Scientific research on LTMPF on the International Space Station

The Low-Temperature Microgravity Physics Facility (LTMPF) is a state-of-the-art facility for long duration science investigations in microgravity and at low temperature. It will be reusable with full electronics, software and communication support. With the first launch scheduled in 2004, it will have at least five months cryogen lifetime in space and will reside on the Japanese Experiment Module, Exposed Facility (JEM-EF) of the International Space Station (ISS). High-resolution sensors of temperature, pressure and capacitance will be available to accommodate a wide variety of experiments. A LTMPF overview and design requirements will be presented. Experiment selections and approvals are through the NASA Research Announcement and peer-review processes. Three of the current six candidate experiments involve international collaborations. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.