NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION STS-60 PRESS KIT FEBRUARY, 1993 WAKE SHIELD FACILITY SPACEHAB-2 PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS For Information on the Space Shuttle Ed Campion Policy/Management 202/358-1778 Headquarters, Wash., D.C. James Hartsfield Mission Operations 713/483-5111 Johnson Space Center Houston Bruce Buckingham Launch Processing 407/867-2468 Kennedy Space Center, Fla, KSC Landing Information June Malone External Tank/SRBs/SSMEs 205/544-0034 Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. Nancy Lovato DFRC Landing Information 805/258-3448 Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. For Information on NASA-Sponsored STS-60 Experiments Charles Redmond Wake Shield Facility 202/358-1757 Headquarters, Wash., D.C. Spacehab-2 Debra Rahn Headquarters, Wash., D.C. NASA-Russian Cooperation 202/358-1639 Mike Braukus Microgravity and Life Sciences Headquarters, Wash., D.C. Experiments aboard STS-60s 202/358-1979 Terri Sindelar SAREX-II Headquarters, Wash., D.C. 202/358-1977 Tammy Jones Get Away Special (GAS) payloads 301/286-5566 Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD CONTENTS GENERAL BACKGROUND General Releas 4 Media Services Information 6 Quick-Look Facts 7 Shuttle Abort Modes 9 Summary Timeline 10 Payload and Vehicle Weights 12 Orbital Events Summary 13 Crew Responsibilities 15 CARGO BAY PAYLOADS & ACTIVITIES Wake Shield Facility (WSF) 17 Spacehab-2(SPACEHAB-2) 32 Sample Return Experiment 64 Get Away Special (GAS) Payloads 64 Capillary Pump Loop (CAPL) Experiment 66 Orbital Debris Radar Calibration Spheres (ODERACS) Project 67 BREMAN Satellite (BREMSAT) 67 IN-CABIN PAYLOADS Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment-II (SAREX-II) 68 Aurora Photography Experiment-B (APE-B) 70 STS-60 CREW BIOGRAPHIES Charles Bolden, Commander (CDR) 71 Ken Reightler, Pilot (PLT) 71 Franklin Chang-Diaz, Mission Specialist 72 Jan Davis, Mission Specialist 71 Ronald Sega, Mission Specialist 72 Sergei Krikalev, Mission Specialist 73 Release: 94-11 FIRST SHUTTLE MISSION OF 1994 TO INCLUDE RUSSIAN COSMONAUT The first flight of the Space Shuttle in 1994, designated as STS-60, will be highlighted by the participation of a Russian astronaut serving as a crew member aboard Space Shuttle Discovery. The mission also will see the deployment and retrieval of a free-flying disk designed to generate new semiconductor films for advanced electronics and the second flight of a commercially developed research facility. Leading the six-person STS-60 crew will be Mission Commander Charlie Bolden who will be making his third space flight. Pilot for the mission is Ken Reightler, making his second flight. The mission specialists for STS-60 are Jan Davis, Mission Specialist 1 (MS1) making her second flight, Ron Sega, Mission Specialist 2 (MS2) making his first flight, Franklin Chang-Diaz, the Payload Commander and Mission Specialist 3 (MS3) making his fourth flight and Sergei Krikalev, Mission Specialist 4 (MS4) who is a veteran of two flights in space, both long-duration stays aboard the Russian MIR space station. Launch of Discovery on the STS-60 mission is currently scheduled for no earlier than February 3, 1994 at 7:10 a.m. EST. The planned mission duration is 8 days, 5 hours and 32 minutes. An on-time launch on February 3 would produce a landing at 12:42 p.m. EST on February 11 at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. A new era of human space flight cooperative efforts between the United States and Russia will begin with the flight of Russian cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev as a member of the STS-60 crew. His flight aboard the Shuttle is the beginning of a three-phased program. Phase one will entail up to 10 Space Shuttle-Mir missions including rendezvous, docking and crew transfers between 1995 and 1997. Phase two is the joint development of the core international space station program. Phase three is the expansion of the space station to include all of the international partners. The STS-60 mission will see the first flight of the Wake Shield Facility (WSF), a 12-foot diameter, stainless steel disk which will be deployed and retrieved using the Shuttle mechanical arm. While it flies free of the Space Shuttle, WSF will generate an "ultra-vacuum" environment in space within which to grow thin semiconductor films for next-generation advanced electronics. The commercial applications for these new semiconductors include digital cellular telephones, high- speed transistors and processors, fiber optics, opto- electronics and high-definition television. The commercially developed SPACEHAB facility will make its second flight aboard the Space Shuttle during the STS-60 mission. Located in the forward end of the Shuttle cargo bay, it is accessed from the orbiter middeck through a tunnel and provides an 1100 cubic feet of working and storage space. Experiments being carried in SPACEHAB-2 involve materials processing, biotechnology and hardware and technology development payloads. NASA's program affords the average person a chance to perform small experiments in space through the agency's Get Away Special (GAS) program. This flight will mark a major milestone because Discovery will fly the 100th GAS payload since the program's inception in 1982. GAS experiments on STS- 60 will attempt to create a new kind of ball bearing, measure the vibration level during normal orbiter and crew operations and understand the boiling process in microgravity. Two GAS payloads will involve deploying objects from the cargo bay. The Orbital Debris Calibration Spheres (ODERACS) payload will deploy six spheres which will be observed, tracked and recorded by ground-based radars and optical telescopes. The German-built BREMAN Satellite (BREMSAT) payload will conduct scientific activities at various mission phases before and after satellite deployment. STS-60 crew members will take on the role of teacher as they educate students in the United States and Russia about their mission objectives and what it is like to live and work in space by using the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment-II (SAREX-II). Astronauts Bolden, Sega and Krikalev will operate SAREX. Operating times for school contacts are planned into the crew's activities. STS-60 will be the 18th flight of Space Shuttle Discovery and the 60th flight of the Space Shuttle system. - end - MEDIA SERVICES INFORMATION NASA Select Television Transmission NASA Select television is now available through a new satellite system. NASA programming can now be accessed on Spacenet-2, Transponder 5, located at 69 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 during the mission at Kennedy Space Center, Fla; Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.; Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif.; Johnson Space Center, Houston and NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. The television schedule will be updated to reflect changes dictated by mission operations. Television schedules also may be obtained by calling COMSTOR 713/483-5817. COMSTOR is a computer data base service requiring the use of a telephone modem. A voice update of the television schedule is updated daily at noon Eastern time. Status Reports Status reports on countdown and mission progress, on-orbit activities and landing operations will be produced by the appropriate NASA newscenter. Briefings A mission press briefing schedule will be issued prior to 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 per day. The updated NASA Select television schedule will indicate when mission briefings are planned. STS-60 Quick Look Launch Date/Site: Feb. 3, 1994/Kennedy Space Center - Pad 39A Launch Time: 7:10 a.m. EST Orbiter: Discovery (OV-103) - 18th Flight Orbit/Inclination: 190 nautical miles/57 degrees Mission Duration: 8 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes Landing TIme/Date: 12:42 p.m. EST Feb. 11, 1994 Primary Landing Site: Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Abort Landing Sites: Return to Launch Site - KSC, Fla. TransAtlantic Abort landing - Zaragoza, Spain Ben Guerir, Morocco Moron, Spain Abort Once Around - Edwards AFB, Calif. Crew: Charlie Bolden, Commander (CDR) Ken Reightler, Pilot (PLT) Jan Davis, Mission Specialist 1 (MS1) Ron Sega, Mission Specialist 2 (MS2) Franklin Chang-Diaz, Payload Commander (MS3) Sergei Krikalev (RSA), Mission Specialist 4 (MS4) Cargo Bay Payloads: WSF-1 (Wake Shield Facility-1) Spacehab-2 (Space Habitation Module-2) CAPL/GAS Bridge experiments (Capillary Pumped Loop Experiment/Get-Away Special canisters) Spacehab Experiments: 3-DMA (Three-Dimensional Microgravity Accelerometer) ASC-3 (Astroculture Experiment) BPL (Bioserve Pilot Lab) CGBA (Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus) CPCG (Commercial Protein Crystal Growth) ECLiPSE-Hab (Equipment for Controlled Liquid Phase Sintering) IMMUNE-01 (Immune Response Studies) ORSEP (Organic Separations Experiment) SEF (Space Experiment Facility) PSB (Penn State Biomodule) SAMS (Space Acceleration Measurement System) SOR/F (Spacehab Orbiter Refrigerator/Freezer) Get Away Special (GAS) Experiments: ODERACS (Orbital Debris Radar Calibration Spheres) BREMSAT (University of Bremen Satellite) G-071 (Ball Bearing Experiment) G-514(Orbiter Stability Experiment and Medicines in Microgravity) G-536 (Heat Flux) G-557 (Capillary Pumped Loop Experiment) In-Cabin Payloads: SAREX-II (Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment-II) APE-B (Auroral Photography Experiment) Joint U.S.-Russian Investigations: DSO 200: Radiological Effects DSO 201: Sensory Motor Investigation DSO 202: Metabolic DSO 204: Visual Observations From Space Other DTOs/DSOs: DTO 623: Cabin Air Monitoring DTO 656: PGSC Single Event Upset Monitoring DTO 664: Cabin Temperature Survey DTO 670: Passive Cycle Isolation System DTO 700-2: Laser Range and Range Rate Device DSO 700-7: Payload Bay Rendezvous Laser Data DSO 325: Dried Blood Method for Inflight Storage DSO 326: Orbiter Window Inspection DSO 901: Documentary Television DSO 902: Documentary Motion Picture DSO 903: Documentary Still Photography SPACE SHUTTLE ABORT MODES Space Shuttle launch abort philosophy aims toward safe and intact recovery of the flight crew, Orbiter and its payload. Abort modes include: * Abort-To-Orbit (ATO) -- Partial loss of main engine thrust late enough to permit reaching a minimal 105-nautical mile orbit with orbital maneuvering system engines. * Abort-Once-Around (AOA) -- Earlier main engine shutdown with the capability to allow one orbit around before landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. * TransAtlantic Abort Landing (TAL) -- Loss of one or more main engines midway through powered flight would force a landing at either Zaragoza, Spain; Ben Guerir, Morocco; or Moron, Spain. * Return-To-Launch-Site (RTLS) -- Early shutdown of one or more engines, and without enough energy to reach Zaragoza, would result in a pitch around and thrust back toward KSC until within gliding distance of the Shuttle Landing Facility. STS-60 contingency landing sites are the Kennedy Space Center, Edwards Air Force Base, Zaragoza, Ben Guerir, or Moron. STS-60 Summary Timeline Flight Day One Ascent OMS-2 burn (190 n.m. x 190 n.m.) Spacehab activation Joint Science Operations CAPL activation Group B powerdown CPCG setup Spacehab operations Flight Day Two Metabolic investigations Remote Manipulator System checkout Spacehab vestibular operations SAREX setup Flight Day Three Wake Shield Facility grapple Wake Shield Facility unberth Group B powerup Wake Shield Facility release (191 n.m. x 189 n.m.) NC-1 burn (190 n.m. x 189 n.m.) Group B powerdown Spacehab operations Flight Day Four SAREX operations Spacehab vestibular operations Flight Day Five Group B powerup NC-4 burn (195 n.m. x 191 n.m.) TI burn (191 n.m. x 188 n.m.) Wake Shield Facility Plume Impingement Test Wake Shield Facility grapple (191 n.m. x 189 n.m.) Group B powerdown Flight Day Six Spacehab vestibular operations Wake Shield Facility operations Wake Shield Facility berth Spacehab vestibular operations Orbit Adjust burn (If required: 191 n.m. x 183 n.m.) Flight Day Seven SAREX operations Spacehab vestibular operations Group B powerup ODERACS deploy BREMSAT deploy Crew press conference Spacehab vestibular operations Group B powerdown Flight Day Eight Reaction Control System hot fire Flight Control Systems checkout Spacehab vestibular operations Spacehab stow Cabin stow Flight Day Nine Group B powerup Spacehab final deactivation Deorbit preparation Deorbit burn Entry Landing STS-60 Vehicle and Payload Weights Vehicle/Payload Pounds Orbiter (Discovery) empty and 3 SSMEs 173,117 Wake Shield Facility (deployable) 3,710 Wake Shield Facility (cargo bay support equipment) 3,770 Capillary Pumped Loop Exp./Gas Bridge Assembly 5,136 Spacehab-2 9,452 SAREX-II 50 DSOs/DTOs 437 Total Vehicle at SRB Ignition 4,507,961 Orbiter Landing Weight 214,832 STS-60 Orbital Events Summary EVENT START TIME VELOCITY CHANGE ORBIT (dd/hh:mm:ss) (feet per second) (n.m.) OMS-2 00/00:45:00 267 fps 191 x 189 WSF release 02/03:50:00 n/a 191 x 189 WSF thrust 02/03:51:00 1.5 fps 190 x 189 (WSF's thrusters fire to provide separation from Discovery's vicinity) NC-1 02/08:27:00 0.6 fps 190 x 189 (fired when Discovery is about 10 n.m. behind WSF, begins slow drift over next 12 orbits to a point about 40 n.m. behind WSF) NC-2 03/01:14:00 TBD 190 x 189 (if required, maintains Discovery at about 40 n.m. behind WSF) NPC 03/07:00:00 TBD 190 x 189 (if required, aligns Discovery's groundtrack with WSF's groundtrack) NC-3 03/08:00:00 TBD 190 x 189 (if required, maintains Discovery at about 40 n.m. behind WSF) NC-4 03/23:06:00 9 fps 195 x 189 (fired at 40 n.m. behind WSF, begins closing in on WSF, initiates closing rate of about 16 n.m. per orbit to arrive at a point 8 n.m. behind WSF after two orbits) NH-1 03/23:52:00 TBD 190 x 189 (if required, adjusts Discovery's altitude as it closes on WSF) NCC 04/01:12:00 TBD 195 x 191 (first burn calculated by onboard computers using onboard navigation derived from orbiter star tracker sightings of WSF; fine-tunes course while orbiter is closing in on a point 8 n.m. behind WSF) TI 04/02:09:00 12 fps 191 x 188 (fired upon arrival at a point 8 n.m. behind WSF; begins terminal interception of WSF) MC1-MC4 TBD TBD TBD (mid-course corrections, if required; calculated by onboard computers, double-checked by ground; designed to fine-tune final course toward WSF, may or may not be required) MANUAL 04/03:20:00 TBD TBD (Begins about 4 hours, 40 minutes prior to WSF grapple, less than 1 nautical mile from WSF, passing below it. Commander takes manual control of orbiter flight, fires braking maneuvers to align and slow final approach to WSF and begins an almost four-hour long series of proximity operations designed to study the characteristics of Discovery's thruster exhaust during rendezvous) PLUME MNVRS 04/03:43:00 n/a n/a (Commander fires a series of thrusters at differing angles to WSF while flying in front of and behind WSF at ranges of 400, 300 and 200 feet The thruster firings will gather information on how to avoid contaminating rendezvous targets with thruster exhaust during close operations.) GRAPPLE 04/08:00:00 TBD 191 x 189 (WSF is captured using Discovery's mechanical arm) OA 05/07:45:00 TBD TBD (If required, burn to adjust Discovery's orbit for landing opportunities and deploy of ODERACS and BREMSAT) ODERACS 06/02:45:00 n/a 191 x 189 (ODERACS spheres are deployed) BREMSAT 06/07:39:00 n/a 191 x189 (University of Bremen satellite is deployed) DEORBIT 08/04:28:00 335 fps n/a LANDING 08/05:32:00 n/a n/a NOTE: All planned burns are recalculated in real time once the flight is under way and will likely change slightly. Depending on the accuracy of the orbiter's navigation and course at certain times, some smaller burns listed above may not be required. However, the times for major burns and events are unlikely to change by more than a few minutes. STS-60 CREW RESPONSIBILITIES TASK/PAYLOAD PRIMARY BACKUPS/OTHERS Wake Shield Facility Sega Krikalev, Chang-Diaz Remote Manipulator Sys. Davis Krikalev, Sega, Reightler ODERACS Bolden Reightler BREMSAT Bolden Chang-Diaz Get-Away Special (GAS) Bridge experiments: CAPL/GBA Krikalev Sega GAS 514 Davis Chang-Diaz GAS 071 Davis Chang-Diaz GAS 536 Davis Chang-Diaz GAS 557 Davis Chang-Diaz Spacehab experiments: Spacehab systems Chang-Diaz Davis, Sega, Krikalev SAMS Krikalev Sega 3-DMA Krikalev Chang-Diaz ORSEP Bolden Davis CPCG Davis Chang-Diaz BPL Krikalev Chang-Diaz CGBA Davis Reightler SEF Chang-Diaz Davis ECLIPSE Reightler Sega IMMUNE Krikalev Reightler ASC-3 Chang-Diaz Krikalev PSB Davis Bolden Middeck experiments: SAREX-II Krikalev Bolden APE-B Chang-Diaz Krikalev Joint U.S.-Russian medical investigations: DSO 200 (radiological) Krikalev Chang-Diaz DSO 201 (sensory) Sega Davis, Krikalev, Reightler DSO 202 (metabolic) Chang-Diaz Bolden, Reightler DSO 204 (visual obs) Krikalev Chang-Diaz Detailed Test Objectives (DTOs): DTO 623 (cabin air) Sega Bolden DTO 656 (PGSC upset) Sega Reightler DTO 664 (cabin temp) Sega Davis DTO 670 (passive cycle) Sega Reightler DTO 700-2 (laser range) Reightler Sega, Chang-Diaz DTO 700-7 (plb laser) Reightler Sega, Chang-Diaz Other Responsibilities: Photography/TV Chang-Diaz Davis Earth observations Chang-Diaz Krikalev In-flight maintenance Krikalev Bolden Medic Bolden Davis EVA (not planned) Chang-Diaz (EV1), Davis (EV2), Reightler (EV3) Wake Shield Facility (WSF) The Wake Shield Facility (WSF) is a 12-foot diameter, stainless steel disk designed to generate an "ultra-vacuum" environment in space within which to grow thin semiconductor films for next-generation advanced electronics. This mission represents the first time, internationally, in which the vacuum of space will be used to process thin film materials. The STS- 60 astronaut crew will deploy and retrieve the WSF during the 9-day mission. The NASA Office of Advanced Concepts and Technology (OACT) is the sponsor of the WSF-1 flight on this mission of Space Shuttle Discovery. The WSF is designed, built and managed by the Space Vacuum Epitaxy Center (SVEC) -- a NASA Center for the Commercial Development of Space (CCDS) based at the University of Houston, Houston, Texas -- with its principal industry partner, Space Industries, Inc. (SII), League City, Texas. Six additional corporate partners support the WSF program, including: American X-tal Technology, Dublin, Calif.; AT&T Bell Labs, Murray Hill, N.J.; Instruments, S.A., Inc., Edison, N.J.; Ionwerks, Houston, Texas; Quantum Controls, Houston, Texas; and Schmidt Instruments, Inc., Houston, Texas. In addition, the University of Toronto, NASA Johnson Space Center, the U.S. Air Force Phillips Laboratories and the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory are members of the SVEC consortium. The principle objectives of the WSF-1 mission include: o The characterization of the "ultra-vacuum" environment generated by the WSF in low Earth orbit (LEO) space, and the flow field around the WSF, and o Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) - growth of a thin film of the compound Gallium Arsenide (GaAs). These objectives may have a significant impact on the microelectronics industry because the use of improved GaAs thin film material in electronic components holds a very promising economic advantage. The commercial applications for high quality GaAs devices are most critical in the consumer technology areas of digital cellular telephones, high-speed transistors and processors, high-definition television (HDTV), fiber optic communications and opto-electronics. The majority of electronic components used today are made of the semiconductor silicon, but there are many other semiconductors of higher predicted performance than silicon. A current example of this prediction is the material Gallium Arsenide (GaAs). Devices made from GaAs could be about 8 times faster than silicon devices and take 1/10 the power. However, GaAs of high enough quality to reach this predicted performance level does not exist. If high quality GaAs could be produced, the devices made from it would represent nothing less than a technological revolution. If improved GaAs material were available, it could significantly impact the global semiconductor market. The 1990 worldwide semiconductor consumption was $56.8 billion. Of this amount, about 40% went for computers, 18% for telecommunications and 15% for military applications. The projected market for 1994 is $109 billion. Within this giant market, GaAs currently holds only a 0.5% niche. It is predicted that the niche for GaAs should grow to 2% (or about $2.2 billion) by 1995, which could significantly increase with the availability of improved GaAs material. A method to generate such advanced material is by thin film growth of the material in a vacuum environment. This technique, known as epitaxy, is limited by the vacuum conditions in vacuum chambers on Earth. To improve the material, the vacuum environment where it is grown must be improved. Low-Earth orbit (LEO) space can be used to grow GaAs (and other materials) epitaxially, by creating a unique vacuum environment or "wake" behind an object moving in orbit. There is a moderate vacuum in LEO space with very few atoms present. A vehicle in orbit, such as the WSF, pushes even those few atoms out of the way, leaving fewer atoms, if any, in its wake. This unique "ultra-vacuum" produced in space by the WSF will be 1,000-10,000 times better than the best vacuum environments in laboratory vacuum chambers. Using this unique "ultra-vacuum" property of space, the WSF holds the promise of spawning orbiting factories to produce the next generation of semiconductor materials and the devices they will make possible. Program Overview The space "ultra-vacuum" concept was first described within NASA more than twenty years ago, but there was no need identified at that time for the use of an "ultra-vacuum." Recent interest by scientists and corporate researchers in epitaxial thin-film growth has motivated the use of space to create the "ultra-vacuum" in which to grow better thin films. Recognizing this scientific opportunity as a new economic opportunity, in 1987 SVEC formed a consortium of interested industries, academic institutions and government laboratories to utilize the LEO vacuum environment in thin film growth. In 1989, SVEC partnered with its industry members led by Space Industries, Inc., and with NASA Johnson Space Center to build the WSF using a timely and cost-effective manner required of a commercially-oriented endeavor. Prior to 1989, preliminary studies indicated that the WSF would be a disk or shield about 12-14 feet in diameter, and would be deployed from the Shuttle payload bay on the Shuttle "arm." The WSF hardware development program was soon projected to be complex, time intensive and quite costly, and it was mutually decided by NASA and SVEC that a more cost-effective and timely approach must be identified. The result was the effort by SVEC, Space Industries, Inc., and the rest of the SVEC industrial partners to create a non-traditional, commercial approach to space hardware development, and hence space infrastructure development. Through this mode of operation, the WSF will fly in nearly 1/2 the time required under a traditional approach, and at less than 1/6 the cost for a traditional aerospace hardware development program. The primary objectives for the WSF-1 mission (listed above) remain as outlined by SVEC in March 1989. It should be noted that both of these primary objectives will be major "firsts" in space science and technology. The generation and characterization of the "ultra-vacuum" in LEO and its utilization for thin-film growth have never been attempted before, and as a result, represent additional risk for the SVEC-developed space thin film science and technology. These objectives, however, form the foundation of the SVEC principle of taking a basic science concept, identifying an application of it, developing a technology from the application, and identifying and producing a product from that technology. A major contributor to the success of the WSF program will be Discovery's crew, especially Dr. Ronald Sega. Dr. Sega is a Co-Principal Investigator on the WSF program, with Dr. Alex Ignatiev, SVEC Director. The close SVEC interaction with the crew, pre-flight, has proven extremely beneficial for optimizing the complex WSF operation of unberthing, cleaning, deployment, rendezvous and capture. The crew also has contributed to the tuning of the WSF's science and technology operations for maximized data return from this first mission of the WSF and will play a major role in assuring its success. Hardware Description The WSF consists of the Shuttle Cross Bay Carrier (SCBC) and the Free Flyer. The SCBC remains in the Shuttle and has a latch system which holds the Free Flyer to the Carrier. The Shuttle "arm" or Remote Manipulator System (RMS) is attached to the Free Flyer for deployment and free flight in space. The SCBC has an extended-range, stand-alone RF communications system that lets the WSF seem like an attached payload to the Shuttle's systems, even when the Free Flyer is following behind the Shuttle at its stationkeeping distance of 40 nautical miles. The Free Flyer is a fully-equipped spacecraft on its own, with cold gas propulsion for separation from the Shuttle and a momentum bias attitude control system (ACS). Forty-five kilowatt-hours of energy, stored in silver-zinc batteries, are available to power the thin film growth cells, substrate heaters, process controllers, and a sophisticated array of characterization devices. Weighing approximately 9,000 lbs. (the Free Flyer alone is 4,000 lbs.), the WSF occupies one quarter of the Shuttle payload bay. Controlling electronics, attitude control system, batteries and solar panels, and MBE process control equipment are on the back (wake side) of the WSF, while the avionics and support equipment are located on the front (ram side). The commercial approach used to create the WSF has facilitated the development of several critical pieces of supporting hardware which have proven to be extremely useful and valuable in their own right. The development of an inexpensive carrier (the SCBC), a versatile ground link, and an innovative communications link between the Shuttle and the WSF have each been valuable spin-offs from the WSF program. WSF Physical Characteristics Free-Flyer Vacuum welded 304L SS structure, UHV finish on wake side, 12 ft. dia. x 6 ft. Carrier 7075-T73 aluminum alloy, dual trunnion, doubly redundant stand alone latch system Weight 8,000 lbs. total, 3,800 lbs . deployable Power Ag-Zn batteries, 45 Kwatt-hr. @ 28 Vdc Attitude Control System Momentum bias (10 ft.-lb.-sec.), horizon scanner, 2-axis magnetometer, 3-axis magnetic torquer WSF Characterization Equipment Total Pressure Gauges (TPG) 2 10-5torr-10-8torr;3 10-7torr-10- 10torr Mass Spectrometers (TOF-MS) 2 1-150 amu, 2 10-14torr time-of- flight, programmable data integration time Retarding Potential Analyzers 3 ram flux plasma diagnostics, 2 wake side Langmuir probe 3-axis Accelerometers 3 1g-10-6g Wake side video camera Compressed video interleaved with telemetry stream The WSF as a Versatile Space Platform As a free-flying platform, the WSF's wake side -- the ultra-clean side -- is used exclusively for ultra-pure thin film growth. The ram side -- the relatively dirty side -- of the 12 ft.-diameter WSF, however, can be used to accommodate other experiments and space technology applications. The ram side has a significant area of high quality "real estate" in the form of the outer shield -- more than 65 sq. ft. -- which can be applied to the support of other space payloads. The ram side contains four payload attach points, each capable of accommodating 200 pounds of experiment hardware. In addition, since the WSF is mounted horizontally in the Shuttle payload bay, it was obvious early-on that the open volume of the Shuttle payload bay below the WSF could be used effectively by mounting additional payload canisters on the SCBC. The SCBC has power and data capabilities which were extended to the payload canisters, thus prompting their name -- "Smart Cans." The "Smart Cans," based on the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Get Away Special Canisters (GAS cans), also provide the opportunity for other payloads to fly with the WSF (however, staying inside the Shuttle payload bay during the mission). What is Epitaxial Thin Film Growth? Epitaxial thin film growth is an approach to reducing the defects in semiconductor materials, such as GaAs, through the growth of new material on a substrate in a vacuum. In epitaxial growth, atomic or molecular beams of a material, such as arsenic (As) and gallium (Ga), formed in a vacuum are exposed to a prepared surface -- or substrate. The substrate is an atomic template, or pattern, upon which the atoms form thin films. The atoms grow in layers which follow the crystal structure pattern of the substrate. A thin film of new materials then grows on top of the substrate in an atom-by-atom layer, atomic layer-by-atomic layer manner to form a "wafer" with an ultra-high purity top region. This growth technique is defined as Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE), and has been used as a laboratory technique for studies in new thin film electronic materials for the past 20 years. It has been shown during this time that the vacuum environment within which the materials are grown is critical to the quality of the thin film grown. The WSF has the capability of growing epitaxial thin films on seven different substrate wafers. GaAs will be the materials system grown on the WSF-1 flight, with each specific wafer growth tuned for unique thin film parameters. There will be at least one "thick" GaAs film grown (~9 micrometers) for the characterization of ultimate defect densities. In addition, there will be several films grown to exhibit high electron mobility in GaAs and films grown to support the Earth- based fabrication of field effect transistors. Finally, there will be a GaAs film grown by Chemical Beam Epitaxy (CBE) through the use of arsenic (As) and an organometallic compound containing gallium (Ga). The near-infinite vacuum pumping speed of the WSF ultra-vacuum environment should allow for the extremely rapid removal of the residual organic species found during CBE growth, and hence should greatly improve the quality of the grown GaAs film. Cooperative Experiments The University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) will also be performing exposure experiments aboard WSF-1 as a follow-up to its Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) studies. A NASA CCDS, the Center for Materials for Space Structure (CMSS), based at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, is conducting an experiment to test different materials and coatings in space to determine how they degrade in the space environment. The experiment is known as MatLab-1, for Materials Laboratory-1. Industrial contributors to the MatLab- 1 experiment include Westinghouse-Hanford, Martin Marietta, TRW, Rosemount, 3M, Dow Corning and McDonnell Douglas. Supporting government organizations include NASA Lewis Research Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The MatLab-1 will be on the Materials Flight EXperiment (MFLEX) carrier mounted on the front of the WSF (ram side). Each experiment is considered "active," i.e., the material has an electronic sensor attached to it, which is placed into a tray connected to the electronics equipment. The MFLEX will scan the sensors and relay the information back to Earth via the WSF communications link. Material scientists on Earth can monitor the experiments in real-time and determine the performance of each material and coating interaction with the space environment. The MatLab-1 experiment will test many materials in the actual environment in which they would be used to ensure "expected" performance. The materials will be tested for thermal cycling, strain, micro-debris, atomic oxygen erosion and its scattering effects, and the effects of ultra-violet rays. These materials may then be used in the construction of products for the space environment. For example, the materials needed to build a rocket, satellite or space station must meet stringent requirements in weight and durability, given the harsh environment of space. Testing materials onboard the MatLab-1 experiment provides advance information to government and corporate planners about how some materials react in space. In order to reduce launch costs based on a spacecraft's weight, researchers are looking for lighter-weight materials that have the strength to survive a launch into space. Also, they are looking for durable, long- lasting materials that can withstand a lengthy stay in space to reduce replacement costs of valuable assets -- like a satellite that could orbit the Earth for 30 years instead of deteriorating sooner, requiring a new satellite to take its place. The Geophysics Directorate at the U.S. Air Force Phillips Laboratory located at Hanscom Air Force Base (30 miles NW of Boston, Mass.), working with SVEC, studies the flow fields of charged particles in the Wake Shield's vicinity. AFGL will fly the Charging Hazards and Wake Studies (CHAWS) experiment on the WSF Free Flyer. The general purpose of the experiment is to increase understanding of the interactions of the space environment with space systems and the hazards such interactions pose. The improved understanding of spacecraft environmental interactions derived from CHAWS results will enhance both the commercial and military utilization of space. For instance, CHAWS results may lead to the design and operation of higher powered satellites in orbit. The two specific goals of the CHAWS experiment are 1) to measure the ambient, low-energy population of positively- charged particles on both the front and back of the WSF, and 2) to study the magnitude and directionality of the current collected by a negatively-charged object in the plasma wake as a function of the ambient-charged particle density and the orientation of the WSF and the Shuttle. The CHAWS experiment data are crucial to achieving part of the primary mission goal of characterizing the neutral and charged particle wake created by WSF-1. The CHAWS experiment consists of two sensor units and a controller. At the heart of each sensor unit are a series of newly developed, state-of-the-art, compact particle detectors able to measure a wide range of charged particle densities down to low densities previously difficult or impossible to measure. In the spirit of the WSF program, the STS-60 mission will provide the first flight test of this new technology. The most intensive portion of the CHAWS experiment will be conducted after WSF recapture. With the WSF held by the Shuttle "arm," the Shuttle attitude will be varied with respect to the direction of orbital motion so that the full wake can be mapped by varying the sensor's location in the wake region. In addition, measurement will be made of any optical emissions produced near the sensor during high voltage activities. These measurements will be the first ever made in space of the current collected by a negatively-charged object in the wake of a space structure in low Earth orbit. Working with NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) engineers, SVEC is offering the WSF as a testbed for the development of highly sensitive accelerometers, called the Microgravity Measurement Devices (MMD). Accelerometers measure low levels of acceleration by a vehicle in space. Specifically on WSF-1, the accelerometers will characterize the microgravity environment of the WSF Free Flyer. Given the largely passive thin film growth process, the WSF Free Flyer promises to be a "true" microgravity platform, ideal for any number of future materials processing chores. The MMD will be the linchpin for another joint experiment between SVEC and JSC: an ambitious Shuttle Plume Impingement Experiment (PIE) in support of space station development. A critical concern to space station planners is the complex interaction between Shuttle attitude control thruster firings and nearbyspace structures; however, little information exists in this area. The WSF Free Flyer, loaded with environmental diagnostic equipment, is the ideal target for this study, as a cost-effective means to multiply benefits to differing program goals. A complex and extensive series of thruster firings have been planned to use the WSF's response to measure the characteristics of the Shuttle's thruster plumes. Two "Smart Cans" will be attached to the WSF's SCBC on this flight to conduct a Containerless Coating Process (CONCOP- 1) experiment. The United States Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) in Champaign, Ill., will be using the "Smart Cans" for an investigation of hot filament thin film metals deposition on a variety of materials. The results will give researchers information about applying reflective coatings to space structures while in space. While the Free Flyer is behind the Shuttle, the crew will activate the CERL experiment for follow-on operations controlled through the payload operations center. Two student experiments will be a part of WSF-1. "Fast Plants" will be coordinated by Hartman Middle School, Houston, Texas, to study the effects of space radiation on plants' generation. Brassica rapa plants supplied by the University of Wisconsin will be exposed to the entire spectrum of radiation from space while velcro-mounted to the SCBC. Brassica rapa's rapid growth rate of 38 days per generation will allow numerous generations to be studied during a single school year following the WSF-1 flight. Six Houston Independent School District middle schools will be involved in the experiment. Students will not only grow plants and gather data, but will become proficient at controlling variables while learning how to conduct a long-term experiment. Data will be compiled for the purpose of writing and submitting a paper to a scientific publication, rounding out a rich educational experience. Ninth grade students at the Gregory Jarvis Junior High School, Mohawk, N.Y., will be determining the orbital variation of the Earth's magnetic field from electron diffraction data obtained in the WSF thin film growth experiments. The electron beam used for in situ diffraction measurement of the atomic structure of the growing GaAs films is deflected by the Earth's magnetic field. This deflection can be used to define the magnitude and direction of the Earth's magnetic field as a function of orbital position. The junior high school students will work with SVEC researchers in applying elementary physical laws to directly extract Earth magnetic field information from the WSF data. Mission Scenario The Wake Shield Facility will be released from Discovery to fly free for about 48 hours, gathering its experiment information before it is retrieved by the Shuttle. Once it is retrieved, the facility will remain captured at the end of Discovery's remote manipulator system (RMS) mechanical arm overnight, for a total of about 17 hours, to gather further data before it is berthed in the cargo bay for the return to Earth. Release On Flight Day 3, the WSF will be grappled by the Shuttle "arm" and removed from the SCBC. The WSF will be positioned by the "arm" to be "cleaned" by the highly reactive atomic oxygen found in low Earth orbit and by the sun's heat. The "cleaning" will last 3 hours. Some tests will be run during this "cleaning," such as radio checks between the SCBC and the Free Flyer, checks of the Free Flyer batteries, and activation of the primary video camera on the wake side of the Free Flyer. Three successive approximately 45-minute long windows exist for deploying the facility on the third day of STS-60, as well as backup opportunities later in the mission. During the release operations, Commander Charlie Bolden will be at the aft flight deck controls of Discovery, Mission Specialist Jan Davis will operate the mechanical arm, and Mission Specialist Ron Sega will oversee the Wake Shield Facility's systems and experiments. Pilot Ken Reightler will use a hand-held laser range-finding device as well as a similiar device mounted in Discovery's cargo bay to provide information on the distance and separation rate of the facility. The data supplement information provided by the Shuttle's rendezvous radar system. Mission Specialist Franklin Chang-Diaz will document the events with still photography, video and film. After the "cleaning" is done, the "arm" will move the WSF to a position that will allow the formation of a vacuum wake behind the WSF. There will be approximately one hour of vacuum measurements and checkouts in this position. Then the arm will move the WSF to the release position, over the starboard (right) side of the Shuttle payload bay. The Free Flyer will separate from the arm and move behind the Shuttle to remove it from Shuttle contamination sources (i.e., water dumps, fuel cell purges and engine firings). The astronauts will fire a thruster if necessary to keep the WSF safely behind the Shuttle while they are sleeping. The WSF will stay 40 nautical miles behind the Shuttle while growing the thin films. The WSF will be operated during this time from the Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) at the NASA Johnson Space Center. The SVEC POCC team will monitor and control all aspects of WSF operations in close cooperation with the astronaut crew. Rendezvous On Flight Day 5, the Shuttle will rendezvous with the Free Flyer. Every member of the STS-60 crew has a vital role to play during the WSF rendezvous and capture and the integral plume experiment. Charles Bolden, Commander, and Kenneth Reightler, Pilot, will pilot Discovery through a complex series of maneuvers in approaching the WSF. The retrieval of the Wake Shield Facility will begin with an engine firing by Discovery that will have the Shuttle leave its stationkeeping position 40 nautical miles behind to close in on a point about 8 nautical miles behind the facility. Over the next three hours, as Discovery closes in on a point 8 nautical miles behind the Wake Shield Facility, the Shuttle's navigation will be continually refined as will tracking information on the facility itself. The final engine firing performed will be calculated by the Shuttle's onboard navigation systems, rather than by ground controllers. At a distance of 8 nautical miles behind the facility, Mission Specialist Sergei Krikalev will power up the mechanical arm and move it into position for the impending capture, and Discovery will fire its engines to perform a terminal interception (TI) burn, a firing that will put the Shuttle on a course directly for the facility. The Shuttle may perform four small course correction firings during its final approach before Bolden takes over manual control of Discovery's flight as the Shuttle passes less than one nautical mile below the facility. Shuttle Plume Impingement Tests Ron Sega and Sergei Krikalev will coordinate the plume experiment initiation and data acquisition. Franklin Chang- Diaz will track the WSF position by video and Jan Davis will prepare the Shuttle "arm" for WSF capture. Bolden will brake Discovery's approach to the Wake Shield Facility, eventually flying to about 400 feet directly in front of the facility. At that point, Bolden will begin an almost four-hour long series of maneuvers that will have Discovery perform precise steering jet firings at various angles to the Wake Shield Facility. The jet firings comprise a plume impingement test that will help characterize the behaviour of the exhaust emitted by Discovery's jets. With its contamination-sensitive experiments already completed at that time, the Wake Shield's instruments can measure the makeup of the exhaust plume, accelerations the plumes cause, and the pressures of the exhaust. During the tests, Bolden will fly Discovery from in front of the facility to pass above and behind it. The jet firings will be performed in front of the Wake Shield at ranges of 400 feet, 300 feet and 200 feet, and from behind the facility at a range of 200 feet. Information from these tests will be valuable in planning future retrievals and dockings by the Shuttle with other spacecraft in a method that avoids contaminating those spacecraft with the exhaust plumes. Retrieval The final approach to within capture range of the Wake Shield Facility will be done from behind it, with Bolden moving Discovery to within 35 feet of the Free-Flyer. Krikalev will then capture the Wake Shield using the mechanical arm. Krikalev will then place the arm in a parked position with the Wake Shield held above the payload bay during the astronaut sleep period for extended WSF environmental measurement. On Flight Day 6, the CHAWS experiment will be performed. The astronauts will position the WSF to the point above the overhead windows for maneuvering of the WSF to gather plasma flow data around the WSF. The Air Force Auroral Photography Experiment B (APE-B) camera will be used in support of the plasma flow studies to view the Shuttle glow phenomenon on the CHAWS plasma probe from the Shuttle's aft flight deck windows. Plasma flow data will be acquired for two full orbits, after which the WSF will be re-stowed into the SCBC for return to Earth. Future Plans for the WSF Program The WSF Program consists of four flights basically flying at one year intervals. During the four flights, the WSF program first will provide the "proof-of-concept" demonstration of thin film growth in space techniques required for industry to fully embrace the space epitaxial growth technology. Second, it will demonstrate the ability to grow commercial quantities of epitaxial thin films in space. To accomplish these goals, the WSF Program is designed to evolve with the WSF-2 flight (1995) expected to show increased capability in number and types of thin films grown, and in command and control of the growth process through ground operations from a commercial payload command and control center (POCC). WSF-3 (1996) is expected to see the addition of solar panels, additional central processing power, and robotic substrate sample manipulation for extended orbital operations. WSF-4 (1997) is expected to have the capability of processing up to 300 epitaxial thin film wafers. Beyond the first "proof-of-concept" flights of WSF, full commercial use of the WSF is projected. The commercial phase of the program is being termed "Mark II" -- a 5-year orbiting WSF free flyer. Because the weight of the Free Flyer is 4,000 lb., it would not be economically realistic to launch and retrieve the complete WSF for every batch of thin film wafers grown (about 300 wafers per batch). It is clearly more suitable to launch only the raw materials and bring back only the finished wafers, leaving the WSF in space. Therefore, the "Mark II" would be launched into orbit and then be periodically visited by a dedicated service vehicle that would replenish the raw materials and bring back the finished wafers. Conclusion The accomplishment of the objectives of WSF-1 and the three subsequent WSF missions is expected to prove the theory that electronic materials grown in space are of higher quality. The electronics industry's need for high-speed optical and high frequency devices will continue to drive electronics material development and improvement. The ever-increasing use of electronic materials worldwide and the ability to grow them in thin film form in space are expected to give commercial viability to the use of the space "ultra-vacuum" to produce improved and advanced electronic materials. GRAPHIC GRAPHIC GRAPHIC GRAPHIC GRAPHIC SPACEHAB-2 Evolution of the SPACEHAB Program The commercial development of space is a NASA objective as directed by legislation and national policy. Through the many facets of its commercial development of space program, NASA has developed and maintains a high level of commitment to this objective. To that end, NASA has actively invested in the continued technological leadership of the United States and its future economic growth through the direct promotion and support of private sector space-related activities. In the late 1980's, NASA's commercial development of space program identified a significant number of payloads to be flown to further program objectives. To viably sustain this program, the Office of Advanced Concepts and Technology identified a level of flight activity necessary to support the various payload requirements. In September 1989, the office conducted an analysis which revealed that planned Space Shuttle flight activity would not meet middeck-class accommodations needs. Mission experience had already demonstrated the middeck as a very cost-effective area to conduct "crew-tended" scientific and commercial microgravity research. However, the size and number of experiments that can be accommodated in the middeck is severely limited, has conflicting requirements from Shuttle operations and other NASA programs, and is being further constrained by a number of factors such as reduced flight rates. In order to provide the necessary support for commercial development of space payloads, the Commercial Middeck Augmentation Module (CMAM) procurement was initiated in February 1990, through the Johnson Space Center (JSC). Subsequently, in November 1990, NASA awarded a 5-year contract to SPACEHAB, Inc., of Arlington, Va., for the lease of their pressurized module, the SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory. This unit provides additional space for "crew-tended" payloads as an extension of the Shuttle orbiter middeck into the Shuttle cargo bay. This 6-year lease arrangement covers five Shuttle flights and requires SPACEHAB, Inc., to provide for the physical and operational integration of the SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory into Space Shuttle orbiters, including experiments and integration services, such as safety documentation and crew training. NASA's primary objective for leasing the SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory is to support the agency's commercial development of space program by providing access to space to test, demonstrate or evaluate techniques or processes in the environment of space, and thereby reduce operational risks to a level appropriate for commercial development. NASA's secondary objective in leasing the SPACEHAB Laboratory is to foster the development of space infrastructure which can be marketed by private firms to support commercial microgravity research payloads. It is expected that commercial demand will result from successful demonstrations of SPACEHAB. The first, and very successful, flight of the SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory was made on Space Shuttle Mission STS-57, June 21-27, 1993. All systems operated nominally and met 100% of mission success criteria. The 21 NASA-sponsored experiments achieved over 90% of mission success criteria and detailed analyses are underway. SPACEHAB Laboratory Accommodations The SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory is located in the forward end of the Shuttle orbiter cargo bay and is accessed from the orbiter middeck through a tunnel adapter connected to the airlock. It weighs 10,584 pounds, is 9.2 feet long, 11.2 feet high and 13.5 feet in diameter. It increases pressurized experiment space in the Shuttle orbiter by 1100 cubic feet, quadrupling the working and storage volume available. Environmental control of the laboratory's interior maintains ambient temperatures between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The laboratory has a total payload capacity of 3,000 pounds based on operational constraints and, in addition to facilitating crew access, provides the experiments with standard services, such as power, temperature control and command/data functions. Other services, such as late access/early retrieval and vacuum venting also are available. The SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory can provide various physical accommodations to users based on size, weight and other user requirements. Experiments are commonly integrated into the laboratory in Shuttle middeck-type lockers or SPACEHAB racks. The laboratory can accommodate up to 61 lockers, with each locker providing a maximum capacity of 60 pounds and 2.0 cubic feet of volume. The laboratory can also accommodate up to two SPACEHAB racks, either of which can be a "double-rack" or "single-rack" configuration. A "double-rack" provides a maximum capacity of 1250 pounds and 45 cubic feet of volume, whereas a "single-rack" provides half of that capacity. The "double- rack" is similar in size and design to the racks planned for use in the space station. The use of lockers or racks is not essential for integration into the SPACEHAB Laboratory. Payloads also can be accommodated by directly mounting them in the Laboratory. Operations Philosophy of the SPACEHAB Program In order to help keep development costs within levels appropriate to entrepreneurial enterprises, the Office of Advanced Concepts and Technology's (OACT) flight programs accept a certain level of risk in order to approach the payloads from the commercial standpoint, including payload development costs incurred by industry partners. Each of the investigators is aware of and accepts a self-established level of risk for mission success. However, crew and orbiter safety requirements are always fully met. Some of the payloads associated with this SPACELAB flight are physically located in the orbiter middeck. The middeck space that makes this possible is made available by accommodating in the SPACEHAB module other items such as supplies that are normally stowed in the middeck. This operational approach best provides for the late installation and early retrieval of payloads with time critical requirements such as perishable samples. These payhloads remain in the middeck throughout the flight in order to reduce the use of critical on-orbit crew time in moving materials from one location to another. The actual relocation of payloads on- orbit would also introduce undesirable operational risks. The preparations for the flight of SPACEHAB-2 have included the development of a number of backup and contingency operations for each payload appropriate to that payload's relative design simplicity. These backup procedures include scenarios which might possibly affect crew or orbiter safety, and each payload has procedures associated with it that will deactivate and/or safe the payload. Shuttle crew members are trained in the use of these procedures. The SPACEHAB-2 Payload Complement The second voyage of the SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory will contain 12 payloads conducted under the CMAM contract. Like SPACEHAB-1, SPACEHAB-2 payloads represent a wide range of space experimentation including 9 commercial development of space experiments in materials processing and biotechnology, sponsored by five NASA Centers for the Commercial Development of Space (CCDS). There are also three supporting hardware and technology development payloads, one from a CCDS, one from the Lewis Research Center, and one from the Johnson Space Center. One non-NASA experiment is also on this flight. It is attached to the exterior of the module and will collect cosmic dust and debris. SPACEHAB-2 will carry seven biotechnology experiments. These experiments range from improving drugs to feeding plants, from splitting cells to studying the immune system disorders. Two materials processing experiments use furnaces to study sintering of metals and the growth of crystals by vapor transport. The third concentration of experiments is in supporting hardware, with two payloads designed to obtain data on the low-gravity environment of this SPACEHAB flight, to support data analysis of the other investigations, and to further characterize SPACEHAB as a carrier for microgravity experiments. The 12th payload will provide a test and demonstration of technology developed by NASA to support space flight activities with refrigerator/freezer capability requirements such as life sciences and biotechnology. Each of the commercial development of space payloads has been screened by the NASA Office of Advanced Concepts and Technology (OACT) to review the viability of the commercial aspects of the proposed activity as well as the technical soundness. Most of the SPACEHAB-2 payloads have flown on the Shuttle before, with this flight representing the continuation of industry-driven research toward a new or improved commercial end product or process. Some of the CCDS payloads, including the CCDS-sponsored accelerometer, have participated in the NASA OACT Consort series of suborbital sounding rocket flights to test hardware operation and gain flight worthiness. NASA Centers for the Commercial Development of Space The Centers for the Commercial Development of Space (CCDS) program is the cornerstone of NASA's commercial development of space activities, generating 10 of the total of 12 flight hardware packages for which NASA is leasing services on the flight of SPACEHAB-2. NASA's nationwide CCDS network represents a unique example of how government, industry and academic institutions can create partnerships that combine resources and talents to strengthen America's industrial competitiveness. The CCDS's are designed to increase private sector participation and investment in commercial space-related activities, while encouraging U.S. economic leadership and stimulating advances in promising areas of research and development. The CCDS's are based at universities and research institutions across the country and benefit from links with their industrial partners, each other and with NASA field centers. The CCDS's foster industry-driven, space-based, high- technology research in areas such as: materials processing, biotechnology, remote sensing, communications, automation and robotics, and space power. NASA OACT provides annual funding of up to $1 million to each center, with additional funding to those centers to cover specific programs or flight activities, as appropriate. NASA offers the CCDS's its scientific and technical expertise through NASA field centers, opportunities for cooperative activities and other forms of continuing assistance. A key facet of the CCDSs is the additional financial and in-kind contributions and capabilities from industry affiliates, state and other government agencies, which, on the average, exceed the NASA funding level. Through creative and enterprising partnerships with industry, the CCDS program helps move emerging technologies from the laboratory to the marketplace with speed and efficiency. The accomplishments of CCDS participants include significant advances in a number of scientific fields and hundreds of Earth- and space-based applications. As an incubator for future commercial space industries, the CCDS program, since its inception, has facilitated a number of new commercial space ventures and supported a wide range of ongoing efforts. The CCDS program continues to be the key facilitator for U.S. industry involvement in commercial development of space activities, encouraging and supporting new and ongoing space- related ventures, as well as spawning research and development advancements that promise enormous social and economic benefits for all. Equipment for Controlled Liquid Phase Sintering Experiments The Consortium for Materials Development in Space (CMDS) based at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) has developed the Equipment for Controlled Liquid Phase Sintering Experiments (ECLiPSE). Wyle Laboratories supported the development of ECLiPSE which flew successfully on STS-57 SPACEHAB-01. This furnace was developed in a very rapid and cost-effective manner. ECLiPSE is now available as space- qualified hardware and is a key part of this nation's commercial space infrastructure. On STS-60, the SPACEHAB-2 ECLiPSE experiment investigates the Liquid Phase Sintering (LPS) of metallic systems. Sintering is a well-characterized process by which metallic powders are consolidated into a metal at temperatures only 50% of that required to melt all of the constituent phases. In LPS, a liquid coexists with the solid, which can produce sedimentation, thus producing materials that lack homogeneity and dimensional stability. To control sedimentation effects, manufacturers limit the volume of the liquid. The ECLiPSE experiment examines metallic composites at or above the liquid volume limit to more fully understand the processes taking place and to produce materials that are dimensionally stable and homogeneous in the absence of gravity. The ECLiPSE project is focused on composites of hard metals in a tough metal matrix. This composite will have the excellent wearing properties of the hard material and the strength of the tough material. Applications of such a composite include stronger, lighter, more durable metals for bearings, cutting tools, electrical brushes, contact points and irregularly shaped mechanical parts for high stress environments. Kennametal, Inc., is an industry partner of the UAH CMDS participating in the ECLiPSE experiment and has immediate applications for material improvements in the ceramic composites tested. Kennametal, one of the nation's largest cutting tool manufacturers, is developing stronger, more durable tool bits and cutting edges. Other industry partners on the ECLiPSE project are Wyle Laboratories, Automatic Switch Company, Parker Hannifin Corporation, and Machined Ceramics. Preparation of the ECLiPSE payload begins with the compaction of two or more metal powders under high pressure (11.2 tons/sq. in.) to form a composite. Once compacted, the composites are cleaned and installed into the ECLiPSE high temperature furnace for flight. A Wyle Laboratories-designed Universal Small Experiment Container (USEC) will house the furnace assembly within the SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory rack. In operation, the ECLiPSE payload is first evacuated, pressurized with argon gas and switched on by the crew. The furnace then autonomously heats to a temperature in excess of 2000{F, which is above the melting point of one of the metals in the composite samples. The samples then undergo the rearrangement and solution re-precipitation stages of LPS. The hardware performs purge, heat-up, processing, quench and cool down cycles. The total time for all operations is slightly more than 10 hours. ECLiPSE is mounted in a SPACEHAB single rack. During on- orbit operations, a crew member monitors the indicators on the front of the payload to show the health of the hardware and progress of the experiment through the operating cycles. Once the unit has completed all cycles, a crew member connects a Payload General Support Computer (PGSC) to the ECLiPSE, downloads the data stored inside the ECLiPSE process control computer and then shuts down the experiment. The Shuttle flight of the ECLiPSE payload is building on the experience of other ECLiPSE flights on suborbital rockets. Suborbital flights have provided 1-3 minutes of sample processing time and now the longer flight durations possible on the Shuttle are required. Because the hardware was originally designed to fly in suborbital rockets, it is very automated, requiring little crew interaction. Principal Investigator for ECLiPSE is Dr. James E. Smith, Jr., Associate Professor and Chairman, Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, The University of Alabama in Huntsville. Space Experiment Furnace The Space Experiment Furnace (SEF) is a space flight furnace system managed by the Consortium for Materials Development in Space (CMDS) based at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). The SEF was manufactured by Boeing Commercial Space Development Company, Seattle, WA, and is similar to Boeing's Crystals by Vapor Transport Experiment (CVTE) furnace which flew in October 1992 on STS-52. The initial objective of the SEF project was to provide a vapor transport crystal growth furnace for use by the CCDS's. The SEF system has the capability to carry one, two or three separate furnaces at one time and has room for two samples in each furnace, for a total of up to six samples. The CVTE was designed as a middeck facility while the SEF has been adapted for flight in the SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory and is mounted in a SPACEHAB single rack. This is the first flight of the SEF. The SEF has two transparent furnaces available for operations at various temperatures up to approximately 900