PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011

Contact: Jim Doyle

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                            October 20, 1995

SHUTTLE MICROGRAVITY WORK FOCUSES ON HORMONE DEFICIENCIES 

     An experiment aboard the second U.S. Microgravity Laboratory 
to be flown by a space shuttle could lead to breakthroughs in 
medicine and revolutionary new treatments for some human hormonal 
ailments such as diabetes. 

     The experiment, called the Drop Physics Module-2, was 
carried into orbit by the space shuttle Columbia today (Oct. 20) 
on mission STS-73, and will allow scientists to continue studying 
the interaction of fluids by observing their behavior as free-
floating drops in the microgravity environment. These free-
floating drops will be subjected to sound waves and observed as 
they interact with external forces present in the free-fall, 
nearly zero-gravity environment of space.  

     Results of work with the second Drop Physics Module to be 
flown aboard a space shuttle are expected to benefit a wide 
variety of ground-based industries from pharmacology to 
industrial chemistry, said Project Manager David Gallagher of  
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

     The Drop Physics Module first flew aboard the shuttle 
Columbia on mission STS-50 in 1992.  During that experiment, the 
transition of rotating liquid drops into a "dog-bone," or two-
lobed shape, was studied in detail along with the interaction 
between the drop and its surface.

     The data from that experiment helped resolve differences 
between theoretical predictions and previous experiment results. 
Results from the upcoming mission are expected to help develop 
new models of interest mainly to fluid physicists. However, one 
experiment of the many planned during the shuttle mission may 
contribute to a line of medical research that uses cell 
transplantation to counter hormone deficiencies in humans.

     Drop Physics Module Project Scientist Arvid Croonquist said 
the results could help scientists understand, for instance, how 
to encapsulate living cells which would help those suffering from 
diabetes.

     Video and film records will be made of the oscillating and 
rotating drops. The records will be used to analyze the drop 
shapes and obtain the frequencies at which they oscillate under 
the influence of sound waves. The data would be compared with 
theoretical predictions.

     Scientists will also study the interaction of two liquid 
drops and the effects of additives on the rates of interaction.

     The heart of the Drop Physics Module-2 is the mechanical 
assembly, which contains the acoustic chamber in which the 
experiments take place and the video and film cameras. Liquids 
are injected into the chamber. The resulting drops are positioned 
and manipulated by sound waves. The Drop Physics Module is 
operated by an astronaut/ scientist via a special purpose 
computer built to control all of the module functions. Two 
interactive video assemblies display engineering and scientific 
data and permit manual operation through touch screens.
     
     Former payload specialist Dr. Eugene Trinh, who flew with 
the Drop Physics Module in 1992, will monitor the data 
transmission using ground-based instruments at the operations 
center at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

     The Drop Physics Module was built by Loral Electro-Optical 
Systems, Inc. The experimental work aboard the shuttle is being 
done under contract to NASA's Office of Life and Microgravity 
Science and Applications, Washington, D.C.

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10/6/95 JJD
#9571