STS-43: ТDRS-5 спутнигін ұшыру миссиясы

1991 American crewed spaceflight to deploy TDRS 5

STS 43, the ninth mission for Space Shuttle Atlantis, was a nine day mission whose primary goal was launching the TDRS E satellite (TDRS 5). The flight also tested an advanced heatpipe radiator for potential use on the then future space station and conducted a variety of medical and materials science investigations.

Seat Launch Landing Seats 1–4 are on the Flight Deck. Seats 5–7 are on the Middeck. S1 Blaha Blaha S2 Baker Baker S3 Lucid Adamson S4 Low Low S5 Adamson Lucid

The launch took place on August 2, 1991, 11:01:59 a. m. EDT. Launch was originally set for July 23, 1991, but was moved to July 24 to allow time to replace a faulty integrated electronics assembly that controls orbiter/external tank separation. The mission was postponed again about five hours before liftoff on July 24, 1991, due to a faulty main engine controller on the number three main engine. The controller was replaced and retested; launch was reset for August 1, 1991. Liftoff set for 11:01 a. m. delayed due to cabin pressure vent valve reading and postponed at 12:28 p. m. due to unacceptable return to launch site weather conditions. Launch finally occurred on August 2, 1991, without further delays. TDRS E, which became TDRS 5 on orbit, was successfully boosted to geosynchronous orbit at more than 22,000 miles above Earth by two firings of the Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) booster, the last of which occurred approximately 12½ hours into the mission. TDRS then deployed its antennas and solar panels, and separation from the IUS took place less than 45 minutes later. The TDRS network of satellites provides the vital communication link between Earth and low orbiting spacecraft such as the Space Shuttle. Until the STS 43 deployment, there were three TDRS spacecraft on orbit above the equator: two were in the west position over the Pacific Ocean, southwest of Hawaii. TDRS 4 was in the east position over the northeast corner of Brazil. TDRS B was lost in the Challenger accident in 1986. After STS 43, the two satellites in the west became on orbit spares; TDRS 5, after activation, checkout and calibration, officially became the primary provider of services in the west location on October 7, 1991. It was stationed at 175° west longitude. Previously, orbiting spacecraft could communicate with Earth only when in sight of a ground tracking station – about 15 percent of each orbit. The TDRS network allows communication from 85% to 100% of an orbit, depending on the spacecraft's altitude. The crew was kept busy with the operation of varied experiments during the nine day flight. The Space Station Heat Pipe Advanced Radiator Element (SHARE II) experiment tested a natural cooling process for transferring thermal energy that could serve as a cooling system for Space Station Freedom. The Solid Surface Combustion Experiment (SSCE) provided some answers about how fire behaves in microgravity. The crew also activated other previously flown materials science experiments and participated in medical experiments in support of long duration flights. One test showed that optical fibers could provide video and audio links between the flight deck and the payload bay. Crew members in space and flight controllers on the ground demonstrated their ingenuity when they adapted a camera part to replace one that had not been packed for the mission. The mission was also notable for being the first one to send an email from space. On August 9, 1991, astronauts Lucid and Adamson used AppleLink to write an email from a Macintosh Portable addressed to Marsha S. Ivins at Johnson Space Center. The message read:

The crew experienced some minor problems, none of them critical to the safety or success of the mission. A cooling system for Auxiliary Power Unit (APU 2) failed to activate during an on orbit test. APU 2 is one of three redundant systems which provide hydraulic pressurization to orbiter steering systems during entry and landing. APU 2 was still available for use in landing. Atlantis landed on August 11, 1991, at 8:23:25 a. m. EDT, on Runway 15, at Kennedy Space Center.

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. + Day Song Artist/Composer Played for Day 2 Back in the High Life Steve Winwood Day 3 Excerpts from "Dances with the Wolves" soundtrack James Adamson Day 4 Custom music medley sung by friends of the STS 43 crewfrom Rockwell Downey, in California. Day 5 Music of the Clear Lake High School Orchestra playing selections from "Phantom of the Opera". Commander John Blaha's daughter, Caroline, plays in the orchestra. Andrew Lloyd Webber John Blaha Day 6 What a Wonderful World Louis Armstrong Day 7 Cowboy in the Continental Suit Chris LeDoux James Adamson Day 8 Washington and Lee University fight song G. David Low Day 9 Sounds from Shannon Lucid's backyard