Category Praxis Manned Spaceflight Log 1961-2006

EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 5 (ELC 5); EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 6 (ELC 6); two Shuttle-equivalent flights for contingency

ISS Assembly complete – Shuttle fleet retired Sep Soyuz TMA16 ? ISS-22 Russia No crew assigned

2011

Mar Soyuz TMA17 ? ISS-23 Russia No crew assigned

Apr

The following information was compiled with the help of Collect Space 7 Oct 2006, Robert Pearlman

Soyuz TMA-crewing 2007-2008

1961

Apr Yuri Gagarin becomes the first person fly into space and completes one orbit May Alan Shepard becomes the first American in space on a sub-orbital flight Aug Gherman Titov is launched on the first 24-hour mission, of 17 orbits

1962

Feb John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the Earth, with 3 orbits Jul First X-15 flight to exceed 50 miles (Robert White)

Aug Andrian Nikolayev sets new endurance record (3 days 22 hours)

1963

Jun Valeri Bykovsky sets new endurance record (4 days 23 hours)

Valentina Tereshkova becomes first woman in space (2 days 22 hours)

Aug Highest X-15 flight (66.75 miles) – Pilot Joseph Walker

1964

Oct First multi-person space crew (3) – Voskhod 1; First civilians in space

1965

Mar Alexei Leonov becomes first person to walk in space

Mar First US multi-person crew (2) on Gemini 3

Jun Ed White becomes first American to walk in space

Aug Gemini 5 sets new endurance record (7 days 22 hours)

Cooper becomes first person to orbit Earth a second time Dec Gemini 7 set new endurance record (13 days 18 hours)

First space rendezvous – Gemini 6 with Gemini 7

1966

Mar First space docking – Gemini 8 with Agena target

Sep Gemini 11 attains highest altitude of Earth orbital manned flight (850 miles)

1967

Jan 27 Three Apollo 1 astronauts killed in pad fire

Apr Soyuz 1 pilot Vladimir Komarov killed during landing phase

Oct X-15 fastest flight (4520 mph – Mach 6.7) (Pete Knight)

Nov X-15 pilot Michael Adams is killed in crash of #3 aircraft after attaining

50.4 miles

1968

Aug Thirteenth and final X-15 “astro-flight”

Oct First three-man Apollo flight (Apollo 7)

Schirra becomes first person to make three orbital spaceflights Dec Apollo 8 becomes first lunar orbital mission

1969

Jan Soyuz 5/4 first manned docking and crew transfer (by EVA)

Mar Manned test of LM in Earth orbit (Apollo 9)

May Manned test of LM in lunar orbit (Apollo 10)

Jul First manned lunar landing – Apollo 11

Oct First triple manned spacecraft mission (Soyuz 6, 7, 8)

Nov Second manned lunar landing Apollo 12

1970

Apr Apollo 13 aborted lunar landing mission

Lovell becomes first to fly in space four times Jun Soyuz 9 cosmonauts set new endurance record (17 days 16 hrs)

1971

Feb Third manned lunar landing (Apollo 14)

Apr Launch of world’s first Space Station – Salyut (de-orbits Oct 1971)

Jun First space station (Salyut) crew. Killed during entry phase (Soyuz 11) Jul Fourth manned lunar landing (Apollo 15)

1972

Apr Fifth manned lunar landing (Apollo 16)

Dec Sixth and final (Apollo) manned lunar landing (Apollo 17)

1973

Apr Salyut 2 (Almaz) fails in orbit (de-orbits in 26 days)

May Launch of unmanned Skylab (re-enters Jul 1979)

First Skylab crew sets new endurance record of 28 days Jul Second Skylab crew increases endurance record to 59 day 11 hrs

Nov 3rd and final Skylab crew increases endurance record to 84 days 1 hr

1974

Jun Launch of Salyut (Almaz) 3 (de-orbits Jan 1975)

Jul First successful Soviet space station mission (Soyuz 14)

Dec Launch of Salyut 4 (de-orbits Feb 1977)

1975

Apr Soyuz 18 crew survive launch abort

Jul Soyuz 19 and Apollo dock in space – first international mission

1977

Sep Salyut 6 launched (de-orbits Jul 1982)

Dec First Salyut 6 resident crew set new endurance record of 96 days 10 hrs

1978

Jan First Soyuz exchange mission (Soyuz 27 for Soyuz 26)

Mar First Soviet Interkosmos mission (Czechoslovakian)

First non-Soviet, non-American person in space (Remek)

Jun Second Salyut 6 crew sets new endurance record of 139 days 14 hrs

1979

Feb Third Salyut 6 resident crew increases endurance record to 175 days

1980

Apr Fourth Salyut 6 resident crew increases endurance record to 184 days 20 hrs Jun First manned flight of Soyuz T variant

1981

Apr First Shuttle launch (Columbia STS-1) on 20th anniversary of Gagarin’s flight

John Young becomes first to make five space flights
Nov First return to space by manned spacecraft (Columbia STS-2)

1982

Apr Salyut 7 launched (de-orbits Feb 1991)

May First Salyut 7 resident crew sets new endurance record of 211 days 9 hrs

Nov First “operational” Shuttle mission, STS-5, is also the first four-person

launch

1983

Apr First flight of Challenger

Jun Sally Ride becomes first US woman in space during STS-7, the first five – person launch

Sep Soyuz T10-1 launch pad abort

Nov First Spacelab mission – STS-9; first six-person launch John Young flies record sixth mission

1984

Feb First use of MMU (STS 41-B) on untethered spacewalks Feb Third Salyut 7 resident crew sets new endurance record of 236 days 22 hrs

Jul Svetlana Savitskaya becomes the first woman to walk in space (Soyuz T12/

Salyut 7)

Aug First flight of Discovery on STS 41-D Oct First seven-person launch (STS 41-G)

Kathy Sullivan becomes first American woman to walk in space

1985

Jan First classified DoD Shuttle mission (STS 51-C)

Jul First Shuttle Abort-to-Orbit profile (STS 51-F)

Oct First flight of Atlantis (STS 51-J)

Oct First eight-person launch (STS 61-A)

1986

Jan Challenger and its crew of seven lost 73 seconds after launch (STS 51-L) Feb Mir core module launched unmanned

Mar First resident crew to Mir (Soyuz T15)

1987

Feb Second Mir resident crew sets new endurance record of 326 days 11 hrs First manned Soyuz TM variant

Dec First flight of over a year as third Mir resident crew sets endurance record of 365 days 22 hrs

1988

Sep Shuttle Return-to-Flight mission (STS-26)

1990

Apr Hubble Space Telescope deployment (STS-31)

1992

May First flight of Endeavour (STS-49)

1993

Dec First Hubble Service Mission (STS-61)

1994

Jan Valery Polyakov sets new endurance record (437 days 17 hrs) for one mission (lands Mar 1995)

Feb First Russian cosmonaut to fly on Shuttle (Krikalev STS-60)

1995

Feb First Shuttle-Mir rendezvous STS-63/Mir

Eileen Collins becomes first female Shuttle pilot Mar First American launched on Soyuz (Thagard – TM21)

Jul First Shuttle docking with Mir (STS-71 – Thagard down)

Nov Second Shuttle-Mir docking (STS-74)

1996

Mar Third Shuttle-Mir docking (STS-76 – Lucid up)

Sep Fourth Shuttle-Mir docking (STS-79 – Lucid down, Blaha up)

Nov Longest Shuttle mission (17 days 15 hrs – STS-80)

Musgrave becomes only astronaut to fly all five orbiters

1997

Jan Fifth Shuttle-Mir docking (STS-81 – Blaha down, Linenger up)

Feb Second Hubble service mission (STS-82)

May Sixth Shuttle-Mir docking (STS-84 – Linenger down, Foale up)

Jun Collision between unmanned Progress vessel and Mir space station damages Spektr module

Sep Seventh Shuttle-Mir docking (STS-86 – Foale down, Wolf up)

1998

Jan Eighth Shuttle-Mir docking (STS-89 – Wolf down, Thomas up)

Jun Ninth and final Shuttle-Mir docking (STS-91 – Thomas down)

Oct John Glenn returns to space aged 77, 36 years after his first space flight Nov First ISS element launched – Zarya FGB Dec First ISS Shuttle mission (STS-88)

1999

Jul Eileen Collins becomes first female US mission commander (STS-93)

Aug Mir vacated for first time in ten years Dec Third Hubble service mission (STS-103)

2000

Apr Last (28th) Mir resident crew (72 days)

Oct First ISS resident crew launched

2001

Mar Mir space station de-orbits after 15 years service

Apr Dennis Tito becomes first space flight participant, or “tourist”

2002

Mar Fourth Hubble service mission (STS-109)

Apr Jerry Ross becomes first person to fly seven missions in space Oct First manned flight of Soyuz TMA

2003

Feb Columbia and crew of seven lost during entry phase of mission STS-107

Apr ISS assumes two-person caretaker crews

Oct First Chinese manned spaceflight (Shenzhou 5)

Yang Liwei becomes first Chinese national in space

2004

Sep Spaceship One flies to 337,500 ft (102.87 km)

Oct Spaceship One flies to 367,442 ft (111.99 km) claiming $10 million X-Prize

2005

Jul Shuttle Return-to-Flight mission 1 – STS-114 Oct First Chinese two-man space flight – Shenzhou 6

2006

Jul Second Shuttle Return-to-Flight mission – STS-121 Aug ISS returns to three-person capability

Resumption of ISS construction – STS-115

The authors have referred to their own extensive archives in the compilation of this book. In addition, the following publications and resources were of great help in assembling the data:

The Press Kits, News releases and mission information from NASA, ESA, CSA, RKK-Energiya, JAXA (NASDA), CNES, and Novosti have been invaluable resources for many years

Magazines:

Flight International 1961-2006

Aviation Week and Space Technology 1961-2006

BIS Spaceflight 1961-2006

Soviet Weekly/Soviet News 1961-1990

Orbiter, Astro Info Service 1984-1992

Zenit, Astro Info Service, 1985-1991

ESA Bulletin 1975-2006

British Interplanetary Society Books:

History of Mir 1986-2000; Mir: The Final Year Supplement, Editor Rex Hall 2000/ 2001

The ISS Imagination to Reality Volume 1 Ed Rex Hall 2002 The ISS Imagination to Reality Volume 2, Ed Rex Hall 2005

NASA Reports:

NASA Astronautics and Aeronautics, various volumes, 1961-1995

Mir Hardware Heritage, David S. F. Portree NASA RP-1357, March 1995. Walking to Olympus: An EVA Chronology, David S. F. Portree and Robert C. Trevino, NASA Monograph in Aerospace history, #7 October 1997

NASA Histories:

1966 This New Ocean, a History of Project Mercury, SP-4201

1977 On the Shoulders of Titans: A history of Project Gemini, NASA SP-4203

1978 The Partnership: A history of Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, NASA SP-4209

1979 Chariots for Apollo: A history of manned lunar spacecraft, NASA SP-4205 1983 Living and working in space: A history of Skylab NASA SP 4208

1977 Where No Man Has Gone Before: a history of Apollo lunar exploration missions, NASA SP-4214

2000 Challenge to Apollo: the Soviet Union and the Space Race 1945-1974, Asif Siddiqi, NASA SP-2000-4408

Other Books:

1980 Handbook of Soviet Manned Space Flight, Nicholas L. Johnson, AAS Vol 48, Science and Technology Series

1981 The History of Manned Spaceflight, David Baker

1987 Heroes in Space: From Gagarin to Challenger, Peter Bond

1988 Space Shuttle Log: The First 25 Flights, Gene Gurney and Jeff Forte

1988 The Soviet Manned Space Programme, Phillip Clark

1989 The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Space Technology, Chief Author Ken Gatland

1990 Almanac of Soviet Manned Space Flight, Dennis Newkirk

1992 At the Edge of Space: The X-15 Flight Program, Milton O. Thompson 1999 Who’s Who in space: The ISS Edition, Michael Cassutt 2001 Space Shuttle, History and Development of the National STS Program, Dennis Jenkins

Springer-Praxis Space Science Series (which include extensive references and bibliographies for further reading)

1999 Exploring the Moon: The Apollo Expeditions, David M. Harland

2000 Disasters and Accidents in Manned Spaceflight, David J. Shayler

2000 The Challenges of Human Space Exploration, Marsha Freeman

2001 Russia in Space: The Failed Frontier, Brian Harvey

2001 The Rocket Men, Vostok & Voskhod, the First Soviet Manned Spaceflights, Rex Hall and David J. Shayler 2001 Skylab:; America’s Space Station, David J. Shayler 2001 Gemini: Steps to the Moon, David J. Shayler

2001 Project Mercury: NASA’s First Manned Space Programme, John Catchpole

2002 The Continuing Story of the International Space Station, Peter Bond

Creating the International Space Station, David M. Harland and John E. Catchpole

Apollo: Lost and Forgotten Missions, David J. Shayler

Soyuz, a Universal Spacecraft, Rex Hall and David J. Shayler

China’s Space Programme: From Concept to Manned Spaceflight, Brian

Harvey

Walking in Space, David J. Shayler

The Story of the Space Shuttle, David M Harland

The Story of Space Station Mir, David M. Harland

Women in Space: Following Valentina, David J Shayler and Ian Moule

Space Shuttle Columbia: Her Missions and Crews, Ben Evans.

Russia’s Cosmonauts: Inside the Yuri Gagarin Training Center, Rex Hall, David J. Shayler and Bert Vis

Apollo: The Definitive Source Book, Richard W. Orloff and David M. Harland

NASA Scientist Astronauts, Colin Burgess and David J. Shayler

The X-15, whose programme operated between June 1959 and October 1968, was a rocket-powered aircraft built by North American Aviation. The programme was operated as a joint NASA/USAF/USN venture, for aeronautical research at speeds in excess of Mach 6 and altitudes up to and beyond 50 miles. The fastest recorded speed was eventually 4,520 mph (Mach 6.7) and the highest altitude achieved was 354,200 feet (66.8 miles).

Date Free-flight Pilot Aircraft Altitude (miles)

1962 Jul 17 62 White 3 59.16 (95.18km)

First FAI-certified world altitude record; 3 aborts preceded the attempt. The rocket engine fired for one second longer than planned resulting in a speed 248mph (399kph) faster than planned. At peak altitude White could see a panorama that stretched from San Francisco in California down to Mexico.

1963 Jan 17 77 Walker 3 51 (82.05km)

Walker’s flight was to study the handling of the X-15 without its ventral fin at extreme altitudes and to conduct an infra-red experiment.

1963 Jun 27 87 Rushworth 3 55 (88.49km)

This flight was aimed at providing the pilot with experience of high-altitude handling and phenomena.

1963 Jul 19 90 Walker 3 65.3 (105.06 km)

On this flight, Walker was to study the expansion of the airframe during re-entry with the ventral fin removed. He also deployed and towed a nitrogen-filled balloon and conducted horizon-scanning, photo­metric, infra-red and ultraviolet observations, all in ten minutes.

1963 Aug 22 91 Walker 3 66.75 (107.40km)

Walker’s third “astro-flight’’ reached the highest altitude attained by an X-15 in 199 free-flights. He also attained a speed of Mach 5.58 (3,794mph or 6,104.5kph).

1965 Jun 29 138 Engle 3 53.14 (85.50 km)

Engle’s first “astro-flight’’ included a horizon-scanning experiment.

1965 Aug 10 143 Engle 3 51.7 (83.18km)

Engle’s second ‘‘astro-flight’’ occurred just 8 months prior to his selection as a NASA astronaut. He was the first astronaut selected who already held ‘‘astronaut-pilot wings’’.

1965 Sep 29 150 McKay 3 56 (90.10km)

After surviving a crash of the X-15 #2 aircraft that almost killed him in 1962, McKay finally completed an ‘‘astro-flight’’ which investigated boundary-layer noise and structural loads on the horizontal tail, as well as horizon-scanning experiments.

1965 Oct 14 153 Engle 1 50.17 (80.72km)

In his third ‘‘astro-flight’’, Engle completed a programme that included taking measurements of atmo­spheric pressure and further experiments in the scanning of Earth’s horizon.

1966 Nov 1 174 Dana 3 58 (93.32km)

This flight included the objectives of collecting micrometeorites, and tests of a dual-channel radiometer and a tip-pod accelerometer. Precise measurements of the attitude and density of the atmosphere were also taken.

1967 Oct 17 190 Knight 3 53.4 (85.92km)

Further collection of micrometeorites, the recording of wing-tip pod deflection during re-entry, observations of the ultraviolet plume of the XLR99 rocket exhaust, and studies of the solar spectrum above 200,000ft (60,960 metres) were all objectives assigned to this mission.

1967 Nov 15 191 Adams 3 50.4 (81.09 km)

The scientific objectives of this 12th ‘‘astro-flight’’ of the programme, included a UV study of the rocket exhaust plume, observations of the solar spectrum and the bow shockwave of the wing-tip pod. Nose-gear loads were to be observed, micrometeoroids collected and an ablative material tested for use on the Saturn 5 booster. Adams was killed on this flight and was awarded his USAF Astronaut Wings posthumously.

1968 Aug 21 197 Knight 1 50.7 (81.57km)

The final X-15 ‘‘astro-flight’’ was just two missions prior to the end of the programme. The planned 200th flight was cancelled. In 199 free-flight missions, the three X-15s had logged 30 hours 13 minutes 49.4 sec­onds in flight and had flown 41,763.8 miles (67,197.95 km). Pilot experience at Mach 4 was almost 6 hours, with a further 90 minutes at Mach 5 and 78 seconds at Mach 6.

Fifteen pilots were selected to fly the X-15, although there was no formal selection process. They were all qualified test pilots prior to assignment to the programme. Eventually, only twelve flew X-15 missions, of which there were 199 completed by the three X-15 vehicles. In addition, several captive flights were executed, where the X-15 was not released from under the wing of the B-52 launch aircraft.

Although not considered as a spacecraft, the X-15 did operate in a region of the upper atmosphere whose conditions were only fractionally different from those encountered by a vehicle in Earth orbit. In the early 1960s, the USAF had declared that flights above 50 miles (80.45 km) would be classified as a space flight. They would award USAF Astronaut Wings to honour those USAF pilots that attained this altitude. In contrast, the Federation Aeronautique International (FAI), the inter­national aeronautical record-keeping body, decided that flights over 100 kilometres (or 62 miles) would be classified as space flights.

Of the 199 X-15 flights, thirteen surpassed the 50-mile altitude barrier, and these have been designated astro-flights, rather than space flights. Eight of the X-15 pilots (Walker, White, Rushworth, Engle, McKay, Dana, Knight and Adams) flew these thirteen missions. Of these, only five (White, Rushworth, Engle, Knight and Adams) were USAF pilots who received the USAF wings. The remaining three (Walker, McKay and Dana) were civilians and did not qualify for the USAF title. However, Walker completed two X-15 flights in excess of the FAI qualification altitude.

The core module of Mir was launched in February 1986 and the fully assembled multi­module station was de-orbited fifteen years later in March 2001. In between, it housed 28 main crews and a host of visiting crews, including 16 international guest cosmo­nauts and 7 NASA astronauts on long-duration missions. A total of 41 Russian cosmonauts also visited, lived and worked on the station, as did 37 Shuttle astronauts during 9 docking missions. The station eventually acted as the link between Russia and the USA. The spiralling cost of the original US-led Space Station Freedom programme, and the collapse of the Soviet Union, led to Russia becoming part of the International Space Station programme which, despite national calls for extending the life of the station or launching a second Mir, eventually took over from the historic Mir station in 2000 as the main focus for Russian space efforts.

Mir’s base block was 13.13 m long with a maximum diameter of 4.15 m. It featured a forward docking node, with five other ports allowing transport craft to dock at the forward or aft ports of the module. Four separate science modules were later added. Kvant was docked permanently at the rear port and had its own aft facility to allow continued docking at the rear of the complex by Soyuz and Progress craft. The other modules were located around the forward docking node. Extensive EVA work from the node, and then from Kvant 2 enhanced and supported Mir’s research programme and capabilities.

Flight Crew

BEREGOVOY, Georgy Timofeyevich, 47, Soviet Air Force, pilot

Flight Log

The remarkable statistic regarding the Soyuz 1-2 debacle was that, had it been successful, the first Soviet space docking would have been achieved on a manned mission, against all previous Soviet traditions. The Soviets brought things back to normal with the unmanned, automatic docking flights of Cosmos 186-188 and 212­213 in late 1967 and the spring of 1968. It was assumed, naturally, that a manned docking was to follow. First Soyuz 2 was launched (from Pad 1) – on 25 October – secretly and unmanned. Then the following day, the oldest man in space to date, Georgy Beregovoy, boarded Soyuz 3, which was launched at 13: 34hrs local time from the other Soyuz pad (31), the first time this was used for a manned launch, and injected into a 51.6° inclination orbit. By the time it arrived, recorded pictures of his ascent appeared on Soviet television, together with the delayed announcement of the launch of Soyuz 2.

The manned docking seemed to be on, but it was not to be. Beregovoy’s Soyuz merely made an automatic approach to within 167 m (548 ft). It was revealed in 1989 that the test pilot cosmonaut had been trying to dock with Soyuz 2 while flying Soyuz 3 upside down! He had to be “rescued’’ by ground control from his precarious pre­dicament and further attempts to dock were called off. A further rendezvous was conducted before Soyuz 2 returned to Earth on 28 October. Beregovoy spent the rest of the mission making observations and showing television viewers around his space­ship, which even featured little curtains on the window of the Orbital Module. It was no coincidence that Apollo 7 had just returned to Earth having featured the “Wally, Donn and Walt’’ television shows that had earned them accolades from the US TV industry. Beregovoy, who had reached a maximum altitude of 252 km (157 miles) during the mission, the twenty-fifth manned orbital space flight, fired his retros for

145 seconds on 30 October and landed safely near Karaganda, after a flight of 3 days 22 hours 50 minutes 45 seconds.

Milestones

27th manned space flight

10th Soviet manned space flight

2nd Soyuz manned space flight

1st manned launch from Pad 31

1st Soviet launch to be shown on network television

Flight Crew

TRULY, Richard Harrison, 45, USN, commander, 2nd mission Previous mission: STS-2 (1981)

BRANDENSTEIN, Daniel Charles, 40, USN, pilot GARDNER, Dale Allan, 34, USN, mission specialist 1 BLUFORD, Guion Stewart, 40, USAF, mission specialist 2 THORNTON, William Edgar, 54, civilian, mission specialist 3

Flight Log

An awe-inspiring lift-off from the Kennedy Space Center at 02: 32 hrs local time, the first night launch in the Shuttle programme and only the second in US manned space flight history, was seen within a radius of 720 km (447 miles), but was lucky to have been given the go-ahead. Lightning had struck the launch tower hours before the launch and rain swept conditions delayed it for 17 minutes until mission controllers felt that they had found a hole in the weather and that conditions would be good enough for Challenger to actually make it back to the KSC in one piece following any return to launch site abort.

Already delayed from 4 August due to technical problems including an in-orbit check of TDRS-1, Challenger headed through the clouds as a fuzzy orange halo while the moisture-laden air reflected and amplified the sound, making it the noisiest affair. Inside the Shuttle, the visual effects were both spectacular and a bit frightening. During the SRB burn, unbeknown to NASA at the time, ablative material on one of the SRB nozzles, designed to burn through to 4cm (1jin) in the 3,200°C tem­peratures, actually burned through to just 1.3 cm (2- in). Complete burn through, NASA discovered later, could have caused side-thrusting exhaust to put Challenger out of control. The problem delayed the next mission, STS-9, which had its SRBs replaced as a precautionary measure.

Once on orbit, with an inclination of 28.4° and a maximum altitude of 265 km (165 miles), the commercial objectives of STS-8 were achieved quickly when India’s Insat 1A was deployed from the payload bay, with a slight clinking sound which may have been the result of it knocking against a Shuttle fixture. This probably caused the damage to the satellite that was discovered later when one of the solar panels would not deploy properly at first. Challenger was originally to have carried TDRS-2 but this was replaced by Insat and a 3,383 kg (7,458 lb) Payload Test Article, brought forward from STS-11 and shaped like a giant dumb-bell. This was unberthed and held in various positions to evaluate the performance of the RMS in handling heavy payloads.

Challenger appraised the use of the TDRS-1 satellite to communicate with mission control and the new link enabled the first in-flight press conference since ASTP to be staged and excellent TV coverage to be beamed to Earth. Communica­tions during re-entry via TDRS were not possible, however, due to a computer fault. Commander Truly concentrated on a programme of the most detailed Earth photography since Skylab, while the other astronauts concentrated on their special­ities, including Bluford’s operation of the McDonnell Douglas electrophoresis machine to process living cells for the first time. Meanwhile, the oldest man in space, Dr. Bill Thornton, aged 54 – who was only added to STS-8 at a late stage to study space motion sickness – operated “Dr. Bill’s Clinic’’, learning more in an hour than all the previous years he had put in on the Earth, he said.

After a smooth re-entry, during which Truly performed a series of hypersonic turns and banks, the crew got their first site of Edwards at Mach 2 and 22,860 m (75,000 ft), illuminated by the six xenon lights of runway 22, which greeted Challenger’s first US night landing in manned space flight history, at T + 6 days 1 hour 8 minutes 43 seconds.

Milestones

93rd manned space flight

39th US manned space flight

8th Shuttle mission

3rd flight of Challenger

1st US manned space flight to end at night

1st African American space traveller

Oldest first time space traveller (Thornton), aged 54

In between the flights of STS-8 and STS-9, the Soviet Union attempted to launch Soyuz T10. The mission was aborted following a launch pad fire and is covered in detail in the chapter Quest for Space.

Flight Crew

SHAW, Brewster Hopkinson Jr., 40, USAF, commander, 2nd mission Previous mission: STS-9 (1983)

O’CONNOR, Bryan Daniel, 38, USMC, pilot

ROSS, Jerry Lynn, 37, USAF, mission specialist 1

CLEAVE, Mary Louise, 38, civilian, mission specialist 2

SPRING, Sherwood Clark “Woody’’, 41, US Army, mission specialist 3

WALKER, Charles David, 37, civilian, payload specialist 1, 3rd mission

Previous missions: STS 41-D (1984); STS 51-D (1985)

NERI VELA, Rudolpho, 33, civilian, payload specialist 2

Flight Log

Such was the apparently routine nature of Space Shuttle flights by November 1985 that the 61-B mission’s extraordinary EVA operations were left unheralded. The flight got off to a spectacular start at 19: 29 hrs local time at the KSC, the third night launch in the US manned space programme and the second by the Shuttle. Unlike Challenger’s ascent into thunder clouds on STS-8, Atlantis began the 61-B mission in skies so clear that the ascent could be seen over 640 km (398 miles) away. Riding the mid-deck were two payload specialists with a difference, Mexico’s Rudolpho Neri Vela, flying courtesy of his country’s booking of the Shuttle to deploy the Morelos national communications satellite – and who was to become the last international passenger on the Shuttle – and McDonnell Douglas’s Charlie Walker, who was flying for the third time – more than any of the professional NASA crew. Indeed, by the end of the mission, Walker had clocked up more Shuttle flight experience than all the NASA astronauts, except Crippen and Hartsfield.

Atlantis reached a 28° inclination orbit and a maximum height of 334 km (208 miles) during the mission, which included the routine deployments of Morelos,

Aussat and a Satcom Ku-band satellite, and the remarkable EASE-ACCESS EVA experiments. These were performed by astronauts Jerry Ross (EV1) and Sherwood Spring (EV2), who erected a series of truss frames in a rehearsal of proposed space station construction procedures. The photography of the two EVAs on 1 and 3 December was splendid, one showing Spring standing at the end of a 13.7 m (45 ft) long tower, erected over the payload bay. The EVAs lasted 5 hours 34 minutes and 6 hours 46 minutes.

Probably the best Shuttle flight in the pre-Challenger era of the programme, 61-B came home to Edwards Air Force Base’s runway 22 at T + 6 days 21 hours 4 minutes 49 seconds, after a mission shortened by one orbit because of concerns over landing lighting conditions.

Milestones

113th manned space flight

54th US manned space flight

23rd Shuttle flight

2nd flight of Atlantis

1st manned space flight by a Mexican

23rd US and 33rd flight with EVA operations

The Fourth Decade: 1991-2000 Posted by admin in Praxis Manned Spaceflight Log 1961-2006 on November 2, 2015 STS-37 Int. Designation 1991-027A Launched 5 April 1991 Launch Site Pad 39B, Kennedy Space Center, Florida Landed 11 April 1991 Landing Site Runway 33, Edwards Air Force Base, California Launch Vehicle OV-104 Atlantis/ET-37/SRB BI-042/SSME #1 2019; #2 2031; #3 2107 Duration 5 days 23hrs 32 min 44 sec Call sign Atlantis Objective Deployment of the Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO), the second of NASA’s four great observatories; EVA Development Flight Experiments Flight Crew NAGEL, Steven Ray, 44, USAF, commander, 3rd mission Previous missions: STS 51-G (1985); STS 61-A (1985) CAMERON, Kenneth Donald, 41, USMC, pilot GODWIN, Linda Maxine, 38, civilian, mission specialist 1 ROSS, Jerry Lynn, 43, USAF, mission specialist 2, 3rd mission Previous missions: STS 61-B (1985); STS-27 (1988) APT, Jerome “Jay”, 41, civilian, mission specialist 3 Flight Log Atlantis left the pad almost on time with low-level clouds causing the only delay, of four minutes. Atlantis now carried newly upgraded general purpose computers. The primary payload, the Gamma Ray Observatory, was deployed during FD 3 (7 April), but its high-gain antenna failed to deploy on command. Ross (EV1) and Apt (EV2) performed an unscheduled EVA, the first since April 1985 (STS 51-D) to manually deploy the antenna, permitting the observatory to be successfully released into orbit. The two EVA astronauts had been preparing to exit the Shuttle in the event of something going wrong with the deployment, and as the GRO was lifted out of the payload bay by the RMS, they were checking out their suits. The solar panels of the GRO were opened to their full span of 21 m, although the high-gain antenna it unlatched did not deploy its 5-metre boom. As the procedures for the contingency EVA were faxed up to the crew, Ross and Apt donned their suits and prepared to exit the vehicle. Meanwhile, the crew fired the thrusters on the Shuttle to try to shake the boom loose, but without success. During the 4 hour 26 minute EVA, Ross tried to push the boom free. When that did not work, they set up a work platform to proceed with the manual deployment sequence they had practised four times in the Weightless Still in the grasp of the RMS the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory is held above Jay Apt during the successful 7 April EVA to free its high-gain antenna Environment Training Facility, or WETF, during training. Finding adequate hand holds was a problem, especially during the night time pass of the orbit. While Apt checked to ensure they were not damaging the boom, Ross removed a locking pin and pulled the antenna boom to its deployment position, then used a wrench to lock it into position. While they were outside, they also took the opportunity to perform some of the planned EVA Development Flight Experiment activities by evaluating hand rails, measuring the forces imparted on the foot restraints during the performance of simple tasks, and performing translation exercises. When the GRO was ready for deployment they returned to the airlock, but did not re-pressurise it in case they were needed again. They watched the deployment from the vantage point of the airlock hatch. The following day (8 April), both men were back outside for the scheduled EVA (5 hours 47 minutes). This time, the two astronauts assembled a 14.6-metre track down the port side of the payload bay and fixed the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) cart to it. This was an evaluation of the type of cart that would be installed on the space station to aid movement over long distances, saving the astronauts’ energy. They also evaluated using the RMS out over the aft of the payload bay at varying speeds, using strain gauges to measure the slippage of the arm’s brakes. They found that RMS-based tasks took longer to perform than expected and also they found themselves suffering from the cold due to excessive EMU cooling, giving rise to concerns that the same might occur during space station construction EVAs, especially on the night-side passes. New EVA gloves that were tested proved disappointing, despite excellent results obtained on Earth. The crew also recom­mended that back-to-back EVAs should be avoided due to crew fatigue. During the post-flight debriefing, Apt reported that the right-hand index finger of his EVA glove had sustained an abrasion and inspections revealed that the palm bar had penetrated the glove bladder by about 1 cm. Had the palm bar come out of the glove again during EVA, it was estimated that the leakage rate would not have been sufficient to activate the secondary oxygen pack, but it was clear that more work was needed on the glove design before the more arduous EVAs planned for the space station. With the GRO deployed and two EVAs accomplished, the crew worked on their mid-deck experiments, including testing components of the Space Station Heat Pipe Advanced Radiator Element, to better understand the fluid transfer process at work in microgravity. They also processed chemicals with the BioServa apparatus, operated the Protein Crystal Growth apparatus, and made contact with several hundred amateur radio operators across the world. Due to unacceptable winds at the primary site at Edwards in California, and bad weather at the Cape, the homecoming of Atlantis was delayed by a day from 10 April, with the crew taking the opportunity to photograph the Earth. The Gamma Ray Observatory included four instruments that observed the electromagnetic spectrum from 30keV to 30GeV. Subsequently renamed after Dr. Arthur Folly Compton, who won the Nobel Prize in physics for his work on the scattering of high-energy photons by electrons, the observatory initially worked well, but after six months problems developed in the onboard tape recorders, with high error rates in the data. This forced NASA to use the TDRS to relay data to Earth in real time instead of storing it and downloading it later. Despite the reduction in the amount of data returned, this problem did not prevent the completion of a planned all-sky survey by November 1992. The Compton Observatory’s results have been important, but are less well known than the high-profile images from Hubble. Its studies of solar flares, pulsars, X-ray binary systems, and numerous high-energy emissions have all contributed to a better understanding of gamma ray sources in deep space. The observatory was safely de-orbited and re-entered Earth’s atmosphere on 4 June 2000, nine years after its deployment from Atlantis. Milestones 139th manned space flight 69th US manned space flight 39th Shuttle mission 8th flight of Atlantis (OV-104) 24th US and 42nd flight with EVA operations Mission completed first decade of STS flight operations 1st US EVA since December 1985 Flight Crew COATS, Michael Lloyd, 45, USN, commander, 3rd mission Previous missions: STS 41-D (1984), STS-29 (1989) HAMMOND Jr., Blaine Lloyd, 38, USAF, pilot HARBAUGH, Gregory Jordan, 34, civilian, mission specialist 1 McMONAGLE, Donald Ray, 38, USAF, mission specialist 2 BLUFORD, Guion, 48, USAF, mission specialist 3, 3rd mission Previous missions: STS-8 (1983); STS 61-A (1985) VEACH, Charles Lacy, 46, civilian, mission specialist 4 HIEB, Richard James, 35, civilian, mission specialist 5 Flight Log The launch of this unclassified DoD mission was originally scheduled for 9 March, but significant cracks were discovered on all four hinges on the two ET umbilical door mechanisms during processing at Pad 39A. The stack was rolled back to the VAB on 7 March and the tank sent to the OPF for repairs. After the stack was returned to the pad on 1 April, the launch attempt scheduled for 23 April was postponed due to problems with a high-pressure oxidiser turbo-pump for SSME # 3 during pre-launch loading. After replacement and testing, launch was rescheduled again, this time to 28 April. STS-39 was one of the most complicated Shuttle missions to date. The purpose of the mission was to fly an unclassified DoD programme to enhance US national security by gathering scientific data that was essential to the development of advanced missile detection systems. The crew, working a two-shift system (Red Team: Ham­mond, Veach, Heib; Blue Team: Harbaugh, McMongagle, Bluford – Coats working This view of the payload bay of Discovery reveals some of the STS-39 payload, including the top of the STP-1 payload on the Hitchhiker carrier, and the AF-675 package comprising CIRRIS – 1A, FAR UV, HUP, QIMMS and the URA with either as required), also completed a variety of sophisticated experiments, including the deployment of five separate spacecraft. The Shuttle Pallet Satellite II (SPAS-II) supported both an infrared and an imaging telescope that studied the Earth’s limb, the aurora, the orbiter’s environment, and the stars both during free-flight and while attached to the RMS. Also aboard SPAS-II was the Infrared Background Signature Survey (IBSS), which was used to image and measure the spectral nature of rocket exhaust plumes by observing both firings of Discovery’s RCS from different attitudes, and the ejection of three sub-satellites deployed from can­isters in the payload bay which released chemical gases. Simultaneous observations of these gas releases were made by Earth-based instruments at Vandenberg AFB in California. The other classified deployable payload was designated the Multi-Purpose Release Canister. Space Test Payload 1 (AFP-675) comprised five instruments designed to observe the atmosphere, aurora and stars in the infrared, far ultraviolet and X-ray wave­lengths. The Cryogenic Infrared Radiance Instrument for Shuttle (CIRRIS) used an infrared detector chilled by super-cold (cryogenic) liquid helium to study airglow and auroral emissions form Earth’s upper atmosphere. The coolant was used faster than anticipated, which made this experiment a priority over SPAS II/IBSS and delayed the latter by 24 hours. Mike Coats reported that passing through the auroral displays was “just like flying through a curtain of light’’. The rescheduled experiment returned 50 per cent more data than planned. STP-1 also included the FAR UV Cameras, the Uniformly Redundant Array, the Horizon UV Program and the Quadruple Ion – Neutral Mass Spectrometer. When two tape recorders failed these instruments were adversely affected, but the crew demonstrated the value of humans in space by performing a complicated bypass repair, rerouting data via an orbiter antenna and via TDRS to the ground, fulfilling the objectives for these experiments. The crew also took advantage of their orbital inclination to take colour and infrared pictures of important surface features and phenomena on Earth, including Lake Baikal in Russia, oil field fires in Kuwait, and the results of a devastating typhoon in the Indian Ocean and fires in Central America, whose smoke palls had drifted over Texas and as far east as Florida. The crew landed at the SLF in Florida due to unacceptably high winds at Edwards AFB. Milestones 140th manned space flight 70th US manned space flight 40th Shuttle mission 12th mission of OV-103 Discovery 8th DoD Shuttle mission 1st unclassified DoD Shuttle mission 1st flight crew to comprise 7 NASA astronauts STS-53 Posted by admin in Praxis Manned Spaceflight Log 1961-2006 on November 2, 2015 Int. Designation 1992-086A Launched 2 December 1992 Launch Site Pad 39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida Landed 9 December 1992 Landing Site Runway 22, Edwards AFB, California Launch Vehicle OV-103 Discovery/ET-49/SRB BI-055/SSME #1 2024; #2 2012; #3 2017 Duration 7 days 7 hrs 19 min 47 sec Call sign Discovery Objective Deployment of classified DoD payload (DOD-1); operation of two secondary and nine mid-deck experiments Flight Crew WALKER, David Mathiesan, USN, commander, 3rd mission Previous missions: STS 51-A (1984); STS-30 (1989) CABANA, Robert Donald, USMC, pilot, 2nd mission Previous mission: STS-41 (1990) BLUFORD Jr., Guion Stewart, USAF, mission specialist 1, 4th mission Previous missions: STS-8 (1983); STS 61-A (1985); STS-39 (1991) VOSS, James Shelton, US Army, mission specialist 2, 2nd mission Previous mission: STS-44 (1991) CLIFFORD, Michael Richard Uram, US Army, mission specialist 3 Flight Log STS-53 was Discovery’s 15th mission, its first since STS-42 the previous year. During the intervening 23 months, 78 major modifications had been made to the orbiter while still at KSC. These included the addition of a drag parachute for landing and the capability of redundant nose wheel steering. The launch was delayed by one hour 25 minutes to allow the sunlight to melt ice on the ET that had accumulated thanks to overnight temperatures of —4°C. The initial activity after reaching orbit was the deployment of a military satellite on FD 1. The satellite remains classified, although the payload was later identified as the third Advanced Satellite Data Systems Intelligence Relay Satellite. Once that deployment had been completed, the remainder of the mission became declassified. The crew continued with their experiment programme of two cargo bay and nine mid­deck experiments, most of which were instigated by the Defense Department Space Test Program Office, headquartered at Los Angeles AFB in California. The experiment payload on Discovery included the Shuttle Glow Experiment/ Cryogenic Heat Pipe Experiment, which measured and recorded electrically charged The end of one phase of Shuttle operations as Discovery lands on Runway 22 at Edwards AFB, signalling the final flight of dedicated DoD Shuttle missions. Almost eight years earlier in January 1985, the Discovery orbiter completed the first dedicated DoD mission STS 51-C landing at Kennedy particles as they struck the tail of the orbiter. The second part of this experiment provided research into the use of super-cold LO pipelines for spacecraft cooling. Also in the payload bay was the NASA Orbital Debris Radar Calibration Spheres (ODERACS) experiment, designed to improve the accuracy of ground-based radars in detection, identification and tracking of orbital space debris. In the mid-deck, the Microcapsule in Space and Space Tissue Loss experiments were devoted to medical research, while the Vision Function Test measured the changes in astronauts’ vision that might occur in the microgravity environment. The Cosmic Radiation Effects and Activation Monitor (CREAM) recorded levels of radiation inside the mid-deck, as did the Radiation Monitoring Experiment. There was a joint USN, US Army and NASA experiment for the crew to locate 25 preselected ground sites with a one nautical mile accuracy. This was an evaluation of detecting laser beams from space and the use of such beams in ground-to-spacecraft communications. Other experiments included a photographic assessment of cloud fields for DoD systems, while the Fluid Acquisition and Resupply Experiment studied the motion of liquids in microgravity during simulated refuelling of propellant tanks with distilled water. There were also seven medical tests, including a re-flight of the rowing machine rather than the treadmill for physical exercise. This crew dubbed themselves “the Dogs of War Crew’’, as they represented all four branches of the US armed forces. Their training team had been called “Bad Dog’’ and these combined to have the STS-53 crew become known as the “Dog Crew” (and they often quipped that they were “working like dogs” throughout their mission). Walker was known as “Red Dog”, Cabana was known as “Mighty Dog” and Clifford, being the rookie, was known as “Puppy Dog”. Bluford became “Dog Gone” and Voss became “Dog Face”. The crew mascot was known as “Duty Dog” and a stowaway that looked over the crew during the mission (a rubber dog mask hung over an orange launch and entry suit) was known as “Dog Breath”. The landing was originally scheduled for KSC but was diverted to Edwards due to clouds in the vicinity of the SLF. Following the landing, a small leak was detected in the forward thrusters, delaying the egress of the crew until fans and winds dissipated the leaking gas. Milestones 156th manned space flight 82nd US manned space flight 52nd Shuttle mission 15th flight of Discovery 10th and final dedicated DoD Shuttle mission 1 2 3 … 20 Next » Tweet Copyright © 2025 Aviation – airports, aircraft, helicopters … - Everything about aviation. Aviation News from around the world. Commercial and General Aviation, airports, airplanes, helicopters and other aircraft.