STS-34
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| STS-34 | |
|---|---|
 NASA/Lockheed Martin/IMAX Systems · Public domain · source | |
| Name | STS-34 |
| Operator | National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
| Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Atlantis |
| Launch date | October 18, 1989 |
| Landing date | October 23, 1989 |
STS-34 was a 1989 United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration spaceflight that deployed an interplanetary probe and conducted a suite of scientific investigations. The mission aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis carried a crew of five and marked a key moment in planetary exploration through the launch of the Galileo probe toward Jupiter. It linked efforts across multiple institutions including the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Ames Research Center, and Marshall Space Flight Center.
Mission overview
The flight's principal objective was the deployment of the Galileo spacecraft built by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to study Jupiter and its moons, following planning begun under the Planetary Science Division and programs managed by the Office of Space Flight. Secondary objectives included experiments sponsored by the Lewis Research Center and the Langley Research Center. Mission operations were coordinated through the Johnson Space Center mission control and supported by the Kennedy Space Center launch complex and the Patrick Air Force Base tracking network. The mission integrated hardware from contractors including Martin Marietta, Rockwell International, and TRW Inc..
Crew
The five-person crew included commander Franklin Chang-Díaz who had connections to Brown University and prior missions involving Space Shuttle Columbia; pilot Michael J. McCulley who had served with United States Navy aviation units and the Naval Air Systems Command; mission specialists David C. Hilmers and Bonnie J. Dunbar with backgrounds in MIT and University of Washington research programs respectively; and mission specialist Ellen S. Baker associated with Stanford University and clinical research at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The crew trained at facilities including the Astronaut Training Facility and participated in simulations with personnel from the Marshall Space Flight Center and the Kennedy Space Center payload integration teams.
Payload and experiments
Primary payload was the Galileo probe, developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in partnership with contractors such as Martin Marietta and instrument teams from institutions including California Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, Smithsonian Institution, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of Colorado Boulder. Scientific instruments aboard Galileo included sensors from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, imaging systems influenced by work at Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Lowell Observatory, and plasma instruments tied to research at University of Michigan and Johns Hopkins University. Secondary payloads comprised experiments managed by the Langley Research Center, the Ames Research Center, and the Marshall Space Flight Center, with contributions from Ohio State University, Cornell University, University of Arizona, University of California, Los Angeles, and Princeton University. Technology demonstrations included avionics elements from Hughes Aircraft Company and thermal control experiments developed with General Electric and Boeing.
Launch and mission timeline
Atlantis launched from Kennedy Space Center on October 18, 1989, with countdown operations coordinated by the Kennedy Space Center Launch Control and supported by Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and the Patrick Air Force Base telemetry network. After ascent, the crew performed payload bay operations overseen by the Johnson Space Center flight control teams and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Galileo project scientists. The Galileo probe was deployed using procedures validated by engineers from Rockwell International and Martin Marietta; deployment involved the use of the shuttle's Remote Manipulator System influenced by work at Manned Spacecraft Center teams. Mid-mission activities included biomedical monitoring coordinated with Johnson Space Center medical teams, materials experiments involving researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and University of Florida, and Earth observation tasks linked to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists and flight crews trained alongside United States Geological Survey specialists.
Landing and post-mission activities
The shuttle returned to Earth and landed at Edwards Air Force Base/Kennedy Space Center facilities where post-flight inspections involved teams from Rockwell International, NASA Ames Research Center, and the Marshall Space Flight Center. The Galileo spacecraft, once released, executed a trajectory managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory including planned Earth and Venus gravity assists coordinated with mission planners at NASA Headquarters and instrument teams at Caltech and JPL. Post-mission analyses were conducted by scientists at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, University of California, Santa Cruz, California Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Brown University, and University of Arizona, contributing to follow-on publications in collaboration with the National Academy of Sciences and presentations at meetings of the American Geophysical Union and the American Astronomical Society. Career developments for crew members included further assignments within NASA and affiliations with academic institutions such as Georgia Institute of Technology and Drexel University.