MISSE PEC on the Airlock Crewlock during STS-116 EVA-4

s116e06941 (12/18/2006) --- View of Materials International Space Station Experiment Passive Experiment Container (MISSE PEC) on the Quest/Airlock Crewlock during STS-116 Extravehicular Activity - 4 (EVA-4). Materials on the International Space Station Experiment 3 and 4 (MISSE - 3 and 4) are the third and fourth in a series of five suitcase-sized test beds attached to the outside of the space station. The beds were deployed during a spacewalk by the station crew in August 2006. They are exposing hundreds of potential space construction materials and different types of solar cells to the harsh environment of space. Mounted to the space station for about a year, the equipment then will be returned to Earth for study. Investigators will use the resulting data to design stronger, more durable spacecraft.