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The Centrifuge Facility will provide a life sciences research laboratory for rodents and plants on the space station. During a 90-day experiment increment, soiled waste trays from the rodent habitats must be safely stored. The present tests investigated what gases are generated and what bacteria survive during long-term storage of rodent waste and waste tray materials. Soiled filter material from flight and ground control Animal Enclosure Modules (AEM) flown on STS-54 in January, 1993 and from the Research Animal Holding Facility (RAHF) flown on Spacelab Life Sciences - 2 (SLS-2) in October, 1993 were placed in individual air-tight glass test vessels. Gas samples were withdrawn from each vessel and analyzed for a target list of volatile organics, odiferous compounds and methane using a GC/MS and detector tubes. No target compounds were detected in any of the AEM or RAHF samples. Ammonia, methane and some non-target compounds were detected in one AEM sample and the RAHF samples.

The use of non-human biological specimens for life sciences research on Space Station Freedom has generated concerns about spacecraft internal contamination, crew safety and hardware utility. Various NASA organizations convened to discuss the concerns and determine how they should be addressed. This paper will present the issues raised at this meeting, the process by which safety concerns were identified, and the means by which contamination control requirements for all biological payloads were recommended for incorporation into Space Station Freedom safety requirements. The microbiological, toxicological and particulate contamination criteria for long-term spaceflight will be based on realistic assessment of risk and hardware will be designed to meet established contamination criteria while facilitating crew operations, thereby meeting the needs of the investigator.