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Neurolab was the last and most complex Life Sciences Spacelab mission flown. Neurolab, the third dedicated Life Sciences mission, included both human and non-human experiments and a greater variety of biospecimens and hardware than flown on any previous mission carrying Life Sciences experiments. Good science was accomplished, however unplanned engineering and operational events did occur. This paper addresses some of those issues, the pitfalls encountered in developing payloads for microgravity missions, and the lessons learned. It addresses hardware, biospecimen, and operational elements. It also suggests means of circumventing such issues as we progress towards development of payloads for the International Space Station. Recommendations are also made for pre- and post-flight processing.

The first step in verifying the design of the rodent Research Animal Holding Facility (RAHF) as a barrier to environmental contaminants was successfully completed at NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) during a 12-day bio-compatibility test. Environmental contaminants considered were solid particulates, microorganisms, ammonia, and odor-producing organics. The 12-day test at ARC was conducted in August 1988, and was designed to verify that the rodent RAHF system would adequately support and maintain animal specimens during normal system operations. Additional objectives of this test were to demonstrate that: 1) typical particulate debris produced by the animal, i.e., feces and food bar crumbs, would be captured by the system; 2) microorganisms would be contained; and 3) the passage of odor-producing organics and ammonia generated by the animals was adequately controlled. In addition, the amount of carbon dioxide exhausted by the RAHF system was to be quantified.

The Spacelab Life Sciences missions are intended to support Life Sciences experiments. The Spacelab Life Sciences 1 (SLS-1) mission originated with a call to the scientific community for experiments in 1978. Accepted experiments involved humans, primates, rodents, amphibians, and plants. The original payload configuration has been reduced to include human, passive rodent, and basic biology experiments and engineering evaluations. Human experiments will address effects of micro-gravity on various physiological parameters during and postflight. Investigations with nonhuman subjects will study microgravity effects on the cardiopulmonary, cardiovascular, and musculoskeletal systems, on the regulation of blood volume and erythropoiesis, and on calcium metabolism and gravity receptors. SLS-1 will serve as a stepping stone in establishing capabilities for flying nonhuman subjects and performing in-flight manipulations on these subjects without jeopardizing the crew environment.