1/19/98 - We’re the prime crew!

Congratulations to the crew of STS-89, who launched successfully on Thursday. With their launch, STS-90 became the prime crew.

Major events this week were post-insertion and deorbit simulations including the entire crew. We focused on contingencies that would require the crew to return to earth much earlier than planned (e.g., fire, loss of cooling, or loss of power). These require abbreviated plans to return the orbiter to a flight configuration. It’s an exercise in choreography, communication, and coordination. These 3 "C’s" are essential to keep the timeline flowing smoothly.

As always, we spent a large portion of our time in payload training, focusing on the vestibular (rotating chair), autonomic, and virtual environment experiments. Experimental operations include both nominal and contingency conditions, with the goal being the greatest amount of scientific return possible. With 10 weeks left until launch, our schedule is busy and exciting!

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