STS-61-C

Infobox Space mission
mission_name = STS-61-C
insignia = STS-61-c-patch.png shuttle = Columbia
launch_pad = 39-A
launch = January 12, 1986, 6:55:00 a.m. EST
landing = January 18, 1986, 5:58:51 a.m. PST, Edwards AFB
duration = 6 days, 2 hours, 3 minutes, 51 seconds
altitude = 212 nautical miles (393 km)
inclination = 28.5 degrees
orbits = 98
distance = 2,528,658 miles (4,069,481 km)
crew_photo = STS-61-C_crew.jpg
crew_caption = Back row L–R: Bill Nelson, Hawley, George Nelson,Front row L–R: Cenker, Bolden, Gibson, Chang-Diaz
previous = STS-61-B
next = STS-51-L

STS-61-C was the twenty-fourth mission of the Space Shuttle, and the seventh mission of "Columbia". It was the first time "Columbia" flew since STS-9. A seven-person crew, it carried the first African-American pilot (Charles Bolden), as well as the first Costa Rican astronaut (Franklin Chang-Diaz) and the second sitting politician to fly in space (Rep. Bill Nelson). It was the last flight before the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, which occurred just ten days after STS-61-C's landing.

Crew

"(total flights to date in parentheses)"

*Robert L. Gibson,(2) Commander
*Charles F. Bolden, (1) Pilot
*Franklin Chang-Diaz (1) Mission Specialist
*Steven A. Hawley, (2) Mission Specialist
*George D. Nelson, (2) Mission Specialist
*Robert Cenker (RCA Electronics), (1) Payload Specialist
*Rep. Bill Nelson (D-FL), (1) Payload Specialist

Mission parameters

*Mass:
**"Orbiter liftoff:" 116,121 kg
**"Orbiter landing:" 95,325 kg
**"Payload:" 14,724 kg
*Perigee: 331 km
*Apogee: 338 km
*Inclination: 28.5°
*Period: 91.2 min

Mission highlights

Mission 24 in the Space Shuttle program saw the orbiter "Columbia" returned to flight for the first time since the STS-9 mission in November 1983, after having undergone major modifications by Rockwell International in California.

The launch originally was scheduled for December 18, but the closeout of an aft orbiter compartment was delayed and the mission was rescheduled for the next day on December 19, the countdown was stopped at T-14 seconds because of an out-of-tolerance turbine reading on the right SRBs hydraulic system.

Another launch attempt on January 6, 1986, was terminated at T-31 seconds because a problem in a valve in the liquid oxygen system could not be fixed before the end of the launch window. Other launch attempts were made on January 7, scrubbed because of bad weather at contingency landing sites at Dakar, Senegal, and Morón, Spain; on January 9, delayed because of a problem with a main engine prevalve; and on January 10 because of heavy rain in the launch area.

The launch finally took place at 6:55 a.m. EST, on January 12 without further problems.

The primary objective of the mission was to deploy the Ku-1 communications satellite, second in a planned series of geosynchronous satellites owned and operated by RCA Americom. The deployment was successful and the satellite eventually became operational. The flight also carried a large number of small experiments, including 13 GAS canisters devoted to investigations involving the effect of microgravity on materials processing, seed germination, chemical reactions, egg hatching, astronomy and atmospheric physics. Other cargo included a Materials Science Laboratory-2 structure for experiments involving liquid bubble suspension by sound waves, melting and resolidification of metallic samples and containerless melting and solidification of electrically conductive specimens. Another small experiment carrier located in the payload bay was the Hitchiker G-1 (HHG-1) with three experiments to 1) study film particles in the orbiter environment, 2) test a new heat transfer system and 3) determine the effects of contamination and atomic oxygen on ultraviolet optics materials. There were also four in-cabin experiments, three of them part of the Shuttle Student Involvement Program.

Finally, an experiment called the Comet Halley Active Monitoring Program (CHAMP), consisting of a 35 mm camera to photograph Comet Halley through the aft flight deck overhead window, was notsuccessful because of battery problems.

Not only was the STS-61-C mission difficult to get off the ground, it proved to be difficult getting it back to Earth. It was originally scheduled to land on January 17, but this was brought forward one day because the delays of STS-61-C were causing the next flight, STS-51-L, to be delayed. This landing attempt on January 16 was cancelled because of unfavorable weather at Edwards AFB. Continued bad weather forced another wave-off the following day, January 17. The flight was extended one more day to provide for a landing opportunity at KSC on January 18 — this in order to avoid time lost in an Edwards AFB landing and turnaround. However, bad weather at the KSC landing site resulted in still another wave-off.

"Columbia" finally landed at Edwards AFB at 5:59 a.m. PST, on January 18. Mission elapsed time was 6 days, 2 hours, 3 minutes, 51 seconds.

This was the first flight utilizing NASA's Get Away Special bridge. The mission is perhaps most notable for carrying then-Representative and now US Senator Bill Nelson, one of only three sitting congressmen who have been in space (John Glenn and Jake Garn being the others). It was also the last successful Space Shuttle flight before the "Challenger" accident, as it occurred only 10 days later.

ee also

* Space science
* Space shuttle
* List of space shuttle missions
* List of human spaceflights chronologically

External links

* [http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/61-c/mission-61-c.html NASA mission summary]
* [http://www.nss.org/resources/library/shuttlevideos/shuttle24.htm STS-61C Video Highlights]