The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has a Get Away Special (GAS) program offering five cubic feet of space for up to 200 pounds of experiments on Shuttle flights for a fee. The SEDS GAS payload, designated G-503, will carry four experiments from two universities into space.
One experiment is to cure concrete in microgravity. It will study the effects of microgravity on characteristics of concrete. Data will lead to further improvement of earth concrete and has applications for Moon and Mars missions. Master Builders Technologies of Cleveland, Ohio is sponsoring the experiment.
Another experiment will study the effects of microgravity and cosmic radiation on single-celled algae, or diatoms. The results will lead to future studies of bioregenerative life support systems for use in enclosed environments. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is funding this experiment.
The third experiment will examine the effects of microgravity on pitting in metals. Since corrosion causes extensive damage, this experiment will examine the factors contributing to corrosion. Students at The University of Alabama in Birmingham built the experiment with funding from the Alabama Space Grant Consortium.
Students will also study root growth of several different plants on this Shuttle mission. The root-growth experiment flew once before on STS-61-C, funded by the Alabama Space and Rocket Center and MSFC. MSFC is sponsoring this experiment flight.
The Alabama Space Grant Consortium, the Consortium for Materials Development in Space, and UAH SEDS are sponsoring G-503 overall.
Students for the Exploration and Development of Space is an international student organization for high school and college students. SEDS was founded in 1981 by students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The UAH chapter of SEDS is also working on an independent satellite to be launched next year.
For more information, contact Mr. Lyle Jalbert at 256-890-6963.