Media Contacts:

Dr. Michael Stoskopf, 919/829-4279 or michael_stoskopf@ncsu.edu
Sara Frisch, News Services, 919/515-3470 or sara_frisch@ncsu.edu

April 2, 1998

NC State Veterinarian Lifts Off April 16 on Space Shuttle Mission

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A veterinarian from North Carolina State University will be one of seven astronauts studying neuroscience in space when NASA's STS-90 Neurolab mission is launched Thursday, April 16. Dr. Richard Linnehan, visiting assistant professor of companion animal and special species medicine in the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), will serve as payload commander for the 17-day mission and study of the effects of microgravity on the nervous system.

He is scheduled to speak with NC State students via video downlink on Monday, April 27. CVM students will have an opportunity to ask questions about the vestibular system during the 10-minute program, which is tentatively scheduled to begin at 5:19 p.m.

Linnehan, an astronaut since 1992, joined the faculty of NC State in May 1997. He works with the Center for Marine Sciences and Technology (CMAST), which coordinates marine sciences research, education and outreach at NC State and cooperates with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Institute of Marine Sciences and Carteret Community College. On his mission into space, Linnehan will carry flags from CMAST and NC State's College of Veterinary Medicine.

While in space, Linnehan will study the effects of space travel on circulation, sleep patterns, blood pressure and other functions in humans and animals. The Neurolab crew will perform 26 experiments in both human and animal neuroscience for eight research teams based at universities and state agencies around the world.

"The same types of problems, on different time scales, that pose challenges to long-term space flight are challenging our planet," says Michael Stoskopf, professor of companion animal and special species medicine at the college and a colleague of Linnehan's at CMAST.

As Linnehan studies the differences that occur with the nervous system in space, the same techniques and technologies can be applied at CMAST, Stoskopf said. The principles of remote telemetry -- real-time transmission of measurements and other data -- used on the Neurolab mission will be a model for CMAST research devoted to marine animals and their environments, he said.

The STS-90 mission on the Columbia Space Shuttle is scheduled to lift off from Kennedy Space Center April 16 and return there May 3. The crew includes pilots, engineers, physicians, veterinarians and scientists.

--frisch-- NOTE TO EDITORS: The scheduled times for the mission launch and the video downlink are subject to change. Seating for the video downlink at NC State will be limited, but the media is welcome to attend. Reservations are necessary. Dr. Richard Linnehan is in quarantine until the flight, but he may be available for phone interviews when he returns. Reporters should call Sara Frisch, NC State News Services, at (919) 515-3470 in advance to reserve a space for the video downlink or to arrange interviews.