MISSION/STUDY INFORMATION

STS-36 was the fourth night launch for the Space Shuttle program. The launch date was originally set for February 22, but was delayed four times due to a malfunction in the range safety computer, unfavorable weather conditions, and illness of a crewmember. This was the first time since Apollo 13 in 1970 that a manned space mission was affected by illness of a crewmember. The Shuttle Atlantis and its crew finally lifted off from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on February 28, 1990. The crewmembers were Commander John O. Creighton, Pilot John H. Casper, and Mission Specialists Richard M. Mullane, David C. Hilmers, and Pierre J. Thuot.

STS-36 was the sixth dedicated Department of Defense mission. Primary payloads on this flight were classified.

Life Sciences experiments performed on this mission included multiple Detailed Supplementary Objectives (DSOs). A DSO is a NASA-sponsored investigation performed by Space Shuttle crewmembers, who serve as the test subjects. These studies required minimal crew time, power and stowage. Biomedical DSOs focus on operational concerns, including space motion sickness, cardiovascular deconditioning, muscle loss, changes in coordination and balance strategies, radiation exposure, pharmacokinetics and changes in the body's biochemistry.

The Shuttle Atlantis touched down at Edwards Air Force Base in California on March 4, 1990. The total duration of the mission was four days, ten hours, eighteen minutes, and 22 seconds.