STS-31

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STS-31
Organization NASA-Office of Space Flight (United States)
Mission type Human Crew
Launch date April 24, 1990 (1990-04-24)
Launch vehicle Space Shuttle
Launch site Cape Canaveral, United States
COSPAR ID 1990-037A
Inclination 28.45 degrees
Experiments Here
Alternate Names 20579
Additional Information Here
Data Collection Here
Payload Mass Up 13005.85 kg
Payload Mass Down 2167.27 kg
Orbiter Discovery
Lift Off Mass 2,052,120.45 kg
Orbiter Weight at Liftoff 113,231.36 kg
Orbiter Weight at Landing 85,962.73 kg
Landed Concrete runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
Orbits of Earth 76
Orbital Altitude 334 nautical miles (384 statute miles)


Contents

Crew

  • Commander: Loren J. Shriver
  • Pilot: Charles F. Bolden
    • Payload Commander:
    • Mission Specialist 1: Steven A. Hawley
    • Mission Specialist 2: Bruce McCandless II
    • Mission Specialist 3: Kathryn D. Sullivan
    • Mission Specialist 4:
    • Mission Specialist 5:
    • Payload Specialist 1:
    • Payload Specialist 2:


ISS/Mir Crew Transport


Mission

STS-31 was the tenth launch of the shuttle Discovery. On board were Loren Shriver, Charles Bolden, Bruce McCandless, Steven Hawley, and Kathryn Sullivan. The main purpose of this mission was to deploy the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) astronomical observatory. It was designed to operate above the earth's turbulent and obscuring atmosphere to observe celestial objects at ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared wavelengths. This was a joint NASA-ESA effort. The rest of the mission was devoted to photography and onboard experiments. To launch HST into an orbit that guaranteed longevity, Discovery soared to 600 km - the highest shuttle altitude to date. The record height permitted the crew to photograph earth's large scale geographic features not apparent from lower orbits. Motion pictures were recorded by two IMAX cameras. Experiment activity included a biomedical technology study, advanced materials research; particle contamination and ionizing radiation measurements; and student science project studying zero gravity effects on electronic arcs. Discovery's reentry from its higher than usual orbit call for a 4-mn, 58-sec deorbit burn, the longest in shuttle history. It touched down on Edwards AFB runway 22 at 13:49, April 29, after 5 days, 1 hr, 16 mn.


EVA

Payload

Deployment of Hubble Space Telescope; IMAX camera in payload bay and in crew compartment; Protein Crystal Growth III-03; Investigation Into Polymer Membrane Processing-01; Air Force Maui Optical Site-05; Radiation Monitoring Equipment III01; Student Experiment 82-16; and Ascent Particle Monitor 01


Mission patch:

Books about the Space Shuttle Program