SpaceLab was a program developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) in the 1980s and 1990s to promote the use of the Space Shuttle as a platform for conducting scientific research in microgravity. The program involved the development and deployment of a series of payloads, or specialized research modules, that were carried aboard the Space Shuttle and installed in the payload bay.
SpaceLab payloads were designed to accommodate a wide range of scientific experiments, covering a variety of fields including biology, physics, materials science, and Earth observation. The program was designed to take advantage of the unique microgravity environment of space to conduct experiments that could not be performed on Earth, and to advance our understanding of a variety of scientific phenomena.
SpaceLab payloads were carried on a total of nine Space Shuttle missions between 1983 and 1996, with a number of high-profile experiments being conducted as part of the program. The program was eventually discontinued due to the end of the Space Shuttle program and the transition to new spacecraft and launch systems.
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STS-9: The first SpaceLab mission, launched in 1983, carried the SpaceLab 1 payload, which included a variety of experiments in the fields of biology, materials science, and solar physics.
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STS-51B: The second SpaceLab mission, launched in 1985, carried the SpaceLab 2 payload, which included experiments in the fields of fluid physics, materials science, and biology.
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STS-61B: The third SpaceLab mission, launched in 1985, carried the SpaceLab 3 payload, which included experiments in the fields of biology, materials science, and Earth observation.
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STS-40: The fourth SpaceLab mission, launched in 1991, carried the SpaceLab 4 payload, which included experiments in the fields of biology, materials science, and Earth observation.
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STS-58: The fifth SpaceLab mission, launched in 1993, carried the SpaceLab 5 payload, which included experiments in the fields of biology, materials science, and Earth observation.
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STS-65: The sixth SpaceLab mission, launched in 1994, carried the SpaceLab 6 payload, which included experiments in the fields of biology, materials science, and Earth observation.
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STS-67: The seventh SpaceLab mission, launched in 1995. It carried the SpaceLab 7 payload, which included a variety of experiments in the fields of biology, materials science, and Earth observation.
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STS-70: The eighth SpaceLab mission, launched in 1995, carried the SpaceLab 7 payload, which included experiments in the fields of biology, materials science, and Earth observation.
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STS-73: The ninth and final SpaceLab mission, launched in 1995, carried the SpaceLab 8 payload, which included experiments in the fields of biology, materials science, and Earth observation.