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Live
From Space Station™:
Narration
The Live From Space
Station display has an audio narration that
explains the different areas of the science
display. You must be running Microsoft Windows
Media Player in order to hear the narration
clip. If your computer is not audio capable
we have provided a printout below of the
narration. We hope it helps you understand
the magnificent science being conducted
on board the International Space Station.
- AZ Technology.
The Live From Space Station display is
divided into two parts: the left side contains
the International Space Station Health and
Status data and then the right side contains
data for the University of Alabama-Birmingham's
Protein Crystallography experiment.
Timestamp
Under the title of the display, you will
notice the date and time of the last received
UAB data from the International Space Station.
When the UAB Experiment data is in LOS,
the timestamp will not increment.
AOS or LOS
On the display, you will notice
two indicators for AOS, one for the International
Space Station core data and one for UAB's
experiment data.
These indicator show whether or not data
is being transmitted. Data will not be received
when the ISS is in a Zone of Exclusion,
places where NASA's two primary communications
satellites are out of contact for approximately
30 minutes per orbit.
Direct your attention to the left side
of the display for an explanation of the
parameters in the ISS Health and Status
data.
Solar Array Current
Notice an Amp meter and a graph
measuring the Solar Array Current. The Amp
meter shows the present Current measurement
while the graph shows the history of that
current. The International Space Station
needs electrical power for all ISS functions
such as command and control, communications,
lighting, and most importantly for life
support. In order to maximize the collection
of usable solar energy, the solar arrays
must be oriented to face the Sun.
Cabin Temp
Just to the lower right of the
image of the International Space Station
is the thermometer measuring the temperature
of the U.S. Laboratory Module, also known
as Destiny, where the astronauts do most
of their work.
Cabin Gas and Pressures
At the bottom of the display you'll
see 4 gauges measuring the pressure of different
gases in the Destiny module. Earth's atmosphere
is a mixture of gases -- 78 percent nitrogen,
21 percent oxygen, 1 percent other gases
-- at a pressure of 14 lbs/in2 or 1 atmosphere.
Systems and subsystems must keep similar
levels for astronauts on board the International
Space Station to survive.
On the right side of the display is the
experiment data provided by the University
of Alabama-Birmingham's Protein Crystallography
group.
In the microgravity environment aboard
the International Space Station, protein
crystals of high quality can be grown, such
as shown here. By understanding proteins,
more effective drugs can be designed that
have fewer side effects. Some protein crystals
that have already been grown will one day
benefit treatments for cancer, diabetes
and AIDS.
The Commercial Refrigeration Incubation
Module or CRIM located at the top right
of the display, is the actual flight hardware
that provides a stable temperature and growth
environment for Protein Crystals.
The thermometer labeled, Requested Temp,
is the temperature that the CRIM needs to
maintain for proper protein crystal growth,
usually around 22 degrees centigrade. The
thermometers located next to the Requested
Temp, are random samples in the CRIM. The
graph below the thermometers plots the three
temperatures over a period of 1 minute.
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