STS-87 Patch

STS-87 Mission Patch Launch Highlights Eighth shuttle flight of 1997 – first time since 1992 eight flights were conducted in one year. Sixth on-time liftoff in ’97, and all eight flights launched on day set in Flight Readiness Review. First use of Pad 39B since January following completion of extensive modifications to pad structures. Mission Highlights Primary payload of the flight, the U.S. Microgravity Payload-4, performed well. Research using other major payload, SPARTAN-201-04 free-flyer, was not completed. SPARTAN deploy delayed one day to Nov. 21 to allow time for companion spacecraft, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) already on-orbit, to come back on-line. Chawla used orbiter’s mechanical arm to release SPARTAN at 4:04 p.m. Spacecraft failed to execute a pirouette maneuver several minutes later, suggesting there was a problem with the attitude control system for fine pointing toward solar targets. Chawla then regrappled the SPARTAN, but did not receive a firm captu