On Could 4, 1989, house shuttle Atlantis took off on its third flight, STS-30, from NASA’s Kennedy Area Middle (KSC) in Florida. Its five-person crew of Commander David M. Walker, Pilot Ronald J. Grabe, and Mission Specialists Mark C. Lee, Norman E. Thagard, and Mary L. Cleave flew a four-day mission that deployed the Magellan spacecraft, managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, to review Venus, uniting NASA’s human and interplanetary spaceflight packages. It additionally marked the primary U.S. planetary launch since 1978. The astronauts deployed Magellan and its higher stage on their first day in house, sending the spacecraft on its 15-month journey to Venus. Following its arrival on the cloud-shrouded planet, Magellan spent 4 years mapping Venus in unprecedented element, vastly rising our data of the planet.
Left: The STS-30 crew of Pilot Ronald J. Grabe, left, Commander David M. Walker, and Mission Specialists Norman E. Thagard, Mary L. Cleave, and Mark C. Lee. Center: The STS-30 crew patch. Proper: The Magellan spacecraft in Atlantis’ payload bay in preparation for STS-30.
In March 1988, NASA introduced Walker, Grabe, Lee, Thagard, and Cleave because the STS-30 crew for the flight deliberate for late April 1989. Thagard had flown twice earlier than, on STS-7 in June 1983 and the STS-51B Spacelab 3 mission in April-Could 1985. Walker, Grabe, and Cleave had every flown as soon as earlier than, on STS-51A, STS-51J, and STS-61B, respectively, whereas STS-30 marked Lee’s first journey into house. Walker and Thagard joined NASA within the astronaut class of 1978, Grabe and Cleave joined in 1980, and Lee in 1984. Throughout their four-day mission, the astronauts deliberate to deploy Magellan and its Inertial Higher Stage (IUS) on the primary flight day. Magellan wanted to launch inside a 29-day window, dictated by the alignments of Venus and Earth to attain the right trajectory for the journey to its vacation spot.
Left: International map of Venus based mostly on Pioneer Venus Orbiter radar knowledge. Center: Engineers at Martin Marietta put together Magellan for cargo to NASA’s Kennedy Area Middle in Florida. Proper: Schematic of Magellan’s trajectory from Earth to Venus.
Magellan sought to accumulate the very best decision radar imagery of Venus, enhancing on knowledge obtained by earlier spacecraft. Throughout its 14 years orbiting Venus between 1978 and 1992, Pioneer Venus Orbiter, managed by the NASA Ames Analysis Middle in California’s Silicon Valley, amongst different observations used its radar to map roughly 90% of Venus at a decision of about 10 kilometers. Scientists yearned for increased decision radar imagery, and the Soviet Union’s Venera 15 and 16, with their bigger antennas, mapped a few quarter of the planet’s floor to a decision of 1 to 2 kilometers between October 1983 and June 1984. Initiated because the Venus Radar Mapper mission in 1983, NASA renamed the undertaking in 1985 after the 16th century Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. Martin Marietta Astronautics Group in Denver constructed the spacecraft, a lot of it from house components, together with utilizing a spare primary spacecraft bus from the Voyager program. Initially, plans referred to as for Magellan to launch in April 1988 aboard the house shuttle utilizing a Centaur higher stage to ship it on a four-month journey to Venus. Following the Challenger accident, NASA canceled the Centaur as an area shuttle higher stage, remanifesting Magellan on the IUS. The primary out there launch window for a four-month flight occurred in October 1989, however the Jupiter-bound Galileo spacecraft wanted that chance because it required a gravity-assist at Venus to get it to its remaining vacation spot. Specialists settled on an extended flight time for Magellan to make use of the sooner April-Could 1989 window. After deployment from the shuttle, the two-stage IUS would place Magellan on its interplanetary journey that will take it 1.5 occasions across the Solar. Arriving at Venus, Magellan’s solid-rocket Star 48B motor would fireplace to put it into orbit round Venus to start its major mission lasting 243 days, the period of 1 Venusian day. Utilizing its high-gain antenna as a radar dish, Magellan would map no less than 70 p.c of the cloud-shrouded planet’s floor to a decision of 1 kilometer.
Left: STS-27 astronauts examine the tile injury on Atlantis. Center: Closeup of lacking tile space on Atlantis. Proper: Atlantis returns to NASA’s Kennedy Area Middle in Florida following STS-27.
Atlantis landed at Edwards Air Pressure Base in California’s Mojave Desert on Dec. 6, 1988, concluding the STS-27 mission. Throughout launch 4 days earlier, 85 seconds after liftoff a chunk of insulation from the tip of the right-hand stable rocket booster broke away and struck Atlantis’ proper facet. Whereas in orbit, the crew used the shuttle’s Distant Manipulator System, or robotic arm, to picture Atlantis for any indicators of harm. The astronauts clearly noticed intensive injury on their onboard displays, however as a result of categorised nature of the mission, downlinking the video required encryption that drastically degraded the picture high quality. Floor controllers didn’t totally admire the extent of the injury and remained unconcerned throughout Atlantis’ reentry. Not till the postlanding inspection did engineers and managers understand with alarm how shut they got here to catastrophe. Atlantis arrived again at KSC on Dec. 13, the place staff towed it to the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) the subsequent day for investigation into and restore of essentially the most important tile injury seen as much as that point. Greater than 700 tiles obtained some injury, with one tile lacking fully and the underlying metallic partially melted.
Left: Area shuttle Atlantis arrives at Launch Pad 39B. Center: STS-30 astronauts pose with a mannequin of Magellan following their March 27 preflight press convention. Proper: Atlantis rises into the sky.
Magellan arrived at KSC on Oct. 8, 1988, for preflight processing in a clear room on the Spacecraft Meeting and Encapsulation Facility (SAFE). On Feb. 15, 1989, staff moved Magellan from the SAFE to the Vertical Processing Facility for mating with the IUS and reinstallation of its high-gain antenna. On March 17, they transported Magellan out to Launch Pad 39B, the place it awaited Atlantis’ arrival.
On March 11, staff rolled Atlantis from the OPF to the Car Meeting Constructing for mating with its Exterior Tank and twin Strong Rocket Boosters. Atlantis rolled out to Launch Pad 39B on March 22, simply 9 days after Discovery lifted off from the identical pad on the STS-29 mission, the shortest such turnaround time. Staff put in Magellan into Atlantis’ payload bay on March 25. The Terminal Countdown Demonstration Check befell on April 6-7, with the astronauts collaborating within the remaining few hours as on launch day. Senior NASA managers held the Flight Readiness Assessment on April 13-14 and declared Atlantis and Magellan prepared for launch on April 28. The five-member astronaut crew arrived at KSC on April 25 for remaining preparations for the launch.
A world delegation together with Soviet scientists and Soviet cosmonaut Igor D. Volk, coaching to fly the Soviet shuttle Buran, arrived at KSC to witness the deliberate launch. The countdown continued easily for the mid-afternoon liftoff till one of many vary security computer systems went offline. Confronted with a brief 23-minute launch window, vary security officers received the pc again on-line, having delayed the deliberate liftoff by solely 5 minutes. Then at T-31 seconds, the bottom launch sequencer referred to as a halt to the countdown as a result of failure of a recirculating pump in primary engine no 1, scrubbing the launch for the day. The crew exited Atlantis 46 minutes later and returned to crew quarters to strive one other day. That day got here on Could 4, after technicians changed the defective pump and a hydrogen line. The launch window had grown to a extra comfy one hour and 4 minutes, with the fickle Florida climate utilizing up a lot of that point.
Left: Magellan in Atlantis’ payload bay, its giant high-gain antenna prominently seen. Center left: Magellan and its Inertial Higher Stage moments after deployment from Atlantis. Center proper: With its photo voltaic arrays now deployed, Magellan departs from the shuttle. Proper: Atlantis’ empty payload bay after Magellan’s departure.
With clouds and winds threatening to wash the launch, Atlantis discovered a couple of minutes of acceptable climate close to the top of the launch window and lifted off at 2:47 p.m. EDT, sending America’s first planetary spacecraft in 11 years on a mission to map Venus’ cloud-shrouded floor. As quickly because the shuttle cleared the launch tower, management shifted to the Mission Management Middle at NASA’s Johnson Area Middle in Houston, the place Ascent Flight Director A. Lee Briscoe and his staff of operators, together with astronaut Frank L. Culbertson serving because the capsule communicator, or capcom, monitored all points of the launch. Following primary engine cutoff, Atlantis and its crew had reached house however not but achieved orbit. Two minutes later, a 2-minute 39-second firing of the Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) engines positioned them in a 184-by-75-mile orbit. Forty minutes later, a second 2-minute OMS burn circularized the orbit at 184 miles. The astronauts eliminated their cumbersome Launch and Entry Fits (LES) and ready Atlantis for orbital operations, together with opening the payload bay doorways. Preparations for Magellan’s deployment started shortly thereafter. In Mission Management, Flight Director J. Milton Heflin and his staff, together with capcom Pierre J. Thuot, took over to help the crew with deployment operations. The astronauts activated Magellan and the IUS and floor groups started testing their methods, with the primary TV from the mission exhibiting the spacecraft and its higher stage within the payload bay. Walker and Grabe oriented Atlantis to the deployment angle whereas Lee raised Magellan’s tilt desk first to 29 levels then to the deploy place of 52 levels. With all methods working usually, Mission Management gave the go for deploy. Six hours and 14 minutes into the mission, Walker referred to as down, “Magellan is deployed.” The 40,118-pound spacecraft and higher stage mixture glided over the shuttle’s crew compartment. Ten minutes later, Magellan deployed its two photo voltaic array wings to start producing energy. Walker and Grabe fired the 2 OMS engines to maneuver Atlantis a protected distance away from the IUS burn that befell one hour after deployment, sending Magellan on its solution to Venus. The first process of the mission completed, the astronauts ready for his or her first evening’s sleep in house.
STS-30 crew Earth remark images. Left: The Texas Gulf Coast together with Houston. Center: New Orleans. Proper: The Cape Canaveral space in Florida together with NASA’s Kennedy Area Middle.
Mission Management woke up the crew with the theme music from the film “Superman” to start their second mission day, their first full day in house. In comparison with their very busy first day, the remainder of the mission’s timeline appeared comparatively extra relaxed. Cleave started work on the Fluids Experiment Equipment (FEA), a modular chemistry and physics laboratory particularly designed for house shuttle missions. On STS-30, Cleave and Lee processed samples of indium and selenium within the FEA to see the results of microgravity on the crystals produced. The astronauts took many images of the Earth because it handed by under them. Walker saluted the bottom management groups on the Guam and Santiago, Chile, monitoring stations, scheduled for closure on the finish of STS-30. The deployment of the Monitoring and Knowledge Relay Satellite tv for pc System made many floor stations out of date.
To start their third day in house, Mission Management awaked the astronauts with struggle songs from their alma maters. The rousing music prompted Walker to say, “Good morning, Houston! Thanks for the nice music!” After giving Mission Management a video tour of Atlantis’ cabin, Thagard and Lee started a check to see if the LES helmet with a Helmet Retention Meeting can serve to prebreathe pure oxygen previous to a spacewalk. With no spacewalk deliberate for STS-30, their check merely meant to show the idea. After Thagard and Lee started to breathe pure oxygen, the crew lowered the cabin stress from the nominal 14.7 kilos per sq. inch (psi) to 10.2 psi to help within the prevention of decompression illness, also referred to as the bends. After finishing the one-hour check, Thagard and Lee eliminated their helmets.
Left: Mary L. Cleave videotapes the progress of an experiment within the Fluids Experiment Equipment. Center: Norman E. Thagard, left, and Mark C. Lee throughout the helmet retention meeting prebreathe check. Proper: Inflight {photograph} of the STS-30 crew.
Mission Management started the astronaut’s fourth day in house, their final full day in orbit, with the theme music from the film “Rocky.” The day’s first main occasion concerned a 15-minute information convention with United Press Worldwide reporters Rob Navias and Invoice Harwood. In preparation for the entry and touchdown the next day, the astronauts examined the automobile’s Auxiliary Energy Models, aerodynamic surfaces, and response management system thrusters. They then repressurized the cabin again to 14.7 psi. Abruptly, one of many spacecraft’s Common Function Computer systems (GPC-4) went offline, failing to synchronize with the opposite GPCs. Whereas not an instantaneous affect to their work, Mission Management was involved about its perform throughout the essential entry and touchdown the subsequent day, and so they ordered the crew to interchange the defective unit, by no means earlier than carried out in house. The astronauts efficiently accomplished the four-hour process and had the substitute GPC up and working, however the time spent on the pc substitute precipitated the cancellation of the ultimate FEA pattern run. The crew stayed up an additional hour to finish all their stowage duties earlier than retiring for his or her remaining evening’s sleep in house.
Left: Its touchdown gear lowered, Atlantis approaches the runway at Edwards Air Pressure Base in California. Center: Atlantis touches down. Proper: The STS-30 astronauts exit Atlantis.
On Could 8, the astronauts woke up for his or her remaining day in house. The wake-up name from Mission Management consisted of a barking canine adopted by The Beatles tune “A Laborious Day’s Night time.” Capcom Kenneth D. Cameron greeted them with, “Good morning! It’s time to return dwelling.” In preparation for reentry, the astronauts donned their orange LESs and closed the payload bay doorways. Walker and Grabe oriented Atlantis into the deorbit angle, with the OMS engines going through within the path of journey. Over the Indian Ocean, they fired the 2 engines for two minutes 48 seconds to carry the spacecraft out of orbit. They reoriented the orbiter to fly with its warmth protect uncovered to the path of flight because it encountered Earth’s ambiance at 419,000 ft. The buildup of ionized gases brought on by the warmth of reentry prevented communications for about quarter-hour however offered the astronauts an incredible gentle present. Variable winds at Edwards Air Pressure Base in California difficult the choice on which runway to land on to finish a deliberate crosswind check. Mission Management determined to attend till 20 minutes earlier than landing to make the ultimate dedication. With Atlantis out of the blackout, Mission Management directed the crew to land on concrete runway 22 with acceptable crosswinds for the check. After finishing the 200-degree Heading Alignment Circle flip, Walker aligned Atlantis with the runway, and Grabe lowered the touchdown gear. Atlantis touched down and rolled to a cease, ending a 4-day 56-minute flight, having accomplished 65 orbits of the Earth.
A pattern of Magellan radar photos of Venus. Left: Three affect craters in Venus’ Lavinia Planitia. Center: Volcano Sapas Mons. Proper: Maat Mons, second highest peak on Venus.
After deployment from the house shuttle, Magellan started its interplanetary journey. Midcourse corrections on Could 21, 1989, March 13, 1990, and July 25, 1990, refined the trajectory as Magellan accomplished its 15-month journey to Venus on Aug. 10, 1990, coming into an elliptical near-polar orbit across the planet. Recovering from two early communications glitches, Magellan started returning high-quality radar photos of the cloud-shrouded planet on Sept. 15. The spacecraft accomplished its major 243-day (the time it took Venus to finish one rotation) mission on Could 15, 1991, imaging 83.7 p.c of the planet’s floor at a decision of between 100 and 250 meters, surpassing the unique mission targets. It accomplished 5 extra 243-day cycles, ending on Oct. 13, 1994, ending with a protection of 98 p.c of the planet. In the summertime of 1993, controllers commanded Magellan to skim by means of Venus’ higher ambiance and use aerobraking to circularize its orbit to permit detailed mapping of the planet’s gravity subject. To collect extra aerodynamic knowledge, controllers commanded Magellan to plunge into the Venusian ambiance on Oct. 13, 1994, and it burned up on entry, having accomplished one of the profitable interplanetary missions throughout 15,000 orbits of Venus. The spacecraft returned extra knowledge than all of NASA’s earlier planetary missions mixed.
A topographic map of Venus based mostly on Magellan radar knowledge. Picture credit score: courtesy United States Geologic Service.
Radar knowledge from Magellan allowed cartographers to create the primary, and to date, essentially the most detailed, world map of Venus. The photographs revealed a floor dominated by volcanic options with few affect craters, implying a geologically younger floor, lower than 800 million years previous. Though Venus has a dense ambiance, Magellan discovered little proof of wind erosion, and the full absence of water makes erosion a really gradual course of on the planet.
Benefit from the crew narrated video of the STS-30 mission.
Learn Cleave’s recollections of the STS-30 mission in her oral historical past with the JSC Historical past Workplace.
