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| NASA Glenn Research Center | |
| Contributions to International Space Station | |
| Introduction | |
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A new era in exploration and development of space began with the launch of the first element of the International Space Station. As a primary research and development center for NASA, Glenn has made significant contributions human space programs such as Apollo and the Space Shuttle. NASA Glenn is also playing a significant role in development of the International Space Station. | |
| Table of Contents | |
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| Phase I - Shuttle-Mir Missions | |
| Between March 1995 and June 1998, NASA and Russian scientists are conducting experiments and demonstrations in the Russian Space Station Mir, a science laboratory in space. NASA-Mir scientists sought to answer vital questions about how humans, animals and plants function in space, how our solar system originated and developed, how we can build better technology in space, and how we can build future space stations. NASA Glenn's participation in Shuttle-Mir missions included the development of the Mir Cooperative Solar Array and a host of experiments. | 
Russian Mir Space Station, circa 1998 |
| Electrical Power System | |
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At the inception of the Space Station Freedom program, NASA Glenn was assigned responsibility for Work Package 4, the complete Electrical Power System (EPS). Engineers from Glenn's Power & Propulsion Office combined state-of-the-art electrical designs with complex computer-aided analyses to lead the design of the largest power system ever constructed in space. They have also developed and tested several critical components and subsystems.
When the space station program was consolidated, this responsibility was transferred to the Johnson Space Center and members of Glenn design team were an integral part of the process of redesigning the station and transitioning to the existing International Space Station Program. Because of Glenn's comprehensive background, the Johnson Space Center has asked Glenn to oversee and manage the development and testing of EPS flight hardware in preparation for its launch to the space station. This effort includes monitoring tests and inspecting hardware at both subcontractor sites where the hardware is manufactured and at the Kennedy Space Center prior to launch. Glenn's expertise continues to be used extensively throughout the station power system including switches and converter units. In addition to managing hardware built elsewhere, Glenn is manufacturing EPS component flight hardware for the Station in the form of manually activated switches called circuit isolation devices. Glenn also maintained an Engineering Support Room that was staffed by a team of engineers responsible for monitoring the EPS and making performance predictions during the initial operation of the power system. |
Computer graphic of ISS
Solar array testing in Glenn's Electric Propulsion Laboratory
Engineering Support Room at GRC
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| Microgravity Science | |
| As NASA's Lead Center in the Microgravity Science disciplines of Combustion and Fluids Physics, Glenn has been a frequent contributor to experiments about the Space Shuttle and the Russian Mir Space Station. Today, NASA Glenn is developing the Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF), a modular, multi-user facility to accommodate microgravity science experiments on board the US Laboratory Module, recently named Destiny. Glenn researchers and partners in industry and academia will continue to define scientific requirements and develop experimental hardware to study combustion processes and fluids physics and to characterize the microgravity environment. | 
Combustion Integrated Rack |
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| First Element Launch: Zarya | |
| The Russian-built, U.S.-owned Zarya Control Module ("Zarya" is Russian for Sunrise), was launched on a Russian Proton Rocket at 1:40 a.m. EST (9:40 a.m. Moscow time, 11:40 a.m. Baikonur time,) on Friday, November 20, 1998. NASA Glenn performed extensive analyses of shadowing on Zarya's solar arrays which were critical in determining flight modes and operating procedures. | 
Zarya photo taken from Endeavour during STS-88 |
| STS-88: The Launch of Unity | |
| On Friday, December 4, 1998 at 3:36 a.m. EST, the U.S. Unity Node was launched aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor on mission STS-88. The Remote Power Control Modules (RPCM's) that are contained in Unity were designed and developed under the lead of NASA Glenn's Power & Propulsion Office. | 
Unity and Zarya from Endeavour |
| Each of the twelve small metal containers is filled with "circuit breakers." The RPCMs provide switching and protection in case of a short circuit during construction of the ISS as well as during operation of the completed station. They can be controlled by astronauts via laptop computers or from the ground. |
Photo of Remote Power Control Module |
| STS-92: The Launch of Truss Segment "Z1" | |
| Integrated Truss Structure (ITS) Z1 is an early exterior framework to allow first U.S. solar arrays on flight 4A to be temporarily installed on Unity for early power. As the primary payload for STS-92, launched on October 11, 2000, the truss contains a Plasma Contactor Unit that will serve as a high-tech grounding rod for ISS. The Hollow Cathode Assembly, which is the major component of the contactor, was designed, developed, built and tested at NASA Glenn. (The assembly was later named NASA's 2001 Government Invention of the Year.) The truss will also contain dc/dc Converter Units (DDCUs) to provide grounding and voltage regulation and another set of Remote Power Control Modules (RPCM's) like those contained in Unity. |  Photo showing Russian Zvezda added to ISS. [Click for artist concept of Z1.] |
| Also, six Circuit Isolation Devices (CIDs) were delivered to provide the means for an spacewalking astronaut working on the to remove power from selected loads so that power cables can be mated or detached safely. All of this hardware was designed and developed under the lead of NASA Glenn's Power & Propulsion Office. |
Photo of Circuit Isolation Device |
| STS-97: The Launch of First US Solar Array | |
| Integrated Truss Structure P6 is the official designation for the hardware launched on STS-97, station assembly flight 4A, on November 30, 2000. This hardware comprises the first U.S. photovoltaic (PV) module, including solar arrays, batteries and other power system electronics, was deployed on that mission and is currently supplying station with power. Glenn has had a significant role in the design and development of the PV module and managing the hardware development for it, including testing, system analysis and participating in the neutral buoyancy testing of the assembly operations for the PV module. Also installed on that mission were two radiators that remove waste heat from PV module. One of these radiator panels was tested in the Space Power Facility, the world's largest space environment simulation chamber at Glenn's Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, OH. |  Artist concept of power module |
| A third spacewalk (EVA-3) was added to install the Glenn-developed Floating Potential Probe to measure the plasma field surrounding the space station and will help determine the effectiveness of the Plasma Contactor Units. Engineers at Glenn continue to monitor the performance of the station's electrical power system (EPS) and the probe from our Engineering Support Room. Glenn's efforts are being managed by Power & Propulsion Office. |
 ISS photo showing deployed arrays after Endeavour undocked |
| STS-98: The Launch of Destiny: US Lab Module | |
| Destiny is the U.S. Laboratory Module. It is the centerpiece of the International Space Station, where unprecedented science experiments will be performed in microgravity. It will eventually be home to Glenn's Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF). Destiny was the primary payload for STS-98, which launched on Feb. 7, 2001. | Artist concept showing Destiny |
| Destiny will utilize dc/dc Converter Units (DDCUs) to provide grounding and voltage regulation and another set of Remote Power Control Modules (RPCM's) like those contained in Unity. These components were designed and developed under the lead of NASA Glenn's Power & Propulsion Office. |  Photo of dc/dc Converter Unit |
| STS-100: The First GRC Microgravity Payloads | |
| Characterizing the microgravity environment of the International Space Station is critical to understanding the science results. NASA Glenn has provided two units that were delivered by the Space Shuttle Endeavour after it lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center on April 19, 2001 to begin the STS-100 mission. These units have become operational systems to support microgravity science research onboard the International Space Station. The Space Acceleration Measurement System-II (SAMS-II), powered up in early June 2001, measures accelerations caused by vehicle, crew and equipment disturbances. To complement the SAMS-II measurements, the Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System (MAMS), powered up in early May 2001, records accelerations caused by the aerodynamic drag created as the Space Station moves through space. It also measures accelerations created as the vehicle rotates and vents water. The data is transmitted from the Station to Glenn's Telescience Support Center and is available to researchers during the mission via the World Wide Web. We expect that SAMS and MAMS will become the microgravity hardware residing on the ISS the longest - similar to the SAMS unit on Mir was the U.S. hardware up there the longest as part of the NASA-Mir Science Program. |  SAMS Sensor mounted to PCS experiment |
| Endeavour also delivered the first station-bound microgravity science experiment from NASA Glenn. The Experiment of Physics of Colloids in Space (EXPPCS) investigation was activated on May 31, 2001 and began gathering data on the basic physical properties of colloids (a system of fine particles suspended in a fluid) by studying three different colloid sample types. (See image to the right.) After being inactive during the STS-105 crew change over, the EXPPCS experiments resumed during the first week of September. Experiment operations, which concluded in February 2002 were a resounding success. Each of the eight sample cells worked well and produced interesting and important results. In virtually all cases, the principal investigator learned new and exciting things that have significantly enhanced our understanding of the science under investigation. The potential payoffs of EXPPCS include improvements in the properties of colloidal suspensions used in everyday life -- ceramics, paints, food products, drug delivery agents -- as well as advances in colloid engineering which may yield an entirely new class of materials, photonic band gap crystals, which can affect the properties of light passing through them. Such photonic crystals may find uses as optical switches, filters, and lasers for advanced telecommunication networks and displays. |  EXPPCS Data Image |
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| STS-105: More Exposure for Glenn Science on ISS | |
| The Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off on Aug. 10, 2001 with several science payloads from Glenn. Many materials samples were provided by Glenn's Electro-Physics Branch for the first externally mounted experiments conducted on the ISS. The Materials International Space Station Experiments (MISSE) Project is an endeavor to fly materials and other types of space exposure experiments on the space station. The experiments are installed on the first Passive Experiment Carrier that was mounted to the station's new airlock during the STS-105 mission and will remain for one year. The Glenn experiment named PEACE (Polymer Erosion And Contamination Experiment) Polymers includes 41 samples that are being exposed to atomic oxygen and solar radiation (ultraviolet and x-ray radiation) for a year and will be returned to the project team for analysis. Another 45 samples from Glenn are studying the effects of exposure to the space environment on optical, mechanical and shielding properties. |  MISSE experiment tray showing samples |
| STS-108: Adding Isolation and Insulation to ISS | |
| Space Shuttle Endeavour lifted off on December 5, 2001 to begin the STS-108 mission. Making the one-way trip to the ISS were two additional Glenn-developed Circuit Isolation Devices (CIDs). The CIDs were stowed on-orbit on the exterior of the ISS and will be installed in the "S0" Truss when it is delivered to ISS on STS-110 early in 2002. The CIDs will permit control of power flow to the "S0" (starboard) truss. CIDs 7 and 8 join six other CIDs, which have been on-orbit since October 2000. CIDs 1-6 are being used to channel power to the Lab module, Destiny, and to exterior mounted spare hardware. Also during STS-108, the mechanisms that turn the large US solar arrays, known as the Beta Gimbal Assemblies (BGAs), are to have thermal blankets installed on them as a result of concerns associated with induced thermal stresses. Since it is important to have the arrays face the sun to generate power, Glenn analysts used their Space Station power analysis code, SPACE, to determine the power generation capability for numerous scenarios. Their results helped the mission planners prepare for the spacewalk to install the blankets on the BGAs. |
Photo of Circuit Isolation Device |
The primary objective of the STS-108 mission was the transport of the fourth crew to the International Space Station. That crew includes Ohio astronaut and Cleveland native Carl Walz. A veteran of three space flights, Walz was a Mission Specialist aboard STS-79, the fourth Shuttle/Mir docking mission. Walz will stay aboard the ISS for at least four months performing flight tests of the station hardware, conducting internal and external maintenance tasks, and developing the capability of the station to support the addition of science experiments. |  Carl Walz during STS-79 |
| STS-110: Space Station Branches Out | |
| The Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off on April 8, 2002 with a structural component that will enable the International Space Station to branch out. The main objective of the STS-110 mission is to deliver and install Truss Segment “S0” and the Mobile Transporter (MT). Glenn led the design and development of several electrical power system components that are installed on the truss: large automated switch boxes called Main Bus Switching Units (MBSUs), dc/dc Converter Units (DDCUs) to provide voltage conversion, regulation and isolation, and Remote Power Control Modules (RPCM's) like those already contained in several nodes and truss elements. Two additional Glenn-developed Circuit Isolation Devices (CIDs) were stowed on-orbit on the exterior of the ISS during STS-108 and will be installed on the "S0" Truss during the mission. The CIDs will permit control of power flow to the "S0" (starboard) truss. CIDs 7 and 8 join six other CIDs, which have been on-orbit since October 2000. The "S0" truss is the first of eight segments that will eventually support the station's solar arrays, like first one launched in November 2000. | 
"S0" Truss Segment Installed on the ISS |
| STS-111: More Microgravity | |
| The STS-111 mission of Space Shuttle Endeavor began with a launch on June 5, 2002. Glenn-developed hardware for InSPACE (Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates of Colloidal Emulsions), a new glovebox experiment that will be activated later this fall, was onboard. InSPACE is designed to obtain fundamental data of the complex properties of magnetorheological fluids, a new class of smart materials capable of providing rapid rheological response that can be used to advance such items as brake systems, seat suspensions, robotics, clutches, airplane landing gear, and damper systems. |  InSPACE Coil Assembly with sample being installed in the InSPACE hardware in the MSG |
| Also onboard were additional sensors and control unit hard drives for SAMS (Space Acceleration Measurement System), a system to detect and report data on vibrations onboard the space station. Remote Triaxial Sensor (RTS) systems can be deployed near the payloads requiring direct measurements of the acceleration environment. A controller, initially consisting of a space station-derived laptop, ties the independent RTS systems together on-orbit and provides a single point communication link to the SAMS-II Ground Operations Equipment located in Glenn's Telescience Support Center where data are received for distribution to users via the World Wide Web. |  US Astronaut Carl Walz works in the Destiny laboratory module |
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Research for InSPACE will be conducted by the Expedition 6 crew next Fall in the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) that was also delivered on STS-111. The MSG was installed in the Destiny laboratory module and will remain in orbit for up to 10 years to support numerous investigations in multiple disciplines including Glenn's research on fluids physics and combustion science. The glovebox is designed to contain experiments with fluids, flames, particles and fumes. In an Earth-based laboratory, liquids stay in beakers or test tubes. In the near-weightlessness of the Station, they could float away from the work area and could get into the cabin air and irritate a crew member’s skin or eyes or even make them sick. Uncontrolled liquids could damage the Station’s sensitive computer and electrical systems or contaminate other experiments. Glenn's Microgravity Science Division has experience with approximately 30 glovebox investigations on the Shuttle and the Russian Mir space station. Glenn is developing a dozen investigations to be conducted on the MSG aboard the International Space Station. A SAMS RTS unit will be installed on the MSG. STS-111 also transfered crews. The Expedition 4 crew, including Cleveland native Carl Walz, returned while the Expedition 5 crew moved into their new home. |
 Researcher looks at sample in the MSG in an Earth laboratory |
| STS-112: Station Gets 'Cool' Backbone | |
| The Space Shuttle Atlantis began its journey to the International Space Station on October 7, 2002. The STS-112 mission set the stage for the outward expansion of the International Space Station with the delivery of the first starboard truss segment, the S1 Truss. It was attached to the Central truss segment, the S0 Truss. It includes a radiator that is part of the station's central thermal control (cooling) system. The S1 truss also contains dc/dc Converter Units (DDCUs) to provide grounding and voltage regulation and another set of Remote Power Control Modules (RPCM's). Engineers at Glenn designed these electrical power system components and are still active in the management of the hardware. |  "S1" Truss Segment Installed on the ISS |
| The ISS radiator system maintains the temperatures of systems and components. Unlike the "radiator" of a car which actually relies on forced convection, a space radiator truly radiates excess heat to the cold blackness of space from its large surface area. Similar to a car's radiator, a working fluid (ammonia is used on the ISS) absorbs the heat through a distributed plumbing systems and "dumps" it into the radiator's panels. The radiator panels are folded to reduce the size during launch. They were extended after the S1 truss was fully mated to the station. Testing of the radiator was performed by the Glenn Research Center at the Space Power Facility located at its Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio. This facility is the world's largest space environment simulation chamber (100 ft in diameter by 122 ft in height) and is used to ground-test large space-bound hardware. Additional cooling radiators were delivered but will remain stowed until flight 12A.1. Atlantis landed back at KSC at on October 18, 2002. | 
Raditor testing in the Space Power Facility |
| STS-113: Endeavour's 'Portentous' Mission | |
| The Space Shuttle Endeavour began its journey to the International Space Station on November 23, 2002. In addition to exchanging the Expedition 5 and 6 crews, the STS-113 mission continued the outward expansion of the International Space Station with the delivery of the first port-side truss segment, the P1 Truss. It was attached to the Central truss segment, the S0 Truss. It includes a radiator that is part of the station's central thermal control (cooling) system. The P1 truss also contains dc/dc Converter Units (DDCUs) to provide grounding and voltage regulation and another set of Remote Power Control Modules (RPCM's). Engineers at Glenn designed these electrical power system components and are still active in the management of the hardware. The STS-113 and Expedition 5 crews landed safely at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, December 7. |  "P1" Truss Segment Installed on the ISS |
| Glenn's Microgravity Research activities were also expanded during Expedition 6. Investigations began using the Glenn-developed hardware for InSPACE (Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates of Colloidal Emulsions) that was delivered during the STS-111 mission in June 2002. Another Glenn experiment that was delivered during STS-113 is the Coarsening of Solid-Liquid Mixtures 2 (CSLM-2). The materials science space flight experiment, whose purpose is to investigate the kinetics of competitive particle growth within a liquid matrix, were delayed until subsequent expeditions. Both experiments were designed to be conducted in the Microgravity Science Glovebox in the Destiny Laboratory. | 
CSLM-2, consisting of an Electronics Control Unit (center) and a Sample Processing Unit (white cylinder at left), is designed to fit inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox work volume. The glove ports, visible along the bottom of the photo, give the crew access to the controls. |
| Science Continues Aboard Station | |
| During the investigation of the Space Shuttle Columbia accident and preparations for the shuttle's return to flight, the crews of the International Spact Station have continued to conduct science investigations. The Microgravity Science Glovebox, or MSG, serves as the host for several experiments from Glenn. The Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions, or InSPACE, experiment was the first to be conducted in the repaired MSG during Expedition 6. Managed by Glenn, InSPACE has studied how particles respond to a pulsed magnetic field in a microgravity environment. The remaining baseline test runs were completed during Expedition 7. The experiment will remain in a reserve status for the Expedition 8 crew to run more tests if time allows. Another Glenn experiment, Coarsening of Solid-Liquid Mixtures 2 (CSLM-2), completed successful on-orbit engineering verification operations during Expedition 7 and is await the delivery of new samples after the shuttle fleet returns to flight. |  Lighter tin particles float on the solid-liquid mixture in normal earth gravity (left), while the low gravity environment of space (right) eliminates effects such as buoyancy, allowing for better understanding of particle growth and size distribution. |
| The Binary Colloidal Alloy Test-3 (BCAT-3) was delivered via a Russian Progress in January 2004. Operations began in March with experiments conducted by astronaut Michael Foale, Expedition 8 commander and NASA ISS science officer. Colloids are systems of fine particles suspended in a fluid. They are found in a vast variety of natural, biological and industrial systems and processes. Aerosols, foams, paints, cosmetics, milk, and biological cells are examples of colloidal suspensions. While new applications and understanding grow, several important developments remain masked by the affects of gravity. Colloids are also technologically interesting because they are the right size to manipulate light. More useful photonic crystals can be built from two different types of building blocks mixed together, yielding a binary alloy. Astronauts homogenize the samples before attaching the Slow Growth Sample Module to the Maintenance Work Area (MWA) table set up in the Destiny laboratory of the ISS. They take photographs to document crystal formation or phase separation in the colloidal samples over several months. Experiments continued in Expedition 9 with Mike Fincke and are scheduled to continue with astronaut Leroy Chaio during Expedition 10 in October, 2004. |  Data image showing phase separation into two components, a colloid rich phase (blue) and a colloid poor phase (black).  Astronaut Michael Foale photographs sample for the BCAT-3 experiment. |
| The Space Acceleration Measurement System-II (SAMS-II) and the Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System (MAMS) continue to measure accelerations caused by a variety of disturbances. The data is transmitted from the Station to Glenn's Telescience Support Center and is available to researchers during the mission via the World Wide Web. The Materials International Space Station Experiments (MISSE) Project, a collection of space exposure materials experiments, includes the Glenn experiment named PEACE (Polymer Erosion And Contamination Experiment) Polymers. Its 41 samples are being exposed to atomic oxygen and solar radiation (ultraviolet and x-ray radiation) for a year and then returned to the project team for analysis. The Glenn-designed electrical power system continues to power the station and light the way to new scientific discoveries. | |