atlas-3

The Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Sciences – 3 (ATLAS-03) was the primary payload aboard STS-66. It continued the series of Spacelab flights to study the energy of the sun and how it affects the Earth's climate and environment. The ATLAS-03 mission made the first detailed measurements from the Shuttle of the Northern Hemisphere's middle atmosphere in late fall. The timing of the flight, when the Antarctic ozone hole is diminishing, allowed scientists to study possible effects of the ozone hole on mid-latitudes, the way Antarctic air recovers, and how the northern atmosphere changes as the winter season approaches.

The Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Sciences – 3 (ATLAS-03) was the primary payload aboard STS-66. It continued the series of Spacelab flights to study the energy of the sun and how it affects the Earth's climate and environment. The ATLAS-03 mission made the first detailed measurements from the Shuttle of the Northern Hemisphere's middle atmosphere in late fall. The timing of the flight, when the Antarctic ozone hole is diminishing, allowed scientists to study possible effects of the ozone hole on mid-latitudes, the way Antarctic air recovers, and how the northern atmosphere changes as the winter season approaches.

The Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SSBUV) instrument was
designed to measure ozone concentrations by comparing solar
ultraviolet radiation with radiation scattered back from the Earth's
atmosphere.

The seven previous SSBUV flights occurred on STS-34 in October 1989, STS-41 in October 1990, STS-43
in August 1991, STS-45/ATLAS-1 in March 1992, STS-56/ATLAS-2 in April 1993, STS-62 in March
1994, and STS-66/ATLAS-3 in November 1994.