Spacelab Missions
The Spacelab components were used on 25 shuttle flights, but the components were decommissioned in 1998 except the pallets. Science work was to be moved to the International Space Station and Spacehab module, a pressurized carrier similar to the Spacelab Module. A Spacelab Pallet was recommissioned in 2002 for flight on STS-99. The "Spacelab Pallet - Deployable 1 (SLP-D1) with Canadian Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, Dextre" was launched on STS-123. "Spacelab Pallet - Deployable 2 (SLP-D2)" was scheduled for STS-127.
| Mission name | Orbiter | Launch date | Spacelab mission name |
Pressurized module |
Unpressurized modules |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STS-2 | Columbia | November 12, 1981 | OSTA-1 | 1 Pallet | |
| STS-3 | Columbia | March 22, 1982 | OSS-1 | 1 Pallet | |
| STS-9 | Columbia | November 28, 1983 | Spacelab 1 | Module LM1 | 1 Pallet |
| STS-41-G | Challenger | October 5, 1984 | OSTA-3 | Pallet | |
| STS-51-B | Challenger | April 29, 1985 | Spacelab 3 | Module LM1 | MPESS |
| STS-51-F | Challenger | July 29, 1985 | Spacelab 2 | Igloo | 3 Pallets + IPS |
| STS-61-A (D1) | Challenger | October 30, 1985 | Spacelab D1 | Module LM2 | MPESS |
| STS-35 | Columbia | December 2, 1990 | ASTRO-1 | Igloo | 2 Pallets + IPS |
| STS-40 | Columbia | June 5, 1991 | SLS-1 | Module LM1 | |
| STS-42 | Discovery | January 22, 1992 | IML-1 | Module LM2 | |
| STS-45 | Atlantis | March 24, 1992 | ATLAS-1 | Igloo | 2 Pallets |
| STS-50 | Columbia | June 25, 1992 | USML-1 | Module LM1 | EDO |
| STS-46 | Atlantis | July 31, 1992 | 1 Pallet | ||
| STS-47 (J) | Endeavour | September 12, 1992 | Spacelab-J | Module LM2 | |
| STS-56 | Discovery | April 8, 1993 | ATLAS-2 | Igloo | 1 Pallet |
| STS-55 (D2) | Columbia | April 26, 1993 | Spacelab D2 | Module LM1 | Unique Support Structure (USS) |
| STS-58 | Columbia | October 18, 1993 | SLS-2 | Module LM2 | EDO |
| STS-59 | Endeavour | April 9, 1994 | SRL-1 | 1 Pallet | |
| STS-65 | Columbia | July 8, 1994 | IML-2 | Module LM1 | EDO |
| STS-64 | Discovery | September 9, 1994 | LITE | 1 Pallet | |
| STS-68 | Endeavour | September 30, 1994 | SRL-2 | 1 Pallet | |
| STS-66 | Atlantis | November 3, 1994 | ATLAS-3 | Igloo | 1 Pallet |
| STS-67 | Endeavour | March 2, 1995 | ASTRO-2 | Igloo | 2 Pallets + EDO |
| STS-71 | Atlantis | June 27, 1995 | Spacelab-Mir | Module LM2 | |
| STS-73 | Columbia | October 20, 1995 | USML-2 | Module LM1 | EDO |
| STS-75 | Columbia | February 22, 1996 | Pallet | ||
| STS-78 | Columbia | June 20, 1996 | LMS | Module LM2 | EDO |
| STS-82 | Discovery | February 21, 1997 | Pallet | ||
| STS-83 | Columbia | April 4, 1997 | MSL-1 | Module LM1 | EDO |
| STS-94 | Columbia | July 1, 1997 | MSL-1R | Module LM1 | EDO |
| STS-90 | Columbia | April 17, 1998 | Neurolab | Module LM2 | EDO |
| STS-99 | Endeavour | February 11, 2000 | SRTM | Pallet |
Besides contributing to ESA missions, Germany and Japan each funded their own Space Shuttle and Spacelab missions. Although superficially similar to other flights, they were actually the first and only non-U.S. and non-European manned space missions with complete German and Japan control.
The first West German mission Deutschland 1 (Spacelab-D1, DLR-1, NASA designation STS-61-A) took place in 1985. A second similar mission, Deutschland 2 (Spacelab-D2, DLR-2, NASA designation STS-55), was first planned for 1988, but due to the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, was delayed until 1993. It became the first German manned space mission after German reunification.
The only Japan mission, Spacelab-J (NASA designation STS-47), took place in 1992.
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“There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one’s own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind.... Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to he was sane and had to.”
—Joseph Heller (b. 1923)