Apr 19 1985
From The Space Library
The Space Shuttle Discovery's crew on mission 51-D landed the orbiter at 8:54 a.m. EST April 19 at KSC, a return characterized by the worst damage in 16 Space Shuttle missions-a burn-hole in a wing, two failed brakes, two blown tires, and at least 123 broken heat-shield tiles, the Marshall Space Flight Center's Star and the Washington Post reported. NASA scheduled the mission to last five days, but extended it by two days to give the crew a chance to correct a malfunction in the Hughes Leasat 3 satellite.
The damage to Discovery could set back preparation for its next mission scheduled for June 12. NASA would have to replace protective tiles, probably damaged when the Space Shuttle lifted off through the rain [see Apr. 12]. "There's little question that we suffered more severe damage on this landing than on any other so far," Space Shuttle launch director Robert Sieck said. Concerning the brakes, Sieck said, "Brake damage we've seen on previous flights. Brake failure is something we've never seen." NASA had waved off Discovery for a 7:16 a.m. landing because of rain over Cape Canaveral. One orbit later, Discovery headed down to KSC, where NASA told Commander Karol Bobko to land on runway 33 instead of 15 because of sun glare. Bobko landed with no headwind to slow him, touching down at 231 mph, the fastest any Space Shuttle had landed.
As Discovery rolled down the three-mile concrete runway, it encountered a nine-knot crosswind and began veering to the right. When Bobko corrected for the wind by braking one side, the strain apparently caused one of the inboard brake assemblies to lock. Moments later the inboard brake assembly on the other side also locked, causing rubber to burn.
A burn-hole the size of a dinner plate nearly penetrated through aluminum on the Space Shuttle's left wingtip where a landing flap apparently dislodged several protective tiles.
Regarding the Leasat 3, a Hughes representative said initial belief that a lever failed to release was in error [see Apr. 18]. Once Discovery had maneuvered to within 10 feet of the satellite, the crew reported the lever had released. The crew successfully snagged the lever twice to ensure it was fully released, and reported the only change in the satellite's status was a slowing from two to one revolution per minute.
The first congressional observer in space, Sen. Jake Gam (R-Utah), had difficulty negotiating the steps down to the runway and required assistance into the van that took the crew to the dispensary for medical examinations. There had been some controversy over his presence on the flight, including a NY Times editorial that said, "Having pressured NASA to give him his space trip, Mr. Garn is now indebted to the agency. That's a pity for those whom he represents in supervising NASA's budget and its request to build an $8 billion space station." However, Garn commented that "I'm carrying my own weight. I knew I had to prove myself . . . I've dealt with NASA for 10 years. I'm working on the space station right now, setting policy" (Marshall Star, Apr 24/85, 1; W Post, Apr 11/85, B1, Apr 20/85, Al; NYT Apr 20/85, 22)
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