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- From: HSCHNEID%ESOC.BITNET@vm.gmd.de (Hermann Schneider)
- Subject: ESA Press release
- Message-ID: <C1Gtzr.En2.1@cs.cmu.edu>
- X-Added: Forwarded by Space Digest
- Sender: news+@cs.cmu.edu
- Organization: [via International Space University]
- Original-Sender: isu@VACATION.VENARI.CS.CMU.EDU
- Distribution: sci
- Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 14:35:22 GMT
- Approved: bboard-news_gateway
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- Press Release Nr.04-93
- Paris, 25 January 1993
-
- ESA's Spacelab once again in space for Europe
-
- Europe and ESA will soon be once more in the forefront of manned
- space flight. The launch of the second German Spacelab mission
- (D-2) is scheduled for 25 February 1993. For nine days, Space
- Shuttle Columbia will carry in its cargo bay the ESA developed
- Spacelab on a mission to conduct fundamental research in the
- fields of material sciences (fluid physics and material processes),
- life sciences (biology, human physiology and radiation biology),
- astronomy, Earth observation and robotics.
-
- A crew of 7 astronauts, 5 from NASA and 2 payload specialists
- from DLR -the German Aerospace Research Establishment - will
- have the task of executing some 90 experiments, 32 of which have
- been funded and developed under ESA responsibility for scientists
- from university and research institutes spread all over Europe.
-
- Spacelab as a manned orbiting laboratory, has already flown 6
- times. Spacelab technology (unmanned, pallet-only versions of the
- laboratory) has also been used several other times. The year 1993
- marks both the 20th anniversary of the programme and the 10th
- anniversary of the first flight which occurred in November 1983
- (STS-9/ Spacelab 1).
-
- This will be the second time that the responsibility for the
- complete scientific programme of a manned space mission is fully
- in German hands. As was the case for the Spacelab D-1 mission in
- 1985, DLR has been entrusted by the German Federal Ministry for
- Research and Technology (BMFT) with the project management,
- the training of the scientific astronauts and the operation of
- the payload. DLR's dedicated space operations control centre
- for D-2 is located in Oberpfaffenhofen, near Munich in Germany.
-
- ESA's contribution to this mission is remarkable: five of the 32
- ESA experiments flown are contained in the Advanced Fluid
- Physics Module (AFPM) for investigation in fluid physics and 19
- are placed in the so called Anthrorack for human physiology
- research in microgravity. Furthermore, six experiments in the
- field of material synthesis and two experiments for the future
- Columbus Attached Laboratory -the European contribution to the
- International Space Station Freedom- will also be flown on D-2.
-
- The D-2 press centre will be set-up at DLR's Operations Control
- Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen for the duration of the whole mission.
-
-
-
- From 09h00 till 18h00 media will be able to cover the mission in all
- its aspects through video and audio links and follow mission
- control specialists and scientists from close by. Status briefings
- will be held in German daily and press releases will also be issued
- in German and English. Interviews with key ESA personnel can be
- arranged through the ESA Public Relations desk in the press
- centre.
-
- News media intending to cover the mission from the D-2 press
- centre will have to seek accreditation in writing or by Fax directly
- at:
-
- DLR Public Affairs Office, Linder Hohe - D-5000 Koln Porz
- (Germany)
- Fax: + 49 2203 601 3249
- with copy to :
- ESA Public Relations Office
- 8-10 Rue Mario Nikis - F-75015 Paris (Fax: + 33 1 42 73 7690)
-
- Regards Hermann Schneider
- Network Coordinator
- ESOC (European Space Agency's Operations Centre)
-