This was the first of two studies to investigate the commercial potential of the SPACELAB module and pallet system developed in the 1980s by the European Space Agency as Europe's contribution to the Space Shuttle programme. British Aerospace was responsible for the production of the SPACELAB pallets, shown in the bottom right photograph . These U-shaped carriers flew in the Shuttle's payload bay with their open sides facing into space. They came in full-size and half-size lengths. The half-size pallet had never flown on a mission. It was a little over half the mass of the full-size version and its reduced size took up less room in the payload bay, making it easier to manifest on missions. British Aerospace sought ideas for using it to deliver payloads to orbit for commercial and scientific customers. 

The drawings and image show one application. An open framework inside the pallet's trough functions as a cage for carrying a

set of flat materials exposure panels. The cage safely

restrains the panels during launch. Once in orbit,

astronauts remove them one by one and mount them

on the Space Station's exterior structure assisted

by the Station's robotic arm. There they remain for

several years in the orbital environment before return

to the ground. The long-term exposure of materials

samples to space is a vital field of research.

Exposure helps to identify materials that are durable

and safe in the harsh space environment. Of particular

interest are materials that can act as radiation shields,

resist micrometeoroid impact, survive cyclical

temperature extremes, and provide good thermal

insulation.

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