STS-35
![]() ASTRO-1 inColumbia's payload bay | |
Names | Space Transportation System-35 |
---|---|
Mission type | Astronomical observations |
Operator | NASA |
COSPAR ID | 1990-106A |
SATCATno. | 20980 |
Mission duration | 8days, 23hours, 5minutes, 8seconds (achieved) |
Distance travelled | 6,000,658 km (3,728,636 mi) |
Orbits completed | 144 |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft | Space ShuttleColumbia |
Launch mass | 121,344 kg (267,518 lb) |
Landing mass | 102,208 kg (225,330 lb) |
Payload mass | 12,095 kg (26,665 lb) |
Crew | |
Crew size | 7 |
Members | |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | December 2, 1990, 06:49:01UTC |
Rocket | Space ShuttleColumbia |
Launch site | Kennedy Space Center,LC-39B |
Contractor | Rockwell International |
End of mission | |
Landing date | December 11, 1990, 05:54:09UTC |
Landing site | Edwards Air Force Base, Runway 22 |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
Regime | Low Earth orbit |
Perigee altitude | 352 km (219 mi) |
Apogee altitude | 362 km (225 mi) |
Inclination | 28.46° |
Period | 91.70 minutes |
Instruments | |
| |
![]() STS-35 mission patch ![]() Back row:Robert A. Parker,Ronald Parise,Jeffrey A. Hoffman,Samuel T. Durrance Front row:Guy S. Gardner,Vance D. Brand,John M. Lounge |
STS-35was the tenth flight ofSpace ShuttleColumbia,the 38th shuttle mission. It was devoted toastronomical observationswithASTRO-1,aSpacelab observatoryconsisting of four telescopes. The mission launched fromKennedy Space CenterinFloridaon December 2, 1990.
Crew[edit]
Position | Astronaut[1] | |
---|---|---|
Commander | Vance D. Brand Fourth and last spaceflight | |
Pilot | Guy S. Gardner Second and last spaceflight | |
Mission Specialist 1 | Jeffrey A. Hoffman Second spaceflight | |
Mission Specialist 2 | John M. Lounge Third and last spaceflight | |
Mission Specialist 3 | Robert A. Parker Second and last spaceflight | |
Payload Specialist 1 | Samuel T. Durrance First spaceflight | |
Payload Specialist 2 | Ronald A. Parise First spaceflight |
Backup crew[edit]
Position | Astronaut | |
---|---|---|
Payload Specialist 1 | Kenneth H. Nordsieck First spaceflight | |
Payload Specialist 2 | John-David F. Bartoe Second spaceflight |
Crew seating arrangements[edit]
Seat[2] | Launch | Landing | ![]() Seats 1–4 are on the Flight Deck. Seats 5–7 are on the Middeck. |
---|---|---|---|
S1 | Brand | Brand | |
S2 | Gardner | Gardner | |
S3 | Hoffman | Parker | |
S4 | Lounge | Lounge | |
S5 | Parker | Hoffman | |
S6 | Durrance | Durrance | |
S7 | Parise | Parise |
Crew notes[edit]
Prior to theChallengerdisaster,this mission was slated to launch in March 1986 asSTS-61-E.Jon A. McBridewas originally assigned to command this mission, which would have been his second spaceflight. He chose to retire from NASA in May 1989 and was replaced as mission commander byVance D. Brand.In addition,Richard N. Richards(as pilot) andDavid C. Leestma(as mission specialist), were replaced byGuy S. GardnerandJohn M. Loungerespectively. Fifty-nine year-old Brand was the oldest astronaut to fly into space untilF. Story Musgrave,61 onSTS-80in 1996, andU.S. SenatorJohn H. Glenn Jr.,77 when he flew onSTS-95in 1998.
Preparations and launch[edit]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c2/S035_s041pads.jpg/220px-S035_s041pads.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/STS-35_Columbia%2C_OV-102%2C_lifts_off_from_KSC_LC_Pad_39B_-_1990_-_S35-s-021.jpg/220px-STS-35_Columbia%2C_OV-102%2C_lifts_off_from_KSC_LC_Pad_39B_-_1990_-_S35-s-021.jpg)
The much-delayedASTRO-1had originally been manifested to fly on what would have been the next shuttle mission afterChallenger'sill-fatedSTS-51-Las STS-61-E in March 1986. The mission was remanifested as STS-35 during the long stand-down after the accident with the addition of theBroad Band X-ray Telescope(BBXRT-01), and the original ASTRO-1 payload was brought out of storage and recertified for flight.[3]Columbiarolled out to Pad 39A in late April 1990 for a scheduled launch date of May 16, 1990. Following theFlight Readiness Review(FRR), announcement of a firm launch date was delayed to change a faultyfreoncoolant loop proportional valve in the orbiter's coolant system. At the subsequent Delta FRR, the date was set for May 30, 1990. Launch on May 30 was scrubbed during tanking due to a minorhydrogenleak in the tail service mast on the mobile launcher platform and a major leak in the external tank/orbiter quick disconnect assembly. Hydrogen was also detected in the orbiter's aft compartment and believed to be associated with a leak involving the 43 cm (17 in) umbilical assembly.
Leakage at the 43 cm (17 in) umbilical was confirmed by a mini-tanking test on June 6, 1990. The leakage could not be repaired at the pad, and the vehicle was rolled back to theVehicle Assembly Building(VAB) June 12, 1990, demated, and transferred to theOrbiter Processing Facility(OPF). The orbiter-side 43 cm (17 in) umbilical assembly was replaced with one borrowed fromEndeavour,then still under construction. Theexternal tank(ET) was then fitted with new umbilical hardware. The ASTRO-1 payload was reserviced regularly and remained inColumbia's cargo bay during orbiter repairs and reprocessing.
Columbiawas rolled out to Pad A for the second time on August 9, 1990, to support a September 1, 1990, launch date. Two days before launch, the avionics box on the BBXRT-01 portion of the ASTRO-1 payload malfunctioned and had to be changed and retested. Launch was rescheduled for September 6, 1990. During tanking, high concentrations of hydrogen were again detected in the orbiter's aft compartment, forcing another postponement. NASA managers concluded thatColumbiahad experienced separate hydrogen leaks from the beginning: one of the umbilical assembly (now replaced) and one or more which had resurfaced in the aft compartment. Suspicion focused on the package of three hydrogen recirculation pumps in the aft compartment. These were replaced and retested. A damagedTefloncover seal in the main engine number three hydrogen prevalve was replaced. Launch was rescheduled for September 18, 1990. The fuel leak in the aft compartment resurfaced during tanking, and the launch was scrubbed again. The STS-35 mission was put on hold until problem resolved by a special tiger team assigned by the Space Shuttle director.
Columbiawas transferred to Pad B on October 8, 1990, to make room forAtlantison MissionSTS-38.Tropical storm Klausforced another rollback to the VAB on October 9, 1990. The vehicle was transferred to Pad B again on October 14, 1990. Another mini-tanking test was conducted on October 30, 1990, using special sensors and video cameras and employing a see-throughPlexiglasaft compartment door. No excessive hydrogen leakage was detected. With the problem resolved, the flight had only to wait for the completion of STS-38, imparting another four-week delay. A scheduled launch date of November 30, 1990, was moved by several days due to concerns that observations of astronomical targets would be adversely affected. Liftoff on December 2, 1990, was delayed by 21 minutes to allow theU.S. Air Forcetime to observe low-level clouds that might impede the tracking of the Shuttle's ascent. Liftoff finally occurred on December 2, 1990, 1:49:01 a.m.EST,the ninth night launch in shuttle history and the second forColumbia.A nominal ascent to orbit followed. This was one of the most delayed launches of theSpace Shuttle program.
Mission highlights[edit]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/S035_Parker.jpg/220px-S035_Parker.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/STS035-502-4.jpg/220px-STS035-502-4.jpg)
The primary payload of mission STS-35 was ASTRO-1, the fifth flight of the Spacelab system and the second with the Igloo and two pallets train configuration. The primary objectives were round-the-clock observations of thecelestial sphereinultravioletandX-rayspectral wavelengths with the ASTRO-1 observatory, consisting of four telescopes:Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope(HUT);Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment(WUPPE); Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT), mounted on the Instrument Pointing System (IPS). The Instrument Pointing System consisted of a three-axis gimbal system mounted on a gimbal support structure connected to a Spacelab pallet at one end and the aft end of the payload at the other, a payload clamping system for support of the mounted experiment during launch and landing, and a control system based on the inertial reference of a three-axis gyro package and operated by a gimbal-mounted microcomputer.[4]The Broad-Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT) and its Two-Axis Pointing System (TAPS) rounded out the instrument complement in the aft payload bay.
The crew split into shifts after reaching orbit, with Gardner, Parker, and Parise comprising the Red Team; the Blue Team consisted of Hoffman, Durrance, and Lounge. Commander Brand was unassigned to either team and helped coordinate mission activities. The telescopes were powered up and raised from their stowed position by the Red Team 11 hours into the flight. Observations began under the Blue Team 16 hours into the mission after the instruments were checked out.[5]In a typical ASTRO-1 ultraviolet observation, the flight crew member on duty maneuvered the Shuttle to point the cargo bay in the general direction of the astronomical object to be observed. The mission specialist commanded the pointing system to aim the telescopes toward the target. They also locked on to guide stars to help the pointing system remain stable despite orbiter thruster firings. The payload specialist set up each instrument for the upcoming observation, identified the celestial target on the guide television, and provided the necessary pointing corrections for placing the object precisely in the telescope's field of view. He then started the instrument observation sequences and monitored the data being recorded. Because the many observations created a heavy workload, the payload and mission specialists worked together to perform these complicated operations and evaluate the quality of observations. Each observation took between 10 minutes to a little over an hour.[6]
Issues with the pointing precision of the IPS and the sequential overheating failures of both data display units (used for pointing telescopes and operating experiments) during the mission impacted crew-aiming procedures and forced ground teams atMarshall Space Flight Center(MSFC) to aim the telescopes with fine-tuning by the flight crew. BBXRT-01 was directed from the outset by ground-based operators atGoddard Space Flight Center(GSFC) and was not affected. TheX-ray telescoperequired little attention from the crew. A crew member would turn on the BBXRT and the TAPS at the beginning of operations and then turn them off when the operations concluded. After the telescope was activated, researchers at Goddard could "talk" to the telescope via computer. Before science operations began, stored commands were loaded into the BBXRT computer system. Then, when the astronauts positioned the Shuttle in the general direction of the source, the TAPS automatically pointed the BBXRT at the object. Since the Shuttle could be oriented in only one direction at a time, X-ray observations had to be coordinated carefully with ultraviolet observations. Despite the pointing problems, the full suite of telescopes obtained 231 observations of 130 celestial objects over a combined span of 143 hours. Science teams at Marshall and Goddard estimated that 70% of the mission objectives were completed.[7]ASTRO-1 was the first shuttle mission controlled in part from the Spacelab Mission Operations Control facility at MSFC inHuntsville, Alabama.
During the flight, the crew experienced trouble dumping waste water due to a blocked waste water line, but managed to compensate using spare containers. Problems also affected one RCC thruster and an onboard text and graphics teleprinter used for receiving flight plan updates.
Additional payloads and experiments[edit]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/S035_lesson_hoffman_durrance.jpg/220px-S035_lesson_hoffman_durrance.jpg)
Conducting short-wave radio transmissions between ground-based amateur radio operators and a Shuttle-based amateur radio operator was the basis for the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX-II). SAREX communicated with amateur stations in line-of-sight of the orbiter in one of four transmission modes: voice,Slow-scan television(SSTV), data or (uplink only)Fast scan television(FSTV). The voice mode was operated in the attended mode while SSTV, data or FSTV could be operated in either attended or unattended modes. During the mission, SAREX was operated by Payload Specialist Ron Parise, a licensed operator (WA4SIR), during periods when he was not scheduled for orbiter or other payload activities.[8]A ground-based experiment to calibrate electro-optical sensors atAir Force Maui Optical Site(AMOS) inHawaiiwas also conducted during the mission. The Space Classroom Program, Assignment: The Stars project was carried out to spark student interest in science, mathematics and technology. Mission Specialist Hoffman conducted the first classroom lesson taught from space on December 7, 1990, in support of this objective, covering material on theelectromagnetic spectrumand the ASTRO-1 observatory. A supporting lesson was taught from the ASTRO-1 control center in Huntsville.
Landing[edit]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/S035_land.jpg/220px-S035_land.jpg)
The mission was cut short by one day due to impending bad weather at the primary landing site,Edwards Air Force Base,California.TheOrbital Maneuvering System(OMS) engines were fired at 8:48 p.m.PSTover theIndian Oceanto deorbit the spacecraft, which landed on Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base, California, at 9:54 p.m. PST, on December 10, 1990, after a mission duration of 8 days, 23 hours, 5 minutes, and 8 seconds. This was the fourth night landing of the shuttle program. Rollout distance: 3.184 km (1.978 mi)). Rollout time: 58 seconds.Columbiareturned to KSC on December 20, 1990, on theShuttle Carrier Aircraft(SCA). Landing weight: 102,208 kg (225,330 lb).
Image gallery[edit]
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ASTRO-1 undergoes processing post-Challenger
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ASTRO-1 aboardColumbiain theOrbiter Processing Facility
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Namibia from orbit
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Traditional inflight portrait
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Payload Specialists Durrance and Parise work out
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Another view of the observatory
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The payload in its stowed configuration
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Columbiaheads back to KSC
See also[edit]
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References[edit]
- ^"Columbia Makes Successful Night Launch".Statesman Journal.Salem, Oregon. Gannett News Service. December 2, 1990. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^"STS-35".Spacefacts.RetrievedFebruary 26,2014.
- ^STS-35 Press Kit, p.40, PAO, 1990
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
- ^STS-35 Press Kit, p.31, PAO, 1990
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
- ^Space Shuttle Columbia: Her Missions and Crews, p.129, Ben Evans, 2005
- ^STS-35 Press Kit, p.35, PAO, 1990
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
- ^Space Shuttle Columbia: Her Missions and Crews, p. 133, Ben Evans, 2005
- ^STS-35 Press Kit, p. 41, PAO, 1990
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
External links[edit]
- NASA mission summaryArchivedAugust 14, 2011, at theWayback Machine
- STS-35 Video HighlightsArchivedDecember 25, 2014, at theWayback Machine
- Jack A. Jones Collection, The University of Alabama in Huntsville Archives and Special CollectionsFiles of Jack A. Jones, mission manager for Astro-1.