Author Topic: Discovery STS 41-D / A new orbiter sets sail  (Read 114853 times)

Offline Ares67

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Re: Discovery STS 41-D / A new orbiter sets sail
« Reply #220 on: 01/04/2012 04:41 pm »
As a little additional treat  :)  here are pictures and a short “Today” excerpt reporting on the events of June 2, 1984 – the day Discovery shook the ground at KSC for the very first time – during her 18-second FRF:

The test-firing of Discovery's three main engines was declared the most successful of any shuttle, although an analysis of test results were not expected to be completed before June 4th. The 18-second test at launch pad 39-A took place at 11:01 a.m. EDT. Restrained by hold-down posts, the shuttle lifted slightly off the pad before dropping back in place. When the engines were cut, the Discovery rocked for about a minute, settling at a northward tilt of about 1 foot, said launch manager Robert Sieck. The tilt - known as the "twang effect" - normally follows initial engine thrust, and corrects itself, Sieck said. NASA spokesman Rocky Raab said launch managers planned to set a firm date for Discovery's maiden flight by the morning of June 5th.Thomas Utsman, director of shuttle management and operations, said preliminary data showed no leaks or equipment failures, and that the test countdown went smoothly. "I think it shows the maturity of the hardware," he said. (TODAY, Jun. 3, 1984.)



Offline Ares67

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Re: Discovery STS 41-D / A new orbiter sets sail
« Reply #221 on: 01/04/2012 04:43 pm »

Offline Ares67

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Re: Discovery STS 41-D / A new orbiter sets sail
« Reply #222 on: 01/04/2012 04:46 pm »

Offline Ares67

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Re: Discovery STS 41-D / A new orbiter sets sail
« Reply #223 on: 01/04/2012 04:48 pm »

Offline psloss

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Re: Discovery STS 41-D / A new orbiter sets sail
« Reply #224 on: 01/05/2012 01:24 am »
Interesting related historical clip on YT: "Shuttle Discovery Nov 8 1983 at Carswell AFB, Ft. Worth, Texas"; this would be one of the stops on the original delivery ferry from Edwards AFB (Vandenberg AFB being the other).



Offline ChrisC

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Re: Discovery STS 41-D / A new orbiter sets sail
« Reply #225 on: 01/16/2012 09:31 pm »
I just wanted to post a quick thanks to Ares67 for putting all this together.  I've had it open in a window for a week and have been going through it as I got time, and just finished.  Having the transcripts and Mullane quotes really made it great.

There it is! Success!

Take cover, Castro! Hank has done it again! ;D

(I won't get into details here, but those of you who have read Mike Mullane's "Riding Rockets" will know what I'm hinting at...)

And I'll echo what several have said already:  that Mike Mullane book is an absolute must-read for any space / shuttle fan.  He comes off as a real prick at first, but grows on you more and more by each page.  Incredible insight into what life is really like for astronauts.
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Offline JWag

Re: Discovery STS 41-D / A new orbiter sets sail
« Reply #226 on: 01/17/2012 04:37 pm »
Thank you for these threads; most of these missions occurred when I was a wee lad. Despite living only a few miles from all the action, I don't remember the context or details.



These are my favorite shots of the orbiters.  They are at their most beautiful as they go into pre-flare and flare, right before the landing gear descend. 

The rational side of me recognizes that the Shuttle program had to end.  Regardless, I will miss these sights terribly.

« Last Edit: 01/17/2012 04:52 pm by MondoMor »

Offline Soaring Habu

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Re: Discovery STS 41-D / A new orbiter sets sail
« Reply #227 on: 05/22/2012 05:01 pm »
Thank you for these threads; most of these missions occurred when I was a wee lad. Despite living only a few miles from all the action, I don't remember the context or details.



These are my favorite shots of the orbiters.  They are at their most beautiful as they go into pre-flare and flare, right before the landing gear descend. 

The rational side of me recognizes that the Shuttle program had to end.  Regardless, I will miss these sights terribly.



I love these shots of the Orbiters too!
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Offline Ares67

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Re: Discovery STS 41-D / A new orbiter sets sail
« Reply #228 on: 05/23/2012 08:46 am »
Hi, Disco747, I think you - and many others - will love these photos, too... :)

Offline Ares67

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Re: Discovery STS 41-D / A new orbiter sets sail
« Reply #229 on: 05/23/2012 08:51 am »

Offline Ares67

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Re: Discovery STS 41-D / A new orbiter sets sail
« Reply #230 on: 05/23/2012 08:57 am »

Offline Ares67

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Re: Discovery STS 41-D / A new orbiter sets sail
« Reply #231 on: 05/23/2012 09:01 am »

Offline Ares67

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Re: Discovery STS 41-D / A new orbiter sets sail
« Reply #232 on: 05/23/2012 09:09 am »

Offline Ares67

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Re: Discovery STS 41-D / A new orbiter sets sail
« Reply #233 on: 05/23/2012 12:38 pm »
And while I'm at it - here is a "scary" story told by 41-D pilot Mike Coats.

:o

Offline Ash41D

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Re: Discovery STS 41-D / A new orbiter sets sail
« Reply #234 on: 08/23/2013 11:35 pm »
My favorite crew! Zoo crew! Great work Area67.. An added kudos for the hysterical article from Mike Coats that you ended with :)
Thank you! Loved it!
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Offline STS-85

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Re: Discovery STS 41-D / A new orbiter sets sail
« Reply #235 on: 08/24/2013 09:38 pm »
I notice they were very far from centerline after roll-out.. was there a some reason, such as no steering done (intentionally?) Usually they'd drift one way or another but would correct for centerline by the time they were stopped...


Offline psloss

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Re: Discovery STS 41-D / A new orbiter sets sail
« Reply #236 on: 08/24/2013 10:16 pm »
I notice they were very far from centerline after roll-out.. was there a some reason, such as no steering done (intentionally?) Usually they'd drift one way or another but would correct for centerline by the time they were stopped...
Leaking Schrader valve on the right main landing gear shock strut.  Elaboration in the Mission Report, In-Flight Anomaly List, and so on; the "executive summary" for the Mission Report was posted here at the end of 2006:
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=2788.msg101361#msg101361

(The Mission Report used to be on NTRS; no idea if or when that might return.  There's a version of the IFA list on L2.)
« Last Edit: 08/24/2013 10:19 pm by psloss »

Offline SalemHanna

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Re: Discovery STS 41-D / A new orbiter sets sail
« Reply #237 on: 09/11/2013 11:36 pm »
Thanks for posting these...the start of an icon! I just wish hi-def cameras were in use from the start of the programme...think how all these shots could be even better... :)
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Offline catdlr

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Re: Discovery STS 41-D / A new orbiter sets sail
« Reply #238 on: 10/30/2018 10:30 pm »
bump for video post:

Space Shuttle STS-41-D (Discovery First Flight) Mission Highlights 1984 NASA; (STS-41D)

Jeff Quitney
Published on Oct 30, 2018

Post-Flight Press Conference Film

"Commander: Henry W. Hartsfield, Jr.
Pilot: Michael L. Coats
Mission Specialists: Judith A. Resnik, Steven A. Hawley, Richard M. Mullane
Payload Specialists: Charles D. Walker (McDonnell Douglas)
Dates: August 30-September 5, 1984
Vehicle: Discovery OV-103
Payloads: SYNCOM IV-2 (LEASAT-2), SBS-D/PAM-D, TELSTAR 3-C/PAM-D-1, OAST-1 (Solar Array), RME, CFES, CLOUDS, SSIP (one experiment), and IMAX camera
Landing site: Runway 17 dry lakebed at Edwards AFB, CA

Narrated by the Commander and crew, this program contains footage selected by the astronauts, as well as their comments on the mission. Footage includes launch, onboard crew activities, and landing."

NASA film JSC-853

STS-41-D was the first flight of NASA's Space Shuttle orbiter Discovery. It was the 12th mission of the Space Shuttle program and was launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on August 30, 1984. Three commercial communications satellites were deployed into orbit during the six-day mission, and a number of scientific experiments were conducted.

The mission was delayed by more than two months from its original planned launch date, having experienced the Space Shuttle program's first launch abort at T-6 seconds on June 26, 1984.

The launch was originally planned for June 25, 1984, but because of a variety of technical problems, including rollback to the Vehicle Assembly Building to replace a faulty main engine, the launch was delayed by over two months. STS-41-D finally launched on 8:41 am EDT on August 30... The June launch attempt marked the first time since Gemini 6A that a manned spacecraft had experienced a shutdown of its engines just prior to launch.

Because of the two-month delay, the STS-41-F mission was canceled (STS-41-E had already been canceled), and its primary payloads were included on the STS-41-D flight. The combined cargo weighed over 41,184 pounds (18,681 kg), a record for a Space Shuttle payload up to that time.

The six-person flight crew consisted of Henry W. Hartsfield Jr., commander, making his second shuttle mission; pilot Michael L. Coats; three mission specialists - Judith A. Resnik, Richard M. Mullane and Steven A. Hawley; and a payload specialist, Charles D. Walker, an employee of McDonnell Douglas. Walker was the first commercially-sponsored payload specialist to fly aboard the Space Shuttle.

Discovery's primary cargo consisted of three commercial communications satellites: SBS-D for Satellite Business Systems, Telstar 3-C for Telesat of Canada, and SYNCOM IV-2, or Leasat-2, a Hughes-built satellite leased to the US Navy. Leasat-2 was the first large communications satellite designed specifically to be deployed from the Space Shuttle. All three satellites were deployed successfully and became operational.

Another payload was the OAST-l solar array, a device 13 feet (4.0 m) wide and 102 feet (31 m) high, which folded into a package 7 inches (180 mm) deep. The array carried a number of different types of experimental solar cells and was extended to its full height several times. It was the largest structure ever extended from a manned spacecraft and demonstrated the feasibility of large lightweight solar arrays for future application to large facilities in space, such as the International Space Station.

The McDonnell Douglas-sponsored Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System (CFES) experiment, using living cells, was more elaborate than the one flown on previous missions, and payload specialist Walker operated it for more than 100 hours during the flight. A student experiment to study crystal growth in microgravity was also carried out. The highlights of the mission were filmed using an IMAX motion picture camera and later appeared in the documentary film The Dream is Alive. Because of an obstruction in the shuttle's external wastewater dumping system, a two-foot "pee-sicle" formed that Hartsfield removed with the Remote Manipulator System.

The mission lasted six days, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds, with landing taking place on Runway 17 at Edwards Air Force Base at 6:37 am PDT on September 5, 1984. During STS-41-D, Discovery traveled a total of 2,490,000 miles (4,010,000 km) and made 97 orbits. The orbiter was transported back to KSC on September 10.

--------------------------------------------------------------
Originally a public domain film from NASA, slightly cropped to remove uneven edges, with the aspect ratio corrected, and one-pass brightness-contrast-color correction & mild video noise reduction applied.
The soundtrack was also processed with volume normalization, noise reduction, clipping reduction, and/or equalization (the resulting sound, though not perfect, is far less noisy than the original).



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Offline Astrovox

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Re: Discovery STS 41-D / A new orbiter sets sail
« Reply #239 on: 11/08/2018 02:53 am »
Photographic documentation showing STS-41D crew activities
« Last Edit: 11/08/2018 05:00 am by Astrovox »
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