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General Laboratory Active Cryogenic ISS Experiment Refrigerator (GLACIER)
08.07.09
Scientists and payload developers can get more information on International Space Station research facilities by contacting the ISS Payloads Office or at 281-244-6187.

Overview | Description | Applications | Operations | Results | Publications | Images

Facility/Payload Overview

Brief Facility Summary

The General Laboratory Active Cryogenic ISS Experiment Refrigerator (GLACIER) refrigerators are ultra-cold freezers that will store samples as low as -160 degrees C

Facility Manager(s)

  • Dan Connor, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Center for Biophysical Sciences and Engineering (CBSE), Birmingham, AL

    • Co-Facility Manager(s)

    Information Pending

    Facility Developer

    University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Center for Biophysical Sciences and Engineering (CBSE), Birmingham, AL

    Sponsoring Agency

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

    Expeditions Assigned

    |17|18|19|20|21|22|

    Previous ISS Missions

    Information Pending

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    Facility/Payload Description

    Facility Summary

    • General Laboratory Active Cryogenic ISS Experiment Refrigerator (GLACIER) provides a double middeck locker-sized EXPRESS (Expedite the Processing of Experiments to Space Station) Rack compatible freezer/refrigerator for a variety of experiments that require temperatures ranging from + 4 degrees C (39 degrees F) and - 160 degrees C (-301 degrees F).


    • GLACIER is part of the Cold Stowage Fleet of hardware which includes the Minus Eighty degree Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) and the Microgravity Experiment Research Locker/Incubator (MERLIN).

    Description

    General Laboratory Active Cryogenic ISS Experiment Refrigerator (GLACIER) is a rear air-breathing or water cooled cryogenic freezer designed to provide cryogenic transportation and preservation capabilities for samples requiring thermal control between + 4 degrees C (39 degrees F) and -160 degrees C (-301 degrees F). The cold volume of the unit is designed with a generic approach that allows for multiple types of science samples requiring cryogenic thermal storage to utilize the GLACIER. The unit is designed to be a double locker equivalent unit capable of transport and operation in the Middeck, and on orbit operation in an EXPRESS Rack. It can be transported in the Mulit-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) via soft stowage or hard mounted within an EXPRESS Transportation Rack (ETR).

    The GLACIER incorporates a cold volume sample storage area of 23.1 cm (10.75 in) x 27.94 cm (11.00 in) x 41.91 cm (16.5 in). It is capable of supporting 10 kg (22 lbs) of experiment samples and has an internal cold volume of 20 liters. GLACIER can maintain a temperature of -160 degrees C (-256 degrees F) without power for 6-8 hours, provided that it has been operating at -160 degrees C (-301 degrees F) prior to the power outage.

    The cold volume is configured such that the sample access and volume configuration may be varied for each sample type. The cold volume is separated from the external environment by two doors. The outer door provides a structural design for insulation and strength to withstand crew-applied loads, while the inner door is divided into four insulated aperture doors. Both the inner and outer doors are designed to allow access to the cold volume while installed in the Space Shuttle Middeck. This dual door configuration allows for easy access for each sample type and will accommodate the two-minute on-orbit access requirement. Also, the dual door configuration allows for simple reconfiguration both on the ground and on-orbit to accommodate different sample types or a combination of sample types. Thus, the GLACIER will be compatible with the requirement for reconfiguration of the cold volume on the ground and on-orbit.

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    Operations

    Facility Operations

    GLACIER will be activated either while onboard the Space Shuttle or after it has been transferred from the Space Shuttle to the ISS. Depending on the types of samples that are placed into GLACIER, it will be used as a refrigerator or freezer with temperature capabilities of + 4 degrees C (39 degrees F) and -160 degrees C (-301 degrees F). The crew will perform maintenance and routine checks of the hardware. GLACIER can also be monitored and commanded from the ground.

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    Results/More Information

    Information Pending

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    Availability

  • On-Board ISS

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    Related Web Sites
  • Center for Biophysical Sciences and Engineering

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    Publications

    Results Publications

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      Related Publications

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        Images

        imageAn artist's concept of the General Laboratory Active Cryogenic ISS Experiment Refrigerator (GLACIER) facility.
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        imageNASA Image: ISS018E30628 - View GLACIER within EXPRESS Rack 6 in the US Laboratory, Destiny, during Expedition 18.
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        Information Provided and Updated by the ISS Program Scientist's Office
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