[5] The United States Microgravity Payload (USMP-4) was a Spacelab project managed by Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama.

In the type of directional solidification used in AADSF, the liquid sample, enclosed in quartz ampoules, slowly solidified along the long axis.

The solidification front was of particular interest to scientists because the flows found in the liquid material influence the final composition and structure of the solid and its properties.

When materials crystallize or solidify under certain conditions, they freeze unstably, resulting in tiny, tree-like crystalline forms called dendrites.

By comparing data, scientists determined how accelerations aboard the shuttle disturbed the solid to the liquid interface.

[5] The Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS), sponsored by NASA Lewis Research Center (now NASA Glenn Research Center), was a microprocessor-driven data acquisition system designed to measure and record the microgravity acceleration environment of the USMP carrier.

This movement was sensed by a detector, causing SAMS electronics to send a voltage to the coil, producing exactly the magnetic field needed to restore the mass to its original position.

OARE data supported advances in space materials processing by providing measurements of the low-level, low-frequency disturbance environment affecting various microgravity experiments.

OARE data also supported advances in orbital drag prediction technology by increasing the understanding of the fundamental flow phenomena in the upper atmosphere.

This was performed using Charged Coupled Device (CCD) technology to eliminate moving parts in a simpler, low-cost, ozone mapping instrument.

The LHP was operated with anhydrous ammonia as the working fluid to transport thermal energy with high effective conductivity in zero gravity.

LHP was a passive, two-phase flow heat transfer device that was capable of transporting up to 400 watts over a distance of 5 meters through semiflexible, small-diameter tubes.

Its purpose was to gain an understanding of the fundamental characteristics of transitional and turbulent gas jet diffusion flames under microgravity conditions and to acquire data to aid in predicting the behavior of transitional and turbulent gas jet diffusion flames under normal and microgravity environments.

The MGBX facility (with associated electronics) provided an enclosed working area for experimental manipulation and observation on the shuttle mid-deck.

[5] Led by Kadenyuk, the Collaborative Ukraine Experiment (CUE) was a mid-deck payload designed to study the effects of microgravity on plant growth.

The CUE was composed of a group of experiments flown in the Plant Growth Facility (PGF) and in the Biological Research in Canisters (BRIC).

The PGF was composed of the following subsystems: Control and Data Management Subsystems (CDMS), Fluorescent Light Module (FLM), Atmospheric Control Module (ACM), Plant Growth Chambers (PGCs), Support Structure Assembly (SSA), and the Generic External Shell (GES).

The complete PGF replaced one mid-deck locker and operated on 28 V direct current (dc) power.

EDFT – 05's main objective was to demonstrate International Space Station (ISS) on-orbit, end-to-end EVA assembly, and maintenance operations.

AERCam/Sprint was a spherical vehicle that moved slowly and was covered in a soft cushioning material to prevent damage in the event of an impact.

The operator input motion commands from a single, Aid For EVA Rescue (SAFER) device controller.

The sponsor and manager of the Enclosed Laminar Flames experiment, Lewis Stocker, noticed the experiment's abbreviation as ELF and, being an avowed reader of the comic book series Elfquest, asked the series' creators Richard and Wendy Pini to create a logo.

Originally, he hoped the series' own stargazer, Skywise, could be used, but to avoid copyright issues, a unique character was created to accompany the experiment insignia, whose name was dubbed Starfire.

[6][7] Sleeping shuttle astronauts were often awakened with a short piece of music, a tradition that began during the Gemini and Apollo missions.

[8][9] This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.