 Discovery in orbit; in-flight photography of theDepartment of Defense support mission is limited. | |
| Names | Space Transportation System-15 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | DoD satellite deployment |
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1985-010A |
| SATCATno. | 15496 |
| Mission duration | 3 days, 1 hour, 33 minutes, 23 seconds |
| Distance travelled | 2,010,000 km (1,250,000 mi) |
| Orbits completed | 49 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Discovery |
| Launch mass | 113,802 kg (250,890 lb) |
| Landing mass | (Classified) |
| Payload mass | (Classified) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 5 |
| Members | |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | January 24, 1985, 19:50:00 (1985-01-24UTC19:50Z) UTC (2:50 pm EST) |
| Launch site | Kennedy,LC-39A |
| Contractor | Rockwell International |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | January 27, 1985, 21:23:23 (1985-01-27UTC21:23:24Z) UTC (4:23:23 am EST) |
| Landing site | Kennedy,SLF Runway 15 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit[1] |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 332 km (206 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 341 km (212 mi) |
| Inclination | 28.45° |
| Period | 91.30 minutes |
 STS-51-C mission patch  Back row:Payton,Buchli andOnizuka Front row:Shriver andMattingly | |
STS-51-C (formerly STS-10) was the 15th flight ofNASA'sSpace Shuttle program, and the third flight ofSpace ShuttleDiscovery. It launched on January 24, 1985, and made the fourth shuttle landing at theShuttle Landing Facility at theKennedy Space Center inFlorida on January 27, 1985. STS-51-C was the first shuttle mission dedicated to theUnited States Department of Defense (DoD), and consequently many details remain classified. NASA reported that a satellite (USA-8) was deployed during the mission using anInertial Upper Stage booster was deployed and met mission objectives. At just over three days, the mission was shorter in duration than most civilian missions and was the shortest ofDiscovery's career.
| Position | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander | Ken Mattingly Third and last spaceflight | |
| Pilot | Loren Shriver First spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 1 | Ellison Onizuka Only spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 2 Flight Engineer | James Buchli First spaceflight | |
| Payload Specialist 1 | Gary Payton,MSE Only spaceflight | |
| Position | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Payload Specialist 1 | Keith Wright,MSE | |
| Seat[2] | Launch | Landing |  Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck. Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mattingly | ||
| 2 | Shriver | ||
| 3 | Onizuka | ||
| 4 | Buchli | ||
| 5 | Payton | ||
| 6 | Unused | ||
| 7 | Unused | ||
STS-51-C launched from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on January 24, 1985, at 19:50:00UTC, and was the first of nine shuttle missions in 1985. It was originally scheduled for January 23, 1985, but was delayed because of freezing weather.Challenger had been scheduled for this flight, butDiscovery was substituted when problems were encountered withChallenger'sthermal protection tiles. STS-51-C marked the 100thhuman spaceflight to achieve orbit.
The mission's length of three days was shorter than the week or longer of most civilian shuttle flights. It was the first dedicated to theU.S. Department of Defense (DoD),[3] and most information about it remains classified. For the first time, NASA did not provide pre-launch commentary to the public until nine minutes before liftoff.[4] TheU.S. Air Force only stated that the shuttle successfully launched its payload with anInertial Upper Stage (IUS) on the mission's seventh orbit. It is believed that the payload was aMagnumSIGINT satellite intogeosynchronous orbit.[5] Other DoD flightsSTS-33 andSTS-38 could have carried similar payloads. Payton stated in 2009 that STS-51-C's payload is "still up there, and still operating".[6] Payton was a USAFManned Spaceflight Engineer (MSE); the USAF declined a NASA offer to fly another MSE on the mission.[7]
Also, according toAviation Week, the shuttle initially entered a 204 × 519 km (127 × 322 mi) orbit, at aninclination of 28.45° to theequator. It then executed threeOrbital Maneuvering System (OMS) burns, the last being executed on the fourth orbit. The first burn was conducted to circularize the shuttle's orbit at 519 km (322 mi).
The mission lasted 3 days, 1 hour, 33 minutes, and 23 seconds.Discovery touched down onSLF Runway 15 at KSC on January 27, 1985, at 21:23:23 UTC. IMAX footage of the STS-51-C launch was used in the 1985 movieThe Dream is Alive.
The crew insignia for STS Flight 51-C includes the names of its five crewmembers. The STS 51-C mission marked the third trip of the Space ShuttleDiscovery into space, which is referenced by the three colored trailing strips behind the orbiter in the United States red, white and blue. It was the first Space Shuttle mission totally dedicated to the U.S. Department of Defense, hence the DoD central eagle on the mission patch. The five stars on the upper part of the golden band of the DoD insignia represent the five astronauts. As this mission was classified, the patch includes no further detail as to the mission's payload or nature. For similar reasons, the name of the used orbiter was omitted from the patch.
Almost exactly a year after STS-51-C,Space ShuttleChallenger was destroyed with all hands on board during theSTS-51-L mission includingEllison Onizuka, a crew member on both flights. As part of the investigation into the disaster, it was reported to theRogers Commission that during the launch of STS-51-C, the worstSpace Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) blow-by effects of any mission prior to STS-51-L occurred, indicating conclusively that theVitonO-rings were not sufficiently sealing the hot gases inside thecombustion chambers of the SRBs while firing. After they were recovered post-flight, the O-rings in both the right and left SRBs showed some degree of charring, but analysis of the center field joint of the right SRB showed an unprecedented penetration of the primary O-ring and heavy charring on the secondary O-ring.[8]
This information is significant to the established consensus that low air temperature was a major factor inChallenger's destruction because the temperature at STS-51-C's launch was also, up to its time, the coldest recorded during a shuttle launch, at only 12 °C (54 °F).[8]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
Space ShuttleDiscovery (OV-103) | ||
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| Completed flights | .jpg) | |
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