Crewed spacecraftExpended
STS-31 flight stack
Mission-specific Space Shuttle flight stack
Vehicle and mission dossier
STS-31
STS-31 carried the Hubble Space Telescope to an unusually high Shuttle orbit and deployed the observatory with Canadarm. Discovery remained nearby during initial checkout after the crew overcame a balky solar-array deployment, beginning a serviceable space-observatory program that would reshape astronomy through decades of observations and later Shuttle servicing missions.
Flight profile
- Launch
- April 24, 1990
- Landing
- April 29, 1990
- Mission duration
- 5 days, 1 hour, 16 minutes, 6 seconds
- Orbits
- 80
- Inclination
- 28.45 degrees
Places and recovery
Vehicle record
- Orbiter
- Space Shuttle Discovery
- Mission or test
- STS-31
- Configuration
- , external tank, two , and three main engines
- Status
- Mission hardware disposition recorded by component
- Mission type
- Hubble Space Telescope deployment
- Crew and station travelers
- 5
Flight objectives
- Deploy the Hubble Space Telescope into .
- Support Hubble activation and release operations using Discovery's remote manipulator system.
- Conduct IMAX photography and secondary science payloads.
- Operate Discovery in a high-altitude orbit required for Hubble deployment.
Flight timeline
- April 24, 1990LaunchDiscovery climbed toward one of the highest Shuttle operating orbits.
- April 25, 1990Hubble deployedCanadarm lifted the observatory from the payload bay while its arrays and antennas extended.
- Following daysCheckout supportDiscovery remained within range while controllers activated the telescope.
- April 29, 1990LandingDiscovery landed at Edwards after completing the observatory deployment.
