Launched on this day in 1993…
Launched on 26 April 1993, STS-55 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission that had a significant European involvement. STS-55 carried the second reusable German Spacelab Module and an exterior experiment support structure in the Shuttle’s payload bay. Its crew of seven included German astronauts Ulrich Walter and Hans Schlegel. Together with NASA astronauts Steve Nagel, Tom Henricks, Jerry Ross, Charles Precourt and Bernard Harris, they would spend nearly ten days in space.
The D-2 mission was part of the microgravity research programme started by the German Space Agency (DARA) with the D-1 mission. The then German AeroSpace Research Establishment (DLR) had been tasked by DARA to conduct the second mission. ESA, DLR and NASA, with agencies from France and Japan, contributed to D-2’s scientific programme. Eleven nations participated in the 88 experiments conducted on the flight.
Pics: NASA/ESA/DLR
