Monday, January 1, 1990

STS-41-C (Challenger)

 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.


STS 41-C 
 

DateTimeEventOrbit  

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 
 0945Repair 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  0847PLBD 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  1355SCA 905  EAFB 
 1900SCA 905  Kelly AFB TX 
1984 Apr 18  1506SCA 905  KSC SLF 

1955 OPF/2

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