Human Research Facility 1 (HRF-1) on board the International Space Station (ISS) allows investigators to study the effects of long-duration space flight on the human body. Equipment in the HRF-1 includes a clinical ultrasound and a device for measuring mass. [1]
Human Research Facility 1 (HRF-1) was launched aboard STS-102 (Discovery) March 8, 2001. The HRF-1 drawers provide power, command and data handling, cooling air and water, pressurized gas, and vacuum to experiments.
The International Space Station (ISS) moderate temperature cooling loop is extended into the HRF to keep the rack at ambient temperature. The Avionics Air Assembly (AAA), which interfaces with the moderate temperature cooling loop, extracts heat from the air in the rack. Each payload can use up to 2000 W of cooling power. HRF-1 is connected to the ISS video services and Ethernet, which allow the ISS and ground operations crews to control payloads. The rack has front-panel access ports for the laptop, vacuum system, and nitrogen delivery system.
HRF-1 houses many types of equipment. Descriptions are listed below:
HRF-1 was originally launched with the following components: the ultrasound, Gas Analyzer System for Metabolic Analysis Physiology (GASMAP), portable computer, workstation, and cooling stowage drawers. During Expedition 11, the GASMAP was moved to Human Research Facility 2 (HRF-2), and SLAMMD was moved to HRF-1 from HRF-2. During Expedition 13, the original workstation was replaced with the Workstation 2. [1]
Payloads in the HRF-1 can operate independently regardless of their cooling and power needs and flight schedule. The HRF power converter delivers 120 V of direct current (DC) power from the utility outlet panel to the rack and converts it to 28 V DC for distribution to the payloads. Payload computer and video operations can be conducted from the ground or on the space station. The crew performs periodic checks of all connections and hardware and performs payload operations as needed. [1]
The International Space Station (ISS) is a modular space station in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA, Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada). The ownership and use of the space station is established by intergovernmental treaties and agreements. The station serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory in which scientific research is conducted in astrobiology, astronomy, meteorology, physics, and other fields. The ISS is suited for testing the spacecraft systems and equipment required for possible future long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars.
Columbus is a science laboratory that is part of the International Space Station (ISS) and is the largest single contribution to the ISS made by the European Space Agency (ESA).
The Japanese Experiment Module (JEM), nicknamed Kibō, is a Japanese science module for the International Space Station (ISS) developed by JAXA. It is the largest single ISS module, and is attached to the Harmony module. The first two pieces of the module were launched on Space Shuttle missions STS-123 and STS-124. The third and final components were launched on STS-127.
STS-105 was a mission of the Space Shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station, launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, 10 August 2001. This mission was Discovery's final mission until STS-114, because Discovery was grounded for a refit, and then all Shuttles were grounded in the wake of the Columbia disaster. The refit included an update of the flight deck to the glass cockpit layout, which was already installed on Atlantis and Columbia.
STS-108 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) flown by Space Shuttle Endeavour. Its primary objective was to deliver supplies to and help maintain the ISS.
The Destiny module, also known as the U.S. Lab, is the primary operating facility for U.S. research payloads aboard the International Space Station (ISS). It was berthed to the Unity module and activated over a period of five days in February, 2001. Destiny is NASA's first permanent operating orbital research station since Skylab was vacated in February 1974.
Expedition 2 was the second long-duration spaceflight aboard the International Space Station, immediately following Expedition 1. Its three-person crew stayed aboard the station from March to August 2001. In addition to station maintenance, the crew assisted in several station assembly missions, welcomed the first space tourist Dennis Tito, and conducted some scientific experiments.
The European Physiology Module (EPM) is an International Standard Payload Rack for the Columbus Laboratory on board the International Space Station. The EPM rack was built by OHB-System in Bremen.
The Minus Eighty-Degree Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) is a European-built experiment storage freezer for the International Space Station. It comprises four independent dewars which can be set to operate at different temperatures. Currently temperatures of −80 °C, −26 °C, and +4 °C are used during on-orbit ISS operations. Both reagents and samples will be stored in the freezer. As well as storage the freezer is designed to be used to transport samples to and from the ISS in a temperature controlled environment. The total capacity of the unit is 300 litres.
Biolab is a single-rack multi-user science payload designed for use in the Columbus laboratory of the International Space Station. Biolab support biological research on small plants, small invertebrates, microorganisms, animal cells, and tissue cultures. It includes an incubator equipped with centrifuges in which the preceding experimental subjects can be subjected to controlled levels of accelerations.
The Payload Operations and Integration Center, also known as the Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC), radio callsign Huntsville, or the Payload Operations Center, is a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) facility located at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. It is the headquarters for the science operations of the International Space Station (ISS), working in conjunction with the ISS control center in Houston, Texas. The Payload Operations Center links Earth-bound researchers and developers from around the world with their experiments and astronauts on board the ISS.
The Materials Science Laboratory (MSL) of the European Space Agency is a payload on board the International Space Station for materials science experiments in low gravity.
The US Orbital Segment (USOS) is the name given to the components of the International Space Station (ISS) constructed and operated by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), European Space Agency (ESA), Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The segment currently consists of eleven pressurized components and various external elements, all of which were delivered by the Space Shuttle.
The International Space Station is a platform for scientific research that requires one or more of the unusual conditions present in low Earth orbit. The primary fields of research include human research, space medicine, life sciences, physical sciences, astronomy and meteorology. The 2005 NASA Authorization Act designated the American segment of the International Space Station as a national laboratory with the goal of increasing the use of the ISS by other federal agencies and the private sector.
The European Drawer Rack (EDR) is a single, six-post International Standard Payload Rack (ISPR) with seven Experiment Modules (EMs), each of which has separate access to power and cooling. A video management unit sends streaming video, images, and science data to Earth via the Columbus module's high-rate data link and can temporarily store 72 GB of video. The experiments are largely autonomous to minimize data transfer requirements, though the EDR can be operated remotely via telescience or in real time by the crew via a dedicated laptop. The EDR has two different types of EMs: the standard International Space Station locker and the standard eight panel unit International Subrack Interface Standard (ISIS) drawer.
The European Transportation Carrier (ETC) transports various payload items, such as commissioning items, science instruments, consumables, orbital support equipment, orbital replacement units, and resupply items, and science items, such as containers. This applies especially to European payload items that cannot be launched in their payload's rack due to limited stowage and transportation capabilities. On orbit, the ETC serves as a workbench and stowage facility, supporting the Biolab, Fluid Science Laboratory (FSL), European Physiology Module (EPM), and European Drawer Rack (EDR).
The Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) was a glovebox aboard the International Space Station. It provided a safe contained environment for research with liquids, combustion and hazardous materials in the microgravity conditions of the ISS. Without the MSG, many types of hands-on investigations would be impossible or severely limited on board the Station. The Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) occupied a floor-to-ceiling rack inside the Destiny module of the International Space Station (ISS). It is more than twice as large as gloveboxes flown on the Space Shuttle and could contain larger investigations that are about twice the size of an airline carry-on bag. A follow on sister facility, managed by the same group at Marshall Space Flight Center, is intended to further support biological experiments with the Life Science Glovebox.
The Muscle Atrophy Research and Exercise System (MARES), part of the Human Research Facility (HRF), was launched on 5 April 2010 (STS-131) in a stowed position inside the HRF MARES Rack, integrated into a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) and transported to the International Space Station. When deployed, MARES was attached to the seat tracks of an International Standard Payload Rack (ISPR) located in the Columbus Laboratory.
The Window Observational Research Facility (WORF) is an experiment rack facility manufactured by the Brazilian Space Agency, which remotely operated payloads and crew members can perform Earth and space science research, including hand held photography, at the U.S. Laboratory Science Window on the International Space Station. WORF is based on an International Standard Payload Rack (ISPR) and utilizes avionics and hardware adapted from the EXPRESS Rack program. The rack provides a payload volume equivalent to 0.8 m3 (28 cu ft), and will be able to support up to three payloads simultaneously, depending on available resources and space available at the window. The WORF will also provide access and equipment for crew Earth observations, such as crew restraints, camera/camcorder brackets, and condensation prevention. WORF payloads include those focusing on geology, agriculture, ranching, environmental and coastal changes, and education.
NG-13, previously known as OA-13, was the fourteenth flight of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its thirteenth flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-1) contract with NASA. The mission launched on 15 February 2020 at 20:21:01 UTC after nearly a week of delays. This is the second launch of Cygnus under the CRS-2 contract.
This article incorporates public domain material from the NASA document: "Human Research Facility 1 (HRF-1)".