STS-89 facts for kids
STS-89 was a Space Shuttle mission to the Mir space station. The Space Shuttle Endeavour flew this mission. It launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on January 22, 1998. This mission was an important part of the Shuttle-Mir program, which involved cooperation between the United States and Russia in space.
Endeavour docked to Mir, as viewed from a window on the Kvant-2 module
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| Mission type | Shuttle-Mir |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| Mission duration | 8 days, 19 hours, 48 minutes, 04 seconds. |
| Distance travelled | 5,800,000 kilometers (3,600,000 mi) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Endeavour |
| Landing mass | 114,131 kilograms (251,616 lb) |
| Payload mass | 7,748 kilograms (17,081 lb) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 7 |
| Members |
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| Launching | |
| Landing | |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 23 January 1998, 02:48:15 UTC |
| Launch site | Kennedy LC-39A |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | 31 January 1998, 22:36 UTC |
| Landing site | Kennedy SLF Runway 15 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee | 359 kilometres (223 mi) |
| Apogee | 382 kilometres (237 mi) |
| Inclination | 51.60 degrees |
| Period | 92.0 min |
| Docking with Mir | |
| Docking port | SO starboard |
| Docking date | 24 January 1998, 20:14:15 UTC |
| Undocking date | 29 January 1998, 16:56 UTC |
| Time docked | 4 days, 20 hours, 41 minutes 45 seconds |
  Left to right - Back row: Wolf, Sharipov, Reilly, Thomas, Anderson; Front row: Edwards, Wilcutt, Dunbar |
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Meet the Crew
The STS-89 mission had a crew of seven astronauts. They were:
- Commander: Terrence W. Wilcutt
- Pilot: Joe F. Edwards, Jr.
- Mission Specialist 1: James F. Reilly, II
- Mission Specialist 2: Michael P. Anderson
- Mission Specialist 3: Bonnie J. Dunbar
- Mission Specialist 4: Salizhan Sharipov
One of the main goals of this mission was to swap astronauts on the Mir space station. Astronaut David Wolf had been living on Mir since September 1997. He was replaced by Astronaut Andrew Thomas. Andrew Thomas stayed on Mir for about four months. He returned to Earth on a later mission, STS-91, aboard Space Shuttle Discovery.
Mission Highlights
STS-89 launched on January 22, 1998. It was the eighth of nine planned missions to the Russian space station Mir. It was also the fifth mission that involved exchanging U.S. astronauts.
During the mission, the Space Shuttle Endeavour docked with Mir. This allowed the astronauts to transfer many items between the two spacecraft. They moved over 3,175 kilograms (7,000 lb) of supplies, equipment, and scientific experiments. This exchange was important for keeping the Mir station running and for continuing research in space.
Mission Patch Meaning
The mission patch, or insignia, for STS-89 tells a story. It shows the Space Shuttle Endeavour connected to the Mir space station. Below them, you can see our home planet, Earth.
The patch has a white line shaped like the number eight. There are also nine stars. These represent the mission's number in the Space Transportation System's flight sequence, which was 89. In the background, you can see the outline of the International Space Station. This shows the future of space exploration.
