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News Release For Immediate Release
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Kennedy Space Center, FL, September 25, 1997 — A mission-critical Russian computer targeted as backup for Mir was stowed aboard a SPACEHAB Logistics Double Module on the Atlantis Space Shuttle less than forty hours before scheduled lift-off. SPACEHAB, Inc., of Vienna, VA, performed this vital task in support of NASA's STS-86 resupply mission to Mir. SPACEHAB's Module, a 2200 cubic foot pressurized aluminum cylinder connected by a tunnel to the Shuttle middeck, is the primary payload aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis. It is carrying supplies to Mir, along with scientific experiments to be conducted by Astronaut Dave Wolf during his scheduled four-month stay on Mir. Meanwhile, three thousand miles away, SPACEHAB engineers are supporting a second space mission set to launch within twenty-four hours of Atlantis. Through its ASTROTECH subsidiary, SPACEHAB is reinforcing its leadership role in commercial space activities by providing payload processing and launch support services under contract with Motorola for the Iridium satellite constellation. Iridium is preparing to launch five satellites aboard a Delta rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base on Friday, September 26. "Our dual-participation in these two significant missions a continent apart, within such a narrow window, symbolizes SPACEHAB's growing role in commercial space activity," said Shelley A. Harrison, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "It also signifies our flexibility in providing support for both NASA and the commercial satellite industry." The Mir computer was delivered to SPACEHAB's Port Canaveral payload processing facility on Monday, September 22, by which time the SPACEHAB Module was loaded aboard the Atlantis Shuttle. SPACEHAB's ability to access its vertically installed Module with the Shuttle already on the launch pad is of great value to NASA. Previously, last minute mission payload changes were limited to the Shuttle's middeck. At the recent Flight Readiness Review for STS-86, Jim van Laak, Deputy Director, Mir Mission Phase 1, reporting on mission readiness to NASA senior managers, said, "SPACEHAB did an excellent job, under very adverse conditions, accommodating the Spektr repair hardware and other late items. We at NASA should use this performance as a model for how to do future logistics missions." SPACEHAB, Inc., with its ASTROTECH subsidiary, is the world's leading provider of commercial payload processing services for both unmanned and astronaut-tended payloads. SPACEHAB is the first company to commercially develop, own and operate habitable modules that provide space-based laboratory facilities and logistics resupply services aboard the U.S. Space Shuttles to support people living and working in space. . |