 | |
| Names | Space Transportation System-26 STS-26R |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Return to Flight and TDRS-C deployment |
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1988-091A |
| SATCATno. | 19547 |
| Mission duration | 4 days, 1 hour, 11 seconds |
| Distance travelled | 2,703,000 km (1,680,000 mi) |
| Orbits completed | 64 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Discovery |
| Launch mass | 115,487 kg (254,605 lb) |
| Landing mass | 88,078 kg (194,179 lb) |
| Payload mass | 21,082 kg (46,478 lb) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 5 |
| Members | |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | September 29, 1988, 15:37:00 (1988-09-29UTC15:37Z) UTC (11:37 am EDT) |
| Launch site | Kennedy,LC-39B |
| Contractor | Rockwell International |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | October 3, 1988, 16:37:11 (1988-10-03UTC16:37:12Z) UTC (9:37:11 am PDT) |
| Landing site | Edwards, Runway 17 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 301 km (187 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 306 km (190 mi) |
| Inclination | 28.45° |
| Period | 90.60 minutes |
| Instruments | |
| |
 STS-26 mission patch  Back row:Lounge,Hilmers andNelson Front row:Covey andHauck | |
STS-26 was the 26thNASASpace Shuttle mission and the seventh flight of the orbiterDiscovery. The mission launched fromKennedy Space Center,Florida, on September 29, 1988, and landed four days later on October 3, 1988. STS-26 was declared the "Return to Flight" mission, being the first mission after theSpace ShuttleChallenger disaster of January 28, 1986. It was the first mission sinceSTS-9 to use the originalSpace Transportation System (STS) numbering system, the first to have all its crew members wearpressure suits for launch and landing sinceSTS-4, and the first mission with bailout capacity since STS-4. STS-26 was also the first U.S. space mission with an all-veteran crew sinceApollo 11, with all of its crew members having flown at least one prior mission.
The mission is technically designatedSTS-26R, as the original STS-26 designation previously belonged toSTS-51-F (also known asSpacelab-2). Likewise all flights with the STS-26 through STS-33 designations would require theR in their documentation to avoid conflicts in tracking data between the old and new flight designations.[1]
| Position | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander | Frederick H. Hauck Third and last spaceflight | |
| Pilot | Richard O. Covey Second spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 1 | John M. Lounge Second spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 2 Flight Engineer | David C. Hilmers Second spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 3 | George D. Nelson Third and last spaceflight | |
The crew roster for STS-26 was based on the original crew assignment forSTS-61-F, which would have launched theUlysses probe fromChallenger in 1986.Ulysses was eventually launched onSTS-41. Hauck, Lounge and Hilmers were all assigned to that flight, withRoy D. Bridges Jr. as pilot. Bridges never flew again after theChallenger disaster, but would eventually become the director ofLangley Research Center (LRC).
Covey was theCAPCOM operator during theSTS-51-L launch who uttered the words, "Challenger, go at throttle up", shortly after which the orbiter disintegrated. He also would have been the CAPCOM operator for the canceled STS-61-F mission during launch and landing.
| Seat[2] | Launch | Landing |  Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck. Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hauck | ||
| 2 | Covey | ||
| 3 | Lounge | ||
| 4 | Hilmers | ||
| 5 | Nelson | ||
| 6 | Unused | ||
| 7 | Unused | ||
Space ShuttleDiscovery lifted off fromLaunch Complex 39B,Kennedy Space Center, at 11:37:00 a.m.EDT on September 29, 1988, 975 days after theChallenger disaster.
The launch was delayed by one hour and thirty-eight minutes due to unseasonable and unusual light winds, and the need to replace fuses in the cooling systems of two crew members' flight suits. The suits were repaired, and a waiver was issued for the wind conditions after officials determined there was a sufficient safety margin for wind loads on the orbiter's wing leading edges. At T−1:30, it was proposed that the launch be delayed at T−0:31 due to a cabin air pressure issue. It was quickly determined that the cabin pressure had been increased slightly by the activation of the oxygen systems in the crew's flight suits, and the launch was conducted without further delay. The shuttle crew, all veteran astronauts, included Commander Frederick H. "Rick" Hauck, Pilot Richard O. Covey, and Mission Specialists John M. "Mike" Lounge, George D. "Pinky" Nelson and David C. Hilmers.
The primary payload for the STS-26 mission,TDRS-C, was successfully deployed, and 11 scheduled mid-deck scientific and technological experiments were carried out. The orbiter sustained only minorSpace Shuttle thermal protection system tile damage, and the post-Challenger redesignedsolid rocket booster segment joints showed no signs of leakage or overheating.[a]
Two minor problems occurred during the flight. After ascent, the Flash Evaporator System for cooling the orbiter iced up and shut down, increasing the crew cabin temperature to approximately 31 °C (88 °F). The problem was resolved on Flight Day 4 and cooler temperatures resulted. AKu-band antenna for communications was deployed on Flight Day 2, but it failed to respond properly and had to be stowed for the remainder of the mission.
During STS-26,Discovery became the first spacecraft to fly in space equipped with a VCU (Voice Control Unit), a computer capable of recognising and responding to human speech. The VCU was created bySCI Systems inHuntsville, Alabama, and was based on technology licensed from theVotan company. Thisspeech recognition system controlled the cameras and monitors that were used by the crew to monitor theCanadarm mechanical arm mounted in the cargo bay. Because of the experimental nature of speech recognition at the time, this system was not used for any critical operations. Initial problems almost sidelined the tests when the voice templates that were created prior to liftoff were found to have less than 60% recognition for one crew member and less than 40% recognition for another. This problem was corrected by retraining the templates. It was retested and found to be operational with a recognition success rate of over 96%. It was concluded thatweightless conditions caused a fundamental change in human speech, making the templates created prior to liftoff virtually useless on orbit.
Besides conducting the mission's various experiments, crew members practiced suiting up in new partial-pressure "launch-and-entry" flight suits, and also practiced the unstowing and attaching of the new crew escape system. On October 2, 1988, the day before the mission ended, the five-man crew paid tribute to the seven crew members lost in theChallenger disaster.
Discovery landed on Runway 17,Edwards Air Force Base,California, at 12:37:11 p.m. EDT on October 3, 1988, after a mission duration of approximately 4 days, 1 hour, 0 minute, and 11 seconds. Capsule Communicator Blaine Hammond Jr. welcomed the crew, saying it was "a great ending to a new beginning".
TDRS-C, which became TDRS-3 in orbit, and its attachedInertial Upper Stage (IUS), were deployed fromDiscovery's cargo bay six hours and 13 minutes into the flight. The first stage of the IUS placed TDRS-3 in a transfer orbit, and the second stage placed it in ageosynchronous orbit on September 30, 1988. TDRS-3 moved into position over thePacific Ocean south ofHawaii at 171° westlongitude. It joinedTDRS-1 in tracking Earth-orbiting spacecraft; a sister satellite,TDRS-B, was lost in theChallenger accident. Also in the payload bay was the Orbiter Experiments Autonomous Supporting Instrumentation System (OASIS). OASIS recorded environmental data on the orbiter and the TDRS payload during various inflight phases.
All the mission's mid-deck experiments were deemed to have been performed successfully. However, there were some glitches with two of the five materials science experiments. In the Protein Crystal Growth (PCG) experiment, two of the 11proteins processed – including anenzyme believed to be key to the replication ofAIDS – did not produce crystals suitable for analysis. Also, there were some equipment problems with the Automated Directional Solidification Furnace (ADSF), an experiment to investigate the melting and solidification of various materials inzero-gravity.
The materials processing experiments included two Shuttle Student Involvement Projects, one ontitanium grain formation and the other on controllingcrystal growth with a membrane. Another materials science experiment, the Physical Vapor Transport of Organic Solids-2 (PVTOS-2), was a joint project of NASA's Office of Commercial Programs and the3M company.
Threelife sciences experiments were conducted, including one on the aggregation ofred blood cells, intended to help determine if microgravity can play a beneficial role in clinical research and medical diagnostic tests. Two further experiments involved atmospheric sciences, while one was in communications research.
Discovery suffered severe damage to its thermal protection tiles in the underwing area. Post-flight analysis showed that the impact of a 30 cm (12 in) long piece of cork insulation during ascent was the culprit. The origin of the debris was the forward field joint on the right-hand SRB. The damage was such that, during re-entry, the thermal protection tile eroded almost completely.[3] A similar chain of events ultimately led to theloss ofColumbia fifteen years later.
NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during theProject Gemini, and first used music to awaken a flight crew duringApollo 15.[4] Each track is specially chosen, often by the astronauts' families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.[4]Kathryn D. Sullivan chose the wakeup music for STS-26, including a contribution fromRobin Williams, who provided a pastiche of hisGood Morning, Vietnam radio greeting.[5]
| Flight Day | Song | Artist/Composer |
|---|---|---|
| Day 2 | "Gooooooood Morning Discovery!!" | Robin Williams |
| Day 3 | "I Get Around" parody | Mike Cahill |
| Day 4 | "Fun, Fun, Fun..." parody | Mike Cahill |
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.Space ShuttleDiscovery (OV-103) | ||
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| Completed flights | .jpg) | |
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| On display | ||
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