Solar Max: From Tumbling Satellite to Shuttle-Bay Repair
On STS-41C, astronauts first struggled to capture Solar Max, a satellite spinning so unpredictably that its motion worsened during attempts to steady it.
Terry Hart’s first attempt to seize the tumbling Solar Max with Challenger’s robotic arm failed.
On April 9, ground controllers at Goddard stopped Solar Max’s tumble before its batteries were depleted.
On April 10, Terry Hart grappled the stabilized satellite on his first try and placed it in Challenger’s payload-bay servicing cradle.
During a six-hour-scheduled spacewalk, astronauts replaced Solar Max’s 227-kilogram attitude-control and main-electronics box an hour ahead of schedule.