STS-51

STS-52

STS-53

STS-54

STS-55

STS-56

STS-57

STS-58

STS-59

STS-60

STS-61

STS-62

STS-63

STS-64

STS-65

STS-66

STS-67

STS-68

STS-69

STS-70

STS-71

STS-72

STS-73

STS-74

STS-75

STS-76

STS-77

STS-78

STS-52 LAGEOS II 11/22/92

The Shuttle Columbia lifted off on Oct. 22, 1992, 1:09:39:6433 p.m. EDT. The Launch was delayed one hour and 53 minutes due to RTLS crosswind constraints at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility. After mission duration of nine days, 20 hours, 56 minutes, and 13 seconds, Columbia set down at KSC, Runway 33, Nov. 1, 1992.

The crew for this particular mission was Commander James B. Wetherbee, Pilot Michael A. Baker, Mission Specialist Charles L. Veach, Mission Specialist William M. Shepard, Mission Specialist Tamara E. Jernigan (2), and Payload Specialist Steven G. MacLean.

The payload for this mission was the LAGEOS-II, USMP-1, CANEX-2, CMIX, CPCG, CVTEHPPE, PSE, SPIE, TPCE/TP.

Primary mission objectives was the deployment of the Laser Geodynamic Satellite II (LAGEOS-II) and operation of the U.S. Micro gravity Payload-1 (USMP-1). LAGEOS-II, was a joint effort between NASA and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The satellite was deployed on day 2 and boosted into an initial elliptical orbit by ASI's Italian Research Interim Stage (IRIS). The spacecraft's apogee kick motor later circularized LAGEOS orbit at its operational altitude of 3,666 miles. The USMP-1, activated on the first day. The USMP-1 included three experiments mounted on two connected Mission Peculiar Equipment Support Structures (MPESS) in the orbiter's cargo bay.

Other payloads were: Commercial Materials Dispersion Apparatus Instrument Technology Associates Experiments; Chemical Vapor Transport Experiment; Heat Pipe Performance Experiment; Commercial Protein Crystal Growth experiment; Physiological Systems Experiment (involving 12 rodents); and Shuttle Plume Impingement Experiment. The orbiter also was used as a reference point for calibrating an Ultraviolet Plume Instrument on an orbiting Strategic Defense Initiative Organization satellite.

The Tank Pressure Control Experiment/Thermal Phenomena (TPCE/TP) was contained in a Getaway Special (GAS) canister in the orbiter's cargo bay.

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STS-53 HERCULES 11/22/92

The orbiter used on this mission was the third orbiter to be constructed "DISCOVERY". The orbiter lifted-off from launch Pad 39-A KSC on Dec. 2, 1992, 8:24 a.m. EST. The launch was delayed one hour and 25 minutes because of ice buildup on the external tank. Discovery made her way back to Earth at EAFB on Dec. 9, 1992, 3:43.17 p.m. EST, Runway 22, Edwards AFB, Calif., after a mission duration of duration of seven days, seven hours, 19 minutes, and 47 seconds.

The crew for this mission was Commander David M. Walker, Pilot Robert D. Cabana, Mission Specialist Guion S. Bluford, Mission Specialist James S. Voss, Mission Specialist Michael R. Clifford.

The payload material aboard for the ride was. . . DoD(9), ODERACS, GCP, MIS-1, STL, VFT-2, CREAM, RME-III, FARE, HERCULES, BLAST, CLOUDS.

Mission Highlights - Classified Department of Defense primary payload, plus two unclassified secondary payloads and nine unclassified middeck experiments.

Secondary payloads contained in or attached to Get Away Special (GAS)hardware in the cargo bay included the Orbital Debris Radar Calibration Spheres (ODERACS) the combined Shuttle Glow Experiment/Cryogenic Heat Pipe Experiment (GCP).

Middeck experiments included Micro capsules in Space (MIS-l); Space Tissue Loss (STL); Visual Function Tester (VFT-2); Cosmic Radiation Effects and Activation Monitor (CREAM); Radiation Monitoring Equipment (RME-III); Fluid Acquisition and Resupply Experiment (FARE); Hand-held, Earth-oriented, Real-time, Cooperative, User-friendly,

Location-targeting and Environmental System (HERCULES); Battlefield Laser Acquisition Sensor Test (BLAST); and the Cloud Logic to Optimize Use of Defense Systems (CLOUDS).

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STS-54 CHROMEX 01/19/93

For this mission Endeavour is back in action. The oldest bird in the fleet took off on its mission on Jan. 13, 1993, 8:59.30 a.m. EST. Launch was delayed about seven minutes because of upper atmospheric winds. Endeavour came back down to Earth on Jan. 19, 1993, 8:37.47 a.m. EST, KSC, Runway 33. After a mission elapsed time of five days, 23 hours, and 38 minutes.

The crew for this mission was as fallows, Commander John H. Casper, Pilot Donald R. McMonagle, Mission Specialist Mario Runco Jr.,Mission Specialist Gregory J. Harbaugh, and Mission Specialist Susan J. Helms.

The payload aboard on this mission was . . . TDRS-F, DXS, CGBA, CHROMEX, PARE, SAMSSSCE .

The primary payload for this mission was the fifth Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-F) which was put into orbit on day one of the mission. Later in the mission the satellite was successfully transferred to its proper orbit by an Inertial Upper Stage booster. Also carried in the payload bay was a Hitchhiker experiment called the Diffuse X-ray Spectrometer (DXS). This instrument collected data on X-ray radiation from diffuse sources in deep space.

Other middeck payloads were to test the Chromosome and Plant Cell Division in Space Experiment (CHROMEX). The point of CHROMEX was to-study plant growth in outer space. The Physiological and Anatomical Rodent Experiment (PARE) was setup to examine the skeletal system and the adaptation of bone to space flight. The Space Acceleration Measurement Equipment (SANS) to measure and record the micro gravity acceleration environment of middeck experiments. Last but not least, the Solid Surface Combustion Experiment (SSCE) designed to measure the rate of flame spread and temperature of burning filter paper.

To add to this already spectacular mission, on day five, mission specialists Mario Runco and Greg Harbaugh spent nearly five hours in the open cargo bay performing a series of space-walking tasks designed to increase NASAs knowledge of working in space. The two of them tested their abilities to move about freely in the cargo bay, climb into foot restraints without using their hands and simulated carrying large objects in the microgravity environment. Other than that the astronauts didn't do a thing.

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STS-56 04/17/93

The orbiter Discovery was used once again for this mission. Discovery took off from the launch Pad 39-B from KSC April 8, 1993, 1:29:00 a.m. EDT. Discovery landed on April 17, 1993, 7:37:19 a.m. EDT. Runway 33, Kennedy Space Center. Fla. After a mission duration of duration of nine days, six hours, eight minutes, and 24 seconds. The crew consisted of Commander Kenneth D. Cameron, Pilot Stephen S. Oswald, Mission Specialist C. Michael Foale Ph.D., Mission Specialist Kenneth D., and Mission Specialist Cockrell Ellen Ochoa. Payload: ATLAS-2, SPARTAN-201, SAREX-II, SUVE, CMIX, PARE, STL-1, CREAM, HERCULES, RME-III, AMOS, SSBUV-5

Primary payloads of flight were the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science-2 (ATLAS-2), which was designed to collect data on the relationship between the Sun's energy output and Earth's middle atmosphere. The point of it was to see how all these factors affect ozone layer. The ATLAS-2 Included six instruments mounted on a Spacelab pallet in cargo bay, with the seventh mounted on wall of the bay in two GAS canisters. Atmospheric instruments were Atmospheric Trace Molecule Spectroscopy (ATMOS) experiment; Millimeter Wave Atmospheric Sounder (MAS); and Shuttle Solar Back scatter Ultraviolet/A (SSBUV/A) spectrometer (on cargo bay wall). Solar science instruments were Solar Spectrum Measurement (SOLSPEC) instrument. The Solar Ultraviolet Irradiance Monitor (SUSIM); and Active Cavity Radiometer (ACR) and Solar Constant (SOLCON) experiments.

ATLAS-2 is one element of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth program. All seven ATLAS-2 instruments first flew on ATLAS-I during STS-45, and flow a third time in late 1994. On April 11, the crew used the remote manipulator arm to deploy Shuttle Point Autonomous Research Tool for Astronomy-201 (SPARTAN-201), a free-flying science instrument platform designed to study velocity and acceleration of solar wind and observe the Sun's corona. The collected data was stored on tape for playback after it return to Earth.

SPARTAN-201 was retrieved on April 13. The crew also made numerous radio contacts to schools around world using Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment II (SAREX II), including a brief radio contact with Russian Mir space station.

Other cargo bay payloads were the Solar Ultraviolet Experiment (SUVE), sponsored by Colorado Space Grant Consortium, and located in the GAS canister on cargo bay wall.

Middeck payloads were: Commercial Materials Dispersion Apparatus Instrumentation Technology Associates Experiment (CMIX); Physiological and Anatomical Rodent Experiment (PARE); Space Tissue Loss (STL-1); Cosmic Ray Effects and Activation Monitor (CREAM) experiment; Hand-held, Earth-oriented, Real-time, Cooperative, User-friendly, Location-targeting and Environmental System (HERCULES); Radiation Monitoring Equipment III (RME III); and Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS) calibration test.

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STS-55 SPACELAB D-2 11/22/92

The orbiter oldest in the fleet "Columbia" was used on this mission. The Shuttle lifted-off from KSC Launch PAD 39-A on April 26, 1993, 10:50 a.m. EDT. After several launched attempts. Columbia returned on May 6, 1993, 10:30 a.m. EDT. Edwards AFB Runway 22. After a mission time of nine days, 23 hours, 39 minutes, and 59 seconds.

The crew members were Commander Steven R. Nagel, Pilot Terence T. Henricks, Mission Specialist Jerry L. Ross, mission Specialist Charles J. Precort, Mission Specialist Dr. Bernard A. Harris Jr., Payload Specialist Dr. Ulrich Walter, Payload Specialist Hans Schlegel.

Payload: Spacelab-D2, SAREX-II

Columbia carried to orbit the second reusable German Spacelab on the STS-55 mission and demonstrated the Shuttle's ability for international cooperation, exploration, and scientific research in space. The Spacelab Module and an exterior experiment support structure contained in Columbia's payload bay comprised the Spacelab D-2 payload. (The first German Spacelab flight, D-1, was flown Shuttle mission 61-A in October 1985.) The U.S. and Germany gained valuable experience for future space station operations with the lab.

The D-2 mission, as it was commonly called, augmented the German micro gravity research program started by the D-1 mission. The German Aerospace Research Establishment (DLR) had been tasked by the German Space Agency (DARA) to conduct the second mission. DLR, NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), agencies in France, and in Japan contributed to D-2's scientific program. Eleven nations participated in the experiments. Of the 88 experiments conducted on the D-2 mission, only four were sponsored by NASA.

The crew worked in two shifts around-the-clock to complete investigations into the areas of fluid physics, materials sciences, life sciences, biological sciences, technology, Earth observations, atmospheric physics, and astronomy. Many of the experiments advanced the research of the D-1 mission by conducting similar tests, using upgraded processing hardware. The D-2 mission also contained several new experiments which were not flown on the D-1 mission.

The D-2 Mission conducted 88 experiments to study life sciences, material sciences, technology applications, Earth observations, astronomy, and atmospheric physics. It surpassed the 365th day in space for the Space Shuttle fleet. Also on this mission Columbia logded its 100th day of flight time in space for the orbiter.

D-2 also Conducted the first tele-robotic capture of a free floating object by flight controllers in Germany. The crew also conducted the first intervenus saline solution injection in space as part of an experiment to study the human body's response to direct fluid replacement as a countermeasure for amounts lost during space flight. They also successfully completed an in-flight maintenance procedure for collection of orbiter waste water allowing the mission to continued without any further glitches.

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STS-57 06/21/93

Here goes Endeavour again. The mission started on June 21, 1993, 9:07 a.m. EDT. Without a hitch. The mission ended on July 1, 1993, 8:52 a.m. EDT. on KSC Runway 33. Unfavorable weather conditions at KSC delayed the landing on Tuesday June 30 and Wednesday June 31, 1993. Low clouds and the possibility of rain showers at the Shuttle Landing Facility prevented Endeavour's landing.

The for this mission was Commander Ronald J. Grabe, Pilot Brian Duffy, Payload Commander G. David Low, Mission Specialist Nancy J. Sherlock, Mission Specialist Peter J. Wisoff, and Mission Specialist Janice E. Voss Payload

SPACEHAB-01, EURECA, SHOOT, CONCAP-IV, GAS-BRIDGE, FARE, BLAST, SAREX-II, AMOS

During the eight-day long flight, astronauts successfully conducted scores of biomedical and materials sciences experiments inside the pressurized Spacehab module. Two astronauts participated in a spacewalk and the European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA) was retrieved by the crew and stowed inside Endeavour's payload bay. EURECA was deployed from the Space Shuttle Atlantis in the summer of ‘92 and contains several experiments made to study the long-term effects of exposure to micro gravity.

An improperly installed electrical connector on Endeavour's Remote Manipulator System (RMS) arm (installed 180 degrees off its correct position) prevented Eureca from recharging its batteries with orbiter power. A flight rule was requiring antenna stowage was waived and EURECA was lowered into the payload bay without latching its antenna.

Mission Specialists David Low and Jeff Wisoff very carefully secured EURECA's dual antennas against the science satellite during the spacewalk performed on Friday. David Low was mounted a foot restraint on the end of Endeavour's robotic arm while Mission Specialist Nancy Sherlock positioned the arm so Low could gently push the arms against EURECA's latch mechanisms. Payload controllers then drove the latches to secure each antenna. The five-hour, 50 minute spacewalk completed STS-57 mission's primary goal of retrieving the EURECA science satellite. Afterwards, Low and Wisoff completed maneuvers for an abbreviated extravehicular activity (EVA) Detailed Test Objective using the robot arm. Activities associated with each of the areas of investigation -- mass handling, mass fine alignment and high torque -- were completed with both EVA crewmen taking turns on the robot arm. Low and Wisoff wrapped up their spacewalk and returned to Endeavour's airlock shortly before 3 p.m. Central. During the rest of the mission, the crew worked on experiments in the Spacehab module in the Shuttle's lower deck. These experiments included studying body posture, spacecraft environment, crystal growth, metal alloys, wastewater recycling and the behavior of fluids. Among the experiments was an evaluation of maintenance equipment that may be used on Space Station Freedom. The diagnostic equipment portion of the Tools and Diagnostics System experiment was performed by Nancy Sherlock. Using electronics test instruments including an oscilloscope and electrical test meter, Sherlock conducted tests on a mock printed circuit board and communicated with ground controllers via computer messages on suggested repair procedures and their results.

In addition, Brian Duffy and Jeff Wisoff ran experiments in transferring fluids in weightlessness without creating bubbles in the fluid. The experiment, called the Fluid Acquisition and Resupply Experiment, or FARE for short, studied filters and processes that may lead to methods of refueling spacecraft in orbit and transfers water between two foot-diameter transparent tanks on Endeavour's middeck, engineers can evaluate how the fluids behave while the shuttle's steering jets are fired. Janice Voss worked on the Liquid Encapsulated Melt Zone, or LEMZ for short, experiment which uses a process called floating zone crystal growth. The low-gravity conditions of space flight permit large crystals to be grown in space.

Ron Grabe, Brian Duffy and Janice Voss participated in the Neutral Body Position study. Flight surgeons have noted on previous flights that the body's basic posture changes while in micro gravity. This postural change, sometimes called the "zero-g crouch," is in addition to the one- to two-inch lengthening of the spine during space missions. To better document this phenomenon over the duration of a space mission, still and video photography of crew members in a relaxed position are taken early and late in the mission. Researchers will include these findings in the specifications for design of future spacecraft to make work stations and living areas efficient and more comfortable for astronauts.

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STS-51 ACTS WAS DEPLOYED 09/22/93

Discovery is back in the act. The Shuttle orbiter blasted off to space from launch Pad 39-B KSC on September 12, 1993, 7:45 a.m. EDT. The orbiter landed on Sept. 22,1993, 3:56 am EDT on KSC SLF run way 15 after a mission duration of nine days, 20 hours, 11 hours, and 11 seconds. This was the first night time Shuttle landing at KSC.

The crew members for this flight were Commander rank L. Culbertson Jr, Pilot William F. Ready, Mission Specialist James H. Newman Ph.D., Mission Specialist Daniel W. Bursch, Mission Specialist Carl E. Walz. Were all aboard for the ride.

Payload ACTS-TOS, ORFEUS-SPAS, IMAX, CPCG-II, CHROMEX-04, HRSGS-A, APE-B, IPMP, RME-III, AMOS.

The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) was deployed. This satellite will serve as a test for advanced experimental communications satellite concepts and technology. The satellites Transfer Orbit Stage (TOS) upper stage fired on time 45 minutes later and boosted the satellite to geosynchronous altitude on the first day of the mission.

The first attempt to deploy ACTS was delayed a while by the crew when two-way communications were lost with Mission Control about 30 minutes before the deploy time. Flight controllers could receive telemetry and voice communications from Discovery, however the crew could not receive communications from the ground. The crew waived off the 2:43p.m. CDT deploy when they did not receive a "go" from Mission Control as called for in preflight plans made for just such an occurrence.

After the wave off of deploy, of the crew changed the Shuttle's S-Band communications system to a lower frequency and two way comminations were. Communications had been lost for about 45 minutes. After consulting the crew, flight controllers began immediately planning for the second, and successful deployment of the ACTS satellite.

Another payload on this mission was the Orbiting Retrievable Far and Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrometer (ORFEUS) telescope mounted on the Shuttle Pallet Satellite (SPAS) payload carrier. ORFEUS was made to gather information on how stars are born and how they die, while studying gaseous interstellar clouds. Also in the cargo bay was the Limited Duration Space Environment Candidate Materials Exposure (LDCE) experiment.

During the deployment of the ACTS satellite on Sept. 12 and its Transfer Orbit Stage (TOS) booster, two Super*Zip explosive cords, one primary and the other a backup simultaneously detonated. This caused minor tears in two dozen insulation blankets mounted on the bulkhead between the payload bay and the AFT near the #3 APU.

On Thursday, September 16, 1993, Jim Newman and Carl Walz performed a spacewalk designed to evaluate tools, tethers and a foot restraint platform. Their findings reassured the designers and planners of the Hubble Telescope servicing flight that their preparations are right on target.

The new equipment made for the extensive spacewalk work will be required on the December telescope servicing mission, was only one of their goals for the long spacewalk.

When the two of them were cleaning up, a balky tool box lid slowed them down. The tool box lid had gotten stuck and they had to pry it free and close it for Discovery's trip home.

Other in-cabin payloads included the Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS) Auroral Photography Experiment-B (APE-B), Commercial Protein Crystal Growth (CPCG), Chromosome and Plant Cell Division in Space (CHROMEX), High Resolution Shuttle Glow Spectroscopy-A (HRSGS-A), IMAX, Investigations into Polymer Membrane Processing (IPMP) and the Radiation Monitoring Equipment-III (RME-III) experiment. The Investigation into Polymer Membrane Processing, or IPMP, is designed to research the mixing of various solvent systems in the absence of convection found here on Earth in hopes of controlling the porosity of various polymer membranes. RME measures gamma ray, electron, neutron and proton radiation levels in the crew cabin throughout the flight.

Astronauts Carl Walz and Jim Newman operate the experiments designed to study the glowing effect, one a spectrometer that records the effect on film in fine detail and another that records the effect on still photographs. The experiments are hoped to provide information about just what types of gasses -- in addition to atomic oxygen -- create the glow. The information on kinds of gasses in the extreme reaches of the atmosphere may be combined with the materials exposure experiment in the cargo bay, to assist with the design and construction of future spacecraft designs.

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STS-58 A TOILET LEAK 11/18/93

The orbiter Columbia set-off on its way to the final frontier once again on October 18, 1993 10:53 a.m. EDT. After several failed launched attempts. The Shuttle returned on November 1, 1993. 10:05.42 am EST Runway 22 Edwards AFB, Calif. After a mission duration of 14 days, 0 hours, 12 minutes, 32 seconds. Everything went as planned during the launch, but the right hand SRB was missing its forward cover. This was thought to be caused from the parachutes cords getting caught on the SRBs.

The crewmembers for this mission were, Commander John E. Blaha, Pilot Richard A. Searfoss, Mission Specialist Rhea Seddon, Mission Specialist William S. McArthur Jr., Mission Specialist David A. Wolf, Mission Specialist Shannon W. Lucid, and Payload Spcialist Martin Fettman.

Payload: Spacelab-SLS-2, DEEFD, OARE, SAREX-2, PILOT

STS-58 was the 4th longest mission in US manned space history and was dedicated to life sciences research. Columbia's crew performed a series of experiments to gain knowledge on how the human body adapts to a weightless environment of space. Experiments were focused on cardiovascular, regulatory, neurovestibular and musculoskeletal systems of the body. The experiments performed on Columbia's crew and on laboratory animals (48 rats held in 24 cages), along with data collected on the SLS-1 mission in June 1991, will provide the most detailed and interrelated physiological measurements acquired in the space environment since the Skylab program in 1973 and 1974.

Only one minor issue came up on Tuesday, October 19, 1993 associated with a circuit breaker that tripped, cutting off power temporarily to one of the rodent cages in the module. Flight controllers in Houston reported it was not caused by a short in the electrical system and the breaker was reset, restoring the power to the cage.

On Wednesday, October 20, the space toilet was working fine, the crew detected a slight leak around the filter door before going to bed. They removed the filter and cleaned up about a teaspoon of water -- much less than had been expected. As a precaution, a secondary fan separator unit was used to separate fluid from the air before cycling the air back into the cabin through the filter.

On Friday, October 22, 1993, using the on-board ham radio called SAREX for Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment, Blaha and Searfoss contacted school children at the Sycamore Middle School in Pleasant View, TN, and Gardendale Elementary in Pasadena, TX.

On Saturday, the payload crew members will devote much of their time to metabolic studies of the 48 rodents on board the Spacelab science workshop. Payload commander Rhea Seddon, and crewmates David Wolf, Shannon Lucid and veterinarian Marty Fettman are scheduled to draw blood from the tails of some of the rodents, then inject a special isotope into the rodents to measure the volume of their plasma. Another blood sample will follow, to measure how weightlessness may be affecting the red blood cell count of the animals.

After several ham radio contacts around the country and work in a vacuum bag designed to ease the body's readaptation to Earth's environment, the orbiter crew oversaw a short firing of one of the orbital maneuvering system engines to drop the low end of Columbia's orbit from 150 to 142 nautical miles to increase the landing opportunities should the mission be extended for weather or a system problem that would keep the crew in orbit two extra days.

This was the mission that metamorphosed the Hubble Space Telescope from the greatest telescope of all time, to the greatest scientific instrument of any kind. The repairs to Hubbles optics were so effective that they exceeded Hubbles viewing capablites further than what was thought to be the theoretical limit, and enable the much unjustly maligned Hubble to see right back to (almost) the beginning of time itself, right up against the Big Bang.

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STS-61 HUBBLE TELESCOOPE REPAIRS 12/02/93

Endeavour blasted off on December 2, 1993 4:26am. Endeavour was switched from Pad 39A to Pad 39B on 11/15/93 because the Payload Changeout Room was comtaninated after a windstorm on 10/30/93. The payload was not contaminated because it was sealed tightly. The contamination appears to have been caused by sandblasting grit off of Pad A after making recent modifications. Landing took place at KSC on 12/13/93 at 12:26.25 am EST Runway 33. After a mission duration of ten days, 19 hours, 58 minutes, and 37 seconds. This mission was unite because it featured the seventh night launch and the seventh night landing ever in Shuttle history.

The lucky crewmembers for this mission were Commander Richard O. Covey, Pilot Kenneth D. Bowersox, Payload Specialist Commander F. Story Musgrave, Mission Specialist Kathryn C. Thornton, Mission Specialist Claude Nicollier, Mission Specialist Jeffrey A. Hoffman, and our final Mission Specialist Thomas D. Akers.

Payload: The main thing for this mission was the HST Repair, IMAX

The first HST servicing mission had three primary objectives: restoring the planned scientific capabilities; restoring reliability of HST's systems; and validating the HST on-orbit servicing concept.

The most intense feature of the mission was the large number of critical operations that had to be carried out in space. Considerable leeway had to be made for the possible unforeseen problems during the spacewalks. The mission schedule was planned with these could be sanfos in mind. The astronauts themselves underwent intensive underwater training, at the space centers in Houston, Texas, and Huntsville, Alabama.

The astronauts all around challenge for the crew was the amount of work they had to be complete during the mission. To meet most of the mission objectives the crew had to replace one gyroscope pair (either pair #2 or pair #3) and install either an operational Wide Field/Planetary Camera II or the Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR), the other corrective optics package on the STS-61 manifest. Before launch, a completely successful mission was defined as replacement of gyro pairs #2 and #3, both optics packages, the solar arrays, the magnetometer, and the solar array drive electronics. As a matter of fact, the STS-61 crew accomplished all of these tasks plus all lesser priority items such as the Goddard High Resolution Spectrometer Redundancy Kit, the DF-224 coprocessor, a second magnetometer, fuse plugs for the gyros, and an electronic control unit for gyro pair #1 and an HST reboost.

With the heavy workload for the crew the STS-61 mission was one of the most complex in the Shuttle's history. The mission lasted almost 11 days, and crew members made five EVA sorties, an all-time record. Even the spectacular Intelsat IV retrieval of STS-49 in May 1992 required only four. To be on the safe side, the flight plan allowed for two additional sorties which could have raised the total number to seven EVA's, but the final two contingency EVA's turned out not being necessary.

On Flight day Two (12/2/93) Endeavour performed a series of burns that allowed the Shuttle to close on HST at a rate of 60 nm per every 95 minute orbit. The crew made a detailed inspection of the payload and checked out both the robot arm and the spacesuits. Cabin pressure was also dropped 45% in preparation for the spacewalks on day three of the mission. All of Endeavour's systems functioned well as the crew got a full day's sleep in preparation for the evening's rendezvous. On Flight Day Three, HST was sighted by astronaut Jeffrey A. Hoffman using a pair of binoculars and he stated that the right-hand solar array was bent in a 90-degree angle. These 40 foot solar arrays, built by the European Space Agency (ESA), are planned to be replaced during the second spacewalk because they wobble 16 times a day each time the telescope heats up and cools off as it passes from the dark side of the Earth to its light side and vice versa.

In the Telescope Operations Control Center at the Goddard Space Flight Center commands were uplinked to stow HST's two high-gain antennae. The satellite confirmed that both antennae had been properly rested against the body of the telescope. The micro switches on the two latches of one antenna and one latch on the other antenna did not send the "ready to latch" signal to Goddard. Controllers in charge at Godard decided not to attempt to close the latches, if the antennae are in a stable a rangement.

HST was retrieved by Swiss astronaut Claude Nicollier at about 5am EST on 12/4/93. The mission had gone as planned so far.. The first spacewalk was scheduled for 11:52 p.m EST on 12/4/93. F. Story Musgrave and Jeffrey A. Hoffman started the first EVA about an hour a head of time. They started the EVA at about 10:46 EST. Nicollier drove the arm from within the Shuttle's payload bay and moved Hoffman around the telescope. While all this was going on Musgrave installed protective covers on Hubbles aft low gain antenna and on exposed voltage bearing connector covers as well. They then opened the HST equipment bay doors and installed another foot restraint inside the telescope. Musgrave assisted Hoffman into the restraint and Hoffman proceeded to replace two sets of Remote Sensing Units. The RSUs contain gyroscopes that help keep Hubble pointed the right way. By 12:24 EST Hoffman had finished changing out RSU-2 with the RSU-3. The astronauts then spent around 50 minutes preparing equipment for use on the second spacewalk.

The astronauts struggled with the latches on the gyro door when two of four gyro door bolts did not reset after the astronauts installed two new gyro packages. With the efforts of the astronauts, engineers on the ground concuoded that the all four bolts finally latched and locked.

This mission set a new record for EVAs. The preveses record was set on Endeavours maiden voyage. For the rest of the mission duration the crew manned several repairs on the HTS. Thanks to these repairs the HTS is in perfect working conditions. The new EVA a record is seven hours and 50 minutes.

Durring the EVA astronauts installed a new Wide Flied Planetary Camera (WFPC) on to the HTS. The crew made a few more repairs to the HTS before the mission was over

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STS-60 11/22/92

For STS-60 the Shuttle orbiter Discovery was used for the task. Discovery blasted off on February 3, 1994 7:10:05am EST. The Shuttle landed at KSC on 2/11/94 at 2:18:41 EST on Runway 15. After a mission durration of eight days, seven hours nine minutes, amd 22 seconds.

The crew aboard for the ride this time was Commander Charles F. Bolden, Piolt Kenneth S. Reightler Jr., Mission Specialist N. Jan Davis, Mission Specialist Ronald M. Sega, Mission Specialist Franklin R. Chang-Diaz, Mission Specialist Sergei K. Krikalev a Russia.

Payload:

Wake Shield, SPACEHAB-2, COB/GBA, SAREX-II, APE-B, ODERACS, BREMSAT, CPL.

The Wake Shield Facility (WSF) was a primary payload for mission STS-60. It arrived at Cape Canaveral Florida on 6/30/93 to begin its final prelaunch assembly and checkout. The parabolic-shaped WSF is 12 feet in diameter and includes a communications and avionics system, solar cells /batteries, and a propulsion thruster. The experiment will use the near vacum of space to try and grow innovative thin film materials, for use in electronics. WSF costs about $13 million to develop. The WSF was designed and built by the Space Vacuum Epitaxy Center (SVEC) based at the University of Houston.

The WSF was tested in NASA's Hangar S at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. In September the WSF was moved to the VPF at KSC Industrial Area. Here the WSF was tested to see how it would operate with the Space Shuttle.

SPACEHAB - a small pressurized module designed to increase the shirt-sleeve working volume of the Shuttle. It provides about 1100 cubic feet of internal volume, as well as external surface area. Both areas can be used for mounting, stowing and conducting experiments. The Spacehab module was developed by SPACEHAB, Inc. The experiments conducted aboard SPACEHAB-02 include the Three-Dimensional Microgravity Accelerometer (3-DMA) experiment, Astroculture Experiment (ASC-3), Bioserve Pilot Lab (BPL), Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus Experiment (CGBA), Commercial Protein Crystal Growth Experiment (CPCG), Controlled Liquid Phase Sintering (ECLiPSE-Hab), Immune Response Studies Experiment (IMMUNE-01), Organic Separation Experiment (ORSEP), Space Experiment Facility (SEF), Penn State Biomodule (PSB) and the Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) Experiment.

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STS-62 03/04/94

The orbiter Columbia took off on its way to outer space on March 4, 1994; 8:53:01am EST. Columbia landed at KSC 3/18/94 at 8:10am EST, at the Shuttle Landing Facility Runway 33. Columbia was in space for a total of 13 days, 23 hours, 16 seconds, and 41 seconds.

The crew for this daring mission was . . . . Commander John H. Casper, Pilot Andrew M. Allen, Mission Specialist Pierre J. Thuot, Mission Specialist Charles D. Gemar, and Mission Specialist Marsha S. Ivins.

Payload: USMP-2, OAST-2, DEE, SSBUV-6, LDCE, APCG, PSE, CPCG, CGBA, BDS, MODE, AMOS,BSTC, EDO

The United States Microgravity Payload (USMP) shall be making its second flight aboard the Space Shuttle. The USMP flights are often scheduled on the Shuttle missions to permit scientists access to space for microgravity and vital science experiments which cannot be duplicated on Earth. The experiments provide the basses for advanced scientific investigations that will be conducted on the international space station.

The Protein Crystal Growth (PCG) experiments and the Commercial Protein Crystal Growth(CPCG) experiments aboard Columbia helped scientists understand the growth of crystals and to study the complex molecular structures of important proteins. By knowing the structure of specific proteins, scientists can design new drug treatments for humans and animals and develop new or better food crops.

Astronauts shall demonstrated a new magnetic end effector and grapple fixture designed for the Shuttle's robot arm. Engineers believe that the magnic end will increase the arm's proficiency and alignment accuracy.

Since the mission was so long the crew spent a long much of their free time exercising. The crew had to try and keep their musles in shape. If they didn't it would take them twice as long to adjust to gravity here on Earth. The crew exercises on a stationary bike,

The MEPHISTO team reported that they have gathered good data with their directional solidification furnace. However, the team is still trying to figure out a problem discovered on Saturday night with a troublesome "Seebeck measurement." This electronic signal measures changes in the microstructure of a solidifying metal, and is conducted on one of three experiment samples of bismuth-tin. The other measurement techniques will be used on the two remaining samples later in the mission; both of these samples are operating norminally. Data from the three samples will give scientists insight into the precise nature of solidification in reduced gravity.

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STS-72 OAST-Flyer 01/11/96

The orbiter Endeavour was used on this mission. Endeavour blasted off toward space on January 11, 1996 at 4:41:00.072 EST. After a mission duration of eight days, 22 hours, one minute, and 47 seconds, Endeavour landed at KSC, Saturday, January 20, 1996 2:41:41 A.M. EST Runway 15 (southwest to northeast).

The crewmembers for this mission were Commander Brian Duffy, Pilot Brent W. Jett, Mission Specialist Leroy Chiao, Mission Specialist Daniel T. Barry, Mission Specialist Winston E. Scott, and Mission Specialist Koichi Wakata.

Payload:

SFU Retrieval, SPARTAN/OAST-FLYER, SSBUV-8, EDFT-03, SLA-01/GAS(5), VDA-2, NIH-R3, STL/NIH-C,PBE,TES-2, CPCG

The major mission objective of the STS-72 was the to capture and return to Earth a Japanese micro gravity research satellite. The name of the satellite was the Space Flyer Unit (for short SFU). The 7,885 pound SFU satellite was launched by Japan's National Space Development Agency (NASDA) from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan at 8:01 UT on March 18, 1995, aboard a Japanese H-II rocket (HII-3).

During the mission the crew will deploy and then retrieve the Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology Flyer (OAST-Flyer) spacecraft. OAST-Flyer is the seventh of many missions aboard reusable free-flying Spartan carriers. OAST-Flyer consists of four experiments: Return Flux Experiment (REFLEX), Global Positioning System Attitude Determination and Control Experiment (GADACS), Solar Exposure to Laser Ordnance Device (SELODE) and the University of Maryland Spartan Packet Radio Experiment (SPRE).

Other stuff the crew had to work on was the Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Experiment (SSBUV-8), EDFT-03, National Institutes of Health NIH-R3 Experiment, Shuttle Laser Altimeter Payload (SLA-01/GAS(5)), VDA-2,Space Tissue Loss Experiment (STL/NIH-C), Pool Boiling Experiment (PBE) and the Thermal Energy Storage (TES-2) experiment.

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STS-75 TSS-1R 03/09/96

The Shuttle orbiter Columbia launch February 22, 1996, 3:18:00.061 pm EST. The flight was concluded at KSC Saturday, March 9, 1996 at 8:58:38 a.m EST, SLF Runway 33 after a mission duration of 15 days, 17 hours, 41 minutes, and 25 seconds.

The crew for was Commander Andrew M. Allen, Pilot Scott J. Horowitz, Mission Specialist Franklin R., Payload Commander Chang-Diaz (5), Mission Specialist Maurizio Cheli(ESA), Mission Specialist Jeffrey A. Hoffman, Mission Specialist Claude Nicollier (ESA), and Payload Specialist Umberto Guidoni of Italy.

Payload:

TSS-1R, USMP-03, SAMS, MEPHISTO, AADSF, ZENO, IDGE, OARE, CPCG, MGBX CSD,FFFT, RITSI.

The primary objective of this mission was to carry the Tethered Satellite System Reflight (TSS-1R) into orbit and deploy it. The mission will also carry the United States Micro gravity Payload (USMP-3) designed to investigate materials science and condensed matter physics.

The TSS-1R mission is a reflight of TSS-1 which was flown onboard Space Shuttle Atlantis in July/August of 1992. During that flight, the tether was deployed a distance of 860 feet. STS-75 mission scientist hope to deploy the tether to a distance of over 12 miles (20.7km). The Tether Satellite System will orbit the Earth at an altitude of 296 kilometers which will place the tether system within the rarefied electrically charged layer of the atmosphere known as the ionosphere. The conducting tether will generate high voltage and electrical currents as it moves through the ionosphere across the magnetic field lines of the Earth. Scientists will be able to learn more about the electrodynamics of a conducting tether system to deepen our understanding of physical processes in the near-Earth space environment. These studies will help provide explanations for events such as the formation and behavior of comet tails and bursts of radio "noise" detected from other planets.

Mission Highlights:

About four seconds after liftoff, instruments showed that one Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) was operating at only 45% of usual power. It was quickly determined that the problem was in the instrumentation and not in the engine. Over the next few days, the TSS-1R and USMP-3 payloads were powered up and prepared for science operations. Problems were noted with a payload interface device known as a "Smart Flex". The deployment of the TSS satellite was delayed 24 hours to perform additional testing on the device. On day four of the flight (2/25/95), deploy operations began at 2:45pm CST. At approximately 7:30pm CST, after TSS-1R had been deployed 19.7km of tether and had almost reached full deployment,and then the tether broke.

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STS-73 U.S. 2ND Micro Gravity Laboratory 11/05/95

Columbia flew off to outer space on November 5, 1995 at 6:45:21am EST at KSC Runway 33. November 5, 1995 at 6:45:21am EST at KSC Runway 33. After a mission duration: 15 days, 21 hours, 53 minutes, and 16 seconds.

The crew onboard for this mission was Commander Kenneth D. Bowersox, Pilot Kent V. Rominger, Payload Commander Kathryn C., Mission Specialist Catherine G. Coleman Ph.D, Mission Specialist Michael E. Lopez-Alegria, Payload Specialist Fred W. Leslie Ph.D, Payload Specialist Albert Sacco Jr Ph.D, Alternate Payload Specialist David H. Matthiesen (0) Ph.D, and Alternate Payload Specialist R. Glynn Holt (0) Ph.D.

The second United States Micro gravity Laboratory (USML-2) Spacelab mission will be the prime payload. The 16-day flight will continue a cooperative effort of the U.S. government, universities and industry to push back the frontiers of science and technology in "micro gravity", the near-weightless environment of space.

Some of the experiments being carried on the USML-2 payload were suggested by the results of the first USML mission that flew aboard Columbia in 1992 during STS-50. The USML-1 mission provided new insights into theoretical models of fluid physics, the role of gravity in combustion and flame spreading, and how gravity affects the formation of semiconductor crystals. Data collected from several protein crystals grown on USML-1 have enabled scientists to determine the molecular structures of those proteins.

Mission Highlights:

The seven-member crew will work in two 12-hour shifts, for 16 days conducting 14 major experiments and a variety of other medical and engineering investigations. The experiments are part of the planned operations of the United States Micro gravity Laboratory 2 payload.

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STS-74 THE SECOND MIR DOCKING 11/20/95

The Atlantis orbiter launched on November 12, 1995 at 7:30:43.071 A.M. EST. After a mission duration of eight days, four hours, 31 minutes, and 42 seconds, Atlantis KSC November 20, 1995 at 12:01:27 pm EST on Runway 33.

The crew for this mission was as fallows: Commander Kenneth D. Cameron, Pilot James D. Halsell, Mission Specialist Jerry L. Ross, Mission Specialist William S. McArthur Jr, and Mission Specialist Chris A. Hadfield.

Payload:

S/MM-02-Mir Docking, ICBC-05, IMAX, GLO, DSO, MCSA, SAREX, GAS, GPP, Payload/Mir Download - Trek Experiment

The STS-74 was the second of seven planned Space Shuttle-Mir link-ups between 1995 and 1997, including rendezvous and docking and crew transfers, which will pave the way toward assembly of the international Space Station beginning in November 1997. Major objectives include docking with the Mir space station and delivery of a Russian docking module and 2 solar arrays.

This mission marks the first time astronauts from the European Space Agency, Canada, Russia and the U.S. will be in space on the same complex at one time -- a prime example of nations that will be represented on the international Space Station.

Atlantis will carry the Russian-built Docking Module, which has multi-mission androgynous docking mechanisms at top and bottom. During the flight to Mir, the crew will use the Orbiter's Remote Manipulator System robot arm to hoist the Docking Module from the payload bay and berth its bottom androgynous unit atop Atlantis' Orbiter Docking System.

Atlantis will then dock to Kristall using the Docking Module's top androgynous unit. After three days, Atlantis will undock from the Docking Module's bottom androgynous unit and leave the Docking Module permanently docked to Kristall, where it will provide clearance between the Shuttle and Mir's solar arrays during subsequent docking.

Atlantis will take up water, supplies, and equipment, including two new solar arrays -- one Russian and one jointly-developed -- to upgrade the Mir.

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STS-76 A SKYHAB MODULE 04/31/96

STS-76 (76)

Atlantis was back on its way to space on March 22, 1996 at 3:13:04 a.m. EST. Atlantis and her crew returned to Edwards AFB March 31, 1996 at 8:28:57 a.m. EST. After a mission duration of nine days, five hours, 16 minutes, and 48 seconds.

The crew for this mission was Commander Kevin P. Chilton, Pilot Richard A. Searfoss, Mission Specialist Shannon W. Lucid, Mission Specialist Linda M. Godwin, Mission Specialist Michael R. Clifford, and Mission Specialist Ronald M. Sega. Shannon W. Lucid shall remain on MIR for a few months.

Payload:

S/MM-03, SPACEHAB-SM, SAREX-II, MEEP, PPMD, ODC, POSA-I, POSA-II, TRIS (GAS),WNE, KidSat

The mission will also feature a SPACEHAB module. The middeck experiments feature a Get Away Special (GAS) canister and a 6-hour EVA. Over 1,900 pounds (862 kilograms) of equipment are being transferred from Atlantis to Mir including a gyrodyne, transformer, batteries, food, water, film and clothing. Planned Experiments include the Mir Electric Field Characterization (MEFC) experiment, numerous European Space Agency's (ESA) Baric life sciences experiments, the Queen's University Experiment in Liquid Diffusion (QUELD) experiment, the Optizone Liquid Phase Sintering Experiment (OLIPSE) and a Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Get Away Special (GAS) payload Trapped Ions in Space (TRIS) experiment. TRIS will measure low-energy particle radiation in the inner magnetosphere. Another experiment conducted on Mir during STS-76 will be the Mir Wireless Network Experiment (WNE) which was launched on STS-74 in November 1995. It will test the first wireless client-server network in the space environment. The mission will also include KidSat, a prototype of Earth viewing cameras and instruments that allows students in grades Kinder garden to Grade 12 (K-12) to see and direct the capture of pictures from space.

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STS-77 ANOTHER SKYHAB MODULE 05/29/96

STS-77 (77)

The Shuttle orbiter Endeavour took off toward out space on Sunday, May 19, 1996 at 6:30:00.066 a.m. EDT and returned to KSC May 29, 1996 at 7:09:18 a.m. EDT Shuttle Landing Facility Runway 33. After a mission duration of ten days, zero hours, 40 minutes, and ten seconds.

The crewmembers for this mission were Commander John H. Casper, Pilot Curtis L. Brown Jr., Mission Specialist Daniel W. Bursch, Mission Special Mario Runco, Jr., Mission Specialist Marc Garneau (CSA), and Mission Specialist Andrew S. W. Thomas.

Payload:

SPACEHAB-04 (CFZF,SEF), SPARTAN-207/IAE, TEAMS, BETSCE, ARF, BRIC

NASA's flight of the Shuttle Endeavour is devoted to opening the commercial space frontier. During the flight the crew will perform micro gravity research aboard the commercially owned and operated SPACEHAB module. The crew will deploy and retrieve the Spartan-207/IAE satellite and will also rendezvous with a test satellite.

The SPACEHAB single module will be carrying 3,000 pounds of experiments and support equipment for twelve commercial space development payloads in the areas of biotechnology, electronic materials, polymers and agriculture as well as several experiments for other NASA payload organizations. One of these, the Commercial Float Zone Facility (CFZF) has been developed through international collaboration between the U.S., Canada, and Germany.

It will heat samples of electronic and semiconductor material thru the float zone technique. Another part of SPACEHAB will be the Space Experiment Facility (SEF) which will grow crystals by vapor diffusion.

STS-78 A SKYHAB MODULE 07/07/96

Columbia was launched on June 20, 1996 10:49:00.0075 a.m. EDT. After a mission duration of 16 days, 21 hours, 48 minutes, and 30 seconds, Columbia finally came back down to Earth on July 7, 1996 8:37 a.m. EDT. KSC, Runway 33. After a mission well done.

The crew was . . . . Commander Terence T. Henricks, Pilot Kevin R. Kregel, Flight Engineer Susan J. Helms, Mission Specialist Richard M. Linnehan, DVM, Mission Specialist Charles E. Brady, Jr., MD, Payload Specialist Jean-Jacques Favier, PhD (CNES), Payload Specialist Robert Brent Thirsk, MD (CSA).

Payload:

SPACELAB-LMS, SAMS-D, OARE, BDPU(TMIBD,SIE), SAREX-II

The scheduled 15-day, 21-hour mission Life and Micro gravity Spacelab (LMS) mission will help pave the way for the International Space Station, by studying the effects of long-duration space flight on human physiology.

Once in orbit, the crew will enter the 40-foot (13-meter) pressurized Spacelab module to begin the 22 LMS life science and micro gravity experiments in the laboratory. Thirteen of the life sciences experiments will be devoted to the study of the effects of micro gravity on human physiology, while six micro gravity experiments will be conducted to produce metallic alloys and protein crystals; and study the behavior of liquids and materials processing in the near-weightless environment of space.

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STS-59 SLR-1 04/09/94

The Shuttle Endeavour lifred off on STS-59 launch occured April 9, 1994 at 7:05am EDT from Kennedy Space Center , Fla. The orbiter returned back to Earth on April 20 at Edwards AFB 12:55pm EDT Runway 22, after a mission duration of eleven days, five hours, 49 minutes, and 30 seconds.

The crewmembers were, Commander Sidney M. Gutierrez, Pilot Kevin P. Chilton, Payload Commander Linda M. Godwin, Mission Specialist Jay Apt, Mission Specialist Michael R. Clifford, and Mission Specialist Thomas D. Jones.

Payload:

SRL-1, MAPS, CONCAP-IV, SAREX-II, STL, TUFI, VFT-4, GAS(x3)

On this missin scientist around the world will receive new information to study on how the Earth's environment is effected when Space Shuttle is launched on mission STS-59. During the 9-day all mission, the Space Radar Laboratory (SRL) in Endeavour's cargo bay will give scientists highly detailed information that will help them distinguish human-induced environmental changes from other natural forms of change.

The Space Radar Laboratory (SRL) payload is made of the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) and the Measurement of Air Pollution from Satellite (MAPS). The German Space Agency (DARA) and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) are providing the X-SAR instrument.

The imaging radar of the SIR-C/X-SAR instruments have the capability to take measurements over just about any region at any time, regardless of weather or sunlight conditionsin the area. The radar waves can penetrate clouds, and under certain conditions, can also "see" through vegetation, ice and extremely dry sand. In several cases, radar is the only way scientists can explore inaccessible regions of the Earth's surface.

By Saturday, April 9, 1994, 8 pm EDT, The Space Radar Laboratory-1 experiments of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth were all activated and began their information of the Earth's ecosystem.

When the X-SAR was activated it had a litel problem in a low voltage circuit that went to the power aplifier. Controllers decided to bypass the circuit and reactivate the X-SAR. The X-SAR has worked perfectly since it was reactivated.

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STS-65 MIL-2 06/23/94

Columbia was launched on Friday, July 8, 1994 at 12:43:00.069am EDT from KSC. The landing of the vehical occurred at KSC, July 23 at 6:38:01 am EDT at the Shuttle Landing Facility Runway 33, after a mission duration of 14 days, 17 hours, and 55 minutes.

The crew for this mission was Commander Robert D. Cabana, Pilot James D. Halsell, Payload Commander Richard J. Hieb, Mission Specialist Carl E. Walz, Mission Specialist Leroy Chiao, Mission Specialist Donald A. Thomas, Payload Specialist Chiaki Naito-Mukai, and Alternate Payload Specialist Jean-Jacques Favier. All crew members and the ship performed their mission with flying colors.

Payload:

IML-2, APCF, CPCG, AMOS, OARE, MAST, SAREX-II, EDO

The International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-2) was the second in a series of Spacelab (SL) flights designed to conduct research in a microgravity environment.

Life Sciences Experiments and facilities on IML-2 include: Aquatic Animal Experiment Unit (AAEU) in Rack 3, Biorack (BR) in Rack 5, Biostack (BSK) in Rack 9, Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Program (EDOMP) and Spinal Changes in Microgravity (SCM) in the Center Isle, Lower Body Negative Pressure Device (LBNPD), Microbial Air Sampler(MAS), Performance Assessment Workstation (PAWS) in the middeck, Slow Rotating Centrifuge Microscope (NIZEMI) in Rack 7, Real Time Radiation Monitoring Device (RRMD) and the Thermoelectric Incubator (TEI) both in Rack 3.

Microgravity experiments and facilities on IML-2 include: Applied Research on Separation Methods (RAMSES) in Rack 6, Bubble, Drop and Particle Unit (BDPU) in Rack 8, Critical Point Facility (CPF) in Rack 9, Electromagnetic Containerless Processing Facility (TEMPUS)in Rack 10, Free Flow Electrophoresis Unit (FFEU) in Rack 3, Large Isothermal Furnace(LIF) in Rack 7, Quasi Steady Acceleration Measurement (QSAM) in Rack 3, Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) in the Center Isle, and Vibration Isolation Box Experiment System (VIBES) in Rack 3.

Other payloads aboard for the ride were. . . Advanced Protein Crystalization Facility (APCF), Commercial Protein Crystal Growth (CPCG), Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS)Calibration Test, Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment (OARE), Military Application of Ship Tracks (MAST), Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment-II (SAREX-II). Columbia is also flying with an Extended Duration Orbiter (ED0) pallet and no RMS Arm was installed. This flight featured the first flight of the payload bay door torque box modification on Columbia and the first flight of new OI-6 main engine software.

More than 200 scientists representing six space agencies from around the world contributed to IML-2. Their experiments will cover scientific questions that can best be answered away from gravity's two sense. Experiments studying human physiology, aquatic (water) animals or cultured cells will help reveal the role gravity plays in shaping life on Earth. Investigations of fluids and materials will uncover more about basic mechanisms which affect nearly every physical science.

The crew was split into two teams that would work around the clock to finish the mission objectives. The names of the teams were the Blue Team and the Red team. Both teams completed their goals.

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STS-64 LITE 04/09/94

The orbiter Discovery head on its way to outer space on September 9, 1994 6:22:35:042pm EDT. After a mission duration of ten days, 22 hours, 49 minutes, and 57 seconds, the orbiter Discovery returned to Earth on September 20, 1994, Runway 04 at Edwards Air Force Base at 5:12:52pm EDT.

The crew for this mission was . . . Commander Richard N. Richards, Pilot L. Blaine Hammond, Jr., Mission Specialist Jerry M. Linenger, Mission Specialist Susan J. Helms, Mission Specialist Carl J. Meade (3), and last but not least Mission Specialist Mark C. Lee.

Payload:

LITE, ROMPS, SPARTAN-201, TCS, SPIFEX, GAS(x11), SAFER, SSCE, BRIC-III, RME-III, MAST, SAREX-II, AMOS

This mission carried the LIDAR In-Space Technology Experiment (LITE), is a project to measure atmospheric parameters from a space platform utilizing laser sensors, the Robot Operated Materials Processing System (ROMPS) to investigate robot handling of thin film samples, and the Shuttle Pointed Autonomous Research Tool for Astronomy. SPARTAN is a free-flying retrievable platform with two telescopes that study the solar wind, ( solar wind - a continuous stream of electrons, heavy protons and heavy ions ejected from the sun and traveling through space at speeds of almost 1 million miles per hou)r. The solar wind frequently causes problems on Earth by disrupting navigation, communications and electrical power.

On Saturday, September 10, 1994 at 9 a.m. CST, STS-64 MCC Status Report # 1 reported: Payload activities on board the Space Shuttle Discovery picked as the STS-64 crew began its second day in orbit. Discovery's six astronauts started Flight Day 2 to a parody of a Beach Boys tune called "We'll Have Fun, Fun, Fun on the Shuttle," sung by Mach 25.

Before crew members went to sleep, the Lidar In-space Technology Experiment, STS-64's primary payload, was activated and reported to be in good working condition. Experiment controllers reported that they were receiving "terrific looking returns."

LITE will be used during the course of the mission to collect atmospheric data with a laser system to measure clouds, particles in the atmosphere and the Earth's surface. This information will help scientists explain the impact of human activity on the atmosphere. Lidar, an acronym for light detection and ranging is similar to the radar commonly used to track everything from airplanes in flight to thunderstorms. It can be thought of as an optical radar, but instead of bouncing radio waves off its target, lidar uses short pulses of laser light. Some of that light reflects tiny particles in the atmosphere, called aerosols, then back to a telescope aligned with the laser. By precisely timing the lidar echo and by measuring how much laser light is received by the telescope, scientists can accurately determine the location, distribution and nature of the particle. The result is a revolutionary new tool for studying the composition of Earth's atmosphere.

A new materials processing facility called ROMPS for Robotic Operated Materials Processing System also was activated yesterday and ran throughout the night. ROMPS will process crystals in microgravity by transporting a variety of semiconductors from storageracks to furnaces for processing.

Mission Specialist Susan J. Helms powered up Discovery's robot arm to work with the Shuttle Plume Impingement Flight Experiment, also known as SPIFEX. The experiment consists of a 33-foot long beam that will be used to characterize and measure the plumes of the steering jets. SPIFEX will be maneuvered on the end of the robot arm to take measurements of 86 separate jet firings. This information will be used by engineers determine the effects of thrusters on large space structures such as the International Space Station. Crew members also will set up their ham radio equipment to support the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment.

On Saturday, Sept 10, 1994 at 4:30 p.m. CST, STS-64 MCC Status Report # 3 reports: Discovery's crew began its first full day in orbit with an assortment of experiments aboard the shuttle. Following a good performance checkout last night, the Lidar in Space Technology Experiment (LITE) completed three orbits of nightime observations above the eastern hemisphere.

LITE took laser measurements of aerosols above northern Europe, clouds above Indonesia and the south Pacific, and the surface of the Himalayan Mountains. Simultaneous atmospheric measurements were performed by LITE in orbit and by researchers on the ground of the atmosphere above Tomsk, Russia, a site that has long been a part of various atmospheric studies.

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STS-68 SLR-2 10/11/94

The Shuttle Endeavour blasted off on September 30, 1994, at 7:16:00.068am EDT from Kennedy Space Center Launch facility. The orbiter landed on October 11, 1994 1:02:09pm EDT. Edwards Air Force Base, concrete Runway 22. After a mission duration of eleven days, five hours, 46 minutes, and eight seconds.

The crew members are as fallows . . . . Commander Michael A. Baker, Pilot Terrence W. Wilcutt, Payload Commander Thomas D. Jones, Mission Specialist Steven L. Smith (1), Mission Specialist Daniel W. Bursch, and Mission specialist Peter J.K. Wisoff.

Payload:

SRL-2, CPCG, BRIC, CHROMEX, CREAM, MAST, bGAS(x5)

During the 10 day mission, the SRL-2 payload in Endeavour's cargo bay will make its second flight to date. The SRL payload, which first flew during STS-59 in April 1994, will again give scientists more detailed information on human-induced environmental changes and other natural forms of change.

In a couple of the GAS hardware in Endeavour's payload bay will be 500,000 commemorative stamps for the U.S. Postal Service in recognition of the 25th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing.

Other payloads aboard include the Biological Research in Canister (BRIC) which will fly for the first time, and the Military Applications of Ship Tracks (MAST on its second flight). BRIC experiments, sponsored by NASA's Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications, are designed to examine the effects of microgravity on a wide range of physiological processes in higher order plants and arthropod animals (Antropods insects, spiders, centipedes, crustaceans). MAST is an experiment sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and is part of a five-year research program developed by ONR to examine the effects of ships on the marine environment.

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STS-66 ATLAS-03 10/11/94

Atlantis set off on its 13th mission on November 3, 1994. 11:59:43.060am EDT from LC-39B KSC. Atlantis returned after a mission duration of ten days, 22 hours, 34 minutes, and two seconds, on 11/14/94 at 10:33:45am EST. Edwards Air Force Base Runway 22.

The crew members for this mission were . . . Commander Donald R. McMonagle, Pilot Curtis L. Brown Jr., Payload Commander Ellen Ochoa, Mission Specialist Scott E. Parazynski, M.D., Mission Specialist Joseph R. Tanner, and Mission Specialist Jean-Francois Clervoy.

Payload:

ATLAS-03, SSBUV-7, CRISTA-SPAS, ESCAPE-II, PARE/NIR-R, PCG-TES, PCG-STES, STL/NIH-C, SAMS, HPP-2

The ATLAS-03 was the primary payload aboard STS-66. ATLAS 3continued the series of Spacelab flights to study the energy of the sun and how it affects the Earth's climate and environment. ATLAS 3 will make the first detailed measurements from the Shuttle of the Northern Hemisphere's middle atmosphere in late fall.

Other payloads in Atlantis cargo bay include the Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SSBUV-7) payload and the Experiment on the Sun Complementing ATLAS (ESCAPE-II). Payloads located in the middeck include the Physiological & Anatomical Rodent Experiment (PARE/NIR-R), Protein Crystal Growth-Thermal Enclosure (PCG-TES), Protein Crystal Growth- Single Locker (PCG-STES), Space Tissue Loss/National Institute of Health (STL/NIH-C), Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) and the Heat Pipe Performance-2 Experiment (HPP-2).

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STS-63 SPACEHAB-3 10/11/94

The orbiter Discovery launched off toward outer space on February 3, 1995 at 12:22:03.994am EST. Discovery would return on KSC February 11, 1995 at 6:51 a.m EST on Shuttle Landing Facility Runway 15. After a mission duration of eight days, six hours, 28 minutes, and 15 seconds.

The crew members were, Commander James D. Wetherbee, Pilot Eileen M. Collins, Mission Soecialist C. Michael Foale (Ph.D.), Mission Specialist Janice E. Voss, Ph.D., Mission Specialist Bernard A. Harris, Jr., M.D., and Mission Specialist Vladimar G. Titov a Cosmonaut.

Payload:

SPACEHAB-3, Spartan-204, MIR-Rendezvous, CSE, GLO-2, ODERACS-II, IMAX, SSCE, AMOS,MSX

Payloads that were aboard of mission STS-63 include the Cryo Systems Experiment (CSE), the Shuttle Glow (GLO-2) experiment, Orbital Debris Radar Calibration Spheres (ODERACS-2), the Solid Surface Combustion Experiment (SSCE), the Air Force Maui Optical Site Calibration Test (AMOS) and the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX). You could say the crew had their hands full.

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STS-67 SERVERAL GAS CANISTERS 10/11/94

The Shuttle Endeavour lifted off toward outer space on March 2, 1995. 1:38:34 am EST The ship returned to Dryden Flight Research Center, EAFB, March 18, 1995 at 4:47 p.m. EST Runway 22. After a mission duration of 16 days, 15 hours, eight minutes, and 48 seconds.

The crew for this mission was, Commandre Stephen S. Oswald, Pilot William G. Gregory, Payload Commander Tamara E. Jernigan, Mission Specialist John M. Grunsfeld,Mission Specialist Wendy B. Lawrence, Mission Specialist Ronald A. Parise, Payload Specialist Samuel T. Durrance, andAlternate Payload Specialist Scott D. Vangen.

Payload:

ASTRO-2, MACE, GAS(x2), PCG-TES-03, PCG-STES-02, SAREX-II, CMIX-03, MSX

Two Get Away Special (GAS) payloads were also on board. The Gas canisters were G-387 and G-388. This experiment was sponsored by the Australian Space Office and AUSPACE ltd.

The objectives were to make ultraviolet observations of deep space or nearby galaxies. These observations will be made to study the structure of galactic supernova remnants, the distribution of hot gas in the Magellanic Clouds, the hot galactic halo emission, and emission associated with galactic cooling flows and jets. The two GAS canisters are interconnected with a cable. Canister 1 has a motorized door assembly that exposes a UV telescope to space when used. UV reflective filters on the telescopes optics determine its UV bandpass. Canister 2 contains two video recorders for data storage and batteries to provide experiment power.

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STS-71 SLR-2 10/11/94

The orbiter Atlantis launched on June 27, 3:32:19.044pm EDT, from KSC. The orbiter returned to KSC July 7, 1995 at 10:54:34 am on Runway 15. After a mission duration of nine days, 19 hours, 22 minutes, and 17 seconds.

The crew aboard Atlamtis was Commander Robert L. Gibson, Pilot Charles J. Precourt, Mission Specialist Ellen S. Baker, Mission Specialist onnie J. Dunbar, Mission Specialist Gregory J. Harbaugh,MIR-19 crew upload Anatoly Solovyev, MIR-19 crew upload Nikolai Budarin, MIR-18 crew download Norman E. Thagard, MIR-18 crew download Vladimir Dezhurov, and MIR-18 crew download Gennadiy Strekalov.

Payload:

SPACELAB/MIR, IMAX-10, SAREX-II

The primary objectives of this flight are to rendezvous and perform the 1st Shuttle docking between the Space Shuttle and the Russian Space Station MIR. Other prime objectives are on-orbit joint United States-Russian life sciences investigations abord SPACELAB/MIR, logistical resupply of the MIR space station, recovery of US astronaut - Norman E. Thagard and the delivery of two cosmonauts Anatoly Solovyev and Nikolai Budarin to MIR.

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STS-70 The 7th TDRS mission.

Here goes Discovery again. On July 13, 1995 at 9:41:55.078 a.m. EDT. After a mission duration of eight days, 22 hours, 20 minutes, and five seconds, the orbiter Discovery returned to Earth at KSC July 22,1995 at 8:02 a.m. EDT on Runway 33.

Atlantis crew was commander Terence T. Henricks, Pilot Kevin R. Kregel, Mission Specialist Nancy Jane Currie, Mission Specialist Donald A. Thomas, and Mission Specialist Mary Ellen Weber.

Payload:

TDRS-G/IUS-26, MSX-01, PARE/NIH-R-02, BDS-02, CPCG-07, STL-05(B)/NIH-C, BRIC-04, BRIC-05, SAREX-II, VFT-4-02, HERCULES-03, AMOS-25, MIS-B-01,WINDEX-02, RME-III-19, MAST

The primary mission is the launch and deployment of the 7th TDRS and will be the 6th placed in operational use. The second TDRS was destroyed in the Chaalenger accident.

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STS-69 SPARTAN 09/18/95

The Shuttle Endeavour lauched off to outer space on Thursday, September 7 at 11:09:00.052 am EDT. The ship returned on September 18, 1995, KSC at 7:37:56am EDT The crew was Commander David M. Walker, Pilot Kenneth D. Cockrell, Payload Commander James S. Voss, Mission Specialist James H. Newman Ph.D., and Mission Specialist Michael L. Gernhardt. Payload: SPARTAN 201-03, WSF-2, IEH-01, CAPL-02/GBA, EDFT-02, MSX-02, STL/NIH-C-04, CGBA-03, BRIC-06, EPICS, CMIX-04, G-726 A payload aboard was the Wake Shield Facility (WSF), a saucer-shaped satellite that will fly free of the Shuttle for several days. The WSF will grow thin films in a near perfect vacuum created by the wake of the satellite as it it moves through space. The crew also will deploy and retrieve the Spartan 201 astronomy satellite, perform a six-hour spacewalk to test assembly techniques for the international Space Station and test thermal improvements made to space suits used during space walks.

SPACE SHUTTLE MISSIONS STS-1 THRU STS 61-C SPACE SHUTTLE MISSIONS STS-26 THRU STS-50

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