Portable Glovebox
Short Name:The short name or acronym of the facility. PGB
Facility Description
The Portable Glovebox (PGB) is a multiuser facility that supports research on the ISSInternational Space Station by providing two levels of containment for confining accidental spillage and helping to prevent contamination of biological materials when containers are open. The PGB is very versatile, as it can be transported around the ISS and used in any module.
The PGB’s two levels of containment are provided by 1) the enclosure itself and 2) the 4 mbar negative pressure inside the box. A third level of containment for PGB can be achieved by placing it inside 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. Sciences Glovebox (MSG). The PGB contains two gloves for experimental manipulation, a 21 liter sealed volume, and transparent windows for experiment viewing. The box outer dimensions are 363 x 485 x 225 mm and the box inner dimensions are 300 x 285 x 202 mm. 28 V DC power can be supplied to the PGB for experiment use through connection to one of several ISS facilities, such as the EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments to Space Station Racks (EXPRESS Racks).
Availability:The general availability status of the facility. Please contact the facility manager
ISS Environment:The facility location (internal or external to the ISS.) Internal
Owner:The entity that owns the facility. ESA
Operator/Implementation Partner:The entity or ISS National Lab Implementation Partner that operates the facility.
ESA
Developer(s):The entity, or entities, that developed the facility.
Bradford Engineering
Facility Manager:The name of the facility manager and their organization.
Michael Cork,
ESA
Manager Email:The facility manager's email address.
Michael.Cork@esa.int
Parent Facility:Any facility that is necessary to operate the facility described on this webpage. i.e., a parent facility is one level higher in the operational hierarachy.
Child Facility:Facilities that can be operated within the facility described on this webpage.
Sponsoring Space Agency:The government space agency that sponsors investigations that use the facility. ESA
Equipment Category:"The facility's ISS National Lab equipment designation type. Designations include:
1. ISS National Lab Commercial Service Provider (CSP) Facility
2. Support Hardware
3. Capability Capability
Additional Information:Additional resources to learn more about the facility.
ISS006-E-07275 (16 December 2002) --- Astronaut Kenneth D. Bowersox, Expedition Six mission commander, works with an experiment in a portable glovebox facility called the Maintenance Work Area (MWA) in the Destiny laboratory on the International Space Station (ISS).