STS-72

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Mission emblem
Mission emblem STS-72
Mission dates
Mission: STS-72
COSPAR-ID : 1996-001A
Crew: 6th
Begin: January 11, 1996, 9:41:00 AM  UTC
Starting place: Kennedy Space Center , LC-39B
Landing: January 20, 1996, 07:41:40 UTC
Landing place: Kennedy Space Center, Lane 15
Flight duration: 8d 22h 00m 40s
Earth orbits: 142
Rotation time : 91.1 min
Orbit inclination : 28.4 °
Apogee : 470 km
Perigee : 185 km
Covered track: 6.1 million km
Payload: SPARTAN 206
Team photo
v. l. No. Winston Scott, Brent Jett, Leroy Chiao, Koichi Wakata, Brian Duffy, Daniel Barry
v. l. No. Winston Scott, Brent Jett, Leroy Chiao, Koichi Wakata, Brian Duffy, Daniel Barry
◄ Before / After ►
STS-74 STS-75

STS-72 ( english S pace T ransportation S ystem) is a mission designation for the US Space Shuttle Endeavor (OV-105) of NASA . The launch took place on January 11, 1996. It was the 74th space shuttle mission and the tenth flight of the space shuttle Endeavor.

team

Mission description

The main points of the work program of the Endeavor crew were the capture of the Japanese experimental platform SFU (Space Flyer Unit, four tons of mass, launch in March 1995), the launching of the SPARTAN 206 satellite for two days and the completion of various tests during two spacecraft work. A number of secondary experiments also flew in the payload bay and middle deck of the space shuttle .

In order to be able to reach SFU on schedule, a tight start window had to be observed. Due to a postponement of the launch, the disused military satellite MTSI had to be avoided on the first day of flight. Several flight maneuvers then brought the Endeavor closer to the non-propelled SFU satellite. Trapping with the manipulator arm was taken over by Koichi Wakata on the third day of the flight. Since the solar cell panels could not be completely folded in, they were blown off from the ground.

One day later the SPARTAN / OAST ( Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology , 1.3 t mass) satellite was launched. Four experiments were then activated on it. Reflex ( Return Flux Experiment ) is used to check computer models of contamination that sensitive components such as lenses or sensors experience in near-earth space. Particles detach from the surface of a spacecraft and are repelled by the molecules of the remaining atmosphere. Up to now, this particle backflow could not be modeled mathematically. In addition, the erosion of various surfaces through chemical reactions with substances in the earth's atmosphere was investigated with Reflex . With GADACS ( GPS Attitude Determination and Control Experiment ), important orbit parameters such as altitude and speed were calculated with the help of GPS data. A similar system was also found on board the Endeavor. Up to now, complex devices with gyroscopes and star, sun or earth sensors have always been used for this . SELODe ( Solar Exposure to Laser Ordnance Device ) is a system with which small explosive charges are no longer detonated electrically, but with the help of a laser. Such explosive charges are used to separate rocket stages or parts that have become superfluous. However, static charges could repeatedly lead to misfires. Finally, SPRE ( Spartan Packet Radio Experiment ) is an experimental amateur radio system with which path tracking based on amateur technology was tested.

During the two exits (Chiao / Barry on January 15th for 6:09 am and Chiao / Scott on January 17th for 6:54 am) assembly techniques and various aids and components for the planned International Space Station were tested. This included a transportable work platform with a foot holder ( Portable Work Platform ), the Space Station Utility Box , which is used to store small parts, a sliding wire that was mounted along the payload bay and is intended to ensure faster movement, a cable reel ( Cable Caddy ) and a rigid umbilical that was stretched across the payload bay. Such a system now connects individual room station modules by sheathing electrical cables and liquid pipes and thus protecting them from damage. In the Endeavor's cargo bay, 5 electrical cables and two liquid lines were connected between two points on a trial basis. The 120 kilogram, rigid cable casing had to be unfolded beforehand. Dealing with large loads was also trained with further folded copies. The footrests on the platform did not provide sufficient support for this. Therefore, various additional brackets were used and the forces occurring during work were measured. Improvements to the spacesuits were checked again. In the area of ​​the hands and feet there are battery-operated additional heaters, which should prevent cooling down during longer outboard work. For the first time, a small computer was also used, which was attached to the astronaut's wrist and could display various checklists ( Electronic Cuff Checklist ).

There were six more experiments in the shuttle's payload bay. With the Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Experiment (SSBUV), the UV reflection of the upper atmosphere below the flight path of the Endeavor was measured for the eighth time. The data were primarily used to calibrate the instruments on various international satellites (NOAA 9, 11 and 14 as well as UARS, ERS and Meteor 3). They were used to monitor the ozone concentration at different heights.

The Shuttle Laser Altimeter (SLA) was used to determine the distance between the shuttle and the earth by means of laser reflection. The measurements are so precise that it was also possible to measure small surface elevations as well as tree heights or flight heights of clouds. SLA consisted of a laser that emitted 10 pulses per second, a mirror and a detector for the reflected light. With each pulse, it irradiated an area the size of a soccer field from orbit.

The thermal energy storage capacity of fluoride salts was examined. The heat stored here is then converted into electrical energy. In continuous operation, the salt has to withstand constant melting and solidification processes undamaged. TES therefore represents a solar dynamic energy system.

The Flexible Beam Experiment (FlexBeam) investigated how vibrations can be dampened in a vacuum. Previous damping systems were always based on moving masses, springs, oscillators or small gas nozzles. FlexBeam consisted of two flexible aluminum beams whose vibrations were measured with high accuracy.

The Ballast Can experiment consisted of a trap for small cosmic particles. Such measurements can be used to make statements about the concentration of micrometeorites at an altitude between 300 and 400 kilometers above the earth's surface.

In a canister and an apparatus for the Japanese is protein crystal recovery ( Protein Crystal Growth ) carried. Here, the size and shape of pulled crystals were researched in 16 independent crystallization chambers. Three different crystallization methods were tested (crystal growth from the gas phase , temperature gradient encrystallization, free-interface diffusion). A protein from the heart of horses ( ribonuclease S) served as the crystallization medium . The resulting brownish crystals can be easily filmed for the 35 mm camera and can also be easily examined later.

Similar investigations were carried out in the middle deck of the space shuttle . PCG was an advanced apparatus for optimizing crystal growth from the vapor phase in weightlessness. It contained four containers with 20 samples each. CPCG ( Commertial Protein Crystal Growth ), on the other hand, was used for the commercial production of protein crystals for medical purposes. During the Endeavor flight, different container shapes and sizes were used and the temperature gradient varied. With a smaller space requirement and thus reduced costs, the system should become more interesting for industrial use.

Landing of the Endeavor

Two biological examinations were also carried out in the middle deck on behalf of the National Institute of Health of the USA . For this purpose, several female rats with babies were carried along in a special modular system. In the first three weeks of life, major changes take place in the newborn's brain. These changes should be examined for the first time in weightlessness. The birth of the infants was 5, 8 and 15 days ago for the individual dams. This enabled different development phases to be scrutinized. The brains of the animals were carefully examined on their return to earth. The second experiment looked at the development of muscle and bone cells from chicken embryos. In weightlessness there is always a loss of tissue ( space tissue loss ).

After a successful flight, the Endeavor landed on the grounds of the Kennedy Space Center .

See also

Web links

Commons : STS-72  - album with pictures, videos and audio files