Background

The Flight Systems Implementation Branch within the Space Biosciences Division has been responsible for the design, fabrication, certification and operation of experiment hardware for numerous manned and unmanned spaceflight projects. The Branch uses a multidisciplinary team approach that integrates science, engineering and operations to ensure compliance with customer requirements and mission success.

The Branch is currently supporting two payloads scheduled for flight on STS-118, SPEGIS and Commerical Biomedical Testing Module (CBTM), and Foton-M3 launched September 14, 2007 from Kazakhstan.

The Branch also supports the *Human Research Program's - International Space Station Medical Project (ISSMP) in the areas of flight hardware certification for the Next Generation Holter Monitor, logistics support for contingency shuttle landings at Dryden Flight Research Center, and implementation support for International Partner (IP) experiments.

The Branch is the lead for the flight certification of the Next Gen Holter, currently scheduled for launch in late 2008. As the lead for the implementation support for the IP experiments Ames will be working closely with the European Space Agency and other international partners on the implementation of their manifested human research experiments for both the ISS and shuttle.

In addition, the Branch also supports the Exploration Medical Capabilities Project through the Life Sciences Data Archiving (LSDA) project. It manages and maintains the biospecimen sharing repository for non-human biospecimens and other archival materials. These materials are available to the external scientific community upon request and with approval of NASA Headquarters.

* Additional related website - http://hrp.jsc.nasa.gov/