FEE (Frog Embryology Experiment) Spacelab-J flight frogs from ground control tadpoles

STS-47 Spacelab-J FFE (Frog Embryology Experiment) post flight data - flight frogs from SL-J, ground control tadpoles

iss050e037304 (01/31/2017) --- ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet works with controls for the European Haptics-2 experiment aboard the International Space Station. Haptics-2 is a technology demonstration experiment aimed at validating control interactions to take place between space and ground. In particular, this experiment allows for an astronaut crew in space to control, in real-time, robotic assets on Earth, using force feedback.

Expedition 47 robotic arm operator Tim Kopra of NASA commanded the International Space Station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm to release the Cygnus spacecraft at 9:30 a.m. EDT while the space station was flying above Paraguay. Earlier, ground controllers detached Cygnus from the station and maneuvered it into place for its departure. After Cygnus is a safe distance away, ground controllers at Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio will initiate the sequence for Saffire-1, and controllers at Orbital ATK in Dulles, Virginia, will activate the experiment. Cygnus will continue to orbit Earth for up to eight days as it transmits hi-resolution imagery and data from the Saffire experiment.

This photograph was taken during the Astro-1 mission (STS-35) showing activities at NASA's new Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center. The POCC was the air/ground communication charnel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crewmembers to resolve problems with their experiments.

Gioia Massa, NASA payload scientist for Veggie, center, shows Ed and Betty Rosenthal, founders of Florikan Fertilizer Corp., the ground control experiments in the Veggie Lab at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 16.

Ed and Betty Rosenthal, founders of Florikan Fertilizer Corp., left, and Gioia Massa, NASA payload scientist for Veggie, observe ground control experiments in the Veggie Lab at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 16.

Gioia Massa, NASA payload scientist for Veggie, left, Betty and Ed Rosenthal, founders of Florikan Fertilizer Corp., observe ground control experiments in the Veggie Lab at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 16.

The primary objective of the STS-35 mission was round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-Ray astronomy with the Astro-1 observatory which consisted of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. Pictured is Jack Jones in the Mission Manager Area.

The primary objective of the STS-35 mission was round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-Ray astronomy with the Astro-1 observatory which consisted of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. Pictured is the TV OPS area of the SL POCC.

iss051e018997 (4/18/2017) --- Photo documentation of the Echo Unit during setup for Echo experiment commissioning operations (OPS) in the Columbus module aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The purpose of the ECHO investigation is to evaluate a tele-operated ultrasound system, equipped with motorized probes that are controlled by flight controllers on the ground. Additionally, this investigation serves to perform the commissioning of the Echo instrument, which is planned to be used for the Vascular Echo experiment in the future.

The Center for Advanced Microgravity Materials Processing (CAMMP), a NASA-sponsored Research Partnership Center, is working to improve zeolite materials for storing hydrogen fuel. CAMMP is also applying zeolites to detergents, optical cables, gas and vapor detection for environmental monitoring and control, and chemical production techniques that significantly reduce by-products that are hazardous to the environment. Shown here are zeolite crystals (top) grown in a ground control experiment and grown in microgravity on the USML-2 mission (bottom). Zeolite experiments have also been conducted aboard the International Space Station.

The primary objective of the STS-35 mission was round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-Ray astronomy with the Astro-1 observatory which consisted of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. Due to loss of data used for pointing and operating the ultraviolet telescopes, MSFC ground teams were forced to aim the telescopes with fine tuning by the flight crew. Pictured onboard the shuttle is astronaut Robert Parker using a Manual Pointing Controller (MPC) for the ASTRO-1 mission Instrument Pointing System (IPS).

The primary objective of the STS-35 mission was round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-Ray astronomy with the Astro-1 observatory which consisted of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. Due to loss of data used for pointing and operating the ultraviolet telescopes, MSFC ground teams were forced to aim the telescopes with fine tuning by the flight crew. This photo captures the activity at the Operations Control Facility during the mission as Dr. Urban and Paul Whitehouse give a “thumbs up”.

The primary objective of the STS-35 mission was round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-Ray astronomy with the Astro-1 observatory which consisted of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. Due to loss of data used for pointing and operating the ultraviolet telescopes, MSFC ground teams were forced to aim the telescopes with fine tuning by the flight crew. This photo is an overview of the MSFC Payload Control Room (PCR).

The primary objective of the STS-35 mission was round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-Ray astronomy with the Astro-1 observatory which consisted of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. Due to loss of data used for pointing and operating the ultraviolet telescopes, MSFC ground teams were forced to aim the telescopes with fine tuning by the flight crew. This photo captures the activity of WUPPE (Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment) data review at the Science Operations Area during the mission. This image shows mission activities at the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT) Work Station in the Science Operations Area (SOA).

ISS047e152988 (06/14/2016) --- Cygnus Spacecraft on its way back to Earth. Expedition 47 robotic arm operator NASA astronaut Tim Kopra of NASA commanded the International Space Station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm to release the Cygnus spacecraft on 16 June 2016 while the space station was flying above Paraguay. Earlier, ground controllers detached Cygnus from the station and maneuvered it into place for its departure. After Cygnus is a safe distance away, ground controllers at Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio will initiate the sequence for Saffire-1, and controllers at Orbital ATK in Dulles, Virginia, will activate the experiment. Cygnus will continue to orbit Earth for up to eight days as it transmits hi-resolution imagery and data from the Saffire experiment.

ISS047e152844 (06/14/2016) --- Expedition 47 robotic arm operator astronaut Tim Kopra of NASA commanded the International Space Station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm to release the Cygnus spacecraft at 9:30 a.m. EDT June 14, 2016 while the space station was flying above Paraguay. Earlier, ground controllers detached Cygnus from the station and maneuvered it into place for its departure. After Cygnus is a safe distance away, ground controllers at Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio will initiate the sequence for Saffire-1, and controllers at Orbital ATK in Dulles, Virginia, will activate the experiment. Cygnus will continue to orbit Earth for up to eight days as it transmits hi-resolution imagery and data from the Saffire experiment.

JSC2006-E-54711 (21 Dec. 2006) --- Overall view of the Shuttle Flight Control Room in the Johnson Space Center's Mission Control Center during the final deployment of some small satellites from Space Shuttle Discovery's cargo bay. On a screen in the front of the control room, a Department of Defense pico-satellite known as Atmospheric Neutral Density Experiment (ANDE) is released from the shuttle's payload bay by STS-116 crewmembers and viewed via live television on the ground.

ISS012-E-14518 (10 Jan. 2006) --- Astronaut William S. (Bill) McArthur, Expedition 12 commander and NASA space station science officer, talks to Mission Control Center while holding the Total Force Foot Ground Interface (TF-FGI) during Foot/Ground Reaction Forces During Spaceflight (FOOT) experiment set-up operations in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station. The Foot Ground Interface Flight Calibration Unit (FGI-GCU) is visible at right.

The primary objective of the STS-35 mission was round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-Ray astronomy with the Astro-1 observatory which consisted of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. Due to loss of data used for pointing and operating the ultraviolet telescopes, MSFC ground teams were forced to aim the telescopes with fine tuning by the flight crew. This photo captures the activity of BBKRT data review in the Science Operations Area during the mission.

The primary objective of the STS-35 mission was round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-Ray astronomy with the Astro-1 observatory which consisted of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. Due to loss of data used for pointing and operating the ultraviolet telescopes, MSFC ground teams were forced to aim the telescopes with fine tuning by the flight crew. This photo captures the activity of viewing HUT data in the Mission Manager Actions Room during the mission.

The primary objective of the STS-35 mission was round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-Ray astronomy with the Astro-1 observatory which consisted of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. Due to loss of data used for pointing and operating the ultraviolet telescopes, MSFC ground teams were forced to aim the telescopes with fine tuning by the flight crew. This photo captures a press briefing at MSFC during STS-35, ASTRO-1 Mission.

The primary objective of the STS-35 mission was round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-Ray astronomy with the Astro-1 observatory which consisted of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. Due to loss of data used for pointing and operating the ultraviolet telescopes, MSFC ground teams were forced to aim the telescopes with fine tuning by the flight crew. This photo captures the activities at the Mission Manager Actions Room during the mission.

The primary objective of the STS-35 mission was round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-Ray astronomy with the Astro-1 observatory which consisted of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. Due to loss of data used for pointing and operating the ultraviolet telescopes, MSFC ground teams were forced to aim the telescopes with fine tuning by the flight crew. This photo captures the activity of WUPPE data review at the Science Operations Area during the mission.

iss051e042749 (5/15/2017) -- NASA astronaut Jack Fischer loads the NanoRacks CubeSat Deployer in to an airlock in the Japanese Experiment Module on the International Space Station. When transferred to the outside of the station, ground crews took control, triggering deployment of the satellites into Earth orbit. Credits: NASA

S94-E-5019 (6 July 1997) --- Roger K. Crouch, payload specialist for the Microgravity Sciences Laboratory (MSL-1) mission, is seen at the experiment racks during Flight Day 6 aboard Spacelab. The photo was recorded with an Electronic Still Camera (ESC) and later downlinked to ground controllers in Houston, Texas.

jsc2010e089995 (6/7/2010) --- A preflight image of the Cell Experiment Small Prefixation Apparatus for Fish Scales. The Osteoclastic and Osteoblastic Responses to Microgravity Using Goldfish Scales (Fish Scales) investigation will examine regenerating scales collected from anesthetized goldfish in microgravity, the results will be compared with ground controls.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Sharon Edney, with Dynamac Corp., checks the growth of radishes being grown hydroponically for study in the Space Life Sciences Lab. The 100,000 square-foot facility houses labs for NASA’s ongoing research efforts, microbiology/microbial ecology studies and analytical chemistry labs. Also calling the new lab home are facilities for space flight-experiment and flight-hardware development, new plant growth chambers, and an Orbiter Environment Simulator that will be used to conduct ground control experiments in simulated flight conditions for space flight experiments. The SLS Lab, formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory or SERPL, provides space for NASA’s Life Sciences Services contractor Dynamac Corporation, Bionetics Corporation, and researchers from the University of Florida. NASA’s Office of Biological and Physical Research will use the facility for processing life sciences experiments that will be conducted on the International Space Station. The SLS Lab is the magnet facility for the International Space Research Park at KSC being developed in partnership with Florida Space Authority.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Sharon Edney, with Dynamac Corp., checks the roots of green onions being grown hydroponically for study in the Space Life Sciences Lab. The 100,000 square-foot facility houses labs for NASA’s ongoing research efforts, microbiology/microbial ecology studies and analytical chemistry labs. Also calling the new lab home are facilities for space flight-experiment and flight-hardware development, new plant growth chambers, and an Orbiter Environment Simulator that will be used to conduct ground control experiments in simulated flight conditions for space flight experiments. The SLS Lab, formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory or SERPL, provides space for NASA’s Life Sciences Services contractor Dynamac Corporation, Bionetics Corporation, and researchers from the University of Florida. NASA’s Office of Biological and Physical Research will use the facility for processing life sciences experiments that will be conducted on the International Space Station. The SLS Lab is the magnet facility for the International Space Research Park at KSC being developed in partnership with Florida Space Authority.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Life Sciences Lab, Lanfang Levine, with Dynamac Corp., transfers material into a sample bottle for analysis. She is standing in front of new equipment in the lab that will provide gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The equipment will enable analysis of volatile compounds, such as from plants. The 100,000 square-foot facility houses labs for NASA’s ongoing research efforts, microbiology/microbial ecology studies and analytical chemistry labs. Also calling the new lab home are facilities for space flight-experiment and flight-hardware development, new plant growth chambers, and an Orbiter Environment Simulator that will be used to conduct ground control experiments in simulated flight conditions for space flight experiments. The SLS Lab, formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory or SERPL, provides space for NASA’s Life Sciences Services contractor Dynamac Corporation, Bionetics Corporation, and researchers from the University of Florida. NASA’s Office of Biological and Physical Research will use the facility for processing life sciences experiments that will be conducted on the International Space Station. The SLS Lab is the magnet facility for the International Space Research Park at KSC being developed in partnership with Florida Space Authority.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Sharon Edney, with Dynamac Corp., measures photosynthesis on Bibb lettuce being grown hydroponically for study in the Space Life Sciences Lab. The 100,000 square-foot facility houses labs for NASA’s ongoing research efforts, microbiology/microbial ecology studies and analytical chemistry labs. Also calling the new lab home are facilities for space flight-experiment and flight-hardware development, new plant growth chambers, and an Orbiter Environment Simulator that will be used to conduct ground control experiments in simulated flight conditions for space flight experiments. The SLS Lab, formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory or SERPL, provides space for NASA’s Life Sciences Services contractor Dynamac Corporation, Bionetics Corporation, and researchers from the University of Florida. NASA’s Office of Biological and Physical Research will use the facility for processing life sciences experiments that will be conducted on the International Space Station. The SLS Lab is the magnet facility for the International Space Research Park at KSC being developed in partnership with Florida Space Authority.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Life Sciences (SLS) Lab, Jan Bauer, with Dynamac Corp., places samples of onion tissue in the elemental analyzer, which analyzes for carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulfur. The 100,000 square-foot SLS houses labs for NASA’s ongoing research efforts, microbiology/microbial ecology studies and analytical chemistry labs. Also calling the new lab home are facilities for space flight-experiment and flight-hardware development, new plant growth chambers, and an Orbiter Environment Simulator that will be used to conduct ground control experiments in simulated flight conditions for space flight experiments. The SLS Lab, formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory or SERPL, provides space for NASA’s Life Sciences Services contractor Dynamac Corporation, Bionetics Corporation, and researchers from the University of Florida. NASA’s Office of Biological and Physical Research will use the facility for processing life sciences experiments that will be conducted on the International Space Station. The SLS Lab is the magnet facility for the International Space Research Park at KSC being developed in partnership with Florida Space Authority.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Lanfang Levine, with Dynamac Corp., helps install a Dionex DX-500 IC/HPLC system in the Space Life Sciences Lab. The equipment will enable analysis of volatile compounds, such as from plants. The 100,000 square-foot facility houses labs for NASA’s ongoing research efforts, microbiology/microbial ecology studies and analytical chemistry labs. Also calling the new lab home are facilities for space flight-experiment and flight-hardware development, new plant growth chambers, and an Orbiter Environment Simulator that will be used to conduct ground control experiments in simulated flight conditions for space flight experiments. The SLS Lab, formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory or SERPL, provides space for NASA’s Life Sciences Services contractor Dynamac Corporation, Bionetics Corporation, and researchers from the University of Florida. NASA’s Office of Biological and Physical Research will use the facility for processing life sciences experiments that will be conducted on the International Space Station. The SLS Lab is the magnet facility for the International Space Research Park at KSC being developed in partnership with Florida Space Authority.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Life Sciences (SLS) Lab, Jan Bauer, with Dynamac Corp., weighs samples of onion tissue for processing in the elemental analyzer behind it. The equipment analyzes for carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulfur. The 100,000 square-foot SLS houses labs for NASA’s ongoing research efforts, microbiology/microbial ecology studies and analytical chemistry labs. Also calling the new lab home are facilities for space flight-experiment and flight-hardware development, new plant growth chambers, and an Orbiter Environment Simulator that will be used to conduct ground control experiments in simulated flight conditions for space flight experiments. The SLS Lab, formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory or SERPL, provides space for NASA’s Life Sciences Services contractor Dynamac Corporation, Bionetics Corporation, and researchers from the University of Florida. NASA’s Office of Biological and Physical Research will use the facility for processing life sciences experiments that will be conducted on the International Space Station. The SLS Lab is the magnet facility for the International Space Research Park at KSC being developed in partnership with Florida Space Authority.

This photograph shows activities during the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1) mission (STS-42) in the Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center. Members of the Fluid Experiment System (FES) group monitor the progress of their experiment through video at the POCC. The IML-1 mission was the first in a series of Shuttle flights dedicated to fundamental materials and life sciences research. The mission was to explore, in depth, the complex effects of weightlessness on living organisms and materials processing. The crew conducted experiments on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and the effects on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Low gravity materials processing experiments included crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury, iodine, and virus. The International space science research organizations that participated in this mission were: The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administion, the European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency, the French National Center for Space Studies, the German Space Agency, and the National Space Development Agency of Japan. The POCC was the air/ground communication charnel used between astronauts aboard the Spacelab and scientists, researchers, and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. The facility made instantaneous video and audio communications possible for scientists on the ground to follow the progress and to send direct commands of their research almost as if they were in space with the crew.

A view of radishes growing in the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) ground unit inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 14, 2020. The radishes are a ground control crop for the Plant Habitat-02 (PH-02) experiment. The experiment also involves growing two similar radish crops inside the International Space Station’s APH. NASA astronaut Kate Rubins harvested the first crop on Nov. 30, and the second harvest aboard the orbiting laboratory is planned for Dec. 30. Once samples return to Earth, researchers will compare those grown in space to the radishes grown here on Earth to better understand how microgravity affects plant growth.

A view of radishes growing in the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) ground unit inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 14, 2020. The radishes are a ground control crop for the Plant Habitat-02 (PH-02) experiment. The experiment also involves growing two similar radish crops inside the International Space Station’s APH. NASA astronaut Kate Rubins harvested the first crop on Nov. 30, and the second harvest aboard the orbiting laboratory is planned for Dec. 30. Once samples return to Earth, researchers will compare those grown in space to the radishes grown here on Earth to better understand how microgravity affects plant growth.

A view of radishes growing in the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) ground unit inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 14, 2020. The radishes are a ground control crop for the Plant Habitat-02 (PH-02) experiment. The experiment also involves growing two similar radish crops inside the International Space Station’s APH. NASA astronaut Kate Rubins harvested the first crop on Nov. 30, and the second harvest aboard the orbiting laboratory is planned for Dec. 30. Once samples return to Earth, researchers will compare those grown in space to the radishes grown here on Earth to better understand how microgravity affects plant growth.

The Equiaxed Dendritic Solidification Experiment (EDSE) is a material sciences investigation under the Formation of Microstructures/pattern formation discipline. The objective is to study the microstructural evolution of and thermal interactions between several quiaxed crystals growing dendritically in a supercooled melt of a pure and transparent substance under diffusion controlled conditions. George Myers, controls engineer, monitors the thermal environment of a ground test for the EDSE located in the Microgravity Development Laboratory (MDL).

iss073e0416906 (July 21, 2025) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Jonny Kim tests space-to-ground robotic controlling methods on a laptop computer inside the International Space Station's Columbus laboratory module. The Surface Avatar experiment explores ways to control robotic vehicles on a planetary surface from an orbiting spacecraft using a variety of technologies including consoles, touchscreens, haptics, and virtual reality goggles that may benefit future space exploration.

Inside a laboratory in the Space Systems Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a plant biologist harvests Outredgeous romaine lettuce growing in the Advanced Plant Habitat ground unit as the ground control portion of the Plant Habitat-07 (PH-07) experiment on Thursday, April 24, 2025. PH-07 was sent to the International Space Station on NASA’s SpaceX 31st commercial resupply services mission to study how optimal and suboptimal moisture conditions impact plant growth, nutrient content, and the plant microbiome.

Inside a laboratory in the Space Systems Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a plant biologist harvests Outredgeous romaine lettuce growing in the Advanced Plant Habitat ground unit as the ground control portion of the Plant Habitat-07 (PH-07) experiment on Thursday, April 24, 2025. PH-07 was sent to the International Space Station on NASA’s SpaceX 31st commercial resupply services mission to study how optimal and suboptimal moisture conditions impact plant growth, nutrient content, and the plant microbiome.

Plant biologists inside a laboratory in the Space Systems Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, prepare to harvest Outredgeous romaine lettuce growing in the Advanced Plant Habitat ground unit as the ground control portion of the Plant Habitat-07 (PH-07) experiment on Thursday, April 24, 2025. PH-07 was sent to the International Space Station on NASA’s SpaceX 31st commercial resupply services mission to study how optimal and suboptimal moisture conditions impact plant growth, nutrient content, and the plant microbiome.

Plant biologists inside a laboratory in the Space Systems Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, prepare to harvest Outredgeous romaine lettuce growing in the Advanced Plant Habitat ground unit as the ground control portion of the Plant Habitat-07 (PH-07) experiment on Thursday, April 24, 2025. PH-07 was sent to the International Space Station on NASA’s SpaceX 31st commercial resupply services mission to study how optimal and suboptimal moisture conditions impact plant growth, nutrient content, and the plant microbiome.

Inside a laboratory in the Space Systems Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a plant biologist harvests Outredgeous romaine lettuce growing in the Advanced Plant Habitat ground unit as the ground control portion of the Plant Habitat-07 (PH-07) experiment on Thursday, April 24, 2025. PH-07 was sent to the International Space Station on NASA’s SpaceX 31st commercial resupply services mission to study how optimal and suboptimal moisture conditions impact plant growth, nutrient content, and the plant microbiome.

Pilot and Paresev 1 preparing for a landing on the Rogers dry lakebed in 1962 at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The flight program began with ground tow tests. Several tows were made before liftoff was attempted to check the control rigging and to familiarize the pilot with the vehicle’s ground stability. As the pilot’s confidence and experience increased, tow speeds were also increased until liftoff was attained. Liftoff was at about 40 knots indicated airspeed (kias).

ISS011-E-09831 (29 June 2005) --- Astronaut John L. Phillips, Expedition 11 NASA Space Station science officer and flight engineer, works at the Canadarm2 controls while participating in the Foot/Ground Reaction Forces During Spaceflight (FOOT) experiment in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station. Phillips wore the specially instrumented Lower Extremity Monitoring Suit (LEMS), cycling tights outfitted with sensors, during the experiment.

The primary objective of the STS-35 mission was round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-Ray astronomy with the Astro-1 observatory which consisted of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. This photo is of Space classroom students in the Discovery Optics Lab at MSFC during STS-35, ASTRO-1 mission payload operations.

Activities in the Spacelab Mission Operations Control facility at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) are shown in this photograph. All NASA Spacelab science missions were controlled from and the science astronauts were supported by this facility during the missions. Teams of flight controllers and researchers at the MSFC Space Mission Operations Control Center directed all NASA science operations, sent commands directly to the crew of Spacelab, and received and analyzed data from experiments on board the Spacelab. The facility used the air/ground communications charnels between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Spacelab science operations were a cooperative effort between the science astronaut crew in orbit and their colleagues in the Space Mission Operations Control Center. Though the crew and the instrument science teams were separated by many miles, they interacted with one another to evaluate observations and solve problems in much the same way as they would when working side by side in a ground-based laboratory. Most of the action was centered in two work areas: The payload control area from which the overall payload was monitored and controlled and the science operations area where teams of scientists monitored their instruments and direct experiment activities. This facility is no longer operational since the last Spacelab mission, U.S. Microgravity Payload-4 in December 1997, and has become one of the historical sites at MSFC. The facility was reopened as the International Space Station Payload Operations Center in March 2001.

Expedition Five crewmember and flight engineer Peggy Whitson displays the progress of soybeans growing in the Advanced Astroculture (ADVASC) Experiment aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The ADVASC experiment was one of the several new experiments and science facilities delivered to the ISS by Expedition Five aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavor STS-111 mission. An agricultural seed company will grow soybeans in the ADVASC hardware to determine whether soybean plants can produce seeds in a microgravity environment. Secondary objectives include determination of the chemical characteristics of the seed in space and any microgravity impact on the plant growth cycle. Station science will also be conducted by the ever-present ground crew, with a new cadre of controllers for Expedition Five in the ISS Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Controllers work in three shifts around the clock, 7 days a week, in the POCC, the world's primary science command post for the Space Station. The POCC links Earth-bound researchers around the world with their experiments and crew aboard the Space Station.

This is a photo of soybeans growing in the Advanced Astroculture (ADVASC) Experiment aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The ADVASC experiment was one of the several new experiments and science facilities delivered to the ISS by Expedition Five aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavor STS-111 mission. An agricultural seed company will grow soybeans in the ADVASC hardware to determine whether soybean plants can produce seeds in a microgravity environment. Secondary objectives include determination of the chemical characteristics of the seed in space and any microgravity impact on the plant growth cycle. Station science will also be conducted by the ever-present ground crew, with a new cadre of controllers for Expedition Five in the ISS Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Controllers work in three shifts around the clock, 7 days a week, in the POCC, the world's primary science command post for the Space Station. The POCC links Earth-bound researchers around the world with their experiments and crew aboard the Space Station.

This photograph shows activities during the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1) mission (STS-42) in the Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center. The IML-1 mission was the first in a series of Shuttle flights dedicated to fundamental materials and life sciences research. The mission was to explore, in depth, the complex effects of weightlessness on living organisms and materials processing. The crew conducted experiments on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and the effects on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Low gravity materials processing experiments included crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury, iodine, and virus. The International space science research organizations that participated in this mission were: The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency, the French National Center for Space Studies, the German Space Agency, and the National Space Development Agency of Japan. The POCC was the air/ground communication charnel used between the astronauts aboard the Spacelab and scientists, researchers, and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. The facility made instantaneous video and audio communications possible for scientists on the ground to follow the progress and to send direct commands of their research almost as if they were in space with the crew.

STS-31 Mission Specialist (MS) Kathryn D. Sullivan monitors and advises ground controllers of the activity inside the Student Experiment (SE) 82-16, Ion arc - studies of the effects of microgravity and a magnetic field on an electric arc, mounted in front of the middeck lockers aboard Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103. Pilot Charles F. Bolden uses a video camera and an ARRIFLEX motion picture camera to record the activity inside the special chamber. A sign in front of the experiment reads "SSIP 82-16 Greg's Experiment Happy Graduation from STS-31." SSIP stands for Shuttle Student Involvement Program. Gregory S. Peterson who developed the experiment (Greg's Experiment) is a student at Utah State University and monitored the experiment's operation from JSC's Mission Control Center (MCC) during the flight. Decals displayed in the background on the orbiter galley represent the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the United States (U.S.) Naval Reserve, Navy Oceanographers, U.S. Navy, and University of Kansas.

S61-E-006 (5 Dec 1993) --- The robot arm controlling work of Swiss scientist Claude Nicollier was photographed with an Electronic Still Camera (ESC), and down linked to ground controllers soon afterward. With the mission specialist's assistance, Endeavour's crew captured the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) on December 4, 1993. Four of the seven crew members will work in alternating pairs outside Endeavour's shirt sleeve environment to service the giant telescope. Electronic still photography is a relatively new technology which provides the means for a handheld camera to electronically capture and digitize an image with resolution approaching film quality. The electronic still camera has flown as an experiment on several other shuttle missions.

A researcher prepares to harvest radishes grown in the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) ground unit inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 14, 2020. The radishes are a ground control crop for the Plant Habitat-02 (PH-02) experiment, which also involves growing two radish crops inside the International Space Station’s APH. NASA astronaut Kate Rubins harvested the first crop on Nov. 30, and the second harvest aboard the orbiting laboratory is planned for Dec. 30. Once samples return to Earth, researchers will compare those grown in space to the radishes grown here on Earth to better understand how microgravity affects plant growth.

A view of radishes growing in the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) ground unit inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 14, 2020. The radishes are a ground control crop for the Plant Habitat-02 (PH-02) experiment, which also involves growing two similar radish crops inside the International Space Station’s APH. NASA astronaut Kate Rubins harvested the first crop on Nov. 30, and the second harvest aboard the orbiting laboratory is planned for Dec. 30. Once samples return to Earth, researchers will compare those grown in space to the radishes grown here on Earth to better understand how microgravity affects plant growth.

ISS035-E-017699 (10 April 2013) --- This is one of several photos documenting the Multi-user Droplet Combustion Apparatus (MDCA) Fuel Reservoir replacement. Here, Expedition 35 Flight Engineer Chris Cassidy removes and replaces one of the Fuel Reservoirs with the MDCA Chamber Insert Assembly (CIA) pulled partially out of the Combustion Chamber. The MDCA Fuel Reservoirs contain the liquid fuel used during droplet combustion experiments. This reservoir change-out was in support of the FLame EXtinguishment (FLEX)-2 experiment, scheduled to be executed by ground controllers.

ISS035-E-017699 (10 April 2013) --- This is one of several photos documenting the Multi-user Droplet Combustion Apparatus (MDCA) Fuel Reservoir replacement. Here, Expedition 35 Flight Engineer Chris Cassidy removes and replaces one of the Fuel Reservoirs with the MDCA Chamber Insert Assembly (CIA) pulled partially out of the Combustion Chamber. The MDCA Fuel Reservoirs contain the liquid fuel used during droplet combustion experiments. This reservoir change-out was in support of the FLame EXtinguishment (FLEX)-2 experiment, scheduled to be executed by ground controllers.

ISS035-E-017699 (10 April 2013) --- This is one of several photos documenting the Multi-user Droplet Combustion Apparatus (MDCA) Fuel Reservoir replacement. Here, Expedition 35 Flight Engineer Chris Cassidy removes and replaces one of the Fuel Reservoirs with the MDCA Chamber Insert Assembly (CIA) pulled partially out of the Combustion Chamber. The MDCA Fuel Reservoirs contain the liquid fuel used during droplet combustion experiments. This reservoir change-out was in support of the FLame EXtinguishment (FLEX)-2 experiment, scheduled to be executed by ground controllers.

ISS035-E-017699 (10 April 2013) --- This is one of several photos documenting the Multi-user Droplet Combustion Apparatus (MDCA) Fuel Reservoir replacement. Here, Expedition 35 Flight Engineer Chris Cassidy removes and replaces one of the Fuel Reservoirs with the MDCA Chamber Insert Assembly (CIA) pulled partially out of the Combustion Chamber. The MDCA Fuel Reservoirs contain the liquid fuel used during droplet combustion experiments. This reservoir change-out was in support of the FLame EXtinguishment (FLEX)-2 experiment, scheduled to be executed by ground controllers.

ISS035-E-017699 (10 April 2013) --- This is one of several photos documenting the Multi-user Droplet Combustion Apparatus (MDCA) Fuel Reservoir replacement. Here, Expedition 35 Flight Engineer Chris Cassidy removes and replaces one of the Fuel Reservoirs with the MDCA Chamber Insert Assembly (CIA) pulled partially out of the Combustion Chamber. The MDCA Fuel Reservoirs contain the liquid fuel used during droplet combustion experiments. This reservoir change-out was in support of the FLame EXtinguishment (FLEX)-2 experiment, scheduled to be executed by ground controllers.

STS007-02-020 (21 June 1983) --- Astronaut Sally K. Ride, STS-7 mission specialist, STS-7 mission specialist, stands in the mid deck of the orbiting Space Shuttle Challenger near one of the experiment with which she has devoted a great deal of time. The continuous flow electrophoresis system (CFES) experiment, about the size of a household refrigerator, stands nearby. One of her fellow crewmembers moves partially out of frame in the background. The tube on her face is part of a communications system linking Dr. Ride to ground controllers in Houston.

ISS035-E-017712 (10 April 2013)?-- This is one of several photos documenting the Multi-user Droplet Combustion Apparatus (MDCA) Fuel Reservoir replacement in the U.S. lab Destiny. Here, Expedition 35 Flight Engineer Chris Cassidy removes and replaces one of the Fuel Reservoirs with the MDCA Chamber Insert Assembly (CIA) pulled partially out of the Combustion Chamber. The MDCA Fuel Reservoirs contain the liquid fuel used during droplet combustion experiments. This reservoir change-out was in support of the FLame EXtinguishment (FLEX)-2 experiment, scheduled to be executed by ground controllers.

iss048e045799 (7/22/2016) --- NASA astronaut Jeff Williams poses for a photo with the Tomatosphere-US payload. Image was taken in the Harmony Node 2. Tomatosphere-US provides K-12 classrooms with tomato seeds from space to use in a blind germination study. Participating classes receive two sets of seeds, a control group from the ground and seeds flown in space or subjected to simulated space conditions. When teachers and students submit the results of their experiment, they learn the source of each set of seeds and can compare their data with other classroom experiments around the country.

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.

ISS035-E-017699 (10 April 2013) --- This is one of several photos documenting the Multi-user Droplet Combustion Apparatus (MDCA) Fuel Reservoir replacement. Here, Expedition 35 Flight Engineer Chris Cassidy removes and replaces one of the Fuel Reservoirs with the MDCA Chamber Insert Assembly (CIA) pulled partially out of the Combustion Chamber. The MDCA Fuel Reservoirs contain the liquid fuel used during droplet combustion experiments. This reservoir change-out was in support of the FLame EXtinguishment (FLEX)-2 experiment, scheduled to be executed by ground controllers.

The primary payload for Space Shuttle Mission STS-42, launched January 22, 1992, was the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1), a pressurized manned Spacelab module. The goal of IML-1 was to explore in depth the complex effects of weightlessness of living organisms and materials processing. Around-the-clock research was performed on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and effects of microgravity on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Materials processing experiments were also conducted, including crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury iodide, and a virus. The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Featured are activities in the SL POCC during STS-42, IML-1 mission.

Dave Reed, Florida operations director for Techshot, Inc., observes radishes growing in the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) ground unit inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 14, 2020. The radishes are a ground control crop for the Plant Habitat-02 (PH-02) experiment. The experiment also involves growing two similar radish crops inside the International Space Station’s APH. NASA astronaut Kate Rubins harvested the first crop on Nov. 30, and the second harvest aboard the orbiting laboratory is planned for Dec. 30. Once samples return to Earth, researchers will compare those grown in space to the radishes grown here on Earth to better understand how microgravity affects plant growth.

A research scientist harvests radishes grown in the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) ground unit inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 14, 2020. The radishes are a ground control crop for the Plant Habitat-02 (PH-02) experiment. The experiment also involves growing two similar radish crops inside the International Space Station’s APH. NASA astronaut Kate Rubins harvested the first crop on Nov. 30, and the second harvest aboard the orbiting laboratory is planned for Dec. 30. Once samples return to Earth, researchers will compare those grown in space to the radishes grown here on Earth to better understand how microgravity affects plant growth.

In view is the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) ground unit inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 14, 2020. Part of the Plant Habitat-02 (PH-02) experiment, a ground control crop of radishes was grown at Kennedy and harvested on Dec. 14. The experiment also involves growing two similar radish crops inside the International Space Station’s APH. NASA astronaut Kate Rubins harvested the first crop on Nov. 30, and the second harvest aboard the orbiting laboratory is planned for Dec. 30. Once samples return to Earth, researchers will compare those grown in space to the radishes grown here on Earth to better understand how microgravity affects plant growth.

A research scientist harvests radishes grown in the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) ground unit inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 14, 2020. The radishes are a ground control crop for the Plant Habitat-02 (PH-02) experiment. The experiment also involves growing two similar radish crops inside the International Space Station’s APH. NASA astronaut Kate Rubins harvested the first crop on Nov. 30, and the second harvest aboard the orbiting laboratory is planned for Dec. 30. Once samples return to Earth, researchers will compare those grown in space to the radishes grown here on Earth to better understand how microgravity affects plant growth.

jsc2025e047409 (2/27/2024) --- Lettuce grown as a ground experiment with the control (left) and flood (right) moisture treatments prior to harvest on day 28. The Spaceflight Microbiome of a Food Crop Grown Using Different Substrate Moisture Levels (Plant Habitat-07) investigates how plants, and their communities of microorganisms respond to different levels of water. Results could support development of systems for growing food crops on future missions. Image courtesy of the PH-07 Team.

Video images sent to the ground allow scientists to watch the behavior of the bubbles as they control the melting and freezing of the material during the Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation (PFMI) in the Microgravity Science Glovebox aboard the International Space Station. While the investigation studies the way that metals behave at the microscopic scale on Earth -- and how voids form -- the experiment uses a transparent material called succinonitrile that behaves like a metal to study this problem. The bubbles do not float to the top of the material in microgravity, so they can study their interactions.

STS007-11-495 (18-24 June 1983) --- Astronaut Sally K. Ride, STS-7 mission specialist, communicates with ground controllers from the mid deck of the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Challenger. She has just opened one of the large lockers during the operation and monitoring of the continuous flow electrophoresis system (CFES) experiment at left edge. This photograph was made with a 35mm camera.

iss057e055460 (10/22/2018) --- View of the Neutron Star Interior Composition ExploreR (NICER) payload, attached to ExPRESS (Expedite the Processing of Experiments to Space Station) Logistics Carrier-2 (ELC-2) on the S3 Truss. Photo was taken by the ground-controlled External High Definition Camera 1 (EHDC1). NICER's primary mission to perform an in-depth study of neutron stars offers unrivaled astrophysics knowledge and can revolutionize the understanding of ultra-dense matter.

STS095-E-5067 (31 Oct. 1998) --- Aboard Spacehab, payload specialist Chiaki Mukai, representing Japan's National Space Development Agency (NASDA), talks to ground controllers and principal investigators regarding experiments she is conducting in zero gravity. The photo was taken with an electronic still camera (ESC) at 22:20:51 GMT, Oct. 31.

ISS040-E-072228 (21 July 2014) --- In the International Space Station’s Destiny laboratory, NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, Expedition 40 flight engineer, sets up the Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) for more ground-commanded tests. This facility, which includes an optics bench, combustion chamber, fuel and oxidizer control and five different cameras, allows a variety of combustion experiments to be performed safely aboard the station.

iss057e055440 (10/22/2018) --- View of the Neutron Star Interior Composition ExploreR (NICER) payload, attached to ExPRESS (Expedite the Processing of Experiments to Space Station) Logistics Carrier-2 (ELC-2) on the S3 Truss. Photo was taken by the ground-controlled External High Definition Camera 1 (EHDC1). NICER's primary mission to perform an in-depth study of neutron stars offers unrivaled astrophysics knowledge and can revolutionize the understanding of ultra-dense matter.

STS064-311-031 (10 Sept. 1994) --- Astronaut Mark C. Lee, STS-64 mission specialist, at a Payload General Support Computer (PGSC) on the space shuttle Discovery's flight deck, talks to ground controllers about the Shuttle Plume Impingement Flight Experiment (SPIFEX). Astronaut L. Blaine Hammond, pilot, is partially visible in the background. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

S94-E-5021 (6 July 1997) --- Astronaut James D. Halsell, Jr., mission commander, checks on an experiment in the Astro-Planet Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus onboard the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Columbia. The Microgravity Sciences Laboratory (MSL-1) had just completed the first one-third of its manifest time frame. The image was recorded with an Electronic Still Camera (ESC) and later downlinked to ground controllers in Houston, Texas.

ISS040-E-072156 (21 July 2014) --- In the International Space Station’s Destiny laboratory, NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, Expedition 40 flight engineer, sets up the Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) for more ground-commanded tests. This facility, which includes an optics bench, combustion chamber, fuel and oxidizer control and five different cameras, allows a variety of combustion experiments to be performed safely aboard the station.

STS095-E-5226 (4 Nov. 1998) --- Astronaut Pedro Duque, STS-95 mission specialist representing the European Space Agency (ESA), talks with ground controllers while checking on an experiment in the Spacehab facility aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. The picture was taken with an electronic still camera (ESC) at 03:01:28 GMT, Nov. 4.

iss057e055490 (10/22/2018) --- View of the Neutron Star Interior Composition ExploreR (NICER) payload, attached to ExPRESS (Expedite the Processing of Experiments to Space Station) Logistics Carrier-2 (ELC-2) on the S3 Truss. Photo was taken by the ground-controlled External High Definition Camera 1 (EHDC1). NICER's primary mission to perform an in-depth study of neutron stars offers unrivaled astrophysics knowledge and can revolutionize the understanding of ultra-dense matter.

iss057e055482 (10/22/2018) --- View of the Neutron Star Interior Composition ExploreR (NICER) payload, attached to ExPRESS (Expedite the Processing of Experiments to Space Station) Logistics Carrier-2 (ELC-2) on the S3 Truss. Photo was taken by the ground-controlled External High Definition Camera 1 (EHDC1). NICER's primary mission to perform an in-depth study of neutron stars offers unrivaled astrophysics knowledge and can revolutionize the understanding of ultra-dense matter.

iss057e055482 (10/22/2018) --- View of the Neutron Star Interior Composition ExploreR (NICER) payload, attached to ExPRESS (Expedite the Processing of Experiments to Space Station) Logistics Carrier-2 (ELC-2) on the S3 Truss. Photo was taken by the ground-controlled External High Definition Camera 1 (EHDC1). NICER's primary mission to perform an in-depth study of neutron stars offers unrivaled astrophysics knowledge and can revolutionize the understanding of ultra-dense matter.

iss059e063757 (5/17/2019) --- Photo documentation of the Cell Culture Module Fluid Behavior investigation in the Destiny module onboard the International Space Station (ISS). The Cell Culture Module Fluid Behavior Demonstration investigation verifies the functionality of a common 96-well plate. A series of fluid experiments assesses how the capillary action of the plate performs in a microgravity environment in comparison to ground-based control.

ISS040-E-071994 (21 July 2014) --- In the International Space Station’s Destiny laboratory, NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, Expedition 40 flight engineer, sets up the Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) for more ground-commanded tests. This facility, which includes an optics bench, combustion chamber, fuel and oxidizer control and five different cameras, allows a variety of combustion experiments to be performed safely aboard the station.

STS083-306-002 (4-8 April 1997) --- Payload specialist Gregory T. Linteris, talks to ground controllers while updating progress on an experiment in the Spacelab Science Module. Linteris, along with five other NASA astronauts and a second payload specialist supporting the Microgravity Sciences Laboratory (MSL-1) mission were less than a fourth of the way through a scheduled 16-day flight when a power problem cut short their planned stay.

iss057e055500 (10/22/2018) --- View of the Neutron Star Interior Composition ExploreR (NICER) payload, attached to ExPRESS (Expedite the Processing of Experiments to Space Station) Logistics Carrier-2 (ELC-2) on the S3 Truss. Photo was taken by the ground-controlled External High Definition Camera 1 (EHDC1). NICER's primary mission to perform an in-depth study of neutron stars offers unrivaled astrophysics knowledge and can revolutionize the understanding of ultra-dense matter.

This 1970 photograph shows the flight unit for Skylab's White Light Coronagraph, an Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM) facility that photographed the solar corona in the visible light spectrum. A TV camera in the instrument provided real-time pictures of the occulted Sun to the astronauts at the control console and also transmitted the images to the ground. The Marshall Space Flight Center had program management responsibility for the development of Skylab hardware and experiments.

Expedition Five crewmembers include (left to right) Cosmonaut Verleri Korzun, Commander; Astronaut Peggy Whitson, flight engineer; and Cosmonaut Sergei Treschev, flight engineer. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour, STS-111, in April 2002, Expedition Five replaced Expedition Four on the International Space Station (ISS) for a scheduled 4-month mission. Expedition Five carried several new experiments and science facilities to the ISS. The research compliment included 24 new and continuing investigations:10 human life sciences studies, 6 in microgravity, 5 in space product development, and 3 sponsored by the Office of Space Flight. The new experiments are expected to lead to new insights in the fields of materials, plant science, commercial biotechnology, and the long term effects of space flight on humans. 280 hours will be devoted to research in addition to the continuing building of the ISS. Station science will also be conducted by the ever-present ground crew, with a new cadre of controllers for Expedition Five in the ISS Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Controllers work in three shifts around the clock, 7 days a week, in the POCC, the world's primary science command post for the Space Station. The POCC links Earth-bound researchers around the world with their experiments and crew aboard the Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Researchers document the ground control plant pillows in the Veggie plant growth system inside a control chamber at the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida prior to thinning them to one plant each. The growth chamber is being used as a control unit and procedures are being followed identical to those being performed on Veggie and the Veg-01 experiment on the International Space Station. Veggie and Veg-01 were delivered to the space station aboard the SpaceX-3 mission. Veggie is the first fresh food production system delivered to the station. Six plant pillows, each containing outredgeous red romaine lettuce seeds and a root mat were inserted into Veggie. The plant chamber's red, blue and green LED lights were activated. The plant growth was monitored for 28 days. At the end of the cycle, the plants will be carefully harvested, frozen and stored for return to Earth. Photo credit: NASA/Charles Spern

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Researchers document the growth of the ground control plants in the Veggie plant growth system inside a control chamber at the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida prior to thinning them to one plant each. The growth chamber is being used as a control unit and procedures are being followed identical to those being performed on Veggie and the Veg-01 experiment on the International Space Station. Veggie and Veg-01 were delivered to the space station aboard the SpaceX-3 mission. Veggie is the first fresh food production system delivered to the station. Six plant pillows, each containing outredgeous red romaine lettuce seeds and a root mat were inserted into Veggie. The plant chamber's red, blue and green LED lights were activated. The plant growth was monitored for 28 days. At the end of the cycle, the plants will be carefully harvested, frozen and stored for return to Earth. Photo credit: NASA/Charles Spern

The primary payload for Space Shuttle Mission STS-42, launched January 22, 1992, was the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1), a pressurized manned Spacelab module. The goal of IML-1 was to explore in depth the complex effects of weightlessness of living organisms and materials processing. Around-the-clock research was performed on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and effects of microgravity on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Materials processing experiments were also conducted, including crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury iodide and a virus. The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts aboard the Spacelab and scientists, researchers, and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. The facility made instantaneous video and audio communications possible for scientists on the ground to follow the progress and to send direct commands of their research almost as if they were in space with the crew. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. In this photograph the Payload Operations Director (POD) views the launch.

The primary payload for Space Shuttle Mission STS-42, launched January 22, 1992, was the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1), a pressurized manned Spacelab module. The goal of IML-1 was to explore in depth the complex effects of weightlessness of living organisms and materials processing. Around-the-clock research was performed on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and effects of microgravity on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Materials processing experiments were also conducted, including crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury iodide, and a virus. The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Featured activities are of the Mental Workload and Performance Experiment (MWPE) team in the SL POCC during the IML-1 mission.

The group of Japanese researchers of the Spacelab-J (SL-J) were thumbs-up in the Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center after the successful launch of Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour that carried their experiments. The SL-J was a joint mission of NASA and the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) utilizing a marned Spacelab module. The mission conducted microgravity investigations in materials and life sciences. Materials science investigations covered such fields as biotechnology, electronic materials, fluid dynamics and transport phenomena, glasses and ceramics, metals and alloys, and acceleration measurements. Life sciences included experiments on human health, cell separation and biology, developmental biology, animal and human physiology and behavior, space radiation, and biological rhythms. Test subjects included the crew, Japanese koi fish (carp), cultured animal and plant cells, chicken embryos, fruit flies, fungi and plant seeds, frogs, and frog eggs. The POCC was the air/ground communications channel between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. The Spacelab science operations were a cooperative effort between the science astronaut crew in orbit and their colleagues in the POCC. Spacelab-J was launched aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour on September 12, 1992.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency scientist, Yano Sachiko, prepares the fish scale experiment for its flight to the International Space Station aboard the STS-132 mission. Expedition crew members aboard the station will examine regenerating scales collected from anesthetized goldfish in microgravity using the Cell Biology Experiment Facility, or CBEF, and the results will be compared with ground controls. In mammals, bone is formed and maintained by continuous remodeling through bone resorption called osteoclasts, and subsequent new bone formation called osteoblasts. The experiment will use osteoclasts and osteoblasts to examine the effect of microgravity on bone metabolism. Photo credit: NASA_Jack Pfaller

During a Spacelab flight, the hub of activity was the Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) at the Johnson Space Flight Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas. The POCC became home to the management and science teams who worked around the clock to guide and support the mission. All Spacelab principal investigators and their teams of scientists and engineers set up work areas in the POCC. Through the use of computers, they could send commands to their instruments and receive and analyze experiment data. Instantaneous video and audio communications made it possible for scientists on the ground to follow the progress of their research almost as if they were in space with the crew. This real-time interaction between investigators on the ground and the crew in space was probably the most exciting of Spacelab's many capabilities. As principal investigators talked to the payload specialists during the mission, they consulted on experiment operations, made decisions, and shared in the thrill of gaining new knowledge. In December 1990, a newly-established POCC at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) opened its door for the operations of the Spacelab payloads and experiments, while JSC monitored the Shuttle flight operations. MSFC had managing responsibilities for the Spacelab missions.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the KSC Launch Control Center look at the printout from Columbia's Orbiter Experiment Support System (OEX) recorder. After duplication the tape will be reviewed at the Johnson Space Center in Houston and other facilities. No actual sensor data on that tape has been reviewed at this time. Search teams near Hemphill, Texas recovered the recorder, which stores sensor information about temperature, aerodynamic pressure, vibrations and other data from dozens of sensor locations on the orbiter, operating only during launch and re-entry. The OEX uses magnetic tape to record data that is not sent to the ground by telemetry.