STS-78
STS-78 is a Space Shuttle program mission.
| Space Shuttle program | |
|---|---|
| Mission Insignia | |
| |
| Mission Statistics | |
| Mission: | STS-78 |
| Shuttle: | Columbia |
| Launch Pad: | 39-B |
| Launch: | June 20, 1996 10:49:00.0075 a.m. EDT. |
| Landing: | KSC July 7, 1996 8:37.30 a.m. EDT. Runway 33. |
| Duration: | 16 days, 21 hours, 48 minutes, 30 seconds. |
| Orbit Altitude: | 173 statute miles (278 km) |
| Orbit Inclination: | 39 degrees |
| Distance Traveled: | 7 million miles (11 million km) |
| Crew photo | |
| Previous Mission: STS-77 |
Next Mission: STS-79 |
| Table of contents |
|
2 Mission Highlights 3 Related articles 4 External links |
Once in orbit, the crew will enter the 40 foot (13 m) pressurized Spacelab module to begin the 22 LMS life science and microgravity experiments in the laboratory and in lockers in the middeck area of the orbiter's crew cabin. Thirteen of the life sciences experiments will be devoted to the study of the effects of microgravity on human physiology, while six microgravity experiments will be conducted to produce metallic alloys and protein crystals and study the behavior of fluids and materials processing in the near-weightless environment of space.
The mission's experiments will build on previous Shuttle spacelab
flights dedicated to life sciences and microgravity investigations
(Spacelab Life Sciences 1 and 2 -- STS-40 and STS-58, and International
Microgravity Laboratory 1 and 2 -- STS-42 and STS-65).
Crew
Mission Highlights
The scheduled 15-day, 21-hour STS-78 Life and Microgravity Spacelab (LMS) mission will help set the stage for the International Space Station by studying the effects of long-duration space flight on human physiology and conducting the type of experiments that would fly on the orbital platform. Columbia will climb to a 173 statute mile (278 km) high orbit with a 39-degree inclination to the Earth's equator to allow the seven-member flight crew to maintain the same sleep/wake rhythms they are accustomed to on Earth and to reduce vibrational and directional forces that could affect on-board microgravity experiments.Related articles
External links