Manned Flight n⩝: 113 |
Earth orbit Flight n⩝: 110 |
USA manned Flight n⩝: 54 |
Launch, orbit & landing data:
| Designation | 16273 / 85109A |
| Launch date - time | 27 Nov 1985 - 00:29:00 UT |
| Launch site | KSC, LC39A |
| Launch vehicle |
Space Shuttle |
| Orbiter | Atlantis OV-104 (#2) |
| Primary payload | Morelos 2/AUSSAT-2/RCA SATCOM Ku-2 |
| Mass (kg) | |
| Flight Crew | Shaw, O'Connor, Cleave, Spring
Ross, Vela, Walker |
| Call Sign | |
| Earth orbit on : |
| - Perigee / Apogee | km |
| - Inclination | 28.5° |
| - Period | min |
| Landing date - time | 03 Dec 1985 - 21:33:49 UT |
| Landing location | Edwards AFB, Runway 22 |
| Flight Duration | 6d 21h 04m |
| Nbr orbits | 109 |
|
|
7 astronauts
Crew
| Nr. |
Surname |
Given name |
Job |
Duration |
| 1 |
Shaw |
Brewster Hopkinson, Jr. |
CDR |
6d 21h 04m |
| 2 |
O'Connor |
Bryan Daniel |
PLT |
6d 21h 04m |
| 3 |
Cleave |
Mary Louise |
MSP |
6d 21h 04m |
| 4 |
Spring |
Sherwood Clark "Woody" |
MSP |
6d 21h 04m |
| 5 |
Ross |
Jerry Lynn |
MSP |
6d 21h 04m |
| 6 |
Walker |
Charles David |
PSP |
6d 21h 04m |
| 7 |
Neri Vela |
Rodolfo |
PSP |
6d 21h 04m |
Mission details:
Launch from Cape Canaveral (KSC); landing on Edwards
AFB; deploying of communications satellites Morelos B (Mexico), Aussat-2
(Australia) and RCA Satcom K-2 (USA); two EVA`s performed by Ross and
Spring on 29.11.1985 (5h 32m) and 01.12.1985 (6h 40m) for experimental
assembly of erectable structures in space.
27 November 1985
00:28 GMT. Payload: Atlantis F02 / EASE / ACCESS. Mass: 21,791 kg. Perigee: 361 km. Apogee: 370 km. Inclination: 28.5 deg. Period: 91.9 min.
 | STS-61-B - Langle view of the Shuttle Erectable Antenna - Credit: NASA. 38,419 bytes. 324 x 324 pixels. |
Manned seven crew. Deployed Morelos 2, Aussat 2, Satcom K2, OEX. Payloads: Deploy SATCOM (RCA-Satellite Communi-cations) Ku-2 with Payload Assist Module (PAM)-D II. Deploy Morelos (Mexico communications satellite)-B with PAM-D. Deploy AUSSAT (Australian communications satellite)-2 with PAM-D. EASE/ACCESS (Assembly of Structures— Assembly Concept for Construction of Erectable Space Structures) by extravehicular activity (EVA) astronauts, Continuous Flow Electrophore-sis System (CFES), Diffusive Mixing of Organic Solutions (DMOS), IMAX camera, one getaway special (GAS), Linhof camera and Hasseblad camera.
 | STS-61-B - Astronaut Jerry Ross at threshold of airlock compartment following EVA - Credit: NASA. 34,706 bytes. 595 x 595 pixels. |
Orbits of Earth: 108. Distance traveled: 4,568,882 km. Orbiter Liftoff Mass: 118,664 kg. Orbiter Mass at Landing: 93,316 kg. Payload to Orbit: 21,791 kg. Payload Returned: 9,282 kg. Landed at: Concrete runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base, Cali. Landing Speed: 350 kph. Touchdown miss distance: 727 m. Landing Rollout: 3,279 m. EVA: Jerry Ross and Sherwood Spring, EVA No. 1, duration 5 hours, 34 minutes. EVA No. 2, duration 6 hours, 46 minutes.
 | STS-61-B - Astronaut Jerry Ross on RMS holds on to ACCESS device - Credit: NASA. 54,188 bytes. 606 x 606 pixels. |
NASA Official Mission NarrativeMission Name: 61-B (23)
Atlantis (2)
Pad 39-A (35)
23rd Shuttle mission
2nd Flight OV-104
2nd Night launch
Shortened mission
Crew:
Brewster H. Shaw, Jr. (2), Commander
Bryan D. O'Connor (1), Pilot
Mary L. Cleave (1), Mission Specialist 1
Sherwood C. Spring (1), Mission Specialist 2
Jerry L. Ross (1), Mission Specialist 3
Rodolfo Neri Vela (1), Payload Specialist 1
Charles D. Walker (3), Payload Specialist 2
 | STS-61-B - Astronaut Sherwood Spring on RMS checks joints on the ACCESS device - Credit: NASA. 57,053 bytes. 480 x 480 pixels. |
Milestones:
OPF - Oct. 12, 1985
VAB - Nov. 7, 1985
PAD - Nov. 12, 1985 Payload:
MORELOS-B,SATCOM-KU1,AUSSAT-2,EASE/ACCESS/CFES(6),UVX,IMAX-CAMERA(4),GAS
Mission Objectives:
Launch:
November 26, 1985, 7:29:00 p.m. EST. Launch proceeded as scheduled with no delays. Launch Weight: 261,455 lbs.
Orbit:
Altitude: 225nm
Inclination: 28.5 degrees
Orbits: 109
Duration: Six days, 21 hours, four minutes, 49 seconds.
Distance: 2,838,972 miles
 | STS-61-B - Astronauts Jerry Ross and Sherwood Spring assemble ACCESS components - Credit: NASA. 24,539 bytes. 456 x 456 pixels. |
Hardware:
SRB: BI-023
SRM: L023(HPM)
ET : 22/LWT-15
MLP : 2
SSME-1: SN-2011
SSME-2: SN-2019
SSME-3: SN-2017 Landing:
December 3, 1985, 1:33:49 p.m. PST, Runway 22, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Rollout distance: 10,759 feet. Rollout time: 78 seconds. Mission shortened one revolution due to lightning conditions at Edwards. Landed on concrete runway because lake bed was wet. Orbiter returned to KSC Dec. 7, 1985. Landing Weight: 205,732 lbs.
 | STS-61-B - Close-up view of the RCA Satcom K-2 communications satellite - Credit: NASA. 13,382 bytes. 269 x 269 pixels. |
Mission Highlights:
Three communications satellites deployed: MORE LOS-B (Mexico), AUSSAT-2 (Australia) and SATCOM KU-2 (RCA Americom). MORELOS-B and AUSSAT-2 attached to Payload Assist Module-D motors, SATCOM KU-2 to a PAM-D2 designed for heavier payloads. Two experiments conducted to test assembling erectable structures in space: Experimental Assembly of Structures in Extravehicular Activity (EASE) and Assembly Concept for Construction of Erectable Space Structure (ACCESS). Experiments required two space walks by Spring and Ross lasting five hours, 32 minutes, and six hours, 38 minutes, respectively. Middeck payloads: Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System (CFES); Diffusive Mixing of Organic Solutions (DMOS); Morelos Payload Specialist Experiments (MPSE) and Orbiter Experiments (OEX). In payload bay: Get Away Special and IMAX Cargo Bay Camera (ICBC).
 STS-61-B Deployment of the RCA Satcom K-2 communications satellite - Credit: NASA. |
External links:
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Ref.: #1, #6, #7, #8, #16, #127 - update: 30.01.21
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