sts-61a national space transportation system mission report

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STS 61-ANational SpaceTransportation SystemMission Report

March 1986

N/_ANational Aeronautics andSpace AdministrationLyndon B. Johnson Space CenterHouston, Texas

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STS 61-ANATIONAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM

MISSION REPORT

Michael A. Collins, Jr.Manager, Flight Dataand Evaluation Office

_o_ _ Or_e_aa__'_GFE Projects Office

A. D. Ald_ffch ,_Man_ger / "i-,,-_'t.National Space _ransportation t_System

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATIONLYNDON B. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER

HOUSTON, TEXAS 77058

MARCH 1986


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INTRODUCTION AND MISSION OBJECTIVES

The STS 61-A National Space Transportation System (STS) Mission Report contains asummary of the major activities and accomplishments of the twenty-second SpaceShuttle mission and the ninth flight of the OV-099 vehicle, Challenger.

The primary objective of the STS 61-A flight was to successfully operate and returnthe German Spacelab D-I payload. The sequence of events for this mission is shown inTable I, and the Orbiter problem tracking llst is presented In Table II.

The crew for thls twenty-second flight ot the Space Shuttle was Henry W. Hartsfleld,Jr., Commander; Steven R. Nagel, Lt. Col., U. S. Alr Force, Pilot; James F. Buchll,Col., U. S. Marine Corp., Gulon S. Bluford, Jr., Col., U. S. Alr Force, and Bonnie J.Dunbar, Ph.D., Mission Specialists; and Reinhard Furrer, Ph.D., Ernest Messerschmldt,Ph.D., and Wubbo J. Ockels, Ph.D., Payload Specialists.

MISSION SUMMARY

The STS 61-A countdown proceeded very smoothly with no unplanned holds. Llft-offoccurred at 303:17:02:00 G.m.t. (11:02 a.m.e.s.t, on October 30, 1985) from launchcomplex 39A at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The launch phase was normal and thevehicle was inserted into a 170- by 174-nmi. orbit at the conclusion of the secondorbital maneuvering system (OMS) maneuver.

Spacelab D-I activation was begun about 3 hours after orbital insertion and wascompleted 2 hours later. Seventy-three of the 76 D-! experiments were successfullyactivated; however, the furnace in the Materials Science Experiment Double rack forExperiment Modules and Apparatus (MEDEA) material processing rack malfunctioned.

The Orbiter fuel cell ! condenser exlt temperature cycled between 147 deg and 160deg F throughout launch and during the mission. This oscillation had no effect offuel cell operation or impact on the mission.

At external tank (ET) separation, the right aft reaction control system (RCS)experienced two anomalies. Initial indications showed a failure of the B-legregulator. As a result, the right RCS provided propellants for all aft RCSthrusters. Aside from the minor RCS and fuel cell problems, all Orbiter subsystemsoperated satisfactorily.

The Global Low Orbiting Mission Relay (GLOMR) satellite was launched at a missionelapsed tlme of 12 hours 34 minutes.

Spacelab I>-I payload activities during the second day continued satisfactorily wlthbetter results in the areas of llfe sciences than materials science. The Orbitersubsystems and Spacelab experiments continued to operate In a satisfactory mannerduring the third day. Spacelab power usage was about 1.5 kW below predictions forthls point in the mission. A successful inflight maintenance (IFM) procedure wasperformed on the MEDEA furnace pressure sensors, and a lamp change-out was also made.As a result, the MEDEA facility was fully recovered and processing of samples wasinitiated; however, many hours of run-tlme on various samples were lost because ofthe furnace malfunction.


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Orbiter subsystemscontinued to operate satisfactorily for the remainder of the7-day mission. All Spacelab experiment subsystems also operated satisfactorily forthe remainder of the mission.B_causeof the temporary malfunction of the MEDEAfurnace facility during the earlypart of the mission, discussions were held with the Science community on lengtheningthe mission one day to obtain additional materials processing data. Spacelab power-usage levels could not be reduced enough to provide the required extension day;therefore, the decision was madeto not extend the mission, and instead, to conductsimultaneous materials processing and vestibular sled operations.After completing the final entry preparations, including deactivation of theSpacelab, the 171-second deorbit maneuverwas performed. Entry was normal in allrespects. A 207-degree heading alignment circle (HAC)maneuverwas performed and theOrbiter landed at 310:17:44:51G.m.t., on runway 17 at EdwardsAFB, California.Rollout required 8304 feet and was completed 49 seconds after landing.All Orbiter detailed test objectives (DTO's) assigned to STS61-A were completed. Inaddition, seven speclal-test-condltion DTO's were accomplished either completely, orto a very high degree. Data were also collected on seven data-only DTO's.


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TABLEI. - STS 61-A SEQUENCE OF EVENTSEvent Actual time r G.m.t.

APU activation (I) 303:16:55:09(2) 303:16:55:10(3) 303:16:55:11

SRB HPU activation command 303:16:55:29.4MPS start command sequence (engine 3) 303:16:59:53.5SRB ignition command from GPC (llft-off) 303:17:00:00MPS throttle down to 89-percent thrust (engine 3) 303:17:00:18.5MPS throttle down to 65-percent thrust (engine 3) 303:17:00:27.1Maximum dynamic pressure 303:17:00:50MPS throttle up to 104-percent thrust (engine 3) 303:17:00:59.9SRB separation command 303:17:02:05MPS throttle down for 3g acceleration (engine 3) 303:17:08:28.5Main engine cutoff (MECO) 303:17:08:36External tank separation 303:17:08:54OMS-I ignition 303:17:10:35OMS-I cutoff 303:17:12:37APU deactivation (3) 303:17:18:53OMS-2 ignition 303:17:44:44OMS-2 cutoff 303:17:46:56FCS (flight control system) checkout - APU I activation 309:17:31:03APU 1 deactivation 309:17:35:12APU 2 activation 310:16:35:31Deorbit maneuver ignition 310:16:40:30Deorbit maneuver cutoff 310:16:43:21APU I activation 310:17:00:25APU 3 activation 310:17:00:26Entry interface (400,000 ft) 310:17:13:32End blackout 310:17:31:33"Terminal Area Energy Management (TAEM) 310:17:38:26Main landing gear contact (LH) 310:17:44:51Nose landing gear contact 310:17:44:59Wheel stop 310:17:45:50APU deactivation complete 310:18:01:59

*Engineering approximation


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VEHICLE ASSESSMENT

SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS

All solid rocket booster (SRB) systems performed as expected. The SRB prelaunchcountdown was nominal with no problems noted. Performance of both solid rocketmotors (SRM's) was near predicted values, and well within the allowed envelopes.Propellant burn rates were near predicted values. Preliminary data indicate that theSRB separations occurred 0.2-second early. The SRB recovery system was reported tohave performed nominally. Both SRB's and frustums were floating and recovered.

EXTERNAL TANK

All ET systems performed as expected. No launch commit criteria (LCC) orOperational Maintenance Requirements and Specifications Document (OMRSD) violationsoccurred. Propellant loading was accomplished as planned. Some normal frost wasobserved, but weather conditions were not conducive to any appreciable ice/frostformation. No known ET preflight or flight anomalies were noted.

Liquid oxygen ullage pressure transducer no. I experienced a momentary 10-secondcontrol band dropout approximately 7.5 minutes after llft-off, and this anomaly hadno impact on the flight. All instrumentation performed satisfactorily during thecountdown.

SPACE SHUTTLE MAIN ENGINES

All Space Shuttle main engine (SSME) parameters appeared to be normal during theprelaunch countdown and compared well with prelaunch parameters that have beenobserved on previous flights. Preliminary data indicate that SSME performance atstart, malnstage, shutdown, and propellant dump was satisfactory.

One anomaly was recorded for main engine-I at 5 minutes 13 seconds after llft-off.The high pressure oxidizer turbopump (HPOTP) discharge pressure measurement, which isonly a maintenance parameter, failed the reasonableness test. This had no effect onengine performance.

MAIN PROPULSION SYSTEM

Overall performance of the main propulsion system (MPS) was excellent. Liquid oxygenand liquid hydrogen loads were very close to the inventory loads. There were noMPS-related leaks of any significance. Ascent performance appeared to be normal.

ORBITER

Right Reaction Control System Helium Regulators FailedDuring the prelaunch reaction control system (RCS) pressurization operations, therlght-RCS A-leg fuel regulators failed in the open position, and this resulted in arupture of the downstream burst disc. A retest of the A and B fuel-regulator legsverified acceptable performance, although the A-leg regulators were operatingsluggishly.


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At 303:19:00 G.m.t. after ET separation, the right RCS fuel-tank pressure was reading274 psia, indicating that a primary regulator had failed in the open position. Thecrew closed the right RCS helium pressure A-leg to prevent a possible overpressurecondition. After the right RCS helium pressure A-leg was closed, the fuel ullagepressure decayed to about 215 psla, thus indicating that the right RCS regulatorB-leg had failed closed. The crew reopened the right RCS regulator A-leg torepressurize the system. The right fuel-tank pressure rose above secondary lockuppressure, reaching 290 psla.

A special on-orblt test of the right RCS fuel regulator A-leg was conducted tosimulate the entry propellant flow rates and obtain the main poppit valve openingcharacteristics. The test was performed at 309:18:53 G.m.t., and the capability ofthe right RCS fuel regulators to support entry primary flow requirements wasverified.

Fuel Cell I Condenser Exit Temperature Cycling

The fuel cell I condenser exit temperature cycled beyond the normal control range of145 deg F to 160 deg F during prelaunch hlgh-load operations. Analysis showed thiscondition was acceptable for launch and flight. The cycles damped during ascent andtemperature cycling returned to the normal control band during flight.

This was the first flight for this fuel cell since it was rebuilt and stored dryfor approximately 1 year. A records review Showed that the coolant flow controlcartridge was marginally acceptable based on flow/gain characteristics duringcomponent-level bench testing. However, other valves with similar flow/gaincharacteristics have not shown a tendency to become unstable. Postfllght acceptancetest procedure operations for this fuel cell showed behavior similar to flightperformance, with a tendency toward mlno_ytllng of 3 to 4 deg F with load changes,indicative of marginally high coolant flow control valve gain. The fuel cell hasbeen removed and replaced.

SPACELAB D-l

The Spacelab D-1 had 76 experiments of whlch 73 operated properly and the datareceived was well beyond the experimenters" expectations. The Germans" response tothe success was stated as "an extremely challenging mission with outstandingresults." Data reduction and evaluation is in progress. Five minor problemsoccurred in addition to the three experiments that were lost. None of these fiveproblems had a significant impact on the conduct of infllght experiments. Overall,the Spacelab D-I mission must be viewed as an outstanding success.

DETAILED TEST OBJECTIVES

All Shuttle DTO's assigned to this flight were accomplished. The following DTO'srequired special test conditions or crew activity.

External Tank Thermal Protection System Performance (DTO 0312) - This DTO required a+X translation after ET separation to photograph the ET thermal protection system.


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Waste and Supply Water Dumps(DTO0325) - Three test conditions were performed fromthe DTO'sset of required tests. All tests were waste water dumps, starting at anozzle temperature of I00 degrees. The first was a warm-attitude dumpwhich wasstopped at 50 percent. The second and third test conditions were combined into asingle dumpat a cold attitude, which was stopped at 66-percent remaining.MPSVacuumDumpTest (DTO0411) - This test required dumpingMPSoxygen through thefill and drain valves. It was a repeat of the test performed on STS51-J and wascompleted as planned.NoseWheel Steering Evaluation (DTO0515) - This test was performed during thelanding rollout. Real-time data and physical track data indicated nominal systemperformance. Crewcommentsand evaluation are required.Cabin Air Monitoring (DTO0623) - This test required sampling the cabin air with asolid sorbent sampler. This DTOis required on all Spacelab flights.Radiator Performance (DTO0624) - Onetest condition was performed from this DTO'sset of required tests. This was an evaluation of radiator performance in a -ZLVattitude with the radiators stowed followed by an evaluation of performance with theradiators deployed.Gravity Gradient Attitude Control (DTO0816) - Five test conditions were performedfrom this DTO's set of required tests. Each test required entry into gravity-gradient modeusing vernier reaction control system thrusters and all appear to havebeen successful.The following DTO's required no special test or crew activity other than thefunctioning of operational Instrumentation/modular auxiliary data system (OI/MADS)instrumentation and recorders.

DTO No. Title

0301030303070308031103190758

Ascent Structural Capability EvaluationReinforced Carbon Carbon Life EvaluationEntry Structural CapabilityVibration and Acoustic EvaluationLongitudinal Oscillation (POGO) Stability PerformanceShuttle/Payload Low Frequency EnvironmentPayload Flight Control System (FCS) Dynamics Measurements

Postflight analysis of data from these DTO's will be required. A MADS pulse codemodulation (PCM) master built-in test equipment (BITE) failed inflight and this mayindicate problems with the PCM data.

ACIP data were recorded during OMS maneuvers to gather data on what the crew call"rough starts". Also, data were taken for DTO 0327, Waste Control System AirflowMeasurements, although the DTO itself was not assigned to this flight.

NASA-JSC


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sts-61a national space transportation system mission report

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