KSC-97PC1008

The Technology Applications and Science-1 (TAS-1) payload for the STS-85 mission rests in a payload canister in the Space Station Processing Facility prior to its trip out to Launch Pad 39A for installation into the payload bay of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery. The TAS-1 holds seven separate experiments that will provide data on the Earth’s topography and atmosphere, study the sun’s energy, and test new thermal control devices, as well as several student-developed experiments. Other STS-85 payloads include the Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere-Shuttle Pallet Satellite-2 (CRISTA-SPAS-2). The CRISTA is a system of three telescopes and four spectrometers to measure infrared radiation emitted by the Earth’s middle atmosphere. During the 11-day mission, the CRISTA-SPAS-2 free-flying satellite will be deployed from Discovery and retrieved later in the flight. Also onboard the satellite will be the Middle Atmosphere High Resolution Spectrograph Investigation (MAHRSI) to measure ultraviolet radiation emitted and scattered by the Earth’s atmosphere. The International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker-2 (IEH-2) will also be in the payload bay. The IEH-2 experiments will study ultraviolet radiation from stars, the sun and in the solar system