STS-32

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Mission emblem
Mission emblem STS-32
Mission dates
Mission: STS-32
COSPAR-ID : 1990-002A
Crew: 5
Begin: January 9, 1990, 12:35:00  UTC
Starting place: Kennedy Space Center , LC-39A
Landing: January 20, 1990, 09:35:36 UTC
Landing place: Edwards Air Force Base , Runway 22
Flight duration: 10d 21h 0 m 36s
Earth orbits: 172
Track height: 330 km
Orbit inclination : 28.5 °
Covered track: 7.2 million km
Payload: SYNCOM IV-F5 (LEASAT 5), LDEF
Team photo
v. l. No. Marsha Ivins, Daniel Brandenstein, David Low, James Wetherbee, Bonnie Dunbar
v. l. No. Marsha Ivins, Daniel Brandenstein, David Low, James Wetherbee, Bonnie Dunbar
◄ Before / After ►
STS-33 STS-36

STS-32 ( english S pace T ransportation S ystem ) is a mission designation for the US Space Shuttle Columbia (OV-102) NASA . The launch took place on January 9, 1990. It was the 33rd space shuttle mission and the ninth flight of the Columbia space shuttle.

team

Mission overview

The 33rd space shuttle mission began on January 9, 1990 at 12:35 UTC. This was the first launch from launch pad 39A since the space shuttle Challenger disaster in January 1986. Since then, some changes have been made to this launch pad to improve safety for the crew. The start was originally planned for December 18, 1989, but had to be postponed by about three weeks because the last work and tests on the ramp could only be carried out with a delay.

Columbia arrives at KSC

The aim of the mission was to deploy the SYNCOM IV-F5 military communications satellite (also known as LEASAT 5) and to capture NASA's Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) using the robotic arm and bring it back to Earth. This experimental platform had been in orbit since April 1984 and contained over 50 experiments. Actually, the LDEF should only have carried out a ten-month flight, but due to the Challenger accident and the resulting delays in the shuttle program, the platform remained in space for over five years.

The mission objectives were successfully met by the crew, landing on January 20th in Edwards AFB , California . The Columbia was later transported back to Cape Canaveral , Florida by means of a special aircraft, a converted 747-100 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft . The 747-100 with the Columbia landed on the runway at Kennedy Space Center at 21:30 UTC on January 26th.

See also

Web links

Commons : STS-32  - album with pictures, videos and audio files