[sarex] EXP-13 ISS SCXIENCE REPORT- 05.22.06

[Arthur Rowe <azrowe80@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468

International Space Station Expedition 13 Science Operations Status 
Report for the Week Ending May 19, 2006

    05.22.06

Steve Roy
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
(Phone: 256.544.0034)

Status report: 06-069


Jeffrey Williams Expedition 13 NASA Science Officer Jeffrey Williams ran 
the final sample for the Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation, or 
PFMI experiment. The experiment, operated inside the Microgravity 
Science Glovebox, investigates how bubbles form and migrate during 
solidification using a transparent modeling material. The model system 
is important for understanding the formation of flaws in molten metals 
as they are solidified.

Williams also performed a series of test flights with the first of three 
small free-flying satellites for the Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, 
Re-orient Experimental Satellites, or SPHERES experiment.

SPHERES will demonstrate the basics of formation flight and autonomous 
docking. For the first tests, only one satellite and two beacons -- one 
mounted and one hand-held -- were used. The satellite is eight inches in 
diameter and weighs about seven pounds. It also contains internal 
avionics, software and communications systems and is maneuvered using 
compressed carbon dioxide gas thrusters.

Performed autonomously in the U.S. Lab, the first test flight consisted 
of a series of 10 to15 pre-planned maneuvers lasting up to 10 minutes 
each. After Williams selected and loaded the appropriate software on the 
laptop, the satellite began its pre-programmed autonomous maneuvers.

Testing included attitude control, station keeping, re-targeting, 
collision avoidance and fuel balancing algorithms. This technology is of 
interest in designing constellation and array spacecraft configurations 
and also could be used for free-flying robotic assistants, capable of 
helping astronauts on future spacewalks.

NASA's payload operations team at the Marshall Center coordinates U.S. 
science activities on space station.
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