STS-61-A

STS -61 -A (English Space Transportation System) is a mission name for the U.S. Space Shuttle Challenger ( OV -99) NASA. The launch took place on 30 October 1985. It was the 22nd Space Shuttle mission and the ninth and last successful flight of the space shuttle Challenger.

Team

Home team

  • Henry Hartsfield ( third space flight ), commander of United States
  • Steven Nagel ( second space flight), Pilot United States
  • James Buchli ( second space flight), Mission Specialist United States
  • Guion Bluford ( second space flight), Mission Specialist United States
  • Bonnie Dunbar ( first space flight ), Mission Specialist United States
  • Reinhard Furrer ( first space flight), Payload Specialist (DLR), Germany
  • Ernst knife Schmid ( 1 space flight), Payload Specialist (DLR), Germany
  • Wubbo Ockels ( first space flight), Payload Specialist (ESA ) Netherlands

This was the first and only time that a space ship with eight people on board was launched. A landing with eight people ten years later was also conducted with STS -71.

Replacement

  • Ulf Merbold (DLR), Germany

Mission overview

In this space flight, the European Spacelab was carried in the hold. The three European payload specialists put therein by the Mission D1 ( Germany 1 ) ​​of the ESA. For the first time a part of a shuttle mission was monitored from outside the U.S.: was controlled in Houston during the flight of the space shuttle from NASA's Mission Control, the DLR was responsible with their center in Oberpfaffenhofen for the scientific experiments in space lab. 75, various experiments were performed.

The landing took place on schedule at Edwards AFB in California. The orbiter was five days later transported back via a special plane to Florida.

At the beginning of the flight was a small communications satellite, which was housed in the cargo bay of Challenger, exposed: GLOMR (Global Low Orbiting Message Relay) was built on behalf of the U.S. military ( DARPA ) and was a demonstration model for remote military sensors. The satellite, which had a diameter of 60 centimeters and weighed 52 kg, has occurred after 14 months on December 26, 1986 in the denser layers of the atmosphere and burns up.

Related Topics

International Designator Orbital inclination STS-51-J STS-61-B Ernst Messerschmid STS-71 European Space Agency List of human spaceflights STS-1 STS-2 STS-3 STS-4 STS-5 STS-6 STS-7 STS-8 STS-9 STS-41-B STS-41-C STS-41-D STS-41-G STS-51-A STS-51-C STS-51-D STS-51-B STS-51-G STS-51-F STS-51-I STS-61-C STS-26 STS-27 STS-29 STS-30 STS-28 STS-34 STS-33 STS-32 STS-36 STS-31 STS-41 STS-38 STS-35 STS-37 STS-39 STS-40 STS-43 STS-48 STS-44 STS-42 STS-45 STS-49 STS-50 STS-46 STS-47 STS-52 STS-53 STS-54 STS-56 STS-57 STS-51 STS-58 STS-61 STS-60 STS-62 STS-59 STS-65 STS-64 STS-68 STS-66 STS-63 STS-67 STS-70 STS-69 STS-73 STS-74 STS-72 STS-75 STS-76 STS-77 STS-78 STS-79 STS-80 STS-81 STS-82 STS-83 STS-84 STS-94 STS-85 STS-86 STS-87 STS-89 STS-90 STS-91 STS-95 STS-88 STS-96 STS-93 STS-103 STS-101 STS-106 STS-92 STS-97 STS-98 STS-102 STS-100 STS-104 STS-105 STS-108 STS-109 STS-110 STS-111 STS-112 STS-113 STS-107 STS-114 STS-121 STS-115 STS-116 STS-117 STS-118 STS-120 STS-122 STS-123 STS-124 STS-126 STS-119 STS-125 STS-127 STS-128 STS-129 STS-130 STS-131 STS-132 STS-133 STS-134 STS-135 STS-400
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