STS-87 was a Space Shuttle mission launched from Launch Complex 39B of the Kennedy Space Center on 19 November 1997. It was the 88th flight of the Space Shuttle and the 24th flight of Columbia. The mission goals were to conduct experiments using the United States Microgravity Payload (USMP-4), conduct two EVAs, and deploy the SPARTAN-201 experiment. This mission marked the first time an EVA was performed from Columbia. EVAs from Columbia were originally planned for STS-5 in 1982 and STS-80 in 1996, but were canceled due to spacesuit and airlock problems, respectively. It also marked the first EVA conducted by a Japanese astronaut, Takao Doi.

Crew

Backup crew

Space walks

  • Scott and Doi – EVA 1
  • EVA 1 Start: 25 November 1997 – 00:02 UTC
  • EVA 1 End: 25 November 1997 – 07:45 UTC
  • Duration: 7 hours, 43 minutes
  • Scott and Doi – EVA 2
  • EVA 2 Start: 3 December 1997 – 09:09 UTC
  • EVA 2 End: 3 December 1997 – 14:09 UTC
  • Duration: 4 hours, 59 minutes

Crew seat assignments

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! Seat

! Launch

! Landing

|rowspan=8| 150px<br />Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck.<br />Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck.

|-

! 1

|colspan=2| Kregel

|-

! 2

|colspan=2| Lindsey

|-

! 3

|Chawla

|Doi

|-

! 4

|colspan=2| Scott

|-

! 5

|Doi

|Chawla

|-

! 6

|colspan=2| Kadeniuk

|-

! 7

|colspan=2 style="background-color:lightgray"| Unused

|}

Mission highlights

thumb|left|Launch of STS-87

STS-87 flew the United States Microgravity Payload (USMP-4), Spartan-201, Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment (OARE), TEVA Demonstration Flight Test 5 (EDFT-05), the Shuttle Ozone Limb Sending Experiment (SOLSE), the Loop Heat Pipe (LHP), the Sodium Sulfur Battery Experiment (NaSBE), the Turbulent GAS Jet Diffusion (G-744) experiment, and the Autonomous EVA Robotic Camera/Sprint (AERCam Sprint) experiment. Mid-deck experiments included the Middeck Glovebox Payload (MGBX) and the Collaborative Ukrainian Experiment (CUE).

thumb|220x124px | right | STS-87 in-flight crew portrait

United States Microgravity Payload

The United States Microgravity Payload (USMP-4) was a Spacelab project managed by Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama. The complement of microgravity research experiments was divided between two Mission-Peculiar Experiment Support Structures (MPESS) in the payload bay. The extended mission capability offered by the Extended Duration Orbiter (EDO) kit provides an opportunity for additional science gathering time.

Wake-up calls

Sleeping shuttle astronauts were often awakened with a short piece of music, a tradition that began during the Gemini and Apollo missions. Each track was specially chosen, sometimes by their families, and usually had a special meaning to an individual member of the crew or was applicable to their daily activities. Astronauts Bill McArthur, Ellen Ochoa, Chris Hadfield, and Marc Garneau were the CAPCOMs for the mission, and called in to Columbias astronauts each day.

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! Flight day

! Song

! Artist/composer

! Played for

! Link