"STS-82 - New Instruments for the HST," Roelof Schuiling, Spaceflight, June 1997, pp. 205-208; "Hubble Mission Scrambles to Make Surprise Repairs," Craig Covault, Aviation Week & Space Technology, February 24, 1997, pp. 20-23; STS-82 EVA crew debrief, March 5, 1997; "Shuttle Retrieves Hubble; Russians Launch to Mir," Craig Covault, Aviation Week & Space Technology, February 17, 1997, pp. 53-55; "Goddard Checks Hubble After Shuttle Servicing," Craig Covault, Aviation Week & Space Technology, March 3, 1997, pp. 24-25; HST Project Crew Debrief Ques. List, March 5, 1997.
February 14
1997 EVA 2 World EVA 150 U.S. EVA 73 Shuttle EVA 35
Duration: 7:27
Spacecraft/mission: STS-82
Crew: Ken Bowersox, Scott Horowitz, Mark Lee, Greg Harbaugh, Steve Smith, Steve Hawley, Joe Tanner Spacewalkers: Greg Harbaugh, Joe Tanner
Purpose: HST repair; replace FGS and data recorder
The second EVA of the second HST servicing mission again included a veteran EVA astronaut (Harbaugh) and a rookie (Tanner). Tanner rode the RMS. The astronauts replaced a worn-out 227-kg (500-lb) Fine Guidance Sensor with a modified spare and installed electronics enhancements that allowed it to operate properly, then replaced a failed data recorder with a solid-state recorder capable of simultaneous record and playback. The new recorder could hold ten times as much data as the original 1970s-vintage unit. During the EVA Commander Ken Bowersox (who was pilot for HST SM-02) and Pilot Scott Horowitz boosted the telescope's orbit 2.9 km (1.8 miles) using Discovery's small maneuvering thrusters. The astronauts detected an orbital debris impact scar on an HST antenna and scattered cracks in the teflon outer layer of HST's 17-layer thermal insulation blankets. They closed out the EVA at 5:52 a.m. Houston time on February 15.
"STS-82 - New Instruments for the HST," Roelof Schuiling, Spaceflight, June 1997, p. 208; "Jonathan's Space Report, No. 314," February 21, 1997; "Hubble Mission Scrambles to Make Surprise Repairs," Craig Covault, Aviation Week & Space Technology, February 24, 1997, pp. 20-23; STS-82 EVA crew debrief, March 5, 1997; "Shuttle Retrieves Hubble; Russians Launch to Mir," Craig Covault, Aviation Week & Space Technology, February 17, 1997, pp. 53-55; "Goddard Checks Hubble After Shuttle Servicing," Craig Covault, Aviation Week & Space Technology, March 3, 1997, pp. 24-25.
February 15
1997 EVA 3 World EVA 151 U.S. EVA 74 Shuttle EVA 36
Duration: 7:11
Spacecraft/mission: STS-82
Crew: Ken Bowersox, Scott Horowitz, Mark Lee, Greg Harbaugh, Steve Smith, Steve Hawley, Joe Tanner Spacewalkers: Mark Lee, Steve Smith
Purpose: HST repair; replace data recorder and Reaction Wheel Assembly
Smith and Lee replaced an old reel-to-reel recorder with a new Solid State Recorder and replaced a worn-out Reaction Wheel Assembly unit, one of four used to point HST. Bowersox and Horowitz boosted HST to a slightly higher orbit during the EVA using maneuvering jets. Lee carefully examined the damaged insulation, stating that, "it's cracking all over the place." The EVA concluded at 5:04 a.m. on February 16. Mission managers then decided to add a fifth HST repair EVA on February 17 to attempt to mend damaged thermal insulation. The damage was concentrated on HST's sunward side.
"STS-82 - New Instruments for the HST," Roelof Schuiling, Spaceflight, June 1997, p. 208; "Hubble Mission Scrambles to Make Surprise Repairs," Craig Covault, Aviation Week & Space Technology, February 24, 1997, pp. 20-23; STS-82 EVA crew debrief, March 5, 1997; "Shuttle Retrieves Hubble; Russians Launch to Mir," Craig Covault, Aviation Week & Space Technology, February 17, 1997, pp. 53-55.
February 16
1997 EVA 4 World EVA 152 U.S. EVA 75 Shuttle EVA 37
Duration: 6:34
Spacecraft/mission: STS-82
Crew: Ken Bowersox, Scott Horowitz, Mark Lee, Greg Harbaugh, Steve Smith, Steve Hawley, Joe Tanner Spacewalkers: Greg Harbaugh, Joe Tanner
Purpose: HST repair; replace SADE and magnetometer covers; install thermal blankets
In what was meant to be the final EVA of HST SM-02, astronauts replaced the jury-rigged magnetometer covers installed by Story Musgrave and Jeffrey Hoffman during the last EVA of HST SM-01, on December 8, 1993. They worked about 18 m (60 ft) "above" Discovery's payload bay. They also replaced a SADE unit, which involved handling bolts and connectors not designed for EVA replacement. They laced into place multi-layered insulation blankets over damaged insulation near HST's aperture. Damage included a long gash. The spare insulation was carried aboard Discovery for contingency repair of micrometeoroid damage and prepared in the middeck prior to the EVA. Instructions for preparing four patches for the next EVA were radioed to Lee and Smith inside Discovery during this EVA. Harbaugh and Tanner ended the EVA at 5:19 a.m. on February 17.
"STS-82 - New Instruments for the HST," Roelof Schuiling, Spaceflight, June 1997, p. 209; "Hubble Mission Scrambles to Make Surprise Repairs," Craig Covault, Aviation Week & Space Technology, February 24, 1997, pp. 20-23; STS-82 EVA crew debrief, March 5, 1997; "Shuttle Retrieves Hubble; Russians Launch to Mir," Craig Covault, Aviation Week & Space Technology, February 17, 1997, pp. 53-55.
February 17
1997 EVA 5 World EVA 153 U.S. EVA 76 Shuttle EVA 38
Duration: 5:17
Spacecraft/mission: STS-82
Crew: Ken Bowersox, Scott Horowitz, Mark Lee, Greg Harbaugh, Steve Smith, Steve Hawley, Joe Tanner Spacewalkers: Mark Lee, Steve Smith
Purpose: HST repair; install thermal blankets
Because they had a limited supply of insulation, the astronauts placed thermal blanket patches on only three parts of the telescope where insulation had begun to curl away from the metal structure, leaving other areas for future servicing missions. The astronauts rigged vertical wires to hold the blankets in place. Their work completed, they waited in the airlock while controllers investigated a possible problem with one of HST's Reaction Wheel Assemblies. Controllers briefly considered adding a sixth EVA to replace the component—a spare was carried on board—but they concluded that no repair was necessary. The EVA ended at 3:32 a.m. on February 18. Bowersox and Horowitz boosted HST's orbit by 4.8 km (3 mi), to a final release orbit of 536 by 514 km (335 by 321 mi). This was a record operating altitude for HST. Hawley released the telescope with the RMS on February 19. HST Project Scientist Edward Weiler told Aviation Week & Space Technology that "we don't have the original Hubble Space Telescope any more—we've got a new telescope. You can call it Hubble 2."
"STS-82 - New Instruments for the HST," Roelof Schuiling, Spaceflight, June 1997, p. 209; "Hubble Mission Scrambles to Make Surprise Repairs," Craig Covault, Aviation Week & Space Technology, February 24, 1997, pp. 20-23; STS-82 EVA crew debrief, March 5, 1997; "Shuttle Retrieves Hubble; Russians Launch to Mir," Craig Covault, Aviation Week & Space Technology, February 17, 1997, pp. 53-55.
February 21
STS-82/Discovery landing
March 2
Soyuz-TM 24/Mir PE-22 landing
April 29
1997 EVA 6 World EVA 154 Russian EVA 78/U.S. EVA 77 Space Station EVA 87
Duration: 4:57
Spacecraft/mission: Mir PE-23
Crew: Vasili Tsibliyev, Alexandr Lazutkin, Jerry Linenger (NASA) Spacewalkers: Vasili Tsibliyev, Jerry Linenger
Purpose: Test Orlan-M space suit; deploy Optical Properties Monitor; retrieve PIE and MSRE; install radiation dosimeter
Jerry Linenger reached Mir aboard Atlantis on mission STS-81, spelling John Blaha. The fourth NASA astronaut to live on the station, Linenger contended with an oxygen system fire on February 23 and coolant system leaks which sprayed ethylene glycol into the station's atmosphere. Russian sources stated that the ethylene glycol concentration in Mir's air neared dangerous levels in mid-April. The station's troubles overshadowed this EVA, delaying it from April 17. For a time it appeared that the EVA might be canceled. On this date Tsibliyev and Linenger donned the new Orlan-M space suits delivered on Progress M-34. Orlan-M constituted a modest upgrade of the Orlan-DMA—the most noticeable addition was a second visor on the top of the helmet. Linenger and Tsibliyev used Strela to move to the Kristall module to install the Optical Properties Monitor, then returned to Kvant 2 to remove the U.S. MSRE and PIE, which returned to Earth with Linenger. They finished by installing the Benton radiation dosimeter. During the EVA, Lazutkin videotaped Tsibliyev and Linenger and monitored Mir's systems. In his postflight EVA debriefing Linenger stated that his crew received the go-ahead to do the EVA with mixed feelings—they were, after all, very busy trying to keep the station functional. He then described various elements of Russian EVA-related hardware:
Orlan-M - The new Orlan variant performed "beautifully"—its 40.7 kpascal (5.9 psi) operating pressure was not a hindrance, nor did it produce fatigue. Tsibliyev reported that the new Orlan-M gloves were easier to use than the Orlan-DMA gloves. Both Tsibliyev and Linenger chose to wear U.S. comfort gloves. During orbital night the suit became cold. Tsibliyev pulled a muscle while struggling out of the suit after the EVA. The suit "took an incredible amount of prep... it was like rebuilding an engine."
Kvant 2 EVA hatch - According to Linenger, this was "never adequately repaired" after Solovyov and Balandin damaged it in 1990. Instead, it was "jerry-rigged" with C-clamps. Tsibliyev was nervous about handling the hatch and forbade Linenger to touch it.
Strela - When Tsibliyev slewed the boom toward Kristall with Linenger on the end, it bent "like a fishing pole," bouncing Linenger back and forth "like a yo-yo." The boom was not effective for precision positioning.
Mir's exterior - The Mir station's hull is "a tangle of all kinds of junk," with unmarked dead-end traverse routes, delicate solar arrays popping out at all angles, discarded equipment, disused experiments and experiment mounts, and built-in sharp-edge hazards. None of these, said Linenger, appear on the training mockups in the Star City Hydrolaboratory. Linenger saw no sign of "road sign" markers reportedly installed on earlier EVAs.
NASA-Mir 4, 1997 - Wearing a new Orlan-M space suit, Jerry Linenger translates up the Strela boom outside Russia's Mir space station. Mir-23 commander Vladimir Tsibliyev is the photographer. Orlan-M constitutes an Orlan upgrade for Russian participation in the International Space Station program. Note the helmet's oval "top" visor and rear-entry hatch. (NM23-43-002)
Image
According to Linenger, based on his experience, Russian EVA differs in many ways from U.S. EVA. These differences include:
- EVA training is general and not task-specific. According to Linenger, the philosophy of Russian EVA trainers appeared to be, "we've trained you, you know how to use your suit, just go do it."
- EVA timeline is of reduced importance—however, the cosmonauts would occasionally work through orbital night to make up for lost time. During night work they use their helmet visor lights, which are adequate for work at one spot but not for finding one's way over the hull.
- More free floating—fewer handholds, footholds, and tether points.
- Because Mir consists of generally convex surfaces (unlike the Shuttle orbiter with its concave payload bay), during EVA outside Mir "you feel like you're falling at 18,000 miles per hour."
- Little documentation—suit donning procedures are summed up in a large cardboard flipbook attached to the Kvant 2 airlock wall. The cosmonauts lack written timelines and task lists.
- No interaction between the IV crew and the EVA crew—Lazutkin did not communicate with Tsibliyev and Linenger during the EVA.
After returning inside Mir, Linenger described his feelings during the EVA in an email letter to his son:
You are... on a cliff. Crawling, slithering, gripping, reaching... the whole cliff is falling and you are on it... it is difficult to discount the feeling that you are moving away, detached. In the midst of all this, you carry out your work calmly, methodically. You snap a picture or two, and below notice the Straits of Gibraltar...