Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 1

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION 

SPACE SHUTTLE 

MISSION 

STS-41D 

PRESS KIT 

AUGUST 1984 

FIRST FLIGHT OF DISCOVERY 

SBS-4, LEASAT-2, TELSTAR-3 DEPLOYMENT; OAST-1 
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STS-41D INSIGNIA 

S84-26391 -- The insignia for the STS-41D mission features the Discovery, NASA's third orbital vehicle, as it makes 

its maiden voyage. The ghost ship represents the orbiter's namesakes which have figured prominently in the history 

of exploration. The space shuttle Discovery heads for new horizons to extend that proud tradition. 

The NASA insignia design for space shuttle flights is reserved for use by the astronauts and for other official use as 

the NASA Administrator may authorize. Public availability has been approved only in the form of illustrations by 

the various news media. When and if there is any change in this policy, which we do not anticipate, it will be 

publicly announced. 

PHOTO CREDIT: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 3

RELEASE NO: 84- 117 Augus t 1984 

CONTACTS 

Charles Redmond/Debra Rahn 

Headquarters, Washington, D.C. 

(Phone: 202/453-8590) 

Dick Young 

Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 

(Phone: 305/867-2468) 

Dave Alter 

Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas 

(Phone: 713/483-5111) 

Bob Ruhl 

Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 

(Phone: 205/453-0034) 

Ralph Jackson 

Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, Calif. 

(Phone: 805/258-8381) 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 4

RELEASE NO: 84- 117 Augus t 1984 

CONTENTS 

GENERAL RELEASE 5 

41-D BRIEFING SCHEDULE 7 

GENERAL INFORMATION 8 

MISSION 41-D REMANIFEST -- QUICK LOOK FACTS 9 

SUMMARY OF MAJOR ACTIVITIES 10 

41-D REMANIFEST SEQUENCE OF EVENTS 12 

CONFIGURATION AND WEIGHTS 13 

SBS-4 15 

LEASAT 2 (Syncom IV-2) 16 

TELSTAR 3 18 

OAST-1 19 

 Solar Array Experiment 22 

 Dynamic Augmentation Experiment 23 

 Solar Cell Calibration Facility 23 

 OAST-1 Team 23 

CONTINUOS FLOW ELECTROPHORESIS SYSTEM 25 

VEHICLE GLOW EXPERIMENT 27 

CLOUDS 27 

IMAX 27 

SHUTTLE STUDENT INVOLVEMENT PROJECT 28 

41-D FLIGHT CREW DATA 29 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 5

RELEASE NO: 84- 117 Augus t 20, 

1984 

DISCOVERY TO MAKE MAIDEN FLIGHT ON MISSION 41-D 

Spaceship Discovery, the newest addition to NASA's fleet of reusable orbiters, will be launched on its maiden flight 

on mission 41-D, the 12th flight in the Space Shuttle program. Launch is set for no sooner than Aug. 29 during a 

14-minute launch window that opens at 8:35 a.m. EDT. 

The mission features a combination cargo that includes some of the payloads originally manifested to fly on Mission 

41-D and some of the payload elements that were slated to fly on Discovery’s second mission, 41-F. The decision to 

remanifest followed the aborted launch of Discovery on June 26, and provides for the minimum distortion to the 

launch schedule while maintaining NASA's launch commitments to commercial cargo customers. 

Cargo bay payloads on the combined mission include: LEASAT-2 (SYNCOM IV-2) for Hughes Communications 

Services, Inc.; SBS-4 for Satellite Business Systems; TELSTAR 3 for American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T); 

and OAST-1 for NASA's office of Aeronautics and Space Technology (OAST). The three commercial 

communications satellites were originally scheduled to fly on Mission 41-F. The OAST-1 payload was retained 

from the original 41-D flight. To accommodate the combined mission, several payloads had to be dropped from the 

cargo bay roster, including the LEASAT-1 (SYNCOM IV-1) satellite, the Large Format Camera, the Cinema-360 

special camera and one Getaway Special canister. 

Experiments located in Discovery's crew compartment remain the same for this combined mission. They are the 

commercial Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System (CFES), an IMAX special motion picture camera and a 

Shuttle Student Involvement Project (SSIP) experiment. 

Veteran Shuttle astronaut Henry Hartsfield is the commander of the six-member crew. Hartsfield was the pilot on 

STS-4, the last of the Shuttle test flights. He will be joined by pilot Michael Coats, and three mission specialists: 

Judith Resnik, Steven Hawley and Richard Mullane. McDonnell Douglas engineer Charles Walker will serve as a 

payload specialist on the 41-D mission. He will be responsible for operating the CFES onboard experiments and is 

the first commercial payload specialist. 

Discovery will be launched from Kennedy Space Center's Pad A at Complex 39 into a circular 184-statute-mile 

orbit with an inclination to the equator of 28.5 degrees. Activities during the crew’s first day in space will include 

activation of the OAST-l solar cell wing experiment and deployment of the SBS-4 commercial communications 

satellite. About 45 minutes after deployment, the satellite will fire its Payload Assist Module (PAM-D) boost motor 

to place the satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. 

Highlights on the second day of the mission will include the deployment into orbit of LEASAT-2, the first in a 

series of LEASAT (for LEAsed SATellite) spacecraft. Also known as SYNCOM IV-2, the satellite represents a new 

type of spacecraft designed specifically for launch from the Space Shuttle. Deployment of LEASAT-2 is scheduled 

to take place a little more than 24 hours after launch, during the 18th orbit. Equipped with its own unique upper 

stage, LEASAT-2 will fire a solid propellant rocket motor, 45 minutes after it is sprung out of the cargo bay, to 

inject it into an egg-shaped transfer orbit. Liquid-fueled engines will be used to progressively raise the transfer orbit 

altitude until the 1,315 kilograms (2,900 pounds) spacecraft is in its final geosynchronous orbit. 

LEASAT-2 is being flown before LEASAT-1 at the request of Hughes Communications Services, Inc. LEASAT-1 

has been placed on the manifest for reflight on mission 51-A. 
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Flight day three will complete the satellite deployment triple play with ejection of the TELSTAR 3 spacecraft and 

its PAM-D boost stage. Both the TELSTAR 3 and the SBS-4 satellite utilize the Hughes 376 spacecraft and are, 

therefore, nearly identical from an outward appearance. For deployment of the TELSTAR 3 satellite, the flight crew 

will follow deployment and separation maneuver procedures similar to those used to release the SBS-4 satellite on 

the first day of the mission. 

Also tucked inside Discovery's cargo bay on mission 41-D is a versatile, NASA-developed Mission Peculiar 

Experiment Support Structure (MPESS). The triangular-shaped assembly serves as the mounting structure for the 

three OAST-1 experiments. The most distinguishing feature of the OAST-1 payload is a collapsible solar wing that 

will be unfolded to its fully extended height of 32 meters (102 feet). other OAST-1 experiments will measure 

deflections and bending motions on the fully deployed solar wing, and gather solar cell performance data. 

Flight days three and four will be mostly spent working with the OAST-l payload, including experimentation with 

both the Solar Cell Calibration Facility (SCCF) and the large solar array. Day six will feature checkout of the 

orbiter's flight control system, final OAST-1 activities and an orbital news conference with the crew. 

Day seven will be entry day. The deorbit burn will be performed on orbit 96. Discovery is scheduled to end its 

maiden flight in the first portion of orbit 97 with a lakebed landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Touchdown 

on prime runway 17 is planned to occur at approximately 144 hours and 57 minutes mission elapsed time. 

(END OF GENERAL RELEASE; BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOLLOWS.) 
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41-D BRIEFING SCHEDULE 

TI ME BRI EFI NG ORI GI N 

 

T- 1 Day 

9:00 a.m. EDT SBS-4 KSC 

9:30 a.m. EDT LEASAT (SYNCOM IV) -2 KSC 

10:00 a.m. EDT AT&T TELSTAR 3 KSC 

10:30 a.m. EDT OAST-l KSC 

11:00 a.m. EDT CFES KSC 

1:30 p.m. EDT Prelaunch Press Conference KSC 

 

(Although SSIP experimenter Shawn Murphy will not be briefing again, he will be available for interviews at KSC 

on T-1.) 

 

Launc h Day 

9:45 a.m. EDT (approximately) Post Launch Press Conference KSC (local only) 

Launc h Thr ough End- of -

Mi s s i on 

 

Times announced an NASA Select Flight Director Change of Shift Briefings JSC 

 

T+3 Days 

3:00 p.m. EDT (approximately) 41-G Flight Director Briefing JSC 

T+4 Days 

7:23 a.m. EDT Inflight Press Conference JSC 

3:00 p.m. EDT (approximately) 41-G Crew Briefing (followed by round 

robins) 

 

Landi ng Day 

9:35 am. EDT (approximately) Post Landing Briefing DFRF 

Landi ng+1 Day 

1:00 p.m. EDT Orbiter Status DFRF 
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GENERAL INFORMATION

NASA Se l e c t Te l e vi s i on Tr ans mi s s i on 

The schedule for television transmissions from Discovery and for the change of shift briefings from the Johnson 

Space Center (JSC), Houston, Texas, will be available during the mission at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Fla.; 

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Ala.; and NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. The television 

schedule will be updated daily to reflect any changes dictated by mission operations. 

St at us Re por t s 

Status reports on countdown progress, mission progress, on-orbit activities and landing operations will be produced 

by the appropriate NASA news center. 

Br i e f i ngs 

Flight control personnel will be on eight-hour shifts. Change-of-shift briefings by the off-going flight director will 

occur at approximately eight-hour intervals. 

Tr ans c r i pt s 

Beginning with mission 41-D, only transcripts of the change-of-shift briefings will be available at the Shuttle news 

centers. Transcripts of air-to-ground transmissions have been discontinued. 

Mi s cel l aneous 

Information about pre-launch countdown activities, tracking and data information, Huntsville operations and other 

activities related to the mission will be made available to the media at the news centers in separate publications. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 9

SHUTTLE MISSION 41-D REMANIFEST -- QUICK LOOK FACTS 

Crew: Henry Hartsfield, Commander 

 Michael Coats, Pilot 

 Judith Resnik, Mission Specialist 

 Steven Hawley, Mission Specialist 

 Richard Mullane, Mission Specialist 

 Charles Walker, Payload Specialist 

Orbiter: Discovery (OV-103) 

Launch Site: Pad 39A, Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 

Launch date/time: August 29; 8:35 a.m. (EDT) 

Window: 14 minutes to 8:49 a.m. (EDT) 

Orbital Inclination: 28.45 degrees 

Altitude: 184 s. mi. apogee, initial orbital requirement 

Mission duration: 6 days, 00 hours, 56 minutes, 30 seconds (MET), 96 full orbits; land on 97 

Landing: September 4, 6:32 a.m. (PDT); 9:32 a.m. (EDT) 

Primary Landing Site: Edwards Air Force Base, Calif, runway 17; Weather Alternate, 

 Kennedy Center, Fla. 

Cargo and Payloads: LEASAT-2 (Syncom IV) Satellite 

 Satellite Business Systems (SBS-4) 

 AT&T Telecommunications Satellite (TELSTAR 3) 

 Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology-1 (OAST-1) 

 Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System (CFES) 

 IMAX (cabin camera) 

 CLOUDS 

 Radiation Monitoring Experiment 

 Student Experiment (Purification and Growth of a Simple Gallium Crystal) 

Mission Firsts: First flight of orbiter Discovery 

 First commercial payload specialist 

 LEASAT-2 (SYNCOM IV) -- first "Frisbee” deployment 
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SUMMARY OF MAJOR ACTIVITIES 

Fl i ght Day 1 

Orbit Insertion at 184 s. mi. 

Payload Bay Doors Open 

OAST-1 Activation 

Remote Manipulator System (RMS) Checkout 

SBS-4/PAM-D 6D Deploy (7A Injection) 

Separation Burn after Deploy to 191 s. mi. 

Fl i ght Day 2 

LEASAT-2 (SYNCOM IV) 17D Deploy (18A Injection) 

Separation Burn after Deploy to 206 s. mi. 

CFES Activation 

Backup SBS-4/PAM-D Deploy (23A Injection) 

Fl i ght Day 3 

TELSTAR 3 33D Deploy (34A Injection) 

Separation Burn after Deploy to 206 s. mi. 

Perigee Adjust Maneuver 183/18S s. mi. 

OAST-l Activities 

Extension/Retraction Testing 

Solar Array Dynamics at 70 percent 

Solar Array Dynamic Augmentation Experiment (DAE) at 70 percent 

Fl i ght Day 4 

Backup TELSTAR 3/PAM-D Deploy (49A Injection) 

Backup LEASAT-2/Unique Deploy (49A Injection) 

OAST-l Activities 

 Solar Array Performance at 70 percent 

 Solar Array Dynamics at 100 percent 

 Solar Array Dynamics at 70 percent 

 Solar Cell Calibration Facility (SCCF) Data Take 

Fl i ght Day 5 

OAST-l Activities 

 Solar Array DAE Dynamics at 70 percent 

 Solar Array Dynamics at 100 percent 

 Solar Array Mini Performance Test 

 SCCF Data Take 

D = Descending orbital Node 

A = Ascending orbital Node 
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Fl i ght Day 6 

Primary Reaction Control System Hot Fire Test 

SSIP Experiment 

Crew Press Conference 

Flight Control System Checkout 

OAST-l Activities 

 SCCF Data Take 

Fl i ght Day 7 

Close Payload Bay Doors 

OAST-l Deactivation 

Deorbit on orbit 96 

Landing at Edwards AFB, Runway 17 (6:32 a.m. PDT) on Rev 97 

Fl i ght Day 8 

Flight Extension Day 1 

Landing at Edwards AFB, Runway 17 on Rev 113 

Perigee Adjust for Flight Extension Day 2 - Rev 112 

Fl i ght Day 9 

Flight Extension Day 2 

Landing at Edwards AFB, Runway 17 on Rev 129 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 12

41-D REMANIFEST SEQUENCE OF EVENTS 

EVENT ORBI T 

MET 

( h: m: s

) 

BURN 

DELTA V 

( f ps ) 

HP/ HA* 

( s . mi ) COMMENTS 

 

LAUNCH 0:00:00 12:35 GMT 

8:35 EDT 

OMS-1 1 0:00:10 2:30.0 238.0 58.5/184.8 

OMS-2 1 0:00:47 2:02.0 195.0 183.8/185.2 

DEPLOY 6 0:07:58 183.6/185.3 SBS-4 

OMS-3 6 0:08:13 0:09.6 11.0 185.0/190.5 SEP MNVR 

DEPLOY 17 1:00:33 185.0/189.7 SYNCOM 

OMS-4 17 1:00:48 0:11.6 15.0 185.0/199.6 SEP MNVR 

DEPLOY 33 2:00:42 185.1/199.2 TELSTAR 

OMS-5 33 2:00:57 0:09.0 11.0 186.5/205.9 SEP MNVR 

OMS-6 34 2:22:7 0:22.7 35.1 182.8/185.1 PERIGEE ADJ 

DEORBIT 96 5:23:59 2:36.0 287.5 

LANDING 97 6:00:56 

OMS = Orbital Maneuvering System 

*Note: To convert from nautical miles to statute miles, use n. mi. x 1.15 = s. mi. To convert from nautical miles to 

kilometers. use n. mi. x 1.85 = km. 
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CONFIGURATION 

This will be the first flight of Discovery, the third space-capable orbiter off the production line. Discovery will go 

into orbit lighter than its two sister ships, Challenger and Columbia, and will be capable of greater heat loads during 

entry. 

Low temperature (white-colored) tiles throughout most of the upper wings and fuselage have been replaced with 

Advanced Flexible Reusable Surface Insulation (AFRSI). The advanced insulation is also installed on the payload 

bay doors and on Discovery's vertical stabilizer. 

Discovery's orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) pods have also been covered with the thicker insulation to protect 

the graphite epoxy skins. Graphite epoxy has replaced some internal aluminum spars and beams in the wings and in 

the payload bay doors. Discovery's onboard systems have been updated and are of more advanced construction than 

either of its predecessors. 

Use of the quilt-like material, as well as manufacturing changes to airframe internal structures, enabled engineers to 

trim the dry weight of the vehicle to about 67,100 kg (147,925 lb.). Challenger weighed 67,418 kg (148,633 lb.) 

before its Solar Max repair mission in April and Columbia (inert) weighed 70,470 kg (155,359 lb.) before STS-9, its 

last mission. 

WEI GHTS 

SBS-4 3,349 kg 7,384 lb. 

SBS-4 Support Equipment 1,098 kg 2,427 lb. 

TELSTAR 3 3,395 kg 7,503 lb. 

TELSTAR Support Equipment 1,097 kg 2,425 lb. 

OAST-l 1,544 kg 3,405 lb. 

LEASAT-2 (SYNCOM IV) Spacecraft 6,950 kg 15,306 lb. 

LEASAT-2 (SYNCOM IV) Support Equipment 790 kg 1,743 lb. 

IMAX (Cabin Camera) 131 kg 290 lb. 

Student Experiments 30 kg 66 lb. 

CFES 288.4 kg 634.4 lb. 

 

Orbiter at Liftoff 119,475 kg 264,000 lb. 

Total Vehicle at Liftoff 2,045,633 kg 4,520,850 lb. 
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SATELLITE BUSINESS SYSTEMS (SBS) - 4 

On its maiden flight, Discovery will carry into space three deployable satellites destined for geosynchronous orbits, 

the most yet boosted aboard a single Space Shuttle mission. 

The first to be deployed will be SBS-4, the fourth in a series of corporate communications satellites launched for 

Satellite Business Systems, a communications company owned by Aetna, Communications Satellite Corp. 

(COMSAT) and IBM. 

SBS-4 and its McDonnell Douglas-built Payload Assist Module (PAM-D) boost motor are mounted vertically in a 

special cradle. For deployment, the cradle's sunshield is opened, the astronaut crew conducts a final check of the 

satellite's health and then initiates spin-up of the satellite and its PAM-D solid rocket motor. 

The 50 rpm spin rate gives the satellite gyroscopic stability and provides protection from uneven heating from the 

sun. With the orbiter precisely pointed and at the correct instant, the mission specialist in charge of the deployment 

will initiate the ejection sequence. Released by an explosive bolt/clamp, the satellite is pushed out of the cargo bay 

by powerful springs with a separation speed of about three feet per second. 

After deployment, control of the satellite passes to the customer's satellite control center. 

Once clear of the satellite, the Shuttle flight crew will perform a brief separation maneuver to insure a safe distance 

between the two craft when the PAM-D motor fires automatically after a 45-minute delay. The PAM-D motor 

places the spacecraft into an elliptical transfer orbit. At the high point of a selected orbit, a smaller onboard solid 

propellant apogee kick motor will be fired to stabilize the satellite at its final 22,300 s. mi. orbital altitude. 

SBS-4 will provide 10 transponders, each with a digital transmission capacity of 48 million bits per second or, 

alternatively, 1,300 simultaneous telephone calls. 

Five of SBS-4's transponders will be used for the expansion of SBS Skyline telephone service. The other five are 

leased to Satellite Television Corp. for transmission of television programming. 

SBS will operate in the 14/12 GigaHertz Ku-band of the frequency spectrum, avoiding the congestion encountered 

in C-band frequencies. 

The McLean, Va., firm operates three previous satellites of the Hughes 376 design launched by NASA in 1980, 

1981 and 1982. SBS-1 and SBS-2 were launched by NASA Delta rockets and SBS-3 was deployed by the orbiter 

Columbia on STS-5, the first operational flight of the Space Shuttle. The first three are in full-time service, 

providing long-distance telephone service, advance of private communications networks and television distribution. 

They are positioned over the equator at 95 degrees west longitude, 97 degrees W. longitude and 100 degrees W. 

longitude, respectively. 

The physical characteristics of SBS-4 are similar to those of its predecessors. In a launch configuration, the satellite 

is 2.16 m (7 it. 1 in.) in diameter and 2.82 m (9 ft. 3 in.) tall. The gross weight of the payload, including the PAM-D, 

is 3,349 kg (7,384 lb.). The satellite weighs 485 kg (1,069 lb.), exclusive of its 508-kg (1,119-lb.) apogee kick 

motor and 149 kg (328 lb.) of hydrazine attitude control fuel. Deployed in orbit, the satellite is 6.6 m (21.6 ft.) high. 
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LEASAT 2 -- (SYNCOM IV-2) 

LEASAT is the first satellite designed exclusively for launch aboard the Space Shuttle. Measuring 4.2 m (14 ft.) 

across, the spacecraft is too large to fit in the protective nose cone that sits on top of an expendable booster, such as 

a Delta or Atlas Centaur rocket. Unlike the two other satellites carried on this mission, LEASAT is mounted 

horizontally in the orbiter's cargo bay. 

Installation of the spacecraft in the payload bay is accomplished with the aid of a cradle structure. The cradle 

permits the spacecraft to be installed laying on its side, with its retracted antennas pointing toward the nose of the 

orbiter and its propulsion system pointing toward the back. Mounting the antennas on deployable structures allows 

them to be stowed for launch. 

Five trunnions (four longeron and one keel) are used to attach the cradle to the Shuttle. Five similarly located 

internal attach points are used to attach the spacecraft to the cradle. 

Another unique feature of the LEASAT series of satellites is that they do not require a separately purchased upper 

stage, as have all the other communications satellites launched to date from the Shuttle. The LEASAT satellites 

contain their own unique upper stage to transfer them from the Shuttle deploy orbit of about 182 s. mi. to a circular 

orbit 22,300 s. mi. over the equator. 

Each satellite is 6 m (20 ft.) long with the UHF and omnidirectional antennas deployed. Total payload weight in the 

Shuttle will be 7,740 kg (17,049 lb.). The satellite's weight on station at the beginning of its planned seven year life 

will be nearly 1,315 kg (2,900 lb.). Hughes Space and Communications Group builds the satellites. 

Ejection of the spacecraft from the Shuttle is initiated when locking pins at the four contact points are retracted. An 

explosive device then releases a spring that ejects the spacecraft in a "Frisbee" motion. This gives the satellite its 

separation velocity and gyroscopic stability during the 45 minute coast period between deployment and ignition of 

the perigee kick motor. The satellite separates from the Shuttle at a velocity of 0.7 m (1.5 ft.) per second and a spin 

rate of about two rpm. 

Deployment of the LEASAT satellite triggers an onboard automatic sequencer. The sequencer configures the 

satellite for firing of the solid propellant perigee motor. The telemetry, tracking and command antenna is deployed, 

attitude electronics, spacecraft power and telemetry are initialized, and the spacecraft spin rate is increased to 30 

rpm. 

A series of maneuvers, performed over a period of several days, will be required to place LEASAT into its 

synchronous orbit over the equator. The process starts 45 minutes after deployment from the Discovery with the 

ignition of the solid propellant perigee motor, identical to that used as the third stage of the Minuteman missile, 

which will raise the high point of the satellite's orbit to about 9,545 s. mi. 

Two liquid fuel engines that burn hypergolic propellants, monomethyl hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide, are used to 

augment the velocity on successive perigee transits, to circularize the orbit, and to align the flight path with the 

equator. The first of three such maneuvers raises the apogee to 12,420 s. mi., the second raises the apogee to 16,445 

s. mi. and the third to geosynchronous orbital altitude. At this point the satellite is in a transfer orbit with a 182 s. 

mi. perigee and a 22,300 s. mi. apogee. The final maneuver, again performed by the liquid propellant engines, 

circularizes the orbit at the apogee altitude. 

The satellites are spin-stabilized with the spun portion containing the solar array and the sun and Earth sensors for 

attitude determination and Earth pointing reference, three nickel-cadmium batteries for eclipse operation, and all the 

propulsion and attitude control hardware. The despun platform contains two large helical UHF Earth-pointing 

communications antennas, 12 UHF communication repeaters, and the majority of the telemetry, tracking and 

command equipment. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 17

Hughes Communications Services, Inc., will operate the worldwide LEASAT satellite communications system 

under a contract with the Department of Defense, with the U.S. Navy acting as the executive agent. The system will 

include five LEASAT satellites, one of which will be a spare, and the associated ground facilities. Users will 

include mobile air, surface, subsurface and fixed Earth stations of the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Army. 

The satellites will occupy geostationary positions south of the United States and over the Atlantic, Pacific and 

Indian oceans . 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 18

TELSTAR 3 

The second in the TELSTAR 3 series of communications satellites, representing the latest in satellite 

communications technology, will be deployed on flight day three during the ascending half of orbit 34. When 

combined with the new single sideband Earth station equipment developed by Bell Labs, each TELSTAR 3 satellite 

is capable of relaying nearly four times the number of simultaneous telephone calls commonly carried by satellites 

of the previous generation. 

The current AT&T Communications space network consists of the first TELSTAR 3 satellite and four COMSTAR 

satellites leased from COMSAT. AT&T Communications -- the AT&T organization responsible for long-distance 

and international services -- launched the first of its TELSTAR 3 satellites in 1983 on a Delta rocket. This particular 

satellite is scheduled to replace two COMSTAR satellites that currently work as a single unit. The third and fourth 

TELSTAR 3 satellites should replace the other two COMSTARs in 1985 and 1988. respectively. 

Designed for domestic communications, TELSTAR satellites operate in the 6/4 GigaHertz C-band and serve the 

continental United States, Hawaii, Puerto Rico or Alaska, depending on exact orbital placement over the equator. 

Each satellite is able to relay hundreds of video teleconferences, 24 color television programs or billions of bits of 

high speed data and facsimile signals. The second TELSTAR 3 will be placed at 76 degrees W. longitude. It will 

have a total of 24 working transponders, the equipment that receives and transmits communications signals, as well 

as six amplifiers held in reserve. 

In addition, improved batteries and solid state amplifiers will allow the TELSTAR 3 series to operate three years 

longer than the previous generation of satellites -- for 10 rather than seven years. 

TELSTAR 3 was designed by AT&T Bell Laboratories and built by the Hughes Aircraft Corp. utilizing the Hughes 

376 spacecraft. Each TELSTAR 3 satellite consists of two primary sections containing the communications units 

and the support systems, surrounded by two concentric cylinders. once in space, the outer cylinder drops down 

about 1.8 m (6 ft.) exposing the solar cells on the inner cylinder. With its antenna fully deployed in space, the 

satellite will have an overall length of 6.83 m (22.4 ft.) and a diameter of 2.16 m (7.1 ft.). The two cylinders are 

covered with 15,588 solar cells. When the satellite is in the sun's path, these cells, thin silicon chips, covert solar 

energy to electrical power to energize the satellite. When not operated by solar power, the TELSTAR 3 satellite uses 

nickel-cadmium, long-life batteries. 

Like SBS-4, the TELSTAR 3 spacecraft will use a PAM-D for transfer orbit insertion. Ground controllers will 

monitor the satellite until it reaches a selected apogee, or high point, at which time they will fire the onboard apogee 

kick motor to circularize the orbit at the geosynchronous altitude of 22,300 s. mi. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 19

OAST-1 

NASA's office of Aeronautics and Space Technology (OAST-1) payload includes advanced solar array technology 

that can be applied to the conversion of the sun's energy to electricity for use aboard future spacecraft. OAST-1 will 

mark the first demonstration in space of a large, lightweight solar array that can be retracted and restowed after 

deployment. 

OAST-1 consists of three major experiments: the Solar Array Experiment (SAE); the Dynamic Augmentation 

Experiment (DAE); and the Solar Cell Calibration Facility (SCCF). Major payload components are carried on a 

triangular, truss-like MPESS in the orbiter's cargo bay. 

The primary objectives of OAST-1 are: to demonstrate the performance of a large, low-cost, lightweight, 

deployable/ retractable solar array; to demonstrate methods to define the structural dynamics of large space 

structures; and to evaluate solar cell calibration techniques as well as calibrate various types of solar cells. 

The heart of the payload is the solar array wing. When fully extended, it will rise more than 10 stories (31.5 m or 

102 ft.) above the Shuttle cargo bay. Yet, when stowed for launch and landing, the wing folds into a package only 

17.78 cm (7 in.) deep. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 20
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During the mission, the array will be deployed and retracted several times, and data will be gathered on how the 

system performs. The deployed wing will also be vibrated by controlled firings of the orbiter's vernier reaction 

control system thrusters. Movements of the wing will be sensed and recorded for post-flight analysis. Additionally, 

a facility for calibrating solar cells will be operated. 

OAST-l will be operated from the aft flight deck of the orbiter by the Shuttle crew. Payload operations will be 

controlled from the Mission Control Center at the Johnson Space Center. An OAST-1 mission management team 

will support these operations from the Customer Support Room in Mission Control, and teams of engineers and 

investigators will provide technical support from the Marshall Space Flight Center's Huntsville Operations Support 

Center (HOSE). This group will receive and monitor mission data in real-time and will advise the mission team at 

Johns on . 

Sol ar Ar r ay Expe r i me nt 

The solar array is 31.5 m (102 ft.) tall by 4 m (13 ft.) wide. Its primary structure is a thin blanket of plastic material 

called Kapton. The blanket consists of 84 panels that fold accordion-style when the structure is retracted. 

The solar array blanket is deployed by extending an epoxyfiberglass mast, stored in a 43 cm (17-in.) diameter, 1.5 m 

(5 ft.) tall canister. The mast consists of three continuous longerons, about 0.63 cm (1/4 in.) in diameter, 

interconnected by three battens at intervals of 23 cm (9 in.). The result is a structure with a triangular cross section 

that is longitudinally stabilized by short guy wires between batten attachments. Rollers are located on the outside of 

all three longerons at the intersections with the battens. 

To extend the mast, a "nut" with internal threads rotates at the top of the canister. As it rotates, the rollers move up 

through the threads of the nut, allowing the longerons to straighten and the guy wires to hold the structure in a rigid 

form. Rotation of the nut in the opposite direction drives the rollers back into the canister, retracting the mast and 

coiling it back into the canister. 

The initial few inches of mast extension unlatches the containment box lid holding the array blanket. As the mast is 

extended, it unfolds the blanket. When the blanket is 70 percent deployed, a tension bar is also deployed that applies 

about 66.7 Newtons of pull (about 15 lb.) in the direction of the containment box. This assures that the section of 

blanket deployed up to that point will be pulled flat. 

Another tension bar at the bottom of the blanket applies another 22.7 Newtons (5 lb.) of pull to flatten the last 30 

percent of the blanket when the array is fully extended. Structural dynamics tests will be conducted with the solar 

array at both 70 percent and 100 percent of its fully deployed height. 

The mast is extended and retracted at about 4 cm (1.5 in.) per second. It takes about 14 minutes to fully extend the 

wing. When the wing is retracted, small springs at the panel hinges "remind" the blanket of which direction to 

collapse as it refolds. 

The mast canister and solar array containment box are mounted on the side of the MPESS by bracketry. Also 

mounted on this bracketry is a tape recorder and other support electronics. Accelerometers mounted to the cover of 

the containment box provide data on the movement of the top of the structure. Additional data will be gathered by 

television cameras located in the cargo bay. These cameras will be used to observe mechanical motions of the 

blanket panels as they are deployed and restowed. other sensors will monitor the thermal environment of the 

structure and the solar cells mounted near the top of the blanket. Data from accelerometers and thermal sensors, and 

the electrical performance of the solar cells on the wing, will be stored on the recorder. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 23

The solar array wing will carry active solar cell modules located on panels near its top. All other solar array panels 

will carry dummy cells. Covering the entire array with active cells is neither necessary nor cost effective for 

accomplishing experiment objectives. However, a solar array of this size, fully populated with active cells, would be 

capable of producing 12.5 kilowatts of power. 

The electrical and thermal performance of these cells will be determined by measuring the current-voltage 

characteristics and the temperature of the cells. As the solar array wing is placed in various positions relative to the 

sun, different levels of solar radiation will fall on the cells. Acquiring data in these different positions will enable 

the complete characterization of cell performance. 

Dynami c Augme nt at i on Expe r i me nt 

The Dynamic Augmentaton Experiment (DAE) will gather information on the solar array structural vibrations and 

will validate an on-orbit method of defining and evaluating the dynamic characteristics of large space system 

structures. Data will be analyzed on the ground. Validation will include verification of the performance of the 

remote sensing system and data evaluation techniques. 

Experiment operations will involve exciting the array using the Shuttle's reaction control system and will generally 

be conducted on the nightside of orbits to reduce background sunlight. 

Sol ar Ce l l Cal i br at i on Fac i l i t y 

The Solar Cell Calibration Facility (SCCF) will evaluate and validate solar cell calibration techniques currently used 

by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. This validation involves comparing the performance of cells 

on orbit with the same cells flown on a high altitude balloon flight. This data will validate the factors used to 

compensate for the residual atmosphere that remains above balloon flight altitudes. 

Cells used in the experiment represent a variety of state of the art and advanced devices, including samples similar 

to those on the solar array wing. Also included are a number of specially fabricated cells designed to make the 

experiment more sensitive to any differences between the exposure on the Shuttle and the exposure on the balloon. 

The experiment will also verify the accuracy of laboratory-generated solar cell temperature coefficients. These solar 

cell temperature coefficients are used to determine the actual solar cell output at a given temperature, information 

that is important for the design of all solar cell arrays to be used in space. 

The calibration hardware is mounted on top of the MPESS in a rectangular case. The sample solar cells are mounted 

on top of the case. System components inside the case include the data acquisition and control system and a tape 

recorder. on top of the case is a reflective shield shaped like a truncated pyramid. This shield protects the solar cells 

from reflected light from the orbiter and other objects in the cargo bay. 

The facility requires a total of about seven orbits to acquire its data. After the flight, data will be processed at JPL. 

OAST- 1 Te am 

Responsibility for the OAST-1 payload is shared by NASA Headquarters and three NASA Centers. The Marshall 

Space Flight Center developed and managed the OAST-1 mission for the Shuttle Payloads Engineering Division of 

the office of Space Science and Applications, NASA Headquarters. Marshall was also responsible for developing 

the SAE and DAE hardware, and will manage the analysis of the augmentation experiment structural dynamics data 

on behalf of the office of Aeronautics and Space Technology. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 24

The development of photogrammetric techniques used to acquire structural dynamics data and the post flight 

analysis of that data will be managed by the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va. The SCCF experiment 

development and data analysis activity will be managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. These activities are also 

being conducted on behalf of the office of Aeronautics and Space Technology. 

Investigators for SAE and DAE include: L.E. Young, principal investigator, MSFC; R.W. Schock, co-investigator, 

DAE structural dynamics, MSFC; M.L. Brumfield, co-investigator, photogrammetry-structural dynamics, LaRC; 

and SCCF, R.G. Downing, principal investigator, JPL. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 25

CONTINUOUS FLOW ELECTROPHORESIS SYSTEM 

McDonnell Douglas engineer Charles D. Walker will become the first non-astronaut to fly into space under a 

NASA policy that allows major Space Shuttle customers to have one of their own people onboard to operate their 

payloads. Payload specialists will most often be scientists or engineers with special skills to operate a scientific 

experiment or to run a unique and critical processing system. 

Walker's job will be to operate the CFES, which is a modified version of the device that has been flown on four 

previous Shuttle missions. His presence is needed because the device has been changed significantly to operate 

continuously for about 100 hours during the mission. Instead of processing several small samples, the CFES will 

collect one large sample on this mission. 

The large quantities of material processed will be furnished to Ortho Pharmaceutical Corp., Raritan, N.J., for 

clinical testing. McDonnell Douglas has an agreement with Ortho Pharmaceutical Corp. to study jointly the 

commercial feasibility of using space-based processing to manufacture pharmaceuticals. McDonnell Douglas will 

separate material in increasing quantities so that Ortho will be able to conduct research and clinical testing needed to 

gain Food and Drug Administration approval for a new pharmaceutical product. Both companies hope this new 

product will be ready for the commercial market by the late 1980s. 

The CFES is a device that separates materials in solution by subjecting them to an electrical field. In this process, a 

continuous stream of biological material is injected into a buffer solution flowing through a thin, rectangular 

chamber. When the electrical field is applied, the biological materials pull apart into separate streams. These streams 

flow out of the top of the chamber and are collected. 

The CFES is mounted on the middeck of the Discovery. The system weighs about 288.4 kg (634.4 lb.). The orbiter 

supplies the necessary power to the unit and access to a cooling system to dissipate the heat generated by the 

process. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 26
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 27

VEHICLE GLOW EXPERIMENT 

A flight experiment to characterize surface-originated vehicle glow will be conducted during flight 41-D. 

observations made during recent Shuttle flights (STS flights 3-8) indicate that optical emissions originate on 

spacecraft surfaces facing the direction of orbital motion. Material specimens flown on STS-8 have shown spectral 

distribution and intensity of the glow to be different for different materials, and that the intensity becomes stronger 

as spacecraft altitude is reduced. These results are of principal concern to mission scientists for the Space Telescope 

and for the astronomical observatories that will be aboard the Space Station, because slight orbit degradations will 

cause the glow to become more intense and possibly interfere with faint star-light measurements for attitudes where 

the telescope optics are oriented toward the "windward" direction. 

Nine strips of material, representing different spacecraft materials, have been attached circumferentially to the 

orbiter's robot arm. The flight crew will take pictures of the strips from the orbiter's aft flight deck during two night 

passes late in the mission. Prior to each photographic opportunity, the attitude of the orbiter will be adjusted to 

produce direct impingement of the orbital environment onto the material strips. 

One set of photographs will be obtained at an orbital altitude of 199 s. mi. and a second set at 139 s. mi. to evaluate 

the intensity of glow at these altitudes. To enhance the brightness level and reduce the exposure time, an image 

intensifier will be used with the camera system. Spectral information of the glow region above each material will be 

documented using a spectrometer assembly uniquely designed for this experiment. 

CLOUDS 

The Clouds payload consists of two, 250-exposure camera assemblies with battery-powered motor drives, l05 mm 

F/2 lenses and infrared filters. All of the hardware will be stowed in a middeck locker and will be used at the aft 

flight deck station for cloud photography data collection. 

IMAX 

Located in the middeck will be an IMAX motion picture camera, making the second of three scheduled trips into 

space aboard the Shuttle. Footage from the Shuttle flights will be assembled into a film called "The Dream Is 

Alive." The IMAX high-fidelity motion picture system uses a large 70 mm film frame that, because of its size, 

improves picture quality. IMAX films are displayed on a screen that is nine times larger than a conventional screen, 

producing a more compelling effect. 

Fifteen IMAX theaters are now operating around the world and 13 are under construction. IMAX Systems Corp. is 

producing the film, which is expected to premiere at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., in 

early summer 1985. About a month after it premieres in Washington, the film will be shown at the new IMAX 

theater at Kennedy Space Center's Visitors' Center. 

The IMAX camera is part of a joint project among NASA, the National Air and Space Museum, IMAX Systems 

Corp. of Toronto, Canada, and the Lockheed Corp. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 28

SHUTTLE STUDENT INVOLVEMENT PROJECT 

There is one experiment chosen for mission 41-D from the Shuttle Student Involvement Project. This experiment 

was proposed by Shawn P. Murphy from Newburg, Ohio. It is sponsored by Rockwell International. The 

experiment is designed to compare a crystal grown by the "Float Zone" technique in a low gravity environment with 

one grown in an identical manner on Earth. 

The material consists of a 25-cm (10-in.) rod of gallium impregnated with thallium. Heat is applied to the crystal 

interface until a molten zone is formed, and the zone then moves up the length of the rod. In the absence of gravity, 

a more uniform distribution of the thallium and a more perfect gallium crystal is expected to result. The experiment 

is contained in the middeck. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 29

STS-41D CREWMEMBERS 

S84-30259 -- Seated are (left to right): Richard M. (Mike) Mullane and Steven A. Hawley, mission specialists; 

Henry W. Hartsfield Jr., crew commander; Michael L. Coats, pilot. Standing are Charles D. Walker, pilot and 

Judith A. Resnik, mission specialist. Behind them is a model of the early sailing vessel Discovery and a model of the 

shuttle Discovery. 

No copyright is asserted for this photograph. If a recognizable person appears in the photo, use for commercial 

purposes may infringe a right of privacy or publicity. It may not be used to state or imply the endorsement by NASA 

or by any NASA employee of a commercial product, process or service, or used in any other manner that might 

mislead. Accordingly, it is requested that if this photograph is used in advertising and other commercial promotion, 

layout and copy be submitted to NASA prior to release. 

PHOTO CREDIT: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 30

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA 

HENRY W. HARTSFI ELD Jr . , 50, is commander of 41-D, the twelfth flight of the Space Shuttle. A native of 

Birmingham, Ala., he became a NASA astronaut in 1969 while with the Air Force. 

Hartsfield was pilot for STS-4, the fourth and final orbital test flight of the Shuttle Columbia. In this seven-day 

mission, he completed 112 Earth orbits, logging 169 hours and 11 minutes in space. 

Retiring from the Air Force in 1977 with more than 22 years of active service, he continued his assignment as a 

civilian NASA astronaut. He has logged more than 6,000 hours flying time -- of which 5,200 hours are in jet 

aircraft. 

MI CHAEL L. COATS, 38, USN Commander, is the pilot for 41-D. He was selected as a NASA astronaut 

candidate in 1978, completing his training the following year. He was capsule communicator for the fourth and fifth 

Shuttle missions. 

Coats was graduated from U.S. Naval Academy in 1968 and became a naval aviator in 1969. While assigned to the 

USS Kittyhawk, he flew 315 combat missions in Southeast Asia. 

He has logged 3,500 hours flying time and 400 carrier landings in 22 different types of aircraft. 

JUDI TH A. RESNI K, Ph.D., 35, is one of three mission specialists on this flight of Discovery. She became a 

NASA astronaut candidate in 1978 and completed the one-year training and evaluation period to become eligible 

for Space Shuttle flight crew assignment. She will be the second American woman to fly in space. 

Resnik's projects in support of orbiter development at the Johnson Space Center include experiment software and 

the Remote Manipulator System. 

Resnik received a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University in 1970 and 

a doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland in 1977. 

STEVEN A. HAWLEY, Ph.D., 32, is a mission specialist on Space Shuttle flight 41-D. 

Hawley became a NASA astronaut candidate in 1978 and a year later became eligible for flight assignment. He was 

simulator pilot for software checkout at the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory and a member of the astronaut 

support crew for orbiter test and checkout. 

Graduated with highest distinction from the University of Kansas, he received bachelor of arts degrees in physics 

and astronomy and a doctor of philosophy in astronomy and astrophysics from the University of California. 

Hawley is the husband of Astronaut Sally K. Ride, first American woman to fly in a Space Shuttle. 

RI CHARD M. MULLANE, Lt. Col., USAF, 38, the third mission specialist on Discovery, is a West Point graduate 

with 150 combat missions as a weapon system operator in Vietnam. 

In 1979 he became eligible for assignment as Space Shuttle crew mission specialist. 

Mullane received a bachelor of science degree in military engineering from the U.S. Military Academy in 1967 and 

was awarded a master of science degree in aeronautical engineering from the Air Force Institute. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 31

CHARLES D. WALKER, 36, is the first commercial payload specialist assigned by NASA to a Space Shuttle flight 

crew. 

Walker is chief test engineer for the McDonnell Douglas Electrophoresis operations in Space project. As payload 

specialist, Walker will operate the materials processing equipment, a project aimed at separating large quantities of 

biological materials in space for ultimate use in new pharmaceuticals. 

Walker was graduated from Purdue University in 1971 with a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical and 

astronautical engineering. 

Prior to joining McDonnell Douglas, Walker was project engineer responsible for computer-based manufacturing 

process controls and design of ordnance production equipment at the Naval Sea Systems Command Engineering 

Center, Crane, Ind. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 32

SHUTTLE FLIGHTS AS OF AUGUST 1984 

11 TOTAL FLI GHTS OF THE SHUTTLE SYSTEM

STS-9 

11/28/83 - 12/08/83 

STS-5 

11/11/82 - 11/16/82 

STS-41C 

04/06/84 - 04/13/84 

STS-4 

06/27/82 - 07/04/82 

STS-41B 

02/03/84 - 02/11/84 

STS-3 

03/22/82 - 03/30/82 

STS-8 

08/30/83 - 09/05/83 

STS-2 

11/12/81 - 11/14/81 

STS-7 

06/18/83 - 06/24/83 

STS-1 

04/12/81 - 04/14/81 

STS-6 

04/04/83 - 04/09/83 

 

OV-102 

Columbia 

(6 flights)

OV-099 

Challenger 

(5 flights)