Mission Status Report #1
Thursday, June 25, 1992
12:30 pm central time
The Space Shuttle Columbia was launched into orbit this morning with a
crew of seven to begin a record-setting two weeks of microgravity
experimentation in Earth orbit.
The 12th flight of Columbia - first since it's refurbishment - got
underway at 11:12 am central time with enough fuel and supplies
onboard to keep the crew and their United States Microgravity
Laboratory in operations around the clock for thirteen da ys.
Columbia is currently in a 220 nautical mile orbit and astronauts are
busy activating the electrical, environmental, and data processing
systems that will support their complex laboratory. The crew will be
operating in alternating 12 hour shifts des ignated the Red Team -
consisting of Crew CDR Dick Richards, pilot Ken Bowersox, Payload CDR
Bonnie Dunbar and payload specialist Larry DeLucas - and the Blue Team
consisting of mission specialists Carl Meade and Ellen Baker, and
payload specialist E ugene Trinh.
The Blue Team will start their first sleep shift at about 2:45 pm
central time today and will relieve the Red Team tonight just after 10
pm.
Columbia appears to be in excellent shape and, assuming all goes well,
plans are for a landing on July 8th at Edwards Air Force Base in
California in the early morning.
MISSION CONTROL CENTER
STS-50 Status Report #2
Thursday, June 25, 1992, 5 p.m. CDT
Payload activities are underway as the seven-member crew of Columbia
settles into the work routine for the record-setting 13-day United
States Microgravity Laboratory-1 mission.
Mission Specialist Bonnie Dunbar performed the 16-step procedure to
activate the Spacelab module without any problems. Accompanied by Pilot
Ken Bowersox and Payload Specialists Larry Delucas and Gene
Trinh, she entered the laboratory for the first time about 2:45 p.m.
Central. Activation was completed about 3:48 p.m.
For STS-50, the crew members have split into two teams to cover 24-hour
payload operations. Red Team members are Dunbar, Bowersox and Delucas
and Blue Team members are Mission Specialists Ellen Baker and Carl Meade
and Payload Specialist Gene Trinh. Commander Dick Richards will align
his schedule with the Red Team for the mission.
Six hours into the mission, the orbiter is performing well. For the 13-
day flight, Columbia is carrying four extra cryogenic oxygen and
hydrogen tanks sets courtesy of the new Extended Duration Orbiter pallet
riding in the payload bay. Richards, however, performed the group B
priority powerdown to conserve energy for the flight. The powerdown
procedures calls for placing one of the three navigation units in
standby and turning off extra lights, CRTs and
other none essential equipment.
Currently, Columbia is circling the Earth once every 90 minutes in a
163 by 160 nautical mile orbit.
MISSION CONTROL CENTER
STS-50 Status Report #3
Friday, June 26, 1992, 8 a.m. CDT
Mission Control had a quiet night as Columbia completed its first
day in orbit with the United States Microgravity Laboratory-1.
Onboard the spacecraft, the Red Team of crew members -- Commander
Dick Richards, Pilot Ken Bowersox, Mission Specialist Bonnie
Dunbar and Payload Specialist Larry DeLucas -- have just begun
their second work shift of the flight, relieving their Blue Team
counterparts. Blue Team crew members will go to sleep for their
second night in space at about 11:10 a.m. CDT.
Flight controllers did detect a slight leak in one of the eight
oxygen tanks carried by Columbia, but the quantity of oxygen being
lost due to the leak is not large enough to have any impact on the
mission. Oxygen from the eight tanks is combined with hydrogen
from eight sister tanks to generate the spacecraft's electricity.
The eight oxygen-hydrogen tank sets aboard Columbia are the most
ever flown on a shuttle and are needed to allow the spacecraft
enough electricity to stay in orbit for 13 days. Four tank pairs
are mounted in Columbia's fuselage and four additional tank pairs
are mounted on a special pallet in the cargo bay. The slight leak
is from an oxygen tank mounted in the fuselage.
At its present small rate, the oxygen leak will not impact the
ability to power all equipment and experiments aboard Columbia as
planned for the entire 13-day flight. However, flight controllers
plan to use oxygen from the tank earlier than had been originally
scheduled so that there would be no impact to the flight even if
the leak were to become larger. Oxygen is leaking from the tank at
about four-tenths of a pound per hour, and each tank holds 781
pounds of oxygen when full.
Columbia remains in a 164 by 160 nautical mile high orbit,
circling Earth every 91 minutes.
MISSION CONTROL CENTER
STS-50 Status Report #4
Friday, June 26, 1992, 4:30 p.m. CDT
Payload activities are the order of the day as Columbia and its
seven-member crew spend the second full day in space.
On its 12th mission, Columbia continues to perform very well with
only a few minor problems being tracked by flight controllers in
Houston.
Earlier today, crew members performed a malfunction procedure to
recover Controller 2 of the Regenerative Carbon Dioxide Removal
System. The RCRS is a new system to scrub the carbon dioxide from
the crew cabin and module air and is designed to eventually
replace the lithium hydroxide canister system.
The malfunction seen several times today is a false indication to
the RCRS's logic system from a valve position sensor that
automatically shuts the RCRS down which would be proper if the
indications were true. Switching to Controller 1 is not an option
since the same malfunction was seen there earlier in the mission.
Each time the malfunction message was received, crew members
performed a procedure to bring the system back up. Even if the
system were to go down for the remainder of the mission, Columbia
is carrying enough lithium hydroxide canisters for the full 13-day
mission.
Crew members today also reported the return of a whistling sound
near the Waste Containment System coming from an air outlet duct.
The crew can partially manage the noise level, and flight
controllers are studying the problem.
Columbia remains in a 164 by 160 nautical mile high orbit,
circling Earth every 91 minutes.
STS-50 MCC STATUS REPORT #4 (REVISED)
Friday, June 26, 1992, 5:00 p.m. CDT
Payload activities are the order of the day as Columbia and
its seven-member crew spend their second full day in space.
On it's 12th mission, Columbia continues to perform very well
with only a few minor problems being tracked by flight
controllers in Houston.
Despite several efforts by crew members to revive it, the
Regenerative Carbon Dioxide Removal System appears to have
failed. The RCRS is an experimental system designed to
replace the old lithium hydroxide canisters as a method for
removing carbon dioxide from the cabin air. For the time
being, the system will be left off and the job of cleansing
the cabin air will be left to the lithium hydroxide system
with no impact expected to the duration of the flight.
Crew members also reported that a high-pitched whistling
sound has returned to the Waste Containment System--
apparently from an air outlet duct. The noise does not
affect the operability of the system, however, flight
controllers are studying the problem.
Columbia remains in a 164 by 160 n.m. orbit, circling Earth
every 91 minutes.
MISSION CONTROL STATUS
STS-50 Status Report #6 [Mislabeled -PEY]
4 p.m. CDT Saturday, June 27, 1992
Houston flight controllers had a quiet afternoon today as Columbia
remained in excellent condition and crew members devoted their time to
payload activities.
During their 34th orbit, crew members were asked to reconfigure the
cryogenic oxygen and hydrogen tanks. This activity signalled the
completion of a precautionary plan to use the oxygen from the slowly-
leaking Tank 2 early in the mission. The flight control team opted to
deplete Tank 2 to the 55 percent mark to protect consumables margins
in case the 0.4 pound per hour leak grew.
Also today orbiter crew members worked with the Investigations into
Polymer Membrane Processing and Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment.
IPMP, sponsored by Battelle Advanced Materials Center in Columbus,
Ohio, studies the physical and chemical processes that occur during
the formation of thin polymer membranes in microgravity. Commander
Dick Richards performed the experiment which involved turning several
valves on the IPMP hardware to allow the membranes to form and fix.
Richards also reported contacting amateur radio operators across the
United States. He also reported receiving a planned fast-scan television
transmission from California.
Flight controllers continue to monitor their systems but at this time
are not tracking any anomalies with the orbiter.
MISSION CONTROL STATUS
STS-50 Status Report #7
8 a.m. CDT Sunday, June 28, 1992
Columbia kept an overall clean bill of health last night, and flight
controllers concentrated on assisting ground scientists as they
workedwith the crew to explore weightlessness in the United States
Microgravity Lab.
A paper jam late yesterday halted use of Columbia's Text and
Graphics System (TAGS), a specially designed space fax machine that
allows printed materials and even photographs to be sent to
the spacecraft. To send printed material, flight controllers are now
using the teleprinter aboard Columbia. Additional information is
being sent to the crew via a specially built air-to-ground computer
modem that allows electronic mail between a portable computer
on Columbia and Mission Control. Several attempts to clear the paper
jam from TAGS were unsuccessful, and controllers are now looking at
other possible repair plans.
In addition, controllers are discussing the possiblity of attempting
a repair of the Regenerative Carbon Dioxide Removal System, a new
device being tested on Columbia that scrubs the cabin air and dumps
carbon dioxide from it overboard. When the device was taken out of
service Friday, the crew began using the standard operation for
cleaning cabin air, lithium hydroxide canisters that must be removed
and replaced with fresh canisters periodically. Enough such
canisters were packed aboard Columbia to last for the entire
mission.
The Red Team is currently at work on the spacecraft after waking up
for their fourth day in space shortly after 5 a.m. central time.
Columbia remains in a 164 by 160 nautical mile orbit, circling Earth
once every one hour, thirty minutes and thirty-six seconds.
MISSION CONTROL STATUS
STS-50 Status Report #8
4 p.m. CDT Sunday, June 28, 1992
Columbia continues to provide a stable platform for the Spacelab module
in the payload bay containing the United States Microgravity Laboratory
experiments while flight controllers in Houston kept watch on the
orbiter's systems.
Only the troubleshooting of the onboard fax machine interrupted a
nominal fourth flight day for Columbia. A paper jam halted use of the
machine Saturday and several subsequent attempts to clear the device
proved unsuccessful. Printed material is now being set to the crew via
the teleprinter and a specially designed air-to-ground computer modem
that transmits electronic mail to the crew.
With Columbia's systems in good shape, Commander Dick Richards has had
ample time to communicate with ground-based amateur radio operators
using the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment equipment. Throughout the
day, Richards reported successful radio contacts with operators around
the world and with school students in LaPorte and Corpus Christi, Texas.
Crew members also had an opportunity to watch the Russian space station
Mir fly above them shortly after nine Saturday morning. Mir was about
50 miles above and 70 miles to the left of Columbia.
The Blue Team aboard the orbiter was scheduled to get up shortly after
5 p.m. to relieve the Red Team which has been on shift in the Spacelab
since early Saturday. The dual-shift operation allows the microgravity
investigations to continue 24 hours a day.
MISSION CONTROL CENTER
STS-50 Status Report #9
Monday, June 29, 1992, 9 a.m. CDT
Columbia operated trouble-free overnight, with flight controllers
performing normal day-to-day operations and assisting payload
controllers with their investigations when needed.
After a crystal growth experiment was found to be shut down,
controllers changed Columbia's orientation to expose different
surfaces of the spacecraft to the sun, thus assisting in keeping those
areas warm. Columbia is now positioned with its underside toward the
sun. Anytime that science investigators agree it is possible and will
not disturb the experiments under way, Columbia will be moved to that
orientation to assist in moderating temperatures.
But for the majority of the flight, Columbia will be in the gravity
gradient position. The gravity gradient orientation allows the
spacecraft to remain relatively stable with very few steering jet
firings that could disturb experiments and use propellant.
Flight controllers are continuing to discuss attempting repair of
the regenerative carbon dioxide removal system, a new device being
flown for the first time on Columbia. It was taken out of service
after about one day of operation. The RCRS basically dumps carbon
dioxide from the cabin air overboard, and could eventually reduce the
number of lithium hydroxide canisters, currently in use on Columbia,
that must be carried on each flight. Although the canisters are working
well on Columbia, controllers would like to have the RCRS working in
order to gain more information on how well it can cleanse the cabin
air over long periods.
Columbia is in a 159 x 164 nautical mile orbit.
MISSION CONTROL STATUS
STS-50 Status Report #10
Monday, June 29, 1992, 4:45 p.m. CDT
In a break from the sensitive microgravity investigations, Columbia
burned its reaction control systems jets this afternoon to adjust its
orbit during another smooth day for STS-50.
Performed to provide a backup deorbit opportunity on the nominal end
of mission day, the 39-second burn lowered Columbia's orbit slightly
to 160 by 159 nautical miles. Shortly afterwards, the orbiter returned
to an attitude with its tail pointing toward Earth and its payload bay
pointing about 12 degrees off the direction of travel. Such a
position allows the orbiter to remain stable for long periods of time
without jet firings that might disrupt the sensitive microgravity
experiments.
In Houston, flight controllers are reviewing and discussing plans to
attempt to repair the regenerative carbon dioxide
removal system. The device, which scrubs carbon dioxide from the
orbiter's air, failed earlier in the flight when a sensor provided
false inputs to the RCRS's logic system subsequently causing automatic
shutdowns. Since that time, crew members have been using the
traditional lithium hydroxide canisters to cleanse the air.
The orbiter and crew are in excellent condition and flight controllers
have no new systems problems to track.
MISSION CONTROL STATUS
STS-50 Status Report #11
Tuesday, June 30, 1992, 8:30 a.m. CDT
Some early household repairs and continuing science are the order of
the day aboard Columbia, which continued to perform without problems
overnight.
About 8:30 a.m CDT, Pilot Ken Bowersox and Commander Dick Richards
began a planned three-hour repair attempt on a new piece of equipment
being flight-tested that removes carbon dioxide from
the cabin air by dumping it overboard.
Although the standard form of controlling carbon dioxide aboard the
shuttle -- replaceable lithium hydroxide carbon-dioxide absorbing
canisters -- has been working well, engineers would like to fix the
regenerative carbon dioxide removal system to gain more information
about how well the system works over long periods. The new system was
taken out of service after the first day of the flight when a faulty
sensor reading continually caused it to shut off.
In today's repair attempt, Bowersox and Richards will pull out
four middeck lockers to gain access to the shuttle's
lower deck, under which the RCRS is mounted. They'll remove the top
cover panel of the device, and unplug one electronic wire connector.
>From the bundles of wire in the connector, they will locate four
specific wires and splice two together and then another two together.
The spliced wires will bypass the sensors that have been giving false
readings to the systems automatic controller, thus halting the false
alarms that were the cause of continual shutdowns. The
repair is estimated to take about three hours.
Also today, members of the Red Team -- Richards, Bowersox, Bonnie
Dunbar and Larry DeLucas -- appeared live on ABC's Good Morning
America.
Columbia is in a 160 x 159 nautical mile orbit.
MISSION CONTROL STATUS
STS-50 Status Report #12
Tuesday, June 30, 1992, 5 p.m. CDT
Columbia's new Regenerative Carbon Dioxide Removal System is up and
running again following the completion of a procedure to bypass
faulty sensors in the air scrubbing unit.
Pilot Ken Bowersox assisted by Commander Dick Richards spent the
morning working through the 32-step procedure that started with the
removal of four middeck lockers to gain access to the RCRS unit.
Using tools in the orbiter's in-flight maintenance kit, Bowersox
disconnected one of the electrical connections at the top of the unit
and spliced two sets of wires to bypass sensors that relayed faulty
indications that shut the system down earlier in the flight. Since
the procedure was completed, the RCRS has worked well.
The unit will provide engineers with important data about the operation
of the RCRS as a replacement of the traditional lithium hydroxide
canister system. Advantages of the RCRS include saving
weight and stowage space previously used for the canisters and freeing
the crew of the canister changeout task.
As microgravity investigations proceeded in the Spacelab module
today, Richards continued his work with the Shuttle Amateur Radio
experiment. Among his contacts around the world, Richards talked
briefly with students at Hockaday School in Dallas.
Columbia continues to perform very well with no new systems anomalies
reported. The orbiter is circling the Earth once every 90 minutes at an
altitude of 160 by 159 nautical miles.
MISSION CONTROL STATUS
STS-50 Status Report #13
Wednesday, July 1, 1992, 8:30 a.m. CDT
Approaching the halfway point of the longest shuttle flight ever,
Columbia is flawless, and flight controllers report there are plentiful
supplies of electricity, air, fuel, food and other consumable items
aboard.
Early today, crew members concentrated on amateur radio contacts in
addition to starting a busy shift of weightless experiments
in the Spacelab.
The crew reported talking to Boy Scouts from Troop 195 in Galina, Ohio,
early this morning. Also, Payload Specialist Larry DeLucas talked with
coworkers and relatives at the University of Alabama in Birmingham,
Alabama.
Commander Dick Richards is planning to make several more ham radio
contacts during the day, including talking with students at Hyatt
Elementary School in San Jacinto, Calif. and at Addison Elementary
School in Marietta, Ga. An adjustment on the shuttle amateur radio
was intended to ground the antenna better, and ham radio operators
on the ground report all communications have been very strong.
Richards, along with Mission Specialist Bonnie Dunbar, will talk with
professional radio as well today in an interview with CBS News Radio
scheduled for 11:12 a.m. CDT. Television from the spacecraft is not
planned for the interview, but the audio will be broadcast live on NASA
Select.
Richards and Pilot Ken Bowersox each exercised for about an hour this
morning, riding a stationary bicycle on Columbia's flight deck. Bungee
cords secured the bike and are being checked out as a
secondary method of lowering the amount of vibrations the bike might
cause to the sensitive experiments on board. An electromagnetic shock-
absorbing system used when the bike is on the shuttle's lower
deck has been very successful in minimizing vibrations as well.
Columbia is in a 160 by 159 nautical mile orbit, circling Earth every
one hour, thirty minutes and thirty-one seconds.
MISSION CONTROL STATUS
STS-50 Status Report #14
Wednesday, July 1, 1992, 5 p.m. CDT
Columbia finished another day in excellent condition as the seven-
member crew approached the half-way mark in the 13-day mission.
Commander Dick Richards confirmed the on-going health of the orbiter
when he completed the redundant component checkout earlier today.
The check of many of the orbiter's backup systems is a routine
procedure for long-duration missions. Components checked today
included various system fans, freon pump loops and water loops.
Richards also continued his work with the Shuttle Amateur Radio
Experiment by using the orbiter's ham radio equipment to talk with
students at Hyatt Elementary School in San Jacinto, California and
Addison Elementary School in Marietta, Georgia.
The Regenerative Carbon Dioxide Removal System continues to work very
well following Tuesday's sucessful in-flight maintenance procedure by
Pilot Ken Bowersox.
Payload Commander Bonnie Dunbar and Payload Specialist Larry Delucas
took advantage of planned off-duty times, taking breaks from their
payload activities.
Columbia continues to circle the Earth once every 90 minutes in a 160
x 159 nautical mile orbit.
MISSION CONTROL CENTER
STS-50 Status Report #15
Thursday, July 2, 1992, 8 a.m. CDT
Now more than halfway through its twelfth mission, NASA's oldest
orbiter continues to perform nearly flawlessly allowing the crew
to devote full attention to the experiments in the
Spacelab module and to view the release of a chemical in the
upper atmosphere after being launched on a small rocket.
Much of the orbiter Columbia activities during the last 12 hours
involved routine systems maintenance ensuring the health of all
components to support the remainder of the mission.
During the early morning, the waste water tank was dumped which
is required about every three days. Also performed was an
alignment of the navigation units and a supply water dump using the
flash evaporator system.
The FES, as it is known, is a subtle way to discharge excess
water so as not to disrupt the orbiter's stable attitude in
support of the many experiments being conducted in the 23-foot-
long laboratory.
Columbia's crew had a unique opportunity to view the chemical
release of barium from a cannister carried aboard a small rocket
launched from Puerto Rico at 4 a.m. The chemical release
occurred at an altitude of 135 nautical miles about two minutes after
launch of the rocket.
At the time of the rocket launch, Columbia had just crossed the
equator 160 nautical miles above the Earth. Crewmember Ellen
Baker reported having a "pretty good view" of the barium cloud
as the orbiter approached the island from the southwest on its
108th orbit.
Columbia remains in a stable attitude to support science
activities as it circles the Earth every 90 minutes.
MISSION CONTROL CENTER
STS-50 Status Report #16
Thursday, July 2, 1992, 5 p.m. CDT
Just into the second week of their projected record-setting mission,
the astronauts aboard Columbia continued their science harvest today,
focusing on studies of fluid dynamics, crystal development, and
hydroponic plant growth.
From the flight deck of Columbia, crew commander Dick Richards made
several successful radio contacts with students on Earth, using
amateur radio equipment flown for just that purpose. Richards spoke
with students at the Carolyn T. Douglas School in Massachusetts
in a long-distance lashup through Honolulu and Corpus Christi ham
radio relay stations. Later, in the afternoon, he chatted with
students from three schools in Johannesburg, South Africa.
By the request of the Argentine Embassy in Washington, the crew was
asked today to observe and photograph heavy flooding along the Pirhana
and Uruguay rivers in Argentina, as their orbital path took them
directly over the South American country late this afternoon.
This evening, Richards and pilot Ken Bowersox will guide Columbia
in a very slow, steady maneuver to point it's underside towards the
sun for several hours in order to warm up mechanical systems and to
help maintain adequate air pressure in the main landing gear tires.
The tire pressures, which normally decay at a slight but steady rate,
are a bit lower than were predicted for this point in the flight. By
periodically applying heat to the area, the air in the tires will be
warmed, thus increasing the air pressure in the tires and slowing the
decay rate. At this point, flight controllers believe that periodic
warming will assure more than adequate tire pressures for landing.
All systems aboard Columbia continue to operate without problem while
the Orbiter remains in a stable attitude for science activities -
circling the Earth every 90 minutes or so.
STS-50 MISSION CONTROL STATUS REPORT #20
5:00 p.m. CDT
Saturday -- July 4, 1992
The astronauts aboard Columbia wished America a happy birthday today in a
videotape featuring views of the United States from space, and Lee
Greenwood's song, "God Bless the USA." Crew members also videotaped
themselves assembled in front of a large American flag draped above the
entrance to their science laboratory, saying, "We know it's a special day
down there, it's a special day up here, too."
While the videotape was being played to the ground, Payload Specialist
Larry DeLucas was serving as the subject of the Lower Body Negative
Pressure investigation - an effort that occupied most of the science crew's
time today. LBNP, as it is known, is intended to draw body fluids to the
lower limbs by means of negative pressure - or vacuum, in an effort to
recondition the cardiovascular system to the effects of gravity. It is
hoped that LBNP will help prepare astronauts for readaptation during and
after the return to Earth.
Just after noon central time, payload commander Bonnie Dunbar reported
smelling something like "wiring insulation" coming from a vent of the
American Echocardiograph Research Imaging System, or AERIS. The AERIS
provides blood volume measurements to the experimenters during LBNP
operations. Neither fixed smoke sensors nor the hand-held combustion
products analyzer detected any traces of smoke, however, as a precaution,
the system has been turned off for the remainder of the mission. The loss
of that system will not affect the continuation of LBNP operations.
During the afternoon, crew commander Dick Richards reported a very
successful amateur radio contact with the Polynesian canoe Hokulea which is
making a star-navigated voyage from Honolulu to the Cook Islands. Gifted
students from the Hawaiian Island s also listened in and spoke with
Richards from a radio relay station at the University of Hawaii. The relay
station was used to connect the ocean-bound vessel with Columbia in orbit.
At 3 p.m. central time, the crew maneuvered their spacecraft back to the
gravity gradient attitude for crystal growth furnace operations and will
remain in that position until late Sunday. All orbiter systems are in
great shape, and the crew remains on top of the planned timeline.
STS-50 MISSION CONTROL STATUS REPORT #21
8:00 a.m. CDT
Sunday -- July 5, 1992
Wrapping up another successful morning of science, the Blue Team
handed over control of Columbia and its Spacelab to the Red Team,
which awoke at 3:30 this morning.
Much of today's activities center around continued data gathering
from experiments in the pressurized facility including the lower body
negative pressure device.
LBNP is being conducted almost daily aboard Columbia to determine its
usefullness in helping astronauts condition their bodies for
readapting the Earth's gravity upon return from long-duration Shuttle
and other space missions.
Columbia's electricity usage continues to fall below the predictions
by about one kilowatt, ensuring enough hydrogen and oxygen are
available for the rest of the record breaking mission. Power
currently is being supplied from tanks located on the new extended
duration orbiter pallet located behind the Spacelab module in the
payload bay.
About 8:14 tomorrow morning, Columbia will break its own record for
the longest Shuttle mission to date, eclipsing STS-32's mark of 10
days 21 hours and one minute set in January 1990.
A computer problem at the White Sands Ground Terminal in New Mexico
was the only problem worked by the overnight flight control team.
White Sands acts as the relay station of data and voice transmission
to and from the orbiter.
All systems aboard Columbia continue to perform well, with no vehicle
problems being tracked by flight controllers in Mission Control as
the orbiter circles the Earth every 90 minutes at an altitude of 162
nautical miles.
STS-50 MISSION CONTROL STATUS REPORT #22
5:00 p.m. CDT
Sunday -- July 5, 1992
All systems aboard Columbia continue to perform well, with no
vehicle problems being tracked by the flight control team, as
the Red Team turns Spacelab operations over the to Blue Team
at 5:13 p.m.
Today's activities included evaluation of the double rack
foot restraint in a configuration that duplicates the foot
restraints planned for Space Station Freedom. Other work
included conditioning astronauts for return to Earth using
the lower body negative pressure device, continuing protein
crystal growth, and taking retinal photographs for a
biomedical experiment.
Commander Dick Richards contacted students at Lowell
Elementary in Winfield, Kansas, using the Shuttle Amateur
Radio Experiment ham equipment.
The Red Team participated in television interviews with Jim
Slade for ABC news and with Michele Gillen for NBC news.
As a wrap-up for the NBC interview, payload commander Bonnie
Dunbar took viewers on a tour of the Spacelab module,
describing some of the material science and life science
experiments onboard.
About 8:14 tomorrow morning, Columbia will break its own
record for the longest Shuttle mission to date, eclipsing
STS-32's mark of 10 days, 21 hours and one minute set in
January 1990.
Columbia is scheduled to land at Edwards Wednesday, July 8,
at 8:08 a.m. CDT. At the conclusion of this mission, the
U.S. total man-hours in space will be 64,610 hours, 33
minutes, and 27 seconds.
MISSION CONTROL CENTER
Status Report #23
Monday, July 6, 1992, 8:30 a.m. CDT
Columbia's twelfth mission officially has become the longest in Shuttle
program history, surpassing the previous record of 10 days 21 hours
set in January, 1990 on the STS-32 flight.
The song "Stay" was played from Mission Control to the crew in honor
of the achievement shortly after the record was broken at 8:13 a.m.
central time today.
Flight controllers are beginning to take a closer look at weather
conditions for the landing opportunities at Edwards AFB in
California. The forecast for Wednesday's landing time of 8:08 a.m.
C.D.T. calls for scattered clouds and head winds of 10 knots gusting to
16 on runway 22.
The predicted location of hurricane Darby at the time of landing adds
the possibility of some lower clouds with moisture in the Edwards
area.
Prior to start of its sleep period, the Blue Team aboard the orbiter
-- Ellen Baker, Carl Meade and Gene Trinh -- along with Commander
Dick Richards met with CBS This Morning to discuss the progress of
the mission.
Near the end of an orbiter maneuver last night, excessive thruster
jet firings were detected. While not expected, the firings posed no
danger to the crew or experiments, and is thought to be due to
maneuvering on one of the modified digital auto pilot settings.
Future orbiter maneuvers will be done using a different setting.
All other orbiter systems remain healthy as Columbia continues on its
record-setting mission.
MISSION CONTROL CENTER
STS-50 Status Report #24
Monday, July 6, 1992, 5 p.m. CDT
On their record-setting 12th day in orbit, the astronauts aboard
Columbia reported spectacular crystal formations developing in their
space laboratory, and did some physiological conditioning in
preparation for the return to Earth on Wednesday.
In addition to their daily Orbiter maintenance routine, pilot Ken
Bowersox and crew commander Dick Richards took time to exercise using a
cycle ergometer, to maintain good cardiovascular conditioning, while
Bonnie Dunbar and Larry DeLucas continued their conditioning using the
Lower Body Negative Pressure device.
Houston flight controllers are beginning to make more frequent
assessments of predicted weather conditions around Edwards AFB in
California for Wednesday's landing. The latest forecast for a landing
at 8:08 a.m. central time calls for good conditions - scattered clouds
with light and variable winds.
Blue team members Carl Meade, Ellen Baker, and Gene Trinh will take
over operations aboard Columbia at 6 central time tonight as they begin
their last full work day dedicated to microgravity sciences. Tomorrow
evening, the Blue team will begin the process of stowing gear and
powering down the laboratory in preparation for landing Wednesday
morning.
All systems aboard Columbia continue to perform without problems.
MISSION CONTROL CENTER
STS-50 Status Report #25
Tuesday, July 7, 1992, 8 a.m. CDT
Preparations for the trip home began aboard Columbia as the crew
finished up work with several experiments in the Spacelab module
and checked out the flight control surfaces used to fly the
spacecraft after it enters the Earth's atmosphere.
Final data were gathered from the Drop Physics Module, Lower Body
Negative Pressure Device and Protein Crystal Growth experiments
and all were deactivated for the remainder of the flight.
Pilot Ken Bowersox powered up one of three hydraulic system units
used to test the moving surfaces on the wings and tail of the
orbiter. Commander Dick Richards then proceeded through the
routine process of checking the aerosurfaces for tomorrow's
landing at Edwards AFB in California.
Sharing console time in Mission Control with the regular shift of
flight controllers was the entry team, which watched over the
crew's shoulders via data screens during the flight control
surface checkout, and reviewed all pertinent messages relating to
landing.
Prior to conducting the checkout, the STS-50 crew answered
questions about its mission in an interview with the "Today"
program.
Latest predicted landing time shows touchdown on Edwards runway
22 at 8:05 a.m. central. The deorbit burn using the 6000 pound
thrust maneuvering engines to drop Columbia out of orbit will occur
about one hour earlier.
Weather forecasters predict a slight chance of rain in the
Edwards area associated with hurricane Darby located southwest of
California in the Pacific. While the storm is weakening, cloud
bands carrying moisture is the concern.
Should weather preclude landing on Wednesday, forecasters say
improvement is expected Thursday at Edwards. The backup landing
site for this mission -- Kennedy Space Center in Florida -- is
forecast to have stable weather both days.
MISSION CONTROL CENTER
STS-50 Status #26
Tuesday, July 7, 1992, 5 p.m. CDT
The astronauts aboard Columbia are nearing the end of their marathon
mission and a return to Earth in the morning at Edwards Air Force Base
in California. Landing is set for 8:09 a.m. central time, 6:09 a.m.
pacific -just 24 minutes after sunrise at the Mojave desert landing
strip.
Their final full day in orbit has been spent completing the final
phases of microgravity experiments, preparing material samples for
return to Earth, and stowing equipment, charts, and manuals for the
trip home.
Experiment deactivation will continue through the night with final
deactivation of the laboratory itself getting underway just after
midnight tonight. The deactivation is expected to be completed by 2:30
a.m. central time Wednesday.
Two minor orbiter system issues developed today - one, involving a
slight gaseous nitrogen leak from a hydraulic pump component, was
rectified simply by turning it off and selecting one of two backup
pumps. The other involved some blockage in the
waste water dumpline. To avoid contributing any further to the
blockage, waste water dumps have been terminated for the flight - there
is sufficient room in the waste tank to support through the end of the
mission without any further dumping.
With those exceptions, Columbia continues to operate extremely well.
Landing gear tire pressure remains in good shape despite a slow and
steady decay rate, and will easily support landing well above the
safety limits.
Weather is predicted to be favorable for a Wednesday morning landing in
California, with mid-level scattered clouds, high-level broken
clouds, and light and variable winds. There is only a slight chance
of rain in the area. Should weather preclude landing on Wednesday,
improvement is expected for Thursday. The backup landing site for
this mission -- the Kennedy Space Center in Florida -- is expected to
have stable weather both days.
The de-orbit burn, which initiates the freefall back into the
atmosphere, is scheduled to occur at 7:06 a.m. central time. During
freefall, all seven crew members will be taking salt tablets and
drinking 32 oz. of water in order to replenish body fluids lost during
their two-week stay in space. The fluid-loading technique should help
the crew in their adaptation to the influences of Earth's gravity.
Assuming a landing, on time, at 8:09 a.m. central time, the crew should
return to Houston's Ellington Field by about 6 p.m.