Solid Rocket Qualification Motor Firing at the Morton Thiokol facility at Brigham City, Utah on 20 April 1988.

Artwork Constricted Arc Heater Assembly

S88-42409 (20 July 1988) --- STS-26 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, Mission Specialist (MS) George D. Nelson participates in crew escape system (CES) testing in JSC Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) Bldg 29. Nelson, wearing the newly designed (navy blue) launch and entry suit (LES), floats in WETF pool with the aid of an underarm flotation device (modern version of Mas West floats). He awaits the assistance of SCUBA-equipped divers during a simulation of escape and rescue operations utilizing a new CES pole for emergency exit from the Space Shuttle.

S88-37764 (18 April 1988) --- OASIS, instrumentation which will record the environment experienced by Discovery during the STS-26 Space Shuttle mission, is lowered into position for attachment to the orbiter's aft port sill. Instrumentation sensors in the payload bay which are connected to the tape recorder module will document a variety of environmental measurements during various phases of the flight including temperature, pressure, vibration, sounds, acceleration, stress, and strain. OASIS will also record data during the Flight Readiness Firing. NASA is flying OASIS aboard Discovery in support of the Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) program office of the Air Force Space Division. The system was developed by Lockheed under a NASA contract, funded by the Air Force.

Advanced Recovery Systems Parafoil test 80x120ft w.t. test-004

S89-27382 (29 Dec 1988) --- Technicians and engineers in the Kennedy Space Center's Vertical Processing Facility prepare to participate in the mating of the STS-29 tracking and data relay satellite (TDRS-D) with its inertial upper stage (IUS-9, out of frame).

S88-27505 (3 Feb. 1988) --- Astronauts William M. Shepherd (standing) and Jerry L. Ross, both STS-27 mission specialists, get in some training time on the flight deck of the Shuttle Mission Simulator in the Jake Garn Mission Simulation and Training Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Photo credit: NASA

The STS-28 insignia was designed by the astronaut crew, who said it portrays the pride the American people have in their manned spaceflight program. It depicts America (the eagle) guiding the space program (the Space Shuttle) safely home from an orbital mission. The view looks south on Baja California and the west coast of the United States as the space travelers re-enter the atmosphere. The hypersonic contrails created by the eagle and Shuttle represent the American flag. The crew called the simple boldness of the design symbolic of America's unfaltering commitment to leadership in the exploration and development of space.

STS027-S-014 (6 Dec. 1988) --- A 70mm camera records the landing of the space shuttle Atlantis on Rogers Dry Lake Bed near the Dryden Flight Research Facility in California. The wheels of the vehicle came to a stop at 3:36:53 p.m. (PST), marking the completion of a successful mission which involved five veteran NASA astronauts. Onboard for the four-day flight were astronauts Robert L. Gibson, Guy S. Gardner, Jerry L. Ross, Richard M. (Mike) Mullane and William M. Shepherd. Photo credit: NASA

During STS-26, inertial upper stage (IUS) with the tracking and data relay satellite C (TDRS-C) drifts above Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, payload bay (PLB) after being positioned in deployment attitude (an angle of 50 degrees) by the airborne support equipment (ASE). IUS vacates the ASE aft frame tilt actuator (AFTA) table in the PLB while the disconnected ASE umbilical boom floats above ASE forward cradle. IUS first stage rocket motor and nozzle and the interstage are visible as the IUS is deployed. In the background are the orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pods and the Earth's limb.

ASRF - Automated Science Research Facility Artwork

Five astronauts composed the STS-30 crew. Pictured (left to right) are Ronald J. Grabe, pilot; David M. Walker, commander; and mission specialists Norman E. Thagard, Mary L. Cleave, and Mark C. Lee. The STS-30 mission launched aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis on May 4, 1989 at 2:46:59pm (EDT). The primary payload was the Magellan/Venus Radar mapper spacecraft and attached Inertial Upper Stage (IUS).

S88-52466 (8 Nov 1988) --- James P. Bagian, STS-29 mission specialist, gets in some training on the operation of one of the payloads for his upcoming spaceflight aboard Discovery. The crew met with Imax personnel, some of whom are pictured here, on the JSC grounds to practice using the motion- picture camera, making its first post-Challenger trip into space. The payload flew on a number of earlier STS flights.

STS027-05-020 (2-6 Dec. 1988) --- In the foreground, astronauts Robert L. Gibson (left) and Guy S. Gardner, commander and pilot, respectively, for the STS-27 mission, repair a 3/4-inch video reel on the middeck of the Earth-orbiting space shuttle Atlantis. Photo credit: NASA

S88-55873 (1961) --- Astronaut Virgil I. (Gus) Grissom, pilot of the Mercury-Redstone 4 (MR-4) spaceflight. (NOTE: Astronaut "Gus" Grissom, one of the original seven astronauts, died Jan. 27, 1967, at NASA?s John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Cape Canaveral Florida, in the Apollo 1 spacecraft fire.) Photo credit: NASA

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The space shuttle Discovery and its five-man crew is launched from pad 39B at 11:37 a.m. as STS-26 embarks on a four-day mission marking America's return to space. On the first day of orbit, the crew will deploy from the orbiter's payload bay the primary payload, the Tracking and Date Relay Satellite, or TDRS-C. The inertial upper stage, or IUS, will boost the satellite to a geosynchronous altitude from low Earth orbit. When it place, TDRS-C will relay date from low Earth orbiting spacecraft and air-to-ground voice communications sand television from shape shuttle orbiters during missions. The crew members of STST-26 are Commander Rick Hauck, Pilot Richard Covey, and Mission Specialists Dave Hilmers, Mike Lounge and George "Pinky" Nelson. Photo Credit: NASA

Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS) showing a Space Shuttle configuration

Fruehauf Truck and Trailer Test in 80x120ft W.T. (looking at drag and fuel efficiency)

STS026-31-071 (3 Oct 1988) --- After deployment from Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, the inertial upper stage (IUS) with the tracking and data relay satellite C (TDRS-C) drifts above the cloud-covered Earth surface. TDRS-C, in stowed configuration (solar array panels visible), is mounted atop the IUS with the interstage and solid rocket motor and nozzle seen in the foreground.

STS026-S-101 (2 Oct 1988) --- Flight controllers in the Johnson Space Center?s mission control center listen to a presentation by the five members of the STS 26 crew on the fourth day of Discovery?s orbital mission. Flight Directors Charles W. Shaw and James M. (Milt) Heflin (in the foreground) and other controllers view a television image of Earth on a screen in the front of the flight control room while each member relates some inner feelings while paying tribute to the Challenger crew.

S88-41481 (15 July 1988) --- This is the official insignia of the NASA STS-27 mission. The patch depicts the space shuttle lifting off against the multi-colored backdrop of a rainbow, symbolizing the triumphal return to flight of our nation's manned space program. The design also commemorates the memory of the crew of Challenger mission STS51-L, represented by the seven stars. The names of the flight crew members of STS-27 are located along the border of the patch. They are astronauts Robert L. Gibson, commander; Guy S. Gardner, pilot; Jerry L. Ross, Richard M. (Mike) Mullane and William M. Shepherd, mission specialists. Each crew member contributed to the design of the insignia. 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 forms of illustrations by the various news media. When and if there is any change in this policy, which is not anticipated, the change will be publicly announced. Photo credit: NASA

S88-37966 (2 Oct 1988) --- European Space Agency payload specialists Ulf Merbold (STS-42, right) and Reinhold Furrer (STS 61-A) get the "feel" of zero-gravity aboard NASA's KC-135 aircraft over the Gulf of Mexico.

STS26-S-103 (2 October 1988) --- A wide-angle view of flight controllers in the Johnson Space Center's mission control center as they listen to a presentation by the five members of the STS-26 crew on the fourth day of Discovery's orbital mission. Flight Director James M. (Milt) Heflin (standing at center), astronaut G. David Low (standing at right), a spacecraft communicator, and other controllers view a television image of the crew on a screen in the front of the flight control room as each member relates some inner feelings while paying tribute to the Challenger crew.

The arculate fronts of these apparently converging internal waves off the northeast coast of Somalia (11.5N, 51.5E) probably were produced by interaction with two parallel submarine canyons off the Horn of Africa. Internal waves are packets of tidally generated waves traveling within the ocean at varying depths and are not detectable by any surface disturbance.

STS-26 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, with nose landing gear (NLG) and main landing gear (MLG) deployed glides above dry lakebed runway 17 at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), California. This profile view shows OV-103's port side just before MLG touchdown.

ASRF - Automated Sciences into the future of spaceflight and planetary research. Artwork

Newly arrived DC-8 (NASA-717) in flight over Ames

Dr. John Klineberg accepts the Collier Trophy for NASA

NASA/Navy V-22 Rotor testing in the NASA Ames 40x80ft. Subsonic Wind.Tunnel. Test-568 with Fort Felker and Engenio DeVargas.

The predominant themes are: a new beginning (sunrise), a safe mission (stylized launch and plume), the building upon the traditional strengths of NASA (the red vector which symbolizes aeronautics on the original NASA insignia), and a remembrance of their seven colleagues who died aboard Challenger (the seven-starred Big Dipper). The patch was designed by artist Stephen R. Hustvedt of Annapolis, MD.

E-7 STOVL fighter model testing in Ames 40x80ft Subsonic wind tunnel. Investigating Supersonic Short Take-off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) technology.

S88-53244 (14 Nov 1988) --- The crewmembers for STS-27 leave the operations and checkout (O&C) building en route to a transfer van that will take them to Launch Pad 39B for their terminal countdown demonstration test. From the front to the rear are astronauts Robert L. Gibson, Guy S. Gardner, William M. Shepherd, Richard M. (Mike) Mullane and Jerry L. Ross.

S26-S-032 (29 Sept. 1988) --- The STS-26 launch of space shuttle Discovery begins the first flight to be flown after the Challenger accident. The flight crew included astronauts Rick Hauck, commander; Dick Covey, pilot; and three mission specialists, Dave Hilmers, Mike Lounge, and George (Pinky) Nelson. During the four-day mission, the crew deployed the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-C) and operated eleven mid-deck experiments. Discovery completed 64 orbits of the earth before landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on October 3, 1988. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

S88-43990 (Nov 1988) --- Astronaut Franklin R. Chang-Diaz, mission specialist.

STS-26 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, lifts off from mobile launcher platform at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch Complex (LC) pad 39B. Riding atop the orange external tank (ET), OV-103 heads for Earth orbit as the exhaust plumes from the two solid rocket boosters (SRBs) cover the mobile launcher platform and the area surrounding the launch pad. SRB firings are reflected in a nearby waterway. In the foreground are trees and several birds in flight. STS-26 marks OV-103's first flight since September 1985 and NASA's first manned mission since the 51L Challenger accident, 01-28-86.

Five astronauts composed the crew of the STS-26 mission. Pictured in the portrait (left to right) are David C. Hilmer, mission specialist; Richard O. Covey, pilot; George D. Nelson, mission specialist; Frederick H. Hauck, Jr., commander; and John, M. Lounge, mission specialist. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery, liftoff occurred on September 29, 1988 at 11:37am (EDT). This was the 7th flight of the Orbiter Discovery, and the return to flight after the STS-51L mission accident. The primary payload was the NASA Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-3 (TDRS-3).

Portrait of Christine M. Darden

STS-26 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, rises into a cloudy sky and heads for Earth orbit atop the external tank (ET) as exhaust plumes billow from the two solid rocket boosters (SRBs) during liftoff from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch Complex (LC) pad 39B. STS-26 marks OV-103's first flight since September 1985 and NASA's first manned mission since 51L Challenger accident, 01-28-86.

STS027-S-006 (2 Dec. 1988) --- A good portion of the Kennedy Space Center launch complex 39 and the Atlantic Ocean form the backdrop for the beginning stages of Atlantis' return trip to space. The scene was captured with a hand-held 70mm camera aimed through the windows of a NASA shuttle training aircraft piloted by astronaut Daniel C. Brandenstein, chief of Johnson Space Center?s astronaut office. Launch occurred at 9:30:34 a.m. (EST), Dec. 2, 1988. Photo credit: NASA

S88-49485 (1988) --- Astronaut Robert C. Springer, Mission Specialist.

STS-27 Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, Commander Robert L. Gibson, wearing flight coveralls and communications kit assembly, sits at commanders station controls on JSC shuttle mission simulator (SMS) forward flight deck during training session. Gibson looks at crewmember on aft flight deck. SMS is located in the Mission Simulation and Training Facility Bldg 5.

Artist: Rick Guidice SIRTF Artwork update - cutaway Space Infrared Telescope Facility's will orbit at 900 kilometers aboard a platform-type spacecraft, providing power, pointing, and communications to Earth. The telescope and its infrared instruments, will reside within a cylindrical cryogen tank. The hollow walls of the tank will contain the superfluid helium that cools the telescope to its operating temperature, a few degrees above absolute zero. SIRTF will carry three versatile instruments to analyze the radiation it collects, the Multiband Imaging Photometer, the Infrared Array Camera, and the Infrared Spectrograph. SIRTF long lifetime - 5 years or more - will permit astronomers of all disciplines to use the facililty to carry out a wide variety of astrophysical programs. It will provide ongoing coverage of variable objects, such as quasars, as well as the capability to study rare and transient events such as comets and supernovae. SIRTF's long lifetime will also allow it to distinguish nearby objects by detecting their gradual motions relative to the more distant background stars.

STS027-S-012 (6 Dec. 1988) --- A 70mm camera records the landing of the Space Shuttle Atlantis on Rogers Dry Lake Bed near the Dryden Flight Research Facility in California. The wheels of the vehicle came to a stop at 3:36:53 p.m. (PST), marking the completion of a successful mission which involved five veteran NASA astronauts. Onboard for the four-day flight were astronauts Robert L. Gibson, Guy S. Gardner, Jerry L. Ross, Richard M. (Mike) Mullane and William M. Shepherd.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-26 PRE-LAUNCH ACTIVITIES – PRESS SITE AREA. Photo credit: NASA

S88-41541 (7 July 1988) --- STS-26 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, is suspended by overhead crane and large frame attached to vehicle at four points. A ground-level view shows OV-103 during operations to accomplish its mating to two solid rocket boosters (SRBs) and an external fuel tank (ET) in the vehicle assembly building (VAB) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). From this step OV-103 will be lifted vertically and hoisted high inside the VAB for mating with the already connected ET and SRBs. In less than two weeks, the combined components will be rolled to Pad 39B atop a mobile launch platform.

Newly arrived DC-8 (NASA-717) in flight over Sierra mountains

Dryden Aircraft Fleet on ramp and facility - 1988

S88-45293 (November 1988) --- Astronaut John E. Blaha, pilot.

Documentary views of the STS-26 Flight Readiness Firing at KSC, Pad 39B, on 10 Aug 1988. (KSC-88PC-752 closer) (KSC-88PC-752, 753)

S88-53086 (17 Nov 1988) --- STS-27 Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, crewmembers participate in the terminal countdown demonstration test (TCDT) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Standing in front of the M113 tracked rescue vehicle (armored personnel carrier (APC)) are left to right Mission Specialist (MS) William M. Shepherd, Pilot Guy S. Gardner, Commander Robert L. Gibson, MS Richard M. Mullane, and MS Jerry L. Ross. Crewmembers are wearing orange partial pressure or launch and entry suits (LES).

Cray YMP supercomputer Nas N-258 facility

S88-42425 (20 July 1988) --- STS-26 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, Pilot Richard O. Covey, wearing the newly designed launch and entry suit (LES), floats in single-occupant life raft in JSC Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) Bldg 29 pool. The simulation of the escape and rescue operations utilized the crew escape system (CES) pole method of egress from the Space Shuttle.

STS026-S-169 (3 Oct 1988) --- The five STS 26 crewmembers pose with Vice President George Bush after completing a successful four-day mission aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery (background). Pictured, from left to right, are astronaut Richard O. Covey, pilot; Vice President Bush; and astronauts Frederick H. (Rick) Hauck, mission commander; and David C. Hilmers, John M. (Mike) Lounge, and George D. Nelson, all mission specialists.

Long range view of an unidentified space shuttle lift off taken from an unidentified high flying aircraft.

S89-27381 (29 Dec 1988) --- Technicians and engineers in the Kennedy Space Center's Vertical Processing Facility clean room prepare to participate in the mating of the STS 29 tracking and data relay satellite (TDRS-D) with its inertial upper stage (IUS-9, out of frame).

Fruehauf Truck and Trailer Test in 80x120ft W.T. with LRLDV (looking at drag and fuel efficiency)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Kennedy Space Center Director Forrest McCartney speaks at the ground-breaking ceremonies for the new Operations Support Building. This new facility will provide office accommodations for 1,700 NASA and contractor personnel. The $20,695,000, six-story, 300,000-square-foot building is located southwest of the Multi-Function Facility near the corner of the Saturn Causeway and Kennedy Parkway Roads. Construction is due to be completed by June 1990. Photo credit: NASA

Crows Landing runway approach

S88-54948 (6 Dec 1988) --- The STS-29 crewmembers are trained in procedures to follow in the event of a fire with their spacecraft. Here, the crew is briefed on correct handling of the fire extinguisher by Robert Fife (far left) of NASA's fire and security staff. Pictured, left to right, are Astronauts John E. Blaha, pilot; Michael L. Coats, mission commander; Robert C. Springer, James F. Buchli and James P. Bagian, mission specialists. The training exercise took place on the northern end of the 1625-acre JSC facility.

Technicians ready a single rotating propeller model in the 8x6 Supersonic Wind Tunnel

S88-40309 (7 Nov. 1988) --- The STS-28 insignia was designed by the astronaut crew, who said it portrays the pride the American people have in their manned spaceflight program. It depicts America (the eagle) guiding the space program (the space shuttle) safely home from an orbital mission. The view looks south on Baja California and the west coast of the United States as the space travelers re-enter the atmosphere. The hypersonic contrails created by the eagle and shuttle represent the American flag. The crew called the simple boldness of the design symbolic of America's unfaltering commitment to leadership in the exploration and development of space. Crew members for STS-28 are astronauts Brewster H. Shaw Jr.,commander; Richard N. Richards, pilot; and David C. Leestma, Mark N. Brown and James C. Adamson, mission specialists. 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 forms of illustrations by the various news media. When and if there is any change in this policy, which is not anticipated, the change will be publicly announced. Photo credit: NASA

Documentation of the AFE (Aero Flight Experiment) - IML (International Microgravity Laboratory) construction progress through the year 1988.

S88-42092 (15 July 1988) --- STS-26 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, rollover at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is closely monitored by engineers and technicians in the late stages of the move from the orbiter processing facility (OPF) to the vehicle assembly building (VAB) as preflight preparations continue. A large crowd of KSC employees and other spectators watches in the background as OV-103, supported by its landing gear, is pulled toward VAB (background). While in the VAB, OV-103 will be mated to two solid rocket boosters (SRBs) and an external fuel tank.

S88-44661 (13 Aug 1988) --- Tom Kestler, with Orthopaedic Hospital, USC, one of the sponsor representatives for student experimenter Andrew Fras explains components of Fras' experiment. It will be carried onboard theDiscovery for NASA's STS-29 mission next year. His primary audience is made up of members of the STS-29 crew who will monitor in-space operation of the experiment, titled "Effects of Weightlessness on Bone Healing." Crewmembers, clockwise around the table from the left, are Astronauts Robert C. Springer, James F. Buchli, Michael L. Coats, John E. Blaha and James P. Bagian. Seated in far right background is Dr. June Marshall of the University of Southern California School of Medicine, the student's sponsoring organization.

STS026-43-082 (29 Sept. - 3 Oct. 1988) --- This 70mm northerly oriented frame over the Pacific Ocean features the Hawaiian Islands chain. The islands perturb the prevailing northeasterly winds producing extensive cloud wakes in the lee of the islands. Photo experts feel that atmospheric haze in the Hawaii wake is probably a result of the continuing eruptions of Kilauea volcano on the southeast coast. From the lower right corner in a diagonal directed upward to the north are the islands of Nihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Maui, Kahoolawe, and Hawaii. This photo was shown during the post-flight press conference on October 11, 1988 by the STS-26 astronauts, who at one time during the flight wore Hawaiian attire to pay tribute to the working staff of the Hawaii tracking station.

STS026-09-008 (3 Oct 1988) --- STS-26 crewmembers wear Hawaiian attire (brightly colored shirts with bold prints) and sunglasses while giving the "thumbs up" signal as they pay tribute to the Hawaii tracking station during an unscheduled television (TV) downlink. On Discovery's, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103's, middeck are (left to right) Mission Specialist (MS) John M. Lounge, holding onto open airlock hatch, MS David C. Hilmers, wearing red shirt, Commander Frederick H. Hauck, wearing white shirt and positioned in center of crew, MS George D. Nelson, and Pilot Richard O. Covey (lower right corner of the frame). The shirts were given to the crewmembers by the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Loud and Proud Team.

STS-26 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, rolls out to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) launch complex (LC) pad 39B on top of the crawler transporter. OV-103 nears LC pad 39B after a six-hour journey from the vehicle assembly building (VAB). When locked onto the nearby rotating service structure (RSS), work will continue to ready the vehicle for the STS-26 launch later in the summer.

Portrait: Jill Tarter in her office at Ames. She now provides the scientific vision for the SETI Institute. used in Ames 60 yr. History NASA SP-2000-4314

STS027-10-003 (2-6 Dec. 1988) --- From the left, astronauts Guy S. Gardner, STS-27 pilot, along with Jerry L. Ross and Richard M. (Mike) Mullane, both mission specialists, take a break from moving gear and equipment on the middeck of the Earth-orbiting space shuttle Atlantis. Photo credit: NASA

The patch depicts the Space Shuttle lifting off against the multi-colored backdrop of a rainbow, symbolizing the triumphal return to flight of our nation's manned space program. The design also commemorates the memory of the crew of Challenger mission STS-51-L, represented by the seven stars. The names of the flight crewmembers of STS-27 are located along the border of the patch.

View of the left cockpit and pilot's seat of the F-111 MAW aircraft. Unlike most fighter aircraft of the time, the F-111 had side-by-side seating. The pilot sat on the left side, and the weapons systems officer on the right. Both had control sticks to fly the aircraft. The two yellow and black striped handles would be used in an emergency to eject the entire F-111 cockpit. The F-111 also did not have ejection seats, but used a capsule.

The STS-27 crew portrait features 5 astronauts. Seated, left to right, are Jerry L. Ross, mission specialist; Guy S. Gardner, pilot; and Robert L. Gibson, commander. On the back row, left to right, are mission specialists Richard M. Mullane, and William M. Shepherd. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis on December 2, 1988 at 9:30:34 am (EST), the STS-27 mission was the third mission dedicated to the Department of Defense (DOD).

S89-25281 (8 Oct 1988) --- The Magellan spacecraft is hoisted from the transport trailer of the Payload Environmental Transportation System (PETS) to the floor of the cleanroom in the SAEF-2 planetary checkout facility at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The spacecraft, destined for unprecedented studies of Venusian topographic features, is to be deployed by the crew of NASA's STS-30 mission in April 1989.

S88-44517 (13 Aug 1988) --- Student experimenter John C. Vellinger, right, explains operation of an incubator used in his experiment to be carried onboard the Discovery for NASA's STS-29 mission next year. His primary audience is made up of STS-29's five-man crew, who will monitor in-space operation of the experiment, titled "Chicken Embryo Development in Space." Kentucky Fried Chicken.

SR-3 Advanced Turboprop (Propfan) in 8x6 foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel (SWT)

STS027-S-005 (Dec 2, 1988) --- Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched from Kennedy Space Center's (KSC) Pad 39-B at 9:30 a.m. EST, on a Department of Defense (DOD) dedicated mission. This is the third mission for the orbiter Atlantis. Crew members are: Commander Robert L. "Hoot" Gibson; Pilot Guy S. Gardner; and Mission Specialists Jerry L. Ross, William M. Shepherd and Richard M. (Mike) Mullane.

The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) successfully test fired the third in a series of Transient Pressure Test Articles (TPTA) in its east test area. The test article was a short-stack solid rocket motor 52-feet long and 12-feet in diameter. The TPTA tests were designed to evaluate the effects of temperature, pressure and external loads encountered by the SRM, primarily during ignition transients. Instrumentation on the motor recorded approximately 1,000 charnels of data to verify the structural performance, thermal response, sealing capability of the redesign field, and case-to-nozzle joints. The TPTA test stand, 14-feet wide by 26-feet long by 33-feet high, was built in 1987. The TPTA series was a joint effort among Morton Thiokol, Inc., United Space Boosters, Inc., Wyle Laboratories, and MSFC. Wyle Laboratories conducted the tests for the MSFC, which manages the redesigned SRM program for NASA.

This artist's concept drawing depicts the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-C (TDRS-C), which was the primary payload of the Space Shuttle Discovery on the STS-26 mission, launched on September 29, 1988. The TDRS system provides almost uninterrupted communications with Earth-orbiting Shuttles and satellites, and had replaced the intermittent coverage provided by globe-encircling ground tracking stations used during the early space program. The TDRS can transmit and receive data, and track a user spacecraft in a low Earth orbit. The deployment of TDRS-G on the STS-70 mission being the latest in the series, NASA has successfully launched six TDRSs.

Photograph by Pioneer Venus OCPP imagery 0900 collected 5-14-88 10th anniversary release Venus image 7540

Mission Specialist George (Pinky) D. Nelson uses a 35 mm camera to photograph a protein crystal grown during the STS-26 Protein Crystal Growth (PCG-II-01) experiment. The protein crystal growth (PCG) carrier is shown deployed from the PCG Refrigerator/Incubator Mocule (R/IM) located in the middeck forward locker. The R/IM contained three Vapor Diffusion Apparatus (VDS) trays (one of which is shown). A total of sixty protein crystal samples were processed during the STS-26 mission.

S89-27380 (15 Dec 1988) --- The 155-ft. long external fuel tank (ET) is slowly lowered for mating with the twin solid rocket boosters (SRB) in Bay 1 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at KSC, as preparations continue for a March 1989 launch of Discovery. Primary payload for the mission will be the tracking and data relay satellite (TDRS-D). Crewmembers are astronauts Michael L. Coats, John E. Blaha, James F. Buchli, Robert C. Springer and James P. Bagain.

ASRF (Automated Science Research Facility) Artwork

SH-3G (NASA-735) Helicopter in flight.

S88-52469 (8 Nov 1988) --- Astronauts John E. Blaha, left, and Robert C. Springer, STS-29 pilot and mission specialist, respectively, get in some training on the operation of one of the payloads for their upcoming spaceflight aboard Discovery. The crew met with Imax personnel on the JSC grounds to practice using the motion-picture camera, making its first post-Challenger trip into space. The payload flew on a number of earlier STS flights.

STS026-06-018 (29 Sept. - 3 Oct. 1988) --- Astronaut John M. Lounge, STS-26 mission specialist (MS), using a beverage container, experiments with microgravity as Commander Frederick H. Hauck (left) and MS David C. Hilmers (right) look on. Lounge freefloats as he closes in on a sphere of the red liquid drifting in front of his mouth. Hauck holds a spoon while sipping from a beverage container as he balances a meal tray assembly on his thighs. Hilmers, partially blocked by the open airlock hatch and holding a spoon and a can of food, pauses to watch the experiment. Automated Directional Solidification Furnace (ADSF) and forward middeck lockers appear on Lounge's right.

STS027-11-012 (2-6 Dec. 1988) --- The crew members for the STS-27 space flight pose on the flight deck of the Earth-orbiting space shuttle Atlantis with a football free-floating in the foreground. Left to right are astronauts Robert L. Gibson, commander; Richard M. (Mike) Mullane, Jerry L. Ross and William M. Shepherd, mission specialists; and Guy S. Gardner, pilot. The football was later presented to the National Football League (NFL) at halftime of the Super Bowl in Miami. Photo credit: NASA

S88-54947 (6 Dec 1988) --- The STS-29 crewmembers are trained in procedures to follow in the event of a fire with their spacecraft. Here, Astronauts Michael L. Coats (far left), mission commander, and James P. Bagian, mission specialist, follow the lead of two fellow crewmembers as they extinguish a fire. The astronauts in front of the action are Robert C. Springer, mission specialist, and John E. Blaha, pilot. Not pictured is James F. Buchli, mission specialist. Their instructor, center, is Robert Fife of NASA's security staff. The training took place on the northern end of the 1625-acre JSC facility.

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Space Shuttle flow field

JSC officials, laughing, listen to crewmembers' commentary onboard Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, during STS-26. In the Flight Control Room (FCR) of JSC's Mission Control Center (MCC) Bldg 30 and seated at the Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) console, MOD Director Eugene F. Kranz (foreground), wearing red, white and blue vest, smiles along with JSC Director Aaron Cohen and Flight Crew Operations Deputy Director Henry W. Hartsfield, Jr. (far right).

During STS-26, inertial upper stage (IUS) with the tracking and data relay satellite C (TDRS-C) located in the payload bay (PLB) of Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, is raised into deployment attitude (an angle of 50 degrees) by the airborne support equipment (ASE). ASE aft frame tilt actuator (AFTA) table supports the IUS as it is positioned in the PLB and the ASE umbilical boom drifts away from IUS toward ASE forward cradle. TDRS-C solar array panels (in stowed configuration) are visible on top of the IUS. In the background are the orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pods and the Earth's limb.

SH-3G (NASA-735) Helicopter in flight.

This test conducted in May 1988 shows what happens during launch if a space shuttle main engine fails. The test was conducted in the 10X10 supersonic wind tunnel at the John H. Glenn Research Center.

S26-31-012 (29 Sept. 1988) ) --- Discovery was used for NASA's Return to Flight Mission following the Challenger accident, during which the STS-26 crew delivered the TDRS-C satellite to Earth orbit. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Flight controllers in JSC's Mission Control Center (MCC) Bldg 30 flight control room (FCR) listen to a presentation by STS-26 crewmembers on the fourth day of Discovery's, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103's, orbital mission. Instrumentation and Communications Officers (INCOs) Harold Black (left foreground) and John F. Muratore and other controllers view a television (TV) transmission of the crew on a screen in front of the FCR as each member relates some inner feelings while paying tribute to the 51L Challenger crew.

Cassini Mission Artwork: Saturn Orbitor and Titan Probe Spacecraft (ref: P-33300)

STS026-038-056 (29 Sept. - 3 Oct. 1988) --- Tambora Caldera, Sumbawa Island, Indonesia as photographed with a 70mm handheld Hasselblad camera. Tambora is a 6-kilometer-wide and 650-meter-deep Caldera formed in 1815 as a result of a huge volcanic eruption. Gases from the eruption were ejected high into Earth's atmosphere and transported around the globe. The atmospheric gases trapped part of the incoming sunglint, resulting in extremely cold weather. In New England, snow fell in June, and freezes occurred throughout the summer of 1816, which became known as "the year without a summer." This photo was shown by the STS-26 astronaut crew during its Oct. 11, l988 post-flight press conference.

Photograph by Pioneer Venus Venus image 7540

Daedalus - Last Dryden flight with Glenn Tremml

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA employees, their families and friends gather on the NASA Causeway over the Banana River, south of Kennedy Space Center, the morning of the launch of STS-26 and the Space Shuttle Discovery. An estimated 1 million people were expected to view the 11:37 a.m. launch from various locations in Central Florida

S88-47522 (10 Sept 1988) --- These five veteran astronauts have been training for over a year to serve as NASA's crew aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery for STS-26. On the front row are Astronauts Frederick H. (Rick) Hauck (right), commander; and Richard O. Covey, pilot. On the back row are Astronauts John M. (Mike) Lounge, David C. Hilmers and George D. Nelson -- all mission specialists. The crewmembers are wearing the orange partial pressure garments that they will be wearing on the launch and entry phases of the flight, scheduled for launch later this month.