yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) (02/28/89)
- 17 -
A team of industry, university and government research
investigators will explore the potential advantages of using
protein crystals grown in space to determine the complex, three-
dimensional structure of specific protein molecules.
Knowing the precise structure of these complex molecules
provides the key to understanding their biological function and
could lead to methods of altering or controlling the function in
ways that may result in new drugs.
It is through sophisticated analysis of a protein in
crystalized form that scientists are able to construct a model of
the molecular structure. The problem is that protein crystals
grown on Earth are often small and flawed.
Protein crystal growth experiments flown on four previous
Space Shuttle missions have already shown promising evidence that
superior crystals can be obtained in the microgravity environment
of space flight.
To further develop the scientific and technological
foundation for protein crystal growth in space, NASA's Office of
Commercial Programs and the Microgravity Science and Applications
Division are co-sponsoring the STS-29 experiments being managed
through the Marshall Space Flight Center.
During the flight, 60 different crystal growth experiments
will be conducted simultaneously using 19 different proteins.
The experiment apparatus, first flown aboard Discovery on STS-26,
fits into one of the Shuttle orbiter's middeck lockers.
Shortly after achieving orbit, a mission specialist
astronaut will initiate the crystal growing process which will
continue for several days. The experiment apparatus differs from
previous protein crystal payloads in that it provides temperature
control and automation of some processes.
After Discovery's landing, the experiment hardware and
protein crystals will be turned over to the investigating team
for analysis.
Lead investigator for the research team is Dr. Charles E.
Bugg of the University of Alabama-Birmingham (UAB). Dr. Bugg is
director of the Center for Macromolecular Crystallography, a
NASA-sponsored Center for the Commercial Development of Space
located at UAB.
Flying crystal growth experiments through their affiliation
with the UAB Center for Commercial Development of Space are
Dupont; Eli Lilly & Company; Kodak; Merck Institute for
Therapuetic Research; Schering-Plough Corp.; Smith, Kline and
French; Upjohn; and Biocryst Limited.
- more -
- 18 -
STUDENT EXPERIMENTS
Chicken Embryo Development in Space, SE83-9
This experiment, proposed by John C. Vellinger, formerly of
Jefferson High School, Lafayette, Ind., will determine the
effects of spaceflight on the development of fertilized chicken
embryos. Vellinger is now a senior at Purdue University studying
mechanical engineering.
The experiment is to fly 32 chicken eggs -- 16 fertilized
two days prior to launch and the other 16 fertilized 9 days prior
to launch -- to see if any changes in the developing embryo can
be attributed to weightlessness.
All 32 eggs will be placed in an incubator box, designed by
Vellinger and flown aboard Discovery, while an identical group of
32 eggs will remain on Earth as a control group. Throughout the
mission, Vellinger will attend to the earthbound eggs much as a
mother hen would, turning them five times a day to counter the
effects of Earth's gravity on the yolk.
Upon return to Earth, the spaceflight group will be returned
to Vellinger, who will open and examine 16 of them. At the same
time he will open and examine half the control group eggs. The
examinations are intended to identify any statistically
significant differences in cartilage, bone and digit structures,
muscle system, nervous system, facial structure and internal
organs. The other half of the eggs (16 spaceflight and 16
control) will be hatched at 21 days and their weight, growth rate
and reproductive rate will be studied.
Vellinger's goal is to determine whether a chicken embryo
can develop normally in a weightless environment. The scientific
team supporting Vellinger includes: Dr. Cesar Fermin, Tulane
University; Dr. Patricia Hester, Purdue University; Dr. Michale
Holick, Boston University; Dr. Ronald Hullinger, Purdue
University; and Dr. Russell Kerschmann, University of
Massachusetts.
Stanley W. Poelstra of Jefferson High School is Vellinger's
student advisor. Dr. Lisbeth Kraft, NASA Ames Research Center,
Mountain View, Calif., is the NASA technical advisor. Kentucky
Fried Chicken, Louisville, is sponsoring the experiment.
The Effects of Weightlessness on the Healing Bone, SE82-8
This is an experiment proposed by Andrew I. Fras, formerly
of Binghamton High School, N.Y., to establish whether the
environmental effects of spaceflight inhibit bone healing. Fras
is now attending Brown University's Medical School.
- more -
- 19 -
Observations of rats from previous space flights, as well as
non-weight bearing bone studies in gravity using rats, have shown
that minerals, calcium in particular, are lost from the body,
resulting in a condition similar to osteoporosis. Calcium is the
main mineral needed in bone formation. This experiment will fly
four Long Evans rats where a minutely small piece of bone will be
removed by a veterinarian from a non-weight bearing bone. The
effects of weightlessness on the origin, development and
differentiation of the osteoblasts (bone cells) and their
production of callus will be studied. A matched control group
will be Earth-based.
Fras, working with scientists and researchers at Orthopaedic
Hospital and University of Southern California, will attempt to
determine whether bone healing in the rat is impeded by the loss
of calcium and the absence of weight bearing during space
flight.
Andrew Fras is the only student to win the NASA/National
Science Teachers Association's Space Science Student Involvement
Program twice. His first project, "The Effect of Weightlessness
on the Aging of Brain Cells," flew on STS 51-D in 1985.
Fras' student advisor is Howard I. Fisher of Binghamton High
School. Orthopaedic Hospital/University of Southern California,
Los Angeles, is sponsoring the experiment and providing advice,
direction and scientific monitoring; the advisors are Dr. June
Marshall and Dr. Augusto Sarmiento. Dr. Emily Holton, NASA Ames
Research Center, Mountain View, Calif., is serving as the NASA
technical advisor.
IMAX
The IMAX project is a collaboration between NASA and the
Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum to
document significant space activities using the IMAX film
medium. This system, developed by the IMAX Systems Corp.,
Toronto, Canada, uses specially-designed 70mm film cameras and
projectors to record and display very high definition large-
screen color motion picture images.
IMAX cameras previously have flown on Shuttle missions 41-C,
41-D and 41-G to document crew operations in the payload bay and
the orbiter's middeck and flight deck along with spectacular
views of space and Earth. Film from those missions form the
basis for the IMAX production, "The Dream is Alive." On STS 61-
B, an IMAX camera, mounted in the payload bay, recorded
extravehicular activities in the EASE/ACCESS space construction
demonstrations.
The IMAX camera will be used to gather material on the use
of observations of the Earth from space for a new IMAX film to
succeed "The Dream is Alive."
- more -
- 20 -
AIR FORCE MAUI OPTICAL SITE CALIBRATION TEST
The Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS) tests allow ground-
based electro-optical sensors located on Mt. Haleakala, Maui,
Hawaii, to collect imagery and signature data of the orbiter
during cooperative overflights.
The scientific observations made of the orbiter, while
performing reaction control system thruster firings, water dumps
or payload bay light activation, are used to support the
calibration of the AMOS sensors and the validation of spacecraft
contamination models. The AMOS tests have no payload unique
flight hardware and only require that the orbiter be in
predefined attitude operations and lighting conditions.
The AMOS facility was developed by Air Force Systems Command
(AFSC) through its Rome Air Development Center, Griffiss Air
Force Base, N.Y., and is administered and operated by the AVCO
Everett Research Laboratory in Maui. The principal investigator
for the AMOS tests on the Space Shuttle is from AFSC's Air Force
Geophysics Laboratory, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass. A co-
principal investigator is from AVCO.
Flight planning and mission support activities for the AMOS
test opportunities are provided by a detachment of AFSC's Space
Division at Johnson Space Center, Houston. Flight operations are
conducted at JSC Mission Control Center in coordination with the
AMOS facilities located in Hawaii.
ORBITER EXPERIMENTS AUTONOMOUS SUPPORTING INSTRUMENTATION
Special instrumentation to record the environment
experienced by Discovery during the STS-29 mission is mounted in
the orbiter payload bay.
Called OASIS, the instrumentation is designed to collect and
record a variety of environmental measurements during various in-
flight phases of the orbiter. The primary device is a large tape
recorder mounted on the aft port side of the orbiter. The OASIS
recorder can be commanded from the ground to store information at
a low, medium or high data rate. After Discovery's mission is
over, the tapes will be removed for analysis.
The information will be used to study the effects on the
orbiter of temperature, pressure, vibration, sound, acceleration,
stress and strain. It also will be used to assist in the design
of future payloads and upper stages.
OASIS is about desk-top size, approximately 4 feet in
length, 1 foot in width, 3 feet in depth and weighs 230 pounds.
- more -
- 21 -
The OASIS data is collected from 101 sensors mounted along
the sills on either side of the payload bay, on the airborne
support equipment of the Inertial IUS and on the tape recorder
itself. These sensors are connected to accelerometers, strain
gauges, microphones, pressure gauges and various thermal devices
on the orbiter.
OASIS was launched aboard Discovery on STS-26 in September
1988. Upon return to KSC, the OASIS recorder was removed from
the payload bay and the tape analyzed. Use of this data improved
efficiency in turnaround of the IUS airborne support equipment
for Discovery's STS-29 mission. As more OASIS data is collected,
it will be increasingly beneficial for future IUS flights on the
Space Shuttle.
On STS-29 launch day, the system will be turned on 9 minutes
before Discovery's liftoff to begin recording at high speed to
recover high fidelity data. Following the first burn of the
orbital maneuvering system, the recorder will be switched to the
low data rate and will be commanded again to high speed for
subsequent OMS burns.
Different data rates are to be commanded from the ground at
various times during the on-orbit operations. If tape remains,
the recorder will operate during descent.
NASA is flying OASIS aboard Discovery in support of the IUS
program office of the Air Force Space Division. The system was
developed by Lockheed Engineering and Management Services Company
under a NASA contract. Development was sponsored by the Air
Force Space Division.
STS-29 PAYLOAD AND VEHICLE WEIGHTS
VEHICLE/PAYLOAD WEIGHT (Pounds)
Discovery Orbiter (Empty) 176,019
TDRS-D/IUS 43,212
OASIS I 223
CHROMEX 92
IMAX 276
IUS Support Equipment 204
PCG 81
SHARE 637
SSIP (2) 128
Orbiter and Cargo at SRB Ignition 263,289
Total Vehicle at SRB Ignition 4,525,139
Orbiter Landing Weight 194,616
- more -
- 22 -
SPACEFLIGHT TRACKING AND DATA NETWORK
Although primary communications for most activities on STS-
29 will be conducted through the orbiting Tracking and Data Relay
Satellites (TDRS-1 and TDRS-3), NASA Spaceflight Tracking and
Data Relay Network (STDN)-controlled ground stations will play a
key role in several mission activities. In addition, the
stations, along with the NASA Communications Network (NASCOM), at
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., will serve as
backups for communications with Space Shuttle Discovery should a
problem develop in the satellite communications.
Three of the 14 stations serve as the primary communications
focal point during the launch and ascent phase of the Shuttle
launch from Kennedy Space Center, Fla. They are Merritt Island
and Ponce de Leon in Florida and Bermuda downrange from the
launch site. For the first minute and 20 seconds, all voice,
telemetry and other communications from the Shuttle are relayed
to the mission managers at Kennedy and at Johnson Space Center,
Houston, by way of the Merritt Island facility.
At 1 minute, 20 seconds, the communications are picked up
from the Shuttle and relayed to KSC and JSC from the Ponce de
Leon facility, 30 miles north of the launch pad. This facility
provides the communications for 70 seconds, or during a critical
period when exhaust energy from the solid rocket motors "blocks
out" the Merritt Island antennas.
The Merritt Island facility resumes communications to and
from the Shuttle after those 70 seconds and maintains them until
6 minutes, 30 seconds after launch when communications are
"switched over" to Bermuda. Bermuda then provides the
communications until 8 minutes, 45 seconds after liftoff when the
TDRS-1 (East) satellite acquires the Shuttle.
Another critical point in the mission is deployment of TDRS-
D from the orbiter. Ground stations at Canberra, Australia;
Goldstone, Calif.; Hawaii; and Guam provide the communications
for the crucial time the satellite is being transferred to
geosynchronous orbit, 22,300 miles above Earth.
Another time the ground stations will play a key role is
during the landing. The facilities at the Ames-Dryden Flight
Research Facility and the Goldstone Deep Space Network stations
provide primary communications for the Shuttle during its
approach and landing at nearby Edwards Air Force Base.
- more -
- 23 -
More than 1,500 persons will maintain the stations on a 24-
hour basis during the 5-day mission. In addition to the 14
ground stations, there are six major computing interfaces located
at the Network Control Center and the Flight Dynamics Facility,
both at Goddard; Western Space and Missile Center, Vandenberg
AFB, Calif.; Air Force Satellite Control Facility, Colorado
Springs; White Sands Missile Range, N.M.; and the Eastern Space
and Missile Center, Fla.
The Merritt Island station provides the data to KSC and JSC
during pre-launch testing and the terminal countdown. In
addition to Merritt Island, Ponce de Leon and Bermuda, which
provide S-band communications during launch and ascent, C-band
facilities at Bermuda; Antigua; Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
and Patrick Air Force Base, both in Florida; and Wallops Flight
Facility, Va., provide tracking data, both high and low speed, to
KSC and JSC.
S-band systems carry radio frequency transmissions of
command and telemetry. C-band stations provide radar (skin)
tracking for orbit determination. Ultra high frequency
air/ground (UHF A/G) stations provide astronaut voice
communications with the ground.
NASA plans to close some of its stations as the satellite
tracking system becomes more operational. Stations at Santiago,
Chile, and Guam are expected to cease operations on June 30, and
Hawaii and Ascension will stop operations Sept. 30, 1989.
Currently, Yarragadee, Australia, is part of NASA's laser
network and will be available for use in an emergency during NASA
missions as a backup to TDRS-West (TDRS-3).
Closing of the stations is expected to provide savings of
approximately $30 million a year.
MCC REAL TIME DATA SYSTEM (RTDS)
The real time data system is an intelligent, real-time
assistant to the flight controllers in the Mission Control
Center, Johnson Space Center, during a Shuttle mission. Flight
controller expertise is represented in the form of algorithms and
expert systems. The expert systems monitor performance of
various Shuttle systems. RTDS runs on MASSCOMP mini-computers
which have multiple processors.
During a mission, the expert systems process Shuttle
downlink data and display the results to flight controllers.
Information is presented to the flight controllers through
familiar graphs and schematics, indicating anomalies through
color highlights, text messages and tones. RTDS is significant
because much of the monitoring work traditionally done by the
flight controller and other staff can now be off-loaded to the
expert system, leaving the flight controller free to perform
other tasks.
- more -
- 24 -
RTDS was used during STS-26 to aid flight controllers in
monitoring Shuttle main engine performance during the critical
ascent phase and the deployment of the Tracking and Data Relay
Satellite. Based on the success of RTDS during the STS-26
mission, the system has been expanded and incorporated into other
Shuttle flight control disciplines.
During STS-29, RTDS will be used to aid the integrated
communications officer, booster, mechanical, manipulator and crew
systems flight controllers. RTDS displays have been installed
into and around the consoles of these three flight control
disciplines, providing the information to perform certain flight
control tasks. Additionally, the electronic analog of certain
cockpit instruments, such as the attitude and direction
indicator, are being modeled on the RTDS displays to give flight
control personnel an understanding of the information available
to the astronauts flying in the Shuttle.
RTDS represents the first operational use of real-time
expert system technologies for manned spacecraft monitoring and
as such, has provided a hands-on understanding of these
technologies. The system will be expanded on future flights to
include additional controller functions.
- more -
- 25 -
CREW BIOGRAPHIES
MICHAEL L. COATS, 43, captain, USN, is mission commander.
Born in Sacramento, Calif., he considers Riverside, Calif., his
hometown. Coats is a member of the astronaut class of 1978.
Coats was pilot of the 14th Space Shuttle mission (41- D)
launched Aug. 30, 1984 marking orbiter Discovery's maiden
flight. The 41-D crew earned the nickname "Icebusters" because
of their successful removal of hazardous ice particles from the
orbiter using the remote manipulator system. The flight included
several "firsts:" The first time three communications satellites
were deployed during one mission; the first "frisbee" satellite
deployment; and the first time a commercial payload specialist
flew aboard the Shuttle.
Coats has logged more than 144 hours in space. He earned a
B.S. degree from the United States Naval Academy in 1968, a M.S.
degree in administration of science and technology from George
Washington University in 1977, and a M.S. in aeronautical
engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1979.
Coats became a naval aviator in September 1969 and served 25
months as an A-7E pilot aboard the USS Kittyhawk. During that
time, he flew 315 combat missions in Southeast Asia. Coats, in
1974, attended test pilot training. Following his training, he
was project officer and the test pilot for the A-7 and A-4
aircraft at the Strike Aircraft Test Directorate and served as a
flight instructor at the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School from April
1976 to May 1977. He has logged more than 4,700 hours flying
time and 400 carrier landings in 22 different types of aircraft.
JOHN E. BLAHA, 46, colonel, USAF, is pilot. He was born in
San Antonio, Texas. Blaha, making his first flight, is a member
of the astronaut class of 1980.
He has been an ascent, orbit, planning and entry capsule
communicator (CAPCOM) in the Mission Control Center for seven
Shuttle flights. Blaha was lead CAPCOM for the STS 41-D and STS
41-G missions. He served as the astronaut office representative
of the Space Shuttle ascent/abort reassessment team and the
orbital maneuvering system/reaction control system reassessment
group.
Blaha earned a B.S. degree in engineering science from the
U.S. Air Force Academy in 1965 and a M.S. degree in astronautical
engineering from Purdue University in 1966. He received his
pilot wings in 1967. He then served as an operational pilot
flying A-37, F-4, F-102 and F-106 aircraft and completed 361
combat missions in Southeast Asia.
- more -
- 26 -
Blaha attended the USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School in
1971 and later served as an instructor pilot at the test pilot
school. He served as a test pilot working with the Royal Air
Force in the United Kingdom for 3 years. Blaha also has worked
for the Assistant Chief of Staff, Studies and Analyses at USAF
Headquarters in the Pentagon. He has logged 4,300 hours of
flying time in 32 different aircraft.
JAMES F. BUCHLI, 43, colonel, USMC, is mission specialist
one (MS-1). Although born in New Rockford, N.D., Buchli
considers Fargo, N.D., his hometown. He is a member of the
astronaut class of 1978.
Buchli was a mission specialist on STS 51-C launched on Jan.
24, 1985. The first Department of Defense mission included
deployment of a modified inertial upper stage from the Space
Shuttle Discovery.
He next flew Oct. 30, 1985 as a mission specialist on STS
61-A, the West German Spacelab D1 mission. That mission was the
first to carry eight crewmembers, the largest crew to fly in
space and the first in which payload activities were controlled
from outside the United States. Buchli has logged a total of 243
hours in space.
He earned a B.S. degree in aeronautical engineering from the
U.S. Naval Academy in 1967 and a M.S. degree in aeronautical
engineering systems from the University of West Florida in 1975.
Following graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy and his
commission in the USMC, Buchli served for 1 year in the Republic
of Vietnam. He then completed naval flight officer training and
was assigned to Marine fighter/attack squadrons in Hawaii, Japan
and Thailand. He has logged 3,500 hours flying time, 3,300 hours
in jet aircraft.
ROBERT C. SPRINGER, 46, colonel, USMC, is mission specialist
two (MS-2). Although born in St. Louis, he considers Ashland,
Ohio, his hometown. Springer is a member of the astronaut class
of 1980 and will be making his first space flight.
He has worked in the Mission Control Center as a CAPCOM for
seven flights and was responsible for Astronaut Office
coordination of design requirements reviews and design
certification reviews, part of the total recertification and
reverification of the National Space Transportation System prior
to STS-26's return to flight.
Springer earned a B.S. degree in naval science from the U.S.
Naval Academy in 1964 and a M.S. in operations research and
systems analysis from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1971.
- more -
- 27 -
After receiving a USMC commission, Springer received his
aviator wings in August 1966 and was assigned to VMFA-513 at the
Marine Corps Air Station in Cherry Point, N.C., where he flew F-4
aircraft. He then served in Southeast Asia where he flew F-4s
and completed 300 combat missions. In June 1968, Springer served
as an advisor to the Republic of Korea Marine Corps in Vietnam
and flew 250 combat missions in 01 "Bird Dogs" and UH1 "Huey"
helicopters.
Springer attended Navy Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun) and
in 1975 graduated from the U.S. Navy Test Pilot School in
Patuxent River, Md. He has served as a test pilot for more than
20 different fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft and performed the
first flights in the AHIT helicopter. Springer has logged more
than 3,500 hours flying time, including 3,000 hours in jet
aircraft.
JAMES P. BAGIAN, M.D., 36, is mission specialist three (MS-
3). This will be his first space flight. Born in Philadelphia,
he is a member of the astronaut class of 1980.
Bagian participated in the planning and provision of
emergency medical and rescue support for the first six Shuttle
flights and has participated in the verification of Space Shuttle
flight software. In 1986, Bagian became an investigator for the
51-L accident board and has been responsible for the development
of the pressure suit and other crew survival equipment astronauts
now use on Shuttle missions.
He earned a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from
Drexel University in 1973 and a doctorate in medicine from Thomas
Jefferson University in 1977.
Bagian worked as a process engineer for the 3M Company in
1973 and later as a mechanical engineer at the U.S. Naval Air
Test Center at Patuxent River, Md. He worked as a flight surgeon
and research medical officer at the Johnson Space Center in 1978
while completing his studies at the USAF Flight Surgeons School
and USAF School of Aerospace Medicine in San Antonio, Texas. An
active participant in the mountain rescue community, Bagian has a
private pilot's license and has logged more than 1,000 hours
flying time in propeller and jet aircraft, helicopters and
gliders.
- more -
- 28 -
SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
NASA HEADQUARTERS
Dr. James C. Fletcher Administrator
Dale D. Myers Deputy Administrator
RADM Richard H. Truly Associate Administrator
for Space Flight
George W. S. Abbey Deputy Associate Administrator
for Space Flight
Arnold D. Aldrich Director, National Space
Transportation Program
Richard H. Kohrs Deputy Director, NSTS Program
(located at Johnson Space Center
Robert L. Crippen Deputy Director, NSTS Operations
(located at Kennedy Space Center)
David L. Winterhalter Director, Systems Engineering
and Analyses
Gary E. Krier Acting Director, Operations
Utilization
Joseph B. Mahon Deputy Associate Administrator
for Space Flight (Flight Systems)
Charles R. Gunn Director, Unmanned Launch
Vehicles and Upper Stages
George A. Rodney Associate Administrator for Safety,
Reliability, Maintainability and
Quality Assurance
Robert O. Aller Associate Administrator for
Operations
Eugene Ferrick Director, Space Network Division
Robert M. Hornstein Director, Ground Network Division
JOHNSON SPACE CENTER
Aaron Cohen Director
Paul J. Weitz Deputy Director
Richard A. Colonna Manager, Orbiter and GFE Projects
- more -
- 29 -
Donald R. Puddy Director, Flight Crew Operations
Eugene F. Kranz Director, Mission Operations
Henry O. Pohl Director, Engineering
Charles S. Harlan Director, Safety, Reliability
and Quality Assurance
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER
Forrest S. McCartney Director
Thomas E. Utsman Deputy Director; Director, Shuttle
Management and Operations
Robert B. Sieck Launch Director
George T. Sasseen Shuttle Engineering Director
John J. Talone STS-29 Flow Director
James A. Thomas Director, Safety, Reliability
and Quality Assurance
John T. Conway Director, Payload Management
and Operations
MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER
James R. Thompson Jr. Director
Thomas J. Lee Deputy Director
William R. Marshall Manager, Shuttle Projects Office
Dr. J. Wayne Littles Director, Science and Engineering
Alexander A. McCool Director, Safety, Reliability
and Quality Assurance
Gerald W. Smith Manager, Solid Rocket Booster Project
Joseph A. Lombardo Manager, Space Shuttle Main
Engine Project
Jerry W. Smelser Acting Manager, External Tank Project
- more -
- 30 -
AMES RESEARCH CENTER
Dr. Dale L. Compton Acting Director
Victor L. Peterson Acting Deputy Director
AMES-DRYDEN FLIGHT RESEARCH FACILITY
Martin A. Knutson Site Manager
Theodore G. Ayers Deputy Site Manager
Thomas C. McMurtry Chief, Research Aircraft
Operations Division
Larry C. Barnett Chief, Shuttle Support Office
GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER
Dr. John W. Townsend Director
Gerald W. Longanecker Director, Flight Projects
Robert E. Spearing Director, Operations and Data Systems
Daniel A. Spintman Chief, Networks Division
Vaughn E. Turner Chief, Communications Division
Dr. Dale W. Harris TDRS Project Manager
Charles M. Hunter TDRS Deputy Project Manager
Gary A. Morse Network Director
CONTACTS
Sarah Keegan/Barbara Selby
Office of Space Flight
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
(Phone: 202/453-2352)
Geoffrey Vincent
Office of Space Operations
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
(Phone: 202/453-8400)
Lisa Malone
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
(Phone: 407/867-2468)
Kyle Herring
Johnson Space Center, Houston
(Phone: 713/483-5111)
Jerry Berg
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
(Phone: 205/544-0034)
Nancy Lovato
Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, Calif.
(Phone: 805/258-8381)
Jim Elliott
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
(Phone: 301/286-6256)
CONTENTS
GENERAL RELEASE............................................1
GENERAL INFORMATION........................................3
QUICK LOOK FACTS...........................................4
STS-29 MISSION OBJECTIVES..................................4
LAUNCH PREPARATION, COUNTDOWN AND LIFTOFF..................5
MAJOR COUNTDOWN MILESTONES.................................7
TRAJECTORY SEQUENCE OF EVENTS..............................9
ABORT MODES...............................................10
SUMMARY OF MAJOR ACTIVITIES...............................10
LANDING AND POST-LANDING OPERATIONS.......................11
TRACKING AND DATA RELAY SATELLITE.........................12
INERTIAL UPPER STAGE......................................14
SECONDARY PAYLOADS:.......................................15
Space Station Heat Pipe Advanced Radiator Element......15
Chromex................................................16
Protein Crystal Growth Experiment......................16
Student Experiments....................................18
IMAX......................................................19
AMOS......................................................20
OASIS INSTRUMENTATION.....................................20
STS-29 CARGO CONFIGURATION................................20b
PAYLOAD AND VEHICLE WEIGHT SUMMARY........................21
SPACEFLIGHT TRACKING AND DATA NETWORK.....................22
MCC REAL TIME DATA SYSTEM.................................23
CREW BIOGRAPHIES..........................................25
SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM MANAGEMENT..........................28