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STS-90
	Spacelab Module LM2 in Columbia's payload bay, serving as the Neurolab
Names	Space Transportation System-90
Mission type	Bioscience research
Operator	NASA
COSPAR ID	1998-022A
SATCAT no.	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	Richard A. Searfoss; Scott D. Altman; Dafydd Williams; Kathryn P. Hire; Richard M. Linnehan; Jay C. Buckey; James A. Pawelczyk;
Start of mission
Launch date	17 April 1998 18:19 UTC
Launch site	Kennedy, LC-39B
End of mission
Landing date	3 May 1998 16:09 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 Space Shuttle program ← STS-89 STS-91 →

STS-90 was a 1998 Space Shuttle mission flown by the Space Shuttle Columbia. The 16-day mission marked the last flight of the European Space Agency's Spacelab laboratory module,^[1] which had first flown on Columbia on STS-9, and was also the last daytime landing for Columbia.

Crew


Position	Astronaut
Commander	Richard A. Searfoss Third 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, CSA First spaceflight
Payload Specialist 1	Jay C. Buckey Only spaceflight
Payload Specialist 2	James A. Pawelczyk Only spaceflight

Backup crew


Position	Astronaut
Payload Specialist 1	Alexander W. Dunlap First spaceflight
Payload Specialist 2	Chiaki Mukai, JAXA Second spaceflight

Crew seat assignments

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

Mission highlights

Neurolab was a Spacelab 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 was Mary 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 the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Office of Naval Research, as well as the space agencies of Canada, France, Germany, and Japan, and the European 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 in Columbia'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 the International 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 an Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) assist burn during the ascent.

Three of the seven STS-90 crew (Williams, Pawelczyk and Buckey) appeared on the Canadian television series Popular 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 Specialist Kathryn 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 being STS-72^[3]), but it flew away just after main engine start.^[4]^[5] Another bat was observed landing on the External Tank during STS-119, but remained on the tank during liftoff.^[4]

References

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

^ ^a ^b ^c "STS-90". NASA. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
^ "STS-90". Spacefacts. Archived from the original on 20 May 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
^ O'neil, Ian (17 March 2009). "The Discovery Bat's Fate is Confirmed". universetoday.com. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
^ ^a ^b Siceloff, Steven (17 March 2009). "Bat Hung onto Shuttle During Liftoff". NASA. Archived from the original on 20 March 2009. Retrieved 19 March 2009.
^ "Space shuttle Discovery blasts off with bat stowaway". CNN. 18 March 2009. Retrieved 25 March 2009.