STS-51-D

Launch Success

Liftoff Time (GMT)

13:59:05

Friday April 12, 1985

Watch Replay

Official Livestream

Mission Details

Launch Notes

Jake Garn became the first sitting politician in space and the mission also featured the first impromptu Extravehicular activity of program to fix Syncom F3 (Leasat 3).

STS-51-D

Wiki

During STS-51-D, the shuttle crew deployed two communications satellites: Telesat-I (Anik C1) and Syncom IV-3 (also known as Leasat-3). Discovery's other mission payloads included the Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System (CFES) III, which was flying for sixth time; two Shuttle Student Involvement Program (SSIP) experiments; the American Flight Echo-cardiograph (AFE); two Getaway Specials; a set of Phase Partitioning Experiments (PPE); an astronomical photography verification test; various medical experiments; and "Toys in Space," an informal study of the behavior of simple toys in a microgravity environment, with the results being made available to school students upon the shuttle's return.

Low Earth Orbit

13,039 kilograms

Rocket

Retired
Space Shuttle Discovery

Active 1984 to 2011

National Aeronautics and Space Administration logo

Agency

NASA

Price

$450.00 million

Rocket

Height: 56.1m

Payload to Orbit

LEO: 27,500 kg

GTO: 3,810 kg

Liftoff Thrust

30,250 Kilonewtons

Stages

2

Strap-ons

2

Launch Site

LC-39A

Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA

Fastest Turnaround

5 days 6 hours

Stats

Space Shuttle


16th

Mission

2nd

Mission of 1985

1985


28th

Orbital launch attempt