 Mission SpecialistsGeorge Nelson andJames van Hoften repair the capturedSolar Maximum Mission satellite on April 11, 1984 | |
| Names | Space Transportation System-41C STS-13 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Satellite deployment Satellite repair |
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1984-034A |
| SATCATno. | 14897 |
| Mission duration | 6 days, 23 hours, 40 minutes, 7 seconds |
| Distance travelled | 4,620,000 km (2,870,000 mi) |
| Orbits completed | 108 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Challenger |
| Launch mass | 115,328 kg (254,255 lb) |
| Landing mass | 89,346 kg (196,974 lb) |
| Payload mass | 15,345 kg (33,830 lb)[1] |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 5 |
| Members | |
| EVAs | 2 |
| EVA duration |
|
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | April 6, 1984, 13:58:00 (1984-04-06UTC13:58Z) UTC (8:58 am EST) |
| Launch site | Kennedy,LC-39A |
| Contractor | Rockwell International |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | April 13, 1984, 13:38:07 (1984-04-13UTC13:38:08Z) UTC (5:38:07 am PST) |
| Landing site | Edwards, Runway 17 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit[2] |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 222 km (138 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 428 km (266 mi) |
| Inclination | 28.50° |
| Period | 91.40 minutes |
 STS-41-C mission patch  From left:Crippen,Hart,van Hoften,Nelson andScobee | |
STS-41-C (formerly STS-13) wasNASA's eleventhSpace Shuttle mission, and the fifth mission ofSpace ShuttleChallenger. The launch, which took place on April 6, 1984, marked the first direct ascent trajectory for a Space Shuttle mission. During the mission,Challenger's crew captured and repaired the malfunctioningSolar Maximum Mission ("Solar Max") satellite, and deployed theLong Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) experimental apparatus. STS-41-C was extended one day due to problems capturing the Solar Max satellite, and the landing on April 13, 1984, took place atEdwards Air Force Base, instead of atKennedy Space Center as had been planned. The flight wasoriginally numbered STS-13.[3][4]
| Position | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander | Robert Crippen Third spaceflight | |
| Pilot | Francis R. 'Dick' Scobee Only spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 1 | Terry Hart Only spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 2 Flight Engineer | James van Hoften First spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 3 | George Nelson First spaceflight | |
| Seat[6] | Launch | Landing |  Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck. Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crippen | ||
| 2 | Scobee | ||
| 3 | Hart | Nelson | |
| 4 | van Hoften | ||
| 5 | Nelson | Hart | |
| 6 | Unused | ||
| 7 | Unused | ||
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STS-41-C launched successfully at 8:58 a.m.EST on April 6, 1984. The mission marked the first direct ascent trajectory for the Space Shuttle;Challenger reached its 533 km-high (331 mi) orbit using its Orbiter Maneuvering System (OMS) engines only once, to circularize its orbit. During the ascent phase, the main computer inMission control center (MCC) failed, as did the backup computer. For about an hour, the controllers had no data on the orbiter.[7]
The flight had two primary objectives. The first was to deploy the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF), a passive, retrievable, 12-sided experimental cylinder. The 9,700 kg (21,400 lb) LDEF was 4.3 m (14 ft) in diameter and 9.1 m (30 ft) long, and carried 57 scientific experiments. The second objective of STS-41-C was to capture, repair and redeploy the malfunctioningSolar Maximum Mission satellite ("Solar Max"), which had been launched in 1980.
On the second day of the flight, the LDEF was grappled by theRemote Manipulator System (Canadarm) and successfully released into orbit. Its 57 experiments, mounted in 86 removable trays, were contributed by 200 researchers from eight countries. Retrieval of the passive LDEF was initially scheduled for 1985, but schedule delays and theChallenger disaster of 1986 postponed the retrieval until January 12, 1990, whenColumbia retrieved the LDEF duringSTS-32.
On the third day of the mission,Challenger's orbit was raised to about 560 km (350 mi), and it maneuvered to within 61 m (200 ft) of the stricken Solar Max satellite. Astronauts Nelson and van Hoften, wearingspace suits, entered the payload bay. Nelson, using theManned Maneuvering Unit (MMU), flew out to the satellite and attempted to grasp it with a special capture tool, called the Trunnion Pin Acquisition Device (TPAD). Three attempts to clamp the TPAD onto the satellite failed. Solar Max began tumbling on multiple axes when Nelson attempted to grab one of the satellite's solar arrays by hand, and the effort was called off. Crippen had to perform multiple maneuvers of the orbiter to keep up with Nelson and Solar Max, and nearly ran out of RCS fuel.[7]
During the night of the third day, the Solar Max Payload Operations Control Center (POCC), located atGoddard Space Flight Center (GSFC),Greenbelt, Maryland, was able to establish control over the satellite by sending commands ordering the satellite'smagnetorquers to stabilize its tumbling. This was successful, and Solar Max went into a slow, regular spin. The next day, Crippen maneuveredChallenger back to Solar Max, and Hart was able to grapple the satellite with the RMS. They placed Solar Max on a special cradle in the payload bay using the RMS. Nelson and van Hoften then began the repair operation, replacing the satellite'sattitude control mechanism and the main electronics system of thecoronagraph instrument. The ultimately successful repair effort took two separatespacewalks. Solar Max was deployed back into orbit the next day. After a 30-day checkout by the Goddard POCC, the satellite resumed full operation.
Other STS-41-C mission activities included a student experiment located in a middeck locker which found thathoneybees can successfully makehoneycomb cells in amicrogravity environment. Highlights of the mission, including the LDEF deployment and the Solar Max repair, were filmed using anIMAX movie camera, and the results appeared in the 1985 IMAX movieThe Dream is Alive.
The 6 days, 23 hours, 40 minutes, and 7 seconds mission ended on April 13, 1984, at 5:38 a.m.PST, whenChallenger landed safely on Runway 17, at Edwards Air Force Base, having completed 108 orbits.Challenger was returned to KSC on April 18, 1984.
NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during theProject Gemini, and first used music to wake up a flight crew duringApollo 15. 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.[9]
| Flight Day | Song | Artist/Composer |
|---|---|---|
| Day 2 | "A Boy Named Sue" | Johnny Cash |
| Day 3 | "Fight for California" | UC Berkeley Fight Song |
| Day 4 | Unidentified | |
| Day 5 | "Theme fromRocky" | Bill Conti |
| Day 6 | Unidentified | |
| Day 7 | None | |
| Day 8 | "University of Texas Fight Song" |
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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