STS-76

Mission emblem

Mission dates

Mission:

STS-76

COSPAR-ID :

1996-018A

Crew:

6th

Begin:

March 22, 1996, 08:13:04 UTC

Starting place:

Kennedy Space Center , LC-39B

Space station:

Me

Coupling:

March 24, 1996, 02:34:05 UTC

Decoupling:

March 29, 1996, 01:08:03 UTC

Duration on me:

4d 22h 33m 58s

Landing:

March 31, 1996, 13:28:57 UTC

Landing place:

Edwards Air Force Base , Runway 22

Flight duration:

9d 5h 15m 53s

Earth orbits:

143

Rotation time :

92.5 min

Apogee :

411 km

Perigee :

389 km

Covered track:

6.1 million km

Team photo

v. l. No. Front: Ronald Sega, Kevin Chilton, Richard Searfoss;
Back: Michael Rich Clifford, Shannon Lucid, Linda Godwin

◄ Before / After ►

STS-75

STS-77

STS-76 ( english S pace T ransportation S ystem) is a mission designation for the US Space Shuttle Atlantis ( OV -104) of NASA . The launch took place on March 22, 1996. It was the 76th space shuttle mission, the 16th flight of the space shuttle Atlantis, the fifth flight as part of the Shuttle Mir program and the third coupling of a US space shuttle to the space station me .

team

Shuttle crew

Kevin Chilton (3rd space flight), commander
Richard Searfoss (2nd space flight), pilot
Ronald Sega (2nd spaceflight), mission specialist
Michael Clifford (3rd spaceflight), mission specialist
Linda Godwin (3rd spaceflight), mission specialist

Me crew outbound

Shannon Lucid (5th space flight)

replacement

John Blaha for Lucid

Mission description

On the third rendezvous mission, the astronaut Shannon Lucid was brought to the Mir space station. In addition, supplies, equipment and experimental material were delivered, various devices were installed outboard of the station and technological and biological experiments were carried out in the Spacehab .

The coupling of the Atlantis to the Shuttle Docking Module (SDM) of the station took place on the 3rd day of the flight. Thereafter, gyroscopic gyroscopes for position control, a current converter, batteries , experimental material ( microgravity in a box, liquid phase sintering ), food, water, films, clothing and a specially adapted seat shell for Shannon Lucid from the Atlantis were brought into the station (a total of 862 kg). Disused devices and samples from various experiments were transported in the opposite direction. This mainly included blood, saliva and urine samples from long-term pilots. These samples were analyzed on earth. This is used to assess how much the risk of kidney disease increases in weightlessness and how the protein metabolism changes.

During the spacecraft mission by Godwin and Clifford on March 27 (6:02 h), four passive devices (MEEP) were installed on the station's SDM. The Polished Plate Micrometeorid Debris Collector (PPMDC) was used to determine the number and strength of micrometeorite impacts. Statements can also be made about the size, origin and effect of the dust particles. The Orbital Debris Collector (ODC) was another dust collector. This collected both man-made pollution and cosmic particles . The experimental complex was completed by two packages with different materials that are to be used in the construction of the International Space Station (POSA I and II). This included layers of paint, glass, multilayer insulation material and various metals. All four experiments were to be dismantled in about 18 months and transported to Earth for closer examination. In addition, new leashes and foot brackets were tested and a video camera was removed from the coupling module. For the second time, the astronauts had the SAFER ( Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue ) rescue package available. This is a small maneuvering unit with 24 nitrogen nozzles that an astronaut in distress can use to move back to the shuttle. The devices are mounted on the back of the spaceman and achieve a maximum speed change of 3 meters per second. Normally, however, the astronauts are protected from drifting off the spacecraft by safety lines.

Recorded to me by STS-76

The BioRack developed by ESA was in use in the Spacehab. It should be used to research the resistance to cosmic rays and the effects of weightlessness on various biological samples. The objects of investigation were bone tissue, hematopoietic cells, the enzyme PKC, plant roots and plant cells . In the latter, cell regeneration, cell division, cell growth and differentiation of cells were studied. After the experiments had been carried out successfully, the samples were each cooled or frozen. BioRack is a system comprising two cabinets with several incubators in which the temperature can be kept constant during the experiment, a cooling system (−22 ° C to +10 ° C) and the corresponding control. The samples are prepared for the corresponding investigations in a glove box.

The KidSat experiment was used for the first time, with which American students could take control of a camera themselves. Their pictures were then sent directly to the schools involved. With the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment ( SAREX ), groups of pupils and students could also come into direct radio contact with the space travelers. SAREX has been part of the shuttle program for many years.

Further investigations on board the Atlantis concerned the measurement of interference signals in the range from 400 MHz to 18 GHz in the vicinity of the Russian space station (experiment MEFC) and measurements of the intensity of a belt of low-energy particle radiation (TRIS) that was discovered only a few years ago , in which in particular the The focus of interest is on the endangerment of sensitive electronic devices and space travelers during outboard work. With the help of polycarbonate detectors, the type, energy and direction of impact of the particles can be determined. In addition, one wants to gain theoretical statements about how the electrically charged nuclei are captured by the earth's magnetic field. Experiments were also carried out on the diffusion of liquids (QUELD), the production of protein crystals for medical purposes, the testing of a new gas analysis system (GASMAP) and the wireless networking of computers (WNE). Due to bad weather, the flight was extended by one day. Nevertheless, the landing then had to take place at the air force base in Edwards.