STS-59 PRESS KIT 


PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS
For Information on the Space Shuttle

Ed Campion                                          
Policy/Management       
Headquarters, Wash., D.C.

James Hartsfield   
Mission Operations  
Johnson Space Center, Astronauts
Houston

Bruce Buckingham
Launch Processing       
Kennedy Space Center, KSC Landing Information
Fla.

June Malone                          
External Tank/SRBs/SSMEs    
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.

Nancy Lovato    
DFRF Landing Information        
Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif.

For Information on NASA-Sponsored STS-59 Experiments

Brian Dunbar                    SRL-1
Headquarters, Wash., D.C.

Mike Braukus                    STL 
Experiments                     
Headquarters, Wash., D.C.

Debra Rahn                                           
International Cooperation       
Headquarters, Wash., D.C.

Terri Sindelar                  SAREX 
Payload                         
Headquarters, Wash., D.C.

Tammy Jones                     GAS 
Experiments                     
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

Jane Hutchison                  TUFI 
Experiment                      
Ames Research Center, Mountain View, Calif.


IN-CABIN PAPUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS
For Information on the Space Shuttle

Ed Campion                                          
Policy/Management       
Headquarters, Wash., D.C.

James Hartsfield   
Mission Operations   
Johnson Space Center, 
Astronauts Houston

Bruce Buckingham        
Launch Processing       
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
KSC Landing Information

June Malone                          
External Tank/SRBs/SSMEs    
Marshall Space Flight Center,
Huntsville, Ala.

Nancy Lovato    
DFRC Landing Information
Dryden Flight Research Center, 
Edwards, Calif.

For Information on NASA-Sponsored STS-59 Experiments

Brian Dunbar                    SRL-1
Headquarters, Wash., D.C.

Mike Braukus                    STL 
Experiments                     
Headquarters, Wash., D.C.

Debra Rahn                                           
International Cooperation       
Headquarters, Wash., D.C.

Terri Sindelar                  SAREX 
Payload                         
Headquarters, Wash., D.C.

Tammy Jones                     GAS 
Experiments                     
Goddard Space Flight Center,
Greenbelt, Md.

Jane Hutchison                  TUFI 
Experiment                      
Ames Research Center,
Mountain View, Calif.


CONTENTS

GENERAL BACKGROUND
General Release                                         3
Media Services Information                              5
Quick-Look Facts                                        6
Shuttle Abort Modes                                     8
Summary Timeline                                        9
Payload and Vehicle Weights                            11
Orbital Events Summary                                 12
Crew Responsibilities                                  13

CARGO BAY PAYLOADS & ACTIVITIES
Space Radar Laboratory-1 (SRL-1)                       15
Get Away Special (GAS) Experiments                     30
Consortium for Materials Development in Space Complex 
Autonomous 
Payload-IV (CONCAP-IV)                                 31

IN-CABIN PAYLOADS
Visual Function Tester-4 (VFT-4)                       32
Space Tissue Loss (STL)                                32
Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment-II (SAREX-II)         35

OTHER PAYLOADS AND ACTIVITIES
Toughened Uni-Piece Fibrous Insulation (TUFI)           37

STS-59 CREW BIOGRAPHIES
Gutierrez, Commander (CDR)                             38
Chilton, Pilot (PLT)                                   38
Godwin, Mission Specialist-3           
Apt, Mission Specialist-1                              39
Clifford, Mission Specialist-2                         40
Jones, Mission Specialist-4                            40





RELEASE:  94-38


SPACE RADAR HIGHLIGHTS SHUTTLE MISSION STS-59

     In April 1994, scientists around the world will be provided a unique
vantage point for studying how the Earth's global environment is changing when
Space Shuttle Endeavour is launched on Shuttle mission STS-59. During the 9-day
mission, the Space Radar Laboratory (SRL) payload in Endeavour's cargo bay will
give scientists highly detailed information that will help them distinguish
human-induced environmental changes from other natural forms of change.

     NASA will distribute the data to the international scientific community so
that this essential research is available worldwide to assist people in making
informed decisions about protecting the environment.

          Leading the STS-59 crew will be Mission Commander Sidney M. Gutierrez
who will be making his second flight.  Pilot for the mission is Kevin P.
Chilton who is making his second flight.  The four mission specialists aboard
Endeavour are Linda M. Godwin, the STS-59 Payload Commander, who will be making
her second flight; Jerome Apt who will be making his third flight; Michael R.
"Rich" Clifford who will be making his second flight; and Thomas D. Jones who
will be making his first flight.

     Launch of Endeavour on the STS-59 mission currently is scheduled for no
earlier than April 7, 1994, at 8:07 a.m.  EDT. The planned mission duration is
9 days, 5 hours, 7 minutes.  An on-time launch on April 7 would produce a
landing at 1:14 p.m.  EDT on April 16 at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle
Landing Facility.

    The Space Radar Laboratory (SRL) payload is comprised of the Spaceborne
Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) and the
Measurement of Air Pollution from Satellite (MAPS).  The German Space Agency
(DARA) and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) are providing the X-SAR instrument.

     The imaging radar of the SIR-C/X-SAR instruments have the ability to make
measurements over virtually any region at any time, regardless of weather or
sunlight conditions.  The radar waves can penetrate clouds, and under certain
conditions, can also "see" through vegetation, ice and extremely dry sand.  In
many cases, radar is the only way scientists can explore inaccessible regions
of the Earth's surface.

     An international team of 49 science investigators and three associates
will conduct the SIR-C/X-SAR experiments.  Thirteen nations are represented:
Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, the United Kingdom, France, Germany,
Italy, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and the United States.

     The MAPS experiment will measure the global distribution of carbon
monoxide in the troposphere, or lower atmosphere.  Measurements of carbon
monoxide, an important element in several chemical cycles, provide scientists
with indications of how well the atmosphere can clean itself of "greenhouse
gases," chemicals that can increase the atmosphere's temperature.

     STS-59 will see the continuation of NASA's Get Away Special (GAS)
experiments program.  The project gives the average person a chance to perform
experiments in space on a Shuttle mission.  There are three GAS payloads on
this flight: a New Mexico State University experiment to examine the freezing
and crystallization process of water in space; an experiment to explore thermal
conductivity measurements on liquids in microgravity sponsored by the Matra
Marconi Space of Paris, France; and the Society of Japanese Aerospace
Companies, Inc., experiment to find out whether small fruiting bodies can be
obtained in microgravity.

     The STS-59 mission will fly the first cooperative initiative with the
National Institutes of Health (NIH).  The joint initiative in cell biology will
use a special cell culture system developed by the Walter Reed Army Institute
of Research, Washington, D.C. The system known as Space Tissue Loss-4/National
Institutes of Health-1 will examine the effects of microgravity on muscle and
bone cells.  Preliminary flight tests using this cell culture system have
indicated there may be effects in the rate in which new muscle and bone cells
are formed in microgravity.  This research will help understand what is
happening on the cellular level of astronauts who suffer from bone loss and
muscle deterioration during spaceflight.  This research also should contribute
to scientists understanding of the mechanisms involved in bone loss and muscle
atrophy here on Earth .

     An advanced cell culture device known as STL-5 will be flown on STS-59.
This is the first flight test of this hardware developed by the Walter Reed
Army Institute of Research. This new system includes a video-microscope that
will allow scientists on the ground to see real-time video images of their
experiments in space.  The instrument is designed to be controlled by either
astronauts in space or individuals on the ground.  This telescience from the
middeck opens up the possibility for scientists to monitor and control their
space experiments from the ground.  The objective of this flight is to test the
operation of the equipment in microgravity.  Fish eggs will be used to test the
imaging capability of the system.

     The Endeavour crew will take on the role of teacher as they educate
students in the United States, Finland and Australia about STS-59 mission
objectives and what it is like to live and work in space through the Shuttle
Amateur Radio Experiment-II (SAREX-II).  Shuttle mission specialists Linda
Godwin and Jay Apt will operate the SAREX equipment.

     STS-59 will be the 6th flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour and the 62nd
flight of the Space Shuttle system.


- end -


MEDIA SERVICES INFORMATION


NASA Select Television Transmission

     NASA Select television is available through Spacenet-2, Transponder 5,
located at 69 Degrees West Longitude with horizontal polarization. frequency is
3880.0 MHz, audio is 6.8 MHz.

     The schedule for television transmissions from the Shuttle orbiter and for
mission briefings will be available during the mission at Kennedy Space Center,
Fla; Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.; Dryden Flight Research
Center, Edwards, Calif.; Johnson Space Center, Houston, and NASA Headquarters,
Washington, D.C. The television schedule will be updated to reflect changes
dictated by mission operations.

     Television schedules also may be obtained by calling COMSTOR 713/483-5817.
COMSTOR is a computer data base service requiring the use of a telephone modem.
A voice report of the television schedule is updated daily at noon Eastern
time.

Status Reports

     Status reports on countdown and mission progress, on- orbit activities and
landing operations will be produced by the appropriate NASA newscenter.

Briefings

     A mission briefing schedule will be issued prior to launch.  During the
mission, status briefings by a flight director or mission operations
representative and when appropriate, representatives from the payload team,
will occur at least once per day.  The updated NASA Select television schedule
will indicate when mission briefings are planned.




STS-59 QUICK LOOK

Launch Date/Site:               April 7, 1994/Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
						- Pad 39A
Launch Time:                    8:07 a.m. EDT
Orbiter:                        Endeavour (OV-105) - 6th Flight
Orbit/Inclination:              120 nautical miles/57 degrees
Mission Duration:               9 days, 5 hours, 7 minutes 
Landing Time/Date:              1:14 p.m. EDT April 16, 1994
Primary Landing Site:           Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
Abort Landing Sites:            Return to Launch Site - KSC, Fla.

TransAtlantic Abort landing - Zaragoza, Spain
                              Moron, Spain
                              Ben Guerir, Morocco

Abort Once Around 	    -  White Sands, N. M.

Crew:

Sidney M. Gutierrez, Commander (CDR)
Kevin P. Chilton, Pilot (PLT)
Jerome Apt, Mission Specialist 1 (MS1)
Michael R. Clifford, Mission Specialist 2 (MS2)
Linda M. Godwin, Payload Commander (MS3)
Thomas D. Jones, Mission Specialist 4 (MS4)

Red shift:  
Gutierrez, Chilton, Godwin

Blue shift:  
Apt, Clifford, Jones

Cargo Bay Payloads:     

Space Radar Laboratory-1 (SRL-1)
Consortium for Materials Development in Space Complex 
Autonomous Payload-IV (CONCAP-IV)
Get-Away Special Bridge Assembly/Canisters 
(GAS Bridge/Cans: G-203, G-300, G-458)

Middeck Payloads:       

Space Tissue Loss (STL)
Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment-II (SAREX-II)
Toughened Uni-Piece Fibrous Insulation (TUFI)
Visual Function Tester-4 (VFT-4)

Detailed Test Objectives/Detailed Supplementary Objectives:
            DTO 301D: Ascent Wing Structural Capability
            DTO 305D: Ascent Compartment Venting Evaluation
            DTO 306D: Descent Compartment Venting Evaluation
            DTO 307D: Entry Structural Capability
            DTO 312: External Tank Thermal Protection System Performance
            DTO 414: Auxiliary Power Unit Shutdown Test
            DTO 521: Orbiter Drag Chute System
            DTO 653: Evaluation of the MK 1 Rowing Machine
            DTO 656: Payload and General Purpose Support Computer Single 
              Event Upset Monitoring
            DTO 663: Acoustical Noise Dosimeter Data
            DTO 664: Cabin Temperature Survey
            DTO 665: Acoustical Noise Sound Level Data
            DTO 674: Thermo-electric Liquid Cooling System Evaluation
            DTO 700-8: Global Positioning System Development Flight Test
            DTO 805: Crosswind Landing Performance
            DSO 326: Window Impact Observations
            DSO 483: Back Pain in Microgravity
            DSO 487: Im  with orbital maneuvering system engines.

         * Abort-Once-Around (AOA) -- Earlier main engine shutdown
            with the capability to allow one orbit around before landing at
            White Sands Space Harbor, N. M.

          * TransAtlantic Abort Landing (TAL) -- Loss of one or more
             main engines midway through powered flight would force a landing
             at either Zaragoza, Spain; Moron, Spain; or Ben Guerir, Morocco.

          * Return-To-Launch-Site (RTLS) -- Early shutdown of one or
             more engines, and without enough energy to reach Zaragoza,
             would result in a pitch around and thrust back toward KSC until
             within gliding distance of the Shuttle Landing Facility.

     STS-59 contingency landing sites are the Kennedy Space Center, White Sands
Space Harbor, Zaragoza, Moron and Ben Guerir.


STS-59 SUMMARY TIMELINE

Flight Day One
Ascent
OMS-2 burn (120 n.m. x 119 n.m.)
SRL-1 activation/operations
GAS activities

Blue Flight Day Two                                  
Red Flight Day Two
SRL operations  
SRL operations
SAREX-II setup

Blue Flight Day Three                               
Red Flight Day Three
SRL operations  
SRL operations
VFT-4  activities

Blue Flight Day Four                                  
Red Flight Day Four
SRL operations                                            
SRL operations
VFT activities                                                
GAS activities
MS-4 off duty (half-day)

Blue Flight Day Five                                   
Red Flight Day Five
SRL operations                                          
SRL operations
STL activities                                                
MS-3 off duty (half-day)
MS-2 off duty (half-day)        
VFT activities

Blue Flight Day Six                                     
Red Flight Day Six
SRL operations          
SRL operations
MS-1 off duty (half-day)
VFT activities
VFT activities                                                 
PLT off duty (half-day)

Blue Flight Day Seven                               
Red Flight Day Seven
SRL operations          
SRL operations
VFT activities                                                 
VFT activities
                                                                         
CDR off duty (half-day)

Blue Flight Day Eight                                  
Red Flight Day Eight
SRL operations                                             
SRL operations
VFT activities                                                  
VFT activities


Blue Flight Day Nine                                  
Red Flight Day Nine
SRL operations                                            
Flight Control Systems checkout
VFT activities                                                
Reaction Control System hot-fire
                                                                        
SRL operations
                                                                        
STL deactivation
                                                                        
GAS deactivation
                                                                        
SRL deactivation
                                                                        
Cabin stow

Blue/Red Flight Day Ten
Final payload deactivation
Cabin stow
Deorbit preparation
Deorbit burn
Entry
Landing



STS-59 VEHICLE AND PAYLOAD WEIGHTS

Vehicle/Payload                                                                              
Pounds

Orbiter (Endeavour) empty and 3 SSMEs                                  
173,669

Space Radar Lab-1                                                                         
21,379

Space Radar Lab-1 support equipment                                      
2,417

CONCAP-IV                                                                                       
512

Get-Away Specials and support equipment                                
1,702

Space Tissue Loss                                                                           
132

Visual Function Tester                                                                     
32

Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment                                               
34

Detailed Supplementary/Test Objectives                                     
113

Total Vehicle at SRB Ignition                                                          
4,510,987

Orbiter Landing Weight                                                                    
221,708



STS-59 ORBITAL EVENTS SUMMARY

EVENT                   START TIME                      
VELOCITY CHANGE         ORBIT
                        
			(dd/hh:mm:ss)                   
(feet per second)       (n.m.)

OMS-2                   00/00:33:00                         
164 fps                 120 x 121

Deorbit                 09/04:04:12                         
294 fps                 N/A

Touchdown               09/05:07:00                         
N/A                     N/A

STS-59 CREW RESPONSIBILITIES

TASK/PAYLOAD                 PRIMARY                              
BACKUPS/OTHERS

Shift CDR                    
Gutierrez (red)                      
Apt (blue)

SRL-1 
Godwin (red)                       
Jones (blue)

CONCAP  
Chilton                                  
Apt

GAS cans 
Chilton                                  
Apt

Middeck Payloads:

SAREX           
Apt                                          
Godwin

STL
Chilton                                   
Clifford

VFT 
Gutierrez                               
Apt

Detailed Test Objectives:

DTO 301D                    Chilton
DTO 305D                    Chilton
DTO 306D                    Chilton
DTO 307D                    Chilton
DTO 312                     Apt
DTO 414                     Chilton
DTO 521                     Chilton
DTO 653                     Gutierrez
DTO 656                     Godwin                                  
			    Jones
DTO 663                     Gutierrez                               
			    Apt
DTO 664                     Gutierrez                               
			    Apt
DTO 665                     Gutierrez                               
			    Apt
DTO 700-8                   Jones

Detailed Supplementary Objectives:

DSO 326                     Chilton, Clifford
DSO 483                     Gutierrez, Apt, 
			    Clifford, Godwin
DSO 487                     All
DSO 488                     Gutierrez, Clifford
DSO 603B                    Godwin
DSO 604-1                   Chilton, Clifford
DSO 604-3                   Chilton, Godwin
DSO 608                     Chilton
DSO 611                     Chilton, Apt
DSO 621                     Godwin
DSO 624                     Gutierrez, Apt, 
			    Clifford, Jones
DSO 626                     Chilton, Godwin
DSO 802                     Apt
DSO 901                     Apt                                          
			    Chilton			
DSO 902                     Apt
			    Chilton
DSO 903                     Apt                                          
			    Chilton

Other:

Photography/TV              Apt                                         
			    Chilton
In-Flight Maintenance       Gutierrez, Chilton (red)      
			    Apt, Clifford (blue)
EVA                         Godwin (EV1)                      
			    Jones (EV2), Chilton
Earth Observations (SRL)    Jones                                    
			    Godwin
Earth Observations (other)  Apt
Medical                     Gutierrez                               
			    Clifford



SPACE RADAR LABORATORY-1

    The Space Radar Laboratory-1 (SRL-1) comprises two elements: a suite of
radar instruments called Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture
Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) jointly developed by NASA with DARA of Germany and ASI of
Italy, and an atmospheric instrument called Measurement of Air Pollution from
Satellite (MAPS).  SRL is part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth, the agency's
program that is studying how our global environment is changing.  SRL is
scheduled to fly twice in 1994 aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour.

     From the unique vantage point of space, Mission to Planet Earth flights
will observe, monitor and assess large- scale environmental processes with a
focus on global change.  The spacecraft data, complemented by aircraft and
ground studies, will give scientists highly detailed information that will help
them distinguish human-induced environmental changes from other natural forms
of change.  NASA will distribute the Mission to Planet Earth data to the
international scientific community so that this essential research is available
worldwide to assist people in making informed decisions about protecting their
environment.

Why Radar?

     The most useful feature of imaging radar is its ability to make
measurements over virtually any region at any time, regardless of weather or
sunlight conditions.  The radar waves can penetrate clouds and under certain
conditions, can also "see" through vegetation, ice and extremely dry sand.  In
many cases, radar is the only way scientists can explore inaccessible regions
of Earth's surface.

     The SIR-C/X-SAR is a synthetic aperture radar that transmits pulses of
microwave energy from the Shuttle toward Earth and measures the strength and
time delay of the energy that is scattered back to the SIR-C/X-SAR antenna.
The motion of the Shuttle between the transmission of the beam and the receipt
of the backscattered radiation is used to "synthesize" or create an antenna
(the aperture) much longer than the actual antenna hardware.  The effect of the
longer antenna is to produce images of finer resolution.

     Conditions on the Earth's surface influence how much radar energy is
reflected back to the antenna.  An area with a variety of surface types, such
as hills, trees and large rocks, generally will reflect more energy back to the
radar than a less complex area such as a desert.  The resulting radar image of
the varied terrain will appear brighter overall than the image of the simpler
area.  The three frequencies of SIR-C/X-SAR will enable scientists to view
three different scales of features in the images.

Science Objectives

      The SIR-C/X-SAR radar data will provide information about how elements of
the complex "Earth system" Q particularly land surfaces, water and life Q work
together to create Earth's livable environment.  The science team is
particularly interested in studying vegetation coverage, the extent of snow
packs, wetland areas, geologic features such as rock types and their
distribution, volcanic processes, ocean wave heights and wind speeds.

     There are more than 400 sites on Earth where data will be taken during the
mission.  Nineteen of these have been designated as "supersites," making them
the highest priority targets and the focal point for many of the scientific
investigators.  There are an additional 15 backup supersites.

     The supersites were chosen to represent different environments within each
scientific discipline, and they are areas where intensive field work will occur
before, during and after the flight.

     During the mission, "ground truth" teams at different sites will make
ground- or sea-based measurements of vegetation, soil moisture, sea state, snow
and weather conditions as the Shuttle passes over their sites.  These data will
be supplemented with information taken from aircraft and ships to ensure an
accurate interpretation of the data taken from space.  In addition, the STS-59
astronauts will record their personal observations of weather and environmental
conditions in coordination with SIR-C/X-SAR operations.

     The following are the areas of investigations and supersites for the SRL
mission:

     Ecology: Manaus, Brazil; Raco, Mich.; Duke Forest, N.C.; Central Europe

     Ecologists study life on Earth and how different species of animals and
plants interact with one another and their local environment.  SIR-C/X-SAR will
collect ecological data over the tropical forests of the Amazon basin in South
America and over the temperate forests of North America and Central Europe.

     The radar images will be used to study land use, the volume, types and
extent of vegetation and the effects of fires, floods and clear-cutting.
SIR-C/X-SAR's three radar frequencies interact with the vegetation on different
scales, providing three independent views of the forest.

     The radar's multi-polarization ability allows scientists to look beneath
the thick vegetation canopy of the forest in cloud-covered regions of the world
to study the trunks of the trees, which have stronger reflection of
vertically-oriented waves as well as the tree branches, which reflect the
horizontal waves more strongly.  These data give scientists a more complete
picture of the conditions on the ground.

     In some cases, SIR-C/X-SAR data will be used to test or validate existing
computer models of these areas that identify different kinds of trees, classify
crop types and determine the amount of soil moisture available in certain
areas.

     Seasonal changes in the forest will be studied by comparing data from the
two SIR-C/X-SAR flights in April and August. SIR-C/X-SAR data will be used
along with ground truth data to understand the impact of the loss of forests on
local ecology.  Scientists also will use the data to understand the impact on
animals.


      By studying the short-term and long-term changes in forests, scientists
can determine what effects changing environmental conditions and land use have
on the forests and in turn, on global climate change.

     Hydrology: Chickasha, Okla.; Otztal, Austria; Bebedouro, Brazil;
Montespertoli, Italy

     SIR-C/X-SAR hydrology investigations, which study how water circulates on
land, will be focused on determining soil moisture patterns.  These studies
will help scientists develop ways to estimate soil moisture Q the "hidden"
water that plays a major role in determining whether a region is wet or dry and
influences the global distribution of energy.  Combined with information on
evaporation rates over large areas, this data ultimately will be incorporated
into computer models to help predict a region's water cycle.

     The radars also will acquire snow cover data over Mammoth Lakes, Calif.,
the Austrian Alps and the Patagonian district in southern Chile. The shorter
wavelength X-band data will be useful to scientists for determining snow type,
while the longer wavelengths of L-band and C-band will help them estimate snow
volume.

     Snow data will help communities determine how much water will be available
for human and agricultural use.  For many areas, long-term or ground-based snow
cover data do not exist, and using radar data is the only way to collect this
information.

     SIR-C/X-SAR also will study wetlands -- delicate ecosystems especially
vulnerable to changes introduced by humans.  Wetlands are the source of many
trace gases that play an important part in the global atmospheric cycle.  SIR-
C/X-SAR will be able to determine the extent and limits of selected wetland
areas because radar is extremely sensitive to the presence of standing water,
even hidden under vegetation cover.  Data from the multiple flights of SIR-C/X-
SAR will help scientists observe changes in wetlands over time.

     Oceanography: The Gulf Stream (mid-Atlantic region); Northeast Atlantic
Ocean, Southern Ocean.

     SIR-C/Xrecord past climate changes.  In Death Valley, Calif., western
China and the southern Andes, the radar will map gravel deposits that wash down
from the mountains to form alluvial fans.  The fans are found throughout the
semi-arid deserts of the world in areas where there is a significant amount of
geologic activity.  Gravel builds up at the base of the mountains during
periods of relatively wet climate.

    The radar is sensitive to these rocky and rough surfaces, allowing
scientists to study climate history and the relative ages of surfaces.  As an
area ages, it is exposed to weathering.  This changes its roughness
characteristics.  Mapping areas of past climate change will give scientists a
stronger base from which to monitor and predict future climate changes.

     SIR-C/X-SAR will image volcanoes, including Mount Pinatubo and the
volcanoes of the Galapagos Islands. Volcanic eruptions can have a significant
impact on Earth's atmosphere, and SIR-C/X-SAR may obtain radar images of
erupting volcanoes and fresh lava flows which would help scientists understand
volcanic evolution.  The likelihood of finding an active volcano during the
flight is very good since active volcanoes are observed on nearly 50 percent of
Shuttle flights.

    Calibration: Flevoland, The Netherlands; Kerang, Australia;
Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany; Western Pacific Ocean

     Ground equipment will be set up in southern Germany, The Netherlands,
Australia and Death Valley, Calif., to measure the amount of SIR-C/X-SAR radar
energy received at the ground during the flight.  This information will be used
after the mission when the radar data are being processed to help scientists
calibrate the radar data.

Rain Experiments

     There are two SIR-C/X-SAR experiments planned to image rain over the
Western Pacific Ocean, an area scientists call the "rainiest place on Earth."

     Although radar can penetrate clouds, it is important to understand how
rain can change conditions on the ground and thus, change the radar image.  At
the shorter wavelengths of X-band and C-band, rain may reduce the strength of
the radar or scatter the signals significantly.

     The rain experiments offer a unique challenge to the operation of the
radar during flight.  All the other experiments can be reasonably tied to a
specific area, while the rain experiments only require that a "deep" rainstorm
be in progress.  Weather targets are transitory in both space and time and
cannot be scheduled, so finding a good target of opportunity presents
challenges.  Scientists chose the Western Pacific because there is a high
probability that it will be raining there when the Shuttle passes over it.

SIR-C Instrument

     Built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, Calif., and the
Ball Communications Systems Division, SIR-C is a two-frequency radar including
L-band (23-cm wavelength) and C-band (6-cm wavelength).

       SIR-C represents a technological advance from previous imaging radar.
Just as color pictures contain more information than do black and white
pictures, SIR-C's multi- frequency, multi-polarization radar imagery provide
more information about Earth's surface features than do single- frequency,
single-polarization images.

     SIR-C is the first spaceborne radar with the ability to transmit and
receive horizontally (H) and vertically (V) polarized waves at both
frequencies.  Polarization describes how the radar wave travels in space.  The
interaction between the transmitted waves and the Earth's surface determines
the polarization of the waves received by the antenna.  For example, when data
are acquired with HH (horizontal- horizontal) polarization, the wave is
transmitted from the antenna in the horizontal plane and the antenna receives
the backscattered radiation in the horizontal plane.  The other polarizations
are HV (horizontally transmitted, vertically received), VH
(vertical-horizontal) and VV (vertical- vertical).

       Multi-polarization data are particularly useful to scientists studying
vegetation because the data allow them to see different types of crops and to
estimate the volume of trees contained under the canopy of a forest.  The
multi- frequency, multi-polarization capability creates a new and more powerful
tool for studying the environment.

     Unlike previous SIR missions, the SIR-C radar beam is formed from hundreds
of small transmitters embedded in the surface of the radar antenna.  By
properly adjusting the energy from these transmitters, the beam can be
electronically steered without physically moving the large radar antenna.  This
feature, combined with maneuvers by the Shuttle, will allow images to be
acquired from many directions, allowing the study of how surface features'
reflections characteristically vary as the angle between the surface and the
incident radar wave (the incident angle) varies.

     The SIR-C antenna is the most massive piece of flight hardware ever built
at JPL. Its mass is 23,100 pounds (10,500 kilograms) and it measures
approximately 39 feet by 13 feet (12 meters by 4 meters).  The instrument is
composed of several subsystems: the antenna array, transmitter, receivers,
data-handling subsystem and the ground processor.  The antenna consists of
three leaves, each divided into four subpanels.

X-SAR Instrument

     X-SAR was built by the Dornier and Alenia Spazio companies for the German
Space Agency, Deutsche Agentur fuer Raumfahrtangelegenheiten (DARA), and the

Italian space agency, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI), respectively.  The
scientific processing progress is managed by DARA. It is a single-polarization
radar operating at X- band (3-cm wavelength).

     X-SAR uses a slotted-waveguide antenna, which is finely tuned to produce a
narrow, pencil-thin beam of energy.  The X-SAR antenna is mounted on a
supporting structure that is tilted mechanically to align the X-band beam with
the L-band and C-band beams.  X-SAR will provide VV polarization images.

     The SIR-C and X-SAR instruments can be operated individually or in
conjunction.  The width of the ground swath varies from 9 to 56 miles (15 to 90
kilometers), depending on the orientation of the antenna beams.  The resolution
of the radars Q the size of the smallest objects they can distinguish Q can be
varied from 33 to 656 feet (10 to 200 meters).

Previous Radar Missions

     Since the late 1970s a variety of NASA satellite missions have used
imaging radar to study Earth and its planetary neighbors.  Perhaps the most
familiar example of NASA's success using imaging radar is the Magellan mission
to Venus. Magellan's radar pierced the dense clouds covering Venus to map the
entire surface of the planet, revealing a world that had previously been hidden
to humans.

     SIR-C is the latest technological advance in a series of Earth-observing
imaging radar missions that began in June 1978 with the launch of Seasat, an
L-band SAR and continued with SIR-A in November 1981.  Both of those radars
observed the Earth from fixed angles.  SIR-B was flown aboard the Space Shuttle
in October 1984.

     The X-SAR antenna is a follow-on to Germany's Microwave Remote Sensing
Experiment (MRSE), flown aboard the first Shuttle Spacelab mission in 1983.

Technological Advances in NASA Earth-Observing Radars Available

Available Mission           Date              Angle of Incidence              
Frequencies              Polarizations

Seasat     	          June 1978    		 23 degrees
L-band                       HH

SIR-A                     Nov. 1981 	         50 degrees
L-band                       HH

SIR-B                     Oct. 1984               Variable
L-band                      HH

SIR-C                     April 1994             15-55 degrees
L-band                      HH


Data Collection, Processing and Image Releases

     SIR-C/X-SAR is designed to collect 50 hours of data, covering
approximately 18 million square miles (50 million square kilometers).  All data
will be stored onboard the Shuttle using a new generation of high-density,
digital, rotary-head tape recorders.  There will be 180 digital tape cartridges
(similar to VCR tape cassettes) carried aboard the Shuttle to record the data.
Portions of data also will be downlinked to the ground via NASA's Tracking and
Data Relay Satellite System.

     Ultimately, the mission will return 32 terabits (32 trillion bits) of
data, the equivalent of 20,000 encyclopedia volumes.  To think of it another
way, the radars together can produce 225 million bits of data per second, or
the equivalent of 45 simultaneously operating television stations.

     The raw data will be processed into images using digital SAR processors at
JPL (Pasadena, Calif.) DARA/DLR (Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany) and ASI/CGS
(Matera, Italy) Historically, processing SAR data has required a great deal of
computer time on special-purpose computer systems.  SIR- C/X-SAR scientists
will benefit, however, from rapid advances in computer technology that make it
possible to process the images with a standard super mini-class computer.

       Even with these advances, it still will take 5 months to produce a
complete set of survey images from the large volume of data acquired.  Detailed
processing will take another 9 months to complete.  Data will be exchanged
among Italy, Germany and the United States to meet the needs of the science
investigators.

     NASA, DARA and ASI will attempt to release some radar images to the press
during the Shuttle flight.  If this proves feasible, the images will be
processed at JPL and sent electronically via Internet to the Johnson Space
Center, where the image will be released on NASA Select Television. Hard copy
prints will be released simultaneously to the wire services at JPL. In Germany,
the images will be processed in high resolution by DLR.

Science Team

     An international team of 49 science investigators and three associates
will conduct the SIR-C/X-SAR experiments.  Thirteen nations are represented:
Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, the United Kingdom, France, Germany,
Italy, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and the United States.

     Dr.  Diane Evans of the JPL is the U.S. Project Scientist. Dr. Herwig Ottl
of DLR is the German Project Scientist and Prof. Mario Calamia of the
University of Florence is the Italian Project Scientist. Dr. Miriam Baltuck of
NASA Headquarters is the Program Scientist.


Management

     The SIR-C mission is managed by JPL for NASA Headquarters Office of
Mission to Planet Earth. Michael Sander is the JPL Project Manager. Richard
Monson of the Office of Mission to Planet Earth is the SIR-C Program Manager;
Jim McGuire of NASA Headquarters is the SRL Program Manager.

     X-SAR is managed by the Joint Project Office located near Bonn, Germany.
Dr. Manfred Wahl of DARA is theProject Manager and Dr. Paolo Ammendola of ASI
is the Deputy Project Manager.


MEASUREMENT OF AIR POLLUTION FROM SATELLITE (MAPS)

     The MAPS experiment measures the global distribution of carbon monoxide in
the troposphere, or lower atmosphere.  Measurements of carbon monoxide, an
important element in several chemical cycles, provide scientists with
indications of how well the atmosphere can clean itself of "greenhouse gases,"
chemicals that can increase the atmosphere's temperature.

Why do we measure carbon monoxide?

     Today, humanity's technological and agricultural activities are generating
carbon monoxide in large and increasing quantities.  This colorless, odorless
gas is produced whenever most fuels are burned, most abundantly by automobile
engines and as a result of the burning forests and grasslands.

    Once carbon monoxide enters the atmosphere, it is transported over long
distances and ultimately, is converted to carbon dioxide by a chemical called
the hydroxyl, "OH," radical.  The OH radical is the key participant in the
breakdown and removal of greenhouse gases such as methane, which in turn is
important in the chemistry of stratospheric ozone.

      It appears that as carbon monoxide emissions increase and react with the
OH radical, the amount of OH available to convert other gases in the atmosphere
will decrease.  If concentrations of OH are reduced, the breakdown and removal
of greenhouse gases also will be reduced.  Reduction of the OH radical thus
will have long-term influence on stratospheric ozone, the destruction of
greenhouse gases and potentially, on climate.

      The actual size of sources of carbon monoxide, the way that they change
over the course of the year and the patterns of the movement of the gas away
from the sources are not now well known.  The MAPS data are very useful in the
study of these factors.

Data collection and processing

      MAPS' primary goal is to measure the distribution of carbon monoxide in
the atmosphere between the altitudes of 2 and 10 miles (4 and 15 kilometers).
The data are recorded on a tape recorder and transmitted directly to the ground
using the Space Shuttle telemetry system.  The signals will be processed at the
Payload Operations Control Center to produce "quick look" maps of the carbon
monoxide distribution.  These "quick look" data will be used to plan the exact
periods of data acquisition during the flight.

      Following the flight, the recorded data will be processed using more
refined techniques, and the data will be combined with ground- and
aircraft-based data obtained by collaborating scientists from several
countries.  This will present a more detailed description of the distribution
of the gas than can be obtained by any single technique.

Results from previous flights

     The MAPS instrument first flew on the second flight of the Space Shuttle
in November 1981.  It obtained 12 hours of data that showed that most of the
carbon monoxide in the atmosphere at the altitudes measured by MAPS was located
in the Earth's tropical regions rather than in the Northern Hemisphere.
Further, the amount of carbon monoxide changed much more rapidly east to west
than had been expected.  The results implied that forest and grassland burning
in the tropics is more important as a source of carbon monoxide than had been
thought.

     The MAPS experiment again flew on the Space Shuttle during early October
1984.  About 80 hours of data were obtained.  That clearly confirmed that
burning in South America and southern Africa was a major source of carbon
monoxide.

     Because of MAPS' previous flights on board the Space Shuttle, scientists
now know that carbon monoxide concentrations in the troposphere are highly
variable around the planet, and that widespread burning in the South American
Amazon region and the African savannahs is a major global source of carbon
monoxide in the troposphere.

MAPS instrument

     The MAPS hardware consists of an optical box, an electronics box, a tape
recorder and a camera, all mounted to a single base plate.  This assembly is
mounted to a Multi- purpose Experiment Support Structure near the forward end
of the cargo bay.  The instrument is about 36 inches long, 30 inches wide and
23 inches high.  It weighs 203 pounds and consumes about 125 watts of
electrical power.

     The Program Manager is Louis Caudill, and Dr. Michael Kurylo is the
Program Scientist, both at NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. The Principal
Investigator for MAPS is Dr. Henry G. Reichle, Jr., and the Project Manager is
John ving.  Space is available for upcoming flights, and GAS presents an
educational opportunity for students.

     There are three GAS payloads on this flight: G-203, New Mexico State
University; G-300, Matra Marconi Space; and G-458, The Society of Japanese
Aerospace Companies, Inc. Following is a brief description of each.


G-203  
Customer:  New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, N.M.
Customer:  Dr. Harold Daw
NASA Technical Manager:  Charlie Knapp

     The purpose of this experiment is to examine the freezing and
crystallization process of water in spaceflight.  Experimenters will study
growth patterns of ice crystals in a microgravity condition.  Growth pattern
data will be captured by a video recorder.  A vapor valve is opened to initiate
the experiment allowing the water vapor in the chamber to be adsorbed rapidly
(the adhesion of extremely thin layers of molecules to the surface of solid
bodies or liquids with which they are in contact) into the pores of the dry
zeolite contained in the chamber.  The rapid adsorption of the water vapor
causes the water temperature to drop to a point of freezing.  Other water
freezing experiments have flown on Shuttle flights but this experiment is
unique in its freezing technique and is predicted to produce very different ice
crystal growth patterns.


G-300 
Customer:  Matra Marconi Space, Paris, France
Customer:   Daniel Kaplan
NASA Technical Manager:  Rick Scott

     The objective of this experiment is to explore thermal conductivity
measurements on liquids in microgravity.  Measurements will be performed on
three silicone oils having different viscosities.  The experimenters will use a
modified "hot plate" method with a simplified guard ring to reduce heat losses.
The experimental cells are assembled in three tandems: Each tandem includes two
cells filled with the same liquid but of different thicknesses.  The convective
motions are expected to be strongly reduced in orbit unless large gravitational
variations occur.

     The three modes of heat transfer in liquids (conduction, radiation and
convection) are inherently linked in a 1g environment and are empirically
difficult to perform on fluids because of thermal motions induced by
convection.  In orbit, assuming a near-zero gravity, the convection, due to
buoyancy, must disappear and the accuracy of the thermal conductivity data will
be improved, especially with low viscosity liquids.  Furthermore, the
convection effects can be determined by comparing results from spaceflight and
on Earth.

     This is the first GAS payload from France. It had flown previously on
STS-47 but an unforeseen event caused the experiment to be turned on before
flight.


G-458  
Customer:  The Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies, Inc.,
Tokyo, Japan
Customer:  Dr. S. Hosaka
NASA Technical Manager:  Charlie Knapp

     The objective of this experiment is to determine whether small fruiting
bodies can be obtained in microgravity.  The information will be obtained by
taking a culture of Dictysotelium Discoideum in microgravity.  The cellular
slime mold is one of the most interesting organisms, due to its characteristic
properties.  It assumes unicellular, multicellular, plant-like and animal-like
properties during its life cycle.  Still, it is a very simple organism because
it is composed of only two kinds of cells, even when it is fully developed.
Because of this, its response to altered gravity can be regarded as a typical
representative of gravi- response of organisms.

     The cellular slime mold is a small organism with a body length of several
millimeters and is rather resistant to a wide variety of environmental
conditions.  Ground experiments proved that the height of fruiting bodies of
Dictysotelium Discoideum was gravity-dependent.  The height decreased as the
gravity decreased.  This contradicts the prediction that microgravity favors
the growth of organisms resulting in larger height.  It is believed that this
experiment will conclude that in some cases more gravity is favorable and
microgravity is unfavorable for vertical growth.

CONSORTIUM FOR MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT IN SPACE COMPLEX AUTONOMOUS PAYLOAD

     The Consortium for Materials Development in Space - Complex Autonomous
Payload (CONCAP-IV) will be carried in Get Away Special hardware in Endeavour's
cargo bay.  CONCAP-IV is contained in a 5-cubic-foot GAS canister mounted to an
adapter beam.  The Autonomous Payload Control System allows a crew member to
control the payload with a small, hand-held controller.

     CONCAP-IV produces crystals and thin films through physical vapor
transportation.  Non-Linear Optical (NLO) organic materials are used in the
CONCAP experimentation.  The payload takes advantage of the free-fall
environment of low-Earth orbit to grow the NLO crystals.  It is expected that
the lack of significant gravity-driven convection will result in more highly
ordered films and crystals.

     CONCAP-IV was developed by the University of Alabama- Huntsville.

VISUAL FUNCTION TESTER-4

     The Visual Function Tester-4 (VFT-4) is designed to measure near and far
points of clear vision as well as the ability to change focus within the range
of clear vision.  VFT-4 will provide data to evaluate on orbit refractive and
accommodative changes in vision over a period of several days.

     The VFT-4 payload consists of the experiment unit, a cable connecting
VFT-4 to a computer serial port, 2 self- booting floppy disks containing a
software program and serving as a data storage medium, a payload and general
support computer with power and data cables and a standard 28-volt power cable.

     Prelaunch, three sessions are required with crew as test subjects.  The
sessions occur at L-14 days, L-7 days and as close to launch as possible.  On
orbit, VFT-4 is unstowed by the crew for test sessions lasting up to 30 minutes
each.  The first test session is early in the payload operation period.
Subsequent tests are separated by 24 hours.  Preferably, these tests are
conducted soon after post-sleep.  The VFT-4 hardware will be restowed between
sessions.  Crew members who participate in VFT-4 sessions on orbit will be
retested post-flight.

     VFT-4 is operated by NASA and the U. S. Air Force Space and Missile
Systems Center.

SPACE TISSUE LOSS-4/NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH-1

     STS-59 will fly the first cooperative initiative with the National
Institutes of Health (NIH), sponsored by NASA's Office of Life and Microgravity
Sciences and Applications Small Payloads Program. The joint initiative in cell
biology will use a special cell culture system developed by the Walter Reed
Army Institute of Research, Washington, D.C. The system, known as Space Tissue
Loss-4 (STL-4), is fully automated and provides fluid replenishment,
oxygen/carbon dioxide and temperature controls to provide for cell growth in
microgravity.  The cells will be analyzed post-flight.  The experiments on this
first NIH/NASA cooperative flight will examine the effects of microgravity on
muscle and bone cells.  Preliminary flight tests using this cell culture system
have indicated there may be effects in the rate in which new muscle and bone
cells are formed in microgravity.  This research will help understand what is
happening on the cellular level to astronauts who suffer from bone loss and
muscle deterioration in spaceflight.  This research also should contribute to
understanding of the mechanisms involved in bone loss and muscle atrophy on
Earth. The STL-4 experiments are being managed by the Ames Research Center,
Mountain View, Calif.

Space Tissue Loss - 5

     An advanced cell culture device known as STL-5 will be flown on STS-59.
This is the first flight test of this hardware developed by the Walter Reed
Army Institute of Research, Washington, D.C. This new system includes a video-
microscope that will allow scientists on the ground to see real-time video
images of their experiments in space.  The instrument is designed to be
controlled by either astronauts in space or individuals on the ground.  This
telescience from the middeck opens up the possibility for scientists to monitor
and control their space experiments from the ground.  The objective of this
flight is to test the operation of the equipment in microgravity.  Fish eggs
will be used to test the imaging capability of the system.

Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX)

     Students in the United States, Finland and Australia will have a chance to
speak via amateur radio with astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour
during STS-59. Ground- based amateur radio operators ("hams") will be able to
contact the Shuttle through automated computer-to-computer amateur (packet)
radio links.  There also will be voice contacts with the general ham community
as time permits.

     Shuttle mission specialists Linda Godwin (call sign N5RAX) and Jay Apt
(N5QWL) will talk with students in 9 schools in the United States, Finland and
Australia using "ham radio."

     Students in the following schools will have the opportunity to talk
directly with orbiting astronauts for approximately 4 to 8 minutes:

            * Ealy Elementary School, West Bloomfield, Mich. (W8JXU)

            * Kanawha Elementary School, Davisville, W.V. (KD8YY)

            * Alcatel Amateur Radio Associates and Circle Ten Council, BSA,
Richardson, Texas (K2BSA/5)

            * Anthony Elementary School, Anthony, Kan. (KB0HH)

            * St. Bernard High School, Playa Del Rey, Calif. (AB6UI)

            * Country Club School, San Ramon, Calif. (KE6YD)

            * Deep Creek Middle School, Baltimore, Md. (WA3Z)

            * Paltamo Senior High School, Paltamo, Finland (OH8AK)

            * Ogilvie School, Western Australia (VK6IU)

     The radio contacts are part of the SAREX (Shuttle Amateur Radio
Experiment) project, a joint effort by NASA, the American Radio Relay League
(ARRL), and the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT).

     The project, which has flown on 12 previous Shuttle missions, is designed
to encourage public participation in the space program and support the conduct
of educational initiatives through a program to demonstrate the effectiveness
of communications between the Shuttle and low- cost ground stations using
amateur radio voice and digital techniques.

     Information about orbital elements, contact times, frequencies and crew
operating schedules will be available during the mission from NASA, ARRL (Steve
Mansfield, 203/666- 1541) and AMSAT (Frank Bauer, 301/ 286-8496).  AMSAT will
provide information bulletins for interested parties on INTERNET and amateur
packet radio.

     The ham radio club at the Johnson Space Center, (W5RRR), will be operating
on amateur short wave frequencies, and the ARRL station (W1AW) will include
SAREX information in its regular voice and teletype bulletins.

     There will be a SAREX information desk during the mission in the Johnson
Space Center newsroom.  Mission information will be available on the computer
bulletin board (BBS).  To reach the bulletin board, use JSC BBS (8 N 1 1200
baud): dial 713-483-2500, then type 62511.

     The amateur radio station at the Goddard Space Flight Center, (WA3NAN),
will operate around the clock during the mission, providing SAREX information
and retransmitting live Shuttle air-to-ground audio.

STS-59 SAREX Frequencies

     Routine SAREX transmissions from the Space Shuttle may be monitored on a
worldwide downlink frequency of 145.55 MHz.

     The voice uplink frequencies are (except Europe):

144.91 MHz
144.93
144.95
144.97
144.99

     The voice uplink frequencies for Europe only are:

144.70
144.75
144.80

     Note: The astronauts will not favor any one of the above frequencies.
Therefore, the ability to talk with an astronaut depends on selecting one of
the above frequencies chosen by the astronaut.

     The worldwide amateur packet frequencies are:

Packet downlink         145.55 MHz
Packet uplink           144.49 MHz

     The Goddard Space Flight Center amateur radio club planned HF operating
frequencies:

3.860 MHz                            
7.185 MHz
14.295                                   
21.395 
28.650


TOUGHENED UNI-PIECE FIBROUS INSULATION

     NASA will test an improved thermal protection tile on the STS-59 mission.
Known as Toughened Uni-Piece Fibrous Insulation (TUFI), the new tile material
is an advanced version of the material that protects the Space Shuttles from
the intense heat that builds up as they re-enter Earth's atmosphere.  The tiles
were processed by Rockwell International, Downey, Calif., which built and
maintains the orbiters.  TUFI was developed at NASA's Ames Research Center,
Mountain View, Calif.

     During preparations for this mission, Rockwell technicians at Kennedy
Space Center placed several TUFI tiles on Endeavour's base heat shield, between
the three main engines.  At the end of the mission, NASA and Rockwell
technicians will examine the tiles and compare the damage with that seen on
previous missions using the originally designed tile material.

     The current tiles are a rigid glass fiber composite with a thin, fully
dense glass coating that sits on top.  When it gets hit with a rock or other
debris, the coating cracks or chips.  This requires either patching or
replacement, depending on the extent of damage.

     Because TUFI permeates the pores nearer the surface of the insulation
material, providing reinforcement to the composite surface, it is less subject
to impact damage.  The porous surface also stops cracks from spreading, which
limits damage to the tile.  Because there is less damage, repair is easier and
faster, and fewer tiles should need replacement.  This should result in lower
repair costs.

     TUFI has been certified for six Shuttle flights, on all four orbiters.  If
the tests are successful, TUFI may be used to replace tiles in specific,
limited areas of the orbiter susceptible to significant impact damage.  These
might include the base heat shield between the engines, near the landing gear
doors and near the thrusters used for orbed to be an astronaut in 1988 and will
be making his second space flight.


STS-59 CREW BIOGRAPHIES

     Chilton was born in Los Angeles, Calif. He graduated from St. Bernard High
School, Playa del Rey, Calif., in 1972; received a bachelor's degree in
engineering sciences from the Air Force Academy in 1976; and received a
master's degree in mechanical engineering from Columbia University in 1977.

     Chilton received his wings at Williams Air Force Base, Ariz., in 1978, and
was assigned to the 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron at Kadena Air Base,
Japan, flying the RF4 Phantom II aircraft.  In 1981, he was assigned to the
67th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Kadena Air Base flying the F-15 Eagle
aircraft.  Chilton attended the Air Force Squadron Officer School in 1982 and
served as an F-15 weapons officer, instructor pilot and flight commander until
1984 at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. He completed the Air Force Test Pilot
School in 1984 and later served as weapons and systems test pilot in the F-15
and F-4.

     Chilton's first space flight was as pilot of Endeavour's maiden flight on
STS-49, a mission that repaired a stranded INTELSAT communications satellite,
in May 1992.  He has logged more than 213 hours in space.

     Linda M. Godwin, 41, is payload commander and mission specialist 3 (MS-3).
She is a member of the astronaut class of 1985 and will be making her second
Shuttle flight.

     Godwin was born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and considers Jackson, Mo.,
her hometown.  She graduated from Jackson High School in 1970 and received a
bachelor of science degree in mathematics and physics from Southeast Missouri
State in 1974.  In 1976 and 1980 she earned master of science and doctorate
degrees in physics from the University of Missouri.

     She joined NASA in 1980 working in the payload integration office of the
Mission Operations Directorate. Before being selected an astronaut, Godwin
served in Mission Control as a flight controller and payloads officer on
several Shuttle missions.

     Her first Shuttle mission was aboard Atlantis on the STS-37 mission in
April 1991.  The primary task of the crew during the flight was to deploy the
Compton Gamma Ray Observatory and to evaluate translation techniques during two
spacewalks.  Godwin has logged more than 143 hours in space.  She also has
logged approximately 500 hours in light aircraft.

     Jay Apt, 44, will be mission specialist 1 (MS-1) and the commander of the
blue shift on STS-59. He was chosen to be an astronaut in 1985 and will be
making his third Space Shuttle flight.

     Apt was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, but considers Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, his hometown.  He graduated from Shady Side Academy in Pittsburgh
in 1967; received a bachelor of arts degree in physics from Harvard College in
1971; and received a doctorate in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology in 1976.

     He joined NASA in 1980 and worked in the Earth and Space Sciences Division
at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, doing planetary research as part of the
Pioneer Venus Orbiter Infrared team.  In 1981, he became the manager of JPL's
Table Mountain Observatory. He served as a flight controller and payloads
officer in Mission Control from 1982 through 1985.

     Apt flew on the Shuttle first as a mission specialist on Atlantis' eighth
mission, STS-37 in April 1991, to deploy the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory.
During that mission, he conducted two spacewalks to release a stuck antenna on
the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory and to evaluate translation techniques for
possible use during future spacewalks and spacecraft assembly in orbit.

     His second flight, also as a mission specialist, was aboard Endeavour in
September 1992.  This mission was a cooperative effort between the U.S. and
Japan to perform life sciences and materials processing experiments in the
Spacelab pressurized module housed in the payload bay.  He was the flight
engineer and commanded the blue shift during the mission.

     In addition to his two Shuttle missions totaling 334 hours, Apt has logged
more than 3,000 hours in 25 different types of aircraft.

     Michael R. "Rich" Clifford, 41, Lt. Col., USAF, is mission specialist 2
(MS-2).  Selected as an astronaut in 1990, he will be making his second flight
aboard the Space Shuttle.

     Clifford was born in San Bernardino, Calif., but considers Ogden, Utah,
his hometown.  He graduated from Ben Lomond High School in Ogden in 1970.  In
1974, Clifford received his bachelor of science degree from the U.S. Military
Academy, West Point, N. Y. He earned a master of science degree in aerospace
engineering in 1982 from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

     After graduation from the Naval Test Pilot School in 1986, he was
designated an experimental test pilot.  He was assigned to the Johnson Space
Center in 1987 as a military officer and served as a Space Shuttle vehicle
integration engineer.  He was involved in design certification and integration
of the Shuttle crew escape system.

     Clifford's first Shuttle mission aboard Discovery, STS- 53, was a
Department of Defense flight in December 1992 giving him more than 175 hours in
space.  He has logged more than 2,900 flying hours in a wide variety of fixed
and rotary winged aircraft.

     Thomas D. Jones, 39, will serve as mission specialist 4 (MS-4).  He was
selected to be a member of the astronaut corps in 1990 and will be making his
first flight aboard the Space Shuttle.

     Jones was born in Baltimore, Md. He graduated from Kenwood Senior High
School, Essex, Md., in 1973.  He received a bachelor of science degree in basic
sciences from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs in 1977, and a
doctorate in planetary science from the University of Arizona, Tucson, in 1988.

     He served on active duty as an Air Force officer for six years flying
strategic bombers at Carswell AFB, Texas. While serving as a pilot and
commander of a B-52D Stratofortress, he led a combat crew of six, accumulating
more than 2,000 hours of jet experience.  He resigned his commission in 1983
with the rank of captain.

     Prior to his selection as an astronaut, Jones was a program management
engineer in the Office of Development and Engineering, CIA, and a senior
scientist with Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC), Washington,
D.C. At SAIC, his tasks included advanced program planning for the Solar System
Exploration Division at NASA Headquarters, concentrating on future robotic
missions to Mars, asteroids, and the outer solar system.

     In addition to the STS-59 mission, Jones is training as the payload
commander for the second Space Radar Laboratory mission (SRL-2) scheduled for
launch in August 1994 (STS-68).
