Conference 7.286::space

    Speaking of Columbia, how are the upgrades going. Last I heard it was
    supposed to be a 6 month overhaul. That would mean the work would be
    done around the end of January. Any word on the progress to date?
    
    Roger

    re .0
    
    Cut and paste strikes again. References to STS-45 should be to -50.
    
    (You may delete this note when rectified.)

   Re: Crew list in base note

	>CDR:RICHARD N. RICHARDS
	>PLT:JOHN H. CASPER
	>MS (PLC):BONNIE J. DUNBAR
	>MS:KENNETH D. BOWERSOX
	>MS:CARL J. MEADE
	>PS:LAWRENCE J. DELUCAS
	>PS:EUGENE H. TRINH


  The crew was changed some time ago with John Casper getting his own command. 
  Ken Bowersox moves up to Pilot as he joined the Astronaut Corps. Added to the
  crew was Ellen Baker, making her second flight. The remainder of the crew
  are the same.

	- Commander: Dick Richards 
	- Pilot: Ken Bowersox
	- PLC/MS1: Bonnie Dunbar 
	- MS2: Carl Meade 
	- MS3: Ellen Baker 
	- PS1: Lawrence Delucas (University of Alabama)
	- PS2: Eugene Trinh (NASA JPL)

Susan

 KSC SHUTTLE STATUS  -  FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1991  -- 10:00 A.M.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

 
       STS-50 -- COLUMBIA (0V 102)  --  PALMDALE, CALIF.

     The Space Shuttle Columbia will remain powered up through
the holidays as work on the vehicle continues. Structural
inspections and tests in critical areas are part of the remaining
modifications and refurbishments scheduled for the next two
weeks.

     Columbia is targeted for its ferry flight return to KSC
around the end of January. Processing will then begin for its
next mission, STS-50, the first extended duration orbiter mission
scheduled to last 13 days.

                          #   #   #   #


NOTE:  THIS IS THE LAST KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR 1991.
       IF PERTINENT EVENTS WARRANT, INTERIM REPORTS WILL BE
       FILED. OTHERWISE, THE NEXT REPORT WILL APPEAR JAN. 2,
       1992.

       MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS
       OFFICE AT KENNEDY SPACE CENTER.
 

  KSC SHUTTLE STATUS  -  THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 1992  -- 10:00 A.M.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

 
        STS-50  --  COLUMBIA (0V 102)  --  PALMDALE, CALIF.

     The Space Shuttle Columbia remained powered up through the
holidays, allowing work on the vehicle to continue. Structural
inspections and tests in critical areas are part of the
modifications and refurbishments scheduled for this week.

     Columbia is targeted for its ferry flight return to KSC
around the end of January. Processing will then begin for its
next mission, STS-50, the first extended duration orbiter mission
scheduled to last 13 days.

 KSC SHUTTLE STATUS  -  FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 1992  -- 10:00 A.M.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

 
        STS-50  -  COLUMBIA (0V 102)  --  PALMDALE, CALIF.

     The Space Shuttle Columbia remains powered up as structural
inspections and tests in critical areas continue. Managers will
be meeting today to determine the delivery date of the vehicle
back to KSC. Columbia is targeted for its ferry flight return
near the end of the month or early next month. Once back at KSC,
processing will then begin for its next mission, STS-50, the
first extended duration orbiter mission scheduled to last 13
days.

     KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - MONDAY, JAN. 13, 1992  11 AM


 
        STS-50  -  COLUMBIA (OV 102) - PALMDALE, CALIF.

      Power-up  work  this  week  includes  tests of the auxiliary
 power units and the environmental control  life  support  system.
 Work  is  continuing  to  install  the regenerable carbon dioxide
 removal system in the middeck.  Modifications to install the drag
 chute are continuing.

      The  extended duration orbiter pallet is scheduled to arrive
 at KSC today by C5 aircraft.  The pallet will be  transferred  to
 the VAB high bay 2 for storage and checkout.

      Columbia is targeted to return to Florida on Feb.  8.  There
 will be a two-day ferry flight from California to Florida  begin-
 ning Feb. 7.

     KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - TUESDAY, JAN. 14, 1992  10 AM


 
       STS-50 -  COLUMBIA (OV 102) - PALMDALE, CALIF.

     Power-up  work  this  week  includes  tests of the auxiliary
power units and the environmental control  life  support  system.
Work  is  continuing  to  install  the regenerable carbon dioxide
removal system in the middeck.  Modifications to install the drag
chute are continuing.

     The  extended  duration  orbiter  pallet arrived at KSC last
night by C5 aircraft.  The pallet will be transferred to the  VAB
high bay 2 for storage and checkout.

     Columbia is targeted to return to Florida on Feb.  8.  There
will be a two-day ferry flight from California to Florida  begin-
ning Feb. 7.

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - THURSDAY, JAN. 16, 1992  11 AM


 
        STS-50 - COLUMBIA (OV 102) - PALMDALE, CALIF.

     Final  preparations are being made on Columbia to finish the
modification work planned at Palmdale. Technicians are completing
work on wire trays in the midbody of the orbiter.  Closure of the
payload  bay doors is scheduled this weekend.  Final tests of the
hydraulic system are planned.

      Work  is  continuing  to  install  the  regenerable  carbon
dioxide  removal system in the orbiter.  Modifications to install
the drag chute are continuing.

     The mock orbital maneuvering system pods are scheduled to be
installed late next week.  The tail cone is scheduled to  be  in-
stalled late this month or early next month.

     The  chin  panel  and  the  forward  reaction control system
simulator have been installed.

     The extended duration orbiter pallet is being stored in  the
VAB  high  bay 2 where it will be checked out for installation in
Columbia's payload bay.

     Columbia is targeted to return to Florida on Feb.  8.  There
will  be a two-day ferry flight from California to Florida begin-
ning Feb. 7.

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - FRIDAY, JAN. 24, 1992  11 AM

 
           STS-50  -  COLUMBIA (OV 102) - PALMDALE, CALIF.

     The mock orbital maneuvering system pods are scheduled to be
installed later this week.  The tail cone is scheduled to be  in-
stalled late this month or early next month.

     The  extended duration orbiter pallet is being stored in the
VAB high bay 2 where it will be checked out for  installation  in
Columbia's payload bay.

     Columbia is targeted to return to Florida on Feb.  8.  There
will be a two-day ferry flight from California to Florida  begin-
ning Feb. 7. Columbia will be in OPF bay 3 for STS-50 processing.

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - WEDNESDAY, JAN. 29, 1992  10 AM


 
          STS-50 - COLUMBIA (OV 102) - PALMDALE, CALIF.

     The mock orbital maneuvering system pods are being installed
this  week in preparation for the ferry flight.  The tail cone is
scheduled to be installed later this week.

     Columbia is scheduled to return to Florida on Feb. 8.  There
will  be a two-day ferry flight from California to Florida begin-
ning Feb. 7.  Columbia is scheduled to be processed for STS-50 in
OPF bay 3.

  KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - THURSDAY, JAN. 30, 1992  11:30 AM


 
          STS-50 - COLUMBIA (OV 102) - PALMDALE, CALIF.

     Columbia  was  powered down Tuesday night for the final time
in the Rockwell hangar in Palmdale. Both mock orbital maneuvering
system pods have been installed  in  preparation  for  the  ferry
flight.  The tail cone was scheduled to be installed late yester-
day. The drag chute has been closed out for the ferry flight.

     Columbia is scheduled to return to Florida on Feb. 8.  There
will  be a two-day ferry flight from California to Florida begin-
ning Feb. 7.  Columbia is scheduled to be processed for STS-50 in
OPF bay 3.

     KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - FRIDAY, FEB. 7, 1992  10 AM

 
          STS-50 - COLUMBIA (OV 102) - PALMDALE, CALIF.

     Columbia was bolted to the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft yes-
terday  in  preparation for the ferry flight.  Pending acceptable
weather conditions for the departure, the cross country flight is
scheduled  to  begin  today.  Weather  permitting,  an  overnight
stopover  at  Ellington  Field  near  Houston,  Texas  is planned
tonight. If all goes as planned, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft and
orbiter are expected to arrive at KSC  tomorrow  at  about  11:47
a.m.  EST.    Columbia  will  be  towed  from the Shuttle Landing
Facility to vacant OPF bay 3 for STS-50 mission processing.

 

This KSC Status Report was prepared at 11:30 a.m. Monday, Feb. 10.


 
                           STS-50

     Overnight in the mate-demate device at the Shuttle Landing
Facility, Columbia was demated from the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft
and this morning at 10 a.m. was towed from the ramp to OPF Bay 3.
Work will now begin to jack and level the orbiter and to remove the
ferry flight tailcone.  Preparations will then begin for power up so
that processing can begin for Columbia's next launch this summer with
the U.S. Microgravity Laboratory.

 

KSC SHUTTLE STATUS  -  TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1992  -- 10:00 A.M.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

 
         STS-50/UNITED STATES MICROGRAVITY LABORATORY --
               COLUMBIA (0V 102) -- OPF High Bay 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Remove doors to gain access to aft and forward compartments
*  Ferry flight tail cone removal

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Vehicle moved to OPF bay 3 following arrival from Palmdale,
   Ca. Columbia riding atop the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft
   touched down at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility at 6:08 p.m. on
   Sunday, February 9.
*  Position orbiter, jack and level, weight and center of gravity
   evaluations

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Power up operations
*  Open payload bay doors Friday


 

 KSC SHUTTLE STATUS - WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1992 -- 11:00 A.M.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

 
         STS-50/UNITED STATES MICROGRAVITY LABORATORY --
               COLUMBIA (0V 102) -- OPF High Bay 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Install strongbacks on payload bay doors

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Remove doors to gain access to aft and forward compartments
*  Ferry flight tail cone removal
*  Position orbiter, jack and level, weight and center of gravity
   evaluations

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Power on operations
*  Open payload bay doors Friday

 

  KSC SHUTTLE STATUS - FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1992 -- 10:00 A.M.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

 
         STS-50/UNITED STATES MICROGRAVITY LABORATORY --
               COLUMBIA (0V 102) -- OPF High Bay 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Preparations to open payload bay doors
*  Removal of last ferry kit items

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Cleaning of aft compartment
*  Install strongbacks on payload bay doors

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Power on operations



 

       KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - TUESDAY, FEB. 18, 1992  10 AM


 
             STS-50 - COLUMBIA (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Functional test of the radiators.
- Removal of the mock right orbital maneuvering system pod.
-  Removal of main propulsion system temperature probes and check
valves.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Removal  of  the  mock  left  orbital  maneuvering  system  pod
Thursday.


 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - THURSDAY, FEB. 20, 1992  10 AM


 
             STS-50 - COLUMBIA (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Removal of the mock left orbital maneuvering system pod.
- Validation of the electrical system.
- Preparations to install the extended duration orbiter pallet.
-  Removal of main propulsion system temperature probes and check
valves.
- Installation of thermal blankets.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Functional tests of the radiators.



 

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - FRIDAY, FEB. 21, 1992  10 AM

 
             STS-50 - COLUMBIA (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Validation of the electrical system.
- Preparations to install the extended duration orbiter pallet.
- Installation of thermal blankets.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Removal of the mock left orbital maneuvering system pod

 

  KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - THURSDAY, MAR. 5, 1992  11:30 AM

 
             STS-50 - COLUMBIA (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Tests of the left orbital maneuvering system pod.
- Tests of the power reactant storage and distribution system.
- Preparations to install the  extended  duration  orbiter  (EDO)
pallet.
- Tests of the right orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pod.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Install the EDO pallet in the orbiter early next week.

WORK COMPLETED:
-  Transferred  the EDO pallet from the VAB to the OPF this morn-
ing.

     ###   STS-50 - SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Stacking of the left aft booster on mobile launcher platform 3.
- Connecting the right aft booster to the launch platform.



 

     KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - FRIDAY, MAR. 6, 1992  10 AM

 
             STS-50 - COLUMBIA (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Leak and functional tests of the auxiliary power units.
- Tests of the electrical system.
- Tests of the power reactant storage and distribution system.
-  Preparations  to  install  the extended duration orbiter (EDO)
pallet.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Install the EDO pallet in the orbiter early next week.
WORK COMPLETED:
- Tested both orbital maneuvering system pods.


    ##    STS-50 - SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Making  final  connections  between  the  left  and  right  aft
boosters on mobile launcher platform 3.
 
 

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - FRIDAY, MAR. 13, 1992  11 AM
 
 
             STS-50 - COLUMBIA (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3
 
WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Tests of the main propulsion system.
- Leak and functional tests of the auxiliary power units.
- Tests of the power reactant storage and distribution system.
-  Preparations  to  install  the extended duration orbiter (EDO)
pallet.
 
WORK SCHEDULED:
- Installation of the three main engines next week.
 
WORK COMPLETED:
- Installed the Ku-band antenna drive assembly.
 
     ##   STS-50 - SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB BAY 3
 
WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Closing out the field joints.
- Preparations to stack the right forward segment next week.
 
 

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - MONDAY, MAR. 16, 1992  10 AM

 
             STS-50 - COLUMBIA (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Installation of the three main engines.
- Installation of the extended duration orbiter (EDO) pallet.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Tests of the Ku-band antenna.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Installed main propulsion system regulators and helium tanks.

        ##   STS-50 - SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Closing out the field joints.

 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - TUESDAY, MAR. 17, 1992  10 AM

 
             STS-50 - COLUMBIA (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Installing the No. 3 main engine.
- Hooking up the extended duration orbiter (EDO) pallet.
- Tests of the Ku-band antenna.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Installed main engines No. 1 and 2.
- Installed the EDO pallet yesterday.

     ##    STS-50 - SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Closing out the field joints.
- Stacking of the right forward segment.

 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - WEDNESDAY, MAR. 18, 1992  10 AM

 
             STS-50 - COLUMBIA (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Check out of the extended duration orbiter (EDO) pallet.
- Tests of the Ku-band antenna.
- Tests of the engines and main propulsion system.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Installed all three main engines.

    ##     STS-50 - SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Closing out the field joints.
- Stacking of the right forward segment.
- Preparations to transfer the left aft  center  segment  to  the
VAB.


 

Mitch Varnes                                      March 23, 1992

KSC Release No. 38-92

Note to Editors/News Directors

     The  United  States  Microgravity  Laboratory-1     (USML-1)
Spacelab  module,  which  is  scheduled to be launched aboard the
Shuttle Columbia this summer,  will be the  subject  of  a  press
photo opportunity on Monday, March 30.

     The showing will be held at 2:00 p.m. inside the high bay of
the  Operations  & Checkout Building,  where the payload is being
readied for flight.   This facility is located  in  the  KSC  In-
dustrial  Area.    Monday's showing will be the final opportunity
for the news media to view the USML-1 payload before its mission.

     USML-1 will be the fourth Spacelab mission to be flown since
the Shuttle returned to flight in 1988.    It  is  the  first  of
several  USML  missions  planned to provide greater opportunities
for research in materials science, fluid dynamics,  biotechnology
and  combustion  science.    USML-1  will  be  the first Spacelab
payload to fly aboard Columbia since it was recently  transformed
into  an  Extended Duration Orbiter (EDO).   With additional fuel
tanks  now  outfitted  in  its  payload  bay,  Columbia  has  the
capability to stay in space for as long as 16 days.

     The  STS-50/USML-1  mission is planned to last approximately
13 days and will be the longest flight since  the  Space  Shuttle
was first launched in 1981.

     During Monday's showing,  USML-1 will be in a test stand in-
side the high bay of the Operations and Checkout Building.   Mem-
bers  of  the  STS-50  payload processing team will be on hand to
answer questions concerning the  processing  of  USML-1  at  KSC.
About 30 minutes have been allotted for the press opportunity.

     Electronic  flash is permitted.   However,  all lighting and
photographic  equipment  must  be  self-contained   and   battery
powered.  No external power sources are available inside the high
bay.    Safety  regulations prohibit flame-producing items of any
sort,  and all attendees must wear slacks  and  flat,  closed-toe
shoes.   Dresses, shorts, sandals or high-heel shoes are not per-
mitted.

     Transportation from the KSC News Center  will  be  provided.
Those  members  of  the  news  media wishing to attend the STS-50
payload showing should be at the News Center by 1:15 p.m.   Media
needing  accreditation should contact Lisa Fowler of the KSC News
Center at 407/867-2468.
  

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - FRIDAY, MAR. 27, 1992  10 AM


 
             STS-50 - COLUMBIA (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Tests of the main propulsion system helium regulators.
- Preparations to install the forward reaction control system.
- Check out of the extended duration orbiter (EDO) pallet.
- Installing heat shields around the main engines.
- Leak checks of environmental control system fluid lines.
- Close outs of the midbody.
-  Installing  thermal control blankets into the forward reaction
control system cavity.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Installation of the forward reaction control system Saturday.

     ##    STS-50 - SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Closing out the booster field joints.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Mated the left aft center segment.


 

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - MONDAY, MAR. 30, 1992  10 AM

 
             STS-50 - COLUMBIA (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Check out of the extended duration orbiter (EDO) pallet.
- Leak checks of environmental control system fluid lines.
- Close outs of the midbody.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Installation of the forward reaction control system Wednesday.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Tested the main propulsion system helium regulators.
- Installed heat shields around the main engines.


      ##  STS-50 - SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Closing out the booster field joints.
- Preparations to mate the left forward center segment.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Mated the right forward assembly.

 
 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - WEDNESDAY, APR. 1, 1992  10 AM

 
             STS-50 - COLUMBIA (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Replacement of a leaking oxidizer tank on the extended duration
orbiter (EDO) pallet.
- Leak checks of environmental control system fluid lines.
- Close outs of the midbody.
- Installing thermal blankets in the midbody.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Installed the forward reaction control system overnight.

   ##   STS-50 - SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS/MLP-3 - VAB BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Closing out the booster field joints.
- Mating the left forward center segment.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Completion of left booster stacking by the end of the week.

 
 

     KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - FRIDAY, APR. 3, 1992  11 AM


 
             STS-50 - COLUMBIA (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Electrical connections of the newly installed oxidizer tank  on
the extended duration orbiter (EDO) pallet.
- Testing of the forward reaction control system.
- Close outs of the midbody.
- Installing thermal blankets in the midbody.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Replaced a leaking oxidizer tank on the EDO pallet.


    ##  STS-50 - SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS/MLP-3 - VAB BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Closing out the booster field joints.
- Mating the left forward assembly/nose cone to the segment. This
is the last segment to be mated to complete booster stacking.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Completion of left booster stacking by the end of the week.
 

 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - TUESDAY, APR. 7, 1992  10 AM

 
             STS-50 - COLUMBIA (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Payload pre-mate testing.
- Testing of the Ku-band antenna.
- Close outs of the midbody.
- Installing thermal blankets in the midbody.
- Close outs of the extended duration orbiter pallet.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Serviced the ammonia system.
- Checked out the forward reaction control system.

  ##   STS-50 - SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS/MLP-3 - VAB BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Measurements of the boosters' alignment.
- Closing out the booster field joints.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Mating the external tank to the boosters Thursday.
 
 

  KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - WEDNESDAY, APR. 8, 1992  10 AM

 
             STS-50 - COLUMBIA (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Payload pre-mate testing.
- Testing of the Ku-band antenna.
- Close outs of the midbody.
- Installing thermal blankets in the midbody.
- Close outs of the extended duration orbiter pallet.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Installation of the USML payload module the end of the week.

    ##  STS-50 - SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS/MLP-3 - VAB BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Closing out the booster field joints.
- Preparations to mate the external tank.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Measured the boosters' alignment.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Mating the external tank to the boosters Thursday.

 

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - THURSDAY, APR. 9, 1992  10 AM


 
             STS-50 - COLUMBIA (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Payload pre-mate testing.
- Testing of the Ku-band antenna.
- Close outs of the midbody.
- Installing thermal blankets in the midbody.
- Close outs of the extended duration orbiter pallet.
- Testing of the water spray boilers.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Installation of the USML payload module Saturday.

 ##     STS-50 - SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS/MLP-3 - VAB BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Mating the external tank to the solid rocket boosters.
- Closing out the booster field joints.

 

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - FRIDAY, APR. 10, 1992  10 AM

 
         STS-50 - COLUMBIA/USML-1 - (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Preparations to install the USML payload tomorrow.
- Close outs of the midbody.
- Installing thermal blankets in the midbody.
- Close outs of the extended duration orbiter pallet.
- Testing of the water spray boilers.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Installation of the USML payload module Saturday.

    ## STS-50 - SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS/MLP-3 - VAB BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Electrically mating the boosters and tank.
- Closing out the booster field joints.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Mated the external tank to the solid rocket boosters yesterday.
 
 

KSC SHUTTLE STATUS - THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 1992 -- 11:00 A.M.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

 
       STS-50/UNITED STATES MICROGRAVITY LABORATORY --
           COLUMBIA (0V 102) -- OPF High Bay 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Installation of USML payload into orbiter payload bay
*  Payload bay cleaning
*  Potable water servicing

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Mating operations connecting external tank to solid rocket
boosters
*  Transfer of USML payload from Operations and Checkout Building
to Orbiter Processing Facility
*  External tank/orbiter umbilical doors functional tests

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Drag chute installation
*  Payload tunnel installation

 

KSC SHUTTLE STATUS - TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 1992 -- 11:00 A.M.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

 
          STS-50/UNITED STATES MICROGRAVITY LABORATORY --
             COLUMBIA (0V 102) -- OPF High Bay 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  USML mechanical mates to the orbiter
*  Potable water servicing
*  Water spray boiler checks

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Installation of USML payload into orbiter payload bay
*  Mating operations connecting external tank to solid rocket
   boosters
*  External tank/orbiter umbilical doors functional tests

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Payload electrical mates
*  Payload tunnel installation
*  Drag chute installation
*  Landing gear functional tests

 

     KSC SHUTTLE STATUS - THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 1992 -- 10:00 A.M.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------
 
         STS-50/UNITED STATES MICROGRAVITY LABORATORY --
               COLUMBIA (0V 102) -- OPF High Bay 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  USML electrical mates to the orbiter
*  Drag chute modifications and installation preparations

WORK COMPLETED:
*  USML mechanical mates to the orbiter
*  Hydraulic line checks
*  Landing gear functional tests

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Payload tunnel adapter installation
*  Payload integration verification tests

 

     KSC SHUTTLE STATUS - FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 1992 -- 12:00 NOON
  -----------------------------------------------------------------
 
     STS-50/UNITED STATES MICROGRAVITY LABORATORY (USML) --
               COLUMBIA (0V 102) -- OPF High Bay 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  USML electrical mates to the orbiter
*  Nose landing gear installation
*  Payload integration verification tests

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Main landing gear wheel and tire assembly installations
*  Drag chute installation

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Payload tunnel adapter installation

 

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - MONDAY, APR. 20, 1992  11 AM

 
         STS-50 - COLUMBIA/USML-1 - (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Interface verification tests of the USML payload.
- Separating wire bundles in the midbody.
- Close outs of the midbody.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Installed the drag chute.

     ##   STS-50 - SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS/MLP-3 - VAB BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Closing out connections between the boosters and external tank.
 
 

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - TUESDAY, APR. 21, 1992  10 AM

 
         STS-50 - COLUMBIA/USML-1 - (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Close outs of the midbody.
- Preparations to install the spacelab tunnel adapter.
-  Modifications  to allow more crew stowage for the upcoming ex-
tended mission.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Interface verification tests of the USML payload.


    ##    STS-50 - SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS/MLP-3 - VAB BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Closing out connections between the boosters and external tank.
- Preparations to install ordnance devices.



 

  KSC SHUTTLE STATUS - WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 1992 -- 12:00 NOON
-----------------------------------------------------------------
 
     STS-50/UNITED STATES MICROGRAVITY LABORATORY (USML) --
               COLUMBIA (0V 102) -- OPF High Bay 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Midbody closeouts
*  Install payload bay liners
*  Preparations to leak check and install tunnel adapter
*  Hydraulic system fill and bleed

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Nose landing gear installation
*  Payload integration verification tests

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Payload tunnel adapter installation

 

     KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - THURSDAY, APR. 23 1992  11 AM

 
         STS-50 - COLUMBIA/USML-1 - (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Tests of the orbiter's flight control aerosurfaces.
- Preparations for the brake anti-skid test.
- Close outs of the midbody.
- Installation of the spacelab tunnel adapter.
-  Modifications  to allow more crew stowage for the upcoming ex-
tended mission.

  ##      STS-50 - SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS/MLP-3 - VAB BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Installation of booster ordnance devices.


 

      KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - FRIDAY, APR. 24 1992  10 AM

 
         STS-50 - COLUMBIA/USML-1 - (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Tests of the orbiter's flight control aerosurfaces.
- Brake anti-skid test.
- Close outs of the midbody.
- Tests of the spacelab tunnel adapter.
- Modifications to allow more crew stowage for the  upcoming  ex-
tended mission.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Installed the spacelab tunnel adapter.
- Nose wheel steering test.

   ##     STS-50 - SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS/MLP-3 - VAB BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Installation of tunnel covers.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Installed booster ordnance devices.


 

      KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - MONDAY, APR. 27 1992  10 AM


 
         STS-50 - COLUMBIA/USML-1 - (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Close outs of the midbody.
- Preparations to install the spacelab tunnel.
-  Modifications  to allow more crew stowage for the upcoming ex-
tended mission.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Tested the spacelab tunnel adapter.

   ##   STS-50 - SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS/MLP-3 - VAB BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Closeouts of the tunnel covers,  external tank attach ring  and
boosters.

 

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - WEDNESDAY, APR. 29 1992  10 AM

 
         STS-50 - COLUMBIA/USML-1 - (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Filling and bleeding of the hydraulic system.
- Crew stowage modification for extended flights.
- Servicing the auxiliary power units with water.
- Electrical redundancy checks of the orbital maneuvering  system
and the reaction control system.
- Brake anti-skid test.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Installed the spacelab tunnel.

    ##  STS-50 - SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS/MLP-3 - VAB BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
-  Closeouts of the tunnel covers,  external tank attach ring and
boosters.


 

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - THURSDAY, APR. 30 1992  10 AM
 
 
         STS-50 - COLUMBIA/USML-1 - (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3
 
WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Filling and bleeding of the hydraulic system.
- Crew stowage modification for extended flights.
- Electrical redundancy checks of the orbital maneuvering  system
and the reaction control system.
- Brake anti-skid test.
- Preparations to install the potty.
 
WORK COMPLETED:
- Pressure checks of the main landing gear tires.
 
    ##  STS-50 - SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS/MLP-3 - VAB BAY 3
 
WORK IN PROGRESS:
-  Closeouts of the tunnel covers,  external tank attach ring and
boosters.
 
 
 

 
      KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - FRIDAY, MAY 1 1992  10 AM
 
 
         STS-50 - COLUMBIA/USML-1 - (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3
 
WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Interface verification testing of the USML tunnel.
- Crew stowage modification for extended flights.
- Electrical redundancy checks of the orbital maneuvering  system
and the reaction control system.
 
WORK COMPLETED:
- Leak checks of the USML tunnel.
 
 

       KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - MONDAY, MAY 4 1992  10 AM


 
         STS-50 - COLUMBIA/USML-1 - (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Leak checks of the elevon cove seals.
- Interface verification testing of the USML tunnel.
- Crew stowage modification for extended flights.
- Testing of the communications and radar systems.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Drag chute structural leak check.



 

      KSC SHUTTLE STATUS - WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 1992 -- 12:00 NOON
  -----------------------------------------------------------------
 
     STS-50/UNITED STATES MICROGRAVITY LABORATORY (USML) --
               COLUMBIA (0V 102) -- OPF High Bay 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Servicing of the ammonia boiler
*  Installation and checks of the Waste Collection System
*  Preparations for the crew equipment interface test

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Tests on the orbital maneuvering system crossfeed lines

 

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - MONDAY, MAY 11 1992  10 AM

 
         STS-50 - COLUMBIA/USML-1 - (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Testing of the new regenerative carbon dioxide removal system.
- Functional tests of the potty.
- Testing of the communications system.
- Leak checks of the elevon cove seals.
- Crew stowage modification for extended flights.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Crew Equipment Interface Test of the spacelab.

 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - TUESDAY, MAY 19 1992  12:30 PM


 
         STS-50 - COLUMBIA/USML-1 - (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Testing of the new regenerative carbon dioxide removal system.
- Crew stowage modification for extended flights.
- Preparations for tests of the flight control system.

WORK SCHEDULED:
-  Transfer  of  Columbia  to  the Vehicle Assembly Building next
week.

 

Ed Campion
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                           May 19, 1992

Barbara Schwartz
Johnson Space Center, Houston

EDITORS NOTE:  N92-45


        USML-1 is a complement of microgravity materials processing
technology experiments to be flown on the first Extended Duration Orbiter
(EDO) mission aboard Columbia scheduled for launch in June 1992.  This
13-day flight will be the longest Space Shuttle mission to date.

        The preflight briefings will be held on Tuesday, May 26, 1992,
beginning with a mission overview at 9:30 a.m. EDT by lead Flight Director
Wayne Hale at the Johnson Space Center (JSC), Houston, and Mission
Manager Charles Sprinkle at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC),
Huntsville, Ala.

        A series of mission science presentations from MSFC will begin at
10:30 a.m. EDT, lead by USML-1 Program Scientist Dr. Roger Crouch and
USML-1 Mission Scientist Dr. Don Frazier.  At noon, JSC's Chief of the
Medical Sciences Division, Dr.  Sam Pool, will discuss EDO medical issues.

        The astronaut crew will brief from JSC at 2:30 p.m. EDT and will be
available for round-robin interviews after the press conference.  News media
representatives wishing to participate in the one-on-one interviews should
notify the JSC newsroom, 713/483-5111, by 1 p.m. EDT, May 22, 1992.

        Only the briefings will be carried on NASA Select television with two-
way audio for questions from NASA Headquarters and other centers.  NASA
Select programming is carried on Satcom F2R, transponder 13, located at
72 degrees west longitude.

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - THURSDAY, MAY 21 1992  10 AM


 
         STS-50 - COLUMBIA/USML-1 - (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Testing of the new regenerative carbon dioxide removal system.
- Crew stowage modification for extended flights.
- Tests of the orbiter's hydraulic systems.
- Nose wheel steering test.
- Hooking up the auxiliary power units.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Nose wheel steering test.
- Tested the flight control system.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Close outs of the orbiter's forward and aft compartments.
- Weight and center of gravity determinations on Wednesday.
-  Transfer  of  Columbia to the Vehicle Assembly Building on May
27.

 

     KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - TUESDAY, MAY 26 1992  10 AM

 
         STS-50 - COLUMBIA/USML-1 - (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Testing of the new regenerative carbon dioxide removal system.
- Crew stowage modification for extended flights.
- Close outs of the orbiter's crew compartment.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Closed the aft compartment and midbody.
- Tire pressure checks.
- Pressure checks of the Spacelab.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Weight and center of gravity determinations begin tonight.
- Transfer of Columbia to the Vehicle Assembly Building  tomorrow
evening.

 

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - WEDNESDAY, MAY 27 1992  10 AM

 
         STS-50 - COLUMBIA/USML-1 - (OV 102) - OPF BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Close outs of the orbiter's crew compartment.
- Preparations to determine the weight and center of gravity.
- Cycles of the crew module hatch.
- Preparations to mount the orbiter on the transporter.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Powered down the vehicle for roll over.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Transfer of Columbia to the Vehicle Assembly Building  tomorrow
evening.
- Rollout to Launch Pad 39-A on June 3.
- Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test June 8-9.
- Launch targeted for late June.


 

     KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - FRIDAY, MAY 29, 1992  11 AM

 
            STS-50 - COLUMBIA/USML-1 - (OV 102) - VAB

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Preparations to mate the orbiter to the external tank and solid
rocket boosters.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Transferred Columbia from the Orbiter  Processing  Facility  to
the VAB at 8:30 a.m. today.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Shuttle Interface Test set to begin midnight Sunday.
- Rollout to Launch Pad 39-A targeted for 12:01 a.m. June 3.
- Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test planned June 8-9.
- Launch targeted for late June.

 

     KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - MONDAY, JUNE 1, 1992  10 AM

 
            STS-50 - COLUMBIA/USML-1 - (OV 102) - VAB

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Shuttle Interface Test to verify critical  connections  between
the vehicle elements and the launch platform.
-  Leak  checks  of  the umbilicals between the external tank and
orbiter.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Mated the  orbiter  to  the  external  tank  and  solid  rocket
boosters.
-  Transferred  Columbia  from the Orbiter Processing Facility to
the VAB at 8:30 a.m. Friday.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Rollout to Launch Pad 39-A targeted for 12:01 a.m. June 3.
- Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test planned June 8-9.
- Launch targeted for late June.

 

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 1992  10 AM

 
            STS-50 - COLUMBIA/USML-1 - (OV 102) - VAB

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Shuttle Interface Test to verify critical  connections  between
the vehicle elements and the launch platform.
-  Leak  checks  of  the umbilicals between the external tank and
orbiter.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Retraction of platforms later this evening.
- Rollout to Launch Pad 39-A targeted for 12:01 a.m. tomorrow.
- Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test planned June 8-9.
- Launch targeted for late June.

 

The STS-50 Press Kit is ready, mission logo and all.  This is the anticipated
final form.

pragma::public:[nasa]sts-50.ps

23 pages


- dave

     This year, NASA will launch the first United States
Microgravity Laboratory (USML-1), which will begin a series of
Space Shuttle Spacelab missions dedicated to performing United
States research in a low-gravity environment.  Scientific
experiments performed in the low gravity of Spacelab may help
uncover the fundamental properties of diverse scientific processes
and phenomena that are masked by gravitational influences on
Earth.  The results of knowledge gained during these missions
could have far-reaching effects.
     For example, crystal formations (similar to diamonds and
cubic zirconia) are found in proteins that are present in all life
forms and in semiconductors that form the base material of many
high-tech electronic components.  When a crystal is grown on
Earth, the influence of gravity can affect its appearance and
size.  Studying the relatively large (0.5 millimeters by 0.5
millimeters), regularly patterned protein crystals grown in space
may some day lead to the development of new and improved medicines
or more nutritious foods.  An understanding of the organization
and structure of high-quality semiconductor crystals grown in low
gravity holds the potential for the manufacture of more efficient
miniaturized electronics and other high-tech devices. These and
many other possible improvements to life on Earth could come from
Spacelab research expeditions such as USML-1.
     A Microgravity Materials Science Assessment Task Force,
chaired by NASA's Dr. Bonnie Dunbar, was established in 1986 to
determine what NASA's role should be in space-based microgravity
research and to develop a plan for using the Shuttle, Spacelab,
Space Station Freedom and free-flying satellites for microgravity
materials science.  Considering the Committee's recommendations,
NASA proposed a series of Spacelab missions, the USML series.

                        THE USML-1 MISSION

     The USML series will help the United States maintain world
leadership in microgravity research and development.  USML-1 and
subsequent missions will bring together representatives from
academia, industry and the government to study basic scientific
questions and gain new knowledge in materials
science,biotechnology, combustion science, the physics of fluids
and the way energy and mass are transported within them. As Space
Station Freedom development proceeds, the USML missions will
continue development and testing of experimental flight equipment,
and will be laying the scientific foundation for microgravity
research conducted over extended time periods. In addition, USML
experiments will be conducted on nutrient and water transport for
growing food in space, on the behavior of fire in low-gravity and
on the effects of long-term space travel on humans.
     In June 1992, the USML-1 Spacelab mission -- designated
STS-50 -- will be launched into a 160-nautical-mile orbit aboard
the Space Shuttle Columbia.  It will be a 13-day mission to
perform scientific investigations using some of the latest
high-technology research equipment.  Because of the great number
of experiments planned for the mission and to fully utilize the
time in microgravity, the crew will be split into two teams which
will each work 12-hour shifts to maintain around-the-clock
operations.


                          THE LABORATORY

     Spacelab is a modular research laboratory flown within the
Shuttle orbiter's cargo bay.  It includes interchangeable
elements, including open U-shaped platforms, called pallets (for
equipment such as telescopes that require direct exposure to
space), and short and long laboratory modules.  The laboratory
modules are pressurized so researchers can work in a laboratory
environment in their shirtsleeves rather than bulky spacesuits.
These elements are arranged in the Shuttle cargo bay to meet the
unique needs of each mission.
     For USML-1, the long pressurized module will be used.  This
23-foot-long laboratory workshop will contain a series of standard
racks that will hold furnaces for growing crystals, facilities for
studying the behavior of fluids and doing combustion research,
computers, and other equipment needed for the various experiments.
     During USML-1, as with all NASA Spacelab missions, flight
controllers and experiment scientists direct science activities
from the Spacelab Mission Operations Control Center in Huntsville,
Ala.  They have a direct voice communication link with the
orbiting Spacelab crew, and on-board video cameras make it
possible for them to view crew and experiment activities.
Scientists and controllers on the ground can receive information
from Spacelab experiments and send commands via computer links.
With this communications access, scientists on the ground and in
orbit can work together sharing information about experiments,
monitoring data, solving problems and revising experiment plans.

                         EXTENDED MISSION

     Shuttle missions usually have been less than ten days.  At 13
days, USML-1 will be the longest Shuttle mission to date.  This
will be made possible by the first use of the new Extended
Duration Orbiter kit, which includes equipment and fuel for extra
energy production, additional nitrogen tanks for cabin air and a
regeneration system to remove carbon dioxide.  The kit may
eventually permit Shuttle missions up to 30 days long.

                        USML-1 MANAGEMENT

     USML-1 is sponsored by NASA's Office of Space Science and
Applications and by the Office of Commercial Programs in
Washington, D.C.  This Spacelab mission is managed by and will be
controlled from the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville,
Ala., for NASA's Office of Space Science and Applications.
The Kennedy Space Center in Florida prepared the Spacelab,
outfitted Columbia for flight and will launch the Shuttle.
     The Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, has trained
theflight crew and will provide Shuttle orbiter flight control
management from its Mission Control Center.  The Marshall Center
is responsible for training the science crew and the ground-based
science team, as well as directing science activities during the
flight.  The Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.,
manages communication links between the Shuttle and ground
controllers via a network of satellites and relay stations, and
will record experiment data for post-mission processing and
and delivery to the science investigator teams.

                           USML-1 CREW

     USML-1 depends on an expert crew to carry out the many tasks
necessary to make the mission a success.  This seven-member team
will consist of a commander, pilot, three mission specialists and
two payload specialists.
     The commander, pilot and mission specialists are career NASA
astronauts.  The payload specialists and their alternates are
members of the science community.  The payload specialists were
recommended by an Investigator Working Group, consisting of the
principal investigator (lead scientist) for each selected
experiment.  Alternate payload specialists train in a backup
flight role and, during the mission, perform a key role at
Spacelab Mission Operations Control Center as communicators
between scientists on the ground and the crew in orbit.
     Commander:  U.S. Navy Captain Richard (Dick) N. Richards, an
astronaut since 1981, holds a master's degree in aeronautical
systems.  His two previous Shuttle flights include STS-28, a
Department of Defense mission, and STS-41, which deployed the
Ulysses spacecraft.
     Pilot:  U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Kenneth D. Bowersox,
an astronaut since 1987, holds a master's degree in mechanical
engineering.  He currently serves as the Technical Assistant for
the Director of Flight Crew Operations where he tests Shuttle
software and avionics.  USML-1 will be his first Shuttle flight.
     Mission Specialist/Payload Commander:  Dr. Bonnie J. Dunbar,
an astronaut since 1981, holds a doctorate degree in biomedical
engineering.  Her two previous flights include STS-61A, the West
German D-1 Spacelab mission, and STS-32, which retrieved the Long
Duration Exposure Facility.
     Mission Specialist:  Dr. Ellen S. Baker, M.D., selected as an
astronaut in 1984, holds a medical degree from Cornell University.
She was a mission specialist on STS-34, which launched the Galileo
spacecraft to explore Jupiter.
     Mission Specialist:  U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Carl
J. Meade, selected as an astronaut in 1985, holds a master's
degree in electrical engineering.  His first Shuttle flight was
STS-38, a Department of Defense mission.
     Payload Specialist:  Dr. Lawrence J. DeLucas holds a
doctorate degree in biochemistry.  He is Professor of Optometry,
Director of the Purification and Crystallization Laboratory, and
Associate Director of the Center for Macromolecular
Crystallography at the University of Alabama in Birmingham.
USML-1 will be his first space flight.
     Payload Specialist:  Dr. Eugene H. Trinh holds a doctorate
degree in applied physics.  Dr. Trinh is a research scientist at
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.  He was co-investigator for the
Spacelab 3 Drop Dynamics Module, as well as an alternate payload
specialist for that mission.  Dr. Trinh is co-investigator for
USML-1's Drop Physics Module experiment.  This will be his first
space flight.
     Alternate Payload Specialists:  Dr. Joseph M. Prahl holds a
doctorate degree in mechanical engineering.  He is a Professor of
Engineering at Case Western Reserve University.  Dr. Albert Sacco
Jr. holds a doctorate degree in chemical engineering.  He is Chair
of the Chemical Engineering Department at Worcester Polytechnic
Institute.

                        USML-1 EXPERIMENTS

     Equipment used and data obtained during earlier Shuttle
missions provide a basis on which many of the USML-1
investigations will build.  During the USML-1 mission, 31
experiments will be conducted in four broad areas -- crystal
growth, fluid dynamics, combustion science and biotechnology -- in
addition to the study of accelerations in the Shuttle and the
complementary glovebox experiments.  Laboratory hardware includes
new equipment, such as the Crystal Growth Furnace, and some
equipment that has flown previously, such as the Solid Surface
Combustion Experiment.

Crystal Growth
     While in space, materials can be formed in ways not possible
on Earth.  Research performed in the microgravity environment of
Spacelab has greatly reduced gravitational effects, such as
settling and separation of components and convection. The Crystal
Growth Furnace is new equipment developed specifically to
study directional solidification of materials (primarily
semi-conductors), which form the basis of electronic devices.
Over the past few decades, semiconductor technology has
revolutionized our lifestyle through consumer goods such as
smaller, faster computers; more precise timepieces; and a wide
variety of audio/video and other communication equipment that just
a few short years ago were found only in science fiction.
     The Crystal Growth Furnace is one of the first U.S. furnaces
developed for spaceflight that processes samples at temperatures
above 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 1,300 degrees
Centigrade).  This reusable equipment will help scientists
investigate the different factors affecting crystal growth and
explore the best methods to produce better crystals.
     Four experiments to be conducted in the Crystal Growth
Furnace will result in crystals grown from different materials:
cadmium telluride, mercury zinc telluride, gallium arsenide and
mercury cadmium telluride.  These crystals are used in infrared
detectors found in certain medical equipment, night-vision goggles
and sensors used in some telescopes.
     In the orbiter crew cabin mid-deck area, zeolite crystals
will be grown.  Zeolite crystals act as sponges or filters.  They
are called molecular sieves because they strain out specific
molecules from a compound.  High-quality zeolites may one day
allow gasoline, oil and other petroleum products to be refined
less expensively.
     Protein crystal growth experiments -- also conducted in the
mid-deck -- will study the growth of crystals in a low-gravity
environment.  Proteins are large, complex compounds made of a very
specific arrangement of amino acids that are present in all life
forms.  Like the minerals named above, proteins also can have a
crystalline structure.
     The function of a certain type of protein is determined by
its molecular arrangement.  By understanding how a protein is
structured, scientists may be better able to develop foods that
have improved nutritional value.  Also, medicines that act in a
specific way with fewer side effects or new medicines to treat
diseases may be designed.


Fluid Dynamics

     A series of investigations will examine fluid dynamics, that
is, how fluids react to different influences, such as heating,
under microgravity conditions.  Many high-technology glasses and
ceramics, semiconductor and protein crystals, metals, and alloys
(a combination of two or more base metals to form a new, improved
material) are produced from ingredients that are mixed as fluids
and then cooled to form a solid.  On Earth, fluid motion, called
convection, often causes defects that keep such materials from
meeting their full potential as lenses, computer chips, turbine
engine blades and other such products.
     Convection in fluids can result from a wide variety of
causes.  One of the most dominant causes on Earth is buoyancy --
lighter fluids rise and heavier fluids fall under the influence of
gravity.  In microgravity, the influence of buoyancy-driven
convection is greatly reduced; then, other more subtle forces
begin to have a greater importance in fluid motions.  The area
where a fluid interacts with another material -- a solid, another
liquid, a gas -- is called an interface.  These areas are
particularly subject to forces that lead to convection in the
fluid.
     The Surface Tension Driven Convection Experiment Apparatus is
specially designed to investigate the way fluids react in
microgravity when there is a temperature difference along the
interface.  On Earth, liquids have relatively flat surfaces due to
gravity's influence; in space, liquids take more pronounced
shapes than they do on Earth.  The study of convection caused by
heating these shaped surfaces from different directions will help
scientists understand the basic physics of fluid flows. This
knowledge may one day assist in improving production of glasses
and ceramics, semiconductor and protein crystals, metals and
alloys.
     Fluid dynamics also will be studied using the Drop Physics
Module, where containerless studies of fluids processing and
droplet manipulation will be performed using sound waves.  When
materials -- metal alloys, for example -- are processed on Earth,
they usually are constrained by a container.  Materials can pick
up impurities from touching these containers, which may adversely
influence their properties.  Containerless processing would
eliminate this contamination, therefore allowing the manipulation
and mixing of ingredients to form purer compounds.
     The Drop Physics Module will be used to study drop dynamics,
science and technology of surface controlled phenomena, and
measurement of liquid-liquid interfacial tension.  Drop dynamics
is the study of the way drops and bubbles respond to certain
forces.  The surface controlled phenomena investigation deals with
the way liquid surfaces interact when mixed with materials that
change their surface tension.  The liquid-liquid interfacial
tension experiment will observe the droplet behavior where
immiscible (un-mixable) liquid drops are deployed with one inside
the other.  Videotaping will allow a frame-by-frame study of the
behavior of drops.
     Basic physics experiments such as these may provide new
insights into processes such as cell encapsulation, which involves
surrounding living cells with a membrane to protect them from
harmful antibodies.  This is a method with great potential in the
treatment of several diseases.

Glovebox Experiments

     The Glovebox Module is an enclosed compartment that minimizes
contamination risks to both experiment samples and the Spacelab
environment.  Crew members can insert their hands into gloves that
extend within the work space.  Among the 16 experiments to be
conducted in the Glovebox Module will be complementary experiments
in fluid dynamics, protein crystal growth and combustion science,
as well as technology demonstrations.


Combustion Science

     Combustion, or burning, is different in space because on
Earth, buoyancy affects how flames spread.  In microgravity
conditions, flames do not have the same shape as under normal
gravity conditions, where fire produces hot gases that rise
rapidly and fuel is fed by convection.  Understanding, controlling
and using fire in space requires a thorough study of its
characteristics.
     Studying the behavior of fire in space is important for many
reasons.  Obviously, if a fire were to break out aboard a space
vehicle, crew members would need to know how to control and
extinguish it.  Combustion science experiments may provide
information to improve safety features in spacecraft, as well as
on Earth.  Data gathered by two 16mm motion picture cameras will
help scientists and engineers better understand and evaluate
combustion in microgravity conditions.

Biological Science
     There are three biological investigations to be conducted
aboard USML-1.  These focus on biological products, nutrient and
water transport for potentially growing food in space, and crew
members' reactions to long-term space travel.
     The Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus will support up to 132
individual experiments on small quantities of samples ranging from
molecules to small organisms.  For example, scientists will
examine how collagen -- the protein substance in the fibers of
connective tissue, bones and cartilage -- forms.  In another, bone
formation will be studied; this may help explain what causes bone
material loss in astronauts while in space, as well as contribute
to an understanding of osteoporosis, a serious condition,
especially among the elderly, that causes bones to become
brittle.  These are just a few of many experiments that may impact
the medical field.
     If astronauts were to grow their own food in space, how could
a simple activity such as providing water and nutrients be
accomplished?  On Earth, water flows down through the soil where
it is absorbed by plant roots.  Water does not flow down in
space.  The Astroculture Facility, located in the mid-deck area,
will be used to test a prototype system, which if successful could
be developed to overcome the absence of gravity in supplying water
and nutrients to food plants.
     While the microgravity environment has numerous benefits, it
also has drawbacks.  The bodies of space travelers are adapted to
life on Earth, where gravity is a factor in keeping calcium
supplied to bones, muscles conditioned and fluids distributed
throughout body tissues.  Effects on space travelers will be
monitored, and one way to overcome physical problems will be
tested during this longest of Space Shuttle missions.
     The Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project will use a
special suit to redistribute fluids to the lower body.  This may
help space travelers returning to Earth overcome problems such as
weakness and fainting.  Another device will be used to measure
heart dimensions and function, heart rate, and blood pressure.
     Also included in this same program is measurement of air
quality, specifically the amount of bacteria and fungi that might
develop during the flight.  Air quality information will assist
planners as they learn about the environment aboard spacecraft
during long missions.  Later USML missions may be increasingly
longer to add to such knowledge.

Space Acceleration Measurement

     The Space Acceleration Measurement System, which has flown on
several missions, also will gather information to assist
scientists in analyzing their results from the mission.  This
system consists of sensors placed in various locations in the
Spacelab module to collect data about vibration and acceleration
forces experienced during the flight. The Passive Accelerometer
System, associated with the Glovebox, will measure low-level
acceleration forces.
     There are two additional accelerometer systems to measure
Space Shuttle orbiter vibrations.  They are the High Resolution
Accelerometer Package and the Orbital Acceleration Research
Experiment, both attached to the keel of the Space Shuttle.
     Acceleration information will help scientists better
understand their flight experiments by comparing results with
vibration levels encountered in the Shuttle.  This information
also will assist engineers as they design equipment and plan the
placement of sensitive experiments on future missions.

                            THE FUTURE

     Great scientific discoveries are not made overnight --
research is a slow, meticulous process.  Many years of hard work
must be accomplished to realize the practical results of
scientific advances.  The experiments to be performed aboard
USML-1 require extensive training and exacting work on the part of
scientists, engineers and crew members.  By the time USML-1 is
launched, many years of scientific development, four years of
mission planning and many months of training will have taken
place.
     The opportunities offered by the microgravity environment
aboard space-based laboratories are vast and only beginning to be
explored.  USML missions will help perfect equipment and
experiments, lay a scientific foundation for future missions, and
enhance our country's position in high-technology research and
development.

June 1992
 

     KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 1992  10 AM

 
      STS-50 - COLUMBIA/USML-1 - (OV 102) - LAUNCH PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Preparations for the main engine flight readiness test in which
the valves will be cycled and sensors will be calibrated.
- Preparations to load hypergolic propellants into the orbiter.
- Circulating and sampling the hydraulic fluid.
- Connections of the auxiliary power units.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Connected launch pad umbilicals to the vehicle elements.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Helium signature leak test on Monday.
- Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test planned June 8-9.
- Flight Readiness Review on June 9.
- Launch targeted for late June.

 

     KSC SHUTTLE STATUS - MONDAY, JUNE 8, 1992 -- 10:00 A.M.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
 
     STS-50/UNITED STATES MICROGRAVITY LABORATORY (USML) --
                  COLUMBIA (0V 102) -- PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Helium signature leak checks
*  Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT). (Crew arrived at
   KSC yesterday. Call to stations was at 8:00 a.m.)
*  Pre-launch propellant load preparations

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Forward Reaction Control System quick disconnect leak checks
*  Flight Readiness Test of the main engines
*  Auxiliary Power Unit exhaust checks and lube oil servicing

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  TCDT T-0 set for 11:00 a.m. tomorrow.
*  Flight Readiness Review at KSC tomorrow
*  Pre-launch propellant loads
*  Auxiliary Power Unit hot fire

 

 KSC SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS - TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 1992 -- 11:30 A.M.
-----------------------------------------------------------------


 
     STS-50/UNITED STATES MICROGRAVITY LABORATORY (USML) --
                  COLUMBIA (0V 102) -- PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Mission Manager's Flight Readiness Review
*  Pre-launch propellant load preparations
*  Closeouts for Auxiliary Power Unit hot fire
*  Inertial Measurement Unit calibrations

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT)
*  Helium signature leak checks
*  Flight Readiness Test of the main engines
*  Auxiliary Power Unit exhaust checks and lube oil servicing

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Pre-launch propellant loads
*  Auxiliary Power Unit hot fire


 

KSC SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS - THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 1992 -- 10:30 A.M.
-----------------------------------------------------------------


 
     STS-50/UNITED STATES MICROGRAVITY LABORATORY (USML) --
                  COLUMBIA (0V 102) -- PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Pre-launch hypergolic propellant load. Pad closed to
   non-essential personnel.
*  Closeouts for Auxiliary Power Unit hot fire scheduled for
   Friday

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT)
*  Inertial Measurement Unit calibrations

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Auxiliary Power Unit hot fire set for Friday
*  Special cryogenic confidence tanking test of the Extended
   Duration Orbiter pallet set for Monday


 

Mark Hess
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.       June 9, 1992

Lisa Malone
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.


        NASA will launch Space Shuttle Columbia on a 13 day
mission on June 25, 1992.  NASA officials selected the
launch date at the conclusion of the Flight Readiness
Review held today at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

         Mission STS-50, planned to be the longest flight
to date in the Shuttle program, will carry the United
States Microgravity Laboratory-1 payload into orbit.  A
Spacelab long module will serve as an in-orbit
laboratory for seven crewmembers and 31 experiments
devoted to materials science, fluid physics, combustion
science and biotechnology.

        Columbia will be launched into a 184 statute mile
circular orbit inclined 28.5 degrees to the Equator from
Pad 39-A.  The launch window on June 25 opens at 12:07
p.m. EDT and closes at 2:37 p.m. EDT.  Columbia will end
its mission with a landing at Dryden Flight Research
Facility, Calif.  The mission duration is planned for 12
days, 20 hours and 29 minutes.

        Commanding the mission will be Richard Richards.
Columbia's pilot will be Ken Bowersox.  Mission
specialists are Bonnie Dunbar, Ellen Baker, and Carl
Meade.  Payload specialists are Larry DeLucas and Gene
Trinh.

 KSC SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS - MONDAY, JUNE 15, 1992 -- 10:30 A.M.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

 
     STS-50/UNITED STATES MICROGRAVITY LABORATORY (USML) --
                  COLUMBIA (0V 102) -- PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Special Extended Duration Orbiter (EDO) cryogenic confidence
   test. Pad closed to non-essential personnel until late
   tonight.

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Auxiliary Power Unit hot fire
*  Pre-launch hypergolic propellant load.
*  Orbiter mid-body umbilical mate and leak checks

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Checkout of the Regenerable CO2 Removal System (RCRS)
   controllers and actuators. Replacement of an actuator may be
   necessary.

CONCERNS:
*  Engineers are studying a potential problem with a possible
cracked seal on the high pressure oxidizer turbo pump on main
engine number 3. The concern results from a test pump that
displayed a faulty secondary seal during testing at the Stennis
Space Flight Center. This concern also affects engine number 2 on
Atlantis. The history of the seals is being researched today. A
meeting is scheduled for late this afternoon to discuss necessary
action.

 

KSC RELEASE NO. 72 - 92    (6/12/92)


     Engineers at Kennedy Space Center will conduct a special
cryogenic tanking test of the Extended Duration Orbiter (EDO)
tanks located on the EDO pallet inside the payload bay of the
Shuttle Columbia. The test is scheduled for Monday, June 15, at
launch pad 39-A.

     The cryogenic confidence test of the EDO tanks is designed
to provide the sequence of operations required to prepare the
Shuttle for launch on its record-breaking 13-day mission later
this month. The test will also allow engineers the opportunity to
evaluate EDO loading and detanking techniques and procedures and
provide data necessary to develop accurate time lines for Power
Reactant Storage and Distribution (PRSD) system servicing during
the launch countdown.

     Columbia's mission, featuring the United States Microgravity
Laboratory-1, will require the additional cryogenic consumables
to allow the crew and vehicle to remain in orbit for the planned
13 days.

     The EDO tanks are located in the aft end of Columbia's
payload bay on a special EDO pallet. There are eight tanks on the
pallet, four for liquid hydrogen and four for liquid oxygen. Each
tank has been individually tested, but not as an integrated
system. These extra tanks will complement the four sets of
orbiter PRSD tanks already mounted under the lining of the
orbiter's payload bay.

     During Monday's confidence test, engineers will use
essentially the same procedure used during a launch countdown.

     The EDO tanks will be filled first, followed by the loading
of the original orbiter PRSD tanks. Liquid oxygen tanking
operations will occur first. After stabilization, engineers will
proceed with liquid hydrogen tanking operations.

     Each of the eight EDO tanks have independent isolation
valves. As each tank fills, these valves will be cycled to give
test team members an opportunity to pressurize and leak check the
various tanks and associated fill and drain lines.

     When all of the tanks are at flight pressure and stabilized,
further evaluations will be made. Detanking will follow on the
same day.

     These onboard circular cryogenic tanks supply the orbiter's
fuel cells which, in turn, produce electrical power for the
Shuttle during flight. The by-product of combining the liquid
hydrogen and liquid oxygen reactants is drinking water for the
crew.

     The addition of the EDO tanks and pallet was part of the
extensive modifications made to the Shuttle Columbia over the
past year. The extra tanks will permit the vehicle to remain
safely in orbit for up to 16 days.

KSC SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS - TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 1992 -- 10:30 A.M.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

 
     STS-50/UNITED STATES MICROGRAVITY LABORATORY (USML) --
                  COLUMBIA (0V 102) -- PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Checkout of the Regenerable CO2 Removal System (RCRS)
   controllers and actuators.
*  Auxiliary Power Unit closeouts
*  Cavity purge and leak checks
*  Launch countdown preparations

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Special Extended Duration Orbiter cryogenic confidence test.
*  Auxiliary Power Unit hot fire
*  Pre-launch hypergolic propellant load.

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Ordnance installations
*  Hypergolic fuel pressurization

CONCERNS:
*  Engineers concluded yesterday that there is no concern for a
   "tip" seal on the high pressure oxidizer turbo pump on
   Columbia's main engine number three. Documentation revealed
   the seal had been removed and fully inspected prior to being
   installed on the pump.


 

KSC SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS - WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 1992 -- 10:30 A.M.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

 
     STS-50/UNITED STATES MICROGRAVITY LABORATORY (USML) --
                  COLUMBIA (0V 102) -- PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Pre-launch hypergolic fuel pressurization (Pad closed to all
   but essential personnel)
*  Auxiliary Power Unit closeouts
*  Launch countdown preparations

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Ordnance operations (part 1)
*  Checkout of the Regenerable CO2 Removal System (RCRS)
*  Special Extended Duration Orbiter cryogenic confidence test.
*  Cavity purge and leak checks

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Ordnance operations (part 2)
*  Aft compartment closeouts

 

Rev A of the NASA Select satellite television schedule is available at

   pragma::public:[nasa]sts-50.nasa_select


Revisions to this schedule will be made without further comment here.


- dave

KSC SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS - THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 1992 -- 10:30 A.M.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

 
     STS-50/UNITED STATES MICROGRAVITY LABORATORY (USML) --
                  COLUMBIA (0V 102) -- PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Aft compartment closeouts
*  Launch countdown preparations
*  Auxiliary Power Unit closeouts
*  Contingency spacesuit installation into airlock

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Pre-launch hypergolic fuel pressurization
*  Ordnance operations (part 1)
*  Checkout of the Regenerable CO2 Removal System (RCRS)
*  Special Extended Duration Orbiter cryogenic confidence test.
*  Cavity purge and leak checks

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Ordnance operations (part 2)
*  Purge of external tank
*  Countdown begins at 8:00 a.m. Monday June 22
*  Astronaut arrival scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Monday
*  T-0 remains on schedule for 12:07 p.m. EDT, Thursday, June 25

 

 KSC SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS - FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 1992 -- 10:30 A.M.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

 
     STS-50/UNITED STATES MICROGRAVITY LABORATORY (USML) --
                  COLUMBIA (0V 102) -- PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Forward and aft compartment closeouts
*  Launch countdown preparations
*  Purge of external tank
*  Mass Memory Unit loads

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Contingency spacesuit installation into airlock
*  Auxiliary Power Unit closeouts

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Ordnance operations (part 2)
*  Countdown begins at 8:00 a.m. Monday June 22
*  Astronaut arrival scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Monday
*  T-0 remains on schedule for 12:07 p.m. EDT, Thursday, June 25

 

Weather Forecast for STS-50
Forecast prepared on L-2
Tuesday, 6/23/92


Synopsis: A moist low altitude southerly wind flow together with
a weak upper trough is expected produce a chance of late morning
showers and isolated early afternoon thunderstorms.

During the launch window from 12:07 - 2:37 p.m. Thursday,
the conditions are forecast to be:

Clouds:

2,500-7,000 scattered cumulus
two fifths sky coverage

25,000-28,000 scattered cirrus
two thirds sky coverage

Visibility: 7+ miles

Wind - Pad 39A:  South at 12 knots, gusts to 16 knots

Temperature:  87 degrees

Dewpoint:     72 degrees

Humidity:     64%

Precipitation: rainshowers or isolated thunderstorms


Probability of launch weather criteria violation: 30%
Probability of tanking constraint violation: 5%

Chance of violation at launch time on Friday:  30%
                                      tanking:  5%

Chance of violation at launch time on Saturday: 30%
                                      tanking:   5%



Developed by Cape Canaveral Forecast Facility, USAF

STS-50 SAREX HINTS

The STS-50 crew includes ham-astronauts Dick Richards KB5SIW and Ellen Baker
KB5SIX. During free periods they will attempt to make random contacts with hams
around the world.  Based on previous SAREX missions the SAREX team has made the
following recommendations to increase your chance for a successful contact.

Make sure you're using the correct frequencies.  Do not use packet frequencies
for voice or vice versa.  Make sure you're calling on an uplink frequency and
listening to the downlink frequency.

Do NOT call the shuttle constantly.  After a couple of tries listen - if the
astronauts hear your call sign they'll respond.  State your entire call sign
clearly - using standard phonetics.  Post-flight tapes have many partial call
signs or unintelligible calls.  The shuttle is a noisy environment, and stating
your sign clearly will make it easier for the astronaut to understand.

The astronauts will use their own calls for voice contacts, however W5RRR/S
will be the call sign for Slow Scan Television.

Good luck with your attempts to contact the shuttle!  73s!

Philip Chien KC4YER, Earth News

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 1992  10 AM


 
      STS-50 - COLUMBIA/USML-1 - (OV 102) - LAUNCH PAD 39-A
                      LAUNCH MINUS TWO DAYS

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Loading the liquid oxygen and liquid  hydrogen  reactants  into
the  orbiter's  fuel cell storage tanks and into the tanks on the
extended duration orbiter pallet.
- Launch pad is closed to all non-essential personnel until about
5 p.m. tonight.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Began the launch countdown on time yesterday at 8 a.m.  at  the
T-43 hour mark.
- STS-50 flight crew arrived yesterday at 10:30 a.m.
-  Closed the aft compartment for flight at about 3 p.m.  yester-
day.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Countdown will enter a 12-hour built-in hold at noon  today  at
the T-19 hour mark.
- Replacement of two of three TACAN antennas.  The two navigation
units failed last night during self tests.
- Troubleshooting of a liquid oxygen  temperature  transducer  on
main engine No. 2 main combustion chamber.
- Stowage of flight crew equipment.
- Activation of the orbiter's communications systems tonight.
-  Move  rotating  service  structure away from the vehicle at 11
a.m. tomorrow.
- Begin loading propellant into the external tank  at  3:47  a.m.
Thursday.
- Crew wakes up at 6:30 a.m. Thursday.
- Launch scheduled for 12:07 a.m. EDT, the opening of the two and
a half hour window on Thursday, June 25.

FLIGHT CREW:
-  The flight crew will perform fit checks of their equipment and
have a medical exam. Commander Dick Richards and Pilot Ken Bower-
sox flew in the Shuttle Training Aircraft this morning.  The crew
will  have a briefing with astronaut support personnel to discuss
procedures in boarding the orbiter on launch day.

WEATHER FORECAST:
- There is a 70 percent chance of having acceptable weather  con-
ditions  at the time of launch on Thursday.  There is a chance of
late morning showers and early afternoon isolated thunderstorms.


 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 1992  11 AM


 
      STS-50 - COLUMBIA/USML-1 - (OV 102) - LAUNCH PAD 39-A
                      LAUNCH MINUS ONE DAY

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Countdown entered a 13 hour,  47 minute built-in  hold  at  the
T-11 hour mark (at 8 a.m. today).
- Stowing items in the crew compartment.
- Replacing and retesting one of the TACAN navigational aids.
-  Preparations to move the rotating service structure at about 2
p.m. weather permitting.
- Activation of the inertial measurements.
- Preparing the pad area for launch.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Successfully replaced and retested the liquid  oxygen  tempera-
ture transducer overnight.
-  Replaced two TACAN navigation systems overnight.  One of those
units,  located in the middeck failed the retest and is being re-
placed in parallel with the launch countdown.
- Activated the orbiter's communications system.
-  Loaded  liquid  oxygen  and liquid hydrogen reactants into the
orbiter's fuel cell storage tanks and into the tanks on  the  ex-
tended duration orbiter pallet.

WORK SCHEDULED:
-  Begin  loading  propellant into the external tank at 3:47 a.m.
Thursday.
- Crew wakes up at 6:30 a.m.  tomorrow and has breakfast at  7:30
a.m.
- Crew dons flight crew equipment between 8:12 - 8:22 a.m.
-  Crew  departure for the launch pad at 8:52 a.m.  and arrive at
the white room at 9:22 a.m.
- Launch scheduled for 12:07 a.m. EDT, the opening of the two and
a half hour window on Thursday, June 25.

FLIGHT CREW:
- The flight crew will receive a briefing on the  status  of  the
vehicle,  payload and weather. Pilot Ken Bowersox is scheduled to
fly in T-38 aircraft today.  The crew  is  maintaining  the  same
sleep/wake cycle they will be on during the mission.

WEATHER FORECAST:
-  There is a 40 percent chance of having acceptable weather con-
ditions at the time of launch on  Thursday.  Officials  are  con-
cerned  about  thick  layered  clouds  and a chance of showers or
thunderstorms in the area at the time of launch.


 

    
    	Just heard on the radio that Columbia was successfully launched a
    few minutes late.
    
    				Drew
    

Article: 2480
From: clarinews@clarinet.com (WILLIAM HARWOOD, UPI Science Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.news.aviation,clari.news.military
Subject: Shuttle Columbia rockets into orbit
Date: 25 Jun 92 17:37:12 GMT
 
	CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- The veteran space shuttle Columbia,
fresh from a five-month overhaul, thundered into orbit Thursday, kicking
off a record 13-day flight devoted to learning more about the effects of
weightlessness on humans and materials.

	The $2 billion shuttle's towering boosters ignited with a crackling
roar at 12:12 p.m. EDT and the black-and-white spaceship lumbered away
from pad 39-A atop a brilliant 600-foot tongue of flame that disappeared
into haze and clouds moments after liftoff.

	Under the control of its four flight computers, NASA's oldest space
shuttle majestically wheeled about to line up on the proper trajectory,
arced east over the Atlantic Ocean and rocketed toward an orbit 184
miles above Earth.

	Eight-and-a-half minutes later, the shuttle's main engines cut off as
planned, putting Columbia in its planned preliminary orbit. A smaller
rocket firing about 40 minutes after liftoff put the craft in a circular
orbit.

	Liftoff came five minutes behind schedule because of weather
concerns. But once off the pad, it appeared to be clear sailing as
Columbia streaked aloft, thrilling thousands of residents and tourists
with its fiery ascent.

	On board were commander Richard ``Dick'' Richards, 45, co-pilot
Kenneth Bowersox, 35, Ellen Baker, 39, Bonnie Dunbar, 43, Carl Meade,
41, and civilian researchers Lawrence DeLucas and Eugene Trinh, both 41.

	Mounted behind the crew cabin in Columbia's 60-foot-long cargo bay
was a $1 billion European-built Spacelab research module packed with
experiments designed to probe the effects of weightlessness on materials
processing, biology and human physiology.

	The goal of the 48th shuttle flight, the fourth of eight planned for
1992, is twofold: to conduct 13 days of around-the-clock research on the
mysteries of weightlessness and to prove the space shuttle can safely
fly for two weeks at a time.

	Columbia's flight marks the first in a series of such ``extended
duration orbiter'' missions -- the longest flight in shuttle history --
that will be used to bridge the gap between shorter voyages and
operations aboard NASA's permanently manned space station Freedom later
this decade.

	To gather as much data as possible during Columbia's mission, the
six-man, one-woman crew will work around the clock in two 12-hour
shifts. Richards, Bowersox, Dunbar and DeLucas make up the day shift
while Baker, Meade and Trinh will staff the space shuttle for the
overnight shift.

	The astronauts planned to spend their first day in orbit activing the
Spacelab module, connected to Columbia's crew cabin by a pressurized
tunnel, and kicking off a series of experiments that will be carried out
for the duration of the mission.

	In the field of materials science, the crew hopes to grow ultra-pure
crystals that could prove useful in sensitive infrared detectors. By
growing such crystals in weightlessness, the astronauts can eliminate
forces that otherwise would cause deformation or limit the size of the
resulting crystal.

	The astronauts also are scheduled to carry out a battery of
biological experiments to study how wasp eggs, brine shrimp and a host
of other samples are affected by the absence of gravity.

	Another set of experiments involves growing large protein crystals
that can be used to design new drugs.

	At the same time, the crew will study themselves, conducting medical
research that could help scientists on Earth discover ways of combating
the deleterious effects of weightlessness.

	If all goes well, Richards and Bowersox will guide Columbia to a
landing at 5:36 a.m. PDT July 8 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

	When it comes to research on the effects of weightlessness, the
longer a shuttle can remain in orbit, the better the scientific payoff.

	The longest previous missions have lasted 11 days, a limit set
primarily by the amount of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen available
to power the ship's three electrical generators.

	Columbia already was equipped with five sets of tanks, mounted in the
fuselage under the payload bay. For this first extended duration orbiter
mission, the veteran spaceplane was equipped with additional tanks on a
removeable pallet mounted in the cargo bay just behind the Spacelab module.

	The flight also marks the first use of a new system to remove carbon
dioxide from the crew's air supply. NASA eventually plans to launch
Columbia on missions lasting up to 16 days to maximize the amount of
data that can be collected before the advent of space station operations.

STS-50 Launch

Space Shuttle Columbia lifted off its launch pad at 11:12:23 CDT this morning
to being the 13-day United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML-1) mission.

The first Mission Control Status Reports are normally issued 6-12 hours after a
Shuttle launch.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STS-50 Mission Status Report #1
Thursday, June 25, 1992

12:30 pm central time


The Space Shuttle Columbia was launched into orbit this morning with a
crew of seven to begin a record-setting two weeks of microgravity
experimentation in Earth orbit.

The 12th flight of Columbia - first since it's refurbishment - got
underway at 11:12 am central time with enough fuel and supplies
onboard to keep the crew and their United States Microgravity
Laboratory in operations around the clock for thirteen days.

Columbia is currently in a 220 nautical mile orbit and astronauts are
busy activating the electrical, environmental, and data processing
systems that will support their complex laboratory.  The crew will be
operating in alternating 12 hour shifts designated the Red Team -
consisting of Crew CDR Dick Richards, pilot Ken Bowersox, Payload CDR
Bonnie Dunbar and payload specialist Larry DeLucas - and the Blue Team
consisting of mission specialists Carl Meade and Ellen Baker, and
payload specialist Eugene Trinh.

The Blue Team will start their first sleep shift at about 2:45 pm
central time today and will relieve the Red Team tonight just after 10
pm.

Columbia appears to be in excellent shape and, assuming all goes well,
plans are for a landing on July 8th at Edwards Air Force Base in
California in the early morning.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                         MISSION CONTROL CENTER
                         STS-50 Status Report #2

Thursday, June 25, 1992, 5 p.m. CDT


Payload activities are underway as the seven-member crew of Columbia
settles into the work routine for the record-setting 13-day United
States Microgravity Laboratory-1 mission.

Mission Specialist Bonnie Dunbar performed the 16-step procedure to
activate the Spacelab module without any problems.  Accompanied by Pilot
Ken Bowersox and Payload Specialists Larry Delucas and Gene
Trinh, she entered the laboratory for the first time about 2:45 p.m.
Central. Activation was completed about 3:48 p.m.

For STS-50, the crew members have split into two teams to cover 24-hour
payload operations. Red Team members are Dunbar, Bowersox and Delucas
and Blue Team members are Mission Specialists Ellen Baker and Carl Meade
and Payload Specialist Gene Trinh. Commander Dick Richards will align
his schedule with the Red Team for the mission.

Six hours into the mission, the orbiter is performing well.  For the 13-
day flight, Columbia is carrying four extra cryogenic oxygen and
hydrogen tanks sets courtesy of the new Extended Duration Orbiter pallet
riding in the payload bay. Richards, however, performed the group B
priority powerdown to conserve energy for the flight. The powerdown
procedures calls for placing one of the three navigation units in
standby and turning off extra lights, CRTs and
other none essential equipment.

Currently, Columbia is circling the Earth once every 90 minutes in a
163 by 160 nautical mile orbit.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

USML-1 Mission Status Report #01
6:00 p.m. CDT, June 25, 1992
0 6:49 MET
Spacelab Mission Operations Control
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama


The 48th Space Shuttle flight lifted off today, carrying the first
United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML-1).  This mission,
scheduled to last 13 days, will forge the way for future USML
missions and help prepare for advanced microgravity research and
processing aboard Space Station Freedom and other platforms.

Two hours after liftoff, the crew aboard Columbia was given the
"go-ahead" to begin activation of the Spacelab module, nestled in
the cargo bay of the Shuttle.  Here, most of the 31 USML-1
experiments will be conducted in the areas of fluid dynamics,
materials growth, combustion science, biotechnology and several
other technology demonstrations.

Bonnie Dunbar activated the Space Acceleration Measurement System
(SAMS).  This facility measures the acceleration environment of the
Spacelab module using three triaxial sensor heads to record both
positive and negative accelerations over a specific range of
frequencies.  The data from SAMS will be used to determine what
effect crew movements, equipment operations and Shuttle maneuvers
can have on the experiments being conducted on USML-1.

The next 12 hours will be busy ones as Payload Commander Bonnie
Dunbar continues to activate Spacelab systems throughout the
23-foot-long module.  Also, Payload Specialist Larry DeLucas and
Pilot Kenneth Bowersox will perform the necessary steps to unstow,
initiate and photograph two protein crystal samples in the Protein
Crystal Growth (PCG) facility, located in the mid-deck of the
orbiter.  PCG will take advantage of the near weightlessness of
space to produce high-quality crystals of selected proteins to help
scientists better understand the dynamics of growing protein
crystals and to prepare superior crystals for post-flight structure
determination.

Later DeLucas will make his way into the Spacelab module to perform
the Glovebox checkout.  This procedure involves installing filters,
scavenge pump and gloves before powering up the box to check out
the air cooling and lighting systems.  The Glovebox onboard USML-1
is a general purpose experiment facility which will enable the
payload specialists to conduct fluid and material science
experiments and technology demonstrations safely without
contaminating the closed environment of Spacelab and endangering
the crew.

Dunbar also will activate the Crystal Growth Furnace (CGF), a
reusable facility for investigating crystal growth by either
directional solidification or vapor crystal growth methods.  The
CGF is one of the first space furnaces ever developed by the U.S.
that can process multiple large samples at temperatures above 1200
degrees Celsius.  After she has activated CGF, Dunbar will initiate
growth of the first crystal to be grown in this furnace.

After shift hand over has been completed, Payload Specialist Eugene
Trinh will perform experiments with the Drop Physics Module and
Mission Specialist Carl Meade is scheduled to conduct research
using the Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

USML-1 Mission Status Report #2
6:00 a.m. CDT, June 26, 1992
0/18:48 MET
Spacelab Mission Operations Control
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama

The USML-1 Spacelab mission is the first flight for several new
experiment facilities which promise to pave the way for
increasingly sophisticated space science operations aboard the
Shuttle and later Space Station Freedom.  Payload Commander Bonnie
Dunbar and Payload Specialist Larry DeLucas finished activating two
of those facilities as they ended their first shift last evening.

DeLucas activated and checked out the Glovebox Facility, furnished
for USML-1 by an agreement with the European Space Agency.  The
airtight experiment enclosure provides a new capability for
conducting materials science research in microgravity, since it
enables crew members to handle fluids and potentially hazardous
materials within an airtight seal.  Crew members will conduct 16
different demonstrations in the Glovebox during the mission,
testing the capabilities of the facility for experiments in a broad
range of areas including fluid dynamics, combustion physics and
crystal growth.  Several of these demonstrations will complement or
enhance experiments scheduled for other USML-1 facilities.

Dunbar carefully loaded six cartridges containing samples of
semiconductor compounds into the Crystal Growth Furnace.  Developed
by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the versatile, reusable
facility is slated to fly as well on future USML missions.   The
facility will primarily operate in an automatic mode throughout the
remainder of the mission, with adjustments made as needed by the
science team at Spacelab Mission Operations Control in Huntsville.

An 18-hour processing run began on the first Crystal Growth Furnace
sample -- a mercury cadmium telluride crystal.  The alloy-type
semiconductor is used in infrared detectors for defense, space,
medical and industrial systems.  Principal Investigator Dr.
Heribert Wiedemeier and his colleagues at the Rensselear
Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, flew their first space
experiment aboard Skylab in 1973, and they have been studying this
particular compound for about ten years.  "This USML-1 experiment
is the culmination of all those years of study," said Wiedemeier.
"Nobody can grow as good a crystal on Earth as it is possible to
grow in space."  He plans to apply post-flight analysis of the
crystal's growth rate, appearance and electrical properties to
growing more perfect crystals back on Earth.

The first direct voice communication for USML-1 between a crew
member and a scientist at Spacelab control came during the
inauguration of another new facility, the Drop Physics Module.
Project Scientist Arvid Croonquist compared notes with Payload
Specialist Gene Trinh as he carried out a procedure to define
operating characteristics of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
facility.  The module uses computer-controlled sound waves in a
carefully designed chamber, allowing the investigator to position
fluid drops free of the chamber walls, moving them, spinning them
and making them separate and flow together while their dynamic
properties are observed and recorded on videotape and film.  The
USML-1 investigations will build on experiments performed during
the Spacelab 3 mission in 1985.

The first science assignment for Mission Specialist Carl Meade was
initiating the Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus, developed by
Bioserve Space Technologies, a NASA Center for the Commercial
Development of Space based at the University of Colorado in
Boulder.  Meade activated biological processes in a variety of
samples, ranging from molecules to small organisms, by mixing
fluids and solids within sample containment devices.  Some of the
samples, such as brine shrimp and seeds, will be processed for the
remainder of the mission, while incubation of others will be
automatically suspended after a preprogrammed duration.

Later today, Dunbar will use the Glovebox to determine the best
mixing conditions for the Zeolite Crystal Growth experiment, then
activate it in the Shuttle mid-deck.  DeLucas will add seed
crystals to some of the mid-deck Protein Crystal Growth chambers,
which were activated shortly after launch yesterday, and he will
spend several hours working with the Glovebox Protein Crystal
Growth experiments.  Also set for the upcoming shift are the
Glovebox Surface Combustion Experiment and Drop Physics Module
activities.
 

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 1992  10 AM
 
 
 
         STS-50 - COLUMBIA/USML-1 - (OV 102) - ON ORBIT
 
     Columbia was launched at 12:12:23.0534  p.m.  EDT  yesterday
from  Launch  Pad 39-A just five minutes later than planned.  The
countdown was held the additional five minutes at the T-9  minute
mark to allow evaluation of the weather at KSC.
 
     Minimal  launch  pad  damage was sustained.  Mobile launcher
platform No.  3 will be transferred back to the Vehicle  Assembly
Building next Wednesday.
 
     The  booster retrieval ships are currently towing the STS-50
boosters back to Hangar AF on Cape Canaveral Air  Force  Station.
The  Freedom Star is towing the left booster and the Liberty Star
is towing the right solid rocket booster.  The ships are expected
to pass through Port Canaveral at 1 p.m.  and 3 p.m.  today.  The
estimated time of arrival at  Hangar AF is 3 and 4:30 p.m. today.
Weather conditions could hamper or slow down  the  towing  opera-
tion.
 
     Landing  of Columbia is scheduled at Edwards Air Force Base,
Calif. on July 8 at 5:40 a.m. PDT at Edwards.
 
 

 
                      MISSION CONTROL CENTER
                      STS-50 Status Report #3
 
 
Friday, June 26, 1992, 8 a.m. CDT
 
Mission Control had a quiet night as Columbia completed its first
day in orbit with the United States Microgravity Laboratory-1.
Onboard the spacecraft, the Red Team of crew members -- Commander
Dick Richards, Pilot Ken Bowersox, Mission Specialist Bonnie
Dunbar and Payload Specialist Larry DeLucas -- have just begun
their second work shift of the flight, relieving their Blue Team
counterparts. Blue Team crew members will go to sleep for their
second night in space at about 11:10 a.m. CDT.
 
Flight controllers did detect a slight leak in one of the eight
oxygen tanks carried by Columbia, but the quantity of oxygen being
lost due to the leak is not large enough to have any impact on the
mission.  Oxygen from the eight tanks is combined with hydrogen
from eight sister tanks to generate the spacecraft's electricity.
The eight oxygen-hydrogen tank sets aboard Columbia are the most
ever flown on a shuttle and are needed to allow the spacecraft
enough electricity to stay in orbit for 13 days. Four tank pairs
are mounted in Columbia's fuselage and four additional tank pairs
are mounted on a special pallet in the cargo bay. The slight leak
is from an oxygen tank mounted in the fuselage.
 
At its present small rate, the oxygen leak will not impact the
ability to power all equipment and experiments aboard Columbia as
planned for the entire 13-day flight. However, flight controllers
plan to use oxygen from the tank earlier than had been originally
scheduled so that there would be no impact to the flight even if
the leak were to become larger. Oxygen is leaking from the tank at
about four-tenths of a pound per hour, and each tank holds 781
pounds of oxygen when full.
 
Columbia remains in a 164 by 160 nautical mile high orbit,
circling Earth every 91 minutes.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
STS-50 MCC STATUS REPORT #4 (REVISED)
 
 
Friday, June 26, 1992, 5:00 p.m. CDT
 
 
Payload activities are the order of the day as Columbia and
its seven-member crew spend their second full day in space.
 
On it's 12th mission, Columbia continues to perform very well
with only a few minor problems being tracked by flight
controllers in Houston.
 
Despite several efforts by crew members to revive it, the
Regenerative Carbon Dioxide Removal System appears to have
failed.  The RCRS is an experimental system designed to
replace the old lithium hydroxide canisters as a method for
removing carbon dioxide from the cabin air.  For the time
being, the system will be left off and the job of cleansing
the cabin air will be left to the lithium hydroxide system
with no impact expected to the duration of the flight.
 
Crew members also reported that a high-pitched whistling
sound has returned to the Waste Containment System--
apparently from an air outlet duct.  The noise does not
affect the operability of the system, however, flight
controllers are studying the problem.
 
Columbia remains in a 164 by 160 n.m. orbit, circling Earth
every 91 minutes.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
USML-1 Mission Status Report #03
6:00 p.m. CDT, June 26, 1992
1/6:49 MET
Spacelab Mission Operations Control
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama
 
 
Crew members of the first United States Microgravity Laboratory
(USML-1) have enjoyed a busy and productive day in space.  Of the
11 experiment facilities aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, seven
have been activated, and operations continued during the first full
science day of this microgravity research mission.
 
Payload Commander Bonnie Dunbar spent a great deal of her day in
space with her hands in the Glovebox, and occasionally used
air-to-ground communications to talk to experimenter, and Alternate
Payload Specialist, Dr. Albert Sacco, of the Worcester Polytechnic
Institute.  Using a powered screwdriver, Bonnie mixed solutions in
several reactor chambers to determine the best mixing procedures to
grow larger crystals in the mid-deck Zeolite Crystal Growth
Experiment (ZCG).  Using the mixing procedures recommended by the
principal investigator at the Marshall Space Flight Center, Bonnie
activated and inserted 38 autoclaves in the ZCG furnace.  USML-1
Mission Scientist Dr. Don Frazier spoke of this interaction between
the crew and science teams by saying, "A person up there optimizing
the mixing of the zeolite crystal solution is a milestone in
research."  If larger zeolite crystals, 500 to 1,000 times the size
grown on Earth, can be produced in microgravity, scientists will
better understand the structure and functional advantages of these
crystals.
 
Payload Specialist Larry DeLucas conducted the Smoldering
Combustion in Microgravity experiment to help investigators
understand more about the potential risk and severity of smoldering
fires in spacecraft.  This experiment, provided by NASA Lewis
Research Center, was conducted in the Glovebox to provide
investigators with video images of this procedure.
 
DeLucas also worked with a Protein Crystal Growth sample known as
Recombinant Human Serum Albumin, the most abundant protein of the
circulatory system.  Using the Glovebox to insure containment of
the sample, DeLucas mixed the protein, a buffer and a precipitant
to start the growing process of this sample.  USML-1 is the
fourteenth Shuttle flight for protein crystal investigations
sponsored by the University of Alabama at Birmingham.  However, the
Glovebox makes it possible for the first time for on-board
scientists to observe crystal growth, then adjust conditions for
subsequent experiments based on those observations, much as they
would in a laboratory on Earth.
 
Pilot Kenneth Bowersox video taped a sample exchange which took
place within the Crystal Growth Furnace.  The first sample, a
cadmium zinc telluride crystal, had completed its growth and a
mercury zinc telluride sample was moved into the proper growing
position automatically by the sample exchange mechanism within the
furnace.
 
Payload Specialist Eugene Trinh used the manual-operation mode to
introduce a liquid drop into the Drop Physics Module (DPM).  The
DPM science team at Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama,
watched as video of these experiment set-up procedures were sent
down from the Spacelab.  Bonnie Dunbar and Larry DeLucas also spent
time with the DPM to perform an acoustical test of the speakers
which suspend the drops of liquid within the facility.  An earlier
equipment test run indicated that one of the speakers had a lower
amplitude than expected.  Further testing will be done later this
evening to determine if all four acoustical speakers are
functioning at the required levels.  This facility will provide
scientists with a potentially valuable processing technique known
as containerless processing, which will keep fluids from being
contaminated by the surface of its container.  Also, studies will
be made concerning surface properties, movements and merging of
liquid drops in microgravity.  Information about how fluids behave
in a microgravity environment, coupled with data from past and
future missions, will be used in planning for material processing
applications aboard Space Station Freedom.
 
During the next 12 hours, the crew will be conducting experiments
in the Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus, including molecular and
cellular studies.  The Glovebox will be home to experiments such as
the Solid Surface Wetting Experiment and additional Protein Crystal
Growth experiments.  Also, maintenance is to be performed during
the next shift to correct the situation with an acoustical speaker
of the Drop Physics Module.

From: clarinews@clarinet.com (DION NISSENBAUM)
Subject: Shuttle astronauts produce smoke, but no fire in space for scientists
Date: 27 Jun 92 00:27:08 GMT
 
	BERKELEY, Calif. (UPI) -- Astronauts and scientists produced smoke,
but no fire Friday aboard the space shuttle Columbia in an effort to
determine how flames behave in the zero gravity of space.
	Astronauts on board the shuttle attempted to ignite a polyurethane
insulating material with an electrically heated wire. The experiment was
one of four on board the Columbia designed by University of California,
Berkeley Professor A. Carlos Fernandez-Pello.
	``Quite a bit of smoke was produced and quite a bit of smolder was
produced, but it died out after three or four minutes,'' Fernandez-Pello
said in a telephone interview from the Marshall Space Flight Center in
Huntsville, Ala.
	It is one of 31 experiments on board the 13-day mission of the
Columbia.
	The tests are designed to help NASA create a safer environment for
astronauts. Currently, NASA has constructed the space shuttles on the
assumption that if a material does not burn in normal gravity, it will
not burn in space, Fernandez-Pello said.
	But, he added, no one is certain how flames would react in zero
gravity or if astronauts would be safe if an accident caused a fire
aboard the shuttle.
	``Our understanding (of smoldering) now is based almost entirely on
knowledge of fire in normal gravity,'' Fernandez-Pello said. ``The
situation may be different in space.''
	The professor of mechanical engineering said there is an inherent
risk of a fire in a space station or space habitat.
	On Earth, a smoldering fire heats nearby air, which pulls more oxygen
towards the heated material. If the hot air currents bring enough oxygen
into the smoldering material, it could burst into flame.
	In space, air around a smoldering fire would insulate the blaze.
Without air currents drawing in more air, the fire might not have enough
oxygen to continue smoldering.
	While Friday's experiment failed to produce any flames, astronauts
are scheduled to perform three more tests Saturday that may produce more
than smoke.
	Fans like those used on board the space shuttle will be turned on the
insulating material to produce more air, which, in turn, may add enough
oxygen to ignite the foam.
	Depending upon the results, ``the environment or air may have to be
changed to produce products that will not endanger the people in the
space habitats,'' he said.
	Fernandez-Pello said his experiments are perfectly safe.
	``We had to pass many safety reviews,'' Fernandez-Pello said,
including building a three-tier containment process. ``These experiments
will never endanger the life of an astronaut.''
	Fernandez-Pello and his colleagues Sandra Olson and Dennis Stocker of
NASA Lewis Research Center watched Friday's experiment as it happened.
	``It was very exciting and it was very successful,'' Fernandez-Pello
said. ``Everything is going very well.''

From: clarinews@clarinet.com (WILLIAM HARWOOD, UPI Science Writer)
Subject: Shuttle crew presses on with science
Date: Sat, 27 Jun 92 11:11:02 PDT
 
	CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- The shuttle Columbia's pilots bicycled
around the planet Saturday while their crewmates pressed ahead with a
smorgasbord of experiments, using sound waves to manipulate water drops
in weightlessness and studying ways to counteract the medical effects of
weightlessness.
	Sailing through the third day of a record 13-day mission, astronauts
Bonnie Dunbar and Lawrence DeLucas started an experiment to learn more
about how to combat the dizziness and disorientation space fliers often
experience when returning to the tug of Earth's gravity.
	Working inside a roomy Spacelab module mounted in Columbia's cargo
bay, DeLucas climbed into a sleeping bag-like contraption, sealing it at
the waist to allow lower pressure to be applied to the hips and legs.
Dunbar planned to do the same later in the day.
	The ``lower body negative pressure'' apparatus is designed to pull
fluids from the chest and head, where they tend to pool in
weightlessness, back into the lower extremities as would be expected on
Earth. The goal is to find a way to recondition astronauts to the
effects of gravity. Scientists now believe a four-hour session in the
LBNP can keep a space flier properly conditioned for up to 24 hours.
	The experiment has been conducted on previous shuttle missions, but
Columbia's flight, the longest in shuttle history, will add additional
data on the effectiveness of the countermeasure.
	``This is another small step,'' astronaut Ellen Baker said in a pre-
launch interview. ``Doing a study like this requires a number of
subjects before your analysis can be confidently presented. So we're
just adding to the subject pool and the experience pool and, hopefully,
the confidence pool for flights of this duration. I think we're learning
a lot, it just comes in small doses.''
	Another way to keep astronauts in shape during space voyages is
physical exercise and Columbia's two pilots, commander Richard ``Dick''
Richards and co-pilot Kenneth Bowersox, vigorously bicycled in place
Saturday, pedaling a high-tech exerciser mounted in the shuttle's lower
deck area.
	Richards, Bowersox, Dunbar, DeLucas, Baker, Carl Meade and guest
astronaut Eugene Trinh and also pressed ahead with a series of other
experiments, growing crystals in a large Spacelab module mounted in the
shuttle's cargo bay, processing a variety of biological samples and
growing protein crystals in research that could help lead the way to
improved drugs to fight the AIDS virus.
	Virtually all of the 31 experiments making up the United States
Microgravity Laboratory are devoted to probing the effects of
weightlessness on biological, industrial and physiological processes.
	A major area of research involves fluid dynamics, the way fluids
behave when subjected to external forces. The astronauts had problems
Friday getting their experimental apparatus calibrated and working
properly and while a few problems remained unresolved Saturday, the 
``drop physics module'' finally went into action.
	Television shots beamed down from the shuttle showed closeup views of
a small droplet of water suspended in the drop physics module test
chamber, slowly rotating as it was held in place by carefully tuned
sound waves.
	At one point, NASA reported, a large drop broke apart into shiny
globules as it was ripped apart by acoustic pressure. The droplets then
suddenly merged back together into a smooth ball of liquid.
	``We saw some things we never expected,'' said Robert Apfel, a Yale
University researcher at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville,
Ala. ``We're still flexing the facility's muscles, learning how to
manipulate drops in microgravity.''
	Dunbar and Trinh worked through a long troubleshooting procedure
Friday to properly calibrate the sensitive DPM experiment, allowing them
to precisely control the sound from a set of four test chamber speakers.
	By carefully controlling the speaker output, the shuttle fliers can
cause drops of water or silicone oil to spin, oscillate, merge or break
apart.
	The goal of the research is to learn more about how surface tension
and other aspects of fluid dynamics work in the absence of gravity,
which overwhelms such forces on Earth. In so doing, scientists may be
able to develop better ``surficants,'' materials that are attracted to
the surfaces of various other materials, helping or hindering the mixing
of water and other compounds.
	While the immediate payoff of such research is limited to an improved
theoretical understanding of fluid dynamics, it may one day yield
improved oil recovery techniques, drugs and techniques used in the
production of cosmetics and detergents.

USML-1 Mission Status Report #4
6:00 a.m. CDT, June 27, 1992
1/18:48 MET
Spacelab Mission Operations Control
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama
 
Overnight, Drop Physics Module team members at Spacelab Mission
Operations Control in Huntsville continued to work with Payload
Specialist Eugene Trinh to fine-tune procedures for manipulating
liquid drops within their experiment facility.
 
The delighted group applauded as they watched a suspended drop of
water break apart from acoustic pressure, then suddenly merge again
into a single sphere.  "We saw some things we never expected,"
reported Dr. Robert Apfel of Yale University, principal
investigator for the module's surface controlled phenomena
experiment.  "We're still 'flexing the facility's muscles,'
learning how to manipulate drops in microgravity," Apfel said.
"There is no way to accurately simulate on Earth the behavior of      
materials in space."  He hopes his studies may lead to new and more
efficient uses for surfactants, substances which seek out surfaces
(such as the surface of a liquid drop), aiding or inhibiting the
mixing of water and other substances.  Industrial processes such as
enhanced oil recovery, detergent and cosmetic production, and
protein crystal studies for "designer drug" research rely heavily
on surfactants.
 
Later, Trinh suspended more drops in the module for a study of the
shape and internal flow of drops in microgravity.  Principal
investigator for this experiment is Dr. Taylor Wang of Vanderbilt
University in Nashville, Tenn.  As a payload specialist on Spacelab
3 in 1985, Wang completed the first space experiments using
acoustic levitation to suspend drops.  The Spacelab 3
investigations confirmed some theories about drop behavior, but
they also provided some unexpected results.  Studies in the more
advanced Drop Physics Module should help investigators resolve
differences between experiment and theory.  "It's an early study,
and the rotation is slowing down," Wang told Trinh over
air-to-ground communications.  "I think we are on the right track,
my friend."
 
In the orbiter mid-deck, Mission Specialist Ellen Baker
periodically monitored the Zeolite Crystal Growth experiment.
Crystal growth is scheduled to continue until the eleventh day of
the mission.  Zeolite crystals act as "molecular sieves" to strain
out specific molecules from compounds.  High-quality zeolites may
one day allow gasoline, oil and other petroleum products to be
refined less expensively.
 
Plans were made for Mission Specialist Carl Meade to manually stop
processing of several Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (GBA) samples
in the versatile USML-1 Glovebox, after he reported the plungers in
a few of the containment devices were not long enough to allow
fixative to mix with the biological substances.  However, the
majority of the samples activated last night were completed by the
normal GBA procedure.  Meade then initiated 20 hours of processing
for the next group of biological specimens.  The Generic
Bioprocessing Apparatus makes possible detailed, real-time,
high-quality analysis of a wide variety of biological processes in
microgravity, a major innovation in that field.
 
Before ending his shift last night, DeLucas activated crystal
growth in the Glovebox for three more proteins: HIV Reverse
Transcriptase Complex (an enzyme that is the target of AIDS drugs
such as AZT), Human a-Thrombin (an enzyme in blood serum which is
an agent in clotting) and Antibody against gp41 of HIV-I (which
could provide important information about antibody interaction with
the HIV virus).
 
Payload Commander Bonnie Dunbar made use of a spare block of time
near the end of her shift to begin preparing the Surface Tension
Driven Convection Experiment for its first run, set for Monday.
Her preparations included mounting the facility's scanning infrared
imager, which will measure oil surface temperatures within the
experiment.  Another facility making its first space flight aboard
USML-1, the Surface Tension Driven Convection Experiment was
developed by the NASA Lewis Research Center.
 
Meade unstowed and set up the Lower Body Negative Pressure
equipment, a collapsible cylinder which seals around a crewmember's
waist to redistribute body fluids back to the lower body.  Payload
Specialist Larry DeLucas will become the first USML-1 crew member
to don the equipment during diagnostic run later today.  The
experiment is part of the Extended Duration Orbiter Medical
Program, sponsored by the NASA Johnson Space Center.
 
Also upcoming are more Protein Crystal Growth operations in both
the Glovebox and the mid-deck, as well as the first run of the
Glovebox Passive Accelerometer Experiment.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
MISSION CONTROL STATUS
STS-50 Status Report #5
8 a.m. CDT Saturday, June 27, 1992
 
Columbia continued to orbit in excellent shape overnight, allowing
crew members to devote their time to the weightless experiments under
way in the United States Microgravity Lab.
 
Flight controllers have seen no new problems aboard the spacecraft,
and they've closed their discussions on the few minor troubles seen
earlier in the flight.
 
Late yesterday, the regenerative carbon dioxide removal system, a
device being flight-tested for the first time that basically
dumps carbon dioxide from the cabin air overboard, was taken out of
service.  Instead, the crew is using the standard method for cleaning
carbon dioxide from the shuttle cabin --lithium hydroxide canisters
that absorb the gas and are changed out periodically with fresh
canisters as the old ones become saturated.  Enough lithium hydroxide
canisters were packed aboard Columbia to serve as a backup for the new
regenerative system without interrupting the 13-day flight.
 
The regenerative system works by alternately exposing a carbon
dioxide-absorbing chemical, similiar to lithium hydroxide, to the
cabin air and to space. When the reusable chemical becomes saturated
with carbon dioxide from the cabin, the new unit exposes it to the
space vacuum to cleanse it, and then it again is exposed to the cabin
air.  Faulty sensors that show the positions of internal valves
continually caused an automatic safeguard in the regenerative unit to
turn the machine off, rendering it unusable for long periods of time
without constant attention.
 
However, for about the first day of the flight, before the faulty
sensor readings appeared, the regenerative system efficiently cleansed
the cabin and lab air. Eventually, the new unit may allow the number
of lithium hydroxide canisters aboard each shuttle to be reduced,
saving weight and space.
 
The Blue Team -- Ellen Baker, Carl Meade and Gene Trinh -- has just
completed its third shift of the flight. The Red Team -- Pilot Ken
Bowersox, Bonnie Dunbar, Larry DeLucas and, by choice, Commander Dick
Richards -- has just begun its third day. Blue Team members will go to
sleep shortly after 10 a.m. central, and the Red Team awoke just after
6 a.m.
 
Columbia is in a 164 by 160 nautical mile orbit, circling Earth once
every one hour, thirty minutes and thirty-six seconds.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
MISSION CONTROL STATUS
STS-50 Status Report #6
4 p.m. CDT Saturday, June 27, 1992
 
Houston flight controllers had a quiet afternoon today as Columbia
remained in excellent condition and crew members devoted their time to
payload activities.
 
During their 34th orbit, crew members were asked to reconfigure the
cryogenic oxygen and hydrogen tanks. This activity signalled the
completion of a precautionary plan to use the oxygen from the slowly-
leaking Tank 2 early in the mission. The flight control team opted to
deplete Tank 2 to the 55 percent mark to protect consumables margins
in case the 0.4 pound per hour leak grew.
 
Also today orbiter crew members worked with the Investigations into
Polymer Membrane Processing and Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment.
 
IPMP, sponsored by Battelle Advanced Materials Center in Columbus,
Ohio, studies the physical and chemical processes that occur during
the formation of thin polymer membranes in microgravity. Commander
Dick Richards performed the experiment which involved turning several
valves on the IPMP hardware to allow the membranes to form and fix.
 
Richards also reported contacting amateur radio operators across the
United States.  He also reported receiving a planned fast-scan television
transmission from California.
 
Flight controllers continue to monitor their systems but at this time
are not tracking any anomalies with the orbiter.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
USML-1 Status Report 5
 
USML-1 Mission Status Report #05
6:00 p.m. CDT, June 27, 1992
2/6:49 MET
Spacelab Mission Operations Control
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama
 
 
Research in microgravity continued today as crew members of the
first United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML-1), aboard the
Space Shuttle Columbia, conducted experiments that can only be
performed in the weightless environment of space.
 
Mission Specialist Carl Meade and Payload Specialist Larry DeLucas
worked with several of the 34 proteins making up the Protein
Crystal Growth (PCG) experiment, provided by the University of
Alabama in Birmingham.  Information from research such as this will
help scientists learn more about the growth of crystals, as well as
the effect of fluid disturbances on that crystal growth.
 
Carl Meade also preserved Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (GBA)
samples of cellular cultures which had been activated earlier in
the mission.  By suspending the samples during various stages of
their growth, scientists, such as principal investigator Dr.
Michael Robinson, University of Colorado, can measure the density
of the cell or molecule sample and gain a better understanding of
how microgravity affects biological processes.  During this
activity, Meade was unable to mix the fixative in six samples
because the plungers were misaligned.  Efforts were coordinated
between the Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus investigators and the
European Space Agency, who provided the Glovebox.  The
determination was made that the Glovebox filters would return the
facility to a safe working environment should the sample containers
become damaged.  The sample growths were suspended without
incident, demonstrating the cooperative spirit of the scientific
community worldwide.
 
While other crew members were busy in the Spacelab module, Mission
Specialist Ellen Baker monitored the Zeolite Crystal Growth furnace
and reported her findings every two hours to the principal
investigator, alternate payload specialist Dr. Albert Sacco.
Zeolite crystals are used in life support systems, petroleum
refining, waste management and biomedical fields for purification
of fluids.  USML-1 is the first flight for the Zeolite Crystal
Growth experiment in space.
 
As these, and other experiments, continue aboard the Shuttle
Columbia, environmental information must be periodically collected.
For this reason, Payload Specialist Eugene Trinh monitored the
Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) to ensure data is
being recorded that will show if and how crew movements or thruster
firings to maintain Shuttle attitude in orbit affect the
experiments being conducted.  Another measurement of low-level
accelerations was taken when Commander Richard Richards performed
the Passive Accelerometer Experiment.  In this experiment, a glass
tube filled with water, containing a steel ball, is attached in the
flight deck.  The position of the steel ball is noted every couple
of minutes during a 20-minute period, using a ruler and a
protractor.
 
Since USML-1 is scheduled to be the longest Shuttle mission to
date, activities have been included to protect and monitor the
health and safety of the crew members.  One of these activities is
the Microbial Air Sampler.  During this experiment, Payload
Commander Bonnie Dunbar exchanged samples of the agar strips which
have been collecting microbial contaminants from the Spacelab
module.  These data will help determine to what extent these
contaminations exist and if they would pose any potential health
risks to the crew during extended stays in space.
 
To further provide for the safety and health of the crew during
longer stays in space, DeLucas and Dunbar performed the Lower Body
Negative Pressure (LBNP) experiment, using a three-layer
collapsible cylinder that seals around the crewmember's waist.
This device, part of the Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project
provided by NASA Johnson Space Center, is tethered to the floor of
the Spacelab and stands approximately five feet tall.  A vent to
the vacuum of space is used to create a negative pressure on the
crewmember's lower body.  Measurements of heart dimensions and
functions, heart rate and blood pressure, and leg volume are
recorded during this time.  This type of experiment measures the
changes in the lower body caused when body fluids migrate to the
upper body areas during space travel.  Because vital measurements
must be taken while a crew member is in this collapsible cylinder,
each performance of this experiment requires a crew member to
monitor the subject.  Larry DeLucas served as the test subject for
the first run of this experiment and Bonnie Dunbar was the monitor.
Later on this evening, their roles will be reversed for another run
of the LBNP experiment.
 
Research to be conducted during the next 12 hours include
investigations in the Glovebox such as Smoldering Combustion in
Microgravity, Protein Crystal Growth and the Interface
Configuration Experiment.  The Drop Physics Module will be home to
continued fluid dynamics tests as the next shift progresses, and
several previously activated experiments will run in their nominal
unattended modes.

    
STS-50 KEPLERIAN ELEMENTS 
STS-50 element set JSC-009 (orbit 38) 
 
STS-50 
1 22000U 92 34  A 92179.98522197  .00006000  00000-0  26000-4 0    93 
2 22000  28.4642 331.8440 0004116   6.6830 353.3857 15.90091878   383 
 
Satellite: STS-50 
Catalog number: 22000 
Epoch time:      92179.98522197 =====> (27 JUN 92   23:38:43.17 UTC) 
Element set:     JSC-009 
Inclination:       28.4642 deg 
RA of node:       331.8440 deg          Space Shuttle Flight STS-50 
Eccentricity:     .0004116                SGP4 Keplerian Elements 
Arg of perigee:     6.6830 deg         from NASA flight Day 3 vector 
Mean anomaly:     353.3857 deg 
Mean motion:   15.90091878 rev/day                 W5RRR 
Decay rate:     6.0000e-05 rev/day~2      NASA Johnson Space Center 
Epoch rev:              38 
 
G.L.CARMAN 
 
 
STS-50 FLIGHT DAY 2 STATE VECTOR 
 
                               STS-50 
                     FLIGHT DAY TWO STATE VECTOR 
                         ON ORBIT OPERATIONS 
                 (Posted 06/26/92 by Roger Simpson) 
 
******************************************************************** 
 
ATTENTION:  DUE TO THE STABILITY OF THE CURRENT TRAJECTORY, THIS 
            VECTOR WILL NOT BE UPDATED UNTIL MONDAY, JUNE 29, 1992. 
******************************************************************** 
 
 
The following vector for the flight of STS-50 is provided by NASA 
Johnson Space Center Flight Design and Dynamics Division for use in 
ground track plotting programs.  The vector is valid for flight day 
two.  The vector represents the trajectory of COLUMBIA during on 
orbit operations.  Questions regarding these postings may be 
addressed to Roger Simpson, Mail Code DM4, L.  B. J.  Space Center, 
Houston, Texas 77058, Telephone (713) 483-1928. 
 
Lift off Time: 1992:177:16:12:22.961 
Lift off Date: 06/25/92 
 
Vector Time (GMT) : 178:20:10:00.000 
Vector Time (MET) : 001:03:57:37.040 
Orbit Count :  019 
Weight : 245572.0 LBS 
Drag Coefficient : 2.0 
Drag Area: 2500.0 SQ FT 
 
     M50 Elements                           Keplerian Elements 
-----------------------                 -------------------------- 
X    =  -5791985.1    FT                A          = 3608.3888 NM 
Y    = -18400755.2    FT                E          = 0.000425 
Z    = -10409412.4    FT                I  (M50)   =  28.37019 DEG 
Xdot =  24105.003142  FT/S              Wp (M50)   = 330.33803 DEG 
Ydot =  -7815.642604  FT/S              RAAN (M50) = 340.26606 DEG 
Zdot =    422.563675  FT/S            / N (True)   = 301.65214 DEG 
                           Anomalies  \ M (Mean)   = 301.69355 DEG 
 
                                        Ha         = 164.0940  NM 
                                        Hp         = 159.7700  NM 
 
Mean of 1950 (M50)   : Inertial, right-handed Cartesian system whose 
Coordinate System      origin is the center of the earth.  The epoch 
                       is the beginning of the Besselian year 1950. 
                       X axis: Mean vernal equinox of epoch 
                       Z axis: Earth's mean rotational axis of epoch 
                       Y axis: Completes right-hand system 
A:    Semi-major axis 
E:    Eccentricity                         N:    True anomaly 
I:    Inclination                          M:    Mean anomaly 
Wp:   Argument of perigee                  Ha:   Height of apogee 
RAAN: Right ascension of ascending node    Hp:   Height of perigee 
 

From: clarinews@clarinet.com (WILLIAM HARWOOD, UPI Science Writer)
Subject: Shuttle crew presses on with science
Date: Sat, 27 Jun 92 16:16:04 PDT
 
	CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- The shuttle Columbia's pilots bicycled
around the planet Saturday while their crewmates studied the effects of
weightlessness and enjoyed a monologue from Jay Leno beamed up by ``ham''
radio operators.
	Sailing through the third day of a record 13-day mission, astronauts
Bonnie Dunbar and Lawrence DeLucas started an experiment to learn more
about how to combat the dizziness and disorientation space fliers often
experience when returning to the tug of Earth's gravity.
	Working inside a roomy Spacelab module mounted in Columbia's cargo
bay, DeLucas climbed into a sleeping bag-like contraption, sealing it at
the waist to allow lower pressure to be applied to the hips and legs.
Dunbar planned to do the same later in the day.
	The ``lower body negative pressure'' apparatus is designed to pull
fluids from the chest and head, where they tend to pool in
weightlessness, back into the lower extremities as would be expected on
Earth. The goal is to find a way to recondition astronauts to the
effects of gravity. Scientists currently believe a four-hour session in
the LBNP can keep a space flier properly conditioned for up to 24 hours.
	The experiment has been conducted on previous shuttle missions, but
Columbia's flight, the longest in shuttle history, will add additional
data on the effectiveness of the countermeasure.
	``This is another small step,'' astronaut Ellen Baker said in a pre-
launch interview. ``Doing a study like this requires a number of
subjects before your analysis can be confidently presented. So we're
just adding to the subject pool and the experience pool and, hopefully,
the confidence pool for flights of this duration. I think we're learning
a lot, it just comes in small doses.''
	Another way to keep astronauts in shape during space voyages is
physical exercise and Columbia's two pilots, commander Richard ``Dick''
Richards and co-pilot Kenneth Bowersox, vigorously bicycled in place
Saturday, pedaling a high-tech exerciser mounted in the shuttle's lower
deck area.
	Richards, Bowersox, Dunbar, DeLucas, Baker, Carl Meade and guest
astronaut Eugene Trinh and also pressed ahead with a series of other
experiments, growing crystals in a large Spacelab module mounted in the
shuttle's cargo bay, processing a variety of biological samples and
growing protein crystals in research that could help lead the way to
improved drugs to fight the AIDS virus.
	The crew took a break late in the day and enjoyed a few space jokes
taped by Leno especially for the astronauts. The tape was beamed up to
Columbia by amateur radio operators in California.
	``Experts meeting in Florida now say astronaut couples having sex in
outer space is inevitable,'' Leno said. ``They say that will be the next
thing. Well sure, it's inevitable to have sex in space. Look where they
train...it's a place called the Kennedy Center, what do you expect?''
	The comedian wrapped up the ``Tonight Show''-style monologue by
taking a swipe at former California Gov. Jerry Brown, who is still in
the Democratic race for president although Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton
has already secured enough votes to clinch the party's nomination.
	``I realize this is an experiment and I hope you guys are getting
these jokes,'' Leno concluded. ``Listen, while you're out there in
space, if you run into Jerry Brown, will you say hello for me?''
	Virtually all of the 31 experiments making up the United States
Microgravity Laboratory are devoted to probing the effects of
weightlessness on biological, industrial and physiological processes.
	A major area of research involves fluid dynamics, the way fluids
behave when subjected to external forces. The astronauts had problems
Friday getting their experimental apparatus calibrated and working
properly and while a few problems remained unresolved Saturday, the 
``drop physics module'' finally went into action.
	Television shots beamed down from the shuttle showed closeup views of
a small droplet of water suspended in the drop physics module test
chamber, slowly rotating as it was held in place by carefully tuned
sound waves.
	At one point, NASA reported, a large drop broke apart into shiny
globules as it was ripped apart by acoustic pressure. The droplets then
suddenly merged back together into a smooth ball of liquid.
	``We saw some things we never expected,'' said Robert Apfel, a Yale
University researcher at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville,
Ala. ``We're still flexing the facility's muscles, learning how to
manipulate drops in microgravity.''
	Dunbar and Trinh worked through a long troubleshooting procedure
Friday to properly calibrate the sensitive DPM experiment, allowing them
to precisely control the sound from a set of four test chamber speakers.
	By carefully controlling the speaker output, the shuttle fliers can
cause drops of water or silicone oil to spin, oscillate, merge or break
apart.
	The goal of the research is to learn more about how surface tension
and other aspects of fluid dynamics work in the absence of gravity,
which overwhelms such forces on Earth. In so doing, scientists may be
able to improve a variety of industrial processes.

From: clarinews@clarinet.com (WILLIAM HARWOOD, UPI Science Writer)
Subject: Shuttle crew spots Mir
Date: Sun, 28 Jun 92 11:33:14 PDT
 
	CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- The shuttle Columbia's crew, sailing
through the fourth day of a marathon 13-day science mission, spotted the
Russian Mir space station Sunday amid around-the-clock work to chart the
effects of weightlessness.
	Commander Richard Richards said Mir, crewed by cosmonauts Alexander
Viktorenko and Alexander Kaleri, streaked overhead as the two spacecraft
sailed over the Indian Ocean east of Africa.
	``Nice job by the pointers; Mir was right where (they) said it was,''
Richards radioed flight controllers after Mir passed 64 miles above and
45 miles ahead of the American space shuttle.
	``OK, great. I hope they saw you when you waved,'' replied astronaut
Jeff Wysoff from the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
	Otherwise, it was business as usual for Richards, 45, co-pilot
Kenneth Bowersox, 35, Bonnie Dunbar, 43, Ellen Baker, 38, Carl Meade,
41, and civilian researchers Lawrence DeLucas and Eugene Trinh, both 41.
	The astronauts are working around-the-clock in two 12-hour shifts,
operating a smorgasboard of experiments in a Spacelab resarch module
mounted in Columbia's cargo bay. The goal is to study the effects of
weightlessness on fluid dynamics, biology, medicine, crystal growth and
technology development.
	And the crew did a little bit of everything Sunday.
	Trinh and then Dunbar spent the day operating a sensitive experiment
that utilizes carefully tuned sound waves to manipulate drops of water,
continuing research that began in earnest Friday to study the nature of
surface tension and other aspects of fluid dynamics that are difficult
to study on Earth because of the effects of gravity.
	Work to grow near-perfect crystals of mercury zinc telluride, started
Saturday, continued Sunday in a powerful furnace making its first
flight.
	Such crystals are sensitive to infrared light, a critical requirement
for detectors aboard spy satellites and space telescopes. The larger the
crystal, the more powerful the detector and crystals grown in
weightlessness, beyond the distorting effects of gravity, exhibit far
higher quality than their earthly counterparts.
	The astronauts also continued work to grow zeolite crystals, material
useful in oil refining and other industrial processes.
	And wrapping up another experiment, Meade used an electric ignitor to
char small foam blocks to find out how wire insulators, seat cushions
and other common materials might smolder and catch fire in space.
	``The experiment went very smoothly and we expect to get a lot of
information as we analyze our data,'' said researcher Carlos Fernandos-
Pello of the University of California at Berkeley. ``From what we've
seen so far, the results seem to confirm a possible theory about the
relative roles of cooling and air flow in smoldering combustion.''
	Fires pose a serious hazard to astronauts and engineers need to know
more about how they behave in the absence of gravity to design safer
equipment.
	Other research underway Sunday included work with a biological
processor used to monitor how weightlessness affects a variety of
processes. Early Sunday, the crew worked with liposomes in research
aimed at perfecting delivery systems for cancer-fighting drugs.

Article: 2498
From: clarinews@clarinet.com (WILLIAM HARWOOD, UPI Science Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.news.aviation,clari.news.military
Subject: Shuttle crew spots Mir
Date: Sun, 28 Jun 92 11:33:14 PDT
 
	CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- The shuttle Columbia's crew,
sailing through the fourth day of a marathon 13-day science mission,
spotted the Russian Mir space station Sunday amid around-the-clock
work to chart the effects of weightlessness. 

	Commander Richard Richards said Mir, crewed by cosmonauts
Alexander Viktorenko and Alexander Kaleri, streaked overhead as the
two spacecraft sailed over the Indian Ocean east of Africa. 

	``Nice job by the pointers; Mir was right where (they) said it
was,'' Richards radioed flight controllers after Mir passed 64 miles
above and 45 miles ahead of the American space shuttle. 

	``OK, great.  I hope they saw you when you waved,'' replied
astronaut Jeff Wysoff from the Johnson Space Center in Houston. 

	Otherwise, it was business as usual for Richards, 45, co-pilot
Kenneth Bowersox, 35, Bonnie Dunbar, 43, Ellen Baker, 38, Carl Meade,
41, and civilian researchers Lawrence DeLucas and Eugene Trinh, both 41. 

	The astronauts are working around-the-clock in two 12-hour
shifts, operating a smorgasboard of experiments in a Spacelab resarch
module mounted in Columbia's cargo bay.  The goal is to study the
effects of weightlessness on fluid dynamics, biology, medicine,
crystal growth and technology development. 

	And the crew did a little bit of everything Sunday.

	Trinh and then Dunbar spent the day operating a sensitive
experiment that utilizes carefully tuned sound waves to manipulate
drops of water, continuing research that began in earnest Friday to
study the nature of surface tension and other aspects of fluid dynamics 
that are difficult to study on Earth because of the effects of gravity. 

	Work to grow near-perfect crystals of mercury zinc telluride,
started Saturday, continued Sunday in a powerful furnace making its
first flight. 

	Such crystals are sensitive to infrared light, a critical
requirement for detectors aboard spy satellites and space telescopes.
The larger the crystal, the more powerful the detector and crystals
grown in weightlessness, beyond the distorting effects of gravity,
exhibit far higher quality than their earthly counterparts. 

	The astronauts also continued work to grow zeolite crystals,
material useful in oil refining and other industrial processes. 

	And wrapping up another experiment, Meade used an electric
ignitor to char small foam blocks to find out how wire insulators,
seat cushions and other common materials might smolder and catch fire
in space. 

	``The experiment went very smoothly and we expect to get a lot
of information as we analyze our data,'' said researcher Carlos
Fernandos- Pello of the University of California at Berkeley. ``From
what we've seen so far, the results seem to confirm a possible theory
about the relative roles of cooling and air flow in smoldering combustion.'' 

	Fires pose a serious hazard to astronauts and engineers need
to know more about how they behave in the absence of gravity to design
safer equipment. 

	Other research underway Sunday included work with a biological
processor used to monitor how weightlessness affects a variety of
processes.  Early Sunday, the crew worked with liposomes in research
aimed at perfecting delivery systems for cancer-fighting drugs. 

USML-1 Mission Status Report #05
6:00 p.m. CDT, June 27, 1992
2/6:49 MET
Spacelab Mission Operations Control
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama


Research in microgravity continued today as crew members of the
first United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML-1), aboard the
Space Shuttle Columbia, conducted experiments that can only be
performed in the weightless environment of space.

Mission Specialist Carl Meade and Payload Specialist Larry DeLucas
worked with several of the 34 proteins making up the Protein
Crystal Growth (PCG) experiment, provided by the University of
Alabama in Birmingham.  Information from research such as this will
help scientists learn more about the growth of crystals, as well as
the effect of fluid disturbances on that crystal growth.

Carl Meade also preserved Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (GBA)
samples of cellular cultures which had been activated earlier in
the mission.  By suspending the samples during various stages of
their growth, scientists, such as principal investigator Dr.
Michael Robinson, University of Colorado, can measure the density
of the cell or molecule sample and gain a better understanding of
how microgravity affects biological processes.  During this
activity, Meade was unable to mix the fixative in six samples
because the plungers were misaligned.  Efforts were coordinated
between the Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus investigators and the
European Space Agency, who provided the Glovebox.  The
determination was made that the Glovebox filters would return the
facility to a safe working environment should the sample containers
become damaged.  The sample growths were suspended without
incident, demonstrating the cooperative spirit of the scientific
community worldwide.

While other crew members were busy in the Spacelab module, Mission
Specialist Ellen Baker monitored the Zeolite Crystal Growth furnace
and reported her findings every two hours to the principal
investigator, alternate payload specialist Dr. Albert Sacco.
Zeolite crystals are used in life support systems, petroleum
refining, waste management and biomedical fields for purification
of fluids.  USML-1 is the first flight for the Zeolite Crystal
Growth experiment in space.

As these, and other experiments, continue aboard the Shuttle
Columbia, environmental information must be periodically collected.
For this reason, Payload Specialist Eugene Trinh monitored the
Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) to ensure data is
being recorded that will show if and how crew movements or thruster
firings to maintain Shuttle attitude in orbit affect the
experiments being conducted.  Another measurement of low-level
accelerations was taken when Commander Richard Richards performed
the Passive Accelerometer Experiment.  In this experiment, a glass
tube filled with water, containing a steel ball, is attached in the
flight deck.  The position of the steel ball is noted every couple
of minutes during a 20-minute period, using a ruler and a
protractor.

Since USML-1 is scheduled to be the longest Shuttle mission to
date, activities have been included to protect and monitor the
health and safety of the crew members.  One of these activities is
the Microbial Air Sampler.  During this experiment, Payload
Commander Bonnie Dunbar exchanged samples of the agar strips which
have been collecting microbial contaminants from the Spacelab
module.  These data will help determine to what extent these
contaminations exist and if they would pose any potential health
risks to the crew during extended stays in space.

To further provide for the safety and health of the crew during
longer stays in space, DeLucas and Dunbar performed the Lower Body
Negative Pressure (LBNP) experiment, using a three-layer
collapsible cylinder that seals around the crewmember's waist.
This device, part of the Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project
provided by NASA Johnson Space Center, is tethered to the floor of
the Spacelab and stands approximately five feet tall.  A vent to
the vacuum of space is used to create a negative pressure on the
crewmember's lower body.  Measurements of heart dimensions and
functions, heart rate and blood pressure, and leg volume are
recorded during this time.  This type of experiment measures the
changes in the lower body caused when body fluids migrate to the
upper body areas during space travel.  Because vital measurements
must be taken while a crew member is in this collapsible cylinder,
each performance of this experiment requires a crew member to
monitor the subject.  Larry DeLucas served as the test subject for
the first run of this experiment and Bonnie Dunbar was the monitor.
Later on this evening, their roles will be reversed for another run
of the LBNP experiment.

Research to be conducted during the next 12 hours include
investigations in the Glovebox such as Smoldering Combustion in
Microgravity, Protein Crystal Growth and the Interface
Configuration Experiment.  The Drop Physics Module will be home to
continued fluid dynamics tests as the next shift progresses, and
several previously activated experiments will run in their nominal
unattended modes.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

MISSION CONTROL STATUS
STS-50 Status Report #7
8 a.m. CDT Sunday, June 28, 1992

Columbia kept an overall clean bill of health last night, and flight
controllers concentrated on assisting ground scientists as they
worked with the crew to explore weightlessness in the United States
Microgravity Lab.

A paper jam late yesterday halted use of Columbia's Text and
Graphics System (TAGS), a specially designed space fax machine that
allows printed materials and even photographs to be sent to
the spacecraft. To send printed material, flight controllers are now
using the teleprinter aboard Columbia. Additional information is
being sent to the crew via a specially built air-to-ground computer
modem that allows electronic mail between a portable computer
on Columbia and Mission Control. Several attempts to clear the paper
jam from TAGS were unsuccessful, and controllers are now looking at
other possible repair plans.

In addition, controllers are discussing the possiblity of attempting
a repair of the Regenerative Carbon Dioxide Removal System, a new
device being tested on Columbia that scrubs the cabin air and dumps
carbon dioxide from it overboard. When the device was taken out of
service Friday, the crew began using the standard operation for
cleaning cabin air, lithium hydroxide canisters that must be removed
and replaced with fresh canisters periodically. Enough such
canisters were packed aboard Columbia to last for the entire
mission.

The Red Team is currently at work on the spacecraft after waking up
for their fourth day in space shortly after 5 a.m. central time.
Columbia remains in a 164 by 160 nautical mile orbit, circling Earth
once every one hour, thirty minutes and thirty-six seconds.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

USML-1 Mission Status Report #06
6:00 a.m. CDT, June 28, 1992
2/18:49 MET
Spacelab Mission Operations Control
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama

Experiments performed aboard the USML-1 Spacelab last night
included all the disciplines the mission is set to explore: fluid
dynamics, crystal growth, combustion science, biological science
and technology demonstration.

The Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project team reports they
successfully completed two experiment runs in the Lower Body
Negative Pressure experiment device late yesterday afternoon.
Payload Specialist Larry DeLucas and Mission Specialist Bonnie
Dunbar each spent about an hour encased to the waist within the
flexible cylinder, as its interior pressure was gradually reduced
to about one pound-per-square-inch lower than the ambient Spacelab
function, heart rate and blood pressure were recorded.  The second
run ended approximately 20 seconds early when predetermined
physiological criteria were reached.  "The crew members' responses
were as expected for this phase of the mission," said team member
Sheila Boettcher.  The procedure will be repeated Monday.
Comparison of the two sessions to pre-flight measurements will
allow scientists to evaluate changes after several days' exposure
to microgravity.

The first assignment of the shift for Payload Specialist Eugene
Trinh and Mission Specialist Carl Meade was another Extended
Duration Orbiter Medical Project experiment.  They donned portable
cardiovascular monitoring assemblies, which will continuously
record heart activity while periodically monitoring blood pressure
in the arm.  Meade and Trinh will wear the assemblies for 24 hours
while they proceed with their other activities.  Similar
measurements will be made near the middle and the end of the
mission.  Results will be compared with pre-flight and post-flight
tests to determine whether blood pressure and heart rate vary more
or less in microgravity than on Earth.

Liquid drops danced on downlink TV for much of the evening, as
Trinh devoted the majority of his shift to Drop Physics Module
experiments.  Trinh, a NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientist,
specializes in fluid mechanics, materials science and acoustics,
and he holds six patents for levitation and measurement devices.
The scientist onboard the Shuttle consulted closely with his
colleagues at Spacelab Control in Huntsville as they refined
procedures for suspending and manipulating the drops with sound
waves.  One observation today focused on drop surface properties,
while another studied the equilibrium shapes of rotating drops.  In
addition to extending fundamental knowledge of fluid physics,
applications range from improving industrial processes on Earth to
developing new methods for containerless processing in space.

Meade conducted the last three of four scheduled runs for the
Smoldering Combustion in Microgravity experiment, as the science
team at Spacelab Mission Operations Control monitored progress via
the Glovebox video cameras.  The mission specialist ignited
polyurethane foam cylinders, sealed in clear Lexan, as sensors
recorded temperatures and spread of combustion.  The demonstration
was repeated with and without a circulating fan, and with two
different forms of ignition.  "The experiment went very smoothly,
and we expect to get a lot of information as we analyze our data,"
said experiment designer Dr. Carlos Fernandez-Pello of the
University of California at Berkeley.  "From what we've seen so
far, the results seem to confirm a possible theory about the
relative roles of cooling and air flow in smoldering combustion."
Smoldering fires are especially dangerous because the inside of a
material can smolder undetected at a low intensity for long periods
before bursting into flames.  Information about smoldering
combustion in space will aid in developing ways to prevent, detect
and extinguish smoldering fires in spacecraft and on Earth.

Meade also worked with the Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (GBA),
activating processing for some samples and suspending it for
others.  This is the first flight for the Generic Bioprocessing
Apparatus, designed to make space science more accessible for a
wide range of experimenters.  "As an easy-to-schedule, easy-to-use
facility with frequent reflight opportunities, it allows a
scientist to expose his biological experiment to microgravity
without having to design and obtain approval for unique experiment
hardware," said experiment team member Alex Hoehn.  The diversity
of GBA experiments is illustrated by two sets of samples which
completed processing today.  Liposomes are spherical structures
that could be used to encapsulate pharmaceuticals.  If this
biological product can be formed properly, it could be used to
deliver a drug to a specific tissue in the body, such as a tumor.
Also processed was a water purification compound which could be
used to kill bacteria in water supplies during long-duration space
flights.

Meanwhile, the second semiconductor sample within the Crystal
Growth Furnace, a mercury zinc telluride alloy, is in its second
day of growth.  Processing will continue through Thursday.  The
Crystal Growth Furnace is moving across the sample at a rate of
only .14 inches (3.5 millimeters) per day.  This slow rate is
required to prevent the crystal from solidifying as many small
crystals.  Mercury zinc telluride alloys have potential for use in
infrared radiation imaging and detection devices with applications
ranging from the detection and management of natural resources on
Earth to deep-space imaging systems.  "USML-1 is the first flight
for the Crystal Growth Furnace, and we are very excited about how
well it is performing," said assistant project scientist Dr. Don
Gillies.

Upcoming today are more Drop Physics Module activities.  Protein
Crystal Growth operations and a run of the Interface Configuration
Experiment will be conducted in the Glovebox facility.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

MISSION CONTROL STATUS
STS-50 Status Report #8
4 p.m. CDT Sunday, June 28, 1992


Columbia continues to provide a stable platform for the Spacelab module
in the payload bay containing the United States Microgravity Laboratory
experiments while flight controllers in Houston kept watch on the
orbiter's systems.

Only the troubleshooting of the onboard fax machine interrupted a
nominal fourth flight day for Columbia. A paper jam halted use of the
machine Saturday and several subsequent attempts to clear the device
proved unsuccessful. Printed material is now being set to the crew via
the teleprinter and a specially designed air-to-ground computer modem
that transmits electronic mail to the crew.

With Columbia's systems in good shape, Commander Dick Richards has had
ample time to communicate with ground-based amateur radio operators
using the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment equipment.  Throughout the
day, Richards reported successful radio contacts with operators around
the world and with school students in LaPorte and Corpus Christi, Texas.

Crew members also had an opportunity to watch the Russian space station
Mir fly above them shortly after nine Saturday morning.  Mir was about
50 miles above and 70 miles to the left of Columbia.

The Blue Team aboard the orbiter was scheduled to get up shortly after
5 p.m. to relieve the Red Team which has been on shift in the Spacelab
since early Saturday.  The dual-shift operation allows the microgravity
investigations to continue 24 hours a day.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

USML-1 Mission Status Report #07
6:00 p.m. CDT, June 28, 1992
3/6:49 MET
Spacelab Mission Operations Control
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama


Inside the Spacelab module, nestled comfortably in the cargo bay of
the Space Shuttle Columbia, the crew of the first United States
Microgravity Laboratory (USML-1) went about their business of
conducting research in the weightlessness of space.

Part of the science gathered today will aid in planning for future
space-based operations.  The Interface Configuration Experiment
(ICE), conducted in the Glovebox, will help scientists confirm
existing theories about the general shape and location of fluid
surfaces in containers in space.  After Payload Specialist Larry
DeLucas had prepared the Glovebox, mounted the video cameras and
attached the experiment vessel to a labjack, he filled the vessel
with what is known as an immersion fluid.  This fluid, a blend of
hydrogenated terphenyl and an aliphatic hydrocarbon, lets
experimenters like principal investigator Paul Concus, University
of California, Berkeley, and ICE experiment scientist Mark
Weislogel, NASA Lewis Research Center, see how fluids behave in
containers of varied shapes.  This type of information is necessary
to determine how fluids will locate in containers such as those to
be used on the Space Station Freedom and other long-duration
spacecraft.

DeLucas spent the remaining portion of his shift working with
proteins from the Protein Crystal Growth experiment.  He activated
the last of the 132 experiment samples and placed them in their
appropriate refrigerator/incubator modules where they will be
allowed to grow in pre-determined temperatures of either 4 or 22
degrees Celcius.  The samples DeLucas activated today included: Lac
Repressor, a binding protein required in the model for gene
regulation; Canavalin, the major storage protein of leguminous
plants and a major source of dietary protein for humans and
domestic animals; and Interferon Alpha-2b, a potent antiviral and
anticancer agent.  Another protein which demanded part of DeLucas'
shift was the Human Proline Isomerase.  This protein is involved in
transplant rejection and is the target of future drug designs.

While DeLucas was busy with the ICE experiment, Payload Commander
Bonnie Dunbar performed experiment runs in the Drop Physics Module
(DPM).  The DPM is part of the USML-1 payload which provides
information about fluid drops in microgravity such as their
equilibrium shapes, the dynamics of their flows, and their stable
and chaotic behavior.  During this experiment, DPM co-investigator
Glynn Holt was able to communicate directly with Dunbar, allowing
real-time participation in the events of this drop coalescence
behavior test.  The remainder of Dunbar's shift also involved the
Drop Physics Module where she performed three runs of an experiment
designed to determine the surface properties of liquid drops in the
presence of surfactants, materials that migrate toward free
surfaces or toward the interface (common boundary) between two
liquids.  This experiment also investigates the merging of two
droplets with surfactants.  Surfactants play an important role in
countless industrial processes, from the production of cosmetics to
the dissolution of proteins in synthetic drug production.  These
types of investigations may give scientists insight into the role
of surfactants, allowing them to determine better methods for
overcoming barriers that keep drops from combining.

The next 12 hours will find Payload Specialist Eugene Trinh taking
a turn at the Drop Physics Module to perform investigations where
there will be rotating and oscillating drops, a compound drop
experiment and examinations of drop surface properties with a
particulate.  Mission Specialist Carl Meade will be involved with
Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus cellular samples, as well as
Glovebox experiments.  Mission Specialist Ellen Baker will conduct
a Passive Accelerometer System experiment in the flight deck and
periodically monitor the Zeolite Crystal Growth furnace.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

USML-1 Mission Status Report #8
6:00 a.m. CDT, June 29, 1992
3/18:48 MET
Spacelab Mission Operations Control
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama

Mission Specialist Carl Meade and Payload Specialist Eugene Trinh
worked closely with ground controllers and experiment scientists at
Spacelab Mission Operations Control overnight, as the USML-1
mission neared the end of a fourth day of experiments.

The Crystal Growth Furnace made a quick recovery after a circuit
breaker tripped just before midnight CDT.  From her post at
Spacelab Mission Operations Control, Crew Interface Coordinator
Janet Dowdy relayed a step-by-step procedure to Meade for
reactivating the facility, and it powered back up at about 2:00
a.m.  The experiment team decided to stop processing of the mercury
zinc telluride crystal which was in the midst of growth.  After
completion of a standard changeover procedure, they will begin
processing a cadmium zinc telluride sample for a 92-hour run.  The
mercury zinc telluride experiment may be rescheduled for later in
the mission.  "The Crystal Growth Furnace has returned to normal
operations," said Dr. David Larson Jr. of the Grumman Corporate
Research Center, principal investigator for the cadmium zinc
telluride experiment.  Cause of the power loss has not been
definitely determined, but at this time the team's priority is
reinitiating crystal growth.

Payload Specialist Eugene Trinh's entire shift was dedicated to
Drop Physics Module (DPM) activities.  He carefully deployed drops
of water/glycerol, in a mixture some 50 times as viscous as water,
to study the rotation of uncontained liquids in microgravity.
Later, he positioned drops with varying concentrations of water and
surfactants, agents which aid or inhibit the mixing of water and
other substances.  Trinh and the experiment team in Huntsville
continued to refine procedures for operating the facility.  "DPM is
ecstatic about that deployment," Alternate Payload Specialist Joe
Prahl told Trinh after one particularly successful drop formation.

Meade monitored some of the 23 different experiments set for
processing in the Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus, and he suspended
those that had reached their predetermined processing time.  The
samples are contained in clear, multi-segment syringe-like devices
called Fluid Processing Apparatuses (FPAs).  An experiment is
activated when a crew member depresses a plunger in the cylinder,
allowing the sample and an inhibitor to mix.  A batch of 12 FPAs is
then inserted into the Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus.  When
sufficient time has elapsed, the crewman suspends processing by
depressing the plunger further, mixing a fixative with the sample.
Long-term processing of seed germination, wasp, brine shrimp and
virus capside experiments continues.

Meade performed the Directed Polymerization Apparatus experiment in
the Glovebox facility, a test to demonstrate that the orientiation
of collagen fiber polymers can be directed in microgravity.
Collagen is a major structural protein found in connective tissue,
bones and cartilage.  The orientation of collagen fiber polymers is
critical to their function, and gravity-driven mixing on Earth
interferes with the ability to direct that orientation.  In
microgravity, it might be possible to alter collagen fiber assembly
so this material could be used more effectively as artificial skin,
blood vessels and other parts of the body.  The experiment was
provided by Dr. Louis Stodieck of the University of Colorado.

Meade also performed a Glovebox experiment designed to determine
under what conditions, if any, surface tension driven convection
can occur in closed containers.  "We're mimicing what happens
inside a high-temperature furnace like the Crystal Growth Furnace,
using a low-temperature fluid within a transparent container so we
can see what's happening with the fluid flow," said experiment
developer Dr. Robert Naumann of the University of Alabama in
Huntsville.  Glass ampoules filled with water or silicone oil were
heated at one end to create a temperature differential, such as
would exist in a furnace.  Motion of glass tracer beads within the
fluids was recorded by video tape and time-lapse photography.
Results should tell scientists whether it is necessary to allow for
fluid flows as they design experiments for future flights.

Early in the shift, Trinh and Meade removed the Extended Duration
Orbiter Medical Project's cardiovascular monitoring equipment,
which they had been wearing for the previous 24 hours to record
their heart rates and blood pressure.

In the orbiter mid-deck, Mission Specialist Ellen Baker and Pilot
Ken Bowersox took another measurement of subtle movements within
the Shuttle with the Passive Accelerometer System.  Baker
periodically monitored the Zeolite Crystal Growth experiment.

On the next shift, Mission Specialist Bonnie Dunbar and Payload
Specialist Larry DeLucas will take mid-mission measurements in the
Lower Body Negative Pressure cylinder.  DeLucas will activate
growth of more protein crystals in the Glovebox, and he will check
some activated previously to determine if seeding is necessary.
Another run of the Glovebox Interface Configuration Experiment is
scheduled, as well as more Drop Physics Module operations.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

                         MISSION CONTROL CENTER
                        STS-50 Status Report #9

Monday, June 29, 1992, 9 a.m. CDT

Columbia operated trouble-free overnight, with flight controllers
performing normal day-to-day operations and assisting payload
controllers with their investigations when needed.

After a crystal growth experiment was found to be shut down,
controllers changed Columbia's orientation to expose different
surfaces of the spacecraft to the sun, thus assisting in keeping those
areas warm. Columbia is now positioned with its underside toward the
sun. Anytime that science investigators agree it is possible and will
not disturb the experiments under way, Columbia will be moved to that
orientation to assist in moderating temperatures.

But for the majority of the flight, Columbia will be in the gravity
gradient position. The gravity gradient orientation allows the
spacecraft to remain relatively stable with very few steering jet
firings that could disturb experiments and use propellant.

Flight controllers are continuing to discuss attempting repair of
the regenerative carbon dioxide removal system, a new device being
flown for the first time on Columbia.  It was taken out of service
after about one day of operation. The RCRS basically dumps carbon
dioxide from the cabin air overboard, and could eventually reduce the
number of lithium hydroxide canisters, currently in use on Columbia,
that must be carried on each flight. Although the canisters are working
well on Columbia, controllers would like to have the RCRS working in
order to gain more information on how well it can cleanse the cabin
air over long periods.

Columbia is in a 159 x 164 nautical mile orbit.

pragma::public:[nasa]sts-50.nasa_select

- dave

    The new CO2 removal system is having FT version bugs, I wonder if
    the tested the hole thing including the control mechanism on Earth ?
    
    They coould have using a vacum chamber, but if they did how come
    they missed something so basic as a malfunctining control system !!
    
    Another thing, only chemical removal systems seem to have been 
    condired. Is it possible to have a mechanical one ? 
    
    For example if a filter existed that separates CO2 from O2 and N2
    based on molecule size, then a simple removal mechanism that works
    by using the pressure difference between the cabin and vacum could
    be built. 
    		Pressure Normal / Pressure Reduced    
    		+---------------++--------------+
    		|   O2  &  N2 --||-->  O2 & N2  |
    		|   CO2 trapped ||		|
    		+---------------++--------------+  
    
    Then the O2 & N2 could be cycled back to the cabin, while the CO2 would
    be trown away or go to some recovery processing mechanism.
    
    Gil

                         MISSION CONTROL STATUS
                        STS-50 Status Report #10

Monday, June 29, 1992, 4:45 p.m. CDT


In a break from the sensitive microgravity investigations, Columbia
burned its reaction control systems jets this afternoon to adjust its
orbit during another smooth day for STS-50.

Performed to provide a backup deorbit opportunity on the nominal end
of mission day, the 39-second burn lowered Columbia's orbit slightly
to 160 by 159 nautical miles. Shortly afterwards, the orbiter returned
to an attitude with its tail pointing toward Earth and its payload bay
pointing about 12 degrees off the direction of travel.  Such a
position allows the orbiter to remain stable for long periods of time
without jet firings that might disrupt the sensitive microgravity
experiments.

In Houston, flight controllers are reviewing and discussing plans to
attempt to repair the regenerative carbon dioxide
removal system. The device, which scrubs carbon dioxide from the
orbiter's air, failed earlier in the flight when a sensor provided
false inputs to the RCRS's logic system subsequently causing automatic
shutdowns. Since that time, crew members have been using the
traditional lithium hydroxide canisters to cleanse the air.

The orbiter and crew are in excellent condition and flight controllers
have no new systems problems to track.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

USML-1 Mission Status Report #09
6:00 p.m. CDT, June 29, 1992
4/6:48 MET
Spacelab Mission Operations Control
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama


Day four of the planned 13-day United States Microgravity
Laboratory (USML-1) mission continued today as astronauts and
scientists conducted materials-processing experiments and tested
methods to help keep space travelers healthy during long stays away
from Earth's gravity.

Payload Commander Bonnie Dunbar and Payload Specialist Larry
DeLucas took turns using the Lower Body Negative Pressure suit, a
five-foot long, cocoon-like cylinder that helps space travelers
compensate for the shift in body fluids into the upper body.  On
Earth, gravity assists in the flow of body fluids, such as blood,
from head to foot, fluids that tend to collect in the upper body
while in orbit. This experiment, part of NASA's Extended Duration
Orbiter Medical Project, is designed to develop medical
countermeasures for Space Shuttle missions of 10 days and longer as
preparations are made for life aboard Space Station Freedom -- the
long-term microgravity laboratory that will be in use by the end of
the decade -- and for lengthy exploration missions of the future.

DeLucas was told to "Go for it," by Alternate Payload Specialist
Albert Sacco Jr., from NASA's Spacelab Mission Operations Control
center in Huntsville, Ala., at the onset of another run of the
Interface Configuration Experiment, conducted in the Glovebox
facility, using water and blue food coloring in exotic-shaped
containers.  This experiment is designed to help determine how
fluids behave in space.  While under gravity's influence, liquids
act in predictable ways; however, the flow of liquids in space must
be understood in order to develop containers, such as storage tanks
for fuels, biological fluids, wastes and other fluids.  By
understanding the behavior of liquids in low-gravity, engineers can
design containers that will work in the absence of gravity.

Dunbar also conducted the first run of the Marangoni Convection in
Closed Containers experiment, using a water sample, to determine
whether surface tension driven convection can occur in closed
containers in microgravity, and under what conditions.  It is
important to understand how heat-transfer processes work when
melting and solidifying materials in microgravity.  This
information may have an impact on future materials processing in
space.

Later, Dunbar controlled the manipulation of glycerin drops in the
Drop Physics Module, taking real-time instructions from scientists
gathered around video monitors located in Spacelab Mission
Operations Control center, when it was determined that a manual
override would keep the experiment sequence on schedule.  She
fine-tuned the acoustic levitation speakers, allowing drops to be
suspended and made to bounce, using sound waves.  Video sent down
from the Shuttle gave principal investigator Dr. Taylor Wang of
Vanderbilt University, and the drop physics science team, a clear
view as they explored the movements of glycerine drops.  On Earth,
gravity causes liquids to touch the sides of containers and pick up
impurities.  In space, materials float; thus, acoustic levitation
processing might one day lead to purer compounds such as metal
alloys that are formed by liquifying, combining and cooling
ingredients.

DeLucas, a world-renowned crystallographer, worked with the
Recombinant Bacterial Luciferase protein, which is responsible for
the production of the bioluminesscence observed in open oceans due
to marine bacteria.  By studying this protein, Naval scientists
hope to learn details of how these bacteria produce "cold light"
without producing the heat that accompanies most other kinds of
light production.

Since the main bus protection power switch was reset in the Crystal
Growth Furnace, the science team has been focusing on revising
their experiment schedule.  Earlier, the growth of a mercury zinc
telluride sample was stopped when power was interrupted and the
processing of another sample, cadmium zinc telluride, was begun.
These crystals are infrared detector materials, used in medical
equipment and night-vision goggles, and sensors found in some
telescopes.

The next 12-hour work shift will see Payload Specialist Eugene
Trinh perform the first investigation in the Surface Tension Driven
Convection Experiment apparatus, which will study the way fluids
react in microgravity when there is a temperature difference along
the interface, the surface where two different materials meet.
Also, Drop Physics Module experiments will continue, as well as
other activities involving the Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus,
performed by Mission Specialist Carl Meade, while Mission
Specialist Ellen Baker will continue to monitor the Zeolite Crystal
Growth facility, located in the orbiter mid-deck area.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

USML-1 Mission Status Report #10
6:00 a.m. CDT, June 30, 1992
6/18:48 MET
Spacelab Mission Operations Control
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama

Two experiments designed to shed light on the mysteries of fluid
physics were the focus of overnight USML-1 Spacelab activities.
Payload Specialist Eugene Trinh, who spent previous shifts
concentrating on the Drop Physics Module, carried out the initial
run of the Surface Tension Driven Convection Experiment; while
Mission Specialist Carl Meade had his first opportunity to
manipulate uncontained fluids in the Drop Physics Module.

The Surface Tension Driven Convection Experiment (STDCE) is
designed to study flows within fluids caused by temperature
differences along their surface.  While these flows (known as
surface tension driven convection or thermocapillary flows) exist
on Earth, their effects are masked by gravity-driven convection.
Therefore, they can only be studied in space.  "Understanding of
this unusual phenomenon is important to fundamental science," said
Principal Investigator Dr. Simon Ostrach of Case Western Reserve
University.  "Fluid physics is the underlying science for
everything that happens in microgravity research.  We're building a
knowledge base to help us understand the unique laboratory
environment of space."  Thermocapillary flow could affect fluids in
space life support systems, fuel management systems and materials
processing.

Silicone oil flows in the experiment chamber were made visible as a
laser light illuminated aluminum tracer particles in the fluid, and
they were observed by ground controllers live via the facility's
video camera.  "Our diagnostics had an even higher resolution than
we expected," said Ostrach.  "I was absolutely amazed at how
clearly we could see the fluid."  Data collected tonight will form
a baseline for upcoming STDCE experiment runs, set for Wednesday
night and Friday night.  The 48-hour interval between the beginning
of the eight-hour runs will allow time for the science team to
analyze results downlinked to Spacelab Mission Operations Control,
then choose the most interesting phenomena to study during their
next opportunity.  The Surface Tension Driven Convection Experiment
hardware was developed by the NASA Lewis Research Center.  USML-1
is its first flight.

Video downlink has played an important part in the USML-1 mission.
After 114 hours of flight, more than 80 hours of live television
have been broadcast from the Space Shuttle Columbia -- most of it
from experiment facility cameras.

In the Drop Physics Module, Meade performed another run of an
experiment designed to study surface tension and viscosity of water
drops combined with increasing levels of soap-like substances
called surfactants.  The facility, which manipulates the position
and movement of floating liquid drops with sound waves, is
primarily controlled by macros, pre-programmed computer sequences.
Throughout the mission, the science team has been editing macros
for the surface property experiment, and Meade's first session
operating the facility was quite successful.  Surfactants are used
in many industrial applications on Earth, but often they are chosen
by trial and error.  It is hoped that increased understanding of
surfactants from USML-1 experiments will eventually allow more
precise utilization of these important substances.

Growth of a cadmium zinc telluride crystal, now underway within the
Crystal Growth Furnace, will continue through Friday.  It has
reached just over one-half inch of its eventual six-inch length.
The Crystal Growth Furnace has performed flawlessly since it was
restarted after a power loss Monday morning.

As he has for his past four shifts, Meade tended biological samples
in the Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus experiment.  A total of 132
samples representing 23 different experiments are set to be
processed in the multi-purpose facility, sponsored by the NASA
Office of Commercial Programs.

Mission Specialist Ellen Baker has been periodically reporting
selected electronic data on the Zeolite Crystal Growth furnace.
This morning the first comprehensive data set on the condition of
their furnace since activation was downlinked from the Shuttle for
subsequent study by the experiment team in Huntsville.

Later today, two Glovebox demonstrations will research the effect
of microgravity on burning: Wire Insulation Flammability and Candle
Flames in Microgravity.  Mission Specialist Bonnie Dunbar will
conduct Drop Physics Module experiments to examine drop
coalescence, drop resonance and drop surface properties.  Payload
Specialist Larry DeLucas again will concentrate on Protein Crystal
Growth Glovebox operations.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

                         MISSION CONTROL STATUS
                        STS-50 Status Report #11

Tuesday, June 30, 1992, 8:30 a.m. CDT


Some early household repairs and continuing science are the order of
the day aboard Columbia, which continued to perform without problems
overnight.

About 8:30 a.m CDT, Pilot Ken Bowersox and Commander Dick Richards
began a planned three-hour repair attempt on a new piece of equipment
being flight-tested that removes carbon dioxide from the cabin air by
dumping it overboard.

Although the standard form of controlling carbon dioxide aboard the
shuttle -- replaceable lithium hydroxide carbon-dioxide absorbing
canisters -- has been working well, engineers would like to fix the
regenerative carbon dioxide removal system to gain more information
about how well the system works over long periods. The new system was
taken out of service after the first day of the flight when a faulty
sensor reading continually caused it to shut off.

In today's repair attempt, Bowersox and Richards will pull out
four middeck lockers to gain access to the shuttle's
lower deck, under which the RCRS is mounted. They'll remove the top
cover panel of the device, and unplug one electronic wire connector.
From the bundles of wire in the connector, they will locate four
specific wires and splice two together and then another two together.

The spliced wires will bypass the sensors that have been giving false
readings to the systems automatic controller, thus halting the false
alarms that were the cause of continual shutdowns. The
repair is estimated to take about three hours.

Also today, members of the Red Team -- Richards, Bowersox, Bonnie
Dunbar and Larry DeLucas -- appeared live on ABC's Good Morning
America.

Columbia is in a 160 x 159 nautical mile orbit.

                         MISSION CONTROL STATUS
                        STS-50 Status Report #12

Tuesday, June 30, 1992, 5 p.m. CDT


Columbia's new Regenerative Carbon Dioxide Removal System is up and
running again following the completion of a procedure to bypass
faulty sensors in the air scrubbing unit.

Pilot Ken Bowersox assisted by Commander Dick Richards spent the
morning working through the 32-step procedure that started with the
removal of four middeck lockers to gain access to the RCRS unit.
Using tools in the orbiter's in-flight maintenance kit, Bowersox
disconnected one of the electrical connections at the top of the unit
and spliced two sets of wires to bypass sensors that relayed faulty
indications that shut the system down earlier in the flight.  Since
the procedure was completed, the RCRS has worked well.

The unit will provide engineers with important data about the operation
of the RCRS as a replacement of the traditional lithium hydroxide
canister system. Advantages of the RCRS include saving
weight and stowage space previously used for the canisters and freeing
the crew of the canister changeout task.

As microgravity investigations proceeded in the Spacelab module
today, Richards continued his work with the Shuttle Amateur Radio
experiment. Among his contacts around the world, Richards talked
briefly with students at Hockaday School in Dallas.

Columbia continues to perform very well with no new systems anomalies
reported. The orbiter is circling the Earth once every 90 minutes at an
altitude of 160 by 159 nautical miles.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

USML-1 Mission Status Report #11
6:00 p.m. CDT, June 30, 1992
5/6:49 MET
Spacelab Mission Operations Control
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama


The Red Shift of the first United States Microgravity Laboratory
(USML-1) mission - Commander Richard Richards, Pilot Kenneth
Bowersox, Payload Commander Bonnie Dunbar and Payload Specialist
Larry DeLucas - took a few minutes out of their busy schedule today
to be a part of the Good Morning America show.  Immediately after
the interview, it was business as usual for the Space Shuttle
Columbia crew.

Dunbar spent most of her shift at the Drop Physics Module, a fluid
dynamics experiment developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
to test theories of classical fluid physics.  For her first run of
the day, Dunbar conducted the investigation known as Science and
Technology of Surface Controlled Phenomena for principal
investigator Dr. Robert E. Apfel, Yale University.  In this
particular experiment, the surfaces of liquid drops were coated
with sodium dodecyl sulfate and the coalescence (merging) of the
droplets was examined.  While watching the video downlink of this
experiment, Dr. Apfel asked that the 16mm camera be activated to
provide further data concerning the surface properties of the drops
inside the chamber.

A second run involving the Drop Physics Module found Dunbar
inserting drops of glycerin and water into the chamber to test the
resonant qualities of these drops as they were being levitated by
acoustic speakers.  Principal investigator for this experiment, Dr.
Taylor G. Wang, Vanderbilt University, will compare this data with
theoretical predictions, and perhaps provide insight for further
theoretical development concerning containerless fluid drops in
microgravity.

Once Dunbar had completed the fluid dynamics investigations, she
made her way to the Glovebox to conduct two runs of the Candle
Flames in Microgravity (CFM) experiment.  This experiment will help
scientists understand more about the shape, color and burn rate of
wick-stabilized flames (candles) in the calm, undisturbed
environment of space.  The CFM science team, headed by Dr. Howard
Ross, NASA's Lewis Research Center, applauded as they watched the
video downlink showing the flame behavior as the candle burned and
finally extinguished itself.

There was an air of excitement in the Science Operations Area of
the Spacelab Mission Operations Control center in Huntsville, Ala.,
today as DeLucas performed the Wire Insulation Flammability (WIF)
experiment.  WIF is designed to study the flammability and flame
spread characteristics of overheated wire and analyze the gases
produced by both heated and burning isulation.  Experimenter Paul
S. Greenberg of NASA Lewis Research Center was very pleased with
the real-time video images as the wire ignited within the
containment of the Glovebox.  What might appear to be a relatively
simple procedure required a great deal of precision in the
execution of all the necessary steps.  DeLucas' reaction was
evident when he commented about the experiment by saying, "There
was a lot to get right with this, and I'm glad to get it right.
That makes me happy."

DeLucas also spent several hours working with protein samples in
the Glovebox facility in order to help scientists identify optimal
conditions for nucleating (beginning) and growing protein crystals
in space.  By determining the structure of protein crystals,
improved proteins and drugs for medical and agricultural purposes
may be developed.  Today's activities included observations of
several proteins making up the Protein Crystal Growth experiments
such as DD-Ligase from S. Typhirum, Malic Enzyme, Human Serum
Albumin and Recombinant Human Serum Albumin.  The USML-1 crystals
grown in this Glovebox experiment will be returned to their
respective facilities for X-ray analysis.

The next 12 hours will be busy ones for Payload Specialist Eugene
Trinh as he operates the Drop Physics Module while wearing the
Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor and a Holter Recorder system that
will continuously monitor blood pressure in the arm, which is part
of the Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project.  Also, Mission
Specialist Carl Meade will work with the Generic Bioprocessing
Apparatus, the Glovebox and the Drop Physics Module.  Mission
Specialist Ellen Baker will monitor the Zeolite Crystal Growth
furnace and perform a Passive Accelerometer System measurement
during the next shift.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

USML-1 Mission Status Report #12
6:00 a.m. CDT, July 1, 1992
5/18:48 MET
Spacelab Mission Operations Control
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama

Research continued overnight in the unique laboratory environment
of space aboard the first United States Microgravity Laboratory
(USML-1) mission.  During this 12-hour shift, Payload Specialist
Eugene Trinh continued investigations in the Drop Physics Module to
test classic fluid physics theories.  Free-floating drops of
glycerin and water, a mixture 12 times more viscous than water
alone, were manipulated using sound waves created by speakers
mounted on the lower edges of the acoustic chamber.  Principal
investigator for the experiment, Dr. Taylor Wang, was voice-enabled
to discuss fine-tuning methods with his counterpart in orbit.  When
Trinh got the combination just right, Wang was heard to say "This
is just fantastic."  Capability for control of the Drop Physics
Module has matured to the point that Trinh was able to maintain one
drop for an entire three-hour experiment period.  In another
experiment run, a drop was intentionally oscillated at increasing
frequencies until it burst apart into scores of tiny bubbles.

Mission Specialist Carl Meade continued the Candle Flames in
Microgravity experiment, begun last shift in the Glovebox by
Mission Specialist Bonnie Dunbar.  He attempted to light two
candles, separated by a quarter inch to an inch.  On Earth, both
would have burned readily, but Meade found that only one would
ignite in space.  Experiment designers Drs. Howard Ross and Daniel
Deitrich of NASA Lewis Research Center speculate that insufficient
oxygen was available due to the lack of gravity-driven air flow.
The experiment was the first flame-interaction study going from
ignition through burning to extinction ever attempted in
long-duration low gravity.  "We're overjoyed.  The hardware
performed perfectly, and the astronauts went far beyond the call of
duty,"  said Ross and Deitrich.  "The observations they called down
were invaluable, since they were able to report things we could not
see on the downlink video.  The real-time decisions they made
improved results for planned runs as well as giving us additional
successful runs.  This shows how important it is to have smart
people working there on the spot.  There is no way what we
accomplished last night could have been preprogrammed."

Another Glovebox demonstration conducted by Meade was Nucleation of
Crystal Growth.  Designed by Dr. Roger Kroes of the NASA Marshall
Space Flight Center, it tests a new technique for initiating and
controlling crystal formation in microgravity.  An improved ability
to control the location and time of the onset of crystal nucleation
in a solution has potential for increasing the flexibility of all
space experiments involving solution crystal growth.  Meade
injected a small globule of heated, concentrated solution of
l-argine phosphate (a compound with high technology optical
qualities) into a cooler, less concentrated host solution of the
same compound.  On Earth, the warmer solution would rise to the
top, but in space it remains suspended.  Bubbles formed
                                                               inadvertently whe
n Meade injected the solutions into the test cell,
but observation of crystal formation will continue as scheduled.
Scientists may adjust the procedures for filling the cell to
prevent bubble formation on the two upcoming experiment runs.

Meade again tended samples in the Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus,
a multi-purpose facility used to study relationships between living
organisms and gravity.  He also activated of several more protein
crystal growth experiments in the Glovebox.

The astronauts themselves were the subject of life science studies
supporting NASA's Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project.  As
Trinh and Meade went about their assigned duties, each wore
portable medical diagnostic equipment that continuously recorded
heart activity, while periodically monitoring blood pressure.  On
Earth, many factors affect heart rate and blood pressure, including
stress, diet, exercise, sleeping and waking states.  Gravity also
plays a role.  Data collected will be analyzed after the mission to
determine whether a change, if any, correlates with the
microgravity-induced reduction in sensitivity of baroreceptors --
one of the body's sensors used to regulate blood pressure and heart
rate.

In the orbiter mid-deck, Mission Specialist Ellen Baker monitored
the growth of zeolite crystals, "molecular sieves" used to filter
out particles in processes such as petroleum refining.  She also
took readings on low-gravity accelerations in the Shuttle with the
Passive Accelerometer System.  Measurements of those motions are
important to improved design of future microgravity experiments and
facilities.  The night was uneventful for the Crystal Growth
Furnace team at Spacelab Mission Operations Control in Huntsville,
as their cadmium zinc telluride sample continued its quiet growth
to over two inches in length.  The Crystal Growth Furnace is one of
several experiment facilities on their maiden flight aboard the
USML-1 Spacelab.

Next shift, as the mission approaches the halfway mark, Payload
Specialist Larry DeLucas will get the morning off, then continue
Glovebox Protein Crystal Growth experiments after lunch.  Mission
Specialist Bonnie Dunbar will operate the Drop Physics Module in
the morning and take her free time in the afternoon.  Pilot Ken
Bowersox will power up the last experiment set for activation on
USML-1, the Astroculture plant nutrient delivery system.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
                         MISSION CONTROL STATUS
                        STS-50 Status Report #13

Wednesday, July 1, 1992, 8:30 a.m. CDT Tuesday


Approaching the halfway point of the longest shuttle flight ever,
Columbia is flawless, and flight controllers report there are plentiful
supplies of electricity, air, fuel, food and other consumable items
aboard.

Early today, crew members concentrated on amateur radio contacts in
addition to starting a busy shift of weightless experiments
in the Spacelab.

The crew reported talking to Boy Scouts from Troop 195 in Galina, Ohio,
early this morning. Also, Payload Specialist Larry DeLucas talked with
coworkers and relatives at the University of Alabama in Birmingham,
Alabama.

Commander Dick Richards is planning to make several more ham radio
contacts during the day, including talking with students at Hyatt
Elementary School in San Jacinto, Calif. and at Addison Elementary
School in Marietta, Ga. An adjustment on the shuttle amateur radio
was intended to ground the antenna better, and ham radio operators
on the ground report all communications have been very strong.

Richards, along with Mission Specialist Bonnie Dunbar, will talk with
professional radio as well today in an interview with CBS News Radio
scheduled for 11:12 a.m. CDT. Television from the spacecraft is not
planned for the interview, but the audio will be broadcast live on NASA
Select.

Richards and Pilot Ken Bowersox each exercised for about an hour this
morning, riding a stationary bicycle on Columbia's flight deck.  Bungee
cords secured the bike and are being checked out as a
secondary method of lowering the amount of vibrations the bike might
cause to the sensitive experiments on board. An electromagnetic shock-
absorbing system used when the bike is on the shuttle's lower
deck has been very successful in minimizing vibrations as well.

Columbia is in a 160 by 159 nautical mile orbit, circling Earth every
one hour, thirty minutes and thirty-one seconds.

                           MISSION CONTROL STATUS
                          STS-50 Status Report #14

Wednesday, July 1, 1992, 5 p.m. CDT


Columbia finished another day in excellent condition as the seven-
member crew approached the half-way mark in the 13-day mission.

Commander Dick Richards confirmed the on-going health of the orbiter
when he completed the redundant component checkout earlier today.
The check of many of the orbiter's backup systems is a routine
procedure for long-duration missions. Components checked today
included various system fans, freon pump loops and water loops.

Richards also continued his work with the Shuttle Amateur Radio
Experiment by using the orbiter's ham radio equipment to talk with
students at Hyatt Elementary School in San Jacinto, California and
Addison Elementary School in Marietta, Georgia.

The Regenerative Carbon Dioxide Removal System continues to work very
well following Tuesday's sucessful in-flight maintenance procedure by
Pilot Ken Bowersox.

Payload Commander Bonnie Dunbar and Payload Specialist Larry Delucas
took advantage of planned off-duty times, taking breaks from their
payload activities.

Columbia continues to circle the Earth once every 90 minutes in a 160
x 159 nautical mile orbit.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

USML-1 Mission Status Report #13
6:00 p.m. CDT, July 1, 1992
6/6:48 MET
Spacelab Mission Operations Control
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama


A short period of leisure time was built into the schedule for
members of the Red Shift science crew of the first United States
Microgravity Laboratory (USML-1) mission as they reached the
mid-point of their flight today.  Payload Specialist Larry DeLucas
began his off-duty time by talking with his father in Birmingham,
Ala., during one of the transmissions made for the Shuttle Amateur
Radio Experiment (SAREX).  Payload Commander Bonnie Dunbar was able
to spend a great deal of time enjoying the view from space through
the Shuttle Columbia windows during the afternoon hours.

Dunbar spent her morning deploying drops of water into the test
chamber of the Drop Physics Module.  Principal investigator Dr.
Robert Apfel, Yale University, closely monitored the video downlink
of experiments to test the surface properties of liquid drops in
the presence of surfactants (additives which alter the surface
properties of a liquid).  Co-investigator Dr. Glynn Holt was able
to communicate directly with Dunbar as she adjusted the acoustic
energy output during an exciting drop deployment that produced
unique, unexpected results.  A total of four liquid drops were
deployed during the first part of the shift.  The three surfactants
included in investigations inside the DPM were sodium dodecyl
sulfate, octyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside and dodecyltrimethylammonium
bromide.  The fluid dynamics studies made possible by DPM will
provide research data that may be applied to the development of
fuel-containing pellets for nuclear fussion reactors; the design of
time-release medicines and diagnostic tracers that act in the
bloodstream; and the manufacturing of food, drugs, chemicals and
plastics that go through liquid stages in their production cycles.
The DPM science team at the Spacelab Mission Operations Control
center, Huntsville, Ala., applauded Dunbar's efforts and thanked
her for the interesting data from today's runs.

Before beginning an afternoon of Glovebox experiments, DeLucas was
part of an air-to-ground audio interview with correspondents from
CBS Radio News.  He then began Glovebox activities to monitor the
growth of protein crystal samples, which will help to identify
optimal conditions for nucleating (starting) and growing protein
crystals from solutions in space.  Today, DeLucas worked with
Recombinant Human Serum Albumin and Horse Serum Albumin to provide
more data about the capability to enhance crystal growth in the
weightlessness of space.

Principal investigator Dr. Theodore W. Tibbitts watched video
downlink from the mid-deck as Pilot Kenneth Bowersox activated
Astroculture, a facility to evaluate a water delivery system to
support the growth of plants in microgravity.  Astroculture, a
University of Wisconsin experiment, will test a new space-gardening
technique, which could operate in microgravity or partial gravity
on lunar or Mars bases.  This experiment is a nutrient delivery
system containing a tube that circulates nutrient solution under
negative pressures.  Porous stainless steel tubes, embedded in a
baked clay compound, serves as the rooting matrix.  This experiment
is the first of a series of tests to evaluate each of the critical
subsystems needed for the construction of a reliable plant growth
unit for long-duration space travels.

During the next 12 hours Payload Specialist Eugene Trinh will
conduct experiments in the Surface Tension Driven Convection
Experiment, a NASA Lewis Research Center facility.  Mission
Specialist Carl Meade will be igniting a wire as part of the Wire
Insulation Flammability experiment, and also taking measurements of
the gravity gradient from the Spacelab module's center of mass
with the Passive Accelerometer System.  Mission Specialist Ellen
Baker will be closely monitoring the Astroculture facility and
reporting her findings to the science team at the Spacelab Mission
Operations Control center.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

USML-1 Mission Status Report #14
6:00 a.m. CDT, July 2, 1992
6/18:48 MET
Spacelab Mission Operations Control
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama

Payload Specialist Eugene Trinh devoted the majority of his shift
to the second eight-hour run of the Surface Tension Driven
Convection Experiment, a study of fluid motions (called
thermocapillary flows) created by a difference in surface
temperatures.  The experiment team at Spacelab control closely
monitored progress via the facility's state-of-the-art diagnostic
system.  Fluid flows within a silicone oil sample were made visible
by a laser light reflected from aluminum oxide tracer particles.
Meanwhile, a scanning infrared imager recorded surface
temperatures.  Flows were created with both flat and curved
surfaces by two heat sources: laser heating on the liquid surface
and immersion heating in the center of the experiment chamber.  The
science team, from Case Western Reserve University and the NASA
Lewis Research Center, adjusted surface shapes, temperatures and
experiment durations based on their analysis of Monday night's
session.  They plan to correlate flow velocity and temperature data
with current computer models to refine their understanding of
thermocapillary flows.

Mission Specialist Carl Meade performed several experiments in the
USML-1 Glovebox, demonstrating its adaptability for testing and
developing science procedures and technologies in microgravity.
Meade checked on the Zeolite Crystal Growth samples activated in
the Glovebox early in the mission.  Meade also performed the
Glovebox Wire Insulation Flammability experiment.  The
demonstration will give scientists the first test data on
controlled heating and burning of electrical wires in the
microgravity environment.  Experiment designer Paul Greenberg of
the NASA Lewis Research Center said, "If we can understand the
physics and chemistry of combustion, that will put us in a much
better position to control, detect and abate it."  He was high in
his praise of both the Glovebox facility and Meade's operation of
the experiment.  "You're the coolest guy off Earth," Greenberg told
Meade at the end of the highly successful demonstration.

He made scheduled photographs of the Nucleation of Crystals from
the Solution in a Low-g Environment experiment which he started in
the Glovebox Tuesday night.  From his station at Spacelab Mission
Operations Control, scientist Dr. Donald Reiss discussed the
experiment with Meade, and they agreed on several adjustments for
the next activation run on Friday.

As part of his nightly Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus activities,
Meade activated several samples containing clover and alfalfa
seeds.  Similar samples were started on the first and fourth days
of the mission.  Meade is scheduled to begin additional clover and
alfalfa seed experiments each night through the remainder of the
flight.  Post-mission analysis should provide a day-by-day time
history of early plant development in space.

Trinh and Meade removed the heart-rate and blood-pressure
monitoring devices they had been wearing for the last 24 hours as
part of the NASA Johnson Space Center's Extended Duration Orbiter
Medical Project.  At 13 days, the USML-1 mission will be the
longest Shuttle flight to date.  However, astronauts will spend
months aboard Space Station Freedom or over a year on missions to
Mars.  A more thorough knowledge of the effect of microgravity on
the cardiovascular system is essential to safeguarding the health
of tomorrow's space explorers.

In the Shuttle mid-deck, Mission Specialist Ellen Baker kept a
close eye on the Astroculture plant nutrient delivery experiment,
which was activated Wednesday afternoon.  The USML-1 Astroculture
experiment is the first of a series which will evaluate each of the
subsystems needed for the construction of a reliable facility to
grow plants in space.  Only the water-delivery system is being
tested during this mission.  Lights and atmospheric controls will
be added on future flights.  "We're testing the hardware to make
sure it is functioning optimally," said Astroculture team member
Dr. Robert Morrow of the University of Wisconsin.  "Before we add
actual plants, we want to be sure we have a well-controlled chamber
so we can separate gravitational effects from other variables such
as temperature and light levels."  The team's ultimate goal is to
build the technology base for sophisticated plant growth facilities
which could act as life support systems in space.  "After all,
plants are the system which keeps us alive on Earth," observed
Morrow.

In the Crystal Growth Furnace, the cadmium zinc telluride crystal
has grown to about 3.75 inches in length.  Such crystals are used
as substrates on which mercury cadmium telluride crystals are grown
for use in infrared detectors.  Improvements in the base crystal
should enhance the quality and performance of the active detector.

Meade mounted the Passive Accelerometer System in the Spacelab
module for one measurement, while the Space Acceleration
Measurement System continued to make uninterrupted readings of
subtle motions within the Shuttle.

The upcoming shift will include the only run of the mission for the
Solid Surface Combustion Experiment.  Glovebox Protein Crystal
Growth activities and Drop Physics Module operations again will
receive the majority of the science crew's attention.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

                         MISSION CONTROL CENTER
                        STS-50 Status Report #15

Thursday, July 1, 1992, 8 a.m. CDT


Now more than halfway through its twelfth mission, NASA's oldest
orbiter continues to perform nearly flawlessly allowing the crew
to devote full attention to the experiments in the
Spacelab module and to view the release of a chemical in the
upper atmosphere after being launched on a small rocket.

Much of the orbiter Columbia activities during the last 12 hours
involved routine systems maintenance ensuring the health of all
components to support the remainder of the mission.

During the early morning, the waste water tank was dumped which
is required about every three days.  Also performed was an
alignment of the navigation units and a supply water dump using the
flash evaporator system.

The FES, as it is known, is a subtle way to discharge excess
water so as not to disrupt the orbiter's stable attitude in
support of the many experiments being conducted in the 23-foot-
long laboratory.

Columbia's crew had a unique opportunity to view the chemical
release of barium from a cannister carried aboard a small rocket
launched from Puerto Rico at 4 a.m.  The chemical release
occurred at an altitude of 135 nautical miles about two minutes after
launch of the rocket.


At the time of the rocket launch, Columbia had just crossed the
equator 160 nautical miles above the Earth.  Crewmember Ellen
Baker reported having a "pretty good view" of the barium cloud
as the orbiter approached the island from the southwest on its
108th orbit.


Columbia remains in a stable attitude to support science
activities as it circles the Earth every 90 minutes.

                         MISSION CONTROL CENTER
                        STS-50 Status Report #16

Thursday, July 2, 1992, 5 p.m. CDT


Just into the second week of their projected record-setting mission,
the astronauts aboard Columbia continued their science harvest today,
focusing on studies of  fluid dynamics, crystal development, and
hydroponic plant growth.

From the flight deck of Columbia, crew commander Dick Richards made
several successful radio contacts with students on Earth, using
amateur radio equipment flown for just that purpose.  Richards spoke
with students at the Carolyn T. Douglas School in Massachusetts
in a long-distance lashup through Honolulu and Corpus Christi ham
radio relay stations.   Later, in the afternoon, he chatted with
students from  three schools in Johannesburg, South Africa.

By the request of the Argentine Embassy in Washington, the crew was
asked today  to observe and photograph heavy flooding along the Pirhana
and Uruguay rivers in Argentina, as their orbital path took them
directly over the South American country late this afternoon.

This evening, Richards and pilot Ken Bowersox will guide Columbia
in a very slow, steady maneuver to point it's underside towards the
sun for several hours in order to warm up mechanical systems and to
help maintain adequate air pressure in the main landing gear tires.
The tire pressures, which normally decay at a slight but steady rate,
are a bit lower than were predicted for this point in the flight.  By
periodically applying heat to the area, the air in the tires will be
warmed, thus increasing the air pressure in the tires and slowing the
decay rate.   At this point, flight controllers believe that periodic
warming will assure more than adequate tire pressures for landing.

All systems aboard Columbia continue to operate without problem while
the Orbiter remains in a stable attitude for science activities -
circling the Earth every 90 minutes or so.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

USML-1 Mission Status Report 15
6:00 p.m. CDT, July 2, 1992
7/6:48 MET
Spacelab Mission Operations Control
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama

Science opportunities were abundant today as the crew aboard the
Space Shuttle Columbia continued to perform materials processing
experiments for the first United States Microgravtiy Laboratory
(USML-1) mission.

Scientists on the ground at NASA's Spacelab Mission Operations
Control center in Huntsville, Ala., cheered as Payload Commander
Dr. Bonnie Dunbar successfully completed the first deployment of a
drop of clear silicone oil in space.  While voicing instructions to
Dunbar, principal investigator for this Drop Physics Module (DPM)
experiment, Dr. A.V. Anilkumar of Vanderbilt University, said that
he was "extremely pleased" at the excellent drop deployment from
fluid injectors that were of a different shape than those used on
previous DPM runs.  Dunbar replied that she was happy to
"contribute to the list of firsts" as she proceeded with the
experiments designed to study basic fluid physics on liquid drops,
free from the effects of gravity.

Also during the Red Shift, Dunbar conducted the only USML-1 run of
the Solid Surface Combustion Experiment, making its fourth Shuttle
flight.  Flame spread was observed via video downlink as the
ashless filter paper, positioned in the center of the Glovebox
module, was ignited by Dunbar using a hot-filament wire.  On Earth,
gravity causes hot gases produced by flames to rise and spread in
the same way that warm air rises.  The physical and chemical
mechanism of fire in the absence of gravity must be understood to
develop fire prevention and control procedures aboard spacecraft.

Payload Specialist Dr. Larry DeLucas worked with three protein
crystals, including HIV Reverse Transcriptase.  Understanding the
structure of this enzyme is important for guiding the design of
drugs to deal with AIDS -- AZT and DDI, for example.  Crystals were
moved from the mid-deck refrigerator/incubator module to the
Spacelab Glovebox facility, where DeLucas observed them under a
microscope to determine if any changes in experiment parameters
were necessary to improve growth results.  Manipulating protein
crystals is difficult since they are extremely delicate.  DeLucas,
of the University of Alabama in Birmingham, is the primary protein
growth specialist for USML-1.

Meanwhile Pilot Keith Bowersox voiced down observations of the
Astroculture facility some 24-hours after it was activated.
Designed to find the most efficient ways to provide water and
nutrients to plants in the low-gravity environment of space, the
Astroculture experiment is located in the orbiter mid-deck area.
On Earth, gravity forces liquids down into a planting medium, but
the microgravity environment of space presents new challenges.
This USML-1 biological science investigation is testing methods
that might one day be used by astronauts in colonization of the
moon or in the exploration of Mars.

Bowersox also monitored the growth of zeolite crystals, located in
the mid-deck.  These zeolite crystals are known as molecular sieves
due to their property of absorbing certain molecules.  Space-grown
zeolite crystals may prove useful in Earth-based industries such as
petroleum mining.

The cadmium zinc telluride crystal, which has been growing in the
Crystal Growth Furnace, is now into its cool-down cycle.  This
crystal, which is estimated to be approximately 11 centimeters
long, will help principal investigator Dr. David J. Larson of
Grumman Corporate Research Center, New York, understand the
gravitational influences on the growth and quality of alloyed
semiconductors.  This cadmium zinc telluride crystal will be
removed from the CFG during the next 12 hours, and the last sample
-- gallium arsenide -- will be placed in the furnace to begin its
growing period.

Also during the next 12 hours Payload Specialist Eugene Trinh will
attach a glovebox to the Crystal Growth Furnace for sample-exchange
use later in the mission.  Trinh also will conduct an experiment in
the Glovebox facility known as the Solid Surface Wetting
Experiment, for which he is the principal investigator.  Mission
Specialist Carle Meade will spend time with the Glovebox facility,
as well as with the Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus and the Candle
Flames in Microgravity experiment.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

USML-1 Mission Status Report #16
6:00 a.m. CDT, July 3, 1992
7/18:48 MET
Spacelab Mission Operations Control
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama

Mission Specialist Carl Meade and Payload Specialist Eugene Trinh
got well-deserved four hour breaks during their last shift, but
experiments aboard the USML-1 Spacelab continued to refine
techniques for doing science in microgravity.

The first assignment of Trinh's shift was installing a flexible
glovebox on top of the Crystal Growth Furnace (CGF).  The CGF
flexible glovebox (not to be confused with the permanently mounted
USML-1 Glovebox Facility) will be used to allow access to the
furnace when Mission Specialist Bonnie Dunbar removes processed
crystals and loads an additional sample around noon Saturday.

Processing of the fourth Crystal Growth Furnace sample, a gallium
arsenide semiconductor, began early this morning.  At one point
during the 29-hour processing run, the furnace will reach its
highest temperature yet -- 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit (1,260 degrees
Celsius).  Gallium arsenide semiconductors are used in the world's
highest-speed computers and in solid-state lasers.  Dr. David
Matthiesen of Case Western Reserve University is principal
investigator for the experiment.

Trinh spent several hours conducting a demonstration he designed
himself, the Solid Surface Wetting Experiment.  Its purpose is to
determine the best tip shapes and surfaces for injectors that
deploy fluid drops in the Drop Physics Module.  Trinh is also a
co-investigator on one of the Drop Physics experiments.  Throughout
the mission he has been working closely with his colleagues at
Spacelab Mission Operations Control in Huntsville to refine
procedures for controlling deployment and manipulation of the
floating drops.  Highly magnified, color downlink video allowed the
Drop Physics Module team to watch as Trinh squeezed drops of
several liquids from Solid Surface Wetting Experiment injectors.
They were so impressed with the performance of one set that they
made plans to use it in some Drop Physics Module operations
scheduled later today.

Scientists took advantage of some bonus opportunities to study
Shuttle accelerations, noticing that fluid motions in both the
Surface Tension Driven Convection Experiment and the Solid Surface
Wetting Experiment pulsated in response to gentle Shuttle
accelerations.  They kept a close watch on the fluids as thruster
firings took place.  "They correlate; every time the thrusters
fire, the fluid wiggles.  That's amazing," said Alternate Payload
Specialist Joe Prahl as he viewed a bridge of water between two
Solid Surface Wetting Experiment injectors.

Before taking his break, Trinh changed bacteria-tracking agar
strips in the Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project's Microbial
Air Sampler.  While bacterial and fungal growth in spacecraft pose
no health risk to crews on short duration missions, the potential
for microbial contamination increases on longer flights or in
permanent facilities like the Space Station Freedom.

Meade chose to give up part of his time off to initiate growth of
some protein crystals in the Glovebox Facility, based on his
observations of previously activated samples.  He reported working
with Interlukin-4, an amino acid which recent evidence shows to
have potent anti-tumor effects in animal models.

After he officially came on duty, Meade suspended growth of some
Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus samples and initiated growth of
more clover and alfalfa seeds.  He then turned his attention to two
Glovebox technology demonstrations.  Meade repeated several steps
of yesterday's highly successful Candle Flames in Microgravity
experiment in order to capture color photographs of the round, blue
flame on 35mm film.  Next, he raised some well-contained dust in
the Glovebox Particle Dispersion Experiment.  He used compressed
air to expel sand-sized quartz particles into a sealed transparent
container.  Experiment designer Dr. John Marshall of the NASA Ames
Research Center watched downlinked video to determine how the fine
particles produced clusters.  By understanding how dust particles
from the atmosphere cluster, or form into aggregates, scientists
can better assess how planetary atmospheres are cleansed of dust.
Electrostatic aggregation is an important process for cleaning the
atmospheres after major dust storms, volcanic eruptions or
meteorite/comet impacts.  The Particle Dispersion Experiment was a
simple trial run for more sophisticated investigations in the
Gas-Grain Simulation Facility, now under development for Space
Station Freedom.

On the next shift, the science crew will follow the routine they
have established for much of the mission, with Payload Specialist
Larry DeLucas concentrating on Glovebox Protein Crystal Growth and
Mission Specialist Bonnie Dunbar on Drop Physics Module
experiments.  Pilot Ken Bowersox will activate the Astroculture
plant nutrient delivery system for its second experiment session of
the mission.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

 
         STS-50 MISSION CONTROL STATUS REPORT #17
                       8:00 a.m. CDT
                   Friday -- July 3, 1992



Space Shuttle Columbia continues to operate without problems.

Shuttle Commander Dick Richards and Payload Commander Bonnie
Dunbar took time early in their shift to discuss the progress of
the mission with the Mutual Radio Network.

They were asked about the amount of space aboard for the seven
crew members; the need for growing protein crystals in space; and
the relevance of the mission to Space Station Freedom.

Richards said it was "downright roomy" aboard the spaceship with
the crew split into two shifts.  Dunbar said growing protein
crystals in space is desireable because they are of "improved
quality" and are "critical" in helping understand how to develop
better medicines on Earth.

In addition to experiment operations, much of the day will be
spent working with the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment or SAREX,
the onboard ham radio used to contact school children around the
world.

Electricity usage aboard Columbia thus far in the flight has been
below the preflight predictions by about one kilowatt ensuring
plenty of electricity-producing hydrogen and oxygen are available
for the full duration of the mission.

All systems are working properly allowing crew members full time
to devote to completing the wide array of experiments.

Columbia's altitude is 162 nautical miles and the vehicle circles
the Earth every 90 minutes.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

         STS-50 MISSION CONTROL STATUS REPORT #18
                       5:00 p.m. CDT
                   Friday -- July 3, 1992


Shuttle mission STS-50 continues to progress very smoothly as the
crew keeps pace with the planned timeline and Columbia continues
to operate without problems.

Science operations today focused primarily on fluid physics and
crystal growth, but Commander Dick Richards also had further
success in reaching amateur radio operators around the world,
including school children in South Africa, using the shuttle
amateur radio gear.

In addition to the amateur radio contacts, the orbiter crew -
consisting of Richards and Pilot Ken Bowersox - have
responsibility for managing Columbia and Spacelab subsystems that
provide the electrical, environmental, and data communications
supporting science investigations in the laboratory.  That job has
been made easy by the fact that Columbia and the laboratory
systems have been virtually trouble-free, allowing more time and
attention to be paid to maintaining a steady work pace.

The crew was asked to briefly check some ducting that controls air
flow and balance between the crew cabin and the laboratory in
order to help flight controllers explain a slight difference in
carbon dioxide content between the lab and cabin.  While the
levels are considered normal, the divergence indicated that there
may have been less mixing of air between the lab and cabin than
usual. Investigation by the crew revealed a plug installed in the
duct that had never been removed.  The plug was removed, restoring
proper airflow between the lab and cabin.

Columbia remains in a gravity gradient attitude - using the
natural flow of trace elements around the speeding orbiter to
steady it - keeping jet firings to a minimum to accommodate the
microgravity studies.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

USML-1 Mission Status Report #17
6:00 p.m. CDT, July 3, 1992
8/6:48 MET
Spacelab Mission Operations Control
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama


It was business as usual for the crew aboard Space Shuttle Columbia
today after a short audio interview with the Mutual Radio Network.
As the eighth day of the first United States Microgravity
Laboratory (USML-1) mission got under way, Mission Specialist
Bonnie Dunbar and Payload Specialist Larry DeLucas prepared to
spend their day in the 23-foot-long Spacelab module conducting
materials processing research.

DeLucas worked with protein samples today, which are part of the
Protein Crystal Growth experiments to grow high-quality crystals
without the influence of Earth's gravity.  Among the proteins
DeLucas worked with during this shift were: Horse Serum Albumin
which functions to regulate blood pressure, transport ions and
metabolites, and therapeutic drugs; Interferon Alpha-2b, a potent
antiviral and anticancer agent; Human Serum Transferrin, the major
iron transport protein in serum; and Factor D, an enzyme necessary
for activation of the complement system which plays an important
role in the host defense against pathogens.  He also monitored the
growth of B-Lactamase, a bacterial enzyme which destroys
antibiotics such as penicillins and cephalosporins, and DD-Ligase
from S. typhimurium, an enzyme involved in the synthesis of
bacterial cell walls.  Currently, the best technique by which the
structure of complicated molecules such as proteins can be
determined is by X-ray crystallography.  These space-grown, quality
crystals will provide better X-ray data to help scientists like
principal investigator Dr. Charles Bugg of the University of
Alabama, Birmingham, understand the structure of these proteins.
Once that structure has been defined, drugs can be designed to
specifically interact with the molecules.

A great deal of Dunbar's morning was devoted to a Drop Physics
Module (DPM) experiment involving a drop of water.  The usual
procedures for this run were modified for today's activities.
Instead of adding a surfactant (a soap-like substance) to the
surface of the drop, pure water was deployed into the test chamber
to observe the surface properties of the drop.  Later on in the
shift, she deployed a second DPM drop into the test chamber to
study large amplitude oscillations in drop shape, fusion and the
centering mechanism of a compound drop.  Co-investigator Dr.
Anilkumar applauded as he watched the video downlink of the first
time a compound drop was ever deployed in space.  This unique
centering technique may contribute to a new field of research that
uses cell transplantation to cure hormone deficiency states in
humans, encapsulating living cells with a semi-permeable membrane
to protect them from a hostile environment.

Dunbar reported that she saw good results while working with the
Passive Accelerometer System (PAS).  This system is a glass tube
containing a steel ball to measure gravity gradient accelerations
and atmospheric drag on spacecraft.  Experimenter Iwan Alexander,
from the University of Alabama in Huntsville,  watched video
downlink of the PAS experiment with interest because this data will
help improve the design of future microgravity research facilities.

Before preparing the Surface Tension Driven Convection Experiment
for operation during the next shift, Dunbar worked in the Glovebox
facility with a protein from the Protein Crystal Growth experiments
known as Lysozyme.  This protein, isolated from hen egg whites,
functions as a bacteriostatic enzyme by degrading bacterial cell
walls.

In the mid-deck of Space Shuttle Columbia, Pilot Kenneth Bowersox
activated Astroculture for its second experiment run and
periodically voiced down conditions of the facility, which will run
for the next 28 hours.  Designed to validate a concept for
supplying water and nutrients to plants growing in space, this
facility uses two porous stainless steel tubes embedded in a baked
clay material, which is comparable to kitty litter.  The
development of a nutrient delivery system for plants is an
important step in the design of a bioregenerative life support
system that will be needed for long-term space habitation.  This
payload facility was developed for the orbiter mid-deck by the
Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics, one of the
centers for the Commercial Development of Space.

During the next 12 hour shift Payload Specialist Eugene Trinh will
conduct two investigations in fluid physics with the Surface
Tension Driven Convection Experiment.  Mission Specialist Carl
Meade is scheduled to work with the Glovebox facility conducting
two new Glovebox experiments, the Stability of a Double Float Zone
and Fiber Pulling in Microgravity.  Mission Specialist Ellen Baker
will periodically monitor the Astroculture facility and the Zeolite
Crystal Growth furnace.

USML-1 Mission Status Report #18
6:00 a.m. CDT, July 4, 1992
8/18:48 MET
Spacelab Mission Operations Control
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama

Activities aboard the USML-1 Spacelab have settled into a steady
routine, with the crew and controllers in Huntsville interacting,
learning from their observations, and making on-the-spot
adjustments to get the most from their experiments.

Payload Specialist Eugene Trinh spent the majority of his shift
operating the NASA Lewis Research Center's Surface Tension Driven
Convection Experiment, on the last of its three scheduled
eight-hour operations.  It studies flows within liquids caused by
temperature differences along their surfaces, called
thermocapillary flows, under different temperature conditions and
with different fluid surface shapes.  Though limited studies of
thermocapillary flows in flat-surface liquids have been done on
Earth, the flows generally are masked by the stronger influence of
gravity.  In addition, only in the absence of gravity is it
possible to form curved liquid surfaces.  During this session,
silicone oil within the experiment chamber was heated for longer
periods at higher temperatures than previously.  There was more
variety in fluid levels as well.  First, the oil was drawn down to
create a deeply concave surface.  Later, for the first time, the
experiment cylinder was overfilled, creating a convex dome of fluid
protruding from the top of the chamber.  After the mission, the
data will be used to develop computer models to predict these
flows.  "We got a lot of great data, more than we expected to,"
said Principal Investigator Dr. Simon Ostrach. "Thus far, it
appears our observations are confirming theories about
thermocapillary flows that we have been developing for over 20
years."

Mission Specialist Carl Meade set up some new test cells for the
Nucleation of Crystals from a Solution in a Low-g Environment
Glovebox demonstration, an evaluation of a new method for
initiating crystal formation in microgravity.  After he spent some
time trying to remove bubbles which formed in the first test
solution, he successfully demonstrated the process with the
second.  Meade mounted the cells where they will be photographed
periodically.

Meade used the Glovebox microscope to make closeup videos of brine
shrimp, wasp, flat worm and seed germination experiments in the
Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus.  Next, he began the Stability of
Double Float Zone demonstration in the Glovebox, a simulation of a
recently patented technique for glass formation.  Meade reached the
end of his shift before completing the experiment, so it was stowed
for possible inclusion in the Spacelab schedule at a later time.

A gallium arsenide semiconductor sample completed 12 hours of
growth in the Crystal Growth Furnace and is now in the midst of a
cool-down period.  At almost 6.5 inches, it could be the longest
crystal ever grown in space.  The compound contained a very small
amount of selenium to act as a "dopant," a trace impurity often
added to semiconductors to precisely engineer their material
properties.  "It is amazing to me that we can replace ten atoms in
a million with ten atoms of a different substance, and drastically
change a crystal's electronic properties," said Principal
Investigator Dr. David Matthiesen.  "But that tiny impurity makes
electronic switching much faster, requiring less power, and
therefore allows more circuits to be packed into a given area."
Gravity-driven convection on Earth makes it very difficult to
control placement of the dopants, and if too many are concentrated
in one spot the crystal will have inconsistent material
properties.  "My goal as a researcher is to grow the best gallium
arsenide crystal in the history of mankind, so we can measure
terrestrial processes against it," said Matthiesen.  Gallium
arsenide integrated circuits are used in solid-state lasers and in
high-speed computers such as the CRAY supercomputer which will be
used to model results from this experiment.

Mission Specialist Ellen Baker called down temperatures for the
Zeolite Crystal Growth furnace in the orbiter mid-deck and
monitored the Astroculture plant nutrient delivery system.
Astroculture controllers are repeating the test procedures they
used during the facility's first activation Wednesday.  Team member
Dr. Robert Morrow reported thus far readings from the two sessions
have been almost exactly parallel.

On the next shift, the science crew will spend time in the Extended
Duration Orbiter Medical Project's Lower Body Negative Pressure
cyclinder, and sample cartridges will be manually exchanged in the
Crystal Growth Furnace.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

STS-50 MISSION CONTROL STATUS REPORT #19
8:00 a.m. CDT
Saturday -- July 4, 1992


Focus aboard Columbia on its 12th mission continues to be on
gathering science data in support of the experiments in the Spacelab
module. In honor of United States independence, the crew draped the
entryway to the module with an American flag.

Crew member Ellen reported she was able once again to see a
barium cloud formation in the upper atmosphere as Columbia passed
northeast of Puerto Rico from which a sounding rocket carrying the
chemical cannister had been launched minutes before.

During the morning, the navigation platform was aligned and the fuel
cells used to produce electricity were purged. Both operations are
routine housekeeping items.

The new carbon dioxide removal system continues to operate with no
problems since it was repaired early in the flight.

Tire pressures have remained fairly stable, but controllers continue
to maneuver the orbiter to allow the Sun to warm the underside of
Columbia to ensure the proper tire ressures for landing.

Electrical usage continues to be below preflight predictions.  The
prelaunch estimate was about 20 kilowatts continuous. Thus far, the
crew is using about 19.  Based on that rate, Columbia could remain in
orbit for an additional day above the planned 13 if weather conditions
prevented landing on the first landing opportunities.

The latest estimate on landing at Edwards Air Force Base in
California shows Columbia returning on the 206th orbit, landing at
6:08 a.m. PDT; 8:08 a.m. CDT Wednesday.

The orbiter remains in a stable attitude 162 nautical miles above the
Earth designed to minimize steering jet firings while maximizing
collection of data from the microgravity experiments in the Spacelab
module.

Later this morning, Commander Dick Richards will attempt to contact a
62-foot-long sailing canoe called Hokule'a using the onboard ham radio
equipment.  The ship, navigated without charts or instruments, is
making its way across the Pacific with an ultimate destination in the
Cook Islands to attend the Pacific Arts Festival.  In its native land
of Polynesia, Hokule'a has been dubbed the "spaceship of our
ancestors."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

USML-1 Mission Status Report #19
4:30 p.m. CDT, July 4, 1992
9/5:15 MET
Spacelab Mission Operations Control
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama


While most Americans were celebrating Independence Day today, the
seven crew members aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia had the United
States Flag displayed in the Spacelab module as they sent a special
holiday message to everyone back home in the United States.

The Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project continued today with
Payload Specialist Larry DeLucas as the test subject.  This
physiological investigation, known as "soak," was a four-hour
experiment where DeLucas was inside a three-layer collapsible
cylinder that was sealed around his waist.  A vent to the vacuum of
space created a negative pressure within the cylinder to
redistribute body fluids.  While it is not a problem on orbit, the
fluid shift and accompanying fluid loss can pose potential problems
on return to Earth, such as fainting or near-fainting episodes.
During this "soak" protocol, which is the second procedure of the
Lower Body Negative Pressure (LBNP) experiment, DeLucas drank a
saline solution to counteract fluid loss.  Mission Specialist
Bonnie Dunbar and Pilot Kenneth Bowersox monitored the "soak"
procedures during the four-hour run, taking measurements of
DeLucas' heart dimensions and function, and heart rate and blood
pressure.

As the "soak" experiment was nearing completion, an anomaly occured
in the American Echocardiograph Research Imaging System (AERIS), a
clinical ultrasound/doppler medical imaging device that obtains
noninvasive ultrasound images of the heart and other soft tissues.
The AERIS unit was turned off, and scientists at the Spacelab
Mission Operations Control center in Huntsville, Ala., have stated
that since this system is only one of several monitoring devices
for the LBNP, there has been no negative science impact.  The
information gathered by the AERIS will be analyzed after the
mission, along with other LBNP information.  Twenty-four and 48
hours following this experiment, DeLucas will conduct the LBNP
"ramp" test to determine how long the effects of today's activities
last.  The LBNP experiment is designed to measure and protect crew
health and safety during extended stays in space, such as this
first United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML-1) mission.

Dunbar and Bowersox spent the last part of their shift at the
Crystal Growth Furnace (CGF) removing the mercury cadmium
telluride, mercury zinc telluride, cadmium telluride and gallium
arsenide crystals, which had completed their growing processes
earlier in the flight.  Using the flexible glovebox facility, which
was attached to the CGF overnight, they next inserted a new sample
of the cadmium telluride to be activated at some point during the
remainder of the mission.  Two other samples, gallium arsenide and
mercury cadmium telluride, which have been in the furnace all
along, also will be activated before the mission ends.  Even though
these three new samples will not have the same growth time as the
four primary crystals, scientists are interested to discover how
well they will develop in a shorter processing timeframe.

DeLucas worked in the Glovebox facility with proteins from the
Protein Crystal Growth facility this afternoon.  These space-grown
protein crystals will be returned to Earth and the information they
provide will be used to construct computer models of the
three-dimensional structures of protein molecules.  Dr. Charles
Bugg from the University of Alabama at Birmingham leads the team of
Protein Crystal Growth scientists who will study the results of the
USML-1 protein crystals.

Bowersox periodically reported on the conditions of the
Astroculture facility which has been operating since Friday.  Each
run of this facility consists of 12 water and nutrient treatments
to the rooting material, which is a baked clay compound.  Bowersox
monitored the readings and volumes of the fluid supply reservoir
and the fluid collections reservoir to let Dr. Theodore Tibbits of
the University of Wisconsin know how the Astroculture facility is
operating.

The next 12 hours will find Payload Specialist Eugene Trinh
performing three runs in the Drop Physics Module.  Mission
Specialist Carl Meade will conduct experiments in the Glovebox
facility and the Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus.  Mission
Specialist Ellen Baker will monitor the conditions of the
Astroculture facility as it continues to operate overnight.

------------------------------------------------------------------

MCC Status Report #20 was not available

------------------------------------------------------------------


USML-1 Mission Status Report #20
6:00 a.m. CDT, July 5, 1992
9/18:48 MET
Spacelab Mission Operations Control
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama

As Independence Day drew to a close, the USML-1 science crew and
their colleagues at Spacelab Mission Operations Control delighted
in opportunities for innovative fluid physics experiments possible
only in the near-weightlessness of space.

The Drop Physics Module team watched with anticipation as Payload
Specialist Eugene Trinh made his first attempt to deploy a compound
liquid drop (one fluid encased within a drop of another).  After
several false starts, Trinh substituted injector tips tested
Thursday night in the Solid Surface Wetting Experiment and
successfully released a compound drop.  Although the interior fluid
did not form a drop within the exterior liquid before experiment
time ran out, the Drop Physics Module team was very pleased it was
possible to deploy a compound liquid drop at all.  "Our equipment
represents the first generation of fully operational space drop
physics experiment facilities," said DPM Project Manager Joe
Hanson.  "We're doing a totally new kind of science and building a
baseline for the future."  The experiment, designed to measure the
interfacial tension between the two fluids, is set for two more
sessions near the end of the mission.  After lunch, Trinh returned
to the Drop Physics Module for an experiment series examining the
rotation and oscillation of silicone oil drops, accumulating some
of their best data thus far in the mission.

Mission Specialist Carl Meade found a series of Glovebox
demonstrations so enjoyable that he chose to skip lunch to complete
them.  Three experiments, provided by Dr. Robert Naumann of the
University of Alabama in Huntsville, used relatively simple
procedures to test fluid physics theories.  "Until we try out
theories in actual experiments, we can't know whether they are
right or wrong," said Naumann.  "The Glovebox takes some of the
rigidity out of space science.  It gives crew members the
flexibility to adjust the experiment on the spot the way they would
in a lab on Earth, and it lets experiment designers try out new
concepts without having to spend all the time and money and effort
necessary to develop a completely new experiment facility."

The first Naumann experiment, Marangoni Convection in Closed
Containers, observed the motion of an air bubble and traced fluid
flows in a sealed container of heated silicone oil.  The bubble
mimiced the voids left in crystal growth sample containers to allow
for expansion of material when it is heated.  Fluid flows within
crystals could affect their quality.  The Fiber Pulling in
Microgravity experiment investigated the feasibility of pulling
optical fibers in space.  Again, it used simple substitutes as test
materials.  Meade expelled strands of honey, corn syrup and
silicone oil from a syringe, then stretched them out until they
broke apart.  Scientists were surprised to see the oil maintained a
strand longer than the sugar products, just the opposite of their
behavior on Earth.  The third Naumann experiment, Stability of a
Double Float Zone, used two columns of water to support plastic
rods of various shapes, in a simulation of a recently patented
technique for glass formation.  Again, scientists at Spacelab
control watched Glovebox video with interest and puzzlement as the
fluid behaved in unexpected ways.

Meade completed another session with the Glovebox Particle
Dispersion Experiment, where the absence of gravity allowed
scientists to watch scattered dust cluster in "slow motion."  He
photographed crystal formation in the Nucleation of Crystals from a
Solution demonstration, took measurements of subtle movements in
the Spacelab module with the Passive Accelerometer System, and
carried out his nightly monitoring of biological samples in the
Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus experiment.  Trinh exchanged disks
in the Space Acceleration Measurement System, which throughout the
mission has been measuring the strength and frequency of vibrations
which may affect experiments.

Although their last scheduled experiment run ended yesterday,
Astroculture designers got eight extra hours overnight to evaluate
their plant nutrient delivery system.  The additional operating
time gave them more data on four procedures which they found
particularly interesting on previous runs.

A mercury cadmium telluride crystal, the first of three extra
samples now set for processing in the Crystal Growth Furnace, has
just completed six hours of growth.  Unlike the large gallium
arsenide crystal processed last night, the mercury cadmium
telluride crystal will be only about three-thousandths of an inch
thick.  Dr. Heribert Wiedemeir of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,
principal investigator for the experiment, says the wafer-thin
layer will allow study of the crystal with as little processing as
possible.  At the beginning of the mission, another of his samples
grew for eight hours.  The alloy-type semiconductor is used in
infrared detectors for defense, space, medical and industrial
systems.

Most of the next shift will be devoted to the Extended Duration
Orbiter Medical Project's Lower Body Negative Pressure experiment.
The Zeolite Crystal Growth furnace will reach the end of its
scheduled operations and be deactivated.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

        STS-50 MISSION CONTROL STATUS REPORT #21
                    8:00 a.m. CDT
               Sunday -- July 5, 1992



Wrapping up another successful morning of science, the Blue Team
handed over control of Columbia and its Spacelab to the Red Team,
which awoke at 3:30 this morning.


Much of today's activities center around continued data gathering
from experiments in the pressurized facility including the lower body
negative pressure device.


LBNP is being conducted almost daily aboard Columbia to determine its
usefullness in helping astronauts condition their bodies for
readapting the Earth's gravity upon return from long-duration Shuttle
and other space missions.


Columbia's electricity usage continues to fall below the predictions
by about one kilowatt, ensuring enough hydrogen and oxygen are
available for the rest of the record breaking mission.  Power
currently is being supplied from tanks located on the new extended
duration orbiter pallet located behind the Spacelab module in the
payload bay.


About 8:14 tomorrow morning, Columbia will break its own record for
the longest Shuttle mission to date, eclipsing STS-32's mark of 10
days 21 hours and one minute set in January 1990.


A computer problem at the White Sands Ground Terminal in New Mexico
was the only problem worked by the overnight flight control team.
White Sands acts as the relay station of data and voice transmission
to and from the orbiter.


All systems aboard Columbia continue to perform well, with no vehicle
problems being tracked by flight controllers in Mission Control as
the orbiter circles the Earth every 90 minutes at an altitude of 162
nautical miles.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

           STS-50 MISSION CONTROL STATUS REPORT #22
                        5:00 p.m. CDT
                    Sunday -- July 5, 1992


All systems aboard Columbia continue to perform well, with no
vehicle problems being tracked by the flight control team, as
the Red Team turns Spacelab operations over the to Blue Team
at 5:13 p.m.

Today's activities included evaluation of the double rack
foot restraint in a configuration that duplicates the foot
restraints planned for Space Station Freedom.  Other work
included conditioning astronauts for return to Earth using
the lower body negative pressure device, continuing protein
crystal growth, and taking retinal photographs for a
biomedical experiment.

Commander Dick Richards contacted students at Lowell
Elementary in Winfield, Kansas, using the Shuttle Amateur
Radio Experiment ham equipment.

The Red Team participated in television interviews with Jim
Slade for ABC news and with Michele Gillen for NBC news.
As a wrap-up for the NBC interview, payload commander Bonnie
Dunbar took viewers on a tour of the Spacelab module,
describing some of the material science and life science
experiments onboard.

About 8:14 tomorrow morning, Columbia will break its own
record for the longest Shuttle mission to date, eclipsing
STS-32's mark of 10 days, 21 hours and one minute set in
January 1990.

Columbia is scheduled to land at Edwards Wednesday, July 8,
at 8:08 a.m. CDT.  At the conclusion of this mission, the
U.S. total man-hours in space will be 64,610 hours, 33
minutes, and 27 seconds.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

USML-1 Mission Status Report #21
6:00 p.m. CDT, July 5, 1992
10/6:48 MET
Spacelab Mission Operations Control
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama


As payload activities continued in the Spacelab module aboard the
Space Shuttle Columbia today, Commander Richard Richards was on the
flight deck of the orbiter, talking to a group of school children
from Huntsville, Ala., during a Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment
(SAREX).  In other air-to-ground conversations, Commander Richards,
Payload Commander Bonnie Dunbar and Payload Specialist Larry
DeLucas were interviewed by the NBC Evening News and Dunbar spoke
at length with ABC News.

Physiological investigations were the focus of activities for the
Red Shift as science for the first United States Microgravity
Laboratory (USML-1) continued to help scientists understand more
about how to overcome the effects of weightlessness in space.
DeLucas spent part of his eleventh flight day in the Lower Body
Negative Pressure (LBNP) cylinder.  For 45 minutes, he was the
subject of the Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project "ramp"
test, which created a negative pressure on his lower body.   This
experiment was designed to redistribute body fluids and help
overcome some of the effects that are felt by space travelers when
they return to Earth.  Today's experiment, a 24-hour follow-up of
Saturday's 4-hour "soak" treatment, will show how long the
microgravity countermeasures last.  Dunbar monitored DeLucas'
"ramp" test before spending four hours in the LBNP cylinder for her
"soak" treatment.

DeLucas also made observations of several protein crystal samples
which have been growing since early in the mission.  Proteins play
important roles in our everyday lives, from providing nourishment
to fighting disease.  In order for scientists to explore what each
protein does and how its structure determines its function, larger
crystals must be obtained.  Crystals grown in space tend to be
larger and have more uniform internal structures, allowing for much
better X-ray crystallography of those structures.

To prepare for an experiment which may be conducted later in the
mission, Dunbar installed the infrared imager into the Surface
Tension Driven Convection Experiment (STDCE) Apparatus.  This
infrared imager records oil surface temperature in the STDCE
investigation to study, in low gravity, the basic fluid mechanics
and heat transfer of thermocapillary flows (the convection caused
by surface tension when there are temperature differences along the
surface of a liquid).

Pilot Kenneth Bowersox began deactivation of the Zeolite Crystal
Growth (ZCG) furnace, which has been operating since the second
flight day of the mission.  The ZCG is a low-temperature furnace
facility, which has permitted the growth of 38 different materials
at three distinct temperatures.  The zeolite crystals grown on
USML-1 will be examined after landing to help scientists better
understand their crystalline structure and evaluate the best method
for mixing the aluminum-based and silicon-based solutions to
produce the highest-quality crystals in space.

The next 12 hours will find Payload Specialist Eugene Trinh and
Mission Specialist Carl Meade conducting Drop Physics Module
experiments.  Trinh also will spend a large portion of his shift
with the Glovebox experiment known as the Oscillatory
Thermocapillary Flow Experiment for Dr. Simon Ostrach of Case
Western Reserve University.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
USML-1 Mission Status Report #22
6:00 a.m. CDT, July 6, 1992
10/18:48 MET
Spacelab Mission Operations Control
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama

Fluid physics experiments were again the focus of attention during
the eleventh night of the USML-1 Spacelab mission.

Payload Specialist Eugene Trinh conducted several runs of the
Oscillatory Thermocapillary Flow Experiment in the Glovebox
facility.  It was designed by Surface Tension Driven Convection
Experiment Principal Investigator Dr. Simon Ostrach to determine
the point at which steady thermocapillary flows (fluid flows caused
by temperature differences across the free surface of a liquid)
begin to oscillate, or experience periodic variations in the speed
and temperature of fluid motion.  Trinh gradually stepped up
temperatures in small cylinders of silicone oil until oscillations
were visible.  The science team observed some variations in flow,
but unexpected bubbles formed in the oil and obscured some views.
Post-flight analysis of the experiment will help the Surface
Tension Driven Convection Experiment team plan modifications of
their facility for subsequent flights.  The size of experiment
cylinders and viscosities of fluids will be adjusted based on
observations from the Glovebox demonstration, allowing quantitative
measurements of oscillations.  By comparing conditions for the
onset of oscillations in microgravity and on Earth, scientists will
gain insight into what causes them.  Both thermocapillary flows and
oscillatory flows may reduce the purity and uniformity of crystal
growth solutions and molten metals.

Trinh also carried out a Drop Physics Module experiment involving
compound liquid drops, one fluid encased within another somewhat
like a yolk in an egg.  The USML-1 mission marks the first time a
compound liquid drop has been studied in space.  Trinh inserted a
water/glycerine drop within a drop of silicone oil, then
manipulated the drop by means of the module's acoustic speakers.
Principal Investigator Dr. Taylor Wang of Vanderbilt University
said, "We're learning a lot of new things.  When the time comes to
go home, we'll do the hard work -- learning what our observations
have to teach us.  Nature will reveal its secrets to us if we are
diligent enough."  The USML-1 studies should help investigators
resolve differences between experiments and theory regarding drop
dynamics.

A series of technical difficulties thwarted efforts of Mission
Specialist Carl Meade to perform another Drop Physics Module
experiment, this one a study of interfacial tension in compound
liquid drops.  After changing injector syringes several times, he
had almost succeeded in getting a drop deployed when several air
bubbles mysteriously formed.  Meade, Trinh and Mission Specialist
Ellen Baker made a careful inspection of the Drop Physics Module
facility, but there was no leak apparent in the system.  "We have
18 hours until our next scheduled session to figure out what
happened and what we should do differently," said Project Scientist
Arvid Croonquist.  Preliminary plans are to attempt the interfacial
tension experiment again, then go to a surface properties study.

The bonus Surface Tension Driven Convection Experiment near the end
of the shift allowed that experiment team to view flows in a fluid
sample with increasingly deep concave surfaces, heated from the
center.  While thermocapillary flows in flat-surface fluids may be
studied in a limited way on Earth, it is possible to create curved
liquid surfaces only in microgravity.  Experimenters think both
surface shapes and temperatures are factors which influence
thermocapillary flows.

The sophisticated Glovebox video system gave two other science
teams at Spacelab Mission Operations Control a close look at
on-board experiment activities.  Meade set up several Glovebox
Protein Crystal Growth experiments, including Malic Enzyme (being
studied for possible development of an antiparasitic drug) and the
antibiotic Aridicin Aglycone.  Though their mid-deck crystals
completed growth yesterday, the Zeolite Crystal Growth team got
video downlink of other samples activated in the Glovebox at the
first of the mission.

Meade also carried out scheduled Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus
(GBA) operations.  Each GBA activity aboard the Spacelab is being
duplicated at Kennedy Space Center, the University of Colorado at
Boulder or Kansas State University.  Post-flight comparison of the
concurrent experiments should allow scientists to eliminate
variables and obtain a clear indication of the relationship between
gravity and biology.

A second gallium arsenide semiconductor sample completed growth in
the Crystal Growth Furnace overnight.  Processing is beginning on
the last sample to be grown in the furnace during USML-1 -- another
cadmium zinc telluride crystal from the Grumman Corporate Research
Center.  Up to six samples can be processed automatically, one at a
time, in the Crystal Growth Furnace.

In the next shift, as the USML-1 mission becomes the longest in the
history of the Space Shuttle program, the crew again will
concentrate on the Lower Body Negative Pressure experiment and on
Glovebox Protein Crystal Growth activities.
 

     KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - MONDAY, JULY 6, 1992  10 AM

 
         STS-50 - COLUMBIA/USML-1 - (OV 102) - ON ORBIT

     Landing of Columbia is scheduled at Edwards Air Force  Base,
Calif.  on orbit 206 Wednesday,  July 8 at 6:08 a.m.  PDT.  KSC's
landing and recovery team will be on station at the Dryden Flight
Research Facility to prepare the orbiter  for  its  ferry  flight
back to Florida.

 

                         MISSION CONTROL CENTER
                           Status Report #23


Monday, July 6, 1992, 8:30 a.m. CDT


Columbia's twelfth mission officially has become the longest in Shuttle
program history, surpassing the previous record of 10 days 21 hours
set in January, 1990 on the STS-32 flight.

The song "Stay" was played from Mission Control to the crew in honor
of the achievement shortly after the record was broken at 8:13 a.m.
central time today.

Flight controllers are beginning to take a closer look at weather
conditions for the landing opportunities at Edwards AFB in
California.  The forecast for Wednesday's landing time of 8:08 a.m.
C.D.T. calls for scattered clouds and head winds of 10 knots gusting to
16 on runway 22.

The predicted location of hurricane Darby at the time of landing adds
the possibility of some lower clouds with moisture in the Edwards
area.

Prior to start of its sleep period, the Blue Team aboard the orbiter
-- Ellen Baker, Carl Meade and Gene Trinh -- along with Commander
Dick Richards met with CBS This Morning to discuss the progress of
the mission.

Near the end of an orbiter maneuver last night, excessive thruster
jet firings were detected.  While not expected, the firings posed no
danger to the crew or experiments, and is thought to be due to
maneuvering on one of the modified digital auto pilot settings.
Future orbiter maneuvers will be done using a different setting.

All other orbiter systems remain healthy as Columbia continues on its
record-setting mission.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------


                         MISSION CONTROL CENTER
                        STS-50 Status Report #24

Monday, July 6, 1992, 5 p.m. CDT


On their record-setting 12th day in orbit, the astronauts aboard
Columbia reported spectacular crystal formations developing in their
space laboratory, and did some physiological conditioning in
preparation for the return to Earth on Wednesday.

In addition to their daily Orbiter maintenance routine, pilot Ken
Bowersox and crew commander Dick Richards took time to exercise using a
cycle ergometer, to maintain good cardiovascular conditioning, while
Bonnie Dunbar and Larry DeLucas continued their conditioning using the
Lower Body Negative Pressure device.

Houston flight controllers are beginning to make more frequent
assessments of predicted weather conditions around Edwards AFB in
California for Wednesday's landing.  The latest forecast for a landing
at 8:08 a.m. central time calls for good conditions - scattered clouds
with light and variable winds.

Blue team members Carl Meade, Ellen Baker, and Gene Trinh will take
over operations aboard Columbia at 6 central time tonight as they begin
their last full work day dedicated to microgravity sciences.  Tomorrow
evening, the Blue team will begin the process of stowing gear and
powering down the laboratory in preparation for landing Wednesday
morning.

All systems aboard Columbia continue to perform without problems.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------

USML-1 Mission Status Report #23
5:30 p.m. CDT, July 6, 1992
11/06:18 MET
Spacelab Mission Operations Control
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama


This was a record-breaking day for the crew of the first United
States Microgravity Laboratory (USML-1) mission.  The record for
the longest Shuttle flight, previously held by STS-32, was broken
at 8:14 CDT as the crew aboard Space Shuttle Columbia went about
their daily routine of conducting materials processing and
physiological research for the scientists at the Spacelab Mission
Operations Control center in Huntsville, Ala.   The day began for
the STS-50 crew as CBS Morning News interviewed Commander Richard
Richards, Payload Specialist Eugene Trinh and Mission Specialists
Carle Meade and Ellen Baker.

The physiological investigations for understanding the effects of
microgravity upon humans in space continued today as Mission
Specialist Bonnie Dunbar monitored Payload Specialist Larry
DeLucas' 45-minute "ramp" test to measure the effectiveness of his
4-hour "soak" treatment.  She then spent 45-minutes in the Lower
Body Negative Pressure cylinder to provide a 24-hour follow-up of
her 4-hour "soak" treatment, with DeLucas serving as the monitor.
These investigations will provide scientists, like Dr. Charles
Sawin of NASA's Johnson Space Center, important data to ensure the
health and safety of crew members during long stays in space.

DeLucas also was able to find time to observe some proteins from
the Protein Crystal Growth experiment.  Throughout this mission, he
has been observing the growth of over 30 protein samples which will
aid in the development of improved drugs and other pharmaceutical
products.

Dunbar deflated the flexible glovebox from the Crystal Growth
Furnace (CGF) and put it into its stowage configuration.  This
flexible glovebox (not the be confused with the permanently mounted
USML-1 Glovebox facility) was used to allow Dunbar and Pilot
Kenneth Bowersox to safely remove the four processed crystals and
install another sample for growth.

Dunbar also changed the bacteria-tracking agar strips in the
Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project's Microbial Air Sampler.
While bacteria and fungal growth in spacecraft pose no health risk
to crews on short duration missions, the potential for microbial
contamination increases on longer flights or in permanent
facilities such as Space Station Freedom.

Another experiment run in the Drop Physics Module was performed
during this shift.  This facility, designed to demonstrate the
potentially valuable materials processing technique known as
containerless processing, allows scientists to observe the dynamics
of free fluids in microgravity.

Bowersox removed the 38 crystal sample containers from the Zeolite
Crystal Growth (ZCG) facility in the mid-deck.  This activity was
in preparation for the upcoming deactivation of the ZCG facility,
and the crystals were stowed for the trip back to Earth.

The next 12 hours will find Payload Specialist Eugene Trinh and
Mission Specialist Carl Meade working with the Drop Physics Module
and conducting Glovebox experiments.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

USML-1 Mission Status Report #24
6:00 a.m. CDT, July 7, 1992
11/18:48 MET
Spacelab Mission Operations Control
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama

As the United States Microgravity Laboratory mission entered its
home stretch, scientific experiments continued on this first
Spacelab flight dedicated to microgravity research.

In the last of sixteen individual USML-1 Glovebox demonstrations,
Payload Specialist Eugene Trinh injected air bubbles and silicone
oil drops into a transparent container of water, then oscillated
them with ultrasonic waves.  The experiment, appropriately named
Oscillatory Dynamics of Single Bubbles and Agglomerations in an
Ultrasonic Sound Field in Microgravity, had two goals: to increase
basic understanding of bubble dynamics and to determine how
acoustics might be used to reduce or eliminate complications caused
by small bubbles in materials processing.  Experiment designer Dr.
Philip Marston of Washington State University was pleased with
preliminary results.  "It showed we can drive oscillations of
fairly large bubbles.  We demonstrated aggregation [as the bubbles
clumped together], and we were able to center an air bubble within
a silicone drop in the water."  Results will help researchers
understand the role of gravity in bubble dynamics as they interpret
related ground-based experiments.

Each of the 16 Glovebox experiments has scientific significance of
its own, and several complement other USML-1 investigations, but
they were also chosen to demonstrate the new facility's flexibility
for hosting a wide range of experiments.  The Glovebox Facility
provides an enclosed working space which prevents fluids or
potentially hazardous materials from floating out into the
Spacelab.  In addition, it furnishes electrical power, cooling,
interchangeable filters and video cameras to view and record
science activities.  During USML-1, an engineering model of the
Glovebox at Spacelab Mission Operations Control in Huntsville has
been used by its developers to evaluate procedures for enhanced
crew comfort or efficiency during long work sessions.

The Drop Physics Module (DPM) science team continued to add to
their knowledge of their facility's capability until it was turned
off early this morning in preparation for landing.  Just before she
ended her shift yesterday, Mission Specialist Bonnie Dunbar
succeeded in capturing a liquid drop and drawing it back into the
Drop Physics Module injectors, a first for the facility.  Later,
Mission Specialist Carl Meade performed a test in the module to
establish the limits of its ability to control different size
drops.  First, he deployed a tiny drop of water (about
one-sixteenth inch in diameter) and manipulated it briefly within
the acoustic chamber.  The DPM team applauded when he next deployed
a 20 cubic-centimeter drop (approximately one and three-eighths
inch across) and controlled its motion for several minutes.  The
large drop had more than two times the fluid volume of any used
during previous DPM runs.

Trinh and Meade completed their last 24-hour monitoring period for
the Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project's Variability of
Heart Rate and Blood Pressure experiment.  The two wore monitors
similar to those used in cardiology practices back on Earth as they
worked, slept, exercised and ate.  The two crewmen completed
similar sessions at the beginning and in the middle of the
mission.  This last monitoring period was originally scheduled for
Sunday night, but it was postponed one day to allow measurements to
be made at the latest possible point in the mission.  The tests
will help determine whether blood pressure and heart rates exhibit
more or less variability in microgravity than on Earth.

Live video downlink again gave the Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus
science team a look at some of their biological samples.  Under
magnification, tiny brine shrimp were seen swimming in one sample
container.  Seedlings growing in another container seemed somewhat
confused by microgravity, with their roots growing in the same
direction as the plants.

Meade's last science activity of the mission was an extended
session with the Protein Crystal Growth Glovebox experiment.
Though Payload Specialist Larry DeLucas is the veteran
crystallographer on the crew, Meade has had primary responsibility
for several proteins in the Glovebox experiment.  This is the
fourteenth Shuttle flight for a mid-deck Protein Crystal Growth
experiment, but USML-1 is the first time on-board scientists have
had the capability to adjust protein growth experiments in
progress, based on their observations.

Later today, Mission Specialist Bonnie Dunbar will perform an
additional run of the Oscillatory Thermocapillary Flow Experiment,
and Payload Specialist Larry Delucas will complete the Protein
Crystal Growth Glovebox activities.  More Lower Body Negative
Pressure measurements are also scheduled.  The crew will begin
shutting down some of the experiment facilities in anticipation of
payload deactivation around midnight.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------


                         MISSION CONTROL CENTER
                        STS-50 Status Report #25


Tuesday, July 7, 1992, 8 a.m. CDT

Preparations for the trip home began aboard Columbia as the crew
finished up work with several experiments in the Spacelab module
and checked out the flight control surfaces used to fly the
spacecraft after it enters the Earth's atmosphere.

Final data were gathered from the Drop Physics Module, Lower Body
Negative Pressure Device and Protein Crystal Growth experiments
and all were deactivated for the remainder of the flight.

Pilot Ken Bowersox powered up one of three hydraulic system units
used to test the moving surfaces on the wings and tail of the
orbiter.  Commander Dick Richards then proceeded through the
routine process of checking the aerosurfaces for tomorrow's
landing at Edwards AFB in California.

Sharing console time in Mission Control with the regular shift of
flight controllers was the entry team, which watched over the
crew's shoulders via data screens during the flight control
surface checkout, and reviewed all pertinent messages relating to
landing.

Prior to conducting the checkout, the STS-50 crew answered
questions about its mission in an interview with the "Today"
program.

Latest predicted landing time shows touchdown on Edwards runway
22 at 8:05 a.m. central.  The deorbit burn using the 6000 pound
thrust maneuvering engines to drop Columbia out of orbit will occur
about one hour earlier.

Weather forecasters predict a slight chance of rain in the
Edwards area associated with hurricane Darby located southwest of
California in the Pacific.  While the storm is weakening, cloud
bands carrying moisture is the concern.

Should weather preclude landing on Wednesday, forecasters say
improvement is expected Thursday at Edwards.  The backup landing
site for this mission -- Kennedy Space Center in Florida -- is
forecast to have stable weather both days.

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - TUESDAY, JULY 7, 1992  10 AM

 
         STS-50 - COLUMBIA/USML-1 - (OV 102) - ON ORBIT

     Columbia is completing the last full day  of  activities  of
the  STS-50  mission - the longest shuttle flight ever.  The end-
of-mission landing is scheduled at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
on orbit 206 Wednesday,  July 8 at 6:08 a.m.  PDT.  KSC's landing
and  recovery  team  will  be  on  station  at  the Dryden Flight
Research Facility to prepare the orbiter  for  its  ferry  flight
back to Florida.

 

                         MISSION CONTROL CENTER
                           STS-50 Status #26

Tuesday, July 7, 1992, 5 p.m. CDT

The astronauts aboard Columbia are nearing the end of their marathon
mission and a return to Earth in the morning at Edwards Air Force Base
in California.  Landing is set for 8:09 a.m. central time, 6:09 a.m.
pacific -just 24 minutes after sunrise at the Mojave desert landing
strip.

Their final full day in orbit has been spent completing the final
phases of microgravity experiments, preparing material samples for
return to Earth, and stowing equipment, charts, and manuals for the
trip home.

Experiment deactivation will continue through the night with final
deactivation of the laboratory itself getting underway just after
midnight tonight.  The deactivation is expected to be completed by 2:30
a.m. central time Wednesday.

Two minor orbiter system issues developed today - one, involving a
slight gaseous nitrogen leak from a hydraulic pump component, was
rectified simply by turning it off and selecting one of two backup
pumps.  The other involved some blockage in the
waste water dumpline.   To avoid contributing any further to the
blockage, waste water dumps have been terminated for the flight - there
is sufficient room in the waste tank to support through the end of the
mission without any further dumping.

With those exceptions, Columbia continues to operate extremely well.
Landing gear tire pressure remains in good shape despite a slow and
steady decay rate, and will easily support landing well above the
safety limits.

Weather is predicted to be favorable for a Wednesday morning landing in
California, with  mid-level scattered clouds, high-level broken
clouds, and light and variable winds.  There is only a slight chance
of rain in the area.  Should weather preclude landing on Wednesday,
improvement is expected for Thursday.  The backup landing site for
this mission -- the Kennedy Space Center in Florida -- is expected to
have stable weather both days.

The de-orbit burn, which initiates the freefall back into the
atmosphere, is scheduled to occur at 7:06 a.m. central time.  During
freefall, all seven crew members will be taking salt tablets and
drinking 32 oz. of water in order to replenish body fluids lost during
their two-week stay in space.  The fluid-loading technique should help
the crew in their adaptation to the influences of Earth's gravity.
Assuming a landing, on time, at 8:09 a.m. central time, the crew should
return to Houston's Ellington Field by about 6 p.m.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

USML-1 Mission Status Report #25
6:00 p.m. CDT, July 7, 1992
12/06:48 MET
Spacelab Mission Operations Control
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama

The last full day in space for the seven crew members aboard Space
Shuttle Columbia began with an interview for The Today Show.  Then,
it was back to the business of gathering scientific data as the
first United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML-1) mission nears
its completion.

Payload Specialist Larry DeLucas and Pilot Kenneth Bowersox
photographed the sample trays of the Protein Crystal Growth (PCG)
facility in the orbiter mid-deck, then retracted the remaining
solution and crystals back into their original syringes.  To
complete the process of deactivation for the PCG, they logged the
status of each refrigerator/incubator module to be included in the
post-flight crystal analysis.

DeLucas also worked with the Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (GBA)
to stop the growth process of 12 of the longest running biological
fluid samples involving seeds, brine shrimp, viruses and other
biomedical test models which are used in cancer research.  This GBA
data will be used to evaluate how the assembly of molecules is
altered in microgravity and determine how to best use that assembly
process.

Mission Specialist Bonnie Dunbar conducted the fourth run of the
Oscillatory Thermocapillary Flow Experiment (OTFE) today.
Experiment scientist Dr. Simon Ostrach of Case Western Reserve
University watched video downlink of this experiment, which is
designed to determine the point at which steady thermocapillary
flows (fluid flows caused by temperature differences across the
free surface of a liquid) begin to experience periodic variations
in the speed and temperature of the fluid motion.  The results of
this fluid dynamics study, using silicone oil, will be combined
with data from the Surface Tension Driven Convection Experiment to
help scientists understand more about the cause of these fluid
fluctuations.

Physiological investigations for USML-1 concluded during the Red
Shift as Dunbar donned the Lower Body Negative Pressure (LBNP)
equipment for her 48-hour follow-up evaluation to determine how
long the effects of the 4-hour LBNP "soak" treatment last.  This
45-minute procedure measured Dunbar's cardiovascular responses,
which included her heart rate, blood pressure, cardiac dimensions
and function, calf dimension and leg volume.  The combined results
of these tests will help scientists in their efforts to develop
procedures to protect crew members' health and safety on long
duration flights in the future.  Once this experiment had been
completed, Dunbar stowed the equipment.

DeLucas worked until the last possible minute deactivating the
Protein Crystal Growth Glovebox experiments which have dominated
his schedule during the mission.  Dunbar then performed the steps
necessary to shut down and stow the Glovebox facility for landing
tomorrow.  Throughout the course of USML-1, the Glovebox facility
has provided a unique working environment for microgravity
experiments to be conducted, allowing crew members to handle,
transfer and otherwise manipulate materials in ways that are
otherwise impractical in the weightlessness of space.

A second sample of cadmium zinc telluride completed its directional
solidification growth process and began the slow cool-down phase in
the Crystal Growth Furnace today.  When this crystal is returned to
Earth, principal investigator Dr. David J. Larson, Jr., of Grumman
Corporate Research Center, New York, will use infrared and optical
microscopy, microchemical analysis, optical reflectance and other
characterization techniques to map the chemical, physical,
mechanical and electrical properties of the crystal.

The next 12 hours will be spent calibrating the Space Acceleration
Measurement System.  This instrument has been measuring subtle
movements of the orbiter during flight to understand how crew
activities, orbiter thruster firings and other movements affect the
scientific environment of the Spacelab module.  Other activities
will include stowage of remaining experiment facilities and
deactivation of the Spacelab module in preparation for landing.

Payload deactivation will be complete at around midnight, and the
crew will egress the Spacelab module about two hours later.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

USML-1 Mission Status Report #26
6:00 a.m. CDT, July 8, 1992
12/18:48 MET
Spacelab Mission Operations Control
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama

A "technological triumph and a scientific success" was Mission
Manager Charles Sprinkle's assessment of the first United States
Microgravity Laboratory's record-breaking 13-day mission.  Spacelab
activities ended early this morning as Mission Specialist Carl
Meade deactivated the Spacelab module, and the tired but satisfied
crew prepared to come home.

USML-1 establishes a long-term space laboratory program designed to
build U.S. leadership in microgravity science and technology,
laying a foundation for full-time science operations aboard Space
Station Freedom.  It pioneered investigations into the role of
gravity in five basic areas: fluid dynamics, crystal growth,
combustion science, biological science and technology
demonstration.   It introduced several new large experiment
facilities designed for multiple users and multiple flights.  It
demonstrated the efficiency of interactive science in the operation
of experiment hardware, as science teams at Spacelab Mission
Operations Control in Huntsville sent remote commands to their
equipment or worked with scientists in orbit to adjust their
experiments on the spot.

The Crystal Growth Furnace, the first space furnace capable of
automatically processing multiple large samples at temperatures up
to 2,900 degrees Fahrenheit (1,600 degrees Celsius), operated for
286 hours and processed seven semiconductor crystal samples.  There
were several significant achievements during the mission:
investigators uplinked computer commands in response to downlink
data to remotely control the furnace; samples were automatically
positioned for processing by a sample exchange mechanism; and the
crew proved the feasibility and safety of manually exchanging
furnace samples in a habitable environment.

The Drop Physics Module hardware worked perfectly as designed.
This study of the dynamics of fluids freed from both the influences
of gravity and the walls of a container saw some "firsts" -- the
first compound drop (one fluid within another much like a yolk in
an egg); the first drop coalescence (individual drops merging to
form a single drop); the smallest and largest drops ever deployed
in space; and the first retrieval of a drop by the module
injectors.  Some parts of the experiment hardware, such as injector
tips and acoustic control, will be refined based on the outcome of
this mission's operations.

The Surface Tension Driven Convection Experiment successfully
demonstrated that surface tension is a powerful driving force for
fluid motion, and investigators received excellent data on how
fluids respond to various heating steps.  The experiment provided
the first observations of thermocapillary flows in a curved-surface
fluid.  All the Surface Tension Driven Convection Experiment
hardware, including the sophisticated diagnostic infrared imager
and flow visualization systems, worked as planned.

Operations were also faultless on the first flight of the Glovebox
Facility.  All 16 technology demonstrations scheduled for the
enclosed, mini-laboratory were successfully performed.  Its
versatility was proved repeatedly in scheduled experiments, as well
as during an unscheduled session when sample containers from the
Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus were deactivated in the facility.
Glovebox hosted several experiments complementing investigations in
other USML-1 facilities, and intriguing results were observed in
simple demonstrations ranging from fluid physics and crystal growth
to combustion science.

Two planned experiment runs and several additional treatments in
the Astroculture plant nutrient delivery system successfully
supplied water to simulated plant roots.  Flow rates for fluid
transfer in microgravity were correlated with previous ground runs
using the Astroculture hardware.  Results indicate the unit
functions at least as well (and possibly better) in microgravity as
it does on Earth.

USML-1 was the first time the Extended Duration Orbiter Medical
Project's Lower Body Negative Pressure bag has flown in the
Spacelab, and all ten runs performed on the crew were successful.
Cardiovascular measurements were made on two crew members at the
beginning, middle and end of the flight, and periodic air samples
were taken to track bacteria or fungal growth.  The unprecedented
13 days of data collection will allow refinement of countermeasures
that have been developed to protect crew health and well-being
during future extended duration flights.

The maiden flight of the Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus, with 132
sample containers, was also successful.  Video data of alfalfa and
clover, brine shrimp and bacteria indicated that they had thrived
over the 12-day period.  Optical density data, downlinked and
analyzed, showed that processing of other samples was as expected.
Ground analysis of retrieved samples will assess the impact of the
microgravity environment on these biomedical specimens.

Though USML-1 is the fourteenth flight for the Protein Crystal
Growth experiment, this mission represents the first time that
growth conditions could be optimized in space.  Samples in the
mid-deck experiment benefited from the longest period of crystal
growth in the history of the Space Shuttle program, allowing
several slow-growing crystals to be included in the experiment for
the first time.  In a related Glovebox demonstration, the crew set
up protein crystal growth experiments, then observed them and
adjusted conditions based on those observations.  About 300 samples
were seeded from a total of 24 protein types, and some of the
completed crystals could be the largest of their type ever grown in
space.

The Solid Surface Combustion Experiment ignited ashless filter
paper in a sealed container to study the way flames spread over
solid fuels in the absence of gravity-driven or externally imposed
air flows.  This is the experiment's fourth flight in an eight-step
program, designed to test combustion in microgravity.

The Zeolite Crystal Growth furnace operated as planned on its first
Spacelab flight.  Optimal growth conditions for the
aluminum/silicon crystals, used in industry as molecular sieves,
were chosen early in the mission as the crew mixed solutions in the
Glovebox.

Space Acceleration Measurement System investigators gathered a
wealth of information to add to their database on low-frequency
accelerations.  The system collected approximately 1.2 gigabytes of
data, roughly equivalent to 1,000 personal computer disks.

The end of the mission is just the beginning of scientific
discovery for USML-1 experiment teams.  Some will pick up
experiment samples at the landing site, and most have gathered
reams of information to pour over as they decipher the implications
of their results.  "We are really looking forward to analyzing the
ground-breaking data brought back by USML-1," said Mission
Scientist Donald Frazier.

The STS-50 United States Microgravity Laboratory-1 crew was waved off from
landing at Edwards Air Force Base this morning due to deteriorating weather
conditions.  Continuous rain showers and cloud cover caused officials to delay
the landing until tomorrow.  The first landing opportunity at Edwards tomorrow
would be at 9:09am EDT. There is an earlier opportunity to land at the Kennedy
Space Center tomorrow at 7:43am EDT. While Edwards is currently the favored
landing site, the final decision will be made later tonight or very early
tomorrow morning.




          STS-50 DEORBIT AND LANDING OPPORTUNITIES    Rev  C
                                                      7/8/92


July 8, 1992
              Orbit #    MET       GMT     EDT     CDT     PDT

Edwards AFB Runway 22 (nominal end of mission - one orbit late)

Deorbit Burn    206    12/21:29   13:42   09:42   08:42   06:42
Landing         207    12/22:32   14:45   10:45   09:45   07:45
                                           (1:55 after sunrise)



July 9, 1992

Edwards AFB Runway 22 (EOM + 1)

Deorbit Burn    221    13/19:59   12:11   08:11   07:11   05:11
Landing         222    13:20:57   13:09   09:09   08:09   06:09
                                        (:23 min after sunrise)

Kennedy Space Center (EOM + 1 -- one orbit early)

Deorbit Burn    220    13/18:33   10:47   06:47   05:47   03:47
Landing         221    13/19:30   11:43   07:43   06:43   04:43



July 10, 1992

Edwards AFB Runway 22 (EOM + 2)

Deorbit Burn    237    14/19:56   12:09   08:09   07:09   04:09
Landing         238    14/20:54   13:07   09:07   08:07   06:07
                                        (:20 min after sunrise)

Kennedy Space Center (EOM + 2 -- one orbit early)

Deorbit Burn    236    14/18:31   10:44   06:44   05:44   03:44
Landing         237    14/19:28   11:41   07:41   06:41   04:41


 

    I read somewhere that they were planning to test the autoland system on 
    one of the EDO missions. Does anyone know if they are going to try it
    on this one?



    							Bob

    Just an FYI.....for you Central MAss folks.....United Video Cablevision
    was putting NASA select on channel 15.
    
    Joe
    (Harvard, MA)
    

A 5 second radio news bite said that they landed at Kennedy this morning.

Article: 2547
From: clarinews@clarinet.com (WILLIAM HARWOOD, UPI Science Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.news.military,clari.news.aviation
Subject: Shuttle glides to flawless touchdown
Date: Thu, 9 Jul 92 7:08:04 PDT
 
	CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- The shuttle Columbia, diverted for a
second straight day from a planned California landing, touched down
Thursday at the Kennedy Space Center to close out a record 14-day
mission hailed as a stepping stone to the space station era.

	Fighting the tug of gravity after nearly two weeks in the
weightlessness of space, commander Richard ``Dick'' Richards piloted the
$2 billion spaceplane through a sweeping right overhead turn and a steep
descent to runway 33, bringing the 114-ton glider to a smooth landing at
7:42 a.m. EDT.

	It took a long 18 seconds or so to get the nose gear on the runway
and seconds later, Richards deployed a new braking parachute to help
bring the ship to a halt, wrapping up a marathon 5.7-million-mile
voyage, the longest flight in shuttle history and the longest for U.S.
astronauts in 18 years.

	``Wheels stopped, Houston,'' Richards radioed mission control in
Houston.

	``Roger, wheels stopped, Columbia,'' replied astronaut Kenneth
Reightler from the Johnson Space Center. ``Congratulations on the
longest shuttle flight on record. Thanks for helping to pave the way for
space station operations.''

	The shuttle came to rest about 2,000 feet from the end of the space
center's 15,000-foot runway and Kennedy Space Center Director Robert
Crippen said the orbiter came through its first Florida landing in good
condition.

	``It was the completion of a great mission,'' he said. ``The folks
did some outstanding science, the vehicle has come back looking
outstanding, the crew is all looking good and very excited.''

	In the mission's final experiment, guest astronaut Eugene Trinh
planned to stand up quickly on the lower deck and turn his head from
side to side to find out how well astronauts can maintain their balance
after long-duration flights in case an emergency required a speedy exit.

	But the hard work was over and the astronauts left the black-and-
white orbiter about an hour after touchdown. Richards and co-pilot
Kenneth Bowersox took a moment to stroll around the shuttle, walking
somewhat stiffly as they got used to gravity once again.

	``In general, I thought they all looked pretty good,'' Crippen said
of the astronauts' condition. 

	After eagerly-awaited showers and physical exams, Richards, 45,
Bowersox, 35, Bonnie Dunbar, 43, Ellen Baker, 38, Carl Meade, 41, and
civilian researchers Lawrence DeLucas and Trinh, both 41, planned to fly
back to the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

	The astronauts now hold the record for the longest shuttle mission,
13 days, 19 hours and 30 minutes, eclipsing the old mark of 10 days 21
hours by three full days. The overall American record was set in 1974 at
the end of an 84-day stay aboard the old Skylab space station. Two
Russian cosmonauts hold the world record of one full year in space.

	The astronauts originally planned to land at Edwards Air Force Base
in California's Mojave Desert on Wednesday. With its broad, more
forgiving runways, Edwards was NASA's preferred landing site for
Columbia and its crew, returning to the unfamiliar tug Earth's gravity
for the first time since launch June 25 from the Kennedy Space Center.

	But rain showers from the remnants of then-tropical storm Darby
delayed re-entry to Edwards on Wednesday, first for one orbit and then
for 24 hours. Conditions did not improve significantly overnight,
leaving flight controllers with little choice but to order the crew to
Florida instead.

	While the shuttle could survive a landing in rain, its fragile heat
shield tiles would be seriously damaged by the bullet-like impact of
water drops on the gliding spaceship.

	The astronauts already held the record for the longest U.S. space
flight in 18 years, an extended 14-day voyage to conduct around-the-
clock research on how weightlessness affects astronauts, materials and
biological processes and to demonstrate the shuttle's ability to stay in
orbit up to two weeks.

	The previous endurance record for a shuttle mission was 10 days, 21
hours, a mark set in January 1990. The new record is 13 days, 19 hours
and 37 minutes.

	The flight was the first in a series of long-duration voyages
intended to serve as an interim step between short up-and-down shuttle
flights and operations aboard NASA's permanently manned space station
later in the decade. NASA eventually plans to keep the shuttle in orbit
up to 28 days at a time.

	``We can already say (Columbia's flight) has set a new standard for
Spacelab missions,'' said veteran shuttle flier Byron Lichtenberg. 
``We'll be better prepared to take up permanent residency and work year
round on space station Freedom.''

	The flight initially was intended to last 13 days, but like all space
shuttles, Columbia was launched with enough air, power, food and rocket
fuel to last two days beyond the planned mission duration in case of
problems that might block an on-time re-entry. And that is precisely
what happened.

	In Columbia's case, enough power was available to keep the ship in
orbit until Saturday in a worst-case scenario.

    Quick question - why was Edwards the primary landing site? Unless
    Columbia was scheduled to go to Palmdale, why not avoid the need for the
    747 ferry flight and simply land at Kennedy?
    
    Was the issue orbiter landing weight (and hence rollout) due to the
    USML on board?

    Re .106 (Carl)
    
    Before the shuttle acident, they were talking about making Kennedy
    the primary landing site. Now its a risk they aren't willing to run.
    
    Edwards, has longer and more strips, plus if worse comes to worse
    the hole dry lake bed can be used as a landing runway. No misses.
    And the weather does tend to be better there, the current case is
    the exception not the rule.
    
    Gil

    re .106
    
    I think you hit the nail on the head.
    
    Edwards was the primary site for this one because of the landing
    weight.
    
    With the new drag chute and new carbon brakes, I think they will try
    and make Kenedy the primary from now on, save for missions with large
    landing weights.
    
    Tony

Landing weight was very likely a factor, but the more important factor was
whether or not the pilots would be at 100% after 2 weeks of zero-G.  A bigger
target allows for error if the pilot was partially incapacitated because
of the fluid shifts encountered during re-entry  (the entire crew is required
to drink a lot before entry to help counter-balance this effect).

Unlike the good old days, reentry is now done in the sitting (upright) position.
This puts quite a strain on the body in its attempt to reorient itself to
normal gravity.


- dave

MISSION CONTROL CENTER
STS-50 Status Report #27

Wednesday, July 8, 1992, 5 p.m. CDT

After a partial day to relax and watch the Earth go by, the crew of
Columbia will shortly be making themselves and their ship ready for
another try at landing, early Thursday morning.  Crew commander Dick
Richards and pilot Ken Bowersox, along with Red team members Bonnie
Dunbar and Larry DeLucas, are just beginning their sleep shift while
the Blue team gets set to take over.

Ellen Baker, Carl Meade, and Gene Trinh will have the flight deck
windows to themselves tonight until the Red team awakes just after
midnight to begin final preparations for the second attempt to come
home.

Depending on landing site weather, that attempt could come with a
deorbit maneuver at 5:46 am central time for a 6:43 am landing at the
Kennedy Space Center in Florida, or  at  7:11 am central time for an
8:09 am landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

Weather predictions for a California landing call for mid-level
scattered clouds and high-level broken clouds with light and variable
winds.  There remains a slight chance of rain in the vicinity.

Florida weather is predicted to be favorable for landing there at
landing time.  With light winds out of the north-northwest, the only
concern at this point is the potential for some patchy ground fog.
Should Florida be selected as the landing site, residents in Houston
and around the Johnson Space Center should be able to see Columbia
streak overhead at about 6:27 am central time as it makes its way to
Florida.  Columbia should appear in the northern sky about 40-45
degrees above the horizon, moving towards the southeast.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

STS-50 Landing Status Report

                   STS-50 Landing Status Report
               Thursday, July 9, 1992, 7:30 a.m. CDT


Ending the longest Shuttle flight in history, the crew of Columbia
landed at Kennedy Space Center this morning at 6:42 a.m. CDT.
Columbia traveled more than 5.7 million miles on this flight.  The
duration of the mission eclipsed all previous U.S. ma nned space
flights--with the exception of three flights to the Skylab Space
Station in 1973 and 1974.

Columbia performed a rocket firing at 5:41 a.m. CDT to slow its
speed by 342 feet per second and dropped out of Earth orbit for
the return to KSC.  The orbiter was visible from Houston during
the reentry, leaving a bright white streak across the sky at about
6:27 a.m., and arrived over Florida just a few minutes later.

The preliminary mission elapsed time for main gear touchdown on
Runway 33 at Kennedy was 13 days, 19 hours, 30 minutes and 4
seconds.  Wheel stop came at 13 days, 19 hours, 31 minutes and 3
seconds.  With the exception of the three Skylab flights, the
longest previous U.S. mission was Gemini 7 in December 1965.  On
that flight, Frank Borman and Jim Lovell spent 13 days, 18 hours,
35 minutes and 31 seconds aloft.

The three Skylab flights in 1973 and 1974 were 28 days, 59 days
and 84 days in duration.

The crew will spend several hours at Kennedy before departing for
Johnson Space Center later today.  Crew arrival at Ellington Field
is tentatively scheduled for approximately 9 hours after landing,
or sometime between 3:30 and 4 p.m. CDT today.  That time will be
updated as more information becomes available.
 

KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - THURSDAY, JULY 9, 1992  11 AM

 
         STS-50 - COLUMBIA/USML-1 - (OV 102) KENNEDY SLF

     Columbia's record-breaking duration flight ended today  with
a landing at 7:43 a.m. EDT on KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility Run-
way  33.  Today's landing marked the first time Columbia returned
from space to Kennedy and was the 10th  Shuttle  landing  at  the
launch site.   Weather conditions in California were unacceptable
for a landing today.

     The orbiter touched down at about the 2,800 ft.  mark on the
runway and stopped at the 13,000 ft.  mark. Total mission elapsed
time was 13 days, 19 hours, 30 minutes, and 4 seconds. Columbia's
deorbit burn occurred on orbit 220 at 6:41 a.m.  EDT  and  lasted
about 3 minutes,  24 seconds.  Columbia completed 221 revolutions
around the Earth and logged 5,758,000 miles during this flight.

     The STS-50 flight crew is scheduled to depart at  2:30  p.m.
today  from  the  skid strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
They will be flying to Ellington Field,  Texas near  the  Johnson
Space Center.

     KSC's  landing  and  recovery team is preparing Columbia for
tow to Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1 later today.  One of the
tires  on the main landing gear will be removed while the vehicle
is on the  runway  for  immediate  shipment  to  the  vendor  for
analysis.  This  is  the  first flight of the new beefed-up tires
which use a synthetic rubber tread instead of the natural  rubber
previously used.

 

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - FRIDAY, JULY 10, 1992  11 AM


 
         STS-50 - COLUMBIA/USML-1 - (OV 102) - OPF BAY 1

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Offloading experiments from the middeck.
- Gaining access to various parts of the orbiter.
- Connecting purge equipment to the vehicle.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Towed the orbiter from the Shuttle Landing Facility to the  OPF
at 1 p.m. yesterday.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Offloading residual cryogenic propellants from the orbiter.

 

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - MONDAY, JULY 13, 1992  10 AM

 
         STS-50 - COLUMBIA/USML-1 - (OV 102) - OPF BAY 1

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Installing platforms in the aft compartment.
- Attaching strongbacks to the payload bay doors.
- Removal of the potty.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Offloaded residual cryogenic propellants from the orbiter.
- Removed experiments from the middeck.
- Dried main engine bearings.

 

Michael Braukus
Headquarters, Washington D.C.                  September 23, 1993

David B. Drachlis
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.

RELEASE:  93-166


     Results from a Spacelab crystal growth experiment flown
aboard the Space Shuttle last summer have brought researchers a
step closer to understanding the molecular structure of proteins
which will aid scientists in developing more effective disease-
fighting, anti-parasitic drugs.

     During the first United States Microgravity Laboratory
(USML-1) mission, Shuttle flight STS-50, crystals of Malic Enzyme
were produced that showed a dramatic improvement in resolution
over Earth-grown crystals.

     "The USML-1 crystals were of such high quality that they
make it possible for researchers to determine the structure of
this important protein," said Dr. Lawrence DeLucas of the Center
for Macromolecular Crystallography at the University of Alabama
in Birmingham.  DeLucas flew as a payload specialist on USML-1
and is a principal investigator on many of the protein crystal
growth experiments.

     This success follows 2 years and several hundred ground-
based crystallization trials, during which researchers were
unable to produce any crystals of high enough quality to allow
determination of this protein's structure.

     "On USML-1, using experiment hardware specifically designed
for the mission, we learned how to grow the high quality Malic
Enzyme crystals," explained DeLucas.  "Then on Shuttle mission
STS-57 in June of this year, we produced additional crystals of
comparable quality.  Now, we just need a few more flights to
accumulate enough of these superior crystals to complete the
process of structure identification."

     Protein crystal growth experiments have flown on 18 Space
Shuttle missions since April 1985, producing a number of crystals
of a quality significantly superior to Earth-grown crystals.

     Researchers already have used superior space-grown crystals
to improve their knowledge of the structure of several proteins.
Space grown crystals have contributed to the refinement of
molecular structures of:

- Gamma Interferon, a protein important in anti-viral research
and for treatment of certain types of cancer;

- Human Serum Albumin, the most abundant protein in human blood
which is responsible for distribution of many different drugs,
including aspirin, to various body tissues;

- Elastase, a key protein known to cause the destruction of lung
tissue in patients suffering from emphysema; and

- Factor D, a protein important in inflammation and other immune
system responses.

     Protein crystal growth experiments also have produced
superior quality crystals of:

- Isocitrate Lyase, a protein important for the development of
anti-fungal drugs;

- Canavalin, a protein isolated from edible plants whose
structure is of interest because the information can be used to
genetically engineer more nutritious plants; and

- Proline Isomerase, a protein important in and used as a drug
for diabetes.

     "Although valuable new information was obtained from these
initial experiments, additional high quality crystals are needed
to obtain the final structures for many of these proteins,"
explained DeLucas.  "Also, a constant supply of the crystals is
necessary for the drug design phase for those proteins associated
with various diseases."

     "The experimental results gathered to date have conclusively
demonstrated that protein crystals of superior size and quality
can be produced in space," DeLucas pointed out.  "And the results
clearly indicate the need for continued, constant and long-term
access to this unique microgravity environment."

     During the record 14-day USML-1 mission, DeLucas and mission
specialists Dr. Bonnie Dunbar and Carl Meade investigated
techniques for improving the success rate for protein crystal
growth experiments and tested a variety of procedures being
considered for similar experiments to be performed aboard space
station.