Friday, July 4, 2003

STS-87 (Columbia)

 1997-073A


STS-87 pioneered a heads-up roll at T+5min, communicating with the TDRS network instead of the old Bermuda station.

Deploy of the Spartan solar observatory was delayed a day when SOHO went into safemode. Then on Nov 21, Chalwa released Spartan using the RMS arm. But Spartan failed to make its orientation `pirouette' and an attempt was made to regrapple the satellite. Capture was not successful and the arm tipped the satellite over, causing it to tumble. For about an orbit the astronauts tried to manuever to match Spartan's rate, but then Mission Control ordered them to back off to preserve fuel for an attempt during the already planned spacewalk a few days later. In April 1998 the internal review was made public, blaming Chalwa for failing to send the command to switch on the satellite before deployment, and for closing the RMS grapple too quickly, messing up the attempt to recapure it.

In the Nov 25 spacewalk, astronauts Scott and Doi placed themselves on the SPSS as Columbia flew up to match orientation and rates with Spartan. After several hours flying close to the craft, they grabbed it out of space and held it. It was finally lowered into the cradle using the RMS.

The second EVA on Dec 3 was added to the schedule to allow more tests of the crane. It also featured the free flight of AERCam, which reached a maximum range of 12m from Columbia.


STS-87 
 

DateTimeEventOrbit  

1997 Oct 24   Roll to VAB/3 
1997 Oct 25   Mate to ET/SRB 
1997 Oct 29   Rollout to LC39B 
1997 Nov 19  1946:00  Launch 
 1948  SRB sep 
 1954:37  MECO  83 x 286 x 28.5 (OMS dV) 
 1954:49  ET sep T+8:49 
 2027:09  OMS-2 burn 126.2s 59.1m/s 
 2029:13  OMS-2 cutoff90.22 283 x 286 x 28.5  
 2117  PLBD open complete 
1997 Nov 20  0205  RMS checkout 
 0446  RMS checkout complete 
 1650  +X trim-1 19s 1.4m/s 
1997 Nov 21  1919  RMS uncradle 
 1932  RMS grapple Spartan 
 2018  RMS unberth Spartan 
 2104  RMS deploy Spartan 90.16 279 x 285 x 28.5 
 2107  Spartan fails to orient 
 2110  RMS grapple Spartan
  Spartan free and tumbling 
 2211  End of prox RCS burns 
 2232  RMS cradle 
 2310  RCS sep 3.5s 
1997 Nov 22  0142  RMS end effector test 
 0158  RMS test complete 
1997 Nov 24  0833:17  NC4 burn, 0.4m/s 6s RCS 
 2119:33 OMS-3/NC5, 15s 3.5m/s 
 2250:38  OMS-4/TI 12s 3m/s 
 2256  RMS uncradle 
 2310:29  MC1 5s 0.4m/s 
 2314  Ku radar acq Spartan 
 2342:14 MC2 4s 0.3m/s 
 2342  Begin AL 5.5psi hold 
 2350? AL depress complete 
 2359:14 MC3 5s 0.4m/s 
1997 Nov 25  0001  EVA-1 to battery 
 0002  EVA-1 HO  90.13 277 x 283 x 28.5 
 0009:15  MC4 3s 0.6m/s 
 0053  Range 26m 
 0209  Spartan manual capture by Scott, Doi 
 0239:04  RMS grapple Spartan 
 0240? Scott, Doi release Spartan 
 0323:22  RMS berth Spartan 
 0326:36  RMS ungrapple Spartan 
  DTO-671 EDFT-5 tests 
 0735  Ingress 
 0735? HC 
 0745  Rpress 
 0745  EVA-1 end 
 0758  Repress complete 
1997 Nov 27  0049:57 AADSF attitude RCS trim 29s 2.0m/s 
1997 Nov 28    90.14 278 x 283 x 28.5 
1997 Dec 1  1544:21  Trim 17s 1m/s 
1997 Dec 3  0452 RMS grapple Spartan  90.05 275 x 280 x 28.5 
 0552 unberth Spartan for VGS tests 
  (Video Guidance Sensor) 
 0635RMS berth Spartan 
 0650RMS ungrapple Spartan 

0825275 x 280x 28.5 
  EVA-2 
 0847  Begin depress 
 0905  AL depress complete 
 0908Battery power 
 0915HO 
 0920  Egress 
 1215  Scott hand-launches Aercam 
 1327  Scott captures Aercam 
 1402HC 
 1408  Repress 
 1417  Repress complete 
1997 Dec 4 0829:06  5s RCS burn for MSX 
 0829:21  10s RCS burn for MSX 
1997 Dec 5  0600 90.03 273 x 278 x 28.5 

0843  PLBD closed  
 1121:28 Deorbit 2:32 dv 76.4m/s 
 1124:00  OMS DO CO  87.44 21 x 274 x 28.5 
 1220:02  MGTD KSC RW33 
 1220:14  NGTD 
 1221:02  Wheels stop 

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