STS-95

Infobox Space mission
mission_name = STS-95
insignia = Sts-95-patch.png shuttle = Discovery
launch_pad = 39-B
launch = October 29, 1998 2:20:19 p.m. EST
landing = November 7, 1998 12:04pm EST, KSC, Runway 33.
duration = 8 days, 21 hours, 44 minutes, 56 seconds
altitude = 310 nautical miles (574 km)
inclination = 28.45 degrees
distance = 3.6 million miles (5.8 million km)
crew_photo = STS-95 crew.jpg
crew_caption = Top: Parazynski, Robinson, Mukai, Duque, Glenn; Bottom: Lindsey, Brown
previous = STS-91
next = STS-88

STS-95 was a mission of the Space Shuttle "Discovery" that launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida on October 29, 1998. It was the second space flight of John Glenn, who became the oldest person to go into space. Pedro Duque became the first Spaniard in space.

Crew

*Curtis L. Brown (5), Commander
*Steven W. Lindsey (2), Pilot
*Scott E. Parazynski (3), Mission Specialist 2
*Pedro Duque (1), Mission Specialist 1 - flag|Spain ESA
*Stephen K. Robinson (2), Mission Specialist 3
*Chiaki Mukai (2), Payload Specialist 1 - flag|Japan NASDA
*John H. Glenn (2), Payload Specialist 2

Mission parameters

*Mass:
**"Orbiter landing with payload:" 103,322 kg
**"Payload:" 11,130 kg
*Perigee: 550 km
*Apogee: 561 km
*Inclination: 28.45°
*Period: 96 min

Mission highlights

The primary objectives included conducting a variety of science experiments in the pressurized Spacehab module, the deployment and retrieval of the Spartan free-flyer payload, and operations with the HST Orbital Systems Test (HOST) and the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker (IEH) payloads carried in the payload bay.

The Spacehab module flown on STS-95 was provided by Spacehab, Inc., a private company which provides single- or double-module Spacehabs to support NASA's space flight efforts. The Spacehab system provides additional pressurized workspace for experiments, cargo and crew activities. Spacehab modules have supported various Shuttle science missions along with several of the joint Shuttle-Mir missions.

For STS-95, a single-module Spacehab flew in the forward portion of Discovery's payload bay with the crew gaining access to the module through the airlock tunnel system. A variety of experiments sponsored by NASA, the Japanese Space Agency (NASDA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) focused on life sciences, microgravity sciences and advanced technology during the flight.

The Spartan 201 free-flyer was deployed and retrieved using the Shuttle's mechanical arm and is designed to investigate physical conditions and processes of the hot outer layers of the Sun's atmosphere, or solar corona. While deployed from the Shuttle, Spartan gathered measurements of the solar corona and solar wind. Information collected during this mission will lead to a much better understanding of the solar winds that directly influence orbiting satellites and weather conditions on Earth which in turn impact television and phone communications. This is a reflight of the Spartan payload flown on Mission STS-87 in November 1997 which developed problems shortly after being deployed from the Shuttle.

The Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test (HOST) platform carried experiments to validate components planned for installation during the third Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission and to evaluate new technologies in an earth orbiting environment. There were four experiments on the HOST platform. The NICMOS Cooling System allowed zero-g verification of a Reverse Turbo Brayton Cycle Cooler which allows longer life operation than the current dewar system. (2) The HST 486 Computer allows the identification of any radiation susceptible parts in the DF-224 replacement and demonstrate hardware and software responses to Single Event Upsets (SEU's). (3) Solid State Recorder compares on-orbit operation of the flight spare solid state recorder with the current HST unit. (4) Fiber Optic Line Test uses the same 4 kbit/s data stream that is sent to the orbiter's Payload Data Interrogator (PDI) and is routed to a laptop computer for post-flight comparison.

The International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker (IEH) payload involves a half dozen different experiments mounted on a support structure which was carried in Discovery's payload bay. The six experiments that make up the IEH payload are (1) Solar Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker (SEH) payload which obtained EUV and FUV fluxes that are required when studying the Earth's upper atmosphere; (2) Ultraviolet Spectrograph Telescope for Astronomical Research (UVSTAR) payload designed to measure EUV fluxes which can be used to form images of extended plasma sources (ex. Jupiter, hot stars, etc.); (3) STAR-LITE payload which made observations of extended and diffused astrophysical targets; (4) CONCAP-IV payload designed to grow thin films via physical vapor transport; (5) Petite Amateur Navy Satellite (PANSAT) payload which is managed by the Department of Defense Space Test Program and involves a small deployable satellite that stores and transmits digital communications to PANSAT ground stations; and (6) a Getaway Special (GAS) payload.

Since the aging process and a space flight experience share a number of similar physiological responses, a series of experiments sponsored by NASA and the National Institute on Aging was conducted on John Glenn during the STS-95 mission. The investigations gathered information which may provide a model system to help scientists interested in understanding aging. Some of these similarities include bone and muscle loss, balance disorders and sleep disturbances. Data provided from Glenn during this mission was compared to data obtained from Glenn's Friendship 7 orbital mission in 1962.

In addition to becoming the oldest person to fly into space, Glenn also became the third seated politician to fly in space. At the time, Glenn was the senior Senator out of Ohio. Senator Jake Garn (STS-51-D) and then-Representative (now Senator) Bill Nelson (STS-61-C) preceded him in that distinction.

In a great show of friendship toward the United States and Glenn, the citizens of Perth and Rockingham in Australia left their private and municipal lights on while the Space Shuttle passed overhead, reprising both communities show of friendship during Glenn's 1962 flight upon Friendship 7.

Wake-up calls

In what has become a tradition for NASA spaceflights since the days of Gemini, the crew of STS-95 were played a special musical track at the start of each day in space. Each track is specially chosen and often has a particular meaning to an individual member of the crew, or it is somehow applicable to their situation. [cite web| url = http://history.nasa.gov/wakeup%20calls.pdf| title = Chronology of Wakeup calls| accessdate =| last = Fries| first = Colin| date =| publisher = NASA| pages = 62]
*Day 2: "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong played for Mission Specialist Scott Parazynski. [http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-95/wave/fd02.wav WAV]
*Day 3: "Cachito" by Nat King Cole played for Mission Specialist Pedro Duque. [http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-95/wave/fd03.wav WAV]
*Day 4: "This Pretty Planet" by Tom Chapin and/or "Halelujahs" by Chris Rice played for Pilot Steven Lindsey. [http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-95/wave/fd04.wav WAV]
*Day 5: "Moon River" by Andy Williams played for Payload Specialist John Glenn [http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-95/wave/fd05.wav WAV]
*Day 6: "The House is Rockin'" by Stevie Ray Vaughan played for Mission Specialist Steve Robinson. [http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-95/wave/fd06.wav WAV]
*Day 7: "Wakaki Chi" ("Young Spirit") (Keio University "cheering song") played for Payload Specialist Chiaki Mukai. [http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-95/wave/fd07.wav WAV]
*Day 8: "I Know You're Out There Somewhere" by The Moody Blues played for Commander Curtis Brown. [http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-95/wave/fd08.wav WAV]
*Day 9: "Voyage Into Space" by Peter Nero played for Payload Specialist John Glenn [http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-95/wave/fd09.wav WAV]
*Day 10: "La Cucaracha" played for Mission Specialist Pedro Duque. [http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-95/wave/fd10.wav WAV]

Mission insignia

The STS-95 mission insignia depicts a stylized blue Space Shuttle with yellow, red, and blue streamers coming from its stern. A small Mercury space capsule is depicted orbiting the shuttle, and the red streamer extends up towards the center of the shuttle to form a "7"; these reference Project Mercury, which took the number seven as its symbol (there were seven Mercury astronauts, all of the manned Mercury spacecraft had "7" part of the name, and there were originally seven Mercury missions planned).

References

ee also

*Space science
*Space shuttle
*List of space shuttle missions
*List of human spaceflights chronologically

External links

* [http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-95/mission-sts-95.html NASA mission summary]
* [http://www.nss.org/resources/library/shuttlevideos/shuttle92.htm STS-95 Video Highlights]