 The beauty of these crystals goes far beyond the vivid colors and rich patterns that you are seeing here. These are protein crystals, and they may prove to be to drug researchers what blueprints are to architects. Building on this technology, these and other scientists hope to discover new ways of fighting cancer, AIDS, diabetes, high blood pressure, and their list goes on. What makes this research more promising than ever before is the fact that these crystals were crone in space. Dr. Charlie Bug with the University of Alabama at Birmingham is the principal investigator. Gravity affects the crystal growth processes, and by eliminating gravity, we can control these processes in a way that's totally impossible on Earth. Protein crystal growth is just one of 11 experiments that the astronauts will perform aboard the next flight of the space shuttle. The experiments are to be performed in the mid-deck or living area of the shuttle. The project names may sound foreign to most, phase partitioning experiment, aggregation of red blood cells, isoelectric focusing, but they translate into new understanding and new answers in the fields of life science and basic physics. Six of the mid-deck experiments are being managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Here pilot Dick Covey and mission specialist George Panky Nelson and Mike Lounge get hands-on experience at Marshall with the actual hardware they'll operate in space. Two of these experiments will seek new ways of separating cells. The phase partitioning experiment separates materials by keying in on the physical behavior of fluids, while isoelectric focusing explores ways to separate cells with electrical currents. Yet another experiment measures how cells come together, in this case red blood cells. Samples have been taken from donors with heart disease, cancer, diabetes and hypertension. Scientists will study how the organization of these cells affect blood flow in space. The payback here on Earth could be improved clinical research and diagnostic testing. A basic component in everything from airliners to surgical instruments to home appliances is the magnet. This special space furnace will meld techniques for making magnets that are stronger and more lightweight. Gravity weakens magnets manufactured on the Earth. Could space-based studies overcome some of the problems presented by gravity? NASA engineers hope the automated directional solidification furnace will answer that question. It's called automated by the way because all the astronauts have to do is throw these two switches to perform this 10-hour experiment. Another experiment defies the old adage that everybody talks about the weather but nobody does anything about it. The mesoscale or large-scale lightning experiment will put astronauts on the lookout for large storm systems at night, which they hope to capture with existing on-board cameras. The space shuttle mid-deck was not originally meant to be allowed, but ever since the third shuttle flight it's been proving to be an excellent science facility. The science community's demand for space on the mid-deck has accelerated since then and for many good reasons. You can fly very low-cost experiments in the mid-deck. You don't have a lot of resources, but it's amazing how much science can be done with little resources. Mission manager Ed Valentine with the Marshall Center points out another advantage of the mid-deck. Perishable samples like proteins from this lab can be loaded just hours before launch. Now when the space shuttle returns to space once more, it will take us all a step closer to a wide range of potential benefits here on the Earth.