NASA STS-91 Set of 10 Mission Cards

These glossy cards measure approx. 90mm x 60 mm and feature 10 glossy images from the STS-91 mission with details on the reverse. They were produced by NASA/NASA contractor. Other mission sets available.

STS-91 marked the final Shuttle/Mir Docking Mission. This Phase 1 Program was a precursor to the International Space Station maintaining a continuous American presence in space and developing the procedures and hardware required for an international partnership in space.

STS-91 also carried the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer Investigation (AMS) into space. The objectives of this investigation were to search for anti-matter and dark matter in space and to study astrophysics.

The mission was also the first to use the super lightweight external tank (SLWT) which was the same size, at 154 feet (47 m) long and 27 feet (8.2 m) in diameter, as the external tank used on previous launches, but 7,500 pounds (3,400 kg) lighter. The tank was made of an aluminum lithium alloy and the tank's structural design had also been improved making it 30 percent stronger and 5 percent less dense. The walls of the redesigned hydrogen tank were machined in an orthogonal waffle-like pattern, providing more strength and stability than the previous design. These improvements would later provide additional payload capacity to the International Space Station.