LDEF (Postflight), P0004-01 : Seeds in Space Experiment, Tray F02 EL-1994-00704 The postflight photograph was taken in the SAEF II at KSC after the experiment was removed from the LDEF and the silvered TEFLON_ thermal cover was removed from the experiment tray. The Seeds in Space Experiment (P0004-01) is one of three passive experiments located in a 6 inch deep LDEF peripheral tray. The experiment consist of 2 million seeds of 120 different varieties, one sealed canister, two smaller vented canisters, and a silvered TEFLON_ thermal cover. Two other experiments, the Space Exposed Experiment Developed for Students (SEEDS) P0004-02 and the Linear Energy Transfer (LET) Experiment (P0006), were companion experiments in the tray. The experiment hardware was assembled and mounted in the experiment tray with non-magnetic stainless steel fasteners. Areas of the experiment tray flanges covered by the tray clamp blocks are unstained and clearly visible. The sealed Seeds in Space Experiment canister, a base portion and a dome portion, was machined from aluminum and assembled together with a butyl rubber o-ring seal. The machined interior was approximately 4 inches deep with a 12 inch internal diameter, providing a volume of approximately 1/3 cubic foot. the sealed canister was the center canister in the top row. The two vented canisters were also aluminum. One canister, 4 inches in diameter and 4 inches high, was mounted on the top side of the experiment tray at the lower right corner of the large sealed canister. The other vented canister was rectangular in shape and mounted on the bottom side of the tray, the side facing the LDEF interior. The exterior surfaces of all canisters located on the top side of the experiment tray were painted white with Chemglaze II A-276. The exterior surface of the rectangular canister on the bottom side of the experiment tray was coated with Chemglaze Z-306 flat black paint over a Chemglaze 9924 primer. Thermal control was accomplished by placing the canisters on fiberglass isolators and covering the experiment tray with a thin (5 mil) silvered TEFLON_ specular cover secured with Velcro pads located on each of the canister domes and on clips attached to the tray sidewalls. The experiment hardware appears intact and in prelaunch condition. The Chemglaze II A-276 white paint has no apparent discolorations.
