Mission type Satellite deployment SATCAT no. 16115 Period 1.6 hours Dates 3 Oct 1985 – 7 Oct 1985 Landing date 7 October 1985 | COSPAR ID 1985-092A Orbits completed 64 Apogee 484,000 m Launch date 3 October 1985 | |
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Mission duration 4 days, 1 hour, 44 minutes, 38 seconds Distance travelled 2,707,948 kilometres (1,682,641 mi) | ||
Cnn coverage of the sts 51 j launch landing
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.
Contents
- Cnn coverage of the sts 51 j launch landing
- Sts 51 j atlantis 21st space shuttle landing
- Mission summary
- References
Sts 51 j atlantis 21st space shuttle landing
Mission summary
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.
