Tim Furniss/LONDON
THE SPACE SHUTTLE Orbiter Endeavour landed at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 29 May, after setting a civilian Shuttle record with a series of four space rendezvous.
The successful STS77 mission was the 11th flight by the Endeavour and marks the mid-way point in eight planned Shuttle flights this year. The first rendezvous was completed to retrieve the Spartan free flyer which had held the unique Inflatable Antenna Experiment (IAE). The IAE was blown up to its full 14m diameter on three inflatable 28m-long struts from a Spartan free-flyer. Inflatable antennas on operational communications, astronomical and observation spacecraft could be less expensive, lighter and much larger than existing mechanical dishes used today.
The Endeavour's six-man crew went on to complete three separate rendezvous with the deployed Satellite Test Unit (STU), to acquire satellite-attitude data.
The STU was part of the NASA Passive Aerodynamically Stabilised Magnetically Damped Satellite experiment for aerodynamic-stabilisation research.
The fourth Spacehab mid-deck augmentation-module commercial mission was also conducted from the STS77.
The module was equipped with ten commercial space-product development payloads for research in biotechnology, electronic materials, polymers and agriculture. When it was launched on 19 May, the Endeavour also became the first Shuttle to be boosted by a full set of three Block 1 Space Shuttle Main Engines, equipped with high-pressure oxidiser turbopumps made by Pratt & Whitney. The ascent of the STS77 was the first to be controlled from the new mission-control centre at Houston, Texas.
Source: Flight International
