Launch from Cape Canaveral (
KSC);
landing on Edwards
AFB. The launch of Challenger was delayed 2 minutes 18
seconds due to a launch processing failure.
The mission was the second
flight of Spacelab, but the first in a fully operational configuration.
Spacelab capabilities for multi disciplinary research in microgravity were
successfully demonstrated.
All in all 15 experiments on five basic
discipline areas were performed: materials sciences, life sciences, fluid
mechanics, atmospheric physics and astronomy were carried out. Two monkeys and
24 rodents were observed for effects of weightlessness. Two Getaway Special
experiments required that they be deployed from their canisters, a "first" in
this program. These were NUSAT (Northern Utah Satellite) and
GLOMR (Global Low Orbiting Message Relay Satellite).
NUSAT deployed successfully, but
GLOMR did not deploy and was returned to
Earth.
Payload Specialists Taylor
Wang
and Lodewijk
van den Berg tested, if Biofeedback could help against the
space adaption syndrome.