Can't help but laugh - not in a happy way - at that 'end of the era of throw-away spacecraft' comment. Oh, really. Should it ever be launched, let's pray JWST doesn't conk out the moment it reaches orbit.
Crippen: Well, we’re going to do our best to repair it tomorrow, Sir. And, if for some reason that is unsuccessful, which we don’t think it will be, we will be able to return it.
Quote from: Ares67 on 01/03/2012 09:15 pmCrippen: Well, we’re going to do our best to repair it tomorrow, Sir. And, if for some reason that is unsuccessful, which we don’t think it will be, we will be able to return it.Out of interest, if the repair was indeed unsuccessful, how were the crew planning to return the satellite? It doesn't appear to be fitted with any trunnion pins?
STS-41C - MMU - The unsuccessful attempt to capture the Solar Maximum Satellite using the MMU/TPAD during the STS-41C mission (1984) as seen live on Network TV
bump....STS-41C - MMUQuoteSTS-41C - MMU - The unsuccessful attempt to capture the Solar Maximum Satellite using the MMU/TPAD during the STS-41C mission (1984) as seen live on Network TV
Launch of space shuttle Challenger for the STS-41-C mission on April 6, 1984, following a Direct Ascent Trajectory to orbit. The liftoff is shown using mostly 60fps remaster TV coverage, with some tracking shots from the film cameras. Afterward Orbiter Space Simulator is used to show the final parts of the ascent.Research, cleanup, editing, and processing by Retro Space HD.============================================STS-41-C (formerly STS-13) was NASA's eleventh Space Shuttle mission, and the fifth mission of Space Shuttle Challenger. The launch, which took place on 6 April 1984, marked the first direct ascent trajectory for a shuttle mission. During the mission, Challenger's crew captured and repaired the malfunctioning Solar Maximum Mission ("Solar Max") satellite, and deployed the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) experimental apparatus. =========================================