NASA Space Shuttle Challenger: June 1983 | Space Transportation System-7 Mission
STS-7, Orbiter Challenger in orbit, taken from camera aboard Shuttle Pallet Satellite (SPAS) [West Germany]
An Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) engine firing caused this bright glow at the aft end of the Earth-orbiting space shuttle Challenger on June 18, 1983. Also visible in the 70mm exposure are parts of the Shuttle Pallet Satellite (SPAS-01), the experiment package for NASA's Office of Space and Terrestrial Applications (OSTA-2), the protective cradles for the Indonesian Palapa-B and Telesat Canada Anik C2 satellites, getaway special (GAS) canisters and the Canadian-built Remote Manipulator System (RMS). The firing took place less than an hour after deployment of Anik.
Among the "firsts" on the mission is this unprecedented scene of a crew of five astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger in space. A pre-set 35mm camera exposed the frame. Left to right on the flight deck are Norman E. Thagard, mission specialist; Robert L. Crippen, commander; Frederick H. Hauck, pilot; Sally K. Ride, mission specialist; and John M. Fabian, mission specialist. Crippen the crew commander, is making his second Space Shuttle trip; pilot Hauck and mission specialist Dr. Ride, Dr. Thagard and Fabian are members of the 1978 class of astronaut candidates (ASCAN).
Sally Ride, first American woman in space, during STS-7 mission
Astronaut Sally K. Ride, STS-7 mission specialist, stands in the mid deck of the orbiting Space Shuttle Challenger near one of the experiment with which she has devoted a great deal of time. The continuous flow electrophoresis system (CFES) experiment, about the size of a household refrigerator, stands nearby. One of her fellow crewmembers moves partially out of frame in the background. The tube on her face is part of a communications system linking Dr. Ride to ground controllers in Houston.
The seventh launch of the NASA Space Transportation System and the second lift-off of the space shuttle Challenger occurred at 7:33 a.m. (EDT) on June 18, 1983, from the Pad 39A launch site, at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC).
The seventh launch of the NASA Space Transportation System and the second lift-off of the space shuttle Challenger.
These five astronauts represent the Space Transportation System's (STS) first five-member crew. They will be aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger for the mission, scheduled for June of this year. Astronaut Robert L. Crippen (center, first row) is crew commander. Other crew members are astronauts Frederick H. Hauck, right, pilot; and Sally K. Ride, John M. Fabian and Norman E. Thagard, mission specialists. Seven stars and the Challenger provide the backdrop for the crew's portrait.STS-7 was NASA's seventh Space Shuttle mission, and the second mission for the Space Shuttle Challenger. During the mission, Challenger deployed several satellites into orbit. The shuttle launched from Kennedy Space Center on June 18, 1983, and landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California on June 24, 1983. STS-7 carried Sally Ride, America's first female astronaut.
During the mission the crew deployed the Indonesian PALAPA-B and the Canadian ANIK-C communications satellites. They also used the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) arm to deploy and retrieve a platform for space experiments, called the Shuttle Pallet Satellite (SPAS), that will serve as a spaceborne laboratory for OSTA-2, a scientific payload. Getaway Special canisters and materials processing experiments filled out the complement of payloads on this mission.
STS-7 experienced the first known Space Shuttle external tank (ET) bipod ramp foam shedding event during launch. This was the root cause of the eventual loss of Space Shuttle Columbia during STS-107 almost two decades later. While Challenger was on-orbit, one of its windows was damaged non-critically by space debris.
The Space Shuttle was the first operational orbital spacecraft designed for reuse. Each Space Shuttle orbiter was designed for a projected lifespan of 100 launches or ten years of operational life, although this was later extended. At launch, it consisted of the orbiter, containing the crew and payload, the external tank (ET), and the two solid rocket boosters (SRBs).
STS-7 Crew
Commander Robert Crippen - Second spaceflight
Pilot Frederick Hauck - First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 1 John M. Fabian - First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 2 & Flight Engineer Sally Ride -
First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 3 Norman Thagard - First spaceflight
On its tenth flight in January 1986, Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff, killing the seven-member crew of STS-51-L that included Christa McAuliffe that would have been the first teacher in space. The Rogers Commission concluded that an O-ring seal in one of Challenger's solid rocket boosters failed to contain pressurized burning gas that leaked out of the booster, causing a structural failure of Challenger's external tank and the orbiter's subsequent breakup due to aerodynamic forces.
Credit: NASA
Date: June 18, 1983
#NASA #Space #Science #SpaceShuttles #SpaceShuttleOrbiters #SpaceShuttleChallenger #STS #STS7 #Satellites #AnikC2Satellite #Canada #IndonesianPalapaBSatellite #Indonesia #Astronauts #SallyRide #Women #Physicists #Astrophysicists #Leaders #Pioneers #UnitedStates #History #STEM #Education
No comments:
Post a Comment