yee@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) (09/08/88)
[Due to the large demand, I'm posting the STS-26 Press Release (in 4 parts), and the NASA Manifest -PEY] [There are blanks for artwork in this document -- obviously you'll have to use your imaginations and think of what goes in the blanks. -PEY] [The press release is available for anonymous ftp from ames.arc.nasa.gov (128.102.18.3). File is pub/STS-26. The manifest is pub/Manifest. Format is straight ASCII, no compression. -PEY] special formatting is required for pages 53-58, crew meals. Users should format their documents with a left margin of 5, a line lenght of 110, a text length of 42 and use 12 pitch type. jsc, ksc, mafc, dfrf, larc & gsfc will receive via pouch mail this press kit and art read for printing. Other center will receive printed copies of the press kit. RELEASE: 88-121 STS-26 -- THE RETURN TO FLIGHT September, 1988 The Space Shuttle will return to flight when the orbiter Discovery is launched on its seventh flight now scheduled for no earlier than late September, 1988. STS-26 will have as its primary payload the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-C) that will complete the constellation needed to communicate with spacecraft in low-Earth orbit. TDRS-B was lost in the 51-L Challenger accident. A third TDRS will be launched on a later Shuttle mission to replace the first TDRS, which then will be used as an on-orbit spare in the event that one of the two operational satellites fails. Commander of the five-man crew is Frederick H. (Rick) Hauck, captain, USN, a veteran of two Shuttle missions -- 51-A and STS- 7. Pilot for the mission is Richard O. (Dick) Covey, a colonel in the USAF and veteran of the 51-I Shuttle mission. Three mission specialists are assigned to the crew: John M. (Mike) Lounge, David C. Hilmers, lt. colonel, USMC, and George D. (Pinky) Nelson. STS-26 will be the second flight for Lounge and Hilmers who previously flew on missions 51-I and 51-J, respectively. Nelson has flown two previous Shuttle missions -- 41-C and 61-C. Discovery is scheduled to be launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Launch Pad 39-B, into a 160-nautical-mile, 28.5 degree orbit. Liftoff is planned for (TBD) a.m. EDT. Nominal mission duration is 4 days and 1 hour, with landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on Sept. (TBD), 1988, at (TBD) a.m. EDT. TDRS-C will be deployed 6 hours, 13 minutes into the mission on flight day one. There are two additional deploy times available on that day and one the following day. The 5,000-pound satellite will join the first TDRS, deployed on STS-6 in April 1983, to provide communications and data links between Earth and the Shuttle, as well as other spacecraft. TDRS-A is now in geosynchronous orbit (22,300 mi.) over the Atlantic Ocean east of Brazil (41 degrees west longitude). Following deployment from Discovery, TDRS-C will undergo testing and will be moved to its operational position over the Pacific Ocean south of Hawaii (171 degrees W. longitude). -more- -2- An Air Force-developed inertial upper stage (IUS) will boost the TDRS to geosynchronous orbit. The IUS is mated to the TDRS-C and the combination spacecraft and upper stage will be spring ejected from the orbiter payload bay. Following deployment, Discovery will maneuver to a position 36 nautical mi. behind and 16 nautical mi. above the TDRS-C/IUS before the two-stage motor ignites about 60 minutes after deployment. The three-axis, stabilized upper stage will maneuver the TDRS to the desired attitude. TDRS then will be configured for operation by the White Sands Ground Terminal, N.M. CONTEL, Atlanta, Ga., owns and operates the TDRS system for NASA. TRW's Defense and Space Systems Group, Redondo Beach, Calif., built the satellites. The Orbiter Experiments Program Autonomous Supporting Instrumentation System (OASIS) will be flown on STS-26 to record environmental data in the orbiter payload bay during STS flight phases. OASIS will measure TDRS vibration, strain, acoustics and temperature during orbiter ascent, using transducers affixed directly to the payload. OASIS flight hardware consists of signal conditioning, multiplexing and recording equipment mounted on a Shuttle adaptive payload carrier behind the TDRS. Command and status interface is achieved through the standard mixed cargo harness and the general purpose computers. In addition to TDRS-C and OASIS, Discovery will carry 11 secondary payloads, including two student experiments, involving microgravity research, materials processing and electrical storm studies. After landing at Edwards, Discovery will be towed to the NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility, hoisted atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft and ferried back to the Kennedy Space Center to begin processing for its next flight. (END OF GENERAL RELEASE; BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOLLOWS.) -more- -3- GENERAL INFORMATION NASA Select Television Transmission The schedule for television transmissions from the orbiter and for the 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 television schedule will be updated daily to reflect changes dictated by mission operations. NASA Select television is available on RCA Satcom F-2R, Transponder 13, located at 72 degrees west longitude. Special Note to Broadcasters Beginning in September and continuing throughout the mission, approximately 7 minutes of audio interview material with the crew of STS-26 will be available to broadcasters by calling 202/269-6572. Status Reports Status reports on countdown and mission progress, on-orbit activities and landing operations will be produced by the appropriate NASA news center. Briefings An STS-26 mission press briefing schedule will be issued prior to 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. -more- -4- STS-26 -- QUICK LOOK Crew: Frederick H. (Rick) Hauck, commander Richard O. Covey, pilot John M. (Mike) Lounge, mission specialist (MS-1) David C. Hilmers, mission specialist (MS-2) George D. (Pinky) Nelson, mission specialist (MS-3) Orbiter: Discovery (OV-103) Launch Site: Pad 39-B, Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Launch Date/Time: Late September, 1988, (TBD) a.m. EDT Launch Window: 3 hours Orbital Inclination: 28.45 degrees Altitude: 160 nautical miles Mission Duration: 4 days, 1 hour Landing Date/Time: Sept. (TBD), 1988, (TBD) a.m. EDT Primary Landing Site: Edwards AFB, Calif. Weather Alternate: White Sands Space Harbor, N.M. Trans-Atlantic Abort: Ben Guerir, Morocco Abort-Once-Around: Edwards AFB Primary Payload: Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-C) Secondary Payloads: Automatic Directional Solidification Furnace (ADSF) Physical Vapor Transport of Organic Solids (PVTOS) Infrared Communications Flight Experiment (IRCFE) Protein Crystal Growth Experiment (PCG) Isoelectric Focusing Experiment (IEF) Phase Partitioning Experiment (PPE) Aggregation of Red Blood Cells (ARC) Mesoscale Lightning Experiment (MLE) Earth-Limb Radiance Experiment (ELRAD) 2 Shuttle Student Involvement Program (SSIP) Experiments STS-26 MISSION OBJECTIVES The primary objective of STS-26 is to deliver NASA's second Tracking and Data Relay Satellite to orbit. The TDRS-C deployment will occur 6 hours, 6 minutes into the flight on Orbit 5. Day 2 is reserved for backup deployment opportunities. Experiments will be activated and performed throughout the flight. -more- -5- LAUNCH PREPARATIONS, COUNTDOWN AND LIFTOFF Discovery was selected as the Space Shuttle for the STS-26 mission in 1986. At the time of the 51-L accident, Discovery was in temporary storage in the KSC Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) awaiting transfer to the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) for preparation for the first Shuttle flight from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., scheduled for later that year. Discovery last flew in August 1985 on Shuttle mission 51-I, the orbiter's sixth flight since it joined the fleet in November 1983. In January 1986, the Shuttle Atlantis was in the OPF, prepared for the Galileo mission and ready to be mated to the boosters and tank in the VAB. The orbiter Columbia had just completed the 61-C mission a few weeks prior to the accident and was also in the OPF undergoing post-flight deconfiguration. Various Shuttle manifest options were being considered, and it was determined that Atlantis would be rolled out to Launch Pad 39-B for fit checks of new weather protection modifications and for an emergency egress exercise and a countdown demonstration test. During that year it also was decided that Columbia would be flown to Vandenberg for fit checks. Discovery was then selected for the STS-26 mission. Discovery was moved from the VAB High Bay 2, where it was in temporary storage, into the OPF the last week of June 1986. Power up modifications were active on the orbiter's systems until mid-September 1986 when Discovery was transferred to the VAB while facility modifications were performed in Bay 1 of the OPF. Discovery was moved back into the OPF bay 1 on Oct. 30, 1987, a milestone that initiated an extensive modification and processing flow to ready the vehicle for flight. The hiatus in launching offered an opportunity to "tune-up" and fully check out all of the orbiter's systems and treat the orbiter as if it was a new vehicle. Most of the orbiter's major systems and components were removed and sent to the respective vendors for modifications or to be rebuilt. After an extensive powered-down period of 6 months, which began in February 1987, Discovery's systems were awakened when power surged through its electrical systems on Aug. 3, 1987. Discovery remained in the OPF while workers implemented over 200 modifications and outfitted the payload bay for the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite. Flight processing began in mid-September during which the major components of the vehicle were reinstalled and checked out, including the main engines, the right and left hand orbital maneuvering system pods and the forward reaction control system. -more- -6- In January 1988, Discovery's three main engines arrived at KSC and were installed. Engine 2019 arrived Jan. 6, 1988, and was installed in the number one position Jan. 10. Engine 2022 arrived Jan. 15 and was installed in the number 2 position Jan. 24. Engine 2028 arrived Jan. 21 and was installed in the number 3 position also on Jan. 24. The redesigned solid rocket motor segments began arriving at KSC March 1, and the first segment, the left aft booster, was stacked on Mobile Launcher 2 in VAB High Bay 3 on March 29. Technicians started with the left aft booster and continued stacking the four left hand segments before beginning the right hand segments on May 5. The forward assemblies/nose cones were attached May 27 and 28. The SRB field joints were closed out prior to mating the external tank to the boosters on June 10. An interface test between the boosters and tank was conducted a few days later to verify the connections. The OASIS payload was installed in Discovery's payload bay on April 19. The TDRS arrived at the Vertical Processing Facility on May 16, and its Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) arrived May 24. The TDRS/IUS mechanical mating was accomplished on May 31. Discovery was moved from the OPF to the VAB June 21, where it was mated to the external tank and solid rocket boosters. A Shuttle Interface Test was conducted shortly after the mate to check out the mechanical and electrial connections between the various elements of the Shuttle vehicle and the function of the onboard flight systems. The assembled Space Shuttle vehicle aboard its mobile launcher platform was rolled out of the VAB on July 4, 4.2 miles to Launch Pad 39-B for a few major tests and final launch preparations. A few days after Discovery's orbital manuevering system pods were loaded with hypergolic propellants, a tiny leak was detected in the left pod (June 14). Through the use of a small, snake- like, fiber optics television camera, called a Cobra borescope, workers pinpointed the leak to a dynatube fitting in the vent line for the reaction control system nitrogen tetroxide storage tank, located in the top of the OMS pod. The tiny leak was stabilized and controlled by "pulse- purging" the tank with helium - an inert gas. Pulse-purge is an automatic method of maintaining a certain amount of helium in the tank. In addition, console operators in the Launch Control Center firing room monitored the tank for any change that may have required immediate attention. It was determined that the leak would not affect the scheduled Wet Countdown Demonstration Test (WCDDT) and the Flight Readiness Firing (FRF) and repair was delayed until after these important tests. -more- -7- The WCDDT, in which the external tank was loaded with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen, was conducted August 1. A few problems with ground support equipment resulted in unplanned holds during the course of the countdown. A leak in the hydrogen umbilical connection at the Shuttle tail service mast developed while liquid hydrogen was being loaded into the external tank. Engineers traced the leak to a pressure monitoring connector. During the WCDDT, the leak developed again. The test was completed with the liquid hydrogen tank partially full and the special tanking tests were deleted. Seals in the 8-inch fill line in the tail service mast were replaced and leak checked prior to the FRF. In addition, the loading pumps in the liquid oxygen storage farm were not functioning properly. The pumps and their associated motors were repaired. After an aborted first attempt, the 22-second flight readiness firing of Discovery's main engines was conducted Aug. 10. The first FRF attempt was halted inside the T-10 second mark due to a sluggish fuel bleed valve on the number 2 main engine. This valve was replaced prior to the FRF. This firing verified that the entire Shuttle system - including launch equipment, flight hardware and the launch team - were ready for flight. With over 700 pieces of instrumentation installed on the vehicle elements and launch pad, the test provided engineers with valuable data, including characteristics of the redesigned solid rocket boosters. After the test, a team of Rockwell technicians began repairs to the OMS pod leak. Four holes were cut into two bulkheads with an air powered router on Aug. 17. A metal "clamshell" device was bolted around the leaking dynatube fitting. The clamshell was filled with Furmanite - a dark thick material which consists of graphite, silicon and heavy grease and glass fiber. After an initial leak check was successfully performed, covers were bolted over the holes Aug. 19, and the tank was pressurized to monitor any decay. No leakage or decay in pressure was noted and the fix was deemed a success. TDRS-C and its IUS upper stage were transferred from the VPF to Launch Pad 39-B on August 15. The payload was installed into Discovery's payload bay August 29. A Countdown Demonstration Test, a dress rehearsal for the STS-26 flight crew and KSC launch team, is designed as a practice countdown for the launch. At press time, it was planned for September 8. -more- -8- Launch preparations scheduled the last two weeks prior to launch countdown include final vehicle ordnance activities, such as power-on stray-voltage checks and resistance checks of firing circuits; loading the fuel cell storage tanks; pressurizing the hypergolic propellant tanks aboard the vehicle; final payload closeouts; and a final functional check of the range safety and SRB ignition, safe and arm devices. The launch countdown is scheduled to pick up at the T-minus- 43 hour mark, leading up to the first Shuttle liftoff since Jan. 28, 1986. The STS-26 launch will be conducted by a joint NASA/industry team from Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center. -more- -9- MAJOR COUNTDOWN MILESTONES Count Event Event T-43 Hrs Power up the Space Shuttle T-34 Hrs Begin orbiter and ground support equipment closeouts for launch T-30 Hrs Activate Discovery's navigation aids T-25 Hrs Load the power reactant storage and distribution system with liquid oxygen T-22 Hrs Load liquid hydrogen into the power reactant storage and distribution system T-20 Hrs Activate and warm up the three inertial measurement units (IMU) T-19 Hrs Perform interface check between Houston- Mission Control and the Merritt Island Launch Area (MILA) tracking station T-13 Hrs Perform pre-ingress switch list in the flight and middecks T-11 Hrs Start 8 hour, 40 minute built-in hold (This time could be adjusted based on day of launch) T-11 Hrs (counting) Retract Rotating Service Structure away from vehicle to launch position T-9 Hrs Activate orbiter's fuel cells T-8 Hrs Configure Mission Control communications for launch; clear blast danger area T-7 Hrs Perform Eastern Test Range open loop command test T-6 Hrs Start external tank chilldown and propellant loading T-5 Hrs Start IMU pre-flight calibration T-4 Hrs Perform MILA antenna alignment T-3 Hrs Begin 2-hour built-in hold; external tank loading complete; ice team goes to pad for inspections; wake flight crew (launch minus 4 hours, 20 minutes) -more- -10- T-3 Hrs (counting) Weather briefing; closeout crew has "go" to proceed to the White Room to begin preparing Discovery's cockpit for the flight crew's entry T-2 Hrs, 30 Min Flight crew departs O&C Building for Launch Pad 39-B (launch minus 2 hours, 50 minutes) T-2 Hrs Crew enters orbiter vehicle (launch minus 2 hours, 20 minutes) T-61 Min Start pre-flight alignment of IMUs T-20 Min Begin 10-minute, built-in hold T-20 Min (counting) Configure orbiter computers for launch T-9 Min Begin 10-minute, built-in hold; perform status check and receive launch director "go" T-9 Min (counting) Start ground launch sequencer T-7 Min, 30 Sec Retract orbiter access arm T-5 Min Pilot starts auxiliary power units; arm range safety, SRB ignition systems T-3 Min, 30 Sec Orbiter goes on internal power T-2 Min, 55 Sec Pressurize liquid oxygen tank for flight and retract gaseous oxygen vent hood T-1 Min, 57 Sec Pressurize liquid hydrogen tank T-31 Sec "Go" from ground computer for orbiter computers to start the automatic launch sequence T-6.6 Sec "Go" for main engine start T-3 Sec Main engines at 90 percent thrust T-0 SRB ignition, holddown post release and liftoff T+7 Sec Shuttle clears launch tower and control switches to Johnson Space Center -more- -11- SUMMARY OF MAJOR ACTIVITIES DAY 1 Ascent Post-insertion checkout TDRS-C/IUS deploy ADSF, PCG, PVTOS, ARC activation DAY2 Backup TDRS-C/IUS deploy opportunity PPE DAY 3 ELRAD SSIP Deorbit prep rehearsal DAY 4 PPE Flight control systems checkout Cabin stowage Landing preparations DAY 5 Deorbit preparations Deorbit burn Landing at EAFB -more- -12- STS-26 TRAJECTORY SEQUENCE OF EVENTS ----------------------------------------------------------------- EVENT MET INERTIAL (d:h:m:s) VELOCITY (fps) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Launch 00:00:00:00 Begin roll maneuver 00:00:00:07 1,346 End roll maneuver 00:00:00:14 1,418 Begin SSME throttle down to 65% 00:00:00:27 1,728 Begin SSME throttle up to 104% 00:00:00:59 2,404 Maximum dynamic pressure (Max Q) 00:00:01:04 2,551 SRB staging 00:00:02:04 5,326 Negative return 00:00:04:04 8,275 Main engine cutoff (MECO)* 00:00:08:31 25,783 Zero thrust 00:00:08:38 25,871 OMS 2 burn** 00:00:39:55 TDRS/IUS deploy 00:06:13:00 Deorbit burn 03:23:56:00 Landing 04:00:56:00 * Apogee, perigee at MECO: 156 x 35 nautical miles ** Direct insertion ascent: no OMS 1 required Apogee, perigee post-OMS 2: 161 x 160 nm -more- -13- SPACE SHUTTLE ABORT MODES Space Shuttle launch abort philosophy aims toward safe and intact recovery of the flight crew, 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, N.M.; or the Shuttle Landing Facility 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 towards KSC until within gliding distance of the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility. STS-26 contingency landing sites are Edwards AFB, White Sands Space Harbor, Kennedy Space Center, Ben Guerir, Moron and Banjul. -more- -14- LANDING AND POST-LANDING OPERATIONS 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 the Shuttle for the return trip to Kennedy. After landing, the flight crew aboard Discovery begins "safing" vehicle systems. Immediately after wheel stop, specially garbed technicians will determine that any residual hazardous vapors around the orbiter are below significant levels, before proceeding to other safing operations. Once the initial safety assessment is made, access vehicles are positioned around the rear of the orbiter so that lines from the ground purge and cooling vehicles can be connected to the umbilical panels on the aft end of Discovery. Freon line connections are completed and coolant begins circulating through the umbilicials to aid in heat rejection and protect the orbiter's electronic equipment. Other lines provide cooled, humidified air to the payload bay and other cavities to remove any residual fumes and provide a safe environment inside Discovery. A mobile white room is moved around the crew hatch once it is verified that there are no concentrations of toxic gases around the forward part of the vehicle. The crew is expected to leave Discovery about 30 to 40 minutes after landing. As the crew exits, technicians enter the orbiter to complete the vehicle safing activity. A tow tractor will be connected to Discovery to pull it off the runway at Edwards and position it inside the Mate/Demate Device (MDD) at the nearby Dryden Flight Research Facility. After the Shuttle has been jacked and leveled, residual fuel cell cryogenics are drained and unused pyrotechnic devices are disconnected prior to returning the orbiter to Kennedy. The aerodynamic tail cone is installed over the three main engines, and the orbiter is bolted on top of the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft for the ferry flight back to Florida. The 747 is scheduled to leave California about 6 days after landing. An overnight stop is scheduled for refueling and the ferry flight continues the next day. Once back at Kennedy, Discovery will be pulled inside the hangar-like facility for post-flight inspections and in-flight anomaly trouble shooting. These operations are conducted in parallel with the start of routine systems reverification to prepare Discovery for its next mission. -more-