STS-82

STS-82
Mission name	STS-82
Launch date	February 11, 1997
Launch site	Kennedy Space Center, LC-39A
Landing date	February 21, 1997
Landing site	Kennedy Space Center, Shuttle Landing Facility
Mission duration	9 days, 23 hours, 38 minutes
Spacecraft	Space Shuttle Discovery
Orbit altitude	335 nautical miles
Orbit inclination	28.45 degrees

STS-82 was a pivotal servicing mission of the NASA Space Shuttle program, conducted by the Space Shuttle Discovery. Its primary objective was the second servicing and upgrade of the Hubble Space Telescope, following the landmark STS-61 mission. The flight involved a highly skilled crew executing a series of complex spacewalks to install new scientific instruments and replace key components, significantly enhancing the orbiting observatory's capabilities. The successful mission underscored the Space Shuttle's role as a versatile platform for on-orbit satellite servicing and advanced astronomical research.

Mission overview

Launched from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center on February 11, 1997, STS-82 was the 22nd flight of Space Shuttle Discovery and the 82nd mission in the overall Space Shuttle program. The flight was dedicated to servicing the Hubble Space Telescope, which had been deployed in 1990 by the crew of STS-31. Managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and the Space Telescope Science Institute, the mission aimed to replace aging instruments and repair thermal insulation. After a series of intricate operations in a high low Earth orbit, the shuttle returned to a night landing at the Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida on February 21, 1997.

Crew

The mission was commanded by veteran astronaut Kenneth D. Bowersox, a captain in the United States Navy. The pilot was Scott J. Horowitz, while the flight engineer and primary Remote Manipulator System operator was Mark C. Lee. The mission specialists, who formed the two spacewalking teams, were Steven L. Smith, Gregory J. Harbaugh, Joseph R. Tanner, and Steven A. Hawley. Hawley, who had been a crew member on the telescope's deployment mission STS-31, was responsible for capturing the Hubble Space Telescope using the shuttle's robotic arm. All crew members were experienced NASA astronauts with backgrounds in the United States Armed Forces or scientific research.

Mission highlights

The primary highlight was the successful rendezvous and grapple of the Hubble Space Telescope by Steven A. Hawley using Discovery's robotic arm on the third day of the mission. The telescope was then secured on a special servicing platform in the shuttle's payload bay. The crew conducted five planned spacewalks over five consecutive days, an unprecedented pace for a shuttle mission. Key achievements included the installation of the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph and the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer, replacing the Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph and the Faint Object Spectrograph. The mission also saw the replacement of a failed Fine Guidance Sensor and other critical engineering components.

Spacewalks

The mission featured five spacewalks, totaling 33 hours and 11 minutes of extravehicular activity. The first and second spacewalks, performed by Steven L. Smith and Gregory J. Harbaugh, focused on installing the two new spectrographs. The third and fourth excursions, conducted by Mark C. Lee and Joseph R. Tanner, replaced a Fine Guidance Sensor and a failed Data Interface Unit, and installed new engineering tape recorders. The final spacewalk, again by Smith and Harbaugh, was added during the mission to repair peeling thermal insulation on the telescope's exterior using specially designed blankets, a task that proved critical for the telescope's long-term health.

Scientific payload and experiments

The central payload was the Hubble Space Telescope itself, but the servicing mission delivered and installed several new scientific instruments. The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph was designed to take detailed spectra of astronomical objects, while the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer opened a new window for observing the early universe and star-forming regions. Other critical hardware included the Optical Control Electronics Enhancement Kit and a solid-state data recorder. While the shuttle's mid-deck contained some secondary experiments, the mission's focus was overwhelmingly on the telescope's upgrade.

Post-mission analysis and legacy

Post-mission analysis by teams at the Goddard Space Flight Center and the Space Telescope Science Institute confirmed all new systems were functioning perfectly. The upgrades effectively gave the Hubble Space Telescope new, more powerful "eyes," leading to a decade of transformative discoveries about black holes, galaxy evolution, and the age of the universe. The success of STS-82 validated the concept of on-orbit satellite servicing and set a procedural standard for subsequent missions like STS-103 and STS-109. The mission reinforced the Space Shuttle's unique capabilities and cemented the legacy of the Hubble Space Telescope as one of the most important scientific instruments in history.

Category:Space Shuttle missions Category:Hubble Space Telescope