NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Expedition 14 -- the 14th science research mission on the International Space Station -- is scheduled to begin in September 2006, when the 14th crew launches on board a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to the space station.

Image at right: Computer-generated artist's rendering of the International Space Station following scheduled activities of June 26, 2006
Image credit: NASA

NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria will command the 13S mission, named for the 13th Soyuz to visit the station. Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin will serve as flight engineer. The crew will join European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiterof Germany, who has been living and working at the station since his arrival in July on board the Space Shuttle Discovery, STS-121 mission. The three-person station crew will work with teams on the ground to operate experiments, collect data and maintain the space station. NASA astronaut Sunita Williams will join Expedition 14 in progress and serve as a flight engineer after traveling to the station on space shuttle mission STS-116, scheduled for launch in December 2006.

The current Expedition 13 crew, Jeffrey Williams and Pavel Vinogradov, is scheduled to return home in September on another Soyuz spacecraft -- 12S -- now docked at the station.

During Expedition 14, one Russian Progress cargo flight is scheduled to dock with the space station in October. The re-supply ship will transport scientific equipment and supplies to the station.

Many Expedition 14 research activities will be carried out using scientific facilities and samples already on board the space station, along with new research facilities transported during the STS-121 mission.

The Expedition 14 crew has scheduled about 114 hours for U.S. payload activities. Space station science also will be conducted remotely by the team of controllers and scientists on the ground, who will continue to plan, monitor and operate experiments from control centers across the United States.

A team of controllers for Expedition 14 will staff the Payload Operations Center (PDF, 150 KB) -- the science command post for the space station -- at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Controllers work in three shifts around the clock, seven days a week in the Payload Operations Center, which links researchers around the world with their experiments and the station crew.

Experiments Related to Spacecraft Systems

Many experiments are designed to help develop technologies, designs and materials for future spacecraft and exploration missions. Experiments for Expedition 14 using equipment already on board the station, resources delivered during STS-121 and payloads planned for delivery during a future shuttle mission include:

Elastic Memory Composite Hinge (EMCH) will study the performance of a new type of composite hinge to determine if it is suitable for use in space. The experiment will use elastic memory hinges to move an attached mass at one end. Materials tested in this experiment are stronger and lighter than current material used in space hinges and could be used in the design of future spacecraft. This is planned to be launched to the station in December 2006, on STS-116.

Lab-on-a-Chip Application Development-Portable Test System (LOCAD-PTS) is a handheld device for rapid detection of biological and chemical substances on board the space station. Astronauts will swab surfaces within the cabin, add swab material to the LOCAD-PTS and within 15 minutes, obtain results on a display screen. Its purpose is to effectively provide an early warning system to enable crew members to take remedial measures if necessary to protect the health and safety of those on board the station. This will be launched to the station on STS-116, planned for launch in December 2006.

Materials on the International Space Station Experiment 3 and 4 (MISSE – 3 and 4) are the third and fourth in a series of five suitcase-sized test beds attached to the outside of the space station. The beds were deployed during a spacewalk by the station crew in August 2006. They will expose hundreds of potential space construction materials and different types of solar cells to the harsh environment of space. After being mounted to the space station about a year, the equipment will be returned to Earth for study. Investigators will use the resulting data to design stronger, more durable spacecraft. MISSE 1, 2 and 5 have already been returned to Earth for analysis.

Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System (MAMS) and Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS-II) measure vibration and quasi-steady accelerations that result from vehicle control burns, docking and undocking activities. The two different equipment packages measure vibrations at different frequencies.

Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) are bowling-ball sized spherical satellites. The first SPHERE satellite arrived on the station in April 2006 tucked inside a Russian Progress supply ship. Another arrived on STS-121 in July 2006 and a third will be carried to orbit by a future shuttle mission. They will be used inside the space station to test a set of well-defined instructions for spacecraft to perform autonomous rendezvous and docking maneuvers. Three self-contained free-flying spheres will fly within the cabin of the station, performing flight formations. Each satellite is self-contained with power, propulsion, computers and navigation equipment. The results are important for satellite servicing, vehicle assembly and formation flying spacecraft configurations.

Human Life Science Investigations

Physical measurements of Expedition 14 crew members will be used to study changes in the body caused by exposure to the microgravity environment. Continuing and new experiments include:

Anomalous Long Term Effects in Astronauts' Central Nervous System (ALTEA) integrates several diagnostic technologies to measure the exposure of crew members to cosmic radiation. It will further our understanding of radiation’s impact on the human central nervous and visual systems, and provide an assessment of the radiation environment in the station. This experiment is a cooperative effort with the Italian Space Agency, ASI.

Behavioral Issues Associated with Isolation and Confinement: Review and Analysis of Astronaut Journals, using journals kept by the crew and surveys, studies the effect of isolation to obtain quantitative data on the importance of different behavioral issues in long-duration crews. Results will help NASA design equipment and procedures to allow astronauts to best cope with isolation and long-duration spaceflight.

Space Flight-Induced Reactivation of Latent Epstein-Barr Virus (Epstein-Barr) performs tests to study changes in the human immune function. Using blood and urine samples collected from crew members before and after spaceflight, the study will provide insight for possible countermeasures to prevent the potential development of infectious illness in crew members during flight.

Test of Midodrine as a Countermeasure Against Post-Flight Orthostatic Hypotension (Midodrine) measures the ability of the drug midodrine, as a countermeasure, to reduce the incidence or severity of orthostatic hypotension -- dizziness caused by the blood-pressure decrease that many astronauts experience upon returning to the Earth's gravity.

Nutritional Status Assessment (Nutrition) will help lead to a better understanding of the types of foods and nutrients needed by crew members and whether the menus need to change over time during a long-duration mission. Ensuring the right nutrient balance is critical for crew health and the success of future missions to the moon and Mars.

The Renal Stone experiment tests the effectiveness of potassium citrate in preventing renal stone formation during long-duration spaceflight. Kidney stone formation, a significant risk during long missions, could impair astronaut functionality.

Sleep-Wake Actigraphy and Light Exposure During Spaceflight-Long (Sleep-Long) will examine the effects of spaceflight on the sleep-wake cycles of the crew members during long-duration stays on the space station.

Stability of Pharmacotherapeutic and Nutritional Compounds (Stability) will study the effects of radiation in space on complex organic molecules, such as vitamins and other compounds in food and medicine. This could help in developing more stable and reliable pharmaceutical and nutritional countermeasures suitable for future long-duration missions to the moon and Mars.

Test of Reaction and Adaptation Capabilities (TRAC) will test the theory of brain adaptation during spaceflight by testing hand-eye coordination before, during and after the mission. This experiment is a collaborative effort between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency.

Other Biological Experiments

Studies of the responses of microbes in the space environment will help to evaluate risks to human health. Plant growth experiments give insight into the effects of the space environment on living organisms. These experiments include:

Threshold Acceleration for Gravisensing (Gravi) will determine the minimum amount of artificial gravity needed to cause lentil seedling roots to start growing in a new direction. This work supports future efforts to grow sufficient edible crops on long-duration space missions. This experiment is conducted in collaboration with the European Space Agency, ESA.

Passive Observatories for Experimental Microbial Systems (POEMS) will evaluate the effect of stress in the space environment on the generation of genetic variation in model microbial cells. POEMS will provide important information to help evaluate risks to humans flying in space to further understand bacterial infections that may occur during long duration space missions.

A Comprehensive Characterization of Microorganisms and Allergens in Spacecraft (SWAB) will use advanced molecular techniques to comprehensively evaluate microbes on board the space station, including pathogens – organisms that may cause disease. It also will track changes in the microbial community as spacecraft visit the station and new station modules are added. This study will allow an assessment of the risk of microbes to the crew and the spacecraft.

Analysis of a Novel Sensory Mechanism in Root Phototropism (Tropi) will observe the growth and collect samples of plants sprouted from seeds. By analyzing the samples at a molecular level, researchers expect to gain insight on what genes are responsible for successful plant growth in microgravity.

Education and Earth Observation

Many experiments from earlier expeditions remain on board the space station and will continue to benefit from the long-term research platform provided by the orbiting laboratory. These experiments include:

Crew Earth Observations (CEO) takes advantage of the crew in space to observe and photograph natural and human-made changes on Earth. The photographs record the Earth’s surface changes over time, along with more fleeting events such as storms, floods, fires and volcanic eruptions. Together, they provide researchers on Earth with vital, continuous images to better understand the planet.

Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students (EarthKAM), an education experiment, allows middle school students to program a digital camera on board the station to photograph a variety of geographical targets for study in the classroom.

Education Payload Operations (EPO), includes educational activities that will demonstrate science, mathematics, technology, engineering and geography principles. EPO is designed to support the NASA mission to inspire the next generation of explorers.

Space Experiment Module (SEM) allows students to research the effects of microgravity, radiation and spaceflight on various materials. Students select passive test articles that technicians at Johnson Space Center place in space capsules, or vials, that are flown to the space station. These are passive experiment modules, meaning no power needed and no crew interaction is required. Items selected for the study include vegetable seeds, such as corn, watermelon, cucumber, beans and peas. Materials such as wool, silk, chicken bones and human hair also are studied. During a flight, a crew member takes videos of the experiment capsules and describes their contents. The videos are down-linked to the ground for students to use in their analysis of the experiment. Some students will test for seed growth after microgravity exposure, while others will test how their materials protect against radiation exposure. The sample vials will be returned to Earth on STS-116 for students to analyze further.

Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus Science Insert – 01 (CSI-01) is an educational payload designed to interest middle school students in science, technology, engineering and math by participating in near real-time research conducted on board the station. Students will observe two separate experiments through data and imagery downlinked and distributed directly into the classroom via the internet. During the seed germination experiment, students will begin to understand how gravity affects germination and plant development. Small seeds will be germinated on orbit in a garden habitat. The students will examine both root and stem growth. The other experiment will examine multi-generational, long-term growth of a small worm. The studies are expected provide a greater understanding of the effects of spaceflight on biological organisms.

Space Shuttle Experiments

Many other experiments are scheduled to be performed during upcoming space shuttle missions. These experiments include:

Incidence of Latent Virus Shielding During Spaceflight (Latent Virus) will determine the frequencies of reactivation of latent viruses -- inactive viruses in the body that can be reactivated, such as cold sores -- and clinical diseases after exposure to the physical, physiological, and psychological stressors associated with spaceflight. Understanding latent virus reactivation may be critical to crew health during extended space missions as crew members live and work in a closed environment.

Perceptual Motor Deficits in Space (PMDIS) will investigate why shuttle astronauts experience difficulty with hand-eye coordination while on orbit. This experiment will measure the decline of astronauts’ hand-eye coordination during space shuttle missions. These measurements will be used to distinguish between three possible explanations: the brain not adapting to the near weightlessness of space; the difficulty of performing fine movements when floating in space; and stress due to factors such as space sickness and sleep deprivation. This experiment is a cooperative effort with the Canadian Space Agency.

Ram Burn Observations (RAMBO) is an experiment in which the Department of Defense uses a satellite to observe space shuttle orbital maneuvering system engine burns. Its purpose is to improve plume models, which predict the direction the plume, or rising column of exhaust, will move as the shuttle maneuvers on orbit. Understanding the direction in which the spacecraft engine plume, or exhaust flows could be significant to the safe arrival and departure of spacecraft on current and future exploration missions.

Sleep-Wake Actigraphy and Light Exposure During Spaceflight - Short (Sleep-Short) will examine the effects of spaceflight on the sleep-wake cycles of the astronauts during space shuttle missions. Advancing state-of-the-art technology for monitoring, diagnosing and assessing treatment of sleep patterns is vital to treating insomnia on Earth and in space.

Maui Analysis of Upper Atmospheric Injections (MAUI) will observe the space shuttle engine exhaust plumes from the Maui Space Surveillance Site in Hawaii. The observations will occur when the shuttle fires its engines at night or twilight. A telescope and all-sky imagers will take images and data while the shuttle flies over the Maui site. The images will be analyzed to better understand the interaction between the spacecraft plume and the upper atmosphere.

Space Test Program-H2-Atmospheric Neutral Density Experiment (STP-H2-ANDE) will measure the density and composition of the low Earth orbit atmosphere while tracking from the ground two microsatellites launched from the shuttle payload bay. The data will be used to better predict the movement of objects in orbit.

Space Test Program-H2-Microelectromechanical System-Based (MEMS) PICOSAT Inspector (STP-H2-MEPSI) will demonstrate the use coffee cup size, low-power inspection satellites that can be sent out to observe larger spacecraft. The satellites will test the functioning of small camera systems and gyros. MEPSI technology will lead to an image inspection capability for a low-cost survey of spacecraft while on orbit.

Space Test Program-H2-Radar Fence Transponder (STP-H2-RAFT) will determine the limits of the U.S. Navy Space Surveillance radar surveillance fence in detecting small satellites and test experimental communications transponders. RAFT will lead to a better system of tracking an increasing population of small satellites.

Destiny Laboratory Facilities

Several research facilities are in place on board the station to support Expedition 14 science investigations:

The Human Research Facility (PDF, 583 KB) is designed to house and support life sciences experiments. It includes equipment for lung function tests, ultrasound to image the heart and many other types of computers and medical equipment.

Human Research Facility-2 provides an on-orbit laboratory that enables human life science researchers to study and evaluate the physiological, behavioral and chemical changes induced by spaceflight.

European Modular Cultivation System (EMCS) is a large incubator that provides control over the atmosphere, lighting and humidity of growth chambers used to study plant growth. The facility was developed by the European Space Agency.

Minus Eighty-degree Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) is a cold storage unit that maintains experiment samples at temperatures of -80 C, -26 C, or 4 C throughout a mission.

The Microgravity Science Glovebox (PDF, 382 KB) has a large front window and built-in gloves to provide a sealed environment for conducting science and technology experiments. The glovebox is particularly suited for handling hazardous materials when a crew member is present.

The Destiny lab also is outfitted with five EXPRESS Racks. EXPRESS, or Expedite the Processing of Experiments to the Space Station, racks are standard payload racks designed to provide experiments with utilities such as power, data, cooling, fluids and gasses. The racks support payloads in disciplines including biology, chemistry, physics, ecology and medicines. The racks stay in orbit, while experiments are changed as needed. EXPRESS Racks 2 and 3 (PDF, 241 KB) are equipped with the Active Rack Isolation System (ARIS) for countering minute vibrations from crew movement or operating equipment that could disturb delicate experiments.

For fact sheets, imagery and more on Expedition 14 experiments and payload operations, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/science/index.html