STS-41

STS-41 was a 1990 crewed mission of the Space Shuttle program, flown by Discovery, that deployed an astronomical observatory and conducted a suite of science and technology experiments. The mission linked operational activity at Kennedy Space Center, research from the Goddard Space Flight Center, and payload integration at the Marshall Space Flight Center, and involved cooperation among industrial partners including Lockheed Martin, TRW Inc., and Hughes Aircraft Company.

Mission overview

The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A and entered Low Earth orbit to deploy the Ulysses precursor satellite and to operate the European Space Agency instruments prepared by teams at European Space Research and Technology Centre, European Space Agency, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The flight showcased payload processing coordination between Rockwell International and the Martin Marietta Corporation subcontractors, while mission management engaged offices at the Johnson Space Center, Manned Spaceflight Center, and the White House science advisers. Vehicle and mission safety reviews drew on experience from STS-1, STS-6, and STS-9 flights, and policy oversight included representatives from the Office of Technology Assessment and the Congressional Budget Office.

Crew

The five-person crew included veterans and mission specialists drawn from NASA Astronaut Corps, trained at the Johnson Space Center and supported by the Mission Control Center flight controllers. Crew interaction involved scheduling with flight surgeons from the Kendall Army Health Clinic, coordination with the United States Air Force range safety, and public affairs activities with the Smithsonian Institution and American Association for the Advancement of Science. The crew performed tasks informed by training at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, simulations at the Flight Crew Operations Directorate, and contingency practices reflecting lessons from the Challenger disaster investigations and subsequent Rogers Commission recommendations.

Payload and experiments

Primary payload work focused on deploying a major heliophysics payload supported by European Space Agency and National Aeronautics and Space Administration partnership teams including scientists from Goddard Space Flight Center and instrument builders such as Hughes Aircraft Company and TRW Inc.. Secondary experiments included materials science investigations from the Marshall Space Flight Center materials laboratories, life sciences studies coordinated with researchers at the National Institutes of Health and the University of Texas Medical Branch, and technology demonstrations developed at the Ames Research Center and Langley Research Center. The flight also carried payloads produced by academia including teams from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, California Institute of Technology, University of Colorado Boulder, and Pennsylvania State University, with data processing planned at Jet Propulsion Laboratory and archival at the National Air and Space Museum and the National Archives and Records Administration.

Flight timeline

After rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building and stacking at Launch Complex 39A, the shuttle cleared the launch window and lifted off with countdown supervision by the Kennedy Space Center Launch Control Center and weather forecasting from the National Weather Service. Ascent profile coordination involved the Air Force Eastern Test Range and telemetry routed via the TDRS network to the White Sands Complex. In orbit, operations were coordinated by flight controllers at the Mission Control Center (Houston), payload specialists liaised with the European Space Research and Technology Centre, and instrument checkout involved specialists from Goddard Space Flight Center and Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Reentry and landing were managed with guidance from the Johnson Space Center entry team, contingency support from the United States Coast Guard and the Federal Aviation Administration, and recovery planning with the Shuttle Landing Facility operations crew.

Mission legacy and anomalies

The mission informed subsequent planning at the European Space Agency and National Aeronautics and Space Administration for interagency collaborations such as the Ulysses follow-on science and cooperative missions with the European Space Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Technical lessons influenced vehicle preflight processing at the Vehicle Assembly Building and procedure revisions implemented by the Shuttle Program safety office and adopted by the Johnson Space Center training syllabus. Postflight analysis was coordinated by the Goddard Space Flight Center, with publications appearing in journals associated with the American Geophysical Union and presentations at meetings of the International Astronautical Federation and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. The mission legacy affected policy discussions at the Office of Science and Technology Policy and programmatic decisions reviewed by the United States Congress and the Government Accountability Office.

Category:Space Shuttle missions