STS-90

USA

Manned Flight n°: 206

Earth orbit Flight n°: 203

USA manned Flight n°: 121

Launch, orbit & landing data:

Designation	25297 / 98022A
Launch date - time	17 Apr 1998 - 18:19:00 UT
Launch site	KSC, LC39B
Launch vehicle	Space Shuttle
Orbiter	Columbia #25 (OV-102)
Primary payload	Neurolab
Mass (kg)
Flight Crew	Searfoss, Altman, Linnehan, Hire Williams, Buckey, Pawelczyk
Earth orbit on :
- Perigee / Apogee	278 km
- Inclination	39.01°
- Period	min
Landing date - time	03 May 1998 - 16:08:59 UT
Landing location	KSC, Runway 33
Flight Duration (d:hr:min)	15d 21h 50m
Nbr orbits	256

Crew

Nr.	Surname	Given name	Job	Duration
1	Searfoss	Richard Alan	CDR	15d 21h 50m
2	Altman	Scott Douglas	PLT	15d 21h 50m
3	Linnehan	Richard Michael	MSP	15d 21h 50m
4	Williams	Daffyd Rhys "Dave"	MSP	15d 21h 50m
5	Hire	Kathryn Patricia "Kay"	MSP	15d 21h 50m
6	Buckey	Jay Clark, Jr.	PSP	15d 21h 50m
7	Pawelczyk	James Anthony	PSP	15d 21h 50m

Mission details:

Launch from Cape Canaveral (KSC); landing on Cape Canaveral (KSC); final mission of Spacelab; mission Neurolab 31 experiments for researching the effects of microgravity on the nervous system (e.g. with rats); first operation in space on living animals.

Backup Crew: Mukai, Payload: Columbia F25 / Spacelab LM Eurolab. Perigee: 247 km. Apogee: 274 km. Inclination: 39.0 deg. Period: 89.7 min.

Columbia rolled out to pad 39B on March 23. Payloads:

Spacelab transfer tunnel
Spacelab Long Module, with Neurolab experiments for the following life science studies:
- Chronic Recording of Otolith Nerves in Microgravity
- Development of the Aortic Baroreflex under Conditions of Microgravity
- Neural-Thyroid Interaction on Skeletal Isomyosin Expression in OG
- Spatial Orientation of the Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex and Velocity Storage
- Autonomic Neuroplasticity in Weightlessness
Extended Duration Orbiter pallet
Two Get Away Special beams with canisters G-197, G-467, G-772 (Colorado's COLLIDE experiment, which collided small particles into each other to simulate the formation of planets and rings).

The Neurolab mission was managed by NASA-Johnson at Houston, unlike earlier Spacelab flights which were NASA-Marshall/Huntsville's responsibility. Landed at Kennedy Space Center May 3 1998.

Ref.: #7, #8, #16 - update: 25.03.06

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