Mar 5 1996
From The Space Library
For the first time in its history, NASA allowed a researcher to direct an experiment from his home university, rather than from Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Martin Glickman led a group of scientists from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, taking control of a crystal experiment aboard Shuttle Columbia. Both NASA and the scientific community praised the experiment as a crucial step in the relationship between astronauts and academic scientists. Because they did not have to travel to NASA's MSFC in Huntsville, Alabama, the scientists were able to use their own instruments and data systems. Using remote control, they repeatedly cooled and heated the crystal samples on the Shuttle. Scientists hoped that allowing universities to control experiments from their own institutions would facilitate greater student participation in experiments conducted in space.
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