The Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) project, originally called the Meteoroid and Exposure Module, was begun in 1970. Conceived and managed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, the LDEF was designed as a large structure on which various tests of systems and materials could be carried out. One of its most important functions was to gather data on meteoroids, radiation, and other space hazards.

NASA's Long Duration Exposure Facility was designed to provide long-term data on the space environment. The LDEF was launched in 1984, and spent the next 5.7 years orbiting Earth.

The LDEF was a 9-meter-long (30-foot-long) hexagonal-shaped structure designed to fit snugly into the space shuttle orbiter's cargo bay. The research programs involved corporations, universities, and U.S. and foreign governments. The LDEF was a platform both for engineering and systems development...