STS-30

USA

Manned Flight n°: 125

Earth orbit Flight n°: 122

USA manned Flight n°: 60

Launch, orbit & landing data:

Designation	19968 / 89033A
Launch date - time	04 May 1989 - 18:47:00 UT
Launch site	KSC, LC39B
Launch vehicle	Space Shuttle
Orbiter	Atlantis OV-104 (#4)
Primary payload	Magellan
Mass (kg)
Flight Crew	Walker, Grabe, Thagard, Cleave, Lee
Call Sign
Earth orbit on :
- Perigee / Apogee	km
- Inclination	28.8°
- Period	min
Landing date - time	08 May 1989 - 19:43:26 UT
Landing location	Edwards AFB, Runway 22
Flight Duration (d:hr:min)	4d 00h 56m
Nbr orbits	65

Crew

Nr.	Surname	Given name	Job	Duration
1	Walker	David Mathieson	CDR	4d 00h 56m
2	Grabe	Ronald John	PLT	4d 00h 56m
3	Thagard	Norman Earl	MSP	4d 00h 56m
4	Cleave	Mary Louise	MSP	4d 00h 56m
5	Lee	Mark Charles	MSP	4d 00h 56m

Dr. Cleave will be the first woman to fly in space since the Challenger accident.

Mission details:

Mar 21, 1989: Atlantis has been mated with the STS-30 stack at Kennedy Space Center; it has been in the VAB since Mar 12 and is due to be moved to pad 39B on Mar 21/22.
The attempt to launch STS-30 was scrubbed at T-31s, 1428 UT on Apr 28, 1989 with an RSLS abort apparently due to main engine pump problems.
The space shuttle Atlantis was launched at 18:47:00 GMT on May 04, 1989 on the STS-30 mission. At 22:30 GMT the mission was proceeding nominally and Magellan deployment was scheduled for 01:04 GMT.
The space shuttle Atlantis landed at Edwards AFB on the main runway (RW22) on May 8, 1989.
Deploying of Magellan/Venus radar mapper; several secondary payloads; one of five general purpose computers (GPC) failed in orbit and was successfully replaced during the mission.

Payload: Atlantis F04 / Magellan [IUS]. Mass: 20,833 kg. Perigee: 361 km. Apogee: 366 km. Inclination: 28.9 deg. Period: 91.8 min.

STS-30 - Artist concept titled "STS-30 Descent over California" produced by Rockwell - Credit: NASA.

Summary: Manned five crew. Deployed Magellan Venus probe. Payloads: Deploy IUS with Magellan spacecraft. Fluids Experiment Apparatus (FEA). Mesoscale Lightning Experiment (MLE), Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS) experiment.

STS-30 - STS-30 Atlantis, OV-104, lifts off from KSC LC Pad 39B - Credit: NASA.

Orbits of Earth: 64. Distance traveled: 2,706,911 km. Orbiter Liftoff Mass: 118,441 kg. Orbiter Mass at Landing: 87,296 kg. Payload to Orbit: 20,833 kg. Payload Returned: 3,493 kg. Landed at: Concrete runway 22 at Edwards AFB, California. Landing Speed: 363 kph. Touchdown miss distance: 421 m. Landing Rollout: 3,137 m.

STS-30 - STS-30 aft flight deck onboard view of overhead window, Earth limb, cow photo - Credit: NASA. 36,906 bytes. 625 x 625 pixels.

NASA Official Mission Narrative

Mission Name: STS-30 (29)
Atlantis (4)
Pad 39-B (10)
29th Shuttle mission
4th Flight OV-104

STS-30 - STS-30 crewmembers Thagard and Lee during onboard cabin depressurization test - Credit: NASA. 64,147 bytes. 627 x 627 pixels.

Crew:
David M. Walker (2), Commander
Ronald J. Grabe (2), Pilot
Norman E. Thagard (3), Mission Specialist 1
Mary L. Cleave (2), Mission Specialist 2
Mark C. Lee (1), Mission Specialist 3

STS-30 - STS-30 Magellan spacecraft & IUS deployment from Atlantis' payload bay (PLB) - Credit: NASA.

Milestones:
OPF - Dec. 14,1988
VAB - March 11,1989
PAD - March 22, 1989

Payload:
MAGELLAN
Mission Objectives:

STS-30 - STS-30 Magellan spacecraft & IUS deployment from Atlantis' payload bay (PLB) - Credit: NASA.

Launch:
May 4, 1989,2:48:59 p.m. EDT. Launch April 28 scrubbed at T-31 seconds due to problem with liquid hydrogen recirculation pump on number one main engine and vapor leak in four-inch liquid hydrogen recirculation line between orbiter and external tank. Repairs made and launch reset for May 4. Liftoff delayed until last five minutes of 64-minute window opening at 1:48 a.m.. EDT due to cloud cover and high winds at KSC Shuttle runway, violating return- to-launch site limits. Launch Weight: 261,118 lbs.
Orbit:
Altitude: 184nm
Inclination: 28.8 degrees
Orbits: 65
Duration: 4 days, 0 hours, 56 minutes, 28 seconds.
Distance: 1,681,997 miles

STS-30 - IUS with Magellan spacecraft drifts into space after STS-30 deployment - Credit: NASA.

Hardware:
SRB: BI-027
SRM: 360Q/H004
ET : 29/LWT-22
MLP : 1
SSME-1: SN-2027
SSME-2: SN-2030
SSME-3: SN-2029

STS-30 - Stratocumulus Clouds, eastern Pacific Ocean - Credit: NASA. 53,850 bytes. 515 x 515 pixels.

Landing:
May 8, 1989, 12:43:27 p.m. PDT, Runway 22, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Rollout distance: 10,295 feet. Rollout time: 64 seconds. Orbiter returned to KSC May 15,1989. Landing Weight: 192,459 lbs.

STS-30 - infra-red view of Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center, Florida - Credit: NASA.

Mission Highlights:
Primary payload, Magellan/Venus radar mapper spacecraft and attached Inertial Upper Stage (IUS), deployed six hours, 14 minutes into Flight. IUS first and second stage fired as planned, boosting Magellan spacecraft on proper trajectory for 15-month journey to Venus. Secondary payloads: Mesoscale Lightning Experiment (MLE), microgravity research with Fluids Experiment Apparatus (FEA), and Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS) experiment.
One of five General Purpose Computers (GPC) failed and had to be replaced with a sixth onboard hardware spare. First time a GPC was switched on orbit.

STS-30 - Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center, Florida - Credit: NASA.

STS-30 - STS-30 Atlantis, OV-104, glides toward landing at EAFB, California - Credit: NASA.

STS-30 - Magellan radar image compared to high resolution Earth-based image of Venus - Credit: NASA.

STS-30 - Global view of Venus from Magellan, Pioneer, and Venera data - Credit: NASA.

Ref.: #1, #7(JR8,13-15), #8, #16 - update: 08.09.11

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