STS-107 MCC Status Report #12<br />Sunday, January 26, 2003 - 5:00 p.m. CST<br />Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas<br /><br />Scientific research continued aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia today as the<br />STS-107 mission headed into the homestretch with a variety of experiments in<br />multiple disciplines.<br /><br />The Red team of astronauts, working by day, and the Blue team, working by<br />night, maintained a round-the-clock presence in the SPACEHAB Double Research<br />Module, tending to dozens of experiments as scientists reported excellent<br />results. Temperatures in SPACEHAB were maintained at a comfortable 73<br />degrees, despite the loss of two dehumidifiers earlier in the mission. All<br />of the animals involved in life science experiments were reported to be in<br />good shape along with SPACEHAB hardware.<br /><br />Red team crewmembers Rick Husband, who is Columbia's Commander, Mission<br />Specialists Kalpana Chawla and Laurel Clark and Israeli Payload Specialist<br />Ilan Ramon conducted more experiments involving the study of flames in space<br />in a special Combustion Module in the SPACEHAB.<br /><br />More investigations were conducted into the effect of dust storms on the<br />atmosphere with multispectral cameras in Columbia's cargo bay. The MEIDEX<br />experiment focused on plumes of dust in the Mediterranean region and in the<br />Middle East as well as sprites in the targeted areas of interest. Science<br />controllers reported the first successful digital downlink of imagery from<br />the experiment as well as the observance of significant amounts of dust in<br />the observed regions.<br /><br />A suite of student experiments called STARS yielded the hatching of a fish<br />in an aquatic facility and the successful emergence of a silk moth from its<br />cocoon. STARS contains a half dozen student developed experiments ranging<br />from the study of Australian spiders to the analysis of spaceflight's<br />effects on carpenter bees from Liechtenstein.<br /><br />The Biopack experiment involving the study of weightlessness on biological<br />samples continued to produce what was described as excellent data for its<br />team of researchers despite the loss of freezer and incubator capability for<br />the storage of samples.<br /><br />Blue team crewmembers Willie McCool, who is Columbia's Pilot, Payload<br />Commander Mike Anderson and Mission Specialist Dave Brown were awakened for<br />their night shift shortly after 2:30 p.m. Central time. They planned to<br />conduct final combustion studies with the SOFBALL experiment tonight after<br />which the Combustion Module will be reconfigured for the Water Mist<br />experiment, studying fire suppression techniques in spaceflight.<br /><br />The Blue team will spend some time refreshing water for 13 rodents in the<br />Animal Enclosure Module in SPACEHAB. Data is being acquired on the effect of<br />microgravity on the rodents' neurovestibular system. Now that SPACEHAB<br />temperatures have cooled again, sound mufflers were reinstalled on the<br />animal enclosure compartments.<br /><br />More data will also be received tonight from the SOLSE experiment, which<br />uses imaging devices in the shuttle's cargo bay to study the Earth's ozone<br />layer. Earlier today, the crew downlinked digital video of the Middle East<br />with breathtaking views of Israel, the Red Sea and the Sinai Peninsula. The<br />video also contained scenes of life and work on orbit involving the seven<br />astronauts. Columbia's systems continue to function perfectly as the shuttle<br />orbits at an altitude of about 180 statute miles.<br /><br />Flying slightly higher, the Expedition 6 crew aboard the International Space<br />Station is now in its 10th week in space. Commander Ken Bowersox, Flight<br />Engineer Nikolai Budarin and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit spent a<br />quiet Sunday, enjoying the views of Earth from orbit while conducting a<br />minor maintenance procedure involving a hatch window in the Unity module.<br />Station systems are also functioning normally.<br /><br />The space travelers aboard Columbia and the ISS will have a chance to talk<br />to one another Monday in a brief ship-to-ship hookup scheduled at 11:34 a.m.<br />Central time. At the time of the ship-to-ship call, Columbia will be<br />orbiting over northern Brazil, while the ISS sails over southern Russia.<br /><br />The next STS-107 status report will be issued Monday afternoon, or earlier,<br />if events warrant.