The "gaseous" environment in sealed BRIC-100VC canisters flown on 'Mir' with embryogenic daylily cell cultures.

As part of the "Cellular Mechanisms of Spaceflight-Specific Stress to Plants" experiment, nine BRIC (Biological Research in Canisters) 100VC canisters, each containing four 100 mm dia polycarbonate petri dishes with embryogenic daylily (Hemerocallis sp.) cultures, were launched on 12 Jan 97 (STS-81), transferred to 'Mir' and returned on 24 May 97 (STS-84). Pre-flight, flight and ground control data for temperature, relative humidity, CO2 and ethylene in the BRIC canisters are presented.     

Validating ionospheric models with measured electron density profiles

On behalf of an URSI Working Group 3 initiated study (VIM), three ionospheric models, IRI, PL/PRISM and FLIP, are compared with electron density profiles derived from ionograms Millstone Hill. Four months of data in 1989/90 were analyzed. For most of the time, N(h) profiles were available every 15 minutes providing a good statistical database for the evaluation of the ionospheric models in terms of diurnal and seasonal variations.     

Satellite-derived synoptic climatology in data-sparse regions

Synoptic-scale “moisture bursts” are defined, based on infrared GOES imagery, and their synoptic climatology is developed. Quantitative analysis of satellite-derived individual channel radiance data and vertical eigenfunctions of complete channel data yield rich structural detail; these details do not appear in FGGE analyses in regions void of conventional meteorological data.