Conference 7.286::space

    I have two things to offer. 
    
    Thing #1. The Atlantis is to be rolled out tonight. The radio said
    like midnight 3/22.
    
    Thing #2. The same radio story claims the Discovery engines were
    found with somekind of problem in them, but that it wouldn't affect
    Atlantis.
    
    Fred Mudgett
    

    So, is Atlantis out on the pad??  Is it still on schedule??
    
    We are thinking of going down for it's launch......
    
    Thanks,
    jeff
    

    The terminal countdown demonstration test is running today. A simulated
    emergency pad shutdown of SSMEs was to have taken place at 11am EDT.
    The astronauts spent yesterday driving around Merritt Island in the
    armoured personnel carrier and flying practice landing approaches in
    the modified Gulfstream.
    
    Unless some problem is found today, I'd say the chances are very good
    for an on schedule launch.
    
    gary

    	Topic 456 discusses the MAGELLAN Venus probe which will be launched
    from ATLANTIS on this mission.
                               
    	Larry
    

    Great news....  thanks!!
    
    Well, the flight reservations are made!  We will be arriving in
    Orlando on the 27th!  
    
    So, what are the recommendations for hotels/motels somewhere in-between
    Orlando and Cape C??
    

    OK, I just reviewed a bunch of old notes about passes and such...
    I presume that I am too late to mail order causeway passes...  Will
    they take phone orders??  Anyone have the phone number??
    
    Or, does anyone have a pass that they won't be using??
    
    Seeing that I will probably not get on site, can someone point me
    to the better viewing areas??  Explicit directions would be much
    appreciated.

    How far in advance should we plan on getting where we want to be??   
    Anyone know what time liftoff is (I presume it is fairly early in the 
    morning...)
    
    Any other travel/viewing info is appreciated...
    
    cheers,
    jeff
    

	I attended the launch of the Spacelab mission on Apr 85. That day I
	drove over to Kennedy and at the gate they ask if I had a pass. I 
	did not, however, I explained that I wanted to take in the tours
	at the Centre and they gave me one and I drove in. I am not sure why
	but I did not have any problems. I went on a tour bus that went to
	a viewing site and let us off about 15 min before launch and 
	continued on with the tour after. Maybe that is a way in without a
	car pass.

	Have a good time, wish I was going too!

	Susan Klein 
	MIS, Canada

    My family and I will also be there on the 28th to witness first
    hand the launch of Atlantis.  I just got off the phone with the
    Kenedy Space Center Visitor Information line (407)867-7110, and
    this is the tour info that I was given:
    	The space center is open from 9-7:30 daily;  tours are from
    9:45 - 5:00 every half hour and takes about 2 hours; cost is $4.00
    /adult and $1.75 for kids under twelve.  The center WILL NOT open
    on the day of the launch untill after liftoff.  
    	SHE ALSO TOLD ME THAT A PASS IS REQUIRED TO GET ONTO THE CAUSEWAY
        BUT THAT THERE ARE NO MORE AVAILABLE!  Rats!!!!
    Oh, well, it will still be a thrill seeing my first live launch...this
    will surely be the highlight of my vacation.
    
    Gerry...

    Well, how about some directions for Gerry and I as to where to park
    to get a good view??
    
    Thanks,
    jeff
    

>    Well, how about some directions for Gerry and I as to where to park
>    to get a good view??
    
    It's all pretty level down Florida-way.  You're either going to get an
    over-water view right to the launch pad or you're going to see it when
    it's 500 feet off the ground.  If you stay in reasonably close to the
    Cape military base, you'll be able to hear the two-way communication
    with the shuttle.
    
    We drove up to the Cape for the first launch after 51-L and stayed on
    the coast roads.  We were heading for the southeastern entrance to the
    military reservation that is or borders the Cape.  Just before you get
    to that gate, there's an area that lots of people settle into for the
    launch.  The view wasn't considerably worse than the one from the
    causeway.
    
    If you view the launch from the South, remember that all the buildings
    (like the Vehicle Assembly Building) are south of the launch platforms
    and that you want to avoid an obstructed view.  We got a view between
    buildings from the south and had to stand on the top of our jeep to be
    able to see the entire launch.  We videotaped and photographed the you-
    know-what out of the beast as it went up.
    
John

    When I went down for the first shuttle launch (wow, was it REALLY
    back in 1981?!) we arrived in Titusville about midnight.  Even
    at that time people were starting to jam up for the (approx)
    8 am launch.  We just drove North along (1? 1A?) until we found
    a likely-looking gas station, and paid the old geezer $5 to let
    us park right in the entrance to the road.  We were only a few
    hundred feet from a road leading to the (?Bee Line ?528), so
    we had a good chance to avoid traffic jams.  Of course, the first
    launch attempt failed . . . but we would have had an excellent
    view!
    
    (As I remember, we followed 528 toward the Cape, and when we
    reached the closed-off part we headed North.)

I was also at STS-1.  I stayed in Orlando at some ~El Cheapo motel and on launch
day, I got up real early and just drove straight along the Bee Line.  I did not
even try to get to KSC itself (there was a jammed exit even at 3 in the morning
or whatever).  I kept going till I came to a bridge (across the Banana River,
I think).  There was an area to park off the road, and a fairly wide area
under the bridge.  I parked and walked under the bridge, and lo, what did I
see?  A completely unobstructed view of Pad 39A, along the river.  Now it may
be that 39B is not as visible from here, and you should know that it was a
goodly number of miles away, but I sure got a view, especially with binocs.

When the launch was scrubbed at T-31, I spent the rest of the day getting back,
though.  I came again on the real launch day, and once again, it was not too
crowded there and the view was great.  (Not really close enough to get
shaken by the noise, though)

There will never be a day like that again...we now all *know* that the shuttle
(usually) works.  That one time, though, no one knew what would happen.  When the
SSMEs and the SRBs created that huge plume of gas around the shuttle, we were all
sure it had blown up, but then to see this ungainly contraption shooting out of
the top of that smoke a second later was one of the most incredible emotional
roller coasters I have ever been through!

Burns, who wishes he had not been so cheap and had gone to a Saturn launch
       when he could have

Re: .8

Near the east end of the Bennett causeway where it joins the perimeter road
around the Port Canaveral harbor would probably be agood spot but you would have
to look for an unobstructed view.

Take the BeeLine highway east out of Orlando and after you cross over U. S. 1
south of Titusville you will be on the Bennett Causeway.  Stay on it until
you are near the east end at the port and look for a place to park.

The other approach is to take 528 east out of Orlando to Cocoa.  Go straight 
thru Cocoa to hit the Merritt Island causeway to the beach.  At the east end 
of the causeway where the main north/south beach road crosses (Gulf station
on the left) turn left, go north about four or five miles to the port.
Tropicana Orange juice factory on your right, the road takes a 90 degree
curve to the left, port with fishing boats and large parking area on your
right.  When the road takes a 90 degree to the right around the port, the
Bennett causeway will be right in front of you.

I don't know if they patrol the road to keep people from pulling off or not,
but if not you should be able to find a pretty clear view in that general
area.

Wish I could be there with you!!!			Bill

    Re. .0
    Hey guys - could we have some info on the flight?? It's only a week
    away!
    
    Does NASA have a "shuttle hotline" that we can call to get some
    up-to-date information? Help!
    
    					Anxiously,
    					--Eric--

    Call the press recording - (407) 867-2525 for an updated status
    of the current and pending missions.

    You can also dialin Spacelink, NASA's BBS at Marshall SFC. I'll dig out
    the number and enter it.
    
    gary

    Re. .14
    
    Thank you, sir.  I just tried the press hotline number Saturday
    morning - it works great!
    
    					--Eric--

    Countdown started on time last night...  All things look good for
    a launch on friday!
    
    Boy, was my wife happy to hear that the launch time is 14:24!!
    
    cheers,
    jeff
    

From: ota
Reply-To: <jordankatz@cdp.uucp>
Date: Tue, 25 Apr 89 20:37:35 -0700
Subject: STS-30 Dial-A-Shuttle Press Releas
 
/* Written  8:28 pm  Apr 25, 1989 by jordankatz in cdp:sci.space */
/* ---------- "STS-30 Dial-A-Shuttle Press Releas" ---------- */
CONTACT: For Immediate Release
Leonard David
David Brandt

                        Dial-A-Shuttle Update:
              STARS ON EARTH BRING YOU OUR STARS IN SPACE
 
        DIAL-IT 900 SERVICE ALLOWS PUBLIC TO HEAR LATEST NEWS AND      
         VOICES OF ASTRONAUTS; STAR TREK CREW TO ADD COMMENTARY
	   	      		DIAL 1-900-909-NASA
                                                                        
    The National Space Society has announced that it will provide
continuous 24-hour Dial-A-Shuttle coverage of America's pioneering
step toward Earth's mysterious sister planet Venus. 
 
    Fictional spacefarers from the popular TV show STAR TREK: THE NEXT
GENERATION and ABC News broadcaster Hugh Downs will participate with
the regular team of announcers in providing live coverage of the
STS-30 mission from the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
 
    The Dial-A-Shuttle team will offer news updates, interviews, and feature 
stories wrapped around all available live conversation between the astronauts 
aboard the shuttle orbiter ATLANTIS and NASA's mission control. 
 
    The coverage will commence two hours prior to the launch from
Kennedy Space Center in Florida of ATLANTIS and her MAGELLAN
scientific probe.  This will be the first American planetary mission
since 1978 and the first planetary probe to be carried aboard the
shuttle.  STS-30 mission Commander David M. Walker and his crew of four
will deploy the $378 million spacecraft about six hours after launch. 
 
    The crew will release the probe from the shuttle's payload bay,
and a rocket attached to MAGELLAN will send the spacecraft toward
Venus on a 466-day voyage.  Once in orbit around Venus, MAGELLAN will
use high-resolution radar to make the most detailed topographical map
of the landscape of the second planet from the Sun. 
 
    Secondary experiments will keep the four man, one woman crew busy
for four days, at the end of which the orbiter will land at Edwards
Air Force Base in California.  Dial-A-Shuttle service will cease after
the post-flight press conference. 
 
    Dial-A-Shuttle is produced by the National Space Society (NSS) in
cooperation with AT&T's Dial-it 900 Service program and the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration.                                          

    EDITORS NOTE: Please inform your readers/listeners/viewers that there is
a toll charge for Dial-A-Shuttle; it is $2.00 for the first minute, 45
cents for each additional minute.

    Assignment editors can follow the mission on a real-time basis by calling
Dial-A-Shuttle - no need to wait for wire service reports.
 

    This morning's countdown status report has everything on time, with no
    unscheduled work taking place during the planned holds (this was said
    to be a 'first' for a shuttle countdown). Only change in schedule is
    that the mobile service structure will be moved back earlier than
    originally planned.
    
    gary

    re:.17
    
    So, 2:24 pm today is launch time?  Has the shuttle ever launched
    that late in the day before?
    
    			Steve

    No; and this is the shortest shuttle launch window (approx 23 minutes).

    Help!  I'm a prisoner in Fab 3!  What is happening with STS-30???
    

    Hold at T minus 6:30 due to a problem in one of the range safety
    computers. 

Scrubbed until at least tomorrow, 2:18 EDT.

I was listening on the radio and it appeared that an auxiliary power unit APU 
could not be started. Since they don't launce with all 3 up, they had to recycle
the launch.

Hope it goes ok tomorrow.

I was watching CNN (yeah, I know...) and it sounded to me like some pressure
problem in the #1 engine.  It also sounded like they were go for a 20 minute
recycle, but that was outside of today's launch window.

Sigh.  The problem with the downrange tracking computer was apparently solved
by rebooting the beast.  I love it!

There is a problem in either the H2 recycle pump or line  (or both) in SME
#1.  They will replace the bad part(s) on the pad.  It will be this Friday
(the 5th) at the earliest.

The countdown was delayed due to range safety equipment problems but the
shuttle was okay all the way down to T-31 seconds.  What a b****!

							Mike

    It looks like Friday afternoon will be the next launch attempt.
    How do we get to t-31 with a leaking fuel line?  CNN said yesterday
    the countdown was stopped because of "surge" in a fuel pump which
    had shown up on the same pump before?
    
    Stay tunned till Friday at the earliest.
    
    

    the current to the pump is normally about 2 amps but it
    jumped up to 21+ amps and triped the circuit breaker.
    at the same time they say a leak on a line on the external
    tank.  Have they said if the two problems were related?
    
    jb
     
    

    Nothing I've heard indicates any relation between the H2 leak
    and the pump problem.  The H2 leak is somewhere in the vicinity
    of the ET-to-orbiter fuel line.  They apparently noticed it while
    reviewing some of the videotapes.  It was described as a "cloud"
    or fog of gas around the line.  I haven't heard any comments on
    the seriousness of that problem (assuming the pump problem didn't
    cause the scrub).

re .31:  But the pump problem DID cause the scrub.  The H2 leak was
only discovered later.  BTW, it did not happen AT t-31.  It apparently
happened around t-60 or so.  At about that point I heard "mumble
mumble pump is down".  I presume that it was at this point that the
circuit breaker blew and the first indication was a red light showing
that the pump had shut down.  They then indicated that they were going
to hold at T-31 (this is the point where the shuttle's on-board
computers take control...an easy point to stop at).  Within a minute
or 2 it was announced that there would be no launch that day.

What I wonder is what would happen if the pump had not failed and
they had launched with the leak.  Some NASA-types said that there are
so many reduncancies that it never would have gotten to launch, but
I wonder how they would detect that?  Pressure/flow rates?

Burns

Re: .32

I'll take a stab - it's always fun to armchair engineer these situations.

Lemme see - if the leak was in the orbiter/ET interface (or above), then
it should have made itself known when the ET was pressurized (T-60 or
so, I think).  I'm guessing that that the pressure would not get any
greater after that (during the launch), so it shouldn't get any worse (hey,
this is *my* argument).  If the leak was severe enough, then I would expect
that the system would go out of limits during those fun 3 seconds between
ME-start and SRB-ignition, and the sequencer would shut things down.  If
not, I would hope that a leak that small wouldn't cause any significant
damage during the ensuing ride (based on my theory that it wouldn't be under
any additional stress - other than structural, which admittedly could force
an increase in the severity of the flaw).

If the leak was after any of the fuel pumps - I would guess that it would
only get worse during the ME-start sequence and would be detected.

Does anybody know if STS-30 had a FRF (Flight Readiness Firing)?  Just curious.

There's my GUESS,

- dave

Is the pump that failed the liquid oxygen turbopump that had a crack in
it and were assembled differently after STS 27. These were installed on the
pad I believe and I wonder if they did a FRF. I can't find any info on that.
I would think that new pumps should be tested with a firing of the engines.

I heard this morning that the countdown has started for a Thursday afternoon
launch.  Here's hoping!

BTW, I thought it was the H2 recirculation pump.  This pump forces a portion
of the incoming liguid hydrogen around the engine to cool it.  The leak,
which was detected from film after the scrub, was in one of the lines that
carries this diverted H2.  At least this is the way I understood the
problem.  Details can get confusing in the "regular media".  I'll just
wait for my issue of Countdown for a post mortem.

						Mike

    Launnh is not for Thursday at 1:48 PM 
    The statement gave no explanation of what caused the pump malfunction,
    however small metal fragments were found one of these pieces of metal
    probadly caused a short circuit that tripped the breakers Warren Wiley
    deputy director of shuttle engineering said.
    
    In addition a four inch diameter pipe was replace, neither mailfunction
    was considered a 'catastrophic' failure that would have endagered the
    lives of the astronauts.  The safeguards would have detected teh pump
    problem and halted the launch, an as for the hydrogen leak , this fuel
    line is only used while the shuttle is on the launching pad and thus
    would not have leaked Hydrogen during liftoff.
    
    (from NY Times 2 May 89 )
    

    Just heard this morning on the radio that NASA has set the next
    launch date for this Thursday, May 4th sometime around 1:20 EST.
    (I forgot the exact time, sorry.)

    Re..35: Yahoo!!!
    
    P.S. Could you tell me a bit more about your "Countdown" magazine
    - it sounds intriguing! (Subscription address, rates, no. of issues,
    etc.)
    
    					--Eric--
    

So the leak was in one of the resupply lines, and not on the shuttle itself?
I had gotten the impression that it was the main feed between the ET and the
shuttle.  I'm glad the impression was wrong.  Hard to believe that would not
be catastrophic.  If nothing else, they have a premature main engine cutoff
due to running out of H2.

Burns

    re .34 and .35
    
    The report I saw stated that the pump that failed is used to pre-chill
    the engine plumbing prior to ME start.  The pump is powered from a
    supply on the launch pad and is normally shut down at t-30 or so.  It
    does not operate during flight. 
    
    If the problem had been in the pad supply they could have had a
    quick turnaround since replacing that would be easy.  Unfortunatly
    Murphy dictated that the problem be in the pump, which somebody
    was quoted as being a b**** to get at.
    
    Mike H

    Launch time is set for 13:48 EDT today (4-May), but I wouldn't count
    on it, judging by the overcast Florida skies.
    
    			Steve

    The waether appears to be improving (at least it had stopped raining
    when I left for work).
    
    Prelaunch activities were running about 15 minutes ahead of time.
    
    gary

    While we're waiting for good news, I have an observation/comment.  On
    television and in the newspapers, there were some pictures of the
    techs. replacing the pump.  One thing that struck me was the lack of
    clean room procedures.  These guys were wearing exposed shirts, pants,
    and regular shoes.  There was no head (hair) protection.  I know that
    repairs on the pad such as this are not part of the norm, but it sure
    didn't seem like the old Apollo days.  It seemed more like a couple of
    AP's working on a L1011.
    Does anybody have any info regarding any changes in the processing 
    procedures down at the cape?

    Up-to-date info:  We are in a hold at T-9 minutes waiting for weather. 
    The clouds are at 4k feet over the emergency landing site.  Launch
    constraint is 8k.
    
    They are saying launch is unlikely, but I suspect they will probably wait
    for the whole 63 (or so) window before scrubbing.
    
    The good news is that CNN (regular, not headline) seems to be doing
    continuous coverage.  They have Franklin Chang-Diaz on as the "expert
    guest".
    
    Burns
    

    New info:  They are going to pick up the count at about 14:15 EST and
    count down to 5 minutes to give them a bit less lead time to start up
    the count if a hole appears in the clouds.  Right now range safety
    is no-go because of not being able to see, but they are reconfiguring
    their optical trackers (?) so they should be able to support a launch
    by 14:20.
    
    We'll see.
    
    Interestingly, it looks like the Oliver North jury is going to render
    their verdict at any moment.  CNN said they would cover both.  Should
    be interesting...they'll have to go to split screen!
    
    Burns
    

    C-SPAN had some excellent coverage of last Friday's attempt -
    just the NASA Select feed, no commentators making stupid remarks.
    (C-SPAN is one of the public affairs cable channels.)
    
    Would be nice to have an alternative to the inane chatter of
    the network (and even CNN).
    
    BTW, I heard on the news last night the "leak" in the H2 piping
    was water vapor escaping from the insulation around the piping.

    I seem to recall hearing that if they didn't get off this time,
    that they'd have to do some work on Magellan to get it ready for
    launch again (I'm not sure - maybe repressurizing, topping off the
    tanks, something like that).
    
    Unfortunately, that would probably mean a roll back to the VAB,
    which would push the launch date outside of Magellan's window,
    resulting in an ultimate delay of 2 years!
    
    Anyone care to comment on the validity of this?

    Aaron

    All along, I've heard (on the radio) that they had the whole month
    to work with, and that they never mentioned the problem you suggest.
    
    But, that's only the commentators talking.
    
    BTW, here in Mass., is there a radio station covering this?
    
    thanks,
    
    Gregg

re:.47
    >        Anyone care to comment on the validity of this?

    Well, my quick comment is that if this indeed delays Magellan for
    *two years*, I hope some higher-ups at NASA and our Govt. realize
    that we shouldn't be launching planetary probes on such a unreliable
    (time-scale-wise and throughput-wise) vehicle as the shuttle.  Delta
    rockets worked just great for our probes over ten years ago, we
    are regressing.
    
    			Steve

    Dan Rather (yes, I'm at work ;^) just said that if they didn't get
    it up in May, that it would be a 2 year delay.
    
    No comment on recycling Magellan, though.
    
    BTW, the weather's looking better, but still not necessarily good
    enough for a launch.
    
    Aaron

    Yep...MECO is ok.  ET sep ok.  OMS 1 proceeding normally.
    
    Time to get back to work.
    
    
    Burns
    

    One (out of 44) RCS thrusters has failed, but that's the worst there
    is to report!
    
    I withdraw my previous question, since it is now a moot point! 8^)
    
    Aaron-who's-in-orbit-with-the-crew-at-least-in-spirit

Does anyone know when the Magellan probe will be launched?  Will CNN be covering
it?  Will the networks (besides EASYnet :-) be covering it?

Wook

        Magellan was supposed to be launched about 6 hours into the
        mission. I don't know if that was relative to the windo, or the
        actual launch time. based on an ~15:00 EDT launch, that should put
        at at ~21:00 EDT.
        
        Question: [It doesn't matter any more, but I'm curious and
        couldn't explain it to a coworker] Earth takes one year to orbit
        the sun, Venus a good bit less. It would seem to me that in some
        time less than an Earth year, but greater than a Venus year, both
        planets would be in the same allignment as they are now. Why then
        would the next launch window after this month be 2 years away? 

        re:.54
        >Question: [It doesn't matter any more, but I'm curious and
        >couldn't explain it to a coworker] Earth takes one year to orbit
        >the sun, Venus a good bit less. It would seem to me that in some
        >time less than an Earth year, but greater than a Venus year, both
        >planets would be in the same allignment as they are now. Why then
        >would the next launch window after this month be 2 years away? 

    It may have to do with Shuttle scheduling.  I think I heard that
    there would be another window this fall, but that the Shuttle would
    be too busy to accomodate it (Galileo, maybe?).  Only a fraction
    of shuttle lanuch bandwidth is given to purely-scientific missions,
    which is why these probes should have an option other than the shuttle
    to get them up.
    
    		Steve

    The next, and indeed best, alignment this year is the Galileo launch
    window. Remember, it is using Venus for a gravity assist and it
    benefits more from the short flight time (6mo) to Venus than Magellan.
    The other issue is that I think they are sharing some ground support
    equipment so they do not want both probes to be in critical phases at
    the same time.
    
    gary

    Magellan is sceduled for deployment at approx 6 hours MET (mission
    elapsed time), which may vary with the nearly one hour late liftoff. It
    will NOT be televised live, but tape of it will be replayed at 8h MET
    (this is from the NASA TV schedule dated yesterday, btw).
    
    It should be interesting as Magellan will deploy its solar arrays
    before IUS ignition and theoretically in view of Atlantis (ignition
    takes place some time later, out of view).
    
    gary

     from AMSAT the orbit elements for the STS-30
    
    EPOCH TIME:		89125.0875
    ELEMENT SET:	JFC-01C
    INCLINATION:	28.8982
    RAAN:		341.6
    ECCENTRICITY	0.001038
    ARG OF PERIGEE	179.2027
    MEAN ANOMALY:	185.4288
    MEAN MOTION`	15.85449707
    DECAY RATE		5.7E-4
    EPOCH REV		6
    
    

    Was it just my imagination, or did it seem that the SSMEs ignited
    earlier in the launch sequence than normal?  I could've sworn
    the interval between SSME and SRB ignition seemed longer.  If this
    wasn't just an illusion, was it possibly done due to the weight
    of the payload?

    Not your imagination in my opinion, but I didn't think what I
    saw was an early ignition.  It looked to me like a hydrogen
    accumulation ignited right before ssme start.  Right before
    ssme start you see sparks flying around either side of the engine
    bay, and I believe these are intended to burn off any hydrogen
    vapors which may be accumulating in order to prevent a  big
    accumulation from getting out of hand at engine start.  Maybe a
    small leak happened in one of the hydrogen cooling lines in a
    nozzle.  Or maybe I'm completely wrong...
    

    	Latest news shows that Magellan is on its way to Venus and EVERYTHING
    is working as expected (three cheers!!!).
    
    	Re: .49: I don't think that the Delta has ever been used to
    launch planetary probes. I know that there was a report released
    in the early 1970's about using the Delta to launch a "planetary
    explorer" series of spacecraft to Venus and Mars. This idea was
    largerly scrapped and restructured to eventually become the Pioneer-
    Venus mission (which was launched using Atlas-Centaur SLV's).
    	If Magellan were to be launched using an ELV, it would have
    to use at very least a Titan 34D and a Titan IV/Centaur G-prime
    would be even better. The Delta just does not have enough lifting
    capability for escape trajectories with any "useful" payload (I
    think it is about a ton give or take a couple hundred pounds).
    
    	Re: .54: While it is true that Earth takes a year and Venus
    takes somewhat less than a year to circle the Sun, it is the RELATIVE
    motion of the two that determines how often a launch window opens.
    Earth and Venus will be in the proper relative position for a "type
    IV" trajectory (where Magellan will make 1 1/2 orbits of the Sun)
    in another 19 months. The next window for a more direct flight to
    Venus (a type I or II trajectory) opens about the same time as the
    Galileo's launch window opens (it IS going directly to Venus first
    before going to Jupiter).
    
    				Drew
    

    re .61
    
    I think some early Pioneers were launched on Delta, but you are right,
    it does not have the lift for current planetary probes (which naturally
    grow to the limits of the largest available launcher). Magellan could
    have been launched on a Titan 4, using either IUS or Centaur G-prime
    upper stages (the IUS option would have placed on basically the same
    trajectory as Shuttle/IUS) but DoD seem very reluctant to let NASA use
    the Titan 4. Given the political infighting that went on over Titan 4,
    I don't find this surprising (disappointing, but not surprising).
    
    And yes, Magellan deployment and injection went extremely well. The
    only wrinkle was the spacecraft did not report that the solar arrays
    were latched in place. Obviously, they were. No video of solar array
    deployment (camera problems), but the astronauts reported getting good
    movie and still footage.
    
    gary

    	A reminder that details on the MAGELLAN Venus mission can be found
    in Topic 456.
    
    	Larry
    

    Fellow noters,
    
    I heard a thing on TV that said that Atlantis only carried the one
    satalite  because it was so heavy. Then another said that the Shuttle's
    orbit is low because they had to go faster during the assent so
    they could get magellan in the proper orbit. My question for you
    is...is the shuttle in any kind of goofy orbit, I thought it was
    at 150 miles or so which is not unusual. Was there any kind of unusual
    procedure during the assent? After all they have to get going to
    17,500 mph or so in order to stay in orbit or is there something
    I don't understand. Also why couldn't the shuttle take a second
    satalite?
    
    Fred Mudgett
    

>Also why couldn't the shuttle take a second satalite?

I heard that Magellan is 2 stories high and probably takes up the whole
cargo bay.
    

In fact STS-30 is in a higher orbit then STS-29, and as for a second
satellite, it could of taken a very small satellite, such as micor-sat
but I believe NASA is out of the commercial satellite business.


    STS-29                                              Set:   99, Obj:      1
          Epoch Year: 1989  Day:  72.861805600    Orbit #       5
          Inclination  =  28.50000000     R.A.A.N      = 225.70240000
          Eccentricity =   0.00012330     Arg of Per   =   0.00000000
          Mean Anomaly =   0.00000000     Mean Motion  =  15.86353800
          Drag         =  0.64530E-03     Frequency    =        0.000
          S.M.A.       =    6690.6103     Anom Period  =      90.7742
          Apogee Ht    =     313.2753     Perigee Ht   =     311.6253

    STS-30                                              Set:   99, Obj:      1
          Epoch Year: 1989  Day: 125.714055950    Orbit #      14
          Inclination  =  28.88780000     R.A.A.N      = 333.99630000
          Eccentricity =   0.00273910     Arg of Per   = 204.92080000
          Mean Anomaly = 155.01890000     Mean Motion  =  15.85759542
          Drag         =  0.99633E-03     Frequency    =        0.000
          S.M.A.       =    6692.2817     Anom Period  =      90.8082
          Apogee Ht    =     332.4525     Perigee Ht   =     295.7909

    

    I heard a typically-brief radio report on the way in this morning
    that the crew had to "replace" a computer onboard, and that supposedly
    this was another "first" for a shuttle.
    
    Has anyone heard about any problems with any of the GPC's onboard?
    I doubt that the computers can be "replaced" in-flight, but rather
    if one or more goes off-line or has problems the others will ignore
    it.  This has happened at least twice that I know of - once during
    the approach and landing tests, and once during a spacelab mission
    when two machines had problems in flight.  They were later "fixed"
    (rebooted?) prior to re-entry, but one dropped off-line again during
    the landing approach.  I believe this was the spacelab flight
    that took off and landed at night with John Young commanding.
    
    Any news on what really happened this time, if anything?  Also
    anyone know when today's landing is scheduled?  Thanks!
    

    The number 4 GPC "failed" with a transient hardware error Sunday
    afternoon.  It was scheduled for "replacement" with spare unit
    number 5 Sunday evening (whether replacement means actually
    swapping hardware or just re-configuring software wasn't said).
    
    Landing is scheduled for 3:43 Eastern time today.

>    The number 4 GPC "failed" with a transient hardware error Sunday
>    afternoon.
    
    Leave it to IBM to require the entire system to come down to physically
    replace one computer.  Now if they had a cluster of VAXen on board...
    8^)
    
    On another topic, during some of the hand-held camcorder footage, I saw
    an interesting pattern of circular objects in what appeared to be a
    desert.  The pattern looked like this: 
    
    
    
            o   o   o   o   o   o   o   o   o   o
          o   o   o   o   o   o   o   o   o   o
    
    
              o   o   o   o   o   o   o   o   o
            o   o   o   o   o   o   o   o   o
          o    o
           o o
    
    
            o   o   o   o   o   o   o   o   o   o
          o   o   o   o   o   o   o   o   o   o
    
    
    My guess: oil tanks.  Anybody else?
    
    Aaron

I was watching CBS and they showed the astronauts having to go through the
wall on the living deck where the lockers are to take out the old and replace
with a new computer. I am not sure if it was only to get the new computer or
that is where the old one is physically located. But it sure looked like a 
major job.

    Plugging in the new computer was described by a National Aeronautics and
    Space Administration spokesman as "one of the more complicated inflight
    maintenance procedures" became it involves moving aside a set of
    lockers, used for storage of experiments and crew equipment, to get
    access to the computer compartment.  The procedure had never been
    performed inorbit before.
    
    The problem is not considered a treat to the mission.  The flight
    director, Ron Dittemore, said yesterday , that on a scale from 1 to 10
    he would rate it a one.  "We carry a spare on board for just this
    occurrence." he said.
    
    Four of the computers control the shuttle a independent 5th running
    different software are the safe guards against failures in any one
    of them, when a computer comes up with a differing answer, they are
    programmed to "vote".
    
    The shuttle can land safely with just a single computer working,
    Dittemore said.
    
    The problems with computer no. 4 began at 3:30 PM yesterday.
    
    The landing is scheduled to take place at 3:43 PM EDT today at Edwards
    Air Force Base, this gives plenty of time to change out the computer
    if they decide to do such.
    
    
    The above were cuts for todays Boston Globe by Staff writer
    David L. Chandler
    
    
    

    re computers
    
    Yup, it looked like a major task from the video that was downlinked.
    
    BTW, running all four GPCs in consort with the fifth overseeing the
    other four is only done during ascent (and maybe reentry). Once in
    orbit, they reconfigure to allow some of the GPCs to be available for
    other tasks.
    
    re ascent trajectory
    
    They flew with something like 400kg unused payload capacity on this
    flight. Normally this weight would have been used up by mid-deck
    payloads of which there are only two this mission (the indium crystal
    expt and mesoscale lightning expt).
    
    The reason for the extra margin was to allow real time yaw steering
    during ascent if needed. The inclination of the orbit is critical for
    Magellan injection and it (Magellan) does not have sufficient
    propellant to compensate for errors. I don't think the IUS guidance
    computer can be reprogrammed in flight to compensate for variations in
    the parking orbit (or at least NASA did not want to). On about orbit 4
    or 5, the shuttle performed a series of maneuvers to ensure that the
    alignment of the IUS support systems in the payload bay had not changed
    during launch. If they had, the shuttle computers were to be updated
    with new state vectors rather than try to update the IUS computers (I
    don't think they had to update the computers after the testing; I
    gather from comments that they have had some difficulty with the IUS
    support systems on previous flights).
    
    gary

Re: .69

The circular things could have been storage tanks, but they may be patches
of land that are irrigated by center-pivot systems.

jb

    RE: .69 & circular things
    
    They seemed to be smaller than irrigation fields (at least when
    compared with the distance between them) - the scale in the sketch
    in .69 was probably accurate.
    
    I take it noone else saw it... Maybe I just imagined it! 8^)
    
    Well, gotta leave the notes file - gonna run to a funeral in Mobile
    (400 miles away :^(  - I'll miss talking with you folks, but at
    least I'll have my pocket TV!
    
    Happy landings,
    
    Aaron

    I just got my NASA 30 day special and the
    space shuttle is 89-033A, there is also mention
    of 89-033C. My question is this the booster for
    the Venus probe? I would have expected it to stay
    with the unit for mid orbit correction.
    
    033C has the following orbit
    311 by 25554 Km @ 27.955 deg inc
    Its mean motion is 3.20737517 orbits per day
    Its first orbit was on day 125, so it was 
    launch from the shuttle....
    
    
    john
    
    

    The IUS is two staged, so it could be either of the stages. There is no
    reason to keep the IUS upper stage attached to the probe, it has done
    its job and probably has limited battery life.
    
    My guess is the 33C is the IUS first stage. I'd expect the second stage
    to be on its way to the sun.
    
    Was there a 33B?
    
    gary

        Gary;
        
        If I remember my tidbits correctly the second stage of the IUS
        never seperates from the payload. Once its done, there really
        isn't a reason to get rid of it. The reason for the 2 stages is
        the first burn takes a satellite from the shuttles LEO, and puts
        it into a highly elliptical transfer orbit. The second stage
        usually circularizes that orbit into a geosynchronous orbit. It
        can't be done with a single burn. In this case the second stage
        provides the final push from orbit to escape velocity, and uses an
        off the shelf shuttle component to get to Venus. 
        
        As to mid-course corrections, they aren't done by the IUS. IUS is
        a solid propellant motor, and can't be throttled or partially
        fired. Its an all or nothing choice. The mid course corrections
        must be done with the RCS system that will also be used to control
        the probe once it is in orbit around Venus.  They don't produce
        much thrust, so the burns are longer. The fuel supply is limited,
        so any extra used in transit is that much less left for orbital
        manuvers. When its all gone, the probe is or will soon be dead. 

    Re: .78
    	I agree with everything that you told Gary about the IUS except
    for one thing; the IUS second stage does NOT stay attached to Magellan
    after its burn is completed. This is done for two reasons:
    
    1) It is just dead weight and trying to maintain attitude or making
    mid-course corrections would use much more fuel which, as you pointed
    out, is limited.
    
    2) It must be jettisoned before insertion into Venusian orbit  
    at the latest to expose the Star-48 solid braking motor for its
    burn.                                          
    
    	Shortly after the IUS second stage burn is completed, the second
    stage and Magellan seperate and Magellan then begins to aquire its
    attitude references (e.g. the Sun, Earth, Canopus, etc.). The IUS
    then continues into a solar orbit similar to Magellan.           
    
    			Drew
    

    re .78
    
    Thankyou for the tutorial on solid propellant motors :-)
    
    The IUS second stage DOES seperate from it's payload, even for it's
    nominal mission of transferring satellites to geostationary orbit.
    
    It also has a hydrazine powered reaction control system that is used
    guidance during both stages' burns and for midcourse correction if
    needed.
    
    re .79
    
    Yup, it is jettisoned to save on the probe's RCS propellant which is
    fairly limited. An advantage of the launch delay is that Magellan will
    now arrive at Venus with a slightly lower velocity relative to Venus,
    so the Star-48B burn will place in close to its ideal orbit.
    
    gary

    I have  no oribitial set for obj 89 033B
    It should be the Magellan as ojbect nubers are given
    out in cronoligical order, when more then one at the same
    time the leading one is the next alpa character, an its
    booster would be the next etc.
    
    The 33C orbit does look like the orignal transfer orbit.
    There would be not prediciton bulletin for 33B as it
    would not fit the model used in the Nasa prediction
    Bulletin.
    
    thanks John
    
                                                            

    Saw a small note in today's Globe.....Seems like the CDR Dave Walker
    has gotten himself in a bit of a jam with the FAA.  He was reported to
    have had a close call with a airliner in the Washington DC TCA.  He
    was flying a T38.  Any other details???

    
    re .82
    
    I heard he came within hundreds of feet from a Pan Am 747. He's a big
    boy though, he handled it.
    
    /prc

Another historical press kit is available.  This one includes a graphic
of the Magellan spacecraft.

Pick up your copy at:

    pragma::public:[nasa]sts-30.ps



A number of other NASA Press Kits can also be obtained from this location.
Please see the hello file in the directory for more information.


- dave

Article: 21657
From: kjenks@sd-www.jsc.nasa.gov (Kenneth C. Jenks)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Smuggled???
Date: 15 Aug 1994 15:36:05 GMT
Organization: NASA/JSC/SD5, Space Biomedical Research Institute
 
Somebody wrote:

::The STS-30 crew smuggled the first camcorder onboard and got some
::fascinating footage immediately post-launch. The camera was pointed
::out the overhead windows, and the scene shows the ground falling
::away as the Shuttle cleared the tower and initiated the roll program.
::Good stuff.
 
Jack Block (jack.block@mom-3.com) replied:
    
: Is anyone from the STS-30 crew still employed by NASA?  I don't think 
: smuggled is a fair word, but I stand to be corrected.
 
(* begin rumor mode *)
 
"Smuggled" isn't correct.  The way I heard the rumor was that a
crewmember unstowed the camcorder (which was properly manifested,
not "smuggled") during prelaunch activities and filmed part of the
ascent sequence as an unplanned, unapproved activity, holding the
camera in his hands.  He was chastized for this because he endangered
the whole crew, the vehicle and the mission.
 
"What?" you may ask.  "How could filming lift-off endanger the
crew, the vehicle and the mission?"  Simple -- his filming technique
had him holding the camera in his hands during accelerated flight.
If the camera had fallen out of his hands, it could have crashed
through the rear window of the flight deck (at 3G) and on into the
unpressurized payload bay, venting the cabin rapidly and probably
killing everybody on-board.  This was seen as a Bad Move.  
 
However, nothing bad happened, and the footage was pretty crummy.
 
(* end rumor mode *)
 
I don't know who the rumored crew member is -- remember, this is
the kind of story we tell each other after being up too late in
the Control Center.  I don't know if anybody got in trouble.
I'm not even sure any of this is true.  But it makes a good story
for the Internet.
 
-- Ken Jenks, NASA/JSC/SD5, Space Biomedical Research Institute
      kjenks@gothamcity.jsc.nasa.gov  (713) 483-4368
 
     "Every scientific truth goes through three states:
      first, people say it conflicts with the Bible;
      next, they say it has been discovered before;
      lastly, they say they always believed it."
        -- Jean Loius Agassiz, Swiss/American
           Naturalist/Geologist (1807-1894)

Article: 21659
From: pchien@ids.net
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: RE: Smuggled???
Date: Mon, 15 Aug 94 07:11:40 GMT
Organization: IDS World Network Internet Access Service, (401)
              884-9002 GUEST [telnet ids.net] 
 
Hmmm, off the top of my head.
 
Dave Walker was temporarily on suspension due to a near-miss
incident while flying his T-38, but reinstated on flight status
and commanded the STS-53 DoD-1 mission.  (See my other posts for
information on this infamous payload).  He was working on space
station and will be flying again next year.
 
Ron Grabe was the commander of two highly successful missions,
STS-42 and STS-57.  He recently retired to become a high level
manager with Orbital Sciences Corporation.
 
Norm Thagard is in Russia, and will spend three months on Mir
next year - breaking the U.S. space duration record.
 
Mark Lee became the payload commander for the Spacelab Japan
mission, and was one of the planned astronauts for the Hubble
servicing mission.  Because he didn't have previous EVA
experience NASA headquarters disqualified him from that mission.
He will, however, be flying in September and testing out a new
jet backpack, the SAFER.
 
Mary Cleave had been assigned to the STS-42 mission (by coincidence
three of the STS-30 crew members were assigned to STS-42 - Cleave,
Thagard, and Grabe).  But she chose to leave that crew and ended up
resigning from the astronaut corps and transferring to the Goddard
Spaceflight Center.
 
Nope - nobody got 'kicked out' for 'smuggling' a camera to the flight deck.
 
Philip Chien
no sig yet
 
In Article <ae.138.101.0NB830B4@mom-3.com>
jack.block@mom-3.com (Jack Block) writes:

>-> The STS-30 crew smuggled the first camcorder onboard and got some
>-> fascinating footage immediately post-launch. The camera was pointed out the
>-> overhead windows, and the scene shows the ground falling away as the Shuttle
>-> cleared the tower and initiated the roll program. Good stuff.
>
>Is anyone from the STS-30 crew still employed by NASA?  I don't think smuggled
>is a fair word, but I stand to be corrected.