Saturday, July 29, 2000

STS-51-F (Challenger)

 1985-063A


The first attempt to launch 51-F, at 2030 on 1985 Jul 12, ended in an RSLS abort at T-3s. The next attempt was on Jul 29; Challenger left the pad at 2100, but at 2105 the first SSME was automatically shut down - because of an incorrect sensor reading, it later transpired - and the CapCom could be heard calling to the Orbiter in a decisive tone "Abort! Abort ATO!". "Roger - Abort ATO", came the reply, and the first in-flight abort got underway. The ATO (Abort To Orbit) was the most benign type, and consisted of continuing to a lower than planned orbit on the two remaining engines. The OMS engines were ignited and used 1875 kg of OMS propellant to increase the final velocity.

The ET landed at 48.9S 159.1E instead of 33.6S 159.9W., in the same general area of the South Pacific but over 1500 km south of the target.

On Jul 30 at 2328 the RMS arm raised the PDP subsatellite above the payload bay, to make measurements of the plasma around the Shuttle. Inbetween active series of measurements, it was parked over the port wing from 0835 to 1840 on Jul 31, and again from 1928 to 2023. At 0010 on Aug 1, PDP was released into free flight as the Shuttle maneuvered around it in a test of the far field plasma properties of the Shuttle wake. The RMS arm recaptured the PDP at 0620 and observations with it attached to the arm continued until it was latched in the bay late on Aug 2. On Aug 5 the OMS 7 burn was used in a plasma depletion test to study the effects on the near-Shuttle plasma of a rocket burn. PDP was finally deactivated on Aug 6 at 0528, and Challenger landed without incident sixteen hours later.


51-F 
 

DateTimeEventOrbit  

1985 Jun 24   Rollover  VAB 
1985 Jun 29   Rollout  LC39A 
1985 Jul 12  2030  RSLS abort, T-3s 
1985 Jul 29  2100:00  Launch  LC39A 
 2102:05  SRB sep, 47.9 km 
 2105:44  ATO Abort, SSME 2023 cutoff 
 2106:06  OMS dump (1:46) 
 2107:52  OMS dump cutoff 
 2109:42  MECO, 113.4 km  87.18 5 x 264 x 49.5 
 2110:00  ET sep, 116.4 km 
 2133:00  OMS 2 (2:02) 59.1?m/s  89.15 198 x 266 x 49.5  
 2135:02  OMS 2 CO 
 2234  PLBD open  
1985 Jul 30  0039  PDP activated in bay 
1985 Jul 30  0230:27  OMS 3 (35s) 17m/s 89.76 206 x 317 x 49.5 
 0322:18  OMS 4 (45s) 23m/s 90.56 285 x 318 x 49.5 
 0501:36  OMS 5 (15s) 8m/s apogee 90.83 311 x 319 x 49.5 
 2326  RMS grapple PDP 
 2328  RMS unberth PDP 
1985 Jul 31  0304   90.84 311 x 320 x 49.48 
 0835  PDP parked over port wing 
 1840  PDP observations resume 
 1928  PDP parked over port wing 
 2023  PDP observations resume 
 2114  PDP parked over port wing 
1985 Aug 1  0010  RMS deploy PDP in free flight 
 0034  Stationkeep at 91m 
 0137  Burn to out of plane point 1 
 0138Begin 'orbit' 1 
 0147  OOP1 midcourse burn 
 0157  Burn to flux tube connection 
 0202  Flux tube connection 
 0204  Burn to phantom point 1 
 0216  Burn to flux tube connection 
 0235  Burn, midcourse to lower flux tube 1 
 0240  Flux tube connection 
 0242  Burn to wake transit 1 
 0249  Midcourse to wake transit 1 
 0258  Begin wake transit 1 
 0304  Midpoint of wake transit 1 
 0305?  Begin second 'orbit' 
 0345? Midpoint of orbit 
 0430  Enter wake, begin in-plane wake studies 
 0455Stationkeeping 
 0530  End stationkeeping, move in
 0620  RMS grapple PDP 
 0644  PDP parked over port wing 
 1653   90.83 310 x 320 x 49.49 
1985 Aug 2  0714   90.83 308 x 321 x 49.48 
 1824  PDP target for IR glow observations 
1985 Aug 2  2241  RMS berth PDP 
 2308RMS ungrapple PDP 
1985 Aug 3  1715 90.81 303 x 325 x 49.49 
1985 Aug 4  1745  OMS 6 (16s) PD test, Hobart 8m/s  90.81 301 x 326 x 49.5 
1985 Aug 4  1914:44  OMS 7 (3s)  2m/s  
1985 Aug 6  0528  PDP deactivated 

1506PLBD close  90.80 300 x 327 x 49.5 

1843:00  OMS DO (171s) 92m/s 
 1845:52  OMS DO CO 87.67 0 x 318 x 49.5 
 1914:27  Entry 
 1945:26  Landing  RW23 EAFB 
 1945:35  NGTD 
 1946:21  Wheels stop 
1985 Aug 10  1350  SCA 905  EAFB 
 1800 SCA 905 Davis-Monthan AFB TX 
1985 Aug 11  1200SCA 905  Eglin AFB, FL 
1985 Aug 11  1640  SCA 905  KSC SLF 
1985 Aug 11 2130 OPF/1 

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