STS-3 was the third orbital test flight of the Space Shuttle, flown by Columbia from March 22 to 30, 1982, with Jack Lousma and Gordon Fullerton aboard. It was the only Shuttle mission to land at the White Sands backup site in New Mexico, after rain flooded the usual lakebed runway at Edwards.
The flight continued the systematic checkout of the orbiter, testing the robotic arm with heavier loads and deliberately exposing the vehicle to extremes of heat and cold to learn how it behaved in orbit.
The spacearchive.ai STS-3 collection brings together 12 records from the mission, including status briefings, landing coverage, launch coverage, and mission commentary.
These records document the mission in the words and images of the people who flew and supported it.
A working snapshot of what the collection holds today. The public catalog shows descriptive metadata; full media and transcripts are available through research access.
All records in this collection
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KSC - STS-3: Launch Cameras E-1, 52, 4, 76, 77
STS-3 - Downlink TV Orbit 53
KSC - STS-3: Documentary Coverage of Orbiter Tow to VAB and Views of Orbiter Lift and Mate to ET, Towway to VAB
JSC - STS-3 Downlink TV: Chase Launch, T-38 Coverage, Landing, TV-1 Centerline Landing
Descriptive summary pending processing.
Landing coverage of STS-3, featuring the Columbia's touchdown at White Sands, New Mexico, after a mission lasting eight days, six minutes, and ten seconds. Notably, the crew experienced a nose-up pitch during landing, likely due to a wind gust, which was not part of their planned approach. The landing was successful despite the loss of several heat shield tiles during re-entry, raising questions about the spacecraft's integrity.
Launch coverage of STS-3, featuring the terminal countdown at T-minus two hours, five minutes, and holding. Key ascent milestones include liftoff, roll maneuver completion at T-minus 26 seconds, solid rocket booster separation at T-minus 15 seconds, and main engine cutoff at two minutes, 23 seconds. Commander Jack Lousma and Pilot Gordon Fullerton are highlighted, with Lousma's previous Skylab mission experience noted as significant for this flight.
This recording captures on-orbit activities during STS-3, highlighting the first use of the manipulator arm with an attached payload. Jack Lousma discusses the electrophoresis experiment aimed at separating chemical agents in microgravity, and the insect behavior study proposed by a high school student. The crew also shares insights on their daily routines, including exercise and food preparation, while preparing for a successful landing.
This status briefing at 3:30 AM Central Time discusses a transient thermal alarm in the APU system that was resolved without further issues. Flight Director Tommy K. Holloway reports the crew is on schedule for deorbit, with a planned landing at Northrop Strip on orbit 129. The briefing also highlights adjustments to the deorbit timeline, allowing for an earlier landing opportunity, and notes that weather conditions at Northrop are improving, while Kennedy Space Center remains marginal for landing.
This status briefing at 3:30 AM Central Time features Flight Director Tommy Holloway discussing a GN2 leak that appeared to stop after a period of time, with implications for cabin pressure management. The crew's commode experienced a malfunction, leading to the implementation of backup procedures. Additionally, the flight plan was adjusted to allow the crew more rest, with activities from Flight Day 3 being moved to Flight Day 4 due to previous operational challenges.
This status briefing at 4:47 PM reports on a failure in the FA3MDM flight critical system, prompting a shift to a priority flight plan for landing on orbit 63. Flight Director Al Pennington confirms nominal operations for most orbiter hardware, while Joe Cremen discusses the death of a squirrel monkey and the completion of the Wide Field Camera operations. The briefing also highlights the successful growth of crystals and fluid dynamics experiments, despite some malfunctions in experiment hardware.
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