ShuttleHugger

STS-51I Columbia Mission Report Quick Summary: Crew: Nigel Simonis (CDR), Casimir Deniau (PLT), Olivia Vukoja (MS1), Harriett Hartmann (MS2), Zachary Averesch (MS3), Mabyn Lapointe (PS1), Alfred Symons (PS2) Backup Crew: Abigayle Filipovic (PS2) Payload: Space Interferometry Test Platform, 6 Getaway Special (GAS) Canisters Payload Mass: 4,242 kg Launch: November 15, 1985 5:50:00 Mission Duration: 4d0h55m33s Landing: November 20, 1985 0:45:33 Statistics & Milestones: 30th Space Shuttle mission; 12th flight of Columbia; 18th landing at Edwards Air Force Range. The 14th spacewalk of the Space Shuttle Program occurred on this flight. This spacewalk was the first in history to be conducted by two women. Representative Mabyn Lapointe of Michigan became the second sitting member of Congress to fly into space. Narrative Summary: The payload on STS-51I was the Space Interferometry Test Platform, a technology demonstration satellite to pave the way for the planned Jansky Space Array, the second of KSP's Great Observatories scheduled for launch in the late 1980s. This multi-element radio interferometer will allow unprecedented resolution in astronomical observations. STS-51I has the dubious distinction of being the most-delayed operational Shuttle flight to date. When originally added to the flight manifest, it was scheduled to launch on April 34, 1985; various delays pushed the launch date back to October 23. The first launch attempt that day was scrubbed due to weather, while a second on the 24th was scrubbed to resolve engineering concerns with the SRB separation system. On October 26 at T-4m20s the #1 monopropellant tank in the orbiter aft compartment began leaking. The resulting damage forced Columbia to be rolled back to the VAB for repairs, only the second roll-back in the history of the Kerbal Space Shuttle Program. Columbia again stood ready to launch on November 8, but while the astronauts were finishing boarding the middeck water tank sprang a leak. A launch attempt on November 10 was scrubbed due to rain. Columbia finally lifted off on the sixth attempt on November 15, 1985. Columbia was inserted into an initial 15x195km orbit. An OMS burn at MET 16m inserted the orbiter into a 74x196km orbit, inclination 32.6 degrees, period 35m06s. At MET 17m35s the main antenna aboard the SITP failed; as this was the primary instrument of the payload, a repair EVA was added to Flight Day 3 and the payload deployment pushed back to Flight Day 4. At MET 4h39m the crew completed an OMS burn to lower the orbit to 74x101 km. At MET 4h41m15s the #10 liquid fuel tank in the orbiter aft compartment began leaking, but the crew were able to transfer most of the contents into another tank. At MET 4h54m the crew completed a second OMS burn to circularize the orbit to 99x101km, period 32m38s. At MET 1d4h38m the crew extended the airlock in preparation for the repair EVA. Olivia Vukoja exited the airlock at MET 1d5h05m36s, followed by Harriett Hartmann at 1d5h07m05s. Vukoja successfully repaired the antenna aboard the SITP, and then returned to the airlock. EVA time was 5m37s for Vukoja and 2m45s for Hartmann. At MET 2d1h38m30s the #10 oxidizer tank in the orbiter aft compartment began leaking, but the crew transferred most of the contents to other tanks. At MET 2d4h41m50s the crew severed the ties holding the SITP in place in the payload bay, and shortly thereafter raised it into the deployment attitude. The SITP was deployed from the payload bay at MET 2d5h14m30s. Half an hour later the Inertial Upper Stage burned to place the SITP into a highly elliptical orbit. The IUS overperformed, placing the SITP onto an escape trajectory out of the Kerbin system; however, quick action by ground controllers allowed the spacecraft to perform a burn to slow down, leaving it in a close-to-planned 98x9,005km orbit, inclination 32.3 degrees, period 1d4h51m34s. On November 25 the spacecraft raised itself to its final orbit of 302x9,005km, period 1d5h11m6s. At MET 4d0h34m the crew completed the deorbit burn to target landing at Edwards Air Force Range. At MET 4d0h46m39s the #3 battery in the orbiter aft compartment short-circuited. Columbia made a smooth landing at Edwards Air Force Range with wheel stop at MET 4d0h55m33s. Next Up: Atlantis is scheduled to launch on November 33 on STS-61C, carrying three geostationary communications satellites. In Meta: It's been a while, but I'm finally back to playing KSP. I've updated to 1.9, and wow Kerbin looks so much nicer! I love the crispness of the graphics. I also love the ability to warp at any speed at any altitude; previously my missions took a long time to play through just because I was typically limited to 50x warp at my usual 100km operating altitude, but I should be able to play much more quickly now.

Thanks @scottadges ! I'm very glad you appreciate the patch artwork--that's honestly one of my favorite parts of this play-through. (& sorry for the very delayed reply--I've been on a bit of a KSP hiatus but am now finally getting back to it). I haven't put these on the KSP Reddit; I'm not on Reddit but I'll consider doing it. All of the patches are original artwork in that I drew them, but some are original designs, some are very nearly copies of real patches: and some are more loosely/thematically inspired by real patches: Overall probably half are more or less original designs and half more or less inspired by real patches. Anyway I'll be getting back to flying soon (just need to draw my next patch and advance a few more days!) so I'll be posting again soon.

STS-51O Challenger Mission Report Quick Summary: Crew: Bryan Argyris (CDR), Kirsten Pierre (PLT), Ethan Santoro (MS1), Bob Kerman (MS2), Fred Langbrook (MS3) Payload: Galaxy V-A commsat, KCom 5 commsat, Kerballed Maneuvering Unit Mk. 3 x2, Canadarm, LDEF Restraint System Other Objectives: Retrieve Long Duration Exposure Facility from orbit Payload Mass: 8,274 kg Launch: October 8, 1985 5:16:38 from Pad 39A at Kerbal Space Center Mission Duration: 10d0h55m34s Landing: October 19, 1985 0:12:12 at Edwards Air Force Range Statistics & Milestones: 29th Space Shuttle mission; 11th flight of Challenger; 17th landing at Edwards Air Force Range. The 13th spacewalk of the Space Shuttle Program occurred on this flight. Narrative Summary: Challenger lifted off on the first launch opportunity on October 8, 1985. It was inserted into an initial 2x210km orbit. The OMS burn at MET 16m placed Challenger into a 72x210km orbit, inclination 1.9 degrees (or 1.7 degrees with respect to that of the LDEF), period 35m32s. At MET 20m20s the #3 monopropellant tank in the orbiter aft compartment began leaking, but the crew were able to transfer most of the contents into other tanks. At MET 4h26m29s the #1 battery in the orbiter aft compartment short-circuited. At MET 4h54m the crew performed the first of three OMS burns for the day, a plane change maneuver taking approximately 60 m/s of Delta-v to align Challenger’s orbit with that of the LDEF, leaving the orbiter with an inclination of 1.2 degrees (or 0.1 degrees with respect to the LDEF). The crew completed a second burn at MET 4h59m to raise the orbit to 101x209km, and a third at MET 5h18m to circularize the orbit to 97x103km. Galaxy V-A was deployed from the payload bay at MET 2d1h30m25s, the second time for this satellite, as it was originally deployed on STS-5 only to have its PAM disintegrate (and was later retrieved on STS-41D). This second deployment went much more smoothly. The first PAM burn placed the satellite into a 103x2,818km transfer orbit. The second PAM burn and two RCS burns placed it into its operational orbit, nearly three years after originally planned. KCom 5 was deployed from the payload bay at MET 3d1h59m25s. The first PAM burn placed into a 99x2,862km transfer orbit, and the satellite was thereafter successfully inserted into its operational orbit. The crew spent Flight Day 5 preparing for the next day’s spacewalk. The crew inflated the airlock in preparation for the spacewalk at MET 4d4h27m. Bob Kerman exited the airlock at MET 4d5h12m15s, followed by Fred Langbrook at4d5h13m30s. Langbrook strapped himself into the #2 KMU, while Kerman boarded the #1 KMU. Kerman undocked from Challenger, and performed approximately 1 minute of free flight before successfully redocking. Langbrook then undocked and moved the KMU to the aft end of the payload bay and attempted to return; although he experienced some control issues, he was able to redock after approximately 5m40s of free flight. Kerman then undocked a second time and took the KMU for a free flight to a distance of approximately 75 m from the payload bay and then returned, spending approximately six minutes in free flight. The astronauts deactivated the KMUs, and then retreated inside. Langbrook reentered the airlock at MET 4d5h38m18s, and Kerman at MET 4d5h39m20s. EVA time was 27m15s for Kerman, and 24m48s for Langbrook; this was the longest EVA of the shuttle program to date. The EVA began just after orbital sunrise, and lasted into the next orbital night. The KMUs were successfully validated, although KSP engineers identified a few further modifications to make before their first operational use on STS-61B. The crew spent Flight Day 7 stowing equipment after the previous day’s EVA and preparing to begin the rendezvous with the LDEF the next day. At MET 6d4h38m the crew conducted an OMS burn to commence the rendezvous sequence, lowering the orbit to 87x101km, period 32m13s, in order to approach the LDEF. The crew spent the remainder of the day performing experiments and photographing Kerbin while slowly catching up with the LDEF. At MET 7d5h10m the crew began activating and unberthing Canadarm in preparation for rendezvous and capture of the LDEF. At MET 7d5h45m43s the #4 oxidizer tank in the orbiter aft compartment began leaking; due to the work with Canadarm there was a slight delay in transferring the oxidizer to another tank, and liquid oxygen good for 3 m/s of Delta-v leaked out. At MET 8d0h09m the crew performed an RCS maneuver to fine-tune the encounter with the LDEF in the next orbit, setting Challenger up to pass 600 m from the LDEF at a relative velocity of 21.3 m/s. At MET~8d0h40m Challenger conducted an OMS burn to nearly zero out its velocity with respect to the LDEF, and then began the terminal approach sequence. At MET 8d0h52m Challenger paused its approach at a range of 50m in order for both it and the LDEF to orient themselves for approach and capture. By MET 8d1h10m Challenger had approached to within 8m of the LDEF, close enough for Canadarm to contact the LDEF, but the crew experienced difficulty securing the grapple, exacerbated by the fact that the orbiter had moved into orbital night by this time; mission managers therefore made the call to suspend rendezvous operations until orbital sunrise. Sunrise occurred approximately three minutes later. Due to problems with Canadarm the crew reverted to the backup berthing method*, and Argyris maneuvered Challenger in to dock with the LDEF, with capture occurring at MET 8d1h25m02s. During the approach sequence, at MET 8d1h20m48s, the monopropellant tank aboard the #2 KMU began leaking. 10 minutes after capture the crew engaged the LDEF Restraint Mechanism to help hold the LDEF in the payload bay for reentry. The crew then stowed Canadarm in preparation for landing the next day. The crew initially prepared for the prime landing opportunity at KSC, despite a forecast 70% chance of NO-GO weather. At MET 8d5h18m, 8 minutes before the planned deorbit burn, mission control gave the NO-GO call and the crew aborted the landing attempt, opening the payload bay doors and re-locking the aerodynamic control surfaces. As mission rules for this flight called for landing at KSC if at all possible in order to allow the least possibility of contamination of the LDEF during ground processing, mission managers decided to try once more to land at KSC on Flight Day 11, when the forecast called for a 62% chance of precipitation, and then to land at Edwards that day if the KSC landing was not possible. At MET 9d5h11m the crew closed the payload bay for the first landing attempt of the day, but seven minutes before the re-entry burn the landing was called off due to rain at KSC. Due to a forecast 96% chance of rain the next day, mission managers elected to switch the prime landing site to Edwards. The crew thus reopened the payload bay and reconfigured the computers. The crew closed the payload bay doors for the second time that day at MET 10d0h17m. At MET 10d0h28m22s the motors to actuate the airlock failed. Challenger completed an RCS-assisted deorbit burn targeting Edwards Air Force Range at MET 10d0h35m, which was only able to lower to apoapsis to 9.6 km. Entry interface occurred at MET 10d0h41m32s. At MET 10d0h47m, at an altitude of approximately 36 km, Challenger began experiencing some abnormal pitching and yawing which ceased after the crew disabled the reaction wheels aboard the LDEF. Agryris steered Challenger in for a smooth landing with wheel stop at MET 10d0h55m34s. This was the final mission for veteran astronaut Bryan Argyris, who retired after this flight. Argyris retired as one of the most experienced astronauts to date, having spent more than 85 days in space aboard Skylab and three space shuttle missions. KSP wishes Argyris all the best in his new position as COO of Western Airlines. Next Up: The final in a back-to-back-to-back-to-back sequences of launches is scheduled for October 23, when Columbia will launch on STS-51I, carrying the Space Interferometry Test Platform and the second sitting member of Congress to fly into space. *What actually happened was that, much like when I deployed it, the LDEF was very glitched out (screenshot below) and I was unable to release it after capturing it with Canadarm, so I elected to just manually dock instead.

Thanks! I do all of the flying manually, other than SAS stability assist. The launch and landing profiles were developed through a ton of trial and error; as I was designing the shuttle I flew well over a dozen test missions in a separate sandbox save with quite a number of launch and landing accidents... I set the deorbit burn just based on where the orbiter is flying over (needs to be ~150 degrees before the planned landing site), but between difficulty in locating geographic features (I normally land during the day so I have to squint at the night side of Kerbin to find the deorbit burn location) and variations in the descent profile this is only accurate to 5 degrees or so. Once I start putting up GPS satellites I will allow myself to start using actual coordinates to locate the deorbit burn, which should be a lot more accurate.

STS-51K Discovery Mission Report Quick Summary: Crew: Zachary Albrecht (CDR), Colin Khoroushi (PLT), Bill Kerman (MS1), Stuart Pryor (MS2), Timothy Swenhaugen (MS3) Payload: TDRS-D, 6 Getaway Special (GAS) Canisters Payload Mass: 7,713 kg Launch: September 34, 1985 4:39:00 from Pad 39A at Kerbal Space Center Mission Duration: 5d0h28m54s Landing: October 4, 1985 5:07:54 at Kerbal Space Center Statistics & Milestones: 28th Space Shuttle mission; 6th flight of Discovery; 12th landing at Kerbal Space Center. Narrative Summary: Launch was initially scheduled for September 32, but was delayed one day due to a >95% chance of rain that day, and then delayed one more day to September 34 for the same reason. Discovery lifted off from KSC on the morning of September 34. Discovery was inserted into an initial 8x211km orbit. At MET 12m22s the wastewater tank on the flight deck sprang a leak. Flight controllers closed its valves and directed wastewater flow to the middeck tank with no impact upon the mission. At MET 15m the crew completed an OMS burn to place Discovery into a 73x211km orbit, inclination 1.0 degree, period 35m35s. The crew completed an OMS burn at MET 4h42m to lower the orbit to 72x100km, and a second at 4h56m to circularize to 99x102km, period 32m39s. The crew also activated the six GAS canisters in the payload bay. At MET 1d4h00m46s, the #2 oxygen tank in the orbiter aft compartment began leaking. While the crew were able to transfer about half of the contents of the tank into other tanks, there was not room for everything and the remaining half of the contents leaked into space. At MET 1d4h51m00s the crew jettisoned the restraints holding TDRS-D into the payload bay, and subsequently raised the payload into the deployment position. TDRS-D was deployed at MET 1d5h51m30s. The first IUS burn placed TDRS-D into a 100x2,936km transfer orbit. The second burn placed it into a 2,935x3,084km orbit, which thruster burns refined to a geosynchronous orbit; to avoid the tumbling issues encountered by TDRS-C on its upper stage IUS burn, the primary antennas of TDRS-D were deployed prior to the burn, which was successful. TDRS-D reached its operational orbit and was renamed TDRS-4. Landing was originally scheduled for Flight Day 5, but it was pushed back by one day due to rain at KSC. The crew completed the deorbit burn at MET 5d0h08m. Albrecht and Khoroushi brought Discovery in for landing at KSC, with wheel stop at MET 5d0h28m54s. Next Up: The day before Discovery landed, Challenger was rolled out to Pad 39A, continuing a quick series of launches. Challenger is scheduled for launch on October 8 on mission STS-51O, a lengthy and complex mission to deploy two commsats, test the latest redesign of the Kerballed Maneuvering Units, and retrieve the Long Duration Exposure Facility from orbit.

Thanks for the kind words @RealKerbal3x! What really happened, of course, was I accidentally hit spacebar at an inopportune moment The story, though, was inspired by a real life occurrence that I learned about when I was lucky enough to see the Apollo 11 traveling exhibit recently. Apparently while on the lunar surface one of the astronauts' bulky life support backpacks hit a critical switch on a circuit breaker and broke it off; the astronauts had to jury-rig a pen to throw the switch so that they could start the ascent engine! Fortunately that worked and said pen is now on display in the exhibit, but I thought a similar occurrence would be a fun in-world explanation for my twitchy thumb.

STS-51N Atlantis Mission Report Quick Summary: Crew: Linwood Nedved (CDR), Ellis Beitel (PLT), Arlie Holgersen (MS1), Jordon Poole (MS2), Yannick Huff (PS1) Payload: KSA-031, KSA-032 (CLASSIFIED) Payload Mass: 5,002 kg Launch: September 24, 1985 1:30:28 from Pad 39A at Kerbal Space Center Mission Duration: 3d4h03m14s Landing: September 27, 1985 5:33:42 Statistics & Milestones: 27th Space Shuttle mission; 1st flight of Atlantis; 16th landing at Edwards Air Force Range; 4th DoD mission. The 12th spacewalk of the Space Shuttle Program occurred on this mission. Narrative Summary: Atlantis was fueled and ready for a Flight Readiness Test Firing attempt on Sept. 8, but at T-28 minutes the #5 monopropellant tank in the orbiter aft compartment began leaking, causing the firing attempt to be scrubbed. It took technicians 5 days to replace the tank and clean the effects of the spill. The FRTF was then completed successfully on September 13, with the main engines firing at full thrust for 23 seconds. After the FRTF launch was originally scheduled for September 17, but nearly a week of solid rain at KSC kept Atlantis grounded. The first launch attempt, on September 22, was scrubbed 35 seconds before liftoff when one of the batteries aboard the payload short-circuited. Swapping out the failed battery took two days. Atlantis launched on its first flight on the second attempt on September 24, 1985. The shuttle lifted off into the night, and the coverage of the mission was blacked out starting 5 minutes after liftoff. During the mission Mission Specialists Arlie Holgersen and Jordon Poole conducted a spacewalk. Atlantis returned to land at Edwards Air Force Range on September 27. Classified Summary: Next Up: The day after Atlantis landed, Discovery was rolled out to Pad 39A. It is scheduled to launch on September 32 on mission STS-51K, carrying the fourth TDRS satellite.

STS-51M Challenger Mission Report Quick Summary: Crew: Carver Paulis (CDR), Sally Castell (PLT), Chelsea Glen (MS1), Georgia Fuentes (MS2), Hezikiah Poole (PS1) Payload: KSA-030 (CLASSIFIED) Payload Mass: 6,671 kg Launch: August 10, 1985 3:34:00 Mission Duration: 2d5h17m12s Landing: August 13, 1985 2:51:12 Statistics & Milestones: 26th flight of the Space Shuttle Program; 10th flight of Challenger; 6th night launch and 2nd night landing of the Space Shuttle Program; 11th landing at Kerbal Space Center; 3rd dedicated DoD mission. Payload Specialist Hezikiah Poole became one of the first married couple to have both flown in space, as her husband, KSP astronaut Jordon Poole, had flown on STS-41G (and is currently in final training for STS-51N). Narrative Summary: Challenger lifted off from KSC in the middle of the night on August 10, 1985, after a two-day delay due to rain. As a classified mission the launch coverage was terminated 5 minutes after launch. Challenger returned for a night landing at KSC three days later. Classified Summary: Next Up: After much preparation, Atlantis is scheduled to launch on its first flight on Sept. 11, carrying another classified payload.

Thanks! I've been putting a lot of work into this project, and after a short hiatus I should be flying the next mission soon.

STS-51J Columbia Mission Report Quick Summary: Crew: Jebediah Kerman (CDR), Rosaleen Pulnik (PLT), Joshua Holmes (MS1), Edith Pasternak (MS2), Justin Teague (MS3) Payload: Copernicus Munar Radar Orbiter Payload Mass: 4,304 kg Launch: July 36, 1985 5:30:00 from Pad 39A at Kerbal Space Center Mission Duration: 2d5h30m51s Landing: August 3, 1985 5:00:51 at Kerbal Space Center Statistics & Milestones: 25th Space Shuttle mission; 11th flight of Columbia; 10th landing at Kerbal Space Center. First launch of a payload from the Space Shuttle to another planetary body. Jebediah Kerman became the first kerbal to fly in space seven times*, as well as the first to fly three times on the same spacecraft. First flight of the IUS-D single-stage configuration. Narrative Summary: Columbia lifted off from Kerbal Space Center on the second attempt on July 36, 1985, one day after a launch scrub due to rain. More than a decade after leaving the last bootprints on the Munar surface, Jebediah Kerman launched again, accompanying the Kerbal States' first mission to the Mun since Apollo on the first stage of its journey. The launch placed Columbia into an initial 25x114km orbit. An OMS burn at MET 13m placed Columbia into a 76x114km orbit, period 32m17s, inclination 0.6 degrees. The crew conducted an OMS burn at MET 4h30m to raise the orbit to 102x114km, and a second at 4h46m to circularize to 102x103km, period 32m44s. Later in the day the crew activated the six Getaway Special canisters in the payload bay. The restraints holding Copernicus into the payload bay were released at MET 1d4h31m00s. At MET 1d4h31m42s one of the low-gain antennas on Copernicus failed, but mission managers opted to proceed with deployment. At MET 1d4h59m the crew raised Copernicus out of the payload bay to the deployment position, and it was deployed at MET 1d5h30m15s. One orbit later the IUS burned for Trans-Munar Injection, which was largely successful but slightly off course, putting Copernicus onto a collision course with the Mun. Three minutes after IUS separation Copernicus performed a correction burn of about 66 m/s Delta-v to put it on course for a munar periapsis of 44 km four and a half hour later; the IUS was left on a course to impact the Mun. Copernicus then deployed its solar panels. Copernicus entered the munar sphere of influence at 2:58:58 on August 3. At 4:14 on August 3, Copernicus completed its Munar orbit insertion burn while in darkness on the far side of the Mun. The burn inserted it into a 44x2,151km orbit, period 1d4h6m, inclination 127 degrees. Due to forecast rain at Kerbal Space Center the next day for the originally planned landing, mission managers opted to attempt to land Columbia on Flight Day 4 despite a chance of rain, and switch the landing to Edwards on Flight Day 5 if the weather did not allow landing on FD4. 8 minutes before the planned deorbit burn, the crew were given the go for landing as the weather forecast had turned positive. The crew completed the deorbit burn at MET 2d5h09m. Entry interface occurred at 2d5h15m51s. Columbia made a hard landing at Kerbal Space Center with wheel stop at MET 2d5h30m51s. Shortly after Columbia landed, Copernicus unfurled its high-gain antenna. On August 6, close to its second apoapsis, it deployed its radar antenna. Next Up: The day after Columbia landed, Challenger rolled out to the launch pad. It is scheduled for launch on August 8 with a classified payload on mission STS-51M. *Jeb flew on two Gemini and two Apollo flights in the backstory; I have not actually flown these missions in this save but I plan to do an Apollo playthrough eventually.

Thank you @michal.don! No worries; I had to take some of the screenshots several times because I kept forgetting to switch into the orbit parameter window... I have the STS-3 Hubble mission on my flight manifest but it's going to take a while to get there. I'll be back with that in a few months...

I've uploaded a few additional screenshots showing the orbits here: https://imgur.com/a/wiir7wH The orbital parameters can also be read off the orbit information box on the original screenshots: https://imgur.com/Zohf5pW https://imgur.com/7YTrnx6 https://imgur.com/iBpGgNj And thanks for the kind words @michal.don & @QF9E !

Here is my entry for the STS-2a Pilot rank. Although I deployed three commsats on the mission (ArabSat 1, Maritime Commnet A, and Galaxy VI-A), they are not equidistant from each other, and I could only reach a 200-km deployment orbit and I still don't have runway landings down. Although I've been flying my shuttle for quite some time, including deploying many commsats (this was the 24th flight overall), the original version of my shuttle did not have the capability to haul any significant challenge to the 200+ km deployment orbit required by the challenge and then return safely to Kerbin. The larger SRBs introduced in 1.8 solved this problem nicely. I am using the following mods: TAC Life Support, Dang It! Continued, Decal Stickers R2.0, and dependencies (Click-Through Blocker, Toolbar Controller). The only mod parts on the shuttle are decals and life support canisters. An album showing the flight is here: https://imgur.com/a/v59qmXM Please let me know if you require any more screenshots, I have more. I also wrote a mission report for this flight (STS-51H in my numbering scheme) on my own thread here.

STS-51H Discovery Mission Report Quick Summary: Crew: Ronnie Queen (CDR), Arienne Abrams (PLT), Jared Matousek (MS1), Wendy Laninga (MS2), Gabriel Marti (MS3), Mostafa Abdulrashid, Egypt (PS1), Racquel Van Laar (PS2) Backup Crew: Shahin Jabr Saab, Saudi Arabia (PS1) Payload: ArabSat 1 commsat, Maritime Commnet A commsat, Galaxy VI-A commsat Payload Mass: 6,844 kg Launch: June 18, 1985 0:20:00 from Pad 39A at Kerbal Space Center Mission Duration: 6d0h04m12s Landing: June 24, 1985 0:24:12 at Edwards Air Force Range Statistics & Milestones: 24th Space Shuttle mission; 5th flight of Discovery; 15th landing at Edwards Air Force Range. Mostafa Abdulrashid became the first Egyptian astronaut, as well as the first Arab and first to represent an African nation, to fly in space. Narrative Summary: Launch of STS-51H was initially scheduled for June 12, but nearly a week of solid rain at Kerbal Space Center pushed the launch back to June 18. Discovery lifted off on the second launch opportunity, carrying three commsats, the first Egyptian astronaut, as well as Payload Specialist Racquel Van Laar, a scientist working for Aperture Laboratories flying to conduct middeck experiments. The orbiter was inserted into an initial 37x236km orbit. At MET 4m25s, a few seconds after MECO, one of the auxiliary antennas aboard ArabSat 1 failed; as it was riding in the forward position in the payload bay, on-orbit repair was not possible. The crew completed an OMS burn at MET 18m to insert Discovery into a 72x236km orbit, inclination 1.9 degrees, period 36m29s. At MET 2h03m56s one of the batteries aboard Galaxy VI-A short-circuited, but this was again not on-orbit serviceable. An OMS burn at MET 4h51m lowered the orbit to 72x206km, and a second at 5h09m raised it to 200x212km, period 40m19s. ArabSat 1 (owned by the Arab Space Alliance, an organization of the Arab League) was deployed from Discovery’s payload bay at MET 1d4h51m35s. The first PAM burn an orbit later placed it into a 210x2,792km transfer orbit. The second PAM burn and two RCS burns placed it into its operational orbit. Maritime Commnet A (the first of a new data relay system for ships sponsored by the Kerbal States Coast Guard) was deployed from the payload bay at MET 3d0h08m20s. The first PAM burn placed it into a 204x2,940km transfer orbit, and it later successfully reached its operational orbit. At MET 3d2h01m51s the #17 oxidizer tank in the orbiter aft compartment began leaking, but it was almost empty and did not leak any significant amount of material. Galaxy VI-A was deployed at MET 4d0h14m15s. The PAM first stage burn placed it into a 206x2,938km transfer orbit. After a further PAM burn and two RCS burns it was placed into its operational geosynchronous orbit. At MET 4d4h18m54s the #3 battery in the orbiter aft compartment short-circuited. The crew completed an OMS burn at MET 4d4h31m to lower the orbit to 103x212km, and a second at MET 4d4h50m to circularize it to 95x106km, period 32m40s. Like on STS-51G, the prime landing site was changed from KSC to Edwards due to low fuel levels on the orbiter. The deorbit burn, with some RCS assistance, was completed at MET 5d5h43m. Entry interface occurred at MET 5d5h48m50s. Queen and Abrams brought Discovery in for a smooth landing at Edwards Air Force Range with wheel stop at MET 6d0h04m12s. Next Up: Columbia is scheduled for launch on July 34 on mission STS-51J. This mission will not only mark the 25th space shuttle flight but also carry the first deep-space payload launched by the shuttle, the Munar Radar Orbiter Copernicus.

STS-51G Challenger Mission Report Quick Summary: Crew: Coleen Stirling (CDR), Romulus Valerio (PLT), Tatiana Ter Avest (MS1), Emilia Agani (MS2), Connor Seidel (MS3), Paul-Horace Leandre, France (PS1), Esperanza Bustos, Mexico (PS2) Backup Crew: Leontine Lane, France (PS1), Felipe Cuellar Rodriguez, Mexico (PS2) Payload: ExMarSat III commsat, Horizon A commsat, Aztlan Sat I commsat Payload Mass: 6,135 kg Launch: June 2, 1985 1:00:00 from Pad 39A at Kerbal Space Center Mission Duration: 4d4h48m27s Landing: June 6, 1985 5:48:27 at Edwards Air Force Range Statistics & Milestones: 23rd Space Shuttle flight; 9th flight of Challenger; 14th landing at Edwards Air Force Range. Esperanza Bustos became the first Mexican astronaut to fly in space. Narrative Summary: Challenger launched on the first attempt on June 2, 1985. It was inserted into an initial 17x207km orbit. An OMS burn at MET 16m raised the orbit to 72x207km, period 35m26s, inclination 1.6 degrees. An OMS burn at MET 4d24m raised the orbit to 200x212km, period 40m20s. During the burn, at MET 4h23m45s, the #1 battery in the orbiter aft compartment short-circuited. ExMarSat III (owned by the British ExMarSat Corporation) was deployed from Challenger’s payload bay at MET 1d4h39m00s. The first PAM burn placed into a 202x3,124 km transfer orbit. The second PAM burn and two RCS burns placed the satellite into its operational geosynchronous orbit. Horizon A (owned by the French military) was deployed from Challenger’s payload bay at MET 2d4h48m45s. The first PAM burn placed it into a 209x3,040km transfer orbit, and a second and two RCS burns placed it onto its operational orbit. Aztlan Sat I (owned by the government of Mexico) was deployed from the payload bay at MET 4d0h02m20s. The first PAM burn somewhat overperformed and placed the satellite into a 201x3,480km transfer orbit. Just after the second PAM/first RCS burns, one of the batteries aboard the spacecraft short-circuited. Due to the PAM overperformance the phasing of the orbit was incorrect and the payload had to be left in a longer-period orbit until later in June to be fully inserted into geosynchronous orbit in order for it to reach the correct longitude. The crew conducted an OMS burn at MET 4d1h26m to lower the orbit to 103x200km, and a second at MET 4d1h45m to lower it to 97x105km, period 32m42s. Mission managers opted to switch the prime landing site from Kerbal Space Center to Edwards Air Force Range due to the higher-than-expected fuel use on the mission, and consequent need to perform a less accurate RCS-assisted OMS burn, which is more optimal for the more forgiving EAFR landing site. This burn was completed at MET 4d4h28m. Entry interface occurred at MET 4d4h33m29s. Stirling and Valerio steered Challenger in for a smooth landing directly in the middle of Edwards Air Force Range with wheel stop at MET 4d4h48m27s. Next Up: Discovery is scheduled to launch on mission STS-51H on June 13, carrying three more commsats and the first Egyptian astronaut.

STS-51C Columbia Mission Report Quick Summary: Crew: Evander Jewel (CDR), Evan Abana (PLT), Raphael Stacks (MS1), Cameron Nemeth (MS2), Elliot Martins (MS3), Michael Charron (PS1), Tanya Abbott (PS2) Backup Crew: Grant Landolfi (PS1) Payload: GOES-E, 2x Kerballed Maneuvering Units Mk. 2 Payload Mass: 6,832 kg Launch: May 1, 1985 1:50:00 from Pad 39A at Kerbal Space Center Mission Duration: 5d5h03m32s Landing: May 7, 1985 0:53:32 Statistics & Milestones: 22nd Space Shuttle mission; 10th flight of Columbia; 5th night launch of the Space Shuttle Program; 9th landing at Kerbal Space Center. Narrative Summary: The crew included two payload specialists: Michael Charron, a meteorologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) who works on the Geosynchronous Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) program, and Tanya Abbott, a fluid dynamics specialist with Rockomax Corporation making her second spaceflight to conduct middeck experiments. Columbia lifted off into the night sky on May 1, 1985. It was inserted into an initial 45x196km orbit. An OMS burn at MET 17m inserted Columbia into a 73x186km orbit, period 35m03s, inclination 3.0 degrees. At MET 4h22m29s the #14 liquid fuel tank in the shuttle aft compartment began leaking, but the crew were able to transfer most of the contents to another tank. However, the leak occurred a few seconds before a planned OMS burn, forcing that to be pushed back for one orbit. The rescheduled OMS burn at MET 4h58m raised the orbit to 192x204km, period 39m41s, the highest orbit ever attained by a Space Shuttle. At MET 1d4h56m the crew released the restraints holding GOES-E into the payload bay. The payload stack developed an oscillation within the payload bay, which was dampened by turning off the payload’s reaction wheels. The crew then raised GOES-E and the IUS to the deployment position. At MET 1d5h09m00s, the #2 monopropellant tank in the orbiter aft compartment began leaking. GOES-E was deployed from Columbia’s payload bay at MET 1d5h42h45m. The IUS lower stage burn placed it into a 193x2,811 km transfer orbit. After the upper stage IUS burn and two RCS burns it reached its operational orbit and was renamed GOES-4. The crew spent Flight Day 4 preparing for the next day’s spacewalk. The crew inflated the airlock at MET 3d4h30m. Raphael Stacks exited the airlock at MET 3d4h56m45s, followed by Elliot Martins at MET 3d4h58m00s. Stacks boarded the #1 KMU stowed in the payload bay, while Martins boarded the #2 KMU. Stacks undocked the KMU from Columbia at MET 3d5h01m00s, and attempted to dock with another port in the forward payload bay, but in about eight minutes of free flight the KMU proved impossible to adequately control and Stacks bailed out and maneuvered back to the cargo bay; the KMU was abandoned in orbit. The second planned KMU free flight (to 100m away from Columbia and return) was canceled. Martins reentered the airlock at MET 5h12m28s, for an EVA duration of 14m28s. Stacks experienced some difficulty in maneuvering back to the airlock, but reentered at MET 3d5h16m52s, for an EVA duration of 20m07s. After the failure of the Mk. 2 KMUs, they were redesigned and an objective to test the KMU Mk. 3s was added to STS-51O in the fall of 1985. At MET 4d4h35m the crew conducted an OMS burn to lower the orbit to 100x204km. A second burn followed at 4d4h54m to lower the orbit to 93x103km. At MET 5d4h41m the crew completed an RCS-assisted OMS burn to target landing at Kerbal Space Center. Entry interface occurred at MET 5d4h46m37s. Jewel and Abana brought Columbia in for a smooth landing at KSC with wheel stop at MET 5d5h03m32s. Next Up: Challenger is scheduled to lift off on June 3 on mission STS-51G, carrying three commsats and the first Mexican astronaut into orbit. In Other News: The Skynet A commsat, delivered to geosynchronous orbit on STS-41F in October 1984, developed a monopropellant leak on April 11, 1985. After a bidding process with major proposals led by both Rockomax Corporation and HabTech Industries, the industrial consortium led by HabTech was selected as the prime contractor for Space Station Liberty*. Construction is slated to begin in 1989. In addition, KSP awarded a contract to HabTech to produce the SpaceHab module as a commercial Spacelab and prototype for the station module construction; the first SpaceHab mission will occur in 1987. *That is, I have decided to use the HabTech2 mod for the construction of the space station.

STS-41E Challenger Mission Report Quick Summary: Crew: Jasper Smith (CDR), Myles Baumgartner (PLT), Hayley Vang (MS1), Elizabeth Britton (MS2), Jacqueline McFarland (MS3) Payload: TDRS-C Payload Mass: 7,613 kg Launch: April 3, 1985 0:39:00 from Pad 39A at Kerbal Space Center Mission Duration: 3d5h09m01s Landing: April 6, 1985 5:48:01 at Kerbal Space Center Statistics & Milestones: 21st Space Shuttle flight; 8th flight of Challenger; 8th landing at Kerbal Space Center. Narrative Summary: After the previous TDRS launch, STS-41E, an investigation into the anomaly on that flight revealed that the IUS propellant loading was conducted assuming that the engines were operating in atmosphere, not vacuum, accounting for the overperformance of the IUS. This flaw was corrected for TDRS-C. Challenger lifted off on April 3, 1985, on its eighth flight. It was inserted into an initial 53x176km orbit. An OMS burn at MET 17m raised the orbit to 72x176km, period 34m18s, inclination 1.9 degrees. The crew performed an OMS burn at MET 4h34m to lower the orbit to 71x101km, and a second at MET 4h50m to circularize the orbit to 100x102km, period 32m42s. At MET 1d4h58m the crew released the restraints holding TDRS-C into the payload bay. When they attempted to raise it into the deployment position they discovered that the hinge of the deployment mechanism had been installed upside-down and the payload could not be raised out of the payload bay. The crew implemented the contingency deployment procedures. They deployed the payload with the help of an RCS burn at MET 1d5h35m20s. The first OMS burn placed TDRS-C into a 101x2,983km transfer orbit. On the second burn, however, the satellite spun out of control, resulting in its placement in a much lower than planned 582x2,983km orbit, inclination 6.5 degrees. However, the satellite had sufficient RCS fuel to attain its operational orbit, upon which it was renamed TDRS-2. The crew spent Flight Day 4 on various middeck experiments and photographic surveys of Kerbin. The crew completed the deorbit burn at MET 3d4h48m. Smith and Baumgartner steered Challenger in for a landing at Kerbal Space Center with wheel stop at 3d5h09m01s. Next Up: Columbia is scheduled to launch on May 2, carrying the GOES-E weather satellite and two redesigned Kerballed Maneuvering Units. In Other News: The space shuttle Atlantis was delivered to Kerbal Space Center on April 13. It is now ensconced in Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2, being prepared for its first flight, STS-51N, later this year.

STS-41F Discovery Mission Report Quick Summary: Crew: Gavin Molloy (CDR), Fabian Thorsen (PLT), David Houtkooper (MS1), James Hasenkamp (MS2), Anantha Bronson (PS1) Payload: USA-027 (CLASSIFIED) Payload Mass: 10,346 kg Launch: March 12, 1985 3:54:00 from Pad 39A at Kerbal Space Center Mission Duration: 4d1h13m27s Landing: March 16, 1985 5:07:27 at Kerbal Space Center Statistics & Milestones: 20th flight of the Space Shuttle Program; 4th flight of Discovery; 4th night launch of the Shuttle Program; 7th landing at Kerbal Space Center; 2nd DOD mission. Narrative Summary: Discovery lifted off on the second dedicated shuttle flight for the Department of Defense on March 16, 1985, carrying the heaviest payload launched by the shuttle to date (more than 10 tons). Per policy for such flights, media coverage entered a blackout 5 minutes after launch. On March 14, Mission Specialists Houtkooper and Hasenkamp conducted the tenth spacewalk of the Space Shuttle Program. Discovery landed back at Kerbal Space Center on March 16 after a successful mission. Classified Summary: Next Up: Challenger is scheduled to launch on April 3 on mission STS-51E with the third Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-C. In Meta: This might be my favorite payload I've launched so far. I've been anticipating this mission for months IRL; I'm super pleased with the way that the Breaking Ground robotic parts allowed me to fold up this huge set of antennas to fit inside the orbiter's payload bay.

STS-51D Columbia Mission Report Quick Summary: Crew: Abe Dykstra (CDR), Martha Cummings (PLT), Lyell Power (MS1), Liam Xun (MS2), Alanna Zelenko (MS3), Christophe Bertrand, ESA/France (PS1), Chucho Asenov (PS2) Backup Crew: Erich Brune, ESA/West Germany (PS1), Sybella Tjader (PS2) Payload: Spacelab 3, Spacelab Pressurized Module, Spacelab Vacuum Pallet, 4 Getaway Special Cannisters Payload Mass: 7,409 kg Launch: January 21, 1985 5:30:00 from Pad 39A at Kerbal Space Center Mission Duration: 10d1h20m42s Landing: January 32, 1985 0:50:42 at Edwards Air Force Range Statistics & Milestones: 19th Space Shuttle flight; 9th flight of Columbia; 13th landing at Edwards Air Force Range. Commander Abe Dykstra became the first kerbal to fly on the shuttle three times. Mission Specialists Liam Xun and Alanna Zelenko were the first members of KSP Astronaut Group 9 (selected 1980) to fly. Payload specialist Christophe Bertrand is the first French astronaut to fly in space. Narrative Summary: Columbia lifted off on the first launch opportunity on January 21, 1985. It was inserted into an initial 43x172km orbit. An OMS burn at MET 17m inserted it into a 72x173km orbit, period 34m12s, inclination 8.8 degrees; due to the higher than planned inclination mission managers decided to switch to Edwards Air Force Range as the prime landing site and Kerbal Space Center as the backup. 30 minutes after launch Silver Team (Cummins, Power, Zelenko, and Asenov) went to sleep while Gold Team (Dykstra, Xun, and Bertrand) worked on activating and configuring all orbiter systems. Silver Team took over at MET 3h00m; Power and Asenov began activating Spacelab while Cummins and Zelenko stayed on the flight deck. At MET 3h25m they performed an OMS burn to lower the orbit to 72x130km. A second burn followed at MET 3h41m to raise the orbit to 129x233km, period 34m49s. The crew spent most of the mission in nominal operations in the Spacelab module, operating more than two dozen individual experiments, including several laboratory mice, the first non-kerbal animals to be flown on the shuttle (and cared for by Payload Specialist Asenov, a veterinarian by training). At MET 6d1h26m14s the #16 fuel tank in the orbiter aft compartment began leaking, but the crew were able to transfer most of the fuel to another tank. At MET 6d4h17m36s the #8 oxidizer tank in the aft compartment began leaking, but the crew were again able to salvage most of the contents. Gold Team finished powering down Spacelab for landing at MET 9d2h31m. Silver Team completed an OMS burn at MET 9d3h46m to lower the orbit to 101x129km, followed by a second burn at MET 9d4h03m to lower to 99x101km, period 32m37s in preparation for landing. Gold Team slept in and awoke at MET 10d0h0m to begin preparations for landing. At MET 10d0h42m58s the #2 life support container in the orbiter aft compartment sprang a water leak. Landing was waved off for an orbit to allow freezing temperatures at Edwards Air Force Range to clear. The crew completed the deorbit burn at MET 10d1h02m. Despite some difficulty controlling the vehicle during final approach, Dykstra and Cummins brought Columbia in for a landing at Edwards with wheel stop at MET 10d1h20m42s, concluding the longest Shuttle mission to date. Next Up: Discovery is scheduled to launch on March 8 on mission STS-51F, carrying a classified payload into orbit.

STS-51A Challenger Mission Report Quick Summary Crew: Kacey Gibson (CDR), Peter Marchesi (PLT), Stephanie Van Can (MS1), Kolby Baart (MS2), Jeffrey Van Rompuy (MS3) Payload: KCom 4 commsat, WorldCom 1 commsat, WestSat 5 commsat Payload Mass: 8,162 kg Launch: January 5, 1985 1:39:00 from Pad 39A at Kerbal Space Center Mission Duration: 5d5h09m03s Landing: January 11, 1985 0:48:03 at Kerbal Space Center Statistics & Milestones: 18th Space Shuttle flight; 7th flight of Challenger; 3rd night launch; 6th landing at Kerbal Space Center. This was the first crew composed entirely of members of Astronaut Group 8 (1978), with no veterans astronauts who served during the Apollo Program. Narrative Summary The first four launch attempts were scrubbed: Christmas Day 1984, due to a problem with the PAM synchronization unit aboard WorldCom 1; Dec. 29, due to engineering concerns with the launch clamps; and Jan. 1 and 4, 1985, due to poor weather. Challenger finally lifted off on January 5, 1985. The launch was originally intended to occur during the morning, but was pushed to night in order to avoid frigid winter morning temperatures at the Edwards Air Force Range emergency landing site. The orbiter was inserted into an initial 52x175km orbit. A brief OMS burn at MET 17m placed it into 72x175km orbit, period 34m18s, inclination 4.4 degrees. Challenger made orbit with 335 m/s of Delta-v left in the tanks. An OMS burn at MET 4h35m lowered the orbit to 72x101km, period 31m41s. At MET 4h37m35s the #2 monopropellant tank in the orbiter aft compartment sprang a leak. A second OMS burn at 4h49m raised the raised the orbit to 100x103km, period 32m44s. KCom 4 was deployed from the payload bay at MET 1d5h30m20s. The first PAM burn one orbit later placed it into a 100x2,864km transfer orbit. At MET 2d2h28m26s one of the antennas on WestSat 5 failed. Mission managers opted to deploy WorldCom 1 as scheduled, and then add an additional day to the mission for an emergency spacewalk to fix WestSat 5. At MET 3d1h02m19s the service bay door motors on WorldCom 1 failed, but these were not designed to be used on-orbit so this was not a problem. WorldCom 1 was deployed from the payload bay at MET 3d1h03m30s. The first PAM burn an orbit later placed into a 100x2,873km transfer orbit. The second PAM burn plus RCS correction burns placed it in its operational orbit. The crew inflated the airlock in preparation for the contingency EVA at MET 3d5h02m. Stephanie Van Can exited the airlock at MET 3d5h22m45s, followed by Jeffrey Van Rompuy 45 seconds later. Van Can repaired the antenna on WestSat 5, and then the crew reentered the airlock. EVA time was 2m43s for Van Rompuy and 4m20s for Van Can. WestSat 5 was deployed from Challenger’s payload bay at MET 4d5h28m05s. Two PAM burns and two RCS correction maneuvers placed the satellite into its operational geosynchronous orbit. The crew completed the deorbit burn at MET 5d4h50m, at which point it had 88 m/s of Delta-v left in the tanks after the burn. The shuttle touched down at Kerbal Space Center with wheel stop at 5d5h09m03s. Next Up: Columbia is scheduled for launch on January 21, 1985, on the Spacelab 3 mission. In Other News: KSP announced the selection of Astronaut Group 11, a new group of 35 astronauts to full KSP's crew needs in 1986 and beyond.

I use the Breaking Ground robotic parts fairly extensively in my shuttle program, primary for the robot arm and to be able to fold payloads to let them fit in the payload bay. The robotic arms were also key to my shuttle's proudest moment: retrieving a stranded satellite from orbit (which was not designed to be retrieved) by maneuvering it into the payload bay and clamping it in place with hinges and grip pads throughout the deorbit and retry process. On the other hand, I have sometimes been frustrated by the sometimes buggy interactions between the robotic parts in the arm and the docking ports I use for connection. Overall I love the robotic parts but there's definitely room for improvement.

STS-51B Discovery Mission Report Quick Summary Crew: Orson Sauvageon (CDR), Eddie Schuchardt (PLT), Laurence Cizek (MS1), Adam Donne (MS2), Allan Otto (MS3), Leela Diefenbach (PS1), Mary Forney (PS2) Backup Crew: Beate Geier (PS1), Julius Shwetz (PS2) Payload: Spacelab 2: Spacelab Infrared Telescope Facility, Shuttle Magnetometer Boom, Low Frequency Radio Experiment, Vacuum Science Pallet, Shuttle Plasma Monitor, 6 Getaway Special Canisters Launch: December 10, 1984 5:30:00 from Pad 39A at Kerbal Space Center Mission Duration: 9d5h43m46s Landing: December 20, 1984 5:13:46 at Kerbal Space Center Payload Mass: 4,582 kg Statistics & Milestones: 17th Space Shuttle mission; 3rd flight of Discovery; 5th landing at Kerbal Space Center. Mission Specialist Laurence Cizek became the first kerbal to fly into space twice within a calendar year, having previously flown on STS-8 in January. Narrative Summary STS-51B was the first shuttle mission to utilize the new Heavy SRBs, increasing the payload capacity from ~7500 kg to ~10000kg; as well as bare orange external tank rather than the white-painted tank used on previous flights. Discovery lifted off on the second Spacelab mission on December 18, 1984. Thanks to the new HSRBs there was still fuel left in the External Tank at MECO, at which point Discovery was in a 38x184km preliminary orbit. An OMS burn at MET 16m it was placed into a 74x185km orbit, period 34m42s, inclination 1.1 degrees. The Red Team (Sauvageon, Donne, Otto, and Forney) activated all orbiter systems and conducted OMS burns at 2h35m (to raise the orbit to 130x185km, period 36m46s), and a second burn at MET 2h53m (to lower to 129x133km, period 34m49s) while the Blue Team (Schuchardt, Cizek, and Diefenbach) slept. The two teams swapped places at MET 3h00m, and Blue Team began activating the payload. The Low Frequency Radio Experiment was deployed at 3h29m, the Shuttle Plasma Monitor at 4h02m, the magnetometer boom deployed at 4h52m, and the SIRTF engaged and pointed for observations beginning 5h32m. At this point the crew turned off the payload bay lights, which had been left on for the activation process. Throughout the mission the crew used the body of the shuttle as a sunshield for the telescope in the payload bay. At MET 3d0h1m13s the #1 monopropellant tank in the orbiter aft compartment began leaking. The science experiments were successful; most notably, the the infrared telescope completed a survey of of most of the Galactic plane. For their final full day in orbit, the Red Team shift deactivated and stowed all of the experiments in the payload bay. They stowed the telescope, and then retracted the magnetometer boom and boom antennas of the LFRE. Blue Team lowered the orbit to prepare for reentry, with a first OMS burn at MET 9d3h36m to lower to 100x132km, period 33m46s, and a second at MET 9d3m52m lowered to 99x102km, period 32m39s. Red Team awoke half an hour early on Flight Day 11 to prepare for landing. At MET 9d5h17m50s the #4 battery in the shuttle aft compartment short-circuited. The reentry burn was successfully completed at MET 9d5h24m; the shuttle still had 74 m/s of Delta-v in the tanks even after the deorbit burn was complete. Entry interface occurred at MET 9d5h29m49s. Discovery landed at KSC with wheel stop at MET 9d5h43m46s. Next Up: As Discovery was landing at KSC Challenger already stood on the launch pad just a few kilometers away. It is scheduled for launch on STS-51A on December 24, carrying a cargo of commsats. In Meta: this was my first flight after upgrading to 1.8, after all of the mods I used upgraded and the initial bugs with the aerodynamics were fixed. I love the new SRBs--my shuttle was really underpowered with the Kickbacks I was using originally, often barely making it to orbit and back, but now that I switched to using Polluxes I can actually make it to orbit with enough fuel that I'm not worried about changing my orbit or conserving RCS fuel. Being able to have an orange External Tank is a nice touch too. Year-End Summary: During 1984 the Space Shuttle Program launched 10 flights (4 by Challenger and 3 each by Columbia and Discovery). The orbiters logged 64d0h34m01s of flight time and carried 57 kerbals from 3 countries and 62,429 kg of payload into orbit.

STS-41F Columbia Mission Report Quick Summary Crew: Jane Steffensen (CDR), Arlene O'Brian (PLT), Wesley Vann (MS1), Ridley Warren (MS2), Huey Schnoor (MS3), Lennox Everly (PS1), Padma Ramsey (PS2) Payload: Skynet A commsat, Kerbstar 8 commsat, Galaxy V-C commsat Launch: October 28, 1984 2:14:00 from Pad 39A at Kerbal Space Center Mission Duration: 3d5h26m49s Landing: October 32, 1984 1:40:49 at Kerbal Space Center Payload Mass: 7,241 kg Statistics & Milestones: 16th space shuttle flight; 8th flight of Columbia; 4th landing at Kerbal Space Center; 3rd night launch and 1st night landing of the Space Shuttle Program. Senator Lennox Everly of Kentucky became the first sitting member of the Kerbal States Congress to fly in space. Narrative Summary The first launch opportunity, on October 8, 1984, was scrubbed as the #1 monopropellant tank began leaking at T-52 minutes. The crew was safely evacuated from the shuttle using the slidewire baskets. It took more than two weeks to clean up the monopropellant spill and repair the damage. The launch was then pushed back a further two days due to anticipated poor weather, and one more for engineering reviews. Columbia finally lifted off on October 28. Among its crew were Senator Lennox Everly of Kentucky, flying as a congressional observer, and Dr. Padma Ramsey of Reaction Systems Ltd., a fluid dynamics expert flying to perform middeck experiments during the mission. Both Everly and Ramsey were originally scheduled to fly on STS-51A, but were switched to STS-41F when both missions were delayed due to the numerous repairs to Columbia necessary after STS-41D. At MET 3m24s, the #3 tank of oxidizer in the orbiter after compartment began leaking. This was the first ascent malfunction of the Space Shuttle Program, although it was not severe enough to cause an abort. Columbia was placed into an initial -162x77km orbit. An OMS burn concluding 7m after launch placed it into a 70x106km orbit, period 31m48s, inclination 4.0 degrees. At MET 9m46s the #4 battery in the orbiter aft compartment short-circuited. At MET 3h57m one of the batteries about Kerbstar 8 short-circuited, but could not be repaired on-orbit. At MET 4h21m a second battery aboard Kerbstar 8 short-circuited. An OMS burn at MET 4h41m raised orbit to 96x106km, period 32m42s. Skynet A was deployed from the payload bay at MET 1d4h27m15s. The first PAM burn 15 minutes later placed it into a 105x3,023 km transfer orbit. The second PAM burn and two RCS adjustments placed into its operational orbit. Kerbstar 8 was deployed from Columbia’s payload bay at MET 2d4h30m55s. After two PAM burns and two RCS correction burns it reached its operational perch. During the orbital night Columbia depleted its fuel reserves below red lines, and so mission managers ordered a day-early end to the mission. The crew performed a contingency deployment of Galaxy V-C at MET 3d4h28m30s. The RCS deorbit burn concluding at MET 3d5h02m was only able to lower the periapsis to 33 km. Entry interface occurred at MET 3d5h07m41s. CDR Steffensen brought Columbia in for a smooth evening touchdown at Kerbal Space Center, the first night landing of the Space Shuttle Program, with wheel stop at MET 3d5h26m49s. Later that day Galaxy V-C performed the burns necessary to raise it to geosynchronous orbit. Next Up: Discovery is scheduled to launch on the STS-51B Spacelab 2 mission on December 11.

STS-41G Discovery Mission Report Quick Summary Crew: Timothy Vela (CDR), Kirsten Pierre (PLT), Jordon Poole (MS1), Olivia Vukoja (MS2), Jaroslav Dane (PS1) Payload: Classified Launch: September 24, 1984 5:30:00 from Pad 39A at Kerbal Space Center Mission Duration: 4d1h32m57s Landing: September 29, 1984 1:02:57 at Edwards Air Force Range Payload Mass: 4,902 kg Statistics & Milestones: 15th mission of the Space Shuttle Program; 2nd flight of Discovery; 8th spacewalk of the Space Shuttle Program; 12th landing at Edwards Air Force Range. Narrative Summary Discovery lifted off on its second flight and the first dedicated mission for the Department of Defense on September 24, 1984. As the first dedicated DOD mission, the exact time was not announced in advance, and the public TV feed and commentary entered a black-out 5 minutes after lift-off. During the mission Mission Specialists Jordon Poole and Olivia Vukoja conducted a spacewalk. Discovery touched down at Edwards Air Force Range after a four-day flight. No other details of the mission were publicly disclosed. Classified Summary Next Up: Columbia is scheduled to launch on STS-41F, carrying three commsats and the first sitting member of Congress to fly in space, on October 8, 1984.

STS-41H Challenger Mission Report Quick Summary Crew: Valentina Kerman (CDR), Casimir Deniau (PLT), Timothy Swenhaugen (MS1), Fred Langbrook (MS2), Zachary Averesch (MS3), Francis MacLeod, Canada (PS1), Patrick Flitternose (PS2) Backup Crew: Tonya Hummel, Canada (PS1), Severin Sault (PS2) Payload: Kerbin Radiation Budget Satellite, Small Construction Test Article, Canadarm Launch: September 4, 1984 5:30:00 from Pad 39A at Kerbal Space Center Mission Duration: 6d5h11m33s Landing: September 11, 1984 4:41:33 at Kerbal Space Center Payload Mass: 3,492 kg Statistics & Milestones: 14th space shuttle mission; 6th flight of Challenger; 7th spacewalk of the Space Shuttle Program; 3rd landing at Kerbal Space Center. Francis MacLeod became the first Canadian in space. Narrative Summary Challenger lifted off from Kerbal Space Center on September 4, 1984, carrying the Kerbin Radiation Budget Satellite, the first scientific satellite launched by the space shuttle, as well as materials for a space construction test. The flight had been intended to also use two Kerballed Maneuvering Units to test space construction in addition to Canadarm, but they were removed from the manifest after the tests on STS-41D revealed the shortcomings of the original KMU design and forced a redesign. Challenger was inserted into an initial 29x145km orbit. An OMS burn finishing at MET 14m50s placed it into 72x144km orbit, period 33m15s, inclination 1.8 degrees. A first OMS burn at MET 4h57m lowered the orbit to 72x101km, followed by a second burn at MET 5h12m to raise it to 100x102km, period 32m41s. The Kerbin Radiation Budget Satellite was deployed from Challenger’s payload bay at MET 1d4h56m30s, while the orbiter was flying about Kerbal Space Center. 34 minutes later, on the next pass over KSC, the satellite performed a ~1-minute burn with its RCS thrusters to raise its apoapsis to 805 km. A second burn 1h5m after deployment inserted it into its operational 800x811km orbit, period 1h32m54s. The crew spent Flight Day 4 preparing for the next day’s EVA. At MET 3d4h18m the crew inflated the airlock, and then began powering up and unberthing Canadarm. While Timothy Swenhaugen and Zachary Averesch prepared for their EVA, Fred Langbook and Francis MacLeod maneuvered Canadarm to grapple the first segment of the Small Construction Test Article. Swenhaugen stepped outside the airlock at MET 3d4h31m15s, with Averesch following at 3dh4h32m30s. The crew unberthed Strut 1 of the SCTA with Canadarm and attempted to dock it to the SCTA base unit, but discovered that a design flaw prevented Canadarm from reaching the angle necessary to perform the attachment. Instead, flight controllers directed the crew to attach Strut 1 to the grapple unit on Strut 2 instead. This was successful. After inspecting the partially assembled tower, the spacewalkers returned inside the shuttle. EVA time was 20m30s for Averesch and 22m15s for Swenhaugen. After one orbit the crew attempted to re-grapple Strut 1, but the grapple fixture at the end of Canadarm would not engage. Flight controllers put off disassembling the STCA until the next day to evaluate the issue. At MET 4d4h40m, after multiple attempts, the crew grappled the SCTA base unit in order to test the Canadarm end effector. After releasing it, they were able to grapple Strut 1 18 minutes later. Due to another design flaw the crew were unable to stow Strut 1 in the planned horizontal position. This was successful, but it was realized that the payload bay doors would not be able to be closed in this position. The crew then grappled the top grapple fixture of Strut 1 and attempted to attach it to the side port of Strut 2 in a horizontal position. This succeeded, and the crew was thus able to stow Strut 1 in a stable position for return to Kerbin. The crew then stowed and locked Canadarm, completing the operation at MET 5d0h14m. Landing was delayed by one day due to rain at Kerbal Space Center. The crew spent the extra day in orbit on photographic surveys of Kerbin, extra biomedical experiments, and leisure time. The deorbit burn was completed at MET 6d4h52m. After a slightly hotter re-entry than usual, Challenger made a hard landing at Kerbal Space Center with wheel stop at MET 6d5h11m33s. Next Up: Discovery is scheduled for launch on Sept. 24 on STS-41G, carrying a classified payload for the Department of Defense.