Electronics Science & Technology Division (Code 6800) have been working in conjunction on the Materials on the International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) projects. The purpose of MISSE is to characterize the performance of new and prospective spacecraft materials when subjected to the combined effects of the space environment. Passive and active experiments are loaded into a Passive Experiment Carrier (PEC); the PEC is then transported via the Shuttle to the International Space Station (ISS), where it is attached to the ISS and opened on-orbit to expose the materials to space. At the end of the mission, the PEC is closed and returned to Earth. The MISSE program has a rich history and benefits from seven (7) previous on-orbit payloads with substantial legacy hardware and design.

Code 8200 and Code 6800 have collaborated on three (3) MISSE projects currently, including MISSE-5, MISSE7, and MISSE-8.

MISSE-5 was sponsored and built at NRL using a PEC, carried the "Forward Technology Solar Cell Experiment (FTSCE)" and relayed data to the ground via an on-board transmitter; PCSat2. MISSE-5 was self-powered with an on-board solar panel and a Li-Ion battery. MISSE-5 also contained its own 2-way communications with an on-board receiver and transmitter box. It was launched in August 2005 and returned in September 2006; operating successfully for 408 days before returning to Earth.

MISSE7 was sponsored and integrated at NRL. MISSE7 consists of two (2) PECs (PEC7A - NRL and PEC7B - Boeing) and the ExPA (ExPRESS Payload Adapter) experiments. PEC7A experiments include "Forward Technology Solar Cell Experiment (FTSCE)" II and other space exposure experiments. The ExPA experiments include the Multi-Core Processor Experiment (MCPE), which was built at NRL; the Hyper-X; and the SpaceCube. MISSE7 utilizes ISS power from the ELC (ExPRESS Logistic Carrier), sends commands and receives data from the ELC via the ISS. MISSE7 was launched November 2009 and is currently operating successfully. All experiments are operating as expected. PEC7A and PEC7B are scheduled to return on STS-134 in February 2011.

MISSE-8 was sponsored and built at NRL. The MISSE-8 PEC is carrying the "Forward Technology Solar Cell Experiment (FTSCE)" III amongst other experiments. Some of the additional experiments on MISSE-8 include an evaluation of several advanced technologies for Xilinx FPGAs, an experiment to characterize arcing effects on solar cells' performance, an experiment to characterize the performance of components of a reflectarray antenna, reflective materials experiment, optical reflector materials experiment, and advanced space solar cell technologies. The overall experiment suite represents an extremely wide range of technologies with direct impact and relevance to several DoD space programs. PEC8 will be replacing PEC7A on the MISSE7 platform, receiving power and data via the ISS. MISSE-8 is scheduled to fly on STS-134 in February 2011.

On 22 July 2010, five of the six astronauts of the STS-134 crew came to the NRL for the Crew Experiment Interface Test (CEIT) of the MISSE-8. The test was successful and MISSE-8 was shipped for processing at the Kennedy Space Center on 16 August 2010. On 25 August 2010, the MISSE-8 Sidewall Carrier (SWC) and PEC were installed into the Endeavour payload bay. MISSE7's two (2) SWCs were also installed and will be used to return MISSE7's PEC7A and PEC7B for examination of all experiments.