 Liftoff of the first flight of Atlantis and the STS 51-J mission. | |||||
| Mission type | Satellite deployment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | NASA | ||||
| COSPAR ID | 1985-092A | ||||
| SATCAT № | 16115 | ||||
| Mission duration | 4 days, 1 hour, 44 minutes, 38 seconds | ||||
| Distance travelled | 2,707,948 kilometres (1,682,641 mi) | ||||
| Orbits completed | 64 | ||||
| Spacecraft properties | |||||
| Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Atlantis | ||||
| Landing mass | 86,400 kilograms (190,400 lb) | ||||
| Payload mass | 19,968 kilograms (44,022 lb) | ||||
| Crew | |||||
| Crew size | 5 | ||||
| Members |
Karol J. Bobko Ronald J. Grabe David C. Hilmers Robert L. Stewart William A. Pailes | ||||
| Start of mission | |||||
| Launch date | 3 October 1985, 15:15:30 UTC | ||||
| Launch site | Kennedy LC-39A | ||||
| End of mission | |||||
| Landing date | 7 October 1985, 17:00:08 UTC | ||||
| Landing site | Edwards Runway 23 | ||||
| Orbital parameters | |||||
| Reference system | Geocentric | ||||
| Regime | Low Earth | ||||
| Perigee | 475 kilometres (295 mi) | ||||
| Apogee | 484 kilometres (301 mi) | ||||
| Inclination | 28.5 degrees | ||||
| Period | 94.2 min | ||||
|
 L-R: Stewart, Hilmers, Bobko, Pailes, Grabe
| |||||
STS-51-J was the 21st NASA Space Shuttle mission and the first flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis. It launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 3 October 1985, carrying a payload for the U.S. Department of Defense, and landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on 7 October.
Crew[]
Template:Spaceflight crew
Backup crew[]
Template:Spaceflight crew
Crew notes[]
Before William Pailes was assigned to the STS-51-J flight, Richard M. Mullane was rumored to have been assigned as Mission Specialist 3 on his second trip to space.
Mission summary[]
Declassified picture showing the DSCS-III satellites before deployment.
Space Shuttle Atlantis lands on the dry desert lakebed of Edwards Air Force Base at the end of the STS-51-J mission.
STS-51-J launched on 3 October 1985, at 11:15 EDT, from Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. The launch was delayed by 22 minutes and 30 seconds due to a problem with a main engine liquid hydrogen prevalve close remote power controller; the controller was showing a faulty "on" indication.
The mission was the second shuttle flight totally dedicated to deploying a Department of Defense payload, after STS-51-C. Its cargo was classified, but it was reported that two (USA-11 and USA-12) DSCS-III (Defense Satellite Communications System) satellites were launched into stationary orbits by an Inertial Upper Stage. The DSCS satellites used X-band frequencies (8/7 GHz). Each DSCS-III satellite had a design life of ten years, although several of the DSCS satellites have far exceeded their design life expectancy.
The mission was deemed successful. After a flight lasting 4 days, 1 hour and 45 minutes, Atlantis landed on Runway 23 at Edwards Air Force Base at 13:00 EDT on 7 October 1985. During STS-51-J, mission commander Karol Bobko became the first astronaut to fly on three different shuttle orbiters, and the only astronaut to fly on the maiden voyages of two different orbiters.
References[]
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
- Day, Dwayne (2010). "A lighter shade of black: the (non) mystery of STS-51J". http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1536/1. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
External links[]
The original article can be found at STS-51-J and the edit history here.