STS-41C

Occurred 41 years ago

The primary payload of the mission was the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF). Also, using the manned maneuvering unit, astronauts replaced the altitude control system and coronagraph/polarimeter electronics box in the Solar Max satellite while it remained in orbit.

Space Shuttle

Challenger

mission duration

6 days, 23 hours, 40 minutes, 7 seconds

Launch

April 6, 1984

Landing

April 13, 1984

Five crew members in blue jumpsuits pose for portrait wit shuttle and man in spacesuit in the back drop

These five astronauts were the crew members of NASA’s STS-41C space mission that launched in spring of 1984. Pictured in front of an Extravehicular Activity (EVA) scene with the Space Shuttle Challenger are (left to right) Robert L. Crippen, commander; Terry J. Hart, James D. van Hoften and George D. Nelson, all mission specialists; and Francis R. (Dick) Scobee, pilot. Among objectives of the mission was the repair visit to the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) Satellite in Earth-orbit. (December 1983)

NASA

STS-41C Mission Facts

Mission: Long Duration Exposure Facility deploy, first on-orbit spacecraft repair
Space Shuttle: Challenger
Launch Pad: 39A
Launch Weight: 254,254 pounds
Launched: April 6, 1984 at 8:58:00 a.m. EST
Landing Site: Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
Landing: April 13, 1984 at 5:38:07 a.m. PST
Landing Weight: 196,975 pounds
Runway: 17
Rollout Distance: 8,716 feet
Rollout Time: 49 seconds
Revolution: 108
Mission Duration: 6 days, 23 hours, 40 minutes, 7 seconds
Orbit Altitude: 313 nautical miles
Orbit Inclination: 28.5 degrees
Miles Traveled: 2.9 million

Crew

Robert L. Crippen, Commander

Francis R. Scobee, Pilot

George D. Nelson, Mission Specialist

James D.A. van Hoften, Mission Specialist

Terry J. Hart, Mission Specialist

Mission Highlights

The first direct ascent trajectory for space shuttle. Using the manned maneuvering unit, astronauts replaced the altitude control system and coronagraph/polarimeter electronics box in the Solar Max satellite while it remained in orbit. The Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) was deployed, carrying 57 experiments which were left on orbit with an intention of retrieving them during a later mission. Other payloads on this mission were: IMAX camera; Radiation Monitoring Equipment (RME); Cinema 360; Shuttle Student Involvement Program (SSlP) experiment.