STS-2 (Columbia)

 1981-111A

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Columbia's second mission, STS-2, began at 1510:00 on 1981 Nov 12. SRB separation was at 1512:13 after 2 min 10 sec. Main engine cutoff was at 1518:34. After the OMS 1 and OMS 2 burns, a problem arose: one of the fuel cells developed a fault. The mission rules required a minimum duration mission, and the planned flight was cut short from 5 days 5 hr to only 2 days. The OSTA 1 science payload was activated at 1910 UT. The next day, the RMS (Remote Manipulator System) arm was unberthed for the first time and put through a series of tests, including a special firing of the RCS jets to check the arm's steadiness during a rocket firing. The science instruments were deactivated at 1426 on Nov 14 and the pallet was switched off at 1635, quickly followed by payload bay door closing. The OMS engines were reignited for the deorbit burn, and Columbia streaked across the California sky for another successful touchdown at Edwards Air Force Base at 2123 on Nov 14.

STS-2
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1981 Aug 10		Rollover	VAB
1981 Aug 31	0844	Rollout	LC39A
1981 Nov 4		RSLS Hold
1981 Nov 12	1510:00	Launch, LC39A
	1512:10	SRB separation
	1518:34	MECO
	1518:51	ET sep	86.34 29 x 155 x 38.0 (dV)
	1520:34	OMS 1 (77 s) 43.1m/s
	1521:51	OMS 1 CO	87.73 101 x 222 x 38.0
			87.77 100 x 227 x 38.0
			126 x 222 x 38.0 (MOR)
	1533	ET apogee
	1551:42	OMS 2 (69 s) 36.9m/s	88.98 219 x 228 x 38.0
	1553:01	OMS 2 CO
	1600	ET breakup
	1725	PLBD open	89.02 222 x 229 x 38.0
	1910	OSTA activation
	1945	Fuel Cell 1 begins to malfunction
	2015	FC 1 shutdown
	2015	MDF declared?
	2255	OMS 3A (LH, 12s) 3.7m/s	89.11 227 x 233 x 38.0
	2259	OMS 3B (LH, 24s) 6.4m/s	89.33 227 x 255 x 38.0
	2343	OMS 4 (RH, 39s) 10.6m/s	89.70 254 x 264 x 38.0
1981 Nov 13	1425	RMS unberth
		RCS	254 x 263 x 38
1981 Nov 14	1702	PLBD closed (by 1705)	89.71 255 x 264 x 38.0
	2023:14	OMS DO (2:51) 95.5m/s
	2026:06	OMS DO CO	86.51 -53 x 255 x 38.0
	2050:39	Entry Interface
	2123:13	Landing	RW23 EAFB
	2123:26	Nose gear down
	2124:03	Wheels stop
1981 Nov 24	2228	SCA from EAFB	Bergstrom AFB, TX
1981 Nov 25		SCA from Bergstrom
	1819	SCA arr. KSC
1981 Nov 26		OPF/1

Payload:

• OSTA-1 OSTA-1/Pallet

• DFI Development Flight Instrumentation

  • DFI pallet

  • DFI container 1,2,3

  • IECM Induced Environment Contamination Monitor Mass spectrometer, camera/photometer, microbalance Optical effects module, Passive sample array, air sampler, dew point, humidity, plume pressure gauge

• ACIP Aerodynamic Coefficient Indentification Package

• Middeck

  • NOSL Night/Day optical survey of lightning