STS-47

Spacelab-J. First on-time Shuttle launch since November 1985. First Japanese astronaut aboard shuttle. First African-American woman to fly in space. First married couple to fly on the same space mission. Conducted microgravity and biology experiments.

NASA Official Mission Narrative

Mission Name: STS-47 (50)
Endeavour (2)
Pad 39-B (21)
50th Shuttle Mission
2nd Flight of OV-105
KSC Landing (12)

Crew:
Robert L. Gibson (4), Commander
Curtis L. Brown (1), Jr, Pilot
Mark C. Lee (2), Payload Commander
N. Jan Davis (2), Mission Specialist
Jay Apt (2), Mission Specialist
Mae C. Jemison (1), Mission Specialist
Mamoru Mohri (1), Payload Specialist

Milestones:
OPF-3 - 5/31/92
VAB - 8/17/92
PAD - 8/25/92

Payload:
SPACELAB-J,GAS-BRIDGE,ISAIAH,SSCE,SAREX-II,AMOS,UVPI
Mission Objectives:

Launch:
Sept. 12, 1992, 10:23:00.0680 a.m. EDT. (First on-time Shuttle launch since STS-6lB in November l985). Launch Weight: 258,679 lbs.
Orbit:
Altitude: 166nm
Inclination: 57.0 degrees
Orbits: 126
Duration: 7 days, 22 hours, 30 minutes, 23 seconds.
Distance: 3,271,844 miles

Hardware:
SRB: BI-053
SRM: 360L/W026
ET : 49/LWT-42
MLP : 2
SSME-1: SN-2026
SSME-2: SN-2022
SSME-3: SN-2029

Landing:
Sept. 20, 1992, 8:53:24 a.m. EDT, Runway 33, Kennedy Space Center, FL. Rollout distance: 8,567 feet. Mission extended one day for extended scientific experimentation. Landing Weight: 218,854 lbs.

Mission Highlights:
Spacelab-J -- a joint NASA and National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) mission utilizing a manned Spacelab module -- conducted microgravity investigations in materials and life sciences. The international crew, consisting of the first Japanese astronaut to fly aboard the Shuttle, the first African-American woman to fly in space and the first married couple to fly on the same space mission, was divided into red and blue teams for around the clock operations. Spacelab-J included 24 materials science and 2O life sciences experiments, of which 35 were sponsored by NASDA, 7 by NASA and two collaborative efforts.
Materials science investigations covered such fields as biotechnology, electronic materials, fluid dynamics and transport phenomena, glasses and ceramics, metals and alloys, and acceleration measurements. Life sciences included experiments on human health, cell separation and biology, developmental biology, animal and human physiology and behavior, space radiation, and biological rhythms. Test subjects included the crew, Japanese koi fish (carp), cultured animal and plant cells, chicken embryos, fruit flies, fungi and plant seeds, and frogs and frog eggs.
Twelve Get Away Special (GAS) canisters (10 with experiments, 2 with ballast) were carried in the payload bay. Middeck experiments were: Israeli Space Agency Investigation About Hornets (ISAIAH), Solid Surface Combustion Experiment (SSCE), Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX II), Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS), and Ultraviolet Plume Imager (UVPI).