Making its maiden voyage, the Space Research Laboratory resided in the forward quarter of the cargo bay. The pressurized laboratory measures approximately 10 feet long and 13.5 feet in diameter, and contains over 1,100 cubic feet of working volume, enough to house as many as 61 middeck lockers for experiments or a combination of middeck lockers and Space Station racks.

Crew members used the modified Spacelab tunnel adapter placed between the crew compartment and the SPACEHAB laboratory to gain access to the lab once on orbit. SPACEHAB, Inc. contracted with McDonnell Douglas' Huntsville Space Division in Alabama, to provide the design, development, and physical integration of two Space Research Laboratories. McDonnell Douglas sub-contracted with Alenia Spazio (Torino, Italy) to build the laboratories and to design and build their passive thermal control systems.

SPACEHAB, Inc.'s Space Research Laboratories contain all of the subsystems required to support experiment operations, including environmental controls, command and data handling, electrical power, and thermal control. On this maiden flight, the SPACEHAB laboratory carried payloads from NASA, the U.S. commercial sector, and the European Space Agency. A total of 22 individual experiments were operated by the crew during the mission.

Extravehicular Activity (EVA)

EVA tested prototype hardware, validated procedures, and broadened the experience base of the entire EVA team: engineers, trainers, flight controllers, and flight crew.

The 4-hour EVA on flight day 5 was the first to be conducted from the tunnel that connects the crew cabin airlock with the SPACEHAB research laboratory. The primary objectives of the EVA were to evaluate mass handling characteristics and precision alignment techniques by a crewperson while being maneuvered by the RMS.

European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA)

EURECA-1 is a European Space Agency-sponsored, reusable, free-flying platform that was deployed on the STS-46 mission in July, 1992. The platform is approximately 8.5 feet long, 13 feet wide, and weighs approximately 10,000 pounds.

EURECA is equipped with a flight grapple fixture to interface with the RMS during retrieval. The EURECA hardware has multi-user facilities that allow the processing of metallurgical samples and crystal growth. Biological and biochemical investigations are also included in the payload. EURECA was retrieved on flight day 4 at an altitude of 257 nm.

Superfluid Helium On-Orbit Transfer (SHOOT)

The SHOOT payload was designed to develop and demonstrate the technology required to resupply liquid helium containers in space. SHOOT gathered data about how the liquid feeds to the pumps, the behavior of the liquid/vapor discriminators, and the slosh and cool down of the liquid.

The Consortium for Materials Development in Space Complex Autonomous Payload (CONCAP) IV

CONCAP IV rode in Endeavour's cargo bay inside a Get-Away Special (GAS) canister. CONCAP IV grew non-linear optical organic thin films and crystals via the physical vapor transport process.

The GAS Bridge Assembly consisted of 10 GAS canisters each housing separate experiments.

Fluid Acquisition and Resupply Experiment (FARE)

Previously flown on STS-51C and STS-53, FARE investigated the fill, refill and expulsion characteristics of simulated propellant tanks and the behavior of liquid motion in microgravity.

Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX)

SAREX demonstrated the feasibility of short-wave radio contacts between the Orbiter and ground-based amateur radio operators.

Experiment Complement Details

The maiden flight of SPACEHAB, Inc.'s Space Research Laboratory contained a wide variety of experiments that covered exciting microgravity research activities in the biological and material sciences and in the development and testing of new space systems components. The NASA mission specialists on this first SPACEHAB flight conducted research that might one day lead to the improvement of pharmaceuticals for the treatment of diseases, the development of new microgravity plant feeding methods, and new cell splitting methods.

Included on the flight were 13 commercial space experiments in materials processing and the effect of space flight on human biotechnology: 12 sponsored by the NASA Centers for the Commercial Development of Space (CCDS), and one by the NASA Langley Research Center.

Also on board the SPACEHAB Module was an investigation sponsored by the NASA Space Station Freedom Office on closed systems to improve water recycling in the future Space Station environment.

NASA Centers for the Commercial Development of Space

The Centers for the Commercial Development of Space (CCDS) program is the cornerstone of NASA's commercial development of space activities, generating 13 of the 22 total flight experiments on this first mission of the SPACEHAB Module. NASA's nationwide CCDS network represents a unique example of how government, industry and academic institutions can create partnerships which combine resources and talents to strengthen America's industrial competitiveness.

The CCDSs are designed to increase private sector investment and interest in commercial space-related activities, while encouraging U.S. economic leadership and stimulating advances in promising areas of research and development. The CCDSs are based at universities and research institutions across the country and benefit from links with each other and with NASA field centers.

As an incubator for future commercial space industries, the CCDS program, since its inception, has helped to sponsor a number of new commercial space ventures and supported a wide range of ongoing efforts.

The CCDS program continues to be the key supporter of U.S. industry involvement in commercial space activities, encouraging and supporting new and ongoing space-related ventures, as well as spawning research and development advancements that may lead to social and economic benefits for all Americans.