Manned Flight nº: 98 |
Earth orbit Flight nº: 95 |
USA manned Flight nº: 42 |
Launch, orbit & landing data:
| Designation | 14897 / 84034A |
| Launch date - time | 06 Apr 1984 - 13:58:00 UT |
| Launch site | KSC, LC39A |
| Launch vehicle |
Space Shuttle |
| Orbiter | Challenger OV-099 (#5) |
| Primary payload | Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) |
| Mass (kg) | |
| Call Sign | |
| Earth orbit on : |
| - Perigee x Apogee | 222 x 468 km |
| - Inclination | 28.50° |
| - Period | 91.40 min |
| Landing date - time | 13 Apr 1984 - 13:38:07 UT |
| Landing location | Edwards AFB, Runway 17 |
| Flight Duration | 6d 23h 40m |
| Nbr orbits | 108 |
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5 astronauts. First repair on orbit of a satellite, Solar Maximum Mission, by James van Hoften and George Nelson.
The Long Duration Facility (LDEF) was deployed on STS-41C on 07 Apr 1984, and retrieved from space during STS-32 on 12 Jan 1990. It was returned to KSC on 26 Jan 1990, where the experiment trays were removed.
Flight Crew
| Nr. |
Surname |
Given name |
Job |
Duration |
| 1 |
Crippen |
Robert Laurel |
CDR |
6d 23h 40m |
| 2 |
Scobee |
Francis Richard |
PLT |
6d 23h 40m |
| 3 |
Nelson |
George Driver "Pinky" |
MSP |
6d 23h 40m |
| 4 |
van Hoften |
James Dougal Adrianus "Ox" |
MSP |
6d 23h 40m |
| 5 |
Hart |
Terry Jonathan |
MSP |
6d 23h 40m |
Mission report:
Launch from Cape Canaveral (KSC); landing on Edwards
AFB; first"Shuttle-repairing-mission"; capture of US-satellite "Solar
Maximum" in second attempt; repairing work in two EVA's of Nelson and van
Hoften on 08.04.1984 (2 h 59m) and 11.04.1984 (7h 07m); then the satellite
was again deployed; also deploying of Long Duration Exposure Facility
(LDEF-01), carrying 57 experiments; LDEF- 01 was retrieved during mission
STS-32 in 1990.
Payload: Challenger F05 / LDEF 1 / MMU 3. Mass: 17,357 kg.
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STS-41-C - Rollover & rollout of space shuttle mission 41-C - Credit: NASA. 50,777 bytes. 472 x 472 pixels. |
Payloads:Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) repair, manned maneuvering unit (MMU) satellite support, deployment of Long-Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) in earth orbit free drift. LDEF contained 57 experiments and weighed about 10,000 kg. Cinema 360 and IMAX 70-mm cameras.
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STS-41-C - Launch of the Shuttle Challenger during STS 41-C mission - Credit: NASA. |
Orbits of Earth: 107. Distance traveled: 4,618,817 km. Orbiter Liftoff Mass: 115,361 kg. Orbiter Mass at Landing: 89,344 kg. Payload to Orbit: 17,357 kg. Payload Returned: 7,652 kg. Landed at: Runway 17 dry lake bed at Edwards Air Force Base, .
Landing Speed: 394 kph. Touchdown miss distance: 582 m. Landing Rollout: 2,656 m. EVA: James van Hoften and George Nelson. EVA No. 1 duration 2 hours, 59 minutes, EVA No. 2 duration 7 hours, 7 minutes. Manned maneuvering unit (MMU) operating time, George Nelson 42 minutes, James van Hoften 28 minutes.
 | STS-41-C - Florida Peninsula, LDEF Deploy-RMS - Credit: NASA. 57,989 bytes. 571 x 571 pixels. |
NASA Official Mission NarrativeMission Name: 41-C (11)
CHALLENGER (5)
Pad 39-A (23)
11th Shuttle mission
5th Flight OV-099
Extended mission
Diverted landing
 | STS-41-C - View of the Long Duration Exposure Facility in orbit above the earth - Credit: NASA. 46,918 bytes. 472 x 472 pixels. |
Crew:
Robert L. Crippen (3), Commander
Francis R. Scobee (1), Pilot
George D. Nelson (1), Mission Specialist
James D. A. van Hoften (1), Mission Specialist
Terry J. Hart (1), Mission Specialist
 | STS-41-C - 41-C mission specialist repairs captured Solar Maximum Mission Satellite - Credit: NASA. 40,421 bytes. 477 x 477 pixels. |
Milestones:
OPF - Feb. 11,1984
VAB - March 14, 1984
PAD - March 19, 1984 Payload:
LDEF-1,SSIP(x1),RME,IMAX-camera(1)
Mission Objectives:
 | STS-41-C - View of the damaged Solar Maximum Mission Satellite from the 41-C Challeng - Credit: NASA. 24,978 bytes. 405 x 405 pixels. |
Launch:
April 6, 1984, 8:58:00 a.m. EST. Launch proceeded as scheduled with no delays. Launch Weight: 254,254 lbs.
Orbit:
Altitude: 313nm
Inclination: 28.5 degrees
Orbits: 108
Duration: Six days, 23 hours, 40 minutes, seven seconds.
Distance: 2,870,000 miles
 | STS-41-C - View of Astronaut Nelson using MMU to examine Solar Maximum Mission Satelli - Credit: NASA. 3,875 bytes. 197 x 197 pixels. |
Hardware:
SRB: BI-012
SRM: 011MW(HPM)
ET : 12/LWT-5
MLP : 1
SSME-1: SN-2109
SSME-2: SN-2020
SSME-3: SN-2012 Landing:
April 13, 1984, 5:38:07 a.m. PST, Runway 17, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Rollout distance: 8,716 feet. Rollout time: 48 seconds. Landed revolution 108. Mission extended one day when astronauts unable to grapple Solar Maximum Mission Spacecraft. Planned landing at KSC scrubbed. Mission extended one revolution to facilitate landing at Edwards. Orbiter returned to KSC April 18, 1984. Landing Weight: 196,975 lbs.
 | STS-41-C - View of the capture of the Solar Maximum Mission Satellite by the RMS - Credit: NASA. 27,571 bytes. 488 x 488 pixels. |
Mission Highlights:
First direct ascent trajectory for Space Shuttle. Using manned maneuvering unit, astronauts replaced altitude control system and coronagraph/polarimeter electronics box in the Solar Max satellite while it remained in orbit. Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) deployed, carrying 57 experiments. Left on orbit with intention of retrieving during later mission. Other payloads: IMAX camera; Radiation Monitoring Equipment (RME); Cinema 360; Shuttle Student Involvement Program (SSlP) experiment.
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STS-41-C - View of the Solar Maximum Mission Satellite prior to relase by RMS - Credit: NASA. |
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STS-41-C - 41-C mission specialists reapir captured Solar Maximum Mission Satellite - Credit: NASA.. |
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STS-41-C - Deployment of the repaired Solar Maximum Mission Satellite - Credit: NASA. |
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STS-41-C - Shuttle Challenger atop NASA 905 approaches KSC runway - Credit: NASA. |
Astrophilately covers:
 Launch cancel KSC. |
 Landing cancel Edwards AFB. |
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Ref.: #1, #6, #7, #8, #16 - update: 08.03.19
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