MISSION/STUDY INFORMATION

STS-38 was the 7th flight of the Space Shuttle Atlantis and the 37th flight of the Space Shuttle System. The launch was originally scheduled for July 1990, but was delayed several times due to problems with the preceding flight of Columbia. The launch was again changed from the planned November 9 date due to payload problems. Space Shuttle Atlantis and its crew finally lifted off from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on November 5, 1990. The STS-38 crewmembers were Commander Richard O. Covey, Pilot Frank L. Cullbertson, and Mission Specialists Robert C. Springer, Carl J. Meade, and Charles D. Gemar.

STS-38 was the seventh 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 was originally set to land on November 19, but was delayed one day due to unacceptable weather conditions at the planned landing site, Edwards Air Force Base. The location was changed and Atlantis, and its crew touched down at KSC on November 20, 1990.