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Mission Overview

Outline of STS-90 Shuttle Mission

STS-90 is a Space Shuttle mission of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) with the Neurolab Program as its primary objective. Secondary objectives of this mission are to perform the requirements of Shuttle Vibration Forces (SVF), Bioreactor Demonstration System-04 (BDS-04), and three Get-Away Specials (GAS). STS-90 will be launched by Space Shuttle Columbia according to the flight plan shown below.

* An option of extending the flight one additional day for science operations if shuttle electrical power margins permit is reserved.

Outline of Neurolab Program

The Neurolab Program is planned by NASA in cooperation with National Institute of Health(NIH) of US and International Partners, as part of the "Decade of Brain" program which President Bush declared in 1990. The purpose of this program is to make innovative approaches for the development of neuroscience, utilizing space environment on board the Space Shuttle and Spacelab.
This program is conducted through international cooperation, in which various countries will provide research themes and equipment.

NASDA will provide experiment equipment and support Japanese scientists conducting experiments on this mission. The program will give NASDA an opportunity not only to enhance and expand its R&D base in the field of neuro-sciences under microgravity conditions, but also to conduct technological development prior to actual operations in Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) attached to the International Space Station (ISS).
The Neurolab Program is scheduled to be conducted abord STS-90 as its primary mission and by other Space Shuttle missions to follow.

The Neurolab mission includes scientists of five countries: Japan, the United State, France, Germany and Italy. 26 experiment themes in disciplines of animal and human neuro physiology research using experiment equipment provided by NASDA (National Space Development Agency of Japan), NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), ESA (European Space Agency), DARA (German Space Agency), CSA (Canadian Space Agency) and CNES (French Space Agency).
Japan will Participate in the Neurolab mission providing one equipment, one Principal Investigator (PI) and five Co-Investigators (CIs) with American PIs.
NASDA provides Vestibular Function Experiment Unit (VFEU) which is developed based on FMPT (STS-47) and IML-2 (STS-65) experiment equipment.

Experiment themes which Japan takes part in are as follows:

• Chronic Recording of Otolith Nerves in Microgravity
• Development of the Aortic Baroreflex under Condition of Microgravity
• Neural-Thyroid Interaction on Skeletal Isomyosin Expression in 0g
• Spatial Orientation of the Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex
• Autonomic Neuroplasticity in Weightlessness

In 1983 an historic space event took place -- the first Spacelab flight. The international Spacelab took up where Skylab left off and offered the promise of major new scientific advances. Three major life science flights: Spacelab Life Sciences-1 (SLS-1 or STS-40, flown in 1991), SLS-2 (STS-58, flown in 1993) and LMS (STS-78, flown in 1996) have contributed much to our knowledge of adaptation to spaceflight. Neurolab may well be the last of this series and the last Spacelab flight. The experiments, procedures and testing planned for Neurolab show how much progress has been made since Spacelab-1.

Neurolab Program experiments will be carried out mainly by using the pressurized space of the Spacelab which is located in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle. Spacelab is a reusable laboratory facility used for life science experiment in space. Many of the life science experiments in space have been carried out by using this Spacelab.

During the STS-90 mission, NASDA astronaut Dr. Mukai, as the alternate payload specialist, will support the on board crew from the Mission Control Center located at NASA Johnson Space Center. Dr. Mukai has also been assigned as the payload specialist to board STS-95 to be launched in October 1998.

Last Updated : April 17, 1998

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