Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG)
The Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) is a research facility located in the Destiny module on the International Space Station (ISS). This facility was designed to accommodate small science and technology experiments in a “workbench” type environment. Because the facility’s working volume is enclosed and held at a negative pressure with respect to the crew living area, the requirements on the experiments for containment of small parts, particulates, fluids, and gasses in the low-gravity Space Station environment are substantially reduced. The concept allows scientific flight hardware to be constructed in close parallel with bench experiments developed in ground-based laboratories. The facility is ideally suited to provide accommodations for exploratory-type investigations that are necessary to gain an initial understanding of the role of gravity in the physics associated with new research areas. Once experiments are transported to the International Space Station the crew installs the experiment hardware in the MSG and configures it for operations. Depending on its design, the actual experiment hardware can be operated either by the crew or by the ground-based investigator through two-way real-time data links. Images can be viewed through the several MSG video cameras, or cameras embedded in the experiment.