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{{Short description|Seventh Space Shuttle mission, second orbital flight of the Space Shuttle Challenger}}
{{Short description|1983 American crewed spaceflight}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2022}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox spaceflight
{{Infobox spaceflight
| name = STS-7
| name = STS-7
| names_list = [[Space Transportation System]]-7
| names_list = [[Space Transportation System]]-7
| image = STS007-32-1702.jpg
| image = STS007-32-1702.jpg
| image_caption = ''Challenger'' as photographed by the SPAS-1 satellite on 22 June 1983
| image_caption = ''Challenger'' as photographed by the SPAS-1 satellite on June 22, 1983
⚫
| mission_type = {{ubl|[[Communications satellite]]s deployment|[[Micro-g environment|Microgravity research]]}}
| image_size = 300px

⚫
| mission_type = [[Communications satellite]]s deployment<br/>[[Micro-g environment|Microgravity research]]
| operator = [[NASA]]
| operator = [[NASA]]
| mission_duration = {{time interval|June 18, 1983, 11:33:00|June 24, 1983, 13:56:59|show=dhms|sep=,}}
| COSPAR_ID = 1983-059A
| SATCAT = 14132
| mission_duration = 6 days, 2 hours, 23 minutes, 59 seconds (achieved)

| distance_travelled = {{cvt|3570000|km}}
| distance_travelled = {{cvt|3570000|km}}
| orbits_completed = 97
| orbits_completed = 97

| spacecraft = {{OV|099}}
| spacecraft = {{OV|099}}
| launch_mass = {{cvt|113025|kg}}
| launch_mass = {{cvt|113025|kg}}
| landing_mass = {{cvt|92550|kg}}
| landing_mass = {{cvt|92550|kg}}
| payload_mass = {{cvt|16839|kg}}
| payload_mass = {{cvt|16839|kg}}

| crew_size = 5
| crew_size = 5
| crew_members = {{Unbulleted list|[[Robert L. Crippen]]|[[Frederick Hauck|Frederick H. Hauck]]|[[John M. Fabian]]|[[Sally Ride|Sally K. Ride]]|[[Norman Thagard|Norman E. Thagard]]}}
| crew_members = {{Unbulleted list|[[Robert Crippen]]|[[Frederick Hauck]]|[[John M. Fabian]]|[[Sally Ride]]|[[Norman Thagard]]}}
⚫
| launch_date = {{Start date|June 18, 1983, 11:33:00|timezone=yes}}{{nbsp}}[[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] (7:33{{nbsp}}am{{nbsp}}[[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]])

⚫
| launch_site = [[Kennedy Space Center|Kennedy]], [[Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A|LC-39A]]
⚫
| launch_date = 18 June 1983, 11:33:00 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]]
| launch_rocket = [[Space Shuttle Challenger|Space Shuttle ''Challenger'']]
⚫
| launch_site = [[Kennedy Space Center]], [[Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A|LC-39A]]
| launch_contractor = [[Rockwell International]]
| launch_contractor = [[Rockwell International]]
| landing_date = {{End date|June 24, 1983, 13:56:59|timezone=yes}}{{nbsp}}UTC (6:56:59{{nbsp}}am{{nbsp}}[[Pacific Daylight Time|PDT]])

⚫
| landing_site = [[Edwards Air Force Base|Edwards]], Runway{{nbsp}}15
| landing_date = 24 June 1983, 13:56:59 UTC
⚫
| landing_site = [[Edwards Air Force Base]],<br/>Runway 15

| orbit_reference = [[Geocentric orbit]]
| orbit_reference = [[Geocentric orbit]]
| orbit_regime = [[Low Earth orbit]]
| orbit_regime = [[Low Earth orbit]]
Line 41: Line 30:
| orbit_period = 90.60 minutes
| orbit_period = 90.60 minutes
| apsis = gee
| apsis = gee
⚫
| instruments = {{ubl|[[Getaway Special]] (GAS) canisters}}

⚫
| instruments = [[Getaway Special]] (GAS) canisters<br/>[[Space adaptation syndrome]] (SAS)

| insignia = STS-7 patch.svg
| insignia = STS-7 patch.svg
| insignia_caption = STS-7 mission patch
| insignia_caption = STS-7 mission patch
| insignia_size = 200px

| crew_photo = Sts-7-crew.jpg
| crew_photo = Sts-7-crew.jpg
| crew_photo_caption = [[Sally Ride|Sally K. Ride]], [[John M. Fabian]], [[Robert L. Crippen]], [[Norman Thagard|Norman E. Thagard]], [[Frederick Hauck|Frederick H. Hauck]]
| crew_photo_caption = From left: [[Sally Ride|Ride]], [[John M. Fabian|Fabian]], [[Robert Crippen|Crippen]], [[Norman Thagard|Thagard]] and [[Frederick Hauck|Hauck]]
⚫
| programme = [[Space Shuttle program]]
| crew_photo_size = 300px

⚫
| programme = '''[[Space Shuttle program]]'''
| previous_mission = [[STS-6]]
| previous_mission = [[STS-6]]
| next_mission = [[STS-8]]
| next_mission = [[STS-8]]
}}
}}


'''STS-7''' was [[NASA]]'s seventh [[Space Shuttle]] mission, and the second mission for the [[Space Shuttle Challenger|Space Shuttle ''Challenger'']]. During the mission, ''Challenger'' deployed several satellites into orbit. The shuttle launched from [[Kennedy Space Center]] on 18 June 1983, and landed at [[Edwards Air Force Base]] on 24 June 1983. STS-7 carried [[Sally Ride|Sally K. Ride]], America's first [[List of female astronauts|female astronaut]].
'''STS-7''' was [[NASA]]'s seventh [[Space Shuttle]] mission, and the second mission for the [[Space Shuttle Challenger|Space Shuttle ''Challenger'']]. During the mission, ''Challenger'' deployed several satellites into orbit. The shuttle launched from [[Kennedy Space Center]] on June 18, 1983, and landed at [[Edwards Air Force Base]] on June 24, 1983. STS-7 carried [[Sally Ride]], America's first [[List of female astronauts|female astronaut]].


== Crew ==
== Crew ==
Line 64: Line 47:


|position1 = Commander
|position1 = Commander
|crew1_up = [[Robert L. Crippen]]
|crew1_up = [[Robert Crippen]]
|flights1_up = Second
|flights1_up = Second


|position2 = Pilot
|position2 = Pilot
|crew2_up = [[Frederick Hauck|Frederick H. Hauck]]
|crew2_up = [[Frederick Hauck]]
|flights2_up = First
|flights2_up = First


Line 75: Line 58:
|flights3_up = First
|flights3_up = First


|position4 = Mission Specialist 2
|position4 = Mission Specialist 2<br>Flight Engineer
|crew4_up = [[Sally Ride|Sally K. Ride]]
|crew4_up = [[Sally Ride]]
|flights4_up = First
|flights4_up = First


|position5 = Mission Specialist 3
|position5 = Mission Specialist 3
|crew5_up = [[Norman Thagard|Norman E. Thagard]]
|crew5_up = [[Norman Thagard]]
|flights5_up = First
|flights5_up = First
}}
}}
Line 87: Line 70:
* [[John E. Blaha]]
* [[John E. Blaha]]
* [[Roy D. Bridges Jr.]] (ascent CAPCOM)
* [[Roy D. Bridges Jr.]] (ascent CAPCOM)
* [[Guy Gardner (astronaut)|Guy S. Gardner]]
* [[Guy Gardner (astronaut)|Guy Gardner]]
* [[Terry Hart|Terry J. Hart]]
* [[Terry Hart]]
* [[Jon McBride|Jon A. McBride]]
* [[Jon McBride]]
* [[Bryan D. O'Connor]] (entry CAPCOM)
* [[Bryan D. O'Connor]] (entry CAPCOM)


=== Crew seat assignments ===
=== Crew seat assignments ===
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
⚫
! Seat<ref>{{cite web|title=STS-7|url=http://spacefacts.de/mission/english/sts-7.htm|publisher=Spacefacts|access-date=February 26, 2014}}</ref>
⚫
|-
⚫
! Seat <ref>{{cite web|title=STS-7|url=http://spacefacts.de/mission/english/sts-7.htm|publisher=Spacefacts|access-date=February 26, 2014}}</ref>
! Launch
! Launch
! Landing
! Landing
| rowspan="6" style="text-align: center;" | [[File:STS-121 seating assignments.png|thumb|upright=1.0|right]]<br/>Seats 1–4 are on the Flight Deck. Seats 5–7 are on the Middeck.
|rowspan=8| [[File:Space Shuttle seating plan.svg|150px]]<br />Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck.<br />Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck.
⚫
|-
! 1
⚫
|colspan=2| Crippen
⚫
|-
! 2
⚫
|colspan=2| Hauck
|-
|-
! S1
! 3
⚫
|colspan=2| Fabian
⚫
| Crippen
| Crippen
|-
|-
! S2
! 4
|colspan=2| Ride
⚫
| Hauck
| Hauck
|-
|-
! S3
! 5
⚫
|colspan=2| Thagard
⚫
| Fabian
| Fabian
|-
|-
! S4
! 6
|colspan=2 style="background-color:lightgray"| ''Unused''
| Ride
| Ride
|-
|-
! S5
! 7
|colspan=2 style="background-color:lightgray"| ''Unused''
⚫
| Thagard
| Thagard
|}
|}


== Mission summary ==
== Mission summary ==
{{verify section|find=STS-7|date=June 2024}}
STS-7 began on 18 June 1983, with an on-time liftoff at 07:33:00 a.m. [[Eastern Time Zone|EDT]]. It was the first spaceflight of an American woman (Sally K. Ride), the largest crew to fly in a single spacecraft up to that time (five people), and the first flight that included members of NASA's [[NASA Astronaut Group 8|Group 8 astronaut class]], which had been selected in 1978 to fly the Space Shuttle. [[Ronald Reagan|President Ronald Reagan]] also sent his personal favourite [[Jelly Belly]] [[jelly bean]]s with the astronauts, making them the first jelly beans in space.
STS-7 began on June 18, 1983, with an on-time liftoff at 7:33:00&nbsp;a.m.{{nbsp}}[[Eastern Time Zone|EDT]]. It was the first spaceflight of an American woman (Ride), the largest crew to fly in a single spacecraft up to that time (five people), and the first flight that included members of NASA's [[NASA Astronaut Group 8|Group 8 astronaut class]], which had been selected in 1978 to fly the Space Shuttle. [[Ronald Reagan|President Ronald Reagan]] also sent his personal favorite [[Jelly Belly]] [[jelly bean]]s with the astronauts, making them the first jelly beans in space. The crew had already eaten lunch with the president at the [[White House]] on June 1, the first time that a crew did so before launch rather than after.<ref name="Sherr2014">{{cite book |last1=Sherr |first1=Lynn |title=Sally Ride: America's First Woman in Space |date=2014 |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |isbn=978-1-4767-2578-9 |location=New York |oclc=885483468 |author1-link=Lynn Sherr}}</ref>{{pn|date=June 2024}}


The crew of STS-7 included Robert L. Crippen, commander, making his second Shuttle flight; Frederick H. Hauck, pilot; and Sally K. Ride, John M. Fabian and Norman E. Thagard, all mission specialists. Thagard conducted medical tests concerning [[Space adaptation syndrome]], a bout of [[nausea]] frequently experienced by astronauts during the early phase of a space flight.
The crew of STS-7 included Robert Crippen, commander, making his second Shuttle flight; Frederick Hauck, pilot; and Sally Ride, John M. Fabian and Norman Thagard, all mission specialists. Thagard conducted medical tests concerning [[Space adaptation syndrome]], a bout of [[nausea]] frequently experienced by astronauts during the early phase of a space flight.


Two [[communications satellite]]s – [[Anik (satellite)|Anik C2]] for [[Telesat]] of [[Canada]], and [[Palapa|Palapa B1]] for [[Indonesia]] – were successfully deployed during the first two days of the mission. The mission also carried the first [[Shuttle pallet satellite]] (SPAS-1), which was built by the [[West Germany|West German]] aerospace firm [[Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm]] (MBB). SPAS-1 was unique in that it was designed to operate in the payload bay or be deployed by the Remote Manipulator System ([[Canadarm]]) as a free-flying satellite. It carried 10 experiments to study formation of [[Alloy|metal alloys]] in [[Micro-g environment|microgravity]], the operation of heat pipes, instruments for remote sensing observations, and a [[mass spectrometer]] to identify various gases in the payload bay. It was deployed by the Canadarm and flew alongside and over ''Challenger'' for several hours, performing various maneuvers, while a U.S.-supplied camera mounted on SPAS-1 took pictures of the orbiter. The Canadarm later grappled the pallet and returned it to the payload bay.
Two [[communications satellite]]s – [[Anik (satellite)|Anik C2]] for [[Telesat]] of [[Canada]], and [[Palapa|Palapa B1]] for [[Indonesia]] – were successfully deployed during the first two days of the mission; both were Hughes-built HS-376-series satellites. The mission also carried the first [[Shuttle pallet satellite]] (SPAS-1), which was built by the [[West Germany|West German]] aerospace firm [[Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm]] (MBB). SPAS-1 was unique in that it was designed to operate in the payload bay or be deployed by the Remote Manipulator System ([[Canadarm]]) as a free-flying satellite. It carried 10 experiments to study formation of [[Alloy|metal alloys]] in [[Micro-g environment|microgravity]], the operation of heat pipes, instruments for [[remote sensing]] observations, and a [[mass spectrometer]] to identify various gases in the payload bay. It was deployed by the Canadarm and flew alongside and over ''Challenger'' for several hours, performing various maneuvers, while a U.S.-supplied camera mounted on SPAS-1 took pictures of the orbiter. The Canadarm later grappled the pallet and returned it to the payload bay.


STS-7 also carried seven [[Getaway Special]] (GAS) canisters, which contained a wide variety of experiments, as well as the OSTA-2 payload, a joint U.S.-West Germany scientific pallet payload. Finally, the orbiter's [[Ku band|Ku-band]] antenna was able to relay data through the [[U.S. tracking and data relay satellite]] (TDRS) to a ground terminal for the first time.
STS-7 also carried seven [[Getaway Special]] (GAS) canisters, which contained a wide variety of experiments, as well as the OSTA-2 payload, a joint U.S.-West Germany scientific pallet payload. Finally, the orbiter's [[Ku band|Ku-band]] antenna was able to relay data through the [[U.S. tracking and data relay satellite]] (TDRS) to a ground terminal for the first time.


STS-7 was scheduled to make the first Shuttle landing at Kennedy Space Center's then-new [[Shuttle Landing Facility]] (SLF). However, unacceptable weather forced a change to Runway 15 at Edwards Air Force Base. The landing took place on 24 June 1983, at 06:56:59 a.m. [[Pacific Time Zone|PDT]]. The mission lasted 6 days, 2 hours, 23 minutes, and 59 seconds, and covered about {{cvt|3570000|km}} during 97 orbits of the [[Earth]]. ''Challenger'' was returned to KSC on 29 June 1983.
STS-7 was scheduled to make the first orbiter landing at Kennedy Space Center's then-new [[Shuttle Landing Facility]] (SLF).<ref name="Detour">{{Cite news |date=1983-06-25 |title=Detour no big setback for shuttle |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/green-bay-press-gazette-sally-ride-1983/127064938/?locale=en-AU |access-date=2024-10-31 |work=Green Bay Press-Gazette |pages=A1–A2 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Unacceptable weather forced a change to Runway{{nbsp}}15 at Edwards Air Force Base. The landing took place on June 24, 1983, at 06:56:59{{nbsp}}a.m. [[Pacific Time Zone|PDT]]. The mission lasted 6{{nbsp}}days, 2{{nbsp}}hours, 23{{nbsp}}minutes, and 59{{nbsp}}seconds, and covered about {{cvt|3570000|km}} during 97{{nbsp}}orbits of the [[Earth]]. ''Challenger'' was returned to KSC on June 29, 1983.


== Incidents ==
== Incidents ==
[[File:ET6 Foam Loss.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|External Tank serial number 6 after jettison from ''Challenger'' on 18 June 1983. The arrow indicates the white area on the left bipod ramp where foam had broken off.]]
[[File:ET6 Foam Loss.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|External Tank serial number 6 after jettison from ''Challenger'' on June 18, 1983. The arrow indicates the white area on the left bipod ramp where foam had broken off.]]

STS-7 experienced the first known [[Space Shuttle external tank]] (ET) bipod ramp foam shedding event during launch. This was the root cause of the eventual loss of ''Columbia'' during [[STS-107]] almost two decades later. While ''Challenger'' was on-orbit, one of its windows was damaged non-critically by [[space debris]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/photogallery/photogallery.html |title=Orbital Debris Photo Gallery|publisher=NASA|access-date=August 12, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527094913/http://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/photogallery/photogallery.html|archive-date=May 27, 2010}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>
STS-7 experienced the first known [[Space Shuttle external tank]] (ET) bipod ramp foam shedding event during launch. This was the root cause of the eventual loss of ''Columbia'' during [[STS-107]] almost two decades later. While ''Challenger'' was on-orbit, one of its windows was damaged non-critically by [[space debris]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/photogallery/photogallery.html |title=Orbital Debris Photo Gallery|publisher=NASA|access-date=August 12, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527094913/http://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/photogallery/photogallery.html|archive-date=May 27, 2010}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>


== Mission insignia ==
== Mission insignia ==
The seven white stars in the black field of the mission patch, as well as the arm extending from the shuttle in the shape of a 7, indicate the flight's numerical designation in the [[Space Transportation System]]'s mission sequence. The five-armed symbol on the right side illustrates the four male/one female crew.
The seven white stars in the black field of the mission patch, as well as the arm extending from the orbiter in the shape of a 7, indicate the flight's numerical designation in the [[Space Transportation System]]'s mission sequence. The five-armed symbol on the right side illustrates the four male/one female crew.


== Wake-up calls ==
== Wake-up calls ==
NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during the [[Project Gemini]], and first used music to wake up a flight crew during [[Apollo 15]]. Each track is specially chosen, often by the astronauts' families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.<ref name="chronology">{{cite news|first=Colin|last=Fries|title=Chronology of Wakeup Calls|date=June 25, 2007|publisher=NASA|url=https://history.nasa.gov/wakeup%20calls.pdf|access-date=August 13, 2007}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>
NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during the [[Project Gemini]], and first used music to wake up a flight crew during [[Apollo 15]]. Each track is specially chosen, often by the astronauts' families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.<ref name="chronology">{{cite news|first=Colin|last=Fries|title=Chronology of Wakeup Calls|date=June 25, 2007|publisher=NASA|url=https://history.nasa.gov/wakeup%20calls.pdf|access-date=August 13, 2007|archive-date=December 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231220093919/https://history.nasa.gov/wakeup%20calls.pdf|url-status=dead}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
Line 151: Line 134:
|-
|-
| Day 2
| Day 2
| "[[University of Texas Fight Song]]"
| "[[Aggie War Hymn]]"/"[[University of Texas Fight Song]]"
| [[University of Texas band]]
| [[Fightin' Texas Aggie Band]]/[[University of Texas band]]
| [[Bob Crippen]]{{efn|Crippen was a graduate of the [[University of Texas]]; the song of their rivals, [[Texas A&M]], was played as a joke.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.astronautix.com/s/sts-7.html|title=STS-7|website=www.astronautix.com}}</ref>}}
| [[Bob Crippen]]
|-
|-
| Day 3
| Day 3
| "[[Tufts Tonia's Day]]"
| "[[Aggie War Hymn]]"/"[[Tufts Tonia's Day]]"
| [[The Tufts University Beelzebubs]]
| [[Fightin' Texas Aggie Band]]/[[The Tufts University Beelzebubs]]
| [[Rick Hauck]]
| [[Rick Hauck]]
|-
|-
| Day 4
| Day 4
| "[[When You're Smiling]]"
|Medley: "[[Aggie War Hymn]]"/"[[Reveille]]"/"[[When You're Smiling]]"
| [[Fightin' Texas Aggie Band]]/Unknown/Dr. Howard E. Cleave
⚫
|
| [[Mary L. Cleave]]{{efn|Cleave was the [[Flight controller#CAPCOM|CAPCOM]] for STS-7. "When You're Smiling" was sung by her father.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GFRODwAAQBAJ&dq=%22mary+cleave%22%22When+You%27re+Smiling%22&pg=PA13|title=Houston We Have a Wake-up Call|first=Michelle|last=Graye|publisher=Lulu.com|isbn=9781257805525 |via=Google Books}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/06/21/Wake-up-time-aboard-the-space-shuttle-Challenger-today-turned/7405425016000/|title=Wake-up time aboard the space shuttle Challenger today turned... - UPI Archives|website=UPI}}</ref>}}
|
|-
|-
| Day 5
| Day 5
Line 177: Line 160:
| Day 7
| Day 7
| "[[Florida State University Fight Song]]"
| "[[Florida State University Fight Song]]"
| [[Florida State University Marching Chiefs.]]
| [[Florida State University Marching Chiefs]]
| [[Norm Thagard]]
| [[Norm Thagard]]
|}
|}
Line 194: Line 177:
* [[List of human spaceflights]]
* [[List of human spaceflights]]
* [[List of Space Shuttle missions]]
* [[List of Space Shuttle missions]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}


== References ==
== References ==

Latest revision as of 14:20, 5 November 2024

STS-7
Challenger as photographed by the SPAS-1 satellite on June 22, 1983
NamesSpace Transportation System-7
Mission type
OperatorNASA
COSPAR ID1983-059A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.14132Edit this on Wikidata
Mission duration6 days, 2 hours, 23 minutes, 59 seconds
Distance travelled3,570,000 km (2,220,000 mi)
Orbits completed97
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftSpace Shuttle Challenger
Launch mass113,025 kg (249,177 lb)
Landing mass92,550 kg (204,040 lb)
Payload mass16,839 kg (37,124 lb)
Crew
Crew size5
Members
Start of mission
Launch dateJune 18, 1983, 11:33:00 (June 18, 1983, 11:33:00) UTC (7:33 am EDT)
Launch siteKennedy, LC-39A
ContractorRockwell International
End of mission
Landing dateJune 24, 1983, 13:56:59 (June 24, 1983, 13:56:59) UTC (6:56:59 am PDT)
Landing siteEdwards, Runway 15
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Perigee altitude299 km (186 mi)
Apogee altitude307 km (191 mi)
Inclination28.30°
Period90.60 minutes
Instruments

STS-7 mission patch

From left: Ride, Fabian, Crippen, Thagard and Hauck
← STS-6
STS-8 →

STS-7 was NASA's seventh Space Shuttle mission, and the second mission for the Space Shuttle Challenger. During the mission, Challenger deployed several satellites into orbit. The shuttle launched from Kennedy Space Center on June 18, 1983, and landed at Edwards Air Force Base on June 24, 1983. STS-7 carried Sally Ride, America's first female astronaut.

Crew

[edit]
Position Astronaut
Commander Robert Crippen
Second spaceflight
Pilot Frederick Hauck
First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 1 John M. Fabian
First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 2
Flight Engineer 		Sally Ride
First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 3 Norman Thagard
First spaceflight

Support crew

[edit]

Crew seat assignments

[edit]
Seat[1] Launch Landing
Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck.
Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck.
1 Crippen
2 Hauck
3 Fabian
4 Ride
5 Thagard
6 Unused
7 Unused

Mission summary

[edit]

STS-7 began on June 18, 1983, with an on-time liftoff at 7:33:00 a.m. EDT. It was the first spaceflight of an American woman (Ride), the largest crew to fly in a single spacecraft up to that time (five people), and the first flight that included members of NASA's Group 8 astronaut class, which had been selected in 1978 to fly the Space Shuttle. President Ronald Reagan also sent his personal favorite Jelly Belly jelly beans with the astronauts, making them the first jelly beans in space. The crew had already eaten lunch with the president at the White House on June 1, the first time that a crew did so before launch rather than after.[2][page needed]

The crew of STS-7 included Robert Crippen, commander, making his second Shuttle flight; Frederick Hauck, pilot; and Sally Ride, John M. Fabian and Norman Thagard, all mission specialists. Thagard conducted medical tests concerning Space adaptation syndrome, a bout of nausea frequently experienced by astronauts during the early phase of a space flight.

Two communications satellites – Anik C2 for Telesat of Canada, and Palapa B1 for Indonesia – were successfully deployed during the first two days of the mission; both were Hughes-built HS-376-series satellites. The mission also carried the first Shuttle pallet satellite (SPAS-1), which was built by the West German aerospace firm Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB). SPAS-1 was unique in that it was designed to operate in the payload bay or be deployed by the Remote Manipulator System (Canadarm) as a free-flying satellite. It carried 10 experiments to study formation of metal alloys in microgravity, the operation of heat pipes, instruments for remote sensing observations, and a mass spectrometer to identify various gases in the payload bay. It was deployed by the Canadarm and flew alongside and over Challenger for several hours, performing various maneuvers, while a U.S.-supplied camera mounted on SPAS-1 took pictures of the orbiter. The Canadarm later grappled the pallet and returned it to the payload bay.

STS-7 also carried seven Getaway Special (GAS) canisters, which contained a wide variety of experiments, as well as the OSTA-2 payload, a joint U.S.-West Germany scientific pallet payload. Finally, the orbiter's Ku-band antenna was able to relay data through the U.S. tracking and data relay satellite (TDRS) to a ground terminal for the first time.

STS-7 was scheduled to make the first orbiter landing at Kennedy Space Center's then-new Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF).[3] Unacceptable weather forced a change to Runway 15 at Edwards Air Force Base. The landing took place on June 24, 1983, at 06:56:59 a.m. PDT. The mission lasted 6 days, 2 hours, 23 minutes, and 59 seconds, and covered about 3,570,000 km (2,220,000 mi) during 97 orbits of the Earth. Challenger was returned to KSC on June 29, 1983.

Incidents

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External Tank serial number 6 after jettison from Challenger on June 18, 1983. The arrow indicates the white area on the left bipod ramp where foam had broken off.

STS-7 experienced the first known Space Shuttle external tank (ET) bipod ramp foam shedding event during launch. This was the root cause of the eventual loss of Columbia during STS-107 almost two decades later. While Challenger was on-orbit, one of its windows was damaged non-critically by space debris.[4]

Mission insignia

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The seven white stars in the black field of the mission patch, as well as the arm extending from the orbiter in the shape of a 7, indicate the flight's numerical designation in the Space Transportation System's mission sequence. The five-armed symbol on the right side illustrates the four male/one female crew.

Wake-up calls

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NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during the Project Gemini, and first used music to wake up a flight crew during Apollo 15. Each track is specially chosen, often by the astronauts' families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.[5]

Flight Day Song Artist/Composer Played for
Day 2 "Aggie War Hymn"/"University of Texas Fight Song" Fightin' Texas Aggie Band/University of Texas band Bob Crippen[a]
Day 3 "Aggie War Hymn"/"Tufts Tonia's Day" Fightin' Texas Aggie Band/The Tufts University Beelzebubs Rick Hauck
Day 4 Medley: "Aggie War Hymn"/"Reveille"/"When You're Smiling" Fightin' Texas Aggie Band/Unknown/Dr. Howard E. Cleave Mary L. Cleave[b]
Day 5 "Washington State University Cougar Fight Song" Washington State University Band John Fabian
Day 6 "Stanford Hymn" Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band Sally Ride
Day 7 "Florida State University Fight Song" Florida State University Marching Chiefs Norm Thagard
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  • The second launch of Challenger
    The second launch of Challenger
  • Deployment of Palapa B1
    Deployment of Palapa B1
  • Deployment of Anik C2
    Deployment of Anik C2
  • Window pit caused by impact of space debris
    Window pit caused by impact of space debris
  • SPAS-1 grappled by the Canadarm
    SPAS-1 grappled by the Canadarm

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Crippen was a graduate of the University of Texas; the song of their rivals, Texas A&M, was played as a joke.[6]
  2. ^ Cleave was the CAPCOM for STS-7. "When You're Smiling" was sung by her father.[7][8]

References

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  1. ^ "STS-7". Spacefacts. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  2. ^ Sherr, Lynn (2014). Sally Ride: America's First Woman in Space. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4767-2578-9. OCLC 885483468.
  3. ^ "Detour no big setback for shuttle". Green Bay Press-Gazette. June 25, 1983. pp. A1–A2. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Orbital Debris Photo Gallery". NASA. Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved August 12, 2010. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  5. ^ Fries, Colin (June 25, 2007). "Chronology of Wakeup Calls" (PDF). NASA. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 20, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2007. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  6. ^ "STS-7". www.astronautix.com.
  7. ^ Graye, Michelle. Houston We Have a Wake-up Call. Lulu.com. ISBN 9781257805525 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ "Wake-up time aboard the space shuttle Challenger today turned... - UPI Archives". UPI.
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