| | STS-107 crew train at ESTEC
STS-107 crew at ESTEC for training
10 May 2001
The crew of STS-107 have spent the past week at ESA's technical centre in Noordwijk (NL) getting familiar with the seven European experiment facilities that will be flown on this life and physical science mission next spring.
In the ISS user centre at ESTEC (NL) Commander Rick Husband, Pilot William McCool and the other five members of the crew are being briefed by the scientists and engineers who have designed and built the seven microgravity facilities, which include experiments in fluid physics, physiology, biology, protein crystal growth, and one technology experiment.
Engineers from ESA’s Manned Spaceflight Directorate, who are responsible for the development and utilisation of the experiment facilities, familiarise the astronauts with the experiment and the working procedures, with the support of the European Astronaut Centre training division. Also on hand are a group from the Boeing company who are supporting the integration and operation of the Spacehab module.
The Spacehab Double Research Module is a scientific laboratory that is housed in the cargo bay of the Shuttle, connected to the cabin by a tunnel, allowing the crew to perform experiments in a shirtsleeve environment. Derived from the European Spacelab concept, Spacehab is a private venture, with European participation.
|  | Astronaut Laurel Blair Salton Clark training with Biopack | |
By working together in this way the crew are able to work through the precise procedures they will have to conduct in space. “Together in one place we can work with the scientists to optimize procedures and also learn how to handle the unexpected”, explained Dr Laurel Clark, mission specialist on STS-107. With 32 different instruments aboard the Space Shuttle, hands-on training like this is an integral part of their mission preparation.
For the European engineers and scientists it was useful to establish personal contact with the STS-107 crew. "We are happy to see the crew working here in Europe on our experiments with such motivation and we are confident that this mission will bring highly successful scientific results", said Pasquale Di Palermo, ESA's Project Manager for the STS-107 mission.
The payload includes six microgravity instruments from ESA directorate for Manned Spaceflight and Microgravity:
- APCF: the Advanced Protein Crystallisation Facility
- ARMS: the Advanced Rspiratory Monitoring System
- Biopack: which study the behaviour of biological samples in space and requires a significant interaction with the crew
- Biobox: a derivative of a biological facility previously flown on the Russian FOTON capsule and there fully automated
- FAST: Facility for Adsorption and Surface Tension, studies surface tension of bubbles and droplets in microgravity
- ERISTO: European Research in Space and Terrestrial Osteoporosis, studies the behaviour of bone cells in microgravity. This experiment includes Canadian built equipment that rose to fame when tested by the oldest man to go to space so far, John Glenn in 1998 (STS 95)
and one technological experiment:
COM2PLEX: the combined European 2 Phase loop experiment, managed by ESA's technical directorate at ESTEC, which tests new cooling systems for space use
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