Aug 24 1985
From The Space Library
Sudden squalls almost on top of the launch pad early today forced postponement for at least a day of Space Shuttle mission 51-1, the Washington Post reported. A series of unforecasted thunderstorms blew in from the mainland directly across the flight path, and dark thunderheads surrounded the launch pad for five miles in almost every direction. NASA aborted the launch five minutes before liftoff.
NASA officials were concerned not only about the Space Shuttle climbing through rain and lightning but also about the crew's ability to see the KSC runway in case they had to make an emergency landing the early minutes of the flight. Rain could damage the orbiter's tiles, and lightning could harm its computers and guidance systems.
NASA rescheduled Discovery's launch for between 7:57 and 8:11 a.m. EDT August 25. Among the factors necessitating that launch window were the position of the satellite planned for salvage and timing of deployment of three communications satellites. If an August 25 launch was impossible, there were launch opportunities the following three days.
NASA had announced earlier that highlights of the eight-day mission included an attempt to repair and salvage the Leasat/Syncom IV-F3 satellite and deploy it for normal operation, and deployment of the ASC 1/PAM-D for the American Satellite Co., the AUSSAT 1/PAM-D satellite for the Australian government, and the Leasat IV-F4 satellite for the U.S. Navy. The physical vapor transport of organic solids (PVTOS) experiment sponsored by 3M Corp. would also fly on the mission.
PVTOS was the second of some 70 experiments the 3M Corp. planned to conduct aboard the Space Shuttle over the next ten years. On the 51-I mission, solid materials would vaporize into a gaseous state to form thick crystalline films on selected substrates of sublimable organics. Researchers at 3M would study crystals produced by PVTOS for their optical properties and other characteristics that might ultimately have important applications to 3M's businesses in electronics, imaging, and health care.
The company's first experiment, flown in November 1984, dissolved materials that led to a solid crystalline product. (NASA Release 85-118; W Post, Aug 25/85, A3)
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