STS-61-E
Mission duration | 8 days, 22 hours, 2 minutes |
---|---|
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Columbia |
Crew | |
Crew size | 7 |
Members |
Jon McBride Richard N. Richards Jeffrey A. Hoffman David Leestma Robert A. Parker Samuel T. Durrance Ronald A. Parise |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 6 March 1986, 10:45 UTC |
Launch site | Kennedy LC-39B |
End of mission | |
Landing date | 15 March 1986, 08:47 UTC |
Landing site | Kennedy Runway 15 |
Orbital parameters | |
Inclination | 28.5 degrees |
Back row, L-R: Durrance, Parker, Hoffman, Parise. Front row, L-R: Richards, McBride, Leestma |
STS-61-E was a United States Space Shuttle mission planned to launch on March 6, 1986 using Columbia. It was cancelled after the Challenger disaster.
Crew
Position | Astronaut | |
---|---|---|
Commander | Jon A. McBride Second spaceflight | |
Pilot | Richard N. Richards First spaceflight | |
Mission Specialist 1 | Jeffrey A. Hoffman Second spaceflight | |
Mission Specialist 2 | David C. Leestma Second spaceflight | |
Mission Specialist 3 | Robert A. Parker Second spaceflight | |
Payload Specialist 1 | Samuel T. Durrance First spaceflight | |
Payload Specialist 2 | Ronald A. Parise First spaceflight |
Mission objectives
Columbia was to carry the ASTRO-1 observatory, which would be used to make astronomical observations including observations of Comet Halley. ASTRO-1 consisted of three ultraviolet telescopes mounted on two Spacelab pallets, controlled by the Instrument Pointing System which was first tested on STS-51-F.[1]
After the Challenger disaster, the flight was remanifested as STS-35 and several crew members were replaced. Both Richards and Leestma were reassigned to STS-28 while McBride left NASA in 1989. Vance Brand replaced McBride as the commander while Guy Gardner and Mike Lounge replaced Richards and Leestma, respectively.
See also
References
- ↑ Evans, Ben (2005). Space Shuttle Columbia: Her Missions and Crews. Springer Science + Business Media. p. 99. ISBN 0-387-21517-4.