German-run shuttle mission successful.The 22nd space shuttle space shuttle, reusable U.S. space vehicle. Developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), it consists of a winged orbiter, two solid-rocket boosters, and an external tank. mission, first ever to have almost its entire payload under the control of a foreign government, landed Nov. 6 from its week-long flight with West German officials dubbing the results "near perfect." The Spacelab D-1(D for Deutschland) mission carried 76 experiments--of which 75 "achieved ... or went beyond their goals"--Ranging from materials processing Articles on Materials processing include:
n. Motion sickness caused by sustained weightlessness during space flight, usually accompanied by disturbance of the inner ear. space studies aboard an electrically powered "sled" that ran down the lab's aisle. The shuttlecraft shut·tle·craft n. A reusable space vehicle for transporting astronauts or material back and forth; a space shuttle. Challenger's eight-member crew was the largest ever flown in space, including two German and one Dutch "mission specialists" as well as five U.S. participants. Together they kept Spacelab running 24 hours a day, managed by the West German space agency not through NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. in Houston but through the German Space Operations Center The facility or location on an installation, base, or facility used by the commander to command, control, and coordinate all crisis activities. See also base defense operations center; command center. (where 140 scientists also provide support) in Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich. The flight's only major non-Spacelab activity was the successful deployment of a test satellite to relay messages for a proposed Defense Department system. Deployed by a spring from one of NASA's "Getaway Special" canisters, it recouped an attempt that had failed due to battery problems last April. Another shuttle makeup operation proved itself just two days before the Spacelab launching, when ground controllers radioed up commands that successfully ignited a formerly malfunctioning rocket motor to raise the altitude of the already orbiting Syncom 3 communications satellite. Spacewalking astronauts had repaired the satellite in August (SN: 9/7/85, p. 150), but the proof of the pudding--the firing order--had to wait until the satellite reached its proper position. The Spacelab D-1 mission's final accomplishment before Challenger rolled to a stop at California's Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 301,000 acres (121,805 hectares), S Calif., NE of Lancaster; est. 1933. It is one of the largest air force bases in the United States and has the world's longest runway. was a test of a computerized steering system for the shuttle's nosewheel, designed to remedy brake damage and excess tire wear last suffered during an April landing at Kennedy Space Center Kennedy Space Center (Cape Canaveral) U.S. launch site for manned space missions. [U.S. Hist.: WB, So:562] See : Astronautics in Florida. Landings since then have been restricted to the more "forgiving" West Coast strip, but last week's test initially appeared succesful and should help repave the way for East Coast homecomings. The next mission will be aboard the shuttle Atlantis, which lacks the new nosewheel system and will land in California. Set for launch on Nov. 26, it will feature a structural-assembly test in which spacewalking astronauts will construct a 45-foot-high tower from the payload bay. |
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