Landing of Orbiter Challenger at KSC at completion of 41G mission. View of the rear of the Orbiter as it approaches the runway with its landing gear extended. The main engines are clearly visible. The KSC Alternative Photo Number is 108-KSC-84PC-654 (43896). KSC, FL
S84-27021 (7 Feb 1984) --- Astronaut Bruce McCandless II, 41B mission specialist tests a "cherry-picker" type device during February 7 historical Extravehicular Activity (EVA). The EVA, in which Astronauts McCandless and Robert L. Stewart, two of three STS-41B mission specialists, participated, marked two firsts--initial use of both the Mobile Foot Restraint (MFR) attached to the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) arm here, and the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) backpack (not seen in this frame). The Challenger was flying with its aft end aimed toward the Earth. This photograph clearly shows where the MFR connects to the end effector of the Canadian-built RMS arm. The two spacewalkers were monitored and photographed by their fellow crewmembers, astronauts Vance D. Brand, commander; Robert L. Gibson, pilot; and Ronald E. McNair, mission specialist. The three remained in the cabin for another EVA session two days later. Photo Credit: NASA
51A-90014 (8 Nov. 1984) --- John W. Young, who has seen many launches from various angles, used a handheld camera to record this scene of the very early phase of launch for NASA's space shuttle Discovery. Young was flying the NASA shuttle training aircraft (STA). The launch pad can be seen as a bright spot in the center of a mass of clouds. Photo credit: NASA
The Nile River Delta of Egypt (30.0N, 31.0E) irrigated by the Nile River and its many distributaries, is some of the richest farm land in the world and home to some 45 million people, over half of Egypt's population. The capital city of Cairo is at the apex of the delta. Just across the river from Cairo can be seen the ancient three big pyramids and sphinx at Giza and the Suez Canal is just to the right of the delta.
S84-40236 (1984) --- Astronaut Michael J. McCulley.
Aerial photograph from 1984 showing buildings at Area 400, a portion of the campus of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
The crew assigned to the STS-41D mission included (seated left to right) Richard M. (Mike) Mullane, mission specialist; Steven A. Hawley, mission specialist; Henry W. Hartsfield, commander; and Michael L. (Mike) Coats, pilot. Standing in the rear are Charles D. Walker, payload specialist; and Judith A. (Judy) Resnik, mission specialist. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery August 30, 1984 at 8:41:50 am (EDT), the STS-41D mission deployed three satellites: the Satellite Business System SBS-D; the SYCOM IV-2 (also known as LEASAT-2); and the TELSTAR.
S84-37982 (20 July 1984) --- Astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan, 41-G mission specialist
View of the launch of the shuttle Discovery and the 41-D mission. The orbiter and its plume of smoke are photographed from across the river in the early stages of liftoff (3085,3087); The orbiter can be seen just clearing the pad, with a cloud of smoke billowing to the left of the frame. The orbiters two orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pods and external tank are visible along with the orbiter (3086).
JVX/ATB Rotor Blades Test; OARF Static Test Stand N-249.
41C-03229 (13 April 1984) --- An overall view of activity in the Mission Operations Control Room (MOCR) of the Johnson Space Center (JSC) Mission Control Center (MCC) during post-landing activity at the Challenger's landing site at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
S84-36141 (20 June 1984) --- Astronaut Taylor E. Wang, payload specialist.
51A-90015 (8 Nov. 1984) --- John W. Young, who has seen many launches from various angles, used a handheld camera to record this scene of the very early phase of launch for NASA's space shuttle Discovery. Young was flying the NASA shuttle training aircraft (STA). Shuttle Discovery (51A) is seen as a spot of light at the top of a column of smoke outlined among the dense cloud cover. Photo credit: NASA
S84-27562 (7 Feb. 1984) --- Astronaut Bruce McCandless II, one of two 41B mission specialists participating in a historical Extravehicular Activity (EVA), is a few meters away from the cabin of the Earth-orbiting space shuttle Challenger in this 70mm frame. This Extravehicular Activity (EVA) represented the first use of a nitrogen-propelled, hand-controlled device called the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU), which allows for much greater mobility than that afforded previous spacewalkers who had to use restrictive tethers. Robert L. Stewart later tried out the MMU McCandless is using here, and the two of them tested another similar unit two days later. Inside the spacecraft were astronauts Vance D. Brand, commander; Robert L. Gibson, pilot; and Ronald E. McNair, mission specialist. Photo credit: NASA
Jay H. Greene, right, ascent flight director for STS 51-A, monitors pre-launch activity at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) via a screen at the spacecraft communicators console in the second floor flight control room (FCR) of JSC's mission control center. Astronauts David C. Hilmers, left, and Richard N. Richards are the on-duty spacecraft communicators.
S84-40463 (24 Aug 1984) --- Astronaut Manley L. "Sonny" Carter, Jr., 1984 ASCAN.
Wide angle view of the flight control room (FCR) of the Mission Control Center (MCC). Some of the STS 41-G crew can be seen on a large screen at the front of the MCC along with a map tracking the progress of the orbiter.
XV-15 prototypes: Multi-Mission BAT-LHX design, Search & Rescue, Marine assault
View of STS 51-D mission specialist Rhea Seddon training with the Arriflex 16mm camera.
51A-39-063 (14 Nov 1984) --- A 70mm frame of WESTAR VI post-retrieval activity. Astronaut Dale A. Gardner (left), STS-51A mission specialist, holds a "For Sale" sign, making light reference to the status of the re-captured communications spacecraft, which has been stranded since its initial deployment. Astronaut Joseph P. Allen IV stands on the Mobile Foot Restraint (MFR), which in tandem with the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) arm, controlled by Dr. Anna L. Fisher inside the space shuttle Discovery's cabin, served as a cherry-picker for capture efforts. Photo credit: NASA
Dr. Aggarwal installing a flight seed in the Fluid Experiment System.
Astronat Dale A. Gardner achieves a hard dock with the previously spinning Westar VI satellite. Gardner uses a "stinger" device to stabilize the communications satellite.
41G-90218 (13 October 1984) --- Space Shuttle Challenger makes its second touchdown at Kennedy Space Center's landing facility. The photo was taken by Otis Imboden.
S84-37532 (18 July 1984) --? Robert B. Thirsk, backup payload specialist for 41-G appears to be shaking hands with an unoccupied extravehicular mobility unit (EMU) during a familiarization flight aboard NASA?s KC-135 aircraft. Thirsk, representing Canada?s National Research Council (NRC), serves as backup to Marc Garneau on the seven-member crew for Challenger?s October 1984 flight. This aircraft is used extensively for training and exposing Shuttle crewmembers to weightlessness as well as for evaluation of equipment and experiments scheduled for future flights.
S84-27717 (11 Feb 1984) --- A chase plane gets a "front row" position to view the touchdown of the total landing gear of the Space Shuttle Challenger as the reusable spacecraft makes NASA's first landing on the runway at the Kennedy Space Center's (KSC) landing facility. This photograph was taken from another T-38 chase plane.
41G-38-084 (5-13 Oct 1984) --- A light, thin cirrus cloud layer partially obscures the island of Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands (15.5 degrees west, 28 degrees north).
View of the SIR-B antenna being deployed during STS 41-G. The Challenger's payload bay is open and the remote manipulator system (RMS) arm is in the stowed position at the right of the view.
41C-37-1711 (11 April 1984) --- The two mission specialist-EVA participants of Flight 41-C share a repair task at the "captured" Solar Maximum Mission Satellite (SMMS) in the aft end of the Challenger's cargo bay. Astronauts George D. Nelson, right, and James D. van Hoften uses the mobile foot restraint and the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) as a "cherry picker" device for moving about. Later, the RMS lifted the SMMS into space once more.
Lear Jet (NASA 705) in flight over Central CA.
Payload specialist Marc Garneau displays a Canadian made Sunphotometer, part of a package of experiments which he is concentrating on during this mission. He is sitting on the Challenger's flight deck at the aft station.
Christine Darden at Work
S84-27018 (7 Feb 1984) --- Astronaut Bruce McCandless II approaches his maximum distance from the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Challenger in this 70mm frame photographed by his fellow crewmembers onboard the reusable vehicle. McCandless is in the midst of the first "field" tryout of the nitrogen-propelled, hand-controlled back-pack device called the manned maneuvering unit (MMU). Astronaut Robert L. Stewart got a chance to test the same unit a while later in the lengthy EVA session while the two spacewalkers were photographed and monitored by their fellow crewmembers in Challenger's cabin. Those inside were Astronauts Vance D. Brand, Robert L. Gibson and Dr. Ronald E. McNair.
JVX/ATB Rotor Blades Test; OARF Static Test Stand N-249.
The Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) was designed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to test the performance of spacecraft materials, components, and systems that have been exposed to the environment of micrometeoroids and space debris for an extended period of time. The LDEF proved invaluable to the development of future spacecraft and the International Space Station (ISS). The LDEF carried 57 science and technology experiments, the work of more than 200 investigators. MSFC`s experiments included: Trapped Proton Energy Determination to determine protons trapped in the Earth's magnetic field and the impact of radiation particles; Linear Energy Transfer Spectrum Measurement Experiment which measures the linear energy transfer spectrum behind different shielding configurations; Atomic oxygen-Simulated Out-gassing, an experiment that exposes thermal control surfaces to atomic oxygen to measure the damaging out-gassed products; Thermal Control Surfaces Experiment to determine the effects of the near-Earth orbital environment and the shuttle induced environment on spacecraft thermal control surfaces; Transverse Flat-Plate Heat Pipe Experiment, to evaluate the zero-gravity performance of a number of transverse flat plate heat pipe modules and their ability to transport large quantities of heat; Solar Array Materials Passive LDEF Experiment to examine the effects of space on mechanical, electrical, and optical properties of lightweight solar array materials; and the Effects of Solar Radiation on Glasses. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Challenger's STS-41C mission April 6, 1984, the LDEF remained in orbit for five years until January 1990 when it was retrieved by the Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia STS-32 mission and brought back to Earth for close examination and analysis.
S84-26243 (31 Jan 1984) --- Astronaut Robert L. Gibson, one of five 41-B crewmembers, prepares to leave Houston?s Ellington Base in a T-38 jet aircraft en route to Florida and the Kennedy Space Center, site of February 3?s launch of the Challenger. Gibson, along with two other members of this crew, began training at JSC in July in 1978. He will be joined by Astronauts Vance D. Brand, commander; and Bruce McCandless II, Ronald E. McNair and Robert L. Stewart, all mission specialists. Brand and McCandless came aboard as NASA astronauts in April 1966.
During a Spacelab flight, the hub of activity was the Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) at the Johnson Space Flight Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas. The POCC became home to the management and science teams who worked around the clock to guide and support the mission. All Spacelab principal investigators and their teams of scientists and engineers set up work areas in the POCC. Through the use of computers, they could send commands to their instruments and receive and analyze experiment data. Instantaneous video and audio communications made it possible for scientists on the ground to follow the progress of their research almost as if they were in space with the crew. This real-time interaction between investigators on the ground and the crew in space was probably the most exciting of Spacelab's many capabilities. As principal investigators talked to the payload specialists during the mission, they consulted on experiment operations, made decisions, and shared in the thrill of gaining new knowledge. In December 1990, a newly-established POCC at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) opened its door for the operations of the Spacelab payloads and experiments, while JSC monitored the Shuttle flight operations. MSFC had managing responsibilities for the Spacelab missions.
S84-39440 (September 1984) --- Astronaut Mark N. Brown.
JVX/ATB Rotor Blades Test; OARF Static Test Stand N-249.
Preparations for Underwater EVA training for the STS 41-G crew. Divers prepare to don their scuba gear for the begining of EVA training.
S84-41580 (3 Sept 1984) --- Assembled together publicly for the first time, the seven crewmembers for NASA's 41-G Space Shuttle mission field questions from the press corps at the Johnson Space Center. Pictured (foreground right to left) are Robert L. Crippen, crew commander ;Jon A. McBride, pilot; Kathryn D. Sullivan, Sally K. Ride and David C. Leestma--all mission specialists; Marc Garneau, representing the Canadian National Research Council, and Paul D. Scully-Power, U.S. Navy oceanographer, both payload specialists. Their flight is scheduled for early October.
The Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery lifted off from launch pad 39A at the Kenendy Space Center for its maiden flight at 8:42 A.M. EDT today.
Astronaut Dale A. Gardner, 51-A mission specialist, rehearses control of manned maneuvering unit (MMU) during a practice for an extravehicular activity (EVA). Gardner is in the Shuttle mockup and integration laboratory at JSC. Gardner handles a stinger device to make initial contact with one of the two satellites they will be working with.
This is an onboard photo of the deployment of the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) from the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Challenger STS-41C mission, April 7, 1984. After a five year stay in space, the LDEF was retrieved during the STS-32 mission by the Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia in January 1990 and was returned to Earth for close examination and analysis. The LDEF was designed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to test the performance of spacecraft materials, components, and systems that have been exposed to the environment of micrometeoroids, space debris, radiation particles, atomic oxygen, and solar radiation for an extended period of time. Proving invaluable to the development of both future spacecraft and the International Space Station (ISS), the LDEF carried 57 science and technology experiments, the work of more than 200 investigators, 33 private companies, 21 universities, 7 NASA centers, 9 Department of Defense laboratories, and 8 forein countries.
S84-37536 (18 July 1984) --- Astronaut Robert L. Crippen, left, 41-G crew commander watches as one of his fellow crewmembers gets an introduction to weightlessness aboard a KC-135, "zero-gravity" aircraft. Paul D. Scully-Power is the crew member literally floating here in the brief period of micro-gravity. Scully-Power, an oceanographer with the U.S. Navy, and Marc Garneau (partially visible in chair behind the floating Scully-Power)are payload specialists for 41-G. Garneau represents the National Research Council (Canada).
S84-26325 (3 Feb. 1984) --- Beginning a busy year, NASA's space shuttle Challenger, attached to two solid rocket boosters and an external fuel tank which it will later jettison, blasts off from Pad A at Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39 at 8:00 a.m. (EST), Feb. 3, 1984. Inside the spacecraft are astronauts Vance D. Brand, Robert L. Gibson, Bruce McCandless II, Ronald E. McNair and Robert L. Stewart. Brand is making his first trip in the Challenger but his second STS flight and third spaceflight overall. The rest of the crew members are experiencing space travel for the first time. Marking a space first, this flight will be landing at KSC. Photo credit: NASA
S84-43433 (11 Oct 1984) --- Photographed through aft flight deck windows, this 70mm frame shows Astronauts David C. Leestma, left, and Kathryn D. Sullivan at the orbital refueling system (ORS) in the aft cargo bay. A wrist camera on the remote manipulator system (RMS) is perched to record the historic extravehicular activity (EVA). Dr. Sullivan's part of the EVA represented the first such feat for an American woman.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Commander Vance Brand and Pilot Robert 'Hoot' Gibson guide spaceship Challenger to the first-ever landing at Kennedy Space Center. The historic touchdown occurred at 7:15:55 a.m. EST, Feb. 11, 1984. Also aboard were Mission Specialists Bruce McCandless II, Ronald McNair and Robert Stewart. Photo credit: NASA
S84-25872 (6 Jan 1984) --- Progress continues at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) as the Space Shuttle Challenger is moved into the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) for mating to its two Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB) and External Fuel Tank (ET). The flight of STS-41B will carry five astronaut crew members into space for the performance of a variety of duties. Launch is scheduled for February 3, 1984.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Shortly after sunrise the space shuttle orbiter Challenger touches down on the KSC runway at 7:16 a.m. The T-38 escort chase plane is seen just above the orbiter. The historic first landing at KSC brought to a conclusion an eight-day mission that started at 8:00 a.m. Feb. 3, 1984. The STS 41-B mission had several other firsts including an un-tethered spacewalk made by two of the astronauts. The Vehicle Assembly Building can be seen in the right side of the photograph. Photo credit: NASA
S84-36960 (5 July 1984) --- Astronauts Kathryn D. Sullivan, left, and David C. Leestma, Mission 41-G crewmembers, simulate the transfer of cryogenics in space during an Earth-bound underwater session in the Johnson Space Center's weightless environment training facility (WET-F). The two mission specialists will be joined by three NASA astronauts and two payload specialists for a flight aboard the Columbia later this year. The photograph was taken by Otis Imboden.
C-141 KAO: Cornell University, FAR Infrared Interferometer
S84-44094 (13 Jan 1984) --- Payload Specialist Dr. Millie Hughes Fulford with the Veterans' Administration Hospital and the University of California at San Francisco
View of the launch of the shuttle Discovery and the 41-D mission. The orbiter and its plume of smoke are photographed from across the river in the early stages of liftoff (3085,3087); The orbiter can be seen just clearing the pad, with a cloud of smoke billowing to the left of the frame. The orbiters two orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pods and external tank are visible along with the orbiter (3086).
View of the early morning launch of STS 41-G Challenger. The dark launch complex is illuminated by spotlights as the orbiter begins its ascent from the pad.
STS 51-E crew is briefed on the Shuttle full fuselage trainer. Astronauts Dave Griggs (foreground), Jean Loup Chretien (behind Griggs) and Jeff Hoffman are being shown the workings of the trainer by flight instructors.
41D-39-068 (1 Sept 1984) --- Quickly moving away from the Space Shuttle Discovery is the Telstar 3 communications satellite, deployed September 1, 1984. The 41-D crew successfully completed three satellite placements, of which this was the last. Telstar was the second 41-D deployed satellite to be equipped with a payload assist module (PAM-D). The frame was exposed with a 70mm camera.
Documentation of STS 41-G payloads while in Hangar AE at Cape Canaveral. Views include documentation of the Earth Radiation Budget Satllite (ERBS) antenna (41266) and solar array panels (41265).
41D-3277 (S14-3277) (4 Sept 1984) --- Having met the press for the first time as a group, members of the STS 41-G crew pose for photographs in the Shuttle mockup and integration laboratory at the Johnson Space Center. They are (bottom row, left, to right) Marc Garneau and Paul D. Scully-Power, both payload specialists; and Robert L. Crippen, crew commander; (second row, l.-r.) Astronauts Jon A. McBride, pilot; David C. Leestma and Sally K. Ride, both mission specialists; and Kathryn D. Sullivan, mission specialist. They are scheduled for an October 5, 1984 launch aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger.
View of the launch of the shuttle Discovery and the 41-D mission. The orbiter and its plume of smoke are photographed from across the river in the early stages of liftoff (3085,3087); The orbiter can be seen just clearing the pad, with a cloud of smoke billowing to the left of the frame. The orbiters two orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pods and external tank are visible along with the orbiter (3086).
JVX/ATB Rotor Blades Test; OARF Static Test Stand N-249.
S84-27023 (7 Feb 1984) --- This 70mm frame shows astronaut Bruce McCandless II moving in to conduct a test involving the Trunion Pin Attachment Device (TPAD) he carries and the Shuttle Pallet Satellite (SPAS-01A) partially visible at bottom of frame. SPAS was a stand-in for the damaged Solar Maximum Satellite (SMS) which will be visited for repairs by the STS-41C Shuttle crew in early spring. This particular Extravehicular Activity (EVA) session was a rehearsal for the SMS visit. The test and the actual visit to the SMS both involve the use of jet-powered, hand-controlled Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU). The one McCandless uses is the second unit to be tested on this flight. Astronaut Robert L. Stewart got a chance to work with both MMU's on the two EVA's.
S84-25522 (15 Jan. 1984) --- The patch to be worn by the five members of NASA's STS-41C space mission tells the story of that flight. It features a helmet visor of an astronaut performing an extravehicular activity (EVA). In the visor are reflected the sun's rays, the space shuttle Challenger and its Remote Manipulator System (RMS) deploying the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF), Earth and blue sky, and another astronaut working at the damaged Solar Maximum Satellite (SMS). The scene is encircled by the surnames of the crew members. They are astronauts Robert L. Crippen, commander; Francis R. (Dick) Scobee, pilot; and Terry J. Hart, James D. van Hoften and George D. Nelson, all mission specialists. The NASA insignia design for space shuttle flights is reserved for use by the astronauts and for other official use as the NASA Administrator may authorize. Public availability has been approved only in the forms of illustrations by the various news media. When and if there is any change in this policy, which is not anticipated, the change will be publicly announced. Photo credit: NASA
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The crew of 41B STS-11, the first spaceflight in history to begin and conclude a mission at the same site, leave the flight deck of orbiter Challenger to be greeted by George Abbey, director of Flight Crew Operations. In ascending order, the crew members are Vance Brand, mission commander mission Pilot Robert L.'Hoot' Gibson and Mission Specialists Robert L. Stewart, Ronald E. McNair and Bruce McCandless II. Challenger touched down at 7:15:55 a.m. EST on Feb. 11, rolling 10,700 feet before coming to a stop on the Kennedy Space Center's 15,000-foot-long runway. Photo credit: NASA
The Space Shuttle Challenger lands at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) at the end of the STS 41-G mission. The main landing gear has already touched down in this view, but the nose gear is still in the air (90232); Front view through tall grass of the Challenger making its landing at KSC (90233); Close-up side view of the Challenger making its landing at KSC (90234); Aerial view of the Challenger making its final approach to the runway to land at KSC (90235).
S84-27027 (3-11 Feb 1984) --- Astronaut Robert L. Gibson, STS-41B pilot, reviews some teleprinter copy on the flight deck's starboard station during the eight-day STS-41B Space Shuttle mission. Four other astronauts share the Challenger with Gibson. They are astronauts Vance D. Brand, commander; and Ronald E. McNair, Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart, all mission specialists. The photograph was taken from the commander's station with a 35mm camera.
Portrait photograph, Astronaut Marsha S. Ivins, dressed in Blue Flight Suit, with Flag (frame left), and Space Shuttle Model (frame right). JSC, HOUSTON, TX
C-141 KAO: Cornell University, FAR Infrared Interferometer - mission directors console
CID (Controlled Imact Demonstrator) Aircraft fireball after wing cutter impact.
S82-31527 (15 May 1982) --- Astronauts Thomas K. Mattingly II (left) and Henry W. Hartsfield Jr., STS-4 commander and pilot, respectively, get in some training time in the motion base Shuttle Mission Simulator (SMS) at the Johnson Space Center's Mission Simulations and Training Facility. Photo credit: NASA
Aerial photograph from 1984 showing buildings at Area 400, a portion of the campus of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
Members of the Langley Federal Women's Program surround Mary Jackson in the brown suit, of the Office of Equal Opportunity Programs. Mary Jackson NASA's first African-American female engineer, and subsequent career supporting the hiring and promotion of other deserving female and minority employees.
JVX/ATB Rotor Blades Test; OARF Static Test Stand N-249.
41D-32-14 (30 Aug 1984) --- A rainbow-like sunrise over the Philippine Sea greeted the six crew members aboard the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Discovery on its first day in space. A 70mm camera was used to record the scene at 3:08:14 p.m. (CDT), August 30, 1984, during Discovery's sixth orbit of a six-day mission. The spacecraft was above a position on Earth centered at 21.1 degrees north and 12.9 degrees east (about 250 miles north - northeast of the Philippine Islands). The scene was shown as one of the Post-Flight Press Conference (PFPC) visuals by the crew on September 12, 1984.
41G-121-099 (5-13 Oct. 1984) --- Hurricane Josephine was photographed with a medium format camera aimed through the space shuttle Challenger's aft flight deck windows during NASA's 41-G mission. The hurricane's eye can be seen below the orbiter's vertical stabilizer. The large storm off the Florida coast did not prevent the spacecraft with its record of seven crew members aboard from landing safely at the KSC landing facility. Photo credit: NASA
41G-120-040 (5-13 Oct. 1984) --- Pakistan, featuring the city of Karachi, the Makran mountain range, the mouth of the Indus River and the North Arabian Sea were photographed with a medium format camera aboard the space shuttle Challenger during the 41-G mission. Photo credit: NASA
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Members of the STS-41D flight crew are, from left to right, Michael L. Coats, Charles D. Walker, Steven A. Hawley, Judith A. Resnik, Richard M. Mullane, and Henry Hartsfield. Photo credit: NASA
S84-36158 (June 1984) --- The STS-41G Challenger mission insignia focuses on its seven crew members (first to exceed six), the United States flag and the Unity symbol known as the astronaut pin. The pin design in center shows a trio of trajectories merging in infinite space, capped by a bright shining star and encircled by an elliptical wreath denoting orbital flight. Crew members for the (originally-scheduled 17th STS) mission include astronauts Robert L. Crippen and Jon A. McBride, commander and pilot, respectively, whose surnames flank those of the NASA mission specialists - astronauts Kathryn D. Sullivan, David C. Leestma and Sally K. Ride. Paul Scully-Power, a United States Navy oceanographer, and Marc Garneau, a Canadian, join the crew as payload specialists. The artwork was done for NASA by Patrick Rawlings. The NASA insignia design for space shuttle flights is reserved for use by the astronauts and for other official use as the NASA Administrator may authorize. Public availability has been approved only in the forms of illustrations by the various news media. When and if there is any change in this policy, which is not anticipated, the change will be publicly announced. Photo credit: NASA
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA Aerials showing the National Full Scale Aerodynamic Complex (NFAC) which can be seen from U.S. Highway 101 in Northern California (NOTE: this image in a vertical cropped version was used on the cover of the NFAC dedication brochure)
41C-52-2646 (11 April 1984) --- Astronaut James D. van Hoften and a repaired satellite are in a wide panorama recorded on film with a Linhof camera, making its initial flight aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger. Dr. van Hoften is getting in his first "field" test of the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) after months of training in an underwater facility and in a simulator on Earth. The Solar Maximum Mission Satellite (SMMS), revived and almost ready for release into space once more, is docked at the Flight Support System (FSS). The Remote Manipulator System (RMS) is backdropped against the blue and white Earth at frame's edge. Outside of pictures made of the Earth from astronauts on the way to the Moon, this frame showing the planet from 285 nautical miles represents the highest orbital photography in the manned space program.
41D-33-071 (4 Sept. 1984) --- A collection of ice that developed around an external nozzle on Discovery’s port side mid fuselage sails by the spacecraft on Sept. 4, 1984, following a successful attempt to remove the troublesome buildup using the remote manipulator system (RMS) arm. A crew member on the flight deck alertly grabbed a 70-mm camera and recorded the final look at the chunk. Photo credit: NASA
S84-42271 (24 Sept. 1984) --- Astronaut Robert L. Gibson.
41G-36-036 (5-13 Oct 1984) --- The deeply etched patterns of intermittent streams in the Hadhramaut Plateau of south Yemen. These stream beds, which now rarely carry water, are deeply entrenched, owing to the geologically recent uplift of the plateau. nonetheless, a very distinct watercourse appears along the top and bottom edges of the photograph. In the photograph's upper portion, available water will flow into the vast emptiness of the Rub al Khali (Empty Quarter). In the lower portion, water will flow to the Gulf of Aden.
41D-3072 (30 Aug 1984) --- A 41-D shift change is taking place in the Johnson Space Center's Building 30. In its twenty years of operation, the mission control center has been the scene of many such changes. The windowless wing at left houses three floors, including rooms supporting flight control rooms 1 & 2 (formerly called mission operations control rooms 1 & 2).
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-41-G: Challenger
S84-33898 (21 May 1984) --- Astronaut Jon A. McBride, 41-G pilot, assists his crewmate, Astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan with the glove portion of her extravehicular mobility unit (EMU) prior to Dr. Sullivan's underwater session in the Johnson Space Center's weightless environment training facility (WET-F). Mission specialists Sullivan and David C. Leestma are scheduled for extravehicular activity (EVA) on the Columbia for NASA's 17th scheduled flight.
Fisheye view from the back of the Flight Control Room (FCR) of the Mission Control Center (MCC). Visible are the Flight Directors console (left front), the CAPCOM console (right front) and the Payloads console. Some of the STS 41-G crew can be seen on a large screen at the front of the MCC along with a map tracking the progress of the orbiter.
S84-43683 (26 Nov 1984) --- This vertically positioned rectangular piece of hardware, scheduled to fly on the science module of Spacelab Life Sciences-1, is important to the immunology investigation on the mission. Called Lymphocyte Proliferation in Weightlessness (Experiment 240), the test was developed by Dr. Augosto Cogoli of the Institute of Biotechnology, Gruppe Weltraum Biologie, in Zurich, Switzerland. It represents a continuation of previous Spacelab experiments by examining the effects of weightlessness on lymphocyte activation. Cultures will be grown in the microgravity incubators on the pictured hardware.
XV-15 prototypes: Multi-Mission BAT-LHX design, Search & Rescue, Marine assault
Launched April 6, 1984, one of the goals of the STS-41C mission was to repair the damaged free-flying Solar Maximum Mission Satellite (SMMS), or Solar Max. The original plan was to make an excursion out to the SMMS and capture it for necessary repairs. Pictured is Mission Specialist George Nelson approaching the damaged satellite in a capture attempt. This attempted feat was unsuccessful. It was necessary to capture the satellite via the orbiter's Remote Manipulator System (RMS) and secure it into the cargo bay in order to perform the repairs, which included replacing the altitude control system and the coronograph/polarimeter electronics box. The SMMS was originally launched into space via the Delta Rocket in February 1980, with the purpose to provide a means of studying solar flares during the most active part of the current sunspot cycle. Dr. Einar Tandberg-Hanssen of Marshall Space Flight Center's Space Sciences Lab was principal investigator for the Ultraviolet Spectrometer and Polarimeter, one of the seven experiments of the Solar Max.
S84-40538 (24 Aug 1984) --- Two 41-G payload specialists and a backup for one of them appear to be at home in zero gravity in this scene photographed aboard a KC-135 "Zero gravity" aircraft flying one of its weightlessness opportunity parabolas. Paul D. Scully-Power, a civilian oceanographer with the U.S. Navey, is flanked by Marc Garneau (left) and Robert Thirsk, both representing the National Research Council of Canada. Thirsk is back up payload specialist for Garneau.
41G-90217 (13 Oct 1984) --- 41-G crew leaves the orbiter after landing at Kennedy Space Center at the end of their mission. Astronaut Robert Crippen shakes hands with George W.S. Abbey, Director of JSC's Flight Crew Operations, while the other crewmembers wait behind him. They are Jon McBride, David Leestma, Sally K. Ride, Kathryn Sullivan, Marc Garneau and Paul Scully-Power.
41G-38-060 (5-13 Oct 1984) --- A large ship wake in the central Mediterranean Sea is highlighted by sunglint in this handheld camera's view from STS-41G. According to NASA and U.S. Navy scientists studying the STS-41G film, the depicted reflectance is similar to oil slicks seen in the various oceans of the world. They note that it is apparent that a ship is pumping a mixture of bilge water and oil overboard. The crew consisted of astronauts Robert L. Crippen, commander; Jon A. McBride, pilot; mission specialist's Kathryn D. Sullivan, Sally K. Ride, and David D. Leestma; Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau; and Paul D. Scully-Power, payload specialist. EDITOR'S NOTE: The STS-41G mission had the first American female EVA (Sullivan); first seven-person crew; first orbital fuel transfer; and the first Canadian (Garneau).
41D-3142 (3 Sept 1984) --- Astronaut Robert L. Crippen, left, crew commander for NASA's 41-G flight, and Marc Garneau, payload specialist representing the Canadian National Research Council (NRC), participate in a briefing in the Shuttle mockup and integration laboratory at the Johnson Space Center.
51A-46-057 (14 November 1984) --- Astronaut Dale A. Gardner, getting his turn in the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) like those used by five other astronauts this year, prepares to dock with the spinning WESTAR VI satellite. Gardner used a large tool called the Apogee Kick Motor Capture Device (ACD) to enter the nozzle of a spent WESTAR VI engine and stabilize the communications spacecraft sufficiently to capture it for return to Earth in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Discovery. This frame was used by the STS-51A crew at its Post-Flight Press Conference (PFPC) on November 28, 1984.
Paul Scully-Power, 41-G payload specialist, links arms with two others as they experience weightlessness in the KC-135 training aircraft. The trio appears to be flying toward the front of the aircraft while others take photos.
41D-06-013 (6 Sept 1984) --- Payload specialist Charles Walker works with the continuous flow electrophoresis systems (CFES) experiment, located in the middeck.
MVSRF Advanced Cockpit
Astronaut George D. Nelson (see monitor at front of room) is viewed by flight controllers in the Mission Operations Control Room (MOCR) of JSC's Mission Control Center during 41-C extravehicular activity (EVA). In the foreground are Flight Directors Jay H. Greene and John T. Cox. Astronauts Jerry L. Ross and Richard H. Richards are seated at the CAPCOM or spacecraft communicators console at right background. Astronaut Guy S. Gardner is perched just behind them.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the payloads for the STS-41D space shuttle flight are shown loaded in Discovery’s cargo bay. With the orbiter in the vertical position at Launch Pad 39A, the payloads are, from top to bottom, OAST-1 a 102-foot-tall, 13-foot-wide Office of Application and Space Technology solar panel), the Satellite Business System SBS-D , Telstar 3-C, and Syncom IV-2. The six day mission is scheduled for launch on Aug. 29, 1984. The six crew members are Commander Henry W. Hartsfield Jr., Pilot Michael L. Coats, Mission Specialists Judith A. Resnik, Steven A. Hawley, Richard M. Mullane, and Payload Specialist Charles D. Walker. Photo Credit: NASA
41G-34-036 (5-13 Oct 1984) --- When in space, Space Shuttle astronauts experience 18-dawns to every one on terra firma. The crew of NASA's STS-41G mission captured these spectacular colors just prior to passing through one of those orbital dawns in October of 1984. The scene is over the Pacific Ocean, approximately 2,000 miles from Tokyo. The bands of color represent the various layers of aerosol which surround the planet. The brilliant red is the atmosphere; the overlap between red and blue is the stratosphere; the blue layer is the ionosphere. With increased altitude, the electrons and ions are reduced in number, leaving the vast blackness of space.