April 2, 1998Space Shuttle Program managers today affirmed April 16 as the launch date for NASA's second Shuttle mission of 1998 - a two week plus life sciences research flight that will focus on the most complex and least understood part of the human body, the nervous system.
The Flight Readiness Review held at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla. earlier today is the final major review by all of the Shuttle project offices to evaluate the readiness of the flight crew, vehicle, along with launch and mission control flight teams to support the launch of Space Shuttle Columbia on the STS-90 Neurolab mission.
Columbia is scheduled for launch on April 16, 1998 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39-B. The 2 1/2 hour available launch window opens at 2:19 p.m. Eastern. The STS-90 mission is scheduled to last 15 days, 21 hours, 50 minutes. However, mission managers are reserving an option of extending the flight one additional day for science operations if Shuttle electrical power margins permit. A launch on April 16 and a 16 or 17 day nominal mission being flown would have Columbia landing back at Kennedy Space Center on May 2 or May 3.
The STS-90 Mission Commander is Richard A. Searfoss. Pilot for the flight is Scott D. Altman. There are three mission specialists assigned to this mission -- Richard M. Linnehan, who is also serving as the the Payload Commander, Kathryn P. (Kay) Hire and Dafydd (Dave) Rhys Williams from the Canadian Space Agency. Two payload specialists -- Jay Clark Buckey, Jr. and James A. (Jim) Pawelczyk -- round out the seven member STS-90 crew.
STS-90 will be the 25th flight of Columbia and the 90th mission flown since the start of the Space Shuttle program in April 1981.