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Bolden, Administrator Blog Speeches & Testimony Lori B. Garver, Deputy Administrator Facebook | Twitter Speeches & Testimony NASA Org Structure | Leadership GalleryNASA LOCATIONS Find a Center or Facility Visiting NASA NASA Home > Missions > Space Shuttle > Shuttle Missions > Archives SendPrintFollow this link to Share This PageShare MissionsMissions HighlightsCurrent MissionsCurrent Missions Space Shuttle Shuttle Missions Archives Behind the Scenes Launch & Landing Multimedia News & Media Resources Vehicle Structure Past MissionsFuture MissionsLaunch ScheduleMission Calendar People Who Read This Also Read...People Who Read This Also Read... STS-51L mission summary, mission, summary, challenger, › full details 1979 people looked at this STS-1 mission summary, mission, summary, › full details, sts1 524 people looked at this STS-107 mission summary, mission, › full details, summary, sts107 703 people looked at this STS-135: The Final Voyage › mission summary, sts135 the final voyage, mission, summary, atlantis floats over the bahamas 703 people looked at this Missions mission, missions highlights, new, current missions, multimedia 23429 people looked at thisSpace Shuttle Mission ArchivesText SizeGrow Text SizeShrink Text SizeAverage Rating: 4.0 / 5 (27 ratings)HELPHELPHELPHELPHELPHELP STS-3 Mission: Third Shuttle Mission/Office of Space Science-1(OSS-1) Space Shuttle: Columbia Launch Pad: 39A Launched: March 22, 1982 at 11:00:00 a.m. EST Launch Weight: 235,415 pounds Landing Site: White Sands, New Mexico Landing: March 30, 1982 at 9:04:46 a.m. MST Runway: 17 - Northrup Strip Rollout Distance: 13,732 feet Rollout Time: 83 seconds Revolution: 130 Mission Duration: 8 days, 0 hours, 4 minutes and 46 seconds Returned to KSC: April 6, 1982 Orbit Altitude: 147 nautical miles Orbit Inclination: 38.0 degrees Miles Traveled: 3.335 million Crew Members Image above: STS-3 Crew photo with Commander Jack R. Lousma Pilot C. Gordon Fullerton. Back-up crew members for this mission were, Thomas K. Mattingly II and Henry W. Hartsfield, Jr. Image Credit: NASA Mission Objectives Demonstrate safe re-launch and safe return of the orbiter and crew. Verify the combined performance of the entire shuttle vehicle - orbiter, solid rocket boosters and external tank. Payloads included the 8,740 lbs. Office of Space Science (OSS-1) Pallet consisting of the Plant Lignification Experiment, the Plasma Diagnostic Package (PDP), the Vehicle Charging and Potential (VCAP) experiment, the Space Shuttle Induced Atmosphere experiment, the Thermal Canister experiment, the Solar Flare X-Ray Polarimeter, the Solar Ultraviolet and Spectral Irradiance Monitor (SUSIM), the Contamination Monitor Package and the Foil Microabrasion Package. Also in the payload bay was the 11,048 lbs. Development Flight Instrumentation (DFI) Pallet and the 448 lbs. Aerodynamic Coefficient Identification Package (ACIP). The crew compartment housed the Monodisperse Latex Reactor (MLR) experiment and the Heflex Bioengineering Test (HBT) experiment. Mission Highlights The launch was delayed one hour due to failure of a heater on the nitrogen gas ground support line. Testing continued of space shuttle systems for qualification for operational flights. Testing of remote manipulator system and measurements of thermal response of orbiter in various attitudes to sun conducted. Get Away Special test canister and Spacelab pallet-mounted experiments for NASA's Office of Space Science-1 (OSS-1) carried in payload bay. OSS-1 obtained data on near-Earth space environment, including contamination (gases, dust, etc.) introduced into space by orbiter itself. Other experiments: Monodisperse Latex Reactor (MLR), Electrophoresis Equipment Verification Test (EEVT), Heflex Bioengineering Test (HBT) and first Shuttle Student Involvement Program (SSIP) experiment. Problems encountered: space sickness, malfunctioning toilet, thermostat difficulty and unexplained static interfering with crew sleep. Auxiliary power unit registered overheating during ascent, but functioned properly during descent. Three communications links were lost. NASA's John F. 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