Neutral Buoyancy Simulator, Solar Max Testing
On April 1, 1983, divers and astronauts at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, prepared for the first satellite repair mission in space. Before the repair, the crew of Space Shuttle Challenger mission STS-41C spent months at the Marshall Center Neutral Buoyancy Simulator, an underwater training facility that is now a historic landmark. They used a mockup of the Solar Maximum satellite to practice retrieving the satellite and piloting a new Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU), which allowed astronauts to travel in space without being tethered to the shuttle. About a year after this picture was taken, on April 6, 1984, Space Shuttle Challenger (STS-41C) launched on a mission to repair the Solar Max satellite. Solar Max was designed to study the sun but had a systems failure about a year after it was launched. The STS-41C crew chalked up a number of firsts for NASA: the first satellite retrieval, the first service use of a MMU and the Remote Manipulator System, and all of this on the Space Shuttle Challenger's first space flight. The crew retrieved Solar Max, repaired it, and placing it back in service. The Solar Maximum Repair mission provided engineers with valuable data that helped them design the Hubble Space Telescope for on-orbit repair and maintenance.
Credit: NASA
Image Number: MSFC-8334107
Date: April 1, 1983
Neutral Buoyancy Simulator, Solar Max Testing
On April 1, 1983, divers and astronauts at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, prepared for the first satellite repair mission in space. Before the repair, the crew of Space Shuttle Challenger mission STS-41C spent months at the Marshall Center Neutral Buoyancy Simulator, an underwater training facility that is now a historic landmark. They used a mockup of the Solar Maximum satellite to practice retrieving the satellite and piloting a new Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU), which allowed astronauts to travel in space without being tethered to the shuttle. About a year after this picture was taken, on April 6, 1984, Space Shuttle Challenger (STS-41C) launched on a mission to repair the Solar Max satellite. Solar Max was designed to study the sun but had a systems failure about a year after it was launched. The STS-41C crew chalked up a number of firsts for NASA: the first satellite retrieval, the first service use of a MMU and the Remote Manipulator System, and all of this on the Space Shuttle Challenger's first space flight. The crew retrieved Solar Max, repaired it, and placing it back in service. The Solar Maximum Repair mission provided engineers with valuable data that helped them design the Hubble Space Telescope for on-orbit repair and maintenance.
Credit: NASA
Image Number: MSFC-8334107
Date: April 1, 1983