# STS-96

STS-96 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) flown by Space Shuttle Discovery, and the first shuttle flight to dock at the International Space Station. It was Discovery's 26th flight. The shuttle carried the Spacehab module in the payload, filled with cargo for station outfitting. STS-96 launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 27 May 1999 at 06:49:42 AM EDT and returned to Kennedy on 6 June 1999, 2:02:43 AM EDT.

## Crew

| Position | Astronaut | Astronaut |
| Commander | Kent V. Rominger Fourth spaceflight | Kent V. Rominger Fourth spaceflight |
| Pilot | Rick D. Husband First spaceflight | Rick D. Husband First spaceflight |
| Mission Specialist 1 EVA Specialist 1 | Daniel T. Barry Second spaceflight | Daniel T. Barry Second spaceflight |
| Mission Specialist 2 Flight Engineer Payload Commander RMS Operator | Ellen Ochoa Third spaceflight | Ellen Ochoa Third spaceflight |
| Mission Specialist 3 EVA Specialist 2 | Tamara E. Jernigan Fifth and last spaceflight | Tamara E. Jernigan Fifth and last spaceflight |
| Mission Specialist 4 Intravehicular Support | Julie Payette, CSA First spaceflight | Julie Payette, CSA First spaceflight |
| Mission Specialist 5 | Valeri I. Tokarev, RKA First spaceflight | Valeri I. Tokarev, RKA First spaceflight |

### Space walk

* Jernigan and Barry – EVA 1
* EVA 1 Start: 30 May 1999 – 02:56 UTC
* EVA 1 End: 30 May 1999 – 10:51 UTC
* Duration: 7 hours, 55 minutes

### Crew seat assignments

| Seat | Launch | Landing | Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck. Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck. |
| 1 | Rominger | Rominger | | Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck. Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck. |
| 2 | Husband | Husband | | Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck. Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck. |
| 3 | Barry | Payette | Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck. Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck. |
| 4 | Ochoa | Ochoa | | Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck. Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck. |
| 5 | Jernigan | Jernigan | | Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck. Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck. |
| 6 | Payette | Barry | Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck. Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck. |
| 7 | Tokarev | Tokarev | | Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck. Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck. |

## Mission highlights

* Illustration of the International Space Station (ISS) during Space Shuttle flight STS-96
* Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC), with among other the Russian cargo crane "STRELA", which was mounted on the ISS
STS-96 was a logistics and resupply mission for the International Space Station carrying the Spacehab Double Module (DM) 13th Spacehab overall (6th dual module use).
Space Shuttle Discovery carried to the ISS an Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC) with parts for the Russian cargo crane STRELA, which was mounted to the exterior of the Russian station segment. Furthermore, the ICC carried the SPACEHAB Oceaneering Space System Box (SHOSS) and the "ORU Transfer Device" (OTD), a U.S. built crane.
Other payloads on STS-96 were the Student Tracked Atmospheric Research Satellite for Heuristic International Networking Equipment (STARSHINE), the Shuttle Vibration Forces Experiment (SVF) and the Orbiter Integrated Vehicle Health Monitoring – HEDS Technology Demonstration (IVHM HTD).
The STARSHINE satellite consists of an inert, 483 millimetres (19.0 in) hollow sphere covered by 1,000 evenly distributed, flat, polished mirrors, each 1 inch in diameter. The payload consists of the STARSHINE satellite, integrated with the Pallet Ejection System (PES), then mounted inside a lidless carrier. The HH equipment consists of one HH Lightweight Avionics Plate (LAP), then mounted inside a lidless carrier. Additional HH equipment consists of one Hitchhiker Ejection System Electronics (HESE), one 5.0 cubic-foot (142 L) HH canister, and one Adapter Beam Assembly (ABA). The purpose of the mission was to train international student volunteer observers to visually track this optically reflective spacecraft during morning and evening twilight intervals for several months, calculate its orbit from shared observations, and derive atmospheric density from drag-induced changes in its orbit over time.
The Shuttle Vibration Forces (SVF) Experiment provided flight measurements of the vibratory forces acting between an aerospace payload and its mounting structure. The force transducers were incorporated into four custom brackets which replaced the existing brackets used to attach the 5 ft (1.5 m) standard canister to the side wall GAS adapter beam. The payload was activated automatically by the Orbiter Lift-off vibration and operated for approximately 100 seconds. STS-96 was the second flight of the SVF experiment.
The purpose of the Orbiter Integrated Vehicle Health Monitoring- HEDS Technology Demonstration (IVHM HTD) was to demonstrate competing modern, off-the-shelf sensing technologies in an operational environment to make informed design decisions for the eventual Orbiter upgrade IVHM. The objective of IVHM was to reduce planned ground processing, streamline problem troubleshooting (unplanned ground processing), enhance visibility into systems operation and improve overall vehicle safety.
A copy of Blizzard Entertainment's StarCraft real-time strategy game was also flown aboard STS-96. It resides at Blizzard's headquarters in Irvine, California.

## Wake-up calls

NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during the Gemini program, which was first used to wake up a flight crew during Apollo 15. Each track is specially chosen, often by their families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.
| Flight Day | Song | Artist/Composer |
| Day 2 | "California Dreamin" | Mamas and the Papas |
| Day 3 | "Danger Zone" | Kenny Loggins |
| Day 4 | Themes from Star Wars | Space Center Intermediate Band |
| Day 5 | "Morning Colors" | US Coast Guard Band |
| Day 6 | "Amarillo by Morning" | George Strait |
| Day 7 | "Exultate Jubilate" | Mozart |
| Day 9 | "Free Bird" | Lynyrd Skynyrd |