Lake Murray, a manmade reservoir, lies between the Fly and Strickland River Basins, Papua, New Guinea (7.0S, 141.5E). The region, photographed in sunglint, shows the water level in the reservoir and the full extent of the drainage basins of both river systems as the rivers meander through wide alluvial floodplains. Some forest clearing can be seen in places throughout the region, but most of the area remains in closed canopy forest.
Portrait of Christine M. Darden
STS043-03-001 (2-11 Aug 1991) --- Astronaut Shannon W. Lucid, STS-43 mission specialist, is pictured with a sample from the Bio-serve Instrumentation Technology Associates Materials Dispersion Apparatus (BIMDA). BIMDA is designed to obtain data on scientific methods and commercial potential for growing large high quality protein crystals in microgravity. The experimental focus is on both synthetic and natural biological processes that provide the foundation of the assembly of large structures from macromolecules. In addition, cell processes and membrane (cell and artificial) processes are being evaluated. BIMDA experiments are stored and operated on the middeck in a refrigerator/incubator module (R/IM). During this flight, the R/IM maintains a constant internal temperature of 20 degrees Celsius. This experiment also flew on NASA?s STS-37 mission.
Cairns and Townsville area, on the northeast coast of Queensland, Australia (17.0S, 146.0E) is one of the best sport diving localities in the world where divers can explore the rich and varied flora and fauna of the nearby Great Barrier Reef. Onshore, the timbered foothills of the Great Dividing Range, seen as dark green areas, separate the semi arid interior of Queensland.
STS040-211-020 (5-14 June 1991) --- Vestibular experiment activities were captured onboard Columbia's Spacelab Life Sciences (SLS-1) module in this 35mm scene. Astronaut James P. Bagian, STS-40 mission specialist, is in a rotating chair while wearing an accelometer and electrodes to record head motion and horizontal and vertical eye movements during the rotations. Payload specialist Millie Hughes-Fulford, lower left, assists with the test.
Dr. Dale Compton (Ames Director) visits McNair school and speaks with students
Artwork: N/A Flying Wing at Airport taxing to gate
S91-50773 (19 Oct 1991) --- At a processing facility on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite is being transferred into the payload canister transporter for shipment to Launch Pad 39A at KSC. The DSP will be deployed during Space Shuttle Mission STS-44 later this year. It is a surveillance satellite, developed for the Department of Defense, which can detect missile and space launches, as well as nuclear detonations. The Inertial Upper Stage which will boost the DSP satellite to its proper orbital position is the lower portion of the payload. DSP satellites have comprised the spaceborne segment of NORAD's (North American Air Defense Command) Tactical Warning and Attack Assessment System since 1970. STS- 44, carrying a crew of six, will be a ten-day flight.
The STS-42 crew portrait includes from left to right: Stephen S. Oswald, pilot; Roberta L. Bondar, payload specialist 1; Norman E. Thagard, mission specialist 1; Ronald J. Grabe, commander; David C. Hilmers, mission specialist 2; Ulf D. Merbold, payload specialist 2; and William F. Readdy, mission specialist 3. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on January 22, 1992 at 9:52:33 am (EST), the STS-42 served as the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (ML-1 ) mission.
STS048-09-019 (16 Sept 1991) --- Astronauts Mark N. Brown, left, and James F. Buchli work with the structural test article (STA), a model of the space station truss structure. STA is part of the middeck zero gravity dynamics experiment (MODE). MODE was designed to study the vibration characteristics of the jointed truss structure. The structural test article includes four strain gauges and eleven accelerometers and is vibrated by an actuator. Assembled by crewmembers in the Shuttle orbiter's middeck, the device is about 72 inches long with an 8-inch square cross section.
STS039-07-017 (28 April - 6 May 1991) --- The seven member astronaut crew for the STS-39 mission poses on the middeck of the Earth-orbiting space shuttle Discovery for an in-flight crew portrait. Left to right (front) are astronauts Donald R. McMonagle, Michael L. Coats, Charles L. (Lacy) Veach and Gregory J. Harbaugh; and left to right (rear) are astronauts Guion S. Bluford Jr., L. Blaine Hammond and Richard J. Hieb. Photo credit: NASA
Artwork High Speed Rotorcraft concept varibale diameter Tiltrotor
The STS-40 crew portrait includes 7 astronauts. Pictured on the front row from left to right are F. Drew Gaffney, payload specialist 1; Milli-Hughes Fulford, payload specialist 2; M. Rhea Seddon, mission specialist 3; and James P. Bagian, mission specialist 1. Standing in the rear, left to right, are Bryan D. O’Connor, commander; Tamara E. Jernigan, mission specialist 2; and Sidney M. Gutierrez, pilot. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia on June 5, 1991 at 9:24; am (EDT), the STS-40 mission was the fifth dedicated Spacelab Mission, Spacelab Life Sciences-1 (SLS-1), and the first mission dedicated solely to life sciences.
S91-42999 (20 July 1991) --- Astronaut Stephen S. Oswald, STS-42 pilot, uses the IMAX camera system (ICS) during training session held at Johnson Space Center?s (JSC) Manned Space Flight Exhibit Complex Bldg 90 (Rocket Park). Oswald squints as he looks through the ICS eyepiece.
STS-43 Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, lands on runway 15 at the Kennedy Space Center's (KSC's) Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF). The main landing gear (MLG) touched down at 8:23:25 am (Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)). OV-104 glides toward wheel stop as the nose landing gear (NLG) rides above the runway.
S91-44810 (12 Aug 1991) --- The Space Shuttle Discovery is rolled to launch pad 39A atop the mobile launcher platform and crawler/transporter. Already at the pad and awaiting installation in the orbiter cargo bay is the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), the primary payload which Discovery will carry into space on NASA?s STS-48 mission. A crew of five astronauts will be on board when Discovery lifts off in September. (KSC photo id: KSC-91PC-1474)
S91-20385 (Feb 1991) --- The Space Shuttle Columbia orbits Earth in this STS-40 art concept depicting the cargo bay arrangement for the Spacelab Life Sciences (SLS-1) mission. In the spring, three mission specialists and two payload specialists will join the commander and pilot for a scheduled nine-day mission, devoted to life sciences research, aboard Columbia.
STS040-211-019 (5-14 June 1991) --- Astride the bicycle ergometer, astronaut Rhea Seddon, mission specialist, breathes into the cardiovascular re-breathing unit during the exercise phase of an experiment. The investigation, In-flight Study of Cardiovascular Deconditioning (Experiment 066), was developed by Dr. Leon E. Farhi of the State University of New York in Buffalo. It focuses on the deconditioning of the heart and lungs and changes in cardiopulmonary function that occur upon return to Earth. By using non-invasive techniques of prolonged expiration and re-breathing, investigators can determine the amount of blood pumped out of the heart (cardiac output), the ease with which blood flows through all the vessels (total peripheral resistance), oxygen used and carbon dioxide released by the body, and lung function and volume changes. Measurements are made both while crew members are resting and while they pedal the exercise bicycle, as Dr. Seddon is doing here. This scene was photographed with a 35mm camera.
STS040-152-180 (5-24 June 1991) --- The Sinai Peninsula dominates this north-looking, oblique view. According to NASA photo experts studying the STS 40 imagery, the Red Sea in the foreground is clear of river sediment because of the prevailing dry climate of the Middle East. The great rift of the Gulf of Aqaba extends northward to Turkey (top right) through the Dead Sea. The international boundary between Israel and Egypt, reflecting different rural landscapes, stands out clearly. The Nile River runs through the frame. NASA photo experts believe the haze over the Mediterranean to be wind-borne dust. The photo was taken with an Aero-Linhof large format camera.
STS040-31-029 (5-14 June 1991) --- This close-up 35mm scene of the aft firewall in the Space Shuttle Columbia's cargo bay reveals a piece of thermal insulation that had loosened. The crew discovered the loose blanket soon after opening the cargo bay doors on June 5, 1991.
Facilitates the incorporation of glucose into cells. In diabetics, there is either a decrease in or complete lack of insulin, therby leading to several harmful complications. Principal Investigator was Charles Bugg.
Chief astronaut Daniel Brandenstein second from left, and astronauts Pierre Thuot left, Kathryn Thornton, and Bruce Melnick are on hand for a proud moment in the history of manned spaceflight: the debut of the newest space shuttle orbiter, Endeavour, at Palmdale, Calif. Photo credit: NASA
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Vice President of the United States Dan Quayle. right. tries on a communications headset in the Launch Control Center and learns about firing room activities from Launch Director Robert Sieck. Quayle spoke with members of the STS-39 flight crew participating in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, toured the launch pad and other center facilities, addressed workers and held a press conference. Image credit: NASA
wuts, Commander John Creighton, Pilot Ken Reightler, Mission Specialists Jim Buchli, Mark Brown and Sam Gemar head towards launch
artwork High Speed Rotorcraft concept varibale diameter Tiltrotor
Supertyphoon Yuri began development approximately 1000 miles east of the Philippine Islands. At the time this photo was taken, Yuri was about 1000 nautical miles in diameter and had estimated maximum sustained wind speeds of 145 mph, gusting to 170 mph. This oblique view shows the well formed eye of Yuri and the raised segment of clouds at the cusp of the eye indicating very high wind speeds within the vortex.
S91-51633 (November 1991) --- Astronaut Roberta L. Bondar, Canadian payload specialist.
STS039-610-037 (28 April-6 May 1991) --- Numerous atmospheric scattering layers over Earth are apparent in this frame. The layers consist of fine particles suspended in very stable layers of the atmosphere. This photo was taken with a 70mm Rolliflex camera during the Space Shuttle Discovery's eight day mission. Crew members onboard were astronauts Michael L. Coats, L. Blaine Hammond, Guion S. Bluford, Richard J. Hieb, Gregory J. Harbaugh, Donald R. McMonagle and Charles L. (Lacy) Veach.
STS043-72-002 (2 Aug 1991) --- The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-E), leaves the payload bay of the earth-orbiting Atlantis a mere six hours after the Space Shuttle was launched from Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. TDRS, built by TRW, will be placed in a geosynchronous orbit and after on-orbit testing, which requires several weeks, will be designated TDRS-5. The communications satellite will replace TDRS-3 at 174 degrees West longitude. The backbone of NASA's space-to-ground communications, the Tracking and Data Relay satellites have increased NASA's ability to send and receive data to spacecraft in low-earth orbit to more than 85 percent of the time. The five astronauts of the STS 43 mission are John E. Blaha, mission commander, Michael A. Baker, pilot, and Shannon W. Lucid, G. David Low, and James C. Adamson, all mission specialists.
NASA Ames Research Center interaction with environment. This evening shot was timed exposed in front of the Aircraft Servicing Facility (N-248) with C-141 (NASA-714) in for service.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-39: Discovery
STS039-81-00OW (28 April-6 May 1991) --- This scene shows a small area of the north Pacific coast of the USSR's Kamchatka peninsula. Flying at an inclination of 57 degrees to Earth's Equator, the Space Shuttle Discovery was able to record photography of a number of seldom observed areas on the planet, such as the USSR. One of Discovery's seven crewmembers aimed a 70mm handheld camera through aft flight deck overhead windows to record the image.
STS039-151-179 (28 April-6 May 1991) --- A large format frame of one of the USSR's volcanic complex (Kamchatka area) with the active volcano Klyuchevskaya (Kloo-chevs'-ska-ya), 15,584 feet in elevation. The last reported eruption of the volcano was on April 8, but an ash and steam plume extending to the south was observed by the STS-39 crew almost three weeks later. The south side of the volcano is dirty from the ash fall and landslide activity. The summit is clearly visible, as is the debris flow from an earlier eruption. Just north of the Kamchatka River is Shiveluch, a volcano which was active in early April. There are more than 100 volcanic edifices recognized on Kamchatka, with 15 classified as active.
N-244 2.5M Centrifuge Facility mock-up back view
Space Shuttle Discovery STS-48 launch from Kennedy Space Center, FLA to deploy the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS)
STS037-99-031 (7 April 1991) --- The Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) is still in the grasp of Atlantis' remote manipulator system (RMS) in this 70mm scene, photographed from inside the crew cabin. A special extravehicular activity (EVA) was required by astronauts Jerry L. Ross and Jerome (Jay) Apt to manually extend the high-gain antenna on GRO. The solar array panels are not yet deployed in this scene. The five-member crew capped off a busy Flight Day 3 by releasing the heavy payload.
STS048-21-04 (15 Sept 1991) --- The five astronauts pose on the Space Shuttle Discovery's middeck for the traditional in-flight crew portrait. Astronaut John O. Creighton, mission commander, is at center. Others are (front row, left to right) Kenneth S. Reightler, pilot; and James F. Buchli, mission specialist; and (rear row, left to right) astronauts Mark N. Brown and Charles D. (Sam) Gemar, both mission specialists. The image was photographed with a pre-set 35mm camera.
The crew of the Space Shuttle Atlantis gives the "all's well" thumb's-up sign after leaving the 100-ton orbiter following their landing at 6:55 a.m. (PDT), 11 April 1991, at NASA's Ames Dryden Flight Research Facility (later redesignated Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, California, to conclude mission STS-37. They are, from left, Kenneth D. Cameron, pilot; Steven R. Nagel, mission commander; and mission specialists Linda M. Godwin, Jerry L. Ross, and Jay Apt. During the mission,which began with launch April 5 at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, the crew deployed the Gamma Ray Observatory. Ross and Jay also carried out two spacewalks, one to deploy an antenna on the Gamma Ray Observatory and the other to test equipment and mobility techniques for the construction of the future Space Station. The planned five-day mission was extended one day because of high winds at Edwards.
S91-41413 (July 1991) --- Payload specialist Lawrence J. DeLucas, Ph.D.
Aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis, the STS-37 mission launched April 5, 1991 from launch pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and landed back on Earth April 11, 1991. The 39th shuttle mission included crew members: Steven R. Nagel, commander; Kenneth D. Cameron, pilot; Jerry L,. Ross, mission specialist 1; Jay Apt, mission specialist 2; and Linda M. Godwin, mission specialist 3. The primary payload for the mission was the Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO). The GRO included the Burst and Transient Experiment (BATSE); the Imaging Compton Telescope (COMPTEL); the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET); and the Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Experiment (OSSEE). Secondary payloads included Crew and Equipment Translation Aids (CETA); the Ascent Particle Monitor (APM); the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment II (SAREXII), the Protein Crystal Growth (PCG); the Bioserve Instrumentation Technology Associates Materials Dispersion Apparatus (BIMDA); Radiation Monitoring Equipment III (RMEIII); and Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS).
Egypt's High Aswan Dam on the Nile River at the first cataracts, Nile River, (24.0N, 33.0E) was completed in 1971 to provide cheap hydroelectric power and to regulate the historically uneven flow of the Nile River. The contrast between the largely base rock desert east of the Nile versus the sand covered desert west of the river and the ancient irrigated floodplain downstream from the damsite is clearly shown.
NASA Ames Research Center interaction with environment. The profile shot of the 40x80ft. W.T. was time exposed in the early evening.
STS039-72-060 (28 April-6 May 1991) --- This view from the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Discovery shows the smoke from burning oil well fires, aftermath of Iraqi occupation. Oil wells to the north of the Bay of Kuwait and just south of Kuwait City, on the south shore, can be seen burning out of control. Compared with pictures of the same area shot during STS-37 (April 1991), this frame shows a complete shift of winds, with much of the smoke blowing eastward over the Gulf. The STS-37 scenes showed lengthy southward-blowing sheets of smoke toward Saudi Arabia. In this view, the Gulf island Faylakah Awhah is barely visible through the smoke.
N-206 12ft Pressure Wind Tunnel reconstruction
STS039-81-00OU (28 April-6 May 1991) --- Flying at an inclination of 57 degrees to Earth's Equator, the Space Shuttle Discovery was able to record photography of a number of seldom observed areas on the planet, such as the USSR. This view was taken in the far north Pacific Ocean and shows part of the Kamchatka Peninsula. One of Discovery's seven crewmembers aimed a 70mm handheld camera through aft flight deck overhead windows to record the image.
Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis on April 5, 1991 at 9:22:44am (EST), the STS-37 mission hurtles toward space. Her crew included Steven R. Nagel, commander; Kenneth D. (Ken) Cameron, pilot; and Jay Apt, Jerry L. Ross, and Linda M. Godwin, all mission specialists. The crew’s major objective was the deployment of the Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO). Included in the observatory were the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE); the Imaging Compton Telescope (COMPTEL); the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET); and the Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Telescope (OSSEE).
STS039-15-017 (3 May 1990) --- This STS-39 35mm scene shows the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization (SDIO) Shuttle Pallet Satellite (SPAS-II) during its berthing following a period of data collection. During the eight-day flight, SPAS collected data in both a free-flying mode and while attached to the end effector of Discovery's remote manipulator system (RMS). Additional cargo, elements of the Air Force Program (AFP) 675 package, is seen near Discovery's aft bulkhead in the 60-ft. long payload bay.
STS043-14-034 (2-11 Aug 1991) --- Astronaut James C. Adamson is pictured executing Development Test Objective (DTO) 1208, Space Station Cursor Control Device Evaluation II and Advanced Applications. The purpose of the Cursor Control Device Experiment is to evaluate human performance under space flight conditions of cursor control devices which are similar to the devices under consideration for use onboard space station computers. Here, the mission specialists uses a thumbball/handgrip control device. Each crewmember evaluated the different types of cursor control devices during the nine-day STS-43 mission. Other methods of cursor control evaluated were the built-in trackball, a side mounted trackball with restraints and an optical pad with mouse.
The Perseus proof-of-concept vehicle is seen here as it taxis on Rogers Dry Lake, adjacent the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California.
PALMDALE, Calif. -- S91-39480 -- A Rockwell worker at the space shuttle's Palmdale Final Assembly Facility in Palmdale, Calif., takes a technical documentation image of space shuttle Endeavour as it is prepared for its first ferry flight to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the agency's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, designated NASA 911. Endeavour is scheduled to return to California in 2012, where it will be on public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Its ferry flight across America is targeted for mid-September. Endeavour was the last space shuttle added to NASA’s orbiter fleet. During the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement work, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/ Rockwell International Space Systems Division
Two years prior to being used during a shuttle mission, the Transfer to Orbit System (TOS) is being demonstrated at Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS). TOS is an upper stage launch system used to place satellites into higher orbits. TOS was used only once, on September 12, 1993 when the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS51) deployed ACTS (Advanced Communications Technology Satellite). The test pictured was to provide an evaluation of the extravehicular activity (EVA) tools that were to be used by future shuttle crews.
STS040-614-066 (5-14 June 1991) --- St. Louis, Missouri-East St. Louis, Illinois and surrounding area were photographed by the STS 40 crewmembers aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. The winding Mississippi River serves as a reference point for finding features of the area. Busch Stadium is clearly seen. NASA photo experts studying the STS 40 imagery claim photographs of this type aid in following demographic changes and in planning for development. The ground track of STS-40 and the existence of exceptionally clear skies during much of the nine-day flight permitted photographic acquisition of several cities not generally seen from the space flights flying at 28-degree inclinations to the Equator.
Boeing 777 Model 11ft W.T. Test-168 front view
Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia on June 5, 1991 at 9:24; am (EDT), the STS-40 mission was the fifth dedicated Spacelab Mission, Spacelab Life Sciences-1 (SLS-1), and the first mission dedicated solely to life sciences. The STS-40 crew included 7 astronauts: Bryan D. O’Connor, commander; Sidney M. Gutierrez, pilot; F. Drew Gaffney, payload specialist 1; Milli-Hughes Fulford, payload specialist 2; James P. Bagian, mission specialist 1; Tamara E. Jernigan, mission specialist 2; and M. Rhea Seddon, mission specialist 3.
The AFTI F-16 flying at high angle of attack, shown in the final configuration and paint finish. Dummy Sidewinder air-to-air missles are attached to the wing tips. The white objects visible on the wing racks represent practice bomb dispensers, used in weapon tests.
S91-32688 (Aug 1990) --- Astronaut Charles J. Precourt.
S91-26674 (23 Jan 1991) --- Astronaut Michael L. Coats, mission commander, listens attentively as a news media representative (out of frame) queries the STS-39 crewmembers during a pre-flight press briefing. The others, pictured left to right, are Astronauts Guion (Guy) S. Bluford, C. Lacy Veach, Gregory J. Harbaugh, Richard J. Hieb, Donald R. McMonagle and L. Blaine Hammond Jr.
Life Sciences documentation of Salad Machine being developed at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. for use in long duration space flight or on distant outposts.
STS044-32-030 (24 Nov-1 Dec 1991) --- STS-44 Commander Frederick D. Gregory wears a cap honoring his alma mater, the United States Air Force (USAF) Academy, on the middeck of Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104. Gregory, who also has his lightweight headset on, was photographed while talking to ground controllers.
S91-30196 (1 March 1991) --- Astronaut C. Michael Foale, mission specialist, and Kathryn D. Sullivan, payload commander (barely visible in background), stand on a platform (out of frame) which is part of a system that will lower them into a 25-ft. deep pool. The payload commander and mission specialist used the pool in the weightless environment training facility (WET-F) to rehearse a contingency extravehicular activity (EVA). Astronauts wear pressurized spacesuits configured for achieving a neutrally buoyant condition in the water to simulate both planned and contingency EVAs. Two SCUBA-equipped swimmers assisting the training are seen in the background.
The newest space shuttle orbiter, Endeavour is ready to roll out of the hangar at Palmdale, Calif. OV-105 features many design enhancements, including a drag chute for safer landings and equipment to allow the orbiter to remain in space for up to 28 days. Photo credit: NASA
The Perseus proof-of-concept vehicle in flight at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California in 1991. Perseus is one of several remotely-piloted aircraft designed for high-altitude, long-endurance scientific sampling missions being evaluated under the ERAST program.
STS043-04-032 (11 Aug 1991) --- STS-43 Pilot Michael A. Baker, wearing sunglasses, reviews a checklist on the aft flight deck of Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104. He is monitoring data associated with the Space Station Heat Pipe Advanced Radiator Element II (SHARE-II) located in OV-104's payload bay (PLB) from his position in front of the aft flight deck viewing windows. Behind Baker are the closed circuit television (CCTV) monitors and above his head is overhead window W8.
CAPE CANAVERAL Fla. -- This aerial view shows construction progress of the Space Station Processing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo Credit: NASA
STS040-34-001 (5-14 June 1991) --- This 35mm scene shows a close-up of a prototype filter designed to remove contamination from air and water, before it flows into the Orbiter's humidity separators. This experiment is part of Development Test Objective (DTO) 647, Water Separator Filter Performance Evaluation. Astronauts Bryan D. O'Connor, mission commander, and Sidney M. Gutierrez, pilot, carried out the test and down linked television to the ground for engineering analysis.
Space Shuttle Discovery STS-48 launch from Kennedy Space Center, FLA to deploy the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS)
STS039-81-00BC (28 April-6 May 1991) --- A variety of stratus clouds is represented in this picture. The clouds are backdropped against the sunglinted northern Pacific Ocean. One of Discovery's seven crewmembers aimed a 70mm handheld camera through an overhead window on the aft flight deck to obtain the image.
Artwork - Artist unknown High Speed Rotorcraft Concept Variable Diameter Civil Tilt-Rotor Artwork depicting vertiport take off/landing (40 passenger)
STS039-S-003 (20 April 1991) --- Astronaut Michael L. Coats (right) addresses the news media after arriving at the Shuttle Landing Facility along with his six fellow crewmembers. From left are astronauts Richard J. Hieb, L. Blaine Hammond, Guion S. Bluford, Charles L. (Lacy) Veach, Gregory J. Harbaugh and Donald R. McMonagle. The Space Shuttle mate/demate stand is seen in the background. Note: The STS-39 launch of Discovery occurred at 7:33:14 a.m. (EDT), April 28, 1991.
STS039-S-051 (28 April 1991) --- In KSC's Operations and Checkout Building, a very light breakfast is shared by the seven members of the STS-39 flight crew prior to their April 28, 1991 launch. Left to right are astronauts Donald R. McMonagle, Guion S. Bluford Jr., L. Blaine Hammond, Michael L. Coats, Gregory J. Harbaugh, Richard J. Hieb and Charles L. (Lacy) Veach. Launch occurred at 7:33:14 a.m. (EDT), April 28, 1991.
In July 1990, the Marshall Space Flight Center, in a joint project with the Department of Defense/Air Force Space Test Program, launched the Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite (CRRES) using an Atlas I launch vehicle. The mission was designed to study the effects of artificial ion clouds produced by chemical releases on the Earth's ionosphere and magnetosphere, and to monitor the effects of space radiation environment on sophisticated electronics.
S91-36097 (6 May 1991) --- Air to air view of Endeavour, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 105, atop a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) NASA 911, a modified Boeing 747, approaches touchdown for a brief stopover at Ellington Field, near JSC. Visible below the spacecraft/aircraft combination are the NASA T-38 flight line, NASA aircraft hangars and facilities, and a runway. OV-105 rolled out at Rockwell's Palmdale facility on 04-25-91 to once more bring to four the total of NASA Shuttles available for flight assignment. The spacecraft and aircraft-tandem left Houston later on this day headed for another stop in Mississippi before landing in Florida on 05-07-91. This photograph was taken from a T-38 aircraft by Sheri J. Dunnette of JSC's Image Science Division (ISD).
STS039-88-054 (28 April-6 May 1991) --- The dense urban development of the New York City metropolitan area in downstate New York, Long Island and New Jersey shows up as gray and white on this color Infrared photograph. The scene was taken on a remarkably clear spring day. Almost all the major man-made structures of the area are obvious, including ship traffic in and out of New York Harbor, the piers, all of the bridges spanning the area rivers and connecting Manhattan Island with New Jersey, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens, the three major airports (Newark, La Guardia and JFK), the New York State thruway, as well as Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium. The reds and pinks are vegetated areas. Central Park clearly shows up on Manhattan, as do the string of parks along the cliffs (formed by the Palisades sill) along the west side of the Hudson north of the George Washington Bridge.
Space Shuttle Discovery STS-48 launch from Kennedy Space Center, FLA to deploy the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS)
The STS-48 crew portrait includes (front row left to right): Mark N. Brown, mission specialist; John O. Creighton, commander; and Kenneth S. Reightler, pilot. Pictured on the back row (left to right) are mission specialists Charles D. (Sam) Gemar, and James F. Buchli. The crew of five launched aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on September 12, 1991 at 7:11:04 pm (EDT). The primary payload of the mission was the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS).
Astronauts Mark Lee and Rich Clifford perform test check-out procedures on the Hubble Space Telescope in the Marshall Space Flight Center's Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS).
STS043-37-012 (2-11 Aug 1991) --- Three STS-43 astronauts are busy at work onboard the earth-orbiting space shuttle Atlantis. Astronaut Shannon W. Lucid is pictured performing one of several tests on Computer hardware with space station applications in mind. Sharing the aft flight deck with Lucid are Michael A. Baker (left), pilot and John E. Blaha, mission commander.
Ames Aerospace Encounter (AAE) Dedication and Ribbon Cutting with Dale Compton, (Larry Milov and R. Dean in background)
N-244 2.5M Centrifuge Facility mock-up (Mike Horkachuck and David Menche demonstrate)
STS044-S-140 (1 Dec 1991) --- A wide shot of Atlantis, with a crew of six aboard, as it is about to touch down at Edwards Air Force Base in southern California. Main gear touchdown occurred at 2:34:42 p.m. (PST), December 1, 1991.
NASA’s F/A-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle, also known as the “Silk Purse,” performs a thrust vectoring test in afterburner in 1991, while anchored to the ground.
The newest space shuttle orbiter, Endeavour is ready to roll out of the hangar at Palmdale, Calif. OV-105 features many design enhancements, including a drag chute for safer landings and equipment to allow the orbiter to remain in space for up to 28 days. Photo credit: NASA
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Two space planes pass inside the VAB as the orbiter Discovery is towed past its sister ship, Columbia. Photo credit: NASA
STS043-03-009 (5 Aug 1991) ---- Astronaut John E. Blaha is pictured executing development test objective (DTO) 1208, Space Station Cursor Control Device Evaluation II and advanced applications. The purpose of the Cursor Control Device Experiment is to evaluate human performance under space flight conditions of cursor control devices which are similar to the devices under consideration for use onboard Space Station computers. Here, the mission commander uses a thumbball/handgrip control device. Each crewmember evaluated the different types of cursor control devices during the nine-day STS-43 mission. Other methods of cursor control evaluated were the built-in trackball, a side mounted trackball with restraints and an optical pad with mouse.
STS-44 Mission Specialist (MS) James S. Voss works under the middeck subfloor of Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, to repair humidity separator leakage problems. Voss is surrounded by several water tanks and a maze of shuttle wiring and plumbing. Voss earned the nickname of "Bilge Man" because of his time spent on the lower deck tending to the leakage problem. This is the first photo released of a crewmember in this area of the shuttle.
STS043-04-038 (2-11 Aug 1991) --- Astronaut James C. Adamson, STS-43 mission specialist, checks on an experiment on Atlantis? flight deck. Part of the experiment, Optical Communications Through the Shuttle Window (OCTW), can be seen mounted in upper right. The OCTW system consists of two modules, one inside the orbiter crew cabin (as pictured here) and one in the payload bay. The crew compartment version houses an optoelectronic transmitter/receiver pair for video and digital subsystems, test circuitry and interface circuitry. The payload bay module serves as a repeater station. During operation a signal is transmitted through the shuttle window to a bundle of optical fiber cables mounted in the payload bay near an aft window. The cables carry optical signals from the crew compartment equipment to the OCTW payload bay module. The signals are returned via optical fiber cable to the aft flight deck window, retransmitted through the window, and received by the crew compartment equipment.
Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on April 28, 1991 at 7:33:14 am (EDT), STS-39 was a Department of Defense (DOD) mission. The crew included seven astronauts: Michael L. Coats, commander; L. Blaine Hammond, pilot; Guion S. Buford, Jr., mission specialist 1; Gregory J. Harbaugh, mission specialist 2; Richard J. Hieb, mission specialist 3; Donald R. McMonagle, mission specialist 4; and Charles L. Veach, mission specialist 5. The primary unclassified payload included the Air Force Program 675 (AFP-675), the Infrared Background Signature Survey (IBSS), and the Shuttle Pallet Satellite II (SPAS II).
S92-27865 (23 Sept 1991) --- In test stand 3 of the Operations and Checkout Building high bay, workers complete mating of the Atmosphere Laboratory for Applications and Science-1 (ATLAS-1) pallet and Igloo power unit. Closeout activities on the ATLAS-1 payload are under way, with a systems test scheduled for later in October. The ATLAS series of missions will study solar and atmospheric physics. ATLAS-1 is scheduled to fly on Space Shuttle Mission STS-45 in 1992.
STS048-S-168 (18 Sept. 1991) --- The five astronaut crew members for NASA's STS-48 mission leave the operations and checkout building headed for a transfer van that will take them to the awaiting Discovery at Launch Complex 39. Astronaut John O. Creighton, right, mission commander, leads the group, with Kenneth S. Reightler, pilot, on his right. Mission specialists are, left to right, James F. Buchli, Mark N. Brown and Charles D. (Sam) Gemar. In the background are astronauts Steven R. Nagel and Richard O. Covey and Olan J. Bertrand, all from the Johnson Space Center (JSC). Discovery launched at 7:11:04 p.m. (EDT), Sept. 12, 1991. Photo credit: NASA
A modified Space Shuttle Main Engine is static fired at Marshall's Technology Test Bed.
STS040-614-047 (5-14 June 1991) --- This image is of the Norfolk, Virginia -- Southern Delmarva Peninsula Southern Chesapeake Bay Area as seen in sunlight. The exposure is adjusted to emphasize the water patterns present. The outgoing tide generates considerable turbulence as it passes through the mouth of the bay. This is displayed by differences in reflective properties of the water surface due to differences in slope and turbidity. Ship wakes and the wakes of subsurface structures are seen clearly. The bridge tunnel system linking Norfolk with the peninsula and its effect on the system is quite apparent. Sunglint images over land areas were also acquired which emphasize land-water boundaries as demonstrated here in the small Delmarva inlets as a tool for wetland mapping, and river, lake and even pond description. During the first few days of the STS-40 mission the Eastern Seaboard of the United States was free of clouds and haze providing excellent photography of many of the major cities and the countryside of that area as well as the Gulf Stream.
STS039-10-019 (28 April-6 May 1991) --- This 35mm frame, taken from inside the crew cabin, shows some of the cargo in Discovery's payload bay. Seen are the tops of canisters on the STP-1 payload, configured on the STS 39 Hitchhiker carrier; and the Air Force Program (AFP) 675 package. AFP-675 consists of the Cryogenic Infrared Radiance Instrumentation for Shuttle (CIRRIS)-1A; Far Ultraviolet Camera (FAR-UV) Experiment; Horizon Ultraviolet Program (HUP); Quadruple Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer (QINMS); and the Uniformly Redundant Array (URA).
STS043-40-029 (2-11 Aug 1991) --- The five crewmembers on NASA's STS-43 mission pose for the traditional in-flight crew portrait. The photo should be oriented with Atlantis' middeck hatch on the right. Left to right are astronauts G. David Low, Shannon W. Lucid and James C. Adamson, all mission specialists; John E. Blaha, mission commander; and Michael A. Baker, pilot.
The newest space shuttle orbiter, Endeavour, is ready to roll out of the hangar at Palmdale, Calif. OV-105 features many design enhancements, including a drag chute for safer landings and equipment to allow the orbiter to remain in space for up to 28 days. Photo credit: NASA
STS037-29-002 (5-11 April 1991) --- Astronauts Linda M. Godwin and Jerry L. Ross perform a balancing act on Atlantis' middeck. With little effort Godwin is able to hold Ross up near the ceiling with her index finger. Although the area the two occupy is very small, a number of articles are seen, including two sleep restraints, the escape pole and Bioserve ITA Materials Dispersion Apparatus bioprocessing test bed (attached to stowage lockers at left). This was one of the visuals used by the STS-37 crewmembers during their April 19 post-flight press conference at the Johnson Space Center (JSC).
DC-8 NASA 717 in flight over San Francisco, Ca
The newest space shuttle orbiter, Endeavour is ready to roll out of the hangar at Palmdale, Calif. OV-105 features many design enhancements, including a drag chute for safer landings and equipment to allow the orbiter to remain in space for up to 28 days.Photo credit: NASA
S39-84-29AE (28 April-6 May 1991) --- In the center of this 70mm frame, surrounded by mountainous terrain, is Gora Konder crater in the USSR. The 57-degree inclination of Discovery's orbit allowed photographs of seldom observed areas of Earth such as this. The picture was exposed with a 70mm handheld camera from overhead windows on Discovery's aft flight deck.
STS043-21-013 (2-11 August 1991) --- As on previous missions, Earth observations/photography played an important role on NASA’s STS-43 mission. That role is depicted in this scene showing astronaut James C. Adamson, mission specialist, aiming a still camera toward Earth through an overhead window on Space Shuttle Atlantis’ aft flight deck. The scene was recorded by a fellow crewmember using a 35mm camera.
S91-44453 (21 Aug 1991) --- The crew of STS-45 is already training for its March 1992 mission, including stints on the KC-135 zero-gravity-simulating aircraft. Shown with an inflatable globe are, clockwise from the top, C. Michael Foale, mission specialist; Dirk Frimout, payload specialist; Brian Duffy, pilot; Charles R. (Rick) Chappell, backup payload specialist; Charles F. Bolden, mission commander; Byron K. Lichtenberg, payload specialist; and Kathryn D. Sullivan, payload commander.