KSC-98EC-0732 - STS-91 Launch of Discovery from Launch Pad 39-A 


Startled by the thunderous roar of the Space Shuttle Discovery's
engines as it lifts off, several birds hurriedly leave the Launch Pad
39A area for a more peaceful site. Liftoff time for STS-91, the 91st
Shuttle launch and last Shuttle-Mir mission, was 6:06:24 p.m. EDT June
2.  On board Discovery are Mission Commander Charles J. Precourt;
Pilot Dominic L.  Gorie; and Mission Specialists Wendy B. Lawrence,
Franklin R. Chang-Diaz, Janet Lynn Kavandi and Valery Victorovitch
Ryumin. The nearly 10-day mission will feature the ninth and final
Shuttle docking with the Russian space station Mir, the first Mir
docking for the Space Shuttle orbiter Discovery, the first on-orbit
test of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), and the first flight of
the new Space Shuttle super lightweight external tank. Astronaut
Andrew S. W.  Thomas will be returning to Earth as an STS-91 crew
member after living more than four months aboard Mir.

 
                                               06/02/98