51 I Reuseable Orbiter's Myriad Capabilities

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“Crankin’ APUs”: Mission 51I and NASA’s ‘Can-Do’ Spirit
by Ben Evans

In a triumphant ending to a triumphant space salvage, James 'Ox' van Hoften strikes a Charles Atlas pose on the end of the Shuttle's RMS mechanical arm, seemingly hoisting the world on his shoulders. Photo Credit: NASA

When Space Shuttle Discovery touched down in Florida on 19 April 1985 – suffering seized brakes and enduring a burst tyre in the process – she left some unfinished business in low-Earth orbit. A few days earlier, her crew deployed an important US Navy communications satellite, called Leasat-3, whose antenna had stubbornly refused to unfurl and whose perigee kick motor had failed to ignite. Despite sterling efforts to fashion a makeshift ‘flyswatter’ and send two astronauts on a fruitless contingency EVA, the satellite lingered in an orbit far lower than its intended 22,600 miles. Within days of the incident, NASA’s bulletproof attitude led to the first mutterings of a Shuttle mission to recover, repair and reboost Leasat. The flight, designated ‘Mission 51I’, succeeded spectacularly and amply demonstrated the reusable orbiter’s myriad capabilities.

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Ben Evans | August 25, 2012 at 12:14 am | Tags: Astronaut, Cape Canaveral, Exploration, Explore, Human Space Flight, James van Hoften, Kennedy Space Center, KSC, Leasat, NASA, rocket, Rockets, Shuttle, Space, space exploration | Categories: astronaut, Ben Evans, Discovery, Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit, Human Space Flight, Kennedy Space Center, KSC, Launch, NASA, satellite, Space, Space Exploration, space shuttle | URL: http://wp.me/p1YCNG-6lb
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