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On
January 16th, we saw our loved ones launch into a brilliant, cloud-free sky.
Their hearts were full of enthusiasm, pride in country, faith in their God,
and a willingness to accept risk in the pursuit of knowledge -- knowledge
that might improve the quality of life for all mankind. Columbia's 16–day
mission of scientific discovery was a great success, cut short by mere
minutes -- yet it will live on forever in our memories. We want to thank the NASA
family and people from around the world for their incredible outpouring of
love and support. Although we grieve deeply, as do the families of Apollo 1
and Challenger before us, the bold exploration of space must go on. Once the
root cause of this tragedy is found and corrected, the legacy of Columbia
must carry on -- for the benefit of our children and yours. |
A Mission for Science
January 21, 2003
Space shuttle mission STS-107, the 28th flight of the
space shuttle Columbia, launched on Thursday, January 16th. This 16-day mission
is dedicated entirely to science, giving more than 70 international scientists
the opportunity to work with the crew aboard Columbia to perform experiments in
the microgravity environment of space.
The research will use 32
different payloads aboard Columbia, in 59 separate experiments. About half are
commercial, sponsored by businesses hoping to make a profit-making discovery.
The rest are pure science. "We'll be doing experiments in fundamental
physics, biology, firefighting, medicine, climate ... the variety is
amazing," says Dr. John Charles, the STS-107 mission scientist.
Why is it important to do
these studies in space instead of on the ground?
"There are many aspects
of space we can't mimic on Earth," says Dr. Charles. "We can turn
down air pressure in laboratory vacuum chambers and bombard samples with
space-like radiation. But we can't turn off gravity or look down on Earth from
above."
"Space is a truly alien
environment. Many things behave differently up there and offer great
opportunities for research."
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Flames are a good example.
On Earth, flames have a teardrop shape caused by hot air rising in a
gravitational field. Aboard a spaceship, however, flames break apart into
little balls that move around like UFOs. They burn using almost no fuel --
something researchers would like to replicate in gas-saving auto engines. One
of the experiments on STS-107, called SOFBALL-2, will ignite flame balls and
measure their properties. Scientists hope to learn how they burn and what keeps
them lit.
Human brains are another
example. An astronaut just arriving in orbit has some big adjustments to make.
There is no "up" or "down." If you drop something it
doesn't fall. And just try catching a ball tossed by a crewmate! The brain
adapts to weightlessness by building "a model" that tells the body
how to react. Before long, sleeping or working upside down is no problem. No
one knows how the brain builds such models, but neuroscientists want to find
out because many believe model-building is a key to everyday human learning.
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How different is space? Not
even flowers smell the same. Perfume giant International Flavors and Fragrances
(IFF) found that out in 1998 when they sent a miniature rose called
"Overnight Scentsation" into orbit. The flower developed a
"floral rose aroma" quite different from its normal odor. The new
fragrance has since been incorporated into "Zen," a perfume produced
by the Japanese company Shiseido. This time IFF scientists will send two
flowers into orbit--a rose and an Asian rice flower. They hope the pair will
produce scents even more exotic.
"Those are just three
examples," says Dr. Charles. "There are many more experiments onboard
Columbia--all just as exciting."
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Managing so many experiments
is a big job. Columbia's crew of seven will be split into two teams, Blue and
Red, which will work 12 hour shifts. This means around-the-clock research
during the entire 16-day mission.
All of the investigations
onboard Columbia have some specific goal such as improving auto engines or
discovering new aromas. But the big prizes, says Dr. Charles, are unknown.
"No one can predict where low-gravity research will take us. It's almost certain,
though, that anything we do predict from our rudimentary experience so far will
be only a small fraction of the ultimate benefits."
SPACEHAB
SPACEHAB Inc.?s Research Double Module (RDM) is making its first flight on
STS-107. The RDM is a pressurized aluminum habitat that is carried in the space
shuttle?s cargo bay to expand working space aboard the shuttle. The RDM is
connected to the shuttle middeck by a pressurized access tunnel.
Boeing-Huntsville performed the RDM?s systems integration for SPACEHAB and
serves as the company?s mission integration contractor.
Working in a Vacuum
The year was 1643. Evangelista Torrecelli, an assistant of Galileo, poured
some mercury into a glass tube and put his thumb over one end. Then he tried
to pour the mercury out, but it wouldn't come. A little void had formed between
his thumb and the mercury; somehow it held the heavy liquid in place. He had
discovered vacuum. Nowadays, kids in restaurants
routinely do the same thing using straws and water, but in Torrecelli's day
the notion of a vacuum was radical. Artistole himself had declared that nature
abhorred vacuums. Scientists, however, soon learned to love them. A laboratory
vacuum chamber is like a piece of outer space on Earth. It's a wonderful place
to do experiments that would be impossible in our planet's thick atmosphere.
Vacuum research has led to light bulbs, integrated circuits, freeze-dried
foods, particle accelerators, electron microscopes--even weather forecasting
and human flight. Torrecelli would be amazed.
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