STS-41-D

STS-41-D
	The experimental OAST-1 solar array in flight
Names	Space Transportation System-12
Mission type	Satellites deployment
Operator	NASA
COSPAR ID	1984-093A
SATCAT no.	15234
Mission duration	6 days, 56 minutes, 4 seconds
Distance travelled	4,010,000 km (2,490,000 mi)
Orbits completed	97
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Space Shuttle Discovery
Launch mass	119,511 kg (263,477 lb)
Landing mass	91,418 kg (201,542 lb)
Payload mass	18,681 kg (41,185 lb)
Crew
Crew size	6
Members	Henry W. Hartsfield Jr. ; Michael L. Coats ; Richard M. Mullane ; Steven A. Hawley ; Judith A. Resnik ; Charles D. Walker ;
Start of mission
Launch date	August 30, 1984, 12:41:50 UTC (8:41:50 am EDT)
Launch site	Kennedy, LC-39A
Contractor	Rockwell International
End of mission
Landing date	September 5, 1984, 13:37:54 UTC (6:37:54 am PDT)
Landing site	Edwards, Runway 17
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Perigee altitude	346 km (215 mi)
Apogee altitude	354 km (220 mi)
Inclination	28.50°
Period	90.60 minutes
Instruments
	Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System (CFES)
	; STS-41-D mission patch; ; Back row: Walker and Resnik ; Front row: Mullane, Hawley, Hartsfield and Coats Space Shuttle program ← STS-41-C (11) STS-41-G (13) →

Last updated November 30, 2024

STS-41-D (formerly STS-14) was the 12th flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the first mission of Space Shuttle Discovery. It was launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on August 30, 1984, and landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on September 5, 1984. Three commercial communications satellites were deployed into orbit during the six-day mission, and a number of scientific experiments were conducted, including a prototype extendable solar array that would eventually form the basis of the main solar arrays on the International Space Station (ISS).

Crew


Position	Astronaut
Commander	Henry W. Hartsfield Jr. Second spaceflight
Pilot	Michael L. Coats First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 1	Richard M. Mullane First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 2 Flight Engineer	Steven A. Hawley First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 3	Judith A. Resnik Only spaceflight
Payload Specialist 1	Charles D. Walker First spaceflight

Crew seat assignments

Seat^[2]	Launch	Landing	Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck. Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck.
1	Hartsfield
2	Coats
3	Mullane	Resnik
4	Hawley
5	Resnik	Mullane
6	Walker
7	Unused

Mission background

The launch was originally planned for June 25, 1984, but because of a variety of technical problems, including rollback to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to replace a faulty Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME), the launch was delayed by over two months. The June 26, 1984, launch attempt marked the first time since Gemini 6A that a crewed spacecraft had experienced a shutdown of its engines just prior to launch.

June 1984 launch attempt

During the June 26, 1984, launch attempt, there was a launch abort at T−4 seconds, followed by a pad fire about ten minutes later.^[3]^[4] Because the center engine had not started when the abort was triggered, confusion ensued as the flight controllers were unable to verify its state:

Commentary: "We have a cut off".
"NTD [NASA Test Director] we have a RSLS [Redundant Set Launch Sequencer] abort".
Commentary: "We have an abort by the onboard computers of the orbiter Discovery".
"Break break, break break, GLS [Ground Launch Sequencer] shows engine one not shut down".
"OK, PLT [pilot]?"
"CSME [Space Shuttle Main Engines] verify engine one".
"You want me to shut down engine one?"
"We do not show engine start on one".
"OTC [Orbiter test conductor] I can verify shutdown on verify on engine one, we haven't start prepped engine one".
"All engines shut down I can verify that".
Commentary: "We can now verify all three engines have been shut down".
"We have red lights on engines two and three in the cockpit, not on one".
"All right, CSME verify engine one safe for APU [ auxiliary power unit ] shutdown".
"If I can verify that?"
"OTC GPC [General Purpose Computer] go for APU shutdown".^[5]

Mission Specialist Steve Hawley was reported as saying following the abort: "Gee, I thought we'd be a lot higher at MECO (Main Engine Cut-Off)!".^[6] About ten minutes later, the following was heard on live TV coverage:

"We have indication two of our fire detectors on the zero level; no response. They're side by side right next to the engine area. The engineer requested that we turn on the heat shield fire water which is what could be seen spraying up in the vicinity of the engine bells of Discovery's three main engines".^[7]

While evacuating the shuttle 20 minutes later, the crew was doused with water from the pad deluge system, which was activated due to a hydrogen fire on the launch pad caused by the free hydrogen (fuel) that had collected around the engine nozzles following the shutdown and engine anomaly.^[8] Because the fire was invisible to humans, had the astronauts used the normal emergency escape procedure across the service arm to the slidewire escape baskets, they would have run into the fire.^[9]

Changes to procedures resulting from the abort included more practicing of "safing" the orbiter following aborts at various points, the use of the fire suppression system in all pad aborts, and the testing of the slidewire escape system with a real person (Charles F. Bolden Jr.). It emerged that launch controllers were reluctant to order the crew to evacuate during the STS-41-D abort, as the slidewire had not been ridden by a human.^[6]

Examination of telemetry data indicated that the engine malfunction had been caused by a stuck valve that prevented proper flow of LOX into the combustion chamber.^{[ citation needed ]}

Mission summary

STS-41-D launched on 08:41:50 a.m. EDT on August 30, 1984, after a six-minute, fifty-second delay when a private aircraft flew into the restricted airspace near the launch pad. It was the fourth launch attempt for Discovery. Because of the two-month delay, the STS-41-F mission was canceled (STS-41-E had already been canceled), and its primary payloads were included on the STS-41-D flight. The combined cargo weighed over 18,681 kg (41,185 lb), a record for a Space Shuttle payload up to that time.

The six-person flight crew consisted of Henry W. Hartsfield Jr., commander, making his second shuttle mission; pilot Michael L. Coats; three mission specialists – Judith A. Resnik, Richard M. Mullane and Steven A. Hawley; and a payload specialist, Charles D. Walker, an employee of McDonnell Douglas. Walker was the first commercially sponsored payload specialist to fly aboard the Space Shuttle. Resnik became the second American woman to fly any NASA space mission, after Sally K. Ride.

Primary cargo of Discovery consisted of three commercial communications satellites: SBS-4 for Satellite Business Systems, Telstar 302 for Telesat of Canada, and Syncom IV-2, or Leasat-2, a Hughes-built satellite leased to the U.S. Navy; all three were Hughes-built satellites. Leasat-2 was the first large communications satellite designed specifically to be deployed from the Space Shuttle. All three satellites were deployed successfully and became operational.

Another payload was the OAST-1 solar array, a device 4 m (13 ft) wide and 31 m (102 ft) high, which folded into a package 18 cm (7.1 in) deep. The array carried a number of different types of experimental solar cells and was extended to its full height several times during the mission. At the time, it was the largest structure ever extended from a crewed spacecraft, and it demonstrated the feasibility of large lightweight solar arrays for use on future orbital installations, such as the International Space Station (ISS).

The McDonnell Douglas-sponsored Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System (CFES) experiment, using living cells, was more elaborate than the one flown on previous missions, and payload specialist Walker operated it for more than 100 hours during the flight. A student experiment to study crystal growth in microgravity was also carried out. The highlights of the mission were filmed using an IMAX motion picture camera, and later appeared in the 1985 documentary film The Dream is Alive . On September 3, 1984, concern arose over the formation of ice on the waste dump nozzle of the shuttle. The cause was an obstruction in the shuttle's external wastewater dumping system that caused a 61 cm (24 in) "pee-sicle" to form during the mission; Hartsfield removed it with the Remote Manipulator System (Canadarm) the following day.^[10]^[11]

The mission lasted 6 days, 0 hour, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds, with landing taking place on Runway 17 at Edwards Air Force Base at 06:37:54 a.m. PDT on September 5, 1984. During STS-41-D, Discovery traveled a total of 4,010,000 km (2,490,000 mi) and made 97 orbits. The orbiter was transported back to KSC on September 10, 1984. Ominously, STS-41-D was the first Shuttle mission in which blow-by damage to the SRB O-rings was discovered, with a small amount of soot found beyond the primary O-ring. Following the Challenger disaster, Morton Thiokol engineer Brian Russell called this finding the first "big red flag" on SRB Joint and O-ring safety.^[12]

Launch attempts

Attempt	Planned	Result	Turnaround	Reason	Decision point	Notes
1	25 Jun 1984, 8:43:00 am	Scrubbed	—	Technical	(T−00:09:00 hold)	Failure of Orbiter's backup General Purpose Computer.^[13]
2	26 Jun 1984, 8:43:00 am	Scrubbed	1 day 0 hours 0 minutes	Technical	26 Jun 1984, 8:42 am (T−00:00:04)	Post-SSME start RSLS Abort due to anomaly in number three engine. Discovery returned to OPF for engine replacement.
3	29 Aug 1984, 8:35:00 am	Scrubbed	63 days 23 hours 52 minutes	Technical		Discrepancy with master events controller relating to SRB fire commands.
4	30 Aug 1984, 8:41:50 am	Success	1 day 0 hours 7 minutes			Delayed 6 minutes, 50 seconds when private aircraft strayed into airspace.

Mission insignia

The 12 stars within the blue field indicate the flight's original numerical designation as STS-12 in the Space Transportation System's mission sequence. A representation of Discovery's namesake is manifested in a sailing ship, which is linked to the Shuttle (with the OAST solar array in the payload bay) via a red, white, and blue path, signifying its maiden voyage.

Wake-up calls

NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during the Project Gemini, and first used music to wake up a flight crew during Apollo 15. Each track is specially chosen, often by the astronauts' families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.^[14]

Flight Day	Song	Artist/Composer
Day 2	"Anchors Aweigh"	Charles A. Zimmerman
Day 3	"Telstar"	The Ventures
Day 4	"Mr. Spaceman"	The Byrds
Day 5	"Hair"	Broadway cast
Day 6	"Eight Miles High"	The Byrds

Gallery

SBS-D deployment
Syncom IV-2 deployment
Telstar 3C deployment

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References

↑ "SATCAT". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
↑ "STS-41D". Spacefacts. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
↑ "Risk of Space Flight" (PDF). Machine Wyle Laboratories . May 12, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 28, 2008. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
↑ "STS-41-D". NASA. 2008. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved February 20, 2008. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
↑ STS-41D pad abort (Video). August 6, 2009. Retrieved April 30, 2012– via YouTube.
1 2 Borsché, Catherine E. (June 2007). "A League of Their Own" (PDF). Space Center Roundup. 46 (6). National Aeronautics and Space Administration: 10. Retrieved June 21, 2013. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
↑ Discovery STS-41-D Mission - Launch - Abort (Video). April 12, 2017. Retrieved June 20, 2019– via YouTube.
↑ "Photo of the week 19 (August 8, 2005)". www.collectspace.com. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
↑ Walker, Charles D. (March 17, 2005). "Oral History Transcript" (PDF). NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project (Interview). Interviewed by Ross-Nazzal, Jennifer. NASA. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 15, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2011. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
↑ Walker, Charles D. (April 14, 2005). "Oral History Transcript" (PDF). NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project (Interview). Interviewed by Johnson, Sandra. NASA. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 28, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2011. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
↑ 35 Years Ago: STS-41-D – First Flight of Space Shuttle Discovery This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
↑ Vaughan, Diane (1996). The Challenger launch decision: risky technology, culture, and deviance at NASA . University of Chicago Press. p. 144. ISBN 978-0-226-85175-4.
↑ Vaughan, Diane (1996). The Challenger launch decision: risky technology, culture, and deviance at NASA . University of Chicago Press. p. 51. ISBN 978-0-226-85175-4.
↑ Fries, Colin (June 25, 2007). "Chronology of Wakeup Calls" (PDF). NASA. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 5, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2007. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .

External links

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[satcat-1] "SATCAT". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved March 23, 2014.

[2] "STS-41D". Spacefacts. Retrieved February 26, 2014.

[3] "Risk of Space Flight" (PDF). Machine Wyle Laboratories . May 12, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 28, 2008. Retrieved June 21, 2013.

[STS-41-4] "STS-41-D". NASA. 2008. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved February 20, 2008. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .

[5] STS-41D pad abort (Video). August 6, 2009. Retrieved April 30, 2012– via YouTube.

[autogenerated1-6] 1 2 Borsché, Catherine E. (June 2007). "A League of Their Own" (PDF). Space Center Roundup. 46 (6). National Aeronautics and Space Administration: 10. Retrieved June 21, 2013. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .

[7] Discovery STS-41-D Mission - Launch - Abort (Video). April 12, 2017. Retrieved June 20, 2019– via YouTube.

[8] "Photo of the week 19 (August 8, 2005)". www.collectspace.com. Retrieved July 21, 2013.

[walker20050317-9] Walker, Charles D. (March 17, 2005). "Oral History Transcript" (PDF). NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project (Interview). Interviewed by Ross-Nazzal, Jennifer. NASA. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 15, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2011. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .

[walker20050414-10] Walker, Charles D. (April 14, 2005). "Oral History Transcript" (PDF). NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project (Interview). Interviewed by Johnson, Sandra. NASA. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 28, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2011. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .

[11] 35 Years Ago: STS-41-D – First Flight of Space Shuttle Discovery This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .

[12] Vaughan, Diane (1996). The Challenger launch decision: risky technology, culture, and deviance at NASA . University of Chicago Press. p. 144. ISBN 978-0-226-85175-4.

[13] Vaughan, Diane (1996). The Challenger launch decision: risky technology, culture, and deviance at NASA . University of Chicago Press. p. 51. ISBN 978-0-226-85175-4.

[chronology-14] Fries, Colin (June 25, 2007). "Chronology of Wakeup Calls" (PDF). NASA. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 5, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2007. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .

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v t e Space Shuttle Discovery (OV-103)
Completed flights	STS-41-D STS-51-A STS-51-C STS-51-D STS-51-G STS-51-I STS-26 STS-29 STS-33 STS-31 STS-41 STS-39 STS-48 STS-42 STS-53 STS-56 STS-51 STS-60 STS-64 STS-63 STS-70 STS-82 STS-85 STS-91 STS-95 STS-96 STS-103 STS-92 STS-102 STS-105 STS-114 STS-121 STS-116 STS-120 STS-124 STS-119 STS-128 STS-131 STS-133
Status	Retired
On display	Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Washington, D.C.
Related	Destiny in Space (1994 documentary)

v t e ← 1983 Orbital launches in 1984 1985 →
January	OPS 0441
February	STS-41-B (Westar 6, Palapa B2, IRT, SPAS-1A) OPS 8737 OPS 8737 SSU-1 OPS 8737 SSU-2 OPS 8737 SSU-3 Soyuz T-10 Progress 19
March	Intelsat V F-8
April	Soyuz T-11 STS-41-C (LDEF) OPS 7641 Progress 20 OPS 8424
May	Progress 21 Spacenet 1 Progress 22
June	Intelsat V F-9 USA-1 USA-2 USA-3
July	Soyuz T-12
August	ECS-2 Telecom 1A Progress 23 USA-4 STS-41-D (SBS-4, Leasat 2, Telstar 3C)
September	USA-5
October	STS-41-G (ERBS, OSTA-3)
November	STS-51-A (Anik D2, Leasat 1) Spacenet 2 MARECS-2
December	USA-6 NOAA-9 USA-7
Unknown month	Kosmos 1522 Kosmos 1523 Kosmos 1524 Kosmos 1525 Kosmos 1526 Kosmos 1527 Kosmos 1528 Kosmos 1529 Kosmos 1530 Kosmos 1531 Kosmos 1532 Yuri 2a Kosmos 1533 Kosmos 1534 Shiyan Tongbu Tongxing Weixing 1 Kosmos 1535 Kosmos 1536 Ōzora Gran' No.25L Kosmos 1537 Kosmos 1538 Kosmos 1539 Landsat 5 UoSAT-2 Kosmos 1540 Kosmos 1541 Kosmos 1542 Kosmos 1543 Kosmos 1544 Ekran No.26L Molniya-1 No.51 Kosmos 1545 Kosmos 1546 Kosmos 1547 Shiyan Tongbu Tongxing Weixing 2 Kosmos 1548 Kosmos 1549 Gorizont No.19L Kosmos 1550 Kosmos 1551 Kosmos 1552 Kosmos 1553 Kosmos 1554 Kosmos 1555 Kosmos 1556 Kosmos 1557 Kosmos 1558 Kosmos 1559 Kosmos 1560 Kosmos 1561 Kosmos 1562 Kosmos 1563 Kosmos 1564 Kosmos 1565 Kosmos 1566 Kosmos 1567 Kosmos 1568 Kosmos 1569 Kosmos 1570 Kosmos 1571 Kosmos 1572 Kosmos 1573 Kosmos 1574 Gran' No.27L Kosmos 1575 Kosmos 1576 Kosmos 1577 Kosmos 1578 Kosmos 1579 Kosmos 1580 Kosmos 1581 Meteor-2 No.16 Kosmos 1582 Kosmos 1583 Kosmos 1584 Kosmos 1585 Gorizont No.20L Kosmos 1586 Himawari 3 Kosmos 1587 Kosmos 1588 Kosmos 1589 Molniya-1 No.53 Kosmos 1590 CCE IRM UKS SCE Molniya-1 No.54 Ekran No.27L Kosmos 1591 Kosmos 1592 Kosmos 1593 Kosmos 1594 Kosmos 1595 Kosmos 1596 Fanhui Shi Weixing 7 Kosmos 1597 Kosmos 1598 Galaxy 3 Kosmos 1599 Kosmos 1600 Kosmos 1601 Kosmos 1602 Kosmos 1603 Kosmos 1604 Kosmos 1605 Nova 3 Kosmos 1606 Kosmos 1607 NATO 3D Kosmos 1608 Kosmos 1609 Kosmos 1610 Kosmos 1611 Kosmos 1612 Kosmos 1613 Molniya-1 No.55 Vega 1 Kosmos 1614 Kosmos 1615 Vega 2
Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( \| ). Crewed flights are indicated in underline. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in (brackets).