NASA's Long Duration Exposure Facility, or LDEF, was a cylindrical facility designed to provide long-term experimental data on the outer space environment and its effects on space systems, materials,
LDEF, shortly before deployment, flies on the RMS arm of Space Shuttle Challenger over Baja California.
LDEF after retrieval.
Columbia arrives at Kennedy Space Center with LDEF still in its payload bay.
LDEF is removed from Columbia's payload bay
STS-32
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STS-32 was the 33rd mission of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the ninth launch of Space Shuttle Columbia. Launched on January 9, 1990, it marked the first use of Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex
Long Duration Exposure Facility
…to about 175 nautical miles (324 km) and it was likely to burn up on reentry in a little over a month. It was finally recovered by Columbia on mission STS-32 on January 12, 1990. Columbia approached LDEF in such a way as to minimize possible contamination to LDEF from thruster exhaust. While LDEF was still…
Columbia retrieves the Long Duration Exposure Facility.
Standing: Ivins, Low and Dunbar Seated: Brandenstein and WetherbeeSpace Shuttle program← STS-33 (32)STS-36 (34) →
The launch of STS-32 from LC-39A
The Syncom IV-F5 satellite is deployed.