Jump to content

STS-51-C

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Bricktop (talk | contribs) at 23:25, 4 September 2006. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Mission insignia

Mission statistics
Mission:STS-51-C
Shuttle:Discovery
Launch pad:39-A
Launch: January 24, 1985, 2:50:00 p.m. EST
Landing: January 27, 1985, 4:23:23 p.m. EST (027:21:23:23 GMT), Runway 15, Kennedy Space Center, Fla
Duration:3 days, 1 hour, 33 minutes, 23 seconds
Orbit altitude:220 nautical miles (407 km)
Orbit Inclination: 28.5 degrees
Distance traveled:1,250,000 miles (2,012,000 km)
Crew photo
Front row L-R: Shriver, Mattingly, Back row: L-R: Payton, Buchli, Onizuka
Back row: L-R: Payton, Buchli, Onizuka
Front row L-R: Shriver, Mattingly
Previous mission:
STS-51-A		 Next mission:
STS-51-D

STS 51-C was the fifteenth flight of a Space Shuttle and the third flight of Discovery. It conducted the fourth landing at Kennedy Space Center.

Crew

Mission parameters

Mission highlights

First mission dedicated to Department of Defense. U.S. Air Force Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) booster deployed and met mission objectives. This mission's accomplishments are classified due to the nature of the work done.

According to Aviation Week, STS-51-C launched a secret, Magnum ELINT (ELectronic INTtelligence) gathering satellite into geosynchronous orbit. An identical one was also launched by STS-33 and STS-38.

Also according to Aviation Week, the shuttle initially entered a 204 km x 519 km orbit at an inclination of 28.45 deg to the equator. It then executes three OMS (orbital maneuvering system) burns, the last on orbit #4. The first burn is to circularize the orbit at 519 km.

The satellite was deployed on the 7th orbit and then ignited its IUS rocket at the ascending node of the 8th orbit, to place it in a geo-synchronous transfer orbit.

The classified payload was deployed successfully and boosted into its operating orbit by an Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) booster according to an Air Force announcement.

Mission statement

Discovery was to make its third flight in January 1985 to conduct the first mission totally dedicated to the Department of Defense. The classified payload was deployed successfully and boosted into its operating orbit by an Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) booster according to an Air Force announcement.

The launch occurred on Jan. 24, 1985, at 2:40 p.m. EST—the first of 10 Shuttle missions that year. It was originally scheduled for Jan. 23, but was delayed because of freezing weather conditions. Challenger had been scheduled for this flight, but Discovery was substituted when thermal tile problems were encountered with Challenger.

The 51-C included Thomas K. Mattingly, commander; Loren J. Shriver, pilot; two mission specialists, James F. Buchli and Ellison S. Onizuka; and Gary E. Payton, a payload specialist.

The mission lasted 3 days, 1 hour, 33 minutes. Discovery touched down on Runway 15 at KSC on Jan. 27 at 4:23 p.m. EST.

See also


Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=STS-51-C&oldid=73844668"