STS-91 space shuttle mission: STS-91 space shuttle flight information, STS91 launch

STS-91 Discovery		91th Shuttle Mission
	Commander Charles J. Precourt Pilot Dominic L. Pudwill Gorie Mission Specialist Wendy B. Lawrence Mission Specialist Franklin R. Chang-Diaz Mission Specialist Janet L. Kavandi Mission Specialist Valery Victorovitch Ryumin Download Andrew S. W. Thomas

VEHICLE: Discovery /OV-103 (24th flight)
LAUNCH PAD: 39A
KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: June 2, 1998 6:06:24 p.m. EDT
LAUNCH WINDOW: 10 minutes
KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: June 12, 1998 2:00 p.m. EDT
MISSION DURATION: 9 days, 19 hours, 53 minutes, 36 seconds
ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 51.6 degrees/207 nautical miles
Cargo Bay Payloads: Mir docking adapter, SPACEHAB (SM), AMS-01

June 12, 1998 - Commander Charlie Precourt and Pilot Dom Gorie brought Discovery down in a perfect landing at 2:00 p.m. EDT today. On board was Mission Specialist Andy Thomas who is back on Earth after spending four and a half months on board the Russian Space Station Mir.

Today's landing culminates 977 total days spent in orbit by the seven U.S. astronauts who stayed aboard Mir since the Shuttle-Mir program began. Of those, 907 days were spent as actual Mir crew members. Today's landing would be the end of an 812-day continuous U.S. presence in space.

June 11, 1998 - Discovery's touchdown at Kennedy Space Center in Florida is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. EDT tomorrow, and the seven astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery completed most of their prelanding packing and made sure that all of the systems needed for landing are working well.

If the first landing opportunity is aborted for any reason, the second opportunity would be on the next orbit, and Discovery would land in Florida at 3:36 p.m. EDT. Forecasters report that weather conditions look favorable, with only a minor concern about smoke from brush fires obscuring the runway.

June 10, 1998 - Today, Mission Specialist Franklin Chang-Diaz broke the previous record for time spent on board the space shuttle, as he passed the mark of 1,211 hours set by astronaut Jeff Hoffman over the course of five missions. STS-91 is Chang-Diaz's sixth space flight. In another first today, navigational data on board Discovery was updated using data from the Global Positioning Satellite system, marking the inaugural use of this satellite constellation to provide navigational information to a manned spacecraft on orbit

All seven crew members will continue the process of stowing the equipment and other hardware they have used during the course of the mission, to ready Discovery for its planned landing at 2:03 EDT on Friday

June 9, 1998 - Following four busy days of docked operations with the Mir station, Discovery's crew enjoyed an afternoon of off-duty time today as they move into the home stretch of their flight.

This morning's activities included work with the Orbiter Space Vision System (OSVS) experiment. The SVS equipment will be used during the assembly of the International Space Station to provide astronauts operating the Shuttle's mechanical arm with precise alignment information as station components are brought together.

The crew continued stowing items that were transferred over from the Mir for return to Earth and monitored some of the science experiments being carried on the flight and additional tests were made of the Spacehab Universal Communications System (SHUCS).

June 8, 1998 - The STS-91 astronauts and the Mir 25 cosmonauts parted company today. At 9:07 a.m. EDT this morning the hatch between the two vessels was closed and at 12:01 a.m. EDT the Space Shuttle Discovery undocked from Mir, officially ending the three years of shuttle dockings and astronaut flights aboard the Russian complex.

After undocking, the shuttle backed away from the Mir until it reached a distance of approximately 240 feet below the station. Pilot Dom Gorie then performed a nose-forward flyaround of Mir. About 20 minutes after undocking, when Discovery reached a point directly in front of the Mir, Mir 25 Commander Talgat Musabayev and Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin released a tracer gas of acetone and biacetyl into the depressurized Spektr module.

The astronauts hoped to document the dull green, luminescent gas as it passed through the hole in the Spektr module's hull and thus pinpoint the location of the breach in the Spektr that resulted from last year's collision of a Progress cargo ship. No leak source was seen by Discovery's crew. Finally, almost an hour and a half after undocking, Gorie fired Discovery's jets to separate from the vicinity of the Russian station.

June 7, 1998 - The STS-91 astronauts and Mir 25 cosmonauts will conclude their joint docked operations today as the two crews work to wrap up transfer activities between the two vehicles. Approximately 1200 pounds of water and almost 4700 pounds of resupply material or return items will have been moved between the two vehicles before the hatches between the two spacecraft are closed for the final time. At 12:30 p.m. EDT, the combined crew gathered for a joint news conference and farewell ceremony.

Undocking activities will begin first thing tomorrow morning. A final farewell between the two mission commanders and closing of the hatches between Discovery and Mir is scheduled to take place at 8:41 a.m. EDT. Undocking will take place with the physical separation of the two vehicles at about 12 p.m. EDT.

June 6, 1998 - Almost two and a half days into their planned four days of joint docked operations, the astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the Discovery-Mir complex are well into their transfer operations as they continue to move experiment hardware, logistical supplies and water between the two vehicles. With most of the Mir resupply items having been moved yesterday, the focus of today's work was on the U.S. and Russian return items.

Earlier today, Mission Specialists Wendy Lawrence and Janet Kavandi successfully conducted a checkout of the Shuttle's 50-foot long robot arm to evaluate new electronics and software for use on upcoming assembly missions for the new International Space Station.

June 5, 1998 - The nine astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the Discovery-Mir complex are well into their transfer operations as they wind up their first full day of joint docked operations. During the four days the two spacecraft are joined together, about four tons of logistical supplies and equipment will be moved between the two vehicles.

Earlier today, an in-flight maintenance procedure was performed to try and resolve the problem being experienced with Discovery's Ku-band communication system. However, the results of that procedure indicate that, in all likelihood, the problem causing the Ku failure is located in a component system that is not accessible to the crew.

June 4, 1998 - With commander Charlie Precourt at the controls, Discovery successfully docked with Mir on schedule at 12:58 p.m., the final linkup between an American shuttle and the Russian space complex.

Andy Thomas officially ended his tenure as a Mir crewmember when the hatches were opened at 2:34 p.m. EDT, wrapping up 130 days as a Mir crew member. The seven U.S. astronauts who have lived aboard the Russian complex as long-duration crew members have spent a total of 907 days on the Mir.

Following a welcoming ceremony and gift exchange ceremony, the two crews conducted joint safety briefings and began transfer operations between the two vehicles before the nine members of the Discovery-Mir complex enjoyed a meal together.

June 3, 1998 - Discovery's astronauts spent much of today preparing for Thursday's docking with the Mir space station and their face-to-face meeting with astronaut Andy Thomas, who has been aboard the orbiting Russian facility since late January. Discovery is scheduled to dock with the Mir at 12:58 p.m. EDT Thursday.

June 2, 1998 - Discovery launched as scheduled at 6:06:24 p.m. EDT. Discovery will dock with the Mir on Thursday at around noon EDT, bringing to an end Andy Thomas's four-month stay on the Russian space station.

Overview - STS-91 will mark the final Shuttle/Mir Docking Mission. This Phase 1 Program is a precursor to the International Space Station maintaining a continuous American presence in space and developing the procedures and hardware required for an international partnership in space.

STS-91 will also carry into space the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer Investigation (AMS). The objectives of this investigation are to search for anti-matter and dark matter in space and to study astrophysics.

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