 | This article has multiple issues. Please helpimprove it or discuss these issues on thetalk page.(Learn how and when to remove these messages) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
|
 Spacelab Module LM2 inColumbia's payload bay, serving as the Neurolab | |
| Names | Space Transportation System-90 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Bioscience research |
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1998-022A |
| SATCATno. | 25297 |
| Mission duration | 15 days, 21 hours, 50 minutes, 58 seconds |
| Distance travelled | 10,000,000 kilometres (6,200,000 mi) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Columbia |
| Landing mass | 105,462 kilograms (232,504 lb) |
| Payload mass | 10,788 kilograms (23,783 lb) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 7 |
| Members | |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 17 April 1998 18:19 (1998-04-17UTC18:19Z) UTC |
| Launch site | Kennedy,LC-39B |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | 3 May 1998 16:09 (1998-05-03UTC16:10Z) UTC |
| Landing site | Kennedy,SLF Runway 33 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 247 kilometres (153 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 274 kilometres (170 mi) |
| Inclination | 39.0 degrees |
| Period | 89.7 min |
  Left to right – Front row: Altman, Searfoss; Back row: Pawelczyk, Linnehan, Hire, Williams, Buckey | |
STS-90 was a 1998Space Shuttle mission flown by theSpace ShuttleColumbia. The 16-day mission marked the last flight of theEuropean Space Agency'sSpacelab laboratory module,[1] which had first flown onColumbia onSTS-9, and was also the last daytime landing forColumbia.
| Position | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander |  Richard A. SearfossThird and last spaceflight | |
| Pilot | Scott D. Altman First spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 1 | Richard M. Linnehan Second spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 2 Flight Engineer | Kathryn P. Hire First spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 3 |  Dafydd Williams,CSAFirst spaceflight | |
| Payload Specialist 1 | Jay C. Buckey Only spaceflight | |
| Payload Specialist 2 | James A. Pawelczyk Only spaceflight | |
| Position | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Payload Specialist 1 | Alexander W. Dunlap First spaceflight | |
| Payload Specialist 2 |  Chiaki Mukai,JAXASecond spaceflight | |
| Seat[2] | Launch | Landing |  Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck. Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Searfoss | ||
| 2 | Altman | ||
| 3 | Williams | Linnehan | |
| 4 | Hire | ||
| 5 | Linnehan | Williams | |
| 6 | Buckey | ||
| 7 | Pawelczyk | ||
| Attempt | Planned | Result | Turnaround | Reason | Decision point | Weather go (%) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 Apr 1998, 2:19:00 pm | Scrubbed | — | Technical | 16 Apr 1998, 8:15 am | 100[3] | Network signal processor problem.[4] |
| 2 | 17 Apr 1998, 2:19:00 pm | Success | 1 day 0 hours 0 minutes | 90[5] |
Neurolab was aSpacelab module mission focusing on the effects of microgravity on the nervous system. The goals of Neurolab were to study basic research questions and to increase the understanding of the mechanisms responsible for neurological and behavioral changes in space. Specifically, experiments would study the adaptation of the vestibular system and space adaptation syndrome, the adaptation of the central nervous system and the pathways which control the ability to sense location in the absence of gravity, and the effect of microgravity on a developing nervous system. The science lead wasMary Anne Frey.
The mission was a joint venture of six space agencies and seven U.S. research agencies. Investigator teams from nine countries would conduct 31 studies in the microgravity environment of space. Other agencies participating in the mission included six institutes of theNational Institutes of Health, theNational Science Foundation, and theOffice of Naval Research, as well as the space agencies of Canada, France, Germany, and Japan, and theEuropean Space Agency.[1]
Neurolab's 26 experiments targeted one of the most complex and least understood parts of the human body – the nervous system. Primary goals were to conduct basic research in neurosciences and expand understanding of how the nervous system develops and functions in space. Test subjects were rats, mice, crickets, snails, two kinds of fish and the crew members themselves. Cooperative effort of NASA, several domestic partners and the space agencies of Canada (CSA), France (CNES) and Germany (DLR), as well as the European Space Agency (ESA) and the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). Most experiments conducted in pressurized Spacelab long module located inColumbia's payload bay. This was the 16th and last scheduled flight of the ESA-developed Spacelab module although Spacelab pallets would continue to be used on theInternational Space Station.
Research conducted as planned, with the exception of the Mammalian Development Team, which had to reprioritize science activities because of the unexpected high mortality rate of neonatal rats on board.
Other payloads included the Shuttle Vibration Forces experiment, the Bioreactor Demonstration System-04, and three Get-Away Special (GAS) canister investigations.
STS-90 was the first mission to make anOrbital Maneuvering System (OMS) assist burn during the ascent.
Three of the seven STS-90 crew (Williams, Pawelczyk and Buckey) appeared on the Canadian television seriesPopular Mechanics for Kids. Working with engineers on the ground a week into the flight, the on-orbit crew used aluminum tape to bypass a suspect valve in the Regenerative Carbon Dioxide Removal System that had threatened to cut short the mission.
Mission Management Team considered, but decided against, extending the mission one day because the science community indicated an extended flight was not necessary and weather conditions were expected to deteriorate after planned landing on Sunday, 3 May.
STS-90 Mission SpecialistKathryn Hire was Kennedy Space Center's first employee to be chosen as an astronaut candidate.[1]
STS-90 was the second shuttle flight where a bat was observed landing on the External Tank (the first beingSTS-72[6]), but it flew away just after main engine start.[7][8] Another bat was observed landing on the External Tank duringSTS-119, but remained on the tank during liftoff.[7]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theNational Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Space ShuttleColumbia (OV-102) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Flights | .jpg) | |
| Status |
| |
| Related |
| |
