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Przygotowania
Montaż rozpoczął się w grudniu 1979r., montaż rakiet SRB nastąpił w styczniu 1980r. w HighBay 3. Columbia przybyła do KSC z DFRC (Dryden Flight Research Center) w Kalifornii na grzbiecie SCA 24 marca 1979r. Po zdjęciu z nosiciela została natychmiast przeniesiona do OPF w celu przetestowania jej systemów i montażu reszty płytek TPS (Thermal Protection System). Zbiornik ET dostarczono barką z Michoud Assembly Facility w Nowym Orleanie w lipcu 1979. Przeniesiono go do HighBay 4. Gdzie na początku listopad został podniesiony do pionu i połączony z SRB. Columbia została przewieziona do VAB 24 listopada 1980. Tam została połączona ze zbiornikiem ET. Testy połączeń mechanicznych i elektrycznych przeprowadzona w VAB w grudniu. Sprawdzona zachowanie się systemów w różnych sytuacjach. Tak przygotowany i sprawdzony wahadłowiec został przetransportowany na platformę 39A odległą o 5,6 km 29 grudnia 1980. 6 stycznia przeprowadzono próby ewakuacji załogi (załogi podstawowe i dublerskiej) specjalnych wagonikach zjazdowych zapewniających szybką ewakuacje załogi do bunkra. Członkowie załogi mieli na sobie skafandry używane w czasie lotu, a zamiast urządzeń, które by ze sobą nieśli w czasie prawdziwej ewakuacji użyto worków z piaskiem.
(http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/images/small/81pc0013-s.jpg)
Young i Crippen przyglądają się próbie swoich dublerów - Engla i Truly'ego.
19 luty - Culumbia zostaje przygotowana do testów SSME - odsunięto RSS.
(http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/images/medium/81pc0098-m.jpg)
Testowy 20 sekundowy odpał silników SSME został przeprowadzony o godzinie 8:45 rano, 20 lutego 1981r. Silniki osiągnęły 100% mocy i 1 000 000 funtów ciągu.
(http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/images/small/81pc0058-s.jpg)
Siedemnastego Marca KSC odwiedził vice przezydent George Bush, który przybył z małżonką. Bush otrzymał model Columbii od ówczesnego administratora NASA, dr. Alana M. Lovelace'go.
(http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/images/medium/81PC-0164-m.jpg)
19 marca astronauci mieli przeprowadzone badania lekarskie:
(http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/images/small/81pc0186-s.jpg)
(http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/space/hsfe_shuttle/sts1/images/A780615_P4C.jpg)
Budowa Columbii
(http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/images/small/80pc0720-s.jpg)
Columbia wyjeżdża a VAB na grzbiecie Crawlera
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12 kwietnia - dzień startu
Wcześniejsze okna startowe
5 kwietnia początek: 6:53 EST czas trwania: 6 h 30 min
6 kwietnia początek: 6:52 EST czas trwania: 6 h 36 min
7 kwietnia początek: 6:51 EST czas trwania: 6 h 36 min
8 kwietnia początek: 6:50 EST czas trwania: 6 h 36 min
9 kwietnia początek: 6:49 EST czas trwania: 6 h 36 min
Plan przebiegu zdarzeń:
T-15 h - Odsunięto ramię dostępu do międzyzbiornika (intertank)
T-14 h - Rozpoczęto odsuwanie RSS
T-12 h - RSS zastał umieszczony w pozycji do startu
T-8 h - Zamknięcie zaworów upustowych ciekłego tlenu
T-7 h - Rozpoczęcie oczyszczania wyrzutni z niepotrzebnego personelu
T-5 h - Rozpoczęcie końcowego odliczania, koniec oczyszczania wyrzutni
T-4 h 30 min - Sprawdzenie systemów napełniania ciekłym tlenem
T-4 h 20 min - Sprawdzenie systemów tankowania wodoru; Początek tankowania tlenu
T-4 h 10 min - Początek napełniania wodorem
T-2 h 15 min - Pobudka załogi
T-2 h 4 min - Standardowy 2 - godzinny hold. Zbiornik zewnętrzny zostaje całkowicie wypełniony. Ice Team przeprowadza kontrolę oblodzenia. Załoga zostaje przygotowana do misji i przywieziona na wyrzutnię.
T- 1 h 50 min - Załoga rozpoczyna wejście do promu
T- 1 h 25 min - Young i Crippen są już w Columbii
T- 20 min - Standardowy 20 minutowy hold
T- 9 min - Standardowy 9 minutowy hold
T- 9 min - Zgoda na start. Wdrożenie automatycznej sekwencji startowej.
T- 7 min 5 s - Początek odsuwanie ramienia dostępu do orbitera (FSS)
T- 5 min - Uruchomienie APU
T- 4 min 55 s - FSS odsunięty
T- 3 min 45 s - Uruchomienie profilu aerodynamicznego orbitera
T- 3 min 30 s - Columbia przechodzi na wewnętrzny system zasilania
T- 3 min 10 s - Testy dysz SSME
T- 2 min 55 s - Ustawienie startowego ciśnienia LOx
T- 2 min 50 s - Początek odsuwania beanie cap
T- 1 min 57 s - Ciśnienie wodoru ustawione na start
T- 25 s - Aktywacja jednostek hydraulicznych SRB. Komputer pokładowy wahadłowca przejmuje kontrolę nad odliczaniem
T- 18 s - Ustawienie dysz silników SRB w pozycji startowej
T- 11 s - Inicjacja systemu tłumienia dźwięku (sound suppression system)
T- 3,8 s - Sekwencja zapłonu silników SSME
T- 3,6 s - Zapłon SSME - 1
T- 3,48 s - Zapłon SSME - 2
T- 3,36 s - Zapłon SSME - 3
T- 0,24 s - Silniki osiągają 90% ciągu
T- 2,88 s - Zostaje odstrzelone ramię dostępu do ET, następuje zapłon SRB, odstrzelenie śrub mocujących i początek wznoszenia.
T+ 6 s - Wahadłowiec misja wierzę platformy: wysokość 106 m, prędkość 120 km/h
T+ 8 s - Początek obrotu: wysokość 137 m, prędkość 123 km/h
T+ 2 min 12 s - Następuje separacja SRB: wysokość 49,7 km, prędkość 4 625 km/h
T+ 8 min 32 s - Wyłączenie silników SSME: wysokość 118,5 km, prędkość 26 715 km/h wymiary orbity 23,1 km x 148,16 km
T+ 8 min 51 s - Oddzielenie zbiornika zewnętrznego: wysokość 118,7 km, prędkość 26 710 km/h
T+ 10 min 32 s - Początek OMS-1 zwiększenie prędkości o 50,3 m/s
T+ 12 min 01 s - Koniec OMS-1 wymiary orbity 240 km x 105,56 km
T+ 44 min - manewr OMS-2 rozpoczęty zmiana prędkości -41,75 m/s
T+ 45 min 11 s manewr OMS-2 zakończony wymiary orbity 240,57 km x 240,41 km
T+ 6 h 20 min 41 s - rozpoczęcie OMS-3 zmiana prędkości 11,2 m/s
T+ 6 h 21 min 20 s - koniec OMS-3 wymiary orbity 277,8 km x 248,17 km
T+ 7 h 05 min 31 s - początek OMS-4 zmiana prędkości -11,43 m/s
T+ 7 h 06 min 11 s - koniec OMS-4 wymiary orbity 277,8 km x 277,9 km
(http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/images/small/81pc0346-s.jpg)
Panowie Young i Crippen zostają ubrani w skafandry
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Trochę grafiki:
(http://www.imagic.pl/files/20357/profil%20misji.JPG)
Nominalny profil misji
(http://www.imagic.pl/files/20357/1%B6cie%BFka%20deorbitecji%20i%20wej%B6cia.jpg)
Ścieżka deorbitacji i wejścia w atmosferę
(http://www.imagic.pl/files/20357/NAd%20kaliforni%B1.jpg)
Zejście nad Kalifornią
(http://www.imagic.pl/files/20357/podej%B6cie%20i%20l%B1dowanie.jpg)
Podejście i lądowanie
(http://www.imagic.pl/files/20357/profil%20wej%B6cia.jpg)
Profil schodzenia
(http://www.imagic.pl/files/20357/rtles.jpg)
Profil RTLS
(http://www.imagic.pl/files/20357/ato.jpg)
Profil ATO
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Zarządzanie NASA w czasie misji
NASA Headquarters
Dr. Alan Lovelace Acting Administrator
John F. Yardley Associate Administrator for Space Transportation Systems
L. Michael Weeks Associate Administrator for Space Transportation Systems
David R. Braunstein Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Transportation Systems (Management)
Daniel M. Germany Director, Orbiter Programs
Walter F. Dankoff Director, Engine Programs
Edward P. Andrews Director, Ground Systems and Flight Test
LeRoy E. Day Director, Systems Engineering and Integration
Frank Van Rensselear Director, Expendable Equipment
Johnson Space Center
Christopher C. Kraft Director
Robert F. Thompson Manager, Space Shuttle Program
Donald K. "Deke" Slayton Manager, Orbital Flight Test
Aaron Cohen Manager, Space Shuttle Orbiter Project Office
George W. S. Abbey Director of Flight Operations
Maxime A. Faget Director of Engineering and Development
Lynwood C. Dunseith Director of Data Systems and Analysis
Kennedy Space Center
Richard G. Smith Director
Gerald D. Griffin Deputy Director
Raymond L. Clark Associate Director for STS Development
Dr. Robert H. Gray Manager, Shuttle Projects Office
George F. Page Director, Shuttle Operations
Marshall Space Flight Center
Dr. William R. Lucas Director
Thomas J. Lee Deputy Director
Robert E. Lindstrom Manager, MSFC Shuttle Projects Office
James E. Kingsbury Director, Science and Engineering Directorate
James B. Odom Manager, External Tank Project
George B. Hardy Manager, Solid Rocket Booster Project
James R. Thompson Jr. Manager, Space Shuttle Main Engine Project
James M. Sisson Manager, Engineering and Major Test Management office
Dryden Flight Research Center
Isaac T. Gillam IV Director
Robert F. Johannes Deputy Director
John A. Manke Chief of Flight Operations
Mel Burke Shuttle Project Manager
Goddard Space Flight Center
A. Thomas Young Director
Dr. John H. McElroy Deputy Director
Richard S. Sade Director of Networks Directorate Space Tracking and Data Network
Walter LaFleur Deputy Director of Networks Directorate (STDN)
William B. Dickinson Division Chief, NASA Communications Network
Donald D. Wilson Assistant Chief, NASA Communications Network
Daniel Spintman Chief, Network Operations
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Jak wam się podoba? Oczywiście to jeszcze nie koniec!
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To naprawdę ogrom pracy. Brawo! Warto, byś podał źródła z których korzystałeś. :)
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Dobra robota! Czyżbyś chciał zabrać się za pionierskie misje promów STS? Jeśli tak, to świetnie :) No i faktycznie, warto podawać z jakich publikacji korzystałeś przy tworzeniu wątku.
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Bardzo dobry opis, dużo zdjęć i fajne schematy. Brawo! :)
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Jak na razie to używałem tylko presskita tej misji. Ciesze się, że wam się podoba 8).
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Operacje orbitalne i lądowanie
Drzwi ładowni zostały otwarte na drugim okrążeniu Ziemi. Chwilę później otwarto także radiatory. Podczas lotu Columbia prawie cały czas była zwrócona ładownią w kierunku Ziemi, przeprowadzona trzy próby translacji z użyciem RCS które miały na celu przetestowanie tego systemu przygotowując się do misji operacyjnych. Manewr deorbitacyjny miał miejsce 2 dni 5 godzin i 28 minut po starcie - nad Oceanem Indyjskim, zmniejszył on prędkość pojazdu o 91 m/s i perygeum do 3,7 km nad Ziemią. Prom minął wybrzeże USA na wysokości 39,8 km i prędkości 8330 km/h. Po ostatnim zakręcie Columbia była na wysokości 3,85 km i szybowała z prędkością 642,65 km/h, promień zakrętu (HAC) miał 6,1 km. Podwozie wypuszczono na 19 sekund przed przyziemieniem przy prędkości 139 m/s i wysokości 76,2 m. Przyziemienie nastąpiło przy prędkości 333,36 km/h na pasie 23 w EAFB.
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I jak wam się podoba? Czy chcecie jeszcze żebym dodał biografie astronautów?
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Jeśli Ci to nie sprawi kłopotu ;)
To są bardzo fajne postaci ;)
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Moim zdaniem naprawdę warto o nich wspomnieć. :)
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Biografie
John W. Young - Dowódca
(http://i.space.com/images/041214_johnyoung_iod_04.jpg)
Data i miejsce urodzin 24 września 1930r. w San Francisco. Jego rodzice mieszkają obecnie w Orlando.
Cechy wyglądu brązowe włosy, zielone oczy, 1,75 m wzrostu, waga 74,85 kg ;D (to nie żart)
Wykształcenie Absolwent liceum w Orlando na Florydzie, licencjat z inżynierii lotniczej z najwyższym wyróżnieniem z Instytutu Technologii w Georgii w 1952r.
Stan cywilny Rozwodnik; była żona Susy Feldman z Saint Louis.
Dzieci Sandy ur. 30 kwietnia 1957 i John ur. 17 stycznia 1959.
Zainteresowania rekreacyjne Bieganie
Przynależność do organizacji Członek Amerykańskiego Towarzystwa Astronautycznego (AAS) i Organizacji Pilotów Eksperymentatorów (SETP) a także współpracownik Amerykańskiego Instytutu Astronautyki i Aeronautyki (AIAA).
Odznaczenia i wyróżnienia Dwa medale NASA Distinguished Service i dwa za wyjątkowe zasługi. Certyfikat pochwalny od JSC (1970), Special Achievement Award (1978), Navy Astronaut Wings, zadana Iven C. Kincheloe Award (1972), Flight Achievement Award AAS (1972), AIAA Haley Astronautics Award (1973).
Doświadczenie Po ukończeniu Georgia Tech wstąpił do marynarki USA. Po odbyciu rocznej służby na niszczycielu West Coast został wysłany do szkoły lotniczej. Następnie został przydzielony do "Latającego Szwadronu 103" gdzie latał 4 lata pod nazwami Puma i Krzyżowcy.
Po treningu pilotażowym w szkole US Navy Test Pilot w roku 1959r został przydzielony do Naval Air Test Center na trzy lata wykonał projekty systemów broni myśliwskich Krzyżowców i Fantoma. W 1962 roku ustanowił rekord wznoszenia się w wysokości 3000 m do 25000 m. Przed wstąpieniem do NASA należał do "143 Szwadronu Latającego Fantom", po 25 latach czynnej służby uzyskał rangę kapitana.
Przelatał ponad 8000 godzin w tym 835 godzin w kosmosie (6 lotów)
Doświadczenie w NASA
Został wybrany na astronautę we wrześniu 1962 roku.
Był pilotem pod dowództwem Gusa Grissoma w pierwszym załogowym locie statku Gemini - 23 marca 1965 r. Pierwszy raz wykonał manewr zmiany orbity.
18 lipca 1966 roku. został dowódca statku Gemini 10 i wraz z Michaelem Collinsem przeprowadzali próby dokowania do członu Agena, który wyniósł pojazdy na rekordową wysokość 475 mil. Następnie zadokowano do innego członu Agena, który został wyniesiony w kosmos 3 miesiące wcześniej.
Był pilotem modułu dowodzenie Apollo 10, 18-26 maja 1969 roku. Przeprowadzono test kwalifikacyjny modułu księżycowego, kiedy to po oddokowaniu zniżono się nim na wysokość ~15 km. A potem ponownego połączenia z CSM.
W swoim czwartym locie dowodził statkiem Apollo 16 w dniach 16 - 27 kwietnia 1972r, razem z Kennem Mattinglym, pilotem CSM i Charlesem Dukem odpowiedzialnym za sterowanie lądownikiem księżycowym. Spędził ponad 71 godzin na powierzchni księżyca, w tym 20 godzin na zewnątrz spacerując po jego powierzchni.
Był także rezerwowym pilotem statku Gemini 6, zapasowym pilotem CSM Apollo 7, i dublerem dowódców Apollo 13 i 17.
W styczniu 1973r. został przydzielone do Biura Delegatury Astronautów, zajmował się wyborem astronautów do przyszłych misji Space Shuttle.
Zadania przydzielone przed lotem Został mianowany szefem biura astronautów w styczniu 1975 r. Był odpowiedzialny za koordynację, planowanie i kontrolę działalności astronautów.
Na dowódcę STS-1 wytypowano go w marcu 1978r.
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T- 3,36 s - Zapłon SSME - 3
T- 0,24 s - Silniki osiągają 90% ciągu
T- 0,08 s - Zostaje odstrzelone ramię dostępu do ET, następuje zapłon SRB, odstrzelenie śrub mocujących i początek wznoszenia.
Taka pierdołka :P ale czy nie powinno być:
T- 3,36 s - Zapłon SSME - 3
T+ 0,24 s - Silniki osiągają 90% ciągu
T+ 2,88 s - Zostaje odstrzelone ramię dostępu do ET, następuje zapłon SRB, odstrzelenie śrub mocujących
T+ 0,00 s - Reset zegara i początek wznoszenia.
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/shuttle_pk/pk/Flight_001_STS-001_Press_Kit.pdf (strona 12 i 13)
To chyba jedyna misja STS, która miała takie dziwne odliczanie. Zazwyczaj SSME startują w T- 6s a nie T-3.8 s.
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Tak, świetne opracowanie Adamie! :)
To chyba jedyna misja STS, która miała takie dziwne odliczanie. Zazwyczaj SSME startują w T- 6s a nie T-3.8 s.
Ano właśnie, czyżby wydłużyli ten czas w późniejszych startach w celu wydłużenia momentu odpalenia i sprawdzania stanu silników SSME?
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Robert Laurel Crippen - pilot
Wszystko doskonale jest opisane doskonal na polskiej wikipedii: http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Crippen
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Jego rodzice mieszkają obecnie w Orlando.
Oni jeszcze żyją ? John Young ma 80, więc oni musieli by mieć ze 100.
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Tak, świetne opracowanie Adamie! :)
To chyba jedyna misja STS, która miała takie dziwne odliczanie. Zazwyczaj SSME startują w T- 6s a nie T-3.8 s.
Ano właśnie, czyżby wydłużyli ten czas w późniejszych startach w celu wydłużenia momentu odpalenia i sprawdzania stanu silników SSME?
To faktycznie dziwne czasy.
Najpierw jest "-", potem, już przy "+" (dokładnie +0.00.24), SSME osiągają 90% ciągu, następnie przy +0.02.64 odpalane są SRB i... nagle czas wraca do zera i liczy znów w przód (jak poniżej na screenie). Czy to błąd w presskicie czy faktycznie tak dziwnie to liczono? Oto odpowiedź w tym samym presskicie (na dole).
________
Edit:
Może warto poprawić drugi post (znak -na +) przy tych czasach.
Edit2 w kwietniu 2011 - z postu zniknęły załączniki, a że nie mam ich już na dysku powtórnie nie wstawię.
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Czy to błąd w presskicie czy faktycznie tak dziwnie to liczono? Oto odpowiedź w tym samym presskicie (na dole).
Z kolei w presskicie do kolejnej misji tj. STS-2 pojawia się taka informacja:
** STS-1 had two T-0s, one at the estimated main engine 90 percent thrust time and the second at planned SRB
ignition. The STS-2 countdown has been adjusted so that there is only one T-0.
Ten przypis został wprowadzony gdyż STS-2 miała już dobrze nam znane standardowe odliczanie.
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Ciekaw jestem czy z okazji 50lecia Gagarina, 30lecia Columbii STS 1 i końca lotów wahadłowców w tym roku NASA oficjalnie uczci rocznice Gagarinową i pierwszego lotu szatla?
Fajnie by było aby tak zrobili..........
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http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/space-shuttle-anniversary.aspx :o
http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/50th-anniversary.aspx 8)
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Ciekaw jestem czy z okazji 50lecia Gagarina, 30lecia Columbii STS 1 i końca lotów wahadłowców w tym roku NASA oficjalnie uczci rocznice Gagarinową i pierwszego lotu szatla?
Fajnie by było aby tak zrobili..........
http://florydziak.blogspot.com/2011/04/dwunasty-kwietnia.html
Wybieram się na te obchody.
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Nie wiem czy pamiętacie ale dzisiaj jest 32 rocznica pierwszego startu wahadłowca :)
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/The_STS-1_Crew_-_GPN-2000-001172.jpg/758px-The_STS-1_Crew_-_GPN-2000-001172.jpg)
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Pamiętamy dokładnie ;)
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Znalazłem niedawno ciekawy dokument o STS-1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQyL0N_nG1o
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W sumie głupio się poczułem,bo na dysku mam to już od kilku lat (od 2009), mogłem udostępnić...
Zamieszczę za to na YT inny film ze startu STS-1, w HD, może gdzieś siedzi na YT, ale nie mogę go "wyczaić".
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Oto ciekawy materiał ze startu STS-1 i reakcją publiczności.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH8qmsCA2a4
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Dziś mija 35 lat o pierwszego startu Columbii .....
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14 IV 1981 – lądowanie STS-1
BY KRZYSZTOF KANAWKA ON 25 PAŹDZIERNIKA 2017
(...) Dwa dni i sześć godzin później prom Columbia powrócił na Ziemię. Powrót był zupełnie inny, niż wcześniejsze amerykańskie misje programów Mercury, Gemini i Apollo – pojazd wylądował na długim pasie zamiast wodowania w oceanie. Oczywiście, koniec pierwszej misji wahadłowca także wywołał duże zainteresowanie – poniższe nagranie to zapis programu TV od momentu zbliżania się promu do wybrzeży Kalifornii aż do momentu, gdy astronauci odjechali od Columbii. Lądowanie nastąpiło w bazie Edwards – łącznie w trakcie programu STS zakończyło się tam 54 wypraw orbitalnych amerykańskich promów.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY9nFAxDGus
Lądowanie promu Columbia – koniec misji STS-1 / Credits – Logic Earth (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFJbHGQtt1dYGWxEtlWGaDw)
Ten zapis pokazuje jak dużo technologii związanych z promami kosmicznymi zmieniło się przez dekady programu STS. Przede wszystkim doszło do znacznego rozwoju technologii komunikacyjnych – podczas ostatnich misji wahadłowców możliwe było oglądanie “na żywo”, także poprzez internet widoku z perspektywy pilota prowadzącego wahadłowiec do lądowania. (...)
http://kosmonauta.net/2017/10/14-iv-1981-ladowanie-sts-1/
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Nagranie ze świętowania 25-lecia:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HVd2Xh98uw
L+25 Years: STS-1's Young and Crippen
(http://www.collectspace.com/images/news-041006a.jpg)
STS-1 pilot Robert Crippen and commander John Young sit before a mockup of a space shuttle at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida during an April 7, 2006 celebration of the 25th anniversary of their April 12, 1981 flight. (NASA)
April 10, 2006 — Twenty-five years ago this week, two men embarked upon an unprecedented mission. Aboard the world's first spacecraft designed to be reusable, the experienced commander and rookie pilot would set many firsts over the two day space flight, setting the stage for the next chapter in U.S. space activities after the Apollo lunar program had come to an end. First however, STS-1 needed to prove that the winged Space Shuttle Columbia could safely launch into space as a rocket and return as an engine-less glider.
collectSPACE.com recently spoke with STS-1 Commander John Young and Pilot Robert Crippen via the phone about the 25th anniversary of their mission, their memories of the flight and its legacy. Although their conversations were separate, the following combines both of their comments:
Your mission has been described as "the boldest test flight in history." What made it such?
John Young (JY): "I think if you look at all the things we had to do, flying a winged launch vehicle into space without any previous unmanned test, it probably was very bold and we thought we knew a lot more than we did."
Did you realize it was "the boldest" at the time?
Robert Crippen (RC): "Some of my test pilot friends might challenge it — because there have been lots of important test flights — however the Space Shuttle was a unique test flight and both John and I knew that.
"It was the first that we had ever flown on a vehicle that hadn't been launched unmanned before into space, so that was truly unique. And then we were flying with the first solid rockets that had ever been used for human space flight. We were flying on a winged vehicle that would do reentry different than we had ever done before and come back in and land on a runway. So all of those were firsts — and test pilots truly love firsts — so it was a big deal for both John and I."
(...)
http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-041006a.html
25 years in – MAF role essential
April 12, 2006 by Chris Bergin
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2006/04/25-years-in-maf-role-essential/
35-lecie lotu: http://www.forum.kosmonauta.net/index.php?topic=800.msg91719#msg91719
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STS-1 Columbia "Resource Tape" (FULL Flow, Arrival, Launch, Post-Landing):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl2Ko6NgFEA
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Pamiętam ten pierwszy start Columbii 12 kwietnia 1981 r. - pierwszy start wahadłowca w ogóle i od razu pełny sukces. Niebywałą odwagę i profesjonalność tych ludzi podziwiam do dziś. Weteran lotów orbitalnych John Young poleciał z astronautą nowicjuszem - Robertem Crippenem nowym ogromny statkiem kosmicznym. Wtedy to było niesamowite osiągnięcie, wielka chwila. ;D
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Pamiętam ten pierwszy start Columbii 12 kwietnia 1981 r. - pierwszy start wahadłowca w ogóle i od razu pełny sukces.
Sukces tym większy, że jak potem przeanalizowano dane po locie, to oceniono prawdopodobieństwo utraty załogi jak 1 do 12.
Ciekawe czy Bob Crippen, mimo pandemii, będzie obecny przy starcie Crew Dragon ?
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Sukces tym większy, że jak potem przeanalizowano dane po locie, to oceniono prawdopodobieństwo utraty załogi jak 1 do 12.
Ciekawe jakie czynniki tak wysoko wywindowały ryzyko tego lotu? Są może dostępne jakieś przystępne analizy? Swoją drogą rzeczywisty wskaźnik ryzyka – ok. 1:67 też okazał się niemały.
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https://twitter.com/waynehale/status/1256348518429622272
Wayne Hale @waynehale (2 maja 2020)
Several media people have asked me about how risky STS-1 was. There were a lot of uninformed guesses circulating in 1981. Thirty years later, based on everything we knew, we back calculated the probability of loss of crew and vehicle to be 1 in 9. That is pretty risky.
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Biorąc pod uwagę jak dużo elementów zostało uszkodzonych w trakcie startu oraz misji STS-1, to wcale nie takie dziwne, że ta misja była naprawdę ryzykowna. Kolejne w latach 80. - w zasadzie wcale wyraźnie bezpieczniejsze nie były...
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40 Years Ago: Preparations Continue for STS-1
Aug. 25, 2020
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/columbia_in_opf_during_ksc_open_house_labor_day_sep_1_1980.jpg)
Employees and their families view Columbia’s main engines during KSC’s Open House
In August 1980, while much work still remained to prepare Space Shuttle Columbia for its first flight to usher in a new era of a reusable crewed space transportation system, NASA managers confirmed March 1981 as the target launch date for STS-1. Significant recent accomplishments included the reinstallation of the main engines on Columbia after their recertification, continued installation of heat shield tiles on the vehicle’s surfaces, and tests of the orbiter as well as of the solid rocket boosters. The prime crew for the first Shuttle flight, John W. Young and Robert L. Crippen along with their backups Joe H. Engle and Richard H. Truly, continued to train for the mission and participated in some phases of the test activities such as a crew interface test and a full mission duration simulation. (...)
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/40-years-ago-preparations-continue-for-sts-1-1
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Oct. 7, 2020
40 Years Ago: Six Months until the STS-1 Launch
Preparations for space shuttle Columbia’s first mission continued in October 1980, and managers remained optimistic that the initial flight could take place by March 1981, although April seemed like a more realistic possibility. The prime crew for STS-1, John W. Young and Robert L. Crippen, spent time in Columbia’s cockpit and mission simulators maintaining their proficiency for the historic mission. Multiple tests of the Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSME) progressed toward certifying them for flight. Engineers in the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) made minor modifications to Columbia’s SSMEs and continued installing the orbiter’s thermal protection system tiles, with only a few hundred remaining to be attached. Young and Crippen practiced landing the space shuttle using a modified airplane at KSC. Mission controllers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston completed another full mission simulation and a ship used to recover the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB) began sea trials.
(https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/full_width/public/thumbnails/image/sts1-0459-noid-10.10.80.jpg?itok=RV74mruQ)(https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/full_width/public/thumbnails/image/sts1-0480-19800100_s80-30504.jpg?itok=_hi4WuJV)
Left: STS-1 crew members Robert L. Crippen, left, and John W. Young, in Columbia’s
cockpit. Right: The motion-base shuttle simulator at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
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Significant world events in October 1980:
October 9 – First consumer use of home banking by computer by United American Bank in Knoxville, Tennessee
October 11 – Soviet cosmonauts Leonid I. Popov and Valeri V. Ryumin return to Earth after a record-setting 185-day mission aboard Salyut-6 space station
October 14 – Republican presidential candidate Ronald W. Reagan promises to name a woman to the U.S. Supreme Court
October 21 – Philadelphia Phillies win their first World Series in their 98-year history
October 24 – John Lennon releases “(Just Like) Starting Over” in the United Kingdom
October 24 – Polish government legalizes Solidarity independent labor union
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/40-years-ago-six-months-until-the-sts-1-launch
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40 Years Ago: Five Months Until STS-1 Launch
Nov 18, 2020 John Uri NASA Johnson Space Center
Preparations for space shuttle Columbia’s first mission made significant progress in November 1980, and managers remained optimistic that the initial flight could take place by March or April of 1981. Significant milestones accomplished included the stacking of the vehicle’s major components at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida in preparation for rollout to the launch pad before the end of the year. The prime crew for STS-1, John W. Young and Robert L. Crippen, and their backups Joe H. Engle and Richard H. Truly, participated in integrated tests of the assembled vehicle while strapped into their seats in Columbia’s cockpit. NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston inaugurated a new underwater facility for to train space shuttle astronauts for spacewalks.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/sts1-0493-s80-42560-11.03.80.jpg)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/sts1-0496-80pc-617-11.23.80.jpg)
Left: Workers in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center lower the External Tank (ET) before mating it with the two Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) on the Mobile Launch Platform (MLP).
Right: The mated ET/SRB stack on the MLP await the addition of the space shuttle orbiter Columbia.
Inside KSC’s cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), workers continued to assemble the large components of the space shuttle stack to prepare for Columbia’s first flight. They had stacked the twin Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) on the Mobile Launch Platform in January 1980. Beginning Nov. 2, they lowered the External Tank (ET) between the two SRBs and bolted them together, an operation that took about two days. In the nearby Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF), engineers reinstalled the three Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSMEs) onto Columbia and bonded the final 300 heat-resistant thermal protection system tiles to the orbiter’s exterior. Prime crew members Young and Crippen thanked workers in the OPF after the tile work was completed. Said Young, “We’ve come to pay tribute and give a word of thanks and a hardy well done to the people who worked on this spaceship. It’s a beautiful vehicle.”
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/sts1-0500-s80-43445-11.24.80.jpg)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/sts1-0501-rockwell-11.24.80.jpg)
Left: Workers towing space shuttle Columbia from the Orbiter Processing Facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Right: Space shuttle Columbia about to enter the VAB.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/sts1-0505-rockwell-11.24.80.jpg)
Space shuttle Columbia in the VAB transfer aisle.
After a stay of 20 months in the OPF, on the evening of Nov. 24, workers backed Columbia out of the OPF and rolled it over to the VAB, the transfer taking 30 minutes. A large crowd of KSC employees cheered the move. The next morning, workers grappled Columbia with a crane and lifted it from the transfer aisle, hoisting it more than 190 feet in the air to transfer it to High Bay 3 before lowering again to join it to the already assembled ET and SRBs. By early Nov. 26, workers completed all the connections to Columbia as engineers activated the orbiter to prepare the assembled vehicle for a series of tests. As part of the two-week shuttle interface test, on Dec. 4, engineers powered up the entire stack for the first time. Additional tests ensured that all systems operated as expected in the overall vehicle and ground systems. The prime and backup crews participated in ascent and entry simulations, strapped in their seats in the orbiter. Successful completion of the tests led to the next major milestone, the rollout of Columbia to Launch Pad 39A in late December.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/sts1-0523-80pc-618-11.23.80.jpg)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/sts1-0534-80pc-557-11.24.80.jpg)
Left: Workers begin lifting space shuttle Columbia in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Right: Workers in the VAB continue lifting Columbia from the transfer aisle into High Bay 3.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/sts1-0540-s80-42883-11.25.80.jpg)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/sts1-0543-noid-11.25.80.jpg)
Left: Workers lower Columbia in High Bay 3 to mate it with its External Tank and Solid Rocket Boosters.
Right: In High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, workers lower space shuttle Columbia to mate it with its External Tank (ET) and Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs).
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/sts1-0547-s80-42881-11.25.80.jpg)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/sts1-0553a-80pc-605-11.25.80.jpg)
Left: With the crane still attached, workers finish mating Columbia to its ET/SRB stack.
Right: Columbia mated with its ET and SRBs, standing on its Mobile Launch Platform.
To help space shuttle astronauts train for extravehicular activities (EVAs), or spacewalks, JSC inaugurated the Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) on Nov. 21, 1980. The WETF, essentially a swimming pool 33 feet wide, 78 feet long, and 25 feet deep, replaced the smaller Water Immersion Facility used to train Gemini and Apollo astronauts. Neutral buoyancy simulations, used by astronauts since 1966, provides a more effective method of training for EVAs than the short periods of simulated weightlessness afforded by parabolic aircraft flights. The larger size of the WETF allowed astronauts, dressed in training versions of new spacesuits, to train using full-scale mockups of the space shuttle cargo bay. The Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), the spacesuit developed for space shuttle missions, improved over previous suits with added flexibility and mobility, making it easier for astronauts to operate in weightlessness. The two-piece suit came in different sizes to better fit the larger range of astronauts selected for space shuttle missions.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/sts_1_l-5_months_wetf_sep_1980_s80-39445.jpg)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/sts-1_bu_truly_in_wetf_s80-42525.jpg)
Left: The Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, shortly before becoming operational.
Right: Engineers lower STS-1 backup astronaut Richard L. Truly into the WETF for a spacewalk training session.
To be continued…
Significant world events in November 1980:
November 4 – Sadaharu Oh, all-time pro-baseball home run record holder with 868, retires
November 4 – Republican candidate Ronald W. Reagan is elected President of the United States
November 12 – Voyager 1 (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/40-years-ago-voyager-1-explores-saturn/) passes within 78,000 miles of Saturn
November 17 – John Lennon releases “Double Fantasy” album in the United Kingdom
November 21 – “Who Done It?” episode of the series Dallas airs on CBS-TV, revealing the identity of J.R. Ewing’s shooter
November 25 – Sugar Ray Leonard regains World Boxing Council welterweight boxing crown
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/40-years-ago-five-months-until-sts-1-launch
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40 Years Ago: Space Shuttle Columbia Rolls Out to Launch Pad 39A
Dec 15, 2020 John Uri NASA Johnson Space Center
Preparations for the inaugural flight of space shuttle Columbia passed a major milestone at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Dec. 29, 1980, with the rollout of the vehicle stack from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to its seaside Launch Pad 39A. The prime crew for STS-1, John W. Young and Robert L. Crippen, and their backups Joe H. Engle and Richard H. Truly, had carried out complex interface tests to verify mechanical and electrical connections of the mated vehicle while still in the VAB. A few days after observing the rollout, the astronauts participated in emergency egress drills and rehearsed procedures to quickly evacuate Columbia. Senior NASA managers remained optimistic that the initial flight could take place as early as March 1981.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/sts1-0555a-s80-42905.jpg)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/sts1-0566-80pc-668-12.18.80.jpg)
Left: Space shuttle Columbia on its Mobile Launch Platform inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Right: STS-1 astronauts John W. Young, left, and Robert L. Crippen pose in front of Columbia in the VAB.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/sts1-0568-80pc-637-backup_crew_in_vab-12.18.80.jpg)
STS-1 backup crew of Joe H. Engle, left, and Richard H. Truly pose in front of Columbia in the VAB.
Following the Nov. 26, 1980, mating of Columbia with its external tank and solid rocket boosters on the Mobile Launch Platform (MLP), the prime and backup crews carried out complex interface tests to verify mechanical and electrical connections of the mated vehicle. Engineers powered up the entire stack for the first time on Dec. 4. The interface tests involved the astronauts, strapped into Columbia’s cockpit in its vertical orientation, flying simulated launch, abort, and reentry profiles using the orbiter’s five general-purpose computers. The vehicle was connected to KSC’s launch control system and flight controllers at the Mission Control Center at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston also received the data during the tests.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/sts1-0570-81hc-39-12.29.80.jpg)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/sts1-0571a-80pc-720-12.29.80.jpg)
Left: In the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, workers retract the work platforms away from the space shuttle Columbia stack prior to rollout.
Right: Columbia begins the rollout from the VAB to Launch Pad 39A.
At 8 a.m. on Dec. 29, Columbia began its slow rollout from the VAB, the stack and MLP riding atop the Mobile Transporter, also known as the crawler. Young, Crippen and KSC Director Richard G. “Dick” Smith addressed the 5,000 visitors, including 200 reporters from around the world, assembled to view the rollout. Young expressed what a great event the rollout represented for the United States, and Crippen called the space shuttle “a technological marvel.” Columbia arrived at Launch Pad 39A by mid-afternoon, completing the 3.5-mile journey down the crawlerway without incident. By that evening, workers secured the stack to the pad.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/sts1-0572-80pc-641-12.29.80.jpg)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/sts1-0578-80pc-703-12.29.80.jpg)
Left: View of Columbia as the stack exits the VAB.
Right: View from the top of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center as space shuttle Columbia begins its journey to Launch Pad 39A.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/sts1-0580-rockwell-12.29.80.jpg)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/sts1-0586-80pc-704-12.29.80.jpg)
Left: View from atop the VAB as Columbia begins the journey down the crawlerway.
Right: Columbia approaches Launch Pad 39A.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/sts1-0592-noid-12.29.80.jpg)
Space shuttle Columbia arriving at Launch Pad 39A.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/sts1-0595a-80p-334a-12.29.80.jpg)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/sts1-0606-80pc-74-12.29.80.jpg)
Left: Columbia nearly in position at Launch Pad 39A.
Right: Columbia in place on Launch Pad 39A.
Once at the pad, workers began readying Columbia for its next major milestone, the Flight Readiness Firing (FRF), a 20-second final certification test of the orbiter’s main engines, on Feb. 20, 1981. Successful completion of the FRF allowed managers to more precisely schedule Columbia’s launch date. At the pad, crews moved the orbiter crew access arm into position, allowing astronauts and ground support personnel to enter the vehicle.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/sts1-0633-rockwell-1.81.jpg)
Space shuttle Columbia at Launch Pad 39A with the orbiter crew access arm rotated into place.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/sts1-0617-80pc-746-12.30.80.jpg)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/sts1-0621-80pc-748-12.30.80.jpg)
Left: View from the launch tower of space shuttle Columbia at Launch Pad 39A showing the orbiter crew access arm.
Right: Technicians install elements of Columbia’s avionics after the orbiter’s arrival at Launch Pad 39A.
Six days into the new year of 1981, the STS-1 prime and backup crews received a demonstration of the crew emergency escape system at Launch Pad 39A. Commonly known as the slide wire, the system consisted of open baskets that pairs of astronauts and support personnel would use in case of an emergency requiring immediate evacuation from the crew access level of the launch tower, located 195 feet above the ground. The baskets with the personnel aboard would ride down to the ground on slide wires, a total distance of 1,200 feet, reaching speeds of up to 60 miles per hour. A system of cable brakes and netting slowed the basket to a stop at ground level. A nearby bunker would provide shelter for the personnel, who could also evacuate using armored personnel carriers. For this demonstration, the astronauts did not actually ride the baskets down the slide wire.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/sts1-0638a-81pc-23-1.6.81.jpg)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/sts1-0639-81pc-21-1.6.81.jpg)
Left: STS-1 astronauts Robert L. Crippen, left, and John W. Young arrive at Launch Pad 39A for a demonstration
of the crew emergency escape system.
Right: STS-1 backup astronauts Joe H. Engle, left, and Richard H. Truly arrive at Launch Pad 39A for emergency egress training.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/sts1-0644-81pc-17-1.6.81.jpg)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/sts1-0649-81pc-26-1.6.81.jpg)
Left: Crippen, left, and Young practice getting into the emergency slide baskets.
Right: Young, left, Crippen, Truly, and Engle inspect the slidewire escape basket at the base of Launch Pad 39A.
To be continued…
Significant world events in December 1980:
December 4 – The rock band Led Zeppelin announces that it will disband, following the death of drummer John Bonham
December 8 – John Lennon is murdered in New York City
December 10 – Three-person Soyuz T3 crew returns to Earth after a 13-day flight to the Soviet Salyut-6 space station
December 11 – The United States Congress passes the Superfund Act
December 11 – “Magnum, P.I.,” starring Tom Selleck, premieres on CBS-TV
December 12 – Computer-maker Apple makes its initial public offering on the U.S. stock market
December 27 – Calvin Murphy of the Houston Rockets begins longest free throw streak (78) in the NBA
December 30 – Final performance of “The Wonderful World of Disney” on NBC-TV
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/40-years-ago-space-shuttle-columbia-rolls-out-to-launch-pad-39a
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/CrippenRL/crippenrl.htm
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/EngleJH/englejh.htm
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/NASA_HQ/Administrators/TrulyRH/trulyrh.htm
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40 Years Ago: Three Months to STS-1
Jan 13, 2021 John Uri NASA Johnson Space Center
The new year of 1981 opened with optimism regarding the first launch of the Space Shuttle Program. Workers had rolled space shuttle Columbia to its seaside launch pad on Dec. 29, 1980, where engineers began testing the entire system to prepare the vehicle for STS-1, the first mission of the program. NASA astronauts John W. Young and Robert L. Crippen, the prime crew for STS-1, held a press conference to describe their mission to assembled reporters. They participated in a full-mission duration simulation with the teams of controllers at the Mission Control Center. The space shuttle’s main engines passed their final critical test, and engineers filled and emptied the external tank with cryogenic propellants, clearing the way for the Flight Readiness Firing (FRF) in February.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/sts1-0661-s81-28566-1.26.81.jpg)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/sts1-0660-s81-28571-1.26.81.jpg)
Left: Flight Director Neil B. Hutchinson during an STS-1 simulation.
Right: Flight Director Charles R. “Chuck” Lewis during a simulation for STS-1.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/sts_1_l-3_months_puddy_on_console_during_sim.jpg)
Right: Flight Director Donald R. Puddy during an STS-1 simulation.
Flight controllers in the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston completed the sixth and second to last full-duration 54-hour simulation of the STS-1 mission Jan. 20-22. Under the leadership of flight directors Neil B. Hutchinson, Charles R. “Chuck” Lewis, and Donald R. Puddy, three teams of controllers followed the STS-1 flight plan, with simulated anomalies introduced by the simulation team. Young and Crippen participated from the fixed-base Shuttle Mission Simulator at JSC and responded successfully to all the anomalies presented to them.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/sts1-0656-s81-25996.jpg)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/sts1-0659-s81-28830-1.23.81.jpg)
Left: Prime crew for STS-1 John W. Young, left, and Robert L. Crippen, in a lighthearted moment during a preflight press conference at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Right: Crippen, left, and Young pose for photographers with a model of space shuttle Columbia following the press conference.
Young and Crippen held a press conference with reporters at JSC on Jan. 23. The two outlined the plans for their 54-hour mission and their remaining activities until the launch, including one more full-mission duration simulation following the FRF and participation in the terminal countdown demonstration test about two weeks before launch.
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Left: The space shuttle Main Propulsion Test Assembly during a three-engine test firing at NASA’s National Space Test Laboratories in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
Right: Space shuttle Columbia on Launch Pad 39A.
The Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSMEs) passed their final critical test on Jan. 17 at NASA’s National Space Testing Laboratories in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. During this 12th static firing using the Main Propulsion Test Article (MPTA), consisting of three flight-like SSMEs, an aft space shuttle fuselage, and a full-size external tank, all three engines ignited as planned. As per the plan, engine number 3 shut down after 235 seconds, and the remaining two engines continued firing until 624.5 seconds, completing the longest firing in the test program. All major objectives were met, including gimbaling of the engines and completing a full duration run using flight nozzles. Completing this test cleared the engines for the FRF in mid-February at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39A of the three engines installed on Columbia, a key milestone before the orbiter’s first launch. Other work at the pad included a series of pad validation tests, completed on Jan. 5, to verify all the interfaces between the launch pad and the vehicle. A weeklong so-called “plugs-out” test began on Jan. 10, and included a mock countdown to verify orbiter and ground systems. Backup STS-1 crew members Joe H. Engle and Richard H. Truly participated in the latter stages of the tests, seated in Columbia’s cockpit. Between Jan. 22-24, engineers successfully completed another milestone by filling and emptying the large external tank with cryogenic propellants – 384,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and 140,000 gallons of liquid oxygen. A readiness review on Jan. 30 set Feb. 17 as the date for the FRF, with an estimated launch date on April 5.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/sts_1_l-3_months_lovelace_portrait.jpg)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/sts_1_l-3_months_frosch_portrait.jpg)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/sts_1_l-3_months_beggs_portrait.jpg)
Left: NASA Acting Administrator Alan M. Lovelace.
Middle: Outgoing NASA Administrator Robert A. Frosch.
Right: Incoming NASA Administrator James M. Beggs.
During the presidential transition, outgoing President James E. “Jimmy” Carter and incoming President Ronald W. Reagan agreed to name NASA Deputy Administrator Alan M. Lovelace (https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/NASA_HQ/Administrators/LovelaceAM/lovelaceam.htm) as the agency’s acting administrator, effective Jan. 20, 1981, the day of President Reagan’s inauguration. In October 1980 (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/40-years-ago-six-months-until-the-sts-1-launch), Administrator Robert A. Frosch informed President Carter that he was resigning from the agency effective Jan. 20, 1981. Lovelace served as acting administrator until the Senate confirmed President Reagan’s choice for administrator, James M. Beggs (https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/NASA_HQ/Administrators/BeggsJM/beggsjm.htm), on July 10, 1981.
To be continued…
Significant world events in January 1981:
January 11 – British team completes the longest and fastest crossing of Antarctica, 2,500 miles in 75 days
January 12 – “Dynasty” premieres on ABC
January 15 – “Hill Street Blues” premieres on NBC
January 19 – The United States and Iran sign an agreement for the release of 52 American hostages
January 20 – Ronald W. Reagan inaugurated as the 40th President of the United States
January 25 – Oakland Raiders beat Philadelphia Eagles 27-10 in Super Bowl XV
January 31 – “The Tide is High” by Blondie hits No. 1
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/40-years-ago-three-months-to-sts-1
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40 Years Ago: Two Months Away From STS-1, the First Space Shuttle Mission
Feb 19, 2021 John Uri NASA Johnson Space Center
In February 1981, the Space Shuttle Program passed major milestones to prepare for the orbiter Columbia’s first flight. Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida and Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston successfully completed the wet countdown demonstration test and the flight readiness firing (FRF) of Columbia’s main engines. The Mission Control Center (MCC) at JSC completed the seventh and final full-duration simulation of the inaugural space shuttle mission, with the STS-1 crew of John W. Young and Robert L. Crippen. Young and Crippen continued training for the flight, including practicing shuttle landings at an alternate landing site in New Mexico. These milestones provided NASA with confidence in an April 1981 first launch.
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Left: At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center’s (KSC) Launch Pad 39A, space shuttle Columbia awaits the Flight Readiness Firing, with the full Moon behind it.
Right: Sunrise at KSC with space shuttle Columbia on Launch Pad 39A.
Successful completion of a critical static test firing of a cluster of three space shuttle main engines on Jan. 17, 1981, at the agency’s National Space Testing Laboratories in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, cleared the way for the FRF. The wet countdown demonstration test leading up to the FRF began in the evening of Feb. 16 at the T-53-hour mark. Controllers in Firing Room 1 of KSC’s Launch Complex 39, led by STS-1 Launch Director George F. Page, monitored all aspects of the countdown, as did engineers in JSC’s MCC. Several delays attributed to the learning process rather than any significant hardware or software problems with the vehicle or ground systems resulted in the FRF slipping one day to Feb. 20.
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Left: In NASA’s Kennedy Space Center’s (KSC) Firing Room 1, controllers monitor the wet countdown demonstration test leading to the Flight Readiness Firing.
Right: In Firing Room 1, KSC Director Richard G. Smith, left, George F. Page, STS-1 Launch Director, Graydon F. “Bo” Corn, cryogenics branch chief, and Robert Reed, orbiter project engineer, monitor the progress of the wet countdown demonstration test.
At Launch Pad 39A, at T-5 hours, engineers began loading the external tank with 225,000 pounds of liquid hydrogen and 1.4 million pounds of liquid oxygen. At T-9 minutes, the ground launch sequencer computer took over controlling the final steps of the countdown. At T-3.8 seconds (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Gi5qJcPOMw), the main engine start sequence began, with the engines coming to life at 120-millisecond intervals, quickly reaching 100 % thrust. To simulate events during an actual launch, the computer gimballed or swiveled each engine, and for one second, reduced their thrust to 94 % before throttling to full power. After 20 seconds, the sequencer commanded all three engines to shut down. The first rocket ignition on Launch Pad 39A since the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project liftoff in 1975 was a success and cleared one major hurdle toward the launch of STS-1. Young and Crippen watched the test from separate aircraft flying above KSC, prompting Young to comment, “Well, it looks like it was successful.” Acting NASA Administrator Alan M. Lovelace went a bit further, saying, “This was just a superb test,” and KSC Director Richard G. Smith compared the test to “the final playoff game before the Super Bowl.”
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Three views of space shuttle Columbia during the 20-second Flight Readiness Firing.
At JSC, flight controllers in the MCC completed the seventh and final full-duration 54-hour simulation of the STS-1 mission Feb. 24-26. Under the leadership of Flight Directors Neil B. Hutchinson (https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/HutchinsonNB/hutchinsonnb.htm), Charles R. “Chuck” Lewis, and Donald R. Puddy, three teams of controllers followed the STS-1 flight plan, with the simulation team introducing anomalies. Young and Crippen participated in the fixed-base Shuttle Mission Simulator at JSC and responded successfully to all the anomalies presented to them. In case inclement weather at the prime landing site at Edwards Air Force Base in California resulted in a diversion to an alternate landing site, STS-1 astronauts Young and Crippen practiced making approaches and landings at JSC’s facilities at the Northrup Strip, now White Sands Space Harbor, in New Mexico. They flew the Shuttle Training Aircraft, a Grumman Gulfstream II heavily modified to respond like a descending space shuttle orbiter, during these training exercises.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/shuttle_simulator_bldg_5_feb_23_1981_s81-27529.jpg)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/sts_1_l-2_months_sta_practice_at_northrup_strip_nm_feb_12_1981_s81-27043.jpg)
Left: The space shuttle fixed-based simulator at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Right: STS-1 astronauts John W. Young and Robert L. Crippen simulating shuttle landings in a Shuttle Training Aircraft at Northrup Strip, now the White Sands Space Harbor, in New Mexico.
To be continued…
Significant world events in February 1981:
February 5 – Largest Jell-O ever made, 9,246 gallons of watermelon flavor, in Brisbane, Australia
February 6 – Former Beatles Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison record “All Those Years Ago,” a tribute to John Lennon
February 15 – Richard Petty wins a record seventh title at the Daytona 500
February 24 – Prince Charles announces his engagement to Lady Diana Spencer
February 27 – Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney record “Ebony and Ivory”
February 28 – Calvin Murphy of the Houston Rockets sets an NBA record with 78 consecutive free throws
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/40-years-ago-two-months-away-from-sts-1-the-first-space-shuttle-mission
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40 Years Ago: One Month to the Launch of STS-1, the First Space Shuttle Mission
Mar 11, 2021 John Uri NASA Johnson Space Center
In March 1981, following the successful Flight Readiness Firing (FRF) of Columbia’s main engines, NASA managers remained optimistic about launching the space shuttle on its first flight in April. Significant work remained at Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC), such as inspection and testing of all the shuttle components after the FRF, including reverifying the main engines after the test and completing repairs of insulation on the external tank. The STS-1 prime crew of Commander John W. Young and Pilot Robert L. Crippen and their backups Joe H. Engle and Richard H. Truly continued mission simulations with teams at the Mission Control Center (MCC) at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston. A final countdown rehearsal was planned for later in March.
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Three views of technicians at Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center working to repair damaged insulation on the external tank resulting from a test in January 1981 that loaded the tank with super-cold liquid hydrogen.
After the successful FRF on Feb. 20, engineers at KSC retested all systems on the space shuttle orbiter Columbia, its external tank (ET), solid rocket boosters (SRBs), and ground systems. Engineers inspected the three main engines and found them to be in good condition, requiring only minor repairs such as rewelding two pinhole leaks and inspecting a valve. Workers at NASA’s National Space Testing Laboratories in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, completed acceptance testing on a space shuttle main engine and shipped it to KSC as a spare for Columbia’s first mission. On March 9, workers at Launch Pad 39A began a two-week effort to repair debonded insulation on the external tank (ET). The three areas of debonding resulted from a test in January during which engineers pumped super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the ET in preparation for the FRF. Following the repairs, engineers planned to conduct two additional tanking tests to ensure the debonding did not recur prior to clearing the ET for Columbia’s first launch. Managers planned a final countdown demonstration rehearsal, including all elements of the mission, and a flight readiness review for late March to clear the vehicle for its first launch. The astronauts continued simulations of various aspects of their mission, in particular ascent and entry, together with flight controller teams in JSC’s MCC led by Flight Directors Neil B. Hutchinson, Charles R. “Chuck” Lewis, and Donald R. Puddy.
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Left: STS-1 Pilot Robert L. Crippen testing the new suit for conducting spacewalks.
Right: STS-1 backup Pilot Richard H. Truly beginning a spacewalk training exercise in the Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
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Truly during spacewalk training in the WETF.
Although the mission plan for STS-1 did not include a spacewalk, in case of a problem such as the payload bay doors not closing on command at the end of the mission, Crippen and his backup Truly, trained to perform such a contingency spacewalk using a new spacesuit developed for the space shuttle program. The new suit, composed of three parts – a rigid upper torso, a lower torso including the legs, and a helmet – featured several improvements over the previous suit used during Apollo and Skylab. Unlike the earlier suits that were custom-made for each astronaut, the shuttle suits came in predetermined sizes to accommodate the larger range of astronauts, including women, who would be using them. The newer suits also offered more flexibility than their predecessors. Young and Crippen tested their suits in a vacuum chamber at JSC in early March, and finding them satisfactory, workers shipped them to KSC, where they were installed inside Columbia’s airlock.
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Left: During a visit to Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Vice President George H.W. Bush, center, flanked by STS-1 astronauts Robert L. Crippen and John W. Young, receives a model of the space shuttle from acting NASA Administrator Alan M. Lovelace, as his wife Barbara looks on.
Right: In the White Room, Vice President Bush, center, prepares to board space shuttle Columbia, assisted by NASA
astronaut Frederick D. Gregory (https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/GregoryFD/gregoryfd.htm).
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Vice President Bush, left, sits in Columbia’s commander’s seat, with Young and Crippen.
Vice President George H.W. Bush and his wife Barbara paid a visit to KSC on March 17. Following a morning jog with Young and Crippen, the Vice President and Mrs. Bush toured Launch Pad 39A, where Columbia sat awaiting its first launch. Accompanied by Young and Crippen, Bush, a naval aviator during World War II, climbed aboard the orbiter. He sat in the commander’s seat and noted afterward that being on his back with the orbiter in the vertical orientation, “for the first 30 seconds I was a little dizzy lying there with the blood rushing to my head.” Bush accepted a model of the space shuttle from acting NASA Administrator Alan M. Lovelace and addressed workers in the Launch Control Center, praising them for their hard work preparing Columbia for its first launch.
To be continued…
Significant world events in March 1981:
March 2 – Howard Stern begins broadcasting on WWDC radio in Washington, D.C.
March 6 – Walter Cronkite signs off as anchor on the CBS Evening News after 19 years
March 9 – Dan Rather becomes the new anchor on the CBS Evening News, serving for 24 years
March 10 – Kim Carnes releases her single Bette Davis Eyes
March 12 – The Soviet Union launches Vladimir Kovalenok and Viktor Savinykh as the final long-duration crew to the Salyut-6 space station
March 22 – Soviets launch Vladimir Dzhanibekov and Jugderdemidiyn Gurragcha from Mongolia on an eight-day visiting mission to Salyut-6 as part of the Interkosmos program
March 22 – U.S. raises first-class postage from 15 cents to 18 cents
March 24 – Nightline with Ted Koppel premieres on ABC
March 30 – President Ronald W. Reagan survives an assassination attempt; three others are wounded
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/40-years-ago-one-month-to-the-launch-of-sts-1-the-first-space-shuttle-mission
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40 Years Ago: Three Weeks Before Launch, the STS-1 Crew Completes a Countdown Demonstration
Mar 22, 2021 John Uri NASA Johnson Space Center
With just three weeks remaining until the launch of STS-1, workers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) continued to prepare space shuttle Columbia for its historic first mission. Workers at Launch Pad 39A finished repairs to the external tank’s insulation ahead of two tanking tests to verify the integrity of the foam. On March 19, 1981, controllers in the Launch Control Center (LCC) and STS-1 astronauts Commander John W. Young and Pilot Robert L. Crippen participated in the two-day dry Countdown Demonstration Test (CDT), essentially a dress rehearsal of the countdown to launch, then expected to occur around April 7. Tragically, after the conclusion of the CDT, an accident on the pad ultimately claimed the lives of three technicians conducting inspections in Columbia’s aft compartment.
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STS-1 astronauts John W. Young, left, and Robert L. Crippen enjoying the traditional prelaunch,or in this case, pre-Countdown Demonstration Test (CDT), breakfast in the crew quarters.
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Left: Crippen, left, and Young suiting up for the CDT.
Right: Crippen, left, and Young walk out of the crew quarters building to take the ride out to Launch Pad 39A.
On March 23, workers at Launch Pad 39A completed a two-week effort to repair debonded foam insulation on the external tank (ET). The three areas of debonding resulted from a test in January during which engineers pumped super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the ET. Following the repairs, engineers planned to conduct two additional tanking tests in late March to ensure the debonding did not recur prior to clearing the ET for Columbia’s first launch.
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Left: At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, controllers in the Launch Control Center’s Firing Room 1 monitor the dry Countdown Demonstration Test (CDT).
Right: STS-1 astronauts John W. Young, left, and Robert L. Crippen talk to reporters after the conclusion of the CDT
The dry CDT began March 17 with controllers staffing their consoles in the Launch Control Center’s Firing Room 1. The CDT was called “dry” because, unlike the prelaunch countdown, engineers did not fill the shuttle’s ET with super-cold propellants. Early on March 19, in crew quarters at KSC, Young and Crippen enjoyed the traditional breakfast and donned their pressure suits as they would on launch day. They rode the Astrovan to Launch Pad 39A and took their seats in Columbia’s flight deck. The CDT continued without any significant issues, concluding at the time of the main engine ignition. Launch Director George F. Page said at a news conference after the test, ''Everything, in general, went very well with the countdown demonstration. I think everybody was pleased with today's run.'' He declared the launch team ready to support the upcoming launch.
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Left: Photograph showing the access to the aft compartment of space shuttle Columbia where the accident occurred on March 19, 1981.
Right: View inside Columbia’s aft compartment, the site of the tragic accident
The CDT was considered complete as soon as Young and Crippen exited the vehicle. Technicians soon returned to the pad to begin their work, including inspection of Columbia’s aft compartment near the vehicle’s main engines. Normally, this area was purged with gaseous nitrogen during the countdown to prevent the buildup of potentially dangerous concentrations of gaseous hydrogen or oxygen, and the gaseous nitrogen was replaced with air once the test ended. But for this test, engineers requested that the gaseous nitrogen purge continue to evaluate a possible leak in the system. Managers approved the request, but since it was not considered hazardous, it did not undergo a safety review, and the pad technicians were unaware the purge was still underway. As they entered the aft compartment, unaware of the risk, technicians John Bjornstad, Nicholas “Nick” Cannon, and Forrest Cole were quickly overcome by the lack of oxygen. Technicians William Wolford and J.L. “Jimmy” Harper tried to help and were also affected. Rescuers airlifted Bjornsted to a hospital, but he died en route. Cole never regained consciousness and died in the hospital on April 1. Mullon survived but died in 1995 of long-term complications from the accident. They were the first fatalities associated with launch pad operations since the Apollo 1 fire in January 1967.
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Left: Technicians John Bjornstad, left, Nicholas “Nick” Mullon, and Forrest Cole working in Columbia’s aft compartment during an earlier test. Image credit: Denise Mullon.
Right: Charles D. Gay, director of expendable vehicle operations at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, center talking on the telephone, chairs a meeting of the mishap board.
NASA established a mishap investigation board chaired by Charles D. Gay, director of expendable vehicle operations at KSC. The board’s report, released on June 19, 1981, concluded that the proximate cause of death was hypoxia caused by the aft compartment's pure nitrogen environment. The report cited organizational and process failures that allowed the technicians to enter the aft compartment in the first place and the lack of readily available rescue and resuscitation equipment near the work site as contributing factors. The report cited similarities between this accident and the Apollo fire, including not adequately addressing the hazards of the operations, poor organizational communications, and lack of proper rescue capabilities. It should be noted that inaugural missions of spacecraft are particularly susceptible to accidents.
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Left: The memorial at the Space Walk of Fame Museum in Titusville, Florida, dedicated to space workers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center who died in the line of duty.
Right: Close up showing the names of John Bjornstad, Forrest Cole, and Nicholas Mullon, who died as a result of the March 19, 1981 accident at Launch Pad 39A
Once STS-1 reached orbit in April, Young and Crippen paid a personal tribute to the victims of the launch pad accident, saying, “I think it is only right that we mention a couple of guys that gave their lives a few weeks ago in our countdown demonstration test: John Bjornstad and Forrest Cole. They believed in the space program, and it meant a lot to them. I am sure they would be thrilled to see where we have the vehicle now.” Thirty years later, the Space Walk of Fame Museum (https://spacewalkoffame.org/) in Titusville, Florida, erected a monument to honor space workers who died in the line of duty. Engraved along the top are the names John Bjornstad, Forrest Cole, and Nicholas Mullon.
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/40-years-ago-three-weeks-before-launch-the-sts-1-crew-completes-a-countdown-demonstration
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40 Years Ago: The Launch of STS-1 Just Two Weeks Away
Mar 29, 2021 John Uri NASA Johnson Space Center
With the first launch of the Space Transportation System (STS), better known as the space shuttle, fast approaching, workers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida continued to prepare Columbia for its historic mission. Engineers completed tests to verify the integrity of the external tank’s foam insulation. Managers from NASA Headquarters and several field centers met at KSC to hold a final review to assess the readiness of the vehicle, ground systems, and crew training for the upcoming mission and set April 10, 1981, as the target launch date. The STS-1 crew of Commander John W. Young and Pilot Robert L. Crippen participated in a press conference to review their mission and answer reporters’ questions. Mission managers assessed concerns with the runway at the primary landing site following recent unseasonably heavy rains.
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Left: Space shuttle Columbia on Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where ground crews successfully completed two tanking tests to verify the external tank’s foam insulation.
Right: Acting NASA Administrator Alan M. Lovelace, standing at left, and John F. Yardley, NASA associate administrator for Space Transportation Systems, answer reporters’ questions after the conclusion of the Flight Readiness Review that cleared Columbia for launch.
Engineers successfully completed two tanking tests on March 25 and 27 to verify repairs to the external tank’s foam insulation, damaged during a tanking test in January. Workers spent two weeks earlier in March repairing three areas of debonded foam. During the two tanking tests, technicians loaded super cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the external tank to determine if flexing from the sudden temperature change caused any foam debonding. Post-test inspections revealed no issues, clearing the tank for the first launch. Senior managers from NASA Headquarters, KSC, Johnson Space Center in Houston, and Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, met at KSC on March 31 to review the readiness of all aspects of the mission, including the flight vehicle, ground support systems, mission operations support, and crew training. At the conclusion of the flight readiness review, managers targeted shortly after dawn on April 10, 1981, as the launch time for STS-1, with the initial countdown beginning late on April 5. John F. Yardley (https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/YardleyJF/yardleyjf.htm), NASA associate administrator for Space Transportation Systems, commented to reporters after the review, “Frankly, I’ve never seen a vehicle that’s so clean before its first flight.”
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STS-1 astronauts Robert L. Crippen, left, and John W. Young during the final preflight crew press conference in the main auditorium of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
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Left: Crippen answering a reporter’s question.
Right: Young explaining an aspect of their mission to a reporter.
Young and Crippen met with reporters on March 9, providing a brief overview of their 54-hour, 36-orbit mission – the first time that astronauts would be aboard a crewed spacecraft’s very first flight. The first of four orbital test flights, STS-1 planned to address 130 of the 170 overall objectives of the operational test flight program, including verification of all major spacecraft systems. The astronauts addressed reporters’ concerns about the shuttle’s thermal protection system, or tiles, given the difficulties encountered during the spacecraft’s preflight preparations (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/40-years-ago-preparations-continue-for-sts-1). Neither Young nor Crippen foresaw any major issues occurring with the tiles during the mission. They also addressed the various contingencies that could occur during the mission and the training they’d received to deal with them. As Crippen said, because of the delays, he and Young “have the dubious honor of being the crew that’s trained the longest for any single flight.”
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Left: STS-2 backup astronauts Joe H. Engle and Richard H. Truly pilot two Gulfstream Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) in formation above space shuttle Columbia on Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Right: STS-1 astronauts John W. Young and Robert L. Crippen piloting the STA, practicing landing at Northrup Strip, now the White Sands Space Harbor, in New Mexico – note the steep angle of attack and the landing gear lowered to increase drag to better simulate the shuttle’s flying characteristics.
At the end of the mission, Young and Crippen planned to bring Columbia in for a landing at the Dryden Flight Research Center, now NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, at Edwards Air Force Base in California. For the first landing of the reusable spacecraft, mission managers believed the 5.2-mile long Runway 23 on Rogers Dry Lake provided the greatest margin of safety. The lakebed runway, normally dry and offering a solid surface for the shuttle to land on, had turned soggy due to unseasonably heavy rains earlier in March. The wet conditions caused concerns whether the runway could dry in time to support an April landing. For that reason, mission managers began to consider making Northrup Strip, now the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, as the prime target for STS-1’s landing. Young and Crippen had already practiced landing at Northrup Strip as a designated alternate landing site, as well as at Dryden and KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility, flying the Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA), a Gulfstream II highly modified to simulate the flying characteristics of the space shuttle. By the time of launch, Young and Crippen will have flown about 1,330 landing approaches in the STA.
To be continued…
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/40-years-ago-the-launch-of-sts-1-just-two-weeks-away
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40 Years Ago: The Countdown Begins for STS-1; First Launch Attempt Scrubbed
Apr 5, 2021 John Uri NASA Johnson Space Center
The countdown for the first launch of the space shuttle program began on April 5, 1981, targeting liftoff five days later. Following their arrival at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on April 8, the STS-1 crew of Commander John W. Young and Pilot Robert L. Crippen practiced landings and reviewed their mission timelines. Mission managers scrubbed the first launch attempt on April 10 due to a computer software problem. The crew and the rest of the team prepared for a second attempt two days later.
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Left: STS-1 prime and backup crew members John W. Young, left, Robert L. Crippen, Joe H. Engle, and Richard H. Truly during a teleconference briefing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston two days before their departure for NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Right: Young, left, and Crippen studying the briefing material.
At 11:30 p.m. ET on April 5, 1981, support crew astronauts Loren J. Shriver and Ellison S. Onizuka in the cockpit of Columbia on KSC’s Launch Pad 39A prepare the vehicle for Young and Crippen’s flight established communications between the shuttle and the Mission Control Center (MCC) at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston. Thus beginning the more than 4-day-long countdown for the launch of STS-1, planned to occur shortly after dawn on April 10. With the Rotating Service Structure (RSS) rolled into place around the shuttle on the pad, workers prepared the vehicle for its first flight by removing protective covers from windows and thrusters. Meanwhile, Young and Crippen, and their backups Joe H. Engle and Richard H. Truly, held their final briefings at JSC before departing for KSC for prelaunch preparations. Traveling in separate T-38 Talon aircraft, on April 8 they flew from Ellington Air Force Base (AFB) near JSC to Patrick AFB in Melbourne, Florida, near KSC.
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Left: Space shuttle Columbia on Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with the Rotating Service Structure (RSS) in place to allow workers to access the vehicle.
Right: Working inside the RSS, technicians Mike Parrish, left, and Albert Baumgartner remove the protective coverings from Columbia’s cockpit windows. Image credit: Ed Hengeveld.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/sts-1_l-1_week_5_30_ksc-81pc-302_apr_7_1981.jpg)
Inside the RSS, technicians Don Murray and Don Porterfield remove protective covers from the forward thruster nozzles in Columbia’s nose. Credit: Image courtesy of Ed Hengeveld
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/sts-1_l-1_week_6_young_arriving_patrick_afb_apr_8_1981_75c_ksc-81pc-304.jpg)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/sts-1_l-1_week_7_sts1-0824-81pc-303-4.8.81.jpg)
Left: STS-1 Commander John W. Young arrives at Patrick Air Force Base (AFB), Melbourne, Florida, in a T-38 Talon
for the STS-1 launch.
Right: STS-1 Pilot Robert L. Crippen arrives at Patrick AFB in a separate T-38 for the STS-1 launch.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/sts-1_l-1_week_8_0003_hengeveldphoto_cropped.jpg)
Young, left, and Crippen speak to reporters after arriving at Patrick AFB, as George W.S. Abbey, director of flight crew operations at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, climbs down the ladder. Credit: Image courtesy of Ed Hengeveld
The day after their arrival at KSC, Young and Crippen attended final briefings, and each flew about a dozen simulated landings at the Shuttle Landing Facility. They flew the Shuttle Training Aircraft, a Gulfstream II modified to simulate the handling characteristics of an orbiter during its final approach to the landing site. That evening, with much of the work on the shuttle vehicle completed, ground crews rolled back the RSS, revealing the space shuttle, its white external tank, and two solid rocket boosters.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/sts-1_l-1_week_9_sts1-0831a-81pc-308-young_flies_sta-4.9.81.jpg)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/sts-1_l-1_week_10_0075d_hengeveld.jpg)
Left: STS-1 Commander John W. Young practicing landings using the Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA), a Gulfstream II modified to handle like a space shuttle, at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Right: With the Rotating Service Structure rolled back, the space shuttle stack is visible on Launch Pad 39A, the evening before the first launch attempt. Credit: Image courtesy of Ed Hengeveld
As the countdown proceeded smoothly, and engineers filled the large external tank with super cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, Launch Test Director Norman Carlson instructed personnel in the crew quarters in the Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building to awaken Young and Crippen. After receiving a brief physical examination, they ate a traditional breakfast of steak and eggs with fellow astronauts and managers. Assisted by technicians, they donned their pressure suits and walked out of the O&C Building to the waiting astronaut van for the 15-minute ride out to Launch Pad 39A.
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STS-1 astronauts John W. Young, left, and Robert L. Crippen enjoying the traditional prelaunch breakfast on the morning of April 10, 1981, the first launch attempt.
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Left: Crippen, left, and Young donning their pressure suits prior to the first launch attempt.
Right: Young, front, and Crippen leaving the Operations and Checkout Building for the ride to the launch pad for the first launch attempt.
Young and Crippen arrived at the pad about two and a half hours before the scheduled liftoff, took the elevator to the crew access arm level and entered the White Room, where technicians assisted them into Columbia. Support astronaut Shriver, inside the vehicle to ensure all the control switches were in the correct settings, helped Young and Crippen strap into their seats in the cockpit.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/sts-1_l-1_week_14_sts1-0857-81pc-306-4.9.81.jpg)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/sts-1_l-1_week_15_sts1-0897-s81-30062-4.10.81.jpg)
Left: Space shuttle Columbia on Launch Pad 39A awaiting its crew for the first launch attempt on April 10, 1981.
Right: In the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, capsule communicators Terry J. Hart, left, and Daniel C. Brandenstein react to the decision to scrub the launch attempt at T minus 9 minutes.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/sts-1_l-1_week_16_hutchinson_stone_presser_on_launch_scrub_apr_10_1981.jpg)
Flight Director Neil B. Hutchinson, left, and data processing system officer Brock R. “Randy” Stone discuss the launch scrub decision with reporters.
When the countdown resumed after the planned hold at the T-minus 20-minute mark, controllers switched Columbia’s computers to launch mode. Data Processing System (DPS) Officer Brock R. “Randy” Stone (https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/StoneBR/stonebr.htm) noticed that the four primary computers transitioned properly, as did the fifth backup computer, but the backup computer couldn’t communicate with two of the primary units. Columbia could not launch in that configuration. At first thinking the problem lay with the backup computer, engineers recycled all five units to their previous mode, and all the computers communicated well. But Stone didn’t understand what caused the problem and therefore couldn’t rule out it recurring during the flight. He informed ascent Flight Director Neil B. Hutchinson (https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/HutchinsonNB/hutchinsonnb.htm) that DPC was no-go for launch, even if the computers worked well when they transitioned back to flight mode. And in fact, during the second transition to the flight mode, the computers once again did not communicate properly. The countdown clock held at the T-minus 9-minute mark as engineers worked to resolve the problem, but without an immediate solution, Hutchinson called for a scrub, and KSC Launch Director George F. Page halted the countdown a little more than three hours after the original liftoff time. After nearly six hours in the cockpit, a disappointed Young and Crippen climbed out of Columbia and returned to the O&C Building. It took engineers one day to determine that the primary computers had a 40-millisecond timing problem –easily fixed by updating the software. Young and Crippen spent the next day practicing more landings with the STA and prepared for the second launch attempt on April 12.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/sts-1_l-1_week_18_young_crippen_return_to_crew_quarters_after_scrub_apr_10_1981_75e_ksc-81pc-330.jpg)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/sts-1_l-1_week_17_sts1-0902-noid-4.11.81.jpg)
Left: Suit technician Jim Schlosser greets STS-1 astronauts John W. Young, left, and Robert L. Crippen as they exit the astronaut van upon their return to the Operations and Checkout Building following the April 10, 1981 launch scrub.
Right: Young, left, and Crippen pose in front of the Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) the day after the launch scrub.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/sts-1_l-1_week_19_young_w_sta_after_practice_runs_apr_11_1981_75f_ksc-81pc-340.jpg)
Young leaving the STA, already thinking about the next day’s second launch attempt.
To be continued…
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/40-years-ago-the-countdown-begins-for-sts-1-first-launch-attempt-scrubbed
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/young_john.pdf
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/ShriverLJ/shriverlj.htm
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/onizuka_ellison.pdf
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/HartTJ/harttj.htm
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https://twitter.com/ShuttleAlmanac/status/1381504917299326977
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https://twitter.com/ASE_Astronauts/status/1381706233275645954
https://twitter.com/ShuttleAlmanac/status/1381505398792806402
https://twitter.com/ShuttleAlmanac/status/1381504568987553794
https://twitter.com/ShuttleAlmanac/status/1381505661603737607
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https://twitter.com/uchyuu_kaihatsu/status/1381509312564973568
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40 Years Ago: Preparations for STS-1
Feb 13, 2020
Space Shuttle Columbia arrived at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) from its North American Rockwell Corporation manufacturing facility in Palmdale, California, on March 24, 1979. Bolted atop its Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), the orbiter completed its four-day transcontinental ferry flight, making three overnight stops along the way in Texas and Florida. The next day, after removing the orbiter from the back of the SCA, workers towed it into the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF), where Columbia spent the next 19 months preparing for its first flight. In parallel, engineers readied the other components of the Space Shuttle system, the External Tank (ET) and Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs), while the crewmembers and mission controllers held simulations to rehearse various phases of the mission designated STS-1, for Space Transportation System. In February 1980, mission managers planned for a launch in November of that year but anticipated that it might slip into early 1981.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/columbia_and_sca_touching_down_on_slf_mar_24_1979_s79-30819_0.jpg)
Columbia atop the SCA touching down at KSC
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Columbia in the OPF.
(...)
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/40-years-ago-preparations-for-sts-1
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40 Years Ago: Preparations Continue for STS-1
Apr 22, 2020
In April 1980, preparations to launch the first Space Shuttle continued. NASA hoped to launch STS-1, the first flight of Columbia, by November 1980 although even senior managers agreed that the date might slip into early 1981. The Space Shuttle constituted the most complex human space flight system ever designed and unexpected delays could not be avoided. Engineers at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) continued testing the flight hardware that had arrived there over the previous months. The prime crew of John W. Young and Robert L. Crippen, along with their backups Richard H. Truly and Joe H. Engle, trained on the various aspects of their upcoming mission. In Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, flight controllers carried out simulations to prepare their teams for the first flight of the reusable space vehicle.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/sts_1_srb_in_vab_may_1980_s80-33703.jpg)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/sts1-0186-79p-188-7.9.79.jpg)
Left: The two SRBs for STS-1 stacked on the MLP in the VAB.
Right: The ET for STS-1 in a test cell in the VAB.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/sts1-0291-noid_0.jpg)
Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia undergoing testing in the OPF.
(...)
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/40-years-ago-preparations-continue-for-sts-1
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40 Years Ago: Preparations Continue for STS-1
Jun 11, 2020
In June 1980, much work still remained to prepare Space Shuttle Columbia for its first flight to usher in a new era of a reusable crewed space transportation system. Senior NASA managers believed March 1981 to be a realistic launch date for STS-1 as several key milestones were completed including the recertification of the orbiter’s main engines. Work on strengthening and re-attaching the orbiter’s thermal protection system tiles still remained the major pacing item for meeting the projected launch date. The prime crew for STS-1, John W. Young and Robert L. Crippen along with their backups Joe H. Engle and Richard H. Truly, continued to train for the mission and participated in some phases of the test activities.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/sts_1_l-10_months_ssme_2006_static_test.jpg)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/sts1-0383a-80pc-282-7.19.80.jpg)
Left: Flight certification test firing of a SSME at NSTL.
Right: Engineers re-installing SSMEs on Columbia in KSC’s OPF.
(...)
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/40-years-ago-preparations-continue-for-sts-1-0
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Training for the Trip of a Lifetime
Apr 12, 2018
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The STS-1 crew, Robert Crippen (center) and John Young (right) train for their upcoming mission--the first flight of space shuttle Columbia--in this photo from March 17, 1981. The flight occurred on April 12, 1981, thirty-seven years ago today, and began a new era in spaceflight. Then-Vice President George H.W. Bush joined the crew as they all jogged around NASA's Kennedy Space Center, during Bush's whirlwind tour of the center and launch facilities for the shuttle's first flight.
Today is also the United Nations International Day of Human Spaceflight, in accordance with resolution A/RES/65/271 of April 7, 2011. The resolution celebrates "the international level the beginning of the space era for mankind, reaffirming the important contribution of space science and technology in achieving sustainable development goals and increasing the well-being of States and peoples, as well as ensuring the realization of their aspiration to maintain outer space for peaceful purposes.”
On April 12, 1961, the era of human spaceflight began when the cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit the Earth in his Vostok spacecraft. The flight lasted 108 minutes. Twenty years later, on the morning of April 12, 1981, two astronauts sat strapped into their seats on the flight deck of Columbia, a radically new spacecraft known as the space shuttle.
Image Credit: NASA
https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/training-for-the-trip-of-a-lifetime
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40 Years Ago: Columbia Takes Flight!
Apr 12, 2021
Following the first launch attempt, halted by a computer glitch, STS-1 astronauts Commander John W. Young and Pilot Robert L. Crippen lifted off on April 12, 1981, aboard space shuttle Columbia, ushering in a new era of reusable spacecraft. Their launch came exactly 20 years after Soviet cosmonaut Yuri A. Gagarin’s inaugural human spaceflight. During the two-day test flight, Young and Crippen successfully tested the spacecraft’s systems, encountering very few problems and accomplishing all planned mission objectives.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/sts-1_launch_1_crew_photo_s79-31775.jpg)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/sts-1_launch_2_crew_patch_s79-30685.jpg)
Left: Official crew photo of the STS-1 crew of John W. Young, left, and Robert L. Crippen.
Right: Official crew patch of the STS-1 mission.
Following the April 10 scrub, engineers corrected the computer timing error, and controllers in the Launch Control Center’s (LCC) Firing Room 1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) recycled the countdown for another launch attempt on April 12. The countdown proceeded smoothly, and engineers refilled the large external tank with super cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. Repeating the activities of two days earlier, launch test director Norman Carlson instructed personnel in the crew quarters in KSC’s Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building to awaken Young and Crippen. Following a brief physical examination, they ate their traditional breakfast with fellow astronauts and managers. Assisted by technicians, they donned their pressure suits and walked out of the O&C Building to the waiting astronaut van for the 15-minute ride to Launch Pad 39A. Young and Crippen arrived at the pad about two and a half hours before the scheduled liftoff, took the elevator to the crew access arm level, and entered the White Room, where technicians assisted them into Columbia. Support astronaut Loren J. Shriver, inside the orbiter to ensure all the control switches were in the correct settings, helped Young and Crippen into their seats in the cockpit.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/sts-1_launch_3_sts1-0911-81p-138-4.12.81.jpg)
STS-1 astronauts John W. Young, left, and Robert L. Crippen enjoying the traditional prelaunch breakfast on the morning of April 12, 1981 – the day of the second launch attempt.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/sts-1_launch_4_sts1-0912-4.12.81.jpg)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/sts-1_launch_5_sts1-0922-81pc-348-4.12.81.jpg)
Left: Following breakfast, Young, left, and Crippen walk down the hall to don their pressure suits.
Right: Crippen, left, and Young donning their pressure suits prior to launch.
(...)
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/40-years-ago-columbia-takes-flight
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40 lat od misji STS-1
BY KRZYSZTOF KANAWKA ON 12 KWIETNIA 2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHgX9rLsuVM
Relacja stacji CBS – lądowanie promu Columbia – misja STS-1 / Credits – CBS
Ten zapis pokazuje jak dużo technologii związanych z promami kosmicznymi zmieniło się przez dekady programu STS. Przede wszystkim doszło do znacznego rozwoju technologii komunikacyjnych – podczas ostatnich misji wahadłowców możliwe było oglądanie “na żywo”, także poprzez internet widoku z perspektywy pilota prowadzącego wahadłowiec do lądowania. (...)
https://kosmonauta.net/2021/04/40-lat-od-misji-sts-1/
EDIT 12.04.23
12.04.1981 o 12:00:03,983 z wyrzutni LC-39A na Cape Canaveral rozpoczęła się wystartował wahadłowiec kosmiczny Columbia do misji STS-1 (http://lk.astronautilus.pl/loty/sts1.htm).
Columbia została wyniesiona na orbitę o parametrach: hp=240 km, ha=272 km, i=40,3°, t= 89,40 min.
14.04.1981 o 18:20:56 Columbia wylądowała na bieżni 23 Edwards AFB.
Czas lotu: 2d 06g 20m 52s.
1981 April 12 - . 12:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39A. Launch Platform: MLP1. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
STS-1 - . Call Sign: Columbia. Crew: Crippen, Young. Payload: Columbia F01 / DFI. Mass: 4,909 kg (10,822 lb). Nation: USA. Related Persons: Crippen, Young. Agency: NASA Houston. Program: STS. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spaceplane. Flight: STS-1. Spacecraft Bus: Shuttle. Spacecraft: Columbia. Duration: 2.26 days. Decay Date: 1981-04-14 . USAF Sat Cat: 12399 . COSPAR: 1981-034A. Apogee: 251 km (155 mi). Perigee: 240 km (140 mi). Inclination: 40.30 deg. Period: 89.40 min. First flight of Space Transportation System (aka Space Shuttle).. Payloads: Development Flight Instrumentation and Aerodynamic Coefficient Identification Package..
DFI - . Payload: DFI PLT. Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Program: STS. Spacecraft Bus: Shuttle Attached Payloads. Spacecraft: DFI. Decay Date: 1981-04-14 . USAF Sat Cat: 12399 . COSPAR: 1981-034xx. Apogee: 272 km (169 mi). Perigee: 260 km (160 mi). Inclination: 40.30 deg. Period: 89.80 min.
http://www.astronautix.com/a/april12.html
http://www.spacefacts.de/mission/english/sts-1.htm
http://www.astronautix.com/s/sts-1.html
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/archives/sts-1.html
https://www.nasa.gov/subject/3299/sts1/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-1
https://twitter.com/spacemen1969/status/1646035418213752834
Tribute to the Space Shuttle from the European astronauts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VfMM8iPhRY
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Space_Shuttle
https://twitter.com/ESA_History/status/1646079307511365634
https://twitter.com/ShuttleAlmanac/status/1646403985853808640
https://twitter.com/ShuttleAlmanac/status/1645367153103884292
2)
https://twitter.com/spacemen1969/status/1778546316278472896
https://twitter.com/ron_eisele/status/1778493291169751399
https://twitter.com/NASAhistory/status/1778815344087331218
20 years to the day after the first human space flight in history, the first launch of the Space Shuttle occurred #OTD in 1981.
The Columbia orbiter lifted off for its first test flight, STS-1, carrying astronauts John Young and Bob Crippen. https://go.nasa.gov/3VOAYYj
https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/first-shuttle-40-years
https://x.com/airandspace/status/1778845328273268868
https://twitter.com/ron_eisele/status/1779234132226134513
14 April 1981. 18.20.57 UTC/GMT. STS-1, Columbia, the first Space Shuttle orbiter, completed her maiden flight with a landing at Edwards Runway 23.
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Space Shuttle Flight 1 (STS-1) Post Flight Presentation
19 538 wyświetleń•10 maj 2011 National Space Society
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhAGrOQEVHo
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https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1381633078737657858
https://twitter.com/NASAhistory/status/1646875970396205057
STS-1: Astronaut Bob Crippen Remembers the Ride of His Life
Apr 12, 2021 By Linda Herridge NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/sts-1_launch.jpg?resize=1536,1536)
The successful launch of the first space shuttle, Columbia, ushered in a new concept in the utilization of space. The STS-1 mission roared off Launch Pad 39A, on April 12, 1981, at 7 a.m., carrying Commander John Young and Pilot Robert Crippen into an Earth-orbital mission scheduled to last for 54 hours. NASA
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/sts-1_official_portrait.jpg?resize=1536,1215)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/sts-1_mission_patch.jpg)
1) Portrait of astronaut John Young, at left, commander, and Robert Crippen, pilot, of the first orbital flight test of Columbia on STS-1.Credits: NASA
2) The STS-1 mission patch. Credits: Image credit: NASA
Forty years ago, on April 12, 1981, NASA’s Space Shuttle Columbia, attached to an external tank and twin solid rocket boosters, lifted off on the first shuttle mission, STS-1, at 7 a.m. Eastern, from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This historic flight paired veteran astronaut and Commander John W. Young (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/young_john.pdf) with Pilot Robert L. Crippen (https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/CrippenRL/CrippenRL_Bio.pdf), who was heading to orbit for the first time.
“One of the things that [the shuttle] really allowed us to do is to fly a diverse group of people into space. We didn’t need just test pilots anymore,” Crippen said. “It opened the field in the astronaut corps and brought us a broader range than we’d ever had before. It allowed us to fly an enormous amount of people into space. Much more so than any of our previous vehicles.”
The space shuttle’s 135 missions flew 355 astronauts from the U.S. and 60 different countries.
STS-1 was Young’s fifth spaceflight. His previous missions included Gemini 3 and 10, and Apollo 10 and 16. Young walked on the Moon during Apollo 16. Crippen remembered his first flight on the inaugural space shuttle mission like it was yesterday.
“It was probably one of the most exciting things in my life,” Crippen said during a recent interview. “It was rather noisy and shaky for about two minutes after liftoff.”
STS-1 was a pure test mission to prove the shuttle system would work. The astronauts’ job was to launch, get to orbit, check out all the systems on the spacecraft, and bring it in safely for a landing.
STS-1 Pilot Robert Crippen exits space shuttle Columbia following touchdown at Edwards Air Force Base on April 14, 1981.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/sts-1_landing.jpg?resize=1536,999)
Astronaut Robert Crippen, pilot for the STS-1 flight, exits space shuttle Columbia following touchdown on Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards Air Force Base in California, on April 14, 1981. Commander John Young had exited the shuttle earlier, and is in view at the foot of the steps with George Abbey, director of flight operations at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Credits: NASA
“We didn’t carry any satellites, or things of that nature. We carried a lot of special recording equipment. Our job, basically, was just to make sure that the vehicle would do what we wanted it to do. And it lived up to all of our objectives,” Crippen said.
Payloads included the Developmental Flight Instrumentation (DFI) and the Aerodynamic Coefficient Identifications Package (ACIP) pallet containing equipment for recording temperatures, pressures, and acceleration levels on the vehicle at various points in the flight.
During the mission, Columbia orbited Earth 37 times in 54.5 hours. “Looking back at Earth was remarkable,” Crippen said.
Columbia glided to a landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California on April 14, 1981, completing its historic mission. Several days later, the shuttle was mated atop the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), and flown across the United States for return to Kennedy. The orbiter, atop the SCA (tail number NASA 905), touched down at the center’s Shuttle Landing Facility on April 28, 1981. At the landing facility’s mate-demate device, Columbia was removed and towed to the Orbiter Processing Facility to be processed and prepared for its next mission, STS-2.
The orbiter sustained some tile damage during launch and from the overpressure wave created by the solid rocket boosters. Columbia lost 16 tiles, and 148 tiles were damaged. Subsequent modifications to the water sound suppression system eliminated the problem.
“The legacy of the space shuttle is going to be written by the historians,” Crippen said. “It flew longer than any of our other space programs (Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo) and Skylab.”
Columbia’s journey began long before its launch, when it arrived at Kennedy on March 24, 1979, aboard the 747 aircraft. It spent the next 20 months in an orbiter processing facility, completing work on its thermal protection system. On Nov. 24, 1979, Columbia rolled into the Vehicle Assembly Building, was lifted into the high bay, lowered and mated to its awaiting external tank and solid rocket boosters on a mobile launcher platform. Columbia emerged from the Vehicle Assembly Building on Dec. 29, 1980, and began the hours-long trek along the crawlerway to Launch Pad 39A, carried by the crawler-transporter.
Crippen said the space shuttle was a fantastic flying machine, but it also was a fragile one. “It took lots of TLC, and the people at Kennedy Space Center were very good at that,” Crippen said. “When Atlantis landed after the last flight, that vehicle was in as good a condition as it could possibly have been and was certainly capable of flying some more.”
Crippen looks forward to NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon, and then on to Mars. “We do need to get out of Earth orbit. We need to go back to the Moon. It is the right thing to do. We need to learn to live and work off this planet. There are still some great things we can do on the Moon. And then, eventually fly on to Mars.”
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/sts-1-astronaut-bob-crippen-remembers-the-ride-of-his-life
Last Updated: Apr 12, 2021
Editor: Linda Herridge
Tags: Humans in Space, Kennedy Space Center
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/sts-1-astronaut-bob-crippen-remembers-the-ride-of-his-life
2)
https://twitter.com/aisoffice/status/1778684351250669810
we should also recalled the achievements of STS-1 also launched OTD... in 1981...
https://twitter.com/ShuttleAlmanac/status/1779357715057480000
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Przypomnę materiał sprzed 40 lat w jakości HQ, razem z reakcją publiczności:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH8qmsCA2a4
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40 Years Ago: Space Shuttle Columbia Returns Home
Apr 14, 2021
Following their spectacular launch and two days of successful orbital operations, on April 14, 1981, STS-1 Commander John W. Young and Pilot Robert L. Crippen brought space shuttle Columbia back to Earth. During their last day in space, they completed a few more tests of the world’s first reusable spacecraft before closing Columbia’s payload bay doors. They maneuvered the vehicle to the reentry attitude and fired its engines to drop them out of orbit. Following an automated descent through the atmosphere, Young took over manual control and flew Columbia to a precise touchdown on the lakebed runway at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center, now NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) in California’s Mojave Desert.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/sts-1_landing_1_naples_and_vesuvius_fd3_apr_14_1981_sts001-013-0443.jpg)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/sts-1_landing_2_great_kavir_salt_desert_iran_sts001-013-0415.jpg)
Left: Naples and Mt. Vesuvius, Italy, photographed by the STS-1 crew.
Right: The Great Kavir Salt Desert, Iran, photographed by the STS-1 crew.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/sts-1_landing_3_edwards_afb_from_orbit_sts001-012-0308.jpg)
Photograph taken by the STS-1 crew of the Mojave Desert region of California, including the Rogers Dry Lake at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center, now NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, Columbia’s landing site, at the center of the photograph.
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https://www.nasa.gov/feature/40-years-ago-space-shuttle-columbia-returns-home
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40 Years Ago: STS-1 Astronauts Young and Crippen Honored at the White House
May 19, 2021
Following Columbia’s landing on April 14, 1981, at the Dryden Flight Research Center, now NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, ground crews prepared it for the ferry flight back to KSC by mounting it atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), a modified Boeing-747. Columbia arrived at KSC on April 28 and ground crews began inspections of the vehicle to prepare it for its return to space on the STS-2 mission targeted for no earlier than Sep. 30, 1981.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/sts_1_postflight_4_reagan_w_young_crippen_lovelace_bush_1981.jpg)
In the White House, President Ronald W. Reagan, left, STS-1 Commander John W. Young, STS-1 Pilot Robert L. Crippen, NASA Administrator Alan M. Lovelace, and Vice President George H.W. Bush.
(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/sts_1_postflight_8_chicago_motorcade.png)(https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/sts_1_postflight_9_crippen_beaumont_parade_w_mayor_maury_meyers_may_19_1981.jpg)
Left: In Chicago, STS-1 astronauts John W. Young, left, and Robert L. Crippen riding in a motorcade with Mayor Jane M. Byrne. Credit: Image courtesy Chicago Police Department.
Right: Crippen riding in a motorcade in his hometown of Beaumont, Texas, with Mayor Maurice “Maury” Meyers. Credit: Image courtesy Beaumont Enterprise.
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https://www.nasa.gov/feature/40-years-ago-sts-1-astronauts-young-and-crippen-honored-at-the-white-house
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45 lat temu, 08.06.1978 trwały przygotowania do pierwszego lotu promu kosmicznego, w ramach których odbyły się 3 loty T-38 do symulacji lądowań i towarzyszących im lądowań w White Sands.
8 juin 1978
On continue la préparation intensive pour le 1er vol d'une navette spatiale (qui aura finalement lieu qu'en 1981) avec 3 vols de T-38 pour des simulations d'atterrissages et d'accompagnements d'atterrissages à White Sands
https://twitter.com/spacemen1969/status/1666691526783815680
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12.06.1980 trwały prace przygotowawcze do pierwszej misji wahadłowca.
Stephane SEBILE @spacemen1969 12:34 AM · Jun 12, 2025
12 juin 1980
Il y a 45 ans
12 juin 1980...
On continue de s'activer pour préparer la première mission de la navette spatiale
https://x.com/spacemen1969/status/1932929416763756683