STS-90 Neurolab Program - STS-90 Status Report Flight Day 12 (April 28 CDT) -

Flight Day 12 (April 28 CDT)

STS-90 crew pose for a group photo.
(FD11)

The STS-90 crewmembers were awakened at 4:49 a.m. (CDT), and began Flight Day(FD) 12 activities. Today, the crew members conducted experiments including the 6th run of the rotating chair to measure the response of human eyes and inner ears in maintaining balance in a weightless environment and the autonomic nervous systems team's experiments on how the human nervous system adapts to the weightlessness of space.
The autonomic nervous systems team's experiments was conducted in three (early, middle, late) phases of the mission, and this test was the late phase test. The crew members also conducted check-ups on the rat neonates on board Columbia. The crew had provided fluid and nourishment to all the neonates. Most of these rats are reported to be in good condition.

The crew will go to sleep at 8:29 p.m. (CDT) this evening and receive a wake up call from Mission Control Center (MCC) tomorrow morning at 4:29 a.m.

Status of Japan related experiments

The "Autonomic Neuroplasticity in Weightlessness" experiment which co-investigator Dr. Mano is participating was conducted. In this experiment, muscle sympathetic nerve activity is to be measured in astronauts by a tungsten microelectrode inserted percutaneously into the nerve fascicle of autonomic nerves which technique called microneurography, during and after spaceflight to analyze how this activity is changed during adaptation to microgravity and readaptation to terrestrial gravity.

The experiment "Spatial Orientation of the Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex" was conducted using the Visual Vestibular Investigation System (VVIS: a rotating chair). The data of Mission Specialist (MS) Williams and MS Linnehan was acquired.

MS Hire exchanged data recording magnetic tape of the Vestibular Function Experiment Unit (VFEU). The magnetic tapes for recording neural signals are exchanged twice per day.

The neural data has been obtained from the Fish Packages (FPs) of VFEU. Water for rats of the Rodent Research Animal Holding Facility (RAHF) was exchanged.

Last Updated : April 30, 1998