonstration Flight Test-05 (EDFT-05), Shuttle Ozone Limb Sounding Experiment (SOLSE), Loop Heat Pipe (LHP), Sodium Sulfur Battery Experiment (NASBE), Turbulent GAS Jet Diffusion (TGDF), AER Cam/Sprint and Get Away Special (G-744). CARGO BAY PAYLOADS: SPARTAN-201 Spartan 201 is a solar wind generation experiment that will probe the physics of the solar wind acceleration region by measuring various structures. Spartan 201 is a rectangular service module with a tubular Instrument Carrier (IC) extending through two sides along the Y-axis. The two experiments in the IC are the Ultraviolet Coronal Spectrometer from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, and a White Light Coronograph (WLC) from the High Altitude Observatory. Hydrogen, proton, and electron temperatures, hydrogen and electron densities, and solar wind flow velocities will be calibrated by Spartan 201. Spartan 201 has three secondary experiments. The Technology Experiment Augmenting Spartan (TEXAS) is a Radio Frequency (RF) communications experiment which will provide flight experience for components baselined on future Spartan missions, and a real time communications and control link with the primary Spartan 201 experiments. This link will be used to provide a fine pointing adjustment to the WLC based on solar images downlinked real time. The Video Guidance Sensor (VGS) Flight Experiment is a laser guidance system which will test a key component of the Automated Rendezvous and Capture (AR&C) system. The Spartan Auxiliary Mounting Plate (SPAM) is a small equipment mounting plate which will provide a mounting location for small experiments or auxiliary equipment of the Spartan Flight Support Structure (SFSS) It is a honeycomb plate using a experimental Silicon Carbide Aluminum face sheet material with an aluminum core. The overall payload has two main pieces of hardware and related components: the Spartan 201 free-flyer with IC, and the Spartan Flight Support Structure (SFSS), which attaches to the payload bay through keel and sill trunnion fittings. Three assemblies make up the SFSS: the Mission Peculiar Equipment Support Structure (MPESS), the Release Engage Mechanism (REM) and the interface between MPESS and REM know as the Mission Peculiar Equipment (MPE). The REM is the interface allowing the Spartan 201 to be attached and detached from the distance from the orbiter, an internal timer activates the payload and initiates its built-in observation program. At the conclusion of the 40-50 hour data take, the Spartan sequencer commands the free-flyer to orient itself to a predetermined inertial attitude and await retrieval by the orbiter. Inertial reference is established using gyros and a cold gas Attitude Control System (ACS). The secondary experiments are distributed throughout the SFSS and the Spartan 201. The VGS electronics and sensor are integrated with a Get Away Special (GAS) Can which is affixed to the starboard side of the SFSS under the MPESS. The VGS target assembly is attached to an exterior panel of the Spartan 201. The TEXAS antenna is mounted o the rear panel of the Spartan 201 IC. Its remaining components are mounted on the inside of Spartan 201. The SPAM is affixed to the SFSS opposite the VGS GAS can assembly. USMP-04 The United States Microgravity Payload -04 is a Spacelab project managed by Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama. The complement of microgravity research experiments is divided between two Mission-Peculiar Experiment Support Structures (MPESS) is the payload bay. The extended mission capability offered by the Extended Duration Orbiter (EDO) kit provides an opportunity for additional science gathering time. The USMP-04 consists of the following experiments. AADSF The Advanced Automated Directional Solidification Furnace is a sophisticated materials science facility used for studying a common method of processing semiconductor crystals called directional solidification. Solidification is the process of freezing materials. In the type of directional solidification to be used in AADSF, the liquid sample, enclosed in quartz ampoules, will be slowly solidified along the long axis. A mechanism will move the sample through varying temperature zones in the furnace. To start processing, the furnace melts all but one end of the sample towards the other. Once crystallized, the sample remains in the furnace to be examined post-flight. The solidification front is of particular interest to scientists because the flows found in the liquid material influence the final composition and structure of the solid and its properties. CHeX The Confined Helium Experiment provides a test of theories of the influence of boundaries on matter by measuring the heat capacity of helium as it is confined to two dimensions. IDGE The Isothermal Dendritic Growth Experiment is a materials science solidification experiment that researchers will use to investigate a particular type of solidification called dendritic growth. Dendritic solidification is one of the most common forms of solidifying metals and alloys. When materials crystallize or solidify under certain condition, the freeze unstably, resulting in tiny, tree-like crystalline forms called dendrites. Scientist are particularly interested in dendrite size, shape, and how the branches of the dendrites interact with each other. These characteristics largely determine the properties of the material. In the solidification of metals, the size, shape, and orientation of the dendrites determines the strength and durability of steel, aluminum, and super alloys used in the production of automobiles and aircraft. Since virtually all industrially important alloys solidify from a molten by dendritic processes, enchancing our basic understanding of dendritic solidification may help improve industrial production techniques. On Earth, buoyancy-driven convection fluid movement resulting from density differences created when heating or cooling a material prevents scientists from studying dendritic growth. Whether a gas or a liquid, warmer, less dense material will rise, while cooler, denser material is pulled down by gravity. This creates a circulation pattern. This gravity-driven convection can be nearly eliminated in microgravity, allowing scientists to observe convection-free dendritic growth. IDGE will grow individual dendrites of the material succinontrile (SCN) as they solidify at various temperatures. SCN mimics the behavior of metals, but is transparent to allow photography of the dendrites. The IDGE apparatus has a thermostat that contains the dendrite growth chamber. The growth chamber will be filled with ultra-pure SCN prior to flight and contains a stinger that is used to begin dendtritic growth. The stinger is a hollow tube filled with SCN connected to coolers on the outside of the growth chamber. As the stinger is cooled, the SCN in the tube begins to solidify. The solidification front moves down the shaft to the tip of the stinger and emerges into the SCN volume as an individual dendrite. Two television cameras will "watch" for the emergence of the dendrite. When software is the IDGE computer detects dendrites, it triggers two 35mm cameras that will photograph the growing dendrites in a programmed sequence. The images will be transmitted to the science team on the ground. Thirty-five to forty growth cycles will be carried out during the USMP-04 mission. MEPHISTO Designed for research on the directional solidification of metallic alloys, the Material pour l'Etude des Phenomes Interssant las Solidification sur Terre et en Orbite experiment is primarily interested in measuring the temperature, velocity, and shape of the solidification front (the point where the solid and liquid contact each other during solidification.) MEPHISTO simultaneously processes three identical cylindrical samples of bismuth and tin alloy. In the first sample, the temperature fluctuations of the moving solidification are measured electrically, with disturbing the sample. The position of the solid to liquid border is determined by an electrical resistance technique in the second sample. In the third sample, the faceted solidification front is marked at selected intervals with electric current pulses. The samples are returned to Earth for analysis. Real-time temperature measurements of the moving solid/liquid interface and the position of the interface can be transmitted to scientists at the Payload Operations Control Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Solidification conditions can be varied by commands from the ground. The MEPHISTO apparatus will allow many cycles of solidification and remelting, and is particularly well adapted for long-duration missions. During the mission, MEPHISTO data will be correlated with data from the Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS). By comparing data, scientists can determine how accelerations aboard the shuttle disturb the solid to liquid interface. SAMS The Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS), sponsored by Lewis Research Center, is a microprocessor-driven data acquisition system designed to measure and record the microgravity acceleration environment of the USMP carrier. The SAMS has three triaxial sensor heads that are separate from the electronics package for remote positioning. In operation, the triaxial sensor head produces output signals in response to acceleration inputs. The signals are amplified, filtered, and converted into digital data. The digital acceleration data is transferred to optical disk memory for ground analysis. Each accelerometer has a mass suspended by a quartz element is such a manner to allow movement along one axis only. A coil is attached to the mass and the assembly is placed between two permanent magnets. An applied acceleration displaces the mass form its resting position. This movement is sensed by a detector, causing SAMS electronics to send a voltage to the coil, producing exactly the magnetic field needed to restore the mass to its original position. The applied voltage is proportional to the applied acceleration and is output to the SAMS electronics as acceleration data. Point of Contact: Bob Stuckey/JSC 483-1151 USMP-04 Payload Integration Manager OARE While flying separately in the cargo bay, the Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment (OARE) is an integral part of USMP-04. It is a highly sensitive instrument designed to acquire and record data of low-level aerodynamic acceleration along the orbiter's principal axes in the free-molecular flow regime at orbital altitudes and in the transition regime during re-entry. OARE data will support advances in space materials processing by providing measurements of the low-level, low frequency disturbance environment affecting various microgravity experiments. OARE data will also support advances in orbital drag prediction technology by increasing the understanding of the fundamental flow phenomena in the upper atmosphere. Point of Contact: Ed Jung 483-1154 OARE Payload Integration Manager EDFT - 05 The Extravehicular Activity Development Flight Test - 05 consists of the payload bay hardware elements of Detailed Test Objective (DTO) 671, EVA Hardware for Future Scheduled Extravehicular Missions. EDFT - 05's main objective is to demonstrate International Space Station (ISS) on-orbit, end-to-end EVA assembly and maintenance operations. The other DTO's included in this test are DTO 672, Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Electrical Cuff Checklist and DTO 833, EMU Thermal Comfort and EVA Worksite Thermal Environment. Another objective is to expand the EVA experience base for ground and flight crews. Two EVA's will be performed on this mission to accomplish these DTO's. The portside-mounted EDFT-05 hardware is in bay 7 and consists of the Orbital Replacement Unit (ORU) Transfer Device (OTD), a Pitch/Yaw Worksite Interface (WIF) Fitting, and Flight Support Equipment (FSE) to the sidewall carrier. The starboard-mounted EDFT-05 hardware consists of bay 2 Portable Work Platform (PWP) components including the Articulating Portable Foot Restraint (APFR), Temporary Equipment Restraint Aid (TERA), and Work Station Stanchion (WSS). Bay 7 contains the ORU Simulator and Carrier Assembly (OSCA) consisting of a Battery ORU Simulator attached to the Cargo Handling Interface Assembly (CHIA), and the Dry Carrier (DCC) Simulator. Bay 8 houses an adapter plate with WIF's and a mounting location for the cable caddy. During launch and landing EVA equipment stowage requires orbiter middeck locker space and the starboard Portable Stowage Assembly (PSA). Prior to scheduled EDFT - 05 activities, orbiter cabin pressure will be lowered to 10.2 psi and the standard EVA prebreathe protocols started. EDFT - 05 activities require two crew members to perform two full-duration EVA's and one crew member to provide Intravehicular Activity (IVA) support. Point of Contact: Tandy Bruce/JSC 483-1142 EDFT-05 Payload Integration Manager SOLSE The objective of the Shuttle Ozone Limb Sounding Experiment is to determine the altitude distribution of ozone in an attempt to understand its behavior so that quantitative changes in the composition of our atmosphere can be predicted. SOLSE is intended to perform ozone distribution that a nadir instrument can achieve. This will be performed using Charged Coupled Device (CCD) technology to eliminate moving parts in a simpler, low cost, ozone mapping instrument. The experiment is housed in a Hitchhiker (HH/GAS) canister with canister extension ring and equipped with a Hitchhiker Motorized Door Assembly (HMDA). Instrumentation includes an Ultraviolet (UV) spectrograph with a CCD array detector, CCD array and visible light cameras, calibration lamp, optics and baffling. Once on orbit a crew member will active SOLSE which will perform limb and Earth viewing observations. Limb observations focuses on the region 20 km to 50 km altitude above the horizon for the Earth's surface. Earth viewing observations will enable SOLSE to correlate the data with other nadir viewing, ozone instruments. Point of Contact: Sam Karmen/JSC 483-1152 SOLSE Payload Integration Manager LHP The Loop Heat Pipe test will advance thermal energy management technology and validating technology readiness for upcoming commercial spacecraft applications. The LHP will be operated with anhydros ammonia as the working fluid to transport thermal energy with high effective conductivity in zero gravity. LHP is a passive, two-phase flow heat transfer device that is capable of transporting up to 400 watts over a distance of 5 meters through semiflexible, small-diameter tubes. It uses capillary forces to circulate the two-phase working fluid. The system is self-priming and totally passive in operation. When heat is applied to the LHP evaporator, part of the working fluid vaporizes. The vapor flows through the vapor transport lines and condenses, releasing heat. The condense returns to the evaporator via capillary action through the liquid transport lines. The payload consists of the LHP, a visor (radiator), and a Data Acquisition and Control Unit (DACU). The LHP is mounted in a standard unsealed 5-cubic foot Hitchhiker (HH) canister. The visor is mounted on the exterior of the canister upper end plate and serves as a radiator for heat rejection. Once on orbit a crewmember will active the LPH experiment, but all commanding and telemetry will be controlled by the GSFC Payload Operations and Control Center (POCC). The payload requires a cold orbit to successfully attain experiment objectives. Approximately 60 hours of test time is required. Point of Contact: Ed Jung/JSC 483-1154 LHP Payload Integration Manager NaSBE The Sodium Sulfur Battery Experiment will characterize the performance of four 40 amp-hour sodium-sulfur battery cells. Each cell is comprised of a sodium anode, sulfur cathode, and solid ceramic sodium ion conducting electrolyte and separator. The cells must be heated to 350 degrees Celsius to liquefy the sodium and sulfur. Once the anode and cathode are liquefied, the cells will start to generate electrical power. The NaSBE is installed in a Hitchhiker (HH) canister with each battery cell housed in a hermetically sealed stainless steel cylinder. The cylinder is designed to withstand the temperatures and pressures generated by a worst case cell breach of all four battery cells. Four Minco high temperature mica insulated etched heaters are wrapped around the length of the cylinder. These heaters will maintain the cell temperatures between 330 and 370 degrees Celsius. The cylinder housing is thermally coupled to the canister's upper end plate to permit radiation of excess energy generated curing the battery discharge cycle. The remaining units that comprise the experiment are the relay box, the Power Distribution Unit (PDU), the Experiment Control Unit (ECU), the discharger loads, and the thermal radiator plate. The relay box provides the individual switching to connect a load or charge to each cell. If a cell voltage exceeds 2.35 volts or drops below 1.65 volts, the relay box switches it off-line until the other cells complete the cycle. The PDU contains the battery charger and discharger, and the instrumentation power supplies. The ECU controls the experiment operations, collects telemetry form various experiment sensors, and services the serial command and telemetry link with the orbiter. The discharger loads contains three halogen off-road vehicle lamps to dissipate battery discharge energy. The lamps are mounted external to the canister on the underside of the thermal radiator. The thermal radiator dissipates the heat generated by the experiment. It is a flat plate cut into half oval that attaches to the upper end plate of the HH canister. Once on orbit a crewmember will active NaSBE and then controlled by the GSFC Payload Operations Control Center (POCC). Point of Contact: Bob Stuckey/JSC 483-1151 NaSBE Payload Integration Manager TGDF The Turbulent Gas Jet Diffusion Flames (TGDF) payload is a secondary payload that will use the standard Get-Away Special (GAS) carrier. It's purpose is to gain an understanding of the fundamental characteristics of transitional and turbulent gas jet diffusion flames under microgravity conditions and to acquire data that will aid in predicting the behavior of transitional and turbulent gas jet diffusion flames under normal and microgravity environments. TGDF will impose large-scale controlled disturbances on well-defined laminar microgravity diffusion flames. The will be on axisymmertic perturbations to laminar flames. The variables for the proposed tests will be the frequency of the disturbance mechanism which will be either 2.5 Hz, 5 Hz, or 7.5 Hz. Within the first 12 hours a crewmember will activate the experiment. Once initiated fuel will flow and ignition will occur within 5 seconds. After 87 seconds, the disturbance mechanism will operate intermittently for 61 seconds. Following this fuel will continue to flow for a chamber will be allowed to cool and sensors will collect thermal data for approximately 3 hours after which a crewmember will deactivate the payload. Point of Contact: J.J. Cronwell/JSC 483-1178 TGDF Payload Integration Manager G-744 Get-Away Special (GAS) 744 payload is from Sierra College in Rocklin, California. The object of this experiment is to take ozone measurements of the Earth's upper atmosphere in the Ultraviolet (UV) 200 nanometer to 400 nanometer spectral range using a Charged Coupled Device (CCD) based spectrometer. A CCD photographic camera will also fly as part of the experiment and provide target verification for the spectrometer. The GAS carrier top plate will be modified to provide two optical ports for the instruments. The payload requires a minimum of two complete, continuous day passes. The spectrometer will autonomously begin taking data when the Earth is in the instrument field of view (FOV) as detected by UV intensity. Simultaneously, the photographic camera will image the area where data is being collected. Point of Contact: Vanessa Ellerbe/JSC 483-7343 GAS-744 Payload Integration Manager AERCam/Sprint The Autonomous EVA Robotic Camera/Sprint (AERCam/Sprint) is a small, unobtrusive, free-flying camera platform for use outside a spacecraft. The free-flyer has a self contained cold gas propulsion system giving it the capability to be propelled with a 6 degrees of freedom control system. On board the free-flyer are rate sensors to provide data for an automatic attitude hold capability. AERCam/Sprint is a spherical vehicle that moves slowly and is covered in a soft cushioning material to prevent damage in the event of an impact. The design philosophy is to keep the energy low by keeping the velocities and mass low while providing a mechanism to absorb any energy from an impact. The free-flyer platform is controlled from inside the Orbiter by using a small control station. The operator will input motion commands from a single, Aid For EVA Rescue (SAFER) device controller. The commands will be sent from the control station to he free-flyer via a Radio Frequency (RF) modem link operating in the Ultrahigh Frequency (UHF) range. Data will be sent back from AERCam/Sprint to the control station with information about the free-flyer's health, consumables, and command acknowledgments. The video will come from two cameras in stereo pair configuration and be encoded onto a single S-band RF signal. This signal will be received via the Extravehicular Mobility Unit-Television (EMU-TV) receiver, inserted into the Orbiter Video Control Unit (VCU), and displayed on a special stereo video monitor. The video system has the capability to display video from either single camera on the free-flyer or from both as a stereo pair. When operating in single camera mode the video can be displayed on either the stereo monitor operation in non-stereo mode or on the Orbiter Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) monitors. The data and video will be downlinked to ground for viewing as well. Point of Contact: Jeff Williams/JSC 483-1177 AERCam/Sprint Payload Integration Manager CARGO BAY EQUIPMENT: The Extended Duration Orbiter (EDO) Pallet is a 15 foot diameter cryo-kit wafer structure. Weighing 775 pounds, it provides support for tanks, associated control panels, and avionics equipment. The tanks store 368 pounds of liquid hydrogen at -418 degrees Fahrenheit, and 3,124 pounds of liquid oxygen at -285 degrees Fahrenheit. Total empty weight of the system is 3,571 pounds. When filled with cryogens, system weight is approximately 7,000 pounds. Oxygen and hydrogen are supplied to the orbiter's three electrical power generating fuel cells, where they are converted into sufficient electrical energy to support the average 4 family-member house for approximately 6 months. About 3,000 pounds of pure drinking water is also produced by the fuel cells. With the EDO pallet, the orbiter can support a flight for a maximum of 18 days. Longer on-orbit missions benefit microgravity research, Life Sciences research, Earth and celestial observations, human adaptation to the zero-G environment, and support to the Space Station. Point of Contact: Fulton Plauche/JSC 483-9034 EDO Sub-System Manager-PRSD IN-CABIN EXPERIMENTS: The Middeck Glove Box (MGBX) is a facility designed for materials science and biological science experiment handling. It consists of two primary systems; an Interface Frame (IF) and a Glovebox (GB). The MGBX facility (with associated electronics) provides an enclosed working area for experiment manipulation and observation on the shuttle middeck. This working area can serve as a sealed environment that is isolated from the middeck atmosphere, as a constantly recirculating environment that is maintained at a pressured lower that the middeck ambient, or as a working area open to the middeck atmosphere. This is accomplished by a design that includes multiple air circulation modes, multipurpose filters that constantly filter circulated air, and airtight gloves or sleeves (nonsealed) for differing requirements for experiment manipulation. The payload configuration consists of the MGBX facility with supporting operational accommodations and multiple experiments. The facility provides electrical power, cooling, and video interfaces for experiment use. The MGBX experiments on this flight are: WCI - The objective of the Wetting Characteristics of Immiscibles is to investigate the influence of alloy/ampoule wetting characteristics on the segregation of immiscible liquids during microgravity processing. The sccinonitrile-glycerin system is heated to melt and then viewed through an external microscope during the solidification phase to observe any wetting phenomena. ELF - The Enclosed Laminar Flames experiment objective is to validate the zero-gravity Burke-Schumann model and the gravity-dependent Hegde-Bahadori extension of the model, investigate the importance of the buoyancy-dependent flowfield as affected by oxidizer flow on flame stabilization, examine the state relationships of co-flow diffusion flames under the influence of buoyancy conditions (gravity versus pressure), and study the flow vortex and diffusion flame interactions. The experiment is performed by igniting a mixture of methane and carbon-dioxide gas within the experiment module. The experiment module is place inside the glovebox and a gas bottle is attached. Gas flow is established; the gas is ignited; and required air flow for specific test conditions is established. The test is repeated at various air flows until the fuel is expended. PEP - The Particle Engulfment and Pushing by Solidifying Interfaces objectives will be to generate an accurate value for the critical velocity in a convection-free environment, validate present theoretical model, enhance fundamental understanding of dynamics of insoluble particles at liquid/solid interfaces, and improve understanding of physics associated with solidification of liquid metals-ceramic particles mixtures. PEP is performed using a furnace module placed inside the glovebox to melt and solidify the prepared samples. Point of Contact: Bob Stuckey/JSC 483-1151 MGBX Payload Integration Manager The Collaborative Ukraine Experiment (CUE) is a middeck payload designed to study the effects of microgravity on plant growth. The CUE is composed of a group of experiments that will be flown in the Plant Growth Facility (PGF) and in the Biological Research in Canisters (BRIC). The experiments also require the use of a Gaseous Nitrogen (GN2) Freezer and the fixation hardware. Investigators in Ukraine and the United States selected the experiments as a model for scientific collaboration between the two countries. The PGF will support plant growth for up to 30 days by providing acceptable environmental conditions for normal plant growth. The PGF is composed of the following subsystems: Control and Data Management Subsystems (CDMS), Fluorescent Light Module (FLM), Atmospheric Control Module (ACM), Plant Growth Chambers (PGCs), Support Structure Assembly (SSA), and the Generic External Shell (GES). The complete PGF will replace on middeck locker and operates on 28 V direct current (dc) power. The plant specimen to be studied in the PGF is Brassica rapa (turnip). The BRIC configuration will include two sets of canisters. The canisters are 312mm in length and 82mm wide. They can hold 60mm flight-qualified petri dishes and are called BRIC-60 canisters. Set 1 is composed of 5 BRIC-60 canisters which are metal canisters that contain passive biological experiments. Two additional empty BRIC-60 canisters are launched for use during freezing and fixation operations. No power is required for Set 1. Set 2 includes seven modified canisters which provide different light intensities to the sample via Light Emitting Diodes (LED's) placed inside the canisters. A power box used with Set 2 to provide power to the modified canisters requires Orbiter power. The total number of canisters is 14. The specimens to be used for the BRIC studies are soybean seedlings and moss Protonemata. The GN2 freezer will also be required to keep experiments frozen until recovery. The internal temperature of the freezer is minus 196 degrees Celsius. The Harvest Kit is composed of tools used to harvest the samples. The Pump and Filter Kit contains a pump to be used during spill procedures. The Fixation Kit holds the containers of fixative solution used to preserve two other levels of containment. Mission activities for plants grown in the PGF include harvesting, watering, pollination, freezing, and fixing. Daily status checks will be performed. Pollination of plants will occur once a day throughout the mission. Harvesting of plant material is required on Flight Days 8, 10, and 15. Plants which are harvested are then fixed or frozen. Mission activities for BRIC experiments are grouped into two types of plant moss an soybeans. Activities for moss; BRIC Set 2, include switching LEDs on and off, harvesting, and fixing. Soybean activities; BRIC Set 1, includes harvesting, freezing, fixing, and imbibing. Samples will be harvested on Flight Days 3, 5, and 7. Point of Contact: Bob Stuckey/JSC 483-1151 CUE Payload Integration Manager 11