{"id":96314,"date":"2021-12-22T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-22T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-476198"},"modified":"2023-09-06T15:38:16","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T19:38:16","slug":"40-years-ago-preparations-for-sts-3-columbias-third-trip-to-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/johnson\/40-years-ago-preparations-for-sts-3-columbias-third-trip-to-space\/","title":{"rendered":"40 Years Ago: Preparations for STS-3, Columbia\u2019s Third Trip to Space"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Space shuttle Columbia returned from its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/history\/40-years-ago-columbia-returns-to-space-on-the-sts-2-mission\/\" rel=\"noopener\">second flight<\/a> into space on Nov. 14, 1981. Eleven days later, the world\u2019s first reusable orbital spaceship arrived back at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) following a cross-country flight. Ground crews began preparing Columbia for its third mission, STS-3, planned for a March 1982 launch. Workers were preparing other shuttle components already at KSC for flight, such as the external tank, solid rocket boosters, and the mission\u2019s science payload. NASA formally announced the STS-3 crew of NASA astronauts <a href=\"https:\/\/historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov\/JSCHistoryPortal\/history\/oral_histories\/LousmaJR\/lousmajr.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jack R. Lousma<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov\/JSCHistoryPortal\/history\/oral_histories\/FullertonCG\/fullertoncg.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">C. Gordon Fullerton<\/a>, with <a href=\"https:\/\/historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov\/JSCHistoryPortal\/history\/oral_histories\/MattinglyTK\/mattinglytk.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Thomas K. \u201cTK\u201d Mattingly<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov\/JSCHistoryPortal\/history\/oral_histories\/HartsfieldHW\/hartsfieldhw.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Henry W. \u201cHank\u201d Hartsfield<\/a> as their backups. The astronauts\u2019 ongoing training included simulator runs, preparations for spacewalks, and experiencing brief periods of weightlessness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"sts 3 crew announcement press conf nov 30 1981\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/sts_3_l-3_months_1_crew_announcement_press_conf_nov_30_1981.jpg\" width=\"296\" height=\"230\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"sts 3 crew_announcement nov 30 1981\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/sts_3_l-3_months_2_crew_announcement_nov_30_1981_s81-41004-1.jpg\" width=\"338\" height=\"230\"><br>\n<em>Left: STS-3 astronauts C. Gordon Fullerton, left, and Jack R. Lousma accepting<br>\nthe \u201ckey\u201d to space shuttle Columbia. Right: Fullerton, left, and Lousma pose<br>\nwith a model of the space shuttle.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Nov. 30, 1981, at the conclusion of the STS-2 crew\u2019s postflight press conference at NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center, Chief of the Astronaut Office John W. Young formally introduced Lousma and Fullerton as the STS-3 crew, presenting them with an oversized carboard key with \u201cCOLUMBIA\u201d written on it. Looking over at STS-2 astronauts <a href=\"https:\/\/historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov\/JSCHistoryPortal\/history\/oral_histories\/EngleJH\/englejh.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Joe H. Engle<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov\/JSCHistoryPortal\/history\/oral_histories\/NASA_HQ\/Administrators\/TrulyRH\/trulyrh.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Richard H. Truly<\/a>, Lousma quipped, \u201cI\u2019m wondering where the slip is for the 900,000-mile oil change \u2013 have you guys got it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"lousma_wetf_trng_jun_19_1981\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/sts_3_l-3_months_3_lousma_wetf_trng_jun_19_1981_s81-33388.jpg\" width=\"369\" height=\"260\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"fullerton_kc-135_zero-g_training_jul_22_1981\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/sts_3_l-3_months_4_fullerton_kc-135_zero-g_training_jul_22_1981_s81-34432.jpg\" width=\"260\" height=\"260\"><br>\n<em>Left: As part of spacewalk training, technicians lower STS-3 astronaut Jack R. Lousma<br>\ninto the Weightless Environment Training Facility at NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in<br>\nHouston. Right: STS-3 astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton experiences brief periods of<br>\nweightlessness during parabolic flights aboard NASA\u2019s KC-135 zero-g aircraft.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"lousma_fullerton_bldg_5_simulator_sep_11_1981\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/sts_3_l-3_months_5_lousma_fullerton_bldg_5_simulator_sep_11_1981_s81-36714.jpg\" width=\"341\" height=\"220\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"oss-1_arr_oc_sep_30_1981\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/sts_3_l-3_months_6_oss-1_arr_oc_sep_30_1981_s81-39287.jpg\" width=\"279\" height=\"220\"><br>\n<em>Left: STS-3 astronauts Jack R. Lousma, left, and C. Gordon Fullerton in the shuttle<br>\nsimulator at NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Right: The OSS-1 payload<br>\nfor STS-3 after arriving in the Operations & Checkout Building at NASA\u2019s<br>\nKennedy Space Center in Florida.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having served as the backups to STS-2 astronauts Engle and Truly, Lousma and Fullerton had already completed much training by the time Young presented them with the key to Columbia. They continued training runs in the space shuttle simulator, practiced for spacewalks \u2013 although none were planned for their mission \u2013 in the Weightless Environment Training Facility, and learned to work in brief periods of weightlessness aboard NASA\u2019s KC-135 zero-g aircraft. Engineers at KSC began preparing the payload for STS-3, called OSS-1 after its sponsor, the Office of Space Science at NASA Headquarters, after its arrival on Sep. 30.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"sts 3\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/sts_3_l-3_months_7_et_arrives_ksc_sts3-026a1-s81-38927-10.5.81.jpg\" width=\"322\" height=\"235\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"roll_to_opf_nov_26_1981\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/sts_3_l-3_months_8_roll_to_opf_nov_26_1981_81pc-1034-1.jpg\" width=\"297\" height=\"235\"><br>\n<em>Left: The first rust-colored external tank, assigned to STS-3, arrives at NASA\u2019s<br>\nKennedy Space Center in Florida, with the Vehicle Assembly Building visible in<br>\nthe background. Right: Following its arrival back at KSC after the STS-2 mission,<br>\nworkers tow space shuttle Columbia from the Shuttle Landing Facility to<br>\nthe Orbiter Processing Facility.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The external tank (ET) that arrived at KSC on Oct. 5 for the STS-3 mission differed noticeably from the tanks used for the first two missions. In contrast to the gleaming white tanks flown on STS-1 and STS-2, this third one was rust-colored. Managers decided that the white paint used to protect the tanks from ultraviolet light while sitting on the launch pad was not needed, leaving the rust-colored spray-on foam insulation visible. The change saved about 600 pounds, which increased the shuttle\u2019s payload carrying capacity. After space shuttle Columbia arrived back at KSC on Nov. 25 atop its Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, workers towed it from the Shuttle Landing Facility to the Orbiter Processing Facility to begin processing it for STS-3. Early in the new year of 1982, technicians installed the OSS-1 payload into Columbia\u2019s cargo bay in preparation for the orbiter\u2019s rollover to the Vehicle Assembly Building and mating with the ET and the solid rocket boosters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>To be continued\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>World events in December 1981:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>December 2 \u2013 Singer Britney Spears is born in McComb, Mississippi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>December 11 \u2013 Muhammad Ali\u2019s 61st and last fight, losing to Trevor Berbick by a unanimous decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>December 11 \u2013 The first European-built Spacelab module arrives at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>December 20 \u2013 \u201cDreamgirls\u201d opens at the Imperial Theater in New York City, and goes on to run for 1,522 performances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>December 28 \u2013 Warner-Elektra-Atlantic raises the price of 45 records from $1.68 to $1.98.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>December 31 \u2013 CNN Headline News channel debuts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Space shuttle Columbia returned from its second flight into space on Nov. 14, 1981. Eleven days later, the world\u2019s first reusable orbital spaceship arrived back at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) following a cross-country flight. Ground crews began preparing Columbia for its third mission, STS-3, planned for a March 1982 launch. Workers were preparing other […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":103891,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2861,2671,2725,2977],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[12664,3915,11995],"coauthors":[11996],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"40 Years Ago: Preparations for STS-3, Columbia\u2019s Third Trip to Space","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/johnson\/40-years-ago-preparations-for-sts-3-columbias-third-trip-to-space\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/johnson\/40-years-ago-preparations-for-sts-3-columbias-third-trip-to-space\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/sts_3_l-3_months_1_crew_announcement_press_conf_nov_30_1981.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/sts_3_l-3_months_1_crew_announcement_press_conf_nov_30_1981.jpg"},"articleSection":"NASA Centers & Facilities","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"John Uri"}],"creator":["John Uri"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["Missions","Space Shuttle","STS-3","Johnson Space Center","NASA History"],"dateCreated":"2021-12-22T16:00:00Z","datePublished":"2021-12-22T16:00:00Z","dateModified":"2023-09-06T19:38:16Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"40 Years Ago: Preparations for STS-3, Columbia\u2019s Third Trip to Space\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/johnson\/40-years-ago-preparations-for-sts-3-columbias-third-trip-to-space\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/sts_3_l-3_months_1_crew_announcement_press_conf_nov_30_1981.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2021-12-22T16:00:00Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"NASA Centers & Facilities\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"Missions,Space Shuttle,STS-3,Johnson Space Center,NASA History\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"John Uri\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":4,"time_ago":"2 years","featured_image":{"id":103891,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/sts_3_l-3_months_1_crew_announcement_press_conf_nov_30_1981.jpg","title":"sts_3_l-3_months_1_crew_announcement_press_conf_nov_30_1981","alt":"sts 3 crew announcement press conf nov 30 1981","caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96314"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96314"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96314\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":492231,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96314\/revisions\/492231"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96314"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=96314"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=96314"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=96314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}