STS-96 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
STS-96

Jernigan outside Unity, during the mission's only EVA
Mission type	ISS assembly ISS logistics
Operator	NASA
Mission duration	9 days, 19 hours, 13 minutes, 57 seconds
Distance travelled	6,000,000 kilometres (3,700,000 mi)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Space Shuttle Discovery
Launch mass	118,857 kilograms (262,035 lb)
Landing mass	100,230 kilograms (220,980 lb)
Payload mass	9,097 kilograms (20,056 lb)
Crew
Crew size	7
Members	Kent V. Rominger Rick D. Husband Daniel T. Barry Ellen Ochoa Tamara E. Jernigan Julie Payette Valeri I. Tokarev
Start of mission
Launch date	27 May 1999, 10:49:42 (1999-05-27UTC10:49:42Z) UTC
Launch site	Kennedy LC-39B
End of mission
Landing date	6 June 1999, 06:02:43 (1999-06-06UTC06:02:44Z) UTC
Landing site	Kennedy SLF Runway 15
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Perigee	326 kilometres (203 mi)
Apogee	340 kilometres (210 mi)
Inclination	51.6 degrees
Period	91.2 min
Docking with ISS
Docking port	PMA-2 (Unity forward)
Docking date	29 May 1999, 04:23 UTC
Undocking date	3 June 1999, 22:39 UTC
Time docked	5 days, 18 hours, 15 minutes
Left to right - Front row: Rominger, Ochoa, Husband; Back row: Barry, Payette, Tokarev, Jernigan Space Shuttle program ← STS-88 STS-93 →

STS-96 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) flown by Space Shuttle Discovery, and the first shuttle flight to dock at the International Space Station. The shuttle carried the Spacehab module in the payload, filled with cargo for station outfitting. STS-96 launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 27 May 1999 at 06:49:42 AM EDT and returned to Kennedy on 6 June 1999, 2:02:43 AM EDT.

Crew

Position	Astronaut
Commander	Kent V. Rominger Fourth spaceflight
Pilot	Rick D. Husband First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 1	Daniel T. Barry Second spaceflight
Mission Specialist 2	Ellen Ochoa Third spaceflight
Mission Specialist 3	Tamara E. Jernigan Fifth and last spaceflight
Mission Specialist 4	Julie Payette, CSA First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 5	Valeri I. Tokarev, RKA First spaceflight

Space walk

• Jernigan and Barry – EVA 1
• EVA 1 Start: 30 May 1999 – 02:56 UTC
• EVA 1 End: 30 May 1999 – 10:51 UTC
• Duration: 7 hours, 55 minutes

Mission highlights

• 

  Illustration of the International Space Station (ISS) during Space Shuttle flight STS-96

• 

  Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC), with among other the Russian cargo crane "STRELA", which was mounted on the ISS

STS-96 was a logistics and resupply mission for the International Space Station carrying the Spacehab Double Module (DM) 13th Spacehab overall (6th dual module use).

Space Shuttle Discovery carried to the ISS an Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC) with parts for the Russian cargo crane STRELA, which was mounted to the exterior of the Russian station segment. Furthermore, the ICC carried the SPACEHAB Oceaneering Space System Box (SHOSS) and the "ORU Transfer Device" (OTD), a U.S. built crane.

Other payloads on STS-96 were the Student Tracked Atmospheric Research Satellite for Heuristic International Networking Equipment (STARSHINE), the Shuttle Vibration Forces Experiment (SVF) and the Orbiter Integrated Vehicle Health Monitoring – HEDS Technology Demonstration (IVHM HTD).

The STARSHINE satellite consists of an inert, 483 millimetres (19.0 in) hollow sphere covered by 1,000 evenly distributed, flat, polished mirrors, each 1 inch in diameter. The payload consists of the STARSHINE satellite, integrated with the Pallet Ejection System (PES), then mounted inside a lidless carrier. The HH equipment consists of one HH Lightweight Avionics Plate (LAP), then mounted inside a lidless carrier. Additional HH equipment consists of one Hitchhiker Ejection System Electronics (HESE), one 5.0 cubic-foot (142 L) HH canister, and one Adapter Beam Assembly (ABA). The purpose of the mission was to train international student volunteer observers to visually track this optically reflective spacecraft during morning and evening twilight intervals for several months, calculate its orbit from shared observations, and derive atmospheric density from drag-induced changes in its orbit over time.

Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-96 from Kennedy Space Center, 27 May 1999.

The Shuttle Vibration Forces (SVF) Experiment provided flight measurements of the vibratory forces acting between an aerospace payload and its mounting structure. The force transducers were incorporated into four custom brackets which replaced the existing brackets used to attach the 5 ft (1.5 m) standard canister to the side wall GAS adapter beam. The payload was activated automatically by the Orbiter Lift-off vibration and operated for approximately 100 seconds. STS-96 was the second flight of the SVF experiment.

The purpose of the Orbiter Integrated Vehicle Health Monitoring- HEDS Technology Demonstration (IVHM HTD) was to demonstrate competing modern, off-the-shelf sensing technologies in an operational environment to make informed design decisions for the eventual Orbiter upgrade IVHM. The objective of IVHM was to reduce planned ground processing, streamline problem troubleshooting (unplanned ground processing), enhance visibility into systems operation and improve overall vehicle safety.

A copy of Blizzard Entertainment's StarCraft real-time strategy game was also flown aboard STS-96. It resides at Blizzard's headquarters in Irvine, CA.

Wake-up calls

NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during the Gemini program, which was first used to wake up a flight crew during Apollo 15. Each track is specially chosen, often by their families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.

See also

In Spanish: STS-96 para niños