STS-35

Key takeaways

STS-35 belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect STS-35 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of STS-35 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

STS-35 was the tenth flight of Space Shuttle Columbia, in the 38th shuttle mission. It was devoted to astronomical observations with ASTRO-1, a Spacelab observatory consisting of four telescopes. The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on December 2, 1990. It was also the first shuttle mission since the Challenger disaster with a crew of seven astronauts.

Crew

Prior to the Challenger disaster, this mission was slated to launch in March 1986 as STS-61-E. Jon A. McBride was originally assigned to command this mission, which would have been his second spaceflight. He chose to retire from NASA in May 1989 and was replaced as mission commander by Vance D. Brand. In addition, Richard N. Richards (as pilot) and David C. Leestma (as mission specialist), were replaced by Guy S. Gardner and John M. Lounge respectively. Fifty-nine-year-old Brand was the oldest astronaut to fly into space until F. Story Musgrave, 61 on STS-80 in 1996, and U.S. Senator John H. Glenn Jr., 77 when he flew on STS-95 in 1998.

Crew seat assignments

Preparations and launch

The much-delayed ASTRO-1 had originally been manifested to fly on what would have been the next shuttle mission after Challenger's ill-fated STS-51-L as STS-61-E in March 1986. The mission was remanifested as STS-35 during the long stand-down after the accident with the addition of the Broad Band X-ray Telescope (BBXRT-01), and the original ASTRO-1 payload was brought out of storage and recertified for flight. Columbia rolled out to Pad 39A in late April 1990 for a scheduled launch date of May 16, 1990. Following the Flight Readiness Review (FRR), announcement of a firm launch date was delayed to change a faulty freon coolant loop proportional valve in the orbiter's coolant system. At the subsequent Delta FRR, the date was set for May 30, 1990. Launch on May 30 was scrubbed during tanking due to a minor hydrogen leak in the tail service mast on the mobile launcher platform and a major leak in the external tank/orbiter quick disconnect assembly. Hydrogen was also detected in the orbiter's aft compartment and believed to be associated with a leak involving the 43 cm (17 in) umbilical assembly. Leakage at the 43 cm (17 in) umbilical was confirmed by a mini-tanking test on June 6, 1990. The leakage could not be repaired at the pad, and the vehicle was rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) June 12, 1990, demated, and transferred to the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF). The orbiter-side 43 cm (17 in) umbilical assembly was replaced with one borrowed from Endeavour, then still under construction. The external tank (ET) was then fitted with new umbilical hardware. The ASTRO-1 payload was re-serviced regularly and remained in Columbia's cargo bay during orbiter repairs and reprocessing. Columbia was rolled out to Pad A for the second time on August 9, 1990, to support a September 1, 1990, launch date. Two days before launch, the avionics box on the BBXRT-01 portion of the ASTRO-1 payload malfunctioned and had to be changed and retested. Launch was rescheduled for September 6, 1990. During tanking, high concentrations of hydrogen were again detected in the orbiter's aft compartment, forcing another postponement. NASA managers concluded that Columbia had experienced separate hydrogen leaks from the beginning: one of the umbilical assembly (now replaced) and one or more which had resurfaced in the aft compartment. Suspicion focused on the package of three hydrogen recirculation pumps in the aft compartment. These were replaced and retested. A damaged Teflon cover seal in the main engine number three hydrogen prevalve was replaced. Launch was rescheduled for September 18, 1990. The fuel leak in the aft compartment resurfaced during tanking, and the launch was scrubbed again. The STS-35 mission was put on hold until problem resolved by a special tiger team assigned by the Space Shuttle director. Columbia was transferred to Pad B on October 8, 1990, to make room for Atlantis on Mission STS-38. Tropical storm Klaus forced another rollback to the VAB on October 9, 1990. The vehicle was transferred to Pad B again on October 14, 1990. Another mini-tanking test was conducted on October 30, 1990, using special sensors and video cameras and employing a see-through Plexiglas aft compartment door. No excessive hydrogen leakage was detected. With the problem resolved, the flight had only to wait for the completion of STS-38, imparting another four-week delay. A scheduled launch date of November 30, 1990, was moved by several days due to concerns that observations of astronomical targets would be adversely affected. Liftoff on December 2, 1990, was delayed by 21 minutes to allow the U.S. Air Force time to observe low-level clouds that might impede the tracking of the Shuttle's ascent. Liftoff finally occurred on December 2, 1990, 1:49:01 a.m. EST, the ninth night launch in shuttle history and the second for Columbia. A nominal ascent to orbit followed. This was one of the most delayed launches of the Space Shuttle program.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with STS-35

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what STS-35 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to STS-35 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about STS-35 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of STS-35

In research: STS-35 appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses STS-35 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: STS-35 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Crewed space observatories, Edwards Air Force Base, Space Shuttle missions, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for STS-35 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study STS-35 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what STS-35 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain STS-35 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is STS-35 in simple terms?

STS-35 was the tenth flight of Space Shuttle Columbia, in the 38th shuttle mission. It was devoted to astronomical observations with ASTRO-1, a Spacelab observatory consisting of four telescopes.

Why does STS-35 matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study STS-35?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on STS-35.