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NASA PHYSICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH DIVISION National Aeronautics and Space Administration George C. Marshall Space Flight Center Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama 35812 2001-2002 ANNUAL REPORT

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NASA PHYSICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH DIVISION

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

George C. Marshall Space Flight CenterMarshall Space Flight Center, Alabama 35812

2001-2002ANNUAL REPORT

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

ON THE FRONT COVER 1

In microgravity, a large bubble grows assmaller ones come in contact and sur-face tension breaks to let the gaspockets join.

See page 47

The International Space Station providesa unique environment in which scientistsfrom various disciplines can conductresearch free from some of the effects ofgravity.

See page 72

Better understanding of combustionmechanisms will help scientists con-trol levels of soot and nitrous oxides,combustion by-products and contrib-utors to air pollution.

See page 31

Researchers have found that the geneticexpression of human renal cells can bemanipulated in microgravity to producehormones that are valuable in thetreatment of disease.

See page 21

Researchers can review accelerationmeasurement data to find out when andat what frequency vibrations occur on theInternational Space Station.

See page 68

This crystal of satellite tobacco mosaicvirus grown under microgravity conditionsis more than 30 times the size of similarcrystals grown on Earth.

See page 7

Each peak in a matter-wave soliton trainis a collection of atoms cooled to a tem-perature of nearly absolute zero.

See page 54

The newly installed MicrogravityScience Glovebox has been used forseveral Materials Science experi-ments, including the Pore Formationand Mobility Investigation.

See page 63

Editor’s Note:This report covers activity of the PhysicalSciences Research Division October 1,2000–September 30, 2002. Manyresearch descriptions reference missionSTS-107, which would be flown onSpace Shuttle Columbia. The crew per-ished, and most of the experimentsonboard the science-dedicated flightwere lost, on February 1, 2003, when thespace shuttle broke apart during its reen-try into Earth’s atmosphere.

1 TABLE OF CONTEN

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

1 Cover images

1 Table of Contents

1 For More Information

2 Introduction pg 1

3 Biotechnology pg 4

4 Combustion Science pg 28

5 Fluid Physics pg 38

6 Fundamental Physics pg 48

7 Materials Science pg 58

8 Acceleration Measurement pg 66

9 International Space Station pg 72

10 Ground-Based Microgravity Facilities pg 78

11 Outreach and Education pg 80

12 Appendices

A Grant Recipients pg 88

B Microgravity Experiment Hardware pg 128

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

FOR MORE INFORMATION 1

ASA’s goal is to improve the quality of life on Earth by using ground- and space-based

research to promote new scientific and technological discoveries. The Physical Sciences Research

Division plays a vital role in our nation’s economic and general health by carefully selecting, fund-

ing, and supporting scientists across the country. It also serves as an important link in the interna-

tional endeavors that are the hallmark of America’s space program.

By disseminating knowledge and transferring technology among private industries, univer-

sities, and other government agencies, the Physical Sciences Research Division continues to build

on a foundation of professional success, which is evidenced by the number of publications and con-

ferences attended, while reaching out to encompass the populace at large. Educational outreach and

technology transfer are among the program’s top goals, making the benefits of NASA’s research

available to the American public. Space shuttle research missions, as well as experiments performed

in short-duration microgravity facilities, are yielding new understandings about our world and the

universe around us, while long-duration microgravity science on the International Space Station is

making possible advances in research that were not possible before.

Under the direction of the Biological and Physical Research Enterprise, the Physical

Sciences Research Division will continue to advance cutting-edge research led by the best scientists

from across the nation. For more information about the enterprise and ongoing microgravity

research, use the following contact information:

The Physical Sciences Research Division

NASA Headquarters

300 E Street, S.W.

Washington, DC 20546-0001

Phone: (202) 358-1490

Fax: (202) 358-3091

World Wide Web addresses:

http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov

http://microgravity.nasa.gov

NN

2 INTRODUCTIO

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

hen the International Space Station (ISS)Expedition 1 crew was launched to the station aboard aRussian Soyuz spacecraft from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, onOctober 31, 2000, they ushered in a new era of humanpresence in low–Earth orbit. By the close of fiscal year(FY) 2002, the three members of the Expedition 5 crewwere busy carrying out a wide range of hands-on scien-tific and technological investigations on the orbiting out-post. Fiscal years 2001 and 2002 have coincided almostexactly with the first two years of continuous humanoccupation of the ISS. During these two years, thePhysical Sciences Research (PSR) Division has beenactively participating in pioneering space-based scientificendeavors while carrying out significant programmaticreassessment and redirection.

In December 2001, the first integrated annualNASA Research Announcement (NRA) for PhysicalSciences Research in the Office of Biological andPhysical Research (OBPR) was released. The NRAsolicited time-staggered submissions of research propos-als in the five traditional microgravity disciplines ofbiotechnology, combustion science, fluid physics, funda-mental physics, and materials science. In addition, a spe-cial topic for original research in the area of advancedmaterials supporting space exploration technology wasincluded in the announcement. Together with a previousspecial-topic solicitation of proposals targeting advancedmaterials characterization for high-energy radiation pro-tection, this focused request reflects a heightenedattention to applied research supporting advanced spacetechnology development. The programmatic shift fromsingle-discipline NRAs appearing every two years on avarying schedule to a fixed-date, annual NRA integratingmultiple disciplines and special topics was designed toestablish a more regular schedule for the solicitations andto enhance the opportunities for proposal submissions.

The scientific accomplishments funded throughNRAs in these past two years are nothing short ofimpressive, reflecting the quality and productivity of themultidisciplinary research community assembled underthe PSR Division. For example, exciting new accom-plishments obtained through both Earth- and space-basedinvestigations have allowed the growth of three-dimen-sional ovarian tissues from cells and the preservation ofimmune system cells in the NASA-developed specializedbioreactor that mimics microgravity. Combustion scien-tists have made advances in the understanding and pre-diction of smoldering combustion under normal andmicrogravity conditions. Fluid physicists have carried outrevealing new flight experiments on the ISS and thespace shuttle on colloidal crystallization, probing themysteries of phase transition and solidification, and onparticle collision in dust, simulating planetary processes.

One of our bril-liant young investigators,Wolfgang Ketterle, sharedthe 2001 Nobel Prize inphysics for his inspiredwork in Bose-Einsteincondensation and for hisleading role in the demon-stration of the feasibilityof the atom laser. Someof his colleagues in theprogram have attractedworldwide attention withtheir artistry in controlling Bose-Einstein condensates toslow down and completely stop the transfer of informa-tion contained in light and to simulate processes in dis-tant stars by using supercold condensates of fermions. Inmaterials science, the first ISS investigations on solidifi-cation processes using baffles in sealed ampoules weresuccessfully carried out in the Microgravity ScienceGlovebox facility, provided by the European SpaceAgency. Using the availability of extended-durationexposure to microgravity on the ISS, researchers havebeen able to grow crystals of superoxide dismutases —the body’s own fighter of free radicals — that are largeenough and of high enough quality to obtain the never-before-seen three-dimensional structure of the hydrogenson each amino acid of the protein.

After reviewing research investigations such asthese, the National Research Council Committee onMicrogravity Research released at the end of FY 2002 aglowing assessment of the progress and quality of theresearch carried out under the auspices of the previousMicrogravity Research Division and the current PhysicalSciences Research Division, praising significant pastaccomplishments and noting promising future develop-ments. In fact, the National Research Council Board onPhysics and Astronomy’s assessment of the “GrandChallenges in Physics” for the first decade of the 21stcentury indirectly endorses a large portion of the OBPRPhysical Sciences Research Division. Armed with thesefindings, the division has embarked upon a strategic redi-rection of the research objectives that places a renewedemphasis on applied research aimed toward enablingnew space technologies while preserving the valuableand productive fundamental research component uniqueto NASA and to the country.

— Eugene TrinhDirector, Physical Sciences Research Division

WW

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-20022

INTRODUCTION 2

Table 1 — Physical Sciences Research Overview

2000 2001 2002Research tasks 584 553 533

Principal investigators 455 451 449

Co-Investigators 667 719 514

FY budget ($ in millions) 108.7 130.4 120.0

Table 2 — Program Bibliographic Listings

2000 2001 2002Journal articles 904 688 758

Presentations 1,062 719 817

Proceedings papers 422 325 250

NASA technical briefs 13 0 12

Books/chapters 50 43 58

Total 2,451 1,775 1,895

Table 3 — Grant Statistics

2000 2001 2002Students funded 1,146 1,407 1,690

Degrees granted 457 N/A N/A

Patents applied for 22 15 16

Table 4 — Glenn Research Center Task Summary

2000 2001 2002Ground-based 189 158 176

Flight program 55 54 46

Total 244 212 222

Table 5 — Jet Propulsion Laboratory Task Summary

2000 2001 2002Ground-based 40 64 55

Flight program 9 12 11

Total 49 76 66

Table 6 — Johnson Space Center Task Summary

2000 2001 2002Ground-based 56 49 48

Flight program 2 0 0

Total 58 49 48

Table 7 — Marshall Space Flight Center TaskSummary

2000 2001 2002Ground-based 180 173 144

Flight program 46 38 34

Total 226 211 178

Biotechnology 26.9%Multidiscipline / Other 27.7%

Glovebox 0.1%

Acceleration Measurement 0.5%

Materials Science 13.6%

Fundamental Physics 10.2%

Fluid Physics andTransport Phenomena 11.6%

Combustion Science 9.4%

Biotechnology 29.0%

Fundamental Physics 10.1%Fluid Physics andTransport Phenomena 11.3%

Combustion Science 9.8%

Multidiscipline / Other 22.2%

Glovebox 0.1%

Acceleration Measurement 0.4%

Materials Science 17.1%

FY 2001 Microgravity Funding Distribution by Science Discipl ine(Total Budget in Mil l ions:$130.359)

FY 2002 Microgravity Funding Distribution by Science Discipl ine(Total Budget in Mil l ions:$120.018)

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

19

Office of Biological and Physical ResearchFY 2001 Total Invest igat ions by State

5

3

4

173

14

5

12

1

24

147

106

18

35

17

7

59

46

5910

4

275

6

15

1

13

10

4 47 14

3

30

21

MA-75

3

12 RI-7CT-12

NJ-31

DE-40

DC-11MD-40

992 Fl ight and Ground Research Programs in 44 States and the District of Columbia*Excludes Graduate Student Research Projects

United States (AK & HI Inset)by State Totals*

17 to 173 (16)11 to 16 (7)

1 to 4 (11)5 to 9 (9)

10 (2)

20

Office of Biological and Physical ResearchFY 2002 Total Invest igat ions by State

6

3

1

166

14

5

10

3

24

96

113

18

30

17

6

58

44

5314

475

6

14

1

14

12

4 42 16

3

28

19

MA-71

2

12 RI-7CT-13

NJ-16

DE-5

DC-11MD-38

947 Fl ight and Ground Research Programs in 44 States and the District of Columbia*Excludes Graduate Student Research Projects

United States (AK & HI Inset)by State Totals*

20 to 166 (12)13 to 19 (9)

1 to 4 (11)5 to 6 (7)

7 to 12 (5)

2 INTRODUCTIO

id you ever stop to consider that some of

the foods in your refrigerator are products of biotech-

nology? Biotechnology is the application of knowl-

edge concerning biological systems to the production

of consumer goods and services. Foods like cheese,

yogurt, and beer are all products of biotechnology in

its most basic form — harnessing existing biological

processes, such as bacterial fermentation, to produce

goods for human consumption.

The term biotechnology probably also brings

to mind genetically engineered bacteria, plants, and

animals. It is this facet of biotechnology that allows

farmers to plant crops that can withstand certain

herbicides or diseases and helps researchers to

develop bacteria that can produce human insulin,

which is essential for the treatment of diabetes, and

drugs to dissolve blood clots, reducing the risk of

heart attack and stroke.

Although most biotechnology research bene-

fits the medical and agricultural fields, this kind of

work also supports a broad range of manufacturing

industries. Processes that use biological components

or that mimic biological systems can be used for a

variety of purposes, including creating new materi-

als, removing contaminants, and improving the effi-

ciency of chemical reactions. For example, microbes

are used to process sewage at city wastewater treat-

ment plants and to produce alcohol-based fuels for

motorized vehicles. Bacteria that can break down oil

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-20024

DD

BIOTECHNOLOGY 3

OVERVIEW

Farmers have benefit-ed from biotechnologyby being able to growhigh-yield crops thatare resistant to herbi-cides and disease.Harnessing biotech-nology has allowedthe agricultural indus-try to produce moreon fewer acres.

Biotechnology hasenabled scientists toturn to naturalsources for pollutioncontrol. Bacteria havebeen geneticallyaltered to perform avariety of environmen-tal clean-up tasks,including ingesting oilslicks.

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

and petroleum have been discovered, and

researchers have genetically altered these bacteria

to create microbes that can feed on oil slicks.

Biotechnology research focuses on how

organisms and their components function. Large

organisms are composed of systems of organs. If

you look in the mirror, you can see the largest organ

in the human body — the skin. The skin and other

organs consist of tissues specialized to perform spe-

cific functions in the body. These tissues in turn are

made up of a smaller structure — the cell. How the

cell functions in a particular tissue is determined by

its molecular components. Cells contain billions of

biological macromolecules, which are much larger

and more complex than nonbiological molecules.

The unique chemical traits of these molecules deter-

mine how a cell differentiates to become part of a

particular type of tissue and, ultimately, how an

organism grows, lives, and dies.

The microgravity environment of space

provides special advantages to biotechnology

researchers studying cell growth and biological mol-

ecules. NASA’s microgravity biotechnology pro-

gram, therefore, supports research in two main

areas: macromolecular biotechnology, overseen by

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville,

Alabama, and cell science, overseen by Johnson

Space Center in Houston, Texas. The program’s

contributions to understanding the foundations of

life at the molecular and cellular levels may enable

the development of new drugs and other therapies

for disease and dysfunction, as well as measures

to safely send humans into space for extended

time periods.

OVERVIEW3 BIOTECHNOLOG

Cheese is a product ofbiotechnology. Bacteriaproduce lactic acid to aidcurd formation and influ-ence the cheese’s flavorand quality during ripen-ing. Genetic engineeringenables yeast to producecalf chymosin, the enzymeused to accelerate cheesecurd formation.

here are tens of thousands of biological

macromolecules at work in the human body. These

molecules, mostly proteins and nucleic acids, per-

form or regulate all functions that maintain life.

Proteins, for example, transport oxygen and chemi-

cals in the blood, form major components of muscle

and skin, and, in the form of antibodies, aid in fight-

ing infection. Enzymes, which are a class of pro-

teins, catalyze specific chemical reactions in cells

and control metabolic pathways, which are a series

of chemical reactions that together perform one or

more important functions, like the conversion of

sugar to energy.

Nucleic acids are another type of biological

macromolecule. The best-known examples of nucleic

acids are ribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonu-

cleic acid (DNA). Nucleotides, which are subunits

of nucleic acids, exist in a particular order along the

DNA molecule. Each unit of three nucleotides along

a strand of DNA forms a “letter” of the genetic

code, with the letters specifying particular amino

acids, the building blocks of proteins. So each sec-

tion of the genetic code actually specifies the pro-

duction of a specific protein, which in turn supports

the maintenance of life at both the cellular and

whole-organism levels. Small differences in genetic

codes can result in major differences within and

between organisms.

To unlock some of the mysteries about how

a biological molecule carries out its role, scientists

need knowledge of the molecule’s structure. A bio-

logical molecule’s shape and chemical components

determine the types of other molecules with which it

can interact. Proteins have active sites that allow

them to fit with other molecules to perform a specif-

ic function. Active sites on proteins, when inappro-

priately triggered, can cause disease or unwanted

functions. Drug designers seek knowledge of these

sites so they can develop drugs to block the sites or

otherwise render them inactive.

OVERVIEW

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-20026

TT

MACROMOLECULAR BIOTECHNOLOGY 3

Proteins are the building blocks of our bodies and the living worldaround us. If the structure of a protein is known, then companiescan develop new or improved drugs to fight the disease of whichthe protein is a part. On Earth, convection currents, sedimenta-tion, and other gravity-induced phenomena hamper crystalgrowth efforts, and the result is crystals with flaws, as shown onthe left. In microgravity, researchers can grow high-quality crys-tals in an environment free of these effects to obtain better quali-ty crystals that yield more structural data, as shown on the right.Research on crystals of human insulin, like these, could lead toimproved treatments for diabetes.

cred

it: N

ASA

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Information about molecular structure is

important to scientists in other fields as well.

Genetic engineers use this information to chemically

alter genetic codes to make bacteria, plants, or fungi

with desirable properties, such as yeast that has been

altered to produce insulin. Knowledge of molecular

structure is also the key to understanding how some

species survive and even thrive in extreme condi-

tions like the arctic or in volcanic vents. And

because some biological molecules, such as

enzymes, catalyze processes, understanding their

structure may enable their use as miniature manu-

facturing plants to process materials — the ultimate

in nanotechnology.

X-ray crystallography is the most common

method by which scientists study the structure of

biological molecules. Crystals of the molecule of

interest are formed, and X-rays are passed through a

single crystal at various angles. The resulting dif-

fraction patterns are analyzed using computers to

estimate the size, shape, and structure of the mole-

cule. A flawed crystal will yield a blurry and/or

weak diffraction pattern, whereas a well-ordered

crystal will yield a sharp and/or strong diffraction

pattern and thus useful information about the struc-

ture of the crystal.

A microgravity environment reduces the

effects of fluid flows and sedimentation within the

crystallization solution that can interfere with the

crystal growth process and the quality of the crystal.

OVERVIEW3MACROMOLECULAR BIOTECHNOLO3

This unusually large cubic crystal of satellite tobacco mosaic virusgrown under microgravity conditions is more than 30 times the size ofsimilar crystals grown on Earth.

credit: NASA

When a crystal begins to form in a solution, mole-

cules diffuse from the solution around the crystal to

join the growing crystal lattice. As a result, the solu-

tion in the immediate vicinity of the crystal has a

lower concentration of the crystal-forming material

than the remainder of the solution, and therefore has

a lower density. Under the influence of Earth’s grav-

ity, this difference in density creates currents next to

the growing crystal. Such fluid flows can alter the

orientation and position of the biological molecules

added to the crystal lattice, thereby creating disorder

in the crystal. Molecules are added to the crystal lat-

tice in the same way on Earth and in microgravity,

but in microgravity the lower concentration at the

crystal surface can slow crystal growth enough to

enable misplaced crystals to disassociate and then

reattach in a better orientation.

Likewise, sedimentation, another effect of

gravity, can result in poor-quality crystals. When

crystals grow to a size that cannot be supported by

suspension in the drop of solution in which the crys-

tals are forming, then the crystals will drift to the

bottom of the drop. There they may settle on top of

other crystals and grow into those adjacent crystals.

X-ray crystallography requires single crystals for

analysis, and thus sedimentation can render poten-

tially high-quality crystals unusable. In the micro-

gravity environment of low Earth orbit, the effects

of sedimentation and fluid flow are nearly eliminated,

and the conditions for growing diffraction-quality

crystals are improved.

Ground-based research in molecular science

includes crystallization of biological macromole-

cules (including analysis of crystals and methods to

control crystal quality); the development of bioma-

terials, which are substances that are synthetic or

natural in origin that can be used to treat, augment,

or replace a tissue, organ, or function of the body;

research on separation technology; and biologically

oriented nanotechnology.

OVERVIEW

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-20028

MACROMOLECULAR BIOTECHNOLOGY 3

Enzymes catalyze specific chemical reactions incells and control metabolic pathways. Studying thestructure of enzymes will help researchers to betterunderstand how the enzymes function. Creatinekinase, pictured here, converts the major storageform of high energy phosphate into a usable energyform. Creatine kinase is a major muscle enzyme andis implicated in some muscle diseases. Understandinghow the enzyme works could lead to therapies forthose diseases.

credit: NASA

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

3 MACROMOLECULAR BIOTECHNOLOGY

Program Summary

Following the release in 2000 of the NationalResearch Council’s* (NRC) report, titled FutureBiotechnology Research on the International SpaceStation, the biotechnology program implemented theStructural Biology Initiative to enact the recommendationsof the NRC panel. The goals of the initiative are to accel-erate the process by which investigators get their researchprojects to flight, to decrease the time interval betweendeveloping a research idea and obtaining data, and to match the speed of the ground-based researchprocess.

To achieve these goals, the biotechnology pro-gram will integrate new hardware for use on theInternational Space Station (ISS) that will allow increasedsample throughput and provide video microscopy of crys-tallization experiments. Also in response to the NRCpanel, the biotechnology program began developing andtesting an external review process that will accommodateboth large-scale research projects funded by NASA’speer-reviewed grant process and small-scale ad-hocinvestigations. An external, nonadvocate panel will beused to peer-review and prioritize experiments and tomake decisions in a timely manner to better match thepace of ground-based biotechnology research. This pro-gram will provide the scientific community with one,well-advertised point of contact for access to spaceflightexperiments. To obtain information on the associateinvestigator program, visit http://crystal.nasa.gov/technical/assoc_invest_prg.html or http://www.nisb.org.

The NASA Research Announcement (NRA) formacromolecular and cellular biotechnology that wasreleased in August 2000 directly addressed the recom-mendations of the NRC report. Research proposals in anumber of areas, detailed in the following paragraphs,were solicited from scientists.

Proposals were sought for structural biologyresearch to produce crystals of macromolecular assem-blies with important implications for cutting-edge biolo-gy problems, as recommended by the NRC. Systems thatmeet the criteria set forth in the NRA include membraneproteins, molecular motors, and biopolymer syntheticmachinery. The NRC report described all of these sys-tems as elaborate and fragile, which makes them difficultto crystallize except under optimal conditions. In thesecases, microgravity conditions might improve the qualityof the crystals enough to allow determination of key

structures. Also included were macromolecular systemsfor which research efforts have already been undertakenbut which have presented challenges for crystallization.In the area of crystallization studies and technologies,proposals were invited to support the aforementionedresearch with emphasis on providing a framework forunderstanding microgravity crystallization results, opti-mizing crystal growth conditions, characterizing crystaldefect formation and the relationship between defectformation and crystal growth, and providing a morerational approach to the growth of macromolecularcrystals.

NASA also invited proposals for developingtechnologies that seek to improve macromolecular crys-tallization throughput for structural biology and pro-teomics research on the ISS. Proteomics is the identifica-tion and study of proteins in the body, genes that codefor particular proteins, protein-protein interactions, andthe role of proteins in such activities as transmitting dis-ease. Research for improving throughput includes auto-mated crystal growth technologies, screening methods,and cryopreservation techniques.

In the area of biological nanotechnology, NASAsought research proposals for the development of molecular-sized sensors, signalers, and receptors; nanometer-scalebiomaterials; and technologies to manipulate biomole-cules to form useful devices or nanometer-scale struc-tures. Nanotechnology research is important because itcan be used to reduce experiments’ weight, volume, andneed for electrical power, all limiting factors duringspace missions.

Research solicited in the area of biomolecularself-assembling materials includes polymer biosynthesis,self-assembled monolayers and multilayers, decoratedmembranes, mesoscopic organized structures, and bio-mineralization. The area of biomolecular self-assemblingmaterials combines molecular biology, physical sciences,and materials engineering. Biomolecular materials haveability to assemble themselves without external interven-tion, and understanding the mechanisms involved in suchself-assembly could lead to the development of newprocesses and materials with significant technologicalimpact, including applications in life support to enablehumans to live and work permanently in space, as wellas other Office of Biological and Physical Research(OBPR) goals.

Finally, in the area of structural protein-basedmaterials, NASA solicited proposals for the production

* The NRC was organized by the National Academy of Sciences to associate the science and technology communities and to be the principaloperating agency that provides services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. These services includeinvestigating, examining, experimenting, and reporting on any subject of science or art.

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-200210

MACROMOLECULAR BIOTECHNOLOGY 3

of protein-based materials or the isolation, in useableform, of such materials from cells. Collagen, keratin,and silk are examples of structural proteins. Researchersmay be able to incorporate novel properties in suchmaterials by genetically engineering the sequences orincorporating modular components from other proteins.Because these materials could be produced usingrecombinant DNA technology, it is possible to create auniform and controllable architecture of the resultingmaterial. Such biomaterials could also support OBPRgoals.

Notices of intent for this NRA were due onSeptember 6, 2000, and 225 proposals were received bythe October 27, 2000, due date. Selections were made inJune 2001; 20 of the selected proposals were to conductresearch in macromolecular biotechnology, includingprojects on challenging problems in structural biology,artificial biomembranes, and membrane proteins. Foradditional information on the NRA and selections, visithttp://research.hq.nasa.gov/code_u/nra/current/NRA-00-HEDS-03/winners.html on the WWW.

NASA macromolecular biotechnology principalinvestigators (PIs), co-investigators, guest investigators,and associate investigators published 69 peer-reviewedarticles in scientific journals in fiscal year (FY) 2001 and62 in FY 2002.

In early FY 2001, the Spallation Neutron Source(SNS) project and NASA cosponsored a workshop inKnoxville, Tennessee. Representatives from the biologi-cal neutron diffraction and microgravity crystal growthcommunities met to discuss the future use of the SNS formacromolecular single-crystal neutron diffraction.Academic, industry, and government advisers represent-ing the countries of England, France, Japan, and theUnited States participated in the workshop and devel-oped a set of recommendations regarding biological neu-tron diffraction crystallography.

Using neutrons to produce a diffraction patternof protein crystals has advantages over X-ray diffraction.About one-half of the atoms that make up a protein arehydrogen atoms. When protein crystals are bombardedwith X-rays, the X-rays are diffracted from the electronclouds of the individual atoms within the protein crystalto form a pattern from which the structure of the proteincan be determined. But it is an incomplete picture of thestructure, because hydrogen atoms have very little elec-tron density and so go undetected by X-ray diffraction.In contrast, when a protein crystal is bombarded withneutrons, the neutrons interact with the nuclei of the pro-tein crystal atoms. The diffraction pattern of the neutronsthen allows the position of hydrogen atoms to be identi-fied, and thus a more complete structure of the proteincan be determined.

However, neutron diffraction techniques pose aparticular challenge. Although neutron diffraction canprovide a complete structural analysis using a singlecrystal, that crystal must be much larger than crystalsthat are suitable for X-ray analysis. The colloquium for-mally recognized that because of research supported byboth NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), theproduction of crystals sufficiently large for neutron dif-fraction studies is now an attainable goal. Growth ofcrystals 2 mm x 1.5 mm x 1 mm or larger is now com-mon for an increasing number of proteins. Based on pre-vious microgravity crystal growth experiments and theavailability of a controlled environment for extended-duration missions afforded by the ISS, it was estimatedthat approximately 90 percent of proteins crystallized inorbit will have the potential to reach 1 mm x 1 mm x 1 mm— the size range needed for analysis by current andfuture neutron sources.

NASA was well-represented at the AmericanCrystallographic Association’s 2002 Annual Meeting,held in San Antonio, Texas, May 25–30, 2002. One-thirdof the microgravity macromolecular biotechnology pro-gram’s principal investigators were key presenters at themeeting, which is the nation’s largest gathering of struc-tural biologists, drawing 800 attendees in 2002. At awell-attended session, “Biomacromolecular CrystalGrowth and Perfection,” which was sponsored by themacromolecular biotechnology program, NASA investi-gators made six presentations that covered hardwaredevelopment, crystal quality analysis method develop-ment, and a new technique for judging the quality of thecrystal cryocooling process.

Among the program presentations was a talkgiven by NASA Project Scientist Mark van der Woerdtitled “About Small Streams and Shiny Rocks:Macromolecular Crystal Growth in Microfluidics.” Vander Woerd provided an overview of work being conductedat MSFC using microfluidic technology for protein crys-tallization and reported on preliminary results from hard-ware incorporating that technology for crystal growth.

Aniruddha Achari, of MSFC, and his researchteam presented a poster titled “Equilibrium KineticsStudies and Crystallization Aboard the InternationalSpace Station Using the Protein CrystallizationApparatus for Microgravity (PCAM).” The PCAM hasbeen used to grow macromolecular crystals in a micro-gravity environment using a “sitting drop” method ofvapor diffusion. The experiments were set up to gatherdata for a series of days of activation with differentdroplet volumes and precipitants. The results of theseexperiments will help future PCAM users to choose pre-cipitants that will optimize crystallization conditions fortheir target macromolecules for a particular mission witha known duration.

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

3 MACROMOLECULAR BIOTECHNOLOG

In April 2002, a patent was awarded to macro-molecular biotechnology PIs and project scientistsWilliam Witherow, of MSFC, R. L. Kurtz, of Pace andWaite Inc., Huntsville, Alabama; and R. R. Holmes, ofMSFC, for their Laser Image Contrast EnhancementSystem (LICES). LICES allows objects that are hotenough to emit blackbody radiation to be illuminated andimaged. (A blackbody is a theoretically ideal radiator andabsorber of energy at all electromagnetic wavelengths.)For example, in a furnace, an object is heated until itemits blackbody radiation. It is then illuminated fromoutside with laser light and viewed with a camera with aspecial optical system.

In FYs 2001 and 2002 the macromolecularbiotechnology program made progress toward optimizingthe analysis of microgravity-grown crystals by advancingtechniques for cryocooling. Rapid cooling, or cryopreser-vation, is a technique routinely used to preserve crystalsof biological molecules for structural analysis by X-raydiffraction. It is important that crystals are carefully pre-served and stored not only to remain intact for lateranalysis but also to withstand radiation damage from theintense X-rays used. Flash cooling of crystals to near 100kelvins (cryocooling) extends a crystal’slifetime and makes it less susceptible tothe secondary radiation damage thatoccurs during X-ray analysis. Cryocoolingalso reduces thermal motions of the mole-cules and allows for data collection fromvery thin or small crystals.

Edward Snell, Russell Judge, andMark van der Woerd, of MSFC, have pro-vided a method by which scientists, forthe first time, can actually see images ofthe temperature gradients as crystals ofcertain molecules are rapidly cooled.Using a camera sensitive to infrared radi-ation, the MSFC scientists determined thelength of time it took to complete the cryo-cooling process. The experiment alsodemonstrated that it is possible to observedefects created by improper cooling orhandling of the crystals. Being able toactually assess temperature distributionacross a crystal and to observe defectscaused by improper handling will helpscientists to improve crystal preservationmethods and ultimately obtain more com-plete and accurate data.

The researchers presented theirwork on cryocooling at several venues in FY 2002, including the AmericanCrystallographic Association meeting in San Antonio. While investigating

cryocooling of crystals, Snell and van der Woerd alsostudied water in the macromolecular structure to under-stand how cryoprotectants interact with the crystal at themolecular level. Cryoprotectants replace water in thestructure and slow the formation of ice so that flash cool-ing the crystal vitrifies it — turns it into a glassy sub-stance — rather than freezes it. The cryoprotectants donot react with the crystal and are simply present to pro-tect the crystal from the effects of freezing. This workresulted in an invited talk in 2001, which was publishedin 2002 (“Neutrons and Microgravity,” by E. H. Snell, inProceedings of the 3rd International Symposium onDevelopment of New Structural Biology IncludingHydrogen and Hydration in Organized ResearchCombination System, 33–41). Complete neutron datasets have been collected to complement X-ray studies;these results will be published in 2003.

Flight Experiments

Three different pieces of macromolecular experi-ment hardware flew on the ISS in FYs 2001 and 2002,accommodating hundreds of macromolecular samplesthat successfully crystallized in the microgravity

The structural model of thaumatin shown here was developed from informationgleaned from thaumatin crystals grown in microgravity. The crystals grown in theEnhanced Gaseous Nitrogen Dewar on the International Space Station were of higherquality than any of those grown on Earth. Synchrotron studies of these crystals pro-duced 50 percent more data than had been obtained from the best ground-grown crys-tal. Thaumatin is a protein from the African Serendipity berry and is highly prized for itssweet taste.

credit: NASA

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MACROMOLECULAR BIOTECHNOLOGY 3

environment. Several technologies were also deployed toadvance crystal studies and analysis, including real-timeimaging of crystals during in-flight growth.

The first biological crystal growth experimentsconducted aboard the ISS took place in the EnhancedGaseous Nitrogen (EGN) Dewar in FY 2000 and werereturned to Earth in early FY 2001. The dewar, whichwas developed by PI Alexander McPherson of theUniversity of California, Irvine, flew on three ISS mis-sions in 2001 (each lasting approximately 40 days) andcarried a total of 881 samples of macromolecules to orbitfor crystallization.

In the dewar, crystals were grown using the liq-uid-liquid diffusion method. In liquid-liquid diffusionsamples, the material to be crystallized and the precipi-tant solutions are frozen separately, and then are thawedonce in orbit, diffusing with each other and resulting incrystal formation. Under microgravity conditions, crys-tals of the biomolecular materials form without interfer-ence from the container, other crystals, or turbulentflows, which often results in a crystal with a more nearperfect structure than those grown on Earth.

This was the case for the dewar-grown crystalsof thaumatin, which were of higher quality than any ofthis molecule grown on the ground. Thaumatin is a pro-tein from the African Serendipity berry (Thaumatococcusdanielli) and is valued for its intensely sweet taste.NASA PI Craig Kundrot, of MSFC, grew crystals ofthaumatin using the liquid-liquid diffusion method in theEGN. Synchrotron diffraction data collected from thebest crystal extended to 1.28 angstroms and produced 50percent more data than the best ground-grown crystaland 100 percent more data than earlier reports on thau-matin crystals in scientific literature. Results of the thau-matin crystal growth investigation were published in2002 in a paper titled “Thaumatin CrystallizationAboard the International Space Station Using Liquid-Liquid Diffusion in the Enhanced Gaseous NitrogenDewar,” by C. L. Barnes, E. H. Snell, and C. E. Kundrot,in Acta Crystallographica Section D: BiologicalCrystallography(58), 751–60.

FY 2001 also saw the transport of the ProteinCrystallization Apparatus for Microgravity aboard STS-100, on April 19, 2001. PCAM had flown on 11 previousshuttle flights. PCAM, developed by Daniel Carter, ofNew Century Pharmaceuticals, and his colleagues atMSFC, is a self-contained crystal growth apparatus thatuses multiple seven-chamber trays as a disposable inter-face. The sample chambers, which each hold a drop ofprotein solution, are surrounded by a “moat” ofabsorbent material that controls the crystal growthprocess after activation. The wells are filled prior tolaunch and sealed with rubber to prevent evaporation

and subsequent crystal formation before launch. Nine plas-tic trays can be loaded in one PCAM cylinder, and sixcylinders can be carried in a temperature-controlledlocker.

For its first ISS mission, in April 2001, PCAMtrays containing 756 samples of 11 different proteinswere housed in two Single-Locker Thermal EnclosureSystems. The scientific objectives of these experimentsranged from producing crystals of superior size and qual-ity for X-ray structure determination to experimentsaimed at improving understanding of the underlyingphysical processes involved in biological macromolecu-lar crystal growth in microgravity. PCAM equilibrationstudies conducted during the ISS increment produceddata that will help future users of the PCAM equipmentto optimize growth conditions for the macromolecules inwhich they are interested.

One of the PCAM experiments, led by Co-Investigator Jean-Paul Declercq of the University ofLouvain, in Belgium, resulted in crystals of peroxire-doxin 5. Peroxiredoxin 5 is a protein thought to play animportant antioxidant protective role in various tissuesunder both healthy and disease states. Peroxiredoxin mayalso be important to signal transduction, or communica-tion, between cells. Crystals of the oxidized form of thisprotein grown on the ISS showed an improvement in res-olution from 7 angstroms to 3.8 angstroms.

In FY 2002, PCAM flew on two space shuttlemissions headed to the ISS, STS-108 in December 2001and STS-111 in June 2002. On the STS-108 mission,several proteins produced significantly larger crystalsand, in some cases, crystals that diffracted to the highestresolution to date for Earth- or space-grown crystals. Onthis flight, Carter and New Century Pharmaceuticalscrystallized human serum albumin, the major protein ofthe human circulatory system. It contributes 80 percentto osmotic blood pressure and is chiefly responsible formaintaining blood pH. Additionally, albumin is involvedwith the binding and transportation of a variety of smallmolecules throughout the circulatory system, includingthe majority of currently known pharmaceuticals.Structural details of albumin and albumin-drug com-plexes can be used to explore the potential for improvingthe safety and efficacy of a broad base of therapeuticsand for developing novel engineered albumins for a vari-ety of applications. The highest resolution and qualitynative data to date on human serum albumin crystalswere collected from one of the crystals grown on theISS. Data were collected at a resolution of 1.9 angstroms,and these data indicated that even higher resolution datashould be obtainable.

Co-Investigator Mark Wardell, of New CenturyPharmaceuticals, crystallized human antithrombin III,

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

3 MACROMOLECULAR BIOTECHNOLO

which controls blood coagulation in human plasma andis an important target for understanding strokes andthrombolytic diseases, which include deep vein thrombo-sis, pulmonary embolism, and cerebral infarction. Thefirst few ISS crystals analyzed have shown diffraction toat least 1.8 angstroms, with an overall completeness ofmore than 95 percent. As with the human serum albumincrystals, even higher resolution data may be obtainablefrom the antithrombin crystals. A detailed analysis of theimproved structure is currently under way and will bepublished in the future. Another goal that was achievedduring PCAM experiments flown to the ISS on STS-108was the exploratory growth of crystals with a definedinternal symmetry, called a space group, and morphologysuitable for neutron diffraction. Carter’s PCAM experi-ment was geared toward proof of concept for this pro-tein/space group combination as a prelude for the morecostly-to-prepare samples that are currently aboard theISS. Neutron diffraction experiments are performedusing specialized nuclear reactors and require unusuallylarge crystals, which can be difficult to grow. The re-searcher’s efforts, if successful, can be rewarded withan exceptional view into the hydrogen arrangementwithin the protein molecule — a key to understandingmany of the chemical processes that underlie a protein’sfunction.

The Dynamically Controlled Protein CrystalGrowth (DCPCG) experiment flew on the ISS in FY2001. The DCPCG hardware was developed by theCenter for Biophysical Sciences and Engineering at theUniversity of Alabama, Birmingham. The hardware isthe first of its kind to allow the study of the physics of

the biological crystal growth process. The DCPCG designincludes a laser light scattering system that will be used toattempt to automatically detect the onset of nucleation,when the crystal begins to form. Microscopic high-resolution video cameras provide constant monitoring ofcrystal growth.

Carried to the station on STS-104 in July 2001,the DCPCG allowed, for the first time, dynamic controlover crystal growth. This was accomplished through theability to vary the rate of evaporation of the crystalliza-tion experiments using computers from the ground. Thiswas also the first microgravity payload that allowedautomated imaging of the crystal experiments inprogress. Video images were collected every four hoursand transmitted to Earth at a minimum of once each day.During operation of the DCPCG, half the chambers wereactivated and the experiments were monitored.Experiment conditions for the second half of the experi-ments were changed from the ground on the basis of theinformation obtained from the first set of chambers. Theremote control and imaging capability of the DCPCGpermitted scientists to observe two important phenomenaregarding crystallization in microgravity: the effect ofevaporation rates on crystal formation and the occur-rence of significant movement of the crystals in solution.

Although differences in diffraction resultsbetween ground- and microgravity-grown crystals of thetwo model proteins flown in DCPCG were not statisti-cally significant, the microgravity samples, having aslower evaporation rate, grew fewer and larger proteincrystals. The ability to see the samples every four hours

This series of images taken by Delta-L of one of 10 glucose isomerase crystals imaged automatically at 1.5-hourintervals can help give researchers insight into how growth rate dispersion can affect crystal growth and quality.

credit: NASA

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-200214

MACROMOLECULAR BIOTECHNOLOGY 3

gave some very intriguing results regarding crystalmovement, which was much more pronounced in themicrogravity environment of the ISS than had beenanticipated. It is not yet clear to what extent this move-ment was due to Marangoni effects, caused by convec-tion that occurs as the result of surface tension differ-ences, and what may have been the result of accelera-tions from various ISS activities. It is also not knownwhether the movement is a disadvantage to crystalgrowth — although it may be detrimental to ultimatecrystal quality, it may also help to grow larger crystalvolumes by moving the growing crystals into areas offresh nutrient.

Engineers and scientists at MSFC have teamedto produce award-winning flight hardware namedDelta-L. This equipment, which will fly on the ISS inlate 2003, is expected to provide data that will test thehypothesis that growth rate dispersion plays a role in

crystal quality improvement in microgravity. Growthrate dispersion is an occurrence in which individual crys-tals grow at slightly different growth rates under thesame solution conditions. MSFC scientists participatingin the study believe that microgravity may act to improvecrystal quality by reducing growth rate dispersion. Areduction in dispersion has been shown to be an indicatorof quality crystals on the ground.

The Delta-L experiment comprises a fluid assem-bly that allows crystallization fluid in the growth cell tobe exchanged, thereby providing fresh growth solution to enable continued crystal growth; a data acquisitionand control system; and an imaging system that allowsimages of crystals to be collected by using a videomicroscope camera.

MSFC scientists and engineers involved in thedevelopment of Delta-L are Dyana Beabout, Robert

Delta-L flight hardware, shown being tested in the ISS Microgravity Science Glovebox ground testunit, is expected to provide information to help researchers improve the quality of microgravity-grown crystals.

credit: NASA

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

3 MACROMOLECULAR BIOTECHNOLOG

Cooper, Eric Corder, Willie Dawson, Tim Dowling,Russell Judge, Paul Julino, Sharon Manley, Jim Meehan,Teresa Miller, Edward Snell, Mark van der Woerd, andJason Waggoner.

Highlights

Understanding How Antioxidants Protect the Body

Few people look forward to aging, and history isfull of stories of searches for a “fountain of youth.”Theories abound as to why and how aging happens. Oneof the more popular of these theories states that aging isdue to DNA and other cellular structures being damagedby a class of molecules known as free radicals. The bodyhas its own defenders against free radicals, and NASAPrincipal Investigator Gloria Borgstahl, of the Universityof Toledo, is using space-grown crystals to discover howone of these “antioxidants” works.

Free radicals are produced in the body duringoxidation, the reaction of oxygen with other molecules,which is a necessary chemical reaction that provides theenergy to maintain life. A free radical has an unpairedelectron in its outer orbital shell that is highly reactiveand wants to pair with another electron to gain a morestable state. This electron makes free radicals very unsta-ble. By reacting rapidly with nearby molecules, theunpaired electron is able to pair off with another elec-tron, but the result is yet another unpaired electron,which leads to a kind of chain reaction of free radicals.The role of antioxidants is to react with free radicals,thereby stopping their chain reaction and pre-venting damage to molecules that are importantto biochemical processes in the body.

The aging body somehow loses itsability to provide the necessary antioxidants toprotect vital biochemical processes from oxi-dation and the production of free radicals andbecomes subject to various aging-related prob-lems such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer,and Parkinson’s disease. Free radicals can alsoreact with fatty acids in the body to make themmore saturated and can cause cross-linking ofprotein molecules. One of the best-knownresults of this type of cross-linking is theappearance of wrinkles and the loss of elastic-ity in skin as we age.

Borgstahl is studying the antioxidantcalled superoxide dismutases (SOD), whichprotects the body from the oxidative damagethat is associated with aging. SODs are impor-tant enzymes that protect all living cells byreacting with the toxic superoxide radical, anoxygen molecule with a negative charge

because of an extra electron, which is a normal by-prod-uct of respiration, the oxidation or burning of fuel withincells.

The ultimate goal of Borgstahl’s research is tostudy the chemistry of SOD at the atomic level as it performs its job of detoxifying superoxides. She and her team hope that high-quality crystals of this enzymegrown in microgravity will help advance the understand-ing of how SOD works and will enable several types oftechnically challenging structure determinations.Although a naturally occurring manganese-containingform of superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) — the specificenzyme Borgstahl is working with — has been exten-sively studied biochemically, the crystal structure of this

This microgravity-grown MnSODcrystal is pink due to the manganesemetal ion in the active site. Earth-grown crystals typically grow as thinplates and are never thick enough toallow the viewer to see this vibrantpink color.

credit: Gloria Borgstahl

According to one popular theory, aging is due to DNA and other cellular struc-tures’ being damaged by a class of molecules known as free radicals. The bodyhas it own defenders against free radicals, including superoxide dismutases(SODs). PI Gloria Borgstahl hopes that high-quality crystals of MnSOD grownin microgravity, pictured here, will help advance the understanding of howSODs work and will enable several types of technically challenging structuredeterminations.

credit: Gloria Borgstahl

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MACROMOLECULAR BIOTECHNOLOGY 3

enzyme has not been solved. MnSOD and other metalSODs are part of the cell’s defense against free radi-cal–mediated damage. MnSOD also protects against theproduction of free radicals during inflammatory pro-cesses in the body.

Borgstahl’s first microgravity crystallizationexperiments on the manganese-containing SODs weretransported to the ISS by STS-108 in December 2001and were returned to Earth in April 2002. At AdvancedPhoton Source in Chicago, Illinois, Borgstahl and hercolleagues were able to collect the best X-ray diffractiondata available to date from the crystals grown on the ISS.Crystals grown in Earth laboratories are typically longrectangular rods that are thin in cross section (120microns x 50 microns x 1,000 microns). To the researchteam’s great satisfaction, all 35 crystallization experi-ments on the ISS produced crystals, and more than halfof them were of a dramatically larger volume in crosssection (400 microns x 400 microns x 3,000 microns)than similar crystals grown on Earth. Several of theMnSOD crystals grown on the ISS were 80 timesgreater in crystal volume than Earth-grown crystals,and diffraction spots to 1.26-angstrom resolution wereobserved, providing significantly improved data com-pared with that obtained from crystals grown in Earthlaboratories. Borgstahl has said that the difference incrystal size was “like comparing toothpicks to 4-inch x 4-inch planks of wood.”

To answer fundamental biochemical questionsconcerning this enzyme, Borgstahl and her team neededto obtain these large, high-quality crystals of SOD forneutron studies and for time-resolved Laue studies. Bothneutron and Laue methods require large (greater than1 cubic millimeter), perfect crystals. With the neutronexperiment, the researchers hope to be able to obtain thenever-before-seen, three-dimensional structure of thehydrogens on each amino acid of the protein and therebyanswer the unsolved questions concerning the source ofthese hydrogens in the enzyme reaction mechanism.With the time-resolved Laue experiments, the team will be able to generate the superoxide substrate within the crystals with a laser pulse and then make a“movie” of the enzyme converting it to peroxide andwater.

The role of manganese-containing SODs in thebody is important, and in-depth study of their structure isnot only vital to understanding their function, but alsomay lead to new therapeutic treatments for variousdegenerative processes.

Stamp-Sized Laboratories for Space

Just as the world of electronics was reshaped bythe philosophy that “smaller is better,” biotechnology

systems are being transformed by the drive to miniaturize.The result is the production of tiny biological laborato-ries on the scale of microns and millimeters. The func-tion of several pieces of standard laboratory equipmentand a lab technician can now be replaced with a postagestamp–sized “lab-on-a-chip.” The science of microflu-idics is making this new technology possible as itrequires the ability to manipulate processes that involvefluid volumes measured in nanoliters (10-9 L) and pico-liters (10-12 L). In the life sciences, microfluidic systemsmay be used for biochemical assays, genetic analysis,drug screening, electrochromatography (separating the components of a substance by applying a voltage),and blood-cell separation/analysis (to determine bloodcell counts and the presence of disease), reducing thetime and cost of performing complex biochemicalprocesses.

NASA has also recognized the potential of thesechips to process samples of macromolecules for crystalgrowth experiments in space. The tiny chips couldgreatly minimize the volume of valuable biological sam-ples required to obtain results. With this objective, in late2001, a collaboration began between NASA’s IterativeBiological Crystallization (IBC) project and CaliperTechnologies Corporation of Mountain View, California,the renowned mass producer of LabChip® devices. Theresult is chip NS374.

In future space travel, miniaturized systemswill be essential for reducing spacecraftsystem mass and volume. The functions ofseveral laboratory instruments can now beplaced on a chip that is not much largerthan a dime. The size of the chips greatlyminimizes the volume of valuable biologicalsamples that must be used to obtainresults, and the automated equipment thatmanages the chips allows scientists onEarth to use the Internet to set up and trackcrystallization experiments on the ISS.

credit: NASA

ACTUALCHIP

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

In any experiment, for crystal growth to occur,a sample is prepared that contains the macromoleculein a solution and a precipitant that initiates evaporationand thus crystal formation. The new chip is capable ofmixing prescribed recipes from up to five solutioncomponents and of selectively delivering each of therecipe mixtures to separate growth wells that reside onthe same chip. Testing of this chip, which has beenongoing for several months in the IBC laboratories,has proven the efficacy of the approach. The IBC lab-on-a-chip system will provide a statistically significantsample, much higher throughput, and greater repeata-bility of macromolecular experiments. Automatedequipment that manages the chips allows scientists onthe ground to use the Internet to iteratively set up andvisually evaluate hundreds of crystallization experi-ments throughout the duration of an ISS flight incre-ment.

The lab-on-a-chip technology developed byIBC, with its capacity to meter and mix biological flu-ids with picoliter accuracy, is well suited for commer-cial or academic structural biology research on Earthas well as in space. The unit will also be adaptable forother areas of research that employ microfluidics.

In future space travel, miniaturized systemswill be essential in reducing the mass and volume ofspacecraft systems. Microfluidics has the potential tofacilitate and automate scientific research across multi-ple disciplines. As NASA seeks to develop tools thatwill diminish the negative effects of long-term spacetravel on humans, lab-on-a-chip technology is apotential springboard for medical diagnostic and ther-apeutic devices that will ultimately make spaceflightsafer for humans.

A New NASA Institute

In November 2001, NASA awarded theHauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute(HWMI) in Buffalo, New York, a grant to establish theNASA Institute for Structural Biology (NISB).Hauptman-Woodward is an independent, nonprofit facili-ty specializing in basic research using structural biologyand is known worldwide for its expertise in crystalgrowth. The new NASA institute will be devoted to fos-tering research in the field of macromolecular biologyand in facilitating the use of low-gravity research oppor-tunities. Principal Investigator George DeTitta and hisco-investigator, HWMI Research Scientist Joseph Luft,and HWMI Executive Vice President and PrincipleResearch Scientist Walter Pangborn were named to headthe institute.

NISB was formed in part to help structural biolo-gists access flight hardware through NASA’s unified

Associate Investigator Program, which is focused onopening up spaceflight opportunities to a larger commu-nity of scientific researchers. Shortly after its inception,NISB began to promote awareness of the new program.The NISB contacted groups and individual members ofthe structural biology community, providing informationabout how the institute can assist investigators who wishto fly macromolecular crystallization samples in ISSexperiment hardware sponsored by NASA’s PhysicalSciences Research Division. Also provided was a list ofupcoming flights available with instructions on how tomake an application. An independent peer-review panelwas set up to evaluate flight proposals, and the groupbegan reviewing applications for early 2003.

Another important task for the NISB is to helpselected researchers through the process of flying experi-ments on the ISS. To that end, the NISB will provide thesupport necessary to do adequate ground crystallizationexperiments and diffraction analyses to assess the effectsof microgravity, including making synchrotron radiationavailable. Timely access to synchrotron beam time fol-lowing retrieval of flight experiments is a high priorityfor researchers, as using electromagnetic radiation hasbecome an indispensable tool in the field of X-raycrystallography for molecular structure determination.NISB will help investigators secure access to theStanford Synchrotron Research Laboratory at StanfordUniversity.

3 MACROMOLECULAR BIOTECHNOLOG

In June 2002 New York State Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton(second from left) announced the award of a $2.6 million grantover three years from NASA to the Hauptman-Woodward MedicalResearch Institute (HWMI) to establish the NASA Institute forStructural Biology at HWMI’s Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.From left to right: George DeTitta, HWMI executive director andCEO; Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton; Ron Porter, manager,Science Planning and Program Management Group, MSFC;Herbert Hauptman, HWMI president; and Christopher Greene,HWMI chairman of the board.

credit: Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-200218

ore than 70 years ago, cellular biologist

E. B. Wilson wrote in his book The Cell in

Development and Heredity that “the key to every

biological problem must finally be sought in the

cell.” All living creatures are made of cells — small,

membrane-bound compartments filled with a con-

centrated water-based solution of chemicals. The

simplest forms of life are solitary cells that propagate

by dividing in two. More complex organisms such as

humans are like cellular cities in which groups of

cells perform specialized functions and are linked by

intricate communication systems. Cells occupy a

halfway point on the scale of biological complexity.

Scientists study cells to try to understand their

molecular makeup and to learn about how they

cooperate to enable a complex organism to function.

More than 200 types of cells make up the

human body. They are assembled into a variety of

tissues, such as skin, bone, and muscle. Most tissues

contain a mixture of cell types. Cells are small and

complex — a typical animal cell is about five times

smaller than the smallest visible particle, and it con-

tains all the molecules necessary to enable an organ-

ism to survive and reproduce itself. A cell’s small

size makes it difficult for scientists to see its struc-

ture, to discover its molecular composition, and

especially to find out how its various components

function. Differentiated cells perform specialized

functions. For example, a heart muscle cell looks

different from and performs different functions than

a nerve cell. Specialized cells interact and communi-

cate with one another, setting up signals to govern

the character of each cell according to its place in the

structure as a whole.

What can be learned about cells depends on

the available tools. Culturing (growing) cells is one

of the most basic techniques used by medical

researchers. The growth of human cells outside the

body enables the investigation of the basic biological

and physiological phenomena that govern the normal

life cycle and many of the mechanisms of disease. In

traditional research methods, mammalian cells are

cultured using vessels in which cells settle to the bot-

tom surface of the vessel under the influence of

gravity. This gravitational influence results in a thin

sheet of cells, with the depth of a single cell, called a

monolayer. Cells in human tissues, however, are

arranged in complex, three-dimensional structures.

MM

OVERVIEWCELLULAR BIOTECHNOLOGY 3 NASA’s ground-based

rotating bioreactor isan analog of micro-gravity cell culturethat has made it pos-sible for cells toaggregate, differenti-ate, and grow in threedimensions in cultureson Earth.

credit:: NASA

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

When cells are grown in a monolayer, they do not

perform all the functions that the original tissue does.

Although much valuable information can be

gained from monolayer cell cultures, further under-

standing of the processes that govern gene expres-

sion and cellular differentiation is limited because

the cells are not arranged as they are in the human

body. When the influence of gravity is decreased,

the cells are able to grow in more tissue-like, three-

dimensional aggregates, or clusters. Until the cellular

biotechnology program developed a unique technol-

ogy called the NASA Bioreactor, experiments to

form three-dimensional cell formations were con-

fined to the microgravity environment of space.

The NASA-designed bioreactor allows cells

to be cultured in a continuous freefall state, simulat-

ing microgravity and providing a unique cell culture

environment on the ground. The growth medium–

filled cylindrical vessel rotates about a horizontal

axis, suspending the cells in a low-shear* culturing

environment. This allows for cell aggregation, differ-

entiation, and growth. The bioreactor affords

researchers exciting opportunities to create three-

dimensional cell cultures that are similar to the

tissues found in the human body.

Using both space- and ground-based bioreac-

tors, scientists are investigating the prospect of

developing tissues that can be used in medical trans-

plantation to replace failed organs and tissues.

Additionally, investigators are striving to produce

models of human disease to be used in the develop-

ment of novel drugs and vaccines for the treatment

and prevention of disease, to devise strategies to

reengineer defective tissues, and to develop new

hypotheses for the progression of diseases such as

cancer. Finally, cells exposed to simulated and true

microgravity respond by making adaptations that

give new insights into cellular processes, establish a

cellular basis for the human response to microgravity

and the space environment, and pave the way for cell

biology research in space regarding the transition of

terrestrial life to low-gravity environments.

OVERVIEWBIOTECHNOLOG3 CELLULAR BIOTECHNOLO

The NASA rotating wall vessel bioreactor provides a low-turbulenceculture environment that promotes the formation of large, three-dimensional cell clusters. Cell constructs grown in the bioreactormore closely resemble tumors or tissues found in the body. Cellconstructs grown in a rotating bioreactor on Earth (left) eventuallybecome too large to stay suspended in the nutrient medium. In themicrogravity of orbit, the cells stay suspended (right). Rotationprovides gentle stirring to replenish the medium around the cells.

Rotating Wall Vessel Bioreactor

EARTH (1g) ORBIT (µµg)

credit:NASA

* Shear is the force caused by the cells sliding against one another.

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-200220

Program Summary

A recommendation was made by the NationalResearch Council in 2000 for the Cellular BiotechnologyProgram to work with the Fundamental Biology Programof NASA’s Life Sciences Division to take advantage ofoverlapping interests. Therefore NASA Cell Science con-ferences, which had for many years been sponsored bythe Cellular Biotechnology Program (CBP) at JohnsonSpace Center in Houston, Texas, were jointly sponsoredby the CBP and the Fundamental Biology Program atAmes Research Center in Moffett Field, California, in2001 and in 2002. This successful collaboration betweenthe two centers will continue.

The 2001 NASA Cell Science Conference andAnnual Investigators Working Group Meeting was heldMarch 6–8, 2001, in Houston, Texas; this was the firstagencywide cell science conference. Approximately 190scientists from universities, NASA centers, the NationalInstitutes of Health, the National Space BiomedicalResearch Institute, and commercial cell culture enterpris-es attended the three-day conference. Sixty-three invitedspeakers gave talks in the following areas: cell move-ment/cytoskeleton, tissue modeling, biological responsesto physical forces, models in lower organisms, immunol-ogy, cell culture technology, proliferation and differentia-tion, and gene expression. Eight industry exhibitors alsoattended to showcase their products.

The 2002 conference was held February 26–28,2002, in Palo Alto, California, and was attended byapproximately 160 scientists and 10 exhibitors.Currently, planning is under way for the 2003 NASACell Science Conference, scheduled for February 20–22,2003. In addition to the research areas covered in pastconferences, the 2003 conference will be expanded toinclude presentations on neoplastic disease (cancer), sen-sors and analytical equipment, and gravity and mechani-cal sensing. The area of sensors and analytical equipmentencompasses work in advancing the state of the art inautomated cell culture technology. In space, the culturingof cells must be highly automated because it may be per-formed by crewmembers who are not proficient in thisvery time-consuming and skill-intensive procedure.Thus, sensing systems that can detect cell culture condi-tions and control them autonomously to ensure theyremain viable are necessary to ensure successful science.Gravity and mechanical sensing covers investigationsinto the molecular and cellular mechanisms behind themany varied responses seen in microgravity. Understandingthese is critical to understanding why we see many decreas-es in quality of physiological functions such as muscleatrophy and bone loss associated with spaceflight.

Under the Cellular Biotechnology Program in fiscal years (FYs) 2001 and 2002, 47 principal

investigators conducted scientific investigations in bothground- and flight-based environments, resulting in morethan 50 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journalsand proceedings. Additionally, a NASA ResearchAnnouncement for cellular biotechnology (NRA 01-OBPR-08-B) was issued in June 2002.

Research solicited under this announcementsought to establish the scientific foundations for futureexperiments on the International Space Station (ISS) andto support the development of biotechnology applica-tions for long-duration spaceflight. The solicitation alsosought coordinated research efforts involving both space-and ground-based research that would lead to potentialflight experiments or development of new technologiesfor future NASA missions. NASA not only invitedresearch in the areas that it has previously supported,such as tissue engineering, bioreactor design, andchanges in gene expression, but also expanded the scopeto include other research areas that have been identifiedas having potential to contribute to human exploration ofspace. These new areas of supported research includeseparation, purification, and remediation methods;microbiosensor monitoring devices; and selective pres-sures on cell populations, among others.

Separation, purification, and remediation meth-ods are needed to clean and recycle water on spacecraftduring future long-duration missions. Purification meth-ods must be specific for toxic molecules, reliable, andinexpensive and must make minimal demands on space-craft resources. The cellular biotechnology program cancontribute in this area by researching the use of cellu-lar organisms to convert or catalyze fluid waste tousable products such as drinking water, oxygen, ormethane.

Likewise, the cellular biotechnology programcan assist in the development of microbiosensor monitor-ing devices. The sensors will be microtechnology- andnanotechnology-based, will be extremely stable andsmall, and will be used for monitoring biological systemsand experiments to aid in the advancement of biotechno-logical processes and their use in support of long-duration space missions.

Assessment of selective pressures on mammalianand microbial cell populations is critical to long-termoccupation of space. Changes in cells that are both geno-typic (changes in the makeup of the genes themselves)and phenotypic (changes in how the genes express them-selves externally) occurring over numerous generationsof cells exposed only to a space environment must bestudied in order to determine risks to our biologicalintegrity and to our life-based support systems wroughtby extended (and even permanent) stays in space.

CELLULAR BIOTECHNOLOGY 3

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Proposals in response to the NRA were dueSeptember 6, 2002, and selections are expected to bemade in May 2003. For additional information, visithttp://research.hq.nasa.gov/code_u/nra/current/NRA-01-OBPR-08-B/index.html on the World Wide Web.

Most of NASA’s previous work in cell sciencehas taken place on shuttle flights and on the Russianspace station, Mir. These experiments have demonstratedthat microgravity and the space environment affect cellshape, signal transduction (the transfer of signals fromoutside the cell to inside the cell), replication and prolif-eration, gene expression, apoptosis (cell disintegration),and synthesis and orientation of intracellular and extra-cellular macromolecules. With the increased availabilityof research opportunities on the ISS and the new hard-ware developed specifically for this platform, more fre-quent and longer term investigations will undoubtedlyaccelerate the advancement of our understanding of howthe microgravity environment affects cell structure,processes, and functions.

Flight Experiments

FY 2001 and FY 2002 were again years ofadvances for the cellular biotechnology flight program.Several researchers flew experiments on space shuttleflights and on the ISS. Flight experiments included stud-ies of colon cancer metastasis, kidney cell gene expres-sion, and erythroleukemia. Additionally, in FY 2002 theCellular Biotechnology Programextended its efforts to expand biotech-nology commercial ventures by enlarg-ing its agreement with StelSys Inc. ofBaltimore, Maryland, to include flightexperiments aboard the ISS. Progresswas also made on the development ofthe Biotechnology Facility for the ISS.

Principal Investigator (PI) J.Milburn Jessup’s study of colon carci-noma metastasis using the NASAbioreactor flew to the ISS aboard STS-105 in August 2001. Jessup, of theGeorgetown University MedicalCenter, is a veteran of two spaceflightexperiments on shuttle missions STS-70 (July 1995) and STS-85 (August1997). STS-70 provided the proof thatNASA’s rotating wall vessel bioreactor(RWV) could be used to grow three-dimensional cellular aggregates. Thecarcinoma cells provided by Jessup forthe experiment formed masses 10millimeters in diameter — 30 timesthe volume of those grown in thecontrol experiment on the ground.

The experiment was repeated on STS-85, again resultingin mature differentiated tissue samples and confirmingthat microgravity is an environment beneficial to cellculture and tissue growth.

Experimental results from these two space shut-tle flights indicated that programmed cell death, or apop-tosis, occurred in the RWV on the ground but wasreduced in the actual microgravity cultures. The rate ofapoptosis in the MIP-101 (human colorectal carcinoma)cells approached that of the same cells growing as nonro-tated masses in three dimensions on a surface to whichthe cells did not attach. This finding was importantbecause it suggested that rotation at the speeds necessaryto suspend cells on Earth in the RWV may actually hurtthe cells. Other researchers have reported that RWVsoperated on Earth may also change the cytoskeleton, orbackbone, of cells in such a way that rotation may leadto cell death. In microgravity, the RWV does not need tospin as fast to keep the cells suspended, so the cells morenearly approach the nonrotated three-dimensional cul-tures on the ground. Jessup has recently found thatrotation on the ground also increases nitric oxide andreactive oxygen species production by as much as six toeight times. These substances can be quite toxic to cellsand cause the apoptosis seen in the RWV.

Jessup’s work from these flights resulted in twopeer-reviewed publications in national journals regardingmetastatic characteristics of colon carcinoma.

3 CELLULAR BIOTECHNOLO

Timothy Hammond is examining how microgravity alters the gene expression in renal cells thatultimately enables kidneys to develop and function normally. He has found that the geneticexpression of human renal cells can be manipulated in microgravity to produce hormones thatare valuable in the treatment of disease.

credit: NASA

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-200222

Preliminary ground research indicated that the metabo-lism of the MIP-101 line of colon cancer cells is signifi-cantly increased in microgravity; the cells essentiallyoutgrew the capacity of the rotating wall vessel bioreac-tor under simulated microgravity conditions.

Additional flight experiments were conductedduring the STS-108 mission in December 2001; analysisof those experimental samples is in progress. Jessup usedthe MIP-101 cells for the additional experiments becausethey differentiate, producing certain proteins, in theRWV. He conducted the experiment to assess howaggressively such cells will consume nutrients in micro-gravity when a three-dimensional culture is attempted, aswell as to test the metabolic requirements of space-basedbioreactors. Ultimately, Jessup hopes his research willaid in gaining additional needed information regardingthe mechanisms involved in colon cancer metastasis.

Jessup is looking forward to testing the hypothe-sis that the apoptosis seen in the RWV on the ground andin some spaceflights is due to oxidative stress. In addi-tion to the results gathered from his studies of cell deathin MIP-101 cells, much evidence exists that reactiveoxygen and nitrogen species are generated both in cellsin culture and in muscles and organs in crewmembersand animals in space. This work may ultimately lead to abetter understanding of the effects of reduced gravity on

subcellular organelle distribution and oxidative stress.This may also help provide a means to assess new andbetter countermeasures for the deleterious aspects ofweightlessness.

PI Timothy Hammond, of Tulane UniversityMedical Center and the Veterans Affairs Medical Centerin New Orleans, Louisiana, has conducted a series ofspaceflight cell culture experiments using renal (kidney)cells. He is examining how microgravity alters the geneexpression in renal cells that ultimately enables kidneysto develop and function normally. During shuttle missionSTS-106 (September 2000), Hammond cultured three-dimensional constructs of normal human renal cells, andin early FY 2001, he analyzed the results regarding thegenetic expression of human cells in microgravity andtheir ability to be manipulated to produce renal hor-mones that are valuable in the treatment of disease.

Continued studies of renal cells inmicrogravity aboard STS-105 in August 2001revealed additional information about themechanisms involved in these genetic manipu-lations and responses. Hammond was able toassess the cultured tissue’s production of ery-thropoietin, a hormone produced mainly by thekidneys that stimulates the production of redblood cells by stem cells in bone marrow, andvitamin D3, a substance converted by the kid-neys that plays an important role in the absorp-tion of calcium from the intestine, helping tomaintain strong bones. As expected, the pro-duction of both of these substances increaseddramatically in space. Hammond hopes toadapt the three-dimensional tissue model forcommercial production of these hormones.

In FY 2002, Hammond flew renal cellson the ISS during Expedition 4 (December2001–June 2002). In this study, Hammondexamined the responses of normal human renalcells to a peptide sequence known to inhibitthe vitamin D receptor under microgravity. Inpatients with kidney disease characterized byheavy protein excretion, it is believed that theelevated levels of protein in the kidney cause

tissue damage and scarring. This toxicity is thought to bedue to the binding of low–molecular weight proteins toscavenger receptors on the surface of the renal proximaltubules. Molecules that can disrupt the scavenger path-way by binding to the scavenger receptors include cer-tain classes of antibiotics as well as artificial blood andhormone precursors like vitamin D. Hammond evaluatedcellular structure and assessed the distribution of thevitamin D receptor and other biological molecules thatcontrol gene expression to understand the molecular

CELLULAR BIOTECHNOLOGY 3

Microgravity is valuable for peeling away the interfering effects of gravity and lay-ing bare functions of an organism that might not be apparent on Earth. Thesehuman liver cells were flown on the International Space Station and then culturedfor 24 hours on the ground. Scientists studying how space changes life-formshope that a comparison between cells grown in microgravity and those grown onEarth will provide insight into the effects of microgravity on liver cell functions andresult in a better understanding of liver functions both in space and on Earth.

credit: StelSys Inc.

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

BIOTECHNOLOG

mechanisms mediating gene expression changes in space.Long-term goals of Hammond’s research include identi-fication of genes that respond to microgravity, modelingof renal injury mechanisms, and production of renal hor-mones of pharmacological importance. Changes in geneexpression in cells grown in space have demonstrated themetabolic pathways important in the response to micro-gravity, which is allowing the researchers to mimic thebiologically and pharmacologically useful elements ofthis response on the ground.

PI Arthur Sytkowski, of Harvard MedicalSchool, Cambridge, Massachusetts, conducted a flightexperiment during ISS Expedition 4 to study ery-throleukemia (EMS-3) cells. Erythroleukemia is a cancerof the blood-forming tissues in which large numbers ofimmature, abnormal red blood cells are found in theblood and bone marrow. The EMS-3 cells respond toerythropoietin, the natural inducer of the formation of redblood cells, and to other chemical inducers such asdimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Sytkowski and his teamcultured EMS-3 cells in orbit to test their responsivenesswhen exposed to these inducers in microgravity andcompare results to data from previous ground-basedrotating wall vessel bioreactor experiments.

Because it has been known for some time thatred blood cells do not evolve well in microgravity, thisresearch has a direct bearing on the future of long-termhuman spaceflight as well as on human diseases experi-enced on Earth. Data from these experiments willimprove our knowledge of the effects of microgravity onthe hematopoietic (blood-forming) system and will sug-gest possible in-flight countermeasures and treatmentsfor negative effects of microgravity on astronauts andprovide insight into developing therapies for patients on Earth with diseases affecting blood cell formation.

To carry on NASA’s commitment to developingreal-world applications of NASA’s bioreactor technologyand to substantiate NASA’s interest in the commercial-ization of microgravity research in areas related to bio-logical systems, NASA signed an agreement with StelSysInc. in 2002. This follows on the heels of the ground-breaking agreement NASA signed with StelSys inSeptember 2000, which began a new biotechnology com-mercial venture. The first agreement fostered theexploration of a new frontier in biotechnology, infec-tious disease research and the development of a liver-assist device for patients in need of transplant surgery.The agreement signed in 2002 augmented the initialventure by providing for the flight of experiments onthe ISS.

The main objective of the StelSys series ofexperiments is to test the hypothesis that a microgravity

environment will facilitate three-dimensional propagationof cultured liver cells into differentiated, functional tissueequivalents. As with other tissues grown in microgravity,obtaining three-dimensional constructs that function likethe liver in vivo would help researchers to better under-stand liver functions and develop drug therapies and testtheir efficacy before administering the drugs to patients.One of the specialized functions of the liver is to breakdown drugs or toxins into less harmful and more water-soluble substances that can be excreted from the body.ISS-based research will examine how human liver cellsprocess drugs in space, using the microgravity environ-ment to isolate individual cell functions.

Onboard the ISS, the StelSys experiments willtest the function of human liver cells in microgravity ver-sus the function of duplicate cells on Earth. Sponsors ofthis experiment hope that this work will elucidate theeffects of microgravity on the proper functioning of livercells and lead to earlier and more reliable screening ofnew drugs for patients in need of liver and kidney treat-ments prior to transplant. It could also acceleratedevelopment of new lifesaving drugs by pharmaceuti-cal companies because drug developers would be able totest their drug candidates in tissue constructs that main-tain their liver-specific functions for up to a week.Researchers could then choose only the best therapeuticcandidates for further testing, which may take place inhumans.

Albert Li, of StelSys, grew liver cells in theCellular Biotechnology Operations Support System,managed by Neal Pellis at Johnson Space Center. Cellswere transported on STS-111 in June 2002 to the ISS,where they were nurtured and grown. When cell growthwas complete, the samples were frozen and then trans-ported back to Earth for study by STS-112 in October2002. Li and his colleagues will assess the liver con-structs for true functionality to assess their usefulness fordrug screening and to determine their utility for produc-ing compounds that could improve human health.

Great progress was made during FY 2002 ondesign and development of the ISS BiotechnologyFacility (BTF). The BTF is a complement of hardwareand science experiments designed to use the uniquemicrogravity environment of low Earth orbit as a tool inbasic and applied cell biology. Researchers will be ableto use BTF hardware that is based on an extensive her-itage of spaceflight-proven designs, including incubators,refrigerators, analytical instruments, and gas- and water-supply devices. This hardware will be contained insidetwo refrigerator-sized enclosures known as researchracks. For more about the BTF and milestones achievedin FYs 2001 and 2002, see the ISS chapter of this annualreport.

3 CELLULAR BIOTECHNOLO

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-200224

The cellular biotechnology program has alsomade significant progress in the development ofadvanced sensors to support tissue culture. Growth oflong-duration mammalian cell and tissue cultures inspaceflight bioreactor systems requires automated moni-toring of culture parameters such as pH, glucose, andoxygen concentration. Four invention disclosures weremade to NASA during 2002 for a pH control process, aglucose control process, a glucose sensor, and an oxygensensor. The glucose sensor can continuously measureglucose present in cell culture medium in a perfusedbioreactor system, in which cells are grown in an excessof medium that continuously flows through the bioreac-tor. The oxygen sensor is an optical sensor based ondynamic fluorescent quenching of a pulsed blue lightthat is emitted by a light-emitting diode. The sensor isdesigned for long-term continuous measurement of dis-solved oxygen concentration in the cell culture mediumin perfused bioreactors. In 2002, two papers describingthe pH control process and the glucose sensor were pub-lished: “Continuous pH Monitoring in a PerfusedBioreactor System Using an Optical pH Sensor,” by A.S. Jeevarajan, V. Sundeep, T. D. Taylor, and M. M.Anderson (in Biotechnology and Bioengineering,78(4),467–72), and “On-Line Measurement of Glucose in aRotating Wall Perfused Vessel Bioreactor Using anAmperometric Glucose Sensor,” by X. Yuanhang, A. S.Jeevarajan, J. M. Fay, T. D. Taylor, and M. M. Anderson (inJournal of the Electrochemical Society, 149(4), H103–106).

Highlights

Bringing Cancer Cells to Their Knees

While much progress has been made in identify-ing the processes that give rise to cancer, new therapiesfor its treatment have not kept pace. Chemotherapy,which involves using drugs, including chemicals thatdamage DNA, remains the primary cancer treatmentoption for physicians. Unfortunately, cancer cells canexhibit resistance to chemotherapeutic agents. In somecases, this resistance develops during or very shortlyafter chemotherapy treatment, and often the resistancecan happen with several therapy agents, even when onlyone was administered. This is called acquired resistance.In other cases, tumor cells appear to be completely unre-sponsive to treatment with therapeutic agents, even ifthey are agents to which the cancer cells have never beenexposed. This is known as intrinsic resistance. In bothscenarios, the result is the same: the chemotherapy doesnot destroy the cancer cells. The mechanisms underlyingthis rapid onset of drug resistance in human cancer arenot clear. One problem in studying and combating thisresistance is the lack of cancer models that reproduceconditions occurring in vivo, or in the body. This is alsoa problem in studying the effects of various therapies oncancer cells.

NASA investigator Jeanne Becker and her teamof researchers at the University of South Florida, inTampa, have successfully used the NASA-developedHigh Aspect Ratio Rotating-Wall Vessel (HARV) to cul-ture three-dimensional constructs of human ovariantumor cells, which, as are breast tumor cells, are notori-ously difficult to grow outside the body. Becker beganworking with the rotating wall vessel bioreactor in 1992and continued with the HARV in her attempt to growthree-dimensional cancer cell aggregates that wouldfunction more like human tumors than the two-dimen-sional tissues obtained by traditional culture methods.The earlier rotating wall vessel bioreactor and the HARVboth provide a growing environment for cell cultures thatis similar to the one available in the microgravity condi-tions of low Earth orbit. The continuous rotation of thebioreactor keeps the growing cells in a state similar tothe freefall experienced by the space shuttle and the ISSas they orbit Earth, thereby mitigating the effects ofgravity that normally prevent the cells from growing inmore than a single layer. The constructs grown in therotating wall vessel bioreactor provide a model that ismore biologically representative of conditions that occurin vivo than models afforded by traditional culture sys-tems, and Becker plans to use them to study chemothera-peutic drug resistance.

Becker also prepared a spaceflight experiment tocompare ovarian tumor growth in a true microgravityenvironment to cells cultured in concurrent experimentson the ground and in the HARV. In August 2001, herexperiment was transported aboard STS-105 to the ISS,where it remained until December 2001. Human ovariantumor cells were cultured in microgravity for a 14-daygrowth period. The cells were preserved at three timepoints during culture so that they could be analyzed for

CELLULAR BIOTECHNOLOGY 3

In August 2001, PI Jeanne Becker sent human ovarian tumor cells to theISS aboard STS-105. The tumor cells were cultured in microgravity for a14-day growth period and were analyzed for changes in the rate of cellgrowth and for synthesis of associated proteins, as well as evaluated forthe expression of several proteins that are the products of oncogenes,which cause the transformation of normal cells into cancer cells. Thisphoto, which was taken by astronaut Frank Culbertson while he was per-forming the experiment for Becker, shows two cell culture bags containingLN1 ovarian carcinoma cell cultures.

credit: NASA

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

changes in the rate of cell growth and for synthesis ofassociated proteins, as well as evaluated for the expres-sion of several proteins that are the products of onco-genes, which cause the transformation of normal cellsinto cancer cells.

The experiment results will be used to definepotential points of tumor cellular development that maybe targeted by chemotherapeutic drugs. Finding new tar-gets for chemotherapeutic drugs is especially importantin the case of ovarian cancer, which is usually not detect-ed until it is already in an advanced, incurable stage.

Ultimately, Becker hopes that her research willprovide oncologists with a better chance of predictingwhich drug treatments will work against ovarian cancer.With a three-dimensional model that behaves the waycancerous ovarian tissue in the body does, researcherswill have a more reliable means of predicting drug andhormone treatment efficacy before administering thosetreatments to patients. Becker’s study of three-dimen-sional cell development offers great potential for improv-ing therapies for ovarian and other cancers.

In another example of using the rotating wallvessel bioreactor to culture three-dimensional constructsof cancer cells, Peter Lelkes, of Drexel University, inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, is attempting to grow vascu-larized tissue, which contains blood vessels, in vitro.Cancerous tumors are able to grow only because the for-mation of new blood vessels within the tumor providesthe oxygen and nutrients that are necessary to sustaingrowth. One of the strategies in combating such tumor-ous cancers, therefore, has been to look for ways to inter-fere with this blood vessel growth. If Lelkes can grow avascularized tissue in vitro, he will have created a toolwith which to investigate the efficacy of drug therapiesthat can interfere with or prevent the blood vessel growththat sustains tumors as they grow in the body, therebyslowing or stopping tumor growth. Lelkes is currentlyattempting to co-culture microvascular endothelial cellswith prostate cancer cells in rotating wall bioreactors.

Becker and Lelkes are just two researchers out ofmany who are using rotating wall vessel bioreactors andthe microgravity environment of low Earth orbit to try todevelop a better understanding of the mechanisms ofcancer development and better means of fighting cancerin humans.

Neutralizing Virulent Microbes

Spacefarers can remain in a closed system forweeks, sometimes months — and for proposed long-duration flights, maybe even years — breathing recycledair and drinking recycled water. Given that some virulentmicrobes appear to thrive in microgravity, that’s not a

promising scenario for health, according to CherylNickerson, assistant professor of microbiology andimmunology at Tulane University Health SciencesCenter’s program in molecular pathogenesis and immunity. Nickerson says that spacegoers alreadyappear to have a higher risk of falling ill.

In ground-based studies simulating microgravity,Nickerson and her research team have found that a com-mon strain of bacteria known as Salmonella typhimuriumcan alter its genetic profile, upping the production of cer-tain self-protecting proteins that may enhance virulence.That could be unwelcome news for future astronauts.Microgravity may also reduce antibiotic effectiveness,and absent any new pharmacological approach, the dif-ficult task of in-space treatment is made even morechallenging.

In the course of their investigation, Nickersonand her colleagues found that more than 100 Salmonellagenes, or about 3 percent of the salmonella genome,altered genetic expression. The changes made the bacte-ria far more lethal: mice injected with the strains grownin modeled microgravity died, on average, three daysearlier than expected from shock and from large-organfailure.

Nickerson’s original studies in simulated micro-gravity involved the use of the rotating wall vessel biore-actor, which mimics reduced gravity. Cells of S.typhimurium were placed in a culture within the bioreac-tor chamber. When the bioreactor spun, it maintained thecells in close approximation of freefall, which astronautsexperience as up to one-millionth of Earth’s normal gravity.

3 CELLULAR BIOTECHNOLO

Cheryl Nickerson’s research focuses on the well-known pathogen,Salmonella typhimurium, whose genetic response to gravity’s nearabsence could provide clues to infection protection. Here, Nickerson (faright) works with her laboratory staff: from left to right, Carly LeBlanc,Rajee Ramamurthy, Kerstin Honer zu Bentrup, and Jim Wilson.

credit: Tulane Univers

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-200226

The researchers also cultured S. typhimurium under nor-mal-gravity conditions.

In addition, to study how S. typhimurium causesinfection in people, Nickerson and her colleagues usedthe bioreactor to culture three-dimensional human intes-tinal epithelial cells, which more accurately model thephysiology of human intestinal tissue than does conven-tional tissue culture. In response to the microbial inva-sion, the cells produced higher levels of substancescalled anti-inflammatory cytokines, which may help limitdamage to the intestinal tissue following salmonellainfection. The three-dimensional intestinal cells alsoshowed less damage and cell death following salmonellainfection when compared with other types of cellsknown as monolayers. These observations are consistentwith the self-limiting nature of salmonella infection,according to Nickerson, which can damage or kill epithe-lial cells in otherwise healthy individuals before beingdestroyed by immune reaction.

According to the Centers for Disease Control,salmonella-related maladies are among the most com-mon intestinal infections in the United States, with40,000 cases reported yearly. However, scientists esti-mate that because only 3 to 5 percent of salmonella casesare actually reported nationwide, and many milder casesare never diagnosed, the true incidence is much higher,likely in the millions. As many as 1,000 Americans dieannually from salmonella infections.

Bacteria are not premeditated killers. Theirgoals, like all organisms, are to survive, thrive, andreproduce. To do so, they release certain proteins. In nat-ural environments, these proteins neutralize substancesharmful to the bacteria. When ingested into a humandigestive tract, the same mechanisms are engaged.Although the strong acids found in the stomach kill up to99 percent of the would-be bacterial colonizers, the 1percent that do survive are able to “express,” or release,the protective proteins that cause so much upset to theirhuman hosts. The immunologic battle between host andpathogen can be fierce. Most of the time, the immunesystem wins, containing the infection, but sometimesthe bacteria can overcome all defenses, and death canresult.

Although most S. typhimurium–caused infectionsin the United States don’t require hospitalization or seri-ous medical intervention, at least in healthy people, theyare potentially fatal if untreated in people with weakenedimmune systems. Deciphering the bacteria’s molecularresponses could lead — with new drugs and vaccines —to a means to treat or even neutralize salmonella infec-tions, quickly lessening or eliminating the characteristicnausea, vomiting, intestinal inflammation, and diarrheathat they cause.

As humans work for longer periods in space,they may bring with them preexisting infections.Moreover, despite precautions, foods brought on boardcould conceivably harbor salmonella bacteria. Dependingon severity, a salmonella-induced illness could pose seri-ous dangers. And those dangers could be even worse ona space mission, where astronaut immune systems mayalready be stressed. Nickerson explains, “Something likefood poisoning could put a mission at risk, or in theworst case, threaten crew survival.”

Nickerson plans to send S. typhimurium intoorbit to see if the results she obtains there are similar tothose she obtained on the ground. Her hope is to build adetailed roadmap of how salmonella bacteria sense andrespond to microgravity. Once that roadmap is complete,she hopes it will be a guide for developing effectiveremediation strategies.

How the Body Fights Back

One concern with space travel is the fact thatexposure to the microgravity environment apparentlycauses impairment of the immune system. NASA’s high-est priority is to ensure the health and safety of astro-nauts in space, and consequently, NASA supports manyresearch investigations related to the immune system.NASA investigator Joshua Zimmerberg, with a team ofresearchers at the NASA/National Institutes of HealthCenter for Three-Dimensional Tissue Culture, Bethesda,Maryland, is contributing to unraveling the mystery ofhow the immune system changes in microgravity. Theteam is looking specifically at the effects on lymph tissueand lymphocytes.

The immune system is complex and composedof many elements, all of which work in concert to pro-tect the body from foreign invaders like bacteria andviruses. Among the components of the immune systemare the lymph system, a passive system of lymph fluid,or blood plasma, which provides nutrients obtained fromthe blood to cells and carries waste away; the thymus;the spleen; bone marrow; white blood cells; antibodies,also known as immunoglobulins; and hormones. Eachcomponent has a specific role in the body’s immuneresponse.

The best-known defenders within the body arethe white blood cells, which differ from other cells in thebody in that they behave more like independent, single-celled organisms that are incapable of reproducing.Lymphocytes are a type of white blood cell. Some lym-phocytes, known as B cells, produce specific antibodiesfor specific germs. When a B cell recognizes a markeron a germ called an antigen, it will clone itself and pro-duce millions of antibodies against that germ. In con-trast, T cells, the other type of lymphocyte, must actually

CELLULAR BIOTECHNOLOGY 3

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

come into contact with cells that contain viruses or bac-teria in order to be able to kill them. Both B cells and Tcells can be found in the bloodstream, but they tend toconcentrate in the lymph tissue.

Zimmerberg and his team conducted experimentsthat involved growing human lymphoid tissue cells in theNASA-developed rotating wall vessel bioreactor (RWV),which simulates some aspects of microgravity by gentlyrotating growing cells to maintain them in an environ-ment similar to freefall. The sample cells were isolatedfrom the tonsils of five human donors for use during thisexperiment. Tonsils are granular tissue similar to lymphnodes that are found at the back of the throat. They workas part of the immune system by sampling and filteringgerms that enter the body through the mouth. The resultsdemonstrated that some immune functions becameimpaired with exposure to the simulated microgravityconditions provided by the RWV.

When the tissues cultured in the RWV were chal-lenged with recall antigens, markers to which the lym-phoid tissues had previously been exposed, they did notrespond by producing specific antibodies, as they shouldhave. The previous exposure should have caused thelymphoid tissue to recognize those markers and mountan immune response. The tissues grown in the RWVwere also challenged with polyclonal antigens, whichwere descended from more than one group of cells, to tryto obtain a general immune response, but unlike culturesgrown by traditional, nonrotating methods, the tissuesdid not respond with increased immunoglobulin produc-tion. These results indicate that lymphocytes lose theirability to be activated when cultured in the RWV.However, when the lymphocytes were activated by expo-sure to antigens prior to being cultured in the RWV, they

remained activated during the culture. This showsthat the timing of the activation period is critical tothe cells’ immunogenic capability.

Subsequent studies were conducted on the ISS inorder to determine if results obtained from theRWV cultures could be replicated in a true micro-gravity environment. The RWV creates an envi-ronment that mimics some, though not all, aspectsof microgravity, and cells cultured in ground stud-ies do not experience other factors associated withspaceflight that may affect immune function.Zimmerberg’s flight experiment flew to the ISS onshuttle mission STS-108 in December 2001. TheISS samples were returned to investigators foranalysis in April 2002.

On the ISS, the tonsil cell cultures were grown inTeflon bags and challenged with antigens.Preliminary results indicate that differences existbetween the flight and ground samples and demon-

strate an impaired immune response in the microgravitysamples. Further analysis will determine whether thesedifferences are similar to those seen between RWV andground samples. Future experiments will examine pat-terns of membrane reorganization and changes in thecytoskeletons of cells cultured in the RWV; thesechanges could impair the cells’ ability to recognize andrespond to viruses and bacteria.

Preliminary results suggest that responses in truemicrogravity are similar to those seen in simulatedmicrogravity. A second experiment to continue gatheringinformation regarding T cell and B cell interactions lead-ing to lymphocyte activation has been scheduled. If theresults are indeed similar in both simulated and truemicrogravity, then it could be much easier to begin iden-tifying the cause of immune impairments, becauseresearchers could rely on the RWV for their experimentsinstead of having to wait for infrequent spaceflightopportunities. Conducting experiments in the RWVwould also allow researchers to replicate their experi-ments, which is currently difficult due to limitations onpayload capacity and time for conducting researchaboard the ISS. The study of these immune impairmentscould have important impact on the future of space traveland on human health on Earth. The human immuneresponse in space is blunted, and thus the potential forpathological diseases associated with reduced immuno-logical capability on long-duration spaceflights, such as amission to Mars, becomes a significant risk. Understandingwhy the immune response is adversely affected is a neces-sary first step in developing countermeasures that can miti-gate this risk. On Earth, understanding the mechanisms ofimpaired immune response has potential applications in thestudy and treatment of autoimmune diseases and immuno-deficiencies, such as AIDS.

3 CELLULAR BIOTECHNOLOG

PI Joshua Zimmerberg is studying how microgravity affects the human immunesystem. In ground-based studies, Zimmerberg exposed human tonsil tissue toantigen markers and then grew that tissue under simulated microgravity in arotating wall vessel. He then re-exposed the tissue to antigen markers to see ifthe cells would respond by producing antibodies.

credit: National Institutes of Health

ombustion and the results of combustion

processes affect each of us every day. The majority

of the world’s electric power production, home

heating, and ground and air transportation are made

possible by combustion. Despite these benefits,

combustion by-products are major contributors to

air pollution and global warming. Additionally,

unintentional fires claim thousands of lives and cost

billions of dollars in property damage each year.

Improved control of combustion would be of great

benefit to socie-

ty, yet it is

impeded by a

lack of funda-

mental under-

standing of

combustion

processes.

The effects of gravitational forces on Earth

hamper combustion research. Gravity causes hot,

lightweight gases produced during combustion to

rise. The movement of the gases generates airflows

that produce flames that are often unsteady and non-

symmetrical, such as flames produced by a camp-

fire. This gravity-induced flow makes the flames

very difficult to model mathematically. Combustion

theories, therefore, are often based on nonbuoyant

steady, symmetrical flames, and are difficult to test

on real-world combustion processes. Research in

microgravity offers unprecedented opportunities for

critical measurement of large, steady, slow-moving,

symmetric flames, since the forces of gravity and

the resulting airflow movements are effectively

eliminated.

The data from experiments conducted in

microgravity are used to verify combustion theories,

validate numerical models, and develop fresh

insights into fundamental combustion phenomena,

all of which can be applied to Earth-based combus-

tion processes. Research in microgravity has

revealed information about thermal and chemical

processes that play a role in flame propagation and

extinction, for example. These processes, while

present on Earth, are difficult to observe because

they are often hidden by more dominant reactions

attributable to gravity.

CC

OVERVIEWCOMBUSTION SCIENCE 4

Combustion processesprovide us with power,enable transportation,and sometimes devas-tate the environmentthrough fires and pollu-tion. As the worldbecomes increasinglydeveloped and industrial-ized, the need for bettercontrol and understand-ing of combustion hasbecome clear.

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Program Summary

In fiscal years (FYs) 2001 and2002, the research program in micrograv-ity combustion science maintained itsprimary focus of working toward anunderstanding of fundamental combus-tion processes and flame structures. Atthe same time, the program strengthenedits applications-based focus to aid NASAin developing solutions for crew healthand safety issues. During FY 2001, themicrogravity combustion science pro-gram funded new and ongoing researchprojects for 75 principal investigators(PIs) working on 23 flight investigationsand 58 ground-based projects. During FY2002, there were 72 PIs working on 22flight investigations and 58 ground-basedprojects. A list of all ongoing combustionscience research projects, along with thenames of the investigators conducting theresearch, is provided in Appendix A.

In FY 2001, research projectsselected under the 1999 NASA ResearchAnnouncement (NRA) in combustionscience were awarded funding andresearch began. In total, 20 investiga-tions, all of them ground-based studies,were initiated. Six more research propos-als submitted in response to the 1999NRA were awarded funding in January2001 from the Spacecraft Fire Safety(SFS) program. All of the SFS-selectedproposals address critical needs in thearea of spacecraft fire safety; two of thesix were selected for flight-definitionwork. This suite of research, integratedwithin NASA’s Bioastronautics initiative,focused on generating specific, attain-able, applications-based solutions toNASA’s fire safety issues for crewmembers living and working aboardspacecraft.

A workshop to further focus theSFS program was conducted in June2001. Objectives included the identifica-tion of research needed to assess andimprove fire protection strategies for thespace shuttle, the International SpaceStation (ISS), and their payloads; theidentification of fire safety concerns forprolonged crewed missions in Earth’sorbit and beyond; and finally, the antici-pation of research needs for future lunar

4 COMBUSTION SCIEN

Researchers working on fire safe-ty issues in space need to beable to predict the behavior offires in order to better design pro-tective measures for astronautsand equipment.

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and Martian habitats. By the end of the workshop, thespacecraft fire safety research roadmap had been updated,dialogue was opened between microgravity combustionresearchers and ISS designers and operations personnel,and many research needs were identified. (See http://www.ncmr.org/events/firesafety on the World Wide Web[WWW] for more information.)

The SFS program also published the first annualreport of its research results in February 2002, titledBioastronautics Initiative Spacecraft Fire SafetyResearch FY01 Annual Report and Research Plan.Included in the report were interim results from experi-ments started in FY 2001 on material flammability, fireand smoke detection, and fire suppression. For copies ofthe report, write to Gary Ruff, NASA Glenn ResearchCenter, M/S 77-5, Cleveland, Ohio 44135.

Overall, the ground-based microgravity combus-tion science program continues on its path to contributesignificantly to the body of knowledge in the combustionscience community at large. Activities during FYs 2001and 2002 have yielded significant findings both in funda-mental scientific studies of phenomena and in areas havingterrestrial and space-based applications. The combustionprogram has also addressed NASA’s need to solve prob-lems in spacecraft and nonterrestrial habitat fire safetythat are key to pursuing long-term space explorationgoals. These safety issues are linked to exploringregimes in material flammability phenomena, fire detec-tion, and suppression. The results obtained are cruciallyimportant to the scientifically challenging missions thatNASA plans to pursue. Current areas of ground-basedstudies include the development of an apparatus to assessmaterial flammability in microgravity and research tounderstand the chemical and physical aspects of fire sup-pression in nonterrestrial environments. By the end ofFY 2002, a majority of the 40 ground-based investiga-tions initiated through the 1997 NRA in microgravitycombustion science were completed. The 81 investiga-tions supported in FY 2001 (from the 1997 and 1999NRA grant pools) generated 34 journal articles and 16papers published in conference proceedings. More than20 presentations based on this research were delivered atnational and international forums, and investigators madecontributions to 4 books as a result of their work. In FY2002, 80 funded investigations generated 37 journal arti-cles, 20 papers published in conference proceedings, 30presentations, and contributions to 9 books.

FY 2002 saw a new practice initiated within thePhysical Sciences Research (PSR) Division. Instead ofreleasing biennial NRAs for each individual discipline,PSR will release every year a suite of NRAs covering allthe disciplines. Within a suite, individual NRAs for eachdiscipline will be on a staggered schedule. FY 2002’sNRA suite was announced on December 21, 2001.

Ninety combustion science proposals were received byMarch 22, 2002, and 22 proposals were selected forfunding in September 2002. The awards will be fundedin FY 2004. Topics solicited by the combustion scienceNRA included gaseous flames; droplets, sprays, particles,and dust clouds; surface combustion and fire safety;chemical vapor deposition and vapor infiltration process-ing; supercritical water oxidation; in-situ resource uti-lization and chemical processing; and thermal plasmas. Acomplete list of funded projects may be found on theWWW at http://research.hq.nasa.gov/code_u/code_u.cfm.

Flight Experiments

Experiments in space further refine and validatecombustion theories and extend the understanding ofcombustion phenomena that are obscured by gravity. Thelonger periods — weeks or months — in microgravityand the generally higher-quality microgravity conditionsthat can be obtained in orbit on the space shuttles and theISS are invaluable to combustion researchers, since some

Paul Ronney is studying RadiativeEnhancement Effects on Flame Spread to betterunderstand how flames spread over thick mate-rials in low gravity. These data will enable scien-tists to improve spacecraft fire safety, as bothflames and extinguishing agents function differ-ently in low gravity than they do in normal gravi-ty. Shown are the differences in flame spreadover thick solid fuel in an oxygen–carbon dioxideatmosphere in microgravity (top) and in Earth’sgravity (bottom).

credit: NASA

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4 COMBUSTION SCIEN

phenomena, such as slow-burning smoldering reactions,are difficult to observe over the seconds-long episodes ofmicrogravity conditions obtainable in ground-basedfacilities.

In FYs 2001 and 2002, investigators continuedpreparations for 20 flight research projects that requirethe microgravity conditions available in orbit. Two inves-tigations, the Spread Across Liquid (SAL) experimentand the Microgravity Smoldering Combustion ReflightExperiment (MSCRE), completed their final flights, oneon a sounding rocket, and the other on a space shuttleflight. They are now in the data analysis phase, and finalreports of results will be published within a year. Twomore investigations have near-term flight opportunitiesaboard the space shuttle. The remaining 18 investigationscontinued along the research formulation and hardwareimplementation paths toward flight opportunities aboardthe ISS.

The SAL experiment made its sixth and finalflight aboard a Black-Brandt sounding rocket at theWhite Sands Test Range in 2001. The investigation pro-vided unique data to PI Howard Ross, of Glenn ResearchCenter, about the phenomenon of flame spread acrossliquid pools under varying conditions. The near absenceof gravity during this experiment allowed detailed char-acterization of the liquid and gaseous flow phenomenathat control the flame spread, and the factors that controlthe flame spread instability were determined and used tovalidate a numerical flame spread model.

MSCRE, led by PI Carlos Fernandez-Pello, ofthe University of California, Berkeley, completed itsflight data collection aboard two space shuttle missions,STS-105 (launched August 10) and STS-108 (launchedDecember 5), in 2001. Each flight provided an opportu-nity to conduct two independent smoldering combustiontests. MSCRE is a study of smoldering combustion inporous materials. Smoldering is a flameless form of com-bustion that can often lead to house fires. By conductingthe experiment in microgravity, researchers were able toidentify the limiting conditions for smoldering combus-tion to spread and ignite. These results suggest that smol-dering fires can exist under microgravity conditions andare therefore a credible fire risk aboard spacecraft.

Throughout FYs 2001 and 2002, plans and mis-sion hardware preparations for several flight missionswere under way. The original Combustion Module sys-tem (CM-1), which flew aboard the first MicrogravityScience Laboratory (MSL–1) mission on STS-83(launched April 4, 1997) and STS-94 (launched July 1,1997), has been refurbished as CM-2 and was integratedwith the SPACEHAB carrier for a flight aboard STS-107in the winter of 2003. The CM-2 system will supportthree investigations: Laminar Soot Processes (LSP),Structure of Flame Balls at Low Lewis-Number (SOF-BALL), and Water Mist (MIST). PIs Gerald Faeth, of theUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and Paul Ronney, ofthe University of Southern California, Los Angeles, willconclude their data collection for LSP and SOFBALL,respectively, with this flight. LSP studies the mechanisms

Soot and nitrous oxides are primary combustion by-products that contribute significantly to air pollution, a growing environ-mental concern. Richard Axelbaum is studying flames in microgravity to better understand their mechanisms. He has foundthat removing the nitrogen from the oxidizer (air) and adding it to the fuel produces less soot and nitrous oxides than theusual flames with fuel reacting with air. This effect is shown in image (a) which shows a fuel air flame (white and pink indi-cate soot) and image (b) which shows a flame of nitrogen and fuel reacting with oxygen. The flames are otherwise identicalwith the soot being dramatically reduced by the movement of the nitrogen from the air to the fuel.

credit: NASA

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COMBUSTION SCIENCE 4

of soot production to determine ways of controlling it, assoot is a major contributor to pollution and an importantfactor in fire suppression. SOFBALL explores “flameballs”: tiny, stable, spherically symmetric flames thatoccur only in microgravity. These flame balls may holdanswers to some fundamental questions about fires. PIThomas McKinnon, of the Colorado School of Mines,Golden, will be conducting MIST for the first time onSTS-107. MIST reexamines the old practice of usingwater to fight fires, updating the technique by using afine mist delivery system. Microgravity conditions willhelp researchers to determine optimal water concentra-tion and droplet size for this new method of fire suppres-sion. MIST is also proposed for flight aboard the ISS,where it will be accommodated in the CombustionIntegrated Rack (CIR).

The transition from conducting combustionexperiments aboard sounding rockets and the space shut-tle toward full utilization of the research capability of theISS continued in FYs 2001 and 2002. Two research facil-ities, the CIR and the Microgravity Science Glovebox(MSG), are still being prepared for upcoming flights.More details about these facilities can be found in theInternational Space Station section of this report.

In conjunction with the development of the CIRportion of the Fluids and Combustion Facility, the com-bustion science program is working to prepare a numberof experiments and associated hardware for upcomingresearch flights to the space station. Detailed engineeringof a Multi-User Droplet Combustion Apparatus (MDCA)and an apparatus known as FEANICS (Flow EnclosureAccommodating Novel Investigations in Combustion ofSolids) is under way. Each apparatus will enable multipleexperiments to be conducted within the CIR.

The MDCA, which enables droplet combustionresearch, will be the first research payload in the CIR.Research on the combustion of fuel droplets is importantbecause there are many kinds of practical devices thatdeliver fuel to combustors in droplet form, includingdiesel engines and industrial turbine engines, and opti-mizing combustion in these devices could improve fuelefficiency and reduce pollution, among other things.Studies in microgravity allow researchers to investigatespherical fuel droplets, which are much easier to modelmathematically than gravitationally influenced, tear-shaped droplets. Four investigations have been identifiedfor an initial set of research projects utilizing the com-bined capabilities of the CIR and MDCA systems: theDroplet Combustion Experiment-2; the Bi-ComponentDroplet Combustion Experiment; the Sooting Effects inDroplet Combustion Investigation; and the DynamicDroplet Combustion Experiment. The MDCA will alsoremain available for use with new droplet investigationsthat may be proposed in the future. Multiuser hardware

such as the MDCA allows more effective resource uti-lization of the ISS and the CIR.

Subsequent to the completion of MDCA and itsinvestigations, the research pace for the CIR will pickup, and six investigations in solid fuels research will beconducted in the FEANICS apparatus. This research hasdirect, tangible application to the Spacecraft Fire Safetyinitiative in that it contributes to understanding fire igni-tion, the persistence of combustion flames in real materi-als, and fire extinction in microgravity. The first group ofFEANICS investigations are Forced Ignition and SpreadTest; Radiative Enhancement Effects on Flame Spread(REEFS); Smolder, Transition, and Flaming inMicrogravity; Analysis of Thermal and HydrodynamicInstabilities in Near-Limit Atmosphere; Transition FromIgnition to Flame Growth Under External Radiation inThree Dimensions; and Solid Inflammability Boundaryat Low Speed. Results from these experiments willdefine characteristic events such as ignition susceptibili-ty, transition from smolder to full flames, radiativeeffects of flames to self-feed an existing fire, three-dimensional combustion effects of ignition, and propaga-tion of flames in a spacecraft environment.

Following the completion of the FEANICSinvestigations, the combustion program will expand itsresearch portfolio into gaseous combustions, addressingflame design, clean flames, and spherical flames.Presently, 14 combustion investigations have been select-ed to be conducted within the CIR by 2011, with the pos-sibility of four or more additional experiments sponsoredand developed by commercial and international partners.

Three flight investigations, REEFS, FlameDesign, and Clean Flames, passed their science conceptreviews during FY 2002, thus completing the flight-defi-nition phase and coming one step closer to being con-ducted aboard the ISS. Led by PI Paul Ronney, REEFSstudies flame spread over flat, solid fuel beds as a meansof understanding more complex flames, such as thosefound in fires inside enclosures like spacecraft or build-ings. This experiment is a continuation of previousinvestigations geared toward studying the atmospheresand flow environments likely to be present in fires thatmight occur in microgravity.

Flame Design, led by PI Richard Axelbaum, ofWashington University, St. Louis, Missouri, studies sim-ple flames in microgravity to learn how to reduce sootand nitrous oxides, the main products of combustion thatalso contribute to air pollution. A normal combustionreaction consists of fuel mixed with air (nitrogen andoxygen). Researchers have found that soot and nitrousoxides can be reduced if the air is first separated intonitrogen and oxygen, then nitrogen is mixed with fuel,and oxygen is added separately. Reducing the production

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4 COMBUSTION SCIEN

of soot and nitrous oxides during combustion will becheaper for industry than scrubbing out these pollutantsafterwards. Combustion in microgravity produces one-dimensional, strain free flames, allowing direct study offlames using mixtures of air and fuel or fuel and nitrogenwith oxygen added separately. These studies wouldn’t bepossible in normal gravity due to the loss of symmetryand to buoyancy-induced strain in the flames. The resultswill provide valuable fundamental insight into the mech-anisms of combustion.

Clean Flames, led by PI Robert Cheng, ofLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley,California, aims to contribute to clean energy technologyby studying lean premixed combustion, the least pollut-ing way to burn gaseous hydrocarbon fuels like natural

gas. The experiment seeks to take advantage of nonbuoy-ant flames produced in microgravity to study the interac-tion of flame turbulence with the combustor chamber.The results obtained will enable the design of more com-pact burners for small-scale heating needs (e.g., waterheaters and furnaces).

Four combustion science investigations are slat-ed to be conducted within the MSG on the ISS by 2006.Fiber-Supported Droplet Combustion will investigatefundamental combustion science issues in liquid fuelscombustion, and Candle Flames will address solid andliquid fuel transitions. The other two experiments areapplications-based. The Smoke Point in CoflowExperiment studies soot generation in gaseous flames;Smoke investigates spacecraft smoke detector perform-ance in low-gravity conditions. The Smoke experimentdirectly supports knowledge regarding smoke detectorperformance on the ISS and space shuttles. Its resultswill provide insight into performance differencesbetween Earth-based and on-orbit fire detection. Smokeis funded within the new SFS initiative.

Highlights

Combustion Under Pressure: A New UnderstandingRevealed

Automobiles, jet aircraft, and even rockets allhave one thing in common: they are powered by internalcombustion engines operated under high pressures, in therange of 5–100 atmospheres (atm). (By comparison, nor-mal atmospheric pressure at sea level is only 1 atm.)Combustion under high pressures is thermodynamicallymore efficient, as well as more fuel efficient, leading toreduced emissions of pollutants and less production ofcarbon dioxide, a major contributor to global warming.However, combustion processes typically found withininternal combustion engines are usually studied at 1 atm,where flames are relatively easy to control and observe.When pressure increases, as Principal Investigator ChungLaw, of Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey,explains, so does the difficulty in conducting well-con-trolled and useful experiments.

According to Law, extrapolations from experi-ments at 1 atm are highly unlikely to yield quality datafor higher-pressure systems. The basis for extrapolationis just too limited for any reliable prediction of whatcould be happening with a flame at 50 or even 100 timesthe normal pressure. There is no substitute for conduct-ing experiments under high-pressure conditions. But it isnot easy to observe such experiments. High-pressureexperiments have been frequently done in what are called“bombs”— totally enclosed, windowless systems. Withinthese systems, researchers can measure the pressure

Combustion theory got an update when flamesin a high-pressure combustion reactionrevealed their “wrinkles.” At 1 atm, the flamesurface remained smooth as it propagated outward, but at even slightly increased pres-sures (5 atm), the flame developed a bumpyappearance. Modeling of flames in internalcombustion engines will benefit from thisnew revelation.

credit: NASA

1 atm

2.0 ms

2.5 ms

3.0 ms

3.5 ms

4.0 ms

5 atm

1.5 ms

2.0 ms

2.5 ms

3.0 ms

3.5 ms

Tim

e

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increase caused by combustion. From that, they canspeculate about what happened inside the bomb basedon some assumed combustion processes. While someuseful data are obtained from these experiments, the lackof visual observation severely limits the value of theresults.

To overcome this limitation, scientists wouldhave to be able to observe the experiments in progress.But combustion chambers that allow the flame to bevisually observable without distortion through specialoptical windows cannot tolerate the buildup of pressureand temperature caused by the combustion products.Challenged by the need to visually study the effects ofpressure on flame propagation, Law and his researchassociates, Stephen Tse and Delin Zhu, devised an appa-ratus that would allow them to obtain images of theflame as it propagates, while maintaining the chamberpressure constant at its initial value, which can be ashigh as 60 atm.

The apparatus comprises two chambers, oneinside the other, with aligned optical windows. A sleeveconnecting the two chambers can be opened and closed.After evacuating both chambers, the sleeve is closed, andresearchers pump the combustible gas under study intothe inside chamber and an inert gas into the outer cham-ber. After the pressures inside the two chambers areequalized, the sleeve is opened. The inert gas and thecombustible gas come into contact, but with very littlemixing. A centrally located spark then immediatelyignites the combustible gas. The resulting sphericalflame propagates outward until it meets the boundary ofthe inert gas, where it is extinguished. Since the volumeof the inner chamber is much smaller than that of theouter chamber, there is negligible pressure buildup with-in both chambers during combustion. The entire process,from flame ignition to propagation and extinction, can berecorded on high-speed video.

While observing the resulting images, Law wassurprised to see that the flame surface looked differentthan expected at high pressures. At 1 atm, the flame sur-face remains smooth. However, at even a moderatelyhigh pressure of 5 atm, wrinkles develop over the flamesurface. What surprised Law about his experimentalobservations was the strong propensity and prevalence ofwrinkled flames at higher pressures. In hindsight, Lawexplains, this is reasonable, because chemical reactionsprogress faster at higher pressures, yielding faster-burn-ing flames that are more unstable.

The recognition that flames wrinkle at highpressures fundamentally alters the understanding of theburning processes within internal combustion engines.The rate of fuel consumption increases with the flame’sincreasing area. Since wrinkles dramatically increase the

flame’s surface area, the flame actually burns muchfaster than previously realized. Without seeing the flame,an investigator could easily be misled about the meaningof the fast rate of fuel consumption.

Law has conducted a large portion of hisresearch at Earth’s gravity, where buoyancy can have asignificant influence on the propagation of weak flames,such as those associated with fuel-lean burning.Moreover, the effects of gravity are aggravated underhigh pressures; gas is even more buoyant because densi-ty is proportional to pressure: the higher the pressure, thegreater the density differences between the hot gases andthe cooler gases surrounding the flame.

In NASA’s 2.2-Second Drop Tower at GlennResearch Center in Cleveland, Ohio, Law is able to con-duct his experiments on high-pressure burning withoutthe disturbing influence of gravity. However, experi-ments with really slow-burning, weakly combustiblemixtures, which are of relevance to the study of flameextinction phenomena, require much longer microgravitytimes in order to observe the burning process in itsentirety. Eventually, these experiments may need to beconducted on the International Space Station, which pro-vides longer-term access to microgravity conditions.

Fire Safety Gets New Emphasis From Space Research

As crews from the United States and its partnersassemble the ISS, the casual observer might miss anunderlying emphasis on safety that sometimes makes thework appear effortless. Safety has always been NASA’sprimary concern. Space travel, as with all forms ofexploration, is vulnerable to a variety of hazards.NASA’s determination to maintain a safe environmenttakes precedence over anything else.

Supporting research for in-orbit fire preventionis one way NASA meets its commitments to reducinghazards for ground and flight crews. Fire is a violentchemical reaction, combining oxygen with other materi-als to produce smoke, heat, and deadly chemicals. Firesafety research is furthering the understanding of thebasic science behind combustion processes, enabling sci-entists to better understand and define the fire problemsfaced by the space program. Scientists are using thisknowledge to develop advanced, fire-safe materials and to tackle new designs to mitigate or eliminatethese problems.

The first step in fire safety is to select materialsthat don’t burn easily in low gravity. The MaterialsCombustion Research Facility at Marshall Space FlightCenter in Huntsville, Alabama, tests materials against arange of industry and NASA standards. But because it is

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impossible to eliminate all combustible materials frominside a spacecraft, steps also must be taken to ensurethat a fire can be detected and extinguished while pro-tecting the crew and equipment. ISS fire detectors lookfor smoke particles sparkling in a laser beam. To fightfires, the crew is supplied with portable fire extinguishersthat dispense carbon dioxide and portable breathingapparatus. To add to these prophylactic measures, NASAis looking for a nontoxic suppressant that does not foulthe life support system or require extensive cleanup.Research is also needed in computational flow dynamicsto understand where a fire goes inside a compartment inmicrogravity, how fire-fighting agents are transported,and how the agents interact with air and fuel.

Attention is now focused on understanding thephysics and chemistry of putting out fires for applica-tions on Earth as well as in orbit. The space shuttle’sResearch-1 mission (STS-107, scheduled for launch inearly 2003) will take the first step in this new directionwith the Water Mist (MIST) experiment. FrankSchowengerdt, director of the Center for Commercial

Applications of Combustion in Space (CCACS), aNASA commercial space center located at the ColoradoSchool of Mines, Golden, explains that his group is try-ing to understand the fundamentals. They want to under-stand how fire extinction depends on water particle size,water concentration, droplet distribution, and radiationfrom the fire. The CCACS is part of the Office ofBiological and Physical Research’s Space ProductDevelopment Division.

When the center was first set up, ThomasMcKinnon, a CCACS chemical engineer, said he hadalways puzzled over just exactly how water puts out afire. Five years ago, he wasn’t taken seriously. However,McKinnon — now the principal investigator for MIST— persisted and developed more analytical experimentsand models, believing that one cannot make significantadvances without studying fundamental science. A scien-tist might get lucky in a trial-and-error approach, but itcould be very expensive. Schowengerdt and his col-leagues want to know the absolute minimum amount ofwater required to put a fire out so that cleanup is easier,

A U.S. Navy firefighting instructor leads firefighters in battling an oil-fed fire during a military training session. BothNASA and the military put great emphasis on being prepared for such fire hazards, either on Earth or in space.

credit: U. S. Navy

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postfire damage is reduced, and flight crews are exposedto fewer toxic by-products.

Exact details of the physics of extinguishingfires with water mist are difficult to determine, largelybecause the reactions happen so quickly in Earth’s gravi-ty. Droplets settle, so a controlled, uniform cloud of themcan’t be maintained to see what happens as the flameinteracts with them. In microgravity, the droplets remainsuspended, so researchers can better see what is takingplace. The CCACS has conducted extensive tests on theground, including some at a drop tower facility at theSchool of Mines, but experiments in orbit have moretime to progress and experience less turbulence, so nowit is time to move upward. Schowengerdt and his groupare looking at a lot of different things that can be donefar better aboard spacecraft.

The CCACS’s work is getting attention frompotential terrestrial users, including the Federal AviationAdministration, the U.S. Navy, computer system opera-tors, and even restaurants. NASA also is interested inMIST as part of a larger investigation into fire safetyaboard spacecraft.

Floating Flame Balls

Paul Ronney didn’t set out to look for flameballs: they came as a complete surprise. It happened in1984 when Ronney, a combustion researcher, was usingthe 2.2 Second Drop Tower at Glenn Research Center(GRC) in Cleveland, Ohio. He pressed a button and senta can of burning hydrogen falling down a 24.1-meter(79-foot) shaft. For 2.2 seconds it plummeted in afreefall, with a 16 mm movie camera recording theaction. Ronney knew that flames did strange things inlow gravity, which is why he was doing the experiment,but he wasn’t prepared for what he saw in the film roomlater. The flames had broken apart into tiny balls thatmoved around like UFOs. No one had ever seen any-thing like it, but the flame balls were real, as proved inlater experiments.

Flame balls are the weakest known flames.Compared to a birthday candle’s 50 to 100 watts, a flameball produces only 1 to 2 watts of thermal power. Theyburn using very little fuel. It’s almost as if a hydrogen-burning flame’s last line of defense as it approachesextinction is to draw itself into a simple ball. Ronney,who is now a mechanical engineering professor at theUniversity of Southern California, Los Angeles, believesthat flame balls will help him and others crack theunsolved mysteries of burning. Despite the fact that com-bustion powers our automobiles, generates our electrici-ty, and heats our homes, there’s much about it we don’tunderstand.

The Structure of Flame Balls atLow Lewis-Number experimentinvestigates small flame ballsthat can ignite in the lean fuel-air mixture inside spacecraft.While weak (1 watt versus the50 watts put out by a birthdaycandle), they can last for sever-al minutes and are very difficultto detect. The flame balls in theabove picture are visible onlybecause they were captured inthe dark by cameras withimage intensifiers. In the nor-mal light inside a spacecraft,they would be invisible to bothastronauts and fire detectors.

credit: NASA

The Combustion Module-2 (CM-2) is scheduled to fly on STS-107 in January 2003. Originally flown on STS-83 and STS-94in 1997 as CM-1, it was later refurbished and renamed CM-2.Integrated into SPACEHAB for STS-107’s upcoming flight,CM-2 will support three combustion investigations: LaminarSoot Processes, Structure of Flame Balls at Low Lewis-Number, and Water Mist.

credit: NASA

Diagnostic Processor Package

VideoCasetteRecorderPackage

ExperimentPackage

VideoInterfacePackage

ExhaustVentPackage

Fluid SupplyPackage

Dedicated Experiment Procesor Package

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Flames are extremely complicated. In an ordi-nary candle flame, for example, thousands of chemicalreactions take place. Hydrocarbon molecules from thewick are vaporized and cracked apart by heat. They com-bine with oxygen to produce light, heat, carbon dioxide,and water. Some of the hydrocarbon fragments eventual-ly form soot. Soot particles can themselves burn or sim-ply drift away as smoke. The familiar teardrop shape ofthe flame is an effect caused by gravity. Buoyancy caus-es hot air to rise, and fresh cool air is drawn in behind it.These processes are what make the flame shoot up andflicker.

Flame balls, on the other hand, are simple. Theballs form in low gravity, where buoyancy has littleeffect. Oxygen and fuel combine in a narrow zone at thesurface of the ball. Once ignited and stabilized, the flameballs maintain a constant size. Unlike ordinary flames,which expand greedily when they need more fuel, flameballs let the oxygen and fuel come to them. Finally, thefact that flame balls are spherical reduces their dimen-sion to one: the radius of the flame itself. Flameballs are to combustion scientists what fruit fliesare to geneticists; they provide a simple modelfor testing hypotheses and checking computermodels.

One of many mysteries about fire is whyweak flames go out before their fuel is totallyexhausted. It puzzles physicists and vexesautomakers who want to build clean, efficient“lean-burning” engines that run on fuel-air mix-tures with low fuel concentrations — much like aflame ball. Ronney believes that studying onesystem (flame balls) will help us with the other(cars).

Here on Earth, researchers can’t studyflame balls for long periods. A typical plungedown a drop tower lasts only seconds. So Ronneyis working with NASA scientist Karen Weilandand others at GRC to design the Structure of FlameBalls at Low Lewis-Number (SOFBALL) experi-ment for flight aboard the space shuttle. The appara-tus for the experiment consists of a sealed chamberwhere flame balls can burn for a long time duringa space shuttle mission.

When SOFBALL orbited Earth for thefirst time in April 1997 aboard STS-83, it pro-duced some surprises. Computer models had pre-dicted the flame balls would be small and eitherextinguish or drift into the chamber walls in a fewminutes. Instead, they were two to three timeslarger than predicted and burned for over eightminutes until the experimental system automati-cally extinguished them. Furthermore, although the

flames were large, they were the weakest ever seen,emitting little more than 1 watt of thermal power.

To further explore these unexpected results theexperiment was upgraded, renamed SOFBALL-2, andscheduled for launch onboard STS-107 in early 2003.During the mission, flame balls will be allowed to burnfor 2 to 81 minutes. Instruments will monitor their tem-perature, brightness, heat loss, and the composition oftheir gaseous by-products. Because flame balls are sosensitive to motion, the space shuttle will be allowed todrift during the experiments instead of maintaining posi-tion using its reaction control thrusters.

Because this research is so fundamental, it touch-es on many areas related to combustion, including lean-burning engines for cars and airplanes, explosion hazardsin mine shafts and chemical plants, emissions from carsand coal-burning plants, and arson investigations. Theapplications of the knowledge that may result fromSOFBALL are many.

Originally flown on STS-83 and STS-94 in April and July 1997, respectively,Laminar Soot Processes (LSP) studies the fundamental mechanisms ofsoot production, one of the main by-products of combustion. A better under-standing of soot processes in flames will help scientists develop better firesafety methods for spacecraft. This image shows a laminar jet diffusionflame, created by flowing fuel-like propane through a nozzle and igniting it.LSP-2 is scheduled to fly aboard STS-107 in January 2003.

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vidence of gravity’s sway over the

movement of fluids here on Earth is everywhere.

Outside, gravity guides the flow of rainwater into

streams and rivers and the cascades of water into

fountains. It also shakes seemingly solid ground

into rippling waves of soil during an earthquake. At

home, it causes bubbles of carbon dioxide to float to

the top of a glass of root beer and a pot of water to

go into a rolling boil when the bottom surface gets

hot enough. In industry, gravity affects the mixing

of molten materials, as denser liquids naturally drift

to the bottom of the mixture. In fact, gravity has

such a strong influence over fluids that it can mask

evidence of other forces affecting fluid behavior.

Scientists in the microgravity fluid physics

program conduct studies under conditions that mini-

mize the effects of gravity so they can observe the

effects of other phenomena, such as surface tension

and capillary flow. Through their work, these scien-

tists are striving to improve the ability to predict and

control the behavior of fluids, including gases, liq-

uids, plasmas (gases that are capable of conducting

electric currents because they contain free ions and

electrons), and in some circumstances, solids.

Fluid physics research in the Physical

Sciences Research Division comprises five main

areas: complex fluids, interfacial phenomena,

dynamics and instabilities, biological fluid physics,

and multiphase flows and

phase changes.

Experiments in complex

fluids involve gases or liq-

uids that contain particles

of other substances dis-

persed within them. One

type of complex fluid is a

colloid, which is a system

of fine particles suspended

in a fluid. Orange juice and

paint are examples of col-

loids. Another complex

EE

OVERVIEWFLUID PHYSICS 5

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-200238

Gravity guides thecascades of water intofountains.

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

fluid is a magnetorheological fluid, a colloid in

which the viscosity, or resistance to flow, of the

fluid can be varied by applying an external magnetic

field. Foam, another complex fluid, exhibits features

of solids, liquids, and vapors, although it is not clas-

sified as any of these.

Research on interfacial phenomena focuses

on how an interface, like the boundary between a

gas and a liquid, acquires and maintains its shape.

Interface dynamics relate to the interaction of sur-

faces in response to heating, cooling, and chemical

influences. Better understanding of these phenome-

na will help humans learn more about how duck

feathers and waterproof tents repel water, how water

spontaneously displaces air in the gaps of a sponge,

and other interfacial phenomena.

The area of dynamics and instability

includes research in drop dynamics, capillarity, and

magneto/electrohydrodynamics. Drop dynamics deal

with the behavior of liquid drops and gas bubbles

under the influence of external forces and chemical

effects. Capillarity refers to effects that depend on

surface tension, such as the shape a liquid takes

within a container or what causes a drop to take a

spherical shape in microgravity. Research in magne-

to/electrohydrodynamics involves the study of the

effects of magnetic and electric fields on fluid flows.

The biological fluid physics subdiscipline

includes the flow of fluids and the transport of

chemicals in biological systems and processes. The

flow of blood in the cardiovascular system, the flow

of air in the liquid-lined capillaries of the lungs, and

the stretching of DNA in an evaporating droplet of

liquid are a few examples.

Research on multiphase flows and phase

changes, such as the transition from a liquid to a

gas, focuses on complex problems of fluid flow in

varying conditions. Scientists are seeking to add to

their currently limited knowledge of how gravity-

dependent processes, such as boiling and steam con-

densation, occur in microgravity. They are also

studying the diffusion of energy and matter through

liquids and gases. A more thorough understanding of

these phenomena may lead to improvements in many

applications, such as air conditioning and refrigeration.

OVERVIEW5 FLUID PHYSIC

Orange juice is ahousehold example of acolloid, a system of fineparticles suspended in afluid. Fluid physicistscan study other colloidsto observe the formationof crystals from colloidalparticles.

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Program Summary

The research that the microgravity fluid physicsprogram sponsors supports NASA’s overarching goals. Inaddition to contributing to fundamental knowledge offluid phenomena, the results of fluid physics investiga-tions conducted in orbit should yield beneficial applica-tions for long-duration missions, exploration of otherplanets, and the enhancement of life on Earth. In fiscalyear (FY) 2001, the program funded a total of 114 prin-cipal investigators. Of these, 97 were working onground-based research projects and 17 were working onflight projects. In FY 2002, the program funded 122principal investigators, including 26 who are working onnew ground-based research projects. The new investiga-tions were chosen in November 2001 from among 209proposals submitted in response to a NASA ResearchAnnouncement (NRA) in microgravity fluid physicsreleased February 2001. For a list of selectees, visit theWorld Wide Web at http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov/general_info/OBPR-01-229_lite.html. In addition, a listof all ongoing fluid physics research projects, along withthe names of the investigators conducting the research, isprovided in Appendix A.

Researchers learned about new funding opportu-nities through NASA and new directions and advances inmicrogravity fluid physics research when they gatheredfor the Sixth Microgravity Fluid Physics and TransportPhenomena Conference, held August 14–16, 2002, inCleveland, Ohio. At the conference, which is held everytwo years, Eugene Trinh, the director of the PhysicalSciences Research Division, discussed how the micro-gravity environment of orbit presents opportunities forunique and exciting research. He specified that suchopportunities allow investigators to directly participate indeveloping the enabling technologies for space explorationand to exploit the unique experimental environment ofspace to unravel outstanding fundamental scientific mys-teries. He explained that because convection and hydro-static pressure are minimized in this environment, it isespecially conducive for research involving classical flu-ids and transport processes, fluid-phase thermophysicalproperties, surface and interfacial phenomena, morpho-logical stability and pattern formation, bio-fluids staticsand dynamics, and multiphase systems and engineering.Because sedimentation is also greatly reduced in micro-gravity, it is conducive to research involving multiphasefluid physics, colloid dynamics, self-assembly andmesoscale structures, container-free experimentation, andspray and dust cloud dynamics. Current and potentialresearchers also learned about the schedule for the latestNRA in microgravity fluid physics. It was released inSeptember 2002, with proposals due in December 2002and selections to be made in 2003. Attendees also heardabout the latest advances in research in their discipline,which were shared by current principal investigators (PIs).

Nearly 70 fluid physicists from North America,Europe, and Asia (including several NASA PIs) partici-pated in the Microgravity Transport Processes in Fluid,Thermal, Biological, and Materials Sciences IIConference held in Banff, Alberta, Canada, in October2001. The main objective of the conference, which wassponsored by NASA and the National ScienceFoundation, was to exchange technical information andideas among scientists and engineers working in micro-gravity fluid, thermal, biological, and materials sciences.The conference addressed the growing interdisciplinaryaspects of microgravity research and technology devel-opment and provided a forum for exploring opportunitiesfor collaborative research activities. Attendees heard

Acrivos Awarded President’s National Medal of Science

Principal Investigator Andreas Acrivos, of City College of the CityUniversity of New York, New York City, was recently awarded thePresident’s National Medal of Science for his lifelong study of fluiddynamics. The medal, awarded by U.S. presidents to nomineesreviewed by the National Science Board, is the nation’s highesthonor given for lifetime achievement in scientific research.

Acrivos was recognized for his work in helping to establish the fieldof suspension mechanics (the mechanics of substances sus-pended in but not dissolved in a fluid) and for his contributions tomodern theories of fluid mechanics and convective heat and masstransfer. He is widely recognized as being a pioneer in his field.

Credit: City College of New York / CUNY

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5 FLUID PHYSIC

keynote addresses from fluid physics PIs Gary Leal andAndrea Prosperetti and presentations from several PIsand other scientists in the areas of interfacial phenomena;two-phase flows of drops, bubbles, and particles; boilingphenomena; bio-transport processes; and space systemsfluid and thermal management. They also heard presenta-tions on materials processing, crystal growth, proteincrystal growth, and electrostatic and electromagneticphenomena. Fluid physics PI Satwindar Sadhal, of theUniversity of Southern California, Los Angeles, chairedthe conference. The next Microgravity TransportProcesses Conference will be held September 14–19,2003, in Davos, Switzerland.

Several notable papers describing the work offluid physics PIs were published in prestigious journalsin FYs 2001 and 2002, including Science and PhysicalReview Letters. Of particular note were “Real-SpaceImaging of Nucleation and Growth in ColloidalCrystallization,” by U. Gasser, Eric R. Weeks, AndrewSchofield, P. N. Pusey, and D. A. Weitz, in Science 292(April 13, 2001), 258–62; “Droplet Growth byCoalescence in Binary Fluid Mixtures,” by Brian E.Burkhart, Prasad V. Gopalkrishnan, Steven D. Hudson,Alex M. Jamieson, Michael A. Rother, and Robert H.Davis, in Physical Review Letters 87 (August 27, 2001)927; and “Nonlinear Compressional Pulses in a 2DCrystallized Dusty Plasma,” by V. Nosenko, S. Nunomura,and J. Goree, in Physical Review Letters 88 (May 27, 2002).

Flight Experiments

Several notable milestones were achieved withflight experiments in the microgravity fluid physics pro-gram in FYs 2001 and 2002. During this time, the firstfluids experiment on the International Space Station(ISS) was flown, an experiment was conducted on aspace shuttle mission, and several other experimentsmade significant advances toward being ready for flightaboard one of the two platforms. Making these flightsand advances possible were new hardware units designedfor better physical or remote access with the capabilityfor later reuse by related experiments.

The first microgravity fluid physics experimentto fly on the ISS was Physics of Colloids in Space(PCS). The experiment was carried to the station onSTS-100 in April 2001, installed in the EXPRESS(EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments to SpaceStation) Rack 2 (see page 73 for more information onEXPRESS) once onboard the station, and run for 2,400hours between early June 2001 and February 2002.Conceived by PI David Weitz, of Harvard University,and Co-Investigator (Co-I) Peter Pusey, of the Universityof Edinburgh, PCS involves observing the formation ofcrystals and other structures from colloidal particles(particles suspended in a fluid). In microgravity, these

delicate structures can form without interference fromconvective flow or sedimentation.

For PCS, eight samples were selected from threetypes of colloids: binary colloids, which contain particlesof two different sizes and may help explain the behaviorof alloys; colloid and polymer mixtures in which thepolymer makes the colloid particles slightly attractive asthey form gels and crystals; and fractal colloids, whichform gels with highly disordered networks, like the net-work that holds Jell-O™ together. These samples wereused to study fundamental questions regarding thephysics of colloids, colloid engineering (using colloids asprecursors for building new materials), and the propertiesof new materials and their precursors. The PCS appara-tus, a versatile and sophisticated digital imaging and lightscattering instrument, allows for the change-out of sam-ples once back on Earth with no need for realignment ofits precision diagnostics.

With the help of this hardware, more than 80percent of the scientific goals for the experiment wereachieved. Potential payoffs include improvements in theproperties of paints, ceramics, and food and drug deliv-ery products, and possibly the development of photonicband-gap materials, an entirely new class of materialsthat can passively affect the properties of light passingthrough them. Due to its success and to the versatility ofthe instrument itself, the PCS hardware is being refur-bished for use by a second investigator and will refly asPCS+ in 2003. In addition, the procurement and assem-bly of a whole new test section has been initiated,enabling PCS-3 to be conducted in 2004 on the heels ofPCS+, with a reduction in launch mass. Further in thefuture, such swap-outs of hardware with completely newcolloid experiments could be continued beyond PCS-3.

PCS-2, a related future flight experiment alsoconducted by Weitz and Pusey, will be inserted and runin the new Light Microscopy Module (LMM), a micro-scope adapted for conducting in-orbit colloid and fluidphysics experiments. The LMM was designed by a teamin the microgravity fluid physics program for use withthe Fluids Integrated Rack (FIR), which will be the fluidphysics facility in the Destiny laboratory of the ISS. (Formore information about the LMM and the FIR, see page74.) Also slated to use the LMM are the ConstrainedVapor Bubble (CVB) experiment, led by Peter Wayner,of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; the Physics of HardSpheres Experiment-2, led by Paul Chaikin, of PrincetonUniversity; and the Low Volume Fraction ColloidalAssembly experiment, led by Arjun Yodh, of theUniversity of Pennsylvania. CVB investigates heat con-ductance in microgravity as a function of liquid volumeand heat flow rate to determine the transport processcharacteristics in a curved liquid film. The other twoexperiments investigate various aspects of the nucleation,

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growth, structure, and properties of colloidal crystals inmicrogravity and the effects of micromanipulation upontheir properties.

The Collisions Into Dust Experiment-2 (COL-LIDE-2), led by Joshua Colwell, of the University ofColorado, Boulder, was conducted on shuttle missionSTS-108 in December 2001. The experiment studied theeffects of low-velocity particle collisions, which arebelieved to be responsible for the formation of planetaryrings and protoplanetary disks. The experiment wasdesigned to collect data on the outcome of low-velocitycollisions of selected projectiles into a fine powderthat simulates regolith, the dust and small particlesthat coat the surfaces of most bodies in the solar system.

The first flight of the experiment, on STS-90 inApril 1998, revealed the unanticipated result that below a certain threshold energy, no material is ejected as aresult of the impact. For COLLIDE-2, researchersexpanded the space in which the data were collected tofind the threshold energy. They also characterized thevelocity of the ejected material as a function of impactvelocity and energy.

The COLLIDE team has analyzed the results andlearned that when the projectiles impact the powder atspeeds below about 20 cm/second, the projectiles adhereto the target. This seems to support the hypothesis ofplanetesimal growth, which states that planets grew fromsmall, solid, celestial bodies that may have existed at anearly stage of the development of the solar system. Theteam also found that at speeds above 20 cm/second, pro-jectiles are dispersed, making growth of planetesimalsdifficult. The results from impacts at these faster speedssuggest that planetesimal growth is assisted by aerody-namic or electrostatic forces acting on the slow-movingparticles knocked off in the impact.

The third Mechanics of Granular Materials(MGM-III) experiment is scheduled to fly on space shut-tle mission STS-107 in January 2003. MGM-III, led byPI Stein Sture and Co-I Nicholas Costes, both of theUniversity of Colorado, Boulder, will use the micrograv-ity environment to test the response of columns of sandto compression and relaxation, forces that occur duringearthquakes and landslides when compacted soil loosensand flows much like a liquid.

In MGM’s two previous flights, the researchersmeasured the effect of gravity on friction between grainsof dry sand and discovered strength and stiffness proper-ties of the sand columns to be many times greater thanconventional theory predicted. For MGM’s third flight,they will study the behavior of water-saturated sand indrained and undrained conditions using three sand sam-

ples in nine different experiments. The experiments areexpected to provide the first-ever measurements of sandstrength and stiffness properties and induced pore waterpressures when pressure is cyclically applied andreleased, similar to the strong ground motions observedduring earthquakes.

The science team will use a new specimen-reforming technique, which will prove beneficial tofuture space station research as it enables the reuse andretesting of the same sample many times under con-trolled initial conditions. The team will also be able touplink instructions for the hardware and downlink resultsfrom the experiments live, a capability developed in FY2001. Among the many applications of this research, dis-coveries from MGM investigations may help engineersdesign more earthquake-tolerant buildings, increase safe-ty in mining operations, aid coastal and offshore engi-neering projects, and help researchers understand thegeology of various planetary bodies for space explo-ration initiatives.

The experiment Investigating the Structure ofParamagnetic Aggregates From Colloidal Emulsions(InSPACE) will be conducted in the MicrogravityScience Glovebox (MSG) on the ISS and will be carriedto the station on STS-114 in 2003. (For more informationabout the MSG, see page 76.) InSPACE, led by AliceGast, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, willhelp researchers find out how a pulsed magnetic fieldwill affect the fluid suspension in a magnetorheological(MR) fluid.

The study of these colloidal systems is beneficialto the development of “smart fluids” for use in feedback-controlled devices, such as shock absorbers and suspensionsystems, and as colloidal modifiers in protein crystalliza-tion or colloidal suspensions. Techniques that Gast’s teamis using can potentially be used to induce two-dimensionalcrystallization of proteins in these suspensions. In FYs2001 and 2002, the InSPACE team measured the propertiesof membranous, fluid-filled pouches called vesicles thatwere coated with two-dimensional crystals of the proteinstreptavidin, which crystallized from a solution. Theyworked to study how changing the solution’s pHchanged the crystal structure and growth pattern. Thisprocedure allowed the team to obtain regularly orderedprotein arrays on a large spherical support. Such orderedsurfaces may be used as templates for crystallizing othermolecules or as a framework for biosensor arrays,arrangements of probes that integrate a biologicalcomponent with an electronic component to yield ameasurable signal.

When InSPACE is flown, three different particleconcentrations will be tested. The MSG will providecameras and video recorders to view and store the science

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

data. Observation of themicroscopic structures willyield a better understandingof the interplay betweenmagnetic, interfacial, andgravitational forces in MRsuspension structures. Thisresearch will add to scien-tists’ understanding of thecomplex properties of MRfluids, enabling methods ofimproving their characteris-tics and their implementationin devices such as vibrationdamping systems.

The Shear HistoryExtensional RheologyExperiment (SHERE), led byGareth McKinley, of theMassachusetts Institute ofTechnology, is scheduled tobe conducted in the MSG onthe ISS in 2004. The experi-ment will allow for the studyof the extensional, or stretch-ing, viscosity of fluids inmicrogravity. Most measure-ments of the flow of non-Newtonian fluids, whichhave a high viscosity, or resistance to flow, have beenperformed using highly elastic or “stiff” materials suchas polymer melts, which can easily be elongated in nor-mal gravity without sagging. By performing similarexperiments on different materials in a long-term micro-gravity environment, it will be possible for the first timeto get accurate measurements of the extensional viscosityof more “mobile” fluids such as polymer solutions, sus-pensions, and liquid crystalline materials.

This characterization of flow, or rheological data,will allow designers of both space- and ground-basedmaterial processes to create improved models of complextwo- and three-dimensional fluid flows. Non-Newtonianfluids are significant in many industrial processes such asfiber-spinning, spraying, and film-coating operations.Gaining insight into the extensional viscosity of thesefluids is also important to understanding the complexfluid phenomena involved in the stability and breakup offluid jets; enhanced oil recovery; and turbulent dragreduction for advanced aircraft, boats, and submarines. InFY 2001, scientists flew SHERE twice on the NASAKC-135 airplane using hardware that is compatible withthe space shuttle’s Middeck Glovebox. In FY 2002, theSHERE team worked to ensure that the experimentwould be physically and electronically compatible withthe larger glovebox aboard the ISS.

The Boiling Experiment Facility (BXF) willaccommodate experiments on the ISS beginning in 2004.Boiling is an important field of study since it can effec-tively move energy away from a surface through thephase change of liquid to gas, thus cooling the surface.Because boiling is a preferred mode of heat transfer inspace, what investigators learn about boiling in micro-gravity can be applied to thermal management of manyspacecraft systems, such as supply systems for life-sup-port fluids and electronic packages powering variousinstrumentation and control systems.

Two experiments are planned for the BXF in2004. The first will be the Nucleate Pool BoilingExperiment (NPBX), led by Vijay Dhir, of the Universityof California, Los Angeles. Dhir will study bubble nucle-ation, growth, and departure during the boiling processand the resultant cooling that is achieved under micro-gravity conditions. NPBX will increase in complexityfrom experiments using a single bubble to ones usingthree inline bubbles to ones with five bubbles placed ona two-dimensional grid. In FY 2001, Dhir’s team devel-oped two-dimensional bubble growth models; in FY2002, they developed models in three dimensions. Thesecond experiment slated for the BXF is the MicroheaterArray Boiling Experiment (MABE), led by Jungho Kim,of the University of Maryland, College Park. The study,

The study of magnetorheological fluids in the InSPACE experiment could benefit such feedback-controlled devices as shock absorbers in automobiles.

5 FLUID PHYSIC

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which will help scientists know how much cooling canbe achieved in a fluid in microgravity, will use two 96-element microheater arrays, 2.7 mm and 7.0 mm in size.This arrangement will allow local heat fluxes to be meas-ured as a function of time and space. During FYs 2001and 2002, the MABE team gathered data on the boilingprocess in microgravity, Earth’s gravity, and hypergravityusing a heater array on a KC-135 airplane flying in aparabolic pattern. Results to date indicate that boiling inmicrogravity is dominated by the formation of a largeprimary bubble whose size is on the order of the heater.

The Granular Flow Module (GFM) will be oper-ated in the FIR beginning in 2007. The GFM is a multi-user mini-facility that will accommodate investigationsstudying the flow of granular materials, which aresubstances made up of solid particles distributed in a gasor liquid. (For more information on the GFM, see page74.) The first three investigations to be conducted on theGFM are Microgravity Particle Segregation inCollisional Shearing Flows (µgSEG); Studies of Gas-Particle Interactions in Microgravity Flow Cell, alsoknown as Solids Interacting with a Gas in a MicrogravityApparatus (SIGMA); and Gravity and GranularMaterials (GGM). The objective of the µgSEG experi-ment, conducted by PI James Jenkins and his team atCornell University, is to test mechanisms of granularsegregation that are not controlled by gravity. TheµgSEG hardware features rotating cylindrical walls withbumps that have specific shapes and collision propertiesand a digital video that records particle trajectoriesbetween the rotating walls. The experiment is scheduledto run in 2007. It will isolate and investigate differencesin the inertia of spheres with different masses but equaldiameters as they tumble in the cylinders. It will alsostudy the geometric segregation of spheres with differentdiameters but equal masses. In FY 2001, the µgSEGteam constructed a prototype shear cell for parabolicflight on the KC-135 aircraft. In FY 2002, the shear cellflew on the KC-135 to test its operation and imaging fea-tures, and team members undertook theoretical studiesand developed numerical programs to predict results offuture experiments.

SIGMA, conducted by PI Michel Louge and histeam at Cornell University, studies collisions among par-ticles, which can transfer a significant amount ofmomentum within and at the boundaries of the particleflow. The experiment, scheduled to run in 2008, will usethe same hardware as µgSEG. In FY 2001, the SIGMAteam designed a prototype cell to be tested on the KC-135 aircraft flying in a parabolic pattern. In FY 2002, theteam flew the prototype on the KC-135 and demonstrat-ed that the cell can produce the desired granular flows.

GGM, conducted by PI Robert Behringer, ofDuke University, in Durham, North Carolina, will

explore the fluctuation of forces in low-density and high-density granular samples. The effects of the fluctuationrange from clustering in low-density samples to chains ofparticles jamming at high density. In the flight hardware,the sample volume is the space between two concentriccylinders of different diameters with one stationary endplate and one end plate that rotates to drive a shearingmotion. The granular particles are 0.8-mm glass beads.The volume of the beads will vary from gaslike (withrelatively long distances between each bead) to liquidlike(with the average gap between each bead less than thediameter of the bead). Findings from the experiment,which will be run in 2008, may lead to better under-standing of the mechanical behavior of granular materi-als and how to avoid such industrial problems as cloggedchutes, silo failures, and poorly mixed medicinal compo-nents. In FY 2001, the GGM team completed studies ofgranular friction by using a novel shaking device, studiesof texture and force propagation, and studies of gaslikegranular systems. In FY 2002, the team developed a sci-ence requirements document and presented it at a scienceconcept review.

Highlights

Learning the Basics of “Moon Face”

Studying the fluid physics of cells may bringanswers to why astronauts get all stuffy in the head andpuffed up in space. John Tarbell, of Pennsylvania StateUniversity, is using a cell culture model to find the causeof and countermeasures for “Moon face,” the shift of flu-ids to the upper body of astronauts in orbit that givesthem a rounder, fuller face.

Tarbell is studying the endothelial cell layer,which lines blood vessels from the aorta to the capillar-ies. These cells provide the principal barrier to transvas-cular transport, the passing of water and solutes betweenblood and underlying tissue. On Earth, these cells arecontinuously exposed to the mechanical shearing forceand the pressure imposed by blood flowing over theirsurfaces, and they are adapted to this environment. Whenthe cardiovascular system is placed in microgravity,which affects fluid flow, pressure in the blood vesselschanges, and the shearing force is eventually reduced.These adaptations increase the endothelial cell layer’shydraulic conductivity, or its ability to transport waterand solute, inhibiting the layer’s barrier properties and,Tarbell proposes, allowing the transvascular transportthat causes fluid to shift in humans in microgravity.

In ground-based research using a tissue culturemodel of the endothelial transport barrier, Tarbell hasshown that a sudden increase in vascular pressure, whichoccurs in the human face in microgravity, induces an earlyadaptive response. The endothelial layer’s resistance to the

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flow of water from blood into tissue space increases forabout an hour after the pressure increases. This naturalcontrol mechanism tends to limit facial swelling. Theground-based experiments further demonstrate that afteran hour of altered pressure, the resistance begins to dropsubstantially, leading to a condition in which there isexcessive leakage of fluid from the blood to the tissue.This loss of control of transvascular transport exacer-bates facial swelling.

Tarbell is studying the biomolecular mechanismsthat mediate the response of the endothelial transportbarrier to changes in pressure. His group has found thatthe loss of resistance to fluid transport from blood to tis-sue can be blocked completely by inhibiting the forma-tion of nitric oxide (NO) using pharmacologic agents.Findings in Tarbell’s research related to NO tie in tostudies by other NASA scientists in biomedicine and fun-damental space biology who are studying how NOaffects fluid-related conditions experienced by astronautssuch as bone blood flow, orthostatic intolerance (light-headedness upon standing or sitting up), cardiac atrophy,and disruption of circadian rhythms (natural sleeppatterns).

Tarbell also has found that the loss of resistancecan be reversed by elevating intracellular levels of cyclicadenosine monophosphate, a signaling molecule thataffects the hydraulic conductivity of endothelial cells.Tarbell says, “The results suggest a variety of possibleapproaches for pharmacologic intervention to regulatehydraulic activity of endothelial cells in microgravity,”thereby reducing the degree of “Moon face” and otherfluid-related conditions experienced by astronauts.

On Earth, Tarbell’s research findings could pro-vide insight into the importance of maintaining normaltissue homeostasis and knowledge about how its break-down becomes critical in various diseases that includeatherosclerosis, a degenerative disease of arteries thatunderlies heart attacks and strokes; diabetic retinopathy,leakage of albumin into the retina; and when tissue isinflamed, the transvascular transport that leads toswelling in tissue.

Sorting Out the Effects of Turbulence on ParticleDynamics

From dust storms to volcanic eruptions to indus-trial spray applications, the movement of particles by aturbulent fluid, such as air, can have far-reaching conse-quences. Turbulent pockets of air form eddies, swirlingaround any particles that cross their paths. However,gravity, rather than the force of the eddies, controls mostof the dynamic behavior of the particles on Earth, pullingthem through the turbulent air pockets at a relatively fastrate. What happens to those particles if the effects ofgravity are temporarily removed? Principal InvestigatorChris Rogers and his team at Tufts University are study-ing how glass and ceramic particles disperse in air, andthey are trying to understand the role gravity plays intheir motion.

A number of studies of particle dynamics in tur-bulent media had already been conducted using com-puter-based numeric simulations, but in 1996, Rogersand his team set out to conduct experiments using realparticles and real turbulence in order to improve uponcomputer models and to better understand the dynamicphenomena of particles in motion. They started with aquasinumeric technique, which combines mathematicalcalculations and experiment data on a real fluid, a chan-nel of water flowing in one direction.

A unique system developed at the TuftsUniversity Fluid Turbulence Lab uses a laservelocimeter probe comprising four laser beams to pro-vide instantaneous measurement of the speed of thewater and calculate what would happen to a particle ofa given mass experiencing gravity acting in a givendirection with a given amount of force. The particle’sacceleration and position in the fluid are then mim-icked by the movement of the laser beam, whichbounces through the fluid as if the beam were the par-ticle. Rogers’s team was able to vary the force ofgravity on the model to begin to define gravity’s rolein the path the particles took through the fluid. Butthey realized that to validate and further refine resultsof both the computer-based and quasinumeric simula-tions, they would have to conduct their experiments inmicrogravity.

Astronauts experience a coldlike sinus and nasal stuffiness and arounder, fuller face called “Moon face” (shown at right) when the barri-er that normally prevents fluid from passing from blood vessels intosurrounding tissues on Earth becomes ineffective in microgravity.

credit: NASA

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A first parabolic flight of theexperiment on NASA’s KC-135 air-craft involved mounting a large boxwith the rig inside to the floor. Thissetup didn’t account for the effectsof outside turbulence encountered bythe plane, so the team redesigned theexperiment rig. On subsequentflights, a smaller apparatus was used,allowing researchers to release therig, which included the experimentchamber and the video recordingequipment, during freefall, when itwould float in midair.

The method for creating turbu-lence for the glass and ceramic par-ticles inside also became moresophisticated. Little fans with modelairplane propellers on them blewthe air into the corners of the rig,where it spread along the walls,keeping the particles from stickingto the walls. This rig provided theteam with the turbulence andfreefall conditions they were look-ing for. What they found when ana-lyzing the video bore out theoriesbased on computer simulation.

Small particles, when subjectedto turbulence in microgravity,showed what is called preferentialconcentration, which computer mod-els had predicted. As the particlesentered the turbulent air, they werethrown about by eddies in the flowfield. The eddies, spinning the parti-cles about, tended to throw the parti-cles into the spaces between theeddies. Here the particles clusteredinto strings; they preferentially con-centrated between the eddies wherethey could move more easily throughthe air.

But what about larger particles?Simulations of turbulence had shownthat heavy particles would agglomeratejust as smaller ones would. However, asimulation has its limitations, andRogers and his team had their doubtsabout whether tests on real particles inturbulent flow fields would show thesame agglomeration behavior.

Just past the peak of the KC-135’s parabolic flight path, the experiment rig floats in midair,free from the effects of gravity. Temporarily removing some of gravity’s influences allowsresearchers to study the effects of turbulence on airborne particles.

credit: NASA

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Video from the KC-135 flights confirmed whatthe simulation had predicted: in microgravity, big parti-cles would also agglomerate due to the influence of theturbulent flow field. In order to test out this theory oneven larger particles, however, longer tests in micrograv-ity will be necessary.

For a better understanding of the fluid propertiesin the experiment, Rogers returns to the quasinumerictechnique using the laser system and the model waterchannel. He hopes to be able to draw some conclusionsabout the fluid properties in his experiment based onwhat he has observed in the KC-135 experiments on par-ticle dynamic properties. The next set of investigations inthe KC-135 may help Rogers answer questions regardinghow the total amount of turbulence is affected by addingparticles to the experiment apparatus and how the turbu-lence generated in microgravity compares to turbulencemeasured on the ground.

Tiny Bubbles Create Better Cooling

Put a clear glass pot of water on the stove andturn the burner to high. Soon the heat turns liquid waterat the bottom of the pot into bubbles of steam that almostinstantly detach and zip to the surface. Cooler waterflowing in behind is heated in turn to become moresteam, and the entire pot boils as the transition of liquidto gas carries heat away from the bottom of the pot.

Now imagine that gravity’s effects are turned off.Without buoyancy to make lighter materials float to thetop, the bubbles don’t detach; rather, they stay in placeand grow. The heat is not carried away from the bottomof the pot, and the heating element melts and fails alto-gether. The stove, a power plant, a computer, or anyother active system — even a human — must shed heator break down.

Principal Investigator Vijay Dhir, of theUniversity of California, Los Angeles, wants to understand

boiling so it can be used safely in systems operating in amicrogravity environment. One of the most efficientmeans of cooling, boiling has been a fundamental part ofmodern industry since the dawn of the Steam Age, yet itis poorly understood in many respects, especially wheregravitational effects are involved.

Dhir has designed the experiment InvestigationsAssociated With Nucleate Boiling Under MicrogravityConditions to allow precise control of the locationswhere bubbles form and the timing of their release —something that the design of earlier microgravity experi-ments did not permit. Silicon wafers, 10 centimeters (4inches) in diameter, make this control possible. Thewafers have “designed surfaces” with tiny wells only 4,7, or 10 microns wide and 100 microns deep, backed bytiny heating elements. The wells serve as nucleationsites, where water heats to boiling and then turns tovapor. Each well or combination of wells can be heatedto produce a single bubble or an array of bubbles. Thepatterned surfaces will allow Dhir and his colleagues tostudy boiling across a range of controlled variations, toquantify how heat moves from a solid surface into liquidand then to vapor, and to understand how heat transfer inone tiny area can affect transfer in another.

While flying his experiment aboard the KC-135aircraft in a parabolic pattern in 2000, Dhir discoveredsomething that no one else has studied: that while a sin-gle bubble can grow to dangerously large sizes in lowgravity, the release of even a few small bubbles can cre-ate radically different flow patterns in a liquid, inducingadditional bubbles to depart.

Moreover, Dhir’s computer simulations showthat if the bubbles are neatly lined up like beads on astring, they have little effect on each other. But if theirpositions are staggered, they merge and induce circula-tion and lift forces that move other bubbles away fromthe heating surface as well. To Dhir, this discoverysuggests that patterning a surface with deliberate,microscopic variations might induce proper boiling in a low-gravity heat-transfer system.

To find out, Dhir will need to run his experimentin a long-term microgravity environment onboard theISS. Then, in 5 to 10 years, Dhir expects that the resultof a successful ISS investigation could be design codesthat engineers would use to optimize surfaces in a boil-ing system for a range of applications both on Earth andin space. Such understanding could help thermal engi-neers design space applications ranging from nuclearelectric propulsion systems powering space vehiclesbetween planets to electrical power plants and coolingsystems operating efficiently in the fractional gravities onother planets.

A large bubble grows as smaller ones come in contact andsurface tension breaks to let the gas pockets join. Theentire sequence took about one-eighth of a second on aKC-135 flight.

credit: NASA

t=0.000s t=0.096s t=0.112s

t=0.120s t=0.128s

4 mm

o you ever wonder how small a comput-

er will be 50 years from now? Or what new tools a

doctor will have to detect cancer? Or what new

technology might replace CD players? Or if we will

have the instruments we need to make deep space

exploration possible? Fundamental physicists are

the people finding the answers to these

questions. But they don’t start

their search by asking

about technology. They

start with much more

basic questions about

how the universe

works.

Science is driven by human curiosity

about nature. In the study of fundamental physics,

scientists wish to uncover and understand the basic

underlying principles that govern the behavior of the

world around us. Fundamental physics research,

therefore, establishes a foundation for many other

branches of science and provides the intellectual

underpinning needed to maintain and further de-

velop our highly technological society.

Researchers in the discipline have two quests

that motivate laboratory studies and experiments in

space. One of these quests is to explore and under-

stand the fundamental physical laws governing matter,

space, and time. Deep examination of the smallest

and largest building blocks that make up the uni-

verse will yield a better understanding of the basic

ideas, or theories, that describe the world. The space

environment provides access to different space-time

coordinates and frees experimenters from the dis-

turbing effects caused by gravity on Earth.

The second quest is to discover and under-

stand the organizing principles of nature from which

structure and complexity emerge. While the basic

laws of nature may be simple, the universe that has

DD

OVERVIEWFUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS 6

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-200248

Fundamental physicistsstart with basic ques-tions about how the uni-verse works. What theyfind can help answermyriad other questions,such as, “how small willcomputers be 50 yearsfrom now?”

arisen under these laws is amazingly complex and

diverse. By studying nature apart from the influence

of Earth’s gravity, we can better understand how the

universe developed and how best to employ these

principles in service to humanity.

The pursuit of these quests will grea-

tly benefit society in many ways over the

long run. For example, the study of physical

laws and natural principles with unprece-

dented precision requires advances in

instrumentation that provide the foundation

for tomorrow’s breakthrough technologies.

These advances contribute to the competi-

tiveness of American industry and further

support and enhance the presence of

humans in space.

To address the two long-term quests

of the program, research is currently being

pursued in three areas: gravitational and

relativistic physics, laser cooling and atomic physics,

and condensed matter physics. Gravitational and rel-

ativistic physics is the study of gravity’s influence on

the physical world and of Einstein’s Theory of

General Relativity, which puts gravity at the heart of

the universe’s structure. Laser cooling and atomic

physics is the study of atoms and how they manifest

on a small scale the same fundamental laws that

govern the universe on a large scale. Condensed

matter physics, in which matter is also studied at an

atomic level, specifically examines the properties of

atoms in liquids and solids, the states of matter in

which atoms are condensed.

OVERVIEW6 FUNDAMENTAL PHYSIC

By studying nature inmicrogravity, fundamen-tal physicists hope tobetter understand howthe universe developed.

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Scientists who study condensed mat-ter physics examine the properties of atoms in liquids (such as water)and solids (such as ice), the statesof matter in which atoms are con-densed. Scientists are drawn to study the transition between states,such as melting or evaporating,because certain universal behaviorsare found in the properties of the system as the transition is performedunder carefully controlled conditions.

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Program Summary

Almost 200 fundamental physicists and otherscientists representing 82 universities and 12 countriesgathered in Pasadena, California, in May 2001 for theSecond Pan-Pacific Basin Workshop on MicrogravitySciences. The workshop was a four-day opportunity forresearchers who hailed mostly from countries that borderthe Pacific Ocean to share their latest work related tomicrogravity and the space environment. Topics dis-cussed ranged from fundamental research in physical,chemical, and biological processes to cross-disciplineresearch and applied technology innovations. Participantsalso attended outreach events at the California ScienceCenter, in Los Angeles, and learned firsthand how educa-tion and outreach can play a key role in explaining thebenefits of their work to the public.

This year’s workshop, the largest-ever gatheringof microgravity scientists from the Pacific Rim, washosted by the Association of Pacific Rim Universities,the National Society of Microgravity Science andApplication of China, and the Japan Society of MicrogravityApplication. Other participating organizations includedNASA, the National Space Development Agency ofJapan, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the CanadianSpace Agency, and the Russian Space Agency.

The workshop also served as the annual meetingfor the microgravity fundamental physics program, giv-ing investigators within the discipline an opportunity topresent research developments and results and to shareideas with others in the field, especially with many inter-national colleagues. Leading off the plenary talks,Principal Investigator (PI) David Lee, of CornellUniversity, Ithaca, New York, described the excitementof the 1970s race to discover superfluidity in liquidhelium-3. PI Randall Hulet of Rice University, inHouston, Texas, presented the final plenary talk,discussing his recent observation of Fermi pressure inultracold lithium-6 atoms and showing pictorially the differing behaviors of bosons and fermions (two isotopesof the element). Charles Elachi, newly installed as thedirector of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) inPasadena, California, described during his address at theconference banquet how the microgravity fundamentalphysics program fits into JPL’s ambitious plans for spaceexploration. The fundamental physics sessions educatedattendees about techniques for using liquid helium as atest bed for fundamental theories, observations of quan-tum behavior in clouds of atoms cooled to within a mil-lionth of a degree of absolute zero, and funding forresearch to explore fundamental physics.

The 2002 NASA Workshop for FundamentalPhysics in Space was held May 9–11 in Dana Point,California. More than 75 scientists attended the workshop

to report on progress in their research and to learn aboutnew opportunities for research funding. Mark C. Lee, theenterprise scientist for fundamental physics at NASAheadquarters, described the discipline as currently thestrongest he has ever known it, based on the large num-ber of proposals in each subdiscipline that had beenreceived in response to the 2001 NASA Research

Ketterle Awarded Nobel Prize

Principal Investigator Wolfgang Ketterle, of theMassachusetts Institute of Technology, was awardedthe 2001 Nobel Prize for physics for his researchinvolving ultracold atoms that form a new type of mat-ter. The physicist shared the prize with Eric Cornelland Carl Wieman, both of the Joint Institute ofLaboratory of Astrophysics and the National Instituteof Standards and Technology, in Boulder, Colorado.

The award cites the researchers’ achievements andfundamental studies of Bose-Einstein condensates, apeculiar form of matter predicted by Albert Einsteinbased on research by Indian physicist SatyendraNath Bose. The Royal Swedish Academy ofSciences, which awards the Nobel Prize, said thethree scientists have caused atoms to “sing in uni-son.” Through their research, atomic particles wereinduced to have the same energy and to oscillatetogether in a controlled fashion. Laser light has thesequalities, but researchers have struggled for decadesto make other matter behave this way. The break-through research has potential uses for extremelyprecise measurements and may lead to microscopiccomputers and ultraprecise gyroscopes that coulddramatically improve aircraft guidance and spacecraftnavigation. Ketterle’s award brings the number ofNobel laureates presently working in NASA’s funda-mental physics program to eight.

credit: NASA

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6 FUNDAMENTAL PHYSIC

Announcement sponsored by NASA’s Office of Biologicaland Physical Research. He explained that such announce-ments would occur each year to permit scientists to enterthe program at short intervals, with each year’s announce-ment focusing on a slightly different theme in fundamen-tal physics. The theme for the 2001 announcement wasgravitational and relativistic physics, laser cooling andatomic physics, and low temperature and condensedmatter physics.

Fundamental Physics Discipline Scientist UlfIsraelsson, of JPL, followed Lee’s remarks by outliningthe changes in the NASA and JPL organizations that willaffect the discipline. He described how the new team ofthe Office of Biological and Physical Research (OBPR),now headed by Mary Kicza, is interpreting the recommen-dations of the Research Maximization and Prioritizationtask force, which assembled in 2001 to assess priorities forall OBPR-funded research. Additionally, Israelsson pro-moted the guest investigator opportunity for fundamentalphysics scientists, which provides for invited scientists toparticipate in already-approved flight experiments, includ-ing the development of a flight instrument’s mission.

PI David Lee presented results from his group’smeasurements of decay times for species of impuritiestrapped in a matrix of solid helium. At the low tempera-tures involved in the measurements, the change of popu-lations observed implies that the reactions take place byquantum tunneling mechanisms, rather than by normalchemical reactions. The results demonstrate the possibili-ty of developing valuable energy storage methods inthese systems.

PI John Thomas, of Duke University, Durham,North Carolina, described his team’s efforts to coolclouds of Fermi atoms into a state of degeneracy, charac-terized by atoms that are stripped of their electrons andby very great density. The research group hopes that theproper conditions can be reached to initiate a pairing ofthe Fermi atoms that will cause the clouds to becomesuperfluid.

Many additional topics of considerable interestwere described in the presentations. Attendees at theworkshop heard about progress on the Primary AtomicReference Clock in Space flight experiment, severaltechniques useful for studying laser-cooled atom sam-ples, mass interferometry methods for measuring thegravitational constant G and for developing sensitivegyroscopes and gravity gradiometers, and phase transi-tions in an array of ultracold atomic spins. These andother investigations discussed were funded throughNASA Research Announcements (NRAs).

NASA releases announcements of opportunitiesfor new research grants at regular intervals to maintain a

productive research community working at the cuttingedge of the science topics in fundamental physics. Newideas for research broaden the topics and update thestanding of the supported experiments. An NRA (NRA-00-HEDS-02) soliciting proposals in fundamentalphysics was released in February 2000, and selectionsfor funding were announced in November 2000, at thebeginning of fiscal year (FY) 2001.

Based on peer review of the 109 proposals sub-mitted in response to the 2000 NRA, 36 ground-basedinvestigations were selected for funding, with seven ofthose in the new area of biological physics. In addition,five flight-definition investigations were chosen fordevelopment. These flight projects included two guestinvestigations for the first mission of the LowTemperature Microgravity Physics Facility on theInternational Space Station (ISS), one investigation ingravitational physics, and two experiments in laser cool-ing and atomic physics. A complete list of the 42 select-ed research projects from the 2000 NRA can be found onthe World Wide Web at ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/2000/00-183a.txt.

An NRA for subsequent funding (NRA-01-OBPR-08-E) was released in January 2001. Theannouncement solicited research seeking knowledge thatwill expand understanding of space, time, and matter andenhance understanding of physical, biological, and chemi-cal processes associated with fundamental physics.Proposals were due in April 2002, and selections of inves-tigations to be funded will be announced in early 2003.

The fundamental physics program supported atotal of 53 ground-based investigations and 14 flightinvestigations in FY 2001 and 67 ground-based investi-gations and 13 flight investigations in FY 2002.

Flight Experiments

The flight program in fundamental physicsachieved several milestones this year. As development of the Low Temperature Microgravity Physics Facility(LTMPF) planned for the ISS progressed, experimentsslated to fly in the facility also moved forward. For itsfirst mission, scheduled for 2008, the LTMPF willaccommodate experiments that investigate superfluidhelium. When helium is cooled to extremely low temper-atures (nearing absolute zero, –273°C) it remains in aliquid state but exhibits some very unusual properties.For instance, it has no resistance to flow, so it can leakthrough tiny holes that even gaseous helium cannot pen-etrate, and it demonstrates infinite heat conductivity.Helium in this state is called a superfluid. Studying thecritical point for superfluidity, the conditions of tempera-ture and pressure at which the transition occurs, has

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proved the transition to be an excellent model of thephysics of other transitions between states, such as theliquid-gas critical point.

The Critical Dynamics in MicrogravityExperiment (DYNAMX), scheduled for the first LTMPFmission, will study how liquid helium becomes a super-fluid while being driven far from equilibrium by a heatcurrent. In FY 2001, DYNAMX passed its preliminarydesign review and was granted limited authority to pro-ceed. Only minor design changes remained before thedetailed design definition of the flight hardware wouldbe complete. In FY 2002, the final DYNAMX flight pro-totype and flight hardware were designed, and the draw-ings and flight assembly procedures were more than halfcomplete.

The Microgravity Scaling Theory Experiment(MISTE), also planned for the first LTMPF mission, willtest scaling law predictions for thermophysical propertiesof systems near liquid-vapor critical points. During FY2001, MISTE passed its preliminary design review, andthe MISTE team began fabricating an engineering modelof the flight hardware for testing. The team continued itscollaboration with Mission Research Corporation ondeveloping a small, pneumatic low-temperature valve forrepeated actuation at liquid helium temperatures. Theground-based experimental cell was redesigned to permitmore accurate measurements, and a MISTE web site(http://miste.jpl.nasa.gov) was created for outreach pur-poses. In FY 2002, the MISTE team developed a novel

low-temperature valve to meet flight requirements. Theteam also acquired new data using the redesignedground-based experimental cell. Based on these data,they revised their mathematical model, and predictionsare now being tested against experimental measurements.

Two other superfluid helium experiments will be conducted during the first LTMPF mission. TheEnhanced Heat Capacity of 4He Near the SuperfluidTransition (CQ) experiment and the CoexistenceBoundary (COEX) experiment will use the DYNAMXflight instrument and the MISTE instrument, respective-ly, in different ways from their primary experiments tomaximize scientific return on the instruments. The CQexperiment will explore the effect of heat flux on thesuperfluid transition of helium. In FY 2001, the experi-ment was approved and funded as a guest experimentwith DYNAMX. In FY 2002, the flight definition of theCQ experiment was completed, and the review board ofthe CQ requirements definition review recommendedthat CQ receive authority to proceed to flight.

COEX measures densities of a sample of helium-3as it approaches very near to the vapor-liquid criticalpoint. The data should help to determine precisely theparameters for the theoretical description of the proper-ties of that critical point. In FY 2001, COEX was acceptedby NASA as a guest experiment using the MISTE flighthardware, and the COEX team determined preliminarydata. In FY 2002, the COEX science requirements docu-ment and experiment implementation plan were prepared.

Diagram of the proposed PARCS laser-cooled space clock. Atoms in the source (atom-preparation) region are cooled and trapped and then launched through the cavity region.The microgravity condition keeps the atoms flowing straight to the detection region.

credit: NASA

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

6 FUNDAMENTAL PHYSIC

The science concept review and requirements definitionreview were held in April 2002.

Experiments have also been selected for the sec-ond LTMPF mission, planned for 2010: The BoundaryEffects on the Superfluid Transition (BEST) experimentwill determine the effects of boundaries on the thermalconductivity of superfluid helium near the critical transi-tion, and the Superconducting Microwave Oscillator(SUMO) is a project to develop an oscillator that will be used to test theories about relativity and in otherapplications.

The program currently supports two flight exper-iments to develop atomic clocks using laser-cooledatoms. Atomic clocks are the most accurate timekeeperson Earth, but gravity limits their performance. Developmentof a laser-cooled atomic clock that could take advantage ofa microgravity environment would enable an improve-ment in accuracy by perhaps as much as a hundredfold.An atomic clock on the ISS could serve as a primary fre-quency standard, providing labs around the world withthe premier definition of the second and perhapsenabling experiments in fundamental physics that werenot possible previously. Such a clock also could aid indeep space navigation and navigation on Earth byimproving the accuracy of the Global PositioningSystem (GPS).

Scientists working on the Primary AtomicReference Clock in Space (PARCS) project are develop-ing a cesium-beam atomic clock to operate on the ISS. In

this clock, atoms of cesium will be made to oscillatebetween energy states by exposure to a specificmicrowave frequency. To precisely measure the atoms’oscillation, or “ticking,” they will be slowed by extremecooling and trapped within the instrument by the micro-gravity environment of orbit.

In December 2000, the PARCS project passed itsrequirements definition review, which involved definingthe engineering aspects of conducting the experiment inspace. Also, a number of components have been eitherdesigned or fabricated in prototype form. The shuttersfor the atom beam, which are critical to operation of thePARCS clock, have been fabricated, and preliminarytesting of them has begun. These shutters must be non-magnetic, produce a minimum of vibration, have anaperture larger than 1 cm, operate at a rate of at least 1hertz (one cycle per second), and should survive morethan 1 million usages. In addition, collimators (devicesfor the trapping and detection of lasers), plus a prototypetrapping chamber, have been constructed of titanium, anda prototype for the clock is under development. Amicrowave synthesizer with a performance that meetsthe need for the PARCS instrument has been constructed,and measurements of phase noise are under way. A sec-ond synthesizer design, which incorporates features thatbetter match it to PARCS and uses a number of space-qualified components, is nearing completion.

The team of scientists working on the RubidiumAtomic Clock Experiment (RACE) is attempting to fur-ther improve the accuracy of laser-cooled microgravity

A new design for the RACE rubidium microgravity clock was developed this year. This design, shown in the figureabove, simplifies the trapping and shutter mechanisms while maintaining a high throughput of cold atoms, min-imizes the requirements on the local oscillator, and eliminates errors due to vibrations.

RACERACE

credit: NASA, redrawn by Jacky Edwards

clocks. By using rubidiuminstead of cesium, thisexperiment addresses one ofthe largest sources of errorsin a cesium clock: the fre-quency shift of atomscaused by cold collision.The collision shift of rubid-ium is 50 times smaller thanthat of cesium, allowing forbetter stability and thusmore accurate determinationof the frequency required tocause the atoms to oscillatebetween energy states. Theteam has also developed atechnique to cause theatoms to be launched inquick succession from thebase of the clock, passthrough one microwaveregion, where their energystate is measured, continuetoward the top, and passthrough another microwaveregion, where they areremeasured before they fallagain. The short-term stabil-ity of the atoms’ oscillationbefore they collide is pro-portional to the launch rate,so juggling the atoms allowsa higher accuracy to bemaintained. In FY 2002, the RACE team rebuilt theclock to improve its energy state detection system.

An experiment in condensed matter physics, thesecond Critical Viscosity of Xenon Experiment, CVX-2,was manifested on space shuttle mission STS-107. Theexperiment, which measures the change in viscosity of afluid near its critical point, is laying the groundwork fora method of predicting the viscosity of various fluids.Work progressed on readying the CVX-2 hardware forintegration into the shuttle. This experiment builds onresults from a previous successful flight on shuttle mis-sion STS-85 in August 1997.

Highlights

Glimpses of Cold Stars and New Laser Power

Scientists have successfully used lasers to cool acloud of lithium atoms sufficiently to observe unusualquantum properties of matter, including some that couldshed light on the behavior of stars or lead to improvedtools for space navigation. Randall Hulet and his team atRice University watched as an extremely cold lithium

cloud resisted condensation in much the same way thatstars will collapse to a certain point and no further afterthey have used up their fuel and succumbed to gravity.The scientists also have been able to make the atoms in alithium cloud move in perfect, nondissipating waves, oneatom following after another, which could be an impor-tant first step in making an atom laser for clock and navi-gation applications.

Both of these observations were made as theteam attempted to achieve the unique conditions thatwould induce lithium atoms to behave collectively, or asa quantum system. Under certain conditions, atomsexhibit wavelike behavior, that is, sometimes an atomexists not as an object occupying a single point but ratheris spread out over a region of space, known as the wave-length of the atom. Since atoms of the same material alldisplay the same type of wave, under unique conditionsof very low temperature, the waves lock together andmove almost like troops marching in formation. In thisstate, the cold and dense cloud of atoms is known as aBose-Einstein condensate (BEC), and it exhibits unusualproperties similar to those of a superfluid, another quan-tum state of atoms.

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This is a three-dimensional rendering of an image of a matter-wave soliton train. Each peak in the train isBose-Einstein condensate, a collection of atoms cooled to a temperature of nearly absolute zero. Solitonare localized bundles of waves, constrained to move in only one dimension, which propagate withoutspreading. Advanced optical communications systems employ solitons because ordinary light pulsesspread and require frequent signal boosters. The atom-wave solitons shown in the figure may someday buseful as the atom laser input to an atom interferometer.

credit: Randall Hu

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Although a number of elements have been foundto undergo this transition, lithium is of particular interestbecause it exists in two different forms, or isotopes: lithi-um-7, which consists of atoms known as bosons, andlithium-6, which has atoms known as fermions. Bosons,it turns out, reach the BEC transition at higher tempera-tures than fermions. Hulet’s challenge was to cool thefermions to temperatures low enough to reach the BECstate. In an inspired technique, Hulet and his team cooleda cloud that was a mixture of the two isotopes so that thebosons, which readily respond to cooling, acted as refrig-erants, further cooling the fermions.

While trying to achieve a BEC using this mix-ture of lithium atoms, the team got a surprising snapshotof a phenomenon that occurs in stars — Fermi pressure.Named for Enrico Fermi, a Nobel Laureate noted for hiscontributions in nuclear physics, Fermi pressure has beentheorized as the mechanism for star stabilization thatkeeps white dwarfs and neutron stars from collapsingpast a certain point. These stars are dense, compactobjects created when normal stars use up their fuel, cool,and succumb to the forces of gravity.

As the Rice team cooled the lithium cloud to 500nanokelvins (500 billionths of a degree above absolutezero, –273°C), the bosons compressed, because multipleatoms can occupy the same energy level. However, thefermions resisted being crowded together and did notcondense further, confirming the theory that they cannotoccupy the same energy level due to Fermi pressure.Thus, Hulet’s tiny atom cloud became a quantum modelfor star behavior, even though the atoms in the two sys-tems exist in vastly different spatial and energy scales.Images of the lithium cloud have revealed some fascinat-ing insights into this force responsible for stabilizingstars.

Hulet has also documented another quantumeffect with a cooled cloud of lithium-7 atoms. The Ricegroup manipulated the cold atoms to form tidy bundlesof waves, called solitons, which retained their shape andstrength. Normally, when a wave forms — whether inwater, light, or clouds of atoms — it tends to spread outas it travels. Not so with a soliton wave, which maintainsits perfect shape without spreading.

In their laboratory, Hulet and his team confinedlithium atoms with magnetic fields, cooled them withlasers to one billion times colder than room temperature,and confined them in a narrow beam of light that pushedthem into a single-file formation. The atoms formed aBose-Einstein condensate, and Hulet’s team was able toobserve a “soliton train” of multiple waves. The solitontrain produced by Hulet’s team comprised individual seg-ments of this condensate that continued to preserve theirquantum mechanical phase with respect to each other,

despite being segmented. The atom-wave solitons thatthe Rice University scientists observed could be used inadvanced atom lasers, which have beams made of atomsinstead of light photons.

Hulet says atom lasers might have many applica-tions that few have envisioned, such as improving instru-ments that study gravity variations to locate and measureunderground water, minerals, oil, caves, and volcanicmagma on Earth. By measuring levels of undergroundmagma, for example, scientists may be able to predictvolcanic eruptions. The technology could also be used ona spacecraft to map the ocean believed to lie beneath theicy crust of Europa, one of Jupiter’s six known moons.

Atom lasers could also lead to other advances,including improvements in atomic clocks and computers.New clocks could be designed using the ultracold lithiumatom beams so that the atoms collide less frequently,which would allow even greater accuracy. More preciseclocks would help digital communications systems andimprove deep space navigation. Using an atom laser tofabricate computer chips with single atomic layer controlwould make computers run faster.

Starquakes on Your Lab Bench, Anyone?

Spinning ultracold sodium gas in the laboratory,scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT) created a gas cloud that is a model of some quirkypulsar star behavior. As the atom cloud spins, it becomesriddled with tiny whirlpools, like those suspected ofcausing “starquakes” in space.

The laboratory demonstration of these vortexstructures in ultracold atom clouds is related to puzzlingglitches observed by astronomers in the otherwisesmooth, rapid rotation of pulsars. A pulsar is a type ofneutron star, a remnant of a dying star, one of the densestobjects in the universe. Glitches in pulsar rotation arecalled starquakes and may occur when whirlpools, orvortices, form or decay.

Because the gas cloud observed in the laboratorywas 100,000 times thinner than air, while a pulsar isabout ten thousand trillion times denser than air, onemight expect different behavior from the two systems.But both the sodium gas cloud and pulsars are superflu-ids, a state of matter in which a substance can flow with-out friction. Scientists know that as superfluids rotate,they form quantum whirlpools that reflect the smallestpossible increase in rotation for the gas cloud or for thepulsar.

Previously, scientists in laboratories had seenonly one or a few whirlpools in a superfluid; WolfgangKetterle, a physics professor at MIT, and his research

6 FUNDAMENTAL PHYSIC

team made the first direct observation of so many vor-tices. Ketterle described the moment as “breathtaking.”The team was amazed as hundreds of whirlpools werecreated in the ultracold, fragile gas and the cloudremained stable.

To achieve the star model, Ketterle and his teamcooled the sodium gas to less than one millionth of adegree above absolute zero (-273°C). At such extremecold, the gas cloud converts to a peculiar form of mattercalled a Bose-Einstein condensate, which was predicted75 years ago by Albert Einstein. No physical containercan hold such ultracold matter, so Ketterle’s team usedmagnets to keep the cloud in place. They then used alaser beam to make the gas cloud spin, a process Ketterlecompares to stroking a ping-pong ball with a featheruntil it starts spinning. The spinning sodium gas cloud,with a volume of one-millionth of a cubic centimeter,much smaller than a raindrop, developed a regular pat-tern of more than 100 whirlpools.

Once the quantum system was achieved, teammembers were challenged by how to photograph thewhirlpools, which were too small to be seen except withspecial magnification. They switched off the magnetscontaining the gas cloud, allowing it to expand to 20

times its original size.This made thewhirlpools large enoughto be photographed. Asthe cloud expanded,however, gravity madeit fall, and the team hadto take the picturesquickly. These gravita-tional limitations wouldbe absent in the micro-gravity environmentthat is available toresearchers on theInternational SpaceStation.

The sodiumcloud is an example ofa designer quantumsystem that scientistscan use to model some-thing in the laboratorythat doesn’t occur natu-rally on Earth.Astronomers hadobserved the glitches inpulsar rotation, but hadno opportunity toexplore or manipulatethem until now.

How Fast Does the World Turn?

A discovery that may someday help measurehow clouds and earthquakes change Earth’s rotation hascome from an experiment that made friction-free heliumwhistle. By manipulating ultracold liquid helium-3 in ahollow, doughnut-shaped container, NASA-funded scien-tists at the University of California (UC), Berkeley, pro-duced a whistling sound that got louder or quieterdepending on the container’s orientation relative to theNorth Pole and Earth’s rotation. In principle, smallchanges in Earth’s daily rotation rate will also vary thevolume of the whistle. Although Earth completes its rota-tion every 24 hours, clouds and the motion of Earth’scrust can make any given day slightly longer or shorter.These findings might provide an unusual new way tomeasure such changes.

The Berkeley team, led by PI Richard Packardand Co-Investigator Séamus Davis, both professors atUC Berkeley, cooled the vessel filled with liquid helium-3 to a temperature nearly 1 million times colder thanroom temperature. At this temperature, the liquid heliumbecomes a superfluid, a state of matter in which a sub-stance experiences no friction, so the liquid can flow

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The picture above shows images of the gas clouds in four different states of rotation. The spinning sodiumgas cloud, with a volume of one-millionth of a cubic centimeter, much smaller than a raindrop, developed aregular pattern of more than 100 whirlpools.

credit: Wolfgang Ketterle

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

continuously inside the vessel. The liquid in the doughnut-shaped container acts like a single, supergiant atom withbehavior that is dictated by the strange rules of quantumphysics.

This latest discovery that the helium can act asone giant atom builds on the team’s previous research. In1997, they discovered the quantum whistle when theypushed helium through a single perforated membranebetween two superfluid-filled chambers. This experimentdemonstrated a phenomenon called the Josephson effect:as they tried to push the fluid through the holes, each1/500th as wide as a human hair, the fluid jiggled to andfro. The vibration frequency increased as they pushedharder on the fluid. They used the world’s most sensitivemicrophone and ordinary headphones to hear thevibrations, which made an oscillating, whistlingsound.

In their latest research, the researchers put twothin membranes, each with an array of more than 4,000tiny holes, at opposite sides of the doughnut to divide thesuperfluid. When they tried to push the fluid through theholes with electrostatic pressure, it did not flow in the

direction they were pushing. Instead, it flowed in astrange, oscillating pattern, again producing a whistle. Asthe fluid flowed through the doughnut-shaped vessel, thewhistle got louder or softer, depending on the vessel’sorientation with respect to Earth’s axis of rotation.

In essence, the team has demonstrated that twoweak links (established by the two perforated mem-branes) behave as one weak link (established by the sin-gle membrane) whose properties are influenced byEarth’s rotation. The successful demonstration of thiseffect has been a goal of low-temperature physicists formore than 35 years. The promising new research mightlead to extremely precise gyroscopes to help navigatefuture NASA spacecraft. This experiment used a tinyamount of helium-3, but by using a much larger amount,an ultrasensitive gyroscope might be created.

Earth is probably too noisy an environment torealize the full potential of this technology, and Packardlooks forward to maybe one day listening to his quantumwhistle in the best possible environment for the experi-ment — a free-floating satellite, which could have zerovibration.

6 FUNDAMENTAL PHYSIC

Doughnut-shaped hardware for this experiment included two thin membranes, each with thousands of tiny holes, atopposite sides of the doughnut to divide the fluid. When researchers tried to push the fluid through the holes withelectrostatic pressure, it flowed in a strange, oscillating pattern, producing a whistle.

To SQUID*

ΩΩ

Electrode

*Superconducting Quantum Interference Device

credit: NASA

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-200258

he metal alloys used to build air-

planes, the circuits in a computer, the plastic

used for a heart valve, the composite metal-

lic-ceramic materials used in industrial tur-

bine blades — all of these materials have

specific properties that make them the right

choice for the products in which they are

used. Materials scientists are always on the

lookout for ways to improve the properties

of materials and to create materials that have

new properties for new purposes.

A material’s properties, such as how

strong, how durable, or how poor or effi-

cient a conductor it is, are determined by not

only by its chemical composition but also by

its crystalline structure. The crystalline

structure is established as a result of the

method and conditions under which the

material is produced. For example, if a mix-

ture of liquid metal and ceramic particles is

solidified at one speed, those ceramic parti-

cles may congregate in undesired ways, causing the

processed material to crack easily or be brittle. If,

on the other hand, the same molten mixture is solid-

ified at a different speed, the ceramic particles may

be more evenly distributed throughout the solidified

material, lending it desirable strength. By learning

how to alter the conditions of material processing to

get desired properties, investigators may be able to

manufacture materials with more useful properties

than are currently available.

TT

Materials scientists are on anever-ending quest to take exist-ing materials such as glass,metals, or ceramics and makethem stronger, lighter, cheaper,or better. Microgravity researchis helping researchers under-stand the fundamentals of materi-als and enabling them to developnovel solutions to technologychallenges in industry and in thespace program.

OVERVIEWMATERIALS SCIENCE 7

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Because most solid materials are formed

from a liquid melt or a vapor, the production

processes for most materials include steps that are

very heavily influenced by the force of gravity.

Typical gravity-related effects that take place in

materials processing include buoyancy-driven con-

vection (fluid flow caused by temperature-driven

density differences in a material), sedimentation

(settling of different materials, liquid and/or solid,

into distinct layers), and hydrostatic pressure (differ-

ences in pressure within a quantity of material due

to the material at the top weighing down on the

material at the bottom). Observing, monitoring, and

studying material production in microgravity is ben-

eficial because it allows researchers to isolate some

of the underlying mechanisms that govern how

materials are formed and to determine how those

mechanisms affect the structure and properties of

the material. This can increase our fundamental

understanding of materials and possibly result in

improved methods for processing materials on Earth.

During fiscal years (FYs) 2001 and 2002,

three new research initiatives were proposed for the

microgravity materials science program: radiation

shielding, advanced space propul-

sion, and in-space fabrication and

repair for long-distance space

exploration. Fundamental research

in the areas of metals and alloys,

electronic and photonic materials,

ceramics, glasses, and polymers

continues.

OVERVIEW7 MATERIALS SCIEN

Advances in materi-als research haveimproved propertiesof electronic devicessuch as computersand compact disks

Metals are melted onEarth in containers calledcrucibles before beingpoured into castingmolds to produce thingssuch as statues or tools.

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MATERIALS SCIENCE 7

Program Summary

As NASA continues on its path toward long-term, crewed space missions, each discipline is chal-lenged to develop the technology necessary to makeexploration beyond low Earth orbit possible. To providesolutions to the new problems such missions will pose,the three new research topics of radiation shielding,advanced space propulsion, and in-space fabrication andrepair for long-distance space exploration were added tothe materials science program and included in NASAResearch Announcements (NRAs) in FYs 2001 and2002. Researchers from universities, industries, and gov-ernment laboratories across the country compete forfunding in the materials science program by submittingresearch proposals in response to NRAs. Each proposalis evaluated by a peer review committee and selected onthe bases of scientific merit, applicability of the projectto NASA’s goals, and feasibility.

Learning how to protect astronauts from theincreased exposure to harmful radiation outsideEarth’s sheltering atmosphere will be critical to space-flights to other planets and habitation on those planets.Materials science is contributing to this effort throughresearch aimed at understanding the radiation shielding

effectiveness of existing materials, as well as throughresearch focused on developing new materials. An NRA(NRA-01-OBPR-05) was released August 24, 2001,soliciting proposals for ground-based research opportuni-ties in radiation shielding and biomaterials. Proposalswere due November 27, 2001. Another NRA (NRA-02-OPBR-02) highlighting ground-based research opportu-nities in space radiation biology and space radiationshielding materials was issued August 30, 2002, withproposals due November 25, 2002. Selections for bothNRA grants will be posted on the World Wide Web(WWW) at http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov/research_projects/selections.html.

The advanced space propulsion initiative isfocused on identifying materials that will meet the chal-lenging requirements of the high-temperature and high-energy systems needed to carry vehicles deeper intospace. These advanced propulsion systems may involvechemical, nuclear, electromagnetic, magnetic, solar ther-mal, directed plasma, and photonic components. Theresearch initiative for in-space fabrication and repair sup-ports NASA’s plans for construction in space and onother planets. The goals of this effort are to reduce themass of materials carried into space, to create designsthat will enable and facilitate the fabrication of large

Sharon Cobb of Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, shows how a cylindrical sample willbe inserted into the Materials Science Research Rack-1 furnace for processing aboard the InternationalSpace Station. This rack is being developed to provide a flexible, permanent platform for conductingmaterials science experiments in the U.S. Laboratory on the space station.

credit: NASA

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

7 MATERIALS SCIEN

structures in space, and to learn how to use naturallyoccurring resources on other planetary bodies as buildingmaterials.

A general NRA covering all the disciplines with-in the Physical Sciences Research Division (NRA-01-OBPR-08) was issued December 21, 2001. It includedmaterials science opportunities (NRA-01-OBPR-08-F)and a special solicitation of proposals for developingmaterials for advanced space propulsion (NRA-01-OBPR-08-G). Proposals for the NRA in microgravitymaterials science were due July 16, 2002, with selectionsto be made in December 2002. Proposals for the propul-sion NRA were due October 1, 2002, with selections tobe made in spring of 2003.

A total of 89 principal investigators (PIs)received research grants for FY 2001–2002. A list of allongoing materials science research projects, along withthe names of the investigators conducting the research, isprovided in Appendix A. A complete list of funded proj-ects may also be found on the WWW at http://research.hq.nasa.gov/code_u/code_u.cfm.

A new cycle of NRA preparation began at theFifth NASA Microgravity Materials Science Conference,held June 25–26, 2002, in Huntsville, Alabama. The con-ference attracted more than 268 attendees and served tospark further scientific interest in materials research inmicrogravity. Papers and posters featuring work currentlysponsored by the program were presented. The twoNRAs released in 2001 and the upcoming NRA due to bereleased in December 2002 were discussed. Oral presen-tations were selected to highlight mature research and thenew research directions in the program.

These new research directions or initiatives areprompted by NASA’s vision of future space exploration.If long-duration, crewed space flights are to be madepossible, new or improved technology will be needed foreach initiative. The FY 2002 NRA includes a specialfocus theme of Materials Science for Advanced SpacePropulsion. This technology will help NASA’s visionbecome a reality. Ron Litchford, of the Marshall SpaceFlight Center (MSFC) Transportation Directorate high-lighted this announcement at the conference in a plenaryaddress. The importance of supporting the NASA andMSFC program in propulsion was further emphasized toall conference attendees in the banquet speech byMichael Houts, also of the MSFC TransportationDirectorate, which focused on materials requirements fornuclear-fueled space missions.

Workshops in FY 2001–2002 were also organ-ized to support the new research themes. The MaterialsScience for Advanced Space Propulsion Workshop washeld October 8–10, 2001, in Huntsville, Alabama, to

provide input for thepropulsion NRA. Attendeesbrainstormed possible mate-rials needed to develop newpropulsion systems that willenable the space program toexpand the frontiers ofspace.

The Space RadiationShielding Materials Workshoptook place April 3–5, 2002, atLangley Research Center inHampton, Virginia. Experts inengineering, space andnuclear physics, technology,materials science, and radia-tion safety gathered to developa comprehensive understanding of design methods andrequirements related to the design of advanced spacecraftand space habitat radiation shielding.

The In-Space Manufacturing of SpaceTransportation Infrastructure Workshop was held June 11–13, 2002, at MSFC in Huntsville, Alabama.Sponsored by the NASA Exploration Team, the work-shop brought together a variety of engineering andmanufacturing specialists, aerospace contractors, andmembers of the academic science community to addressstrategies for developing a robust in-space transportationinfrastructure that might eventually include permanentrefueling stations and maintenance platforms in space.Attendees analyzed NASA’s goals to determine itsneeds for materials advances.

Several notable invitations were extended toparticipants in the microgravity materials science pro-gram in FY 2002. In August, Ken Kelton, ofWashington University, St. Louis, Missouri, was invitedto deliver a plenary lecture at the 11th InternationalConference on Rapidly Quenched Metals, at OxfordUniversity, Oxford, England. His research deals withthe solid-state precipitation process of oxygen, one ofthe major impurities in electronic grade silicon, and assuch, one of the remaining limiting factors to furtherprogress of the advancement of personal computers. Inhis lecture, to be published in the PhilosophicalTransactions of the Royal Society, Kelton outlined anew theory of so-called coupled-flux nucleation. Keltonis using nucleation in liquids held below their freezingpoints to validate his theories, and the work will culmi-nate in experiments on the International Space Station(ISS). Preparatory ground-based research is being donein the electrostatic levitator at MSFC. The importanceof the work is further demonstrated by the fact that, inaddition to NASA, the National Science Foundationand industry partners are helping to sponsor this work.

Designed to isolate experi-ments inside the MicrogravityScience Glovebox, theg-LIMIT apparatus will protectphysical sciences researchthat is very sensitive to vibra-tions and accelerations onthe space station.

credit: NASA

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-200262

MATERIALS SCIENCE 7

Narayanan Ramachandran, of MSFC, gave aninvited talk at the International Symposium on OpticalScience and Technology on “Magnetic Microspheres forTherapeutical Applications” in July 2002. Co-authoredby Konstantin Mazuruk, Universities Space ResearchAssociation, the paper dealt with the possible use ofmagnetic microspheres for in-situ hyperthermia therapyfor cancerous tumors.

Maria Zugrav and William Carswell, both of theUniversity of Alabama, Huntsville, gave a conferencepresentation at the Microgravity Transport Processes inFluid, Thermal, Biological, and Materials SciencesConference II held in Banff, Alberta, Canada, September30–October 5, 2001. The presentation, titled “VaporTransport Growth of Organic Solids in Microgravity andUnit Gravity: Some Comparisons and Results to Date,”summarized and reviewed four years’ worth of workstudying materials for potential applications in theemerging field of optoelectronics. This exciting area ofresearch is the merging of physical, optical, electronic,chemical, and materials sciences to develop newer,faster, and more efficient ways of exploiting the proper-ties of light. Advances can be seen in areas as diverse astelecommunications, manufacturing, aerospace, medi-cine, and entertainment. Zugrav and Carswell are co-PIsfor this investigation.

Notable papers published during FYs 2001 and2002 included “Crystal Engineering: From Structure toFunction,” by Mark Hollingsworth, of Kansas StateUniversity, Manhattan, which appeared in Science295(5564), 2410–13. The paper discussed modern crystalengineering, which allows chemists to control the inter-nal structure and symmetry of crystals and producematerials with useful chemical and physical properties.Another paper, titled “Triggered Nucleation in Ni60Nb40Using an Electrostatic Levitator,” by Tom Rathz et al.,was accepted for publication in the Journal of MaterialsScience Letters. The article describes the first occasion inwhich a levitated molten metal drop was forced to solidi-fy by being touched or triggered by an external probe.The purpose of the study is to establish the variety ofnew and potentially useful structures that can be produced by such techniques.

Flight Experiments

The materials science program conducted its firstexperiments aboard the ISS in FY 2002. The investiga-tions were carried out in the Microgravity ScienceGlovebox (MSG), a small, contained unit shared amongall the disciplines. Construction of the MSG was com-pleted during FY 2001 by the European Space Agency(ESA). The facility was launched to the space station inJune 2002 and began operations in July 2002.

The first investigation conducted in the MSGfacility was Solidification Using a Baffle in SealedAmpoules (SUBSA). SUBSA is designed to test whetherthe addition of a baffle, a device used to regulate theflow of the liquid metal in the sample, to the directionalsolidification process, in which the liquid is frozen fromone end of the container to the other, will significantlyreduce convection that naturally occurs in the melt andresult in better-mixed, less-segregated alloy materialswith improved properties. Aleksander Ostrogorsky, ofRensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, is thePI for SUBSA.

Once SUBSA was completed, the PoreFormation and Mobility Investigation (PFMI) wasinstalled in the MSG, and its series of experiments wasinitiated. PFMI investigates the formation of undesirableholes, or pores, in a material as it solidifies. The experi-ment was performed using a transparent material calledsuccinonitrile; the transparency of the sample allows theresearchers to directly observe and record how the poresare formed and how they move during processing. PFMIwas led by PI Richard Grugel, of MSFC.

During FYs 2001 and 2002, integration activitieswere under way for a series of experiments to be con-ducted in the MSG in FY 2003. These included fourexperiments from ESA plus four new NASA-sponsoredexperiments. The NASA experiments are theInvestigation of the Structure of ParamagneticAggregates From Colloidal Emulsions, the Coarsening inSolid-Liquid Mixtures-2 experiment, the Fiber SupportedDroplet Combustion experiment, and the GloveboxIntegrated Microgravity Isolation Technology (g-LIMIT)apparatus. Following its on-orbit characterization andtesting, the g-LIMIT device will be made available toany future MSG experiments that have a particular sensi-tivity to low-level vibrations and require special vibra-tion isolation.

In addition to the MSG, the Materials ScienceResearch Rack-1 (MSRR-1) will house microgravitymaterials science experiments in the Destiny laboratorymodule of the ISS. The MSRR-1 continued to makeprogress toward completion and installation on the spacestation, as did experiment modules designed for the facil-ity. The MSRR-1 is scheduled for launch to the ISS in2005. For more details about the MSRR-1 and its associ-ated modules, see the International Space Station sectionof this report.

During FY 2002, final preparations were com-pleted for integrating the Mechanics of GranularMaterials (MGM) investigation on the STS-107 spaceshuttle flight, scheduled for launch in January 2003. Thisexperiment is a continuation of earlier studies regarding

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7 MATERIALS SCIEN

properties of granular materials for the advancement ofsoil science. The microgravity environment providesdata on granular materials that cannot be collected onEarth, where gravity collapses the materials so quicklythat scientists cannot take measurements. Knowledgederived from the MGM experiments will further theunderstanding of design models for soil movementunder confinement and various stresses. These modelscan be applied to strengthening building foundations,managing undeveloped land, and handling powderedand granular materials in chemical, agricultural, andother industries. The knowledge obtained is alsoexpected to be valuable in understanding technicalissues in fields such as earthquake engineering, terres-trial and planetary geology, mining engineering, andcoastal and off-shore engineering.

Highlights

Solidifying the Future

The beautiful structure of a snowflake is a well-known example of the way tiny water droplets freezing intoice form branching crystals. Such branching crystals arecalled “dendrites” from an ancient Greek word for tree. As apuddle freezes, however, a continuing dendritic network ofice crystals forming across its surface traps air within thewater, bubbles that remain when the puddle is frozen solid.

Many metals and alloys also have dendritic struc-tures. When molten metals or alloys are solidified for com-mercial applications, uniformly distributing the dendrites andcontrolling or eliminating gas pockets are crucial to ensuringthe materials’ strength.

Principal Investigator Richard Grugel examines his Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation apparatus inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox. Theproject melted samples of a transparent modeling material to observe how bubbles form in the samples and study their movements and interactions.

credit: NASA

Richard Grugel at Marshall Space Flight Center,investigator for the Microgravity Science Glovebox(MSG) on the International Space Station (ISS), is seek-ing to understand the subtle forces that act on gas bub-bles in molten metals and alloys. Grugel and his teamhave created the Pore Formation and MobilityInvestigation (PFMI) to study how bubbles move andinteract with one another as a material is melted andsolidified in microgravity.

On Earth, gravity-driven buoyancy allows thebubbles that form in most liquids to rise quickly to thesurface, pop, and disappear. But in cooling molten metal,bubbles can become trapped in the solid when they arecaught between dendrites or under the solidifying skinon the top of a casting. Such bubbles become pores, ortrapped pockets of gas — defects that undermine thematerial’s strength. Gravity-driven buoyancy so domi-nates the behavior of bubbles on Earth that it hinders sci-entists from observing slighter influences on bubbledynamics. In microgravity, however, buoyancy is mini-mized, and bubbles do not rise and disappear, allowingfor a more complete study of their subtler behavior.

The PFMI apparatus flew to the ISS aboardspace shuttle mission STS-111 in June 2002. The PFMIthermal chamber, the experiment cameras, and otherdata-collecting devices were installed in the MicrogravityScience Glovebox.

The experiment consists of the controlled melt-ing of a transparent material that is structurally similar tometals, in this case, succinonitrile and succinonitrilemixed with a small amount of water. The samples areprocessed inside a thermal chamber installed in theglovebox’s workspace. As the sample melts, video cam-eras record bubble formation and movement near the liq-uid-solid interface.

Once a sample is loaded into the chamber, anISS crewmember starts the experiment with the gloveboxlaptop computer and inserts a videocassette into a VCRto record the experiment. As the temperature of a mov-able heater at the far end of the glass tube heats the sam-ple to a maximum of 130°C (266°F), the succinonitrilematerial at the end of the sample melts. The heater isthen moved down the length of the tube, melting thesolid in a controlled manner. During this step most of thebubble activity is observed and recorded. Then the direc-tion is reversed, and the tube moves through a cold sec-tion of the thermal furnace (the succinonitrile solidifiesat about 13°C [55°F]) where the liquid is directionallyresolidified. Each experimental run lasts 10 to 12 hours.

Video plays a crucial role in this experiment,providing a visual record of the way bubbles form,move, and interact as the sample melts and later

resolidifies. The science team hypothesized that the bub-bles would travel to the hotter end of the sample throughthe applied temperature gradient, with bigger bubblesmoving faster than the smaller ones. The video confirmedtheir hypothesis, recording the movement of bubblesemerging from the “centerline crack” during melting.During the solidification portion of the experiment, bub-ble generation between dendrites was observed as wellas the formation of defects known as “rat tails.”

The PFMI investigation, with its ability to con-trol and visualize melting and solidification over a widerange of temperature gradient and translation parameters,is enhancing our knowledge of bubble movement andporosity, liquid-solid interface dynamics, and solidifica-tion phenomena. Results from this ongoing study areexpected to benefit materials scientists on Earth as wellas future flight experiment investigators.

This is the first use of the PFMI apparatus in theISS glovebox facility. It has well demonstrated its capa-bility, and Grugel believes its generic design makes it apotential candidate for use in future investigations.

Baffling Flows in Microgravity

Better semiconductors could mean improve-ments and innovations in technologies for a range offields from telecommunications to medicine to manufac-turing. An experiment recently conducted on the ISSmay play a role in helping industry to grow better crys-tals of semiconductors and bring about a new generationof semiconductor capability.

On Earth, buoyancy forces cause a fluid motioncalled convection that can be undesirable during materialsprocessing. During semiconductor crystal growth in par-ticular, buoyancy forces can cause an uneven distributionof dopants, or impurities used to control the properties ofthe crystals. If dopants are not properly distributed in thecrystal as it grows, the electronic and optical propertiesof the semiconductor are degraded, potentially reducingtheir ability to transmit signals using electrons andphotons. In microgravity, these buoyancy forces can bereduced by a factor of up to 1 million. Nevertheless,analyses of crystals previously grown in space have indi-cated that a weak motion can still persist in a melt evenin microgravity, interfering with the hypothetical convection-free process. SUBSA experiment, run by PI Aleksandar Ostrogorsky, of Rensselaer PolytechnicInstitute, Troy, New York, tests the use of a submergedbaffle during the solidification of semiconductor crystalsfrom a melted material to further reduce or controlconvection in microgravity.

For this investigation, tellurium and zinc areadded as dopants to molten indium antimonide specimens

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ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

that are cooled by directional solidification to form a sin-gle solid crystal. The baffle placed inside the melt limitsthe length of the solidifying liquid column and aids inreducing convective motion, while microgravity furtherhelps to establish an extremely calm environment thatcan provide scientific data of high precision. Aftergrowth, the distribution of the dopants will be measuredand can indicate the degree of convection that existedduring the growth process. The microgravity environ-ment will enable scientists to enhance their theoreticalknowledge of the crystal growth process.

From July 11 to September 10, 2002, ExpeditionFive’s Science Officer Peggy Whitson conducted a seriesof experiment runs for the SUBSA investigation on theISS. SUBSA has the distinction of being the first investi-gation to be conducted in the Microgravity ScienceGlovebox after its installation in the Destiny laboratorymodule on the space station. During experiment opera-tions, a real-time video camera was focused on transpar-ent ampoules containing samples that were melted in theSUBSA furnace. The camera sent images to Earth so thatthe progress of the experiment could be observed directlyby the investigator and his team. Thus, during the melting

of the material, the movement of the liquid-solid inter-face toward a solid single crystal seed could be observedand crystal growth initiated on command when a smallamount of the seed had melted. Movement of the inter-face in the material was observed during both heatingand cooling cycles, and appropriate actions were takenby the experimental team through the command capa-bility of the Telescience Support Center.

With the return of the samples to Earth, the effec-tiveness of the baffle will be determined after the sampleshave been comprehensively analyzed. As a bonus to themanagement of the crystal seeding, the real-time imagesallowed scientists to make a direct measurement of thesolidification rate, leading to more accurate data. Theinformation obtained during the SUBSA experimentswill increase the knowledge and understanding of thesolidification process in microgravity and determine howeffective baffles can be in producing quality semiconduc-tors in orbit. Furthermore, data will be used as a guidefor future ground-based research. If the experimentsyield the expected results, directional solidification withthe baffle may become a useful technique for futurecrystal growth in space.

7 MATERIALS SCIEN

One of the first materials science experiments on the space station, the Solidification Using a Baffle in Sealed Ampoules investigation wasalso the first experiment to be run in the newly installed Microgravity Science Glovebox. Principal Investigator Aleksandar Ostrogorskyexamines one of the sealed ampoules.

credit: NASA

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-200266

ariations in the quality of a micro-

gravity environment can have an adverse effect

on experiment results. Sometimes the very

tools that enable an experiment to be conduct-

ed in microgravity can be responsible for these

variations. Experiment hardware, crewmem-

bers, and even the flight vehicle itself can

cause accelerations, commonly known as

vibrations, that affect microgravity levels and

disturb sensitive experiments. Because acceler-

ations can cause convection, sedimentation,

and mixing in microgravity science experi-

ments — effects that researchers experimenting

in microgravity generally wish to avoid — informa-

tion about accelerations is critical to the interpreta-

tion of science experiment results. Acceleration

measurement is the process by which data that

describe the quality of a microgravity environment

are acquired, processed, and analyzed. The data are

then passed on to microgravity principal investiga-

tors (PIs) to aid them in analyzing the results of

their own investigations.

Experiments are usually conducted in micro-

gravity to avoid the by-products of gravity, such as

buoyancy-driven convection and sedimentation;

however, accelerations can strongly influence fluid

motion and the motion of particles or bubbles in

fluids. For example, in materials science experi-

ments, heavier elements such as mercury tend to

settle out of solution when subjected to steady

accelerations. Such settling can also damage protein

crystals grown in biotechnology experiments.

Convection due to low-frequency accelerations

tends to cause hot gases in combustion experiments

to move. Fluid movement due to accelerations may

mask fluid characteristics, such as surface tension

forces, that the experimenter wishes to observe.

Mechanical vibrations over a wide range of frequen-

cies may cause drastic temperature changes in low-

temperature physics experiments, where the samples

are at temperatures close to absolute zero.

OVERVIEWACCELERATION MEASUREMENT 8

VV

For many ISS experiments constant microgravity conditions aressential. Disturbances such asthose created by a Soyuzspacecraft docking with thespace station can affect experi-ment results. The goal of theacceleration measurement pro-gram is to help researchers tounderstand the impact of accel-erations on their experiments.

credit: NA

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

8 ACCELERATION MEASUREMEN

Program Summary

Accurate measurement of the microgravity con-ditions during a spaceflight is crucial. PIs use accelera-tion data to determine the influence of accelerations ontheir experiments in order to gain a more accurate pictureof the phenomena under observation. The primary objec-tive of the acceleration measurement program is to char-acterize the reduced-gravity environment of the variousexperiment carriers, such as the space shuttle; Russia’sformer space station, Mir; sounding rockets; parabolicflight aircraft; drop towers; and the International SpaceStation (ISS).

Devices used to measure the quality of a micro-gravity environment onboard the various experiment car-riers are known as accelerometers. Several differentaccelerometer units have been developed to meet therequirements of a wide range of experiments and, initial-ly, to fly aboard different experiment carriers. Althoughdeveloped separately, the systems all complement eachother in their measurements. Quasisteady sensors meas-ure the microgravity environment for low-frequencyaccelerations. Vibratory sensors measure higher-frequency accelerations (up to 400 hertz, Hz).

Current Space Acceleration MeasurementSensors (SAMS) operational systems include the following:

• Remote Triaxial System (RTS) — an ISS vibra-tory system (0.01–400 Hz). There is an RTS in everyEXPRESS (EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments toSpace Station) Rack with Active Rack Isolation Systemcapability and in the Microgravity Science Glovebox(MSG), and there are two RTS Drawers in EXPRESSRack 1.

• Microgravity Acceleration MeasurementSystem (MAMS) — an ISS system using a quasisteadysensor (direct current to 1 Hz) and a vibratory sensor(0.01–100 Hz). It is deployed in EXPRESS Rack 1.

• Triaxial Sensor Head–Free Flyer (TSH–FF) —used to support ground facilities and aircraft operations(0.01–400 Hz).

• Parabolic Acceleration Rating System (PARS)— deployed on the KC-135, PARS provides a ratingnumber to the pilots and acceleration data to theresearchers. It utilizes a TSH–FF sensor head.

• Triaxial Sensor Head–Ethernet/Standalone(TSH–ES) — will be deployed for the first time on theFluids and Combustion Facility and the CombustionIntegrated Rack on the ISS. It greatly reduces the sizeand power required by the RTS with the same performance.

• Roll Rate Sensor (RRS) — enables the meas-urement of rotational accelerations by using a fiber opticgyroscope. It has been used on sounding rocket andspace shuttle flights.

Helping researchers better understand the micro-gravity environment that their experiments will be exposedto and teaching them how to quantify and analyze theimpact of such an environment on their experiments is thegoal of the acceleration measurement program’sMicrogravity Environment Interpretation Tutorial. Forthe fourth and fifth consecutive years, the accelerationmeasurement program offered its tutorial to PIs and proj-ect scientists in the Physical Sciences Research Divisionduring three-day sessions in Cleveland, Ohio, March6–8, 2001, and March 5–7, 2002. The tutorials coveredtopics in accelerometer instrumentation, data collectionand analysis techniques, the quality of the microgravityenvironment on NASA’s various carriers, and the impli-cations of those environments for microgravity experi-ments. A 500-page reference book provided participantswith a guide to maximizing the success of their micro-gravity research.

PIs were also invited to attend the 20th Inter-national Microgravity Measurements Group meeting, heldAugust 7–9, 2001, in Cleveland. During the meeting,talks about the ISS, the effects of microgravity accelera-tions on scientific experiments, the various accelerationmeasurement systems, and analysis of acceleration envi-ronment data were presented to U.S. and internationalrepresentatives from each of the physical science disci-plines and to other ISS program participants. Proceedingswere made available on CD-ROM.

In addition to sharing information with investiga-tors, the acceleration measurement program educatesastronauts about the microgravity environment. OnJanuary 28, 2002, Principal Investigator MicrogravityServices (PIMS), a team that supports researchers withdata analyses of the microgravity environment, conduct-ed a training session with the astronaut candidate class atJohnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas.

Seventeen astronaut candidates attended andlearned about the effect of accelerations on experimentresults, sources of disturbances to the environment,means of maintaining the desired environment, andmethods PIMS uses to analyze and present the envi-ronment data. The session leaders also explained howthe astronauts themselves contribute to the environ-ment (e.g., by exercising) and offered suggestions forhow astronauts can minimize the generation of vibra-tions as they work in spacecraft. Crews for ISS incre-ments 2–9 were also trained in the operation of SAMSand SAMS subsystems as well as in interpretation ofthe data.

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ACCELERATION MEASUREMENT 8

PIMS takes data from SAMS and MAMS and displays it in a format that shows researchers when and at what frequency vibrationsoccur on the ISS. Here the vibrations associated with the use of Human Research Facility Gas Analyzer System for MetabolicAnalysis Physiology (GASMAP) hardware to study the effects of space walks and long-term exposure to microgravity on pulmonaryfunction (PuFF) are presented.

credit: NASA

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ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

8 ACCELERATION MEASUREMEN

A one-day introductory MicrogravityEnvironment Interpretation Tutorial was held October 10,2002, and the 21st International MicrogravityMeasurements Group meeting was held October 11,2002, as associated events of the World Space Congressin Houston, Texas. The training was a condensed versionof the regular three-day training offered by PIMS. Themeeting of the International Microgravity MeasurementsGroup included presentations on predictions of ISSmicrogravity conditions in given situations, improve-ments to space accelerometers, and environment con-cerns of experiments, as well as discussions by membersof the International Partners program. Offering the train-ing and holding the meetings during the World SpaceCongress — a once-a-decade event attended by thou-sands of scientists, engineers, and space science–interest-ed public from around the world — made the eventsmore accessible to many more international participants.

Flight Experiments

In fiscal year (FY) 2001, operation of accelerom-eters aboard the ISS began. SAMS subsystems —MAMS, the RTS, and the Interim Control Unit (ICU) —were ferried to the ISS on STS-100 in April 2001 andinstalled. The MAMS subsystem began operations inMay, and the RTS and ICU subsystems began operationin June. The SAMS subsystems have operated on ISSwith very little need for diagnostics or corrective actions.Most operational trouble has been related to rack or ISSsubsystem problems associated with the growing pains ofoperating new equipment on a new space platform.

The PIMS project has analyzed thousands ofhours of SAMS and MAMS data from the ISS. Analyseshave included the following activities and conditions:space shuttle dockings to the ISS; Progress dockings tothe ISS; ISS systems and subsystems operations; scienceexperiment operations; crew exercise, nominal operations,and sleep periods; ISS vehicle attitudes and methods ofcontrol; and extravehicular activity for ISS assembly andmaintenance.

Tasks for the project team supporting theseinstruments for the first year and a half of operationshave included monitoring flight and ground systems,maintaining continuous contact with JSC and MarshallSpace Flight Center employees by using pagers, main-taining console operations on an as-needed basis, archiv-ing instrument health and status data, and supportingincrement transitions.

In June 2002, space shuttle mission STS-111delivered two sensor head electronic enclosures to theISS. They were installed in the MSG and EXPRESSRack 3, facilities that support investigations in a varietyof disciplines on the ISS.

A new SAMS vibratory sensor head to simplifythe installation and operation in users’ equipment wasdesigned in FY 2002. The new sensor head will becomethe primary sensor for vibratory acceleration measure-ment, with the same or better performance capabilities,but in a smaller package. In an effort to further reduceresources for acceleration measurement systems, a TSH-MEMS concept was developed during FYs 2001 and2002. This head will provide acceleration measurementfrom 1 to 400 Hz and will complement the TSH-ES.

The acceleration measurement program analyzesthe actual microgravity environment during space mis-sions, but it also helps to predict what that environmentwill be. In 2001, the Engineering Design and AnalysisDivision at Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland,Ohio, acquired the function of producing predictiveanalyses of the ISS microgravity environment. Thiseffort contributes to ensuring that the ISS and its pay-loads will be creating a world-class microgravity acceler-ation environment for the science experiments conductedonboard. Support and assistance to PIs is also offeredthrough experiment modeling and the division’s experi-ence in how science experiments can impact and beimpacted by the microgravity environment.

Before experiments and equipment are installedon the ISS, their effect on the environment can be tested.GRC’s Microgravity Emissions Laboratory (MEL) is aone-of-a-kind laboratory that simulates and verifiesacceleration emissions generated by ISS payloads andtheir components, including disk drives, pumps, motors,solenoids, fans, and cameras.

MEL uses a low-frequency acceleration measure-ment system for the characterization of rigid body iner-tial forces generated by various operating components ofthe ISS. Twenty-six tests in MEL between May 2000 andDecember 2002 have included ISS subsystem compo-nents, payload rack subsystem components, payloadcomponents, and entire payloads. The weight capacity ofthe facility has been increased to accommodate tests ofequipment at an ISS rack–level weight. The Physics ofColloids in Space (PCS) experiment hardware was testedin MEL May 4–10, 2000. The Zeolite Crystal Growth(ZCG) flight hardware was tested January 23–26, 2001,and backup flight hardware was tested April 15–19,2001. The wire rope isolators with the air thermal controlunit fans and housing assembly of the Fluids andCombustion Facility were tested in MEL on November1, 2001. The Lord isolators for the Light MicroscopyModule were also tested in MEL June 2–14, 2002.

The PCS and ZCG experiments were tested inthe emissions laboratory to define on-orbit vibratorydisturbance predictions. The PCS and ZCG tests weresuccessful, and payload integrators were provided with

the necessary information to determine their complianceto ISS requirements. The MEL test data of the PCSexperiment apparatus has been validated against flightmeasurements of SAMS data from ISS operations.

The Fluids and Combustion Facility and LightMicroscopy Module projects have both used the MELlaboratory to demonstrate the effectiveness of vibrationisolators for their projects. MEL was utilized to definethe most effective isolator treatments during the designphase of the engineering level hardware. Flight designchanges were implemented due to the initial MEL char-acterization of the vibration response expected from

component hardware. Both of these projects have alsoutilized the MEL component data to predict flightrack–level vibratory disturbances.

On January 5–16, 2001, MEL contributed toNASA’s goals for future space exploration by providingtransmissibility characterization of two opposing StirlingTechnology Company’s 55-Watt TechnologyDemonstration Converters that are to be installed into apower system for onboard electric power for NASA deepspace missions. The MEL testing was a part of a success-ful technology advancement of the development of thesepower converters.

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ACCELERATION MEASUREMENT 8

It is important for ISS crewmembers to exercise to maintain their healthin a microgravity environment. Crewmembers also participate in bio-medical research experiments by jogging on treadmills and undertakingother exercise-related activities. The acceleration measurement pro-gram records and analyzes the small vibrations caused by such neces-sary activities and makes the data available to researchers.

credit: NASA

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Highlights

Minimizing Shake, Rattle, and Roll

Most of the experiments aboard the ISS arethere to take advantage of the microgravity environmentafforded by low Earth orbit. But even the smallestmotions, such as the subtle vibrations created by move-ment of the crew or hardware (such as the robotic arm),can affect those experiments by changing the micro-gravity environment aboard the ISS. The Active RackIsolation System (ARIS) is designed to mitigate the effectsof such vibrations by absorbing the shock of motion andthereby protecting experiments from that motion.

Currently operating on the ISS, the ARIS systemis connected to Rack 2 of the EXPRESS program, afacility that is accommodating early ISS investigations ina variety of disciplines. The ability of ARIS to isolate theexperiments in EXPRESS Rack 2 from minor disturbancesand vibrations is being analyzed in an experiment of itsown called the ARIS ISS Characterization Experiment(ICE).

ARIS operates by using sensors that detect dis-turbances on the ISS. When a disturbance is detected, theARIS actuators deliver a reactive force to the rack tocounter the effects detected by the sensors. In effect,ARIS acts as a shock absorber for EXPRESS Rack 2.

ARIS, however, is much more complex than the shockabsorbers that you might find on your car. ARIS compo-nents include accelerometer assemblies that measure dis-turbances and send that information to the electronicunit, “push rods” that apply force against the ISS frame-work, and a microgravity rack barrier that prevents acci-dental crew disturbances of the ARIS rack. During ICE,the on-orbit vibration-reduction capabilities of the ARISsystem will be examined. ICE in part involves the use ofa shaker unit that has been installed in EXPRESS Rack 2.The shaker unit provides a precise, measurable distur-bance that will allow ground controllers to evaluate theefficacy of ARIS.

NASA expects ARIS to play a key role in thesuccessful completion of a number of biological, chemi-cal, and physical science experiments that depend on amicrogravity environment for obtaining useful data.Through its ability to help maintain a disturbance-freemicrogravity environment aboard the ISS, ARIS willcontribute to the advancement of scientific knowledge onEarth and to the success of the ISS as a space-based sci-entific laboratory.

Team Develops Award-Winning Software

Innovative software developed by the PrincipalInvestigator Microgravity Services (PIMS) team receiveda Space Act Award and was a first runner-up for theSoftware of the Year Award in 2002.

The new Microgravity Analysis Software Systemcollects, archives, and processes acceleration data on acontinuous, untended basis and broadcasts uninterruptedanalyses of the microgravity environment on the Internetso that PIs in the ISS program and other interested par-ties have real-time access to data. The group has devel-oped new techniques appropriate for analyzing the vastamount of microgravity acceleration environment databeing acquired from the complex ISS vehicle and itsvariety of operational modes.

The PIMS team provides critical support to PIsand other Physical Sciences Research Division partici-pants in spaceflight missions, such as vibration isolationprograms. To do this, PIMS must provide accelerationanalyses both in real time during missions and afterspaceflight, as well as respond to requests to analyze spe-cific aspects of the microgravity environment fromarchived data. In addition to real-time analyses, PIMSpublishes Increment Reports describing the ISS micro-gravity environment for periods of several months at atime and prepares custom reports or data sets specificallyrequested by individual researchers.

8 ACCELERATION MEASUREMEN

This shaker device was used to create known distubancesin EXPRESS Rack 2 to test the Active Rack IsolationSystem (ARIS).

credit: NASA

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-200272

he International Space Station (ISS) pro-vides researchers with a permanent orbiting laboratory inspace where one of the fundamental forces of nature —gravity — is greatly reduced. Conducting research in thisfacility will enable world-class scientists from a varietyof discrete fields, as well as across a wide range of mul-tidisciplinary pursuits, to obtain research results that areimpossible to reproduce in any other venue. The benefitsof a permanent human presence in space aboard thespace station are expected to be infinite in scope,enhancing our understanding of fundamental scientificprocesses and bringing exciting new applications to ben-efit humans both on Earth and in their exploration ofspace.

The physical sciences division will contributeenormously to these discoveries through the develop-ment of science experiments that can benefit from theunique environment the ISS provides and through theapplication of knowledge gained about the microgravityenvironment to exploration initiatives planned by NASA.

To that end, the Physical Sciences Research Division hasdesigned several multiuser experiment facilities specifi-cally for long-duration scientific research aboard the ISS.To obtain an optimal balance between science capabili-ties, costs, and risks, facility requirements definitionshave been aligned with evolving space station capabili-ties. These facilities are the Biotechnology Facility(BTF); the EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments toSpace Station (EXPRESS) Racks; the Fluids andCombustion Facility (FCF); the Low-TemperatureMicrogravity Physics Facility (LTMPF); the MaterialsScience Research Rack-1 (MSRR-1); and theMicrogravity Science Glovebox (MSG). Their descrip-tions appear below.

Space Station Facilities for MicrogravityResearch

Biotechnology Facility (BTF)

The Biotechnology Facility is designed to meetthe requirements of the science community for conducting

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION 9

TT

The International Space Station provides a unique environment in which scientists from a variety of disciplines can conduct research nearly freefrom the effects of gravity.

credit: NA

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

9 INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATIO

low-gravity, long-duration biotechnology experiments.The facility is intended to serve biotechnologists fromacademic, governmental, and industrial venues in thepursuit of basic and applied research. Changing sciencepriorities and advances in technology are easilyaccommodated by the BTF’s modular design, allowingexperiments in cell culture, tissue engineering, andfundamental biotechnology to be supported by thisfacility.

The BTF brings space science forward from theera of the space shuttle payload to the new age of thelong-term space laboratory and will elevate spaceresearch productivity to a level that is consistent with theproductivity of ground-based laboratories. The BTF willbe operated continuously on the ISS. It is a single-rackfacility with several separate experiment modules thatcan be integrated and exchanged with each space shuttleflight to the ISS. The facility provides each experimentmodule with power, gases, thermal cooling, computation-al capability for payload operation and data archiving,and video signal handling capabilities. Able to process3,000 to 5,000 specimens a year, the BTF will providesufficient experimental data to meet demands for objec-tive analysis and publication of results in relevant jour-nals. Careful design of experiments can result in thepublication of two to five primary articles per year.Validation of BTF concepts and operations were success-fully completed onboard the Russian space station, Mir,using the Biotechnology System (BTS). The BTS servedas an important risk-mitigation effort for the BTF,demonstrating the technology and systems that will sup-port biotechnology investigations for long-durationoperations.

In fiscal year (FY) 2002, the BTF project teaminitiated the requirements definition phase, whichinvolves defining the engineering aspects of operatingthe facility in space. A system requirements review(SRR) was held in July 2002, and the science require-ments and system specifications were baselined later inthe year. Currently, preparations for the facility’s prelimi-nary design review (PDR) are under way. The scheduledlaunch date for the first phase of the BTF facility is late2006.

Biotechnology research during the early phasesof the ISS will be conducted using a modular accom-modations rack system known as the EXPRESS Rack.The EXPRESS Rack requires individual experimentsto develop additional capabilities and involves scienceimplementation trade-offs. The EXPRESS Rack willhold currently existing biotechnology equipment previously flown on the space shuttle and on Mir.It will also accommodate the first operation of equipment built specifically to meet space stationrequirements.

EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments to SpaceStation (EXPRESS) Racks

The EXPRESS Rack is the standardized payloadrack system that transports, stores, and supports ISSexperiments. The EXPRESS Rack is housed in anInternational Standard Payload Rack (ISPR) — a refrig-erator-sized container that provides the shell for theEXPRESS Rack — and supplies standard interfacesbetween the space station and the payload. EXPRESSRack payloads can be operated from the payload frontpanel, from the EXPRESS Rack front control panels, bythe ISS crew, or from the ground.

The EXPRESS Rack includes both elements thatremain on the ISS and elements that travel to and fromthe ISS. While the racks remain on the ISS, experimentsmay be changed out as needed. Payloads may use theentire rack or a portion of the rack. If more than one pay-load is included in one rack, the payloads can be operat-ed individually. By providing a design into whichresearch modules can be integrated, the rack helps toreduce the cost in money, time, and complexity of devel-oping payloads, thereby making the microgravityenvironment of low Earth orbit more accessible toresearchers from academia, government, and industry.When construction on the ISS is completed, a total of sixEXPRESS Racks will be included on board.

The EXPRESS Racks support payloads from avariety of research disciplines, including biology,physics, chemistry, ecology, and medicine. Various mod-ules that have been designed for use in the EXPRESSRacks are described in the following paragraphs.

The Apparatus for the Study of Material Growthand Liquids Behavior Near Their Critical Point(DECLIC) facility is being developed by the Frenchspace agency (CNES) in cooperation with GlennResearch Center (GRC) in Cleveland, Ohio, to provide acompact autonomous or tele-operated capability for flu-ids research. The facility consists of two middeck lockersthat will fit into an EXPRESS Rack. It will supportresearch on fluids near the critical point and transparentmaterials systems during solidification, as well as otherfluids experiments that are compatible with availableimaging, interferometric, and light scattering diagnostics.Through cooperative interagency agreements signed inearly 2000, NASA will provide launch, integration, andresources for DECLIC and will share in the utilization ofthe facility.

An experiment-specific insert is being developedfor the DECLIC facility to support research related totesting the theories that describe nontraditional forces atthe diffusive interface in flow regimes. The insert isexpected to be operational in 2006.

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INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION 9

Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF)

The Fluids and Combustion Facility is a modu-lar, multiuser facility that will be located in Destiny, theU.S. laboratory module of the ISS, and will accommo-date sustained, systematic microgravity experimentationin both the fluid physics and combustion science disci-plines. The FCF flight unit consists of two poweredracks called the Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) andthe Fluids Integrated Rack (FIR). The CIR, to bedeployed to the ISS in FY 2004, and the FIR, to bedeployed to the ISS in FY 2005, will be linked by fiberoptic cable to provide direct communication between thetwo racks, resulting in a fully integrated FCF system.The two racks will operate together with payload experi-ment equipment, ground-based operations facilities, andthe FCF ground unit. The facility will also supportexperiments from science disciplines other than fluidsand combustion and commercial and internationalinvestigations.

The FCF is being developed at GRC. A contractcalled the Microgravity Research Development andOperations Contract was initiated by GRC in FY 2000for primary development of the FCF by NorthrupGrumman, who will also develop, integrate, and supportthe operation of the initial FCF combustion science andfluid physics payloads. The FCF preliminary designreview was successfully accomplished in FY 2001,which led to the completion of engineering modeldesigns. In FY 2002, the FCF successfully finished the assembly and checkout of the CIR and FIR engi-neering model units. Results of environmental and per-formance testing of the CIR and FIR engineeringmodel units are being used to finalize the flight designin preparations for the FCF critical design review inearly FY 2003.

The Granular Flow Module (GFM) is a mini-facility initially designed to conduct three microgravitygranular experiments in the FIR on the ISS. Granularmaterials, such as dry sand, soil, and powders, exhibitflow characteristics that are similar to those of liquids insome ways, but quite different in other ways. The micro-gravity environment provides data on granular materialsthat cannot be collected on Earth, where gravity collaps-es the materials so quickly that scientists cannot takemeasurements of their movement. Studying the flow ofgranular materials will further the understanding ofdesign models for soil movement under confinement andvarious stresses, including shear stress, which is theforce that causes two objects (e.g., grains of sand) toslide relative to each other in a direction parallel to theirplane of contact. These models can be applied tostrengthening building foundations, managing undevel-oped land, and handling powdered and granular materialsin chemical, agricultural, and other industries.

The GFM will provide three experiment shearapparatuses; a multispeed low/high-frame-rate camera;the ability to supply and remove the spheres used tomodel granular flow; and systems to control the rotationof the boundaries, stress measurement, and nitrogenflow.

The GFM will allow for on-orbit operationsthrough imbedded software. The software will control theexperiment operations, data collection, and data transferto the ground. The module will also allow for groundcontrol. The GFM will permit on-orbit reconfigurationand maintenance that can support follow-on experiments.The ISS and the FIR will provide many significant func-tions and resources to the GFM. The ISS will provide thespace platform and communication to ground for theFIR. The FIR supplies an environmentally controlledspace, an optic bench, power, cooling fluid and gas, vac-uum exhaust, avionics, image processing, data storage,and additional science diagnostic hardware. The facilityis designed to minimize vibration transmission to theexperiment shear apparatus, the FIR, and the ISS, as well as to minimize crew time, power requirements,and mass.

The Light Microscopy Module (LMM) will bethe first integrated payload into the FIR aboard the ISS.The development of the LMM, an automated, remotelycontrollable microscope for experiments in complex flu-ids, has made tremendous progress toward the criticaldesign of the spaceflight hardware. The LMM is plannedas a subrack facility, allowing flexible scheduling andoperation of fluids and biotechnology experiments.

The LMM flight unit features a modified com-mercial off-the-shelf Leica RXA microscope, which isenhanced to operate automatically with some interactionfrom the ground support staff or the astronaut crew. Aresearcher can choose from six objective lenses of differ-ent magnifications and numerical aperture to obtain therequired science data. In addition to video microscopytechniques used to record sample features, includingbasic structures and crystal growth dynamics, the micro-scope is modified and enhanced to provide the followingadditional capabilities: interferometry to measure vaporbubble thin-film thickness, laser tweezers for sample par-ticle manipulation and patterning, confocal microscopyto provide three-dimensional visualization of samplestructures, and spectrophotometry to measure photonicproperties. This suite of measurements allows a verybroad characterization of fluids, colloids, and two-phasemedia, including biological samples. The LMM will usecameras and light sources provided by the FIR to accom-plish these imaging techniques.

The LMM will receive power, communications,air and water cooling, vacuum exhaust, avionics, image

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

9 INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATIO

processing, data storage, and additional science diagnostichardware from the FIR rack. The LMM will be installedwhile the ISS is in orbit, and will remain in the FIR for aperiod of 30 months performing five separate fluidphysics experiments.

Low-Temperature Microgravity Physics Facility(LTMPF)

The Low-Temperature Microgravity PhysicsFacility is a complete cryogenic laboratory that will beattached to the Japanese Experiment Module–ExposedFacility (JEM-EF) on the ISS. The LTMPF consists oftwo identical dewars, each of which can support twoexperiments in parallel operations. The facility isdesigned for studies of low-temperature (as low as 1.6kelvins) and condensed matter physics.

The LTMPF project made significant progress infinalizing the critical design of the facility subsystemsfor its first mission (M1). In preparation for a systemcritical design review previously scheduled forNovember 2002, the project successfully held a series ofthorough and in-depth technical peer reviews for all sub-systems and M1 instruments during September andOctober 2002. The peer reviews validated critical designsin all key areas and examined the plans and readiness forflight fabrication, integration, and test. Schedule-criticalhardware development is well under way, with substan-tial progress made in the areas of flight dewar fabrica-tion, dewar welding, flight computer and key electronicsboards, M1 flight instrument sensor packages, and com-mon flight hardware such as superconducting quantuminterference device sensors.

A two-year delay of the JEM-EF launch andbudget reductions had a significant adverse impact on theLTMPF’s development. Critical flight design and devel-opment were scaled back, and the project went through amajor replanning process at the end of calendar year2002. As a result, the LTMPF will not be available foruse by researchers until July 2007. Other major mile-stones for the M1 mission are delayed accordingly, withthe system’s critical design review now scheduled inSeptember 2003. Additional options for attaching theLTMPF to the ISS are also being considered.

Materials Science Research Rack-1 (MSRR-1)

The MSRR-1 is being developed to provide aflexible, permanent platform in the U.S. Laboratory mod-ule dedicated to investigations in materials science. Thisfacility will support research on a range of materials,including metals and alloys, glasses, electronic materials,ceramics, polymers, and other special purpose materials.The MSRR-1 will be composed of experiment modulesand module inserts that can be delivered to the ISS by

the space shuttle, thenintegrated andexchanged by crewmembers aboard thestation. In its initialconfiguration, theMSRR-1 will housetwo independent exper-iment modules, eachdesigned for differentmaterials processingtechniques. Both exper-iment modules canoperate simultaneously,sharing common sub-systems and interfacesrequired for the opera-tion of experimenthardware. This designconcept avoids theneed for developingand deploying redun-dant support systemsfor each type of inves-tigation. The MSRR-1is being developed toprovide cost-effective,productive near-termand long-rangeapproaches for per-forming science investigations in themicrogravity environment on the ISS.

The MSRR-1 successfully passed the phase 2flight safety review conducted by Johnson SpaceCenter’s (JSC’s) Payload Safety Review Panel inSeptember 2001. This significant milestone clears theway for construction of ground and flight hardware toproceed. MSRR-1 also completed the integrated payloadcritical design review in June 2002 and the MarshallSpace Flight Center’s (MSFC’s) Systems ManagementOffice independent annual review in June 2002. TheMSRR-1 is currently scheduled for launch in July 2005.

The first experiment module planned for use inthe MSRR-1 is the Materials Science Laboratory (MSL),which is being developed by the European Space Agency(ESA). Occupying approximately one-half of the rack,the MSL module will be launched and integrated into theMSRR-1 unit in August 2003. The MSL will accommo-date materials processing inserts that contain experiment-specific hardware.

NASA is building a furnace for the MSL calledthe Quench Module Insert (QMI). The QMI is a high-temperature, Bridgman-type furnace with an actively

With its standardized hardware interfaces streamlined approach, the EXPRESS Raenables quick, simple integration of multpayloads aboard the International SpaceStation.

credit: N

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-200276

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION 9

cooled cold zone. It is being designed to create anextremely high-temperature gradient for the directionalsolidification processing of metals and alloys. Dir-ectional solidification is a process by which a long, thinsample is melted, then slowly solidified, starting at oneend of the ampoule and proceeding to the other. This tech-nique is useful for studying the solidification behavior ofmaterials and for the growth of high-quality single crystals.

The QMI also has a feature known as “quenchcapability.” This allows the furnace to rapidly freeze thesample at the liquid-solid interface, where most of theinteresting science takes place during directionalsolidification. Quenching preserves this liquid-solid

interface, allowing scientists to examine it carefullywhen the samples are returned to Earth, whereresearchers can develop models that recreate and explainexactly what was happening during solidification. TheQMI successfully completed its phase 2 flight safetyreview by the JSC’s Payload Safety Review Panel inAugust 2001.

In addition to NASA’s QMI, two module insertsare being developed by ESA for the MSL, the LowGradient Furnace (LGF) and the Solidification andQuenching Furnace (SQF). Both furnaces can accommo-date processing temperatures up to 1600°C. The LGF isprimarily intended for crystal growth experiments requir-ing directional solidification processing in which precisetemperature requirements and control of translationspeed are needed. The SQF will be used for metallurgicalexperiments requiring large thermal gradients and rapidquenching of samples. Additional module inserts can bedeveloped and processed over the lifetime of the MSLand the MSRR-1.

The second experiment module, completing theinitial MSRR-1 configuration, is a commercial researchfacility: the Space Product Development furnace. Thiscommercial furnace will be replaced in orbit with otherNASA materials science modules after approximatelyone year.

Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG)

The MSG facility enables scientists from mul-tiple disciplines to participate actively in the assemblyand operation of experiments in space with much thesame degree of involvement they have in their ownresearch laboratories. Developed by ESA and integrat-ed by MSFC, the MSG was launched to the ISS inJune 2002. This facility offers an enclosed work areathat is accessible to the crew through sealed gloveports and to ground-based scientists through real-timedata links and video. Because the MSG work area canbe sealed and held at a negative pressure, the crew canmanipulate experiment hardware and samples withoutthe potential hazard of small parts, particulates, fluids,and gases escaping into the open laboratory module.

For conducting investigations, each experimentapparatus is mounted to the floor of the MSG workingarea (approximately 90 cm x 50 cm) and connected onthe back wall to standard utilities such as power, comput-er communications, and control units. The work area unitis designed to slide forward on rails that can extend outof the volume of the rack. This forms an enclosed “table-top” for experiment containment and operation.

A notable feature of the MSG system is its sub-stantial video, data acquisition, and command and control

During Expedition 5, Peggy Whitson completes the installation of theMicrogravity Science Glovebox in the Destiny module and prepares it for the first series of experiments.

credit: NASA

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

9 INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATIO

capabilities. Up to four color cameras are avail-able for viewing and recording experimentprocesses. Flat-screen monitors can displayviews of any two of these cameras and simulta-neously share the views with the investigator onthe ground. The entire system is controllablethrough computer interfaces either with theonboard MSG computer or via the ISS data sys-tem from the ground. These resources allowresearchers to adjust experiment processes as theyoccur, based on the results of their observations.

To facilitate the use of the MSG by thescientific community, MSFC maintains anactive group of managers, engineers, and sup-port personnel to assist investigators with thecomplex task building and operating an experi-ment in space. Construction of the MSG wascompleted by ESA in 2001, and the facility wassubsequently launched and integrated into theISS. Prior to the end of FY 2002, the unit hadbeen successfully used to conduct a series ofmaterials science experiments in two differentinvestigations, Solidification Using a Baffle in aSealed Ampoule and the Pore Formation andMobility Investigation. In both cases, the team-work concept inherent in the MSG designdemonstrated that enhanced scientific return ispossible when the crew and scientists can easilyinteract.

For future MSG experiments that areparticularly sensitive to low-level vibrations, anew device, the Glovebox IntegratedMicrogravity Isolation Technology (g-LIMIT)apparatus, is undergoing final phases of devel-opment and testing. After the g-LIMIT unit hasbeen delivered to the ISS and has completedon-orbit characterization and testing, vibration-sensitive experiments will be mounted to anelectromagnetically levitated top plate of theg-LIMIT unit. Specially designed umbilicalswill connect experiments to the MSG utilities.Additional experiments, sponsored by bothNASA and ESA, are planned for FY 2003.These new experiments will extend the use ofthe MSG unit to additional disciplines, includingbiotechnology, combustion, and fluid science.

Schedule of Flights

Approximately 25 flight opportunities have beenplanned to date for the delivery of the U.S. Laboratorymodule of the ISS and its components (including themicrogravity facilities described above), the utilization ofthe space station for microgravity experiments, and thedelivery of modules and racks developed by NASA and

its international partners. A list of milestones, flights, anddates significant to the Physical Sciences ResearchDivision are listed in Table 8. Descriptions of flight hard-ware to support microgravity experiments are listed inAppendix B.

Table 8 — ISS Flights Significant to the Physical SciencesResearch Division

MilestoneAssembly

FlightSTS

Flight LaunchDate*

U.S. Laboratory Delivery 5A STS-98 February 20

U.S. Laboratory Outfitting 5A.1 STS-102 March 200

First two EXPRESS Racks,Microgravity Capability

6A STS-100 April 2001

Phase Two Complete 7A STS-104 July 2001

U.S. Laboratory Outfitting,Two Additional EXPRESS Racks

7A.1 STS-105 Aug 2001

Utilization Flight UF-1 STS-108 Dec 2001

Utilization Flight, Fifth EXPRESS Rack,Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) Rack

UF-2 STS-111 June 2002

First Utilization & Logistics Flight ULF-1 STS-114 Under Revi

Spacehab Flight, Continued U.S.Laboratory Outfitting

12A.1 STS-116 Under Revi

Spacehab Flight, Continued U.S.Laboratory Outfitting

13A.1 STS-118 Under Revi

ISS U.S. Core Complete, Node 2 10A STS-120 Under ReviUtilization & Logistics Flight,Sixth EXPRESS Rack

ULF-2 STS-121 Under Revi

European Space Agency (ESA) Laboratory (Columbus Module)

1E STS-122 Under Revi

Utilization Flight,Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR)

UF-3 STS-123 Under Revi

Utilization Flight UF-4 STS-125 Under ReviUtilization Flight, Fluids IntegratedRack (FIR), and First Materials ScienceResearch Rack (MSRR-1)

UF-5 STS-126 Under Revi

Utilization Flight, EXPRESS Pallet-1Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS)

UF-4.1 STS-127 Under Revi

Utilization Flight UF-6 STS-128 Under Revi

EXPRESS Pallet-2 1 J/A STS-129 Under ReviJapanese Experiment Module (JEM)Laboratory

1 J STS-130 Under Revi

Utilization & Logistics Flight,Biotechnology Facility (BTF) Science

ULF-3 STS-131 Under Revi

Utilization Flight UF-7 STS-133 Under Revi

JEM Exposed Facility (JEM-EF) 2 J/A STS-134 Under Revi

Utilization & Logistics Flight,Seventh EXPRESS Rack

ULF-5 STS-135 Under Revi

EXPRESS Pallet-3 (EP3)Low-Temperature Microgravity PhysicsFacility (LTMPF)

14A STS-136 Under Revi

* Launch dates subject to cha

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-200278

GROUND - BASED MICROGRAVITY RESEARCH SUPPORT FACILITIES 10

n fiscal years (FYs) 2001 and 2002, NASAcontinued to maintain very productive ground facilitiesfor reduced-gravity research. These facilities includedKC-135 parabolic flight aircraft, the 2.2 Second DropTower, and the Zero Gravity Research Facility. Thereduced-gravity facilities at Glenn Research Center(GRC) and Johnson Space Center (JSC) have supportednumerous investigations addressing a variety of process-es and phenomena in several research disciplines.Microgravity, a state of apparent weightlessness, can becreated in these facilities by executing a freefall or semi-freefall condition, where the force of gravity on an objectis offset by its linear acceleration during a “fall” (a dropin a tower or a parabolic maneuver by an aircraft).

Even though ground-based facilities offer rela-tively short experiment times of less than 25 seconds,this available test time has been found to be sufficient toadvance the scientific understanding of many phenome-na. Experiments scheduled to fly on the space shuttle andthe International Space Station are frequently tested andvalidated in the ground facilities prior to being conduct-ed in space. Experimental studies in a low-gravity envi-ronment can enable new discoveries and advance thefundamental understanding of science. Many tests per-formed in NASA’s ground-based microgravity facilities,particularly in the disciplines of combustion science andfluid physics, have resulted in exciting findings that aredocumented in a large body of literature.

JSC’s KC-135 isNASA’s primary aircraftfor ground-based reduced-gravity research and is theonly facility that can pro-vide partial-gravity envi-ronments similar to thosefound on the Moon orMars. The KC-135 canaccommodate severalexperiments during a sin-gle flight. Low-gravityconditions can beobtained for approximate-ly 18–25 seconds as theaircraft traces a parabolictrajectory. The trajectorybegins with a shallowdive to increase air speed,followed by a rapid climbat up to a 45- to 50-degreeangle. The low-gravityperiod begins with thepushover at the top of theclimb and continues untilthe pullout is initiatedwhen the aircraft reachesa 40-degree downwardangle. During the parabo-la, an altitude change ofabout 1,800 meters(approximately 6,000feet) is experienced. Morethan 50 parabolas can beperformed in a singleflight. In FY 2001, 36experiments were per-formed during 1,604 tra-jectories over 80 flighthours. Of the 36 experi-ments supported, 6 were

II

Glenn Research Center’s 2.2 Second Drop Tower has a normal throughput capacity of 12 tests perday. Its ease of operation makes it an attractive and highly utilized test facility, particularly for perform-ing evaluation and feasibility tests. The drop tower is able to provide gravitational levels ranging from 1percent of Earth’s gravitational acceleration to 0.01 percent.

credit: NASA

A cutaway drawing of the 2.2Second Drop Tower, showing thelevels on which an experimentpackage is prepared, released, andcaptured.

Locking drag shield.

Closing the doors of thedrag shield and hoistingit to the drop point.

Free-falling package.

A bird’s eye view of the

drop shaft.

And here’s what you’vebeen waiting for — adrop!

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

10 GROUND - BASED MICROGRAVITY RESEARCH SUPPORT FACILITI

combustion experiments, 29 were fluid physics experi-ments, and 1 was an exploration research experiment. InFY 2002, 59 experiments were performed during 1,871trajectories over 108 flight hours. Of these 59 experi-ments, 24 were in combustion, 30 were in fluid physics,3 were in materials science, 1 was in fundamentalphysics, and 1 was in exploration research.

The GRC 2.2 Second Drop Tower offers a short-er test time than the KC-135, but its simple mode ofoperation and normal throughput capacity of 12 tests perday make it an attractive and highly utilized test facility,particularly for performing evaluation and feasibilitytests. The drop tower is able to provide gravitational lev-els that range from 1 percent of Earth’s gravitational

acceleration to 0.01 percent. More than 23,000 tests havebeen performed in the drop tower to date. In FY 2002,the number of drop tests conducted averaged more than80 per month.

Reduced-gravity conditions in the drop tower arecreated by dropping an experiment contained within anenclosure known as a drag shield, which isolates the testhardware from aerodynamic drag during a 24-meterfreefall in an open environment. Twenty-five experi-ments were supported during 1,241 drops performed inFY 2001, and 29 experiments were supported during the1,024 drops performed in FY 2002. As in the past, sever-al of these experiments were aiding the development ofresearch that will be conducted in space. The steady uti-

lization of the drop tower is expected tocontinue, as many new experiments arein the design and fabrication phases ofdevelopment for the coming years.

The Zero Gravity ResearchFacility at GRC, a registered U.S.national landmark, provides a quiescentlow-gravity environment for a test dura-tion of 5.18 seconds as experiments aredropped in a vacuum chamber that goes132 meters (432 feet) underground.Aerodynamic drag on the freely fallingexperiment is nearly eliminated by drop-ping in a vacuum. This procedurerestricts drop tests to two per day, result-ing in fewer projects supported in thisfacility than in the 2.2 Second DropTower. However, the relatively long testtime and excellent low-gravity condi-tions more than compensate for thelower test throughput rate. In FY 2001, 8major projects were supported as 174test drops were executed. In FY 2002,10 major projects were supported with148 test drops being completed.

Table 9 — Use of Ground-Based Low-Gravity Facilities in FY 2001/2002

KC-1352.2 Second

Drop TowerZero Gravity

Research Facility

Investigations supported 36/59 25/29 8/10

Drops or trajectories 1,604/1,871 1,241/1,024 174/148

Flight hours 80/108 N/A N/A

Investigators can fly experiments aboard NASA’s KC-135 turbojet transport, whichflies parabolic arcs to produce 20 to 25–second periods of microgravity. This platformallows the investigators to prepare their experiments for the microgravity environmentof low Earth orbit.

credit: NASA

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-200280

etting the word out about what micro-

gravity researchers do and why they do it is crucial

to maintaining the

strength and relevance of

the science program. The

Physical Sciences

Research (PSR)

Division outreach and

education efforts target a

broad audience. That

audience includes

researchers who have not yet considered the benefits

of conducting experiments in microgravity, scien-

tists and engineers in industry, students of all grade

levels, instructors and administrators in a variety of

educational settings, and the lay public.

Methods for communicating the substance of

the program are as varied as the audiences served.

Microgravity researchers and support personnel are

involved in a number of outreach activities that

include visiting classrooms; staffing exhibits at

national technical, educational

and public outreach conferences;

offering tours and open houses at

microgravity science facilities;

and sponsoring student

researchers at NASA centers. In

addition, print and World Wide

Web (WWW) publications high-

lighting specific research projects

allow the PSR Division to share

its information worldwide.

GG

OVERVIEWOUTREACH AND EDUCATION 11

Participants from NASA’sEducator Resource Centersreceive training in the use ofthe microgravity demonstrator,also known as the mini droptower.

credit: NASA

One of NASA’s newest education publications, How High Is made its debut at the annualNational Council of Teachers oMathematics conference in Ap2001. An educator’s guide witactivities focused on scale moels of distances was presenteby author Carla Rosenberg, wled teachers in several hands-activities from the guide duringthe conference.

credit: NASA

Who said science can’t be fun?Students participating in the sec-ond DIME competition assemblea plastic pipe structure underwater in a scuba exercise similarto the training astronauts receiveat Johnson Space Center inHouston, Texas.

credit: NASA

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

11 OUTREACH AND EDUCATIO

Program Summary

The outreach and education team for microgravi-ty research in the physical sciences has continued tocommunicate how the microgravity research missionbenefits life on Earth and advances the capability oflong-term human exploration. In fiscal years (FYs) 2001and 2002, the outreach and education program supported24 major educational, scientific, and public outreach con-ferences with speakers, materials, and exhibits. Someevents supported include the Aerospace Science Meetingand the national meetings of the American Institute ofAeronautics and Astronautics and American Associationfor the Advancement of Science. Outreach and educationteam members also made many visits to schools, muse-ums, and science centers throughout the country.

Major national educator conferences give NASAthe opportunity to demonstrate new ways to teach stu-dents about the importance of microgravity research.More than 75,000 elementary and secondary school(K–12) teachers and administrators attended annualmeetings of the National Science Teachers Association,the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, theInternational Technology Education Association, theNational Association of Biology Teachers, and theAmerican Association of Physics Teachers, all of whichfeatured booths staffed by PSR Division personnel.Microgravity science and mathematics posters, teacher’sguides, mathematics briefs, microgravity demonstratormanuals, microgravity technology guides, microgravitymission and science lithographs, and WWW micro-gravity resources sheets were distributed to teachers atthese conferences.

The National Center for Microgravity ResearchK–12 Outreach Program had 12 new educational prod-ucts in process during FY 2001–2002, including threeeducator guides. Two of the guides, How High Is It? andAmusement Park Physics With a NASA Twist, are formiddle school teachers and were evaluated in pilot pro-grams. The finalized publications will become availablein the spring of 2003. The third educator guide, Sciencein a Box: NASA Glovebox Activities in Science,Mathematics, and Technology, is for high school teach-ers. This guide contains schematics for fabricating awooden glovebox with camera, lighting, fan, and powersystems. The students can then conduct experimentactivities based on either actual glovebox flight investi-gations or microgravity research in biology, physics,and chemistry.

The PSR Division, along with the Office ofBiological and Physical Research (OBPR) and its otherresearch divisions, initiated a formal collaborative effortwith the National Association of Biology Teachers(NABT) in FY 2001. The PSR Cell Sciences Program at

Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and thePhysical Sciences Outreach and Education Program atMarshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama,developed a bioreactor education guide targeting highschool biology classes. The curriculum supplement,which demonstrates the unique cell and tissue cultureresearch possible using NASA’s rotating wall vesselbioreactor, was featured in an NABT workshop. WayneCarley, executive director of the NABT, commented,“We see NASA research as an incredibly engaging wayto bring people into the world of science.” Carley findsthe cutting-edge fundamental biology research conductedby NASA especially valuable to NABT members: “Wehave members who teach subjects such as neurobiologyand human performance who could use direct examplesof space research in these areas in their lesson plans.”

The Student Access to Space Program, foundedby Alexander McPherson of the University of California,Irvine, teaches students how to perform crystallizationexperiments in the classroom and on the International

West Virginia students worked with NASA and university scientists toload biological samples for an International Space Station experi-ment as part of the Student Access to Space program. Once deliv-ered to the space station, the samples thawed and formed crystalsto be returned to Earth for further study. The space experiment andthe educational workshops were sponsored by NASA’s MarshallSpace Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and the University ofCalifornia, Irvine.

credit: NASA

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-200282

OUTREACH AND EDUCATION 11

Space Station (ISS). The program uses the EnhancedGaseous Nitrogen (EGN) Dewar project, an inexpensive,simple, high-capacity system for the crystallization ofdifferent samples in space aboard the ISS. Teachersattend workshops where they learn about a classroomversion of the experiment and curriculum activities onstructural biology. Students also compete to participate inthe Protein Crystals in Space Program, where they attenda Student Flight Sample Workshop. They prepare andload actual flight samples into the EGN-Dewar facility,are present at launch, and receive their samples backafter flight. This program seeks to reach underservedinner-city and rural schools, special needs and gifted stu-dents, and mainstream schools. Approximately 58,000students and almost 1,200 teachers have been involved inthis program so far. Of those, more than 420 students and260 teachers have been involved in the Student FlightSample Workshops.

Microgravity News, the quarterlynewsletter reporting on microgravityresearch in the physical sciences, wasredesigned and expanded in FY 2001to cover activities in all four researchdivisions of the OBPR enterprise.Now called Space Research, thenewsletter continues to reach thou-sands of K–12 teachers, curriculumsupervisors, science writers, universi-ty faculty, graduate students, scien-tists, principal investigators, and tech-nology developers, among others.Each issue of Space Researchincludes a feature on a topic impor-tant to the entire enterprise, researchupdates for each division, spotlightsabout special events or awards, meet-ings, research announcements andselections, and a profile of a memberof OBPR’s research community. Atthe end of FY 2002, the distributionfor each issue totaled about 20,000copies, almost double that ofMicrogravity News. Space Researchhas a subscriber base of 8,000 and ismailed to 38 countries. A significantrise has been seen in the number ofindividuals requesting to be added tothe mailing list. Both Space Researchand archived issues of MicrogravityNews are available on the WWW athttp://spaceresearch.nasa.gov/general_info/prespublic.html#newsletters.

A key element of outreach is theeffective use of images. Images are acritical element in telling a com-

pelling and interesting science story, and the PSRDivision outreach team continues to improve its reposi-tory of still images for this purpose. The microgravityportion of the web-based image archive athttp://mix.msfc.nasa.gov grows by approximately 250new physical sciences images each year and was chosenas the basis for an enterprise-wide image archive for theOBPR in FY 2003. Video is also an important means ofcommunicating about microgravity research. In FY 2002,a lending video library was established by JohnsonSpace Center’s Biological Systems Office Outreachand Education department that is available to scientistsand outreach staff to support events such as exhibitsand lectures. The library is made up of more than 100items available in VHS, 8 mm, Mini DV, or CD/DVDformat. Topics covered include general program infor-mation, flight and ground experiments, and hardwaretests.

Microgravity News, a quarterly newsletter that covered physical sciencesresearch, was redesigned and renamed Space Research. The newsletter nowcovers all four research divisions of the Office of Biological and PhysicalResearch.

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

11 OUTREACH AND EDUCATIO

Sites on the Internet sponsored by the physicalsciences research program continue to serve as clearing-houses of information for the science community, thepublic, and educators. Hundreds of thousands of Internetusers visit these program-sponsored sites each year. ThePSR Division’s primary web site at http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov/research_projects/microgravity.html providesdetailed information about microgravity research andhighlights of current events and milestones as well aslinks to other important sites under the physical sciencesumbrella. The Microgravity Research Program Office’s(MRPO’s) web page at http://microgravity.nasa.govprovides links to news highlights, information aboutupcoming conferences, and microgravity-relatedresearch announcements, as well as enhanced links to

microgravity research centers and projects, educationallinks, and links to the microgravity image archive. A listof microgravity-related web sites sponsored by the pro-gram is presented on page 87.

The Internet also continues to be an importantdistribution method for microgravity outreach and educa-tion products. Efforts were ongoing in FYs 2001 and2002 to make educators aware of all the microgravityresearch education products that are available onlinethrough the MRPO web site, NASA Spacelink, and theNASA CORE (Central Operation of Resources forEducators) education distribution system. The tableabove lists several K–12 education products and thenumber of separate “downloads” for each in FY 2001

Table 10 - Physical Sciences Outreach and Education Products Downloaded From Spacelink in FY 2001–2002

MonthMicrogravity

Teacher’sGuide

The Mathematicsof Microgravity

MicrogravityVideo Resource

Guide

MicrogravityDemonstrator

Microgravity —Fall Into

Mathematics

Recipe forProtein

Crystallography

How HighIs It?

NASAStudent

Glovebox

MicrogravityBookmark

10/2000 8,402 490 62 132 556

11/2000 18,154 874 34 150 519 570

12/2000 4,969 288 52 96 440 186

1/2001 7,544 434 40 130 435 250

2/2001 6,199 425 82 172 543 254

3/2001 6,230 452 84 160 509 258

4/2001 15,910 507 47 173 487 314

5/2001 7,525 401 44 203 500 217 3,763

6/2001 14,512 448 53 192 438 264 1,382 252

7/2001 6,531 370 91 171 401 326 1,655 466

8/2001 5,458 304 57 155 393 314 1,390 333

9/2001 14,550 286 43 118 821 264 874 324

FY 2001 115,984 5,279 689 1,852 6,042 3,217 9,064 1,375

10/2001 13,205 478 139 193 489 397 1,312 567

11/2001 15,829 522 97 317 567 406 1,454 879

12/2001 9,336 491 133 222 511 486 1,101 285

1/2002 21,868 386 123 314 553 539 1,280 312

2/2002 7,975 396 80 221 366 522 1,823 618

3/2002 12,544 502 128 218 481 544 1,146 365

4/2002 15,693 449 139 218 586 505 1,601 320

5/2002 17,910 500 144 344 636 444 1,190 514

6/2002 17,402 394 126 245 473 458 850 336

7/2002 12,420 620 394 548 710 709 939 592

8/2002 9,876 628 424 540 783 769 1,669 2,078 545

9/2002 15,384 725 476 521 869 858 1,312 672 472

FY 2002 169,442 6,091 2,403 3,901 7,024 6,637 15,677 7,538 1,017

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-200284

OUTREACH AND EDUCATION 11

and FY 2002. This number is considered a more accurateaccounting of actual product use than the frequently usednumber of hits, because it indicates those users whodownloaded the PDF files to their computers.

Highlights

Make the Connection

The “NASA-Iowa Connection: InternationalSpace Station Project” is bringing rich learning opportu-nities to Iowa teachers and students through Iowa’sfiber optic and broadcast system known as the IowaCommunications Network (ICN). Marshall Space FlightCenter’s Education Programs Department andMicrogravity Research Program Office are participatingin this pilot distance-learning project for the educationalcommunities of Iowa. Twila Schneider, an InfinityTechnology Inc. employee based in Huntsville, Alabama,supporting the Microgravity Research Program Office,conducted a workshop on February 27, 2002, for Iowa

teachers. She presented an introduction to the basic con-cepts of microgravity and research conducted in theMicrogravity Science Glovebox. The teachers receivedbackground information regarding ISS physical sciencesresearch and were provided a guide for making their ownclassroom glovebox using a standard copier paper box.

Middle school students involved in this distance-learning project designed and constructed models of afuture space station from everyday household materials.Students also learned about the ISS and other space-related topics, including space food. Several “Ask theExpert” sessions were conducted for the students. Oneincluded scientists from the NASA Food TechnologyCommercial Space Center at Iowa State University (ISU)in Ames, who explained about how space food was man-ufactured, packaged, and prepared in space. Astronautand ISU alumnus Clayton Anderson also participated inthis session. If this pilot project is successful, it could beconducted in other states with statewide distance-learn-ing networks similar to the ICN.

Question and Answer Sessions About Space

The Physical Sciences Research Division washeavily involved in the Second Pan-Pacific BasinWorkshop on Microgravity Science held in Pasadena,California, May 1–4, 2001. Almost 200 scientists repre-senting 82 universities and 12 countries gathered to sharetheir latest research related to microgravity and the spaceenvironment. They also learned firsthand how outreachand education can play a key role in explaining the bene-fits of their work to large numbers of people. StevenSample, chairman of the Association of Pacific RimUniversities, one of the hosting organizations, said, “Weall recognize the common basic need for increased edu-cation and knowledge about the effects of gravity andmicrogravity in countless areas of our lives.”

A few of the scientists shared their work with yeta broader audience during two satellite broadcast ses-sions held at the California Science Center in LosAngeles. More than 800 students and adults participatedin real-time discussions about a variety of topics, fromwhy scientists conduct research in microgravity to whyastronauts get “Moon face” when in orbit. Participantswere all beneficiaries of NASA’s efforts to increaseawareness of careers in science and mathematics andidentify ways in which members of the public can beinvolved in NASA science programs.

The first session was geared toward encouragingyoung people to go into careers in science or mathemat-ics. For this event, the science center hosted more than100 local high school students and three panelists (amaterials scientist, a biologist, and a physician who is aformer astronaut). Students at the location, as well as

Astronaut Clayton Anderson, a graduate ofIowa State University’s aerospace engi-neering program, participated in two IowaCommunications Network sessions for theNASA-Iowa Connection program. A cooper-ative project between NASA and IowaPublic Television, this program teachesmiddle school students about science andtechnology in space.

credit: NASA

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

11 OUTREACH AND EDUCATIO

another 200 students at three other science centers acrossthe country, saw presentations by the panelists and thenasked them questions about their research and space travel.

The second session was geared toward buildinginterest in microgravity research among the generalpublic. The session featured presentations on atomicclocks and combustion research along with firsthandaccounts of travel on a space shuttle. Viewers at twoother U.S. science centers and at Flinders University inAdelaide, Australia, could see the presentations in realtime and then ask questions of the panelists: a fundamen-tal physicist, a combustion scientist, and Chiaki Mukai, aJapanese physician who is currently an astronaut. Theinvestigators at the science center explained how theirmicrogravity research resulted in commercial productsfor use on the ground. As well, Mukai, who flew as apayload specialist on space shuttle flight STS-95,described the experience of being in space and how sheperformed science experiments during her flight.Participants at both sessions also viewed a short video

featuring conversations with students and laypeople fromcountries around the pan-Pacific Basin about their per-spectives on space and space travel.

These outreach and education sessions supportedthe purpose of the conference, which was to go beyondcultural differences to advance microgravity research andpromote the understanding of its importance. As Samplenoted, “All these [cultural] differences can be and oftenare obstacles to communication and understanding, butit’s important to remember that people on both sides ofthe Pacific share quite similar fundamental ideas andgoals: to build better societies. And these goals can’t bereached without building better-educated societies andwithout the open sharing of knowledge.”

Drop a DIME for Education

The NASA Dropping in a MicrogravityEnvironment (DIME) student competition pilot projectcame to a successful conclusion April 25–27, 2001, at

Marshall Space Flight Center employees visited DuPont Manual High School in Louisville,Kentucky, as part of an outreach session of the Second Annual Pan-Pacific BasinWorkshop on Microgravity Science. Materials engineer Chris Cochrane explains the opera-tion of NASA’s Mini Drop Tower to demonstrate freefall.

credit: NASA

Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland, Ohio. Thecompetition involved high school–aged student teamswho developed concepts for microgravity experimentsand prepared experiment proposals. A team of NASAscientists and engineers evaluated the student team pro-posals and selected two teams. Mentored by NASA sci-entists, the two student teams — one from COSI Academy,sponsored by the Columbus, Ohio, Center of Science andIndustry (COSI), and the other from Sycamore HighSchool in Cincinnati, Ohio — designed microgravityexperiments, fabricated the experimental apparatus, andvisited GRC to operate their experiments in the 2.2Second Drop Tower.

The COSI Academy team investigated the effectsof density and phases of matter in a microgravity envi-ronment by observing the interaction of soybeans insmall bottles of ginger ale. The Sycamore High Schoolteam investigated the effects of microgravity on the com-bustion of cotton — an experiment developed after theteam discovered that NASA astronaut clothing is oftenmade of 100 percent cotton. While the pilot yearinvolved teams based in Ohio, for school year2001–2002, teams based in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan,Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin are eligible. In futureyears, teams from the 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C.,and Puerto Rico will be eligible.

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-200286

OUTREACH AND EDUCATION 11

A colored oil flow toy was part of a student-designed experiment used in the 2001–2002 program year Dropping in aMicrogravity Environment competition held April 23–25, 2002, at NASA’s Glenn Research Center (GRC). Two teams fromSycamore High School, Cincinnati, Ohio, one from Bay High School, Bay Village, Ohio, and one from COSI Academy,Columbus, Ohio, competed by running their experiments on GRC’s 2.2 second drop tower.

credit: NASA

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Microgravity World Wide Web Sites

NASAhttp://www.nasa.gov/NASA current events and links to NASA StrategicEnterprise sites.

NASA Office of Biological and Physical Researchhttp://spaceresearch.nasa.gov/Goals and organization of Biological and PhysicalResearch Enterprise, and links to research opportunities.

Microgravity Research Program Officehttp://microgravity.nasa.gov/Information about microgravity research activities with links toan image gallery and related science and technology web sites.

Space Researchhttp://spaceresearch.nasa.gov/general_info/spaceresearchnews.htmlOnline issues of Space Research, a quarterly newsletterabout research in microgravity.

Microgravity Research Task Book and Bibliographyhttp://microgravity.nasa.gov/tb.htmlDescriptions of research funded by the program.

Microgravity Meetingshttp://zeta.grc.nasa.gov/ugml/ugmltext.htmList of meetings, conferences, and symposia related tomicrogravity research topics.

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)http://www.msfc.nasa.govInformation about MSFC, including ongoing researchand facilities at the center.

Glenn Research Center (GRC)http://www.grc.nasa.govInformation about GRC, including ongoing research andfacilities at the center.

Microgravity Science Division at GRChttp://microgravity.grc.nasa.govDescriptions of microgravity projects and facilities spon-sored by GRC.

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/Information about JPL, including ongoing research andfacilities at the center.

Microgravity Fundamental Physics (JPL)http://funphysics.jpl.nasa.govContains background material, descriptions, and results forfundamental physics experiments funded by the program.

Johnson Space Center (JSC)http://www.jsc.nasa.govInformation about JSC, including ongoing research andfacilities at the center.

NASA Science Newshttp://science.nasa.govBreaking news stories about NASA science research.

National Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids andCombustionhttp://www.ncmr.org/ Information about research and events sponsored by the center.

Microgravity Experiment Data and Information Archiveshttp://mgravity.itsc.uah.edu/microgravity_experiment_archive.htmlProvides searchable information about NASA micrograv-ity flight experiments.

KC-135 Reduced Gravity Research Programhttp://jsc-aircraft-ops.jsc.nasa.gov/kc135/Overview of the program, which uses the KC-135 aircraftto provide brief periods of microgravity for research.

Spacelink – Microgravity Educational Productshttp://spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov/NASA education information, materials, and services.

NASA Human Spaceflighthttp://spaceflight.nasa.gov/Information about all of NASA’s spaceflight programs.

Space Shuttle Flightshttp://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/index.htmInformation on the space shuttle missions.

International Space Station (ISS)http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/http://scipoc.msfc.nasa.gov/factchron.htmlInformation about the development of the ISS, includinglinks to recent news, details of assembly, and images.

Student Access to Spacehttp://spacecrystal.nasa.govSource for teachers and students interested in theStudent Access to Space program.

Microgravity Sciences and Applications Department at MSFChttp://msad.msfc.nasa.govInformation on projects and events within the department.

NASA Kidshttp://www.nasakids.com/Student-oriented educational guide to space exploration.

11 OUTREACH AND EDUCATIO

Appendix A: Fiscal Years 2001 and 2002Grant Recipients, by State(includes some continuing projects at no additional cost)

ALABAMA

J. Barry Andrews University of Alabama, Birmingham; Birmingham, ALCoupled Growth in Hypermonotectics Materials Science2001–2002

J. Barry AndrewsUniversity of Alabama, Birmingham; Birmingham, ALThe Effect of Convection on Morphological StabilityDuring Coupled Growth in Immiscible SystemsMaterials Science2001–2002

John BakerUniversity of Alabama, Tuscaloosa; Tuscaloosa, ALMagnetically-Assisted Combustion Experiment (MACE)Combustion Science2001–2002

R. M. BanishUniversity of Alabama, Huntsville; Huntsville, ALSelf-Diffusion in Liquid ElementsMaterials Science2001

R. M. Banish University of Alabama, Huntsville; Huntsville, ALThermophysical Property Measurements of Te-Based II-VI Semiconductor CompoundsMaterials Science2001–2002

Daniel CarterNew Century Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Huntsville, ALNeutron Diffraction: Microgravity Applications inStructure-Guided Drug DevelopmentBiotechnology2001–2002

Daniel CarterNew Century Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Huntsville, ALProtein Crystal Growth Facility–Based MicrogravityHardwareBiotechnology2001–2002

Alexander ChernovUniversities Space Research Association, Huntsville, AL

Origin of Imperfections and Convection inMacromolecular Crystal PerfectionBiotechnology2001

Alexander ChernovUniversities Space Research Association, Huntsville, ALMorphological Stability of Stepped Interfaces GrowingFrom SolutionMaterials Science2001–2002

Alexander ChernovUniversities Space Research Association, Huntsville, ALThe Role of Impurities and Convection inMacromolecular Crystal PerfectionsBiotechnology2002

Krishman ChitturUniversity of Alabama, Huntsville; Huntsville, ALInfrared Signatures for Mammalian Cells in CultureBiotechnology2001

Ewa CiszakUniversities Space Research Association, Huntsville, ALCrystal Structure of Human Pyruvate DehydrogenaseComplex Facilitated by MicrogravityBiotechnology2001

Ewa CiszakUniversity of Alabama, Huntsville; Huntsville, ALCrystal Structure of Human Pyruvate DehydrogenaseComplex Facilitated by MicrogravityBiotechnology2002

Lawrence J. DeLucas University of Alabama, Birmingham; Birmingham, ALMicrogravity Studies of Medically Relevant MacromoleculesBiotechnology2001–2002

Lawrence J. DeLucasUniversity of Alabama, Birmingham; Birmingham, ALProtein Crystal Growth in MicrogravityBiotechnology2001–2002

Edwin Ethridge Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, ALMechanism for the Crystallization Studies of ZBLANMaterials Science2001–2002

APPENDIX A

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-200288

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Alexandre I. FedoseyevUniversity of Alabama, Huntsville; Huntsville, ALTheoretical and Experimental Investigation ofVibrational Control of the Bridgman Crystal GrowthExperimentMaterials Science2001

Donald C. GilliesMarshall Spaceflight Center, Huntsville, ALSolidification of II-VI Compounds in a RotatingMagnetic FieldMaterials Science2001

Donald C. GilliesMarshall Spaceflight Center, Huntsville, ALUse of Computed Tomography for CharacterizingMaterials Grown Terrestrially and in MicrogravityMaterials Science2001–2002

Russell A. JudgeUniversity of Alabama, Huntsville; Huntsville, ALMacromolecule Nucleation and Growth Rate DispersionStudies: A Predictive Technique for Crystal Quality inMicrogravityBiotechnology2001–2002

Craig E. KundrotMarshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, ALOptimizing the Use of Microgravity to Improve theDiffraction Quality of Problematic BiomacromoleclarCrystalsBiotechnology2001–2002

Sandor L. LehoczkyMarshall Spaceflight Center, Huntsville, ALCrystal Growth of II-VI Semiconducting Alloys byDirectional SolidificationMaterials Science2001–2002

Sandor L. LehoczkyMarshall Spaceflight Center, Huntsville, ALGrowth of Solid Solution Single CrystalsMaterials Science2001–2002

Daniel W. MackowskiAuburn University, Auburn, ALCoupled Radiation/Thermophoresis Effects in SootingMicrogavity FlamesCombustion Science2001-2002

Jimmy MaysUniversity of Alabama, Birmingham; Birmingham, ALControlled Synthesis of Nanoparticles Using BlockCopolymers: Nanoreaction in MicrogravityConditionsMaterials Science2001

Konstantin MazurukUniversities Space Research Association, Huntsville, ALEffects of Traveling Magnetic Field on Dynamics ofSolidificationMaterials Science2001–2002

Robert J. NaumannUniversity of Alabama, Huntsville; Huntsville, ALControl of Transport in Protein Crystal Growth UsingRestrictive GeometriesBiotechnology2001–2002

Robert J. NaumannUniversity of Alabama, Huntsville; Huntsville, ALReduction of Convection in Closed-Tube Vapor GrowthExperimentsMaterials Science2001–2002

Marc L. PuseyMarshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, ALA Diffractometer for Reciprocal Space Mapping ofMacromolecular Crystals to Study Their MicrostructureBiotechnology2001–2002

Marc L. PuseyMarshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, ALThe Role of Specific Interactions in Protein CrystalNucleation and Growth Studied by Site-DirectedMutagenesisBiotechnology2001–2002

Marc L. Pusey Marshall Spaceflight Center, Huntsville, ALThe Study and Optimization of Flow in SolutionBiological Crystal GrowthFluid Physics2001–2002

Narayanan RamachandranMarshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, ALStudy of Fluid Flow Control in Protein CrystallizationUsing Strong Magnetic Fields Fluid Physics2002

APPENDIX 12 GRANT RECIPIENT

Robert C. RichmondMarshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, ALHeterozygous Ataxia-Telangiectasia Human MammaryCells as a Microgravity-Based Model of Differentiationand Cancer SusceptibilityBiotechnology2001–2002

Edward H. SnellUniversities Space Research Association/MarshallSpaceflight Center, Huntsville, ALCool Crystals — A Physical and Biochemical Study ofMacromolecular Crystal CyropreservationBiotechnology2001–2002

Robert SnyderNew Century Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Huntsville, ALElectrophoretic FocusingBiotechnology2001–2002

Doru StefanescuUniversity of Alabama,Tuscaloosa; Tuscaloosa, ALParticle Engulfment and Pushing by solidifyingInterfaces (PEP)Materials Science2001–2002

Ching-Hua SuMarshall Spaceflight Center, Huntsville, ALCrystal Growth of Zn-Se and Related Ternary CompoundSemiconductors by Vapor TransportMaterials Science2001–2002

Ching-Hua SuMarshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, ALStructural Fluctuations and Thermophysical Propertiesof Molten II-VI CompoundsMaterials Science2001–2002

Frank R. SzofranMarshall Spaceflight Center, Huntsville, ALReduction of Defects in Germanium-Silicon (RDGS)Materials Science2001–2002

William WitherowMarshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, ALA New Ultra-High Resolution Near-Field Microscope forObservation of Protein Crystal GrowthBiotechnology2001

Maria I. Zugrav University of Alabama, Huntsville, ALGround-Based Experiments in Support of MicrogravityResearch Results — Vapor Growth of Organic NonlinearOptical Thin FilmMaterials Science2001–2002

ARIZONA

James P. AllenArizona State University, Tempe, AZCrystallization Mechanisms of Membrane ProteinsBiotechnology2001

Cho Lik ChanUniversity of Arizona, Tucson, AZResonance Effects in Single- and Double-DiffusiveSystems Under Gravity ModulationFluid Physics2001–2002

Kenneth A. JacksonUniversity of Arizona, Tucson, AZGrowth of Rod EutecticsMaterials Science2001–2002

Jeffrey W. JacobsUniversity of Arizona, Tucson, AZAn Experimental Investigation of IncompressibleRichtmyer-Meshkov InstabilityFluid Physics2002

Pierre MeystreUniversity of Arizona, Tucson, AZAtom Optics in Controlled and Microgravity EnvironmentsFundamental Physics2001

David PoirierUniversity of Arizona, Tucson, AZComparison of Structure and Segregation in AlloysDirectionally Solidified in Terrestrial and MicrogravityEnvironmentsMaterials Science2001–2002

Peter SmithUniversity of Arizona, Tucson, AZMars Atmospheric Dust in the Optical and Radio(MATADOR)Fluid Physics2001–2002

APPENDIX A

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-200290

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

K. R. SridharUniversity of Arizona, Tucson, AZModeling of Transport Processes in a Solid OxideElectrolyzer Generating Oxygen on MarsFluid Physics2001

K. R. SridharUniversity of Arizona, Tucson, AZDevelopment of Superior Materials for Layered SolidOxide Electyrolyzers Based on Mechanical and ThermalFailure Testing and AnalysisMaterials Science2001–2002

Bruce ToweArizona State University, Tempe, AZA Microfluidic Bioreporter for Exploratory ProbesBiotechnology2001–2002

CALIFORNIA

Guenter AhlersUniversity of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara, CAThe Superfluid Transition of 4He Under UnusualConditionsFundamental Physics2001–2002

Guenter AhlersUniversity of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara, CABoundary Effects on Transport Properties and Dynamic Finite-Size Scaling near the Superfluid Transition Line of 4HeFundamental Physics2001–2002

Ralph Curtis AldredgeUniversity of California, Davis; Davis, CAFlame Propagation in Low-Intensity Turbulence UnderMicrogravity ConditionsCombustion Science2001–2002

Eduardo A. C. AlmeidaAmes Research Center, Moffett Field, CABiosensor NanovesiclesBiotechnology2002

Mark S. AndersonJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CABiomolecular Imaging with Atomic Force Microscope-Mediated Raman SpectroscopyBiotechnology2002

Sanjoy BanerjeeUniversity of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara, CADirect Numerical Simulation of Turbulent Flows withPhase Change in MicrogravityFluid Physics2001–2002

Martin BarmatzJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CAMicrogravity Test of Universality and ScalingPredictions near the Liquid-Gas Critical Point of 3HeFundamental Physics2001–2002

Josette BellanJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CAHigh-Pressure Transport Properties of Fluids: Theoryand Data From levitated Drops at Combustion-RelevantTemperaturesCombustion Science2001–2002

Subrata BhattacharjeeSan Diego State University, San Diego, CADynamics of Flame Spread in Microgravity EnvironmentCombustion Science2001–2002

Linda G. BlevinsSandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CACarbon Monoxide and Soot Formation in InverseDiffusion FlamesCombustion Science2001–2002

John F. BradyCalifornia Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CADispersion Microstructure and Rheology in CeramicsProcessingMaterials Science2001–2002

John F. BradyCalifornia Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CAInertial Effects in Suspension DynamicsFluid Physics2001–2002

David S. CannellUniversity of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara, CAGradient-Driven FluctuationsFluid Physics2001–2002

Geoffrey ChangScripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CACrystallization of Integral Membrane Proteins Using

APPENDIX 12 GRANT RECIPIENT

MicrogravityBiotechnology2001–2002

Jyh-Yuan ChenUniversity of California, Berkeley; Berkeley, CANumerical Study of Bouyancy and Differential DiffusionEffects on the Structure and Dynamics of Triple FlamesCombustion Science2001–2002

Robert K. ChengLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CAField Effects of Gravity on Lean Premixed TurbulentFlamesCombustion Science2001–2002

Talso C. ChuiJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CAHeat Current Effects on the Superfluid TransitionFundamental Physics2001–2002

Vijay K. DhirUniversity of California, Los Angeles; Los Angeles, CAInvestigation of Mechanisms Associated With NucleateBoiling Under Microgravity ConditionsFluid Physics2001–2002

Vijay K. DhirUniversity of California, Los Angeles; Los Angeles, CATransition From Pool to Flow Boiling–The Effect ofReduced GravityFluid Physics2001–2002

Derek Dunn-RankinUniversity of California, Irvin; Irvine, CAApplications of Electric Field in MicrogravityCombustionCombustion Science2001–2002

Douglas J. DurianUniversity of California, Los Angeles; Los Angeles, CAFoam Optics and MechanicsFluid Physics2001

Douglas J. DurianUniversity of California, Los Angeles; Los Angeles, CAThe Melting of Aqueous FoamsFluid Physics2002

John K. EatonStanford University, Stanford, CAAttenuation of Gas Turbulence by a Nearly StationaryDispersion of Fine ParticlesFluid Physics2001–2002

Fokion N. EgolfopoulosUniversity of Southern California, Los Angeles, CADetailed Studies on the Structure and Dynamics ofReacting Dusty Flows at Normal- and MicrogravityCombustion Science2001–2002

Fokion N. EgolfopoulosUniversity of Southern California, Los Angeles, CAQuantitative Studies on the Propagation and Extinctionof Near-Limit Flames Under Normal- and MicrogravityCombustion Science2001–2002

James W. EvansUniversity of California; Berkeley, Berkeley, CAExploiting the Temperature Dependence of MagneticSusceptibility to Control Convection in FundamentalStudies of Solidification PhenomenaMaterials Science2001–2002

Francis EverittStanford University, Stanford, CASatellite Test of the Equivalence Principle (STEP)Fundamental Physics2002

Robert FeigelsonStanford University, Stanford, CAInvestigation of the Crystal Growth of DielectricMaterials by the Bridgeman Technique Using VibrationalControl Materials Science2001–2002

Robert FeigelsonStanford University, Stanford, CALaser Scattering Tomography for the Study of Defects inProtein CrystalsBiotechnology2001

Carlos A. Fernandez-Pello University of California; Berkeley, Berkeley, CAFlammability Diagrams of Combustible Materials andMicrogravityCombustion Science2001–2002

APPENDIX A

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-200292

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Carlos A. Fernandez-Pello University of California; Berkeley, Berkeley, CAFundamental Study of Smoldering Combustion inMicrogravityCombustion Science2001–2002

Carlos A. Fernandez-Pello University of California; Berkeley, Berkeley, CATwo Dimensional Smoldering and Its Transition inFlaming in MicrogravityCombustion Science2001–2002

John FrangosUniversity of California, San Diego; San Diego, CANovel Strategy for Tridimensional In-Vitro Bone InductionBiotechnology2001–2002

Curtis W. FrankStanford University, Stanford, CAProduction and In-Flight Regeneration Active BiologicalMembranes Biotechnology2001–2002

Michael Y. Frenklach University of California, Berkeley; Berkeley, CAMicrogravity Production of Nanoparticles of NovelMaterials Using Plasma SynthesisFundamental Physics2001–2002

Alice P. GastStanford University, Stanford, CAAnisotropic Colloidal Self-AssemblyFluid Physics2001

Joe D. GoddardUniversity of California, San Diego; San Diego, CAVibratory Dynamics and Transport of Granular Media atVarious g LevelsFluid Physics2001–2002

David L. GoodsteinCalifornia Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CAThe CQ ExperimentFundamental Physics2001–2002

Harvey Allen GouldLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CAElectron Electric Dipole Moment Experiment with Laser-Cooled Atoms in a Microgravity Environment

Fundamental Physics2001–2002

Inseob HahnJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CACoexistence Boundary ExperimentFundamental Physics2001–2002

Michael H. HechtJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CACompatibility Assessment (MECA)Materials Science2002

Lawrence H. Heilbronn Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CARadiation Transmission Properties of In Situ MetalsMaterials Science2001–2002

George HomsyUniversity of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara, CAMicrogravity Fluid Mechanics:g-Jitter Convection andthe Mechanics of Fluidized BedsFluid Physics2001–2002

Arlon J. HuntLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CAPorosity and Variations in Microgravity AerogelNanostructuresMaterials Science2001

Melany L. HuntCalifornia Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CAGranular Materials Flows With Interstitial Fluid EffectsFluid Physics2001–2002

Ulf E. IsraelssonJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CADynamic Measurements Along the Lambda Line ofHelium in a Low-Gravity Simulator on the GroundFundamental Physics2001–2002

Farrokh IssacciHoneywell International, Torrance, CATwo-Phase Flow in Multi-Channels – Liquid Holdup andCapillary FlowFluid Physics2001–2002

William JohnsonCalifornia Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA

APPENDIX 12 GRANT RECIPIENT

Thermophysical Properties of Undercooled MetallicGlass-Forming Liquids – Atomic Diffusion Studies in theUndercooled Melt Using an Electrostatic LevitationPlatformMaterials Science2001–2002

Frances JurnakUniversity of California, Irvine; Irvine, CAStabilization and Preservation of Crystals for X-RayDiffraction ExperimentsBiotechnology2001–2002

Ian KennedyUniversity of California, Davis; Davis, CAThe Impact of Bouyancy and Flames in MicrogravityCombustion Science2001–2002

Edgar KnoblochUniversity of California, Berkeley; Berkeley, CAWeakly Nonlinear Description of Parametric Instabilitiesin Vibrating FlowsFluid Physics2002

Shankar Krishnan KLA-Tenor, San Jose, CAStructure-Property Correlations of Phase Transitions inGroup IV and III-V LiquidsMaterials Science2001–2002

Melora E. LarsonJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CAStatic Properties of 4He in the Presence of a HeatCurrent in a Low-Gravity SimulatorFundamental Physics2001

Melora E. LarsonJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CAExperiments Along Coexistence Near Tricriticality(EXACT)Fundamental Physics2001–2002

L. Gary LealUniversity of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara, CAInteraction Forces and the Flow-Induced Coalescence ofDrops and BubblesFluid Physics2001

Shoudan LiangAmes Research Center, Moffett Field, CA

High-Throughput Metabolic Profiling byMultidimensional NMR and Mathematical Modeling ofMetabolic NetworksBiotechnology2002

John A. LipaStanford University, Stanford, CAA Test of Supersymmetry Theory By Searching forAnomolous Short-Range Forces Fundamental Physics2001

John A. LipaStanford University, Stanford, CATesting the Renormalization Group Theory of Matter Nearthe Superfluid Transition of Helium on the Space StationFundamental Physics2001

John A. LipaStanford University, Stanford, CATests of Universality and Confinement Near the LambdaPointFundamental Physics2001

John A. LipaStanford University, Stanford, CAFundamental Physics Experiments With SuperconductingCavity-Stabilized Oscillators on Space StationFundamental Physics2001–2002

John A. LipaStanford University, Stanford, CAHigh-Resolution Study of the Critical Region of OxygenUsing Magnetic LevitationFundamental Physics2001–2002

Feng-chuan LiuJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CACritical Thermal Transport in a Crossover Range FromThree-Dimensional to Two-Dimensional BehaviorFundamental Physics2001

Jing LiuCalifornia State University, Long Beach, CAMagnetorheological Fluids: Rheology andNonequilibrium Pattern FormationFluid Physics2001

Yuanming LiuJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA

APPENDIX A

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-200294

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Effects of Heat Current on the Superfluid Transition in aLow-Gravity SimulatorFundamental Physics2001

John R. Marshall SETI Institute, Mountain View, CAMicrogravity Experiments to Evaluate ElectrostaticForces in Controlling Cohesion and Adhesion ofGranular MaterialsFluid Physics2001–2002

Tony MaxworthyUniversity of Southern California, Los Angeles, CAThe Dynamics of Miscible Interfaces: A SpaceflightExperimentFluid Physics2001–2002

Christopher P. McKayAmes Research Center, Moffett Field, CAFluorometric Detection of Microorganisms on SterilizedSurfacesBiotechnology2002

Alexander McPherson Jr.University of California, Irvine; Irvine, CAAn Observable Protein Crystal Growth Flight ApparatusBiotechnology2001–2002

Alexander McPherson Jr.University of California, Irvine; Irvine, CAEnhanced Dewar ProgramBiotechnology2001–2002

Eckart H. MeiburgUniversity of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara, CAThe Dynamics of Miscible Interfaces: SimulationsFluid Physics2001–2002

Eckart H. MeiburgUniversity of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara, CAThe Dynamics of Particulate Deposition and ResuspensionProcesses at Moderate-to-High Reynolds NumbersFluid Physics2001–2002

Meyya MeyyappanAmes Research Center, Moffett Field, CAHigh-Resolution Imaging of Biological SamplesBiotechnology2002

Jack MillerLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CARadiation Transport Properties of Potential In Situ–Developed Regolith-Epoxy Materials for MartianHabitatsMaterials Science2001–2002

Carlo D. MontemagnoUniversity of California, Los Angeles; Los Angeles, CAEngineering Control of a Biomolecular-PoweredNanochemical DeviceBiotechnology2001–2002

Zuhair A. MunirUniversity of California, Davis; Davis, CAElectric Field Effects in Self-Propagating High-Temperature Combustion Synthesis Under MicrogravityConditionsCombustion Science2001–2002

Jay L. NadeauJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CAMiniature Electronic Dynamic Ion Channel Sensor(MEDICS)Biotechnology2002

Cun-Zheng NingAmes Research Center, Moffett Field, CATechnology Development of Miniaturized Far-InfraredSources for Biomolecular SpectroscopyBiotechnology2002

Douglas Dean OsheroffStanford University, Stanford, CATests of Fundamental Physics Through Studies ofSuperfluid Helium ThreeFundamental Physics2001

Richard E. PackardUniversity of California, Berkeley; Berkeley, CASuperfluid Gyroscopes in SpaceFundamental Physics2001–2002

Andrew PohorilleAmes Research Center, Moffett Field, CAComputational Techniques for Reconstruction andDiscovery of Metabolic, Signal Transduction, andEvolutionary PathwaysBiotechnology2002

APPENDIX 12 GRANT RECIPIENT

Andrew PohorilleAmes Research Center, Moffett Field, CADevelopment of NASA-Specific Bioinformatics EnvironmentBiotechnology2002

Adrian PonceJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CABiomimetic Self-Assembly of Mesostructures inMicrogravity: The Nature of the Capillary BondFundamental Physics2001

Robert L. PowellUniversity of California, Davis; Davis, CAExperimental Studies of Multiphase Materials UsingNuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and NMR ImagingFluid Physics2001–2002

Constantine PozrikidisUniversity of California, San Diego; San Diego, CADynamics of Accelerated Interfaces: ParametricExcitation and Fluid Sloshing in Closed Containers andOpen TanksFluid Physics2001–2002

Leslie Eileen Prufert-BeboutAmes Research Center, Moffett Field, CAMicrobial Assay Technologies for Space (MATS): ACoordinated Ecosystem Response Assay TechnologyBiotechnology2002

Seth J. PuttermanUniversity of California, Los Angeles; Los Angeles, CADiffusing Light Photography of Containerless RippleTurbulenceFluid Physics2001–2002

Won-Kyu RhimCalifornia Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CAMeasurement of Thermophysical Properties of MoltenSilicon and GermaniumMaterials Science2001–2002

Pat R. RoachAmes Research Center, Moffett Field, CAA Microgravity Helium Dilution CoolerFundamental Physics2001

Paul D. RonneyUniversity of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Extinction and Instability Mechanisms of PolymerizationFrontsMaterials Science2001–2002

Paul D. RonneyUniversity of Southern California, Los Angeles, CAStudies of Premixed Laminar and Turbulent Flames atMicrogravityCombustion Science2001–2002

Paul D. RonneyUniversity of Southern California, Los Angeles, CATransport and Chemical Effects on Concurrent andOpposed-Flow Flame Spread at MicrogravityCombustion Science2001–2002

Satwindar S. SadhalUniversity of Southern California, Los Angeles, CANonintrusive Measurement of ThermophysicalProperties of Liquids by Electrostatic-Acoustic HybridLevitationMaterials Science2001

Satwindar S. SadhalUniversity of Southern California, Los Angeles, CANonintrusive Measurement: The Role of Gravity andElectric Field EnhancementMaterials Science2002

Robert L.-Y. SahUniversity of California, San Diego; San Diego, CACartilage Tissue Engineering: Circumferential Seedingof Chondrocytes Using Rotating ReactorsBiotechnology2001–2002

Robert L.-Y. SahUniversity of California, San Diego; San Diego, CAFabrication and Growth of Engineered Tissues:Articular Cartilage With Biological and FunctionalStratificationBiotechnology2001–2002

Eric S. G. ShaqfehStanford University, Stanford, CADrop Breakup and DNA Advection in Fixed Beds ofFibers: Hairpin Dynamics in Ordered and DisorderedMediaFluid Physics2002

APPENDIX A

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-200296

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Benjamin D. ShawUniversity of California, Davis; Davis, CACombustion Experiments in Reduced Gravity With Two-Component Miscible DropletsCombustion Science2001–2002

Benjamin D. ShawUniversity of California, Davis; Davis, CACombustion of HAN-Based Monopropellant DropletsCombustion Science2001–2002

Peter H. SiegelJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CANanoconverters: Remotely Coupled THz RF-to-DCPower for Driving Microdevices Biotechnology2002

Gregory P. SmithSRI International, Menlo Park, CAQuantitative Interpretation of Optical Emission Sensorsfor Microgravity ExperimentsCombustion Science2001–2002

Owen I. SmithUniversity of California, Los Angeles; Los Angeles, CAAcoustically Forced, Condensed Phase Fuel CombustionUnder Microgravity ConditionsCombustion Science2001

Viktor StolcAmes Research Center, Moffett Field, CANanopores for DNA SequencingBiotechnology2002

Viktor StolcAmes Research Center, Moffett Field, CASolid-Surface DNA Sequencing ArrayBiotechnology2002

Donald StrayerJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CAPrecise Measurements of the Density and CriticalPhenomena of Helium Near Phase TransitionsFundamental Physics2001

David P. SummersSETI Institute, Mountain View, CAA New Ultrasensitive Technique for the Detection ofOrganisms and Their Biomarkers

Biotechnology2002

Henryk SzmacinskiMicrocosm, Inc., El Segundo, CACellular Oxygen and Nutrient Sensing in MicrogravityUsing Time-Resolved Fluorescence MicroscopyBiotechnology2001–2002

Peter TaborekUniversity of California, Irvine; Irvine, CASuperfluid Contact Line DynamicsFluid Physics2001–2002

Peter TaborekUniversity of California, Irvine; Irvine, CA3He-4He Droplets Stabilized in Cesiated ContainersFluid Physics2002

Douglas G. TalleyEdwards Air Force Base, CASupercritical and Transcritical Shear Flows inMicrogravity: Experiments and Direct NumericalSimulationsFluid Physics2002

Theofanis G. TheofanousUniversity of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara, CAThe Pool Boiling Crisis From Flat Plates: Mechanism(s)and EnhancementFluid Physics2001–2002

Theofanis G. TheofanousUniversity of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara, CAThe Limits of Coolability in Thermal Systems forSpaceFluid Physics2002

James TrolingerMetroLaser, Inc., Irvine, CAInvestigate the Influence of Microgravity on TransportMechanisms in a Virtual Spaceflight ChamberBiotechnology2001

James TrolingerMetroLaser, Inc., Irvine, CASpaceflight Holography Investigation in a VirtualApparatus (SHIVA)Materials Science2001–2002

APPENDIX 12 GRANT RECIPIENT

Forman A.WilliamsUniversity of California, San Diego; San Diego, CAHigh-Pressure Combustion Experiment (DCE/DCE-2)Combustion Science2001–2002

Forman A.WilliamsUniversity of California, San Diego; San Diego, CAHigh-Pressure Combustion of Binary Fuel SpraysCombustion Science2001–2002

Cary J. ZeitlinLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CAMeasurement of Charged-Particle Interactions inSpacecraft and Planetary Habitat Shielding MaterialsMaterials Science2001–2002

Fang ZhongJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CAMeasurement of the Thermal Conductivity Near theLiquid-Vapor Critical Point of He-3 and He-4Fundamental Physics2001

COLORADO

John AlfordTDA Research, Inc., Wheat Ridge, COFormation of Carbon Nanotubes in a MicrogravityEnvironmentCombustion Science2001–2002

Melvyn C. BranchUniversity of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, COCombustion of Metals in Reduced-Gravity andExtraterrestrial EnvironmentsCombustion Science2001–2002

Noel A. ClarkUniversity of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, COStructure and Dynamics of Freely Suspended LiquidCrystalsFluid Physics2001–2002

Joshua ColwellUniversity of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, COCollisions into Dust Experiment 2Fluid Physics2001–2002

Joshua ColwellUniversity of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, CODusty Plasma Dynamics Near Surfaces in SpaceFluid Physics2001–2002

Joshua ColwellUniversity of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, COPhysics of Regolith Impacts in Microgravity Environment(PRIME)Fluid Physics2001–2002

Joshua ColwellUniversity of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, CODynamics of Charged Dust Near Surfaces in SpaceFluid Physics2002

Robert H. DavisUniversity of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, COSurface Collisions Involving Particles and Moisture(SCIP'M)Fluid Physics2001–2002

Robert H. DavisUniversity of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, COThermocapillary-Induced Phase Separation of DispersedSystems With CoalescenceFluid Physics2001–2002

Alan GreenbergUniversity of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, COInfluence of Solutocapillary Convection of MacrovoidDefect Formation in Polymeric MembranesMaterials Science2001–2002

John L. HallJoint Institute of Laboratory Astrophysics and Universityof Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, COFundamental Physics Using Frequency-Stabilized Lasersas Optical “Atomic Clocks”Fundamental Physics2001

John L. HallJoint Institute of Laboratory Astrophysics and Universityof Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, COUltrastable Local OscillatorFundamental Physics2001–2002

John E. HartUniversity of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, CO

APPENDIX A

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-200298

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Stratified Taylor-Couette Flow With Radial BuoyancyFluid Physics2001–2002

David W. M. MarrColorado School of Mines, Golden, COA Novel Colloidal Microfluidics Platform for SpaceborneMicro Total Analysis SystemsBiotechnology2001–2002

John J. Moore Colorado School of Mines, Golden, COA Fundamental Study of the Combustion Synthesis ofCeramic-Metal Composite Combustion Science2001–2002

Jacques I. PankoveAstralux, Inc., Boulder, COOptoelectric Neural SystemBiotechnology2001–2002

Stein StureUniversity of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder, COMechanics of Granular MaterialsFluid Physics2001–2002

Mark M. WeislogelTDA Research, Inc.; Wheat Ridge, COCapillary Flow in Interior CornersFluid Physics2001

CONNECTICUT

Robert ApfelYale University, New Haven, CTNovel Concepts in Acoustopheresis for BiotechnologyApplicationsBiotechnology2001–2002

Robert ApfelYale University, New Haven, CTNucleation and Growth Mechanisms Underlying the Microstructure of Polymer Foams Produced By DynamicDecompression and CoolingMaterials Science2001

Robert ApfelYale University, New Haven, CT

Studies of the Dynamics, Control, and Evaporation ofThree-Dimenstional Droplet ArraysFluid Physics2001–2002

Jerzy BlawzdziewiczYale University, New Haven, CTDrop Coalescence: Drainage and Stabilization of ThinLiquid FilmsFluid Physics2002

Amir FaghriUniversity of Connecticut, Storrs, CTHeat Transfer in Rotating Thin Liquid Films IncludingNucleate BoilingFluid Physics2001–2002

Juha JavanainenUniversity of Connecticut, Storrs, CTBose-Einstein Condensate and Atom Laser: Coherenceand Optical PropertiesFundamental Physics2001–2002

Mark A. KasevichYale University, New Haven, CTAtom Interferometer Test of the Equivalence PrincipleFundamental Physics2001–2002

Mark A. Kasevich,Yale University, New Haven, CTAtom Interferometry in a Microgravity EnvironmentFundamental Physics2001–2002

Michael LoewenbergYale University, New Haven, CTBubble-Scale Modeling of Foams Fluid Physics2001–2002

Michael LoewenbergYale University, New Haven, CTFlows of Wet Foams and Concentrated EmulsionsFluid Physics2001–2002

Daniel E. RosnerYale University, New Haven, CTCombustion of Individual Bubbles and Submerged GasJets in Liquid FuelsCombustion Science2001–2002

APPENDIX 12 GRANT RECIPIENT

Mitchell D. SmookeYale University, New Haven, CTComputational and Experimental Study of EnergeticMaterials in a CounterflowCombustion Science2001–2002

DELAWARE

Robert E. AkinsA. I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DECell-Mediated Assembly of Cardiac Tissue inMicrogravity EnvironmentBiotechnology2001–2002

Siu-Tat Chui University of Delaware, Newark, DEDroplets of Mixtures of He3-He4 FluidsFundamental Physics2001–2002

Eric W. KalerUniversity of Delaware, Newark, DESurfactant-Based Critical Phenomena in MicrogravityFluid Physics2001

Eric W. KalerUniversity of Delaware, Newark, DEProtein Crystallization in Complex Fluids Biotechnology2001–2002

Eric W. KalerUniversity of Delaware, Newark, DESurfactant Structures Guide Membrane ProteinCrystallizationBiotechnology2001–2002

Leonard W. SchwartzUniversity of Delaware, Newark, DEFree-Surface and Contact-Line Option of Liquids in aMicrogravity Environment Fluid Physics2001

Hai WangUniversity of Delaware, Newark, DESoot Formation in Purely Curved Premixed Flames andLaminar Flame Speeds of Soot-Forming FlamesCombustion Science2001–2002

FLORIDA

Reza AbbaschianUniversity of Florida, Gainesville, FLIn-Situ Monitoring of Crystal Growth Using MEPHISTOMaterials Science2001

Reza AbbaschianUniversity of Florida, Gainesville, FLMorphological Stability of Faceted InterfacesMaterials Science2001–2002

Timothy AndersonUniversity of Florida, Gainesville, FLAn Electrochemical Method to Visualize Flow in LiquidMetalsMaterials Science2001–2002

Jeanne L. BeckerUniversity of South Florida, Tampa, FL3-D Growth Effects on Drug Resistance in HumanOvarian Tumor CellsBiotechnology2001–2002

Don F. CameronUniversity of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, FLDevelopment of an Insulin-Secreting ImmunoprivilegedCell-Cell Aggregate Utilizing the NASA Rotating WallVessel Biotechnology2001–2002

Ravindran ChellaFlorida State University, Tallahassee, FLLattice-Boltzmann Techniques for Multiphase Flow andTransport in Microgravity EnvironmentFluid Physics2001

Charles HelmstetterFlorida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FLNew Cell Culture TechnologyBiotechnology2001–2002

Luca InverardiDiabetes Research Institute, Miami, FLCell Transplantation Therapy for Diabetes UtilizingImmunoprivileged Sertoli-Islet Cell Aggregates (SICA)Biotechnology2001–2002

APPENDIX A

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002100

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Anthony J. C. LaddUniversity of Florida, Gainesville, FLMicrogravity-Driven Instabilities in Gas-FluidizedbedsFluid Physics2001–2002

Efstratios ManousakisFlorida State University, Tallahassee, FLPredicting Static and Dynamic Critical Properties ofBulk and Confined HeliumFundamental Physics2001

Efstratios ManousakisFlorida State University, Tallahassee, FLTheoretical Studies of Liquid Helium Near the SuperfluidTransitionFundamental Physics2001

Ranga NarayananUniversity of Florida, Gainesville, FLSeparation of Species by Oscillatory FlowFluid Physics2001–2002

Samuel SaportaUniversity of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, FLCreation and Transplantation of Imunoprivileged Sertoli-Neuron-Aggregated-Cells (SNACs) for the Treatment ofParkinson’s DiseaseBiotechnology2001–2002

Daniel TalhamUniversity of Florida, Gainesville, FLThe Features of Self-Assembling Organic BilayersImportant to the Formation of Anisotropic InorganicMaterials in Low-Gravity ConditionsMaterials Science2001–2002

GEORGIA

Vincent P. ConticelloEmory University, Atlanta, GADesign, Synthesis, and Characterization of Well-Defined,Biomimetic Polypeptide NetworksBiotechnology2001–2002

Leland ChungEmory University, Atlanta, GAModeling Prostate Cancer Skeletal Metastasis and GeneTherapy

Biotechnology2001–2002

Nikolaus DietzGeorgia State University, Atlanta, GAOptical Characterization of Gas Phase, Gas-PhaseChemistry, and Surface Chemistry During High-PressureVapor-Phase Deposition Processes Under Laminar andTurbulent Flow ConditionsMaterials Science2001–2002

Arun GokhaleGeorgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GAEffect of Gravity on the Evolution of SpatialArrangement of Features in Microstructure: AQuantitative ApproachMaterials Science2001

David P. LandauUniversity of Georgia, Athens, GAComputer Simulations of Confined Quantum Systems inMicrogravityFundamental Physics2001–2002

Jeffrey F. MorrisGeorgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GADroplet Formation Processes From Particle-LadenLiquidsFluid Physics2002

G. Paul NeitzelGeorgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GANoncoalescence in Microgravity: Science andTechnologyFluid Physics2001–2002

Marc K. SmithGeorgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GAVIBE Technology for Microgravity Heat TransferApplicationsFluid Physics2002

Eric R. WeeksEmory University, Atlanta, GAConfocal Microscopy of the Colloidal Glass TransitionFluid Physics2002

Minami YodaGeorgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GANovel Optical Diagnostic Techniques for Studying

APPENDIX 12 GRANT RECIPIENT

Particle Contact and Deposition Upon a Large Cylinderin a Sheared SuspensionFluid Physics2001–2002

ILLINOIS

Jens Alkemper Northwestern University, Evanston, ILThe Evolution of Dendrite Morphology DuringIsothermal Coarsening Materials Science 2001–2002

Hassan ArefUniversity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Urbana, ILFluid Physics of Foam Evolution and FlowFluid Physics2001–2002

John BuckmasterUniversity of Illinois, Chicago, ILSmolder-Edge-Waves and Edge-FlamesCombustion Science2001–2002

David M. CeperleyUniversity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Urbana, ILProperties of Liquid Helium From Computer SimulationFundamental Physics2001–2002

Soyoung Stephen ChaUniversity of Illinois, Chicago, ILThree-Dimensional Velocity Field Characterization an aBridgman ApparatusMaterials Science2001

Jonathan A. DantzigUniversity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Urbana, ILAdaptive-Grid Methods for Phase-Field Models ofMicrostructure DevelopmentMaterials Science2001

Jonathan A. DantzigUniversity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Urbana, ILPhase-Field Modeling of Microstructure Development inMicrogravityMaterials Science2001–2002

Stephen H. DavisNorthwestern University, Evanston, ILInterfacial Dynamics

Fluid Physics2001–2002

Ronald S. KaplanFinch University of Health Sciences/The ChicagoMedical School, Chicago, ILCrystallization of the Mitochondrial MetaboliteTransport ProteinsBiotechnology2001–2002

Jennifer A. LewisUniversity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Urbana, ILColloidal Stability in Complex FluidsMaterials Science2001–2002

Chang LiuUniversity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Urbana, ILIntegrated Biomimetic Sensors Using Artifical Hair CellsBiotechnology2001–2002

Moshe MatalonNorthwestern University, Evanston, ILModeling Microgravity Non-Premixes CombustionSystems Combustion Science2001–2002

Bernard J. MatkowskyNorthwestern University, Evanston, ILFiltration Combustion for Microgravity Applications: (1)Smoldering Combustion Science2001–2002

Constantine M. MegaridisUniversity of Illinois, Chicago, ILMicrogravity Investigation on the Formation of Oxidesand Adsorbed Oxygen Films in Solder JettingApplications Pertinent to the Electronics ManufacturingIndustryMaterials Science2001–2002

Constantine M. MegaridisUniversity of Illinois, Chicago, ILMolten-Metal Droplet Deposition on a Moving Substratein Microgravity: Aiding the Development of NovelTechnologies for Microelectronic AssemblyFluid Physics2001–2002

Allan MyersonIllinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL

APPENDIX A

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002102

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Diffusion, Vicosity, and Crystal Growth of Proteins inMicrogravityBiotechnology2001–2002

Allan MyersonIllinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, ILThermodynamic and Spectroscopic Studies of SecondaryNucleation in MicrogravityMaterials Science2001–2002

Alexander Z. PatashinskiNorthwestern University, Evanston, ILThe Order Parameter for the Critical Point of Liquid-Liquid Transition in Single-Component LiquidsFundamental Physics2001

Ishwar K. PuriUniversity of Illinois, Chicago, ILGravitational Effects on Partially Premixed FlamesBiotechnology2001

Hermann RieckeNorthwestern University, Evanston, ILComplex Dynamics in Marangoni Convection With RotationFluid Physics2001–2002

Mary SilberNorthwestern University, Evanston, ILCompeting Instabilities and the Spatio-TemporalDynamics of Interfacial Wave PatternsFluid Physics2001–2002

Siavash H. SohrabNorthwestern University, Evanston, ILCombustion of Rotating Spherical Premixed andDiffusion Flames in MicrogravityCombustion Science2001–2002

Peter VoorheesNorthwestern University, Evanston, ILCoarsening in Solid-Liquid Mixtures (CSLM)-2Materials Science2001–2002

John S. WalkerUniversity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Urbana, ILModels of Magnetic Damping for BridgmanSemiconductor Crystal Growth in MicrogravityMaterials Science2001–2002

John S. WalkerUniversity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Urbana, ILModels to Optimize the Benefits of Rotating MagneticFields for Semiconductor Crystal Growth in SpaceMaterials Science2001–2002

Richard WeberContainerless Research, Inc., Evanston, ILMicrogravity Studies of Liquid-Liquid Phase Transitionsin Undercooled Alumina-Yttria MeltsMaterials Science2001–2002

Richard WeberContainerless Research, Inc., Evanston, ILProcess-Property-Structure Relationships in ComplexOxide MeltsMaterials Science2001–2002

Charles ZukoskiUniversity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Urbana, ILParticle Interaction Potentials and Protein Crystal QualityBiotechnology2001–2002

INDIANA

Hsueh-Chia ChangUniversity of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, INMicrocirculation Anomalies in Microgravity Blood FlowFluid Physics2002

James A. GlazierUniversity of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, INDiffusive Coarsening of Liquid Foams in MicrogravityFluid Physics2001–2002

Barbara L. GoldenPurdue University, West Lafayette, INEngineering a Ribozyme for Diffraction Properties Biotechnology2001–2002

David R. JohnsonPurdue University, West Lafayette, INExperimental and Numerical Investigations of GrowthMorphologies of Peritectic ReactionsMaterials Science2001–2002

V. Alan KosteleckyIndiana University, Bloomington; Bloomington, IN

APPENDIX 12 GRANT RECIPIENT

Theoretical Studies of Lorentz and CPT SymmetryFundamental Physics2001–2002

Issam MudawaPurdue University, West Lafayette, INInvestigation of Critical Heat Flux in Reduced GravityUsing Photomicrographic TechniquesFluid Physics2001–2002

Shripad T. RevankarPurdue University, West Lafayette, INStudy of Co-Current and Counter-Current Gas-LiquidTwo-Phase Flow Through Packed Bed in MicrogravityFluid Physics2002

Yudaya R. SivathanuEn’Urga, Inc., West Lafayette, INFan Beam Emission Tomography for Non-SymmetricLaminar FiresCombustion Science2001–2002

Paul ToddSpace Hardware Optimization Technology Inc., FloydKnobs, INPreparation and Analysis of RNA CrystalsBiotechnology2001–2002

Christie Marie TraycoffIndiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, INSelf-Renewal Replication of Hematopoietic Stem Cells inMicrogravityBiotechnology2001–2002

Arvind VarmaUniversity of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, INMechanic Studies of Combustion and StructureFormation During Synthesis of Advanced MaterialsCombustion Science2001–2002

Carl R. WassgrenPurdue University, West Lafayette, INGranular Flow Around Immersed ObjectsFluid Physics2002

IOWA

Mark ArnoldUniversity of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

Real-Time Monitoring of Protein Concentration inSolution to Control Nucleation and Crystal GrowthBiotechnology2001

Mark ArnoldUniversity of Iowa, Iowa City, IANoninvasive Near-Infrared Monitors for ProteinCrystallization and Biomedical Systems Biotechnology2001–2002

Christoph BeckermannUniversity of Iowa, Iowa City, IADendritic Alloy Solidification Experiment (DASE)Materials Science2001–2002

Christoph BeckermannUniversity of Iowa, Iowa City, IAEquiaxed Dendritic Solidification Experiment (EDSE)Materials Science2001–2002

Amitava BhattacharjeeUniversity of Iowa, Iowa City, IATheory and Simulation of Ground-Based andMicrogravity Dusty Plasma ExperimentsFluid Physics2001–2002

Lea Dur ChenUniversity of Iowa, Iowa City, IAReflight of ELF (Enclosed Laminar Flames)InvestigationCombustion Science2001–2002

Gerald M. ColverIowa State University, Ames, IowaQuenching of Particle-Gas Combustible Mixtures UsingElectric Particulate Suspension(EPS) and DispersionMethodsCombustion Science2001–2002

John A. GoreeUniversity of Iowa, Iowa City, IAPlasma Dust CrystallizationFluid Physics2001–2002

John A. GoreeUniversity of Iowa, Iowa City, IAOptically Excited Waves in 3-D Dusty PlasmasFluid Physics2002

APPENDIX A

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002104

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Jeffrey S. MarshallUniversity of Iowa, Iowa City, IARivulet Dynamics With Variable Gravity and WindShearFluid Physics2001–2002

David W. MurhammerUniversity of Iowa, Iowa City, IAMonitoring and Control of Rotating Wall Vessels andApplication to the Study of Prostate CancerBiotechnology2001–2002

Tonya PeeplesUniversity of Iowa, Iowa City, IAExtremophilic Interfacial Systems for Waste Processingin Space Biotechnology2001–2002

Victor RodgersUniversity of Iowa, Iowa City, IAEvaluating Oxidative Stress in Virally Infected Cells inSimulated MicrogravityBiotechnology2001–2002

Rohit TrivediIowa State University, Ames, IADynamical Selection of Three-Dimensional InterfacialPatterns in Directional SolidificationMaterials Science2001–2002

Rohit TrivediIowa State University, Ames, IAInterface Pattern Selection Criterion for CellularStructures in Directional SolidificationMaterials Science2001–2002

John M. WiencekUniversity of Iowa, Iowa City, IARejuvenation of Spent Media via Supported EmulsionLiquid MembranesBiotechnology2001–2002

John M. WiencekUniversity of Iowa, Iowa City, IAThermodynamics of Protein Crystallization and Links toCrystal QualityBiotechnology2001–2002

KANSAS

Mark D. HollingsworthKansas State University, Manhattan, KSCrystal Growth of New Families of Ferroelastic MaterialsMaterials Science2001–2002

Kenneth J. KlabundeKansas State University, Manhattan, KSNanocrystal Superlattices: Synthesis and PropertiesMaterials Science2001–2002

Christopher SorensenKansas State University, Manhattan, KSGelation in Aerosols: Non-Mean-Field AggregationKineticsFluid Physics2001–2002

KENTUCKY

Lori WilsonEastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KYMetastable Solution Structure and OptimizationStrategies in Protein Crystal GrowthBiotechnology2001–2002

LOUISANNA

Donald P. GaverTulane University, New Orleans, LAInvestigations of the Influence of Air-Liquid InterfacialStresses on Pulmonary Epithelial Cells in a MicrogravityEnvironmentFluid Physics2002

John J. HegsethUniversity of New Orleans, Lakefront, LAGeophysical Flow Experiment in a Rotating SphericalCapacitorFluid Physics2001–2002

Timothy G. HammondTulane University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LATranscription Factors Mediating Gene ExpressionChanges During Renal Cell Rotating Wall VesselCultureBiotechnology2001–2002

APPENDIX 12 GRANT RECIPIENT

Larry W. MasonLockheed Martin Space Systems Company, NewOrleans, LACO2 Acquisition Membrane (CAM)Materials Science2001–2002

Cheryl A. NickersonTulane University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LAEffect of Simulated Microgravity on Gene Expression inthe Enteric Pathogen Salmonella typhimuriumBiotechnology2001–2002

Kim C. O’ConnorTulane University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LASpatial Organization Within Prostate Cancer SpheroidsBiotechnology2001–2002

MARYLAND

Robert F. BergNational Institute of Standards and Technology,Gaithersburg, MDCritical Viscosity of Xenon 2 (CVX-2)Fundamental Physics2001–2002

Kim D. CollinsUniversity of Maryland Medical School,College Park, MDIons and Protein Association: aw and Protein CrystalsBiotechnology2001–2002

Anil E. DeaneUniversity of Maryland, College Park, MDGeophysical Flow Experiment in a Rotating SphericalCapacitorFluid Physics2002

Jocelyne DiruggieroUniversity of Maryland, College Park, MDMicrobial Resistance to Solar Radiation: DNADamage and Application of Repair Enzymes in BiotechnologyBiotechnology2001–2002

Richard A. FerrellUniversity of Maryland, College Park, MDTheory of Phase Transitions and Simulations inSuperfluid Helium

Fundamental Physics2001–2002

D. Travis GallagherCenter for Advanced Research in Biotechnology,Rockville, MDProtein and DNA Crystal Lattice EngineeringBiotechnology2001

Ashwani K. GuptaUniversity of Maryland, College Park, MDStudies on the Behavior of Highly Preheated Air Flamesin MicrogravityCombustion Science2001–2002

Anthony HaminsNational Institute of Standards and Technology,Gaithersburg, MDThe Extinction of Low–Strain Rate Diffusion Flames byan Agent in MicrogravityCombustion Science2001–2002

James L. HardenJohns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MDA Modular Library of Self-Assembling Artificial Proteinsfor Three-Dimensional Tissue CultureBiotechnology2001–2002

Leo W. HollbergNational Institute of Standards and Technology,Gaithersburg, MDAdvanced Optical Frequency Standard for SpaceFundamental Physics2001–2002

Takashi KashiwagiNational Institute of Standards and Technology,Gaithersburg, MDIgnition and the Subsequent Transition to Flame Spreadin MicrogravityCombustion Science2001

Takashi KashiwagiNational Institute of Standards and Technology,Gaithersburg, MDTransition From Ignition to Flame Growth UnderExternal Radiation in Three DimensionsCombustion Science2002

Jungho KimUniversity of Maryland, College Park, MD

APPENDIX A

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002106

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Investigation of Pool Boiling Heat Transfer Mechanismsin Microgravity Using an Array of Surface MountedHeat Flux SensorsFluid Physics2001

Jungho KimUniversity of Maryland, College Park, MDPooling Boiling Transfer Mechanisms in Microgravityand Partial GravityFluid Physics2001–2002

Wolfgang LosertUniversity of Maryland, College Park, MDGranular Flow Instabilities: Transients, Aging, andSegregation DynamicsFluid Physics2002

Richard MaurerJohns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MDDevelopment of a Neutron Spectrometer to AssesBiological Radiation Damage Behind SpacecraftMaterialsMaterials Science2001–2002

Geoffrey McFaddenNational Institute of Standards and Technology,Gaithersburg, MDConvective and Morphological Instabilities DuringCrystal GrowthMaterials Science2001–2002

Geoffrey McFaddenNational Institute of Standards and Technology,Gaithersburg, MDA Phase-Field/Fluid Motion Model of Solidification:Investigation of Flow Effects During DirectionalSolidification and Dendritic GrowthMaterials Science2001–2002

Michael R. MoldoverNational Institute of Standards and Technology,Gaithersburg, MDAcoustic Study of Critical Phenomena in MicrogravityFluid Physics2001–2002

George W. MulhollandNational Institute of Standards and Technology,Gaithersburg, MDKinetics and Structure of Superagglomerates Producedby Silane and Acetylene

Combustion Science2001–2002

Hasan N. OguzJohns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MDProduction and Removal of Gas Bubbles in MicrogravityFluid Physics2001

Ho Jung PaikUniversity of Maryland, College Park, MDSearch for Spin-Mass Interaction With aSuperconducting Differential Angular AccelerometerFundamental Physics2001

William D. PhillipsNational Institute of Standards and Technology,Gaithersburg, MDCondensate Laboratory Aboard the Space Station(CLASS)Fundamental Physics2001

William D. PhillipsNational Institute of Standards and Technology,Gaithersburg, MDEvaporative Cooling and Bose Condensates inMicrogravity: Picokelvin Atoms in SpaceFundamental Physics2001

Andrea ProsperettiJohns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MDAcoustic Bubble Removal From Boiling SurfacesFluid Physics2001

Andrea ProsperettiJohns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MDAcoustic Bubble Removal From Boiling Surfaces and ItsOptimizationFluid Physics2001–2002

Kathleen J. StebeJohns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MDUsing Surfactants To Control Bubble GrowthCoalescence in Nucleate Pool BoilingFluid Physics2001–2002

Donald SullivanNational Institute of Standards and Technology,Gaithersburg, MDPrimary Atomic Reference Clock in Space (PARCS)

APPENDIX 12 GRANT RECIPIENT

Fundamental Physics2001–2002

Jose L. ToreroUniversity of Maryland, College Park, MDMaterial Properties Governing Co-Current FlameSpread in Micro-GravityCombustion Science2001–2002

Denis WirtzJohns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MDNovel Microgravity Optical Technique for MolecularlyEngineering Electrophoretic MediaBiotechnology2001

MASSACHUSETTS

George BenedekMassachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MAKinetic Evolution of Stable and Metastable States inProtein SolutionsMaterials Science2001–2002

Peggy CebeTufts University, Medford, MAStudy of Development of Polymer Structure inMicrogravity Using EllipsometryMaterials Science2001–2002

Michael CimaMassachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MAForces During Manufacture and Assembly of MicroscaleDiscrete Electronic ComponentsMaterials Science2001–2002

Merton C. FlemingsMassachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MAThe Role of Convection and Growth Competition onPhase Selection in MicrogravityMaterials Science2001–2002

Seth FradenBrandeis University, Waltham, MANucleation of Colloidal and Protein Crystals in theVicinity of a Metastable Critical PointFluid Physics2001–2002

Lisa E. FreedMassachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

Microgravity Tissue EngineeringBiotechnology2001–2002

Alice P. GastMassachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MAAnisotropic Colloidal Self AssemblyFluid Physics2002

James C. HermansonWorcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MAStability and Heat Transfer Characteristics ofCondensing Films in Reduced GravityFluid Physics2001

James C. HermansonWorcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MACombustion Characteristics of Fully Modulated,Turbulent Diffusion Flames in Reduced GravityCombustion Science2001–2002

R. Glynn HoltBoston University, Boston, MASonoluminescence in Space: the Critical Role ofBuoyancy in Stability and Emission MechanismsFluid Physics2001–2002

R. Glynn HoltBoston University, Boston, MARheology of Foam Near the Order-Disorder TransitionFluid Physics2002

David L. KaplanTufts University, Medford, MAHierarchical Assembly of CollagenMaterials Science2001–2002

Alain S. KarmaNortheastern University, Boston, MAPhase-Field Simulations of Dendritic Growth at Low Undercooling: Confronting Theory and ExperimentMaterials Science2001–2002

Alain S. KarmaNortheastern University, Boston, MAThe Role of Dynamic Nucleation at Moving Boundariesin Phase and Microstructure SelectionMaterials Science2001

APPENDIX A

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002108

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Wolfgang KetterleMassachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MATowards Precision Experiments with Bose-EinsteinCondensates IIFundamental Physics2001–2002

Matthew B. KossCollege of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MATransient Dendritic Solidification Experiment (TDSE)Materials Science2001–2002

Gareth H. McKinleyMassachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MAAn Interferometric Investigation of Contact-LineDynamics in Spreading Polymer Melts and SolutionsFluid Physics2001–2002

Gareth H. McKinleyMassachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MAResin-Spinning of Synthetic Polymer Fibers With Silk-Like PropertiesBiotechnology2001–2002

Gareth H. McKinleyMassachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MAExtensional Rheology Experiment (ERE)Fluid Physics2002

Keith E. OslakovicMolecular Geodesics, Inc., Boston, MAFunctionally Adapted Biomimetic Material for SpaceExplorationBiotechnology2001–2002

W. Terry RawlinsPhysical Sciences Inc., Andover, MAHyperspectral Imaging of Flame Spread Over Solid FuelSurfaces Using Adaptive Fabry-Perot FiltersCombustion Science2001-2002

Thomas RussellUniversity of Massachusetts, Amherst, MACapillary Wavelengths at Interfaces: The Role of Gravityand Electric Field EnhancementMaterials Science2001–2002

Albert SaccoNortheastern University, Boston, MA

Modeling of Macroscopic/Microscopic Transport andGrowth Phenomena in Zeolite Crystal Solutions UnderMicrogravityMaterials Science2001

Donald SadowayMassachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MAFrom Oxygen Generation to Metal Production: In SituResource Utilization by Molten Oxide ElectrolysisMaterials Science2001–2002

William J. SchwartzUniversity of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MAMicrogravity and the Biology of Neural Stem CellsBiotechnology2001–2002

Irwin ShapiroSmithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MATest of the Equivalence Principle in an EinsteinElevatorFundamental Physics2001

Frans SpaepenHarvard University, Cambridge, MAKinetics of Nucleation and Growth From Undercooled MeltsMaterials Science2001

Frans SpaepenHarvard University, Cambrdige, MAGlass Formation, Nucleation, and Diffusion in MetallicMeltsMaterials Science2001–2002

Arthur J. SytkowskiBeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MAGrowth Factor Receptor Function and CellDifferentiation in a Low-Shear EnvironmentBiotechnology2001–2002

Gretar TryggvasonWorcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MAComputations of Boiling in MicrogravityFluid Physics2001

Gretar TryggvasonWorcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MAComputational Modeling of the Effect of SecondaryForces on the Phase Distribution in Dispersed

APPENDIX 12 GRANT RECIPIENT

Multiphase Channel FlowsFluid Physics2001–2002

Michael TsapatsisUniversity of Massachusetts, Amherst, MAThin-Film Molecular Sieve Synthesis: Processing-Microstructure Relationships and the Effect of Gravityon MicrostructureMaterials Science2001–2002

Ronald L. WalsworthSmithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MAGround-Based Investigations With the CryogenicHydrogen MaserFundamental Physics2001

Ronald L. WalsworthSmithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MAProbing Planck-Scale Physics With a 21Ne-3He ZeemanMaserFundamental Physics2001

David A. WeitzHarvard University, Cambridge, MAFabrication of Photonic Structure With ColloidEngineeringFluid Physics2001–2002

David A. WeitzHarvard University, Cambridge, MAPhysics of Colloids in Space (PCS)Fluid Physics2001–2002

David A. WeitzHarvard University, Cambridge, MAEngineering of Novel Biocolloidal SuspensionsFluid Physics2002

August WittMassachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MAIdentification and Control of Gravity-Related DefectFormation During Melt Growth of Electro-optic SingleCrystals: Sillenites (Bi12SiO20, BSO)Materials Science2001–2002

MICHIGAN

Arvind AtreyaUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Radiant Extinction of Gaseous Diffusion FlamesCombustion Science2001–2002

Andre BenardMichigan State University, East Lansing, MIInvestigation of Solidification Processes With ConvectionUsing Meshless Methods and Quantitative ExperimentalVerificationMaterials Science2001–2002

Thomas CourtneyMichigan Technological University, Houghton, MIGravity-Induced Settling in Interconnected Liquid-SolidSystemsMaterials Science2001–2002

Werner DahmUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MITurbulent Flame Processes via Vortex-Ring-DiffusionFlame InteractionBiotechnology2001

James F. DriscollUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MITo Assess the Theory of Flame StretchCombustion Science2001–2002

Gerard M. FaethUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MIFlow/Soot-Formation in Nonbouyant Laminar DiffusionFlamesCombustion Science2001–2002

Gerard M. FaethUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MIInvestigation of Laminar Jet Diffusion Flames in MicrogravityCombustion Science2001–2002

James B. GrotbergUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MICapillary-Elastic Instabilities in MicrogravityFluid Physics2001

James B. GrotbergUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MIFluid Dynamics and Interfacial Stability of PulmonaryAirway Closure and Reopening in MicrogravityFluid Physics2002

APPENDIX A

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002110

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Ronald G. LarsonUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MIMicroscopic Visualization of Fluid Flow in EvaporatingDroplets and Electro-Osmotic FlowFluid Physics2001

Ronald G. LarsonUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MIMicrofluidic and Dielectric Processing of DNAFluid Physics2002

Laura R. McCabeMichigan State University, East Lansing, MIMicrogravity Regulation of Oncogene Expression andOsteoblast DifferentiationBiotechnology2001–2002

Marc PerlinUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MIUsing Nonlinearity and Contact Lines to Control FluidFlow in MicrogravityFluid Physics2001–2002

Michael J. SolomonUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MIAggregation and Gelation in Suspensions of AnisometricParticles: Studies of Colloidal Platelets and RodsFluid Physics2001–2002

Indrek S. WichmanMichigan State University, East Lansing, MIInvestigation of Diffusion Flame Tip Instability inMicrogravityCombustion Science2001–2002

MINNESOTA

Jeffrey DerbyUniversity of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MNAtomistic Simulations of Cadmium Telluride: TowardUnderstanding the Benefits of Microgravity Crystal GrowthMaterials Science2001

Jeffrey DerbyUniversity of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MNFirst Principles Calculations of Molten II-VI Compoundsand Their Solidification BehaviorMaterials Science2001–2002

Jeffrey DerbyUniversity of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MNTheoretical Analysis of 3-D Transient Convection andSegregation in Microgravity Bridgman Crystal GrowthMaterials Science2001–2002

MISSISSIPPI

John PojmanUniversity of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MSTransient Interfacial Phenomena in Miscible PolymerSystemsMaterials Science2001–2002

Joe B. WhiteheadUniversity of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MSPhase Separation and Self-Assembly of Liquid Crystalsand Polymer Dispersions: A Ground-Based FeasibilityStudy for MicrogravityMaterials Science2001–2002

W. W. WilsonMississippi State University, Starkville, MSHigh-Throughput Screening of Protein-ProteinInteractions by Microchip SPACEBiotechnology2001–2002

W. W. WilsonMississippi State University, Starkville, MSNovel Approaches Regarding Protein StabilityBiotechnology2001–2002

MISSOURI

Richard L. AxelbaumWashington University, St. Louis, MOFlame Design — A Novel Approach to Clean, EfficientDiffusion FlamesCombustion Science2001–2002

Delbert E. DayUniversity of Missouri, Rolla; Rolla, MOKinetics of Nucleation and Crystal Growth in Glass-Forming Melts in MicrogravityMaterials Science2001–2002

Kenneth F. KeltonWashington University, St. Louis, MO

APPENDIX 12 GRANT RECIPIENT

Phase Formation and Stability: Sample Size EffectsMaterials Science2001

Kenneth F. KeltonWashington University, St. Louis, MOStudies of Nucleation and Growth, Specific Heat andViscosity of Undercooled Melts of Polycrystals andPolytetrahedral Phase-Forming AlloysMaterials Science2001–2002

MONTANA

Kenneth L. NordtvedtNorthwest Analysis, Bozeman, MTOptimizing Science From a STEP MissionFundamental Physics2001

NEVADA

Garcia Almeida-PoradaUniversity of Nevada, Reno, NVStem Cell Plasticity Under Simulated GravityBiotechnology2001–2002

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Christopher J. CrowleyCreare, Incorporated, Hanover, NHScaling of Multiphase Flow Regimes and InterfacialBehavior at MicrogravityFluid Physics2001

Ursula GibsonDartmouth College Hanover, NHIn-Situ Optical Waveguides for Pomoting andMonitoring Protein Crystal GrowthBiotechnology2001–2002

NEW JERSEY

Paul M. ChaikinPrinceton University, Princeton, NJThe Control and Dynamics of Hard-Sphere ColloidalDispersionsFluid Physics2001–2002

Edward L. DreizinNew Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJHigh-Temperature Phases and Phase Equilibria inReactive Molten Metal–Based SystemsMaterials Science2001–2002

Benjamin J. GlasserRutgers University, Piscataway, NJThe Effect of Gravity on the Mechanics of FluidizedBedsFluid Physics2001–2002

David G. KeilTitan Corporation, Princeton, NJParticle Generation and Evolution in Silane/AcetyleneFlames in MicrogravityCombustion Science2001–2002

Harry KojimaRutgers University, Piscataway, NJStress-Driven Instabilities on Helium-4 CrystalsFundamental Physics2001–2002

Chung K. LawPrinceton University, Princeton, NJAerodynamics and Chemical Kinetics of PremixedFlames at High PressuresCombustion Science2001–2002

Chung K. LawPrinceton University, Princeton, NJStructure and Response of Spherical Diffusion FlamesCombustion Science2001–2002

Dudley A. SavillePrinceton University, Princeton, NJElectrohydrodynamic Flows in Electrochemical SystemsFluid Physics2001–2002

Dudley A. SavillePrinceton University, Princeton, NJElectrohydrodynamics of SuspensioonsBiotechnology2001–2002

NEW MEXICO

Alex V. BabkinUniversity of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM

APPENDIX A

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002112

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Surface Physics With Helium CrystalsFundamental Physics2001–2002

Stephen BoydUniversity of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NMNew Phenomena in Strongly Counterflowing He-II nearT-LambdaFundamental Physics2001–2002

Robert V. DuncanUniversity of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NMCritical Dynamics in MicrogravityFundamental Physics2001–2002

Eichi FukushimaNew Mexico Resonance, Albuquerque, NMA Robust Magnetic Resonance Imager for Ground- andFlight-Based Measurements of Fluid Physics PhenomenaFluid Physics2001

Joel A. SilverSouthwest Sciences, Inc., Santa Fe, NMQuantitative Species Measurements in MicrogravityCombustion FlamesCombustion Science2001–2002

NEW YORK

Andreas AcrivosCity College of the City University of New York, New York, NYThe Synergism of Electrorheological Response,Dielectrophoresis, and Shear-Induced Diffusion inFlowing SuspensionsFluid Physics2001–2002

Andreas AcrivosCity College of the City University of New York, New York, NYParticle Segregation in a Flowing ConcentratedSuspension Subject to High-Gradient Strong ElectricFieldsFluid Physics2002

C. Thomas AvedisianCornell University, Ithaca, NYInfluence of Pressure and Composition on Combustion ofSooting Fuel Droplets in Microgravity

Combustion Science2001–2002

Carl A. BattCornell University, Ithaca, NYBiodegradable PolymersFundamental Physics2001–2002

Jeffrey A. BellNYS Department of Health, Albany, NYProtein Crystal-Based NanomaterialsBiotechnology2001–2002

Morris A. BenjaminsonNSR-Touro Applied Bioscience Research Consortium,Bay Shore, NYGravity, Time Interactions, and the Cycle of LifeFundamental Physics2001–2002

Lance R. CollinsCornell University, Ithaca, NYDynamics of Aerosol Particles in Stationary, IsotropicTurbulenceFluid Physics2002

George T. DeTittaHauptman-Woodard Medical Research Institute, Buffalo, NYHigh Throughput Methods for Rational Prediction ofMacromolecular Crystallization ConditionsBiotechnology2001–2002

George T. DeTittaHauptman-Woodard Medical Research Institute, Buffalo, NYMacromolecular Crystallizaton, Physical Principles,Passive Devices, and Optimal ProtocolsBiotechnology2001–2002

Michael DudleyState University of New York, Stony Brook, NYWhite-Beam X-Ray Topography and High-ResolutionTriple-Axis X-Ray Diffraction CharacterizationMaterials Science2001

Peyman GiviUniversity of New York, Buffalo, NYLarge Eddy Simulation of Gravitational Effects inTransitional and Turbulent Diffusion Flames

APPENDIX 12 GRANT RECIPIENT

Combustion Science2001–2002

Martin E. GlicksmanRensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NYEvolution of Local Microstructures (ELMS): SpatialInstabilities of Coarsening ClustersMaterials Science2001–2002

Martin E. GlicksmanRensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NYFollow-On Research Activities for the RensselaerIsothermal Dendritic Growth ExperimentMaterials Science2001–2002

Bing GongUniversity of Buffalo (SUNY), Buffalo, NYA New Class of Unnatural Folding Oligomers: Heliceswith Nano-Sized CavitiesBiotechnology2001–2002

James T. JenkinsCornell University, Ithaca, NYParticle Segregation in Collisional Shearing FlowsFluid Physics2001–2002

James T. JenkinsCornell University, Ithaca, NYSheet Flows, Avalanches, and Dune Evolution on Earthand MarsFluid Physics2001–2002

Donald L. KochCornell University, Ithaca, NYTurbulence-Induced Coalescence of Aerosol ParticlesFluid Physics2001–2002

Joel KoplikCity College of the City University of New York, NewYork, NYMolecular Dynamics of Fluid-Solid SystemsFluid Physics2001–2002

David J. LarsonNASA Headquarters/State University of New York,Stony Brook, NYDefects Numerically Decreased (DENUDE)Materials Science2001–2002

David LeeCornell University, Ithaca, NYStudies of Atomic Free Radicals Stored in a CryogenicEnvironmentFundamental Physics2001–2002

Sung P. LinClarkson University, Potsdam, NYAbsolute and Convective Instability and Splitting of aLiquid Jet at MicrogravityFluid Physics2001

Michel Y. LougeCornell University, Ithaca, NYStudies of Gas-Particle Interactions in a MicrogravityFlow CellFluid Physics2001–2002

Charles MaldarelliCity College of the City University of New York, NewYork, NYUsing Remobilizing Surfactants to Enhance theThermocapillary Migration of Bubbles Retarded by theAdsorption of Surfactant ImpuritiesFluid Physics2001–2002

Aleksandar OstrogorskyRensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NYSpace- and Ground-Based Crystal Growth Using aBaffle (CGB)Materials Science2001–2002

Jeevak ParpiaCornell University, Ithaca, NYThe Effect of Thermal History, Temperature Gradients,and Gravity on Capillary Condensation of Phase-Separated Liquid 3He-4He Mixtures in AerogelFundamental Physics2001

Lois PollackCornell University, Ithaca, NYMicroscale Mixer for Protein FoldingFundamental Physics2001

Miriam RafailovichState University of New York, Stony Brook, NYMicrogravity Processing of Polymer Thin FilmsMaterials Science2001–2002

APPENDIX A

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002114

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Liya L. RegalClarkson University, Potsdam, NYImproved Crystal Quality by Detached Solidification inMicrogravityMaterials Science2001–2002

Ashok S. SanganiSyracuse University; Syracuse, NYRapidly Sheared Bubbly SuspensionsFluid Physics2001–2002

Hayley H. ShenClarkson University, Potsdam, NYConstitutive Relation in Transitional Granular FlowsFluid Physics2002

Albert J. SieversCornell University, Ithaca, NYInfluence of Homogeneity and Fragility on theDynamical Properties of Glassy NetworksMaterials Science2001–2002

Paul H. SteenCornell University, Ithaca, NYStability of Shapes Held by Surface Tension andSubjected to FlowFluid Physics2001

Paul H. SteenCornell University, Ithaca, NYDynamics and Stability of Capillary Systems: MovingLiquids by DesignFluid Physics2002

Shankar R. SubramanianClarkson University, Potsdam, NYMotion of Drops on Surfaces With WettabilityGradientsFluid Physics2002

Robert E. ThorneCornell University, Ithaca, NYDefects, Growth, and Elastic Properties of ProteinCrystalsBiotechnology2001–2002

Robert E. ThorneCornell University, Ithaca, NYImpurity Effects in Macromolecular Crystal Growth

Biotechnology2001–2002

Robert E. ThorneCornell University, Ithaca, NYMacromolecular Crystal Growth: TechniquesDevelopment, Fundamental Studies, and Applicationsto Complexes Affecting Cell Growth and DivisionBiotechnology2001–2002

Peter C. Wayner Jr.Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NYA Study of the Constrained Vapor Bubble HeatExchangerFluid Physics2001

Peter C. Wayner Jr.Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NYTheoretical and Experimental Investigation of theStability of an Evaporating Constrained Vapor BubbleFluid Physics2001–2002

Peter C. Wayner Jr.Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NYResearch and Development Work on the ConstrainedVapor Bubble System for a Microgravity ExperimentFluid Physics2002

William WilcoxClarkson University, Potsdam, NYUse of Microgravity to Control the Microstructure ofEutecticsMaterials Science2001

William WilcoxClarkson University, Potsdam, NYResidual Gas Effects on Detached Solidification inMicrogravityMaterials Science2001–2002

J. H. David WuUniversity of Rochester, Rochester, NYEx-Vivo Hematopoiesis in a Three-Dimensional HumanBone Marrow Culture Under Simulated MicrogravityBiotechnology2001

J. H. David WuUniversity of Rochester, Rochester, NYCircadian Rhythm and Control of Hematopoiesis

APPENDIX 12 GRANT RECIPIENT

Biotechnology2001–2002

Nicholas ZabarasCornell University, Ithaca, NYOn the Control of the Effects of Gravity on theSolidification Microstructures Using OptimallyDesigned Thermal Boundary Fluxes andElectromagnetic FieldsMaterials Science2001–2002

NORTH CAROLINA

Klaus BachmannNorth Carolina State University, Raleigh, NCFundamental Aspects of Vapor Deposition and EtchingUnder Diffusion-Controlled Transport ComditionsMaterials Science2001

Robert P. BehringerDuke University, Durham, NCGravity and Granular MaterialsFluid Physics2001–2002

Jerry BernholcNorth Carolina State University, Raleigh, NCGrowth and Properties of Carbon NanotubesMaterials Science2001–2002

Charles CarterUniversity of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NCQuantitative Multivariate Methods for Pre-FlightOptimization and Post-Flight Evaluation ofMacromolecular Crystal GrowthBiotechnology2001–2002

William KrausDuke University Medical Center, Durham, NCDifferentiation and Maintenance of Skeletal and CardiacMuscle in Simulated MicrogravityBiotechnology2001–2002

Andrey V. KuznetsovNorth Carolina State University, Raleigh, NCInvestigation of Interactions Between Bioconvection andNatural Convection and Biofilm Growth in PorousMediaFluid Physics2002

Nancy MaNorth Carolina State University, Raleigh, NCModels of Mass Transport During Microgravity CrystalGrowth of Alloyed Semiconductors in a Magnetic FieldMaterials Science2001–2002

Horst MeyerDuke University, Durham, NCDensity Equilibration in Fluids Near the Liquid-VaporCritical PointFundamental Physics2001

John E. ThomasDuke University, Durham, NCQuantum Coherence in Ultracold Fermionic VaporsFundamental Physics2001

OHIO

J. Iwan D. AlexanderCase Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OHVibrations and G-Jitter: Transport Disturbances Due toResidual Acceleration During Low Gravity DirectionalSolidification ExperimentsMaterials Science2001

C. David AndereckOhio State University, Columbus, OHUltrasound Thermal Field Imaging of Opaque FluidsFluid Physics2001–2002

Ramaswamy BalasubramaniamGlenn Research Center, Cleveland, OHInstability of Miscible InterfacesFluid Physics2001–2002

Joanne BelovichCleveland State University, Cleveland, OHAn Acoustically Assisted Bioreactor for Terrestrial andMicrogravity ApplicationsBiotechnology2001–2002

Gloria BorgstahlUniversity of Toledo, Toledo, OHSearching for the Best Protein Crystals: Integration ofSynchrotron-Based Quality Measurements and StructureDeterminationBiotechnology2001–2002

APPENDIX A

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002116

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Gloria BorgstahlUniversity of Toledo, Toledo, OHSearching for the Best Protein Crystals: Synchrotron-Based Mosaicity Measurements of Crystal Quality andTheoretical ModelingBiotechnology2001–2002

Daniel DietrichGlenn Research Center, Cleveland, OHCandle Flames in MicrogavityCombustion Science2001

Prabir DuttaOhio State University, Columbus, OHFundamantal Studies of Crystal Growth of MicroporousMaterialsMaterials Science2001–2002

Walter M. B. DuvalGlenn Research Center, Cleveland, OHStereo-Imaging Velocimetry of Mixing Driven byBuoyancy-Induced Flow FieldsFluid Physics2001–2002

David G. FischerGlenn Research Center, Cleveland, OHThree-Dimensional, Reflection-Mode Near-FieldMicroscopy for Microfluidic PhenomenaFluid Physics2002

DeVon W. GriffinGlenn Research Center, Cleveland, OHPhase-Shifting Point Diffraction Interferometer forMicrogravity Fluid PhysicsFluid Physics2001–2002

Prabhat K. GuptaOhio State University, Columbus, OHInterdiffusion in the Presence of Free ConvectionMaterials Science2001–2002

Tin-Lun (Jason) HoOhio State University, Columbus, OHQuantum Gases in Novel Environments: Optical Latticesand Rapidly Rotating PotentialsFundamental Physics2002

Donald T. JacobsCollege of Wooster, Wooster, OH

Turbidity and Universality Around a Liquid-LiquidCritical PointFundamental Physics2001–2002

Yasuhiro KamotaniCase Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OHGas Evolution Effect on Mass Transfer in RotatingElectrochemical Cells Under Microgravity ConditionsFluid Physics2001–2002

Mohammad KassemiNational Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids andCombustion, Cleveland, OHEffect of Marangoni Convection Generated by Voids onSegregation During Low-g and 1-g SolidificationMaterials Science2001

William B. KrantzUniversity of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OHMicroscopic Flow Visualization in Demixing FluidsDuring Polymeric Membrane Formation in Low-gFluid Physics2001–2002

David MatthiesenCase Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OHDiffusion Processes in Molten Semiconductors (DPIMS)Materials Science2001–2002

John McQuillenGlenn Research Center, Cleveland, OHA Study of Bubble and Slug Gas-Liquid Flow in aMicrogravity EnvironmentFluid Physics2001

John McQuillenGlenn Research Center, Cleveland, OHStudy of Two-Phase Gas-Liquid Flow Behavior atReduced-Gravity ConditionsFluid Physics2001–2002

Fletcher MillerNational Center for Microgravity Research, Cleveland, OHGravitational Influences on Flame Propagation ThroughNon-Uniform Premixed Gas Systems (Layers)Combustion Science2001–2002

Vedha NayagamGlenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH

APPENDIX 12 GRANT RECIPIENT

Dynamics of Droplet Combustion and Extinction in aSlow Convective Flow (DDCE)Combustion Science2001–2002

Vedha NayagamGlenn Research Center, Cleveland, OHStretched Diffusion Flames in Von Karman SwirlingFlowsCombustion Science2001–2002

Sandra L. OlsonGlenn Research Center, Clevelamd, OHDevelopment of an Earth-Based Apparatus to AssessMaterial Flammability in Low-Convection Environmentsfor Microgravity and Extraterrestrial Fire-SafetyApplicationsCombustion Science2001–2002

Sandra L. OlsonGlenn Research Center, Cleveland, OHLow-Stretch Diffusion Flames Over a Solid FuelCombustion Science2001–2002

Charles S. RosenblattCase Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OHDetermination of the Surface Energy of LiquidCrystals From the Shape Anistropy of FreelySuspended DropletsMaterials Science2001

Charles S. RosenblattCase Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OHSimulated Microgravity Measurement Techniques forthe Study of Dynamic Effects in PhospholipidSurfactantsFundamental Physics2001

Howard D. RossGlenn Research Center, Cleveland, OHIgnition and Flame Spread of Liquid Fuel PoolsCombustion Science2001–2002

Howard D. RossGlenn Research Center, Cleveland, OHSecondary Fires: Initiation and ExtinguishmentCombustion Science2001–2002

Gary A. RuffGlenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH

Combustion of Unsupported Droplet Clusters inMicrogravityCombustion Science2002

Kurt R. SackstederGlenn Research Center, Cleveland, OHFlame Spread and Extinction in Partial GravityEnvironmentsCombustion Science2001–2002

Constance SchallUniversity of Toledo, Toledo, OHInfluence of Impurities on Protein Crystal GrowthBiotechnology2001–2002

Constance SchallUniversity of Toledo, Toledo, OHOptimization of Cryogenic Cooling of Protein CrystalsBiotechnology2001–2002

Peter B. SunderlandGlenn Research Center, Cleveland, OHInvestigation of Velocity and Temperature inMicrogravity Laminar Jet Diffusion FlamesCombustion Science2001–2002

Fumiaki TakahashiNational Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids andCombustion, Cleveland, OHPhysical and Chemical Aspects of Fire Suppression inExtraterrestrial EnvironmentsCombustion Science2001–2002

Fumiaki TakahashiNational Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids andCombustion, Cleveland, OHReaction Kernel Structure and Diffusion FlameStabilizationCombustion Science2001–2002

Saleh TanveerOhio State University, Columbus, OHDendritic Crystal GrowthFluid Physics2002

James S. T’ienCase Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OHCombustion of Solid Fuel in Very Low-Speed OxygenStreams

APPENDIX A

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002118

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Combustion Science2001–2002

Padetha TinNational Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids andCombustion, Cleveland, OHInterfacial Energy Determination of Succinonitrile andSuccinonitrile-Acetone Alloy Using Surface Light-Scattering SpectrometerMaterials Science2001–2002

David L. UrbanGlenn Research Center, Cleveland, OHCharacterization of Smoke From Microgravity Fires forImproved Spacecraft Fire DetectionCombustion Science2001–2002

Randall L. Vander WalNational Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids andCombustion, Cleveland, OHCarbon Nanostructure: Its Evolution and Its ImpactUpon Soot Growth and OxidationCombustion Science2001–2002

Randall L. Vander WalNational Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids andCombustion, Cleveland, OHSplashing DropletsFluid Physics2001–2002

Randall L. Vander WalNational Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids andCombustion, Cleveland, OHThe Synthesis of Graphite Encapsulated MetalNanoparticles and Metal Catalytic NanotubesCombustion Science2001–2002

Allen WilkinsonGlenn Research Center, Cleveland, OHMeasuring the Distribution Function Moments of theSubcorrelation Length Critical Fluid FluctuationsFundamental Physics2001

Zeng-Guang YuanNational Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids andCombustion, Cleveland, OHEffects of Electric Field on Soot Processes in Non-Bouyant Hydrocarbon-Fueled FlameCombustion Science2001–2002

Nengli ZhangOhio Aerospace Institute, Cleveland, OHEnhanced Boiling on Microconfigured CompositeSurfaces Under Microgravity ConditionsFluid Physics2001–2002

OKLAHOMA

Ajay K. AgrawalUniversity of Oklahoma, Norman, OKGravitational Effects on Flow Instability and Transitionin Low-Density Gas JetsFluid Physics2001–2002

Ramkumar ParthasarathyUniversity of Oklahoma, Norman, OKInstability and Breakup of Gas jets Injected in Co-Flowing FluidsFluid Physics2001–2002

Penger TongOklahoma State University, Stillwater, OKStudies of Particle Sedimentation by Novel ScatteringTechniquesFluid Physics2001

OREGON

Mark M. WeislogelPortland State University, Portland, ORCapillary Flow in Interior CornersFluid Physics2002

PENNSYLVANIA

Ali BorhanPennsylvania State University, University Park, PADynamics of Drops and Bubbles in Confined Flows ofComplex FluidsFluid Physics2002

Tauseef ButtLifeSensors, Inc., Malvern, PAMicrofabrication of a Cell-Based Estrogen Sensor Switchon a Plastic MicrochipFundamental Physics2001–2002

APPENDIX 12 GRANT RECIPIENT

Moses H. W. ChanPennsylvania State University, University Park, PACritical Casimir ForcesFundamental Physics2001–2002

Mun Y. ChoiDrexel University, Philadelphia, PAExperiments and Model Developments for Investigationof Sooting and Radiation Effects in Microgravity DropletCombustionCombustion Science2002

Lance R. CollinsPennsylvania State University, University Park, PADynamics of Aerosol Particles in Stationary, IsotropicTurbulenceFluid Physics2001

Paul DucheyneUniversity of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PASurface Transformation of Reactive Glass in aMicrogravity EnvironmentMaterials Science2001–2002

Andrzej FertalaThomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PAGenetically Engineered Collagen II for Smart BiomaterialsBiotechnology2001–2002

Stephen GaroffCarnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PAMicroscale Hydrodyamics Near Moving Contact LinesFluid Physics2001–2002

Randall M. GermanPennsylvania State University, University Park, PAGravitational Effects on Distortion in SinteringMaterials Science2001–2002

Kurt GibblePennsylvania State University, University Park, PAInvestigation of Future Microgravity Atomic ClocksFundamental Physics2001–2002

Daniel HammerUniversity of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PAEngineering of Novel Biocolloidal SuspensionsFluid Physics2001–2002

Daniel A. HammerUniversity of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PAPolymosomes: Tough Giant Vesicles From BlockCopolymersMaterials Science2001–2002

Peter LelkesDrexel University, Philadelphia, PAPC12 Pheochromocytoma Cells: A Proven ModelSystem for Optimizing 3-D Cell CultureBiotechnology in SpaceBiotechnology2001–2002

Patrick J. LollMCP-Hahnemann University, Philadelphia, PADetergent Interactions Affecting Membrane ProteinCrystallization: Analysis and Use in Screen DesignBiotechnology2001

Patrick J. LollDrexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PADetergent Interactions Affecting Membrance ProteinCrystallization: Analysis and Use in Screen DesignBiotechnology2002

Howard G. PearlmanDrexel University, Philadelphia, PAThe Cool Flames Space-Flight ExperimentCombustion Science2001–2002

Howard G. PearlmanDrexel University, Philadelphia, PADetermination of Cool Flame Quenching Distances atMicrogravity Combustion Science2001–2002

Gregory RoherCarnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PAShape Evolution of Small Ceramic MaterialsMaterials Science2001–2002

Gary A. RuffDrexel University, Philadelphia, PACombustion of Unconfined Droplet Clusters inMicrogravityCombustion Science2001

Peter SchifferPennsylvania State University, University Park, PA

APPENDIX A

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002120

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Experimental and Theoretical Studies of Wet GranularMediaFluid Physics2001–2002

Robert SekerkaCarnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PALattice Boltzmann Computations of Binary Diffusion inLiquids Under Stochastic MicrogravityMaterials Science2001–2002

Irving M. ShapiroThomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PAEffect of Microgravity on Human Osteoblast Life HistoryBiotechnology2001–2002

Paul J. SidesCarnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PALateral Motion of Particles and Bubbles Caused byPhoretic Flows Near a Solid InterfaceFluid Physics2001–2002

Jogender SinghPennsylvania State University, University Park, PAGravitational Effect on the Development of Laser Weld-Pool and Solidification MicrostructureMaterials Science2001–2002

John M. TarbellPennsylvania State University, University Park, PAMicrogravity Effects on Transendothelial TransportFluid Physics2001

John M. TarbellPennsylvania State University, University Park, PAMicrogravity Effects on Transvascular Transport andVascular ControlFluid Physics2002

Robert D. TiltonCarnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PAElectroosmotic and Electrophoretic Self-AssemblyTechniques To Promote Mass Transfer in BiosensorsBiotechnology2001–2002

Xiao-lun WuUniversity of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PAForced Two-Dimensional Trubulence in Freely Suspended FilmsFluid Physics2001–2002

Xiao-lun WuUniversity of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PAFreely suspended Liquid Films and Their Applications inBiological ResearchBiotechnology2001–2002

Xiao-lun WuUniversity of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PAFull-Field Interferometric Measurements of Thickness ofFreely Suspended Liquid FilmsFluid Physics2002

Arjun G. YodhUniversity of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PAColloidal Assembly in Entropically Driven, Low-Volume-Fraction Binary Particle SuspensionsFluid Physics2001

RHODE ISLAND

Charles ElbaumBrown University, Providence, RIKinetic and Thermodynamic Studies of Melting-Freezingof Helium in MicrogravityFundamental Physics2001–2002

Mohammad FaghriUniversity of Rhode Island, Kingston, RIPhase Change in Low and Jittering Gravity EnvironmentSimulated via Electromagnetic FieldFluid Physics2001–2002

Humphrey J. MarisBrown University, Providence, RICoalescence of Superfluid Helium Drops in aMicrogravity EnvironmentFundamental Physics2001

James M. VallesBrown University, Providence, RIMagnetic Field Gradient Levitation System for Physicsand BiophysicsFundamental Physics2001

SOUTH CAROLINA

Adam SmolkaMedical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC

APPENDIX 12 GRANT RECIPIENT

Gastric Mucosal Cell Culture in Simulated MicrogravityBiotechnology2001–2002

TENNESSEE

Robert BayuzickVanderbilt University, Nashville, TNInvestigation of the Relationship Between Undercoolingand Solidification VelocityMaterials Science2001–2002

Gerard BunickUniversity of Tennessee, Oak Ridge, TNReversible Cryogenic Storage of MacromolecularCrystals Grown in MicrogravityBiotechnology2001–2002

Gerard BunickUniversity of Tennessee, Oak Ridge, TNStructural Studies of Nucleosomes and ChromatinBiotechnology2001–2002

Kenneth DebelakVanderbilt University, Nashville, TNRecovery of Minerals in Martian Soils Via SupercriticalFluid ExtractionMaterials Science2001–2002

Adrienne C. FriedliMiddle Tennessee University, Murfreesboro, TNDevelopment of Anionic Polyelectrolytes for Solid-StateBattery ApplicationsMaterials Science2001–2002

M. Douglas LeVanVanderbilt University, Nashville, TNSeparation of Carbon Monoxide for Mars ISRUFluid Physics2001

M. Douglas LeVanVanderbilt University, Nashville, TNSeparation of Carbon Monoxide and Carbon Dioxide forMars ISRUFluid Physics2002

Jimmy W. MaysUniversity of Tennessee, Knoxville, TNControlled Synthesis of Nanoparticles Using Block

Copolymers: Nanoreaction in Microgravity ConditionsMaterials Science2002

John Michael RamseyOak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TNAutomated Microfluidic Devices for MonitoringBiological Systems In SpaceBiotechnology2001–2002

Alvin J. SandersUniversity of Tennessee, Knoxville, TNResearch and Analysis in Support of Project SEE(Satellite Energy Exchange): Test of the EquivalencePrinciple and Measurement of Gravitational InteractionParameters in an Ultraprecise MicrogravityEnvironmentFundamental Physics2001

Lawrence W. TownsendUniversity of Tennessee, Knoxville, TNDevelopment of a Monte Carlo Radiation TransportCode System for HEDSMaterials Science2001–2002

TEXAS

John AlbrightTexas Christian School, Fort Worth, TXExperimental Assessment of Multicomponent Effects inDiffusion-Dominated Transport in Protein CrystalGrowth and Electrophoresis and Chiral SeparationsBiotechnology2001

Vemuri BalakotaiahUniversity of Houston, Houston, TXFundamental Studies on Two-Phase Gas-Liquid FlowsThrough Packed-Beds in MicrogravityFluid Physics2002

Vimlarani ChopraUniversity of Texas, Medical Branch, Galveston, TXDifferentiation of 3-Dimensional Co-cultures ofPreneoplastic Epithelial and Mononuclear CellsBiotechnology2001

Vimlarani Chopra University of Texas, Medical Branch, Galveston, TXDifferentiation of 3-Dimensional Co-cultures ofMyofibroblasts, Preneoplastic Epithelial and

APPENDIX A

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002122

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Mononuclear CellsBiotechnology2002

Noel T. ClemensUniversity of Texas, Austin, TXInvestigation of Strain/Vorticity and Large-Scale FlowStructure in Turbulent Nonpremixed Jet FlamesCombustion2001–2002

Gerard L. CoteTexas A&M University; College Station, TXInvestigation of Neuronal Physiololgy in SimulatedMicrogravity Using Smart Flourescent Microcarriersand Bulk Near-Infrared SensorsBiotechnology2001–2002

Jonathan M. FriedmanUniversity of Houston, Houston, TXEpitaxial Growth of Protein Crystals on Self-AssembledMonolayersBiotechnology2001–2002

Steve R. GondaJohnson Space Center, Houston, TXMicrogravity-Based Three-Dimensional Transgenic CellModel to Quantify Genotoxic Effects in SpaceBiotechnology2001

Elizabeth GrimmUniversity of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center,Houston, TXApplication of Bioreactor Technology for a PreclinicalHuman Model of MelanomaBiotechnology2001

Naomi Jean HalasRice University, Houston, TXMetal Nanoshell Functionalization and MaterialsAssembly: Effects of Microgravity ConditionsMaterials Science2001–2002

Daniel J. HeinzenUniversity of Texas, Austin; Austin, TXSearch for Time-Reversal Symmetry Violation WithLaser-Cooled AtomsFundamental Physics2001–2002

Randall G. HuletRice University, Houston, TX

Superfluid Phase Transition in an Ultracold Fermi GasFundamental Physics2001–2002

Kenneth D. KihmTexas A & M University, College Station, TXMicroscale Investigation of the Thermo-Fluid Transportin the Transition Film Region of an EvaporatingCapillary Meniscus Using a Microgravity EnvironmentFluid Physics2002

Anil D. KulkarniUniversity of Texas, Health Science Center, Houston, TXNutritional Immunomodulation in Microgravity:Application of Ground-Based In-Vivo and In-VitroBioreactor Models to Study Roles and Mechanisms ofSupplemental NucleotidesBiotechnology2001–2002

Lawrence PinskyUniversity of Houston, Houston, TXDevelopment of a Space Radiation Monte CarloSimulation Based Upon the FLUKA and ROOT CodesMaterials Science2001–2002

Arun S. RajanBaylor College of Medicine, Dallas, TXIslet Cell Assembly and Function in a NASAMicrogravity BioreactorBiotechnology2001–2002

Lynne P. RutzkyUniversity of Texas, Health Science Center, Houston, TXEffect of Microgravity on Pancreatic IsletXenotransplantation, Vascularization, and Stem CellGrowthBiotechnology2001–2002

Lynne P. RutzkyUniversity of Texas, Health Science Center, Houston, TXImpact of Microgravity on Immunogenicity AssociatedWith Biostructural Changes in Pancreatic IsletsBiotechnology2001–2002

Cherylyn SavaryUniversity of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center,Houston, TXUse of NASA Bioreactors in a Novel Scheme forImmunization Against CancerBiotechnology2001–2002

APPENDIX 12 GRANT RECIPIENT

Jamal Seyed-YagoobiTexas A&M University; College Station, TXThermal Control and Enhancement of Heat-TransportCapacity of Cryogenic Capillary Pumped Loops andHeat Pipes With ElectrohydrodynamicsFluid Physics2001–2002

Glenn SpauldingClear Lake Medical Foundation, Inc., Houston, TXApplication of pH, Glucose, and Oxygen Biosensors toNASA Rotating Culture VesselsBiotechnology2001–2002

Harry L. SwinneyUniversity of Texas, Austin, TXInstabilities in Surface Tension–Driven ConvectionFluid Physics2001

Philip Leslie VargheseUniversity of Texas, Austin, TXLaser Velocimeter for Studies of MicrogravityCombustion FlowfieldsCombustion Science2001

Peter G. VekilovUniversity of Houston, Houston, TXProtein Precipitant–Specific Criteria for the Impact ofReduced Gravity on Crystal PerfectionBiotechnology2001

Peter G. VekilovUniversity of Houston, Houston, TXEffects of Convective Transport of Solute and Impuritieson Defect-Causing Kinetics Instabilities in ProteinCrystallizationBiotechnology2001–2002

Peter G. VekilovUniversity of Houston, Houston, TXPhysico-Chemical Tools for Rational Optimization of theGrowth Conditions of Biological CrystalsBiotechnology2001–2002

Theodore G. WenselBaylor College of Medicine, Houston, TXTwo-Dimensional Crystal Growth in MicrogravityBiotechnology2001

Boris YoffeBaylor College of Medicine, Houston, TXLiver Tissue Engineering in a Microgravity EnvironmentBiotechnology2001–2002

Anvar A. ZakhidovUniversity of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TXAdvanced Materials Growth in Microgravity: CarbonNanotubes, Semiconductors, and AdvancedNanocompositesMaterials Science2001–2002

UTAH

Jules MagdaUniversity of Utah, Salt Lake City, UTNovel Microstructures for Polymer-Liquid CrystalComposite MaterialsMaterials Science2001–2002

William E. MellUniversity of Utah, Salt Lake City, UTSimulation of Combustion Systems With Realistic G-JitterCombustion Science2001–2002

VIRGINIA

M. S. El-ShallVirginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VAGas-Phase Polymerization and Nucleation Experimentsin MicrogravityMaterials Science2001–2002

Michael WienerUniversity of Virginia, Charlottesville, VAA Directed Approach to Membrane Protein CrystallographyBiotechnology2001–2002

Michael WienerUniversity of Virginia, Charlottesville, VAMembrane Protein Crystallization Screens Based UponFundamental Phenomenology of Detergent and Protein-Detergent SolutionsBiotechnology2001–2002

John WilsonLangley Research Center, Hampton, VA

APPENDIX A

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002124

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Improved Spacecraft Materials for Radiation ShieldingMaterials Science2001

WASHINGTON

Eric G. AdelbergerUniversity of Washington, Seattle, WAFeasibility Study for a Space-Based Test of the StrongEquivalence Principle Using Lunar Laser RangingFundamental Physics2001–2002

Albert FolchUniversity of Washington, Seattle, WAMicroarrays of Cellular Membrane Patches for In-FlightStudies of Ion Channel FunctionBiotechnology2001–2002

James C. HermansonUniversity of Washington, Seattle, WAStability and Heat Transfer Characteristics ofCondensing Films in Reduced GravityFluid Physics2002

Ben Q. LiWashington State University, Pullman, WAStudy of Magnetic Damping Effects on Convection andSolidification Under Jitter ConditionsMaterials Science2001

Ben Q. LiWashington State University, Pullman, WAA Comparative Modeling Study of Magnetic andElectrostatic Levitation in MicrogravityMaterials Science2001–2002

Ben Q. LiWashington State University, Pullman, WAStudy of Magnetic Field Effects on Convection andSolidification in Normal and MicrogravityMaterials Science2001–2002

Philip L. MarstonWashington State University, Pullman, WAPassive and Active Stabilization of Liquid Bridges inLow GravityFluid Physics2001–2002

Thomas J. MatulaUniversity of Washington, Seattle, WABuoyancy-Driven Instabilities in Single-BubbleSonoluminescenceFluid Physics2001–2002

Warren NagourneyUniversity of Washington, Seattle, WAUltra-High Resolution Optical Frequency StandardUsing Individual Indium AtomsFundamental Physics2001

James J. RileyUniversity of Washington, Seattle, WAInvestigation of the Liftoff and Blowout of Transitionaland Turbulent Jet FlamesCombustion Science2001–2002

Ward TeGrotenhuisBattelle Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,Richland, WAMicrochannel Phase Separations for In-Situ ResourceUtilizationFluid Physics2002

Viola VogelUniversity of Washington, Seattle, WAMotor Proteins as Shuttles for Directed Transport inSynthetic MatricesBiotechnology2001–2002

WEST VIRGINIA

Thomas MeloyWest Virginia University, Morgantown, WVMars Environmental Compatibility Assessment (MECA)Biotechnology2001

WISCONSIN

Reid CooperUniversity of Wisconsin, Madison, WIDynamic Reduction and the Creation of Fine-GrainedCeramics From Inviscid Oxide/Silicate MeltsMaterials Science2001–2002

Sindo KouUniversity of Wisconsin, Madison, WIPhysical Simulation of Marangoni Convection in Weld

APPENDIX 12 GRANT RECIPIENT

PoolsMaterials Science2001–2002

John PerepezkoUniversity of Wisconsin, Madison, WIAnalysis of Containerless Solidification Microstructuresin Undercooled Melts and Composite SystemsMaterials Science2001–2002

Eric E. RiceOrbital Technologies Corporation, Madison, WICarbon-Based Reduction of Lunar RegolithMaterials Science2001

Eric E. RiceOrbital Technologies Corporation, Madison, WIDevelopment of Methods of Producing and UtilizingAlternate Fuel/Oxidizer CombinationsCombustion Science2001–2002

Thad G. WalkerUniversity of Wisconsin, Madison, WIAll-Optical High-Density Atom SourcesFundamental Physics2001

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Alexander MalkinNaval Research Laboratory, Washington, DCGrowth Processes and Defect Structure ofMacromolecular CrystalsBiotechnology2001–2002

Gopal PatnaikNaval Research Laboratory, Washington, DCUnsteady Multidimensional Numerical Simulations ofFlame Vortex Interactions in Microgravity Combustion Science2002

John Milburn JessupGeorgetown University Medical Center,Washington, D.C.Gene Expression of Human Colorectal Carcinoma inMicrogravityBiotechnology2001–2002

John Milburn JessupGeorgetown University Medical Center,

Washington, D.C.Use of NASA Biorector to Study Cell Cycle RegulationBiotechnology2001–2002

Glenn R. JoyceNaval Research Laboratory, Washington, DCModeling Dusty Plasmas in MicrogravityFluid Physics2001–2002

Wu MaNaval Research Laboratory, Washington, DCNeurogenesis in Cell-Hydrogel-Bioreactor SystemForming Neuronal Networks in MicrogravityBiotechnology2001–2002

Keith WardNaval Research Laboratory, Washington, DCInvestigation of the Particle Dynamics in the Vicinity ofCrystal Surfaces: Depletion Zone DynamicsBiotechnology2001–2002

APPENDIX A

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002126

GRANT RECIPIENTS 12

ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

Flights to the International Space Station

elow are two lists of selected payloads forthe International Space Station (ISS) and the associatedEXPRESS (EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments toSpace Station) Racks and microgravity facilities in theorder of their flight to the station. Early on, microgravityresearch will consist of EXPRESS payloads,Microgravity Science Glovebox investigations, andCombustion Integrated Rack payloads, as reflected in thefirst list, which includes investigations currently mani-fested. The second list comprises payloads in develop-ment that are candidates for later flights.

Protein Crystal Growth–Enhanced Gaseous NitrogenDewar (PCG-EGN): This apparatus is a gaseous nitro-gen dewar that can maintain samples at cryogenic tem-perature for about 10 days. Frozen liquid-liquid diffusionand batch protein crystal growth experiments arelaunched in a dewar and then allowed to thaw to initiatethe crystallization process in a microgravity environ-ment. The dewar houses a protein crystal growth inserttypically holding approximately 500 protein samples.(First flight: 2A.2B)

Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System(MAMS): MAMS provides measurement of quasi-steady-state microgravity acceleration levels at low fre-quencies (0.01 to 2 hertz) with extreme accuracy. It is anenhanced version of the Orbital Acceleration ResearchExperiment system used on the space shuttle. UsingMAMS data, the microgravity level at any point in theU.S. Laboratory or on the ISS can be calculated using atransformation matrix and a known center of gravity forthe station. (First flight: 6A)

Space Acceleration Measurement System, SecondGeneration (SAMS-II): The SAMS-II instrument is anearly addition to the ISS and will most likely remainonboard for the life of the station. SAMS-II measuresvibratory accelerations (transients) in support of a varietyof microgravity science experiments. It also characterizesthe ISS microgravity environment for future payloads.(First flight: 6A)

Protein Crystal Growth–Single Thermal EnclosureSystem (PCG-STES): The PCG-STES hardware is asingle EXPRESS locker that provides a controlled tem-perature environment within ± 0.5°C of a set point in therange from 4–40°C. The PCG-STES houses a variety ofprotein crystal growth apparatus, including the Second-Generation Vapor Diffusion Apparatus, the Diffusion-Controlled Crystallization Apparatus for Microgravity,and the Protein Crystallization Apparatus forMicrogravity. (First flight: 6A)

Protein Crystal Growth–Biotechnology AmbientGeneric (PCG-BAG): This apparatus flies Second-Generation Vapor Diffusion Apparatus, Diffusion-Controlled Crystallization Apparatus for Microgravity, orProtein Crystallization Apparatus for Microgravity hard-ware as ambient stowage items within a middeck lockeror Cargo Transfer Bag. (First flight: 7A)

Vapor Diffusion Apparatus, Second Generation(VDA-2): VDA-2 uses the vapor-diffusion method(hanging drop technique) for protein crystal growth inorder to produce large, high-quality crystals of selectedproteins. The 20 growth chambers need to be activated tostart the process and deactivated to stop it. The PCG-STES holds four VDA-2 trays; the PCG-BAG holds sixtrays. (First flight: 6A, as part of the PCG-STES)

Protein Crystallization Apparatus for Microgravity(PCAM): PCAM uses the vapor-diffusion method toproduce large, high-quality crystals of selected proteins.Each PCAM is a cylindrical stack of nine trays, eachwith seven chambers, providing 63 chambers for proteincrystal growth. The PCG-STES holds six cylinders; thePCG-BAG holds eight. (First flight: 6A, as part of thePCG-STES)

Physics of Colloids in Space (PCS): The PCS experi-ment hardware supports investigations of the physicalproperties and dynamics of formation of colloidal super-lattices and large-scale fractal aggregates using laserlight scattering. PCS advances understanding of fabrica-tion methods for producing new crystalline materials.(First flight: 6A)

Dynamically Controlled Protein Crystal Growth(DCPCG): The DCPCG apparatus comprises two com-ponents: the control locker and the vapor locker. Thecommand locker controls experiment processes in thevapor locker. It also collects data, performs telemetryfunctions, and is programmable from the ground. Thevapor locker holds 40 protein samples. (First flight:7A.1)

Cellular Biotechnology Operations Support System(CBOSS): This hardware provides a platform for thestudy of basic cell-to-cell interactions in a quiescent cellculture environment and the role of these interactions inthe formation of functional cell aggregates and tissues.The Biotechnology Specimen Temperature Controller(BSTC) operates primarily in the incubation mode. TheBiotechnology Refrigerator, Biotechnology Cell ScienceStowage, and the Gas Supply Module support BSTCresearch. (First flight: 7A.1)

BB

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Investigating the Structure of ParamagneticAggregates From Colloidal Emulsions (InSPACE):InSPACE hardware was designed to be accommodatedby the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG).Observations of three-dimensional microscopic structuresof magnetorheological fluids in a pulsed magnetic fieldwill be made. (First flight: UF-2)

Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation (PFMI):This investigation promotes understanding of detrimentalpore formation and mobility during controlled directionalsolidification processing in a microgravity environment.This MSG investigation utilizes a transparent material,succinonitrile, so that direct observation and recording ofpore generation and mobility during controlled solidifica-tion can be made. (First flight: UF-2)

Solidification Using a Baffle in Sealed Ampoules(SUBSA): This investigation will test the performance ofan automatically moving baffle in microgravity anddetermine the behavior and possible advantages of liquidencapsulation in microgravity conditions. This low-costMSG experiment will resolve several key technologicalquestions and lessen the risk and uncertainties of using abaffle and liquid encapsulation in future major materialsscience facilities. (First flight: UF-2)

Coarsening of Solid-Liquid Mixtures-2 (CSLM-2):This MSG investigation is designed to obtain data onsteady-state coarsening behavior of two-phase mixturesin microgravity. For the first time, coarsening data withno adjustable parameters will be collected and thendirectly compared with theory. This will allow a greaterunderstanding of the factors controlling the morphologyof solid-liquid mixtures during coarsening. (First flight: 11A)

Diffusion-Controlled Crystallization Apparatus forMicrogravity (DCAM): The DCAM system can use theliquid-liquid diffusion or dialysis method of protein crys-tal growth to produce high-quality single crystals ofselected proteins. Three DCAM trays, each with 27chambers, are flown per PCG-STES or PCG-BAG. (Firstflight: 11A)

Capillary Flow Experiment (CFE): The CFE hard-ware consists of two modules that have identical fluidinjection mechanisms and similarly sized test cham-bers. The experiment can be performed in the MSG oras a stand-alone experiment. Its purpose is to providefundamental insight into the mechanics of capillaryflow that can be immediately applied by designers oflow-gravity fluids systems. Specifically, the experi-ment will produce conclusive data about large-length-scale capillary flows, flow phenomena in complexgeometries, and critical damping resulting from movingcontact lines. The fluids used are benign, flight-qualifiedsilicone oil and immersion oil. (First flight: 12P)

In Space Soldering Investigation (ISSI): This investi-gation will study surface tension–driven convection phe-nomena as well as the microscale physics of the interfa-cial zone of molten metals. The soldering experimentswill consist of systematically investigating a number ofkey solidification/fabrication parameters. (First flight: 12P)

Miscible Fluids in Microgravity (MFMG): The objec-tives of this investigation are twofold: 1) to determinewhether isothermal miscible fluids can exhibit transientinterfacial phenomena similar to those observed withimmiscible fluids; and 2) to determine whether misciblefluids in a thermal gradient can exhibit transient interfa-cial phenomena similar to those observed with immisci-ble fluids. (First flight: 12P)

Glovebox Integrated Microgravity IsolationTechnology (g-LIMIT): G-LIMIT hardware is beingdeveloped to provide attenuation of unwanted accelera-tions within the MSG; to characterize the MSG accelera-tion environment; and to demonstrate high-performance,robust control technology. It will also be available to pro-vide vibration isolation and measurement to other MSGinvestigations. (First flight: ULF-1)

Physics of Colloids in Space Plus (PCS+) Experiment:This investigation complements and extends the researchbegun with the original PCS investigation, flown onflight 6A. The PCS+ hardware consists of an avionicssection, a test section, auxiliary hardware, operating sys-tem hard drives, and mass data storage hard drives. It uti-lizes light scattering and rheological measurements toinvestigate colloidal hard sphere disorder-order transi-tions as well as the properties of the resulting orderedphase. (First flight: 12A.1)

Fiber Supported Droplet Combustion-3 (FSDC-3):The objective of this investigation, utilizing the MSG, isto provide critical data on multicomponent droplet com-bustion, which will enable the development of theoreticalmodels for use in multidroplet (spray) applications. TheFSDC-3 hardware consists of an experiment module, liq-uid fuel syringes, deployment needles, droplet tethers,igniters, nozzles, diagnostics, and a computer controlinterface. (First flight: 12A.1)

Observable Protein Crystal Growth Apparatus(OPCGA): The OPCGA flight investigation hardwarecomprises three major components: the mechanical sys-tem, the optical system, and the video data acquisitionand control system. The OPCGA hardware also provides96 individual experiment cells with the capability to col-lect optical data on 72 cells. (First flight: 12A.1)

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Metastable Solution Structure in Protein CrystalGrowth (XLINK): The XLINK consists of the Low-Temperature, Low-Energy Carrier and GroupActivation Pack hardware. The objective of XLINK is tostudy the presence and distribution of aggregates in solu-tions that lead to crystal growth of lysozyme and insulin.The experiment will investigate the effects of gravityon the formation of aggregates, the size distribution ofand/or average size of aggregates, and the transport ofthe aggregates to the crystal surface. (First flight:12A.1)

Delta-L: The Delta-L investigation will replace hard-ware previously known as the Interferometer for ProteinCrystal Growth. This MSG investigation will study thecrystal growth characteristics of biological macromole-cules in microgravity. Data from Delta-L will be used toverify the theory that growth rate dispersion plays a rolein crystal quality improvement in microgravity. (Firstflight: 13A.1)

Smoke Points in Coflow Experiment (SPICE): Thisinvestigation, using the MSG, evaluates the effect of oxi-dizer and fuel velocities on the laminar smoke point (thepropensity of flames to emit soot). The SPICE hardwareconsists of an experiment module, 12 gaseous fuel bottleassemblies, igniters, nozzles, and a video camera. (Firstflight: 13A.1)

Shear History Extensional Rheology Experiment(SHERE): SHERE will study the effects of pre-shear onthe transient evolution of the microstructure and vis-coelastic tensile stresses for viscoelastic polymer solu-tions. The SHERE hardware consists of a rheometerassembly, a camera arm, and a fluid module tray contain-ing 25 fluid modules. Each fluid module contains a sin-gle sample for testing. (First flight: 15A)

Droplet Combustion Experiment-2 (DCE-2): DCE-2will study single pure fuel droplet combustion in micro-gravity to better understand combustion kinetics throughdroplet combustion extinction diameter measurements. Itwill also improve the understanding of transient liquidand gas phase phenomena. DCE-2 will be conducted inthe Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) designed specifi-cally to support advanced combustion research in themicrogravity environment. DCE-2 is the first of fourexperiments to use the Multiuser Droplet CombustionApparatus (MDCA) in the CIR. (First flight: ULF-2)

Bi-Component Droplet Combustion Experiment(BCDCE): BCDCE will study bi-component fuel dropletcombustion in microgravity, where spherical symmetry isapproached in both gas and liquid phases of the droplet,to better understand the transient buildup of the lessvolatile component on the liquid side of the liquid/gasinterface. BCDCE will be conducted in the CIR. BCDCE

is the second experiment to use the MDCA in the CIR.(First flight: ULF-2)

Candle Flames in Microgravity-2 (CFM-2): CFM-2will exploit candle geometry as a platform for fundamen-tal science and educational outreach to determine thelimiting oxygen concentration for a microgravity candle,whether a steady microgravity candle flame can exist inair, if the microgravity flame will oscillate for a pro-longed period, and the interactions and extinction behav-ior between two neighboring flames. CFM-2 will beoperated in the MSG. (First flight: ULF-2)

Microheater Boiling Experiment (MABE): This exper-iment determines boiling heat transfer mechanisms andtests the hypotheses that bubble coalescence is the pri-mary bubble removal mechanism, heat is transferred bysmall satellite bubbles, and heat transfer from the smallbubbles is not affected by gravity level. Specific experi-ment hardware consists of a set of miniature heaters andheater controllers installed in the Boiling ExperimentFacility (BXF). The BXF itself will be operated in theMSG. (First flight: ULF-2)

Nucleate Pool Boiling Experiment (NPBX): The objec-tive of this experiment is to validate boiling models withdescriptions of such aspects as bubble growth anddeparture at single nucleation sites, as well as bubblemerger, bubble-bubble interaction and vapor removalfrom predesigned cavities on a heater surface duringquasistatic conditions. This experiment, like MABE,will be performed in the BXF in the MSG. (First flight:ULF-2)

Physics of Colloids in Space-3 (PCS-3): PCS-3 is a fol-low-on to the PCS and PCS+ experiments. Using thesame techniques of light scattering, PCS-3 will addressfundamental questions about nucleation, growth, mor-phology, and dynamics of binary colloidal crystal alloys,colloid-polymer gels, fractals, anisometric colloids, andcolloidal glasses. It will examine samples provided bythree separate principal investigators. (First flight: ULF-2)

Payloads that are planned and/or in develop-ment and that have not yet been manifested are listedbelow in alphabetical order.

Binary Colloidal Alloy Test-3 (BCAT-3): BCAT-3 isbeing developed with the heritage from BCAT andBCAT-2. BCAT-3 is designed to operate as a stand-aloneexperiment in the ISS’s Maintenance Work Area. InBCAT-3, the long-term behavior of crystals of binarycolloidal alloys will be studied in a microgravity envi-ronment, where the effects of sedimentation and convec-tion are greatly reduced, to allow a better understandingof colloids and how to engineer their properties. The

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experiment’s predecessor, BCAT-2, was flown on theRussian space station, Mir.

Biotechnology Facility (BTF): BTF, the next generationof on-orbit cellular biotechnology hardware, serves as anew platform for cellular research. BTF automates manyof the functions performed by the crew during the earlierCBOSS experiments and allows for increased sciencethroughput. The Phase I BTF is a two-rack facility thatincludes three Automated Stationary Culture Systemunits for processing various types of cells as supportedby two Gas Supply Module units to supply carbondioxide–enriched medical-grade air, and an AutomatedCulture Water Assembly to create cell growth media.BTF also provides cold storage at 4 °C, -80 °C, and -180 °C. The Phase II BTF will add a MultivesselRotating Bioreactor and data analysis equipment.

Buoyancy-Driven Instabilities in Single-BubbleSonoluminescence (BDISL): This experiment willquantify buoyancy-induced instabilities that may play adominant role in the mechanism for sonoluminescenceextinction. The influence of chemical instabilities will betested by using different gas-water concentrations.BDISL will be operated in the MSG.

Colloidal Disorder-Order Transition-3 (CDOT-3)Apparatus: This hardware fits in a glovebox and is usedto photograph samples of dispersions of very fine parti-cles as they form various crystalline or gel structures.This hardware was flown previously on the secondUnited States Microgravity Laboratory payload and onSTS-95.

Coupled Growth in Hypermonotectics (CGH):Hypermonotectic alloys consist of two separated phasesnot only in the solid, but also in the liquid. With liquidsof different densities, sedimentation of the denser phasetakes place on the ground. This Materials ScienceResearch Rack (MSRR) payload will help in elucidatingthe theory behind the formation, and hence will improveour ability to produce the desired structures on theground.

Chain Aggregation Investigation by Scattering(CHAINS): This experiment will investigate the fluctua-tions and dynamics responsible for the cross-linking ofdipolar chains in magnetorheological fluids. CHAINSwill be operated in the MSG.

Comparison of Structure and Segregation in AlloysDirectionally Solidified in Terrestrial andMicrogravity Environments (CSS): The primary pur-pose of this MSRR payload is to compare the structureand segregation in binary metallic alloys that are direction-ally solidified in terrestrial and low-gravity environments.

Constrained Vapor Bubble (CVB): This experimentwill investigate heat conduction in microgravity as afunction of liquid volume and heat flow rate to deter-mine, in detail, the transport process characteristics in acurved liquid film. CVB is being developed to run in theLight Microscopy Module (LMM) in the FluidsIntegrated Rack (FIR).

Dynamical Selection of Three-Dimensional InterfacePatterns in Directional Solidification (DSIP): Theobjective of this investigation is to establish fundamentalprinciples that govern the spatial-temporal evolution ofcellular and dendritic interface patterns in directionalsolidification. Low-gravity experiments will be used tovalidate a rigorous numerical model of pattern evolutiondynamics that are currently being developed using thephase-field approach.

Dynamics of Droplet Combustion and Extinction(DDCE): This experiment will investigate the effects ofsmall convective flows on burning droplets to betterdefine the influences of such flows on the extinctionprocess. DDCE extends the knowledge generated in thestudy of droplet combustion by DCE-2 and BCDCEbefore it. DDCE is the fourth experiment to use theMDCA in the CIR.

Dynamics of Miscible Interfaces (MIDAS): This exper-iment will investigate the dynamics of miscible inter-faces, as well as document flow fields and concentrationgradients near an evolving fluid interface within a pre-cisely controlled, two-fluid flow system. MIDAS will beoperated in the DECLIC facility, developed by theFrench space agency (CNES), in an EXPRESS Rack.

Foam Optics and Mechanics (FOAM): This experi-ment is being designed by the European Space Agency(ESA) for operation in the ESA-developed Fluid ScienceLaboratory. The objective of FOAM is to understand theunusual nature of foam rheology in terms of behavior atthe bubble scale, the packing structure, the rearrange-ment dynamics, and the coarsening of foams via gas dif-fusion. Video microscopy, multiple light scattering, andrheology techniques will be employed to examine foamsas a systematic function of liquid content, shear rate, andfoam age.

Forced Ignition and Spread Test (FIST): This experi-ment will validate a proposed new flammability testmethodology for homogeneous and composite materialsunder environmental conditions found only in crew-occupied spacecraft or extraterrestrial habitats. FIST willbe conducted in the CIR. FIST is the first of at least fiveexperiments to use the Flow Enclosure AccommodatingNovel Investigations in Combustion of Solids (FEAN-ICS) in the CIR.

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Gravitational Effects on Distortion in Sintering(GEDS): The GEDS apparatus will use the LowGradient Furnace (LGF). The microgravity Liquid PhaseSintering (LPS) experiments contained in the GEDSapparatus are designed to isolate gravity-porosity interac-tions with respect to densification, component distortion,and underlying microstructure evolution. Findings fromthis research will be used to improve modeling of LPSby including gravity-porosity effects.

Interface Pattern Selection Criteria for CellularStructures in Directional Solidification (IPSIDS): Theobjective of this MSRR payload is to obtain benchmarkdata on cellular and dendritic growth under conditionsthat produce negligible convection. Precise measure-ments of interface shape, cell/dendrite tip radius, tipcomposition, and tip temperature as functions of compo-sition, growth rate, and thermal gradient will be carriedout. These measurements will be used to characterizeconditions for the planar to cellular, shallow cells to deepcells, and deep cells to dendrites transition.

Kinetics of Nucleation and Crystal Growth in GlassForming Melts in Microgravity (CROMIS): CROMISwill investigate why glass forms more easily and is morechemically homogeneous in microgravity than on Earth.The flight experiment will include melting lithium disili-cate, a glass with well-known properties, then treating itat selected temperatures for different amounts of time ateach temperature. Measurements of the rates of nucle-ation and crystal growth in microgravity will be com-pared to those on Earth.

Levitation Observation of Dendrite Evolution in SteelTernary Alloy Rapid Solidification (LODESTARS):This payload will help to develop a better understandingof how nucleation and growth of the austenitic phaseaffect phase selection in ternary steel alloys followingformation of a primary metastable ferritic dendriticarray.

Light Microscopy Module (LMM): LMM is a remote-ly controllable, automated, on-orbit microscope, allow-ing flexible scheduling and control of physical scienceand potential biological science experiments within theFIR on the ISS. Its key features include video microscopy,confocal microscopy, laser tweezers, an oil immersionsystem, thin-film interferometry, and spectrophotometry.

Particle Engulfment and Pushing by SolidifyingInterfaces (PEP): This investigation, which flew previ-ously in the Middeck Glovebox, will study the effectswhen two nonmixing alloys (immiscibles such as oil andwater) are stirred and frozen in normal gravity and thenmelted and resolidified in microgravity. PEP will be con-ducted in the MSG.

Physics of Colloids in Space-2 (PCS-2): The objectiveof PCS-2 is to carry out further investigation of criticalfundamental problems in colloid science and to fullydevelop the evolving field of “colloid engineering,” aswell as to create materials with novel properties usingcolloidal particles as precursors. PCS-2 is being devel-oped to run in the LMM in the FIR.

Physics of Hard Spheres-2 (PHaSE-2): This experi-ment will investigate the growth, structure, and proper-ties of hard sphere colloidal crystals in microgravity andhow applied fields affect these systems. PHaSE-2 isbeing developed to run in the LMM in the FIR.

Quasicrystalline Alloys for Space Investigation(QUASI): This payload will perform studies of alu-minum-thulium and titanium/zirconium-thulium liquidsto better understand the local atomic structure of phasesin relation to undercooled liquids, the growth mechanismfor complex periodic and ordered nonperiodic phases,and nucleation when the composition of initial and finalphases are different.

Quench Module Insert (QMI): QMI is being designedfor materials science research inside the MaterialsScience Laboratory in MSRR-1. QMI is a high-tempera-ture, Bridgman-type furnace with an actively cooled coldzone. The apparatus will create an extremely high-tem-perature gradient for the directional solidification pro-cessing of metals and alloys. It is also capable of rapidlyfreezing (quenching) samples at the liquid-solid inter-face, where most of the science takes place during direc-tional solidification.

Radiative Enhancement Effects on Flame Spread(REEFS): This experiment will investigate the transportand chemical effects of various atmospheres on flamespread over solid fuel beds with emphasis on radiativeenhancements likely to be present in fires that may occurin microgravity. REEFS is the second experiment to usethe FEANICS in the CIR.

Reduction of Defects in Germanium-Silicon (RDGS):The RDGS experiment will likely be conducted in theLGF. RDGS investigates the mechanism leading todetached crystal growth in the Bridgman configurationand determines the parameters essential for the con-trolled use of the furnace for detached growth. A com-parison of processing-induced defects in Bridgman,detached Bridgman, and float-zone growth configura-tions in germanium-silicon crystals will be made. Adetermination as to whether detached Bridgman or float-zone processing can produce germanium-silicon crystalswith fewer defects will also be made, and any differ-ences will be quantified.

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Smoke: Increasing mission durations and the expandedsize of habitable space aboard spacecraft require enhancedfire detection capability. This experiment will improve theability to detect spacecraft fires by studying the particlesize distribution of smoke generated in microgravity.Results from research conducted as part of the UnitedStates Microgravity Payload in 1996, indicate that smokestructure changes significantly in low gravity. Current ISSand space shuttle smoke detectors were designed basedupon data collected in Earth’s gravity. The Smoke experi-ment is being designed for operation in the MSG.

Sooting and Radiation Effects in Droplet Combustion(SEDC): This experiment will investigate the effects ofsooting and radiation influences on the overall burningbehavior of droplets by means of optical and intrusivetechniques. SEDC extends the knowledge generated inthe study of droplet combustion by DCE-2 and BCDCEbefore it. SEDC is the third experiment to use theMDCA in the CIR.

Spaceflight Holography Investigation in a VirtualApparatus (SHIVA): SHIVA will record particle motionin a fluid using holographic data. SHIVA plans to use theMSG and possibly g-LIMIT.

Transient Interfacial Phenomena in Miscible PolymerSystems (TIPMIPS): This experiment will measure thefluid flow induced by a temperature gradient along theinterface between a polymer and its monomer and thefluid flow induced by a variation in the initial width ofthe interface between a polymer and its monomer. TIP-MIPS will also determine if Marangoni instability canoccur at a miscible interface and if a bubble driven by atemperature gradient penetrates a miscible interface.

Ultraviolet-Visible-Infrared Spectrophotometer(UVIS): This experiment will provide spectrophotometrycapabilities from 200 nanometers to 2,400 nanometers todetermine the photonic band structures of crystals andsupport future fluid physics and biotechnology experi-ments. UVIS will be operated in the MSG.

Water Mist: This experiment will investigate how dif-ferent sizes and concentrations of droplets will affect athin layer of flame, known as a laminar flame. The WaterMist investigation is developed by the Center forCommercial Applications of Combustion in Space andwill be conducted in the CIR.

Wetting Characteristics of Immiscibles (WCI): TheWCI investigation, which flew previously in theMiddeck Glovebox, will study the effects when two non-mixing alloys are stirred and frozen in normal gravityand then melted and resolidified in microgravity. WCIwill be conducted in the MSG.

The Physical Sciences Research Division cur-rently has two unpressurized payload candidates in addi-tion to the Low-Temperature Microgravity PhysicsFacility. These payloads are described below.

Primary Atomic Reference Clock in Space (PARCS):The PARCS investigation will measure various predic-tions of Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity, includ-ing gravitational frequency shift and the local positioninvariance on the rate of clocks. PARCS will alsoachieve a realization of the second, a fundamental unit oftime, as a function of the energy difference between twoatomic levels in a cesium atom at an order of magnitudebetter than that achievable on Earth.

Rubidium Atomic Clock Experiment (RACE): TheRACE investigation will interrogate rubidium (87Rb)atoms one to two orders of magnitude more preciselythan Earth-based systems, achieving frequency uncertain-ties in the 10-16 to 10-17 range. RACE will improveclock tests of general relativity, advance clock limitation,and distribute accurate time and frequency from the ISS.

The following international payloads areplanned for the ISS.

Apparatus for the Study of Material Growth andLiquids Behavior Near Their Critical Point(DECLIC): The DECLIC facility is being developed byCNES in cooperation with Glenn Research Center inCleveland, Ohio, to provide an autonomous or tele-oper-ated capability at middeck locker–scale to accommodateresearch on high-pressure samples of fluids near theircritical points, transparent materials systems duringsolidification, and other fluids experiments that are com-patible with available diagnostics. Through cooperativeinteragency agreements (signed in 2000), NASA willprovide launch, integration, and resources for DECLICand will share in the utilization of the facility.

Fluid Science Laboratory (FSL): The FSL is part ofESA’s Microgravity Facilities for Columbus Programme.It will support basic and applied research in fluid physicsunder microgravity conditions. The design provides easyexchange of FSL modules in the case of upgrades andmodifications. The facility can be operated in fully auto-matic mode, following a preprogrammed sequence of com-mands, or in semiautomatic telescience mode, enabling theuser to interact with the facility in quasi–real time from theground. This will allow scientists to follow the evolution oftheir experiments and to provide feedback on the data theyreceive at the ground station.

MICROGRAVITY EXPERIMENT HARDWARE 12APPENDIX B