|
( STS-30)
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. The Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off from Pad B, Launch Complex 39, KSC, at 247 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 rescheduled liftoff 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.
|
STS-30 Subcategories
STS-30 Articles
|
|
