STS-51F RSLS Abort (NASA TV Coverage)

STS-51F RSLS Abort (NASA TV Coverage)
July 12th 1985 - Full coverage of NASA TV from T-20 minutes through the abort and the egress of the crew from Challenger.
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Thanks to Jeff Ray for the source material. All video/audio/photos courtesy NASA

[@Consequator]

That wobble after the cut-off is scary as hell to watch.

[@A-Smith]

Interesting to see how much the stack continues to rock back and forth after the main engines shut down.

[@JeffreyGroves]

The discussion on the radio seemed to say that two of the hold down bolts on a SRB broke during the abort. That might have contributed to the rocking back and forth.

[@57ccrider]

I have read from other accounts of STS launches the start-up thrust generated by the 3 mains causes the deflection/flexating from true vertical. The SRBs are sequenced to fire at T-.002 seconds prior to total return to true vertical with the SRB hold-down bracket bolts set to shear at exactly T-0 seconds. This allowed .002 seconds for the SRB's to reach full thrust and the stack to launch unloaded by the flexed enertia. At least that is what I read.

[@robadams5799]

I know, right?

[@JaseCJay]

@@57ccrider it's called twang

[@DaveChimny]

The booster ignition was timed so perfectly that the whole stack could pitch to the front (by the forces of the three SSMEs) and lift-off occoured right at the moment when it came back to the center. Search for "Shuttle Twang" here on KZbin for videos showing it. ;-)

[@foxmccloud7055]

Please note that the finalists for the "Teacher In Space Project" including Christa McAuliffe and Barbara Morgan were watching this from Houston.

[@danielh1708]

Please note...its normal for all astronauts in training to watch the launches.

[@rudolphguarnacci197]

Please note. That's it, just please note.

[@smadaf]

Am I the only one who still thinks that NASA's launch-control and mission-control rooms in the late '60s, the '70s, the '80s, and the '90s look more high-tech than any modern room full of little keyboards and laptops and LED/LCD monitors?

[@gasaholic47]

No, it didn't look more high tech back then with rotary phones on the consoles.

[@smadaf]

@@gasaholic47 , oh, but it did, and it still does.

[@lawrenceallen8096]

At the Kennedy Space Center you can visit the actual Apollo control room. For realism they hang Rockwell white jackets, etc on the chair backs. There was also an ashtray with a pack of non-filter Lucky Strikes in it. The day we visited a 'Super Karen' on the tour asked the security guard to remove the smokes because they were a bad influence on her son (who was with her and completely embarrassed). The guard ignored her. Lots has changed. Today, President Biden would have told the Apollo 13 Astronauts "Tough luck: you are on your own. We got back all astronauts who wanted to be rescued. We didn't stand anyone in space. The Apollo 13 mission was a complete success!"

[@57ccrider]

@@lawrenceallen8096no shit about the Lucky's, Camel non-filters & a few outlaws who smoked Chesterfields. The Karen you cited is amongst those who believe if we rip down a monument history dissappears.

[@lawrenceallen8096]

@@57ccrider yep

[@robadams5799]

25:28 - Puff of exhaust from the APU, just in front of the tail.

[@oliverbombosch3009]

Thank you for the memories of a dramatic evening back in 1985. Just imagine how much more dramatic it was listening to Voice of America live coverage and not seeing what was happening at the time...

[@lunarmodule5]

Sounds like that was me too...no coverage of this in UK except for a brief mention on the news later

[@oliverbombosch3009]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gpfClYZ_ndqqZ7M

[@Unclefire]

That launch had plenty of gremlins. I think the actual launch was probably more scary than the abort on the pad. Reading some of the details on the ATO, they basically turned off the sensors after the first engine cut out. So an actual human had to watch the temperatures of the remaining to engines and possibly shut that one down (before it potentially blew up). They lost 2 sensors on one engine (which caused the engine shutdown), then lost a 3rd sensor on one of the remaining engines. That's when they went to the "limits to inhibit". They were also in a precarious position where it was dicey of they could reach alternative landing spot.

[@danielh1708]

They did not turn any sensors 'off' and were actually past all other abort points except the single engine configuration.

[@Unclefire]

@@danielh1708 I should have said they turned off the auto shutoff of engines based on sensor readings. The sensors were still there. That's the "limits to inhibit" piece. They didn't want another engine to shut off automatically due to sensor readings.

[@goldenpacificmedia]

I have located a partial recording of CNN's coverage of this event. I will post it to my channel and would like to post the URL for that recording to this discussion. Thank you LM5 for your outstanding digital preservation work of the history of manned spaceflight.

[@goldenpacificmedia]

Here's STS-51-F's prelaunch coverage on the evening of July 11 1985 from KTLA News At Ten kzbin.info/www/bejne/f4Pco2SKeZ11oac

[@oubrioko]

55:57 😯 *Hyd Launch Controller* got a bit testy on the _Launch Director Loop_ during the vehicle safing process. Eventually, the PAO starts bloviating 56:54 in an attempt to distract from the frosty back-and-forth between controllers. It was obviously a frustrating situation

[@derickclemons369]

I remember the Shuttle Challenger landing on piggyback in Wichita Falls heading too Florida. Awesome sight. Never thought it would disintegrate six months later.

[@Zoomer30_]

33:14 Very good view of the yellow Centuar rolling umbilical that would later be used on the (canceled post Challenger) Shuttle Centuar missions.

[@ThePixelated_kris]

It would have been cool to see a shuttle centaur mission

[@brettbuck7362]

@@ThePixelated_kris Not to worry, we put them to good use later!

[@Zoomer30_]

Commander Hauck told his crew that was going on one of the two Centaur missions that if they wanted out, he would help them. The safety of the whole Shuttle/Centuar-G was so bad that they were called the "Death Star" missions.

[@Zoomer30]

The square right above the tail service mast is where the umbilical connection for the Centuar booster would be.

[@sandyhanson6082]

Totally remember when this happened.

[@horsesboy]

I hadn't realized there was a pad abort on this mission. I wonder if the late abort after engine firing played in role in the center engine failure when it launched.

[@ILSRWY4]

two separate engine problems.

[@mikegallant811]

Poor little Challenger. Crown Princess of the fleet.

[@randolphhinz6361]

Sorry folks that should say launch, not lunch, lol!

[@moboutmen]

This, along with Gemini 6, were the most stressful launch pad events ever to me.

[@CosmosZeroX]

Were you involved back then in the Space Shuttle program?

[@moboutmen]

@@CosmosZeroX Only as a rapt viewer on tv.

[@Matt-Holdren]

I thought they would be higher at MECO

[@trevorsimpkins3142]

So did they.

[@MattWinacott]

Thank you LM5 ☺

[@lunarmodule5]

You're welcome 😊

[@nolancain8792]

I definitely want to call this one of the unluckiest successful missions ever. First the RSLS abort, then the ATO abort. On top of that, they had the unluckiest shuttle to use, minus the explosion. STS-93 is probably the only one close to it in terms of problems from the same abort to the electric issues and engine overheating at launch.

[@brianmcinall9455]

STS-93 is very close to it indeed, given it was Columbia and therefor it's association with STS 107...

[@sidv4615]

Other orbiters like Atlantis had a few close calls as well.

[@sidv4615]

@@brianmcinall9455 Other orbiters like Atlantis had a few close calls as well.

[@rpcoelho1]

It is worth mentioning the tile damage on STS-27 and the Flight control computers failures on sts-9!

[@Astro95Media]

@@rpcoelho1 Don't forget the APU fire from STS-9 or Atlantis landing short of the runway on STS-37. They all had hairy moments, for sure.

[@randolphhinz6361]

My father worked for Bendix lunch support in 1966 when the Gemini missions were going on and I was still impressed by what all was going on back in the sixties with the NASA space program and I'm still very much impressed the precautions that NASA takes to protect all of the crew and people on board the pad. Kudos to NASA!!!

[@sidv4615]

If your amazing dad is still with us, can you ask him what was his most memorable day of his entire career?

[@randolphhinz6361]

Unfortunately, my Dad passed away in 2012, but Thank you for the kind words!!!

[@ZicajosProductions]

@@randolphhinz6361 God Bless him! Your dad was part of the elite people who made all this possible.

[@oubrioko]

My father worked for a different division of Bendix. *Bendix* contractors operated the two crawlers at _Kennedy Space Center_ back in the day. It was a great company with many impressive professionals.

[@robadams5799]

Was I the only one yelling "Get them out of there!" at the TV in 1985? "STS-51-F's first launch attempt on July 12, 1985 was halted with the countdown at T−3 seconds after main engine ignition, when a malfunction of the number two RS-25 coolant valve caused the shutdown of all three main engines." -- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-51-F

[@CatalinElton]

Still amazed that the water system didn't damage the underbelly tiles....

[@mauricefrontz8570]

I recorded the CNN coverage in 85 on VHS. Practically wore out the tape...

[@cbavid2003]

That was cool

[@HailAnts]

So it took the ground crew a half-hour to get to the white room. Are they waiting in a bunker closer than everyone else to the launch tower? And it's creepy seeing the good ol days back when NASA pretended that the shuttle cockpit was a shirtsleeve environment..

[@mikegallant811]

Technically it is a shirt sleeve environment technically anyway....

[@oubrioko]

30:16 nice _twangage_

[@jerrielkyleabu6339]

0:01 spinning space shuttle

[@robadams5799]

25:30 - Puffs of smoke at the base of the tail?

[@cerberus1981]

That is the APU exhaust, IIRC…

[@robadams5799]

@@cerberus1981 that seems plausible.

[@don312000]

@@cerberus1981 Based on where it's coming from, that's exactly what it is, just as the APUs are being turned on.

[@Zoomer30_]

Yeah and if you time the puffs with the "puff puff puff" sound that you can hear on the Shuttle RocketCam videos (or the videos of a shuttle landing where you can hear it) the sound is coming from the APUs.

[@robadams5799]

@ELDEANTI I remember seeing that on a night landing.

[@tvdan1043]

10 minutes of trying to get somebody, ANYBODY, to turn the water off. Nobody seemed to know who had the ability to turn it off.

[@lunarmodule5]

you are very welcome John

[@josiahclinch6219]

are we going to get the ato abort too?

[@lunarmodule5]

possibly...

[@CatalinElton]

No launch just an on pad shower.

[@CatalinElton]

One mission, two aborts.....

[@TMS5100]

@30:10

[@kevinwise1997]

I didnt catch the reason for the abort on this one

[@dash9655]

Failure of one of the engine coolant valves

[@uitzendinggemist7570]

Better luck next time!

[@hastingsotienootieno3660]

Nada is 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@arcosprey4811]

Does F stand for failure?

[@blockvfive1196]

no, its just the letter f

[@respectdawildo_danjones508]

I would NOT be happy if I was an astronaut that day. Did all on board get another flight after this??

[@cascadesouthernmodeltrains7547]

They all flew this same mission a few days later, which had a Abort To Orbit due to a malfunctioning temp sensor. The mission was a success even though they didn't achieve the desired orbit.

[@karlmehltretter2677]

Redundant set launch sequencer abort

[@daveigamedeiros]

jump to 30:03

[@randolphhinz6361]

And btw, I was only a boy of 10 years old!!!

[@TheDoug2103]

after all those years since apollo 1 they still never came up with a faster way to open a hatch.....

[@gasaholic47]

Uhm, yes they did. Even the Block 2 Apollo capsule had a quick opening mechanism. The hatch was totally redesigned after the Apollo 1 fire.

[@Nghilifa]

They did, the hatch on the Block II spacecraft could be opened in less than 10 seconds.

[@Unclefire]

I read somewhere (years ago) that in cases like this one they don't want them leaving the shuttle until they know things are ok outside the spacecraft.

[@mikegallant811]

@@Nghilifa this was true all they had to do was pump a special handle and that hatch would fly open within 10 seconds I believe although don't quote me on that one yet I'd have to look it up!

[@bigal1863]

That statement is ridiculous

[@foxmccloud7055]

Several months after this mission, long time announcer of game shows including "The Price is Right" Johnny Olson (who coined the phrase "Come on Down") passed away from a stroke at the age of 75.

[@brich2929]

ok?