STS-51-A

STS-51-A
	Dale A. Gardner poses in front of a camera with a "For Sale" sign in his hand, jokingly referring to the two broken satellites (Palapa B2 and Westar 6) the crew was sent out on EVA to pick up and return to Earth.
Names	Space Transportation System-14
Mission type	Communications satellites deployment ; Communications satellites retrieval
Operator	NASA
COSPAR ID	1984-113A
SATCAT no.	15382
Mission duration	7 days, 23 hours, 44 minutes, 56 seconds (achieved)
Distance travelled	5,293,786 km (3,289,406 mi)
Orbits completed	127
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Space Shuttle Discovery
Launch mass	119,442 kg (263,325 lb)
Landing mass	94,123 kg (207,506 lb)
Payload mass	17,375 kg (38,305 lb)
Crew
Crew size	5
Members	Frederick H. Hauck ; David M. Walker ; Joseph P. Allen ; Anna Lee Fisher ; Dale A. Gardner ;
EVAs	2
EVA duration	11 hours, 42 minutes; First: 6 hours, 0 minute; Second: 5 hours, 42 minutes
Start of mission
Launch date	November 8, 1984, 12:15:00 UTC
Rocket	Space Shuttle Discovery
Launch site	Kennedy Space Center, LC-39A
Contractor	Rockwell International
End of mission
Landing date	November 16, 1984, 11:59:56 UTC
Landing site	Kennedy Space Center,; SLF Runway 15
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Perigee altitude	332 km (206 mi)
Apogee altitude	354 km (220 mi)
Inclination	28.45°
Period	90.40 minutes
Instruments
	Diffused Mixing of Organic Solutions (DMOS)
	; STS-51-A mission patch; ; Dale A. Gardner, David M. Walker, Anna Lee Fisher, Frederick H. Hauck, Joseph P. Allen Space Shuttle program ← STS-41-G (13) STS-51-C (15) →

Last updated August 08, 2023

STS-51-A (formerly STS-19) was the 14th flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the second flight of Space Shuttle Discovery. The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center on November 8, 1984, and landed just under eight days later on November 16, 1984.

STS-51-A marked the first time a shuttle deployed two communications satellites, and retrieved from orbit two other communications satellites. The Canadian Anik D2 and Syncom IV-1 satellites were both successfully deployed by the crew of Discovery. Palapa B2 and Westar 6, meanwhile, had been deployed during the STS-41-B mission earlier in the year, but had been placed into improper orbits due to the malfunctioning of their kick motors; they were both safely recovered and returned to Earth during STS-51-A.

Crew


Position	Astronaut
Commander	Frederick H. Hauck Second spaceflight
Pilot	David M. Walker First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 1	Joseph P. Allen Second and last spaceflight
Mission Specialist 2	Anna Lee Fisher Only spaceflight
Mission Specialist 3	Dale A. Gardner Second and last spaceflight

Spacewalks

Allen and Gardner – EVA 1
EVA 1 Start: November 12, 1984 – 13:25 UTC
EVA 1 End: November 12, 1984 - 19:25 UTC
Duration: 6 hours, 0 minute

Allen and Gardner – EVA 2
EVA 2 Start: November 14, 1984 – 11:09 UTC
EVA 2 End: November 14, 1984 – 16:51 UTC
Duration: 5 hours, 42 minutes

Crew seating arrangements

Seat^[2]	Launch	Landing	Seats 1–4 are on the Flight Deck. Seats 5–7 are on the Middeck.
S1	Hauck	Hauck
S2	Walker	Walker
S3	Allen	Gardner
S4	Fisher	Fisher
S5	Gardner	Allen

Mission summary

STS-51-A was launched from Florida's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) at 7:15:00 a.m. EST, on November 8, 1984, less than a month after the STS-41-G flight. A launch attempt the day before was scrubbed at T-minus 20 minutes due to high shear winds in the upper atmosphere.

The five-person flight crew consisted of Frederick H. Hauck, commander, on his second flight; pilot David M. Walker; and three mission specialists – Anna Lee Fisher, Dale A. Gardner and Joseph P. Allen. Both Gardner and Allen were making their second shuttle flights. STS-51-A marked the first flight of the Space Shuttle commanded by an astronaut from the 1978 class rather than the Apollo era.

The two communications satellites successfully deployed were Anik D2 (on the second day of the mission) and Syncom IV-1, also known as Leasat 1 (on the third day); both were Hughes-built satellites. The orbiter then began a series of maneuvers to meet up with the first of the two satellites to be recovered, Palapa B2. The orbits of both satellites had been lowered by ground commands from about 970 km (600 mi) to 340 km (210 mi) to facilitate recovery operations. On day five of the mission, Discovery rendezvoused with Palapa. Mission specialists Allen and Gardner performed an EVA, capturing the satellite with a device known as a "Stinger" (Apogee Capture Device (ACD)),^[3] which was inserted into the satellite's apogee motor nozzle by Allen. The satellite's rotation was slowed to 1 RPM, and Gardner, operating from a position on the end of the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) (Canadarm), attempted unsuccessfully to grapple the satellite. Allen was able to manually maneuver the satellite into its cradle with Gardner's help, further aided by the Canadarm, which was operated by Fisher. The successful, improvised rescue effort took two hours.

The recovery of Westar 6 was not as difficult, and took place a day later. This time, Gardner, using the same muscle-power technique Allen had used for Palapa B2's rescue, easily captured the satellite. With Allen's help, he placed it in a cradle in the cargo bay. Following Westar 6's recovery, Gardner humorously held up a "For Sale" sign, as if trying to find someone to sell the malfunctioning satellites to, as a means to indicate the successful recovery and as a means to provide some comical relief for the troubled owners. The Westar satellite was, ironically enough, indeed later sold to Hong Kong-based AsiaSat.

The STS-51-A mission also carried the Diffused Mixing of Organic Solutions (DMOS) experiment. It was the first of a series of comprehensive organic and polymer science experiments sponsored by 3M. This mid-deck experiment was successful, and the proprietary results of the chemical mixes were turned over to 3M. One other experiment, a radiation monitoring experiment, was also performed.

The satellite recoveries on STS-51-A were the last untethered spacewalks until 1994, and marked the last use of the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU). In 1994, the Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue (SAFER) was tested on STS-64. On all subsequent spacewalks conducted by both NASA and the Soviet/Russian space agencies, the astronauts were tethered to the craft by some means.

The second mission of Discovery ended at 6:59:56 a.m. EST on November 16, 1984, with a successful landing on Runway 15 at KSC. Footage of the landing was used in opening scene of the 1985 IMAX movie The Dream is Alive . The flight completed 127 orbits, and lasted 7 days, 23 hours, 44 minutes, and 56 seconds. It was the third shuttle landing at KSC, and the fifth and last shuttle mission of 1984.

Mission insignia

STS-51-A Mission insignia depicts the Space Shuttle Discovery en route to Earth orbit for NASA's STS-51-A mission and is reminiscent of a soaring eagle, shown in the insignia. The red and white trailing stripes, the blue background, and the presence of the Eagle, generate memories of America's 208 year-old history and traditions. The two satellites orbiting the Earth backgrounded amidst a celestial scene are a universal representation of the versatility of the Space Shuttle. The two satellites it is meant to retrieve are also included as a more specific reference to the mission's main objective and a highlight of what part of the Shuttle's versatile mission capabilities she would be covering this time. White lettering against the blue border lists the surnames of the five-member crew.

Wake-up calls

NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during the Project Gemini, and first used music to wake up a flight crew during Apollo 15. Each track is specially chosen, often by the astronauts' families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.^[4]

Flight Day	Song	Artist/Composer
Day 2	"Marine Corps Hymn"
Day 3	"Theme from For a Few Dollars More "	Ennio Morricone

Gallery

Syncom IV-1 after deployment
Dale Gardner retrieves Westar 6.
Palapa B2 is loaded into the payload bay.

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick Hauck</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph P. Allen</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dale Gardner</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">David M. Walker (astronaut)</span> American astronaut (1944–2001)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Lee Fisher</span> American astronaut and physician

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NASA Astronaut Group 10 was a group of 17 astronauts that were announced on May 23, 1984 and consisted of seven pilots and ten mission specialists. Although selected in 1984, no member of the group would fly until 1988 due to the Challenger disaster and the resulting grounding of the Space Shuttle fleet.

References

↑ "SATCAT". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
↑ "STS-51A". Spacefacts. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
↑ Harwell, William D. (May 1, 1987). "AKM (Apogee Kick Motor) Capture Device (ACD)". The 21st Aerospace Mechanisms Symposium.
↑ Fries, Colin (June 25, 2007). "Chronology of Wakeup Calls" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved August 13, 2007. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .

External links

NASA mission summary Archived July 16, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
Video from post mission press conference with extensive footage available for download at www.archive.org The Internet Archive
STS-51-A Video Highlights Archived July 17, 2012, at the Wayback Machine

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[satcat-1] "SATCAT". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved March 23, 2014.

[2] "STS-51A". Spacefacts. Retrieved February 26, 2014.

[3] Harwell, William D. (May 1, 1987). "AKM (Apogee Kick Motor) Capture Device (ACD)". The 21st Aerospace Mechanisms Symposium.

[chronology-4] Fries, Colin (June 25, 2007). "Chronology of Wakeup Calls" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved August 13, 2007. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .

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[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e Space Shuttle Discovery (OV-103)
Completed flights	STS-41-D STS-51-A STS-51-C STS-51-D STS-51-G STS-51-I STS-26 STS-29 STS-33 STS-31 STS-41 STS-39 STS-48 STS-42 STS-53 STS-56 STS-51 STS-60 STS-64 STS-63 STS-70 STS-82 STS-85 STS-91 STS-95 STS-96 STS-103 STS-92 STS-102 STS-105 STS-114 STS-121 STS-116 STS-120 STS-124 STS-119 STS-128 STS-131 STS-133
Status	Retired
On display	Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Washington, D.C.
Related	Destiny in Space (1994 documentary)

v t e ← 1983 · Orbital launches in 1984 · 1985 →
January	OPS 0441
February	STS-41-B (Westar 6, Palapa B2, IRT, SPAS-1A) OPS 8737 OPS 8737 SSU-1 OPS 8737 SSU-2 OPS 8737 SSU-3 Soyuz T-10 Progress 19
March	Intelsat V F-8
April	Soyuz T-11 STS-41-C (LDEF) OPS 7641 Progress 20 OPS 8424
May	Progress 21 Spacenet 1 Progress 22
June	Intelsat V F-9 USA-1 USA-2 USA-3
July	Soyuz T-12
August	ECS-2 Telecom 1A Progress 23 USA-4 STS-41-D (SBS-4, Leasat 2, Telstar 3C)
September	USA-5
October	STS-41-G (ERBS, OSTA-3)
November	STS-51-A (Anik D2, Leasat 1) Spacenet 2 MARECS-2
December	USA-6 NOAA-9 USA-7
Unknown month	Kosmos 1522 Kosmos 1523 Kosmos 1524 Kosmos 1525 Kosmos 1526 Kosmos 1527 Kosmos 1528 Kosmos 1529 Kosmos 1530 Kosmos 1531 Kosmos 1532 Yuri 2a Kosmos 1533 Kosmos 1534 Shiyan Tongbu Tongxing Weixing 1 Kosmos 1535 Kosmos 1536 Ōzora Gran' No.25L Kosmos 1537 Kosmos 1538 Kosmos 1539 Landsat 5 UoSAT-2 Kosmos 1540 Kosmos 1541 Kosmos 1542 Kosmos 1543 Kosmos 1544 Ekran No.26L Molniya-1 No.51 Kosmos 1545 Kosmos 1546 Kosmos 1547 Shiyan Tongbu Tongxing Weixing 2 Kosmos 1548 Kosmos 1549 Gorizont No.19L Kosmos 1550 Kosmos 1551 Kosmos 1552 Kosmos 1553 Kosmos 1554 Kosmos 1555 Kosmos 1556 Kosmos 1557 Kosmos 1558 Kosmos 1559 Kosmos 1560 Kosmos 1561 Kosmos 1562 Kosmos 1563 Kosmos 1564 Kosmos 1565 Kosmos 1566 Kosmos 1567 Kosmos 1568 Kosmos 1569 Kosmos 1570 Kosmos 1571 Kosmos 1572 Kosmos 1573 Kosmos 1574 Gran' No.27L Kosmos 1575 Kosmos 1576 Kosmos 1577 Kosmos 1578 Kosmos 1579 Kosmos 1580 Kosmos 1581 Meteor-2 No.16 Kosmos 1582 Kosmos 1583 Kosmos 1584 Kosmos 1585 Gorizont No.20L Kosmos 1586 Himawari 3 Kosmos 1587 Kosmos 1588 Kosmos 1589 Molniya-1 No.53 Kosmos 1590 CCE IRM UKS SCE Molniya-1 No.54 Ekran No.27L Kosmos 1591 Kosmos 1592 Kosmos 1593 Kosmos 1594 Kosmos 1595 Kosmos 1596 Fanhui Shi Weixing 7 Kosmos 1597 Kosmos 1598 Galaxy 3 Kosmos 1599 Kosmos 1600 Kosmos 1601 Kosmos 1602 Kosmos 1603 Kosmos 1604 Kosmos 1605 Nova 3 Kosmos 1606 Kosmos 1607 NATO 3D Kosmos 1608 Kosmos 1609 Kosmos 1610 Kosmos 1611 Kosmos 1612 Kosmos 1613 Molniya-1 No.55 Vega 1 Kosmos 1614 Kosmos 1615 Vega 2
Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( \| ). Crewed flights are indicated in underline. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in (brackets).