CREW:
Pilot Dominic Gorie; Mission Specialists Franklin Chang-Diaz, Ph.D.; Wendy B. Lawrence and Janet Kavandi, Ph.D.; Mission Commander Charles Precourt; and Mission Specialist Valery Ryumin, with the Russian Space Agency

LAUNCH INFO:
Date: June 2, 1998
Time: 6:05 p.m. EDT
Site: Kennedy Space Center, FL

SHUTTLE FLIGHT:
Orbiter: Discovery (OV-103)
Orbit Altitude: 160 nautical miles
Orbit Inclination: 51.6°
Mission Duration: 9 Days, 19 hours, 53 minutes

MIR DOCKING:
Docking: 9th and Final Mir Docking
Dock Date: June 4, 1998
Dock Time: 11:58 a.m. EDT
Undock Date: June 8, 1998
Undock Time: 11:01 a.m. EDT

LANDING INFO:
Date: June 12, 1998
Time: 2:00 p.m. EDT
Site: Kennedy Space Center, FL

PAYLOAD(S):
SPACEHAB-SM Single Module (FU1)
SPACEHAB Universal Communications System (SHUCS)
Air Pressurization Unit (APU)
800A Storage Batteries
Life Support Items

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The launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-91 marked SPACEHAB, Inc.'s 11th Mission. The SPACEHAB Logistics Single Module was the primary payload aboard Discovery, which launched on June 2, 1998 at 6:05 pm (EDT) from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The seventh scheduled SPACEHAB mission to the Russian Space Station Mir, STS-91 provided commercial logistics resupply services as part of Phase I of the International Space Station Program. The cargo carried in the Logistics Single Module included Russian logistics items, food, and clothing. Along with these items, numerous scientific experiments were transferred from Mir for return to Earth. These experiments had been conducted by Mission Specialist Andrew Thomas during his long-duration stay.

The items carried in the SPACEHAB Modules during Shuttle-Mir Missions included vital equipment and supplies required by astronauts to live and work in space for extended periods. Specific items for STS-91 included a vast array of daily-use items such as computers and cables, batteries, mission schedule reference documents, food, clothing and personal care packages from the cosmonauts families here on Earth.

The STS-91 flight delivered Andrew Thomas back to Earth after a four-month stay aboard the Space Station. In addition to his research in Life and Microgravity Sciences, Thomas also completed a number of smaller experiments called "risk mitigation experiments" or RME's, conducted to help in the design and construction of the International Space Station.

Also on STS-91 the new SPACEHAB Universal Communications System (SHUCS) made its first flight. SHUCS is designed to provide a continuous, reliable communication channel between Earth and orbiting stations. The system consists of an internal terminal, which operates much like a cellular phone, and an external piece that serves as an antenna to communicate with a satellite. By using the commercial Inmarsat satellite and ground station communication networks operation on the radio frequency spectrum, SHUCS enables Earth-based users to interface with an orbiting payload or astronaut via the Internet and COMSAT Mobile Communications using the Inmarsat system. SHUCS can accommodate file transfers, up/downlink fax and voice communication.

Most of the logistics items carried in SPACEHAB Modules are housed in a soft stowage system, consisting of a series of canvas-like bags, similar to backpacks or duffel bags. The system encompasses bags of various sizes that attach to the interior surfaces of the module. The primary size bag is equivalent to a standard middeck locker to facilitate loading into the Module. Most bags are secured to the interior surface of the module with a strap and buckle, similar to an automobile seat belt. To secure the contents inside the bags, foam is specially cut at SPACEHAB Payload Processing Facility (SPPF) in Cape Canaveral, Florida, to form-fit around the logistics items.

The bags weigh less than standard middeck lockers, which typically house science experiments and allow mission managers the ability to carry more and varied cargo in SPACEHAB Modules. Soft stowage allows an average of up to 20% more cargo to be carried than standard lockers.

To facilitate the astronaut's transfer of the bags to and from the SPACEHAB Module and Mir, a system was developed using a visual cue of color-coded cards in red, white and blue. The contents of the bags marked with a red card were transferred to Mir and remained there, while the contents of white coded bags transferred out of the Module for use on-orbit, but were carried back to Earth in the Module. The bags marked with a blue card remained in the Module and were filled with contents transferred from Mir.

SPACEHAB is proud of its role in helping to sustain operations aboard the Mir Space Station and as a part of the Shuttle Mir program — a cooperative venture benefiting the entire space program. Our anticipation of customer needs, flexible product design, and experienced payload processing services underscore the value of private industry participation in multinational space activities.