You are in Home | Information Technology | Distance Learning | Live From Space Station™ | Narration

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.