For Release: September 24, 1997

Steve Roy
Media Services Branch
(256)544-6535
steve.roy@msfc.nasa.gov

Release: 97-240

Four microgravity science experiments, managed by the Microgravity Research Program Office at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., are scheduled for launch Thursday aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-86, the seventh U.S. flight to the Russian space station Mir.

The experiments include the test of a new protein crystal growth measurement tool based on interferometry; a cell tissue growth experiment; a fluid physics mixing experiment; and two Canadian experiments, one growing protein crystals and one melting and mixing metals.

The interferometer experiment, flying in space for the first time, will study and record the protein crystal growth process. This process may further the development of new, disease-fighting drugs.

The interferometer, an instrument for measuring wavelengths of light, collects and stores optical information on a growing crystal in the facility, showing the crystal’s new form, as well as the changes in the concentration of the protein solution surrounding the crystal.

The experiment is conducted in the Microgravity Glovebox and contains six experiment sample sets. Each sample uses the same protein -- lysozyme, found in egg whites -- but is mixed differently.

The experiment hardware will be returned to Earth from the Mir on the STS-89 mission, scheduled for January 1998.

The principal investigator is Dr. Alexander McPherson of the University of California, Riverside. Co-investigators William Witherow and Marc Pusey are both from Marshall Center.

Scientists will use the Biochemistry of Three-dimensional Tissue Engineering experiment to assess the impact of long-duration microgravity on the stability of cells, and changes in genes, replicating cells and cell shape. Researchers also will test a new cell culture incubator, biotechnology refrigerator and a cell sample transfer system.

This tissue experiment will not only be important for designing successful tissue culture experiments for the future International Space Station, but is expected to contribute to our fundamental understanding of the long-term effects of low-gravity conditions on the human body.

Investigators include Peter Lelkes of the University of Wisconsin Medical School in Milwaukee, studying pain suppression molecules; Dr. Timothy Hammond of Tulane University in Troy, N.Y., studying kidney disease; and, Thomas Goodwin and Neal Pellis of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, studying leukemia cells.

The Binary Colloidal Alloy Tests are fluid physics investigations. In this two-part experiment, researchers are investigating the mixing relationship between gases and liquids in an effort to produce new advanced computer chip materials. The experiments are conducted in space to overcome the earthbound gravity effects of settling, which interrupt thorough mixing. Aboard Mir, they will be allowed to be processed for approximately 50 days without the disturbing effects of gravity.

The Canadian Protein Crystallization Experiment is provided by the Canadian Space Agency and scientists from seven cities across Canada. This biotechnology flight experiment could lead to advanced treatment and possible cures for certain debilitating diseases as well as bacterial and viral infections. Findings from the experiment could enhance treatment of cancer, meningitis, cystic fibrosis, emphysema, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and hypertension.

The experiment consists of 700 wells or small test tubes, which will be processed over a period of several months aboard Mir. The majority of the wells contain 32 different protein samples from 15 Canadian universities and research institutions, including 44 wells with student experiments.

The Queen’s University Experiment in Liquid Diffusion, sponsored by the Canadian Space Agency, will investigate the mixing of potential semiconductor materials. This experiment, which involves melting different alloys in a self-contained furnace, may lead to new processes and materials for making faster and better computer circuitry.

Coordination and integration of the Canadian experiments with the Shuttle/Mir Flight Program is managed by NASA’s Microgravity Research Program at the Marshall Center.