 | |
| Names | Space Transportation System-57 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | EURECA satellite retrieval Bioscience research |
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1993-037A |
| SATCATno. | 22684 |
| Mission duration | 9 days, 23 hours, 44 minutes, 54 seconds |
| Distance travelled | 6,627,338 km (4,118,037 mi) |
| Orbits completed | 155 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Endeavour |
| Launch mass | 2,048,631 kg (4,516,458 lb) |
| Landing mass | 101,827 kg (224,490 lb) |
| Payload mass | 13,074 kg (28,823 lb) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 6 |
| Members | |
| EVAs | 1 |
| EVA duration | 5 hours and 50 minutes |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | June 21, 1993, 13:07:22 (1993-06-21UTC13:07:22Z) UTC (9:07:22 am EDT) |
| Launch site | Kennedy,LC-39B |
| Contractor | Rockwell International |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | July 1, 1993, 12:52:16 (1993-07-01UTC12:52:17Z) UTC (8:52:16 am EDT) |
| Landing site | Kennedy,SLF Runway 33 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 402 km (250 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 471 km (293 mi) |
| Inclination | 28.45° |
| Period | 93.30 minutes |
| Instruments | |
| Fluid Acquisition and Resupply Experiment (FARE) Liquid Encapsulated Melt Zone (LEMZ) Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX-II) | |
 STS-57 mission patch  Back row:Wisoff,Currie-Gregg,Voss andLow Front row:Duffy andGrabe | |
STS-57 was aNASASpace Shuttle-Spacehab mission ofSpace Shuttle Endeavour that launched June 21, 1993, fromKennedy Space Center,Florida.
| Position | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander | Ronald J. Grabe Fourth and last spaceflight | |
| Pilot | Brian Duffy Second spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 1 Payload Commander | G. David Low Third and last spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 2 Flight Engineer | Nancy J. Currie-Gregg First spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 3 | Peter Wisoff First spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 4 | Janice E. Voss First spaceflight | |
| Seat[1] | Launch | Landing |  Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck. Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grabe | ||
| 2 | Duffy | ||
| 3 | Low | Wisoff | |
| 4 | Currie-Gregg | ||
| 5 | Wisoff | Low | |
| 6 | Voss | ||
| 7 | Unused | ||
| Attempt | Planned | Result | Turnaround | Reason | Decision point | Weather go (%) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 Jun 1993, 9:37:00 am | Scrubbed | — | Weather | 20 Jun 1993, 10:43 am (T−00:05:00) | Low clouds at KSC and Transoceanic Abort Landing (TAL) sites.[2][3] The attempt occurred on pilot Duffy's 40th birthday.[4] | |
| 2 | 21 Jun 1993, 9:07:22 am | Success | 0 days 23 hours 30 minutes | Countdown held at T−5 minutes due to an intruding aircraft.[2] |
The mission was launched on thesummer solstice. During the course of the ten-day flight, the astronauts successfully conducted scores ofbiomedical andmaterials sciences experiments inside the pressurizedSPACEHAB module. Two astronauts participated in aspacewalk (EVA) andEuropean Retrievable Carrier (EURECA) was retrieved by the crew and stowed insideEndeavour's payload bay. EURECA had been deployed from theSpace ShuttleAtlantis in August 1992 (STS-46) and contained several experiments to study the long-term effects of exposure tomicrogravity.
An improperly installed electrical connector onEndeavour's Remote Manipulator System (Canadarm), installed 180° off its correct position, prevented EURECA from recharging its batteries with orbiter power. A flight rule requiring antenna stowage was waived and EURECA was lowered into the payload bay without latching its antenna.Mission specialists David Low and Peter Wisoff safely secured EURECA's dual antennas against the science satellite during the spacewalk. David Low was mounted on a foot restraint on the end ofEndeavour's robotic arm while Mission specialistNancy J. Currie-Gregg positioned the arm so David Low could gently push the arms against EURECA's latch mechanisms. Payload controllers then drove the latches to secure each antenna. The five-hour, fifty-minute spacewalk completed STS-57 mission's primary goal of retrieving the EURECA science satellite. Afterwards, Low and Wisoff completed maneuvers for an abbreviated extravehicular activity (EVA) Detailed Test Objective (DTO) using the robot arm. Activities associated with each of the areas of investigation — mass handling, mass fine alignment and high torque — were completed with both EVA crewmen taking turns on the robot arm. Low and Wisoff wrapped up their spacewalk and returned to Endeavour's airlock shortly before 3:00 p.m.CDT.
During the rest of the mission, the crew worked on experiments in theSpacehab module in the Shuttle's lower deck. These experiments included studying body posture, the spacecraft environment,crystal growth,metal alloys,wastewater recycling and the behavior offluids. Among the experiments was an evaluation of maintenance equipment that may be used onSpace Station Freedom. The diagnostic equipment portion of the Tools and Diagnostics System experiment was performed by Nancy J. Currie-Gregg. Using electronics test instruments including anoscilloscope and electrical test meter, Currie-Gregg conducted tests on a mockprinted circuit board and communicated with ground controllers via computer messages on suggested repair procedures and their results.
On June 22, 1993, all six crew members talked withPresident Clinton.[5]
In addition, Brian Duffy and Jeff Wisoff ran experiments in transferring fluids inweightlessness without creating bubbles in the fluid. The experiment, called the Fluid Acquisition and Resupply Experiment (FARE), studied filters and processes that could improve methods of refueling spacecraft in orbit. By transferring water between 61 cm (24 in)-diameter transparent tanks onEndeavour's middeck, engineers evaluated how the fluids behaved while the shuttle's steering jets fired for small maneuvers. Janice Voss worked on the Liquid Encapsulated Melt Zone (LEMZ) experiment, which used a process calledfloating zone crystal growth. The low-gravity conditions of space flight permit large crystals to be grown in space.
Ron Grabe, Brian Duffy and Janice Voss participated in theNeutral Body Position study. Flight surgeons had noted on previous flights that the body's basic posture changes while in microgravity. This postural change, sometimes called the "zero-g crouch", is in addition to the 26 mm (1.0 in) to 51 mm (2.0 in) lengthening of thespine during space missions. To better document this phenomenon over the duration of a space mission, still andvideo photography of crew members in a relaxed position were taken early and late in the mission. Researchers included these findings in the design specifications of future spacecraft to make work stations and living areas more efficient and comfortable for astronauts.
Currie-Gregg conducted the electronics procedures portion of the Human Factors Assessment. She set up a work platform, then hooked up anotebook computer and went through a simulated computer procedure for a space station propulsion system.
On June 28, 1993, Currie-Gregg performed an impromptu plumbing job on the Environmental Control Systems Flight Experiment, a study of wastewater purification equipment that may be used aboard future spacecraft. The EFE used a solution of water and potassium iodide to simulate wastewater, which was then pumped through a series of filters to purify it. During the flight, experimenters observed a reduced flow of water through the device and opted to perform maintenance. Currie-Gregg loosened a fitting on one water line inside the experiment, wrapped the loose fitting with an absorbent diaper, and, using alaptop computer on board, reversed a pump on the experiment for about 20 minutes in an attempt to flush out the clog. She then retightened the fitting and resumed normal operation of the experiment. Ground experimenters proceeded to monitor the EFE for about an hour and a half to ensure the clog had been cleared.
The five stars and shape of the robotic arm of the insignia symbolize the flight's numerical designation in theSpace Transportation System's mission sequence. The SpaceHab overall contours are represented as the inner red lining of the patch. Also visible is the EURECA, with 3 yellow contrails, that are representative of the astronaut insignia (EURECA replacing the traditional star atop), with the orbiter circling theEarth.
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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