1984-034A
The STS-13 (41-C) mission took off on 1984 Apr 6. This mission would see the first demonstration of the Shuttle's real potential, with the rescue of the crippled Solar Max satellite.
The first day of flight saw the first few engine burns of the rendezvous sequence, raising the orbit to 463 km altitude. On Apr 7 the RMS arm was used to deploy the Long Duration Exposure Facility. The rendezvous operation resumed on Apr 8, and by 1417 the Orbiter was only 80m from Solar Max. Nelson and Van Hoften emerged from the airlock. At 1435 the Orbiter was stationkeeping with Solar Max, and at 1502 MMU was checked out, with Nelson beginning his free flight at about 1510. He started to translate towards SMM at 1517, and attempted to dock his T-PAD device to the satellite at 1532:15, but the latches failed to engage. Further attempted dockings at 1533:51 and 1535:06 also failed, and it later turned out that the design of the docking fixture on the satellite was incorrect. At 1538.45 Nelson grabbed SMM's solar panel, but this just sent the satellite into a tumble, and at 1543:20 the attempt to dock with the satellite was abandoned. An initial attempt to capture the satellite with the RMS arm was also fruitless and was called off at 1623. Nelson and Van Hoften returned to the airlock and closed the hatch at 1650; the airlock was repressurized at 1709 after 2h 59m, and Challenger moved away from Solar Max. By Apr 10 ground controllers had brought the satellite back under control and Challenger moved in for another try with the RMS arm. This time T.J. Hart successfully moved the arm in to grapple the docking fixture and Solar Max was captured. Within an hour it had been moved down to be firmly latched onto the Flight Support Structure (FSS) in the payload bay.
The second EVA began at 0837 on Apr 11, with the hatch opening at 0919. Ten minutes later Nelson and Van Hoften begain repair work on SMM, installing the new attitude control module and making other adjustments. After the repairs were complete, Van Hoften had the opportunity to take MMU-3 for a test flight, from 1318 to around 1500. The hatch was closed around 1515 and the airlock was repressurized at 1555 after 7h 7min. The crew delayed repress until SMM was unberthed. The RMS held it above the Shuttle overnight. At 0926 on Apr 12 SMM was released into orbit and the astronauts prepared to return to Earth. The planned KSC landing was cancelled, and the deorbit burn at 1229 set them on course for Edwards. Landing at 1338 was on runway 17.
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| STS 41-C |
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| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|
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| 1984 Feb 11 | 2000 | | OPF/2 |
| 1984 Mar 14 | | | VAB/3 |
| 1984 Mar 18 | | Mate | VAB/3 |
| 1984 Mar 19 | | Rollout | LC39A |
| 1984 Apr 6 | 1358:00 | Launch | LC39A |
| | 1400:06 | SRB sep, 51.6 km |
| | 1406:31 | MECO at 110.0 km | 89.76 59 x 466 |
| | 1406:49 | ET sep at 112.8 km | 89.81 65 x 463 x 28.5 |
| | | |
| | 1440:54 | OMS-2 (1:35) 45.3m/s | |
| | 1442:29 | OMS-2 CO | 91.36 218 x 464 x 28.51 |
| | 1520 | ET reentry over Hawaii |
| | 1526 | PLBD open |
| | 1915:57 | OMS-3 NC-1 (RH 14s) 3m/s |
| | 1957 | | 91.49 229 x 465 x 28.51 |
| | 2055:35s | OMS-4 NPC (LH 12s) 3m/s |
| 1984 Apr 7 | 0453 | | 91.49 230 x 464 x 28.5 |
| | 1250:07 | OMS-5 NH-1 (RH 15s) 3m/s |
| | 1248 | | 91.63 231 x 477 x 28.5 |
| | 1334:51 | OMS-6 NSR (144s) 70.4m/s |
| | 1335 | | 94.16 476 x 478 x 28.5 |
| 1984 Apr 7 | 1430 | RMS grapple LDEF |
| | 1445? | Unberth LDEF |
| | 1500? | Reberth LDEF |
| | 1510? | Unberth LDEF |
| | 1719:27 | RMS deploy LDEF |
| | 1719 | Sep at 0.3m/s |
| | 2138:00 | RCS NC2 phasing 0.5m/s 7s |
| 1984 Apr 8 | 0741 | | 94.20 477 x 481 x 28.51 |
| 1984 Apr 8 | 1011:38 | OMS-7 NH-2 (RH 16s) 4m/s | |
| | 1058:54 | RCS NC3 0.3m/s |
| | 1145? | 32 km range |
| | 1233:19 | OMS-8 TI (LH 13s) 3m/s | |
| | 1233 | | 94.51 492 x 497 x 28.5 |
| | 1328:54 | MC2 |
| | 1350 | Range to SMM 400m |
| | 1357 | 430m to SMM, p = 6psi |
| | 1410? | EVA-1 depress |
| | 1417 | Range to SMM 80m |
| | 1418 | EVA-1 HO |
| | 1419 | EMUs to battery power |
| | 1425 | Egress complete |
| | 1430 | Removing MMU launch bolts |
| | 1435 | Rendezvous with SMM |
| | 1440 | Range 60 m |
| | 1502 | MMU 2 checkout 42min |
| | 1510 | MMU 2 in free flight |
| | 1517 | MMU 2 toward SMM |
| | 1532:15 | Failed to dock with SMM | 94.54 495 x 497 x 28.5 |
| | 1533:51 | Failed to dock with SMM |
| | 1535:06 | Failed to dock with SMM |
| | 1538:45 | Manual contact with SMM solar panels |
| | 1544 | Returned to bay |
| | 1623 | RMS capture attempt abandoned |
| | 1648 | Sep burn 0.3m/s |
| | 1702? | Ingress Van Hoften |
| | 1703? | Ingress Nelson |
| 1709 | HC |
| | 1709 | Airlock repress |
| | 1715 | EVA-1 ends (MR) |
| | | RCS sep |
| 1984 Apr 9 | 0701:55 | RCS NC3 stop sep, 0.8m/s 97565kg | 94.52 493 x 497 x 28.5 |
| 1984 Apr 9 | 1828:00 | RCS 9s 0.7m/s 95908 kg |
| 1984 Apr 10 | 0838:05 | OMS-9 NC-3A (RH 8s) 2m/s | |
| | 1048 | RCS 4s NCC | 94.45 485 x 498 x 28.5 |
| | 1147:03 | OMS-10 TI-2 (LH 6s) 2m/s | |
| | 1253 | Range to SMM 500m | 94.54 495 x 497 x 28.5 |
| | 1301 | Range to SMM 240m |
| | 1340 | Begin final approach at 60m |
| | 1348 | At 30m |
| | 1352 | RMS in motion |
| | 1352:20 | RMS grapple SMM |
| | 1358 | Crew report SMM captured |
| | 1450 | RMS berth SMM |
| | 1500? | RMS ungrapple SMM |
| | 1520 | SMM on orbiter power |
| 1984 Apr 11 | 0816? | RCS burn 0.3m/s |
| | 0837 | EVA-2 begin (begin depress?) |
| | 0848? | Depress |
| | 0858 | EVA-2 begin (battery, MR) |
| | 0900? | HO |
| | 0911 | Egress |
| | 0920 | VH working with MFR |
| | 0945 | Repair of SMM |
| | 1000? | Removed old ACS |
| | 1005? | Install on FSS |
| | 1020? | New ACS removed from FSS |
| | 1030? | Install new ACS on SMM |
| | 1035? | Install XRP freon vent baffle |
| | 1130 | Working on wiring |
| | 1144 | Removed MEB (main elec box) |
| | 1207 | Installing new MEB |
| | 1230? | MEB installed |
| | 1250? | SMM inspections |
| | 1330? | VH off arm |
| | 1340? | | 94.54 494 x 497 x 28.5 |
| | 1347? | Nelson loses trash bag with MEB screws |
| 1984 Apr 11 | 1405? | MMU 3 test flight |
| | 1410? | MMU 3 test flight 28min VH |
| | 1438 | MMU 3 complete flight |
| | 1446 | MMU closed up |
| | 1453 | Ingress VH |
| | 1505 | Nelson removes star tracker cover |
| | 1514 | EVA-2 end (MR) |
| | 1515 | EVA-2 HC |
| | 1544 | Rotate SMM |
| | 1546? | Grapple SMM |
| | 1552? | RMS unberth SMM |
| | 1555 | EVA-2 repress at 7:07 dp/rp |
| 1984 Apr 12 | 0926:29 | RMS deploy SMM |
| 1984 Apr 13 | 0847 | PLBD closed | 94.52 494 x 496 x 28.5 |
| | 1229:30 | OMS DO (243s) 140.5m/s |
| | 1233:33 | OMS DO CO | 12? x 494 x 28.5 |
| | 1307:52 | Entry |
| | 1338:07 | Landing | RW17 EAFB |
| | 1338:23 | NGTD |
| | 1338:55 | Wheels stop |
| 1984 Apr 17 | 1355 | SCA 905 | EAFB |
| | 1900 | SCA 905 | Kelly AFB TX |
| 1984 Apr 18 | 1506 | SCA 905 | KSC SLF |
| 1955 | | OPF/2 |
