STS-30

Infobox Space mission
mission_name = STS-30
insignia = Sts-30-patch.png shuttle = Atlantis
launch_pad = 39-B
launch = May 4, 1989, 2:48:59 p.m. EDT
landing = May 8, 1989, 12:43:27 p.m. PDT
duration = 4/00:56:28
altitude = 160 nautical miles (296 km)
inclination = 28.8 degrees
orbits = 65
distance = 1,681,997 miles (2,706,912 km)
crew_photo = Sts-30_crew.jpg
crew_caption =
previous = STS-29
next = STS-28

STS-30 was a space shuttle mission by NASA using the Space Shuttle "Atlantis". It was the 29th shuttle mission, and the fourth for "Atlantis". It carried the Magellan probe bound for Venus.

Crew

"(total flights to date in parentheses)"

*David M. Walker (2), Commander
*Ronald J. Grabe (2), Pilot
*Norman E. Thagard (3), Mission Specialist
*Mary L. Cleave (2), Mission Specialist
*Mark C. Lee (1), Mission Specialist

Mission parameters

*Mass:
**"Orbiter liftoff:" 118,441 kg
**"Orbiter landing:" 87,296 kg
**"Payload:" 20,833 kg
*Perigee: 361 km
*Apogee: 366 km
*Inclination: 28.9°
*Period: 91.8 min

Mission highlights

The Space Shuttle "Atlantis" lifted off from Pad B, Launch Complex 39, KSC, at 2:47 p.m. EDT on May 4, 1989. The primary payload, the Magellan spacecraft with its attached Inertial Upper Stage (IUS), was successfully deployed later that day. STS-30 was the first American planetary mission in 11 years. It was the fourth flight of the Orbiter "Atlantis", and the 29th Space Shuttle mission.

Launch was originally scheduled April 28, the first day of the 31-day launch period when Earth and Venus are properly aligned. But liftoff was scrubbed at T-31 seconds because of a problem with the liquid hydrogen recirculation pump on Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) No. 1 and a vapor leak in the liquid hydrogen recirculation line between the orbiter and external tank. On the rescheduledliftoff date, May 4, launch was delayed until the final five minutes of the launch window due to cloud cover and excessive crosswinds at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF). Good landing conditions are required at the SLF in case of a Return To Launch Site (RTLS) abort early in the flight.The only major glitch during the flight occurred on May 7, with the failure of one of the four general purpose computers programmed to operate the orbiter. The crew replaced the computer, part of a redundant set, with a backup one. It was the first time a computer had been switched while in orbit. There was no impact to the crew's safety or the primary objectives of the mission, although some of the activities involved in conducting experiments had to be canceled while the crew was changing out the computer. There also was no impact to the mission when one of the three thrusters on "Atlantis"' aft right-hand Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) pod failed during ascent.

The STS-30 crew experienced several minor annoyances. A Hasselblad camera used to photograph sites on Earth had to be stowed for the remainder of the mission after a shutter stuck during the crew's third day in space. The Text and Graphics Systems (TAGS), a device to send images and graphics to the orbiter from Mission Control, had to be turned off on Flight Day 2 because of a paper jam. Commander Walker and Pilot Grabe had problems with a device used to take measurements of central venous pressure to determine the effects of microgravity on the cardiovascular system. On the second full day in space, the water dispensing system in the galley malfunctioned, causing some difficulties for the crew in preparing meals.

The crew finished the four-day flight with touchdown at Runway 22, Edwards AFB, CA, on May 8, 1989, at 3:43 EDT. Minutes before landing, the runway had to be switched, from 17 to 22, because of crosswinds. The mission elapsed time was 4 days, 0 hours, 56 minutes.

Payload and Experiments. The Magellan spacecraft was deployed fromthe payload bay at 6 hours, 14 minutes, into the mission. Twosuccessive IUS propulsion burns placed the spacecraft on itstrajectory to Venus about an hour later. Magellan arrived at Venus in August 1990 and began a 243-day mission of radar mapping the planet's surface.

Three middeck experiments were included on the mission. All hadflown before. Mission Specialist Cleave used a portable laptopcomputer to operate and monitor the Fluids Experiment Apparatus(FEA). An 8-millimeter video camcorder flown for the first time onthe Shuttle provided the opportunity for the crew to record anddownlink on-orbit activities such as the FEA, which was a jointendeavor between Rockwell International and NASA. Payload bay videocameras were used to record storm systems as part of the MesoscaleLightning Experiment. "Atlantis" was used as a calibration target for athird experiment involving ground-based electro-optical sensors atthe Air Force Maui Optical Station in Hawaii.

Primary payload, Magellan/Venus radar mapper spacecraft and attached Inertial Upper Stage (IUS), deployed six hours, 14 minutes into Flight. IUS first and second stage fired as planned, boosting Magellan spacecraft on proper trajectory for 15-month journey to Venus. Secondary payloads: Mesoscale Lightning Experiment (MLE), microgravity research with Fluids Experiment Apparatus (FEA), and Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS) experiment. One of five General Purpose Computers (GPC) failed and had to be replaced with a sixth onboard hardware spare. First time a GPC was switched on orbit.

ee also

*Space science
*Space shuttle
*List of space shuttle missions
*List of human spaceflights chronologically

External links

* [http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-30/mission-sts-30.html NASA mission summary]
* [http://www.nss.org/resources/library/shuttlevideos/shuttle29.htm STS-30 Video Highlights]