MATERIALS INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION EXPERIMENT – 1 AND 2 (MISSE-1 AND 2)
Research Area: Spacecraft Materials
Expedition(s): 3-11
Principal Investigator(s): ● William H. Kinard, PhD, Langley Research Center, Hampton,
Virgina
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Materials International Space Station Experiment – 1 and 2 (MISSE-1 and 2) are a test bed for
materials and coatings reaction to space exposure. Attached to the outside of the International
Space Station (ISS), MISSE accommodates several hundred samples that are being evaluated for
the effects of atomic oxygen (AO), direct sunlight, and extremes of heat and cold. This
experiment allows the development and testing of new materials to better withstand the rigors
of space environments.
EARTH BENEFITS
The new advanced materials and components
that make up MISSE represent research efforts to
improve the performance, increase the useful
life, and reduce the costs of future space
operations of commercial weather,
communication, and ground observation
satellites that are crucial to everyday life on
Earth.SPACE BENEFITS
Results provide a better understanding of the
durability of various materials when they are
exposed to the space environment. Many of the
materials may have applications in the design of
future spacecraft.RESULTS
Researchers who took part in MISSE-1 and 2
had interests in polymers, nanocomposites,
thermal control coatings, radiation shielding,
environmental monitors, and marking
processes designed to label parts exposed
to the space environment. Primary data
from MISSE were obtained by comparing the
preflight laboratory characterization of the
test specimens with postflight laboratory
analyses after the specimens are retrieved.
Astronaut Patrick G. Forrester prepares to work
with the Materials International Space Station
Experiment (MISSE). The experiment was
installed on the outside of the Quest Airlock during
the first extravehicular activity of the STS-105
mission. MISSE will collect information on how
different materials weather in the environment of
space. I NASA image.Close up of Materials International Space Station
Experiment with Earth backdrop. NASA image.