STS-4
Encyclopedia
STS-4 was a NASA
Space Shuttle
mission, using the Space Shuttle Columbia
. The mission launched on 27 June 1982 and landed a week later on 4 July. STS-4 was the fourth shuttle mission overall, and was also the fourth mission for the Columbia.
.
(KSC) on 27 June 1982 at 11:00 am EST, with Ken Mattingly
as commander, and Henry Hartsfield
as pilot. This mission marked the first time the Space Shuttle
was launched precisely at its scheduled launch time. It was also the last research and development flight in the program, as thereafter the shuttle was considered operational.
STS-4's cargo consisted of the first Getaway Special
payloads, including nine scientific experiments provided by students from Utah State University
, and a classified US Air Force
payload of two missile launch-detection systems. A secret mission control center
in Sunnyvale, California
participated in monitoring the flight.
In the shuttle's mid-deck, a Continuous Flow Electrophoresis
System and the Mono-disperse Latex Reactor were flown for the second time. The crew conducted a lightning
survey with hand-held cameras, and performed medical experiments on themselves for two student projects. They also operated the Remote Manipulator System with an instrument called the Induced Environment Contamination Monitor mounted on its end, designed to obtain information on gases or particles being released by the orbiter in flight.
Columbia landed on 4 July 1982 at 9:09 am PDT, on the 15000 feet (4,572 m) concrete runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base
; it was the first Shuttle landing on a concrete runway. The crew was met by President
Ronald Reagan
and his wife Nancy
.
The flight lasted 7 days, 1 hour, 9 minutes and 31 seconds, and covered a total distance of 4700000 kilometres (2,920,451.9 mi) in 112 complete orbits. All mission objectives were achieved, excepting the failure of the Air Force payload, but two SRB
s were lost when their main parachutes failed, causing the empty casings to impact the ocean at high velocity and sink. Columbia was returned to KSC on 15 July.
.
Each track is specially chosen, often by the astronauts' families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
mission, using the Space Shuttle Columbia
Space Shuttle Columbia
Space Shuttle Columbia was the first spaceworthy Space Shuttle in NASA's orbital fleet. First launched on the STS-1 mission, the first of the Space Shuttle program, it completed 27 missions before being destroyed during re-entry on February 1, 2003 near the end of its 28th, STS-107. All seven crew...
. The mission launched on 27 June 1982 and landed a week later on 4 July. STS-4 was the fourth shuttle mission overall, and was also the fourth mission for the Columbia.
Crew
Backup crew
From STS-4 onwards, NASA halted the appointment and training of complete backup flight crews. Instead, individual flight crew members were assigned backups who could take their place within the prime crew. The decision on whether to appoint a reserve crew member was made on a per-flight basis by flight management teams at Johnson Space Center. Consequently, the last NASA flight to have a full-time backup crew was STS-3STS-3
STS-3 was NASA's third Space Shuttle mission, and was the third mission for the Space Shuttle Columbia. It was the first shuttle launch with an unpainted external tank, and the only mission to land at the White Sands Space Harbor near Las Cruces, New Mexico.-Crew:-Backup crew:-Mission...
.
Mission parameters
- MassMassMass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
:- Orbiter Liftoff: 109616 kilograms (241,661.9 lb)
- Orbiter Landing: 94774 kilograms (208,940.9 lb)
- Payload: 11109 kilograms (24,491.2 lb)
- PerigeePerigeePerigee is the point at which an object makes its closest approach to the Earth.. Often the term is used in a broader sense to define the point in an orbit where the orbiting body is closest to the body it orbits. The opposite is the apogee, the farthest or highest point.The Greek prefix "peri"...
: (295 kilometres (183.3 mi)) - Apogee: (302 kilometres (187.7 mi))
- InclinationInclinationInclination in general is the angle between a reference plane and another plane or axis of direction.-Orbits:The inclination is one of the six orbital parameters describing the shape and orientation of a celestial orbit...
: 28.5° - PeriodOrbital periodThe orbital period is the time taken for a given object to make one complete orbit about another object.When mentioned without further qualification in astronomy this refers to the sidereal period of an astronomical object, which is calculated with respect to the stars.There are several kinds of...
: 90.3 min
Mission summary
STS-4 launched from Kennedy Space CenterKennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
(KSC) on 27 June 1982 at 11:00 am EST, with Ken Mattingly
Ken Mattingly
Thomas Kenneth "Ken" Mattingly II, is a retired American astronaut and rear admiral in the United States Navy who flew on the Apollo 16, STS-4 and STS-51-C missions. He had been scheduled to fly on Apollo 13, but was held back due to concerns about a potential illness...
as commander, and Henry Hartsfield
Henry Hartsfield
Henry Warren "Hank" Hartsfield, Jr. is a retired United States Air Force officer and a former USAF and NASA astronaut who logged over 480 hours in space.-Personal:...
as pilot. This mission marked the first time the Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
was launched precisely at its scheduled launch time. It was also the last research and development flight in the program, as thereafter the shuttle was considered operational.
STS-4's cargo consisted of the first Getaway Special
Getaway Special
Getaway Special was a NASA program that offered interested individuals, or groups, opportunities to fly small experiments aboard the Space Shuttle...
payloads, including nine scientific experiments provided by students from Utah State University
Utah State University
Utah State University is a public university located in Logan, Utah. It is a land-grant and space-grant institution and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities....
, and a classified US Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
payload of two missile launch-detection systems. A secret mission control center
Mission Control Center
A mission control center is an entity that manages aerospace vehicle flights, usually from the point of lift-off until the landing or the end of the mission. A staff of flight controllers and other support personnel monitor all aspects of the mission using telemetry, and send commands to the...
in Sunnyvale, California
Sunnyvale, California
Sunnyvale is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is one of the major cities that make up the Silicon Valley located in the San Francisco Bay Area...
participated in monitoring the flight.
In the shuttle's mid-deck, a Continuous Flow Electrophoresis
Electrophoresis
Electrophoresis, also called cataphoresis, is the motion of dispersed particles relative to a fluid under the influence of a spatially uniform electric field. This electrokinetic phenomenon was observed for the first time in 1807 by Reuss , who noticed that the application of a constant electric...
System and the Mono-disperse Latex Reactor were flown for the second time. The crew conducted a lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
survey with hand-held cameras, and performed medical experiments on themselves for two student projects. They also operated the Remote Manipulator System with an instrument called the Induced Environment Contamination Monitor mounted on its end, designed to obtain information on gases or particles being released by the orbiter in flight.
Columbia landed on 4 July 1982 at 9:09 am PDT, on the 15000 feet (4,572 m) concrete runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in...
; it was the first Shuttle landing on a concrete runway. The crew was met by President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
and his wife Nancy
Nancy Reagan
Nancy Davis Reagan is the widow of former United States President Ronald Reagan and was First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989....
.
The flight lasted 7 days, 1 hour, 9 minutes and 31 seconds, and covered a total distance of 4700000 kilometres (2,920,451.9 mi) in 112 complete orbits. All mission objectives were achieved, excepting the failure of the Air Force payload, but two SRB
Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster
The Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters were the pair of large solid rockets used by the United States' NASA Space Shuttle during the first two minutes of powered flight. Together they provided about 83% of liftoff thrust for the Space Shuttle. They were located on either side of the rusty or...
s were lost when their main parachutes failed, causing the empty casings to impact the ocean at high velocity and sink. Columbia was returned to KSC on 15 July.
Mission insignia
The path of the red, white, and blue streak on the mission patch indicates the flight's numerical designation in the Space Transportation System's mission sequence.Wake-up calls
NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during the Gemini program, and first used music to wake up a flight crew during Apollo 15Apollo 15
Apollo 15 was the ninth manned mission in the American Apollo space program, the fourth to land on the Moon and the eighth successful manned mission. It was the first of what were termed "J missions", long duration stays on the Moon with a greater focus on science than had been possible on previous...
.
Each track is specially chosen, often by the astronauts' families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.
| Flight Day | Song | Artist/Composer |
|---|---|---|
| Day 2 | "Up, Up and Away Up, Up and Away (song) "Up, Up and Away" is a 1967 song written by Jimmy Webb and recorded by The 5th Dimension, that became a major pop hit, reaching #7 on the U.S. Pop Singles chart and #18 in Canada... " |
The 5th Dimension |
| Day 3 | "Hold That Tiger" | Auburn University Band |
| Day 4 | Taped message for Hank Hartsfield on his wedding anniversary | |
| Day 5 | "Theme from Chariots of Fire" | |
| Day 6 | Delta Tau Delta Delta Tau Delta Delta Tau Delta is a U.S.-based international secret letter college fraternity. Delta Tau Delta was founded in 1858 at Bethany College, Bethany, Virginia, . It currently has around 125 student chapters nationwide, as well as more than 25 regional alumni groups. Its national community service... fraternity song (Mattingly), Delta Chi Delta Chi Delta Chi or D-Chi is an international Greek letter college social fraternity formed on October 13, 1890,at Cornell University, initially as a professional fraternity for law students. On April 29, 1922, Delta Chi became a general membership social fraternity, eliminating the requirement for men... fraternity song (Hartsfield) |
|
| Day 7 | "This Is My Country This Is My Country "This is My Country" is an American patriotic folk song composed in 1940. The lyrics are by Don Raye and the music is by Al Jacobs.The song begins slowly, opening with:"This is My Country" is an American patriotic folk song composed in 1940... " |
See also
- Space explorationSpace explorationSpace exploration is the use of space technology to explore outer space. Physical exploration of space is conducted both by human spaceflights and by robotic spacecraft....
- List of space shuttle missions
- List of human spaceflights chronologically