yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) (12/05/89)
PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS
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Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va.
Jean Drummond Clough XXX/YYY-ZZZZ
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
Lisa Malone XXX/YYY-ZZZZ
Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas
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Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
Jerry Berg XXX/YYY-ZZZZ
Stennis Space Center, Bay St. Louis, Miss.
Mack Herring XXX/YYY-ZZZZ
Ames-Dryden Research Facility, Edwards, Calif.
Nancy Lovato XXX/YYY-ZZZZ
Goddard Spaceflight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Jim Elliott XXX/YYY-ZZZ
STS-32 QUICK LOOK
Launch Date and Site: Dec. 18, 1989
Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Pad 39-A.
Launch Window: 6:46 p.m. - 7:48 p.m. EST
Orbiter: Columbia (OV-102)
Orbit: 190 nm altitude; 28.5 degrees inclination
Landing Date/Time: Dec. 28, 1989/4:21 p.m. EST
Primary Landing Site: Edwards AFB, Calif.
Abort Landing Sites:
Return to Launch Site - Kennedy Space Center
Transoceanic Abort Landing - Ben Guerir, Morocco
Abort Once Around - Edwards AFB
Crew:
Daniel C. Brandenstein, Commander
James D. Wetherbee, Pilot
Bonnie J. Dunbar, Mission Specialist
Marsha S. Ivins, Mission Specialist
G. David Low, Mission Specialist
Cargo Bay Payloads:
Syncom IV-F5 (primary payload); RMS for LDEF Retrieval
Middeck Payloads:
Characterization of Neurospora Circadian Rhythms (CNCR)
Protein Crystal Growth (PCG)
Fluid Experiment Apparatus (FEA)
American Flight Echocardiograph (AFE)
Latitude/Longitude Locator (L3)
IMAX
RELEASE: 89-180
SYNCOM IV DEPLOY, LDEF RETRIEVAL HIGHLIGHT 10-DAY
COLUMBIA FLIGHT
Highlights of Space Shuttle mission STS-32, the 33rd flight of
the National Space Transportation System, will be deployment of a
Navy synchronous communications satellite (Syncom IV) and
retrieval of the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) launched
aboard Challenger on mission STS-41C in April 1984.
Syncom IV-F5 is the last in a series of five Navy satellites built
by Hughes Communications Services Inc. It is designed to provide
worldwide, high-priority communications between aircraft, ships,
submarines and land-based stations for the U.S. military services and
the Presidential Command Network. Syncom measures 15 feet long
and 13 feet in diameter.
After Syncom deployment using the "Frisbee" method, the crew
will do a Shuttle separation burn maneuver away from the satellite.
A solid rocket perigee kick motor along with several liquid apogee
motor firings will boost the satellite to geosynchronous orbit.
The LDEF, a 12-sided, open-grid structure made of aluminum
rings and longerons, is 30 feet long, 14 feet in diameter and weighs
8,000 pounds. Retrieval of the LDEF will be accomplished by the
orbiter's remote manipulator system (RMS) arm. Once the
rendezvous portion of the mission is completed, Mission Specialist
Bonnie Dunbar will grapple the LDEF with the end effector of the
RMS and maneuver LDEF into the five support trunnion latches in the
payload bay of Columbia.
The LDEF experiments range in research interest from
materials to medicine to astrophysics. All required free-flying
exposure in space without extensive electrical power, data handling
or attitude control systems. Many of the experiments are relatively
simple with some being completely passive while in orbit. The
structure was designed for reloading and reuse once returned to
Earth.
Orbital data on the LDEF is provided to NASA by the North
American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Intensive C-band
radar tracking will begin approximately 72 hours before launch to
provide the accurate data required for orbiter and LDEF rendezvous.
Joining Syncom IVQand later LDEFQin the payload bay of
Columbia will be the Interim Operational Contamination Monitor
(IOCM). This is an automatic operation system for the measurement
of contamination that may be present in the payload bay for the
entire mission duration. It is designed to provide continuous
measurement of collected particulate and molecular mass at
preprogrammed collection surface temperatures.
Columbia also will carry several secondary payloads involving
material crystal growth, microgravity protein crystal growth,
lightning research, in-flight cardiovascular changes and effects of
microgravity and light on the cellular processes that determine
circadian rhythms and metabolic rates.
Commander of the mission is Daniel C. Brandenstein, Captain,
USN. James D. Wetherbee, Lieutenant Commander, USN, is pilot.
Brandenstein was pilot on mission STS-8 in August 1983 and
commander of STS-51G in June 1985. Wetherbee will be making his
first Shuttle flight.
Mission specialists are Bonnie J. Dunbar, Ph.D; Marsha S. Ivins
and G. David Low. Dunbar previously flew as a mission specialist on
STS-61A in October 1985. Ivins and Low will be making their first
Shuttle flights.
Liftoff of the ninth flight of Columbia is scheduled for 6:46 p.m.
EST on December 18 from Kennedy Space Center, Fla., launch pad 39-
A, into a 190-nautical mile, 28.5 degree orbit.
A final decision on launch time will be made approximately 12
hours prior to lauch. The decision will be based on the latest
tracking data for the LDEF and allow for appropriate adjustment of
Orbiter inflight computers.
Nominal mission duration is expected to be 9 days, 21 hours 35
minutes. Deorbit is planned on orbit 158, with landing scheduled for
4:21 p.m. EST, depending on actual launch time, on December 28 at
Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
The launch window for this mission is dictated by vehicle
performance, real-time LDEF rendezvous data and the reentry track
of the external tank.
GENERAL INFORMATION
NASA Select Television Transmission
NASA Select television is available on Satcom F-2R,
Transponder 13, located at 72 degrees west longitude.
The schedule for orbiter transmissions and change-of-shift
briefings from Johnson Space Center, Houston, will be available
during the mission at Kennedy Space Center, Fla.; Marshall Space
Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.; Johnson Space Center; and NASA
Headquarters, Washington, D.C. The schedule will be updated daily.
Schedules also may be obtained by calling COMSTOR, 713/483-
5817. COMSTOR is a computer data base service requiring the use of
a telephone modem. A voice update of the TV schedule may
obtained by dialing XXX/YYY-ZZZZ. This service is updated daily at
noon EST.
Special Note to Broadcasters
In the five workdays before launch, short sound bites of STS-
32 crew interviews will be available by calling 202/755-1788
between 8 a.m. and noon.
Status Reports
Status reports on countdown, mission progress and landing
operations will be produced by the appropriate NASA news center.
Briefings
A press-briefing schedule will be issued before launch. During
the mission, flight control personnel will be on 8-hour shifts.
Change-of-shift briefings by the off-going flight director will occur at
approximately 8-hour intervals.
LAUNCH PREPARATIONS, COUNTDOWN AND LIFTOFF
Processing of Columbia for the STS-32 mission began on Aug.
21, when the spacecraft was towed to Orbiter Processing Facility
(OPF) Bay 2 after arrival from Dryden Flight Research Facility. Post-
flight deconfiguration of STS-28, Challenger's previous mission, and
inspections were conducted in the hangar.
Approximately 26 modifications have been implemented since
the STS-28 mission. One of the more significant added a fifth tank
set for the orbiter's power reactant storage and distribution system.
This will provide additional liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen,
which combine in the fuel cells to produce electricity for the Shuttle
and water as a by-product. With the addition of the fifth tank, the
mission duration has been planned for 10 days.
Improved controllers for the water spray boilers and auxiliary
power units were also installed. Other improvements were made to
the orbiter's structure and thermal protection system, mechanical
systems, propulsion system and avionics system.
Columbia was transferred from the OPF to the Vehicle
Assembly Building (VAB) on Nov. 16 for mating to the external tank
and SRBs. The assembled Space Shuttle was rolled out of the VAB
aboard its mobile launcher platform (MLP) for the 3.4-mile trip to
Launch Pad 39-A on Nov. 28. STS-32 will mark the first use of MLP-
3 in the Shuttle program and the first use of Pad A since mission 61-
C in January 1986.
The countdown for Columbia's ninth launch will pick up at T-
minus 43-hours. The launch will be conducted by a NASA-and-
industry team from Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center.
SPACE SHUTTLE ABORT MODES
Space Shuttle launch abort philosophy aims for safe and intact
recovery of the flight crew, the orbiter and its payload. Abort modes
include:
% Abort-To-Orbit (ATO): Partial loss of main engine thrust late
enough to permit reaching a minimal 105-nautical-mile orbit with
orbital maneuvering system engines.
% Abort-Once-Around (AOA): Earlier main engine shutdown
with the capability to allow one orbit around before landing at
Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.; White Sands Space Harbor (Northrup
Strip), N.M.; or the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) at Kennedy Space
Center, Fla.
% Trans-Atlantic Abort Landing (TAL): Loss of two main
engines midway through powered flight would force a landing at Ben
Guerir, Morocco; Moron, Spain; or Banjul, The Gambia.
% Return-To-Launch-Site (RTLS): Early shutdown of one or
more engines and without enough energy to reach Ben Guerir, would
result in a pitch around and thrust back toward KSC until within
gliding distance of the SLF.
STS-32 contingency landing sites are Edwards AFB, White
Sands, Kennedy Space Center, Ben Guerir, Moron and Banjul.
MAJOR COUNTDOWN MILESTONES
T-43 Hours (43:00:00)
% Verify that the Space Shuttle is powered up.
T-34:00:00
% Continue orbiter and ground support equipment closeouts
for launch.
T-30:00:00
% Activate orbiter's navigation aids.
T-27:00:00 (holding)
% Enter the first built-in hold for eight hours.
T-27:00:00 (counting)
% Begin preparations for loading fuel cell storage tanks with
liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen reactants.
T-25:00:00
% Load the orbiter's fuel cell tanks with liquid oxygen.
T-22:30:00
% Load the orbiter's fuel cell tanks with liquid hydrogen.
T-22:00:00
% Perform interface check between Houston Mission Control
and the Merritt Island Launch Area (MILA) tracking station.
T-20:00:00
% Activate inertial measurement units (IMUs).
T-19:00:00 (holding)
% Enter the 8-hour built-in hold.
% Activate orbiter communications system.
T-19:00:00 (counting)
% Resume countdown.
% Continue preparations to load the external tank, orbiter
closeouts and preparations to move the Rotating Service Structure.
T-11:00:00 (holding)
% Start built-in hold, duration dependent on launch time.
% Perform orbiter ascent switch list in the orbiter flight and
middecks.
T-11:00:00 (counting)
% Retract Rotating Service Structure from vehicle to launch
position. (Could occur several hours earlier if weather is favorable.)
T-9:00:00
% Activate orbiter's fuel cells.
T-8:00:00
% Configure Mission Control communications for launch.
% Start clearing blast danger area.
T-6:30:00
% Perform Eastern Test Range open loop command test.
T-6:00:00 (holding)
% Enter one-hour built-in hold. Receive mission management
"go" for tanking.
T-6:00:00 (counting)
% Start external tank chilldown and propellant loading.
T-5:00:00
% Start IMU pre-flight calibration.
T-4:00:00
% Perform MILA antenna alignment.
T-3:00:00 (holding)
% Begin two-hour built-in hold.
% Complete external tank loading and ensure tank is in a stable
replenish mode.
% Ice team goes to pad for inspections.
% Closeout crew goes to white room to begin preparing orbiter's
cabin for flight crew's entry.
% Wake flight crew (actual time launch minus 4:55:00).
T-3:00:00 (counting)
% Resume countdown.
T-2:55:00
% Flight crew departs O&C Building for Launch Pad 39-A
(Launch minus 3:15:00).
T-2:30:00
% Crew enters orbiter vehicle (Launch minus 3:15:00).
T-00:60:00
% Start pre-flight alignment of IMUs.
T-00:20:00 (holding)
% 10-minute built-in-hold begins.
T-00:20:00 (counting)
% Configure orbiter computers for launch.
T-00:10:00
% White room closeout crew cleared through the launch danger
area roadblocks.
T-00:09:00 (holding)
% Begin 10-minute built-in-hold.
% Perform status check and receive Launch Director and
Mission Management Team "go."
T-00:09:00 (counting)
% Start ground launch sequencer.
T-00:07:30
% Retract orbiter access arm.
T-00:05:00
Pilot starts auxiliary power units.
% Arm range safety, SRB ignition systems.
T-00:03:30
% Place orbiter on internal power.
T-00:02:55
% Pressurize liquid oxygen tank for flight and retract gaseous
oxygen vent hood.
T-00:01:57
% Pressurize liquid hydrogen tank.
T-00:00:31
% "Go" from ground computer for orbiter computers to start the
automatic launch sequence.
T-00:00:28
% Start solid rocket booster hydraulic power units.
T-00:00:21
% Start SRB gimbal profile test.
T-00:00:06.6
% Main engine start.
T-00:00:03
% Main engines at 90 percent thrust.
T-00:00:00
% SRB ignition, aft skirt holddown post release and liftoff.
% Flight begins and control switches to Houston.
TRAJECTORY SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
RELATIVE
EVENT MET VELOCITY MACH ALT.
(d/h:m:s) (fps) (ft)
Launch 00/00:00:00
Begin Roll Maneuver 00/00:00:09 159 .14 604
End Roll Maneuver 00/00:00:15 311 .28 2,165
SSME Throttle Down 00/00:00:28 663 .61 8,313
to 65 percent
Max. Dyn. Pressure 00/00:00:52 1,171 1.10 26,751
(Max Q)
SSME Throttle Up 00/00:00:59 1,323 1.27 33,602
to 104 percent
SRB Staging 00/00:02:06 4,138 3.75 157,422
Negative Return 00/00:04:05 7,100 7.61 339,500
Main Engine Cutoff 00/00:08:34 24,543 22.88 362,696
(MECO)
Zero Thrust 00/00:08:40 24,557 22.59 364,991
ET Separation 00/00:08:52
OMS 2 Burn 00/00:40:27
Syncom IV-F5 Deploy 01/00:44:00
(orbit 17)
Deorbit Burn 09/20:38:17
(orbit 158)
Landing (orbit 159) 09/21:34:44
Apogee, Perigee at MECO: 186 x 34
Apogee, Perigee at post-OMS 2: 190 x 160*
Apogee, Perigee at post-deploy: 190 x 166*
*These numbers are highly variable depending on real-time LDEF
altitude at time of launch.
Vehicle and Payload Weights
Pounds
Orbiter (Columbia) Empty 185,363
Remote Manipulator System (payload bay) 858
Syncom IV-5 (payload bay) 5,286
Syncom ASE 1801
Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) 21,393
Interim Operational Contamination Monitor (IOCM)) 137
American Flight Echocardiograph (AFE) 111
Characterization of Neurospora Circadian Rhythms (CNCR) 43
Detailed Secondary Objectives (DSO) 163
Detailed Technical Objectives (DTO) 36
Fluids Experiment Apparatus (FEA) 148
IMAX Camera 274
Latitude-Longitude Locator (L3) 56
Mesoscale Lightning Experiment (MLE) 15
Protein Crystal Growth Experiment (PCG) 154
Orbiter and Cargo at SRB Ignition 256,670
Total Vehicle at SRB Ignition 4,523,534
Orbiter Landing Weight 229,526
SUMMARY OF MAJOR ACTIVITIES
Day One
Ascent
Post-insertion checkout
Unstow cabin
RMS checkout
AFE
CNCR
DSO
FEA unstow
PCG activation
Day Two
Syncom IV deploy
AFE
DSO/DTO
FEA
IMAX
Day Three
Syncom backup deploy/injection
AFE
DSO/DTO
FEA
IMAX
Day Four
LDEF rendezvous
LDEF grapple
LDEF photo survey
LDEF berthing
LDEF deactivation
AFE
DTO
FEA
IMAX
Day Five
AFE
DSO
FEA
L3 setup
IMAX
Day Six
AFE
DSO/DTO
FEA
IMAX
Day Seven
AFE
DSO/DTO
FEA
IMAX
Day Eight
AFE
DSO/DTO
FEA stow
IMAX
Day Nine
AFE stow
DSO/DTO
FCS checkout
IMAX stow
L3 stow
PCG deactivation
Cabin stow
Landing preparations
Day 10
Deorbit preparations and burn
Landing at Edwards AFB
LANDING AND POST-LANDING OPERATIONS
The Kennedy Space Center is responsible for ground operations of the
orbiter once it has rolled to a stop on the runway at Edwards Air Force
Base. Those operations include preparing Columbia for the return trip to
Kennedy.
After landing, the flight crew aboard Columbia begins "safing" vehicle
systems. Immediately after wheels stop, specially garbed technicians will
first determine that any residual hazardous vapors are below significant
levels in order for other safing operations to proceed.
A mobile white room is moved into place around the crew hatch once it is
verified that there are no concentrations of toxic gases around the forward
part of the vehicle. The flight crew is expected to leave Columbia about 45 to
50 minutes after landing. As the crew exits, technicians will enter the
orbiter to complete the vehicle safing activity.
Pending completion of planned work and favorable weather conditions,
the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft would depart California about 6 days after
landing for the cross-country ferry flight back to Florida. Several refueling
stops will be necessary to complete the journey because of the weight of the
LDEF payload.
Once back at Kennedy, Columbia will be pulled inside the hangar like
processing facility where the retrieved Long Duration Exposure Facility
(LDEF) will be removed from the payload bay. Orbiter post-flight
inspections, in-flight anomaly trouble-shooting and routine systems
reverification will commence to prepare Columbia for its next mission.
STS-32 PAYLOADS
SYNCOM IV-F5
Syncom IV-F5, also known as LEASAT 5, will be the fourth operational
satellite in the LEASAT system. It will be leased by the Department of
Defense to replace the older FleetSatCom spacecraft for worldwide UHF
communications between ships, planes and fixed facilities. A Hughes
HS381 design, the LEASAT spacecraft is designed expressly for launch
from the Space Shuttle and uses the unique "Frisbee," or rollout, method of
deployment.
The first two spacecraft were deployed during the 1984 41-D and 51-A
Shuttle missions. LEASAT 3 was deployed successfully in 1985 during
mission 51-D but failed to activate. The satellite drifted in low-Earth orbit
until a salvage and rescue mission was performed by the crew of mission
51-I in September 1985. Following a series of modifications by the Shuttle
crew, LEASAT 3 was successfully deployed into its operational orbit. Also
as part of mission 51-I, LEASAT 4 was successfully deployed from the
orbiter. However, it did not go into operational service due to a spacecraft
failure shortly after arrival at geosynchronous orbit.
Interface between the spacecraft and the payload bay is accomplished
with a cradle structure. The cradle holds the spacecraft with its forward
end toward the nose of the orbiter. Mounting the antennas on deployable
structures allows them to be stowed for launch.
Five trunnions (four longeron and one keel) attach the cradle to the
orbiter. Five similarly located internal attach points attach the spacecraft
to the cradle.
Another unique feature of the Syncom IV series of satellites is the lack of
requirement for a separately purchased upper stage, as have all other
communications satellites launched to date from the Shuttle.
The Syncom IV satellites contain their own unique upper stage to
transfer them from the Shuttle deploy orbit of about 160 nm to a circular
orbit 19,300 nm over the equator.
Each satellite is 20 feet long with UHF and omnidirectional antennas
deployed. Total payload weight in the orbiter is 17,000 pounds. The
satellite's weight on station, at the beginnng of its life, will be nearly 3,060
pounds. Hughes' Space and Communications Group builds the satellites.
Ejection of the spacecraft from the Shuttle is initiated when locking pins
at the four contact points are retracted. An explosive device then releases a
spring that ejects the spacecraft in a "Frisbee" motion. This gives the
satellite its separation velocity and gyroscopic stability. The satellite
separates from the Shuttle at a velocity of about 1.5 feet per second and a
spin rate of about 2 rpm.
As part of this mission, Columbia must rendezvous with the Long
Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF). As a result, the normal Syncom IV
launch condition constraints were relaxed so that Columbia could launch
at any time of day, any day of the year. This change resulted in
modifications to the spacecraft to permit three different mission scenarios
required to meet the spacecraft operational constraints for different launch
windows.
The first mission scenario is the standard Syncom IV sequence
controlled by the Post Ejection Sequencer (PES). In the PES mode, a series
of maneuvers, performed over a period of several days, will be required to
place Syncom IV into its geosynchronous orbit over the equator. The
process starts 80 seconds after the spacecraft separates from Columbia with
the automatic deployment of the omnidirectional antenna. Forty-five
minutes after deployment, the solid perigee kick motor, identical to that
used as the third stage of the Minuteman missile, is ignited, raising the
high point of the satellite's orbit to approximately 8,200 nm.
Two liquid fuel engines that burn hypergolic propellants, monomethyl
hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide, are used to augment the velocity on
successive perigee transits, to circularize the orbit and to align the flight
path with the equator.
The first of three such maneuvers raises the apogee to 10,500 nm, the
second to 13,800 nm and the third to geosynchronous orbital altitude. At
this point, the satellite is in a transfer orbit with a 160 nm perigee and a
19,300 nm apogee. The final maneuver circularizes the orbit at the apogee
altitude.
In the second mission scenario, called the Sub Transfer Earth Orbit or
SEO Mode, the post-ejection sequencer fires the perigee kick motor 45
minutes after ejection from the cargo bay, as in the PES mode. However, in
the SEO mode, the perigee augmentation maneuvers are delayed for up to
20 days to optimize spacecraft performance. After this delay, the mission is
identical to the PES mission.
In the third mission scenario, called Low Earth Orbit or LEO mode, the
post-ejection sequencer does not fire the perigee kick motor. Instead, the
spacecraft is stored in low-Earth orbit for up to 15 days, until the PKM firing
constraints are met. The perigee kick motor is then fired by ground
command. The subsequent mission is identical to the PES mission.
The selection of the optimal mission scenario for Syncom IV-
F5 will depend on the launch day and window selected for LDEF retrieval.
This should be known several weeks before launch, but can be changed as
late as 11 hours before launch.
Hughes Communications, Inc. operates the worldwide LEASAT satellite
communications system under a contract with the Department of Defense,
with the U.S. Navy acting as the executive agent. The system includes four
LEASAT satellites and the associated ground facilities. Users include
mobile air, surface, subsurface and fixed ground stations of the Navy,
Marine Corps, Air Force and Army. The satellites are positioned for
coverage of the continental United States and the Atlantic, Pacific and
Indian oceans. LEASAT 1, 2 and 3 occupy geostationary positions at 15
degrees West, 73 degrees East and 105 degrees West, respectively. LEAST 5
will be positioned at 177 degrees W.
LONG DURATION EXPOSURE FACILITY
RENDEZVOUS AND RETRIEVAL
LDEF was delivered to Earth orbit by STS-41C (STS-13) on April 6, 1984.
The orbiter Columbia will rendezvous and retrieve LDEF using a -R BAR
approach and the remote manipulator system (RMS) for berthing of the
spacecraft in the payload bay on flight day four.
LDEF Rendezvous and Grapple
As the orbiter nears LDEF, the -R BAR approach will be initiated. The
orbiter will first pass below the spacecraft and circle up and over it. The -R
BAR approach is a new technique that does not require close-in fly-around.
This maneuver will face the payload bay toward Earth and LDEF will now
be between, as well as perpendicular, to both the Earth and the orbiter.
At this point, Columbia is approximately 400 feet from LDEF with the
RMS arm extended and the wrist camera pointing toward the orbiter's
starboard side. The wrist camera will provide the primary field of view for
grapple. A yaw maneuver then will be performed to place the wrist camera
in the same x,y plane as grapple fixture 2 (GF2) aboard LDEF, so that the
camera can eventually view GF2 head on.
LDEF is then directly "above" the crew compartment (the arm is still in
its same position; unattached to the LDEF). This allows Commander Dan
Brandenstein and Pilot Jim Wetherbee to make necessary flight instrument
changes to "fly in formation" with the same speed and direction as the free-
flying LDEF.
Next, the orbiter will move forward (+ZLV) very slowly. The crew will be
watching their onboard monitor for the LDEF to appear in the wrist
camera's field of view. As soon as GF2 is spotted, orbiter movement will
cease. The wrist camera then will rotate 180 degrees to be properly
positioned for the grapple of GF2.
Mission specialist Bonnie Dunbar then will direct the RMS toward GF2
and make the connection for grapple completion. LDEF will be
approximately 35 feet above the bay during this procedure.
LDEF Berthing
The onboard computer then commands the arm to align LDEF with the
berthing guides on the payload bay sides. The final RMS maneuvering now
will be commanded manually to set LDEF in the bay (if there are no
failures, this process should take approximately 15 minutes).
The crew also will utilize the black and white camera positioned at keel
station 3 aiming it at a docking target. The crew will be watching the on-
board monitor with an overlay for precision berthing. Three orange
styrofoam balls called "berthing whiskers" will extend horizontally inward
from the forward payload bay side walls. The berthing whiskers will act as
"curb feelers" to detect forward movement of LDEF.
LDEF Post-Berthing
The arm will now detach from GF2 and move to GF1, looking for the six
Experiment Initiator System (EIS) indicators. If the EIS's are black, the
experiments power supply is already off. If they are white, the arm will
move into GF1 and turn off the experiments. Finally, the arm will be
stowed.
LDEF POST-FLIGHT
STS-32 is a unique mission for payloads operations, as specialists must
perform not only "up-processing" (i.e. pre-
flight operations to prepare the Syncom IV payload for integration into the
orbiter) but also a "down-processing" for 57 experiments that have been
exposed to the harsh space environment for more than 5 years aboard the
Long Duration Exposure Facility.
In supporting the return of LDEF, the KSC payload team, working
closely with Langley Research Center, has planned a post-flight flow that
accentuates the preservation of the scientific data. In addition, special
research teams from Langley, which sponsored the project, will be at KSC
when LDEF returns.
LDEF will remain in Columbia's payload bay during routine post-flight
servicing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. and during the ferry-flight back
to KSC.
To assist in maintaining experiment integrity, an air-conditioned purge
system will be hooked up to the orbiter during its stay at EAFB and any
overnight stops. This system will keep air-conditioned air circulating
through the payload bay.
Once Columbia is in the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF), LDEF will be
removed from the cargo bay and placed in a payload canister and
transported to the Operations and Checkout Building (O&C). There, LDEF
will be loaded from the canister to the LATS (LDEF Assembly and
Transportation System). This special "cradle" is 55 feet long, l7 feet wide,
and 21 feet high. LATS also was used during the pre-launch processing of
LDEF.
LDEF is expected to be in the O&C from about Jan. 8-12. Then, supported
by the LATS, it will be transferred to the Spacecraft Assembly and
Encapsulation Facility, where the experiments will be taken off the frame
and turned over to researchers.
Post-Mission Operations
At KSC, LDEF will be turned over to Langley personnel for off-line facility
and experiment operations.
Before any experiment activities or operations begin, there will be an
initial inspection of LDEF and its experiments to check the general
condition of the spacecraft and to look for any unexpected changes.
Once the initial inspection is completed, all of the principal
investigators (PI) and the Special Investigation Groups (SIG) will conduct
detailed visual inspections of the entire LDEF and all of the visible
experiment hardware.
Experiment trays will be removed from the LDEF and taken on ground
support equipment transporters to an experiment operations area. After
batteries are removed from once-active experiments, trays will go to a work
bench where the PIs will perform closer inspections and take basic
measurements. After the PIs have completed their procedures, the
experiment hardware will be properly configured, packaged and shipped to
the PIs' laboratories.
An accessible LDEF database will be developed to document all of the
information resulting from the LDEF mission. It is anticipated that this
unique body of data on space experiments and the effects of long-term
exposure in space on typical spacecraft hardware will become a valued
resource to future spacecraft designers. Structures like the LDEF provide a
relatively inexpensive way to conduct experiments and may be reusable.
Requirements for the use of the LDEF or similar facilities for follow-on
flights will be evaluated at a later date.
Structure
LDEF is a 12-sided, open grid structure made of aluminum rings and
longerons (fore-and-aft framing members). The structure is 30 feet long, 14
feet in diameter and weighs 8,000 pounds.
LDEF's center ring frame and end frames are of welded and bolted
construction. The longerons are bolted to both frames, and intercostals
(crosspieces between longerons) are bolted to the longerons to form
intermediate rings. The main load of LDEF was transmitted to the orbiter
through two side-support trunnions on the center ring.
LDEF holds 86 experiment trays, 72 around the circumference, six on the
Earth-pointing end and eight on the space-pointing end. A typical tray
measures 50 inches by 34 inches and investigators could choose one of three
depths: 3, 6 or 12 inches. The trays are made of aluminum and hold
experiments that weigh up to 200 pounds. Some experiments fill more than
one tray; some fill only part of a tray. All trays and their experiments
weigh only 13,400 pounds. Total weight of the structure, trays and
experiments is 21,393 pounds.
Experiments
The LDEF experiments are divided into four groups: materials and
structures, power and propulsion, science and electronics and optics. The
57 experiments on LDEF involve 200 investigators, who represent 21
universities, 33 private companies, seven NASA centers, nine Department
of Defense laboratories and eight foreign countries.
LDEF science experiments include an interstellar gas experiment that
may provide insight into the formation of the Milky Way galaxy by
capturing and analyzing its interstellar gas atoms.
LDEF cosmic radiation experiments are designed to investigate the
evolution of the heavier elements in our galaxy.
LDEF micrometeoroid experiments could increase understanding of the
processes involved in the evolution of our Solar System. The impact of space
radiation on living organisms is another area investigated. LDEF science
experiments gathered data on the radiation intensity and its effect on living
organisms such as shrimp eggs and plant seeds.
Other LDEF experiments collected data on the behavior of a multitude of
materials used to manufacture spacecraft and space experiment systems
exposed to space, including radiation, vacuum, extreme temperature
variations, atomic oxygen and collision with space matter. The LDEF
mission has provided important information for the design of future
spacecraft that will require extended lifetimes in space, such as Space
Station Freedom.
Several LDEF experiments were designed to investigate the effects of
prolonged exposure to the space environment on optical system
components, which include optical filters, coatings, glasses, detectors and
optical fiber transmission links. LDEF provided an opportunity to study the
effects of long-term space exposure on the design of solar array power
systems by investigating the effects of exposure to the space environment on
a wide variety of solar cells and associated components.
A unique process for growing crystals in solutions, which took
advantage of the microgravity conditions provided by LDEF, was used to
grow high purity crystals with unique electrical properties applicable to
electronic circuits.