May 7, 1998
Doug Peterson
Johnson Space Center
(281) 483-5914

Release: J98-12

Special Event Honoring STS-90 Neurolab Mission Astronauts

NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) will host a special event May 19 to honor the astronaut crew of the recently completed STS-90 Neurolab Mission. This free event will be held at 7 p.m. in the IMAX Theater at Space Center Houston.

JSC Director George Abbey will present the crew’s Space Flight Medals and other awards to individuals and teams who made key contributions to the flight. The crew, STS-90 Commander Rick Searfoss, Pilot Scott Altman, Mission Specialists Rick Linnehan, Kay Hire, and Dave Williams, and Payload Specialists Jay Buckey, Jr. and James Pawelczyk will narrate a slide show presentation of mission photographs, including those taken by the crew during their flight. The program will conclude with a showing of an IMAX movie.

During the mission, the crew performed scientific studies in the Spacelab module carried in Columbia’s payload bay. The Spacelab provided the astronauts a working research laboratory with living conditions similar to those on Earth, but with one key difference: microgravity.

The prime mission objective for the STS-90 Neurolab mission was to expand our understanding of how the nervous system develops and functions in space; knowledge needed for future space travel. The mission research will also provide a unique contribution to the study and treatment of neurological diseases and disorders on Earth.

The public and all JSC employees, contractors, friends, family members, and guests are invited. Early arrival is recommended due to the limited seating available in the Space Center Houston IMAX theater. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the seating is first-come, first-served. The program is limited to the theater, and other Space Center Houston attractions will not be open. Space Center Houston is located next to the Johnson Space Center, midway between Houston and Galveston at 1601 NASA Road 1.

For events such as crew returns and launches, the public should call in advance for possible time changes. Updated information about each event will be available on the days before the event on the JSC Public Information line 281/483-8600.

Space Center Houston offers a broad, in-depth view of the space program throughout the year, with hands-on activities and exhibits for families and schools. For more information phone (281) 244-2100 or visit the Internet site at http://www.spacecenter.org

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