Science Experiments

There were twenty-seven science experiments done during the mission. They fell into the categories of space sciences, life sciences, and applications. The space science experiments were then divided into five astronomy experiments and five Earth environment science experiments. The life science experiments were divided into live cell experiments and human immune system experiments. ASTP applications experiments investigated the isolation of medically useful substances by electrophoresis, and processing of materials in weightlessness (electrophoresis is the separation of biological materials such as cells by means of an electric field).

Five of the space science experiments examined phenomena within the solar system and toward the outer fringes of our galaxy, while five other experiments looked inward toward the Earth and its envelope of atmosphere.

Here is the annotated list of the experiments from the NASA press kit for the ASTP.

The space sciences-astronomy experiments are:

MA-048 Soft X-Ray to observe X-ray sources within and outside our galaxy;
MA-083 Extreme Ultraviolet Survey of our galaxy;
MA-088 Helium Glow Detector to observe the interstellar medium near our solar system;
MA-148 Artificial Solar Eclipse to observe the solar corona;

MA-151 Crystal Activation to investigate the effects of particle radiation in Earth orbit on instrument noise levels of gamma-ray detectors.

The space sciences-Earth environment experiments are:

MA-059 Ultraviolet Absorption to measure atomic constituents of the Earth’s upper atmosphere;
MA-007 Stratospheric Aerosol Measurements to measure the stratosphere’s aerosol content;
MA-136 Earth Observations and Photography to study surface features on Earth;
MA-089 Doppler Tracking to measure mass distribution below the Earth’s surface;
MA-128 Geodynamics also to measure mass distribution below the Earth’s surface;

Life sciences experiments on ASTP had two objectives: to investigate the effects of heavy, charged particles upon live cells; and to study the effects of spaceflight upon the human immune system.

Live-cell experiments are:

MA-106 Light Flash to measure the effects of particles upon the human retina;
MA-147 Zone Forming Fungi to measure particle effect upon growing bacteria cells;
MA-107 Biostack to measure particle effect upon seeds and eggs.

Human immune system experiments are:

AR-002 Microbial Exchange;
MA-031 Cellular Immune Response;
MA-032 Polymorphonuclear Leukocyte Response.

ASTP applications experiments investigated the isolation of medically useful substances by electrophoresis, and processing of materials in weightlessness.

Applications experiments are:

MA-011 Electrophoresis Technology;
MA-014 Electrophoresis;
MA-010 Multipurpose Furnace which includes seven high-temperature processing experiments;
MA-028 Crystal Growth in which material is processed at ambient temperatures.

Following are descriptions of each experiment.

MA-048 Soft X-Ray -- Soft X-ray sources in the 0.1 to 10 keV (keV = 1000 electron volts) energy region emanating from all regions of the Milky Way galaxy will be mapped by a counter carried aboard Apollo. This data will complement measurements of higher low-energy X-rays made by the Uhuru* satellite. The stream of soft X-rays appears to be maximum toward the poles of the Milky Way galaxy and is believed to be remnants of supernova indicating the presence of hot gas plasmas produced by shock waves from the original exploding stars. An instrument aboard Skylab 3 measured X-ray sources in the 1 to 10 keV range using proportional counting equipment.

        * Explorer 42, small astronomy satellite launched December 12, 1970.

MA-048 principal investigator is Dr. Herbert Friedman of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C.

MA-083 Extreme Ultraviolet Survey -- A search for extreme ultraviolet radiation sources in the 50 to 1000 Angstrom range, such as certain bright stars, planetary nebulae, red giants, sub-giants, dwarfs, pulsating white dwarfs and contact binary systems, (An Angstrom is one-hundred-millionth of a centimeter. It is used to express the length of light waves.) The survey instrument, mounted in the service module, consists of four concentric "grazing incidence" mirrors which feed radiation through filters to an electronic detector. Instrument aiming toward specific targets on the celestial sphere will be done by controlling spacecraft attitude, since the telescope is rigidly mounted to the service module structure.

MA-083 principal investigator is Professor C. S. Bowyer of the University of California at Berkeley Space Science Laboratory.

MA-088 Helium Glow -- The abundance, temperature, and speed and direction of motion of the interstellar medium near the solar system will be measured by the MA-O_ helium glow detector in the service module. The detector will be measuring helium line radiations (30_ Angstroms and 5_ Angstroms) over as much of the sky as possible, with emphasis on those regions where helium spectral lines are predicted to be strongest. Additionally, the experiment will gather data on the shape of the spectral lines and motion of their sources by measuring the Doppler shift caused by the spacecraft's orbital velocity.

MA-088 principal investigator is Professor C. S. Bowyer of the University of California at Berkeley.

MA-148 Artificial Solar Eclipse -- A joint experiment in which the Apollo command/service module will serve as an occulting disc over the Sun while the Soyuz crew makes observations and photographs the solar corona. Prior to first undocking, the Apollo will maneuver the two spacecraft to an attitude to which the service propulsion system engine bell is pointed at the Sun and Soyuz away from the Sun. Shortly after spacecraft surprise, Apollo will undock and back away toward the Sun. A Soyuz camera will photograph the solar corona as the apparent size of Apollo grows smaller, and will also record the environment around Apollo as thrusters fire and various spacecraft orifices vent. Ground-based astronomical observations of the solar disc will be conducted simultaneously and will be correlated with Soyuz photography after the mission. The experiment will be the only space flight opportunity to observe the solar corona in 1975. Skylab's last look at the corona from outside the Earth's atmosphere was a year and a half earlier.

MA-148 principal investigator is Dr. G. M. Nikolsky of the USSR Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism and Ionosphere and Radio Vapor Propagation Laboratory of Solar Activity. The American point of contact for this joint effort is Dr. R. T. Giuli of the Johnson Space Center Planetary and Earth Sciences Division.

MA-151 Crystal Activation -- A passive experiment aimed toward development of instrumentation and detectors for gamma-ray astronomy experiments to be flown in future unmanned orbiting spacecraft. Two candidate detector materials, large crystals of pure germanium and sodium iodide, will be stowed in a container aboard the command module. Susceptibility of these crystals to radioactive activation by particle radiation (proton and neutron) bombardment in the space environment produces a noise background that can obscure desired gamma-ray signals. The experiment will attempt to measure the noise background sensitivity of the crystals as a calibration guide to designers of future instruments. Immediately after Apollo splashdown, the crystals will be analyzed for radioactive species. Sodium iodide crystals were flown aboard Apollo 17 in a similar investigation.

MA-151 principal investigator is Dr. Jacob Trombka of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Laboratory for Solar Physics and Astrophysics.

MA-059 Ultraviolet Absorption -- The quantities of atomic oxygen and atomic nitrogen in the Earth' s upper atmosphere are not accurately known. In an effort to gather more accurate data on the presence of the gases at the ASTP orbital altitude, the ultraviolet absorption experiment will measure atomic oxygen and nitrogen using light beams directed from Apollo to a Soyuz retroreflector and back to an optical absorption spectrometer on Apollo. The light beams will have wavelengths corresponding to neutral atomic oxygen (1301 Angstroms) and atomic nitrogen (1200 Angstroms). Measurements will be made at spacecraft separation distances ranging from 150 meters to 1 kilometer (492 feet to .6 miles).

MA-059 co-principal investigators are Dr. Thomas M. Donahue of the University of Michigan, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, and Dr. Robert D. Hudson of the JSC Environmental Effects Project Office.

MA-007 Stratospheric Aerosol Measurement -- Another experiment directed toward developing instruments and techniques for use in future spacecraft. Small, solid particles called aerosols remain suspended in the atmosphere for days or longer in the troposphere (lower atmosphere) and well into the stratosphere (upper atmosphere). The aerosol-measurement experiment will investigate the photometer technique as a potential method for long-term satellite monitoring of atmospheric aerosols, while taking measurements of the concentration and vertical distribution of aerosols during the ASTP mission time frame. Direct sunlight extinction resulting from aerosols will be measured at spacecraft sunrise and sunset with a photometer operating in the one micron wavelength region. Differences in the atmospheric refraction of the solar disc will be photographed with a handheld Hasselblad camera With infrared film and filters. Balloon flights carrying similar photometers will cover the lower 30 kilometers (i_.6 miles) of the atmosphere during the same period.

Aerosols are injected into the atmosphere by such diverse means as meteoroids from above and volcanic eruptions and industrial smoke from below, and by many other mechanisms -- many still unknown. Recently, interest has arisen in developing techniques for monitoring the aerosol content of the atmosphere continuously. If these aerosols are present in sufficient quantity, they can affect the balance of radiation transfer through the atmosphere, and small changes in atmospheric temperatures have significant implications for long-term weather patterns and overall Earth environmental conditions.

MA-007 principal investigator is Dr. Theodore J. Pepin of the University of Wyoming Department of Physics and Astronomy.

MA-136 Earth Observations and Photography -- Many of Earth's surface features that were observed and photographed during the 171 days the Skylab space station was manned Will again come under the eye-and-camera scrutiny of a space crew in the NA-136 experiment, and many new features Will be added. Surface features with scientific or with Earth resources applications in the fields of geology, oceanography, hydrology, meteorology and desert motion will be recorded on film, but from a lower altitude.

Geological features to be observed include major active strike-slip fault zones and possible extensions of these zones as revealed by vegetation and drainage patterns.

Oceanographic studies in the MA-136 experiment include ocean upwellings and their subsequent hydrological and biological effects, and ocean current trends and their effects upon trade, shipping and the fisheries. Also to be observed and photographed by the crew are river deltas, near-shore environments, the extent of water pollution, and the fish-poisoning "red tide".

Ranging inland, the ASTP crew will observe and photograph hydrological features such as closed-basin water circulation and shore lines such as in the Great Salt Lake. Photos of Himalayan snow cover will provide a basis for estimating water volume and its drainage, irrigation and flood-control aspects.

Frontal waves, storm centers, hurricanes and tropical storms, cloud features and localized atmospheric circulation will be observed by the crew as real-time targets of opportunity in the meteorological portion of experiment MA-136.

Deserts in both hemispheres will be under photographic and visual scrutiny in an attempt to assess the effects of desert motion into vegetated regions. Special emphasis will be on sand dune sizes, shapes and patterns, and vegetated/arid transition zones in African deserts as an aid toward understanding African drought problems.

MA-136 principal investigator is Dr. Farouk E1 Baz of the Smithsonian Institution Center for Earth and Planetary Studies.

MA-089 Doppler Tracking and MA-128 Geodynamics -- Both of these experiments investigate the feasibility of measuring mass anomalies in the Earth’s crust by means of measuring variations in the relative motions of two spacecraft with Doppler radio tracking. The emergence in recent years of the plate tectonic hypothesis of the Earth's upper mantle structure has brought increased interest in mass anomalies in reconstructing such aspects of Earth's history as continental drift.

Surface gravimetry is limited to the measurement of the smaller mass anomalies. Perturbations of orbits of single satellites yield measurements of only the larger mass anomalies. Satellite-to-satellite relative motion measurements are hoped to provide measurements of gravitational anomalies in the mid-range -- from 100 to 1000 kilometers (60 to 620 miles) in width.

MA-089 will employ Doppler tracking between the command/service module and the docking module when they are separated by a distance of 300 kilometers (186 miles) and is expected to resolve mass anomalies of about 200-350 kilometers (124- 217 miles) in size. MA-128 will pursue the so-called "low-high" technique by CSM Doppler tracking of the ATS-6 communications satellite which will be stationary 35,900 kilometers (22,260 miles) over Kenya. MA-128 is expected to resolve mass anomaly sizes similar to MA-089.

MA-089 principal investigator is Dr. George C. Weiffenbach of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, and MA-128 principal investigator is Dr. Friedrich O. Vonbun of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

MA-106 Light Flash_ MA-107 Biostack and MA-147 Zone Forming Fungi -- The effects of cosmic radiation upon human tissues during future long-duration spaceflights are a concern of life sciences investigators. MA-106, MA-107, and MA-147 experiments are three approaches toward determining the ill effects, if any, of high-charge, high-energy cosmic particles upon living organisms. Recent studies have shown that such particles can kill living cells if they pass close enough to the cells' nuclei, and it is estimated that during a two-year mission to Mars between two and ten percent of all body cells would be struck by high-energy particles. Such an incidence of cell impact would be especially significant in the non-regenerative cells of the central nervous system. Earlier experiments on Apollo missions have shown that cosmic particles can cause mutations in some organisms.

MA-106 investigates high-energy particle interaction with human eye retina cells through a comparison between crew dark-adapted observations of light flashes and detector measurements of the actual particle environment. Similar light flash experiments were flown on Apollos 15, 16 and 17 and Skylab 4.

The MA-107 Biostack experiment subjects dormant cells such as plant seeds and brine shrimp eggs to particle effects, again with comparison detectors and with post-mission microscopic examination. Biostack materials also will be cultured or nurtured into growing systems post mission for observation of possible mutations.

Similar studies of radiation effects upon a bacteria cell are the objective of the MA-147 Zone Forming Fungi experiment. Post-mission culture growths will observe not only particle effects but also any changes in the bacteria's circadian rhythm caused by the space environment.

MA-106 principal investigator is Dr. Thomas F. Budinger of the University of California Lawrence Radiation Laboratory; MA-107 principal investigator is Dr. Horst Bucker of the University of Frankfurt-am-Main Space Biophysical Working Group; MA-147 principal investigator is Dr. I. G. Akoyev of the USSR Academy of Sciences Institute of Biological Physics.

AR-002 Microbial Exchange, MA-031 Cellular Immune Response and MA-032 Polymorphonuclear Leukocyte Response -- These three experiments investigate the effects of spaceflight upon the human immune system. Previous manned spaceflights have shown that microbes migrate from crewman to crewman and from crewman to spacecraft surfaces. Moreover, while the number of microbe strains tends to diminish in flight, the number of microbes of a surviving type increase significantly. Crew immunological resistance may change during a mission.

Experiment AR-002 will analyze the quantity and types of microbes at various locations in both the Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft and by comparisons of skin swabs taken before, during and after the mission from both crews. MA-031 and MA-032 are passive experiments involving crew blood samples taken pre- and post-flight.

The three experiments complement each other as varying approaches toward learning how spaceflight alters the ability of microbes to infect humans and the ability of humans to resist infection. The ASTP mission is viewed as a unique opportunity to pursue immune system investigations, since the two crews represent widely divergent geographical locations and thus provide ideal initial general conditions.

AR-002 principal investigator is Dr. Gerald R. Taylor of the JSC Life Sciences Directorate. MA-031 principal investigator is Dr. B. Sue Criswell of the Baylor College of Medicine Department of Microbiology and Immunology; and MA-032 principal investigator is Dr. Russell R. Martin, also of the Baylor Department of Microbiology and Immunology.

MA-011 Electrophoresis Technology Experiment System -- Electrophoresis, i.e., the separation of biological materials such as cells by means of an electric field, is an important tool in biological and medical research.

This experiment may hold the key to helping researchers develop drugs to fight strokes, heart attacks, clots and blood diseases.

The 30-pound experiment is to include four test columns of red blood cells, two of lymphocytes and two columns of kidney cells in five-inch tubes which will be subjected to an electrical charge.

In the weightlessness of space, the electrical charges are expected to separate or stratify certain cells since each reacts to a different degree to the electrical field.

Among the enzymes, scientists hope to isolate the enzyme urokinase, produced by kidney cortex cells. Urokinase is the only naturally-occurring enzyme in the human body that dissolves blood clots which have already formed.

If the enzyme can be isolated and the production of it by kidney cells understood, scientists hope to one day be able to isolate more urokinase on Earth.

Urokinase is effective in combating phlebitis, heart attacks and strokes.

Each of the eight test tube experiments will require about one hour. The test tubes will be photographed for stratification, then frozen and returned to Earth for further studies.

Dr. Robert E. Allen, Marshall Space Flight Center, is principal investigator.

MA-014 Electrophoresis -- German -- Free-flow electrophoresis, in which the sample flows continuously through an electric field perpendicular to the flow, is a valuable procedure in biology, chemistry and medicine for analysis and separation of particles without decreasing their activity. Particles separated by electrophoresis include ions, colloids, and biological material such as proteins, viruses and cells.

Purpose of the experiment is to analyze, purify and isolate samples for medical and biological research. It may contribute toward development of separation methods for producing vaccines and serums in space for medical use on Earth.

Human and rabbit blood cells will be introduced continuously into a buffer fluid which flows through an electrical field. The cells will be separated into their constituents at various angles as they migrate through the buffer fluid. The separated constituents of the cells can be analyzed and collected.

The weightless space environment will allow higher flow rate and better yield of separation than can be achieved in Earth's gravity. Factors like heat convection, sedimentation and buoyancy limit effective separation on Earth.

The experiment is being developed and produced by the German government.

The principal investigator is Dr. Kurt Hannig, Max Planck Institute, Munich, Germany.

MA-010 Multipurpose Electric Furnace Experiment System -- The Multipurpose Electric Furnace Experiment System for the ASTP will consist of an upgraded modification based on the pioneering research of the electric furnace successfully demonstrated on Skylab.

The furnace system provides a means to perform experiments to demonstrate the feasibility of using the weightless space environment to investigate crystallization, convection, and immiscibility processes for use in future material-processing applications in space, as well as applications to technology on Earth.

The furnace system will be used to perform experiments involving phase changes at elevated temperatures in systems comprising selected combinations of solid, liquid and vapor phases. Since the experiments will be performed in weightlessness, the liquid and vapor phases will be essentially quiescent and phases of different density will have little or no tendency to separate.

The system consists of four main parts: the furnace, designed to mount on the docking module wall using a specially designed heat sink and vacuum line; a programmable electronic temperature controller to maintain temperature levels in the furnace and provide a controlled variable cool-down function to permit more constant crystal growth rates; experiment cartridges which will contain the sample materials; and the helium package to provide rapid cool-down capability.

Dimensions and weights of the furnace system are as follows:

Furnace -- 10.1 centimeters (4 inches) in diameter; 9.2 centimeters (11.5 inches) long; 5.2 kilograms (11.5 pounds).

Control package -- 26 centimeters (10.25 inches) by 21.6 centimeters (8.5 inches) by 15.2 centimeters (6 inches); 5.6 kilograms (12.4 pounds).

Helium package -- 24.4 centimeters (9.6 inches) by 20.3 centimeters (8 inches) by l0 centimeters (4 inches); 27.2 kilograms (60 pounds).

Cartridge -- 1.23 centimeters (.8 inches) in diameter; 20 centimeters (7.9 inches) long; .18 kilogram (.4 pounds).

Prime contractor for the furnace system is Westinghouse Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Arthur Boese, Marshall Space Flight Center, is principal investigator.

A brief description of the seven experiments which will use the Multipurpose Electric Furnace follows:

MA-041 Surface-Tension-Induced Convection -- One of the most important effects of the weightless environment on metal-forming processes is the absence of gravity-induced convection currents in the molten state. However, given the absence of gravity-induced convection currents, the possibility of convection effects caused by surface tension may become an important factor.

Surface-tension gradients can be caused by thermal or concentration differences. This experiment will evaluate surface-tension effects due to concentration gradients in order to determine whether special precautions need to be taken to avoid these convective effects in space processes that depend on the suppression of convection currents.

Paired specimens of alloys containing small amounts of gold will be melted in iron and graphite capsules and allowed to mix.

After the metals have solidified and returned to Earth, they will be cut into thin slices and the sections analyzed for distribution of gold to determine the presence or absence of convective effects caused by variations in surface tension during the heating.

Dr. Richard E. Reed, Oak Ridge National Laboratories, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, is principal investigator.

MA-044 Monotectic and Syntectic Alloys -- Specimens of two different alloys will be melted and samples withdrawn after varying periods to assess how the lack of stratification in weightless mixtures of liquids of differing densities may influence the approach to equilibrium in the formation of intermetallic compounds.

Aluminum antimony compounds have promise as a high-efficiency solar cell material, but technological difficulties associated with compound formation and single crystal growth have hampered development efforts. One of the underlying causes of these difficulties may be the large difference in specific gravities of the two elements. Weightlessness should have pronounced effects on the solidification of this and other binary alloy systems having widely different specific gravities.

Understanding of phase separation due to the difference in specific gravities may lead to modified physical principles and new materials.

In this experiment, two samples of the aluminum-antimony compound will be prepared and vacuum encapsulated in quartz. After melting in the multipurpose furnace and solidifying, the samples will be returned to Earth and analyzed to determine physical and electrical properties. Similar evaluation techniques will be applied to control samples processed on Earth, and the results compared.

As a companion experiment, a sample of lead-zinc alloy also will be tested in space and compared to ground-processed samples to determine the effects of zero gravity on the degree of immiscibility of this monotectic system.

Dr. Choh-Yi Ang, Hawthorne, California, consultant to Marshall Space Flight Center, and Dr. Lewis Lacy of Marshall Space Flight Center are co-investigators.

MA-060 Interface Marking in Crystals -- A cylindrical crystal of doped germanium will be partly melted and then resolidified. During solidification, artificial growth bands will be introduced into the crystal by electrical pulses hat produce cooling at the solid-liquid interface at four-second intervals. The bands will provide a time reference for determination of microscopic growth rates.

This information, and measurements of the distribution of material within the crystal, will make possible detailed analysis of the growth process.

It is well known that defects limiting chemical and crystalling perfection are one of the major causes that make electronic devices (especially semi-conductor devices) perform below their theoretical levels.

Gravity-induced thermo-hydrodynamic perturbations in the melt have been identified as the primary cause for these defects. Thus semi-conductor crystal growth is one of the most promising projects for commercial space exploitation.

Dr. Harry C. Gatos, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, is principal investigator.

MA-070 Processing of Magnets -- Magnetic materials will be melted and resolidified at controlled rates to see whether cast materials with improved properties can be made under weightless conditions.

Due to recent improvements in their properties, high-coercive-strength permanent magnets are being investigated for advanced technology applications such as levitators for high-speed ground transportation systems, magnetic bearings for flywheels used in energy storage, and gyros in deep space probes.

At present, the major limitation to the use of high-coercive-strength cobalt/rare-earth permanent magnets is the method of fabrication, i.e., sintering of powers. This is a process involving a large number of individual steps and the incomplete densification leads to degradation of the properties by oxidation.

The processing of these magnetic materials in the weightless environment should, in one operation, eliminate gravity-induced segregation and increase the density and magnetic properties of the product. Almost perfect magnetic crystals will be grown.

Dr. David J. Larson, Grumman Corporation, Bethpage, N.Y., is principal investigator.

MA-085 Crystal Growth from the Vapor Phase -- Three experiments will be done on the growth of semiconductor crystals in the electric furnace, using different materials to see how the growth process in weightlessness differs from crystal growth on Earth.

Alloy compositions of germanium selenide and germanium telluride will be used, with argon added in one experiment.

The experiments are of technological importance for fabrication and processing of single crystals for solid-state applications.

Dr. Heribert Wiedemeier_ Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, is principal investigator.

MA-131 Halide Eutectics -- Samples of a sodium chloride lithium fluoride composition with a low melting point will be melted in the electric furnace and then solidified.

This material solidifies in the form of fibers of lithium-fluoride embedded in sodium chloride that can act as an image-transmitting medium for infrared light.

The experiment will attempt to produce samples with a fiber distribution showing a high degree of orientation, regularity, and fiber continuity.

Electrical, thermomagnetic, optical, and superconducting characteristics of this material are expected to make possible exciting device applications in the electronic and optical fields.

Dr. Alfred S. Yue, University of California, Los Angeles, is principal investigator.

MA-150 U.S.S.R. Multiple Material Melting -- Convective stirring during solidification and segregation in the melt due to gravity contribute to inhomogeneities, voids and structural imperfections in materials when processed on Earth.

In weightlessness, these phenomena will be absent and investigations will show the degree of material improvement that can be attained.

This experiment will process three different material systems in each cartridge. In the hot isothermal region, a sample of aluminum with tungsten spheres will be melted and resolidified. A germanium rod with 0.5 percent silicon will be partially melted and resolidified in the gradient region. An additional isothermal region will be created in the gradient zone to process an ampoule of powdered aluminum.

The understanding of the effects of gravity and convection in the solidification of materials can be applied to improving the materials processing techniques on Earth and most importantly could lead to manufacturing superior materials in space for use on Earth.

Professor Lev Ivanovich Ivanov, USSR Academy of Sciences, Moscow, is the principal investigator.

MA-028 Crystal Growth -- This experiment takes the water diffusion approach to semiconductor crystal growth in zero-g. The experiment consists of six transparent reactors of three compartments each. The two outer compartments contain different salt solutions which form an insoluble compound when mixed – a compound that will grow into a crystal. Center compartments in each set contain pure water, and by opening the adjoining compartments containing the salt solutions, the solutions will diffuse toward each other in the center compartment to mix and form crystals. Crew observations and photographs at intervals after experiment activation, and return of the containers to JSC post-mission, will provide the investigator with his test results.

Principal investigator is Dr. _M. D. Lind of the Rockwell International Corporation Science Center.

Information about the science experiments performed on the ASTP supplied by http://www.apolloexplorer.co.uk/pdf/presskit/soyuz.PDF