PRESS RELEASE 96-04

Press Release 96-04 

Lori J. Rachul
NASA Lewis Research Center
(216/433-8806)



<em u="u">NASA LEWIS RESEARCH CENTER MICROGRAVITY EXPERIMENTS ARE 
PRIME CUSTOMER OF STS-75 SHUTTLE MISSION</em>



CLEVELAND, OH -- When the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-75) is launched 
on February 22, 1996, the Lewis Research Center will be its prime 
customer.

<dl> <dt>For STS-75, Lewis is providing and managing:</dt> <dd> 

two of the four major microgravity science experiments;

all three of the microgravity combustion experiments; and

two acceleration measurement devices to characterize the microgravity 
environment during flight.

</dd> </dl> 

The Lewis experiments are part of the third United States Microgravity 
Payload (USMP-3), which is one of a series of space shuttle missions 
designed to conduct a microgravity research program that will improve 
our understanding of materials science and condensed matter physics.



Nestled in Columbia's payload bay and in a glovebox on the orbiter's 
middeck, Lewis' microgravity experiments will provide a better 
understanding of materials science and fluid physics in a reduced 
gravity environment. With a greater understanding of what happens 
when metals, alloys and electronic materials are melted and then 
solidified in a reduced gravity environment, the future of 
manufacturing technology could be enhanced and is therefore of 
interest to metal and electronic component producing companies.



During the STS-75 mission, the USMP-3 experiments will operate 
primarily by remote control from the new Telescience Support Center 
at the Lewis Research Center, the Marshall Space Flight Center in 
Alabama, or the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.



"The Lewis experiments on this mission build upon our previous success 
on recent shuttle flights. We're especially excited to conduct 
experiments on the shuttle directly from Lewis' Telescience Support 
Center. Telescience will allow researchers to locally operate the 
experiments as if they were in orbit. This is a significant step in 
preparing for the space station era, where scientists will be located 
in their labs here on Earth while their experiments are conducted in 
space," said Sue Motil, spokesperson for the Space Experiments 
Division.



Lewis experiments flying as part of the USMP-3 mission are:

<dl> <dd>The Critical Fluid Light Scattering Experiment, nicknamed 
Zeno in honor of the Greek philosopher who first pondered the paradox 
of infinity, will measure fluctuations in the density of xenon at a 
condition when it is simultaneously a gas and a liquid--its "critical 
point." Understanding how matter behaves at the critical point may 
provide insight into a variety of physics problems ranging from phase 
changes in fluids to changes in the composition and magnetic 
properties of solids. Project Manager Dr. Richard Lauver resides in 
Rocky River. Project Scientist Dr. R. Allen Wilkinson resides in 
Cleveland Heights. 

The Isothermal Dendritic Growth Experiment (IDGE) will test 
fundamental assumptions concerning dendritic solidification of molten 
materials. Dendrites are tiny branching structures that form inside 
molten metal alloys when they solidify during manufacturing. The 
size, shape and orientation of the dendrites determine the strength 
and durability of steel, aluminum and superalloys used in 
manufacturing automobiles and airplanes. Project Manager Diane 
Malarik resides in Independence. Project Scientist Edward Winsa 
resides in Parma.



The Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) will measure the very 
slight acceleration forces on the shuttle orbiter as it drifts in 
space. These forces are typically one one-thousandth of the 
gravitational force on Earth. SAMS will measure, record and downlink 
disturbances caused by crew activity, equipment operation and 
thruster firings. By measuring and analyzing microgravity 
disturbances, scientists hope to determine how these disturbances 
influence experiment results. Project Manager Ronald Sicker resides 
in Huron. Project Scientist Richard DeLombard resides in Avon Lake.



Working in conjunction with SAMS, the Orbiter Acceleration Research 
Experiment (OARE) will record small accelerations caused by 
atmospheric drag on the orbiter, residual gravity gradient forces and 
other frequency disturbances. Project Manager Bill Wagar resides in 
Medina. The Project Scientist is Richard DeLombard.



The Forced-Flow Flamespreading Test (FFFT) will identify the effect of 
low-speed flows and bulk fuel temperature on the flammability, 
ignition, flame growth and flame spreading behavior of solid fuels in 
a microgravity environment. Glovebox Investigator Kurt Sacksteder 
resides in North Royalton. Co-Investigator Paul Greenburg resides in 
Cleveland Heights. Co-Investigator Dr. Paul Ferkul resides in 
Fairview Park.



The Radiative Ignition and Transition to Spread Investigation (RITSI) 
will conduct an experimental study of the radiative ignition and 
subsequent transition to flame spread in low gravity in the presence 
of very low-speed air flows in two-dimensional and three-dimensional 
configurations. Glovebox Co-Investigator Sandra Olson resides in 
Westlake.



The Comparative Soot Diagnostics (CSD) experiment will examine 
particulate formation from a variety of particulate sources and to 
quantify the performance of several diagnostic techniques. Glovebox 
Investigator Dr. David Urban resides in Shaker Heights. 
Co-Investigator Dr. DeVon Griffin resides in Granger Township.

</dd> </dl> # # #


96-04

	
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