STS-61A Fact Sheet
By Cliff Lethbridge
STS-61A — Challenger
22nd Space Shuttle Mission
9th Flight of Challenger
Henry W. Hartsfield, Jr., Commander
Steven R. Nagel, Pilot
James F. Buchli, Mission Specialist
Guion S. Bluford, Jr., Mission Specialist
Bonnie J. Dunbar, Mission Specialist
Reinhard Furrer, Payload Specialist
Ernst Messerschmid, Payload Specialist
Wubbo J. Ockels, Payload Specialist
Tow to Orbiter Processing Facility – August 12, 1985
Rollover to Vehicle Assembly Building – October 12, 1985
Rollout to Launch Pad 39A – October 16, 1985
October 30, 1985 – 12:00:00 noon EST. Launch occurred as scheduled with no delays.
November 6, 1985 – 9:44:53 a.m. PST at Runway 17, Edwards Air Force Base, California. Rollout distance was 8,304 feet. Rollout time was 45 seconds. Mission duration was 7 days, 0 hours, 44 minutes, 53 seconds. Landing occurred during the 112th orbit.
The mission was dedicated to the (West) German Spacelab D-1 laboratory, which included 75 numbered experiments. Experiments centered around basic and applied microgravity research in materials science, life science and technology, communications and navigation.
Certain flight operations related to Spacelab D-1 were controlled directly from the German Space Operations Center at Oberpfaffenhofen, near Munich. Other payloads included the Global Low Orbiting Message Relay (GLOMR) which was a satellite deployed from a GAS canister.
SELECTED NASA PHOTOS FROM STS-61A