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Space Hardware Optimization Technology (SHOT), Inc. has developed an Avian Development Facility (ADF) to isolate the effects of microgravity on embryogenesis of Japanese quail embryos by initiating and preserving embryo development in weightlessness. The ADF will monitor embryogenesis during orbit by fixing specimens at various times and will shut down the experiment before leaving orbit. In effect, the ADF makes every attempt to minimize launch and re-entry effects in order to isolate and preserve the effects of the experimental variable(s) of the space environment. The ADF also allows for egg rotation (similar to turning in a natural environment) and provides separate carousel rotation to accommodate centrifugation controls (up to 1-G) in a microgravity environment. Although no non-avian applications of ADF have yet been implemented, application to several fields can be considered, such as cell science, plant science, invertebrate biology and aquatic biology.

A microgravity dehumidification system for plant growth experiments requires the generation of no free-liquid condensate and the recovery of water for reuse. In membrane dehumidification, the membrane is a barrier between the humid air phase and a liquid coolant water. The coolant water temperature combined with a trans-membrane pressure differential establishes a water flux from the humid air into the coolant water. Building on the work of others, we directly compared hydrophilic and hydrophobic membranes for humidity control. Hydrophobic membranes did not meet the required operational parameters. In a direct comparison of the hydrophilic membranes, cellulose ester membranes were superior to metal and ceramic membranes in the categories of condensation flux per surface area, ease of start-up and stability. However, cellulose ester membranes were inferior to metal membranes in one significant category, longevity/durability.

An event in which electronic insulation consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene undergoes thermodegradation on the Space Station Freedom is considered experimentally and theoretically from the initial chemistry and convective transport through pulmonary deposition in humans. The low-gravity environment impacts various stages of event simulation. Vapor-phase and particulate thermodegradation products were considered as potential spacecraft contaminants. A potential pathway for the production of ultrafine particles was identified. Different approaches to the simulation and prediction of contaminant transport were studied and used to predict the distribution of generic vapor-phase products in a Space Station model.