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N A S A E d u c a t io n a l B r ie f sAn Educat ionalor thePublicationof thelassroomNational Aeronaut icsand Space Adminis trat ion

cfC^FC, a^'^1TYShuttle 's Fourth Te st Fl igh t

The Space Shuttle has now become an oper-ational space launch system. On July 4, 1982, theShuttle Orbiter Columbia returned from its fourthtest flight in space and landed at the NASA DrydenFlight Research Facility at Edwards, California.Riding Columbia for 169 hours and 112 orbits of theEarth were Thomas K. (Ken) M attingly and Henry W .Hartsfield. Mattingly, the commander of STS -4, is anexperienced astronaut, having been the commandmodule pilot of Apollo 16. Hartsfield, STS-4 pilot,has been a NASA astronaut for a number of yearsbut this was his first spaceflight.When Columbia and its crew began its on-timeflight on June 27, 1982 its principal objectives wereto continue the step-by-step evaluation of the SpaceShuttle's air worthiness and the compatibility ofShuttle components with each other and groundsupport facilities. The nearly perfect launch wasonly marred by the loss of the two solid rocketboosters. The parachute systems on both boostersfailed and both sank in the Atlantic ocean afterjarring impacts with the water.In orbit, more tests were conducted on the ther-mal characteristics of the Orbiter. These tests con-tinued the thermal testing program of STS-3 a fewmonths before. Evaluation of the Orbiter's researchenvironment was also continued from earlier mis-sions. The Orbiter's remote manipulator system arm(RMS) was successfully tested again with deploy-ment of a more massive payload than was "waved"above the cargo bay on STS-3. A Department ofDefense payload and many new science wy wlmentswere carried on board Columbia, including two highschool student experiments and nine college studentexperiments. Several other science experimentswere carried that had also flown on earlier missions.On reentry and landing, mire aerodynamic tests ofthe Orbiter's flight characteristics were conductedincluding landing on a concrete runway.

Induced Environment Contaminat ionMonitorCarried twice before into space by Columbia, the

Induced Environment Contamination Monitor exp^ri-ment (IECM) continued the study of the environ-mental characteristics of the Shuttle cargo bay andnear space. On tilis mission, the IECM took theform of a 363 kilogram, deck-sized package. Duringtesting, it was lifted out of the cargo bay by theremote manipulator arm "waved" about variouslocations of the Orbiter. During this maneuver, theIECM measured pressure waves produced by firingreaction c-.ritrol rockets in the Orbiter's nose. Testsperformed by the IECM include gas and particulatesampling, aumidity measurement, and investigatingthe opt-cal effects of contamination. Informationgained ay the eleven instruments on the IECM willhelp determine what environmental hazards existfor future delicate scientific instruments and developbaseline environmental parameters of the Shuttlefor future research.

EB 82-5 NASA-EB-82-5)NASA EDUCATIONAL BRIEFS FOR83-13145THE CLASSiit00ft. SHUTTLE'S FOURTH TEST FLIGHT(National Aeronautics and Space

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M o n o d is p e r s e L a t e x R e a c t o rOn the th i rd f l igh t o f Co lumb ia , the p roduc t ion o fm ono d i spe rse ( i den t i ca l s ize ) po l ys ty rene l a texm icrospheres w as s tud ied in the w e igh t less cond i -t io n o f Ea r th o rb i t. La te x sp h e re s h a v e i mp o r ta n tm ed i ca l app l i ca ti ons In m easu r i ng po re s i zes i nt he hum an eye i n g lauc om a r esea r c h and as c a r-

He rs for drugs and isotopes in t reatment o f cance r-ous tumors. Th is exper imen t was one of two m ater ia lprocessing stud ies carr ied on S TS -4.T o m a k e m o n o d i sp e r s e la t e x sp h e r e s , a latexm ix ture wa s heated in order to in it ia te a chem ica lreact ion tha t beg ins . t ie sphe re fo rma t ion. To assistin the grow th , spheres grow n on the ear l ie r missionwere used a s seeds.T h e o b je c t o f th e e x p e r im e n t w a s t o l e a r n ifs p h e r e s l a rg e r t h a n t w e n t y m ic r o n s i n d i a m e t e rcou ld be g row n in we igh t lessness . Sp heres g rownon Ear th reach a m ax imum s ize o f abou t th ree m i -c rons . On S TS -3 they g rew to a max imum o f abou tf ive m ic rons. Du r ing the ST S-4 expe r ime n t , sphe resgrew u p to 10 m ic rons in s ize .P lans a re unde rway to use the ST S-4 sphe res asseeds fo r fu ture Shut t le f ligh t exper iments on m ono-d isperse la tex sphere grow th.Night t ime/Dayt ime Opt ica l Surveyo f L i g h t n i n g

Du e to system p r ob lems on t he sec ond f li gh t o fCo lum bia, that shorten ed the m iss ion, the f i rst ver-s ion ' o f N igh t time /Da y time Op t ica l S urvey o f L igh t -n ing expe r imen t had insuf fic ien t ope ra t ion t ime inspace to obta in m eaningfu l resul ts . Th e survey hadh o p e d t o o b t a in a s p a c e - e y e v i e w o f li g h t n in gf lashes in orde r to ga in som e ins ight in to the e volu-t ion of l ightn ing in s torms.O n t he f ou r t h Sh u t t le f l igh t t he l i gh t n i ng s t udywas conducted aga in . Us ing a 16 mm da ta acqu is i-t ion cam era synchron ized wi th a two-chan ne l stereocasset te recorder , ast ronaut M at t ing ly and Hartsf ie ldwe re ab l e t o reco rd l igh t n i ng d i sp l ays . Becauseof Co lum bia 's a l ti tude above Ear th , severe s torm sw e re v i s ib l e o n n e a r l y e ve ry o rb i t. T o h e lp t h ec rew p repa re fo r mon i to r ing s to rms, wea the r wa tch -e r s a t t h e N A S A M a r s h a l l S p a c e F l ig h t C e n t e rIdent i fied poten t ia l severe s torm zon es und er thep a t h o f t h e O r b it e r a n d a l e r te d t h e c r e w t o b eready . Dur ing day t ime passes, c rewm embe rs iden-t if ied s t o rm s by obse rv i ng cum u l on i m bus c l oudbu i ld u ps an d d u r i ng n i gh t t im e p asses i den t if ieds torms by w atch ing fo r the v is ib le f lashes o f l igh t -n i n g .Sp ecia l emp hasis in th is invest iga t ion w as p lacedu p o n o b se rv in g l ig h tn in g a t n i g h t . A d i f fra c t i o ng r a t in g w a s p l a c e d o v e r t h e c a m e r a ' s le n s a n dspec t rographs o f l igh tn ing s t rokes were recorded.From the spect rographs, researchers are now calcu-

l a ti n g te m p e ra tu re , p re ssu re , m o l e cu la r sp e c i e s,e lec t ron de ns i ty , and p ercen t o f ion iza t ion In thel ightn ing 's p ath.C o n t in u o u s F l o w E c t ro p h o r s s i s

N i ckn a me d "Eo s" (Gre e k g o d o f t h e d a w n ) , t h eCo nt inuous Flow Elect ropho resis System is the f i rs tuse o f the S pace S hu t tle by a comm erc ia l concern .Th e exper im ent is the in i tia l engineer ing test that isp a r t o f a s ix -f ligh t exper ime nt schedu led o ver thenext two yea rs. In the test , s ix pro te in sam ples we resu b je c te d t o a n e l ec t r ic cu r ren t to sepa ra t e ou tdesired com pone nts. O n Earth, grav i ta t ional a t trac-t ion l im i ts the e lec t rophores is process and causesconvec t ion curren ts resul t ing in incom plete separa-t ion . F u r the rm ore , to m ake t he p roce ss work onEar th , on ly 0 .25 pe rcen t o f the samp le to be sepa-ra ted can be b io log ica l mate r ia l and the rem a inderm ust be a carr ier f lu id . In space, the b io log ica l por-t ion o f t he sam p le c an be i nc r eased t o 20 pe r c en tor m ore , p roduc ing po ten t ia l y ie lds 80 to 100 t imesgrea te r than on Ea r th .Th e Eo s e xp e r im e n t is p a r t o f a jo in t endeavorbetween NASA and the McD onnel l Dou glas Corpora-t ion . Co l labora t ing w i th M cD onn e l l D oug las Is theOrtho Pha rmaceut ica l Division of Johnson and Joh n-son . Unde r the ag reem en t , NASA and p r iva te en te r -p r i se wo rk t o g e th e r a s p a r t n e rs to p ro m o te t h eut i l izat ion of space. From the agreement NASA gainsexper ience in separa t ion sc iences and M cDo nne l lDo ug las and Johnson a nd Joh nson w i l l ga in f roma n y co m m e rc ia l a p p l i ca t io n s re su l t in g f ro m th ee x p e r i m e n t s .F i rs t Getaway S pec ia l Pay load

Getaw ay Sp ec ia ls are sma l l se l f- conta ined pay-loads tha t a re pa cked in to t rash can-s ized can istersand inser ted in to t ; .s cargo b ay o f the O rb i te r . Thec a n i s te r s m a k e e f f ic i e n t u s e o f w h a t w o u l d b ewasted space between tho much larger pay loads theShu t tle has to carry. Getaway S pecia ls are ava i lab le' o anyone in te res ted .n conduct ing space researchon a f i rs t come , f irs t served ba s is. Throug h a canis-te r ren ta l ag reemen t , exper ime nte rs can o rb i t pay -loads o f up to 91 k i logram s for a cos t o f $10,000 .S m a l le r p a y lo a d s ca n b e o rb i t e d f o r a s l it tl e a s$3000. Th e fee for a Getaway S pec ia l Is far less thanthe m i l lions of do l lars norm al ly charg ed for orb i t ingexper ime nts. The only cr i ter ia for the exper imen t istha t I t must be sc ien t if ic o r tech no log ic i n na tu re ,se l f- conta ined, p resent no safe ty prob lems for theOrb i te r, and b e op e rab le w i thou t c rew tend ing .On ST S-4 , t he f irs t Ge taway S pec ia l pay load waso rb i ted in C o lumb ia 's ca rgo bay. The pay load can is -t e r was ren t ed by G i lbe r t M oore an d don a t ed t oUtah S ta te Un iversi ty where i t becam e the focu i o fa research and t ra in ing program for un ivers ity s tu-

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dents. In the 0.14 cubic meter volume of the can-ister, Utah students packed nine experiments, adata and control cemar, and power supply. Duringflight, the crew reported that they were unable toactiviate the experiments. The problem was diag-nosed to be a broken wire in the command circuit.Using a "hot wiring" technique, the package wasfinally activated.D r o s o p h i ll a M e l a n o g a s t e r ( F r u i t F l y )G r o w t h E x p e r im e n t

This experiment is designed to provide a meansof raising and separating succeeding generations offruit flies, Drosophilia Melanogaster, in orbit to studythe effects of microgravity on their genetic structure.A r t e m is ( B r in e S h r im p ) G r o w t h E x p e r im e n t

The brine Shrimp Artemia was flown to deter-mine the genetic effects of microgravity on cystshatched in space. Cysts were injected into a salinesolution upon experiment activation. The growingshrimp, called nauplii, were observed during theremainder of the flight with a 35mm motor-drivencamera.S u r f a c e T e n s i o n E x p e r im e n t

The goal of this experiment is to study the shapeof liquid meniscus in a weightless environment. Analuminum block contained several holes filled withsolder. Upon entering weightlessness, the block washeated, allowing the solder to flow and assume ameniscus shape. The block was allowed to cool,"freezing" the meniuscus when the solder solidified.C o m p o s i t e C u r in g E x p e r im e n t

This experiment completed the cure of a B-staged(partially cured) epoxy resin-graphite compositesample in microgravity. The composite sample washeated to 163 degrees C and maintained at that tem-perature for one-half hour to allow the resin to gel.T h e r m a l C o n d u c t iv i t y E x p e r im e n t

The goal of the experiment was to carry oil andwater into orbit and mix the two, then heat the mix-ture with a platinum wire. Temperatures of theheater wire, the mixture, and the air around thecylinder were monitored. Ultimately, the thermalconductivity of the mixture will be calculated fromthese data.M i c r e g r a v i t y S o l d e r IP 2 E x p e r im e n t

The Microgravity Soldering Experiment studiedthe separation of flux from solder while soldering inweightlessness. The experiment melted samples ofresin core and coreless solder on four heated cop-per foils.

R o o t G r o w t h o f L e m n a M M o r 4(Du ckweed ) in Micrograv i tyUsing the 35mm camera shared with an experi-ment described earlier, this experiment p h o t o -graphed the root growth patterns of Lemna Minor

L. (duckweed). The investigation centered on thenutrient transport role played by sieve tubes in theplants' roots. The plants were injected with a fixingagent before experiment deactivation.H o m o g e n e o u s A l l o y E x p e r im e n t

An aluminum chamber containing a powderedbismuth-tin mixture was heated, passing the meltingpoints of the chemicals and allowing alloying to takeplace. The chamber was cooled down and the alloyreturned for Earth-based analysis.A l g a l M i c r o g r a v i t y B i o a s s a y E x p e r im e n t

The goal of the experiment was to monitor thegrowth rate of Chlorella vulgaris, a unicellular greenalgae, in microgravity. Upon experiment activation,a freeze-dried sample of algae was injected intothe media-filled growth chamber. Over the durationof the experiment the culture optical density andtem , 3erature were measured. Near the end of thisexperiment, a fixative was injected into the chamberpreserving the cells for post-flight analysis.H ig h S c h o o l S t u d e n t E x p e r im e n t s

Two of the medical experiments conducted onthis flight of Columbia were proposed by high schoolstudents. As winners in the first annual Shuttle Stu-dent Involvement Project, (SSIP) Amy Kusske ofWilson High School, Long Beach, Cal. and KarlaHauersperger of East Mecklenburg High School,Charlotte, N.%-O. nombined experimental test proce-dures to study the iuman body's response to weight-lessness.

To get their experiments on board the Shuttle,both students entered the nationwide SSIP contestand had their proposals critically examined byscientists and educators along with hundreds ofother proposals. Experiments were checked forscientific validity and interest, safety, and feasibility.Kusske and Hauersperger were two of ten finalistsfrom the first competition. Another of the finalists,Todd Nelson, flew his experiment on Columbia'sthird flight in March of 1982.

Kusske's experiment is titled "The Effects of Diet,Exercise, and Zero Gravity on Lipoprotein Profiles."Lipoprotein, found in the blood, can be used to pre-dict the likelihood of someone contracting athero-sclerosis and coronary disease. (Atherosclerosis isa common form of arteriosclerosis.) To make pre-dictions, the relative concentrations of high density

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5and low density lipoproteins were compared. Exer-cise increases the ratio between the two types oflipoproteins and decreases the risk factor for con-tracting either disease.

During the flight, Columbia's crew kept diet andexercise logs. Blood samples of each crewmemberwere taken during regular physical examinationsseven and two days before the flight and upontouchdown. Copies of the logs and results of theblood samples are being studied by Kusske.

Hauersperger's Experiment, "The Effects of SpaceTravel on Level of Trivalent Chronium in the Body"also required the daily diet logs of the crewmembersand the results of the blood samples.Her experiment is looking at any alterations thatoccurred in chromium metabolism during the flight.Serum levels of insulin are known to change slightlyduring space flight and insulin helps control bodyuse of carbhydrates. Chromium is a cofactor (sub-stance which must be present in low quantities foran enzyme to work) for insulin.To assist the two students in their experiments,corporate sponsors and NASA scientists were se-lected to serve as advisors.Facts and FiguresSpacecraft: Columbia (Orbiter 102)Crew: Thomas K. Mattingly (commander)

Henry W. Hartsfield (pilot)Launch site: Launch Complex 39A, NASA Kennedy

Space Center, FloridaLaunch Date: June 27, 1982, 10:59:59 AM Eastern

Daylight TimeVehicle mass at launch: 2,033,440 kgPayload mass ( excluding DOD payload): 5440 kgSolid Rocket Booster separation: 00:02:11 Mission

Elapsed Time(MET)Splashdown location: 78'W, 28.4 1 NMain engine cutoff: 00:08:33 METExternal Tank separation: 00:08:50 METOrbital Maneuvering System Engines burn data:

Orbital velocity: 7,720 m/sec (near end of mission)Orbiter Inclination: 28.50Orbital period: 90.5 minutes (approximate)Number of orbits: 112, landed on 113Distance traveled in orbits: 4,701,070 km (approxi-mate)Deorbit retrofire: 168:10:00 METTouchdown time: 169:09:31 MET

9:09:31 AM Pacific Daylight Time,July 4, 1982Landing velocity: 343 kmLanding rollout: 2945 mMass of Orbiter on landing: 94,930 kgAct iv it ies and Dicusslon for the C lassroom1. Research the electrolysis process for chemicalseparation. If possible, set up an electrolysis

demonstration for the classroom. Informationabout setting up a demonstration can be obtainedin chemistry sourcebooks.

2. Why is it important to understand the Shuttle'sinduced environment in space?3. What are some of the problems and concerns inspace research on living things?4. Now that the Space Shuttle has become anoperational space launch system, discuss whatuses the Shuttle might be put to over the nexttwo decades.5. High School teachers interested in involvingtheir students in future Student Shuttle Involve-ment Project competitions should write thefollowing address:

Shuttle Student Involvement ProjectNational Science Teachers Association1742 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.Washington, DC 20009

Editor's Note: This is the last Educational Brief thatwill be devoted to regular flights of the SpaceShuttle. Future Shuttle related Briefs in the serieswill concentrate on specific Shuttle payloads andm i ss i ons .

OMS-1: 88 seconds (duration)46.9 m/sec (velocity change)63 x 241 km (resulting orbit) 2 1 3 1 q jslOMS-2: 105 seconds53.3 m/sec D E C 1 9 8 2Cc. .241m .::, cularOMS-3: 32 seconds L01 6 m / s e c RECE' _'F n,>N A S A V I F ; ' "298 x 241 km V tMS-4: 32 seconds \.:16 m/sec298 km circularOMS-5: 17 seconds4.6 m/sec315 x 298 km 6 09OWSR"M PMNTINO 0MC2 982 - 361-570 - 614/3156