STS-65

Mission Profile

Overview

STS-65 flew the second International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-2), a Spacelab module hosting more than 80 experiments from six space agencies. The mission's human star was Japanese physician Chiaki Mukai, who became the first Japanese woman to fly in space and set a then-record for the longest spaceflight by a woman. Working two shifts around the clock, the seven-member crew studied materials processing, fluid physics and life sciences, including a landmark experiment in which Japanese rice fish (medaka) became the first vertebrates to mate and produce healthy offspring entirely in orbit. The nearly fifteen-day flight was the longest Shuttle mission to that date, demonstrating Columbia's extended-duration capability and deepening Japan's growing role in human microgravity research ahead of its participation in the International Space Station.

Crew

Key Milestones

1. 1994-07-08

   Columbia launches with the IML-2 Spacelab from KSC LC-39A

2. 1994-07-08

   Chiaki Mukai becomes the first Japanese woman in space

3. 1994-07-13

   Medaka rice fish become the first vertebrates to spawn and hatch offspring in orbit

4. 1994-07-23

   Columbia lands at Kennedy Space Center, Runway 33, ending the longest Shuttle flight to date

Key Achievements

• First Japanese woman in space (Chiaki Mukai)

• Then-longest spaceflight by a woman

• Longest Space Shuttle mission flown to that date (nearly 15 days)

• First vertebrates (medaka rice fish) to mate and bear offspring in orbit

Related Missions

Sources

1. NASA – STS-65 mission archive
2. NASA – 30 Years Ago: STS-65, the Second IML Mission
3. Wikipedia – STS-65