.jpg) | |
| Names | Space Transportation System-30 STS-30R |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Magellan spacecraft deployment |
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1989-033A |
| SATCATno. | 19968 |
| Mission duration | 4 days, 56 minutes, 27 seconds |
| Distance travelled | 2,377,800 km (1,477,500 mi) |
| Orbits completed | 65 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Atlantis |
| Launch mass | 118,441 kg (261,118 lb) |
| Landing mass | 87,296 kg (192,455 lb) |
| Payload mass | 20,833 kg (45,929 lb) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 5 |
| Members | |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | May 4, 1989, 18:46:59 (1989-05-04UTC18:46:59Z) UTC (2:46:59 pm EDT) |
| Launch site | Kennedy,LC-39B |
| Contractor | Rockwell International |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | May 8, 1989, 19:43:26 (1989-05-08UTC19:43:27Z) UTC (12:43:26 pm PDT) |
| Landing site | Edwards, Runway 22 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 361 km (224 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 366 km (227 mi) |
| Inclination | 28.45° |
| Period | 91.80 minutes |
| Instruments | |
| |
 STS-30 mission patch  From left:Grabe,Walker,Thagard,Cleave andLee | |
STS-30 was the 29thNASASpace Shuttle mission and the fourth mission forSpace ShuttleAtlantis. It was the fourth shuttle launch since theChallenger disaster and the first shuttle mission since the disaster to have a female astronaut on board. The mission launched fromKennedy Space Center,Florida, on May 4, 1989, and landed four days later on May 8, 1989. During the mission,Atlantis deployed theVenus-boundMagellan probe into orbit.
The mission was officially designatedSTS-30R as the original STS-30 designator belonged toSTS-61-A, the 22nd Space Shuttle mission. Official documentation for that mission contained the designator STS-30 throughout. AsSTS-51-L was designated STS-33, future flights with theSTS-26 throughSTS-33 designators would require theR in their documentation to avoid conflicts in tracking data from one mission to another.
| Position | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander | David M. Walker Second spaceflight | |
| Pilot | Ronald J. Grabe Second spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 1 | Mark C. Lee First spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 2 Flight Engineer | Norman Thagard Third spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 3 | Mary L. Cleave Second and last spaceflight | |
The crew roster for STS-30 was originally assigned for the crewSTS-61-G, which would have launched theGalileo in 1986.Galileo was eventually launched onSTS-34 in October 1989. Most of this crew were all assigned to that flight, withJames van Hoften as the second mission specialist. Van Hoften never flew again after theChallenger disaster, but chose to retire from NASA in summer 1986, he was replaced by veteranMary L. Cleave.
| Seat[1] | Launch | Landing |  Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck. Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walker | ||
| 2 | Grabe | ||
| 3 | Lee | Cleave | |
| 4 | Thagard | ||
| 5 | Cleave | Lee | |
| 6 | Unused | ||
| 7 | Unused | ||
Atlantis spent three months in theOrbiter Processing Facility (OPF-2) after returning to the Kennedy Space Center at the end ofSTS-27.[2] During this period technicians got to work removing and replacing all of the damagedThermal Protection System (TPS) tiles that Atlantis sustained during her prior flight. They also took detailed inspections of the shuttle while simultaneously preparing Atlantis for STS-30R. The shuttle was rolled over to theVehicle Assembly Building and mated with ET-29 and an SRB set on March 11, 1989. Eleven days later on March 22, 1989, Atlantis was rolled out to launch pad 39B.[3]
| Attempt | Planned | Result | Turnaround | Reason | Decision point | Weather go (%) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 Apr 1989, 2:29:00 pm | Scrubbed | — | Technical | 28 Apr 1989, 2:30 pm (T−00:00:31) | Failure of circulation pump in Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) No. 1.[4] | |
| 2 | 4 May 1989, 2:46:59 pm | Success | 6 days 0 hours 18 minutes | 60[5] | Countdown held at T−5 minutes due to unacceptable cloud cover and excessive crosswinds at the Shuttle Landing Facility, which cleared in time for launch.[4] |
Space ShuttleAtlantis lifted off fromLaunch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida, at 14:46:59EDT on May 4, 1989.[3] The primary payload, theMagellan spacecraft with its attachedInertial Upper Stage (IUS), was successfully deployed later that day.[4][6]Magellan was the first American planetary mission in 11 years.
The launch was originally scheduled for April 28, 1989, the first day of a 31-day launch period whenEarth and Venus were properly aligned. However, the liftoff was scrubbed at T−31 seconds because of a problem with theliquid hydrogen recirculation pump onSpace Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) No. 1, and a vapor leak in the liquid hydrogen recirculation line between the orbiter andexternal tank (ET).[4][7] On the rescheduled liftoff date of May 4, 1989, the launch was again delayed until the final five minutes of the launch window due to cloud cover and excessive crosswinds at KSC'sShuttle Landing Facility (SLF).[4][8] Good landing conditions were required at the SLF in case of aReturn To Launch Site (RTLS) abort early in the flight.
The only major glitch during the flight occurred on May 7, 1989, when one of the four general-purpose computers programmed to operate the orbiter failed.[9] The shuttle crew replaced the computer, part of a redundant set, with a backup one. It was the first time a computer had been replaced while in orbit.[9] The glitch had no impact on the crew's safety or the primary objectives of the mission, although some of the activities involved in conducting experiments had to be canceled while the crew was replacing the computer. There also was no impact to the mission when one of the three thrusters onAtlantis' aft right-handOrbital Maneuvering System (OMS) pod failed during ascent.[10]
However, the STS-30 crew experienced several minor annoyances. AHasselblad camera used to photograph sites on Earth had to be stowed for the remainder of the mission after a shutter stuck during the crew's third day in space. The Text and Graphics Systems (TAGS), a device to send images and graphics to the orbiter fromMission Control Center, had to be turned off on Flight Day 2 because of a paper jam. Commander Walker and Pilot Grabe had problems with a device used to take measurements of central venous pressure to determine the effects ofmicrogravity on thecardiovascular system. On the second full day in space, the water dispensing system in the galley malfunctioned, causing some difficulties for the crew in preparing meals.
Atlantis touched down at Runway 22,Edwards Air Force Base,California, on May 8, 1989, at 15:43:27 EDT. Minutes before landing, the runway had to be switched from 17 to 22 due to high crosswinds. The mission lasted a total of 4 days, 0 hours, 56 minutes, and 28 seconds.
TheMagellan spacecraft was deployed from the shuttle's payload bay six hours and 14 minutes into the mission.[10] Two successive IUS propulsion burns placed the spacecraft on its trajectory to Venus about an hour later.Magellan arrived at Venus in August 1990 and began a 243-day mission of mapping the planet's surface withradar.
Three mid-deck experiments were included on the mission. All had flown before. Mission Specialist Cleave used a portable laptop computer to operate and monitor the Fluids Experiment Apparatus (FEA).[10] An 8 mm (0.31 in) video camcorder, flown for the first time on the Shuttle, provided the opportunity for the crew to record and downlink on-orbit activities such as the FEA, which was a joint endeavor betweenRockwell International and NASA. Payload bay video cameras were used to record storm systems from orbit as part of the Mesoscale Lightning Experiment.[10]
NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during theProject Gemini, and first used music to awaken a flight crew duringApollo 15.[11] 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.
| Flight Day | Song | Artist/Composer |
|---|---|---|
| Day 2 | Theme from the film "Superman" | |
| Day 3 | Anchors Aweigh The Wild Blue Yonder | |
| Day 4 | "Gonna Fly Now" - Theme from Rocky | Bill Conti |
| Day 5 | "A Hard Day's Night" | The Beatles |
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
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| Completed flights | .jpg) | |
| Status |
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| On display | ||