NASA Photo ID: STS048(E)021       File Name: 10065048.gif 
 
Film Type: ESC monochrome         Date Taken: 09/18/91 
 
Title: STS-48 ESC image of the MODE-01 Fluid Test Article (FTA) on OV-103's middeck 
 
Description: 
 
An electronic still camera (ESC) closeup shows the STS-48 Middeck Zero 
("0")  Gravity Dynamics Experiment 01 (MODE-01) Fluid Test Article (FTA) 
attached to  an experimental support module (ESM) located in a forward 
middeck locker  onboard the earth-orbiting Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 
103.  The FTA is a  3.1-cm diameter cylindrical sealed Lexan tank.  The FTA 
electromagnetic  actuator has excited the test article sinusoidally, which 
causes the fluid  inside the tank to slosh.  These slosh forces, along with 
other data such as  acceleration levels of the entire assembly, are 
measured by the force balance  and recorded in digital form on an optical 
disk for later ground analysis.   Crewmembers were testing the ESC as part 
of Development Test Objective (DTO)  648, Electronic Still Photography.  
The digital image was stored on a  removable hard disk or small optical 
disk, and could be converted to a format  suitable for downlink 
transmission.  The ESC is making its initial appearance  on this Space 
Shuttle mission.