Vol. 35, No. 2

Spaceport NewsJohn F. Kennedy Space Center

Mission update

America's gateway to the universe. Leading the world in preparing and launching missions to planet Earth and beyond.

February 16, 1996

THE STS-75 flight crew poses at the 195-foot level of Launch Pad 39B during TerminalCountdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities. They are, front from left, PayloadCommander Franklin Chang-Diaz, Mission Specialists Claude Nicollier and MaurizioCheli and Payload Specialist Umberto Guidoni. In back from left are Mission CommanderAndrew Allen, Mission Specialist Jeffrey Hoffman, and Pilot Scott "Doc" Horowitz.

Tethered satellite, USMP payloadsto fly again on the STS-75 mission

Experiments that could leadto a new way to generate elec-trical power in space, providenew insights into physical sci-ence and possibly lead to im-proved manufacturing processesand products on Earth will bethe highlights of the STS-75mission. At press time the mis-sion was scheduled to lift offfrom Launch Pad 39B between3:18 p.m. and 5:48 p.m. EST onFeb. 22.

During the 13-day, 16-hourspace flight, the seven-memberinternational crew will conductscientific investigations withboth Tethered Satellite System-

(See STS-75, Page 6)

By Chuck Weirauch

Landing date, time: March 7,7:32 a.m. at Kennedy SpaceCenter's Shuttle Landing Facility

Mission: STS-75 onColumbia

Launch date, time: Feb. 22,3:18 p.m. from Launch Pad39B

Synopsis: The seven-member international STS-75 crew will conductscientific investigations withboth the Tethered SatelliteSystem-1R (TSS-1R) andUnited States MicrogravityPayload-3 (USMP-3)primary payloads during the75th Space Shuttle mission.

(See USA, Page 4)

NASA/KSC preparefor new approachto doing business

One of the most sweepingchanges ever to impact KennedySpace Center will be the transi-tion of daily Shuttle processingfunctions to a single prime con-tractor, United Space Alliance,under the Space Flight Opera-tions Contract (SFOC).

“This transition will be a slowand methodical process. Thisisn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon.The start line is Oct. 1, 1996and the finish line is the year2000,” explained Roy Tharpelast month during a speech tothe NASA Kennedy Manage-

By Barb Compton

By Lisa Malone

(See BUSINESS, Page 4)

Kennedy Space Center em-ployees got a glimpse of whatthe near future will hold whenthe leaders of the Shuttleprogram's single prime contrac-tor shared their vision and tran-sition timeline last week.

Kent Black, chief executiveofficer, and Jim Adamson, chiefoperating officer, of UnitedSpace Alliance (USA) briefedemployees of Lockheed Martin

ADAMSON BLACK

USA leaders sharetheir vision, timeline

Mission: NEAR expendablevehicle launch on a McDonnellDouglas Delta II rocket

Launch date, time: Feb. 16,3:53 p.m. from Launch Complex17, Pad B, Cape Canaveral AirStation

Mission synopsis: The NearEarth Asteroid Rendezvous(NEAR) will measure the composi-tion and structure of the asteroidEros and provide fundamentalinformation about objects thatmake close encounter with Earth.

THE SATELLITE element of the TeatheredSatellite System--1R is processed at KSClast summer.

THE UNITED STATES MicrogravityPayload-3 pictured during processing.

Page 2 SPACEPORT NEWS February 16, 1996

KSC teams with industryto fight structural corrosion

SURTREAT SOUTHEAST Inc. President James Emory and KSC Deputy Director GeneThomas shake hands following the signing of a Space Act Agreement Feb. 1. Standingin the background are, from the left, Kristen Riley of NASA, Frank Kinney of Florida'sTechnological Research and Development Authority, Karen Thompson of NASA, BruceEllis of Surtreat, Dick Lyon of NASA and Robert Walde, Surtreat GPHP inventor.

By Joel Wells

A combined effort by NASAresearchers at Kennedy SpaceCenter and private industrycould ultimately keep buildingsacross the country from corrod-ing away.

A Space Act agreementsigned recently will mergeKSC's research into electricaltreatments of structural corro-sion with chemical processes de-veloped by Surtreat Southeast,Inc., of Cape Canaveral, FL.

The results could have na-tional significance, said RupertLee, the NASA project engineerleading the effort. “Any break-through in corrosion mitigationtechnology will have a signifi-cant impact on the integrity ofthis nation’s infrastructure,” hesaid.

Structural corrosion is amulti-billion-dollar problem inthe United States. Over the pasttwo years, KSC materials scien-tists have focused on an electri-cal treatment known aselectromigration, which sendscorrosion-inhibiting ions to therebar or steel bars imbedded in

a concrete slab to prevent therebar from rusting, corrodingand separating from the con-crete.

With the help of Florida’sTechnological Research and De-velopment Authority, an inde-pendent state agency that part-ners with KSC in technologytransfer initiatives, SurtreatSoutheast approached KSCwith a chemical option.

Surtreat's product, SurtreatGPHP, is applied to the surfaceof a corroding concrete slab andthen seeps through to the rebar,coating it and preventing fur-ther corrosion.

“It corrects the chemical im-balance that causes the rebar tocorrode. Traditional structuralrepair methods only last acouple of years,” explained JimEmory, president of SurtreatSoutheast.

The agreement, signed Feb.2 by Gene Thomas, KSC’sdeputy center director, andEmory, combines the two effortswithout requiring the transferof funds. "It’s a mutually ben-eficial relationship betweenKSC and private industry,” said

with technical and personnelsupport as needed. Kennedywill provide testing specifica-tions and procedures, preparethe test slabs with the Surtreatchemical, and environmentallytest the chemical.

KSC materials scientists willalso consider the applicability ofthe chemical treatment to theelectromigration process andprepare a report on its effective-ness. The testing process lastsabout 12 months.

Kristen Riley, manager of KSC'sdual use program, part ofNASA’s technology transfer andcommercialization effort.

“Combining NASA andSurtreat technologies may re-sult in a unique process withbroad corrosion control applica-tions and could save NASA andothers a lot of money,” SurtreatGPHP inventor Robert Waldesaid. Surtreat will provide thecorrosion-inhibiting chemicaland concrete testing slabs along

HONORED IN FEBRUARY were, seated from the left, Erin Campbell, Comptroller's Office; Nancy Hoffman,Installation Operations Directorate; Julie Hallum, Administration Office; and Stephanie Stilson, PayloadOperations Directorate. Standing, from the left, are Jessie Clark, Chief Counsel's Office; Patricia Metcalfe,Shuttle Operations Directorate; Eric Dirschka, Engineering Development Directorate; Sue Prentice, Safetyand Mission Assurance Directorate; and Dorothy Davis, Procurement Directorate. Not pictured is Diane Vess,Logistics Directorate.

Employees of the month New employee viewing siteopens for launch of STS-75

Center Director Jay Honeycutt has madeit possible for a limited number of KSCemployees to view a Shuttle launch from anew VIP viewing site.

NASA and contractor employees deserv-ing special recognition for their support ofKSC’s human space flight program will beissued a vehicle pass to drive their familiesto this special viewing area.

The new site, located at the LC-39 BargeTurn Basin, will be operational for the STS-75 launch, scheduled at press time for Feb.22.

As with other VIP viewing areas, launchcommentary, bleachers, restroom facilities,and food and souvenir sales will be provided.

The pass will be valid for entrancethrough KSC gates two hours before launchfor vehicles no larger than a 15-passengervan.

A badged employee must be in each ve-hicle.

SPACEPORT NEWS Page 3February 16, 1996

Angeleah, is a member of theadvisory board, initiated the off-center presentation after sheattended the course at work.

“I enjoyed our training somuch I talked to the policeofficer who sponsors theadvisory board and asked if theywould be willing to hold theclass,” she said.

The officer, Suzette Moss,said she was excited by theprospect of interaction betweenthe students and NASA employ-ees. In addition to serving asrole models, the facilitatorsspent time individually with thestudents during the lunch break.An impromptu basketball gameled to some good-naturedcompetition and enabled the

students and facilitators to learnmore about each other.

The board members repre-sent 12 Daytona Beach middleand high schools, both publicand private.

The students meet monthlyand discuss issues ranging fromsmoking at school to environ-mental concerns.

Additional comments on theevaluation sheets show that, asa result of the class, studentsplan to make some changes inthe way they relate to others.

“I’ve always had an openmind, but it has opened up alittle more,” one student wrote.

“Because of this class, I willnow think about people’sfeelings before I stereotypethem,” wrote another.

Federally EmployedWomen, Space Coast Chap-ter, announces the availabil-ity of its 1996 scholarshipapplications.

Competition is open to allpersons working toward anundergraduate degree who

support the goals of FEW.Applicants must be high

school seniors who will gradu-ate in 1996. Applicants mustalso show evidence of enroll-ment at a public or private col-lege or university as a full-timestudent or must be currently

enrolled in an accredited collegeor university program.

The registration packagemust be completed and returnedno later than April 15. Finalistswill be notified by May 17.

In 1995 FEW presented$7,500 to 11 scholarship win-

ners. Member scholarships are

also available.For more information or

to obtain an application, con-tact Vickie Hall, LO-SOD-1,at 861-1455, or Clara Ander-son, TM-ADM, at 867-3898.

Federally Employed Women announce scholarship applications for 1996

Multicultural training workshop gives Daytona Beach students new view

NASA/KSC’s multiculturaltraining workshop reached intothe community earlier thismonth when three programfacilitators presented theprogram to a group of DaytonaBeach students.

Sue Dickinson, air resourceslead, Gregg Buckingham,university programs manager,and Michael Bell of the Adminis-tration Office led the session for35 members of the DaytonaBeach Teen Advisory BoardSaturday, Feb. 3 at the DaytonaBeach Police Athletic LeagueCenter.

The session turned out to benearly as revealing for thepresenters as for the students.

“Although the students comefrom a variety of cultures, someof them weren’t aware of theday-to-day prejudices they mightexperience,” said Dickinson.

During the daylong workshopstudents took part in exerciseson themes such as unconsciousprejudice and societal roles.

Stereotypes for groups suchas jocks, good students, males,females and mixed race stu-dents were noted and dis-cussed.

Students responded favorablyto the class with 18 offering anexcellent and 16 a good ratingin a post-course evaluation.Comments that came backincluded: “Nothing was bad, justdifficult to do. But that’s a goodthing because not everythingwill be easy.”

Vernetta Chavis, who worksin the Engineering SupportOffice and whose daughter,

THREE FEMALE students list some of the stereotypes they have experienced as partof an exercise offered during the multicultural training workshop presented to membersof the Daytona Beach Teen Advisory Board earlier this month. Students and the KennedySpace Center facilitators studied issues such as unconscious prejudice and societalroles during the daylong session.

THREE MALE students list some of the steroetypes they have encountered as theytake part in the stereotyping exercise.

Page 4 SPACEPORT NEWS February 16, 1996

Business . .(Continued from Page 1)

ment Association. Tharpe helped generatethe statement of work defining NASA's re-quirements for a single source contractor asa member of the source evaluation board atMarshall Space Flight Center. He is now amember of the NASA Contract AcquisitionTeam.

A new roleTharpe said that as a result of the new

contract, NASA employees at KSC will getout of the day-to-day operations involved inpreparing Shuttles for launch, graduallyhanding those functions over to the contrac-tor. The government job will be to monitorand evaluate the contractor performance.

“In the beginning, KSC was a director-ate of the Marshall Space Flight Center,we’ve always been involved in the daily op-erations. We can be involved in a differentway. This role will in no way diminishNASA’s overall impact to the program. But,we don’t need to sign all procedures to pro-cess the flight hardware,” Tharpe said to anattentive audience of about 150.

Launch execution, preparationGovernment involvement in the Space

Flight Operations Contract will focus onlaunch execution and preparation, includ-ing development, institution and the tran-sition to the SFOC. The government alsowill be responsible for continued institu-tional support, including the KSC infra-structure.

In the area of development, the govern-ment will design and develop ground sup-port equipment and bring it on-line for theSFOC. KSC’s institution (non-Shuttle Pro-cessing Contract expenditures) will befunded by the Office of Space Flight (CodeM). The government will continue to man-age the 43 contracts that do not come underthe SFOC.

“We will establish a way to transitionroles and responsibilities so the work is per-formed satisfactorily before we, the govern-ment, step back,” Tharpe explained.

“We need to think and view things a littledifferently now. I don’t view this change asa negative and things will work out all right.The launch team of the future will have themost capable people as members. Ourtrademark has always been the best launchteam in the world. The transition will bedifficult, but KSC can help accomplish it.”

The SFOC performance-based contract,which will be managed at Johnson SpaceCenter in Houston, will be measured

USA . .(Continued from Page 1)

at KSC on February 8 and 9. Their presen-tations were held in the LC39 area as wellas the Training Auditorium in the KSC In-dustrial Area.

Mike McCulley introduced the corporate-level executives and helped answer em-ployee questions about specific KSC im-pacts. McCulley is USA's associate programmanager for ground operations, responsiblefor its activities at KSC.

The two corporate officials described theformation of USA, a joint venture ofRockwell International and Lockheed Mar-tin, and addressed employee concerns aboutthe status of their jobs, compensation andbenefits in the transition to a single primecontract for Space Flight Operations.

The Shuttle processing work currentlyperformed by Lockheed Martin andRockwell will transition to USA in threephases over a five-year period, Black said.

Between June 1 and Oct. 1 of this year,USA plans to merge Lockheed Martin'sShuttle Processing Contract at KSC andRockwell's Flight Operations Contract atJohnson Space Center. The 3,800 KSC em-ployees and 3,000 JSC employees ofLockheed Martin and Rockwell under thoseexisting contracts will become employees ofUnited Space Alliance at that time. By theend of the summer, USA plans to absorb allof the orbiter subcontracts.

Phase II would occur by early 1997, whenShuttle support contracts are scheduled tobe picked up by USA.

Phase III will be divided into severalsteps. It consists of contracts that includeddevelopment effort at the time of the ShuttleFlight Operations Contract execution. Itwill eventually include the solid rocketboosters, external tank and Space Shuttlemain engines.

USA will be headquartered in Houstonwhere the NASA Shuttle program office isbased, Black said.

Even though one of the goals of the tran-sition is to reduce the numbers of employ-ees, Black said no immediate or major lay-offs are planned.

"It will be a gradual evolving process,"he said. "I would hope most, if not all, of thereductions will be made through attrition."

Most Lockheed Martin and Rockwell em-ployees who work directly with the ShuttleProcessing and Flight Operations contractswill automatically become USA employees.Employees will not have to apply to keeptheir jobs, Adamson assured.

ROY THARPE speaks to NASA Kennedy Space CenterManagement Association members Jan. 18 in the SpaceStation Processing Facility cafeteria.

(Continued on Page 5)

against a predetermined set of metrics. Forexample, a work authorization documentwould be required to be technically accu-rate and available 100 percent of the timewith a maximum error rate being availableonly three days prior to test start.

NASA will continue to have insight intothe databases. Based on data, NASA canraise questions when warrented and con-duct independent audits.

Next phase criticalThis transition phase will be critical to

the success of the space program, Tharpesaid.

The cost of processing and launch willcome down as areas of duplication arestreamlined and optimized across the board.

Tharpe reflected on a similar situationin 1966 when Brown Engineering wasawarded NASA's Mission Contract and thegovernment role changed from doing thework to grading the contractors.

USA is motivated to protect the nationalresources of the space program, includingthe people and the hardware, Tharpe said.

NASA Administrator Dan Goldin said hewanted USA to do the job of processing andlaunching the Space Shuttle system.

Tharpe noted that by early 1997, USAwill have already conducted at least onelaunch and will have had an awardfee evaluation.

“KSC’s team is the best in the world. Theway we do things will end up being the best,”he said.

Page 5February 16, 1996 SPACEPORT NEWS

PROFESSOR KYOICHI KURIKI of the Institute of Space and AstronauticalScience in Tokyo, program leader for the Space Flyer Unit (SFU), presents aDaruma, a Buddhist good luck symbol, to Payloads Director John Conway Jan.29 at the Operations and Checkout Building. The presentation acknowledgedKennedy Space Center’s role in the successful retrieval of that satellite duringMission STS-72.

by George Diller

Kennedy Space Center’srole in the successful retrievalof Japan's Space Flyer Unit(SFU) satellite during Mis-sion STS-72 was acknowl-edged during a ceremony Jan.29 in the Operations andCheckout Building. Membersof the STS-72 payload testteam, senior NASA andMcDonnell Douglas payloadmanagers, and representa-tives of Japan’s Institute ofSpace and Astronautical Sci-ence (ISAS) were presentwhen KSC officially turnedover the SFU to the JapaneseSpace Agency and its ISASpartner. SFU was then trans-ported to Astrotech inTitusville where investigatorsare retrieving their experi-ments and data.

SFU was launched on anexpendable vehicle from theTanegashima Space Center insouthern Japan on March 18,1995. It remained in orbit 10months before being retrievedfrom space by Endeavour’screw on Jan. 13, 1996. SFUis an octagonally shaped,

multi-purpose reusablespacecraft with eleven ex-periments including an in-frared telescope, biologicaland crystal growth experi-ments. It took ten years todevelop.

NASA Director of PayloadOperations, John Conwayand Professor KyoichiKuriki, the SFU ProgramLeader from ISAS, signedthe document turning overcustody of the spacecraftfrom NASA to the Japanese.

After the signing Kurikipresented Conway with a"Daruma," a Buddhist goodluck symbol.

The Daruma’s left eyewas painted in while theJapanese were at KSC in1991 planning the SFU re-trieval and downloading ac-tivities. The recipient of theDaruma then makes a wish,and when it comes true, hepaints the other eye. Kurikipainted the other eye justafter the joint signing of theturnover document.

After the experiments areremoved , the spacecraft willbe shipped back to Japan.

Japanese icon commemoratesSFU's retrieval, return to KSC

EG&G appoints deputy general manager

Entries taken for two running eventsKennedy Space Center ath-

letes can start getting warmedup this winter for two upcom-ing running events.

Beat the BossThe fifth annual Beat the

Boss 5K run and two mile walkwill take place Saturday, March30, at 8 a.m. at the Patrick AirForce Base Officers Club Pavil-ion. The time and date havebeen changed from previousyears to take advantage of lowtide and cooler weather. The lo-cation was also moved furthersouth to give participants a flat-ter and firmer surface to run on.

Participants will have theoption of competing against thebosses in a 5 kilometer run oragainst a different set of bossesin the 2 mile walk.

All NASA, military andShuttle Processing Contractemployees are eligible to entereither of the events. An entry

fee of $6 includes a post-racepancake breakfast. Entrantswill also receive a specially de-signed T-shirt. Applications areavailable at the KSC exercise fa-cilities and NASA Exchangestores. For more information,call Marty Winkel at 861-7502.

Intercenter runKSC's seventh annual Spring

Intercenter Run will be heldWednesday, April 17, at 5 p.m.at the Shuttle Landing Facilityrunway.

There is no registration feebut participants must sign upby midnight April 5.

Registration forms are avail-able at the KSC exercisefacilities.T-shirts may be or-dered (pre-paid) at any NASAExchange store. The cost is$5.50 for sizes medium to extralarge and $7.00 for extra extralarge. T-shirts will be availableon race day.

(Continued from Page 4)

Pay structures and benefitswill be largely unchanged fromLockheed Martin and Rockwell-- with the exception of someLockheed Martin savings planswhich will pay company match-ing funds directly to employeesinstead of investing them inLockheed Martin stock.

The officials explained thatsince USA is a separate com-pany its employees will not beable to participate in LockheedMartin's corporate stock pur-chase plan, but instead willhave the freedom to invest the

funds in a variety of stocks.Black invited employees to

take advantage of this "chanceto change the way things aredone and improve the system."

KSC employees are invitedto share ideas for improvementswith the USA team.

Suggestions can be sent to ValWardell, Mail Code A-11,Lockheed Martin Engineeringand Sciences Services, Houston,TX, 77058 or to Bill Jeffs,Rockwell Space OperationsCompany, Mail Code R04B,Houston, TX, 77058. E-mailmessages can be sent to usa-team@usa.lesc.lockheed.com

Stephen J. Bailey of MerrittIsland has been appointeddeputy general manager ofEG&G Florida Inc. Bailey hasbeen serving as acting deputygeneral manager for the com-pany since September 1995.

Bailey has worked as control-ler at EG&G Florida since theinception of the Base Opera-tions Contract in 1983. In June1995, he was appointed direc-tor of administration over Fi-

BAILEY

nance, HumanResources andContracts. Hewill continue toserve in this ca-pacity also.

As the BaseO p e r a t i o n sContractor to

NASA at the Kennedy SpaceCenter, EG&G Florida providesa broad range of support ser-vices for the KSC mission.

John F. Kennedy Space Center

Spaceport News The Spaceport News is an official publication of the Kennedy SpaceCenter and is published on alternate Fridays by the Public Affairs Officein the interest of KSC civil service and contractor employees. Contributions are welcome and should be submitted two weeks be-fore publication to the Media Services Branch, PA-MSB.

Managing editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lisa MaloneEditor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Barb ComptonEditorial support provided by Sherikon Space Systems Inc. writers group.

USGPO: 733-096/20015

Page 6 SPACEPORT NEWS February 16, 1996

1R (TSS-1R) and United StatesMicrogravity Payload-3 (USMP-3) experiment equipment onboard the Space Shuttle OrbiterColumbia. The STS-75 missionis scheduled to land at the KSCShuttle Landing Facility onMarch 7 at 7:32 a.m.

Deployment on Day 3 On Flight Day 3, the crew

will begin TSS-1R deploymentby raising a 40-foot boom to el-evate the satellite and its sup-port structure. Once released,the satellite, 5 feet in diameter,will rise 12.4 miles above the or-biter while an electrically-con-ductive tether the diameter of amatchstick unwinds from a mo-torized reel. The objective forthis Italian Space Agency (ASI)and NASA payload is to demon-strate the ability to deploy andcontrol satellites on long tethersin space and to conduct spaceplasma experiments that in-clude the generation of electri-cal power. The TSS-1 first flewon STS-46 in 1992, but a me-chanical problem allowed thesatellite to be deployed only to840 feet.

As the tether passes throughthe electromagnetic fields of theEarth’s atmosphere, an electri-cal charge is expected to buildup between the satellite and theorbiter. Electrons from the iono-sphere will be collected at thesatellite and will travel downthe tether to the orbiter. Ap-proximately 27 hours after de-ployment, the crew will activatethe 5-horsepower electric motorthat will rewind the tether anddraw the satellite back to the topof the support structure in thepayload bay. The retrieval willbe conducted in two phases over18 hours.

The crew will also conduct re-search with four major USMP-3 experiment packages inColumbia’s payload bay andthree combustion experimentsin a Glovebox facility located inthe orbiter’s middeck area. Thepayload bay experiments aredesigned to gather data that will

STS-75. . .(Continued from Page 1)

both STS-62 and STS-46. Hehas more than 4,000 hours offlight time in more than 30types of aircraft. Pilot Scott J.“Doc” Horowitz is on his firstShuttle mission. He holds a doc-torate degree in aerospace en-gineering and was selected asone of the Outstanding YoungMen in America in 1985.

Payload CommanderFranklin R. Chang-Diaz hasflown on STS-60, STS-46, STS-34,and STS 61-C. He holds adoctorate in applied plasmaphysics and is director of theAdvanced Space PropulsionLaboratory at the University ofHouston.

Mission Specialist Jeffrey A.Hoffman (Ph.D.) has served inthis capacity on STS 61, STS-46, STS-35 and STS 51-D. Heholds a doctorate degree in as-trophysics and has been work-ing on the Tethered Satelliteproject since 1987.

Mission Specialist ClaudeNicollier (ESA) has flown onboth STS-61 and STS-46. A cap-tain in the Swiss Air Force, heholds a master’s degree in as-trophysics and is a Fellow of theBritish Interplanetary Society.

Mission Specialist MaurizioCheli is a lieutenant colonel inthe Italian Air Force. He becamean ESA astronaut in 1992.

Payload Specialist UmbertoGuidoni (ASI) is a researcher ofthe Space Physics Institute andis the scientist responsible forthe integration of the Electrody-namic Tether Effects (RETE)experiment on the TSS-1R.

THIS AERIAL view of the Space Shuttle Columbia was shot as the Shuttle arrived atLaunch Pad 39B on January 29.

continue NASA’s microgravityresearch program. One experi-ment will use mercury cadmiumtelluride semiconductor alloysamples to study the directionalsolidification method of process-ing semiconductors. A betterunderstanding of this processcould lead to improved produc-tion methods on Earth. Anotherwill analyze Xenon fluid at the“critical point”, a phase whereliquid changes to vapor. Under-standing how matter behaves atthis point could lead to advancesin physics. Yet another experi-ment could lead to improve-ments to materials preparationand processing on Earth.

Investigating firesThe three USMP-3 middeck

experiments will study the char-acteristics of fires and how theyspread in microgravity. Datawill be used to help design saferspacecraft and better fire de-

tection systems on Earth.The STS-75 crew includes two

European Space Agency (ESA)astronauts and one from the Ital-ian Space Agency (ASI), as wellas four veterans of STS-46.

Mission Commander AndrewM. Allen is on his third spaceflight, having served as pilot of