Loren J. Shriver Charles F. Bolden, Jr. Steven A. Hawley Bruce McCandless II Kathryn D. Sullivan
Launch:
April 24, 1990
Landing:
April 29, 1990
Duration:
5 days, 1 hours
Comment:
Deployed the Hubble Space Telescope
This half of a hold-down post frangible nut was recovered on April 24, 1990, after it rode with one of the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB) launching the Hubble Space Telescope on Discovery. Each SRB has four hold-down posts that hold it and the launch platform's posts together. Each bolt has a nut at each end but only the top one is frangible. It has two detonators, which are ignited at solid rocket motor ignition commands. When the detonators go off, the nut halves are caught in a blast container.
