STS-90 (Columbia)
STS-90 (Columbia)
Launch Date
April 17, 1998
Craft
Space Shuttle
Status
Past
Crew
7
STS-90 (Columbia)
STS-90 (Columbia)
Launch Date
April 17, 1998
Craft
Space Shuttle
Status
Past
Crew
7
Overview
This dedicated research flight of Columbia was Spacelab's final mission. It was called Neurolab and examined the effects of microgravity on the nervous system. The mission was a 26 experiment partnership between six space agencies and seven U.S. research institutes.
Crafts
Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The first reusable launch and landing spacecraft, the Space Shuttle began a new chapter of human space exploration. It launched like a rocket but landed on a runway like a plane. Shuttle crews deployed dozens of commercial satellites and two interplanetary probes to Venus and Jupiter. The Shuttle served as a mini space station and hosted hundreds of biomedical, psychological, physiological, materials science, and physics experiments that have directly benefited life on Earth. The five flight-worthy Shuttles -- Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour -- flew 135 missions over 30 years. The Shuttles helped construct the Russian Mir space station and brought nearly 80% of the International Space Station to orbit. Shuttles also deployed and serviced the Hubble Space Telescope.