LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Orbiter Vehicle
built 276 days ago
(STS036 S-002 - 4 March 1990) --- STS-36 Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, crewmembers pose for their official crew portrait in front of Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, on Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch Complex (LC) Pad 39B. Right to left are Mission Specialist (MS) Pierre J. Thuot, Pilot John H. Casper, Commander John O. Creighton, MS Richard M. Mullane, and MS David C. Hilmers. The launch tower including the retracted rotating service structure (RSS) and the fixed service structure (FSS) are lit up against the foggy morning sky. Portrait taken by NASA JSC contract photographer Jack Jacob.
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STS-31 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, riding atop a special flat bed transport vehicle, backs out of the Kennedy Space Center's (KSC's) Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) during transfer operations. OV-103 is being transferred to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) where preflight processing will continue. The space shuttle main engine (SSME) nozzles, the orbital maneuvering system (OMS) nozzles, and the reaction control system (RCS) jets/thrusters are protected from contamination with red covers. A crowd of employees watches the transfer activity. View provided by KSC with alternate KSC number KSC-90PC-306.
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The Orbiter/Vehicle Integration discipline was responsible for placing the probe on the Europa Orbiter in such a way that any interference with the operation of the Europa Orbiter would be avoided. This involved developing a way to separate from the orbiter without changing its trajectory significantly. Furthermore, this discipline was responsible for integrating the PILE-DRV’s components. Pro/ENGINEER was an important tool in this process. Braces were designed to attach the propulsion module to the penetrator in such a way that the penetrator could break free from the propulsion module prior to impact with Europa.
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STS-56 electronic still camera (ESC) Earth observation image shows metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia at night as recorded on the 64th orbit of Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103. The image was recorded using an image intensifier on HERCULES. Center coordinates on this image are 33.738 degrees north latitude and 84.414 degrees west longitude. Digital file name is ESC04030.IMG.
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During the course of an Orbiter mission, the Orbiter vehicle is controlled to maintain certain parameters, such as pointing, rotation rates, or attitudes. These parameters are customarily defined by the primary payload(s) of a particular mission, the Orbiter program office, the crew office, and the safety office. For a typical microgravity science mission, the attitude is maintained to optimize certain secondary parameters, such as the net quasi-steady acceleration, duration and frequency of thruster firings, and attitude changes during the course of the mission.
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STS-56 electronic still camera (ESC) Earth observation image shows metropolitan Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at night as recorded on the 48th orbit of Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103. The image was recorded with an image intensifier on the HERCULES. Center coordinates on this image are 39.970 degrees north latitude and 75.157 degrees west longitude.
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Orbiter Vehicle