STS-51-D
1985 American crewed spaceflight to deploy communications satellites / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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STS-51-D was the 16th flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the fourth flight of Space Shuttle Discovery.[2] The launch of STS-51-D from Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida, on April 12, 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.
Names | Space Transportation System-16 |
---|---|
Mission type | Communications satellite deployment |
Operator | NASA |
COSPAR ID | 1985-028A |
SATCAT no. | 15641 |
Mission duration | 6 days, 23 hours, 55 minutes, 23 seconds (achieved) |
Distance travelled | 4,650,658 km (2,889,785 mi) |
Orbits completed | 110 |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Discovery |
Launch mass | 113,802 kg (250,890 lb) |
Landing mass | 89,818 kg (198,015 lb) |
Payload mass | 13,039 kg (28,746 lb) |
Crew | |
Crew size | 7 |
Members | |
EVAs | 1 |
EVA duration | 3 hours, 6 minutes |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | April 12, 1985, 13:59:05 UTC |
Rocket | Space Shuttle Discovery |
Launch site | Kennedy Space Center, LC-39A |
Contractor | Rockwell International |
End of mission | |
Landing date | April 19, 1985, 13:54:28 UTC |
Landing site | Kennedy Space Center, SLF Runway 33 |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric orbit[1] |
Regime | Low Earth orbit |
Perigee altitude | 300 km (190 mi) |
Apogee altitude | 452 km (281 mi) |
Inclination | 28.45° |
Period | 94.40 minutes |
Instruments | |
| |
STS 51-D mission patch Back row: S. David Griggs, Charles D. Walker, Jake Garn Front row: Karol J. Bobko, Donald E. Williams, Rhea Seddon, Jeffrey A. Hoffman |
On April 19, 1985, 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.