STS-90 Day 1 Highlights
Return to STS-90 Mission Summary
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- On Friday, April 17, 1998, 3:00 p.m. CDT, STS-90 MCC Status Report # 1
reports:
- The shuttle Columbia and its seven astronauts lifted off from the
Kennedy Space Center on time today at 1:19 p.m. Central time
initiating a 16-day mission to study the human nervous system.
- Columbia received an added assist in its climb to orbit as its
Orbital Maneuvering System engines were fired for 102 seconds,
beginning just after the twin solid rocket boosters separated from the
external tank a little more than two minutes into the launch. The
firing of the OMS engines was part of an evaluation test to enhance
the performance capability of the Shuttle for carrying heavy payloads
to orbit. About 43 minutes after launch, the OMS engines were again
fired to adjust the Shuttles orbit and place Columbia in a 150
n.m. circular orbit.
- The opening of Columbias payload bay doors came just before 3
p.m. CDT and Commander Rick Searfoss, Pilot Scott Altman, Mission
Specialists Rick Linnehan, Kay Hire, and Dave Williams, and Payload
Specialists Jay Buckey and Jim Pawelczyk are now poised to being their
work in anticipation of 16 days of scientific investigation. The crew
members first efforts will focus on activating systems in the Spacelab
module which houses many of the 26 experiments to be conducted during
the flight.
- The crew is scheduled to begin a planned eight-hour sleep period
about midnight.
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