A metal pin was found wedged in between the orbiter and external tank in an area that technicians could not access. There was a risk that the pin could dislodge during launch and damage the shuttle.[15]
The Z1 truss was the first exterior framework installed on the ISS and allowed the first U.S. solar arrays to be temporarily installed on Unity for early power during flight 4A. The Ku-band communication system supported early science capabilities and U.S. television on flight 6A. The CMGs (Control Moment Gyros) weigh about 27 kilograms (60 lb) and provide non-propulsive (electrically powered) attitude control when activated on flight 5A, and PMA-3 provides shuttle docking port for solar array installation on flight 4A and Destiny Lab installation on flight 5A.
The mission included seven days of docked operations with the space station, four EVAs, and two ingress opportunities.
Over the course of four scheduled spacewalks, two teams of space walkers and an experienced robot arm operator collaborated to install the Z1 (Z for zenith port) truss structure on top of the U.S.Unity connecting node on the growing station and to deliver the third Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA 3) to the ISS for the future berthing of new station components and to accommodate shuttle dockings.
The Z1 truss was the first permanent lattice-work structure for the ISS, very much like a girder, setting the stage for the future addition of the station's major trusses or backbones. The Z1 fixture also served as the platform on which the huge U.S. solar arrays were mounted on the next shuttle assembly flight, STS-97. The Z1 truss included many elements of the Communications and Tracking subsystem. The hardware included a Transmitter/Receiver/Controller (SGTRC) built by L3 Communications Systems-East in Camden, NJ. John Schina was the Chief Engineer of the ISS Program at L3.
^Carreau, Mark (18 October 2000). "Setting up for solar energy". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Houston Chronicle. p. 3. Archived from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ abDunn, Marcia (19 October 2000). "Spacewalkers cruise around". Evansville Courier and Press. Associated Press. p. 4. Archived from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ abcdLegler, Robert D.; Bennett, Floyd V. (1 September 2011). "Space Shuttle Missions Summary"(PDF). Scientific and Technical Information (STI) Program Office. NASA. pp. 2–127. NASA/TM–2011–216142. Archived(PDF) from the original on 21 October 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ). Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses).