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The effects of acoustic levels in manned space vehicles was not thoroughly appreciated until the STS 40 mission, Spacelab Life Sciences 1 (June, 1991). Previous to that mission, waivers were submitted and equipment operated without overwhelming effect on ongoing flight activities. The factors of multiple pieces of noise producing equipment operating simultaneously, operating in the vicinity of crew sleep stations, and operating for this long of a mission (10 days) became relevant in crew tolerance, fatigue, communication, and permanent shifts in hearing thresholds. Because this was a life sciences mission, accurate instrument measurements were obtained of acoustic levels in the middeck, flight deck and spacelab during flight and physiological measurements were obtained from the crew members during all phases of the mission. Due to the STS 40 results, a Spacelab/Payloads Acoustics Working Group (SPAWG) was formed post flight to address acceptable acoustic limits.

The white rat, Rattus norvegicus has been used extensively in microgravity flights. Initial NASA flight experiments with rats supported the Shuttle Student Involvement Program (SSIP). Hardware to house the rats was called the Animal Enclosure Module (AEM). The AEM for the SSIP, fit into a middeck locker. Potatoes provided water; food bars, glued on the walls, provided nourishment. Waste was absorbed and odor and microbial growth controlled by sandwiched phosphoric acid treated charcoal and filter materials utilizing much of the technology employed in the Rodent Research Animal Holding Facility, a Spacelab piece of equipment. The SSIP AEM potato “watering” system succumbed to mold and had to be replaced by real water contained within plasma bags. A metal enclosure housed the plasma bags between two heavy springs which forced water through animal activated lixits.