ISS Research Program

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ISS Exploration and Non-Exploration Research Project

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Objectives:
	•	Exploration: To utilize the ISS as a test bed for technology development, demonstration, and problem resolution in the areas of life support, fire safety, power, propulsion, thermal management, etc.
	•	Non-Exploration: To support ground-based, free-flyer, and ISS life and microgravity science research that is not directly related to supporting the human exploration program.

Goals:
	To provide ground-based and space flight hardware that will support the generation of research data for science and technology experiments.

Heritage:
	•	Office of Biological and Physical Research Program
	•	Microgravity Research Program
	•	Advanced Life Support/Life Support and Habitation Program
	•	Life Science Program

These projects investigate gravity-dependent physical science phenomena of both a fundamental basic science and applied engineering technology nature. These projects support technology development for:
	•	Advanced Extra Vehicular Activities
	•	Advanced Life Support
	•	Advanced Materials
	•	Fire Prevention, Detection, and Suppression
	•	Fluids Management
	•	Multiphase Flow Technology
	•	Propellant Management
	•	Thermal Control

Five experiments currently on ISS and operating from the GRC Telescience Center on a time-available basis include SAMS/MAMS, CFE, BCAT-3, SAME and CSLM-2.

Based upon Congressional direction for the 15% Non-Exploration Research Program on ISS, HQ's has reinstituted some previously terminated research investigations.

GRC ISS Utilization Traffic Models
GRC ISS Utilization Traffic Model GRC Physical Science Utilization Traffic Model

GRC ISS Research Program Schedules
ISS Research Program Schedule ISS Research Program Schedule (18mos)

The Fluids and Combustion Facility
	•	initial payloads refocused on Exploration R&T;
	•	Engineering Pre-Ship Review (PSR1) conducted in Dec 2005; PSR2 was conducted in Apr 2007;
	•	CIR launches in September 2008 on ULF-2 and FIR launches in May 2008 on17A. FCF will go into storage at GRC until shipment at L-6;
	•	Preparations for payload integration & operations, crew training, and sustaining engineering continue.

ISS Non-Exploration Ground-Based Grants
	•	Flame Design
			Project Scientist: Dr. Dennis Stocker, NASA GRC Principal Investigator: Prof. Richard Axelbaum, Washington University - St. louis
	•	S Flame
			Project Scientist: Dr. Dennis Stocker, NASA GRC Principal Investigator: Prof. C. K. Law, Princeton University
	•	Fuel Dilution Studies of Coflow Laminar Diffusion Flames in a Microgravity Environment
			Project Scientist: Dr. Dennis Stocker, NASA GRC Principal Investigator: Prof. Marshall Long, Yale University
	•	Applications of Electric Fields in Microgravity Combustion Science
			Project Scientist: Dr. Dennis Stocker, NASA GRC Principal Investigator: Prof. D. Dunn-Rankin, University of California - Irvine
	•	Self-Structuring in Dusty Plasmas
			Project Scientist: Dr. Arnon Chait, NASA GRC Principal Investigator: Prof. John Goree, University of Iowa
	•	The Melting of Aqueous Foams (Foam Optics and Mechanics)
			Project Scientist: Dr. Padetha Tin, NASA GRC Principal Investigator: Prof. Doug Durian, University of Pennsylvania
	•	Structure and Dynamics of Freely Suspended Liquid Crystals
			Project Scientist: Dr. Padetha Tin, NASA GRC Principal Investigator: Prof. Noel A. Clark, University of Colorado - Boulder
	•	Novel Applications of Permanent Nonwetting
			Project Scientist: Dr. Walter M. Duval, NASA GRC Principal Investigator: Prof. Paul G. Neitzel, Georgia Institute of Technology
	•	Direct Computational Simulations and Experiments for Internal Condensing Flows System-Instabilities/Dynamics in Microgravity and Terrestrial Environments
			Project Scientist: Dr. Mohammad Hasan, NASA GRC Principal Investigator: Prof. Amitabh Narain, Michigan Technological University
	•	Macromolecule Adsorption and Bubble Adhesion to Model Endothelial Surface Layers
			Project Scientist: Principal Investigator: Prof. David M. Eckmann , University of Pennsylvania


			ISS Fluids & Combustion Facility CIR FIR FCF Investigations MDCA/FLEX MDCA/FLEX-2 LMM/CVB Microgravity Science Glovebox SAME BXF InSPACE-2 SHERE CSLM-2 SPICE CCF ZBOT FOAM Acceleration Measurements MAMS SAMS PIMS Maintenance Work Area DAFT CFE BCAT -3, -3+, -4 Expendable Launch Vehicle Investigations GRADFLEX

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Last Updated: March 7, 2008