They mated the External Tank (ET) to the SRBs on June 10. Meanwhile, in the VAB, workers began stacking the segments of the two redesigned SRBs on March 29, completing the task on May 28. When completed, the TDRS constellation allowed near continuous communication between the space shuttle, and later the space station, and Mission Control. Astronauts during the STS-6 mission deployed the first TDRS in April 1983, while the second one was lost in the Challenger accident. The primary payload for the mission, the third Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-3), and its Inertial Upper Stage (IUS), arrived at KSC in May 1988. Right: After stacking with the SRBs and External Tank, Discovery begins its rollout to Launch Pad 39B. Middle right: Workers roll Discovery from the Orbiter Processing Facility to the VAB. ![]() Middle left: In KSC’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), workers stack the segments of the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs). Left: TDRS-3 stacked with its Inertial Upper Stage in the Vertical Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Engineers redesigned the SRB field joint that caused the Challenger accident and in 19 conducted test firings using full-scale SRBs to certify the design. 9, 1987, NASA announced the STS-26 crew – Commander Hauck, Pilot Covey, and Mission Specialists Lounge, Hilmers, and Nelson – the first since Apollo 11 composed entirely of space veterans. 30, 1986, workers towed it from the VAB to the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) to begin work on more than 200 modifications and then processing the vehicle for the return to flight mission, officially designated STS-26 on Nov. At the time of the Challenger accident it was in temporary storage in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at KSC. The orbiter had completed six missions, the last one, STS-51I, in August 1985. In 1986, NASA decided to use space shuttle Discovery for the return to flight mission. Right: A qualification test of the redesigned Solid Rocket Booster. Middle: The STS-26 crew following the press conference announcing their assignment to the Return to Flight mission. Left: Discovery rolls into the Orbiter Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to begin modifications and processing for STS-26. The agency augmented its safety culture and management structure to improve future decision making. To recover from the accident, NASA implemented over 200 changes to the Shuttle system, including redesign of the SRB field joints, addition of a crew escape pole to permit bailout from the vehicle under certain flight conditions, and having the crews wear full pressure Launch and Entry Suits (LES) during liftoff and landing. In addition to the hardware failure, the commission also identified cultural and management practices at NASA that led to the ill-fated decision to launch Challenger under those conditions, overriding technical analysis that it was not safe to do so. And when the O-rings failed, hot gases escaping from the SRB impinged on the External Tank’s liquid hydrogen tank, causing the fatal explosion. The commission determined the proximate cause of the accident to be O-rings in the field joints of the Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) that became brittle when exposed to cold temperatures such as on the day of Challenger’s launch. Rogers, to investigate the causes of the accident and provide recommendations. Reagan established The Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident, also known as the Rogers Commission after its chair, former Secretary of State William P. Right: Schematic of the redesign of the SRB field joint. Middle: During their investigation, members of the Rogers Commission examine a SRB field joint. Left: A black puff of smoke (marked by the red circle) coming from the right hand Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) seconds after Challenger’s launch, indicates failure of the O-ring at the field joint. ![]() The Return To Flight mission ended with a touchdown at Edwards Air Force Base in California. “Pinky” Nelson completed a four-day mission, deploying their primary payload, a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, and conducting science and technology experiments. Discovery’s five-man crew of Frederick “Rick” H. The agency spent two years correcting the problems. A Presidential Commission investigating the accident identified proximate hardware and NASA organizational causes. The STS-26 mission returned American astronauts to space after a 32-month hiatus following the January 1986 Challenger accident that took the lives of seven astronauts. 29, 1988, space shuttle Discovery roared off its launch pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |