yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) (05/02/91)
MISSION CONTROL STATUS REPORT #10
7:30 a.m. CDT May 1, 1991
Discovery's crew checked out and released the Infrared
Background Signature Survey experiment mounted on the Shuttle
Pallet Satellite and maneuvered to a position 6 1/2 miles
behind the satellite in preparation for the plume
observations in support of the Strategic Defense Initiative
Organization.
The satellite was released at 3:17 a.m. CDT
The first plume observation was delayed at least one orbit
when the sun sensor on the IBSS recognized a bright object
and changed the SPAS attitude in order to protect the IBSS
instruments.
Flight and payload controllers are continuing to work
procedures to correct the attitude of the SPAS.
Up until the point of the sun sensor bright object detection,
all activities related to the IBSS operations were going
exactly as predicted. All checkouts of the instruments went
well and Discovery's maneuvering jet burns occurred on time
putting the orbiter in the proper position to support the far
field operations using the IBSS.
Observations with the CIRRIS payload wrapped up last night
with a final observation of Discovery's mechanical arm and a
phenomenon known as "shuttle glow," a well-documented effect
caused by the interaction of atomic oxygen with the
spacecraft as it orbits the Earth that has been seen since
early shuttle flights. Following that observation, CIRRIS
was calibrated before being powered off for the IBSS
operations.
The blue team aboard Discovery was joined by the remaining
crew members during the pre-deploy checkout of the IBSS/SPAS
to prepare for the release and subsequent observation burns.
Discovery continues to perform well.