STS-38

Last updated

STS-38
STS038-84-23 Atlantis.jpg
Atlantis in orbit; in-flight photography of this Department of Defense support mission is limited
Names Space Transportation System-37
Mission type DoD satellite deployment
Operator NASA
COSPAR ID 1990-097A OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
SATCAT no. 20935
Mission duration4 days, 21 hours, 54 minutes, 31 seconds (achieved)
Distance travelled3,291,199 km (2,045,056 mi)
Orbits completed79
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft Space Shuttle Atlantis
Landing mass86,677 kg (191,090 lb)
Crew
Crew size5
Members
Start of mission
Launch dateNovember 15, 1990, 23:48:15  UTC
Rocket Space Shuttle Atlantis
Launch site Kennedy Space Center, LC-39A
Contractor Rockwell International
End of mission
Landing dateNovember 20, 1990, 21:42:46 UTC
Landing site Kennedy Space Center,
SLF Runway 33
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric orbit [1]
Regime Low Earth orbit
Perigee altitude 260 km (160 mi)
Apogee altitude 269 km (167 mi)
Inclination 28.45°
Period 89.79 minutes
STS-38 patch.svg
STS-38 mission patch
Sts-38 crew.jpg
Standing: Charles D. Gemar, Robert C. Springer, Carl J. Meade
Seated: Frank L. Culbertson Jr., Richard O. Covey
←  STS-41 (STS-36)
STS-35 (STS-38) →
 

STS-38 was a Space Shuttle mission by NASA using the Space Shuttle Atlantis. It was the 37th shuttle mission, and carried a classified payload for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). It was the seventh flight for Atlantis and the seventh flight dedicated to the Department of Defense. The mission was a 4-day mission that traveled 3,291,199 km (2,045,056 mi) and completed 79 revolutions. Atlantis landed at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility's runway 33. The launch was originally scheduled for July 1990, but was rescheduled due to a hydrogen leak found on Space Shuttle Columbia during the STS-35 countdown. During a rollback to the Orbiter Processing Facility Atlantis was damaged during a hail storm. The eventual launch date of November 15, 1990, was set due to a payload problem. The launch window was between 18:30 and 22:30 EST. The launch occurred at 18:48:13 EST.

Contents

Crew

Position Astronaut
Commander Richard O. Covey
Third spaceflight
Pilot Frank L. Culbertson Jr.
First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 1 Carl J. Meade
First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 2 Robert C. Springer
Second and last spaceflight
Mission Specialist 3 Charles D. Gemar
First spaceflight

Crew seating arrangements

Seat [2] LaunchLanding Space Shuttle seating plan.svg
Seats 1–4 are on the Flight Deck. Seats 5–7 are on the Middeck.
S1CoveyCovey
S2CulbertsonCulbertson
S3MeadeGemar
S4SpringerSpringer
S5GemarMeade

Preparations and launch

The launch occurred on November 15, 1990, 18:48:13 EST. It was originally scheduled for July 9, 1990, however, a liquid hydrogen leak found on Columbia during the STS-35 countdown prompted three precautionary tanking tests on Atlantis at the pad on June 29, 1990, on July 13, and on July 25, 1990. Tests confirmed the hydrogen fuel leak on the external tank side of the external tank/orbiter 43.2 cm (17.0 in) quick disconnect umbilical. This could not be repaired at the pad and Atlantis was rolled back to the VAB on August 9, 1990, demated, then transferred to the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF). During rollback, the vehicle remained parked outside the VAB for about a day while the Columbia/STS-35 stack was transferred to the pad for launch. While outside, Atlantis suffered minor hail damage to its tiles during a thunderstorm. After repairs were made in the OPF, Atlantis was transferred to the VAB for mating on October 2, 1990. During hoisting operations, the platform beam that was to have been removed from the orbiter's aft compartment fell and caused minor damage, which was repaired. The vehicle rolled out to Pad A on October 12, 1990. The fourth mini-tanking test was performed on October 24, 1990, with no excessive hydrogen or oxygen leakage detected. During the Flight Readiness Review (FRR), the launch date was set for November 9, 1990. The launch was reset for November 15 due to payload problems. Liftoff occurred during a classified launch window lying within a launch period extending from 18:30 to 22:30 EST on November 15, 1990.

Classified payload

According to Aviation Week , the shuttle initially entered a 204 km (127 mi) x 519 km (322 mi) orbit at an inclination of 28.45° to the equator. It then executed three orbital maneuvering system (OMS) burns, the last on orbit #4. The first of these circularized the orbit at 519 km (322 mi).

The first classified payload was code-named USA-67, [3] which was deployed from Atlantis' cargo bay on the seventh orbit and ignited its rocket motor at the ascending node of the eighth orbit to place it in a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). Aviation Week reported that USA-67 was a secret ELINT gathering satellite headed for geosynchronous orbit and launched to monitor the events during the first Gulf War in 1990. As a result of there being two upper stages aboard STS-38, USA-67 was originally believed to be a Magnum satellite like those deployed on STS-51-C and STS-33, which were launched via a two-stage Inertial Upper Stage (IUS). [4] Today it is believed that USA-67 was instead a secret Satellite Data System (SDS-2) military communications satellite, like those deployed on STS-28 and STS-53. [5] [6]

It is also believed that USA-67 was not the only satellite deployed during STS-38. A publicly released image of Atlantis' vertical stabilizer and upper aft bulkhead, similar to the one released from STS-53, confirms that the ASE (Airborne Support Equipment) for the Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) was absent from this flight. [7] An explanation is that two separate satellites were deployed, using single-stage Payload Assist Module (PAM-D). Rumors that appear to have been substantiated by the identification of an "unknown" geostationary satellite by amateur observers [8] [9] insist that the second payload was a stealth satellite known as Prowler, reportedly intended to covertly inspect other nation's geostationary satellites. [10]

Landing

The mission was extended by one day due to unacceptable crosswinds at the original planned landing site of Edwards Air Force Base. Continued adverse conditions led to a decision to shift the landing to KSC. Landing occurred on November 20, 1990, 16:42:42 EST, Runway 33, at the Kennedy Space Center. The rollout distance was 2,753 m (9,032 ft) and rollout time was 57 seconds. STS-38 marked the first KSC landing for Atlantis, and the first shuttle landing at KSC since April 1985 (the last being STS-51-D). Atlantis weighed 86,677 kg (191,090 lb) at landing. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Space Shuttle</span> Partially reusable launch system and spaceplane

The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program name was Space Transportation System (STS), taken from a 1969 plan for a system of reusable spacecraft where it was the only item funded for development. The first (STS-1) of four orbital test flights occurred in 1981, leading to operational flights (STS-5) beginning in 1982. Five complete Space Shuttle orbiter vehicles were built and flown on a total of 135 missions from 1981 to 2011, launched from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Operational missions launched numerous satellites, interplanetary probes, and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), conducted science experiments in orbit, participated in the Shuttle-Mir program with Russia, and participated in construction and servicing of the International Space Station (ISS). The Space Shuttle fleet's total mission time was 1,323 days.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-9</span> 1983 American crewed spaceflight and first flight with Spacelab

STS-9 was the ninth NASA Space Shuttle mission and the sixth mission of the Space Shuttle Columbia. Launched on 28 November 1983, the ten-day mission carried the first Spacelab laboratory module into orbit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-32</span> 1990 American crewed spaceflight to retrieve the Long Duration Exposure Facility

STS-32 was the 33rd mission of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the ninth launch of Space ShuttleColumbia. Launched on 9 January 1990, it marked the first use of the Launch Complex 39A of Kennedy Space Center at since 1986; it also marked the first use of Mobile Launcher Platform-3 (MLP-3) in the Space Shuttle program. STS-32 was, at the time, the longest shuttle mission yet conducted, with a duration of nearly 11 days. Before STS-32, the only mission of the same duration had been STS-9 in 1983. On 20 January 1990, STS-32 executed the third night landing of the shuttle program. STS-32 was also the first Shuttle mission of the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-41-D</span> 1984 American crewed spaceflight and maiden flight of Space Shuttle Discovery

STS-41-D 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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-51-J</span> 1985 American crewed spaceflight for the DoD, and maiden flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis

STS-51-J was the 21st NASA Space Shuttle mission and the first flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis. It launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on October 3, 1985, carrying a payload for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), and landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on October 7, 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-61-B</span> 1985 American crewed spaceflight

STS-61-B was NASA's 23rd Space Shuttle mission, and its second using Space Shuttle Atlantis. The shuttle was launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on November 26, 1985. During STS-61-B, the shuttle crew deployed three communications satellites, and tested techniques of constructing structures in orbit. Atlantis landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, at 16:33:49 EST on December 3, 1985, after 6 days, 21 hours, 4 minutes, and 49 seconds in orbit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-30</span> 1989 American crewed spaceflight to deploy Magellan

STS-30 was the 29th NASA Space Shuttle mission and the fourth mission for Space Shuttle Atlantis. It was the fourth shuttle launch since the Challenger disaster and the first shuttle mission since the disaster to have a female astronaut on board. The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on May 4, 1989, and landed four days later on May 8, 1989. During the mission, Atlantis deployed the Venus-bound Magellan probe into orbit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-33</span> 1989 American crewed spaceflight for the Department of Defense

STS-33 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission, during which Space Shuttle Discovery deployed a payload for the United States Department of Defense (DoD). It was the 32nd shuttle mission overall, the ninth flight of Discovery, the fifth shuttle mission in support of the DoD, the seventh post-Space Shuttle Challenger disaster mission and the last Shuttle mission of the 1980s. Due to the nature of the mission, specific details remain classified. Discovery lifted off from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida, on 22 November 1989 at 7:23:30 p.m. EST; it landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on 27 November 1989 at 7:30:16 p.m. EST.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-36</span> 1990 American crewed spaceflight for the Department of Defense

STS-36 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission, during which Space Shuttle Atlantis carried a classified payload for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) into orbit. STS-36 was the 34th shuttle mission overall, the sixth flight for Atlantis, and the fourth night launch of the shuttle program. It launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 28 February 1990, and landed on 4 March 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-35</span> 1990 American crewed spaceflight

STS-35 was the tenth flight of Space Shuttle Columbia, the 38th shuttle flight, and a mission devoted to astronomical observations with ASTRO-1, a Spacelab observatory consisting of four telescopes. The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on December 2, 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-37</span> 1991 American crewed spaceflight to deploy the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory

STS-37, the thirty-ninth NASA Space Shuttle mission and the eighth flight of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, was a six-day mission with the primary objective of launching the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO), the second of the Great Observatories program which included the visible-spectrum Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO) and the infrared Spitzer Space Telescope. The mission also featured two spacewalks, the first since 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-39</span> 1991 American crewed spaceflight for the Department of Defense

STS-39 was the twelfth mission of the NASA Space Shuttle Discovery, and the 40th orbital shuttle mission overall. The primary purpose of the mission was to conduct a variety of payload experiments for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-70</span> 1995 American crewed spaceflight to deploy a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite

STS-70 was the 21st flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery, and the last of 7 shuttle missions to carry a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS). This was the first shuttle mission controlled from the new mission control center room at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. STS-70 was also the first flight of the new Block 1 orbiter main engine, designed to improve both engine performance and safety. The mission was launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on 13 July 1995, only six days after the landing of sister ship Atlantis, marking the fastest turnaround between flights in the history of the program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-74</span> 1995 American crewed spaceflight to Mir

STS-74 was the fourth mission of the US/Russian Shuttle-Mir Program, and the second docking of the Space Shuttle with Mir. Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off from Kennedy Space Center launch pad 39A on 12 November 1995. The mission ended 8 days later with the landing of Atlantis back at Kennedy. It was the second in a series of seven straight missions to the station flown by Atlantis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orbiter Processing Facility</span> Hangars formerly used for Space Shuttle maintenance at NASAs Kennedy Space Center

Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) is a class of hangars where U.S. Space Shuttle orbiters underwent maintenance between flights. They are located west of the Vehicle Assembly Building, where the orbiter was mated with its External Tank and Solid Rocket Boosters before transport to the launch pad. OPF-1 and OPF-2 are connected with a low bay between them, while OPF-3 is across the street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-117</span> 2007 American crewed spaceflight to the ISS

STS-117 was a Space Shuttle mission flown by Space Shuttle Atlantis, launched from pad 39A of the Kennedy Space Center on 8 June 2007. Atlantis lifted off from the launch pad at 19:38 EDT. Damage from a hail storm on 26 February 2007 had previously caused the launch to be postponed from an originally-planned launch date of 15 March 2007. The launch of STS-117 marked the 250th orbital human spaceflight.

Magnum was a class of SIGINT spy satellites reportedly operated by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) for the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The program remains classified, and the information that exists is speculative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-400</span>

STS-400 was the Space Shuttle contingency support flight that would have been launched using Space ShuttleEndeavour if a major problem occurred on Space ShuttleAtlantis during STS-125, the final Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-135</span> 2011 American crewed spaceflight to the ISS and final flight of the Space Shuttle program

STS-135 was the 135th and final mission of the American Space Shuttle program. It used the orbiter Atlantis and hardware originally processed for the STS-335 contingency mission, which was not flown. STS-135 launched on 8 July 2011, and landed on 21 July 2011, following a one-day mission extension. The four-person crew was the smallest of any shuttle mission since STS-6 in April 1983. The mission's primary cargo was the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) Raffaello and a Lightweight Multi-Purpose Carrier (LMC), which were delivered to the International Space Station (ISS). The flight of Raffaello marked the only time that Atlantis carried an MPLM.

Prowler was an American reconnaissance satellite launched aboard Space ShuttleAtlantis in 1990 in order to study Soviet satellites in geosynchronous orbit. The government of the United States has never acknowledged its existence, however it has been identified by amateur observers and through leaked information.

References

  1. ↑ "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  2. ↑ "STS-38". Spacefacts. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  3. ↑ NASA Space Data Center: NSSDC ID: 1990-097B USA-67 ELINT Program PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  4. ↑ Molczan, Ted (January 21, 2011). "Unknown GEO Object 2000-653A / 90007 Identified as Prowler" (PDF). Visual Satellite Observer's Home Page. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  5. ↑ Satobs.org: USA-67 observations
  6. ↑ FAS.org: GEO SIGINT Satellite
  7. ↑ "The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth". Eol.jsc.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on February 25, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2010.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  8. ↑ Ted Molczan, satobs.org: Unknown GEO Object 2000-653A / 90007 Identified as Prowler
  9. ↑ Ted Molczan, satobs.org: Evaluation of the opportunity to launch Prowler on STS-38
  10. ↑ Robert Windrem, NBC News: What is America's top-secret spy program?
  11. ↑ "Space Shuttle Missions Summary" (PDF). NASA. September 2011. p. 2-41. Retrieved January 31, 2022.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
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.