Author Topic: Challenger STS 41-C / Ace Satellite Repair Company (Read 45093 times)

Ares67 · « **on:** 01/02/2012 02:44 pm »

A Happy New Year to all of you!

Let's continue our walk along memory lane with another remarkable flight of the year 1984 - STS 41-C.

Ares67 · « **Reply #1 on:** 01/02/2012 02:49 pm »

The fifth flight of Challenger was to prove a unique capabilty of the shuttle. The "Ace Satellite Repair Co.", as the crew called itself, was to repair the Solar Maximum Mission Satellite ("Solar Max") in orbit. And in addition to that they were to release a bus-sized reusable experiment structure called LDEF (Long Duration Exposure Facility). Scientists and engineers wanted to study how different materials and biological specimens reacted to long-term exposure to the space environment. At the time the return of LDEF was planned for 1985 - in fact it would stay in orbit until early 1990. The fate of Challenger and Francis Dick Scobee, pilot of Mission 41-C, would play a major role in this delayed retrieval...

shuttlefan · « **Reply #2 on:** 01/02/2012 02:51 pm »

Quote from: Ares67 on 01/02/2012 02:44 pm

A Happy New Year to all of you! Let's continue our walk along memory lane with another remarkable flight of the year 1984 - STS 41-C.

Happy New Year to you and your family too and looking foreward to more screenshots, thanks again!!

Ares67 · « **Reply #3 on:** 01/02/2012 02:53 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #4 on:** 01/02/2012 03:02 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #5 on:** 01/02/2012 03:03 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #6 on:** 01/02/2012 03:11 pm »

carmelo · « **Reply #7 on:** 01/02/2012 03:35 pm »

A7LB suits in 1984!!!!!!?

Ares67 · « **Reply #8 on:** 01/02/2012 03:48 pm »

Launched on Valentine's Day, February 14, 1980, the $77-million Solar Max had just started studying sunspots and solar flares, when the main electronics box of one instrument failed. Then on November 23, 1980, three fuses blew in the attitude control system. Now the solar telescope’s fine-pointing capability was lost.

Ares67 · « **Reply #9 on:** 01/02/2012 03:50 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #10 on:** 01/02/2012 03:59 pm »

But Solar Max had been built with the shuttle’s capabilities in mind: The attitude control system could easily be replaced by removing two screws. Replacing the main electronics box on the other hand was “like doing surgery in boxing gloves”, as Pinky Nelson described it. 22 screws had to be removed from 11 connectors. But first the “Solar Max” itself had to be captured – a task for which the astronauts trained a lot. But there would be surprises along the way, once they did the real thing in orbit.

Almost all shuttle missions leading up to mission 41-C had prepared the complex tasks waiting for Bob Crippen and his crew:

STS-7 – first retrieval and berthing of a satellite (SPAS-01)
STS-8 – first RMS maneuvers with a large structure (in preparation for the 10.5-ton LDEF)
STS 41-B – first test of the MMU and the T-PAD, both of which were to play a major role in catching the “Solar Max” satellite.

Ares67 · « **Reply #11 on:** 01/02/2012 04:01 pm »

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Ares67 · « **Reply #21 on:** 01/02/2012 04:32 pm »

April 6, 1984 - Launch Day

Ares67 · « **Reply #22 on:** 01/02/2012 04:37 pm »

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Ares67 · « **Reply #35 on:** 01/02/2012 05:38 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #36 on:** 01/02/2012 05:41 pm »

PAO: T-1 minute 30 seconds and counting. Everything going smoothly as we look forward to lift-off of 41-C. T-1 minute 15 seconds… the liquid hydrogen tank at flight pressure… Coming up on the one-minute point in our countdown. T-1 minute and counting. The firing system for the sound suppression water system is armed. The hydrogen igniters under the orbiter’s engines have been armed. These devices assure that any hydrogen flowing through the engines does not accumulate. T-45 seconds, just 14 seconds away from switching command of the countdown to the onboard computers. T-35 seconds… the gaseous oxygen vent arm fully retracted and we are switching command to the onboard computers. The SRB hydraulic power units have started. T-20 seconds, T-17… 16… 15… 13… 12… 11… 10. We are go for main engine start… 8… 7… 6… we have main engine start… 3… 2… 1… solid motor ignition and lift-off. Lift-off of Challenger and the first flight to repair a satellite in space. We have cleared the tower.

Ares67 · « **Reply #37 on:** 01/02/2012 05:46 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #38 on:** 01/02/2012 05:52 pm »

Challenger embarked on her fifth journey into earth orbit at 8:58 am EST.

Ares67 · « **Reply #39 on:** 01/02/2012 06:01 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #40 on:** 01/02/2012 06:07 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #41 on:** 01/02/2012 06:13 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #42 on:** 01/02/2012 06:17 pm »

PAO: Houston controlling now. Roll program initiated. Good roll puts the Challenger in the proper attitude for its flight down range… standing by to throttle down for max Q. All engines running at 104 percent. Engine performance nominal… 35 seconds… Throttle down to 67 percent as Challenger goes through its period of maximum dynamic pressure. Velocity at 2,000 feet per second, altitude 3.8 nautical miles, two miles downrange.

Ares67 · « **Reply #43 on:** 01/02/2012 06:21 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #44 on:** 01/02/2012 06:23 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #45 on:** 01/02/2012 06:29 pm »

PAO: Engines still at 67 percent, standing by to throttle back up as Challenger passes through the speed of sound. Velocity… all throttles…

CapCom (John Blaha): Challenger, Houston, go at throttle up.

Crippen: Roger, go at throttle up. Nice ride…

PAO: All throttles back up to 104 percent of rated thrust. Altitude 10.5 nautical miles, velocity 3,200 feet per second, distance downrange 7 nautical miles. Engine performance continues nominal, APU speeds, temperatures and pressures all look good. Velocity 4,000 feet per second, altitude 15… 16 nautical miles, distance downrange 11 nautical miles. Standing by for a chamber pressure call which will be the precursor of solid motor separation.

Ares67 · « **Reply #46 on:** 01/02/2012 06:36 pm »

Crippen: … than 50.

CapCom: Roger.

Crippen: We have separation.

CapCom: Roger, separation looks good.

PAO: Nominal separation of solid rocket motors, guidance has converged as planned… and main engine performance still looks good. First stage performance called out as being…

CapCom: Challenger, Houston. First stage performance low.

Crippen: Roger, low first stage.

PAO: That call indicating to the crew that subsequent calls may be a little bit later than initially programmed. Main engine performance still nominal, pressures, temperatures are well within nominal constraints.

Ares67 · « **Reply #47 on:** 01/02/2012 06:43 pm »

CapCom: Challenger, Houston, two engine TAL capability.

Crippen: Roger, two engine TAL.

PAO: That call advising the crew that if one main engine should fail, the Challenger can still make it’s trans-Atlantic abort site to Dakar airport at Senegal on the west coast of Africa. Engine performance still flawless. APU pressures, temperatures and speeds are right on the mark. Challenger on course and on time… Flight Director Gary Coen getting a status report from all positions in the Mission Control Room. All console positions report “go”. Challenger on course and on time… Velocity 7,000 feet per second, altitude 54 nautical miles, distance downrange 88.9 nautical miles. Mission elapsed time 3 minutes 50 seconds… Engine performance, APU performance, fuel cell performance all look very good… Velocity 8,000 feet per second.

Ares67 · « **Reply #48 on:** 01/02/2012 07:03 pm »

It was the first time the Space Shuttle flew a direct-insertion trajectory, requiring no OMS-1 burn in order to reach an initial elliptical orbit of 252 by 157 nautical miles. (Early on flight day 2 the shuttle would reach a new height record by settling into an orbit of 259 by 256 nautical miles.) But the relatively steep ascent combined with low-performing SRBs meant Challenger had to use her available propellant up to the limit, avoiding additional OMS burns, which would have endangered margins for later rendezvous ops.

Direct insertion put the ET on an unusual trajectory - with reentry over the Pacific Ocean. This resulted in a spectacular light show over Hawaii.

woods170 · « **Reply #49 on:** 01/02/2012 07:40 pm »

Quote from: carmelo on 01/02/2012 03:35 pm

A7LB suits in 1984!!!!!!?

No suprise there. Early NBL training for deployment and repair of the Hubble Space Telescope began in 1979. Modified A7LB suits were used. NBL training for Hubble switched to shuttle EMU's somewhere between 1982 and 1985.
Below is link to a SpaceFlightNow article detailing some history of EVA training for Hubble. It has a few images from 1982, with NBL runs being performed in A7LB suits.

http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts125/090510covault/

Ares67 · « **Reply #50 on:** 01/02/2012 09:32 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #51 on:** 01/02/2012 09:35 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #52 on:** 01/02/2012 09:42 pm »

April 7, 1984 - "Steady as the Rock of Gibraltar"

Ares67 · « **Reply #53 on:** 01/02/2012 09:48 pm »

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Ares67 · « **Reply #63 on:** 01/02/2012 10:50 pm »

Crippen: Okay, Houston, she is … we’re backing out.

PAO: Slightly early acquisition through Hawaii…

CapCom (Jerry Ross): Challenger, Houston through Hawaii for ten minutes. We are getting pictures and I think I copied it deployed and backing away.

Crippen: It is …, Jerry, and it was as steady as the Rock of Gibraltar and just about as big.

CapCom: Roger that, thank you very much. All the Langley folks are cheering downstairs and we have got our LDEF buttons on up here… Challenger, Houston. TJ, we’d like a verification of the deploy time, please.

Hart: It was on time. (12:19 pm EST)

CapCom: Copy, thank you.

Crippen: We got a sweet lock on the radar at 70 feet.

CapCom: Roger, that sounds real good to us.

PAO: LDEF holding steady attitude. That last radar mark from the crew is 70 feet as Crippen described it steady as the Rock of Gibraltar and just as big.

CapCom: Challenger, Houston, we’d like to take control of delta if that’s all right.

Crippen: You bet, Jerry, go ahead. You can have any of the cameras now.

PAO: K-band radar currently showing the separation at 330 feet, separating at about .55 feet per second. 400 feet range, separating at .65 feet per second.

Ares67 · « **Reply #64 on:** 01/02/2012 10:55 pm »

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Ares67 · « **Reply #70 on:** 01/03/2012 04:01 pm »

April 8, 1984 - Dances with Satellites

Ares67 · « **Reply #71 on:** 01/03/2012 04:11 pm »

With Solar Max in sight - about 200 feet away - George Nelson and James van Hoften entered the payload bay.

Ares67 · « **Reply #72 on:** 01/03/2012 04:17 pm »

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Ares67 · « **Reply #76 on:** 01/03/2012 04:44 pm »

With the T-PAD docking device attached in front of his chest, Pinky Nelson fired the MMU thrusters and slowly - at a rate of 0.5 feet per second - left Challenger's payload bay enroute to Solar Max. It took him about 8 minutes to reach the slowly rotating satellite.

Ares67 · « **Reply #77 on:** 01/03/2012 04:48 pm »

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Ares67 · « **Reply #83 on:** 01/03/2012 05:38 pm »

Watching the solar arrays Pinky Nelson carefully maneuvered into position alongside Solar Max, and then slowly moved in. He had contact with the docking pin, but the T-PAD wouldn't latch onto it. The T-PAD mechanism worked, but it didn't remain docked.

Nelson: I hit the thing square on. I bounced out, then I went back in again, but it didn't snap either time.

Ares67 · « **Reply #84 on:** 01/03/2012 05:42 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #85 on:** 01/03/2012 05:48 pm »

Nelson tried, and tried again - but no luck. He had to achieve a hard dock in order to stop the satellite's rotation. But instead he seemed to make matters worse: Solar Max started tumbling. Nelson even tried to grab it by one of its solar arrays. But when he fired his MMU thrusters in order to stabilize the situation, Solar Max began moving out of control.

Ares67 · « **Reply #86 on:** 01/03/2012 05:51 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #87 on:** 01/03/2012 05:55 pm »

Commander Bob Crippen ordered his crewmember back. Reluctantly Pinky Nelson, running low on MMU fuel, returned to Challenger.

Ares67 · « **Reply #88 on:** 01/03/2012 06:00 pm »

Crippen: Okay, come on back in, Pinky.

Nelson: Which way is it moving now?

Crippen: You are headed backwards towards us. Rotate around, to your left… continue left…

Nelson: I mean which way is the satellite?

Crippen: Excuse me?

Nelson: What kind of rates are on the satellite?

Crippen: Fairly high, but come back to us. Rotate around to your left, pitch down. I got you in sight.

CapCom: Challenger, Houston, for Crip.

Crippen: Stand by, Jerry, we’re busy right now… Tell what you need, Jerry, tell us…

CapCom: Roger, Crip, just wondering if you’d like to stationkeep for another rev, try the other MMU, or the same one recharged with the primary T-PAD.

Crippen: We are going to have to get other things settled down. We’ll talk to you about that in a minute.

Nelson: Let me try it once more here.

Crippen: Come on in, Pinky.

Nelson: I’m not flying right either, Crip.

Crippen: … going to believe this… Okay, come on in. Can you climb? Want it maneuvered for you, Pinky?

Nelson: No.

Crippen: Say again?

Nelson: No, just hold still.

Crippen: Flying okay, Pinky?

Nelson: Seems to be.

(…)

Crippen: Just as soon as you get stable out there and grab a hold of something, Pinky, I’m going to go to the satellite.

Ares67 · « **Reply #89 on:** 01/03/2012 06:16 pm »

And indeed Crippen had not yet given up. He went for a “rotating grapple” attempt, with Challenger moving in and Terry Hart trying to catch the satellite directly with the RMS. But when the astronauts didn’t succeed on the first try, with Solar Max now tumbling in all directions and Challenger running low on fuel , Mission Control decided to break off at this point. The rotation of Solar Max had to be brought under control first. And Challenger had to conserve fuel in order to allow another rendezvous. Flight planers added an additional day to the mission to give all parties involved enough time to prepare for this final attempt.

Ares67 · « **Reply #90 on:** 01/03/2012 06:23 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #91 on:** 01/03/2012 06:25 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #92 on:** 01/03/2012 06:49 pm »

With Solar Max rotating at rates up to 1.3 degrees in all three axes, battery power was the major concern now. The solar arrays had to face the sun for a sufficient time in order to recharge the batteries. Engineers at Goddard Space Flight Center had to work fast reducing the tumbling rate before Solar Max would be out of power. And early on April 9 they succeeded at last. Solar Max had been saved for now, once more waiting for the on-orbit repairmen.

Ares67 · « **Reply #93 on:** 01/03/2012 06:56 pm »

April 9, 1984 - Beekeepers in Space

Ares67 · « **Reply #94 on:** 01/03/2012 07:01 pm »

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Ares67 · « **Reply #98 on:** 01/03/2012 07:20 pm »

Look, Pinky... This is how you catch a satellite - sort of...

Ares67 · « **Reply #99 on:** 01/03/2012 07:24 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #100 on:** 01/03/2012 07:31 pm »

PAO: Television shot now coming from the one-g trainer showing the student experimenter Dan Poskevich of Tennessee Technological Institute with a mock-up of his control set of bees in the one-g trainer. We should be getting live television starting momentarily through Hawaii station of 3,300 bees aboard Challenger. All of these bees would have to be friendly crammed into 729 cubic inches of space.

Crippen: Let us know when you get good TV and we will start in on the Pinky and Ox bee show.

CapCom (Jerry Ross): Okay.

PAO: This experiment is appropriately sponsored by Honeywell Incorporated in Minneapolis. We will see whether the bees in space are as good at adapting to zero-g as spider Arabella was in learning how to spin webs aboard Skylab.

Ares67 · « **Reply #101 on:** 01/03/2012 07:35 pm »

van Hoften: … experiment. It’s a little enclosure module here with 3,300 Italian honeybees in it. It was launched when the bees were approximately twelve days old. They stuck all 3,300 of these bees in here. (…) The bees, when they first launched, looked like they were in great shape and most of them were down in this area. They slowly moved their way up into the area where the food was and they have really been going to town. Right now the have got a great big old honeycomb, that we’ll show you a little closer here in a second. (…) I will get it over to Pinky here and we will try to get some close-ups.

Nelson: Yes, Jerry, we have been watching these bees almost every day. They are really fun to watch. (…) We’d be interested, Jerry, if Mr. Poskevich has got his bees going on the ground there, and if they have built a hive yet.

CapCom: Roger, Pinky, we saw just before you came on live, he was down at the mock-up pulling out his honeycomb and maybe We will get a report for you in a little bit.

(…)

Ares67 · « **Reply #102 on:** 01/03/2012 07:42 pm »

Nelson: … get a little shake you might be able to see this chain of them in there. It’s like a little ring made out of bees.

CapCom: Don’t drop that thing.

Nelson: They don’t seem to mind having us around, we can tap on the glass… (…) The ones down in here, this is where they put their casualties. It looks like there is only… it looks like there is about twenty of them that have died. Some of them end up trying to learn how to fly. They end up with their heads stuck on the top of it and they flap their wings trying to get out, and they don’t go anywhere. But they actually do, some of them are flying.

(…)

PAO: This is Mission Control Houston. That completes the onboard portion of the television. Dan Poskevich again shown in the one-g trainer with his control set of bees. He reports that his bees have not built a honeycomb yet that he could see. The bees are heavily clustered and his colony has no casualties yet. The bees have individuals that are designated as undertakers that remove the corpses of dead bees as they live out their short life. He was unable to monitor the air to ground of what the crew comments were on his experiment, but he likely will pick up on that from a later playback.

Ares67 · « **Reply #103 on:** 01/03/2012 07:45 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #104 on:** 01/03/2012 08:05 pm »

April 10, 1984 - "Okay, we’ve got it..."

Ares67 · « **Reply #105 on:** 01/03/2012 08:09 pm »

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Ares67 · « **Reply #108 on:** 01/03/2012 08:32 pm »

CapCom: Challenger, Houston, a minute and a half until LOS TDRS. Solar Max is starting to see a little bit of plume impingement.

Crippen: Roger, we got it in the cargo bay pretty much now, Jerry, and it looks stable now.

CapCom: Roger, copy that, we know we are in good hands… and use nice soft gloves.

Crippen: We will do our best.

PAO: The remote arm is now in motion. This is Mission Control Houston. Loss of signal at the tracking satellite. (…) …so hopefully at Yarragadee in six minutes we should have confirmation of whether the first grapple was indeed successful. Meanwhile, in the RCS propellant aboard Challenger, there is plenty of propellant available for the so-called low Z mode of attitude control. (…) Hopefully at Yarragadee we should at least have voice confirmation, if no data, of successful grapple. That is four minutes from now and at day three, 23 hours, 55 minutes, this is Mission Control Houston.

Ares67 · « **Reply #109 on:** 01/03/2012 08:42 pm »

CapCom: Challenger, Houston, standing by through Yarragadee.

Crippen: Okay, we’ve got it… and we are in the process of putting it in the FSS.

CapCom: Outstanding!

(…)

PAO: Considerable clapping and cheers here in Mission Control Center when the word came down that Solar Max had been successfully grappled. Now, the crew proceeding with the berthing of the satellite on the holding fixture in the aft payload bay.

Ares67 · « **Reply #110 on:** 01/03/2012 08:44 pm »

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Ares67 · « **Reply #116 on:** 01/03/2012 09:07 pm »

CapCom: Challenger, the President of the United States.

Reagan: Hello, Bob.

Crippen: Good morning, Mr. President. Thank you very much for speaking with us.

Reagan: Well, these calls between the two of us are becoming a habit. I promise you, though, I won’t reverse the charges. Over.

Crippen: Well, I don’t think I could afford them, Mr. President.

Ares67 · « **Reply #117 on:** 01/03/2012 09:11 pm »

Reagan: Well, once again, I’m calling to congratulate you and the rest of the crew aboard Challenger there, on an historic mission. The retrieval of the Solar Max satellite this morning was just great. And you and the crew demonstrated once again just how versatile the Space Shuttle is and what we can accomplish by having a team in space and on the ground. I know you will agree that those folks at Goddard Space Flight Center did a fantastic job maneuvering the satellite for you. And, Terry, I guess you made one long reach for man this morning when you snapped that satellite with the 50-foot robot arm. George and Jim, you’ve done fine work as well. The pictures sent back of you working in space are spectacular. They are also a little scary for those of us that are sitting comfortably anchored to the Earth. But, Bob, I understand that satellite you have onboard would cost us about 200 million dollars to build at today’s prices. So, if you can’t fix it up there, would you mind bringing it back? Over.

Ares67 · « **Reply #118 on:** 01/03/2012 09:15 pm »

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. We certainly concur with all of your remarks. The Challenger and its sister ships are magnificent flying machines and I think that they can make a significant road into space in regard to repair and servicing of satellites. And we believe this is the initial step. I would also like to concur with your remarks regarding the people up at Goddard who managed to put the satellite back into configuration that we could retrieve it after the little problem we ran into the other day. Those people and the people at Houston, and everybody who worked on it, truly made this recovery possible. It is a team effort all the way. It so happens we get to do the fun part.

Reagan: Well, let me tell you. You are all a team that has made America very proud of what you’re doing up there and what the future holds for all of us with regard to this opening up of that great frontier of space. And, seriously, I just want to gain say how proud we all are of all of you and congratulations to you all. Have a save mission, a safe trip home, and God bless all of you. I’ll sign out now and let you get on…

Crippen: Thank you very much, Mr. President.

Reagan: … on with your chores.

Crippen: Thank you, Sir.

Reagan: Bless you. Thank you.

CapCom Challenger, Houston. We are done with the TV views inside. INCO is looking at the cameras outside for a while longer. We have got a little over six minutes to LOS TDRS.

Crippen: Okay, Jerry, thank you very much.

Ares67 · « **Reply #119 on:** 01/03/2012 09:28 pm »

April 11, 1984 - First satellite repair in space

(Excerpt from the 41-C flight plan describing the EVA tasks)

Nelson and van Hoften will position themselves to begin replacement of the faulty control system module. To keep from floating away, van Hoften will secure his feet on a platform called a Manipulator Foot Restraint (MFR) attached to the end of the orbiter's mechanical arm. Nelson will be secured below on a Portable Foot Restraint (PFR).

Using a device known as the Module Service Tool (MST), van Hoften will unscrew two retention bolts, remove the module, and replace it with a spare module, which will have been fastened to the lower portion
of the Flight Support System. Replacing the module is expected to take 45 minutes.

Then, the more difficult task of replacing the Main Electronics Box (MEB) on the Polarimeter/Polarimeter will begin. It is more difficult because the spacesuit gloves are bulky, and the exchange requires working
with scissors and small screws.

During the EVA, van Hoften will pull back some thermal protection and install a hinge so that panel on the MEB can be opened like a door. He is expected to remove all but four of the six screws which hold the panel closed, using an electric screwdriver. Van Hoften will unfold and tape back the protective thermal blanket, remove the remaining screws on the panel and secure it open with a special bracket. Van Hoften must now unscrew 22 screws, each with a head no bigger than one-eighth of an inch while wearing gloves that one might compare with boxing gloves. The screws hold 11 electrical connectors. Van Hoften will then have to cut some additional wiring before he can remove the electronics box.

The electronics box is removed and stowed in the FSS locker. A replacement unit will be moved into position, at which time Nelson and van Hoften will exchange roles. Nelson will remate the MEB's 11 electrical connectors with clips, eliminating the need to reinstall the previously removed screws. He then will remove the panel support bracket, close the panel door, secure the six panel screws, and reinstall the thermal protection.

Ares67 · « **Reply #120 on:** 01/03/2012 09:30 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #121 on:** 01/03/2012 09:32 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #122 on:** 01/03/2012 09:40 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #123 on:** 01/03/2012 09:46 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #124 on:** 01/03/2012 09:48 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #125 on:** 01/03/2012 09:51 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #126 on:** 01/03/2012 09:55 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #127 on:** 01/03/2012 09:58 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #128 on:** 01/03/2012 10:03 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #129 on:** 01/03/2012 10:08 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #130 on:** 01/03/2012 10:18 pm »

The astronauts managed to do the repair in 3.5 hours, instead of 5 hours originally planned. The secret: "Practice, practice, practice", as Pinky Nelson explained. So there was some spare time for joy rides...

Ares67 · « **Reply #131 on:** 01/03/2012 10:31 pm »

April 12, 1984 - Solar Max Release

Three years before it all had started, and already the Space Shuttle had reached more goals than anybody had expected at that time.

Ares67 · « **Reply #132 on:** 01/03/2012 10:37 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #133 on:** 01/03/2012 10:50 pm »

CapCom (Dale Gardner): Challenger, this is Houston. We'd like the radar movements.

Crippen: Okay, we'll do that.

CapCom: Thank you. The Solar Max is go for release.

At this point three flight controllers sang their own earpiercing rendition of the popular song "Release me and let me fly again". A brief pause whilst everyone recovered then. (quote from Melvyn Smith: An Illustrated History of Space Shuttle)

CapCom: Challenger, this is Houston. You are go for release as long you are within five degrees.

PAO: ... The vibration is jet firings, separation burn has been initiated.

CapCom: Challenger, this is Houston, the Solar Max is looking good. You are clear to stop stationkeeping any time.

Ares67 · « **Reply #134 on:** 01/03/2012 10:54 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #135 on:** 01/03/2012 11:00 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #136 on:** 01/03/2012 11:09 pm »

After the successful release of the revived Solar Max the crew put on special T-shirts bearing the message "Ace Satellite Repair Co.".

Ares67 · « **Reply #137 on:** 01/03/2012 11:16 pm »

Frank Zepollina, Director of the Solar Maximum Mission satellite program announced: "This mission represents the end of an era of throw-away spacecraft. And what we have been doing here for the first time is spending about 45 million to 55 million dollars to save a 235 million observatory. Well worth the effort!"

Ares67 · « **Reply #138 on:** 01/03/2012 11:28 pm »

April 13, 1984 - It's Edwards again, Crip!

On this Friday the 13th STS 41-C was scheduled to land at Kennedy Space Center. At 5:36 am EDT Challenger was given a go for a return to Florida. But then the clouds over the Space Coast thickened and less than nine minutes before the de-orbit burn Challenger was waived off for another orbit. For the second time after STS-7 Commander Robert Crippen had been prevented from a landing at the SLF at Kennedy Space Center. Next chance: STS 41-G later that year...

Ares67 · « **Reply #139 on:** 01/03/2012 11:32 pm »

PAO: 150 miles, Mach 5.3, 123,000 feet… 100 miles, Mach 4, 104,000 feet… 75 miles, Mach 3, 92,000 feet.

CapCom: Challenger, Houston, take air data.

PAO: 80,000 feet, Mach 2.

CapCom: Challenger, Houston, transfer state vector to backup, your convenience.

Ares67 · « **Reply #140 on:** 01/03/2012 11:39 pm »

PAO: Altitude 75,000 feet. Dryden’s long range tracker now has a visual of the Challenger.

CapCom: … new altimeter 3004.

PAO: 66,000 feet.

Crippen: … 3004, go ahead.

PAO: Air speed 1237 miles per hour, altitude 55,000… Air speed down to 920 miles per hour, 46,000 feet… 800 knots, 35,000 feet… 690 knots, 26,000 feet… 600 knots, 20,000…

Chase: Hello, Crip, Chase is aboard.

Crippen: Well, hello Chase.

PAO: 600 knots, 14,000 feet.

CapCom: Challenger, Houston, looking good on final, winds are calm.

Crippen: That’s my kind of winds.

PAO: 6600 feet, 3000 feet…

Ares67 · « **Reply #141 on:** 01/03/2012 11:42 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #142 on:** 01/03/2012 11:52 pm »

Ares67 · « **Reply #143 on:** 01/03/2012 11:58 pm »

Crippen: Houston, Challenger is wheel stop.

CapCom: Roger, welcome back on Friday the 13th, 41 Charlie… And Challenger, Houston, I’m sure you remember the good news, bad news that Brian O’Connor gave you a while back on flight 7…

Crippen: I’ll bet I’ve still got some buddies out here.

PAO: Unofficial touchdown time 7:38:05, wheels stop 7:38:54 Central Time.

Ares67 · « **Reply #144 on:** 01/04/2012 12:00 am »

Ares67 · « **Reply #145 on:** 01/04/2012 12:04 am »

Ares67 · « **Reply #146 on:** 01/04/2012 12:08 am »

And there is a nice collection of additional 41-C high-resolution pics at L2

:

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=13678.0

pargoo · « **Reply #147 on:** 01/04/2012 04:35 am »

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.

woods170 · « **Reply #148 on:** 01/04/2012 06:10 am »

Quote from: pargoo on 01/04/2012 04:35 am

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.

Amen!

Colds7ream · « **Reply #149 on:** 01/04/2012 09:06 am »

Quote from: Ares67 on 01/03/2012 09:15 pm

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.

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?

Ares67 · « **Reply #150 on:** 01/04/2012 04:35 pm »

Quote from: Colds7ream on 01/04/2012 09:06 am

Quote from: Ares67 on 01/03/2012 09:15 pm
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.

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?

"If the satellite cannot be repaired, the FSS provides the structural retention that will allow Challenger to return Solar Max to Earth."

This is what the 41-C press kit says - without any further details.

NavySpaceFan · « **Reply #151 on:** 01/06/2012 07:23 pm »

Another bit of history, the FSS used on this flight, the first satellite servicing mission, was used on Atlantis during the last satellite servicing mission, STS-125.