Spacelab 2 - A preview

The Spacelab 2 mission, which is scheduled for Space Shuttle Challenger launch in July of 1985, will carry four telescopes for solar study, a dual X-ray telescope for observation of galaxy clusters, and a helium-cooled IR telescope for studies of interstellar clouds and other extended sources. The largest cosmic ray detector carried to space thus far will also be part of the payload. Life science experiment packages will examine the vitamin D chemistry of human blood under zero-G conditions, and the manner in which pine tree seedlings sense gravity and respond to it. Spacelab 2 will carry a crew of seven, including three mission specialists and two payload specialists.