Dr. Larry DeLucas operating the USML-1 Glovebox (GBX) during the USML-1 (STS-50) mission. Dr. DeLucas was a Payload Specialist during the USML-1 mission and is Associate Director of the Center for Macromolecular Crystallography at The University of Alabama at Birmingham.

S91-41413 (July 1991) --- Payload specialist Lawrence J. DeLucas, Ph.D.

The STS-50 crew portrait includes (from left to right): Ellen S. Baker, mission specialist; Kenneth D. Bowersox, pilot; Bonnie J. Dunbar, payload commander; Richard N. Richards, commander; Carl J. Meade, mission specialist; Eugene H. Trinh, payload specialist; and Lawrence J. DeLucas, payload specialist. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia on June 25, 1992 at 12:12:23 pm (EDT), the primary payload for the mission was the U.S. Microgravity Laboratory-1 (USML-1) featuring a pressurized Spacelab module.

Larry DeLucas operating USML-1 Glovebox

View showing Payload Specialists Bonnie Dunbar and Larry DeLucas in the aft section of the U. S. Microgravity Laboratory-1. Dunbar prepares to load a sample in the Crystal Growth Furnace (CGF) Integrated Furnace Experiment Assembly (IFEA) in rack 9 of the Microgravity Laboratory, while DeLucas checks out the multi-purpose Glovebox Facility.

Payload Specialist Larry DeLucas and Payload Commander Bornie Dunbar working in USML-1.

Larry DeLucas with the (LBNP) Lower Body Negative Pressure Experiment onboard STS-50.

Crystals of Proteinase K complex grown in the VDA-2 (Vapor Diffusion Apparatus) hardware aboard MSL-1. Principal Investigator: Larry DeLucas

STS050-02-001 (9 July 1992) --- View showing Payload Specialists Bonnie Dunbar and Larry DeLucas in the aft section of the U. S. Microgravity Laboratory-1. Dunbar is preparing to load a sample in the Crystal Growth Furnace (CGF) Integrated Furnace Experiment Assembly (IFEA) in rack 9 of the Microgravity Laboratory. DeLucas is checking out the multipurpose Glovebox Facility.

Onboard Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-50) payload commander Bornie Dunbar performs life science experiments on crewmember payload specialist Lawrence Delucas in the United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML-1) science module.

Contributes to many transport and regulatory processes and has multifunctional binding properties which range form various metals, to fatty acids, hormones, and a wide spectrum of therapeutic drugs. The most abundant protein of the circulatory system. It binds and transports an incredible variety of biological and pharmaceutical ligands throughout the blood stream. Principal Investigator was Larry DeLucas.

The comparison of protein crystal, Isocitrate Lyase earth-grown (left) and space-grown (right). This is a target enzyme for fungicides. A better understanding of this enzyme should lead to the discovery of more potent fungicides to treat serious crop diseases such as rice blast; it regulates the flow of metabolic intermediates required for cell growth. Principal Investigator is Larry DeLucas.

Vapor Diffusion Apparatus (VDA-2) was developed by the University of Alabama in Birmingham for NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. In the original VDA, a protein solution and a precipitant are extruded by two plungers onto the tip of a small syringe and allowed to evaporate, raising the concentration and prompting protein molecules to crystallize. In the VDA-2 version, a third plunger was added to mix the two solutions before returning the mix to the syringe tip. The principal investigator is Dr. Larry Delucas of the University of Alabama in Birmingham.

Onboard Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-50) crewmembers rally around the American flag in the United States Microgravity Laboratory-1 (USML-1). Pictured are (from top, left to right) pilot Kerneth D. Bowersox; payload specialist Lawrence J. Delucas; commander Richard N. Richards; payload commander Bonnie J. Dunbar; mission specialists Carl J. Meade and Ellen S. Baker; and payload specialist Eugene H. Trinh.

Malic Enzyme is a target protein for drug design because it is a key protein in the life cycle of intestinal parasites. After 2 years of effort on Earth, investigators were unable to produce any crystals that were of high enough quality and for this reason the structure of this important protein could not be determined. Crystals obtained from one STS-50 were of superior quality allowing the structure to be determined. This is just one example why access to space is so vital for these studies. Principal Investigator is Larry DeLucas.

Vapor Diffusion Apparatus (VDA and VDA-2) was developed by the University of Alabama in Birmingham for NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. In the original VDA, a protein solution and a precipitant are extruded by two plungers onto the tip of a small syringe and allowed to evaporate, raising the concentration and prompting protein molecules to crystallize. In the VDA-2 version, a third plunger was added to mix the two solutions before returning the mix to the syringe tip. The principal investigator is Dr. Larry Delucas of the University of Alabama in Birmingham

The comparison of protein crystal, Recombiant Human Insulin; space-grown (left) and earth-grown (right). On STS-60, Spacehab II indicated that space-grown crystals are larger and of greater optical clarity than their earth-grown counterparts. Recombiant Human Insulin facilitates the incorporation of glucose into cells. In diabetics, there is either a decrease in or complete lack of insulin, thereby leading to several harmful complications. Principal Investigator is Larry DeLucas.

STS050-259-016 (25 June-9 July 1992) --- Payload specialist Lawrence J. DeLucas works at the Multipurpose Glovebox (MPGB) in the science module aboard the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Columbia. Provided by the European Space Agency, the glovebox enables crewmembers to handle, transfer and otherwise manipulate materials in ways that are impractical in the open science module. At least 16 experiments were accommodated in the glovebox during this 14-day record-setting mission.

(PCG) Protein Crystal Growth Human Serum Albumin. Contributes to many transport and regulatory processes and has multifunctional binding properties which range from various metals, to fatty acids, hormones, and a wide spectrum of therapeutic drugs. The most abundant protein of the circulatory system. It binds and transports an incredible variety of biological and pharmaceutical ligands throughout the blood stream. Principal Investigator on STS-26 was Larry DeLucas.

STS050-S-002 (24 Jan. 1992) --- The seven crew members assigned to NASA's mission pose for the traditional crew portrait. The crew was in Palmdale, California for the Space Shuttle Columbia's Extended-Duration Orbiter (EDO) modifications roll-out. Astronaut Richard N. Richards, mission commander, is center. Astronaut Kenneth D. Bowersox, pilot, is second from left. Others, left to right, are astronauts Ellen S. Baker, mission specialist; Bonnie J. Dunbar, payload commander; and Carl J. Meade, mission specialist; Eugene H. Trinh and Lawrence J. DeLucas, payload specialists.

STS050-254-007 (25 June-9 July 1992) --- Lawrence J. DeLucas, payload specialist, handles a Protein Crystal Growth (PCG) sample at the multipurpose glovebox aboard the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Columbia. Astronaut Bonnie J. Dunbar, payload commander, communicates with ground controllers about the Solid Surface Combustion Experiment (SSCE), one of the United States Microgravity Laboratory 1’s (USML-1) three experiments on Rack 10. Five other crew members joined the pair for a record-setting 14-days of scientific data gathering.

STS050-291-027 (25 June-9 July 1992) --- Astronaut Bonnie J. Dunbar uses a Doppler to collect medical data from Lawrence J. DeLucas, payload specialist, during his diagnostic "run" in the Lower Body Negative Pressure device (LBNP). The Doppler is used to pick up high-frequency sound waves from the surface of the heart, thus producing pictures on the monitor of the American Flight Echocardiograph (AFE). The result of the LBNP procedure is expected to be an increased tolerance of orthostatis - or standing upright - upon return to Earth's gravity. LBNP has been used a number of times in the United States space program, as early as the Skylab missions. STS-50 is the fourth flight of the current collapsible unit. Researchers are refining the LBNP protocol which will be used operationally on future 13 through 16 day missions.

Ribbons is a program developed at UAB used worldwide to graphically depict complicated protein structures in a simplified format. The program uses sophisticated computer systems to understand the implications of protein structures. The Influenza virus remains a major causative agent for a large number of deaths among the elderly and young children and huge economic losses due to illness. Finding a cure will have a general impact both on the basic research of viral pathologists of fast evolving infectious agents and clinical treatment of influenza virus infection. The reproduction process of all strains of influenza are dependent on the same enzyme neuraminidase. Shown here is a segmented representation of the neuraminidase inhibitor compound sitting inside a cave-like contour of the neuraminidase enzyme surface. This cave-like formation present in every neuraminidase enzyme is the active site crucial to the flu's ability to infect. The space-grown crystals of neuraminidase have provided significant new details about the three-dimensional characteristics of this active site thus allowing researchers to design drugs that fit tighter into the site. Principal Investigator: Dr. Larry DeLucas

The reproduction process of all strains of influenza are dependent on the same enzyme neuraminidase. Pharmaceutical companies have been developing drugs that can inhibit the function of neuraminidase hoping to create an effective weapon against the flu. Researchers from the pharmaceutical industry and from the Center for Macromolecular Crystallography have grown crystals of neuraminidase in space. These improved, space-grown crystals have provided information that have helped design drugs which form a stronger interaction with the enzyme. These drugs inhibit neuraminidase by attaching themselves to the enzyme. Since the drugs are less likely to detach from the enzyme, they are more effective, require smaller dosages, and have fewer side effects. Shown here is a segmented representation of the neuraminidase inhibitor compound sitting inside a cave-like contour of the neuraminidase enzyme surface. This cave-like formation present in every neuraminidase enzyme is the active site crucial to the flu's ability to infect. The space-grown crystals of neuraminidase have provided significant new details about the three-dimensional characteristics of this active site thus allowing researchers to design drugs that fit tighter into the site. Principal Investigator: Dr. Larry DeLucas

The first United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML-1) flew in orbit inside the Spacelab science module for extended periods, providing scientists and researchers greater opportunities for research in materials science, fluid dynamics, biotechnology (crystal growth), and combustion science. In this photograph, Astronaut Bornie Dunbar and Astronaut Larry DeLucas are conducting the Lower Body Negative Pressure (LBNP) experiment, which is to protect the health and safety of the crew and to shorten the time required to readapt to gravity when they return to Earth. When humans go into space, the lack of gravity causes many changes in the body. One change is that fluids normally kept in the lower body by gravity, shift upward to the head and chest. This is why astronauts' faces appear chubby or puffy. The change in fluid volume also affects the heart. The reduced fluid volume means that there is less blood to circulate through the body. Crewmembers may experience reduced blood flow to the brain when returning to Earth. This leads to fainting or near-fainting episodes. With the use of LBNP to simulate the pull of gravity in conjunction with fluids, salt tablets can recondition the cardiovascular system. This treatment, called "soak," is effective up to 24 hours. The LBNP uses a three-layer collapsible cylinder that seals around the crewmember's waist which simulates the effects of gravity and helps pull fluids into the lower body. The data collected will be analyzed to determine physiological changes in the crewmembers and effectiveness of the treatment. The USML-1 was launched aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia (STS-50) on June 25, 1992.