Microgravity Science Glovebox
Encyclopedia
Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) provides a safe contained environment for research with liquids, combustion and hazardous materials aboard the International Space Station
. Without the MSG, many types of hands-on investigations would be impossible or severely limited on board the Station.
The Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) occupies a floor-to-ceiling rack inside the Destiny module of the International Space Station
(ISS). It is more than twice as large as gloveboxes flown on the Space Shuttle
and can hold larger investigations that are about twice the size of an airline carry-on bag.
and electronics for control, housekeeping and investigation resources. The WV holds the experiment and related equipment. The work volume is approximately 3 feet wide (906 mm), 2 feet high (637 mm), and 1.5 feet deep (442 mm) with a usable volume of about 255 litres. This area can be sealed and held at a negative pressure, isolating the crew and the Station from possible hazards associated with the investigations that are taking place inside.
An airlock under the WV can be accessed to bring objects in safely while other activities are going on inside MSG. The MSG has 40 cm diameter side ports (equipped with rugged gloves that are sealed to prevent leaks) for setting up and manipulating equipment in the WV. A cold-plate provides cooling for experiment hardware and the air is continuously circulated and filtered. Experiments are provided with 1 kW of power and cooling.
Vacuum, venting, nitrogen gas input (that can keep the oxygen volume at 10 percent or less), power and data interfaces are also provided within MSG. A video system consists of a self-standing subsystem of four colour cameras, two monitors, two analogue recorders and two digital recorders integrated into an International Sub-rack Interface Standard (ISIS) drawer. The command and monitoring panel monitors the facility status and performance and provides for manual operation of MSG by the crew.
MSG was delivered to ISS during Expedition 5
, whereupon it was installed in the Destiny module. On March 21 2008, during Expedition 16
, MSG was relocated to the Columbus module
. On October 21 2010, during Expedition 25
, MSG was transferred back to the Destiny module.
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
. Without the MSG, many types of hands-on investigations would be impossible or severely limited on board the Station.
The Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) occupies a floor-to-ceiling rack inside the Destiny module of the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
(ISS). It is more than twice as large as gloveboxes flown on the Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
and can hold larger investigations that are about twice the size of an airline carry-on bag.
Description
The Core Facility of MSG occupies the upper half of the overall rack and includes the large work volume (WV), an airlockAirlock
An airlock is a device which permits the passage of people and objects between a pressure vessel and its surroundings while minimizing the change of pressure in the vessel and loss of air from it...
and electronics for control, housekeeping and investigation resources. The WV holds the experiment and related equipment. The work volume is approximately 3 feet wide (906 mm), 2 feet high (637 mm), and 1.5 feet deep (442 mm) with a usable volume of about 255 litres. This area can be sealed and held at a negative pressure, isolating the crew and the Station from possible hazards associated with the investigations that are taking place inside.
An airlock under the WV can be accessed to bring objects in safely while other activities are going on inside MSG. The MSG has 40 cm diameter side ports (equipped with rugged gloves that are sealed to prevent leaks) for setting up and manipulating equipment in the WV. A cold-plate provides cooling for experiment hardware and the air is continuously circulated and filtered. Experiments are provided with 1 kW of power and cooling.
Vacuum, venting, nitrogen gas input (that can keep the oxygen volume at 10 percent or less), power and data interfaces are also provided within MSG. A video system consists of a self-standing subsystem of four colour cameras, two monitors, two analogue recorders and two digital recorders integrated into an International Sub-rack Interface Standard (ISIS) drawer. The command and monitoring panel monitors the facility status and performance and provides for manual operation of MSG by the crew.
MSG was delivered to ISS during Expedition 5
Expedition 5
Expedition 5 was the fifth long-duration stay on the International Space Station . The crew, consisting of three people, remained in space for 184 days, 178 of which were spent aboard the ISS...
, whereupon it was installed in the Destiny module. On March 21 2008, during Expedition 16
Expedition 16
Expedition 16 was the 16th expedition to the International Space Station .The first two crew members, Yuri Malenchenko and Peggy Whitson, launched on 10 October 2007, aboard Soyuz TMA-11, and were joined by spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, the first Malaysian in space.Expedition 15...
, MSG was relocated to the Columbus module
Columbus (ISS module)
Columbus is a science laboratory that is part of the International Space Station and is the largest single contribution to the ISS made by the European Space Agency ....
. On October 21 2010, during Expedition 25
Expedition 25
Expedition 25 was the twenty-fifth long-duration mission to the International Space Station . Expedition 25 began with the Soyuz TMA-18 undocking on 25 September 2010...
, MSG was transferred back to the Destiny module.
Description Summary
- The Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) makes it possible to do investigations in microgravity that are similar to those carried out in ground-based laboratories. Without containment, liquids and particles involved in experiments on board the Space Station would float about the cabin. This could cause damage to equipment or harm the crew.
- Crewmembers access the work area through ports equipped with rugged, sealed gloves that can be removed when contaminants are not present. A video system and data downlinks allow for control of the enclosed experiments from the ground, if desired.
- In addition to doing complete, laboratory-like experiments, the MSG allows scientists to test small parts of larger investigations in a microgravity environment and to try out new equipment in microgravity.
- The MSG can support all key areas of microgravity research as well as other scientific fields. This makes it a useful laboratory resource for scientists in many different fields conducting a wide variety of investigations.