Word: max
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...outer layers erupt in a blaze of turbulent magnetic storms, characterized by an increase in sunspots and fiery explosions known as solar flares. In February 1980, on the eve of one such outburst, NASA launched an instrument-packed scientific satellite called the Solar Maximum Mission. Nicknamed Solar Max, the spacecraft was to photograph and monitor the sun's activity, which even at a distance of 93 million miles can disrupt global communications and power transmissions, influence weather and endanger space voyagers...
After ten months in orbit, however, Solar Max blew three critical fuses. The failure impaired its ability to keep properly turned toward the sun, left it wobbling like a top, and triggered breakdowns in its battery of instruments. The $325 million Solar Max program seemed moribund...
...flight that should demonstrate anew the space shuttle's versatility, the orbiter Challenger will attempt to revivify Solar Max. If these celestial dramatics succeed, they will represent the space age's first retrieval and repair of an earth satellite. Challenger is scheduled to begin its historic fix-it flight from Florida's Kennedy Space Center on Friday, April 6, at 8:59 a.m. E.S.T On this eleventh shuttle journey, Navy Captain Bob Crippen, 46, a veteran of two earlier missions, and his four-man, all-rookie crew will be breaking other new ground...
...first time, the delta-winged spacecraft will climb directly into orbit with only one intermediate firing by its orbital maneuvering engines. A steeper ascent, made possible by improvements in engine thrust, will save fuel, which may be needed for the rendezvous maneuvers with Solar Max. Once it is 245 miles high, the shuttle will use its remote-controlled mechanical arm for another first: the deployment of a 30-ft.-long cylindrical package, called the long-duration exposure facility (LDEF), which contains 57 separate scientific experiments contributed by nearly 200 scientists in nine countries. LDEF will be left in orbit...
...goes well, Solar Max's capture will be attempted on the third day of flight, when Challenger closes to within 300 ft. of the errant satellite. Mission Specialist George Nelson, 33, who has a doctorate in astronomy, will buckle himself into a manned maneuvering unit (MMU), the jet-powered Buck Rogers contraption that enabled astronauts to make the historic, untethered space walk on Challenger's February flight. Mission Specialist James van Hoften, 39, a onetime hot-tub salesman with a Ph.D. in hydraulic engineering, will act as an emergency backup...