Mission Details Unveiled
Mission Name: The journey involved the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-4 (TDRS-4), carried aloft by the Space Shuttle Discovery. The launch platform was Pad 39B. At takeoff, the shuttle weighed a hefty 256,357 pounds. The launch occurred on the morning of March 13, 1989, precisely at 9:57:00 a.m. EST. After completing its mission, the shuttle touched down at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The landing happened on March 18, 1989, at 6:35:50 a.m. PST, with the shuttle weighing 194,789 pounds upon return. It landed on Runway 22, rolling to a stop after covering 9,339 feet in just 53 seconds. Throughout the mission, the shuttle completed 80 revolutions around Earth. The total duration of this mission was 4 days, 23 hours, 38 minutes, and 50 seconds. The shuttle was returned to the Kennedy Space Center on March 24, 1989. It orbited at an altitude of 184 nautical miles, with an inclination of 28.5 degrees, traveling 2 million miles in total.
The Crew: The mission was led by Commander Michael L. Coats. John E. Blaha served as the pilot. The mission specialists on board were James P. Bagian, Robert C. Springer, and James F. Buchli.
Launch Highlights: The initial launch date of February 18 was reconsidered for a late February or early March timeframe. This adjustment was made to replace suspect liquid oxygen turbopumps on Discovery’s three main engines and a faulty master events controller. The eventual launch on March 13 was postponed by 1 hour and 50 minutes due to morning ground fog and upper winds.
Mission Achievements: The primary mission objective was the deployment of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-4 (TDRS-4), which was successfully attached to an Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) rocket. This deployment marked the third TDRS satellite to be placed into orbit. Following its release, the IUS rocket propelled TDRS-4 into a geosynchronous orbit. In addition to the main payload, the mission carried several secondary payloads. These included the Orbiter Experiments Autonomous Supporting Instrumentation System-1 (OASIS-1), the Space Station Heat Pipe Advanced Radiator Experiment (SHARE), experiments on Protein Crystal Growth (PCG), studies on Chromosomes and Plant Cell Division (CHROMEX), two Shuttle Student Involvement Program (SSIP) experiments, and an Air Force experiment that utilized the orbiter as a calibration target for a ground-based experiment at the Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS) in Hawaii. The crew also took the opportunity to photograph Earth using a hand-held IMAX camera.
Exploring Further: For those interested in delving deeper into the details of this mission, resources such as the STS-29 Press Kit provide a comprehensive overview of the mission, its crew, and the activities undertaken. Additionally, the “Flights of Discovery” section offers insights into the shuttle’s numerous voyages. For a more visual exploration, images of the Space Shuttle Atlantis’s landings and portraits of the astronauts in their orange spacesuits against the backdrop of the US flag are available for viewing.
Discover More: NASA continues to inspire and encourage exploration through its various missions and endeavors. To learn more about the incredible journeys undertaken and the discoveries made, visit NASA’s dedicated sections on retired space shuttle locations and delve into more topics from NASA’s vast repository of knowledge.