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Materials International Space Station Experiment - 6A and 6B (MISSE-6A_and_6B)
09.18.09

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

Experiment/Payload Overview

Brief Summary

Materials International Space Station Experiment - 6A and 6B (MISSE-6A and 6B) is a sample box attached to the outside of the International Space Station; it is used for testing the effects of exposure to the space environment on small samples of new materials. These samples will be evaluated for their reaction to atomic oxygen erosion, direct sunlight, radiation, and extremes of heat and cold. Results will provide a better understanding of the durability of various materials, with important applications in the design of future spacecraft.

Principal Investigator

  • William H. Kinard, Ph.D., Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA

    • Co-Investigator(s)/Collaborator(s)

    Information Pending

    Payload Developer


    Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL
    Phantom Works, Boeing, Renton, WA
    Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA
    United States Department of Defense Space Test Program, Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX

    Sponsoring Agency

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

    Expeditions Assigned

    |16|17|18|19|20|

    Previous ISS Missions

    NASA has conducted a series of space experiments to determine the best materials to survive in the space environment on Shuttle and Mir. This is a continuing investigation which began during Expedition 16 and will be returned to Earth during Expedition 19/20.

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    Experiment/Payload Description

    Research Summary

    • MISSE-6A and 6B will assess impacts of the space environment (vacuum, solar radiation, atomic oxygen, micrometeorites and thermal cycling, etc.) on materials.


    • Specimens include candidate spacecraft materials for long-term exposure to the space environment.


    • Following return to Earth these materials will be analyzed to determine which materials could withstand the harsh environment of space and can be used in the design of future spacecraft.

    Description

    The samples for MISSE-6A and 6B include over 400 new and affordable materials that may be used in advanced reusable launch systems and advanced spacecraft systems including optics, sensors, electronics, power, coatings, structural materials and protection for the next generation of spacecraft. The development of new generations of materials and material technologies is essential to the mission of traveling beyond Earth's orbit. The samples are installed in holders and placed in experiment trays, called passive experiment containers (PECs).

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    Applications

    Space Applications

    Results will provide a better understanding of the durability of various materials when they are exposed to the space environment. Many of the materials may have applications in the design of future spacecraft.

    Earth Applications

    The new advanced materials and components that will be demonstrated in MISSE-6A and 6B will improve the performance, increase the useful life, and reduce the costs of future space operations of commercial weather, communication and Earth observation satellites that we all now depend on.

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    Operations

    Operational Requirements

    MISSE-6A and 6B is mounted to the Station's exterior on a truss segment. It requires power provided by the Station, but does not require crew interaction. The critical interaction is between the samples and the space environment.

    Operational Protocols

    During extravehicular activity astronauts will install the MISSE-6A and 6B on the ISS. During EVAs throughout the deployment of MISSE-6A and 6B crewmembers will capture snapshots of the PECs, if time permits. Another set of crewmembers in a later increment will retrieve MISSE-6A and 6B when the experiment is completed. The samples will be returned to the investigators, who will carefully examine each to determine how the materials fared.

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    Results/More Information

    Information Pending

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    Related Web Sites
  • MISSE Experiment
  • Langley News

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    Publications

    Results Publications

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      Related Publications

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        Images

        imageNASA Image: STS105-346-007 - Astronaut Patrick G. Forrester, during the second STS-105 extravehicular activity, prepares to work with the Materials International Space Station Experiment 1 and 2(MISSE-1 and 2). The experiment was installed on the outside of the Quest Airlock during the first extravehicular activity (EVA) of the STS-105 mission. MISSE will collect information on how different materials weather in the environment of space.
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        imageNASA Image ISS013E63407: Image of MISSE 3 following deployment on the outside of ISS on August 3, 2006.
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        imageImage of MISSE-5 samples prior to launch to the International Space Station for deployment during Increment 11. Image courtesy of NASA, Johnson Space Center.
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        imageNASA Image: s123e009655 - Close-up view of Materials International Space Station Experiment-6A and 6B (MISSE-6A and 6B) Passive Experiment Container on European Laboratory/Columbus. Photo was taken during flyaround of STS-123 Space Shuttle Endeavor.
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        imageNASA Image: ISS020E037369 (Sept. 2009) --- A close-up view of a Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE-6) on the exterior of the Columbus laboratory is featured in this image the STS-128 mission?s first session of extravehicular activity (EVA).
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        Information Provided and Updated by the ISS Program Scientist's Office
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