STS-31

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STS-31
Mission insignia
Mission statistics
Mission name	STS-31
Space Shuttle	Discovery
Launch pad	39B
Launch date	April 24, 1990, 8:33:51 a.m. EDT
Landing	April 29, 1990, 6:49:57 a.m. PDT
Mission duration	5/01:16:6
Number of orbits	80
Orbital altitude	330 nautical miles (611 km)
Orbital inclination	28.45 degrees
Distance traveled	2,068,213 miles (3,328,466 km)
Crew photo
Related missions
Previous mission Next mission STS-36 STS-41

STS-31 was the thirty-fifth mission of the American Space Shuttle program, which launched the Hubble Space Telescope astronomical observatory into Earth orbit. The mission used the Space Shuttle Discovery, which lifted off from launchpad 39B on April 24, 1990 from Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

Discovery's crew deployed the telescope on April 25, and spent the rest of the mission tending to various scientific experiments in the shuttle's payload bay and operating a set of IMAX cameras to record the mission. Discovery's launch marked the first time since January 1986 that two Space Shuttles had been on the launch pad at the same time - Discovery on 39B and Columbia on 39A.

[edit] Crew

(total flights to date in parentheses)

• Loren J. Shriver (2) Commander
• Charles F. Bolden, Jr. (2), Pilot
• Steven A. Hawley (3), Mission Specialist
• Bruce McCandless II (2), Mission Specialist
• Kathryn D. Sullivan (2), Mission Specialist

[edit] Mission parameters

• Mass:
  • Orbiter Liftoff: 117,586 kg
  • Orbiter Landing: 85,947 kg
  • Payload: 11,878 kg
• Perigee: 585 km
• Apogee: 615 km
• Inclination: 28.5°
• Period: 96.7 min

[edit] Mission highlights

Hubble during deployment

Launched April 24, 1990, 8:33:51 a.m. EDT. Launch scheduled for April 18, then April 12, then April 10, following Flight Readiness Review (FRR). First time date set at FRR was earlier than that shown on previous planning schedules. Launch April 10 scrubbed at T-4 minutes due to faulty valve in auxiliary power unit (APU) number one. APU replaced and payload batteries recharged. Countdown briefly halted at T-31 seconds when computer software failed to shut down a fuel valve line on ground support equipment. Engineers ordered valve to shut and countdown continued. Launch Weight: 249,109 lb (112,994 kg).

STS-31 was the tenth launch of the Shuttle Discovery. On board were Charles Bolden, Loren Shriver, Bruce McCandless, Steven Hawley, and Kathryn D. Sullivan.

The primary payload was the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), deployed in a 380 statute mile (612 km) orbit. The shuttle's orbit in this mission was its second highest orbit up to that date, in order that the HST could be released near to its operational altitude well outside of the atmosphere. Discovery orbited the earth 80 times during the mission.

Space Shuttle Discovery races into the sky at the start of STS-31, whilst, for the first time since 1986, a second shuttle, Columbia, waits for her chance to launch.

The main purpose of this mission was to deploy the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) astronomical observatory. It was designed to operate above the earth's turbulent and obscuring atmosphere to observe celestial objects at ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared wavelengths. This was a joint NASA-ESA effort. The rest of the mission was devoted to photography and onboard experiments. To launch HST into an orbit that guaranteed longevity, Discovery soared to 600 km - the highest shuttle altitude ever at the time. The record height permitted the crew to photograph earth's large scale geographic features not apparent from lower orbits. Motion pictures were recorded by two IMAX cameras, and the results appeared in the IMAX film Destiny in Space. Experiment activity included a biomedical technology study, advanced materials research; particle contamination and ionizing radiation measurements; and student science project studying zero gravity effects on electronic arcs. Discovery’s reentry from its higher than usual orbit required a deorbit burn of 4 min 58 s, the longest in shuttle history up to that time.

Secondary payloads: IMAX Cargo Bay Camera (ICBC) to document operations outside crew cabin and hand-held IMAX camera for use inside crew cabin; Ascent Particle Monitor (APM) to detect particulate matter in payload bay; Protein Crystal Growth (PCG) to provide data on growing protein crystals in microgravity; Radiation Monitoring Equipment III (RME III) to measure gamma ray levels in crew cabin; Investigations into Polymer Membrane Processing (IPMP) to determine porosity control in microgravity environment; Shuttle Student involvement program (SSIP) experiment to study effects of near-weightlessness on electrical arcs, and Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS) experiment.

April 29, 1990, 6:49:57 a.m. PDT, Runway 22, Edwards Air Force Base, CA. Rollout distance: 8,874 feet (2,705 m). Rollout time: 61 seconds. First use of carbon brakes at landing. Orbiter returned to KSC on May 7, 1990. Landing Weight: 189,118 lb (85,782 kg).

[edit] See also

• Space science
• Space shuttle
• List of space shuttle missions
• List of human spaceflights chronologically

[edit] External links

• NASA mission summary
• STS-31 Video Highlights