View source for STS-51-F

{{Short description|1985 American crewed spaceflight}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Infobox spaceflight
| name               = STS-51-F
| names_list         = [[Space Transportation System]]-19<br/>Spacelab 2
| image              = STS-51-F Instrument Pointing System.jpg
| image_caption      = Experiments in ''Challenger''{{'}}s payload bay
| mission_type       = [[Observational astronomy|Astronomical observation]]s
| operator           = [[NASA]]
| mission_duration   = {{time interval|July 29, 1985, 21:00:00|August 6, 1985, 19:45:26|show=dhms|sep=,}}
| distance_travelled = {{cvt|5284350|km}}
| orbits_completed   = 127
| spacecraft         = {{OV|099}}
| launch_mass        = {{cvt|114693|kg}}
| landing_mass       = {{cvt|98309|kg}}
| payload_mass       = {{cvt|16309|kg}}
| crew_size          = 7
| crew_members       = {{Unbulleted list|[[C. Gordon Fullerton]]|[[Roy D. Bridges Jr.]]|[[Karl Gordon Henize|Karl G. Henize]]|[[Story Musgrave|F. Story Musgrave]]|[[Anthony W. England]]|[[Loren Acton|Loren W. Acton]]|[[John-David F. Bartoe]]}}
| launch_date        = {{Start date|July 29, 1985, 21:00:00|timezone=yes}}{{nbsp}}[[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] (5:00{{nbsp}}pm{{nbsp}}[[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]])
| launch_site        = [[Kennedy Space Center|Kennedy]], [[Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A|LC-39A]]
| launch_contractor  = [[Rockwell International]]
| landing_date       = {{End date|August 6, 1985, 19:45:26|timezone=yes}}{{nbsp}}UTC (12:45:26{{nbsp}}pm{{nbsp}}[[Pacific Daylight Time|PDT]])
| landing_site       = [[Edwards Air Force Base|Edwards]], Runway{{nbsp}}23
| orbit_reference    = [[Geocentric orbit]]
| orbit_regime       = [[Low Earth orbit]]
| orbit_periapsis    = {{cvt|312|km}}
| orbit_apoapsis     = {{cvt|320|km}}
| orbit_inclination  = 49.49°
| orbit_period       = 90.90 minutes
| apsis              = gee
| instruments        = {{ubl|Carbonated Beverage Dispenser Evaluation|Infrared telescope (IRT)|Instrument Pointing System (IPS)|Plasma Diagnostics Package (PDP)|Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment}}
| insignia           = STS-51-F patch.svg
| insignia_caption   = STS-51-F mission patch
| crew_photo         = STS-51-F crew.jpg
| crew_photo_caption = Front row (seated): [[C. Gordon Fullerton]], [[Roy D. Bridges Jr.]]<br/>Back row (standing): [[Anthony W. England]], [[Karl Gordon Henize|Karl G. Henize]], [[Story Musgrave|F. Story Musgrave]], [[Loren Acton|Loren W. Acton]], [[John-David F. Bartoe]]
| programme          = [[Space Shuttle program]]
| previous_mission   = [[STS-51-G]] (18)
| next_mission       = [[STS-51-I]] (20)
}}

'''STS-51-F''' (also known as '''Spacelab 2''') was the 19th flight of [[NASA]]'s [[Space Shuttle program]] and the eighth flight of [[Space Shuttle Challenger|Space Shuttle ''Challenger'']]. It launched from [[Kennedy Space Center]], [[Florida]], on July 29, 1985, and landed eight days later on August 6, 1985.

While STS-51-F's primary payload was the [[Spacelab]] 2 laboratory module, the payload that received the most publicity was the Carbonated Beverage Dispenser Evaluation, which was an experiment in which both [[Coca-Cola]] and [[Pepsi]] tried to make their carbonated drinks available to astronauts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.space.com/12128-9-weird-nasa-space-shuttle-cargo-mementos-countdown.html|title=9 Weird Things That Flew on NASA's Space Shuttles - Final Shuttle Missions and NASA's Space Shuttle Souvenirs - NASA Shuttle Program|publisher=Space.com|date=July 7, 2011|access-date=February 5, 2022}}</ref> A helium-cooled [[infrared telescope]] (IRT) was also flown on this mission, and while it did have some problems, it observed 60% of the [[galactic plane]] in infrared light.<ref name="ipac.caltech.edu">{{cite web|url=http://www.ipac.caltech.edu/outreach/Edu/orbit.html |title=Archived copy of Infrared Astronomy From Earth Orbit|access-date=December 10, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221020839/http://www.ipac.caltech.edu/outreach/Edu/orbit.html |archive-date=December 21, 2016}}</ref><ref name=kent/>

During launch, ''Challenger'' experienced multiple sensor failures in its Engine 1 Center [[SSME]] engine, which led to it shutting down and the shuttle had to perform an "[[Space Shuttle abort modes|Abort to Orbit]]" (ATO) emergency procedure. It is the only Shuttle mission to have carried out an abort after launching. As a result of the ATO, the mission was carried out at a slightly lower orbital altitude.

== Crew ==
{{Spaceflight crew
| terminology = Astronaut
| position1   = Commander
| crew1_up    = [[C. Gordon Fullerton]] [[File:Solid red.svg|8px|Member of Red Team]] [[File:Solid blue.svg|8px|Member of Blue Team]]
| flights1_up = Second and last
| position2   = Pilot
| crew2_up    = [[Roy D. Bridges Jr.]] [[File:Solid red.svg|8px|Member of Red Team]]
| flights2_up = Only
| position3   = Mission Specialist 1
| crew3_up    = [[Karl Gordon Henize|Karl G. Henize]] [[File:Solid red.svg|8px|Member of Red Team]]
| flights3_up = Only
| position4   = Mission Specialist 2<br>Flight Engineer
| crew4_up    = [[Story Musgrave|F. Story Musgrave]] [[File:Solid blue.svg|8px|Member of Blue Team]]
| flights4_up = Second
| position5   = Mission Specialist 3
| crew5_up    = [[Anthony W. England]] [[File:Solid blue.svg|8px|Member of Blue Team]]
| flights5_up = Only
| position6   = Payload Specialist 1
| crew6_up    = [[Loren Acton|Loren W. Acton]] [[File:Solid red.svg|8px|Member of Red Team]]
| details6_up  = [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed]]
| flights6_up = Only
| position7   = Payload Specialist 2
| crew7_up    = [[John-David F. Bartoe]] [[File:Solid blue.svg|8px|Member of Blue Team]]
| details7_up = [[United States Navy]]
| flights7_up = Only
| notes       = [[Image:Solid blue.svg|8px|Member of Blue Team]] Member of Blue Team<br>[[Image:Solid red.svg|8px|Member of Red Team]] Member of Red Team
}}
{{Spaceflight crew
| terminology = Astronaut
| crew        = backup
| position6   = Payload Specialist 1
| crew6_up    = George W. Simon [[File:Solid red.svg|8px|Member of Red Team]]
| details6_up = [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed]]
| position7   = Payload Specialist 2
| crew7_up    = [[Dianne K. Prinz]] [[File:Solid blue.svg|8px|Member of Blue Team]]
| details7_up = [[United States Navy]]
}}

As with previous Spacelab missions, the crew was divided between two 12-hour shifts. Acton, Bridges and Henize made up the "Red Team" while Bartoe, England and Musgrave comprised the "Blue Team"; commander Fullerton could take either shift when needed.<ref name=presskit>{{citation-attribution|1={{cite web|title=Space Shuttle Mission STS-51F Press Kit|url=http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/shuttle_pk/pk/Flight_019_STS-51F_Press_Kit.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/shuttle_pk/pk/Flight_019_STS-51F_Press_Kit.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |publisher=NASA|access-date=March 1, 2014|year=1985}} }}</ref> ''Challenger'' carried two [[Extravehicular Mobility Unit]]s (EMU) in the event of an emergency spacewalk, which would have been performed by England and Musgrave.<ref name=presskit/>

=== Crew seat assignments ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! Seat<ref>{{cite web|title=STS-51F|url=http://spacefacts.de/mission/english/sts-51f.htm|publisher=Spacefacts|access-date=February 26, 2014}}</ref> 
! Launch
! Landing
|rowspan=8| [[File:Space Shuttle seating plan.svg|150px]]<br />Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck.<br />Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck.
|-
! 1
|colspan=2| Fullerton
|-
! 2
|colspan=2| Bridges
|-
! 3
|colspan=2| Henize
|-
! 4
|colspan=2| Musgrave
|-
! 5
|colspan=2| England
|-
! 6
|colspan=2| Acton
|-
! 7
|colspan=2| Bartoe
|}

== Launch ==
[[File:STS-51-F shuttle.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|left|Aborted launch attempt at T-3 seconds on July 12, 1985.]]
[[File:Space Shuttle abort panel.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|The control panel of the Shuttle on the STS-51-F mission, showing the selection of the Abort-to-Orbit (ATO) option.]]

STS-51-F's first launch attempt on July 12, 1985, was halted with the countdown at T−3 seconds after main engine ignition, when a malfunction of the number two RS-25 coolant valve caused an automatic launch abort. ''Challenger'' launched successfully on its second attempt on July 29, 1985, at 17:00&nbsp;p.m. [[Eastern Time Zone|EDT]], after a delay of 1 hour 37 minutes due to a problem with the table maintenance block update uplink.

At 3 minutes 31 seconds into the ascent, one of the center engine's two high-pressure fuel turbopump turbine discharge temperature sensors failed. Two minutes and twelve seconds later, the second sensor failed, causing the shutdown of the center engine. This was the only in-flight RS-25 failure of the [[Space Shuttle program]]. Approximately 8 minutes into the flight, one of the same temperature sensors in the right engine failed, and the remaining right-engine temperature sensor displayed readings near the redline for engine shutdown. [[Flight controller|Booster Systems Engineer]] Jenny M. Howard acted quickly to recommend that the crew inhibit any further automatic RS-25 shutdowns based on readings from the remaining sensors,<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P740L91Mf8E |title=NASA STS-51F space shuttle launch, SSME shutdown and mid-ascent Abort To Orbit (ATO) - July 29, 1985 |date=2012-10-16 |last=Travis |first=Matthew |access-date=October 2, 2022 |via=YouTube}}</ref> preventing the potential shutdown of a second engine and a possible abort mode that may have resulted in the loss of crew and vehicle (LOCV).<ref>{{citation-attribution|1={{cite news|last=Welch|first=Brian|title=Limits to inhibit|newspaper=Space News Roundup|location=Houston, Texas|pages=1, 3|publisher=NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center |date=August 9, 1985|url=http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/roundups/issues/85-08-09.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090322002937/https://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/roundups/issues/85-08-09.pdf |archive-date=March 22, 2009|access-date=January 10, 2010}} }}</ref>

The failed RS-25 resulted in an Abort to Orbit (ATO) trajectory, whereby the shuttle achieved a lower-than-planned orbital altitude. The plan had been for a {{cvt|385|km}} by {{cvt|382|km}} orbit,<ref>{{citation-attribution|1={{cite press release|title=STS-51F Press Kit|date=July 1985|publisher=NASA}} }}</ref> but the mission was carried out at {{cvt|265|km}} by {{cvt|262|km}}.<ref name="missions summary">{{citation-attribution|1={{cite web|title=Space Shuttle Missions Summary|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106152226/https://spaceflight.nasa.gov/outreach/SignificantIncidents/assets/space-shuttle-missions-summary.pdf|archive-date=January 6, 2021|url=https://spaceflight.nasa.gov/outreach/SignificantIncidents/assets/space-shuttle-missions-summary.pdf|date=September 2011|last1=Legler |first1=Robert D. |last2=Bennett |first2=Floyd V|url-status=dead|publisher=NASA Scientific and Technical Information Program Office}} }}</ref>

{{LaunchAttempt
| df=yes

| date1           = 1985-07-12, 15:30:00
| result1         = Scrubbed
| reason1         = Technical
| decision_date1  = 1985-07-12, 15:29:57
| decision_clock1 = -0:03
| weathergo1      = 
| notes1          = Pad abort: malfunction in SSME #2 coolant valve shutdown of all three main engines<ref>{{citation-attribution|1={{cite web|title=STS-51F Launch attempt #1|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ64IvaBC2c&t=27m55s |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200427164738/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ64IvaBC2c&gl=US&hl=en|archive-date=April 27, 2020|url-status=dead|publisher=NASA}} }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Radio Coverage of STS-51F launch attempt 1|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvSxdv2XqgA|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211123/XvSxdv2XqgA|archive-date=November 23, 2021|url-status=live|agency=AP}} {{cbignore}}</ref>

| date2           = 1985-07-29, 17:00:00
| result2         = Success
| reason2         =
| decision_date2  = 1985-07-29, 17:00:00
| decision_clock2 = 
| weathergo2      = 
| notes2          = Launched after 1 hour 37 minute delay to resolve issue with table maintenance block update uplink. At T+343 seconds, SSME #1 shut down leading to ATO (Abort to Orbit).<ref name="missions summary"/>
}}

== Mission summary ==
[[File:STS-51-F Plasma Diagnostics Package.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|The Plasma Diagnostics Package (PDP) grappled by the [[Canadarm]].]]
[[File:Spacelab 2 mission.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|Space art for the Spacelab 2 mission, showing some of the various experiments in the payload bay.]]
[[File:NASA shuttle astronaut drinks from a specially designed Coke beverage can.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|Tony England drinks soda in space.]]
[[File:Isabella lake STS51F-42-34.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|A view of the Sierra Nevada mountains and surroundings from Earth orbit, taken on the STS-51-F mission.]]

STS-51-F's primary payload was the laboratory module Spacelab 2. A special part of the modular Spacelab system, the "[[Spacelab|igloo]]", which was located at the head of a three-pallet train, provided on-site support to instruments mounted on pallets. The main mission objective was to verify performance of Spacelab systems, determine the interface capability of the orbiter, and measure the environment created by the spacecraft. Experiments covered [[life science]]s, [[plasma physics]], [[astronomy]], high-energy [[astrophysics]], [[solar physics]], [[atmospheric physics]] and [[Technology|technology research]]. Despite mission replanning necessitated by ''Challenger''{{'}}s abort to orbit trajectory, the Spacelab mission was declared a success.

The flight marked the first time the [[European Space Agency]] (ESA) Instrument Pointing System (IPS) was tested in orbit. This unique pointing instrument was designed with an accuracy of one [[Minute and second of arc|arcsecond]]. Initially, some problems were experienced when it was commanded to track the [[Sun]], but a series of software fixes were made and the problem was corrected. In addition, [[Anthony W. England]] became the second [[amateur radio operator]] to [[Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment|transmit from space]] during the mission.

=== Spacelab Infrared Telescope ===
The Spacelab Infrared Telescope (IRT) was also flown on the mission.<ref name=kent/> The IRT was a {{cvt|15.2|cm}} aperture [[Liquid helium|helium-cooled]] infrared telescope, observing light between wavelengths of 1.7 to 118 [[Micrometre|μm]].<ref name="kent">{{Cite journal |last1=Kent |first1=S. M. |last2=Dame |first2=T. M. |last3=Fazio |first3=G. |date=1991-09-01 |title=Galactic Structure from the Spacelab Infrared Telescope. II. Luminosity Models of the Milky Way |url=https://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1992ApJS...78..403K |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=378 |pages=131 |doi=10.1086/170413 |bibcode=1992ApJS...78..403K |issn=0004-637X}}</ref> It was thought heat emissions from the Shuttle would corrupt long-wavelength data, however it still returned useful astronomical data.<ref name=kent/> Another problem was that a piece of [[BoPET|mylar]] insulation broke loose and floated in the line-of-sight of the telescope.<ref name=kent/> IRT collected infrared data on 60% of the galactic plane.<ref name="ipac.caltech.edu"/> (see also [[List of largest infrared telescopes]]) A later space mission that experienced a [[stray light]] problem from debris was ''[[Gaia (spacecraft)|Gaia]]'' [[astrometry]] spacecraft launch in 2013 by the ESA - the source of the stray light was later identified as the fibers of the sunshield, protruding beyond the edges of the shield.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/gaia/news_20141217|title=STATUS OF THE GAIA STRAYLIGHT ANALYSIS AND MITIGATION ACTIONS|publisher=ESA|date=December 17, 2014|access-date=February 5, 2022}}</ref>

=== Other payloads ===
The Plasma Diagnostics Package (PDP), which had been previously flown on [[STS-3]], made its return on the mission, and was part of a set of plasma physics experiments designed to study the Earth's [[ionosphere]]. During the third day of the mission, it was grappled out of the payload bay by the Remote Manipulator System ([[Canadarm]]) and released for six hours.<ref name=report>{{citation-attribution|1={{cite web|title=STS-51F National Space Transportation System Mission Report|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/52621059/STS-51F-National-Space-Transportation-System-Mission-Report|publisher=NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center|access-date=March 1, 2014|page=2|date=September 1985}} }}</ref> During this time, ''Challenger'' maneuvered around the PDP as part of a targeted proximity operations exercise. The PDP was successfully grappled by the Canadarm and returned to the payload bay at the beginning of the fourth day of the mission.<ref name=report/>

In a heavily publicized marketing experiment, astronauts aboard STS-51-F drank [[Soft drink|carbonated beverage]]s from specially designed cans from [[Cola wars|Cola Wars]] competitors [[Coca-Cola]] and [[Pepsi]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Pearlman|first=Robert|title=A Brief History of Space Marketing|url=http://www.space.com/news/spaceagencies/space_market_010531-1.html|publisher=Space.com|access-date=March 24, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214131154/http://space.com/news/spaceagencies/space_market_010531-1.html|archive-date=February 14, 2009|date=May 31, 2001}}</ref> According to Acton, after Coke developed its experimental dispenser for an earlier shuttle flight, Pepsi insisted to American president [[Ronald Reagan]] that Coke should not be the first cola in space. The experiment was delayed until Pepsi could develop its own system, and the two companies' products were assigned to STS-51-F.{{r|as20101118}}

Blue Team tested Coke, and Red Team tested Pepsi. As part of the experiment, each team was photographed with the cola logo. Acton said that while the sophisticated Coke system "dispensed soda kind of like what we're used to drinking on Earth", the Pepsi can was a [[shaving cream]] can with the Pepsi logo on a paper wrapper, which "dispensed soda filled with bubbles" that was "not very drinkable".<ref name="as20101118">{{cite magazine|date=November 18, 2010|title=Loren Acton: The Coke and Pepsi Flight|url=https://www.airspacemag.com/multimedia/in-the-age-of-spaceplanes-72344760/?page=3|magazine=[[Air & Space/Smithsonian]] |publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412162901/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/in-the-age-of-spaceplanes-72344760/ |archive-date=April 12, 2022 |url-status=live }}</ref> Acton said that when he gives speeches in schools, audiences are much more interested in hearing about the cola experiment than in [[solar physics]].{{r|as20101118}} Post-flight, the astronauts revealed that they preferred [[Tang (beverage)|Tang]], in part because it could be mixed on-orbit with existing chilled-water supplies, whereas there was no dedicated refrigeration equipment on board to chill the cans, which also [[fizz]]ed excessively in [[Micro-g environment|microgravity]].

In an experiment during the mission, thruster rockets were fired at a point over [[Tasmania]] and also above [[Boston]] to create two "holes" – plasma depletion regions – in the ionosphere. A worldwide group of [[Geophysics|geophysicists]] collaborated with the observations made from Spacelab 2.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://harveycohen.net/essex/index.htm|title=Elizabeth A. Essex-Cohen Ionospheric Physics Papers |date=2007|access-date=February 5, 2022}}</ref>

== Landing ==
''Challenger'' landed at [[Edwards Air Force Base]], [[California]], on August 6, 1985, at 12:45:26&nbsp;p.m. [[Pacific Time Zone|PDT]]. Its rollout distance was {{cvt|2612|m}}. The mission had been extended by 17 orbits for additional payload activities due to the Abort to Orbit. The orbiter arrived back at Kennedy Space Center on August 11, 1985.

== Mission insignia ==
The mission insignia was designed by [[Houston, Texas]], artist Skip Bradley. {{OV|99}} is depicted ascending toward the heavens in search of new knowledge in the field of solar and stellar astronomy, with its Spacelab 2 payload. The constellations [[Leo (constellation)|Leo]] and [[Orion (constellation)|Orion]] are shown in the positions they were in relative to the Sun during the flight. The nineteen stars indicate that the mission is the 19th shuttle flight.

== Legacy ==
One of the purposes of the mission was to test how suitable the Shuttle was for conducting infrared observations, and the IRT was operated on this mission.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3349/1|title=The Space Review: From Skylab to Shuttle to the Smithsonian|website=thespacereview.com|date=October 16, 2017|access-date=February 5, 2022}}</ref> However, the orbiter was found to have some draw-backs for infrared astronomy, and this led to later infrared telescopes being free-flying from the Shuttle orbiter.<ref name=":0"/>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Spaceflight}}
* [[List of human spaceflights]]
* [[List of Space Shuttle missions]]
* [[Salyut 7]] (a space station of the Soviet Union also in orbit at this time)
** [[Soyuz T-13]] (a mission to salvage that space station in the summer of 1985)

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/51-f/mission-51-f.html NASA mission summary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514000851/http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/51-f/mission-51-f.html |date=May 14, 2011 }}
* [http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/51-f/51-f-press-kit.txt Press Kit] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130221225530/http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/51-f/51-f-press-kit.txt |date=February 21, 2013 }}
* [http://www.nss.org/resources/library/shuttlevideos/shuttle19.htm STS-51F Video Highlights] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926174359/http://www.nss.org/resources/library/shuttlevideos/shuttle19.htm |date=September 26, 2013 }}
* [http://www.coca-colaconversations.com/my_weblog/2008/02/coke-in-space.html Space Coke can] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622125529/http://www.coca-colaconversations.com/my_weblog/2008/02/coke-in-space.html |date=June 22, 2012 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060930025908/http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/people/journals/space/kloeris/05-01-01.html Carbonated Drinks in Space]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSbMs_OnE4c YouTube: STS-51F launch, abort and landing]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_dJ-PFConA July 12 launch attempt]
* [https://spaceflight.nasa.gov/outreach/SignificantIncidents/assets/space-shuttle-missions-summary.pdf Space Shuttle Missions Summary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200512003324/https://spaceflight.nasa.gov/outreach/SignificantIncidents/assets/space-shuttle-missions-summary.pdf |date=May 12, 2020 }}

{{Space Shuttle Challenger}}
{{All U.S. Space Shuttle Missions}}
{{Orbital launches in 1985}}

[[Category:Space Shuttle missions]]
[[Category:Edwards Air Force Base]]
[[Category:1985 in spaceflight]]
[[Category:1985 in the United States]]
[[Category:Crewed space observatories]]
[[Category:Spacecraft launched in 1985]]
[[Category:Spacecraft which reentered in 1985]]