STS-40

STS-40
Spacecraft properties
View of Columbia's payload bay showing Spacelab

Mission type	Biosciences
Operator	NASA
COSPAR ID	1991-040A
SATCAT no.	21399
Mission duration	9 days, 2 hours, 14 minutes, 20 seconds
Distance travelled	6,083,223 kilometers (3,779,940 mi)
Orbits completed	146


Spacecraft	Space Shuttle Columbia
Landing mass	102,283 kilograms (225,495 lb)
Payload mass	12,374 kilograms (27,280 lb)


Crew
Crew size	7
Members	Bryan D. O'Connor Sidney M. Gutierrez James P. Bagian Tamara E. Jernigan M. Rhea Seddon F. Drew Gaffney Millie Hughes-Fulford


Start of mission
Launch date	5 June 1991, 13:24:51 (1991-06-05UTC13:24:51Z) UTC
Launch site	Kennedy LC-39B


End of mission
Landing date	14 June 1991, 15:39:11 (1991-06-14UTC15:39:12Z) UTC
Landing site	Edwards Runway 22


Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Perigee	287 kilometres (178 mi)
Apogee	296 kilometres (184 mi)
Inclination	39.0 degrees
Period	90.4 min

Left to right - front row: Gaffney, Fulford, Seddon, Bagian; Back row: O'Connor, Jernigan, Gutierrez Space Shuttle program

STS-40, the eleventh launch of Space Shuttle Columbia, was a nine-day mission in June, 1991. It carried the Spacelab module for Spacelab Life Sciences 1 (SLS-1), the fifth Spacelab mission and the first dedicated solely to biology. STS-40 was the first spaceflight that included three women crew members.

Crew

Position	Astronaut
Commander	Bryan D. O'Connor Second spaceflight
Pilot	Sidney M. Gutierrez First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 1	James P. Bagian Second spaceflight
Mission Specialist 2	Tamara E. Jernigan First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 3	M. Rhea Seddon Second spaceflight
Payload Specialist 1	F. Drew Gaffney First spaceflight
Payload Specialist 2	Millie Hughes-Fulford First spaceflight

Backup crew

Position	Astronaut
Payload Specialist 2	Robert W. Phillips First spaceflight

Crew seating arrangements

Seat^[1]	Launch	Landing	Seats 1–4 are on the Flight Deck. Seats 5–7 are on the Middeck.
S1	O'Connor	O'Connor
S2	Gutierrez	Gutierrez
S3	Bagian	Seddon
S4	Jernigan	Jernigan
S5	Seddon	Bagian
S6	Gaffney	Gaffney
S7	Hughes-Fulford	Hughes-Fulford

Mission highlights

Launch originally set for 22 May 1991. Mission postponed less than 48 hours before launch when it became known that a leaking liquid hydrogen transducer in orbiter main propulsion system which was removed and replaced during leak testing in 1990, had failed an analysis by vendor. Engineers feared that one or more of the nine liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen transducers protruding into fuel and oxidizer lines could break off and be ingested by the engine turbopumps, causing engine failure.

In addition, one of orbiter five general purpose computers failed completely, along with one of the multiplexer demultiplexers that control orbiter hydraulics ordinance and orbiter maneuvering system / reaction control system functions in the aft compartment.

A new general purpose computer and multiplexer demultiplexer were installed and tested. One liquid hydrogen and two liquid oxygen transducers were replaced upstream in propellant flow system near the 17-inch (43 cm) disconnect area, which is protected by internal screen. Three liquid oxygen transducers replaced at engine manifold area, while three liquid hydrogen transducers here were removed and openings plugged. Launch reset for 8 am EDT, 1 June, but postponed again after several attempts to calibrate inertial measurement unit 2 failed. Unit was replaced and retested, and launch was rescheduled for 5 June. Launched successfully on 5 June 1991, at 9:24:51 am EDT., the mission had a launch Weight: 114,290 kilograms (251,970 lb).

It was the fifth dedicated Spacelab mission, Spacelab Life Sciences-1, and first dedicated solely to life sciences, using the habitable module. Mission featured most detailed and interrelated physiological measurements in space since 1973–1974 Skylab missions. Subjects were humans, 30 rodents and thousands of tiny jellyfish. Primary SLS-1 experiments studied six body systems; of 18 investigations, ten involved humans, seven involved rodents, and one used jellyfish.

Six body systems investigated were cardiovascular/cardiopulmonary (heart, lungs and blood vessels); renal/endocrine (kidneys and hormone-secreting organs and glands); blood (blood plasma); immune system (white blood cells); musculoskeletal (muscles and bones); and neurovestibular (brains and nerves, eyes and inner ear). Other payloads included twelve Getaway Special (GAS) canisters installed on GAS bridge in cargo bay for experiments in materials science, plant biology and cosmic radiation (see G-616); Middeck Zero-Gravity Dynamics Experiment (MODE); and seven Orbiter Experiments (OEX).

Landing was on 14 June 1991, at 8:39:11 am PDT, on Runway 22, at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Rollout distance: 2,866 metres (9,403 ft). Rollout time: 55 seconds. Orbiter returned to KSC 21 June. Landing Weight: 102,755 kilograms (226,536 lb).

References

↑ "STS-40". Spacefacts. Retrieved 26 February 2014.

External links

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Space Shuttle Columbia (OV-102)
Flights	STS-1 STS-2 STS-3 STS-4 STS-5 STS-9 STS-61-C STS-28 STS-32 STS-35 STS-40 STS-50 STS-52 STS-55 STS-58 STS-62 STS-65 STS-73 STS-75 STS-78 STS-80 STS-83 STS-94 STS-87 STS-90 STS-93 STS-109 STS-107
Status	Out of service: destroyed 1 February 2003 (STS-107)
See also	Columbia Accident Investigation Board STS-61-E STS-61-H STS-144

U.S. Space Shuttle missions

Completed

1970–79	1977 ALT
1980–89	1981 STS-1 STS-2 1982 STS-3 STS-4 STS-5 1983 STS-6 STS-7 STS-8 STS-9 1984 STS-41-B STS-41-C STS-41-D STS-41-G STS-51-A 1985 STS-51-C STS-51-D STS-51-B STS-51-G STS-51-F STS-51-I STS-51-J STS-61-A STS-61-B 1986 STS-61-C STS-51-L 1988 STS-26 STS-27 1989 STS-29 STS-30 STS-28 STS-34 STS-33
1990–99	1990 STS-32 STS-36 STS-31 STS-41 STS-38 STS-35 1991 STS-37 STS-39 STS-40 STS-43 STS-48 STS-44 1992 STS-42 STS-45 STS-49 STS-50 STS-46 STS-47 STS-52 STS-53 1993 STS-54 STS-56 STS-55 STS-57 STS-51 STS-58 STS-61 1994 STS-60 STS-62 STS-59 STS-65 STS-64 STS-68 STS-66 1995 STS-63 STS-67 STS-71 STS-70 STS-69 STS-73 STS-74 1996 STS-72 STS-75 STS-76 STS-77 STS-78 STS-79 STS-80 1997 STS-81 STS-82 STS-83 STS-84 STS-94 STS-85 STS-86 STS-87 1998 STS-89 STS-90 STS-91 STS-95 STS-88 1999 STS-96 STS-93 STS-103
2000–09	2000 STS-99 STS-101 STS-106 STS-92 STS-97 2001 STS-98 STS-102 STS-100 STS-104 STS-105 STS-108 2002 STS-109 STS-110 STS-111 STS-112 STS-113 2003 STS-107 2005 STS-114 2006 STS-121 STS-115 STS-116 2007 STS-117 STS-118 STS-120 2008 STS-122 STS-123 STS-124 STS-126 2009 STS-119 STS-125 STS-127 STS-128 STS-129
2010–11	2010 STS-130 STS-131 STS-132 2011 STS-133 STS-134 STS-135

Cancelled

Orbiters

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Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( | ). Manned flights are indicated in bold text. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in brackets.

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