Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Finkel, Seymour I..
Some of the topics covered include: (1) an STS-43 mission summary; (2) safety risks factors/issues; (3) resolved STS-43 safety risk factors; (4) STS-40 inflight anomalies; (5) STS-37 inflight anomalies; and (6) STS-43 inflight anomalies. Background information and a list of acronyms are also presented.
Mission safety factors relative to Space Transportation System (STS) Mission 40 are discussed. In addition to a mission summary, safety risk factors and inflight anomalies are discussed.
After a delay of approximately 2 months due to a rollback from the pad to replace the External Tank door lug housing, Space Shuttle Discovery was launched from NASA-Kennedy at 7:33 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on 28 April 1991. STS-39 was the first unclassified DoD Shuttle mission. On 28 April, countdown proceeded normally through the T-20 minute hold. No significant problems were encountered except for the Operations Sequence-2 recorder starting unexpectedly; it was stopped by an uplink command. Discovery landed on KSC runway 15 at 2:55 p.m. EDT on 6 May 1991. This was the second time in 6 months that the Space Shuttle was diverted to KSC for landing because of high winds at Edwards AFB, Calif. This was also the 7th of 40 Shuttle missions to land at KSC in the history of the Space Shuttle Program. The Main Landing Gear outer right tire shredded 3 of the 16 cords due to either an uneven landing or a maximum force breaking test during rollout. Contributing factors to the tire cord shredding were the development of last minute crosswinds and reluctance of the ground controllers to distract the Shuttle pilots with warnings of the low flight path. As a corrective action, communication procedures will be modified for future flights.
STS-37/Atlantis was launched on April 5, 1991 from Kennedy Space Center launch complex 39B at 9:23 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). Launch was delayed 4 minutes 45 seconds because of safety concerns about the low cloud ceiling and the wind direction in the potential blast area. Based on the limited number and type of inflight anomalies encountered, the Space Shuttle operated satisfactorily throughout the STS-37 mission. A contingency EVA was performed by the crew on Flight Day (FD) 3 to free a sticky Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) high gain antenna, after which the GRO primary payload was successfully deployed by the Orbiter's Remote Manipulator System. The GRO, which weighed just over 35,000 lbs, was the heaviest NASA science satellite ever deployed by the Space Shuttle into low Earth orbit. The scheduled entry/landing on FD 6 was waved off for one day due to high wind conditions at Edwards Air Force Base. Atlantis landed on FD 7, 11 April 1991 on Edwards AFB lakebed runway 33 at 9:55 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
Space Transportation System 35 (STS-35) safety risk factors that represent a change from previous flights that had an impact on this flight, and factors that were unique to this flight are discussed. While some changes to the safety risk baseline since the previous flight are included to highlight their significance in risk level change, the primary purpose is to insure that changes which were too late too include in formal changes through the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis/Critical Items List (FMEA/CIL) and Hazard Analysis process are documented along with the safety position, which includes the acceptance rationale.
After several months delay due to Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) leaks in the External Tank (ET) 17 in LH2 umbilical disconnect, Atlantis was launched at 6:48 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on 15 Nov. 1990. Atlantis was cleared for launch after the replacement of the ET 17 in umbilical disconnect and a successful tanking test on 24 Oct. 1990. No technical concerns were encountered during the countdown. The end of the STS-38 mission was extended by one day because of high crosswinds at the primary landing site, Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), Calif. On the next day, 20 Nov. 1990, the winds were too high for a safe landing at EAFB, and a decision was made to select the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) at the primary landing site. The deorbit burn was performed on orbit 79 of the STS-38 mission. Reentry and descent were effected with no problems. Postlanding inspection of Atlantis' exterior found little evidence of damage. There has been a concern about returning an Orbiter to KSC, because the last mission to do so experienced tire failure. Atlantis' tires and brakes were in excellent condition with no indication of excessive wear.
Mission safety factors relative to the Space Transportation System (STS) Mission 41 are discussed. In addition to a mission summary, safety risk factors and inflight anomalies are discussed.
Mission safety factors relative to Space Transportation System (STS) Mission 31 are discussed. In addition to a mission summary, safety risk factors and inflight anomalies are discussed.
The topics covered include: (1) an STS-32 mission summary; (2) safety risk factors/issues; (3) resolved STS-32 safety risk factors; (4) STS-32 inflight anomalies; (5) STS-28 inflight anomalies; and (6) STS-32 inflight anomalies. Background information and a list of acronyms are also presented.
The topics covered include: (1) an STS-36 mission summary; (2) safety risk factors/issues; (3) resolved STS-36 safety risk factors; (4) STS-32 inflight anomalies; (5) STS-34 inflight anomalies; and (6) STS-36 inflight anomalies. Background information and a list of acronyms are also presented.
Mission safety factors relative to Space Transportation System (STS) Mission 28 are discussed. In addition to a mission summary, safety risk factors and inflight anomalies are discussed.
The topics covered include: (1) an STS-30 mission summary; (2) safety risk factors/issues; (3) resolved STS-30 safety risk factors; (4) STS-29 inflight anomalies; (5) STS-27 inflight anomalies; and (6) the STS-30 official inflight anomaly report. Background information and a list of acronyms are also presented.