Skip to content
Surf Wiki
Save to docs
general/space-shuttle-missions

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

STS-5

1982 American crewed spaceflight to deploy communications satellites


1982 American crewed spaceflight to deploy communications satellites

FieldValue
nameSTS-5
names_listSpace Transportation System-5
imageSBS-3 with PAM-D stage.jpg
image_captionThe SBS-3 satellite with attached PAM-D motor is deployed from Columbia.
mission_typeCommunications satellites deployment
operatorNASA
mission_duration
distance_travelled3397082 km
orbits_completed81
spacecraft
launch_mass112088 kg
landing_mass91841 kg
payload_mass14551 kg
crew_size4
crew_members
launch_dateUTC (7:19:00amEST)
launch_siteKennedy, LC-39A
launch_contractorRockwell International
landing_dateUTC (6:33:26amPST)
landing_siteEdwards, Runway22
orbit_referenceGeocentric orbit
orbit_regimeLow Earth orbit
orbit_periapsis294 km
orbit_apoapsis317 km
orbit_inclination28.50°
orbit_period90.50 minutes
apsisgee
insigniaSts-5-patch.png
insignia_captionSTS-5 mission patch
crew_photoSts-5_crew.jpg
crew_photo_captionFrom left: Allen, Brand, Overmyer and Lenoir
programmeSpace Shuttle program
previous_missionSTS-4
next_missionSTS-6
Note

the Space Shuttle mission STS-5

STS-5 was the fifth NASA Space Shuttle mission and the fifth flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia. It launched on November 11, 1982, and landed five days later on November 16, 1982. STS-5 was the first Space Shuttle mission to deploy communications satellites into orbit, and the first officially "operational" Space Shuttle mission.

Crew

Flight Engineer

Support crew

  • Roy D. Bridges Jr. (entry CAPCOM)
  • Michael Coats
  • Richard O. Covey
  • Bryan D. O'Connor
  • Jon McBride
  • Robert L. Stewart (ascent CAPCOM)

Crew seat assignments

SeatLaunchLanding1234567
[[File:Space Shuttle seating plan.svg150px]]
Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck.
Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck.
Brand
Overmyer
Unused
LenoirAllen
AllenLenoir
Unused
Unused

Mission summary

Columbia launched on schedule from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) at 07:19:00a.m. EST, on November 11, 1982. The shuttle carried a crew of four – the largest spacecraft crew up to that time – and the first two commercial communications satellites to be flown aboard a shuttle.

The commercial satellites were deployed successfully and subsequently propelled into their operational geosynchronous orbits by McDonnell Douglas PAM-D kick motors. The two satellites were SBS-3, owned by Satellite Business Systems, and Anik-C3, owned by Telesat Canada; both were Hughes-built HS-376-series satellites. In addition, STS-5 carried a West German-sponsored microgravity Getaway Special (GAS) experiment canister in the payload bay. The crew also conducted three student-designed experiments during the flight.

Lenoir and Allen were to perform a spacewalk, the first of the Space Shuttle program, to test newly developed space suits. The space suits were developed as cheaper and less complicated alternatives to the Apollo versions. The test was delayed by one day due to Lenoir succumbing to motion sickness. Then a poorly functioning oxygen regulator in Lenoir's suit and a broken recirculation fan in Allen's caused them to cancel the extravehicular activity (EVA) entirely. It was the first time in the history of the space program that an EVA had been cancelled due to space suit issues.

Columbia landed on Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base on November 16, 1982, at 06:33:26a.m. PST, having traveled 3397082 km in 81 orbits during a mission that lasted 5days, 2hours, 14minutes and 26seconds. Columbia was returned to KSC on November 22, 1982. STS-5 was the first Space Shuttle flight in which the crew did not wear pressure suits for the launch, reentry, and landing portions of the flight, similar to the Soviet Voskhod and Soyuz missions prior to the ill-fated Soyuz 11 mission in 1971.

Operational status

The Space Shuttle was formally declared "operational" after STS-4. However, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB), in its report on the loss with all crew aboard of Columbia during STS-107 in 2003, asserted that the orbiter should never have been considered operational and that, while not intrinsically unsafe, it was in fact an experimental vehicle. The CAIB's rationale was that civilian and military aircraft that are considered operational must have been tested and proven over thousands of safe flights in their final operational configurations, whereas the shuttle had conducted under 200 flights, with continuous modification. NASA operated the Space Shuttle as an experimental vehicle for the remainder of the program.

Mission insignia

The five points of the blue star of the mission patch indicate 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 Project Gemini, and first used music to wake up a flight crew during Apollo 15. 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 DaySongArtist/Composer
Day 2"76 Trombones"The Music Man
Day 3"Cotton Eyed Joe"
Day 4"Marine Hymn"United States Marine Band
Day 5"The Stroll"The Diamonds/Clyde Otis
Day 6"Take Me Home, Country Roads"John Denver

References

References

  1. McDowell, Jonathan. (January 6, 2022). "SATCAT". Jonathan's Space Report.
  2. "STS-5". Spacefacts.
  3. "Suit Failures Scuttle Walks in Space". LNP Always Lancaster.
  4. (November 17, 1982). "Shuttle's 'Can Deliver' Crew Grilled". Fort Lauderdale News.
  5. "$2 Million Space Suit Fails Its First Test". LNP Always Lancaster.
  6. (November 17, 1982). "Shuttle Crew Back in Houston". The Town Talk.
  7. "Columbia Accident Investigation Board". NASA.
  8. Fries, Colin. (June 25, 2007). "Chronology of Wakeup Calls". NASA.
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about STS-5 — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report