"6_2_2_19_2.TXT" (506 bytes) was created on 07-26-89 7/26/89: LAUNCH ADVISORY: LAUNCH DATE SET FOR STS-28 NASA officials, meeting at a Flight Readiness Review at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., today set Aug. 8, 1989, as the launch date for STS-28. The launch period for the Department of Defense-dedicated Space Shuttle mission will be from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. EDT. This schedule depends upon completion of work in progress and cooperative weather allowing normal pad activities to continue uninterrupted. "6_2_2_19_3.TXT" (4489 bytes) was created on 08-07-89 8/7/89: COLUMBIA MODIFICATIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS KSC Release No. 80-89 About 258 modifications have been performed on Columbia since it last flew in Jan. 1986 on mission 61-C, including the list of critical return-to-flight vehicle improvements and about 16 that are unique to Columbia. The return-to-flight modifications made to Columbia now bring the vehicle up to par with the other two orbiters, Discovery and Atlantis. These extensive improvements include the crew escape system, a latch to hold the 17-inch disconnect valve between the orbiter and external tank open during powered flight, wiring improvements and new thrusters in the forward reaction control system and orbital maneuvering system pods to prevent a burn through of the thrusters. To decrease brake wear, the axles were stiffened on the landing gear. Instrumentation has been added to monitor the tire pressure once the landing gear doors are closed. About a dozen extra clamps were added to Columbia's hydraulic braking lines which demonstrated a higher vibration than that of the other ships. Larger protective tiles have been installed in the elevon leading edge and wing trailing edges to improve flight durability and decrease turnaround maintenance. Columbia's payload bay doors and fuselage were originally covered with small white diced tiles. Since it last flew, technicians have replaced over 2,300 of these diced tiles with thermal protective blankets like those on the other two ships. In addition, Columbia features the reinforced carbon-carbon "chin panel." This panel replaces about 40 tiles between the nose cap and nose landing gear doors and is designed to better withstand heat loads during reentry. A significant amount of the worn interior thermal control blankets was replaced. Columbia, which flew the first five flights of the Shuttle program, features more instrumentation than the other two ships for research and development. Much of the instrumentation will be hooked up during its eighth flight, including about 400 strain gauges on the wings, payload bay doors and vertical stabilizer to monitor loads, pressures and temperatures during flight. For aerothermal analysis, about 140 sensors have been installed on the wing area. After STS-9 in Nov. 1983, Columbia was sent to Palmdale, Calif. for about 18 months to reconfigure the ship from a research and development mode to an operational orbiter. Five major modifications were made during this timeframe: (1) structural beefup of the wings and mid-fuselage; (2) addition of a heads-up-display; (3) the replacement of the commander and pilot's ejection seats with standard seats; (4) modification of the orbital maneuvering system pods to make them compatible with the other orbiters, including replacement of the pod's thermal tiles with the advanced reusable surface insulation blankets; and (5) addition of supplemental instrumentation to gather developmental engineering data. An infrared imaging device on Columbia's vertical stabilizer, called the Shuttle Infrared Leeside Temperature Sensing (SILTS) experiment, will be active on this flight. This cylindrical housing atop the vertical tail was added in Palmdale after STS-9, and is about 20-inches in diameter. It is designed to obtain high-resolution infrared images of the upper (leeside) surfaces of Columbia's port wing and fuselage as the orbiter reenters Earth's atmosphere. These images will provide detailed temperature maps of those surfaces to indicate the amount of aerodynamic heating in flight. Another experiment, called Shuttle Entry Air Data System (SEADS), housed in the nosecap will also be active this flight. The nose cap has 14 penetration assemblies distributed about its surface, each containing a small hole through which local surface air pressure will be measured during reentry. This experiment is expected to provide aerodynamic flight characteristics. Other improvements include upgrades to the electrical system, upgraded cockpit computer keyboards, new fuel cells and new auxiliary power unit controllers. A newly modified liquid hydrogen recirculation pump package has been installed to prevent electrical shorting. The new modifications have added approximately 2,500 pounds of extra weight since Columbia last flew. Columbia's dry inert weight with three main engines (but no payload, experiments or propellants) is approximately 179,833 pounds. # # # # "6_2_2_19_4.TXT" (526 bytes) was created on 08-08-89 STS-28 Statement 8 August 1989 This is Mission Control, Houston at 2 hours 12 minutes into the flight of Columbia. The crew of Columbia has been given a go for orbit operations. The ship is performing well. There are no systems problems to report aboard Columbia. The crew is doing well and again they have been given the go for orbit operations. This concludes our commentary for today on the flight of Columbia, STS-28 at mission elapsed time of 2 hours 13 minutes. This is Mission Control, Houston. "6_2_2_19_5.TXT" (435 bytes) was created on 08-09-89 LAUNCH + 24 HOUR ANNOUNCEMENT "This is Mission Control, Houston, with an advisory on the flight of Columbia. The advisory follows in 30 seconds: The landing period for Shuttle mission STS-28 is a three-hour window between the hours of 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. CDT, on August 13th. Landing is scheduled for Edwards AFB, California. Meanwhile, the STS-28 crew is doing well and the Columbia continues to perform satisfactorily." "6_2_2_19_6.TXT" (373 bytes) was created on 08-13-89 LANDING -24 HOUR ANNOUNCEMENT "This is Mission Control, Houston with an advisory on the flight of Columbia. The STS-28 mission will conclude at approximately 8:37 a.m. CDT tomorrow with touchdown of the Columbia at Edwards AFB, California. The crew is doing well and beginning landing preparations. The weather forecast for landing is favorable." August 12, 1989 "6_2_2_19_7.TXT" (1732 bytes) was created on 08-14-89 COLUMBIA STATUS - AUGUST 14, 1989 Columbia is now in the Mate-Demate Device at NASA's Ames- Dryden Flight Research Facility following its August 13 6:37 a.m. landing at Edwards, California. Unofficial touchdown times were 6:37:06 Pacific Daylight Time on main gear, 6:37:14 on nose gear, and 6:37:51 wheel stop. Preliminary rollout distance is 6,018 feet. According to Kennedy Space Center Columbia Flow Director Ann Montgomery, orbiter deservicing operations are on schedule for a Saturday departure. She termed Columbia's condition as being "absolutely beautiful." Preliminary tile inspection shows three tiles on the bottom of Columbia are damaged. One of the tiles is on the right main landing gear door, and two are forward of the external tank door. The brakes and tires are to be removed today. It was not necessary to remove them on the lakebed following landing since they appeared to be in good shape with no damage. A thruster in the reaction control system was shut down in flight by the crew because of indications of a leak. An RCS heater had also malfunctioned. The system will be replaced prior to Columbia's next mission. Montgomery said that the main engines now have a "trickle purge" on and that nothing unusual was observed on preliminary inspection. A list of about 12 minor in-flight anomalies is being investigated. Crew equipment has been taken off and the orbiter is on ground power. Current plans call for Columbia to depart Edwards atop its 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft on Saturday morning. The duo will probably remain in Texas following the refueling stop because temperatures are expected to be above the 90 degree limit for takeoff. "6_2_2_19_8.TXT" (957 bytes) was created on 07-24-90 STS-28 Mission Summary This was the fourth classified mission dedicated to the Department of Defense. The pioneering Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia (OV-102), the first operational reusable spaceship in NASA's fleet, lifted off from Pad B, Launch Complex 39, KSC, on Aug. 8, 1989. Liftoff time was 8:37 a.m. EDT. It was the 30th flight of the Space Shuttle, and the first flight of the refurbished Columbia since the 61-C mission on Jan. 12, 1986. Landing was at Edwards AFB, CA, at 9:37 p.m. EDT. The mission lasted for 5 days and 1 hour. During the flight, the crew shut down a thruster in the reaction control system (RCS) because of indications of a leak. Also, an RCS heater malfunctioned. Crew. The crew members, all military personnel, were Commander Brewster H. Shaw Jr., Pilot Richard N. Richards, and Mission Specialists Mark N. Brown, James C. Adamson and David C. Leestma. It was the first flight for Richards, Brown and Adamson.