STS-41D

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STS-41D
Organization NASA-Office of Space Flight (United States)
Mission type Human Crew
Launch date August 30, 1984 (1984-08-30)
Launch vehicle Space Shuttle
Launch site Cape Canaveral, United States
COSPAR ID 1984-093A
Inclination 28.45 degrees
Experiments Here
Alternate Names STS 12,15234
Additional Information Here
Data Collection Here
Payload Mass Up 21524 kg
Payload Mass Down 5134.55 kg
Orbiter Discovery
Lift Off Mass 2,053,424.55 kg
Orbiter Weight at Liftoff 119,762.27 kg
Orbiter Weight at Landing 91,670.00 kg
Landed Runway 17 dry lake bed at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
Orbits of Earth 96
Orbital Altitude 160 nautical miles (184 statute miles)


Contents

Crew

  • Commander: Henry Hartsfield Jr.
  • Pilot: Michael Coats
    • Mission Specialist 1: Richard Mullane
    • Mission Specialist 2: Steven Hawley
    • Mission Specialist 3: Judith Resnik
    • Payload Specialist 1: Charles Walker (as industrial payload specialist representing McDonnell Douglas Corp.)


Mission

STS-41D was the first Discovery shuttle flight. On board were Henry Hartsfield, Michael Coats, Richard Mullane, Steven Hawley, Judith Resnik, and Charles Walker. This mission carried out experiments including OAST-1 solar array structural testing. Three satellites were deployed: Satellite Business System SBS-D, SYNCOM IV-2 (also known as LEASAT2) and TELSTAR. The 102- foot-tall, 13-loot-wide Office of Application and Space Technology (OAST-1) solar wing extended from the payload bay. The wing carried different types of solar cells and extended to full height several times. It demonstrated large lightweight solar arrays for the future in building large facilities in space such as the International Space Station. Other payloads included: Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System (CFES) Ill; Radiation Monitoring Equipment (RME); Shuttle Student Involvement Program (SSIP) experiment; lMAX camera, being flown for the second time; and an Air Force experiment, Cloud Logic to Optimize Use of Defense Systems (CLOUDS). The mission duration was 144 hours 56 minutes 4 seconds.

Payload

Satellite Business System (SBS)-D communications satellite with Payload Assist Module (PAM)-D deployment; Syncom IV-2 communications satellite with its unique stage deployment; Telstar (American Telephone and Telegraph) 3-C with PAM-D deployment; Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology (OAST)-1 experiments; deployment and restowing of large solar array; Continuous Flow Electrophoresis (CFES); IMAX camera. A student experiment, sponsored by Rockwell International, of indium crystal growth using the float zone technique was successful, although a blown fuse resulted in a premature shutdown.


Mission patch:

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