STS-65

Mission emblem

Mission dates

Mission:

STS-65

COSPAR-ID :

1994-039A

Crew:

7th

Begin:

July 8, 1994, 16:43:00 UTC

Starting place:

Kennedy Space Center , LC-39A

Landing:

July 23, 1994, 10:38:00 UTC

Landing place:

Kennedy Space Center, Lane 33

Flight duration:

14d 17h 55m 00s

Earth orbits:

235

Rotation time :

90.5 min

Orbit inclination :

28.4 °

Apogee :

304 km

Perigee :

300 km

Covered track:

9.7 million km

Payload:

Spacelab

Team photo

From left to right Front: Richard Hieb, Robert Cabana, Donald Thomas
Middle: Leroy Chiao, Chiaki Naito-Mukai
Back: James Halsell, Carl Walz

◄ Before / After ►

STS-59

STS-64

STS-65 ( English S pace T ransportation S ystem) is a mission designation for the US space shuttle Columbia ( OV -102) of NASA . The launch took place on July 8, 1994. It was the 63rd space shuttle mission and the 17th flight of the Columbia space shuttle.

team

Robert Cabana (3rd space flight), commanderUnited States
James Halsell (1st spaceflight), pilotUnited States
Richard Hieb (3rd space flight), mission specialist United States
Carl Walz (2nd space flight), mission specialistUnited States
Leroy Chiao (1st spaceflight), mission specialistUnited States
Donald Thomas (1st spaceflight), mission specialistUnited States
Chiaki Mukai (1st Spaceflight), Payload Specialist ( JAXA ) JapanJapan

replacement

Jean-Jacques Favier ( CNES ) for MukaiFrance

Mission overview

The second mission of the International Microgravity Laboratory was all about human and animal physiological research as well as investigations into the extent of radiation damage in the cell area and material research on liquids and crystals. Scientists from 15 nations took part in the more than 80 experiments. German research institutions also made a not inconsiderable contribution. The IML-2 mission also meant the 11th deployment of a manned Spacelab module. Telescience was practiced for the first time in many experiments. Scientists on earth observed their experiments via video channels, instructed the astronauts in maintaining the equipment or took over remotely. Associated with this way of working was also an extremely lively data traffic between the shuttle and various ground stations. Houston had the function of the flight control center, while the research centers in Huntsville and Cologne-Porz coordinated the supervision of the scientific experiments. This is where the data from the user centers in Belgium, Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands came together.

Medical - biological experiments

Slow Rotating Centrifuge Microscope (NIZEMI): The influence of gravity on living organisms was examined with a slowly rotating centrifuge . Different rotation speeds simulated different levels of gravity. This was to determine the limit at which gravity influences the life and development processes in single and multicellular organisms. Research objects were the unicellular ciliates Loxodes striatus well as multicellular organisms like the Stonewort Chara , the slime mold Physarum polycephalum , small jellyfish and immune system cells (B and T lymphocytes ). In the case of the latter, it was investigated whether both types of white blood cells can also contact each other in weightlessness. The metabolism of cress plants was also analyzed. During longer flights, space travelers should obtain food and oxygen from plants. The experiments serve to determine the most favorable conditions.

BioRack: The BioRack is a facility for biological experiments. It has its own incubator , a centrifuge and various sections for storing biological samples. A major subject of investigation was the determination of radiation damage and the ability of various organisms to repair it. The irradiation had already taken place before the flight. Bacterial cultures ( Bacillus subtilis ), skeletal cells, human skin cells, rapeseed roots and cress seeds were examined . The adaptation of fruit flies to weightlessness was also observed in the BioRack. Initially, the insects showed increased activity, but this normalized after about 10 days. Another subject of investigation was baker's yeast . Here the proliferation of the yeast cells was observed under different conditions. The structure of the skeleton through calcium absorption in sea urchins and the growth of lentil seedlings were also examined. A total of 19 different experiments with more than 2000 measurements were carried out in the BioRack.

Thermoelectric Incubator (TEI): This new type of device creates optimal living conditions for various organic samples. Chemically modified plant root cells of cress were kept in the incubator and thus prepared for their use under variable gravitation. In addition, the growth of bone stem cells was observed. These examinations served to determine the rate of bone cell reproduction. Without gravity, the bones constantly break down calcium, making them porous. A reduction of 20% is already considered life-threatening. This bone loss can be counteracted primarily through regular training.

Aquatic Animal Experiment Unit (AAEU):

File: Microgravity-promotes-osteoclast-activity-in-medaka-fish-reared-at-the-international-space-station-srep14172-s4.ogv

Play media file

Mating Japanese rice fish in the AAEU

Newts, goldfish and Japanese rice fish were in an aquarium divided into several sections . While only the adaptation to a changing day-night rhythm was investigated in the goldfish, offspring developed in the three female newts and in the Japanese rice fish. After returning to earth, research was carried out to find out whether the development of the embryos would take place differently in weightlessness. Previous experiments had found unusually circular movements in aquatic animals (animal sickness). This behavior could not be observed in the animals born in weightlessness. Unfortunately, two of the female newts perished during the flight.

BioStack (BSK): The BioStack was used to collect data on the biological effects of high-energy cosmic rays. Two strains of crab eggs and lettuce seeds were exposed to this radiation. The severity of the damage is a measure of the radiation exposure. This was also physically measured during the entire flight (Real Time Radiation Monitoring Device).

Microbial Air Sampler (MAS): With this special device, several samples of the air in the Spacelab were taken towards the end of the flight. They were examined on earth for contamination with various microorganisms. During long space flights, the human immune system becomes less effective. An increase in the concentration of pathogens could have more negative effects here than on Earth.

Applied Research on Separation Methods (RAMSES): Two electrophoresis apparatus were on board the Columbia. In the RAMSES complex, the red blood pigment hemoglobin and various proteins, including highly concentrated protein extracts, were electrophoretically broken down into individual components. Due to their different electrical properties, different substances can be separated in a substance mixture and thus the composition of the mixture can be determined. This works particularly well in weightlessness. The investigations with RAMSES are intended to provide better knowledge about electrophoretic processes.

Free Flow Electrophoresis Unit (FFEU): The second device for separating substances by means of electrical fields first had to be made ready for use. There were air bubbles in the cooling water, which caused the device to switch itself off. After the repair, hormone-producing cells from rats were analyzed and DNA was separated from their carrier ( chromosomes ).

Spinal Changes in Microgravity (SCM): Changes also take place in the human body after a long stay in weightlessness. SCM involved examining the intervertebral discs in the spinal columns of some crew members. Data on other physical changes were also routinely recorded (Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Program). In addition, daily physical training was part of the daily routine of all astronauts.

Lower Body Negative Pressure Device (LBNPD): This device consists of an airtight plastic bag into which a spaceman slips up to his waist, and various measuring devices for blood pressure , leg muscle circumference and heart activity ( ultrasound device ). In about 45 minutes, the air pressure is first gradually decreased and then increased again. The reduced pressure sucks more blood into the lower half of the body. This effect is usually caused by gravity on Earth. In space, on the other hand, the upper body is filled with more blood than usual. During the flight, each member of the crew slipped into the vacuum suit several times.

Performance Assessment Workstation (PAWS): During the flight, the astronauts' reaction speed was regularly tested with PAWS. Various objects move on a screen, the movements of which have to be tracked with a special input device. A commercial laptop with a special program was used for this.

Material science experiments

Electromagnetic Containerless Processing Facility (TEMPUS): A melting furnace that fixes material samples in a high vacuum without touching them was the development goal of German engineers. Metallic samples are held by a magnetic field and stabilized by rotation. The heating also takes place without contact by eddy currents. In this way, impurities or irregularities in the crystal skeleton of the solidified materials can be virtually eliminated. And this is how an experiment with TEMPUS works: First the sample is brought into the heating zone and melted, then it is cooled below its freezing point, but remains liquid; A sudden crystallization occurs only through an external impact. The resulting quasi-crystalline structures have partly completely new properties. In particular, they are extremely hard. Different materials were used during the mission. These included pure copper, zirconium or nickel, as well as alloys made from nickel-carbon, iron-nickel, nickel-zinc, aluminum-copper-cobalt, zirconium-cobalt, niobium-nickel and nickel-silicon. Temperatures of up to 2000 ° C were sometimes required. Additional investigations related to the viscosity of the melt, internal currents and surface tension. Quasi-crystalline materials are also often referred to as metallic glasses.

Large Isothermal Furnace (LIF): Sintering (the penetration of liquid metals into a solid metal block under high pressure) is the strength of the LIF melting furnace. This method even joins metals that don't normally mix. Alloys of tungsten-nickel-iron, indium-gallium-antimony and titanium-aluminum were made aboard the Columbia. 2 titanium-aluminum samples were also interspersed with ceramic particles. In this way, completely new materials are created that cannot be produced on earth.

Bubble, Drop and Particle Unit (BDPU): The behavior of bubbles, drops and layers of liquid when heated or cooled within other liquids was investigated here. It was shown that air bubbles, when they move in a mixture of alcohol and water, produce new, smaller bubbles. This effect does not occur on earth. Immiscible liquids such as water and silicone oil were used in the layer experiments. In particular, the flow, evaporation and condensation processes were examined carefully.

Advanced Protein Crystallization Facility (APCF): The ESA equipment allowed the use of three different crystallization methods. The course of the crystallization was documented on more than 5000 images. In this way, the advantages and disadvantages of the individual processes can be weighed up in a direct comparison. There are more than 200,000 proteins in the human body, the structure and function of which are largely unknown. Automatic equipment is intended to automate the production of particularly large and pure crystals . The structure of the proteins is then examined on earth, from which conclusions can be drawn about their function.

Critical Point Facility (CPF): Under very specific temperature and pressure conditions, pure substances in liquid and gaseous state coexist on an equal footing. These values indicate the so-called critical point of this substance. On earth, this state cannot be maintained over a long period of time, because gravity quickly compresses the gas back into a liquid. In contrast, ideal conditions prevail in space. Using sulfur hexafluoride as an example, the energy transport through diffusion (typical for liquids) and through flow (typical for gases) was examined in several series of measurements. This gained new knowledge about phase changes and changes in the magnetic properties during phase transition.

Technological experiments

Quasi Steady Acceleration Measurement (QSAM): This is a very precise measuring device for residual accelerations on board the space shuttle. Such short-term residual accelerations are caused by the movements of space travelers and some equipment (e.g. alignment of antennas) and cause a disruption of weightlessness. This can have a significant impact on sensitive experiments. That is why there is a further measuring device on board the space shuttle (Space Acceleration Measurement System SAMS).

Vibration Isolation Box Experimental System (VIBES): VIBES was created to shield sensitive experiments from residual accelerations. This stabilized container was later to be used in the International Space Station. During this mission he was tested. There was salt water and a drop of dye in the container. The spread of the dye in the water was recorded using a video camera. Without any disturbances, this runs very slowly and absolutely regularly. Deviations from the circular shape, however, indicate that the decoupling of the system from the space shuttle is not yet perfect. Together with the data on the residual accelerations, a clear picture emerges of which actions must be avoided in the future in order to obtain the best possible microgravity . On a trial basis, the apparatus was even triggered by the astronaut Chiao. Your automatic system should compensate for these movements.

Military Application of Ship Tracks (MAST): MAST is used to track the route of ships and was developed by the US military.

Routine checkups

Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS), Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment (OARE): Both experiments are used to record the residual accelerations during the flight in orbit. While SAMS records the short-term forces caused by the movements of the space travelers, OARE measures the minimal braking effect of the high atmosphere. This enables the causes of irregularities in crystal formation to be identified.

Commertial Protein Crystal Growth (CPCG): For years, protein crystals of the highest purity and regularity have been grown on every shuttle flight in an automated apparatus . The analysis of the structure of these crystals is carried out on behalf of the pharmaceutical industry in the USA and is needed for the development of new drugs.

Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS): A reflector is attached to the Columbia that allows the trajectory of the Columbia to be captured and tracked from the Hawaiian island of Maui. This test is used to calibrate optical sensors used by the US Air Force.

Portable In-flight Landing Trainer (PILOT): PILOT is a flight simulator for the space shuttle. During the mission, the commander and pilot use it to practice the landing approach. This is mainly practiced during longer missions and is used for safety.

During the flight, the Columbia crew made radio contact with US students several times. Press conferences and interviews were also part of the work program. Public interest was particularly high on the 25th anniversary of the first manned moon landing. The cosmonauts on board the Russian Mir space station also sent their greetings via amateur radio (Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment). Due to bad weather at the planned landing site, the flight was extended by one day. Still, you had to end up in California. This made the flight the longest shuttle company to date.