STS-43
 AtlantisdeployingTDRS-E. | |
| Names | Space Transportation System-43 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | TDRS-Esatellite deployment Technology |
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1991-054A |
| SATCATno. | 21638 |
| Mission duration | 8 days, 21 hours, 21 minutes, 25 seconds |
| Distance travelled | 5,955,217 km (3,700,400 mi) |
| Orbits completed | 142 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Space ShuttleAtlantis |
| Launch mass | 117,650 kg (259,370 lb) |
| Landing mass | 89,239 kg (196,738 lb) |
| Payload mass | 21,067 kg (46,445 lb) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 5 |
| Members | |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | August 2, 1991, 15:02:00UTC(11:02amEDT) |
| Launch site | Kennedy,LC-39A |
| Contractor | Rockwell International |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | August 11, 1991, 12:23:25UTC (8:23:25amEDT) |
| Landing site | Kennedy,SLF Runway 15 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 301 km (187 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 306 km (190 mi) |
| Inclination | 28.46° |
| Period | 90.60 minutes |
| Instruments | |
| |
 STS-43 mission patch  From left:Lucid,Adamson,Blaha,LowandBaker | |
STS-43,the ninth mission forSpace ShuttleAtlantis,was a nine-day mission whose primary goal was launching theTDRS-Esatellite (TDRS-5). The flight also tested an advanced heatpipe radiator for potential use on the then-future space station and conducted a variety of medical and materials science investigations.
Crew
[edit]| Position | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander | John E. Blaha Third spaceflight | |
| Pilot | Michael A. Baker First spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 1 | Shannon Lucid Third spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 2 Flight Engineer |
G. David Low Second spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 3 | James C. Adamson Second and last spaceflight | |
Crew seat assignments
[edit]| Seat[1] | Launch | Landing |  Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck. Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blaha | ||
| 2 | Baker | ||
| 3 | Lucid | Adamson | |
| 4 | Low | ||
| 5 | Adamson | Lucid | |
| 6 | Unused | ||
| 7 | Unused | ||
Preparations and launch
[edit]The launch took place on August 2, 1991 at 15:02:00UTC(11:02amEDT,local time at the launch site). Launch was originally set for July 23, 1991, but was moved to July 24 to allow time to replace a faulty integrated electronics assembly that controls orbiter/external tank separation. The mission was postponed again about five hours before liftoff on July 24, 1991, due to a faulty main engine controller on the number three main engine. The controller was replaced and retested; launch was reset for August 1, 1991. Liftoff set for 11:01 a.m. delayed due to cabin pressure vent valve reading and postponed at 12:28 p.m. due to unacceptable return-to-launch site weather conditions. Launch finally occurred on August 2, 1991, without further delays.[2]
Mission highlights
[edit]
The primary payload, TDRS-E, attached to anInertial Upper Stage(IUS), was deployed about six hours into flight, and the IUS propelled the satellite intogeosynchronous orbit.TDRS-5 became the fourth member of the orbitingTDRScluster. Secondary payloads were Space Station Heat Pipe Advanced Radiator Element (SHARE II); Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultra-Violet (SSBUV) instrument; Tank Pressure Control Equipment (TPCE) and Optical Communications Through Windows (OCTW). Other experiments included Auroral Photography Experiment (APE-B) Protein Crystal Growth Ill (PCG Ill); Bioserve / Instrumentation Technology Associates Materials Dispersion Apparatus (BIMDA); Investigations into Polymer Membrane Processing (IPMP); Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS); Solid Surface Combustion Experiment (SSCE); Ultraviolet Plume imager (UVPI); and the Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS) experiment.[2]
TDRS-E, which became TDRS-5 on orbit, was successfully boosted to geosynchronous orbit at more than 22,000 miles (35,400 km (22,000 mi)) aboveEarthby two firings of the Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) booster, the last of which occurred approximately 12½ hours into the mission. TDRS then deployed its antennas and solar panels, and separation from the IUS took place less than 45 minutes later.
The TDRS network of satellites provides the vital communication link between Earth and low-orbiting spacecraft such as the Space Shuttle. Until the STS-43 deployment, there were three TDRS spacecraft on orbit above theequator:two were in the west position over thePacific Ocean,southwest ofHawaii.TDRS-4was in the east position over the northeast corner ofBrazil.TDRS-Bwas lost in theChallengeraccident in 1986. After STS-43, the two satellites in the west became on-orbit spares; TDRS-5, after activation, checkout and calibration, officially became the primary provider of services in the west location on October 7, 1991. It was stationed at 175° westlongitude.
Previously, orbiting spacecraft could communicate with Earth only when in sight of a ground tracking station – about 15 percent of each orbit. The TDRS network allows communication from 85% to 100% of an orbit, depending on the spacecraft's altitude.
The crew was kept busy with the operation of varied experiments during the nine-day flight. The Space Station Heat Pipe Advanced Radiator Element (SHARE-II) experiment tested a natural cooling process for transferring thermal energy that could serve as a cooling system forSpace Station Freedom.The Solid Surface Combustion Experiment (SSCE) provided some answers about how fire behaves in microgravity. The crew also activated other previously flown materials science experiments and participated in medical experiments in support of long-duration flights. One test showed that optical fibers could provide video and audio links between the flight deck and the payload bay.
Crew members in space and flight controllers on the ground demonstrated their ingenuity when they adapted a camera part to replace one that had not been packed for the mission.
The mission was also notable for being the first one to send anemailfrom space. On August 9, 1991, astronauts Lucid and Adamson usedAppleLinkto write an email from aMacintosh Portableaddressed toMarsha S. IvinsatJohnson Space Center.[3]The message read:
Hello Earth! Greetings from the STS-43 crew. This is the first AppleLink from space. Having a GREAT time, wish you were here,... send cryo and RCS!Hasta la vista, baby,... we'll be back!
The crew experienced some minor problems, none of them critical to the safety or success of the mission. A cooling system forAuxiliary Power Unit(APU 2) failed to activate during an on-orbit test. APU 2 is one of three redundant systems which provide hydraulic pressurization to orbiter steering systems during entry and landing. APU 2 was still available for use in landing.
Atlantislanded on August 11, 1991, at 8:23:25 a.m. EDT, on Runway 15, atKennedy Space Center.[2]
Mission insignia
[edit]According to the mission's officialPress Kit,the STS-43 insignia portrays the evolution and continuity of theU.S. space programby highlighting thirty years of American crewed spaceflight experience, fromProject Mercuryto the Space Shuttle. The emergence of the shuttleAtlantisfrom the outlined configuration of the Mercury space capsule commemorates this special relationship. The energy and momentum of launch are conveyed by the gradations of blue which mark the shuttle's ascent from Earth to space. Once in Earth orbit,Atlantis'cargo bay opens to reveal the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) which appears in gold emphasis against the white wings ofAtlantisand the stark blackness of space. As primary mission objective, theTracking and Data Relay Satellite System(TDRSS) will enable almost continuous communication from Earth to space for future space shuttle missions. The stars on the insignia are arranged to suggest this mission's numerical designation, with four stars left ofAtlantisand three to the right.[4]
Wake-up calls
[edit]NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during theProject Gemini,and first used music to wake up a flight crew duringApollo 15.[5]Each track is specially chosen, often by the astronauts' families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.
| Day | Song | Artist/Composer | Played for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Back in the High Life | Steve Winwood | |
| 3 | Excerpts from "Dances with the Wolves" soundtrack | James Adamson | |
| 4 | Custom music medley sung by friends of the STS-43 crew from Rockwell-Downey, in California. |
||
| 5 | Music of the Clear Lake High School Orchestra playing selections from "Phantom of the Opera". Commander John Blaha's daughter, Caroline, plays in the orchestra. |
Andrew Lloyd Webber | John Blaha |
| 6 | What a Wonderful World | Louis Armstrong | |
| 7 | Cowboy in the Continental Suit | Chris LeDoux | James Adamson |
| 8 | Washington and Lee University fight song | G. David Low | |
| 9 | Sounds from Shannon Lucid's backyard |
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^"STS-43".Spacefacts.RetrievedFebruary 26,2014.
- ^abc"NASA - STS-43".NASA.RetrievedNovember 16,2022.
- ^"Macintosh Portable: Used in Space Shuttle".support.apple.com.RetrievedAugust 29,2018.
- ^"NASA - Johnson Space Center History"(PDF).NASA.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
- ^Fries, Colin."Chronology of wakeup calls"(PDF).This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
External links
[edit]- NASA mission summaryArchivedAugust 13, 2010, at theWayback Machine
- STS-43 Video HighlightsArchivedDecember 23, 2014, at theWayback Machine
- STS-43 crew in Werner Herzog's filmThe Wild Blue Yonder
Space ShuttleAtlantis(OV-104) | ||
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| Completed flights |  | |
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| On display | ||