Space Sciences

Mir Sample Return Experiment (MSRE)

MSRE Hardware PIE & MSRE Panels

Objectives

The objective of the MSRE experiment was to collect intact cosmic dust for chemical, isotopic, organic analysis.

Shuttle-Mir Missions
STS-76, NASA-2, NASA-3, NASA-4, STS-84

Approach
The MSRE experiment was delivered to the Mir Space Station during the launch of the Priroda Module from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. During an EVA by the Mir-21 cosmonaut crewmembers, the experiment was attached to the exterior of the KVANT-2 Module. MSRE remained outside the Mir station, requiring no crewtime during the NASA-2 and NASA-3 missions. During the NASA-4 mission, an EVA was conducted by NASA Astronaut Dr. Jerry Linenger to retrieve the experiment. The experiment was returned for study aboard the STS-84 Space Shuttle mission.

Results
There was an anomoly in flight during the installation of the experiment to the exterior of KVANT-2. The mounting panel was not able to latch to the second KVANT railing. The trays were strapped in place by a flight strap, as evidenced in later photos.

Besides the preliminary examination, which revealed that the longer duration exposure showed higher concentration of particles captured, MSRE will not be analyzed until early 1999 after STARDUST is launched due to the investigator' s involvement with that mission.

Publications
None available at this time.

Principal Investigators
Peter Tsou, Ph.D.
Jet Propulsion Laboratoy

Co-Investigators
Michael Meyer

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Page last updated: 07/16/1999

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