NASA to Deliver Commercial Research Equipment to Station

Feb. 15, 2012

Michael Curie
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
michael.curie@nasa.gov

Kelly Humphries
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
kelly.o.humphries@nasa.gov

RELEASE: 12-052

NASA TO DELIVER COMMERCIAL RESEARCH EQUIPMENT TO STATION

HOUSTON -- NASA, Astrium Space Transportation and NanoRacks LLC are
teaming up to expand the research capability of the International
Space Station through delivery of a small commercial centrifuge
facility that will conduct molecular and cellular investigations on
plant and animal tissue.

The centrifuge enhances NanoRacks' existing suite of lab equipment
aboard the space station, which includes microscopes and a plate
reader used to detect biological, chemical or physical activity in
samples.

Astrium Space Transportation handed over the research centrifuge to
NanoRacks LL, during a ceremony Tuesday, Feb. 14 in Houston. Astrium
North America adapted the centrifuge -- originally built by Kayser
Italia for use on space shuttle missions -- for use in the station's
NanoRacks Platform-3. The commercial research team funded the
centrifuge.

NASA will deliver the centrifuge as part of its responsibility to
provide transportation for U.S. National Laboratory research and
facilities to the space station.

Under its partnership with Astrium, NanoRacks will add the centrifuge
to the two racks of laboratory support equipment already on the
station. The centrifuge is sized to fit the standard NanoRacks
architecture, which can fly on any launch vehicle.

"This is an important step in the expansion of National Lab facilities
aboard the space station," said Marybeth Edeen, U.S. National
Laboratory manager at NASA's Johnson Space Center. "Having companies
develop research and facilities for the National Lab with their own
funding demonstrates the beginnings of the commercial space
marketplace that the National Lab was created to serve."

The platform and centrifuge were produced in a short time at low cost.
Both NanoRacks and Astrium expect announcements in the near future
about more joint projects.

NASA has manifested the NanoRacks-3 platform and the Astrium
centrifuge on a Russian Progress cargo ship scheduled for launch in
summer 2012 under its cargo agreements with the Russian Federal Space
Agency.

For more information about the International Space Station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

-end-

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