STS-66

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mission emblem
Mission emblem STS-66
Mission dates
Mission: STS-66
COSPAR-ID : 1994-073A
Crew: 6th
Begin: November 3, 1994, 16:59:43  UTC
Starting place: Kennedy Space Center , LC-39B
Landing: November 14, 1994, 15:33:45 UTC
Landing place: Edwards Air Force Base , Runway 22
Flight duration: 10d 22h 34m 02s
Earth orbits: 174
Rotation time : 90.6 min
Orbit inclination : 57.0 °
Apogee : 310 km
Perigee : 296 km
Covered track: 8.4 million km
Payload: ATLAS-3, CRISTA-SPAS-1
Team photo
v. l. No. Jean-François Clervoy, Scott Parazynski, Curtis Brown, Joseph Tanner, Donald McMonagle, Ellen Ochoa
v. l. No. Jean-François Clervoy, Scott Parazynski, Curtis Brown, Joseph Tanner, Donald McMonagle, Ellen Ochoa
◄ Before / After ►
STS-68 STS-63

STS-66 ( English S pace T ransportation S ystem) is a mission name for NASA 's US Space Shuttle Atlantis (OV-104) . The launch took place on November 3, 1994. It was the 66th space shuttle mission and the 13th flight of the space shuttle Atlantis.

team

Mission overview

This Spacelab flight was called ATLAS-3 (Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Sciences) and examined the question of how the sun affects the earth's climate. How does the atmosphere of the earth react to solar energy, especially ultraviolet radiation ? Above all, the seasonal disappearance of the Antarctic ozone hole and the associated recovery of the atmosphere, as well as the changes in the air in the northern hemisphere, where winter has just started, were investigated.

The second main payload was CRISTA , which was mounted on the SPAS (Shuttle PAllet Satellite) carrier. CRISTA recorded the distribution of trace gases in the atmosphere and was developed and built at the University of Wuppertal .

Mission history

The space shuttle Atlantis was scheduled to leave the launch pad on November 3, 1994 at 16:56 UTC. Due to bad weather, the emergency landing sites on the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain) were not available that day. The third TAL runway (Transatlantic Abort Landing) on ​​the Moroccan Ben Guerir Air Base could not be used without restrictions either because the wind speeds were too high. In order to observe the weather situation at Ben Guerir Air Base, the countdown was stopped at the T-5 minute mark for just under four minutes. When the crosswind values ​​were within acceptable limits, the go-ahead was given.

Shortly after reaching the orbit, the ATLAS experiments were activated. In order to be able to work around the clock, the astronauts were divided into two shifts during the flight: The red team consisted of the commander Donald McMonagle and the mission specialists Ellen Ochoa and Joe Tanner . The other crew members (pilot Curtis Brown with the mission specialists Scott Parazynski and Jean-François Clervoy ) were combined in the blue team.

CRISTA-SPAS 02 is lifted from the hold of the space shuttle

Four hours after take-off, mission specialist Ochoa checked the shuttle's robotic arm and grabbed CRISTA-SPAS, which was lifted from the shuttle's loading bay the next day (November 4) by her French colleague Clervoy and released at 12:50 UTC. At that time, the Atlantis was flying over Germany. CRISTA-SPAS moved away from the shuttle and followed it between 40 and 70 kilometers away in order to be able to take measurements undisturbed.

Mission specialist Ellen Ochoa activated the SSBUV experiment by opening the covers of the device to cool down and outgas. The experiment is used to check and calibrate measurement data from other NASA and NOAA satellites. Since measuring devices for UV radiation degrade over time , comparative measurements were necessary here. At the same time, measurements were therefore taken on other satellites, including the Russian Meteor-3.

On the third day, the shuttle turned for the first time in the direction of CRISTA in order to collect scientific data and send it to Earth. Four such maneuvers were carried out. At first there were some concerns as to whether the distance was sufficient for the maneuver, as CRISTA was not leaving the orbiter as quickly as planned. It was to be feared that the engine exhaust would contaminate the optics of the free-flying satellite. A few hours later it was clear that the distance was sufficient and the rotation was performed. During this time, the measurements with the various ATLAS observation devices continued. The SSBUV also carried out several series of measurements.

In the following days the experiments and measurements on atmospheric chemistry and physics were continued. Some groundbreaking insights were already gained during the mission, for example the existence of a vortex over the South Pole, which contains an air mass that is relatively isolated from the rest of the atmosphere and can be seen as a "laboratory bottle", as it were. The free-flying experiment CRISTA made spectral examinations at a rate of 26 spectra per second. In this way, complete 3-dimensional profiles of the gas composition of the earth's atmosphere could be obtained, which has never been achieved before.

On the tenth day of the flight, each shift was given a few hours off work, a procedure that is always used on missions over ten days.

When CRISTA was captured, a new maneuver was tested to demonstrate the docking maneuver at the MIR space station on the next flight of Atlantis ( STS-71 ). Here, the orbiter approaches the target from below, whereby the bearings are used less and thus a contamination of systems of the space station such as z. B. solar panels could be minimized. CRISTA was recaptured by Payload Commander Ellen Ochoa. The satellite had generated 100 gigabits of data.

The landing was planned at Kennedy Space Center , but had to be diverted to Edwards Air Force Base due to strong winds, rain and low cloud cover caused by Tropical Storm Gordon .

See also

Web links

Commons : STS-66  - album with pictures, videos and audio files