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Launch Success
Liftoff Time (GMT)
13:59:05
Friday April 12, 1985
Watch Replay
Official Livestream
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).
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
Agency
NASAPrice
$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
16th
Mission
2nd
Mission of 1985
28th
Orbital launch attempt