 Space ShuttleEndeavour in orbit with SIR-C in its payload bay | |
| Names | Space Transportation System-59 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Radar imaging |
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1994-020A |
| SATCATno. | 23042 |
| Mission duration | 11 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes, 30 seconds |
| Distance travelled | 7,571,762 kilometers (4,704,875 mi) |
| Orbits completed | 183 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Endeavour |
| Payload mass | 12,490 kilograms (27,540 lb) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 6 |
| Members | |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 9 April 1994, 11:05 (1994-04-09UTC11:05Z) UTC |
| Launch site | Kennedy,LC-39A |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | 20 April 1994, 16:55 (1994-04-20UTC16:56Z) UTC |
| Landing site | Edwards Runway 22 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 194 kilometres (121 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 204 kilometres (127 mi) |
| Inclination | 57 degrees |
| Period | 88.4 min |
  Left to right - Standing: Chilton, Gutierrez; Seated: Godwin, Jones, Apt, Clifford | |
STS-59 was aSpace Shuttle program mission that took place in 1994. The launch was chronicled by the 1994Discovery Channel special about theSpace Shuttle program.
| Position | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander | Sidney M. Gutierrez Second and last spaceflight | |
| Pilot | Kevin P. Chilton Second spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 1 | Jay Apt Third spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 2 Flight Engineer | Michael R. Clifford Second spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 3 | Linda M. Godwin Second spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 4 | Thomas D. Jones First spaceflight | |
| Member of Blue Team Member of Red Team | ||
| Seat[1] | Launch | Landing |  Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck. Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gutierrez | ||
| 2 | Chilton | ||
| 3 | Apt | Jones | |
| 4 | Clifford | ||
| 5 | Godwin | ||
| 6 | Jones | Apt | |
| 7 | Unused | ||
| Attempt | Planned | Result | Turnaround | Reason | Decision point | Weather go (%) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 Apr 1994, 8:07:00 am | Scrubbed | — | Technical | 4 Apr 1994, 12:00 am (T−27:00:00) | Additional time needed to inspect high pressure oxidizer preburner pumps in the main engines.[2] | |
| 2 | 8 Apr 1994, 8:06:00 am | Scrubbed | 0 days 23 hours 59 minutes | Weather | 8 Apr 1994, 10:36 am (T−00:05:00) | 40[3] | Low clouds at launch site and shuttle landing facility. High crosswinds were also present at the SLF.[4]: 2 |
| 3 | 9 Apr 1994, 7:05:00 am | Success | 0 days 22 hours 59 minutes |
Endeavour began its sixth mission on the morning of 9 April 1994, with an on-time launch at 7:05 amEastern time. Soon after, the sixastronauts began activating the sensitiveradar equipment in the payload bay that would be operated around the clock during the next ten days.
By 8 pm, the Space Radar Laboratory-1 experiments ofNASA'sMission to Planet Earth were all activated and began their study of theearth'secosystem.
STS-59 ground controllers finished activating theSpaceborne Imaging Radar-C (SIR-C) and began processing its first images of the Earth, while engineers working with theX-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (X-SAR) worked their way through some initial activation problems.
Meanwhile, theMeasurement of Air Pollution from Satellite (MAPS) instrument took data on the carbon monoxide content and distribution in the atmosphere since shortly after launch.
During the initial activation of the X-SAR, controllers reported they were unable to fully power up theamplifier that provides power to the radar. The problem was in the low voltage circuit internal to the power amplifier. Engineers were not immediately able to explain the problem, so they turned off the power amplifier for about three hours. The problem was traced to an oversensitive protectioncircuit, a type of circuit breaker. The radar lab engineers bypassed the protection circuit and turned on the instrument at about 4:20 pm Saturday. It worked without incident, completing 100 percent of its scheduled observations overnight.
Thereafter, X-SAR controllers continued a deliberate, step-by-step check of the instrument, and successfully bounced X-band radar pulses off the Earth and recorded data. All of the instrument's circuits recorded normal readings. The crew also activatedSpace Tissue Loss investigations on the middeck, and theGetaway Special experiments in the cargo bay.
As of Sunday morning, 10 April 1994, the radar laboratory had taken data readings on more than 40 targets includingHowland, Maine;Macquarie Island; theBlack Sea;Matera, Italy; and theStrait of Gibraltar. Scientists also gathered information on three of 19 "supersites," the highest priority targets for that day. Sunday's supersite observations were globalcarbon andhydrologic cycles inDuke Forest,North Carolina; hydrologic cycles aroundÖtztal, Austria; and geological data onLake Chad in theSahara. Observation sites for Sunday afternoon includedGippsland, Australia;Sable Island;Toronto, Ontario,Canada;Bermuda;Bighorn Basin,Wyoming;Chung Li, China; andMammoth Mountain, California. The supersite opportunities wereRaco, Michigan and theGulf Stream.
Sunday evening's supersite observations by SIR-C and X-SAR focused on the interaction of plants and animals in the ecology of the forests ofRaco, Michigan; hydrologic cycles aroundBebedouro, Brazil;tectonic plate activity around theGalapagos Islands in the South Pacific; and the transfer of heat through wave energy in theSouthern Ocean.
The Measurement of Atmospheric Pollution from Satellite instrument also continued to take readings of the concentration and distribution ofcarbon monoxide throughout thetroposphere. Crew members reported good earth observation photography opportunities over the Northeast Pacific Ocean and the frozen lakes of the Raco supersite area, as well as fires in theSierra Madre mountains of Mexico.
On flight day two, the Red Team crew of Commander Gutierrez, Pilot Chilton and Linda M. Godwin began its sleep shift about 5 pmCentral time, to awaken at 2 am The Blue Team crew members,Jay Apt,Michael R. Clifford andThomas D. Jones, awakened about 4 pm to begin their third flight day on orbit, and would go to bed about 5 am
As of Monday, 11 April 1994, 6:30 am Central time, three real-timeradar images were downlinked fromEndeavour overnight. A view of the Sahara Desert inAlgeria, one of the geology sites, was taken to help scientists map surface and subsurface structures, including drainage patterns.
Also, the tworadar imaging systems were calibrated over Matera, Italy, andOberpfaffenhofen, Germany, near Munich, in collaboration with students from theUniversity of Munich. The students measured soil moisture, forestry parameters, and thebiomass of agricultural crops in the area at the same time the radar data was gathered.
Thomas D. Jones gave scientists real-time observations ofthunderstorms overTaiwan, thePhilippines andNew Guinea to augment data being gathered by the (MAPS) experiment. Jay Apt described a "good-sized" dust storm on the northwest coast of Australia.
The MAPS project's Vickie Connors reported toEndeavour's Red Team that there was good correlation between what the instruments on board were reading compared to data gathered on the ground.
Concluding Flight Day 3, the Blue Team started their sleep period beginning about 8 am The Red Team went to work a few minutes after five that morning.
By Monday, 11 April 1994, 6 p.m. CDT, several more real-time images were processed by X-SAR –Sahara Desert, a geology site and the area around theJapanese Archipelago.Endeavour flew over the southern portion of Japan, and the quick-look processor showedoil slicks.
Monday's radar work included calibration passes overPalm Valley, Northern Territory in Australia, and theAmazon forests ofBrazil; oceanography observations over the Northeast Pacific Ocean, the Gulf Stream, the Southern Ocean and theGulf of Mexico; ecology observations over Altona,Manitoba, Canada; geology observations over theBighorn Basin, Wyoming; hydrology studies of Mammoth Mountain, California, and geology studies of the tectonic activity around the Galapagos Islands of the southeastern Pacific.
Linda M. Godwin reported good photography of "tremendous" thunderstorms over South America and ocean wind patterns around the Galapagos. She also reported three Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment contacts with students atEaly Elementary School inWest Bloomfield, Michigan,Country Club School inSan Ramon, California, andBoy Scouts inRichardson, Texas.
The crew reported airbubbles in the water supply forEndeavour's galley.
On Tuesday, 12 April 1994, 3 a.m. Eastern time a real-time image was downlinked from the X-SAR showing a region of the Andes Mountains in Bolivia.
During the Blue Team's shift, the X-SAR and SIR-C collected images of oceanography sites including the South Pacific Ocean, the East Australian Ocean currents, and the North Atlantic Ocean; geology sites atCerro Laukaru, Chile, snow cover at Otztal, in the Austrian Alps, andHa Meshar, Israel; and ecology sites at Howland, Maine, and Duke Forest, North Carolina.
The Red Team began their work about 7 am EDT on Tuesday 12 April 1994. Gutierrez and Chilton slept in an extra hour because they were about an hour and a half late going to sleep the night before after working on an in-flight maintenance procedure to eliminate air bubbles that were collecting in the drinking and food preparation water. The astronauts connected the water dispensing hose directly to the supply tank, bypassing the galley water outlet. A later test during the Blue Team's shift indicated that bubbles still may get into the drink bags through the opening where water goes into the drink container.
During this shift, live X-SAR moving images were downlinked of the area surroundingSarobetsu, Japan, one of the high-priority calibration sites for the X-band antenna. Scientists on the ground measured the strength of the radar signal and the size of the swath being imaged.
Ground investigators also were developing topographic maps of Japan and searching for the optimum way in which to use the three radar antennas for mapping rice fields.
X-SAR's quick-look processor also showed images of theBay of Campeche in the Gulf of Mexico as well as the land aroundVeracruz, Mexico. Ground investigators were taking simultaneous measurements of the ecological test site, looking for soil and vegetation information during the dry season of the tropical forest there.
Godwin reported that the crew had a cloud-free opportunity to photographyChickasha, Oklahoma, one of the 19 "supersites," and that they had seen sea ice along the coast of theKamchatka Peninsula of Russia.
On Wednesday, 13 April 1994, 7 a.m. Eastern time, the Blue Team completed its fifth working day in space with a handover to the Red Team.
During the Blue shift, researchers watched televised downlinks of live X-SAR moving images of surface and subsurface structures in theNamib Desert in South Africa to improve researchers' understanding of radarbackscatter. Scientists also viewed radar images of sea ice and seasonal melt in theSea of Okhotsk off the coast ofSiberia and a critical region of expanding drought in theSahel area of theSudan.
At about 2:45 am Central time whileEndeavour passed over Australia, Jay Apt exchanged greetings with the Russiancosmonauts aboard theMir space station aboardEndeavour as the two spacecraft passed within 1,200 nautical miles (2,200 kilometres (1,400 mi)) of each other above Australia. Both crews used amateur radio equipment for the contact which was monitored real-time by many amateur radio stations via telebridge systems and rebroadcasts.
All three Blue Team astronauts exercised on the bicycle ergometer during their work shift for an ongoingbiomedical study of exercise as a possible countermeasure for thedeconditioning which astronauts experience in theircardiovascular systems during space missions.
Rich Clifford had off-duty time for the second half of his work day. Also, an in-flight maintenance procedure to install a makeshift seal for drink bags and food containers at the galley water dispenser helped reduce bubbles in the drinking and food preparation water.
At 10:30 am, Red Team crew members were on duty for their fifth shift of the mission. The crew reported good photography opportunities overManitoba, Canada, saying the lakes appeared more "bluish" than anticipated.
Gutierrez was interviewed byCNBC'sTom Snyder and Clifford will answer questions fromMutual Radio Network listeners during an interview for theJim Bohannon Show at 11:15 pm central.
On Thursday, 14 April 1994, 3:30 am Central Time, Rich Clifford answered listeners' questions about space flight, mission objectives, and the quality of life aboard the Space ShuttleEndeavour during a 20-minute interview on Mutual Radio Wednesday night.
The Blue Team reported good photography of a gigantic fire-scarred area in China that burned in 1987. This region was of special interest to the Measurement of Atmospheric Pollution experiment for studies of forest regrowth after a fire event.
Jay Apt had off-duty time for the first half of the Blue Team's sixth work day in space. During his off-duty time, Apt exercised on the bicycle ergometer and recorded his heart rate and perceived exertion for biomedical investigators. Apt was back on duty at 1 am central time.
The X-SAR science team's quick-look data processor produced moving video images of the Chickasha site, starting just north of the Oklahoma border in Kansas and ending just south of the Oklahoma River in Texas. Hydrologists studied the data to learn how well the radar is able to determine the soil moisture content as it fluctuates from day to day and week to week.
On Friday, 15 April 1994. Tom Jones commented that the pollution cloud noted overManila Bay in the Philippines on flight day six was almost invisible today. At about 1:50 am central time, Jones reported that the astronauts had seen fires along the west coast ofBurma and smoke overTasmania.
One of the instruments aboard, MAPS, exhausted its supply of infrared film.
At 6 pm CDT, Chilton explained to the public how a vast network of ground scientists and students camped in the field at many of the worldwide sites assist with the radar observations, and Godwin answered questions supplied byCNN viewers around the world.
The crew was continuing to work on a nuisance with it galley, the presence of bubbles in the water used for drinking and rehydrating food.
On Saturday, 16 April 1994, at about 11:30 pm and again at 1:15 am central time, Jay Apt usedEndeavour's Shuttle Amateur Radio to talk with fellow astronautsNorm Thagard andBonnie Dunbar and two Russian cosmonauts at theStar City training center outside Moscow.
The Blue Team—Jay Apt, Rich Clifford and Tom Jones—reported several visual observations including fires burning in Africa and a line of thunderstorms over northeastern Brazil. Payloads scientists asked the crew to add theRügen Island, off Germany's northern coastline in theBaltic Sea, to their list of Earth observations photography.
On Saturday, 16 April 1994, 12:30 p.m.CDT, the Space Radar Lab-1 instruments also were continuing to operate well, and all observations were being made on schedule.
The sites being observed this day include areas of Japan and Italy. All of the observation sites have been recorded at least once at this point in the flight, and remaining observations are to supplement the data already obtained.
The annoyance that was present since the first day of the flight has been laid to rest with the successful in-flight maintenance procedure to get rid of air bubbles in the crew's water supply.
Godwin spent 15 minutes being interviewed by television reporters inAtlanta andNashville.
On Sunday, 17, 3 April a.m. Central time, the Blue Team was recording radar images for scientists studying how elements of Earth's land surfaces, water resources, and plant and animal life work together to create Earth's life-sustaining environment.
On Sunday, 17, 12 April:30 pm Central time,Endeavour's flight control surfaces and thruster jets were checked out to ensure they were in good working order for planned landing at theKennedy Space Center.
On this day, two weeks afterEaster Sunday (in theGregorian Calendar) three of the astronauts - Gutierrez, Chilton and Jones - took part in aRoman Catholic service of Holy Communion. They paused for a moment of reflection and then received consecrated communion wafers brought aboard in a goldenpyx.[5]
The mission's six astronauts held their traditional in-flight news conference answering questions about the significance of the mission. Following the news conference, Commander Sid Gutierrez, Pilot Kevin Chilton and Flight Engineer Rich Clifford checked the orbiter systems while the payload crew of Mission Specialists Linda Godwin, Jay Apt and Tom Jones documented activity with the payload.
On Monday, 18 April 1994, 2 p.m. Central time,Endeavour's crew were starting to pack up while final radar observations of earth were made and STS-59 wound down, aiming toward a 10:52 am central landing Tuesday.
The weather forecast was favorable for a landing in Florida, although flight controllers were watching a possibility of low clouds and a slight chance of showers in the area.
On Tuesday, 19 April 1994, 11:30 am Clouds and high winds in the vicinity of the Kennedy Space Center requireEndeavour and its six astronauts to remain in space an additional day.
Following the wave off, the crew reconfigured the orbiter systems for the added day on orbit and reactivated a portion of the Space Radar Laboratory payload in the cargo bay. The Space Imaging Radar system (SIR-C) was the only part of the payload to be reactivated.
The data recorded during the STS-59 mission would fill the equivalent of 20,000 encyclopedia volumes. Payload managers reported that more than 70 million square kilometers of the Earth's surface, including land and sea, have been mapped on this flight. This figure represents about 12 percent of Earth's total surface. The Space Radar Laboratory obtained radar images of approximately 25 percent of the planet's land surfaces.
On Wednesday, 20 April 1994,Endeavour landed atEdwards Air Force Base in California, completing its successful 11-day mission at 9:54 am.
The five stars on the left and nine stars on the right of the insignia symbolize the flight's numerical designation in the Space Transportation System's mission sequence.
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theNational Aeronautics and Space Administration.
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