RRS: An Application of Proven Technology to LifeSat Requirements

The LifeSat/RRS vehicle concept is being developed to provide life science researchers with relatively inexpensive and frequent access to the space environment on a long term basis.

It is a direct extension of the Discoverer/Biosatellite Program and the Space Shuttle mid-deck locker/Spacelab life sciences flight experiment data bases.

The RRS concept heritage is reviewed, and the results of our RRS Phase B Study are described. A 79-inch Discoverer configuration was selected as the preferred configuration to accommodate 18 rats in orbit for 60 days with subsequent recovery.