STS-34 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
STS-34

Galileo and its Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) in the payload bay of Atlantis
Names	Space Transportation System-31 STS-34
Mission type	Galileo spacecraft deployment
Operator	NASA
Mission duration	4 days, 23 hours, 39 minutes, 21 seconds (achieved)
Distance travelled	2,900,000 km (1,800,000 mi)
Orbits completed	79
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Space Shuttle Atlantis
Launch mass	116,831 kg (257,568 lb)
Landing mass	88,881 kg (195,949 lb)
Payload mass	22,064 kg (48,643 lb)
Crew
Crew size	5
Members	Donald E. Williams Michael J. McCulley Shannon W. Lucid Franklin R. Chang-Díaz Ellen S. Baker
Start of mission
Launch date	18 October 1989, 16:53:40 UTC
Rocket	Space Shuttle Atlantis
Launch site	Kennedy Space Center, LC-39B
Contractor	Rockwell International
End of mission
Landing date	23 October 1989, 16:33:01 UTC
Landing site	Edwards Air Force Base, Runway 23
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Perigee	298 km (185 mi)
Apogee	307 km (191 mi)
Inclination	34.33°
Period	90.60 minutes
STS-34 mission patch Back row: Donald E. Williams and Michael J. McCulley Front row: Shannon W. Lucid, Franklin R. Chang-Díaz, Ellen S. Baker Space Shuttle program ← STS-28 (30) STS-33 (32) →

STS-34 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission using the orbiter Atlantis. It was the 31st Space Shuttle mission overall. This flight was the fifth journey for Atlantis. STS-34 launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on October 18, 1989. It landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on October 23, 1989. The main goal of this mission was to send the Galileo probe on its way to Jupiter.

Meet the STS-34 Crew

This mission had a crew of five talented astronauts. They each played a key role in making STS-34 a success.

Mission Highlights and Goals

Liftoff of Atlantis from Kennedy Space Center.

The Galileo probe begins its journey to Jupiter.

Atlantis lifted off from Launch Complex 39B on October 18, 1989. The launch was a bit delayed to update the shuttle's computer. This change was needed because of bad weather at the original emergency landing site.

The launch was first planned for October 12, 1989. This date was chosen because the planets were lined up perfectly for a direct trip to Jupiter. It was then moved to October 17. This was to fix a small problem with one of the main engines. Rain near the launch site caused another delay until October 18.

Sending Galileo to Jupiter

The most important part of STS-34 was deploying the Galileo spacecraft. Galileo was attached to a special booster called the Inertial Upper Stage (IUS). This booster helped push Galileo towards Jupiter. The deployment happened about six hours after launch. The IUS successfully sent Galileo on its way.

Galileo was the second planetary spacecraft launched from a Space Shuttle. The first was the Magellan probe. Galileo was designed to be the first spacecraft to orbit an outer Solar System planet. It would also be the first to enter the atmosphere of an outer planet. The mission aimed to study Jupiter and its moons for a long time. It also planned to fly by asteroids for the first time.

Small Challenges During the Flight

The mission had a few small issues, but none stopped it from being successful. One alarm woke the crew when a heater system had a problem. There were also minor issues with the cooling system. A special camera used for photos jammed twice. The crew had to use a backup camera.

Astronaut Franklin Chang-Díaz described his second flight as very focused. He mentioned the challenge of deploying Galileo. They had only a six-second window to get it right.

A Call from Home

On October 21, 1989, the President of Costa Rica, Dr. Óscar Arias, spoke with Chang-Díaz. Chang-Díaz is from Costa Rica. They talked in Spanish. President Arias also greeted the other crew members. He told Chang-Díaz, "You raise high the name of Costa Rica and Latin America in general." Chang-Díaz also explained the mission goals in Spanish to listeners in Costa Rica.

Landing Back on Earth

The landing was moved up by two orbits because of strong winds. Atlantis landed safely on Runway 23 at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The mission lasted almost five days.

Experiments and Science on Board

Besides Galileo, Atlantis carried several science experiments. These experiments helped scientists learn more about space and our planet.

Studying Earth's Ozone Layer

Two special containers held the Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SSBUV) experiment. This experiment flew for the first time on STS-34. NASA developed SSBUV to check the accuracy of instruments on other satellites. These instruments measure the Earth's ozone layer and how much sunlight reaches us. The experiment worked very well.

Other Mid-Deck Experiments

STS-34 also had five experiments located in the mid-deck area. All of them were successful.

• The Polymer Morphology (PM) experiment studied how different types of polymers melt and harden in space. This was a joint project with the 3M company.
• The Mesoscale Lightning Experiment (MLE) observed large-scale lightning in the upper atmosphere. This experiment had flown on earlier shuttle missions.

Growing Crystals and Plants

The crew successfully fixed a student experiment about ice crystal growth. At first, no crystals formed because the water froze too quickly. The crew thawed the ice and tried again. This time, several crystals grew. Astronauts Shannon Lucid and Ellen Baker also froze samples of corn seedlings. These plants had grown in orbit during the mission. This was part of the Growth Hormone Concentration and Distribution in Plants experiment.

Filming in Space

The crew used an IMAX camera to film inside the cabin. This camera had been used on a previous mission, STS-29. Footage from this flight was later used in the 2005 film The Wild Blue Yonder.

Health Studies in Space

Astronauts Chang-Díaz and Baker, who is a medical doctor, performed a detailed study. They photographed and videotaped the veins and arteries in Baker's eye. This helped scientists measure changes that might be linked to motion sickness in space. Baker also tested how well anti-motion sickness medicine worked in space.

Wake-Up Songs

NASA has a tradition of playing music to wake up astronauts. This started during the Project Gemini program. Each song is chosen carefully, often by the astronauts' families. The songs usually have a special meaning for a crew member or relate to their daily tasks.

Images for kids

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  Galileo being prepared prior to launch.

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  The launch viewed from below.

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  Galileo prior to release

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  Greece imaged from orbit.

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  The Mekong River delta imaged from orbit.

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  Atlantis lands at Edwards Air Force Base.

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  Seats 1–4 are on the Flight Deck. Seats 5–7 are on the Middeck.