STS-3

STS-3 was the third manned space mission in the Space Transportation System (STS) program conducted by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). A crew of two NASA astronauts, Commander Jack R. Lousma and Pilot C. Gordon Fullerton, conducted the 8 days, 4 minutes, and 46 seconds mission aboard Space Shuttle Columbia.

STS-3

Mission statistics
Mission name:	STS-3
Launch:	22 March 1982
Landing:	30 March 1982
Duration:	8 days, 0 hours, 4 minutes, and 46 seconds
Navigation
Previous Mission	Next Mission
STS-2	STS-4

Mission Details

This third mission continued the test process of the combined performance of the entire shuttle vehicle. The shuttle carried various experimental payloads. The main payload being the Office of the Space Science (OSS-1).

The mission suffered a number of problems as the complex engineering vehicle continued to be tested. These problems included malfunctioning toilets, thermostat difficulty, unexplained static interfering with crew sleep, auxiliary power unit registering overheat on ascent, the loss of three communications links, and space sickness.

Crew

• Jack R. Lousma, Commander
• C. Gordon Fullerton, Pilot
• The backup crew members for STS-3 were Thomas K. Mattingly II and Henry W. Hartsfield, Jr.

References

NASA STS-3 Mission Archives