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STS-107
Report #06 
Monday, January 20, 2003 - 6:00 p.m. CST 
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas 

Columbia's astronauts conducted scientific studies ranging from the
behavior of granular materials in weightlessness to the effects of
microgravity on fungi, and filmed the sprites associated with
thunderstorms across the globe as their scientific research flight
continued in its fifth day. 

Red team members Commander Rick Husband, Mission Specialists Kalpana
Chawla and Laurel Clark and Israeli Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon
conducted additional data takes with the Mechanics of Granular
Materials experiment located in the Spacehab Research Module in
Columbia's cargo bay. The MGM experiment is providing information on
the behavior of saturated sand when exposed to confining pressures in
microgravity. The experiment could provide engineers valuable data for 
strengthening buildings against earthquakes. 

The Red team is working what amounts to the day shift on orbit, while
the Blue team --- Pilot Willie McCool, Mission Specialist Dave Brown
and Payload Commander Mike Anderson --- is working the overnight
shift. The division of the two teams into 12-hour shifts assures that
scientific research is conducted round-the-clock. 

One of the host of experiments in the Spacehab science lab --- the
Microbial Physiology Flight Experiment --- was monitored by Clark as
she studied how specific fungi react to the absence of gravity for
long periods of time. 

Additional data was acquired by Anderson and Ramon with an experiment
in the Combustion Module in the Spacehab --- the study of Laminer Soot 
Processes (LSP) --- designed to gain a better understanding of soot 
formation, oxidation and radiative properties within flames. Two other 
experiments studying flame properties in space in the large Spacehab 
furnace are to be conducted throughout the course of the flight.

Work was also accomplished with a series of biomedical experiments
studying the human body's response to weightlessness --- particularly
dealing with protein manufacturing in the absence of a gravity
environment, bone and calcium production, the formation of chemicals
associated with renal stones and how saliva and urine change in space
relative to any exposure to viruses. The crewmembers also continued
periodic blood draws to study how their bodies are adapting to the
microgravity environment. 

Experiments continued with the MEIDEX cameras in the cargo bay
observing thunderstorms to capture images of sprites, which are
associated with discharges from the tops of thunderclouds into the
Earth's upper atmosphere, and with the SOLSE experiment, studying the
amount of ozone in the Earth's upper atmosphere by using a special
imaging spectrometer in the payload bay to look across the limb of the 
Earth during specifically scheduled orbits.

Having been awakened just after 4 p.m. Central time, McCool, Brown and 
Anderson planned to continue the more than 80 experiments on board 
Columbia. The Red team will begin its eight-hour sleep period just 
after 8 p.m. Central time. 

This afternoon, flight controllers observed a minor electrical current 
spike in one of two systems designed to collect and distribute water 
produced from condensation buildup caused by the operation of the 
cooling system in the Spacehab Research Module in the cargo bay.

An identical system sprung a leak under the floorboards of Spacehab
last night and was shut down. The secondary system had been operating
normally until the electrical spike was observed at around 1:15 p.m.
A plan was implemented to reconfigure a valve in Columbia, allowing
cool air from the shuttle to flow into the science module, thus
enabling the module's temperatures to remain at a level that will not
require the use of Spacehab's cooling system, while preventing any
further buildup of condensation. Later, an air duct was routed from
Columbia to the Spacehab to increase the flow of cool air into the
science facility. 

Flight controllers plan to continue their analysis of the Spacehab
cooling issue throughout the night, with no impact expected to science 
operations. 

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 6 Commander Ken
Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin and ISS Science Officer Don
Pettit entered their third month in orbit today with a full complement 
of scientific research activities, exercise and routine ISS 
maintenance work. 

The three ISS crewmembers conducted a number of cardiovascular tests,
unloaded samples from a Zeolite Crystal Growth experiment in the
Destiny laboratory that has completed its work for this Expedition.
The Russian Vozdukh carbon dioxide removal system in the Zvezda
Module, which shut down last week, is now operating normally following 
the weekend replacement of a valve. The U.S. segment CO2 removal 
system, which has been operating in place of Vozdukh, was powered down 
as a result of the Vozdukh revival. 

All other station systems are operating normally as are all the
systems aboard the shuttle Columbia, which, like the ISS, is orbiting
the Earth every 90 minutes. 

The next STS-107 mission status report will be issued Tuesday
afternoon, or earlier, if events warrant. 

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