The fifth Shuttle-Mir docking mission will begin when the Space Shuttle Atlantis lifts off from Launch Pad 39B at KSC and enters an initial orbit of 184 statute miles (296 kilometers) at an inclination of 51.6 degrees to the Earth’s equator. Atlantis will then maneuver to rendezvous and dock with Mir on Flight Day 3 at an altitude of about 245 statute miles (394 kilometers).
Once docked, STS-81 Mission Specialist Jerry Linenger will take his place aboard the Russian space station as a member of the Mir crew for a planned stay of about 4 1/2 months. He will replace NASA astronaut John Blaha,who has been on Mir since Sept. 19, 1996, when Atlantis dock-ed with Mir during the STS-79 mission. Linenger will remain aboard Mir until he is replaced by STS-84 Mission Specialist Michael Foale. He will return to Earth during that mission, which is currently targeted for May 1997.
Atlantis’ primary payload will be a SPACEHAB double module that will serve as a transport module for nearly 2,000 pounds of food, water and other supplies for the Mir crew. During the five days of docking operations, the STS-81 and Mir 22 crews will work to together to transfer supplies into Mir and conduct experiments in the SPACEHAB and the Russian space station. Blaha will return to Earth as a member of the STS-81 crew when Atlantis touches down at KSC to conclude the 10-day mission.
Mission Commander Michael A. Baker (Captain, USN) will be on his fourth space flight and was commander of the STS-68 mission. He has more than 4,800 hours of flight time in over 50 types of aircraft. Pilot Brent W. Jett, Jr. (Cdr.,USN) first flew as the pilot of STS-72. A former naval aviator with 450 carrier landings, he holds a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering. He became an astronaut in 1992. Mission Specialist John M. Grunsfeld (Ph.D) flew in this capacity on STS-67. He holds doctorate and master’s degrees in physics. Grunsfeld was selected as an astronaut in 1992. Mission specialist Marsha S. Ivins has flown on three Shuttle missions, STS-62, STS-46 and STS-32. She began work for NASA as an engineer and holds a commercial pilot’s license. She has served as the lead of the Astronaut Support Personnel team at KSC. Mission Specialist Peter J. K. "Jeff" Wisoff conducted a spacewalk on his first flight, STS-57. He holds a doctorate degree in applied physics with an emphasis on lasers and semiconductor materials. Mission Specialist J. L. "Jerry" Linenger is a medical doctor and has been at the Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia in preparation for his stay on Mir. He is on his second Shuttle flight and has been an astronaut since 1992. Mir 22 crew members are Commander Valery Korzun and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri. They have been in space since Aug. 17, 1996, when they were launched to replace the Mir 21 crew. Blaha has flown on four Shuttle missions and had logged 33 days in space before arriving at Mir. He has served as the chairman of the NASA Flight Safety Panel and has been an astronaut since 1980.
The STS-81 Shuttle-Mir docking mission will continue the joint NASA-Russian Space Agency effort to have a U.S. astronaut aboard the Russian space station on a permanent basis that began when Norm Thagard entered the orbital laboratory as a member of the Mir 18 crew on March 18, 1995. Two more docking and astronaut transfer missions, STS-84 and STS-86, are scheduled this year. Two additional long-duration stays by U.S. astronauts will extend the program through May 1998.
The Shuttle-Mir Science Program focuses on using Russian space station long-duration missions to conduct research in the disciplines of advanced technology, earth sciences, fundamental biology and human life sciences, as well as the fields of microgravity and space science. These investigations will provide valuable information for the development and operation of the International Space Station, as well as providing data that will enhance the knowledge base for advances in these fields of research. These advances could lead to new products and procedures that will benefit everyone on Earth.
Atlantis’ payload bay will be configured the same as it was on the STS-79 mission, and the orbiter will link up with the Mir with the Orbiter Docking System (ODS) after Baker and Jett use the R-bar approach to the space station. The ODS also serves as the passageway to allow the transfer of crew members and equipment to and from the Mir orbital laboratory.
The transfer of Russian logistics equipment from the SPACEHAB double module to the Mir will begin shortly after docking. The equipment includes a gyrodyne, three storage batteries, a current transformer, 36 food containers, 1,400 pounds of water and clothing and sleeping articles.
The SPACEHAB, which is flying in the double module configuration for the second time, will also be used to transfer Russian equipment back to Earth aboard Atlantis, including a navigation unit and an experiment furnace package. Some experiment hardware that was transferred to the Mir during the STS-79 mission and left onboard to record data and capture environmental samples will be moved into the SPACEHAB and returned to Earth for analysis.
International Space Station Risk Mitigation Experiments (RME) -- The RMEs are a major part of the Shuttle-Mir Science Program to monitor the Mir interior and exterior to investigate crew health and safety factors aboard the space station. Data from these experiments will be used to improve the design of the International Space Station. The RMEs that will be aboard the SPACEHAB module are: Mir Electronic Field Characterization (MEFC); the Shuttle/Mir Experiment Kit Transport; Optical Properties Monitor (OPM); Treadmill Vibration Isolation and Stabilization System( TVIS); Mir Structural Dynamics Experiment (MiSDE) Joint Operations; and Inventory Management System Test 4.
Human Life Sciences (HLS) Experiments -- These experiments are part of the Shuttle-Mir Science Program effort in which U.S. and Russian scientists work together to determine how the human body adapts to the microgravity environment. The knowledge gained will help assure crew health and safety on the International Space Station. Some of the 11 HLS experiments that will fly in the SPACEHAB and require the transfer of items to Mir will take samples of the space station’s air and water and possible contaminants. Blood will be taken from crew members to study how the immune system reacts to microgravity. Other experiments will be performed to investigate sensory and muscle-motor performance, while data will be collected on sleep patterns and interpersonal behavior.
Other investigations that will remain aboard the SPACEHAB module include the European Space Agency’s Biorack that will study of the effects of microgravity on plants, bacteria and insects and the Queen’s University Experiment in Liquid Diffusion, a joint U.S., Russian and Canadian project. Also in the module’s experiment racks are the Life Sciences Laboratory Equipment Refrigerator /Freezer for stowage and transport of Mir 22 crew urine and saliva samples to investigate possible accelerated renal stone growth and protein metabolism in microgravity. Other medically related experiments include the Cartilage in Space-BTS experiment and the Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (CGBA) to investigate the commercial potential of biomedical and fluid science application in space.
The Materials in Devices as Superconductors experiment was transported to Mir during the STS-79 mission and has been onboard the space station’s Priroda research module to evaluate the effects of long-duration flight on superconductor materials. It will be installed in an orbiter middeck locker during STS-81 and returned to KSC.
Orbiter middeck investigations include the Biological Research in Canisters experiment; the Protein Crystal Growth Freezer Dewar Assembly; and the Diffusion- controlled Crystalization Apparatus for Microgravity. During the mission, the crew will conduct Earth observations with the Kidsat Electronic Still Camera that will be mounted in the overhead window of the orbiter’s aft flight deck.
Atlantis returned to KSC to conclude the STS-79 mission on Sept. 26, 1996. It was then moved to Orbiter Processing Facility 3 for preparation for the STS-81 mission. The ODS was installed in the orbiter’s payload bay on Oct. 30 and Atlantis was rolled over to the Vehicle Assembly Building for mating with its solid rocket boosters and external tank Dec. 5. The Shuttle was rolled out to Launch Pad 39B on Dec. 10. The SPACEHAB module, which had previously been transported out to the pad, was transferred from the Payload Changeout Room and installed into the orbiter’s payload bay on Dec. 12.