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Status Report: 01-59

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION 
Expedition Three Science Operations

Weekly Science Status Report
Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2001

The Expedition Three crew and the science team on the ground are wrapping up their research program and preparing precious science experiments and samples from their three-month mission for the return to Earth on the upcoming UF-1 Space Shuttle mission to the space station.

During the past two weeks, Commander Frank Culbertson and Flight Engineers Mikhail Tyurin and Vladimir Dezhurov completed their final sessions of the Hoffman Reflex, Pulmonary Function in Flight, Renal Stone and Crew Interactions research programs and completed experiment hardware transfers in the Destiny lab module that will support Expedition Four research activities.  Their effort drew praise from many of the experiment teams in the weekly science summary faxed to the crew.

“I’d like to express on behalf of the Payloads Office, our profound gratitude for all that you have done for us during the expedition,” summarized John Uri, lead scientist for the Expedition.  “Many of the experiments were completed last week, especially with the extra time you’ve dedicated to completing the research.  From our point of view, this has been a highly successful expedition, some experiments getting even more than expected.  I look forward to seeing you back on Earth.”

Automated experiments continue to run in the Destiny lab, controlled by science teams on the ground.  The Dynamically Controlled Protein Crystal Growth (DCPCG) and Advanced Protein Crystallization Facility (APCF) are scheduled for deactivation on Thursday in conjunction with the launch of STS-108.  The Physics of Colloids in Space completed a 24-hour run on Tuesday, re-homogenizing the colloid polymer gel sample and running various diagnostics to measure the process.

Two vibration-measuring experiments, the Space Acceleration Measurement System and the Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System, recorded the November 22 undocking of the Russian Progress 5 spacecraft and are expected to collect data during today’s (Nov. 28) Progress 6 docking.

The Crew Earth Observations science team sent a list of geographic sites for photography that should last through November 30, the last until STS-108 undocks. The sites include snow cover in the South Sandwich Islands, air quality in southern Africa, Chilean glaciers, water level changes in Lake Poopo in Bolivia, coral reefs in American Samoa, and agriculture in the Parana River area of South America.  In response to Commander Frank Culbertson’s request for more photography sites, the team has offered to send him a copy of the daily site list for the STS-108 crew.

Following data earlier this week indicating a potential problem with the Active Rack Isolation System, the ground team asked Culbertson to use a set of pliers to tighten the screws on two upper pushrods.  Culbertson radioed Monday that he had completed that work, and tests of the vibration dampening system resumed this week.  Located in EXPRESS Rack 2, ARIS is designed to provide a reactive force to vibrations caused by crew activities, operating equipment and other disturbances that could harm delicate microgravity experiments in the rack.

Several experiments will be returning to Earth along with the Expedition Three crew.  In addition to DCPCG and APCF, the Shuttle will return with cell samples from the Cellular Biotechnology Operations Support System, urine samples and other data from the Renal Stone experiment, the Bonner Ball Neutron Detector, and the

DREAMTiME high definition TV camera.  The crew plans to record the STS-108 arrival and ingress before stowing the camera and equipment for return.

Editor’s Note: The Payload Operations Center at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages all science research experiment operations aboard the International Space Station.  The center is also home for coordination of the mission-planning work of a variety of international sources, all science payload deliveries and retrieval, and payload training and payload safety programs for the Station crew and all ground personnel.