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Neurolab Shuttle Mission to Launch April 16

Debbie Rahn / Jennifer McCarter
Headquarters, Washington, DC                     April 3, 1998
(Phone:  202/358-1639)

George Diller
Kennedy Space Center, FL
(Phone:  407/867-2468)

Ed Campion
Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX
(Phone:  281/483-5111)

NOTE TO EDITORS:  N98-25

NEUROLAB SHUTTLE MISSION TO LAUNCH APRIL 16

     Space Shuttle program managers today affirmed April 16 as the 
launch date for NASA's second Shuttle mission of 1998 -- a two 
week life sciences research flight that will focus on the most 
complex and least understood part of the human body, the nervous 
system.

     The Flight Readiness Review held at NASA's Kennedy Space 
Center, FL, yesterday is the final major review by all Shuttle 
project offices to evaluate the readiness of the flight crew and 
vehicle, along with launch and mission control flight teams, to 
support the launch of Space Shuttle Columbia on the STS-90 
Neurolab mission.

     Columbia is scheduled for launch on April 16, 1998 from 
NASA's Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39-B.  The 2 1/2 hour 
available launch window opens at 2:19 p.m. EDT.  The STS-90 
mission is scheduled to last 15 days, 21 hours, 50 minutes.  
However, mission managers are reserving an option of extending the 
flight one additional day for science operations if Shuttle 
electrical power margins permit.  A launch on April 16, and a 16- 
or 17- day nominal mission would have Columbia landing at Kennedy 
on May 2 or 3.

     The STS-90 Mission Commander is Richard A.  Searfoss.  Pilot 
for the flight is Scott D. Altman.  There are three mission 
specialists assigned to this mission -- Richard M. Linnehan, who 
is also serving as the Payload Commander; Kathryn P. (Kay) Hire; 
and Dafydd (Dave) Rhys Williams from the Canadian Space Agency.  
Two payload specialists -- Jay Clark Buckey, Jr., and James A. 
(Jim) Pawelczyk -- round out the seven member STS-90 crew. 

     STS-90 will be the 25th flight of Columbia and the 90th 
mission flown since the start of the Space Shuttle program in 
April 1981.

     For complete biographical information on the STS-90 crew and 
other astronauts, see the NASA Internet astronaut biography home 
page at URL:    http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/

                              -end-