STS-59 IN-CABIN PAYLOADS

CONTENTS

IN-CABIN PAYLOADS

Visual Function Tester-4 (VFT-4)                
Space Tissue Loss (STL)                         
Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment-II (SAREX-II)  

OTHER PAYLOADS AND ACTIVITIES
Toughened Uni-Piece Fibrous Insulation (TUFI)

VISUAL FUNCTION TESTER-4

     The Visual Function Tester-4 (VFT-4) is designed to measure near and far
points of clear vision as well as the ability to change focus within the range
of clear vision.  VFT-4 will provide data to evaluate on orbit refractive and
accommodative changes in vision over a period of several days.

     The VFT-4 payload consists of the experiment unit, a cable connecting
VFT-4 to a computer serial port, 2 self- booting floppy disks containing a
software program and serving as a data storage medium, a payload and general
support computer with power and data cables and a standard 28-volt power cable.

     Prelaunch, three sessions are required with crew as test subjects.  The
sessions occur at L-14 days, L-7 days and as close to launch as possible.  On
orbit, VFT-4 is unstowed by the crew for test sessions lasting up to 30 minutes
each.  The first test session is early in the payload operation period.
Subsequent tests are separated by 24 hours.  Preferably, these tests are
conducted soon after post-sleep.  The VFT-4 hardware will be restowed between
sessions.  Crew members who participate in VFT-4 sessions on orbit will be
retested post-flight.

     VFT-4 is operated by NASA and the U. S. Air Force Space and Missile
Systems Center.

SPACE TISSUE LOSS-4/NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH-1

     STS-59 will fly the first cooperative initiative with the National
Institutes of Health (NIH), sponsored by NASA's Office of Life and Microgravity
Sciences and Applications Small Payloads Program. The joint initiative in cell
biology will use a special cell culture system developed by the Walter Reed
Army Institute of Research, Washington, D.C. The system, known as Space Tissue
Loss-4 (STL-4), is fully automated and provides fluid replenishment,
oxygen/carbon dioxide and temperature controls to provide for cell growth in
microgravity.  The cells will be analyzed post-flight.  The experiments on this
first NIH/NASA cooperative flight will examine the effects of microgravity on
muscle and bone cells.  Preliminary flight tests using this cell culture system
have indicated there may be effects in the rate in which new muscle and bone
cells are formed in microgravity.  This research will help understand what is
happening on the cellular level to astronauts who suffer from bone loss and
muscle deterioration in spaceflight.  This research also should contribute to
understanding of the mechanisms involved in bone loss and muscle atrophy on
Earth. The STL-4 experiments are being managed by the Ames Research Center,
Mountain View, Calif.

Space Tissue Loss - 5

     An advanced cell culture device known as STL-5 will be flown on STS-59.
This is the first flight test of this hardware developed by the Walter Reed
Army Institute of Research, Washington, D.C. This new system includes a video-
microscope that will allow scientists on the ground to see real-time video
images of their experiments in space.  The instrument is designed to be
controlled by either astronauts in space or individuals on the ground.  This
telescience from the middeck opens up the possibility for scientists to monitor
and control their space experiments from the ground.  The objective of this
flight is to test the operation of the equipment in microgravity.  Fish eggs
will be used to test the imaging capability of the system.

Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX)

     Students in the United States, Finland and Australia will have a chance to
speak via amateur radio with astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour
during STS-59. Ground- based amateur radio operators ("hams") will be able to
contact the Shuttle through automated computer-to-computer amateur (packet)
radio links.  There also will be voice contacts with the general ham community
as time permits.

     Shuttle mission specialists Linda Godwin (call sign N5RAX) and Jay Apt
(N5QWL) will talk with students in 9 schools in the United States, Finland and
Australia using "ham radio."

     Students in the following schools will have the opportunity to talk
directly with orbiting astronauts for approximately 4 to 8 minutes:

            * Ealy Elementary School, West Bloomfield, Mich. (W8JXU)

            * Kanawha Elementary School, Davisville, W.V. (KD8YY)

            * Alcatel Amateur Radio Associates and Circle Ten Council, BSA,
		Richardson, Texas (K2BSA/5)

            * Anthony Elementary School, Anthony, Kan. (KB0HH)

            * St. Bernard High School, Playa Del Rey, Calif. (AB6UI)

            * Country Club School, San Ramon, Calif. (KE6YD)

            * Deep Creek Middle School, Baltimore, Md. (WA3Z)

            * Paltamo Senior High School, Paltamo, Finland (OH8AK)

            * Ogilvie School, Western Australia (VK6IU)

     The radio contacts are part of the SAREX (Shuttle Amateur Radio
Experiment) project, a joint effort by NASA, the American Radio Relay League
(ARRL), and the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT).

     The project, which has flown on 12 previous Shuttle missions, is designed
to encourage public participation in the space program and support the conduct
of educational initiatives through a program to demonstrate the effectiveness
of communications between the Shuttle and low- cost ground stations using
amateur radio voice and digital techniques.

     Information about orbital elements, contact times, frequencies and crew
operating schedules will be available during the mission from NASA, ARRL (Steve
Mansfield, 203/666- 1541) and AMSAT (Frank Bauer, 301/ 286-8496).  AMSAT will
provide information bulletins for interested parties on INTERNET and amateur
packet radio.

     The ham radio club at the Johnson Space Center, (W5RRR), will be operating
on amateur short wave frequencies, and the ARRL station (W1AW) will include
SAREX information in its regular voice and teletype bulletins.

     There will be a SAREX information desk during the mission in the Johnson
Space Center newsroom.  Mission information will be available on the computer
bulletin board (BBS).  To reach the bulletin board, use JSC BBS (8 N 1 1200
baud): dial 713-483-2500, then type 62511.

     The amateur radio station at the Goddard Space Flight Center, (WA3NAN),
will operate around the clock during the mission, providing SAREX information
and retransmitting live Shuttle air-to-ground audio.

STS-59 SAREX Frequencies

     Routine SAREX transmissions from the Space Shuttle may be monitored on a
worldwide downlink frequency of 145.55 MHz.

     The voice uplink frequencies are (except Europe):

144.91 MHz
144.93
144.95
144.97
144.99

     The voice uplink frequencies for Europe only are:

144.70
144.75
144.80

     Note: The astronauts will not favor any one of the above frequencies.
Therefore, the ability to talk with an astronaut depends on selecting one of
the above frequencies chosen by the astronaut.

     The worldwide amateur packet frequencies are:

Packet downlink         145.55 MHz
Packet uplink           144.49 MHz

     The Goddard Space Flight Center amateur radio club planned HF operating
frequencies:

3.860 MHz                            
7.185 MHz
14.295                                   
21.395 
28.650

TOUGHENED UNI-PIECE FIBROUS INSULATION

     NASA will test an improved thermal protection tile on the STS-59 mission.
Known as Toughened Uni-Piece Fibrous Insulation (TUFI), the new tile material
is an advanced version of the material that protects the Space Shuttles from
the intense heat that builds up as they re-enter Earth's atmosphere.  The tiles
were processed by Rockwell International, Downey, Calif., which built and
maintains the orbiters.  TUFI was developed at NASA's Ames Research Center,
Mountain View, Calif.

     During preparations for this mission, Rockwell technicians at Kennedy
Space Center placed several TUFI tiles on Endeavour's base heat shield, between
the three main engines.  At the end of the mission, NASA and Rockwell
technicians will examine the tiles and compare the damage with that seen on
previous missions using the originally designed tile material.

     The current tiles are a rigid glass fiber composite with a thin, fully
dense glass coating that sits on top.  When it gets hit with a rock or other
debris, the coating cracks or chips.  This requires either patching or
replacement, depending on the extent of damage.

     Because TUFI permeates the pores nearer the surface of the insulation
material, providing reinforcement to the composite surface, it is less subject
to impact damage.  The porous surface also stops cracks from spreading, which
limits damage to the tile.  Because there is less damage, repair is easier and
faster, and fewer tiles should need replacement.  This should result in lower
repair costs.

     TUFI has been certified for six Shuttle flights, on all four orbiters.  If
the tests are successful, TUFI may be used to replace tiles in specific,
limited areas of the orbiter susceptible to significant impact damage.  These
might include the base heat shield between the engines, near the landing gear
doors and near the thrusters used for orbital maneuvering.
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  Via FTL BBS (404-292-8761) and NASA Spacelink (205-895-0028)
