The STS-85 mission will feature the deployment and retrieval of the Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere-Shuttle Pallet Satellite-2 (CRISTA-SPAS-2). It is also the first flight of a prototype robotic arm designed for the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) on the International Space Station. In addition, a wide variety of astronomical, new technology and biological experiments will round out the 11-day mission. The Space Shuttle Discovery is scheduled to begin the sixth mission of the year with a mid-morning liftoff from Launch Pad 39A at the beginning of a 1-hour, 41-minute-long launch window. The orbiter will circle the Earth at an altitude of 184 statute miles at an attitude of 57 degrees to the equator. Once in orbit, the six-member crew will conduct the 19 experiments in Discovery's payload bay as well as 10 in-cabin scientific investigations. The 86th Space Shuttle mission is scheduled to end with an early-morning touchdown at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility.
Mission Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr., (Lt. Col., USAF) is on his fourth space flight, having served as pilot of STS-47, STS-66 and STS-77. A test pilot, he has more than 5,000 hours of flight time in jet aircraft.
Pilot Kent V. Rominger (Cdr., USN) is on his third Shuttle mission in this capacity, having previously flown on STS-73 and STS-80. He holds a master's degree in aeronautical engineering and has more than 4,500 hours of flight time and 685 carrier landings.
Payload Commander N. Jan Davis (Ph.D.) has logged nearly 400 hours in space on STS-47 and STS-60. She holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering. During STS-85, Davis will deploy and retrieve the CRISTA-SPAS and operate the prototype Japanese robotic arm.
Mission Specialist Robert L. Curbeam Jr. (Lt. Cdr., USN) is a former radar intercept officer and holds a master's degree in aeronautical engineering. He was selected as an astronaut in 1994 and is one of the three space rookies on this mission.
Mission Specialist Stephen K. Robinson (Ph.D.) has been a NASA employee since 1975 and has worked at NASA's Ames and Langley Research Centers. He holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering and is a licensed pilot.
Payload Specialist Bjarni V. Tryggvason is a Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut. He has been the principal investigator of the Microgravity vibration Isolation Mount (MIM) now flying on the Russian Mir space station. He will conduct MIM and fluid physics experiments during STS-85.
The CRISTA-SPAS-2 is the fourth mission in the Astronomy (ASTRO)-SPAS program, a cooperative venture between the German Space Agency (DARA) and the NASA Office of Space Science and Applications. The free-flying satellite is made up of the SPAS carrier and the CRISTA payload. The SPAS serves as the support system for the CRISTA instruments and has its own rotational attitude and cold gas propulsion systems. The CRISTA is a system of three telescopes and four spectrometers designed to measure infrared radiation emitted by the Earth's middle atmosphere. Also onboard the free-flying satellite will be the Middle Atmosphere High Resolution Spectrograph Investigation (MAHRSI) to measure ultraviolet radiation emitted and scattered by the Earth's atmosphere. Two other experiments, the Mini-Dual Earth Sensor (MiDES) and the Interferometry Program Experiment-II (IPEX-II) are also mounted on the SPAS. The CRISTA-SPAS-2 will be deployed by Davis on Flight Day 1 and be retrieved on Flight Day 9.
Manipulator Flight Demonstration (MFD) -- The MFD experiment is sponsored by the Japanese Space Agency (NASDA). It is designed to test the operational capability of the Japanese Experiment Module Remote Manipulator System (JEM RMS) Small Fine Arm (SFA), which is atop its Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure (MPESS) carrier that will serve as a platform in the payload bay for the robotic arm experiment. The newly designed dexterous robot arm, which will be a part of the JEM element of the International Space Station, will be operated by Davis from the orbiter's aft flight deck. Two other experiments also will be mounted on the MPESS. The Two-Phase Fluid Loop Experiment (TPFLEX) is a heat transport system that will measure the heat transfer characteristics of this technology under microgravity conditions. The Evaluation of Space Environment and Effects on Materials Experiment (ESEM) will test solar cell glass and other materials in the space environment while a cosmic dust collector gathers samples.
Technology Applications and Science-1(TAS-1) -- The TAS-1 holds seven separate experiments mounted on a Hitchhiker MPESS that will provide data on the Earth's topography and atmosphere, study the sun's energy, and test new thermal control devices, as well as several student-developed experiments. The Shuttle Laser Altimeter-2 (SLA-2) will demonstrate laser altimeter operations in Earth orbit. It will be a testbed for such sensors and measure the height of clouds, cloud structure and aerosol layering. The Critical Viscosity of Xenon (CVX) experiment will measure the viscosity of this element at temperatures closer to its liquid-vapor critical point than can be done on Earth. The Two Phase Flow thermal control experiment will demonstrate and characterize flight operation of a capillary pumped loop with advanced features and components. The Cryogenic On-Orbit Long-Life Active Refrigerator (COOLLAR) Flight Experiment (CFE) will test the operation of an engineering development model of a cryogenic cooler. The Infrared Spectral Imaging Radiometer (ISIR) will measure infrared radiation emitted from cloud tops in the Earth's atmosphere. It will also serve as a testbed for a new type of detector and measure cloud and aerosol layers. The Solar Constant Experiment (SOLCON) will measure the amount of the Sun's energy that reaches the Earth and identify variations that occur during a solar cycle. The Space Experiment Module (SEM) is a canister on the MPESS that contains 10 separate modules, each containing a separate experiment designed and constructed by students. This payload is part of a NASA initiative to increase educational access to space.
International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker-2 (IEH-2) -- Four IEH-2 experiments will study ultra-violet radiation from stars, the sun and other sources in the solar system. The Solar Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker (SHE) will study fluxes in extreme and far ultraviolet wavelengths from solar system objects and space. The Ultraviolet Spectrograph for Astronomical Research (UVSTAR) will record extreme ultraviolet fluxes from Jupiter and other celestial objects, including the comet Hale-Bopp. The Shuttle GLO experiment will be used to study Shuttle glow phenomena and ultraviolet emissions of the Earth's limb. The Distribution and Automation Technology Advancement -- Colorado Hitchhiker and Student Experiment of Solar Radiation (DATA-CHASER) will obtain soft X-rays and far ultraviolet emissions from the Sun.
The Southwest Ultraviolet Imaging System (SWIUS) is a 7-inch imaging telescope that will be pointed out the orbiter's windows by the crew primarily to observe the Hale-Bopp comet. The Bioreactor Demonstration System (BDS) is a part of the Johnson Space Center's Medical Sciences Division Bioreactor program. The Biotechnology Specimen Temperature Controller (BSTC) is a cell culture incubator that will ultimately lead to the use of microgravity to engineer tissues from individual cells. This investigation will confirm the procedures necessary to conduct cell biology experiments on orbit and investigate the assembly of cardiac and smooth muscle cells in microgravity. Tissue engineering will also be researched in the Engineering Development Unit #1 Reflight (EDU-1R).
Discovery's last spaceflight was STS-82, the second Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. Launch took place on Feb. 11, 1997, with landing on Feb. 21 at KSC. The orbiter was then moved to Orbiter Processing Facility 2. Discovery rolled out to Launch Pad 39A for the STS-85 mission on July 14. The CRISTA-SPAS-2 payload was processed in the Multi-Payload Processing Facility, while the TAS-1 and IEH-2 payloads underwent final assembly and checkout in the Space Station Processing Facility. All three payloads were transported to the pad July 10 for installation into Discovery's payload bay.