March 4, 1997

Debra Rahn
Headquarters, Washington, DC
(Phone: 202/358-1639)

Linda Copley
Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX
(Phone: 281/483-5111)

Release: N97-13

NOTE TO EDITORS:

Press Conference Planned March 5 With Advanced Life Support Team Nearing End of Two-Month Stay in Test Chamber

A four-person team that has spent almost two months in a special air-tight chamber at the Johnson Space Center (JSC), Houston, TX, to test recyclable life support systems similiar to those planned for the International Space Station will be available to media during a press conference at 10 a.m. CST Wednesday, March 5.

The four-person team will remain in the chamber until the test concludes on March 14 and will participate in the press conference via closed-circuit television. The press conference will be televised live on NASA TV and media questions will be taken from participating NASA centers.

The team is participating in the Phase IIA -- International Space Station Life Support Test to gather real-time data to demonstrate confidence in the life support systems planned for the Space Station. The test series seeks to develop physicochemical and biological methods to recycle air and water for future spacecraft. The volunteer crew entered the three-story, 20-foot diameter chamber on Jan. 13. The test seeks to have the crew recycle and reuse all air and water, including urine, with processes similiar to those that will be used aboard the International Space Station.

The test crew members are Crew Leader Terry Tri (35, JSC Project Manager); Karen Meyers (33, Lockheed Martin Project Engineer); Fred Smith (31, JSC Systems Engineer); and Dave Staat (26, Lockheed Martin Facilities Project Engineer).

An Internet home page with additional information about the test, including daily updates, can be found at URL:

http://pet.jsc.nasa.gov/chamber_test/

text-only version of this release