Microgravity Science Glovebox

Facility Description

The MicrogravityThe condition of perceived weightlessness created when an object is in free fall, for example when an object is in orbital motion. Microgravity alters many observable phenomena within the physical and life sciences, allowing scientists to study things in ways not possible on Earth. The International Space Station provides access to a persistent microgravity environment. Science Glovebox (MSG) is a sealed facility that provides an enclosed space for investigations to be conducted on the ISSInternational Space Station. The MSG accommodates small- and medium-sized investigations from disciplines including biotechnology, combustion science, fluid physics, fundamental physics, and materials science. The MSG can provide experiments with power, data acquisition, computer communications, vacuum, nitrogen, and specialized tools. It is designed to more closely simulate working laboratory conditions on the ground.

The MSC provides a safe environment for ISS crew to conduct research with liquids, flames, and particles used as a part of everyday research on Earth. Built-in gloves attached directly to the facility doors allow crew to safely manipulate samples inside the sealed facility, and side ports permit crew to set up and manipulate investigation equipment inside. As experiments are conducted within the MSG by crew members in space, the results can be monitored by scientists and investigators on the ground.

The development of the MSG on the ISS builds on successes with the Middeck Glovebox and Spacelab Glovebox, both used onboard several Space Shuttle missions and on the Russian Mir Space Station. The MSG supports larger, more sophisticated investigations than its predecessors, expanding research capabilities. It was developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and is managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. The MSG was launched to the ISS in June 2002 on Space Shuttle Endeavor STS-111 and is located in the ESA’s Columbus laboratory module. Peggy Whitson installed the MSG during Expedition 5. Its first full operation experiment was the Solidification Using a Baffle in a Sealed Ampoule (SUBSA).