LOCAD - LOCAD-PTS Exploration

LOCAD-PTS Exploration is an ISS experiment funded by the Moon and Mars Analogue Mission Activities (MMAMA) Program of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. It is a collaboration between BAE Systems, Charles River Laboratories (CRL), NASA Johnson Space Center (Astronaut Office, Crew and Thermal Systems Division, and Extravehicular Activity (EVA) and Crew Survival Systems Branch), NASA Kennedy Space Center and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. The goal of the experiment is to design and test procedures to monitor and document the spread of biological material associated with human spaceflight, both before and after launch, in preparation for the human exploration of the Moon and Mars. The LOCAD-PTS Exploration experiment has been funded by NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD), under the Moon and Mars Analogue Mission Activities (MMAMA) Program, and is the first SMD-funded experiment aboard the ISS.

The ISS Starboard S6 Truss-section was analyzed with LOCAD-PTS in October 2008 and December 2008—while located in the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center—and again in space following launch of Space Shuttle Discovery STS-119.

The S6 Truss was swabbed in space on flight day 5, March 19, 2009, during the first spacewalk by Steve Swanson (EV1) and Richard R. Arnold (EV2). This 'swab' was performed indirectly with the spacesuit gloves. The gloves themselves were swabbed inside the ISS both before and after EVA, with LOCAD-PTS, by Expedition 18 Flight Engineer Sandy Magnus. Swab samples were then analyzed aboard the ISS by Magnus on flight day 7, March 21, 2009. This experiment marked the first time in human spaceflight that EVA crew checked themselves for microbes before EVA, and was mentioned by the STS-119 crew to President Obama during a video conference from space during STS-119. This type of procedure will be required to monitor and document the spread of biological material in support of NASA's goal to search for life on other planets and to comply with planetary protection regulations.

Further LOCAD-PTS Exploration tests were performed on the Flight 17A Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) "Leonardo" in the Payload Changeout Room on Pad 39A during August 5-8, 2009. The 17A MPLM was also tested after insertion into the payload bay of Space Shuttle Discovery STS-128, scheduled for launch on August 25, 2009. In addition to the MPLM itself, a microbial survey of the entire Rotating Service Structure (RSS) and Mobile Launch Platform (MLP) was also performed. The external surfaces of the 17A MPLM will also be tested after landing of STS-128. Each MPLM is a cargo carrier and brought back to Earth in the Space Shuttle Payload Bay.