Last Untethered EVA: STS-64 Discovery Space Shuttle Flight Highlights 1994 NASA; SPARTAN, SAFER

more at http://scitech.quickfound.net/astro/space_shuttle_news.html "Commander: Richard N. Richards Pilot: L. Blaine Hammond, Jr. Mission Specialists: J. M. "Jerry" Linenger, Susan J. Helms, Carl J. Meade, Mark C. Lee Dates: September 9-20, 1994 Vehicle: Discovery OV-103 Payloads: LITE, SPARTAN-201, ROMPS, SAFER, SPIFEX, SSCE, BRIC, SAREX, RME-III, MAST, and GAS (10 experiments) EVA: (SAFER/Tethered) Evaluated the Simplified Aid for EVA Rescuer (SAFER), several spacewalking tools, and an Electronic Cuff Checklist Landing site: Concrete runway 04 at Edwards AFB, CA Narrated by the Commander and crew, this program contains footage selected by the astronauts, as well as their comments on the mission. Footage includes launch, onboard crew activities, and landing." NASA film JSC-1453 Reupload of a previously uploaded film, in one piece instead of multiple parts, and with improved video & sound. Public domain film from the US National Archives, slightly cropped to remove uneven edges, with the aspect ratio corrected, and one-pass brightness-contrast-color correction & mild video noise reduction applied. The soundtrack was also processed with volume normalization, noise reduction, clipping reduction, and/or equalization (the resulting sound, though not perfect, is far less noisy than the original). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-64 STS-64 was a Space Shuttle Discovery mission to perform multiple experiment packages. It was launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 9 September 1994. STS-64 marked the first flight of Lidar In-space Technology Experiment (LITE) and first untethered U.S. extravehicular activity (EVA) in 10 years. LITE payload employs lidar, which stands for light detection and ranging, a type of optical radar using laser pulses instead of radio waves to study Earth's atmosphere... Mission Specialists Lee and Meade completed the 28th EVA of the Space Shuttle program on 16 Sept. During the six-hour, 15- minute EVA, they tested a new backpack called Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER), designed for use in event crew member becomes untethered while conducting an EVA. Operations with SAFER marked the first untethered EVA since STS 51-A in 1984, and also last such EVA of the program.SAFER went on to become a mainstay of US and joint spacewalks during the assembly of the International Space Station and beyond. On fifth day of the mission, The Shuttle Pointed Autonomous Research Tool for Astronomy-201 (SPARTAN-201) free flyer was released using the Remote Manipulator System arm. Making its second flight on the Shuttle, SPARTAN-201 was designed to collect data about the acceleration and velocity of the solar wind and to measure aspects of sun's corona. Data was recorded for playback after return to Earth. SPARTAN-201 was retrieved after two days of data collection. Other cargo bay payloads: Shuttle Plume Impingement Flight Experiment (SPIFEX), a 33-foot (10-meter) long instrumented extension for Shuttle robot arm. SPIFEX designed to collect data about orbiter Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters to aid understanding about potential effects of thruster plumes on large space structures, such as Mir space station or planned international space station. Robot Operated Processing System (ROMPS) was first U.S. robotics system operated in space, mounted in two Get Away Special (GAS) canisters attached to cargo bay wall. A GAS bridge assembly in cargo bay carried 12 cans, 10 holding self-contained experiments. Middeck experiments included: Biological Research in Canister (BRIC) experiment to investigate effects of spaceflight on plant specimens; Military Application of Ship Tracks (MAST) to take high-resolution imagery of ship tracks and to analyze wake formation and dissipations; Solid Surface Combustion Experiment (SSCE) to supply information on flame propagation over fuels in space; Radiation Monitoring Equipment III (RME III) to measure ionizing radiation; Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment II (SAREX II) to demonstrate feasibility of short-wave radio contacts between orbiter and ground-based amateur radio operators; and Air Force Maui Optical Station (AMOS) test, which required no onboard hardware. STS-63 was the first mission to see the use of the new full-pressure Advanced Crew Escape Suit, which eventually replaced the partial-pressure Launch Entry Suit. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Aid_for_EVA_Rescue Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER) is a small, self-contained, propulsive backpack system (jet pack) used to provide free-flying mobility for a Space Shuttle or International Space Station (ISS) crewmember during extra-vehicular activity (EVA). SAFER is a small, simplified version of the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) intended for contingency use during spacewalks...