Author Topic: Discovery STS-41 – Tales of Brave Ulysses  (Read 71885 times)

Offline Ares67

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Re: Discovery STS-41 – Tales of Brave Ulysses
« Reply #320 on: 10/09/2016 08:26 pm »

Offline Ares67

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Re: Discovery STS-41 – Tales of Brave Ulysses
« Reply #321 on: 10/09/2016 08:27 pm »

Offline Ares67

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Re: Discovery STS-41 – Tales of Brave Ulysses
« Reply #322 on: 10/09/2016 08:29 pm »

Offline Ares67

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Re: Discovery STS-41 – Tales of Brave Ulysses
« Reply #323 on: 10/09/2016 08:30 pm »

Offline Ares67

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Re: Discovery STS-41 – Tales of Brave Ulysses
« Reply #324 on: 10/09/2016 08:31 pm »

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Re: Discovery STS-41 – Tales of Brave Ulysses
« Reply #325 on: 10/09/2016 08:35 pm »
Wednesday, October 10, 1990 (Landing Day) – Homeward you think we must be sailing

“I'll fly a starship
Across the Universe divide
And when I reach the other side
I'll find a place to rest my spirit if I can
Perhaps I may become a highwayman again
Or I may simply be a single drop of rain
But I will remain
And I'll be back again, and again and again and again and again...”


- Johnny Cash (The Highwaymen, 1985), “Highwayman,” written by Jimmy Webb


Offline Ares67

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Re: Discovery STS-41 – Tales of Brave Ulysses
« Reply #326 on: 10/09/2016 08:38 pm »
SEE YOU AFTER THE BURN

Wakeup as usual came with a cool tune, “The Highwayman” by The Highwaymen, i.e. Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Johnny Cash for country music fan Tom Akers, around 11:45 p.m. CDT. “Good morning, Discovery,” radioed CapCom Story Musgrave. “We were not gonna let you come home, not gonna let STS-41 come home without some country and western.” The astronauts replied, “We like both country music… country and western…”

Here the flight routine ended and landing routine began, looking towards a deorbit burn at 7:59 a.m. CDT, and landing 59 minutes later… Shut down the SSBUV… Payload bay doors closed at 5:20 a.m. CDT… Transition of Discovery’s computers to landing programs at 6:07 a.m. CDT… “The flight team is continuing to work right on the timeline,” the PAO reported. Could it be otherwise for STS-41?

“Progress toward the deorbit burn continuing to go very smoothly,” the PAO said at 6:39 a.m. CDT… “Air-to-ground is quiet as the ground controllers give the crew time to begin donning their launch-and-entry suits.” Richards and Cabana suited uo first to give them the most time to settle into the cockpit prior to the burn.

At 7:24 a.m. CDT, the PAO reported, “Entry Flight Director Ron Dittemore going around the room polling to get a go for deorbit burn.” Five minutes later, Entry CapCom Brian Duffy relayed the word, “And you’ve got a go for the deorbit burn.” With no wasted words on this day, Richards replied, “Go for the burn. Thank you.”

The two-minute-29-second burn would strip Discovery of 284.7 feet per second of velocity, enough to nudge it towards the grip of the atmosphere. With 19 minutes left before the burn, Duffy told Richards, “Everything is still nice out at Edwards.” At 7:45 a.m. CDT – 45 minutes until the burn – the telemetry data at the guidance and navigation console at Mission Control showed Discovery maneuvering to the burn attitude. The slow turn to put the OMS engines into the velocity vector took about six or seven minutes.

At 7:48 a.m. CDT, the guidance officer at Mission Control confirmed that the onboard navigation systems had been properly configured. At 7:55 a.m. CDT, the crew reported the first APU up and running properly. “One minute to LOS.” The burn would take place over the Indian Ocean, out of radio range. “See you after the burn,” Duffy called. “We’ll see you then, Brian,” Richards replied and was gone.


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Re: Discovery STS-41 – Tales of Brave Ulysses
« Reply #327 on: 10/09/2016 08:41 pm »

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Re: Discovery STS-41 – Tales of Brave Ulysses
« Reply #328 on: 10/09/2016 08:44 pm »

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Re: Discovery STS-41 – Tales of Brave Ulysses
« Reply #329 on: 10/09/2016 08:46 pm »
DESERT DAWN

8:05 a.m. CDT – AOS. CapCom Brian Duffy called, “Discovery, Houston, we’re back with you now through the West satellite. How was the burn?” Immediately Dick Richards reported, “Good burn, Brian.” A textbook return was underway. The Commander began the slow belly-down maneuver to bring Discovery to entry interface attitude, with entry interface meaning the point where the orbiter first encountered the atmosphere. At 8:14 a.m. CDT, the Mission Control consoles showed the final two APUs, needed for hydraulic movement of the aerosurfaces, had been started as Discovery settled into attitude – with entry interface twelve minutes away. At 8:20 a.m. CDT, Discovery crossed the equator over the Pacific Ocean, five and a half minutes to entry interface.

The crew remained silent through most of the descent. The PAO called out the numbers. At 8:25 a.m. CDT, “All systems operating well; the orbiter going smoothly. We’re now about a minute and a half from entry interface… This is Mission Control Houston, Discovery beginning to encounter the first effects of the Earth’s atmosphere. Onboard navigation aids beginning to produce altitude data, showing Discovery at an altitude of 389,000 feet, travelling at Mach 24.4, and descending into the atmosphere at a rate of 518 feet per second.”


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Re: Discovery STS-41 – Tales of Brave Ulysses
« Reply #330 on: 10/09/2016 08:48 pm »
At 8:31 a.m. CDT – 6:31 a.m. Pacific Time – dawn began to filter into the skies over Edwards Air Force Base. The shuttle convoy team was preparing to deploy to concrete Runway 22.


PAO: We’re now taking live scenes on NASA Select television of the Edwards Air Force Base area as the Sun has begun to illuminate the sky enough see the landscape around.


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Re: Discovery STS-41 – Tales of Brave Ulysses
« Reply #331 on: 10/09/2016 08:51 pm »
At 8:34 a.m. CDT – Discovery at Mach 23, uprange 2,410 miles from Edwards at an altitude 238,000 feet, performing a 72-degree left bank; at 8:37 a.m. CDT – Discovery at Mach 21.5, uprange 1,950 miles from Edwards at 232,000 feet altitude; at 8:43 a.m. CDT – Mach 13.4, uprange 679 miles, at 180,000 feet and the PAO said, “All systems aboard Discovery continuing to work well – three good APUs hanging in there…”

At 8:44 a.m. CDT, Duffy called to the crew, “Energy and ground track are nominal.” – “Okay, we just got our first spectacular forward RCS fire.” Richards was referring to the first of three fuel dumps through the nose RCS jets. The tests were being made to see if the method could be used to lighten the load under some emergency conditions on future flights.

Discovery was at Mach 10, 439 miles from Edwards, descending at 200 feet per second. The high nose-up angle of Discovery’s nose began to ramp down. At 8:46 a.m. CDT, Discovery homed in on the TACAN beacons at Edwards. A minute later, the long-range tracking cameras at Vandenberg Air Force Base picked up the shuttle as it approached the coast of California. The picture showed a dart-like ghost etched in the white light reflecting from the sunrise it was flying into. Range to Edwards 261 miles, altitude 141,000 feet, descending at 185 feet per second.


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Re: Discovery STS-41 – Tales of Brave Ulysses
« Reply #332 on: 10/09/2016 08:53 pm »

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Re: Discovery STS-41 – Tales of Brave Ulysses
« Reply #333 on: 10/09/2016 08:55 pm »
MAIN GEAR ON DECK

Discovery was in her second roll reversal, turning left to right, “…continuing to bleed off some of the tremendous energy. All systems continue to work well,” the PAO reported. At 8:48 a.m. CDT, 161 miles uprange of Edwards at 117,000 feet, Mach 4.8, Discovery was descending at 285 feet per second. A minute later, the tracking camera caught the third and final forward RCS jet test, looking like a brief burst on neon light.

At 8:51 a.m. CDT, range 42.5 miles at 66,000 feet altitude, Mach 1.4, “Discovery has arrived in the terminal area,” the PAO said, and soon would begin a left-handed loop around Edwards, following the Heading Alignment Circle, which would end with Discovery aligned with the end of the runway. “The Flight Dynamics Officer reports the energy is nominal,” the PAO commented. At 8:53 a.m. CDT, range 31 miles, altitude 51,000 feet, two crack-like booms sounded as Discovery went subsonic.

PAO: Two sonic booms announcing Discovery’s arrival overhead at the Edwards landing field. Discovery headed for the heading alignment cone…


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Re: Discovery STS-41 – Tales of Brave Ulysses
« Reply #334 on: 10/09/2016 08:56 pm »

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Re: Discovery STS-41 – Tales of Brave Ulysses
« Reply #335 on: 10/09/2016 08:57 pm »

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Re: Discovery STS-41 – Tales of Brave Ulysses
« Reply #336 on: 10/09/2016 08:59 pm »

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Re: Discovery STS-41 – Tales of Brave Ulysses
« Reply #337 on: 10/09/2016 09:00 pm »
CapCom: Discovery, Houston. Looking good on the HAC. No change to the winds or weather.

Richards: Okay, Brian.


At 8:54 a.m. CDT, range ten miles, altitude 18,000 feet, descending at 154 feet per second… A minute later, Discovery rolled onto final approach to Runway 22, seven miles away, at 11,000 feet altitude and descending at 200 feet per second.


CapCom: Discovery, we show you on glide slope, on centerline. Surface winds 250 at 5.

Richards: Okay, Brian.


At 8:56 a.m. CDT, range 4.5 miles, at 5,500 feet altitude, descending at 174 feet per second, “Discovery under manual control of crew commander Dick Richards, now performing the preflare maneuver, taking some of the steep angle out of the final approach,” the PAO called. “Landing gear down… Gear confirmed down and locked.”


PAO: Main gear on deck… and nose gear touchdown... Discovery rolling out on Edwards Runway 22...


Puffs of smoke billowed from behind the main wheels. The nose of Discovery, still high as if sniffing the desert air, slowly arced down and gently touched the runway. On the rollout, Richards made the second test of the shuttle’s improved carbon brakes. He applied a normal breaking profile, and later reported they worked “very well” from his perspective. Initial inspections would confirm his seat-of-the-pants feeling and show no wear on the new brakes.

After a rollout of 8,532 feet, Discovery came to a rest. Exact time of stop – 6:58:08 local time, after a voyage of four days, two hours, ten minutes, 54 seconds. For twelve seconds after stopping, Richards remained silent. Finally he radioed, “Wheel stop, Houston.”

“Copy, wheel stop, Discovery,” Duffy radioed. “Glad to have you back; also to have the fastest man-made object in the Universe well on its way. Congratulations on a picture-perfect mission. And there are no post-landing deltas” – As Discovery’s mission was ending, Ulysses was 3.6 million miles from Earth, departing at a velocity of 25,372 miles per hour in relation to its home planet. Its mission to rewrite the textbook about the Sun had barely begun.

(Dixon P. Otto, “STS-41 – By the Textbook,” Countdown, December 1990; NASA air-to-ground and PAO commentary and STS-41 wakeup music info – edited)


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Re: Discovery STS-41 – Tales of Brave Ulysses
« Reply #338 on: 10/09/2016 09:03 pm »

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Re: Discovery STS-41 – Tales of Brave Ulysses
« Reply #339 on: 10/09/2016 09:06 pm »

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