Ed Campion

Headquarters, Washington, DC August 16, 1996

(Phone: 202/358-1780)

Eileen Hawley/Kyle Herring

Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX
(Phone: 713/483-5111)

RELEASE: 96-169

CREW NAMED TO FIRST SPACE STATION ASSEMBLY FLIGHT

Astronaut Robert D. Cabana (Col., USMC) will command the

first Space Shuttle mission to carry hardware to space for the
assembly of the International Space Station in late 1997.

Joining Cabana on the flight deck for mission STS-88

aboard Endeavour will be pilot Frederick "Rick" Sturckow
(Major, USMC), a member of the 1995 astronaut class who will be
making his first space flight. Rounding out the crew are
veteran mission specialists Nancy Currie (Major, USA), Jerry
Ross (Col., USAF), and Jim Newman, Ph.D.

The seven-day mission will be highlighted by the mating of

the U.S.-built Node 1 station element to the Functional Energy
Block (FGB) which will already be in orbit, and two spacewalks
to connect power and data transmission cables between the Node
and the FGB. The FGB, built by Boeing and the Russian Space
Agency, is scheduled for launch on a Russian Proton rocket from
the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakstan in November 1997.

"We're pleased to have Bob command this first flight to

begin the assembly of the International Space Station," said
David C. Leestma, director of Flight Crew Operations. "This is
a talented crew facing a very challenging and exciting mission."

Node 1 will be the first Space Station hardware delivered

by the Space Shuttle. It has two Pressurized Mating Adapters
(PMA), one attached to either end. One PMA is permanently
mated to the FGB and the other used for orbiter dockings and
crew access to the station. Node 1 also will contain an
International Standard Payload Rack used to support on-orbit
activities once activated after the fifth Shuttle/Station
assembly flight.

"I couldn't be more pleased by the selection of this

exceptional crew for this mission. This flight is of critical
importance to the assembly of the International Space Station.
I have every confidence in Colonel Bob Cabana and the STS-88
crew and their successful execution of this historic endeavor,"
said Randy Brinkley, Space Station Program Manager.

To begin the assembly sequence, the crew will conduct a

series of rendezvous maneuvers similar to those conducted on
other Shuttle missions to reach the orbiting FGB. On the way,
Currie will use the Shuttle's robot arm to place Node 1 atop
the Orbiter Docking System. Cabana will complete the
rendezvous by flying Endeavour to within 35 feet of the FGB,
allowing Currie to capture the FGB with the robot arm and place
it on the Node's Pressurized Mating Adapter.

Once the two elements are docked, Ross and Newman will
conduct two scheduled spacewalks to connect power and data
cables between the Node, PMAs and the FGB. The day following
the spacewalks, Endeavour will undock from the two components,
completing the first Space Station assembly mission.

STS-88 marks Cabana's fourth flight in space. He has been

Chief of the Astronaut Office since 1994. Currie and Newman
each will be making their third flight into space, and Ross
will be making his sixth space flight.

For complete biographical information on the STS-88 crew

and other astronauts, see the NASA Internet astronaut biography
home page at URL: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/.

For information on the International Space Station, visit

the Space Station home page at URL:

http://issa-www.jsc.nasa.gov/

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