In preparation for utilizing the International Space Station (ISS), the Can
adian Space Agency's Microgravity Sciences Program (CSA MSP) is developing
space hardware and supporting science in order to meet the needs of the Can
adian scientific community. The utilisation philosophy includes a permanent
presence on ISS on an EXPRESS rack. A Microgravity Vibration Isolation Mou
nt (MIM) Base Unit will host simple visiting payloads in each of our resear
ch fields of materials science, protein crystal growth, and fluid science.
Ground support, especially in the field of protein crystal growth (PCG), wi
ll be emphasized, in order to increase science success. Through the previou
s PCG missions the CSA has gained experience in this field. With our accumu
lated knowledge and an opportunity to utilize the Canadian allocation on IS
S, we are now in a good position to fulfill the requirement of providing ac
cess to space through the use of a new, Canadian-designed apparatus built t
o meet our particular needs. The hardware development process, ground opera
tions, and science support are being addressed as a single program, sharing
resources at different phases of the project. The five main components of
the program that will be discussed in this project are: Concept studies, Fl
ight hardware development, Benchmark protein set, CSA PCG Mission Support C
entre, and Science support. Crown Copyright (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier
Science B.V. All rights reserved.