STS-47

Подпись: Int. Designation Launched Launch Site Landed Landing Site Launch Vehicle Duration Call sign Objective 1992-061A 12 September 1992

Pad 39B, Kennedy Space Center, Florida 20 September 1992

Runway 33, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

OV-105 Endeavour/ET-45/SRB BI-053/SSME #1 2026;

#2 2022; #3 2029

7 days 22 hrs 30 min 23 sec

Endeavour

Spacelab J (SL-J) research objectives utilising the pressurised Spacelab module

Flight Crew

GIBSON, Robert Lee “Hoot”, 45, USN, commander, 4th mission Previous missions: STS 41-B (1984); STS 61-C (1986); Cdr STS-27 (1988) BROWN Jr., Curtis Lee, 35, USAF, pilot

LEE, Mark, 40, USAF, mission specialist 1, payload commander, 2nd mission Previous mission: STS-30 (1989)

APT, Jerome “Jay”, 43, civilian, mission specialist 2, 2nd mission Previous mission: STS-37 (1991)

DAVIS, (Nancy) Jan, 37, civilian, mission specialist 3 JEMISON, Mae Carol, 34, civilian, science mission specialist MOHRI, Mamoru Mark, 43, civilian, Japanese payload specialist

Flight Log

The 50th flight of the Space Shuttle series featured a joint venture in materials science and life science experiments between NASA and the Japanese NASDA agency. The mission began with the first on-time launch since November 1985, carrying an experiment programme of 24 materials and 20 life science experiments into orbit. Of the 44 investigations, 35 were sponsored by NASDA, seven were from NASA and two were joint efforts. As with previous missions, many of the experiments were designed to help prepare the astronauts for future work on space station and long – duration missions.

As one of the partners in the space station programme, Japan was eager to gain some experience in a dedicated Spacelab mission (termed Fuwatto 92, or First Materials Processing Test – FMPT) for its first Shuttle flight, rather that having a PS fly on a Shuttle mission with a smaller, more generic experiment programme. Aside from the main Spacelab experiment payload, the crew worked in two shifts (Red – Brown, Lee, Mohri; Blue – Apt, Davis, Jemison; Gibson worked with either shift as

STS-47

The prime and alternative crew members inside the Spacelab J laboratory installed in the cargo bay of Endeavour during STS-47 launch-processing in July 1992. Kneeling from left Chiaki Mukai alternative Japanese PS; Davis; Takao Doi alternative Japanese PS. Standing from left are Brown, Lee, Apt, Mohri, Gibson, Jemison and Stanley Koszelak, an alternative PS who served as back-up to Jemison

required) on five mid-deck secondary payloads. Endeavour also carried twelve GAS canisters, ten of which were experiments and the other two acting as ballast mass. Of the five mid-deck secondary payloads, one was an Israeli experiment to study the ability of oriental hornets to orientate their combs in microgravity. In fact, the hornets were part of a very comprehensive “crew”. In addition to the seven astronauts, STS-47 carried four female frogs, thirty chicken eggs, 180 oriental hornets, about 400 adult fruit flies, 7,200 fly larvae and two Japanese carp. The menagerie became known as “Hoot’s Ark” after commander Robert “Hoot” Gibson (whose nickname came from a famous cowboy film star of the silent and early sound western movies).

Media interest focused on Jemison, both as the first African American woman in space and as a science mission specialist. She was the first (and, to date, only) career astronaut to be officially assigned to perform the tasks of a payload specialist. Jemison had been frustrated with her experiences at NASA for some time prior to this flight and declined the chance of a second mission, resigning from the astronaut office in March 1993 to pursue other interests. Media attention also focused on the first married couple in space (Lee and Davis), with the inevitable question arising of “will they or won’t they become the first members of the 300 km high club.’’ Rumours about this persisted, despite claims that no “marital experiments’’ were planned and the fact that Lee and Davis worked on different shifts throughout the mission.

Like several others, this mission was extended a day to gather more science from the experiment package. Offshore reports of rain around the Cape area were a factor in delaying the landing of Endeavour when it was finally due to return. Mission controllers passed up the first opportunity to land at KSC, but further analysis indicated that the cloud would not encroach over the Cape, allowing the Shuttle to land at the second opportunity.

Milestones

154th manned space flight

80th US manned space flight

50th Shuttle mission

2nd flight of Endeavour

7th Spacelab Long Module mission

1st on-time Shuttle launch since November 1985

1st married couple on same mission (Lee and Davis)

1st African American female in space (Jemison)

1st flight of a science mission specialist (Jemison)

1st Japanese to fly on the Shuttle (Mohri)