STS-78

Infobox Space mission
mission_name = STS-78
insignia = Sts-78-patch.png shuttle = Columbia
launch_pad = 39-B
launch = June 20, 1996, 10:49:00.0075 a.m. EDT (2:49 p.m. UTC)
landing = July 7, 1996, 8:37.30 a.m. EDT, (12:37 p.m. UTCKSC, Runway 33
duration = 16 days, 21 hours, 48 minutes, 30 seconds
altitude = 173 statute miles (278 km)
inclination = 39 degrees
orbits = 271
distance = 7 million miles (11 million km)
crew_photo = STS-78_crew.jpg
crew_caption =
previous = STS-77
next = STS-79

STS-78 was the fifth dedicated Life and Microgravity Spacelab mission for the Space Shuttle program, flown partly in preparation for the International Space Station project. The mission used the Space Shuttle "Columbia", which lifted off successfully from Kennedy Space Center’s launch pad 39-B on the 20 June 1996.

Crew

*Terence T. Henricks (4), Commander
*Kevin R. Kregel (2), Pilot
*Susan J. Helms (3), Mission Specialist 2
*Richard M. Linnehan (1), Mission Specialist 1
*Charles E. Brady, Jr. (1), Mission Specialist 3
*Jean-Jacques Favier (1), Payload Specialist 1 - CNES
*Robert Brent Thirsk(1), Payload Specialist 2 - CSA

Backup crewmembers:
* Pedro Duque, Alternate Payload Specialist - ESA
* Luca Urbani, Alternate Payload Specialist - ASI

Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.

Mission parameters

*Mass: 9,649 kg payload
*Perigee: 246 km
*Apogee: 261 km
*Inclination: 39.0°
*Period: 89.6 min

Mission objectives

* Research into the effects of long - duration spaceflight on human physiology in preparation for flights on the International Space Station.
* 22 life science & microgravity experiments using the Orbiter’s pressurised Life & Microgravity Spacelab module (LM2).
* Tests into the use of the Orbiter’s Reaction Control System jets to raise the altitude of orbiting satellites.

Mission highlights

During the 16-day, 21-hour mission, the crew of "Columbia" assisted in the preparations for the International Space Station by studying the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the human body in readiness for ISS Expeditions, and also carried out experiments similar to those now being carried out on the orbital station.

Following launch, "Columbia" climbed to an altitude of 173 miles (278 km) with an orbital inclination of 39° to the Earth's equator to allow the seven-member flight crew to maintain the same sleep rhythms they were accustomed to on Earth and to reduce vibrations and directional forces that could have affected on-board microgravity experiments.

Once in orbit, the crew entered the 40 foot (13 m) long pressurised Spacelab module to commence over 40 science experiments to take place during the mission. Not only did these experiments make use of the module’s laboratory, but also employed lockers in the middeck section of the "Columbia" Orbiter herself. Thirteen of the experiments were dedicated to studying the effects of microgravity on the human body, whilst another six studied the behaviour of fluids and metals in the almost weightless environment and the production of metallic alloys and protein crystals. The crew also carried out the first ever comprehensive study of sleep patterns in microgravity, research into bone & muscle loss in space, and in-flight fixes to problem hardware on the Bubble, Drop and Particle Unit (BDPU), designed to study fluid physics.

The mission also featured a test into the use of a procedure that was later used during the second Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission to raise the telescope’s altitude without damaging the satellite’s solar arrays. During the test, "Columbia’s" vernier Reaction Control System jets were gently pulsed to boost the Orbiter’s altitude without jarring any of the mission payloads. The test was entirely successful, and was later employed by "Discovery" during STS-82, and is also currently used to boost the orbit of the ISS during visits by Shuttles.

The mission encountered no significant in-flight problems, was the 78th Space Shuttle mission, and the 20th mission for "Columbia".

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-78/mission-sts-78.html NASA mission summary]
* [http://www.nss.org/resources/library/shuttlevideos/shuttle78.htm STS-78 Video Highlights]