Spacelab

Spacelab was a reusable space research laboratory flown on numerous space shuttle missions during which astronauts conducted extensive scientific study between 1983 and 1998. Built by the European Space Agency (ESA) and launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Spacelab was one of the earliest long-term space research laboratories and the first to be operated as a cooperative international effort. During its time in use, Spacelab allowed researchers to study and make a wide variety of critical scientific advances in relation to everything from atmospheric chemistry to solar energy, astronomy, metallurgy (the study of metals and their properties), and medicine. In total, researchers completed approximately eight hundred experiments over the course of thirty-six different Spacelab missions and learned how to conduct scientific investigations in the microgravity environment of low-Earth orbit. Most importantly, however, Spacelab also helped set the stage for future cooperative space research projects, including the International Space Station.

Brief History

The history of space-based laboratory research dates back to the early 1970s. After the Soviet Union successfully launched Salyut 1, the world's first space station designed for scientific research in 1971, NASA set out to do the same. Its answer to Salyut was Skylab, an American space station sent into orbit in 1973 on the last Saturn V rocket ever launched. Used during a series of three separate missions between May of 1973 and February of 1974, Skylab allowed researchers to complete critical experiments that proved humans could adapt to and work in microgravity environments for long periods. Despite the fact that it was actively used for less than a year, the experimentation undertaken on Skylab yielded a great deal of information that would prove immensely valuable to the future of space-based research.

As NASA astronauts worked on Skylab, President Richard Nixon sought to use space exploration and experimentation as a means of encouraging international cooperation. At Nixon's request, NASA asked the European Space Research Organisation (ESRO) to construct a special space laboratory to be used on future cooperative research missions. Although the ESRO agreed to the project, it was ultimately completed by the ESA. The eventual product of this historic international agreement between NASA and the ESA was Spacelab, a $500 million reusable space laboratory completed in 1982 that could be transported onboard NASA's new space shuttle.

Spacelab was first launched into orbit aboard the space shuttle Columbia on November 28, 1983. On its inaugural ten-day mission, Spacelab became the first short-duration manned space laboratory to orbit Earth successfully. While it was originally intended to be active for only ten years, Spacelab ultimately remained in service until 1998 and was used on thirty-six missions. All but two of these missions were dedicated science missions, some of which included the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS) Earth observation flights, the Astronomical Observatory missions, and several life science and physical science flights. It was officially retired in 1998. By that time, NASA was ready to join with several other world space agencies in operation of the International Space Station, a landmark accomplishment in space research made possible in part by the information gathered through Spacelab.

Overview

Spacelab was a modular structure with four different components that could be installed and arranged in different configurations depending on the requirements of each particular mission. These components included a pressurized module that contained the laboratory itself, one or more non-pressurized pallets, the Instrument Pointing System (IPS), and a tunnel that provided access between the module and the shuttle. The laboratory module, which could itself be configured with one or two separate segments, offered a habitable environment in which crewmembers could conduct experiments and control Spacelab as a whole. The laboratory had data processing equipment, floor-mounted racks, and a workbench, among other things. Attached to the outside of the laboratory module were the U-shaped pallets, which were used to mount various instruments and house experiments that required exposure to space. The IPS made it possible for crewmembers to point pallet-mounted instruments at targets with pinpoint precision. On missions where the laboratory module was not taken along, a special pressurized cylinder called the igloo, which contained all the subsystems needed to operate Spacelab, was included. Before each mission, the components were assembled in the desired configuration and loaded into the space shuttle's cargo bay for transport.

Each Spacelab mission was planned years in advance and was carried out according to a carefully developed timeline. The crew for each mission typically included both mission specialists (astronauts like the mission commander and pilot) and payload specialists (non-astronaut scientists responsible for conducting experiments). The scientific focuses of the different Spacelab missions were quite varied. Some focused on Earth's atmosphere and involved research into atmospheric gases. One of the major focuses of the Spacelab mission was the sun. Scientists onboard Spacelab photographed the sun, gathered data on its chemistry and physics, and studied the energy it emitted. Scientists also used Spacelab to conduct in-depth astronomical research that involved studying cosmic rays and other space phenomena. Another subject of interest for Spacelab scientists was metallurgy and how metals behaved in a microgravity environment. The life sciences were also frequently studied onboard Spacelab. Scientists studied how various plants and animals responded to life in space and used their unique environment to produce certain medicine in purer forms than previously possible. Some other subjects studied on Spacelab included combustion science, fluid physics, and biotechnology.

In the course of its time as an active spacecraft, Spacelab was a valuable tool for scientific research. Many of the experiments conducted on Spacelab led to discoveries that broadened humankind's understanding of the universe and improved life for everyone on Earth. In addition to yielding a vast quantity of meaningful data on a wide variety of scientific topics, it provided a meaningful glimpse of the possibilities and challenges presented by space station research, which in turn paved the way for more expansive work on the International Space Station. Additionally, Spacelab continued contributing to space research even after its retirement. Following its last mission, some of Spacelab's hardware components were used for support and research purposes on the International Space Station.

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