yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) (05/07/91)
1 PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS Mark Hess/Jim Cast/Ed Campion Office of Space Flight NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. (Phone: 202/453-1134 or 202/453-8536) Paula Cleggett-Haleim Office of Space Science and Applications NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. (Phone: 202/453-1547) Lisa Malone Kennedy Space Center, Fla. (Phone: 407/867-2468) Mike Simmons Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. (Phone: 205/544-6537) James Hartsfield Johnson Space Center, Houston, (Phone: 713/483-5111) Jean Drummond Clough Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va. (Phone: 804/864-6122) Delores Beasley Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. (Phone: 301/286-2806) Myron Webb Stennis Space Center, Miss. (Phone: 60l/688-334l) Nancy Lovato Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, Calif. (Phone: 805/258-3448) CONTENTS GENERAL RELEASE 3 MEDIA SERVICES 4 STS-40 QUICK LOOK 5 SUMMARY OF MAJOR ACTIVITIES 6 SPACE SHUTTLE ABORT MODES 7 VEHICLE AND PAYLOAD WEIGHTS 8 FLIGHT SEQUENCE OF EVENTS 9 STS-40 PRELAUNCH PROCESSING 10 SPACELAB LIFE SCIENCES (SLS-1) 11 GET AWAY SPECIAL EXPERIMENTS 29 ORBITER EXPERIMENTS PROGRAM 34 STS-40 CREW BIOGRAPHIES 37 STS-40 MISSION MANAGEMENT 40 UPCOMING SHUTTLE MISSIONS 43 PREVIOUS SHUTTLE FLIGHTS 44 ABOUT THE COVER 45 GENERAL RELEASE RELEASE: 91-69 FIRST SPACELAB DEDICATED TO LIFE SCIENCES HIGHLIGHTS STS-40 Shuttle mission STS-40, the 41st flight of the Space Shuttle and the 11th flight of Columbia, will conduct the Spacelab Life Sciences (SLS-1) mission, the first spacelab dedicated to life sciences research. The launch of the SLS-1 mission is currently scheduled for no earlier than 9:20 a.m. EDT on May 24. The mission will be flown at an altitude of 160 by 150 nautical miles and at an inclination of 39 degrees to the Equator. During the SLS-1 mission, the STS-40 crew will perform experiments which will explore how the heart, blood vessels, lungs, kidneys and hormone-secreting glands respond to microgravity, the causes of space sickness and changes in muscles, bones and cells during the microgravity environment of space flight and in the readjustment to gravity upon returning to Earth. The experiments performed on Columbia's crew and on laboratory animals will provide the most detailed and interrelated physiological measurements acquired in the space flight environment since the Skylab program flights in 1973 and 1974. Other payloads on the SLS-1 mission include 12 experiments being flown under NASA's Get Away Special program. The experiments, enclosed in canisters on a bridge in the Shuttle's cargo bay, will investigate such topics as materials science, plant biology and cosmic radiation. The NASA Orbiter Experiments Program will fly 7 experiments on the STS-40 orbiter that will provide an opportunity for researchers to gather data on a full-scale lifting vehicle, the STS-40 orbiter, during atmospheric entry. The mission is planned to last 9 days, 3 hours and 30 minutes, concluding with a landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., at 12:50 p.m. EDT, June 2. The Commander for this flight of Columbia will be Marine Corps Col. Bryan D. O'Connor. Air Force Lt. Col. Sidney M. Gutierrez will serve as Pilot. Mission specialists for STS-40 are James P. Bagian, M.D.; Tamara E. Jernigan, Ph.D.; and Margaret Rhea Seddon, M.D. The payload specialists are Francis Andrew Gaffney, M.D., and Millie Hughes-Fulford, Ph.D. Following the STS-40 mission, Columbia will return to Kennedy Space Center, Fla., where the spacelab will be removed. The orbiter will then go to Palmdale, Calif., for nearly 6 months to undergo major modifications and inspections at Rockwell International Corp. Columbia is next scheduled to fly on STS-50, the U. S. Microgravity Laboratory mission, in June 1992. MEDIA SERVICES NASA Select Television Transmission NASA Select television is available on Satcom F-2R, Transponder 13, located at 72 degrees west longitude; frequency 3960.0 MHz, audio 6.8 MHz. The schedule for television transmissions from the orbiter and for the change-of-shift briefings from Johnson Space Center, Houston, will be available during the mission at Kennedy Space Center, Fla.; Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.; Johnson Space Center; and NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. The television schedule will be updated to reflect changes dictated by mission operations. Television schedules also may be obtained by calling COMSTOR, 713/483-5817. COMSTOR is a computer data base service requiring the use of a telephone modem. A voice update of the television schedule may be obtained by dialing 202/755-1788. This service is updated daily at noon EST. Status Reports Status reports on countdown and mission progress, on-orbit activities and landing operations will be produced by the appropriate NASA news center. Briefings A mission press briefing schedule will be issued prior to launch. During the mission, change-of-shift briefings by the off-going flight director will occur at approximately 8-hour intervals. STS-40 QUICK LOOK Launch Date: May 24, 1991 Launch Site: Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Pad 39B Launch Window: 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. EDT Orbiter: Columbia (OV-102) Orbit: 160 by 150 nautical miles, 39 degrees inclination Landing Date/Time: 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. PDT, June 2, 1991 Primary Landing Site: Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Abort Landing Sites: Return to Launch Site - Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Transoceanic Abort Landing - Ben Guerir, Morroco Abort Once Around - White Sands Space Harbor, N. M. Crew: Bryan D. O'Connor, Commander Sidney M. Gutierrez, Pilot James P. Bagian, Mission Specialist 1 Tamara E. Jernigan, Mission Specialist 2 M. Rhea Seddon, Mission Specialist 3 Francis A. (Drew) Gaffney, Payload Specialist 1 Millie Hughes-Fulford, Payload Specialist 2 Cargo Bay Payloads: Spacelab Life Sciences-1 (SLS-1) Get Away Special (GAS) Bridge experiments Middeck Payloads: Physiological Monitoring System (PMS) Urine Monitoring System (UMS) Animal Enclosure Modules (AEM) SUMMARY OF MAJOR ACTIVITIES Day One Ascent OMS 2 engine firing Spacelab activation Metabolic experiment operations Echocardiograph operations Day Two Baroreflex tests Pulmonary function tests Echocardiograph activities Cardiovascular operations Ames Research Center operations Day Three Ames Research Center operations Rotating dome operations Echocardiograph activities DTOs Day 4 Baroreflex/Pulmonary function tests Ames Research Center operations Day Five Pulmonary function tests Cardiovascular operations Echocardiograph activities Day Six Rotating dome operations Echocardiograph activities Cardiovascular operations Ames Research Center operations Day Seven DTOs Ames Research Center operations Day Eight Baroreflex tests Echocardiograph Cardiovascular operations Day Nine Pulmonary function tests Flight control systems checkout Echocardiograph tests Cardiovascular operations Cabin stow Partial Spacelab deactivation Day Ten Spacelab deactivation Deorbit preparation Deorbit burn Landing SPACE SHUTTLE ABORT MODES Space Shuttle launch abort philosophy aims toward safe and intact recovery of the flight crew, orbiter and its payload. Abort modes include: * Abort-To-Orbit (ATO) -- Partial loss of main engine thrust late enough to permit reaching a minimal 105-nautical mile orbit with orbital maneuvering system engines. * Abort-Once-Around (AOA) -- Earlier main engine shutdown with the capability to allow one orbit around before landing at either Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.; the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) at Kennedy Space Center, Fla.; or White Sands Space Harbor (Northrup Strip), N.M. * Trans-Atlantic Abort Landing (TAL) -- Loss of one or more main engines midway through powered flight would force a landing at either Ben Guerir, Morocco; Moron or Zaragoza, Spain. * Return-To-Launch-Site (RTLS) -- Early shutdown of one or more engines, and without enough energy to reach Ben Guerir would result in a pitch around and thrust back toward Kennedy Space Center, Fla., until within gliding distance of the SLF. STS-40 contingency landing sites are Edwards AFB, Kennedy Space Center, White Sands, Ben Guerir, Moron and Zaragoza. VEHICLE AND PAYLOAD WEIGHTS Pounds Orbiter (Columbia), empty and 3 SSMEs 172,482 Spacelab Life Sciences-1 Module 21,271 GAS Bridge Assembly 4,885 Spacelab Support Equipment 750 Space Acceleration Measurement System 250 Detailed Test Objectives 88 Detailed Supplementary Objectives 35 Total Vehicle at SRB Ignition 4,519,081 Orbiter Landing Weight 225,492 FLIGHT SEQUENCE OF EVENTS RELATIVE EVENT MET VELOCITY MACH ALTITUDE (d:h:m:s) (fps) (ft) Launch 00/00:00:00 Begin Roll Maneuver 00/00:00:10 189 .17 799 End Roll Maneuver 00/00:00:18 403 .36 3,286 SSME Throttle Down to 67% 00/00:00:33 784 .71 11,283 Max. Dyn. Pressure (Max Q) 00/00:00:52 1,183 1.14 27,829 SSME Throttle Up to 104% 00/00:01:04 1,504 1.54 41,579 SRB Staging 00/00:02:05 4,136 3.85 155,954 Main Engine Cutoff (MECO) 00/00:08:33 24,644 22.27 367,999 Zero Thrust 00/00:08:40 24,673 22.3 370,235 ET Separation 00/00:08:50 OMS 2 Burn 00/00:42:20 Deorbit Burn (orbit 146) 09/02:31:00 Landing (orbit 147) 09/03:30:00 Apogee, Perigee at MECO: 155 x 40 nautical miles Apogee, Perigee post-OMS 2: 160 x 150 nautical miles STS-40 PRELAUNCH PROCESSING Processing the orbiter Columbia for the STS-40 mission at Kennedy Space Center began Feb. 9, following its last mission - STS-35/Astro I. About 40 modifications were made to Columbia during its 10 and a half-week stay in the OPF. These modifications enhance the performance and efficiency of the orbiter's complex systems. While in the OPF, four modified external tank door bellcrank housings were installed. Small cracks previously were found in three of the housings. Space Shuttle main engine locations for this flight are as follows: engine 2015 in the No. 1 position, engine 2022 in the No. 2 position and engine 2027 in the No. 3 position. These engines were installed in March. The Crew Equipment Interface Test with the STS-40 flight crew was conducted on April 7 in the OPF. This test provided an opportunity for the crew to become familiar with the configuration of the orbiter and anything that is unique to the STS-40 mission. Technicians installed the Spacelab module on March 24 and successfully conducted the required tests. The Spacelab tunnel, leading from the orbiter's airlock to the module, was installed April 3. Booster stacking operations on mobile launcher platform 3 began March 16 with the left and right aft boosters. These segments later were destacked to allow a realignment of the launch platform holddown posts. Restacking began on March 23 with the left aft booster. Stacking of all booster segments was completed by April 11. The external tank was mated to the boosters on April 17 and Columbia was transferred to the Vehicle Assembly Building on April 26 where it was mated to the external tank and solid rocket boosters. The STS-40 vehicle was rolled out to Launch Pad 39-B on May 2. A launch countdown dress rehearsal was scheduled for May 6-7 at Kennedy Space Center. A standard 43-hour launch countdown is scheduled to begin three days prior to launch. During the countdown, the orbiter's onboard fuel and oxidizer storage tanks will be loaded and all orbiter systems will be prepared for flight. About 9 hours before launch, the external tank will be filled with its flight load of a half a million gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellants. About two and one-half hours before liftoff, the flight crew will begin taking their assigned seats in the crew cabin. KSC's recovery teams will prepare the orbiter Columbia for the return trip to Florida following the end-of-mission landing at Edwards AFB, Calif. Orbiter turnaround operations at Dryden Flight Research Facility typically take about five days. A 2-day ferry flight is planned because of the additional weight of the orbiter returning with the Spacelab. The extra weight will require several refueling stops during the ferry flight. Following post-flight deservicing and removal of the Spacelab payload and major orbiter components at Kennedy Space Center, Columbia will be readied for ferry flight to Palmdale, Calif. The orbiter is scheduled to undergo extensive modifications, including changes to accommodate an extended duration mission, at the Rockwell manufacturing plant during a 6-month period from August 1991 to January 1992. Columbia's next scheduled flight is STS-50, a planned extended duration mission with the U.S. Microgravity Laboratory payload targeted for launch in June 1992. SPACELAB LIFE SCIENCES (SLS-1) Many volumes of research remain to be recorded and studied regarding adaptation of humans to the weightless environment of space flight. The blanks, however, will begin to be filled following the broad range of experiments to be conducted on the Spacelab Life Sciences-1 (SLS-1). With the help of the STS-40 crew, investigators from across the nation will conduct tests on the cardiovascular, cardiopulmonary, metabolic, musculoskeletal and neurovestibular systems. There are 18 primary experiments chosen for SLS-1. Those using human subjects are managed by the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, and those using animals are managed by the Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. Organized by the managing NASA center, this section of the press kit will summarize the 18 experiments, identify the principal investigators and list flight hardware used to support the experiments. Johnson Space Center Spacelab Life Sciences-1 Experiments Activities involved with the human experiments on-board Columbia are managed by the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas. Preflight baseline data collection will be performed primarily at Johnson Space Center with several tests scheduled at the Kennedy Space Center just prior to launch. Investigators will perform post-flight tests at the Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, Calif. A broad range of instruments -- some, unique hardware and others, standard equipment -- will be used by the human subjects throughout the mission. Equipment will include a neck chamber, cardiopulmonary rebreathing unit, gas analyzer mass spectrometer, rotating dome, inflight blood collection system, urine monitoring system, bag-in-box assembly, strip chart recorders, physiological monitoring system, incubators, low-gravity centrifuge, echocardiograph and venous occlusion cuff controller. In total, the 10 experiments will explore the capabilities of the human body in space. A brief description of these experiments follows: Influence of Weightlessness Upon Human Autonomic Cardiovascular Controls Principal investigator: Dwain L. Eckberg, M.D. Medical College of Virginia Richmond, Va. This experiment will investigate the theory that lightheadedness and a reduction in blood pressures in astronauts upon standing after landing may arise because the normal reflex system regulating blood pressure behaves differently after having adapted to a microgravity environment. For this experiment, some SLS-1 crewmembers will wear neck chambers that resemble whip-lash collars to detect blood pressure in the neck. Investigators will take blood pressure measurements both before and after the flight for comparison. Astronauts will take the same measurements themselves on orbit to map changes that occur during spaceflight. Inflight Study of Cardiovascular Deconditioning Principal investigator: Leon E. Farhi, M.D. State University of New York at Buffalo Buffalo, N.Y. Just how rapidly astronauts become accustomed to microgravity and then readjust to the normal gravitational forces on Earth is the focus of this study. By analyzing the gas composition of a mixture which the STS-40 astronauts "rebreathe," investigators will calculate how much blood is being delivered by the heart to the body during space flight. This experiment uses a non-invasive technique of prolonged expiration and rebreathing -- inhaling in previously exhaled gases -- to measure the cardiovascular and respiratory changes. The technique furnishes information on functions including the amount of blood pumped out of the heart, oxygen usage and carbon dioxide released by the body, heart contractions, blood pressure and lung functioning. Astronauts will perform the rebreathing technique while resting and while pedaling on an exercise bike to provide a look at the heart's ability to cope with added physical stress. On the first and last days of the STS-40 mission, only resting measurements will be taken. Rest and graded exercise measurements are made on most other days. Vestibular Experiments in Spacelab Principal investigator: Laurence R. Young, Sc.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, Mass. A joint U.S./Canadian research program has been developed to perform a set of closely related experiments to investigate space motion sickness, any associated changes in inner ear vestibular function during weightlessness and the impact of those changes postflight. Parts of this experiment will be carried out inflight, other parts on the ground both pre- and post-flight. As part of the inflight activities, the team will study the interaction between conflicting visual, vestibular and tactile information. Investigators expect crew members to become increasingly dependent on visual and tactile cues for spatial orientation. The test calls for a crew member to place his/her head in a rotating dome hemispherical display to induce a sensation of self-rotation in the direction opposite to the dome rotation. The astronaut will then move a joy stick to indicate his/her perception of self-motion. Awareness of position by astronauts is important for reaching tasks especially during landing operations. The objective of several tests during the flight will document the loss of sense of orientation and limb position in the absence of visual cues and will determine what mechanisms underlie the phenomenon. During the presleep period, crewmembers will view several targets placed about the interior of Spacelab. They then will be blindfolded and asked to describe the position of their limbs in reference to their torso and to point to the targets. In post sleep, crew members upon waking and while blindfolded perceive their posture, position of their limbs and location of familiar orbiter structures, recording the accuracy of their perceptions. The next two parts of this experiment will be performed as time permits on the SLS-1 mission or continued on a later Spacelab mission. Both experiments have been previously performed by crewmembers in space. The next part looks at the causes and treatment of space motion sickness (SMS) and evaluates the success of Earth-based tests to predict SMS susceptibility. Two crew members will wear an acceleration recording unit (ARU) to measure all head movement and to provide detailed commentary regarding the time, course and and signs of SMS. Subjects wearing the ARU will wear the collar for several hours during the mission and if desired, when symptoms occur. The influence of the collar on the resulting head movement pattern and SMS symptoms will be monitored. Another battery of tests performed preflight will attempt to determine which test or combination of tests could aid in predicting SMS. Protein Metabolism During Space Flight Principal investigator: T. Peter Stein, Ph.D. University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Camden, N.J. This study involves several tests looking at the mechanisms involved in protein metabolism including changes in protein synthesis rates, muscle breakdown rates and use of dietary nitrogen in a weightless environment. This experiment will examine whole body protein metabolism by measuring the concentration of 15N-glycine, an amino acid in protein, in saliva and urine samples from crew members and ground control subjects preflight, inflight and postflight. Crew members will collect urine samples throughout the flight. On the second and eighth flight days, astronauts also will take oral doses of 15N-glycine. Crew members will collect and freeze a urine sample 10 hours after the ingestion of the glycine for postflight analyses. Urinary 3-methyl histidine, a marker for muscle protein breakdown also will be monitored. Fluid-Electrolyte Regulation During Spaceflight Principal investigator: Carolyn Leach-Huntoon, Ph.D. Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Houston, Texas Adaptation to the weightless environment is known to change fluid, electrolyte, renal and circulatory processes in humans. A shift of body fluids from the lower limbs to the upper body occurs to all astronauts while in space. This experiment makes detailed measurements before, during and after flight to determine immediate and long-term changes in kidney function; changes in water, salt and mineral balance; shifts in body fluids from cells and tissues; and immediate and long-term changes in levels of hormones which affect kidney function and circulation. Test protocol requires that crew members collect urine samples throughout the flight. Body mass is measured daily and a log is kept of all food, fluids and medication taken in flight. Fasting blood samples are collected from the crew members as soon as possible inflight and at specified intervals on selected flight days thereafter. Tests will determine the amount of certain tracers that can be released from a given volume of blood or plasma into urine in a specified amount of time, measuring the rate and loss of body water and determining changes in blood plasma volume and extracellular fluid. Measurements will be made two times inflight by collecting blood samples at timed intervals after each subject has received a precalculated dose of a tracer, a chemical which allows the compound to be tracked as it moves through the body. Total body water is measured during flight using water labeled with a heavy isotope of oxygen. Each subject drinks a premeasured dose of the tracer and subsequently collects urine samples at timed intervals. Plasma volume and extracellular fluid volume are measured by collecting blood samples at timed intervals after tracer injections. Hormonal changes are investigated by sensitive assays of both plasma and urine. Pulmonary Function During Weightlessness Principal investigator: John B. West, M.D., Ph.D. University of California San Diego, Calif. This experiment provides an opportunity for study of the properties of the human lung without the influence of gravity. In the microgravity Spacelab, a model of lung function will be developed to serve as a basis for comparison for the normal and diseased lung. Also, investigators will glean information about the lung for planning longer space missions. There will be a series of eight breath tests conducted with measurements taken at rest and after breathing various test bag mixtures. The test assembly allows the subject to switch from breathing cabin air to inhaling premixed gases in separate breathing bags. Breathing exercises involve the inhalation of specially prepared gas mixtures. The tests are designed to examine the distribution and movement of blood and gas within the pulmonary system and how these measurements compare to normal respiration. By measuring gas concentrations, the flow of gas through the lungs into the blood stream and rate of blood flow into the lungs, investigators hope to better understand the human pulmonary function here on Earth and learn how gravity plays a part in influencing lung function. Lymphocyte Proliferation in Weightlessness Principal investigator: Augusto Cogoli, Ph.D. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Switzerland Following investigations carried out during Spacelab 1 and the German D-1 shuttle missions, this experiment will investigate the effect of weightlessness on the activation of lymphocyte reproduction. The study also will test whether there is a possible alteration of the cells responsible for part of the immune defense system during space flight. STS-40 will repeat the basic Spacelab-1 experiment. Lymphocytes will be purified from human blood collected 12 hours before launch. The cells will be resuspended in a culture medium, sealed in culture blocks and stowed on Columbia's middeck. Inflight, the samples will be exposed to a mitogen (a substance that promotes cell division) and allowed to grow in the weightless environment. Some of the samples also will be exposed to varying gravity levels on the low-gravity centrifuge. These samples will serve as a control group as they will experience the same environmental conditions with the exception of micro-gravity. The stimulation of the lymphocytes to reproduce is determined by monitoring the incorporation of a chemical isotope tracer into the cells' DNA. Investigators will gather further information on lymphocytes from blood samples taken from the crew inflight. Influence of Space Flight on Erythrokinetics in Man Principal investigator: Clarence Alfrey, M.D. Baylor College of Medicine Houston, Texas The most consistent finding from space flight is the decrease in circulating red blood cells or erythrocytes and subsequent reduction in the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. This experiment studies the mechanisms which may be responsible for this decrease, including the effect of space flight on red blood cell production rate and the role of changes in body weight and plasma volume on red blood cell production. Blood samples taken pre-, post- and inflight will trace the life of astronauts' red blood cells. By measuring the volume of red blood cells and plasma, researchers will check the rate of production and destruction of blood in both normal and microgravity conditions. On flight day two, crew members will receive an injection of a tracer that will measure the amount of new red blood cells. Tracers (chemicals that will attach to the red blood cell to allowing them to be tracked) injected before launch will measure the destruction rate of red blood cells. Crew members will draw blood samples on the second, third, fourth, eighth and ninth days of flight. Cardiovascular Adaptation to Microgravity Principal investigator: C. Gunnar Blomqvist, M.D. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas, Texas This experiment will focus on the acute changes in cardiovascular function, heart dimensions and function at rest, response to maximal exercise and control mechanisms. The experiment seeks to increase the understanding of microgravity-induced changes in the cardiovascular structure and function responsible for a common problem during return to normal gravity of orthostatic hypotension or the inability to maintain normal blood pressure and flow while in an upright position. Central venous pressure -- measurements of changes in the blood pressure in the great veins near the heart -- will be observed in one crew member. A cardiologist will insert a catheter into a vein in the arm and position it near the heart prior to flight. Measurements then will be recorded for 24 hours beginning prior to launch and extending for at least 4 hours into space flight, at which time the catheter is removed. The catheter data will indicate the degree of body fluid redistribution and the speed at which the redistribution occurs. Echocardiograph measurements, a method of sending high frequency sound into the body to provide a view of the heart, will be performed on crew members each day. Leg flow and compliance measurements will gather information on leg blood flow and leg vein pressure-volume relationships. During flow measurements, blood in the veins of the leg will be stopped for a short period of time by inflating a cuff above the knee. Compliance measurements, the amount of blood that pools for a given increased pressure in the veins will be obtained by inflating and incrementally deflating the cuff over different pressures and holding that pressure until the volume of the leg reaches an equilibrium. Pathophysiology of Mineral Loss During Space Flight Principal investigator: Claude D. Arnaud, M.D. University of California San Francisco, Calif. Changes in calcium balance during space flight is an area of concern for researchers since the changes appear to be similar to those observed in humans with osteoporosis, a condition in which bone mass decreases and the bones become porous and brittle and are prone to fracturing or breaking. Because of potential health problems for astronauts returning to Earth after long space flights, the mechanisms which cause these changes are of great interest in space medicine. This experiment will measure the changes which occur during space flight in circulating levels of calcium metabolizing hormones and to directly measure the uptake and release of calcium in the body. Investigators believe there may be significant changes in the amount of these hormones produced due to an increase in the breakdown and reassimilation of bone tissue and that these changes begin to occur within hours after entering the weightless environment. Each crew member will be weighed daily and will keep a log of all food, fluids and medications ingested. They also will draw blood samples on selected days to determine the role of calcium regulating hormones on the observed changes in calcium balance. The experiment is repeated on selected days preflight and postflight. A simultaneous ground experiment is performed using non-crew member subjects. Ames Research Center Spacelab Life Sciences-1 Experiments The Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., as the developer of nonhuman life sciences experiments, will supply eight investigations to the SLS-1 mission. They are designed to increase our knowledge about the functioning of basic life processes during exposure to microgravity. These experiments will examine three systems: musculoskeletal,