STS-31

STS-31
NASA/IMAX · Public domain · source
Name	STS-31
Operator	NASA
Mission type	Deployment of Hubble Space Telescope
Spacecraft	Discovery (OV-103)
Launch date	1990-04-24
Launch site	Launch Complex 39A
Landing date	1990-04-29

STS-31 was a 1990 NASA mission that deployed the Hubble Space Telescope. The flight used Discovery from LC-39A and carried a multinational crew tasked with placing a large, observatory-class payload into low Earth orbit. The mission marked a major milestone for NASA, the Goddard Space Flight Center, and the international astronomical community.

Background and Mission Objectives

The mission originated from planning by NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Smithsonian Institution to operate a space-based observatory beyond atmospheric distortion. Primary objectives included deploying the Hubble Space Telescope, verifying the telescope's solar arrays and aerothermal performance, and conducting on-orbit tests that involved instrumentation managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center and operational support from the Johnson Space Center. Complementary goals addressed payload integration at the Michoud Assembly Facility, coordination with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for software and guidance algorithms, and engagement with academic partners such as Carnegie Institution for Science and Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Crew

The five-person crew combined veterans from previous shuttle missions and representatives with spacecraft operations expertise. Command responsibilities were managed in conjunction with flight control teams at Johnson Space Center and mission specialists who coordinated payload activities with engineers at Goddard Space Flight Center. Crew training involved simulations at Marshall Space Flight Center, neutral buoyancy practice at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, and integrated sessions with technicians from the Lockheed Corporation and the Perkin-Elmer Corporation, the latter responsible for key optical components.

Mission Timeline

Launch from Kennedy Space Center on 24 April 1990 followed a planned ascent profile overseen by teams at Patrick Air Force Base and the 20th Space Wing. After orbit insertion, rendezvous phasing maneuvers used guidance from the Mission Control Center at Johnson Space Center. Deployment of the observatory occurred during the first full day on orbit, with shuttle payload bay operations coordinated through the Orbiter Project Office. Subsequent orbits included checkout passes timed with ground stations at Goldstone Complex, Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex, and the European Space Operations Centre.

Spacecraft and Payloads

The orbiter Discovery (OV-103) carried the primary payload, the Hubble Space Telescope, built by contractors including Perkin-Elmer, Lockheed Corporation, and managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center. Ancillary payloads included flight support hardware provided by Martin Marietta, telemetry interfaces from Rockwell International, and scientific monitoring equipment subcontracted to corporations such as Raytheon and Boeing Defense, Space & Security. The deployment sequence used the Inertial Upper Stage and standard shuttle payload deployment mechanisms designed at the Marshall Space Flight Center. Onboard avionics leveraged software suites developed in cooperation with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Mission Operations and Anomalies

Flight operations required real-time coordination among controllers at Mission Control Center, engineers at the Goddard Space Flight Center, and payload specialists from the Space Telescope Science Institute. During on-orbit checkout, teams identified performance characteristics of the telescope's Wide Field and Planetary Camera and power output from the solar arrays manufactured by Lockheed Corporation. Issues noted during initial on-orbit testing prompted troubleshooting procedures with input from the Perkin-Elmer Corporation optical team and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Contingency planning had been developed with the Office of Management and Budget and Congressional Science Committees to address any requirement for on-orbit servicing missions by subsequent shuttle flights coordinated through NASA headquarters.

Post-mission Analysis and Legacy

After landing at Edwards Air Force Base and transfer operations at Kennedy Space Center, comprehensive analysis was conducted by the Goddard Space Flight Center, the Space Telescope Science Institute, and contractors including Perkin-Elmer and Lockheed Corporation. Findings influenced the design of later servicing missions planned in cooperation with European Space Agency partners and the operational strategies of the Chandra X-ray Observatory and Compton Gamma Ray Observatory programs. The observatory enabled transformational research by teams at institutions such as Caltech, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, Princeton University, University of Cambridge, Max Planck Society, Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, and Space Telescope Science Institute. The mission reshaped policies at NASA and bolstered public engagement through outreach by the Smithsonian Institution and media collaborations with outlets including National Geographic and BBC. Its legacy continues through data archives maintained by the Space Telescope Science Institute and science enabled for researchers affiliated with institutions like Stanford University, Yale University, University of Chicago, Columbia University, Imperial College London, Australian National University, and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.

Category:Space Shuttle missions Category:Hubble Space Telescope