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The Human Research Facility (HRF) was developed with the sole, singular purpose of advancing the study of the effects of microgravity on biological systems. The single, largest component of this effort is the Human Research Facility's Ultrasound System. The HRF Ultrasound System, once on orbit, will be a fully functional, state of the art, ultrasound machine capable of providing all modes and modalities currently available in terrestrial hospitals and research centers. The HRF Ultrasound System will be able to transfer data from the International Space Station (ISS) to researchers on the ground in near real-time, comply with diagnostic commands from Mission Control at Johnson Space Center (JSC) and accept software upgrades with minimal crew interface.

The Human Research Facility (HRF) dedicates itself to researching the effects of microgravity on human physiology. The largest HRF payload is a fully functional state-of-the-art ultrasound system modified for space flight. This ultrasound system interfaces with remote software to provide video and data communication between the HRF Ultrasound and the HRF Telescience Support Center (TSC) at Johnson Space Center (JSC). This software architecture allows NASA scientists and engineers to transfer images, perform diagnostics, and support upgrades. These functions provide the means to interpret life science experiments performed in a microgravity environment.