STS-51-C

STS-51-C
Discovery in orbit; in-flight photography of the Department of Defense support mission is limited.
NamesSpace Transportation System-15
Mission typeDoD satellite deployment
OperatorNASA
COSPAR ID1985-010A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.15496Edit this on Wikidata
Mission duration3 days, 1 hour, 33 minutes, 23 seconds
Distance travelled2,010,000 km (1,250,000 mi)
Orbits completed49
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftSpace Shuttle Discovery
Launch mass113,802 kg (250,890 lb)
Landing mass(Classified)
Payload mass(Classified)
Crew
Crew size5
Members
Start of mission
Launch dateJanuary 24, 1985, 19:50:00 (January 24, 1985, 19:50:00) UTC (2:50 pm EST)
Launch siteKennedy, LC-39A
ContractorRockwell International
End of mission
Landing dateJanuary 27, 1985, 21:23:23 (January 27, 1985, 21:23:23) UTC (4:23:23 am EST)
Landing siteKennedy, SLF Runway 15
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit[1]
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Perigee altitude332 km (206 mi)
Apogee altitude341 km (212 mi)
Inclination28.45°
Period91.30 minutes

STS-51-C mission patch

Back row: Payton, Buchli and Onizuka
Front row: Shriver and Mattingly
← STS-51-A (14)
STS-51-D (16) →

STS-51-C (formerly STS-10) was the 15th flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the third flight of Space Shuttle Discovery. It launched on January 24, 1985, and made the fourth shuttle landing at the Shuttle Landing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 27, 1985. STS-51-C was the first shuttle mission dedicated to the United States Department of Defense (DoD), and consequently many details remain classified. NASA reported that a satellite (USA-8) was deployed during the mission using an Inertial Upper Stage booster was deployed and met mission objectives. At just over three days, the mission was shorter in duration than most civilian missions and was the shortest of Discovery's career.

  1. ^ "SATCAT". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved March 24, 2014.