Author Topic: STS-2: 25 years ago....  (Read 25054 times)

Offline jacqmans

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STS-2: 25 years ago....
« on: 08/02/2006 07:27 pm »
In november it is 25 years ago that STS-2 was launched...ofcourse a lot needed to be done before Columbia could return to space after STS-1....In the comming days, weeks and months I will post here photograps from my own collection of the preparations of STS-2. Starting today with Columbia in the OPF in August 1981 and her roll over from the OPF to the VAB on August 4, 1981.

Comments are ofcourse welcome, and I hope you will like the photo's  :)
Jacques :-)

Offline jacqmans

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RE: STS-2: 25 years ago....
« Reply #1 on: 08/02/2006 07:29 pm »
Jacques :-)

Offline MKremer

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Re: STS-2: 25 years ago....
« Reply #2 on: 08/02/2006 07:33 pm »
Thanks for posting the pics!

Wow, look at all those high-tech ropes all over the place. ;)

Offline jacqmans

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RE: STS-2: 25 years ago....
« Reply #3 on: 08/04/2006 07:25 pm »
Jacques :-)

Offline jacqmans

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RE: STS-2: 25 years ago....
« Reply #4 on: 08/04/2006 07:27 pm »
Jacques :-)

Offline ch1le

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RE: STS-2: 25 years ago....
« Reply #5 on: 08/04/2006 09:41 pm »
really puts into perspective what an old bird she really is!
Great shots  ;)

Offline shuttlefan

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RE: STS-2: 25 years ago....
« Reply #6 on: 08/07/2006 01:44 am »
Does anyone (Jim?), know why the External Tank for STS-1 had a dark ' ring ' around it near the top and the STS-2 tank did not? To me, that's the only notable difference between those two tanks. ;)

Great STS-2 processing pics.!!

Offline jacqmans

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RE: STS-2: 25 years ago....
« Reply #7 on: 10/27/2006 07:29 pm »
Roll Out of STS-2 - August 31, 1981
Jacques :-)

Offline jacqmans

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RE: STS-2: 25 years ago....
« Reply #8 on: 10/27/2006 07:31 pm »
Jacques :-)

Offline George CA

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Re: STS-2: 25 years ago....
« Reply #9 on: 10/28/2006 12:22 am »
Ah yes, the final White ET.
"One Percent for Space"

Offline zerm

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Re: STS-2: 25 years ago....
« Reply #10 on: 10/29/2006 09:09 pm »
I'm lucky enough to be able to say that I was there for both the scrubbed launch and then the actual launch. I was attending college in Daytona Beach and AIAA on campus had chartered a bus to take a group down to KSC on a causeway pass. For STS-1 you couldn't buy a seat on the same bus, but for STS-2 there were plenty of seats open- especially since the bus departed in the middle of the night. Following the scrub, we repeated the adventure the next night, only this time the bus got diverted from the causeway, to one of the VIP sites! What a view and the best part was that about half the folks who'd tried to go the day before did not bother the next time- so they missed it. NASA and the USPS had a booth set up for stamping first day covers with the mission logo on them and everyone was having a great time. When it launched, the fellow standing next to me was filming with a Super 8 movie camera. I saw him take it from his eye for a moment to peek at the shuttle, then he got so overcome by the launch that I noticed he had the camera, still running, down by his side while he was screaming "Go baby GO!". I tapped him and he quickly went back to filming. At that launch, however, you could already see the public losing intrest as the crowds were smaller and press coverage- especially network TV- was lessening. We Americans sometimes seem to have a nation-wide case of ADD.

Offline dwmzmm

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Re: STS-2: 25 years ago....
« Reply #11 on: 10/29/2006 10:32 pm »
Probably the American public forgot the lessons from the Apollo - 13 already...
Dave, NAR # 21853 SR.

Offline Rocket Guy

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Re: STS-2: 25 years ago....
« Reply #12 on: 10/29/2006 11:51 pm »
Wes, if you have any photos do post. What or where was the VIP site back then?

Jacques..did you take any of these?

Offline Seattle Dave

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Re: STS-2: 25 years ago....
« Reply #13 on: 10/30/2006 05:39 am »
Check out how clean her TPS is on those images.

Offline jacqmans

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Re: STS-2: 25 years ago....
« Reply #14 on: 10/30/2006 09:59 am »
Quote
Ben - 30/10/2006  1:34 AM

Jacques..did you take any of these?

No, I did not take theese images ( I was only 9 at that time), the photo's come from Rockwell. I will post launch and landing photo's of STS-2 in the comming day's (close to November 12).
Jacques :-)

Offline David BAE

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Re: STS-2: 25 years ago....
« Reply #15 on: 10/30/2006 03:45 pm »
So the painted ET only lasted two flights?

Offline DarthVader

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Re: STS-2: 25 years ago....
« Reply #16 on: 10/30/2006 03:51 pm »
Great collection you got Jacques. Thanks a lot for sharing it with us. You won't happen to have some similar pictures of STS-1 by any chance? ;-)

Offline jacqmans

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Re: STS-2: 25 years ago....
« Reply #17 on: 10/30/2006 05:05 pm »
Yes I do have a lot of STS-1 photo's....  And other STS missions, I will post them in the near future :-)
Jacques :-)

Offline DarthVader

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Re: STS-2: 25 years ago....
« Reply #18 on: 10/30/2006 06:07 pm »
Awesome! Thanks a lot Jacques :-)

Offline zerm

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Re: STS-2: 25 years ago....
« Reply #19 on: 10/30/2006 06:18 pm »
Quote
Ben - 29/10/2006  6:34 PM

Wes, if you have any photos do post. What or where was the VIP site back then?

Jacques..did you take any of these?

I don't reall recall where the site was exactly- it was a revetment and we were told that it was an old camera site and that we were the next closest to the pad following the press site. I'll look over the the USGS photos of the cape and see if I can figure it out after a quarter century. I shot a full roll of 36 frames of 35 mm- they came out terrific. I had them stored in my desk in my roomates house on the beach side while I was away from school for several months. The house burned to the ground and I lost a ton of photos. If I can find any, at any point in the future (My mom is famed for having photos socked away and I know I sent some home to her) I'll post them here.

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