STS-51-D
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| STS-51-D | |||||
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Mission insignia |
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| Mission statistics | |||||
| Mission name | STS-51-D | ||||
| Space shuttle | Discovery | ||||
| Launch pad | 39-A | ||||
| Launch date | 12 April 1985, 13:59:05 UTC | ||||
| Landing | 19 April 1985, 13:54:28 UTC KSC, Runway 33 |
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| Mission duration | 6 days, 23 hours, 55 minutes, 23 seconds | ||||
| Number of orbits | 110 | ||||
| Orbital altitude | 285 nautical miles (528 km) | ||||
| Orbital inclination | 28.5° | ||||
| Distance traveled | 2,889,785 miles (4,650,658 km) | ||||
| Crew photo | |||||
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Back row L-R: Griggs, Walker, Garn |
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| Related missions | |||||
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STS-51-D was the sixteenth flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the fourth flight of Space Shuttle Discovery.[1] The launch of STS-51-D from Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida, on 12 April 1985 was delayed by 55 minutes, after a boat strayed into the restricted Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) recovery zone. STS-51-D was the third shuttle mission to be extended.
On 19 April, after a week-long flight, Discovery conducted the fifth shuttle landing at KSC. The shuttle suffered extensive brake damage and a ruptured tire during landing. This forced all subsequent shuttle landings to be done at Edwards Air Force Base, California, until the development and implementation of nose wheel steering made landings at KSC more feasible.
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[edit] Crew
| Position | Astronaut | |
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| Commander | Karol J. Bobko Second spaceflight |
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| Pilot | Donald E. Williams First spaceflight |
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| Mission Specialist 1 | M. Rhea Seddon First spaceflight |
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| Mission Specialist 2 | S. David Griggs Only spaceflight |
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| Mission Specialist 3 | Jeffrey A. Hoffman First spaceflight |
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| Payload Specialist 1 | Charles D. Walker Second spaceflight |
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| Payload Specialist 2 | Edwin J. Garn Only spaceflight |
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| Garn was a Republican Senator from Utah acting as a congressional observer. He was the first sitting member of Congress in space. |
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[edit] Mission parameters
- Mass:
- Orbiter Liftoff: 250,891 pounds (113,802 kg)
- Orbiter Landing: 198,014 pounds (89,818 kg)
- Payload: 28,747 pounds (13,039 kg)
- Orbit:
- Inclination: 28.5°
- Period: 94.4 min
[edit] Spacewalk
- Hoffman and Griggs – EVA 1
- EVA 1 Start: 16 April 1985
- EVA 1 End: 16 April 1985
- Duration: 3 hours, 06 minutes
[edit] Mission summary
During STS-51-D, the shuttle crew deployed two communications satellites: TELESAT-l (ANIK C-1) and SYNCOM IV-3 (also known as Leasat-3). TELESAT-1 was attached to a Payload Assist Module (PAM-D) motor and successfully deployed. SYNCOM IV-3, however, failed to initiate antenna deployment and spin-up, or ignite its perigee kick motor upon deployment. The mission was consequently extended by two days to ensure that the satellite's spacecraft sequencer start lever was in its proper position. Griggs and Hoffman performed an unscheduled EVA to attach homemade "Flyswatter" devices to the shuttle's Remote Manipulator System (RMS). Seddon then engaged the satellite's start lever using the RMS, but again the post-deployment sequence did not begin.[2]
Discovery's other mission payloads included the Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System (CFES) III, which was flying for sixth time; two Shuttle Student Involvement Program (SSIP) experiments; the American Flight Echo-cardiograph (AFE); two Getaway Specials; a set of Phase Partitioning Experiments (PPE); an astronomical photography verification test; various medical experiments; and "Toys in Space," an informal study of the behavior of simple toys in a microgravity environment, with the results being made available to school students upon the shuttle's return.
During the shuttle's landing at KSC on 19 April 1985, extensive brake damage was suffered, and a landing gear tire ruptured. This prompted future shuttle flights to land at Edwards Air Force Base, California, until effective nose wheel steering could be implemented to reduce risks during landing.
[edit] Wake-up calls
NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during the Gemini program, and first used music to wake up a flight crew during Apollo 15. Each track is specially chosen, often by the astronauts' families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.[3]
| Flight Day | Song | Artist/Composer |
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| Day 2 | "Top of the World" | The Carpenters |
| Day 3 | "Rescue Aid Society" | Song from the Disney film, The Rescuers |
[edit] Gallery
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Telesat-1 during deployment.
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Syncom IV-3 during deployment.
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Hoffman and Griggs attach the flyswatter device to the end of the RMS.
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The flyswatter device is used on Syncom IV-3.
[edit] See also
- Space exploration
- Space Shuttle
- List of space shuttle missions
- List of human spaceflights chronologically
[edit] References
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This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (July 2009) |
- ^ NASA. "STS-51D Press Kit". http://www.shuttlepresskit.com/STS-51D/STS51D.pdf. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
- ^ Walker, Charles D. (2005-04-14). Oral History Transcript. Interview with Johnson, Sandra. NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project.
- ^ Fries, Colin (25 June 2007). "Chronology of Wakeup Calls" (PDF). NASA. http://history.nasa.gov/wakeup%20calls.pdf. Retrieved 13 August 2007.
[edit] External links
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