iss053e039947 (9/22/2017) --- NASA astronaut Mark T. Vande Hei is shown with the Advanced Nano Step Cartridge in the Solution Crystallization Observation Facility (SCOF) during installation. The Effects of Impurities on Perfection of Protein Crystals, Partition Functions, and Growth Mechanisms (Advanced Nano Step) experiment monitors and records how the incorporation of specific impurity molecules affect the development and quality of protein crystals, as they grow in a quartz cell aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Photographer Mark T. Vande Hei
Date September 22, 2017