View source for STS-2

{{Short description|1981 American crewed spaceflight}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2014}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox spaceflight
| name               = STS-2
| image              = STS-2 Canadarm debut.jpg
| image_caption      = [[Canadarm]]'s in-flight test during STS-2
| names_list         = [[Space Transportation System]]-2
| mission_type       = [[Flight test]]
| operator           = [[NASA]]
| mission_duration   = '''Achieved''': {{time interval|November 12, 1981, 15:09:59|November 14, 1981, 21:23:11|show=dhms|sep=,}}<br/>'''Planned''': 5 days
| distance_travelled = {{cvt|1730000|km}}<ref name="NASA - STS-2"/>
| orbits_completed   = 37
| spacecraft         = {{OV|102}}
| launch_mass        = {{cvt|104647|kg}}
| landing_mass       = {{cvt|92650|kg}}
| payload_mass       = {{cvt|8517|kg}}
| crew_size          = 2
| crew_members       = {{Unbulleted list|[[Joe Engle]]|[[Richard H. Truly]]}}
| launch_date        = {{Start date text|November 12, 1981, 15:10:00|timezone=yes}}{{nbsp}}[[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] (10:10{{nbsp}}am{{nbsp}}[[Eastern Standard Time|EST]])
| launch_site        = [[Kennedy Space Center|Kennedy]], [[Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A|LC-39A]]
| launch_contractor  = [[Rockwell International]]
| landing_date       = {{End date text|November 14, 1981, 21:23:12|timezone=yes}}{{nbsp}}UTC (1:23:12{{nbsp}}pm{{nbsp}}[[Pacific Standard Time|PST]]) 
| landing_site       = [[Edwards Air Force Base|Edwards]], Runway{{nbsp}}23
| orbit_reference    = [[Geocentric orbit]]
| orbit_regime       = [[Low Earth orbit]]
| orbit_periapsis    = {{cvt|222|km}}
| orbit_apoapsis     = {{cvt|231|km}}
| orbit_inclination  = 38.03°
| orbit_period       = 89.00 minutes
| apsis              = gee
| instruments        = {{ubl|Development Flight Instrumentation (DFI)|Shuttle Imaging Radar (SIR)}}
| insignia           = Sts-2-patch.png
| insignia_caption   = STS-2 mission patch
| crew_photo         = Sts-2_crew.jpg
| crew_photo_caption = [[Joe Engle|Engle]] and [[Richard H. Truly|Truly]]
| programme          = [[Space Shuttle program]]
| previous_mission   = [[STS-1]]
| next_mission       = [[STS-3]]
}}

'''STS-2''' was the second [[Space Shuttle]] mission conducted by [[NASA]], and the second flight of the orbiter [[Space Shuttle Columbia|''Columbia'']]. The mission, crewed by [[Joe Engle|Joe H. Engle]] and [[Richard H. Truly]], launched on November 12, 1981, and landed two days later on November 14, 1981.<ref name="NASA - STS-2">{{cite web |title=STS-2 |url=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/archives/sts-2.html |access-date=May 9, 2008 |publisher=NASA}} {{PD-notice}}</ref> STS-2 marked the first time that a crewed, reusable orbital vehicle returned to space.{{efn|name=reusable|group=note|The uncrewed [[Gemini 2]] suborbital capsule was reused in another uncrewed, suborbital test for the [[Manned Orbiting Laboratory]] (MOL) project after significant refurbishment. Also, two [[North American X-15|X-15]] airframes (flown by STS-2 Commander Joe Engle) were reused on several suborbital space missions.}} This mission tested the Shuttle Imaging Radar (SIR) as part of the OSTA-1 (Office of Space and Terrestrial Applications) payload, along with a wide range of other experiments including the Shuttle robotic arm, commonly known as [[Canadarm]].<ref name="spacefacts.de">{{cite web |url=http://www.spacefacts.de/mission/english/sts-2.htm|title=Spaceflight mission report: STS-2|first=Joachim|last=Becker|website=spacefacts.de|access-date=December 30, 2017}}</ref>

Other experiments or tests included Shuttle Multispectral Infrared Radiometer, Feature Identification and Location Experiment, Measurement of Air Pollution from Satellites, Ocean Color Experiment, Night/Day optical Survey of Lightning, Heflex Bioengineering Test, and Aerodynamic Coefficient Identification Package (ACIP).<ref name="spacefacts.de" /> One of the feats accomplished was various tests on the [[Space Shuttle Orbital Maneuvering System|Orbital Maneuvring System]] (OMS) including starting and restarting the engines while in orbit and various adjustments to its orbit.<ref name="americaspace.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.americaspace.com/?p=96090|first=Ben|last=Evans|title=Flying a Used Space Shuttle: 35 Years Since the Short Mission of STS-2 (Part 1)|date=November 12, 2016|access-date=December 30, 2017}}</ref> The OMS tests also helped adjust the Shuttle's orbit for use of the radar.<ref name="americaspace.com" /> During the mission, [[Ronald Reagan|President Reagan]] called the crew of STS-2 from [[Mission control center|Mission Control Center]] in [[Houston]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Wilson |first=Jim |title=Remembering Ronald Reagan |url=https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_183_reagan.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040608173856/http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_183_reagan.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 8, 2004 |access-date=December 30, 2017 |publisher=NASA}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>

In the early planning stages of the [[Space Shuttle program]], STS-2 was intended to be a [[Cancelled Space Shuttle missions#STS-2A (Columbia)|reboost mission]] for the aging [[Skylab#Shuttle mission plans|Skylab]] [[space station]].{{efn|name=Haise|group=note|[[Fred Haise]] and [[Jack Lousma]] were named as the prime crew for the original STS-2 mission, with [[Vance D. Brand]] and [[C. Gordon Fullerton]] as backups}} However, such a mission was impeded by delays with the Shuttle's development and the deteriorating orbit of Skylab. Skylab ultimately [[Atmospheric entry|de-orbited]] on July 11, 1979, two years before the launch of STS-2.<ref>{{cite book|first=David|last=Shayler|title=Skylab|place=Berlin|publisher=Springer|year=2001|page=311|isbn=1-85233-407-X}}</ref>

== Crew ==
{{Spaceflight crew
| terminology = Astronaut<ref name=nasasts2>{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/archives/sts-2.html|title=STS-2|publisher=NASA|access-date=August 1, 2018}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>

| position1   = Commander
| crew1_up    = [[Joe H. Engle]]
| flights1_up = First NASA

| position2   = Pilot
| crew2_up    = [[Richard H. Truly]]
| flights2_up = First
}}

Engle had been the original selection as [[Astronaut ranks and positions|Lunar Module Pilot]] for [[Apollo 17]], but was bumped in favor of geologist [[Harrison Schmitt]] when it became clear that the mission would be the last lunar landing. As a consequence, both Engle and Truly were [[rookie]]s during STS-2 (Engle had flown the [[North American X-15|X-15]] above {{cvt|80|km}} and so had earned [[United States astronaut badges#U.S. Air Force astronauts|USAF astronaut wings]], but was still considered a NASA rookie), constituting the first all-rookie crew since [[Skylab 4]], and the first and only all-rookie crew on the space shuttle.<ref name="Gebhardt, 2011">{{cite web |author=Gebhardt |first=Chris |date=February 1, 2011 |title=Space Shuttle Columbia: A New Beginning and Vision |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/02/space-shuttle-columbia-a-new-beginning-and-vision/ |website=www.nasaspaceflight.com}}</ref> Engle was the last NASA rookie to command his first flight until [[Raja Chari]] in 2021 with [[SpaceX Crew-3]]. Engle and Truly had also served as one of the two Shuttle crews during the Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) program in 1977.<ref name="engleoh2">{{cite web |date=2004 |title=Joe H. Engle Oral History Interviews |url=https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/EngleJH/englejh.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240619121107/https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/EngleJH/englejh.htm |archive-date=June 19, 2024 |access-date=July 11, 2024 |work=Johnson Space Center Oral History Project |publisher=National Aeronautical and Space Administration |location=Houston}}</ref> 

Following STS-2, NASA required all shuttle commanders to have previous spaceflight experience.<ref name="Gebhardt, 2011" />

=== Backup crew ===
{{Spaceflight crew
| terminology       = Astronaut

| position1         = Commander
| crew1_up          = [[Ken Mattingly]]

| position2         = Pilot
| crew2_up          = [[Henry Hartsfield]]
|notes=This crew would later fly on [[STS-4]].}}
=== Support crew ===
* [[Daniel Brandenstein|Daniel C. Brandenstein]] (ascent CAPCOM)
* [[James Buchli|James F. Buchli]]<ref name="STS-2 transcript">{{Citation |last= |title=Mission transcript |url=http://archive.org/details/STS-2 |access-date=November 13, 2012 |publisher=NASA |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>
* [[Terry Hart|Terry J. Hart]]
* [[Frederick Hauck|Frederick H. Hauck]] (entry CAPCOM)
* [[Sally Ride|Sally K. Ride]] (first American woman CAPCOM)

=== Crew seat assignments ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! Seat<ref>{{cite web|title=STS-2|url=http://spacefacts.de/mission/english/sts-2.htm|publisher=Spacefacts|access-date=July 29, 2024}}</ref>
! Launch
! Landing
|rowspan=8| [[File:Space Shuttle seating plan.svg|150px]]<br />Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck.<br />Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck.
|-
! 1
|colspan=2| Engle
|-
! 2
|colspan=2| Truly
|-
! 3
|colspan=2 style="background-color:lightgray"| ''Unused''
|-
! 4
|colspan=2 style="background-color:lightgray"| ''Unused''
|-
! 5
|colspan=2 style="background-color:lightgray"| ''Unused''
|-
! 6
|colspan=2 style="background-color:lightgray"| ''Unused''
|-
! 7
|colspan=2 style="background-color:lightgray"| ''Unused''
|}

== Mission summary ==
[[File:President Reagan at Mission Control, Houston - GPN-2000-001655.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|President Reagan talks to the crew of STS-2, in November 1981.]]
[[File:Aerial View of Columbia Launch - GPN-2000-001358.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|Aerial view of ''Columbia''{{'}}s launch from Pad 39A at the [[Kennedy Space Center]] in [[Florida]].]]
[[File:Columbia On Final Approach - GPN-2000-001346.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|STS-2 on final approach, coming in for its landing after re-entry, on November 14, 1981.]]

The second Space Shuttle mission launched from [[Kennedy Space Center]] on November 12, 1981, with liftoff occurring at 15:10:00 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]], 7 months after [[STS-1]]. The planned launch time of 12:30{{nbsp}}UTC was delayed while a faulty data transmitting unit on ''Columbia'' was replaced with one from new {{OV|99}}, which had been shipped overnight from the [[Palmdale, California]] factory where ''Challenger'' was still being manufactured. Richard Truly became the first astronaut to fly into space on his birthday.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-11-12 |title=40 Years Ago: Columbia Returns to Space on the STS-2 Mission |url=https://www.nasa.gov/history/40-years-ago-columbia-returns-to-space-on-the-sts-2-mission/ |access-date=2024-01-24 |publisher=NASA |language=en-US}}</ref>

Originally, the launch had been set for October 9, 1981, but it was delayed by a [[Dinitrogen tetroxide|nitrogen tetroxide]] spill during the loading of the forward [[Reaction control system|Reaction Control System]] (RCS) tanks. The spill necessitated the removal, decontamination and reapplication of over 300 thermal tiles. The tiles could be reached from platforms at [[Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A|Launch Complex 39A]], allowing the work to take place without destacking ''Columbia'' and returning it to the [[Orbiter Processing Facility]] (OPF). It was next scheduled for November 4, 1981, but was again scrubbed when high oil pressures were discovered in two of the three [[Auxiliary power unit|Auxiliary Power Units]] (APUs) that controlled the orbiter's [[Hydraulics|hydraulic]] system. That issue was attributed to [[hydrazine]] seepage contaminating the lubrication system in the APUs.

{{LaunchAttempt
| date1           = November 4, 1981, 07:30:00 EST
| result1         = Scrubbed
| reason1         = Technical
| decision_date1  = 
| decision_clock1 = −00:00:31
| notes1          = APU's 1 and 3 lube oil outlet pressure high at 100 to 112 PSIA. Flushed APU's 1 and 3 gear boxes and changed clogged filters.<ref name="missionsummary">{{cite web|title=Space Shuttle Mission Summary|date=February 11, 2015 |url=https://sma.nasa.gov/SignificantIncidents/assets/space-shuttle-missions-summary.pdf|publisher=NASA Johnson Space Center}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>
| date2           = November 12, 1981, 10:10:00
| result2         = Success
| reason2         = 
| decision_date2  = 
| decision_clock2 = 
| notes2          = Multiplexer/Demultiplexer (MDM) of 3 failed delaying launch by 2 hours 40 minutes while a replacement from the ''Challenger'' orbiter was flown in. An additional 10-minute delay was introduced for a confidence review of systems status.
}}

The flight marked the first time an orbital crewed space vehicle had been re-flown with a second crew.<!-- Note that the X-15 was a reusable spacecraft, albeit only capable of suborbital flight --> Prior to launch, ''Columbia'' spent 103{{nbsp}}days in the Orbiter Processing Facility. It again carried the DFI package, as well as the OSTA-l payload (named for the NASA Office of Space and Terrestrial Applications), which consisted of a number of remote-sensing instruments mounted on a [[Spacelab]] pallet in the payload bay. These instruments, including the Shuttle Imaging Radar-A (SIR-A), successfully carried out [[remote sensing]] of Earth's resources, environmental quality, and ocean and weather conditions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://southport.jpl.nasa.gov/scienceapps/sira.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970208115640/http://southport.jpl.nasa.gov/scienceapps/sira.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 8, 1997|title=SIR-A: 1982|publisher=NASA|access-date= June 22, 2013}} {{PD-notice}}</ref> In addition, the [[Canada|Canadian]]-built [[Canadarm|"Canadarm" Remote Manipulator System]] (RMS) was successfully operated in all its various operating modes for the first time.

During the mission, the Mission Control Center was visited by [[President of the United States|President]] [[Ronald Reagan]]. He was supposed to visit during [[STS-1]], but was forced to cancel due to an [[Attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan|assassination attempt]] on March 30, 1981.

Although the STS-2 mission had been planned for a duration of five days, with a few hours a day spent testing the Canadarm, the flight was cut short when one of the three [[fuel cell]]s that produced electricity and drinking water failed. The mission was shortened to two days, and the Canadarm tests were canceled. The crew stayed awake during a scheduled sleep period and tested the arm anyway, working during the loss of signal (LOS) periods when they were not in contact with Mission Control.<ref name="engleoh"/> The deorbit and reentry phase of this mission differed from [[STS-1]], in that while the first shuttle entry was flown as a "middle of the road" test of the automatic guidance, the success of that mission allowed for the STS-2 crew to explore the stability margins of the vehicle's performance. Twenty-nine planned Programmed Test Inputs (PTIs) were manually flown in the Control Stick Steering (CSS) mode, with Engle making use of his past experience in the X-15. These PTIs provided useful data for subsequent engineering modifications.<ref name="engleoh">{{Cite interview |last=Engle |first=Joe |interviewer=Rebecca Wright |title=Joe H. Engle Oral History |url=https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/EngleJH/EngleJH_6-3-04.htm |access-date=July 17, 2013 |work=NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project |date=June 3, 2004}} {{PD-notice}}</ref> Contrary to the interviewer's assertion in a JSC Oral history conversation with Engle, he hand flew maneuvers throughout the entire entry speed range, but not for the entire duration.<ref>{{cite book |author=Jenkins |first=Dennis R. |title=Space Shuttle: Developing an Icon 1972-2013 |date=2017 |publisher=Speciality Press |isbn=9781580072496}}</ref> As a consequence of STS-1 entry anomalies, the first roll maneuver was flown manually and the elevon scheduling was adjusted to offload the body flap.

Chase 1 crewed by astronauts [[Robert L. Gibson|"Hoot" Gibson]] and [[Kathryn D. Sullivan|Kathy Sullivan]] escorted ''Columbia'' on final approach. Landing took place on Runway{{nbsp}}23 at [[Edwards Air Force Base]] at 21:23{{nbsp}}UTC, on November 14, 1981, after a 37-orbit flight which covered a total of {{cvt|1730000|km}} over the course of 2{{nbsp}}days, 6{{nbsp}}hours, 13{{nbsp}}minutes and 12{{nbsp}}seconds.<ref name="NASA - STS-2"/>

Despite the truncated flight, more than 90% of the mission's objectives were achieved.<ref name="engleoh"/> Moreover, modifications of the water sound suppression system at the pad, to absorb the [[solid rocket booster]] overpressure wave during launch, were effective; no tiles were lost and only 12 were damaged. ''Columbia'' was flown back to the Kennedy Space Center on November 25, 1981.

STS-2 was the first Space Shuttle flight where O-ring blow-by was observed. After the damage was discovered, another O-ring was intentionally damaged to a further degree. It was then put through a flight simulation at three times the flight pressure. It survived the test, and was endorsed as flightworthy. This same problem would occur on fourteen more Shuttle flights, before contributing to the [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|loss of orbiter ''Challenger'']] in 1986.

STS-2 was the last shuttle flight to have its [[Space Shuttle external tank|external fuel tank]] (ET) painted white. In an effort to reduce the Shuttle's overall weight, [[STS-3]] and all subsequent missions used an unpainted tank, saving approximately {{cvt|272|kg}} of launch weight.<ref name="et_paint">{{Cite press release |title=NASA Takes Delivery of 100th Space Shuttle External Tank |date=August 16, 1999 |publisher=NASA |url=http://www.msfc.nasa.gov/news/news/releases/1999/99-193.html |access-date=July 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311004932/http://www.msfc.nasa.gov/news/news/releases/1999/99-193.html |archive-date=March 11, 2007 |url-status=dead}} pp. 99–193 {{PD-notice}}</ref> This lack of paint gave the ET a distinctive orange-brown color, which eventually became emblematic of the Space Shuttle.

Decades later, in 2006, some in the spaceflight community questioned whether the white paint would have prevented the ice-soaked foam shedding issue that led to the [[Space Shuttle Columbia disaster|loss of ''Columbia'']]. NASA consensus was that it would not.<ref name="space.com">{{Cite web |last=Malik |first=Tariq |date=April 12, 2006 |title=Columbia's White External Fuel Tanks |url=https://www.space.com/2282-columbias-white-external-fuel-tanks.html |access-date=December 30, 2017 |website=Space.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Space Shuttle Mission Summary|date=February 11, 2015 |url=https://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/reference/TM-2011-216142.pdf|publisher=NASA Johnson Space Center}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>
== Experiments or tests ==
STS-2 payloads or experiments:<ref name="spacefacts.de"/>
* OSTA-1<ref name="spacefacts.de"/>
* [[Shuttle Imaging Radar]]
* [[Canadarm|SRMS]], the Shuttle robotic arm, also known as Canadarm
* Shuttle Multispectral Infrared Radiometer
* Feature Identification and Location Experiment
* Measurement of Air Pollution from Satellites
* Ocean Color Experiment
* Night/Day optical Survey of Lightning
* Heflex Bioengineering Test
* Aerodynamic Coefficient Identification Package (ACIP)

They also tested the OMS engines.<ref name="americaspace.com"/>

== Mission insignia ==
The mission patch notes the names of the mission's two crew members, and includes an image of a [[bald eagle]], the [[national bird]] of the [[United States]], decorated with the colors of the [[Flag of the United States|U.S. flag]].

== Wake-up calls ==
NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during the [[Project Gemini]], and first used music to wake up a flight crew during [[Apollo 15]].<ref name="chronology">{{cite news|first=Colin|last=Fries|title=Chronology of Wakeup Calls|date=June 25, 2007|publisher=NASA|url=https://history.nasa.gov/wakeup%20calls.pdf|access-date=August 13, 2007|archive-date=December 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231220093919/https://history.nasa.gov/wakeup%20calls.pdf|url-status=dead}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Flight Day
! Song
! Artist/Composer
|-

| Day 2
| "[[Pigs in Space]]"
| [[The Muppets]]
|-

| Day 3
| "[[Columbia, Gem of the Ocean]]"
| Flight Operations Directorate group ''Contraband''
|}

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Space shuttle on the launch pad dnd0525.jpg|''Columbia'' on launchpad
File:STS-2 Lut Desert.jpg|The [[Lut Desert]] as seen from orbit by STS-2.
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Spaceflight}}
* [[List of human spaceflights]]
* [[List of Space Shuttle missions]]
* [[Shuttle Radar Topography Mission]]

== Notes ==
{{reflist|group=note}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category|STS-2}}
* [http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/archives/sts-2.html STS-2 mission summary]. NASA.
* [http://www.nss.org/resources/library/shuttlevideos/shuttle02.htm STS-2 video highlights] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100129105721/http://www.nss.org/resources/library/shuttlevideos/shuttle02.htm |date=January 29, 2010 }}. NSS.
* [http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/behindscenes/rms_anniversary.html "Space Shuttle Canadarm Robotic Arm Marks 25 Years in Space"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151124061007/http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/behindscenes/rms_anniversary.html |date=November 24, 2015 }}. NASA. 2006.

{{Space Shuttle Columbia}}
{{All U.S. Space Shuttle Missions}}
{{Orbital launches in 1981}}

[[Category:Space Shuttle missions]]
[[Category:Edwards Air Force Base]]
[[Category:Spacecraft launched in 1981]]
[[Category:November 1981]]
[[Category:1981 in California]]
[[Category:Spacecraft which reentered in 1981]]
[[Category:1981 in Florida]]