The Animal Enclosure Module (AEM) Nursing Facility is an insert to the AEM, a rodent housing facility. The Nursing Facility replaces the Rodent Cage assembly (shown in AEM illustration at right), which is part of the standard AEM. Two double-decker, small nursing cage compartments (one for each dam and her pups) were provided on the Lixit side of the Rodent Cage that included a small, wedged compartment so the dam could better sequester the pups for nursing. The wedged section was separated from a dam compartment by a round hole through which the dam could pass that was sized so as to leave the pups in the wedged section and allow the dam to be separated with access to a Lixit. The dam compartment was connected to the remainder of the Rodent Cage assembly so the dam could have free access to the Food Bar Plate, as usual.

The unit fits inside a standard Shuttle middeck locker with a modified locker door. The AEM remains in the stowage locker during launch and landing. On orbit, the AEM may be removed partway from the locker and the interior viewed or photographed through a Lexan cover on the top of the unit. With addition of an Ambient Temperature Recorder, temperatures at up to four locations within the unit can be recorded automatically.