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.

C-141 KAO: Cornell University, FAR Infrared Interferometer

41D-3073 (30 Aug 1984) --- The beginning stages of a busy six-day mission are monitored by some NASA officials in the flight control room (FCR-1) of the Johnson Space Center's (JSC) mission control center (MCC). They are (l.-r., foreground) Daniel M. Germany, manager of the Shuttle flight equipment project offices; Eugene F. Kranz, director of mission operations; and Clifford E. Charlesworth, director of space operations.

JVX/ATB Rotor Blades Test; OARF Static Test Stand N-249.

JVX/ATB Rotor Blades Test; OARF Static Test Stand N-249.

S84-26244 (31 Jan 1984) --- Astronauts Vance D. Brand, foreground, and Ronald E. McNair, of NASA's STS-41B Space Shuttle Challenger crew, prepare to climb into a T-38 jet aircraft readied for takeoff to Florida and the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Brand is making his third Spaceflight, including his second as a Shuttle flight crew commander. McNair, mission specialist, will be making his first trip into space. Launch for STS-41B is scheduled for 8 a.m. (EST), February 3, 1984. This photo was taken by Otis Imboden.

41D-3299 (5 Sept 1984) --- The Space Shuttle Discovery was captured on film just prior to touchdown on Runway 17 at Edwards Air Force Base to successfully complete a six-day mission in space. Inside were Henry W. Hartsfield, Jr., Michael L., Coats, Richard M. (Mike) Mullane, Steven A. Hawley, Judith A. Resnik and Charles D. Walker. Mission duration time was six days, 56 minutes and four seconds.

Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA Aerials showing the National Full Scale Aerodynamic Complex (NFAC) sign which can be seen from U.S. Highway 101 in Northern California

S84-27031 (7 Feb 1984) --- Astronaut Bruce McCandless II, 41-B mission specialist, reaches a maximum distance from the Challenger before reversing direction his manned maneuvering unit (MMU) and returning to the Challenger. A fellow crewmember inside the vehicle's cabin took this photograph with a 70mm camera. The untethered EVA marked the first such experience for astronauts.

YAV-8B Aircraft arrival at NASA Ames Research Center (on loan to Ames from US Marines - a/c in Marine colors)

Scene of an extended solar array experiment (SAE) panel during the OAST-1 experiment. View was shot from the orbiter window by one of the STS 41-D crewmembers.

41G-90028 / S17-90028 (2 Oct 1984) --- Astronaut Sally K. Ride, 41-G mission specialist, gets a last look of Houston from the ground prior to departing the area in a T-38 jet aircraft to begin preparations in Florida for her 41-G space mission later in the week. Dr. Ride is in the rear station of a NASA T-38 at Ellington Air Base, near the Johnson Space Center. She and four other astronauts used the jet trainers to fly to Florida while the mission's two payload specialists flew there aboard a Gulfstream aircraft.

CID (Controlled Imact Demonstrator) Aircraft skid after wing cutter impact.

41C-3029 (6 April 1984) --- The space shuttle Challenger and its five-member astronaut crew leave the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center to begin a six-day stay in space. Astronaut John W. Young, a veteran of two shuttle missions and six spaceflights overall, recorded the image with a handheld 70mm camera from the shuttle training aircraft which he was using to monitor environmental conditions around Florida. This is the eighth mission on which Young photographed one of NASA's orbiter vehicles beginning its orbital stay. Photo credit: NASA

Vestibular Study testing in Zero-G flights on the KC-135. Seen in this view are Roberta Bonder and others experiencing weightlessness.

S84-27039 (7 Feb 1984) --- Astronaut Bruce McCandless II, at first glance appears to be walking on cargo in the Space Shuttle Challenger's payload bay. Actually, he is being "flown" around above the stationary cargo. His "flight" is due to the combined configuration of the Mobile Foot Restraint (MFR) and the Remote Manipulator System (RMS). His helmet visor reflects in miniature parts of the payload bay that can't be seen in the larger portion of the photo. A 70mm camera aimed through the aft flight deck windows exposed this frame.

C-141 KAO: Cornell University, FAR Infrared Interferometer - mission directors console

Laser Faint Object Grating Spectrometer (Frogs) with F. Witteborn and Jesse Bregman.

An excellent panoramic view of the entire Sinai Peninsula (29.0N, 34.0E) and the nearby Nile River Delta and eastern Mediterranean coastal region. The Suez Canal, at the top of the scene just to the right of the Delta, connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Gulf of Suez on the west side of the Sinai Peninsula and the Gulf of Aqaba is on the west where they both flow into the Red Sea. At upper right, is the Dead Sea, Jordan River and Lake Tiberius.

S84-26935 (31 Jan 1984) --- Three members of the STS 41-B astronaut crew arrive in Florida following a brief T-38 flight from Houston. Leading the crew from the flight line is Astronaut Vance D. Brand (right), crew commander. Following behind (in blue flight suits) are Astronauts Ronald E. McNair (center) and Robert L. Stewart (both mission specialists. They were met by Terry White (pictured), JSC public information industrial relations manager. Not pictured are Astronauts Robert L. Gibson, pilot; and Bruce McCandless II, mission specialist. Launch is scheduled for February 3, 1983.

Astronaut Robert L. Stewart, Mission Specialist (MS), uses his hands to control his movement in space while using the nitrogen propelled Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU). He is participating in a EVA, a few meters away from the cabin of the Shuttle Challenger. MS Stewart is centered in a background of clouds and Earth in this view of his EVA. He is floating without tethers attaching him to the Shuttle.

41D-36-034 (30 Aug 1984) --- Less than nine hours after the first launch of the Discovery, its astronaut crewmembers photographed deployment of the SBS-4 communications satellite. The cylindrical spacecraft spins and rises from its cradle-like protective shield to begin life in space. A number of maneuvers will place it in its desired orbit. A 70mm camera, aimed through the spacecraft’s aft flight deck windows, was used to expose the frame.

S84-36958 (29 June 1984) --- Astronaut Robert L. Crippen, 41-G crew commander, perches nearby an underwater simulation scene in the Johnson Space Center's weightless environment training facility (WET-F). Purpose of the rehearsal was to train two of the 41-G crew's mission specialists for a scheduled extravehicular activity (EVA). Out of frame are Astronauts Kathryn D. Sullivan, Jon A. McBride and David Leestma. Dr. Sullivan and Leestma donned extravehicular mobility units (EMU) for the simulation while Crippen and McBride monitored the activity. This photograph was taken by Otis Imboden.

Lear Jet (NASA 705) in flight over Central CA.

C-141 KAO: Cornell University, FAR Infrared Interferometer - experimentor's station

Lear Jet (NASA 705) in flight over Central CA.

Portrait photograph, Canadian Payload Specialist Mark Garneau, assigned to the STS-16/41G Mission. Also available in 4x5 B&W

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.

Landing of Orbiter Challenger at KSC completion of 41G Mission. Views closeup front view of the Orbiter approaching the runway, its landing gear extended in preparation for touchdown. The KSC Alternative Photo Number is 108-KSC-84PC-639. KSC, FL

S84-47033 (nov 1984) --- Astronaut Reinhard Furrer, payload specialist D-1 German Spacelab mission.

Photograph taken November 8, 1984. Student Symposium Meeting Mary Jackson in background. Both Mary Jackson and Katherine Johnson are women featured in the book Hidden Figures, by Margot Lee Shetterly. Man facing camera with glasses is center director Dr. Donald Hearth.

41C-3061 (6 April 1984) --- The five-member astronauts crew for NASA's STS-41C Space Shuttle mission head for the transfer van that will transport them to Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center. Astronaut Robert L. Crippen, commander, leads the way. Immediately behind Crippen is Astronaut Francis R. (Dick) Scobee, pilot. The three mission specialists are (left to right) Astronauts Terry J. Hart, George D. Nelson and James D. van Hoften. The photograph was taken by Otis Imobden.

S84-37981 (20 July 1984) --- The space shuttle Challenger will carry these seven persons into space for NASA's STS-41G mission scheduled for October 1984. They are (bottom row, left to right) astronauts Jon A. McBride, pilot; and Sally K. Ride, Kathryn D. Sullivan and David C. Leestma -- all mission specialists. Astronaut Robert L. Crippen crew commander, is flanked by Paul D. Scully-Power and Marc Garneau, both payload specialists. Scully-Power is an oceanographer for the U.S. Navy and Garneau represents the National Research Council (Canada). The replica of a gold astronaut pin near McBride signifies unity. The group represents the largest space shuttle crew thus far. Photo credit: NASA

S84-27024 (7 Feb 1984) --- This 70mm frame centers on a foot restraint that strayed from the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Challenger during the February 9, 1984 extravehicular activity (EVA) session of astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert Stewart. As seen in JSC photograph frame number S84-27025, McCandless goes after the piece. Not pictured is Vance D. Brand, crew commander, who moved the spacecraft nearer the object.

S84-27155 (11 Feb 1984) --- The first Space Shuttle landing in Florida was recorded just moments prior to touchdown on the long landing facility of the Kennedy Space Center. Patches of fog were sighted near the round, but they were not a factor in the landing. Along with Astronaut Vance D. Brand, crew commander at Challenger?s controls, also onboard were Astronaut Robert L. Gibson, pilot; and Bruce McCandless II, Robert L. Stewart and Ronald E. McNair, all mission specialists.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Official portrait of Kennedy Space Center Director, Richard G. Smith Photo credit: NASA

41G-121-139 (5-13 Oct. 1984) --- The Strait of Dover and London, seldom seen in space photography, can be delineated in this medium format camera's scene showing parts of England and France from onboard the Earth-orbiting space shuttle Challenger. Parts of the Thames River can also be traced in the frame. The 41-G crew consisted of astronauts Robert L. Crippen, commander; Jon A. McBride, pilot; and Mission Specialists Kathryn D. Sullivan, Sally K. Ride, and David D. Leestma; along with Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau; and Paul D. Scully-Power, both payload specialists. Photo credit: NASA

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the rotating service structure has pulled back to the prelaunch position, the shuttle Challenger sits at Launch Pad 39-A bathed in billion candlepower searchlights ready to embark on it fourth space mission STS-41B, the 10th flight of the space shuttle. Photo Credit: NASA

CID (Controlled Imact Demonstrator) Aircraft in practice flight above target impact site with wing cutters.

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.

Sikorsky RSRA - Rotor Systems Research Aircraft (72-002 NASA 741) in helicopter configuration flight. Note: Used in publication in Flight Research at Ames; 57 Years of Development and Validation of Aeronautical Technology NASA SP-1998-3300 fig. 131

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).

41D-3183 (2 Sept. 1984) --- Paul D. Scully-Power, 41-G payload specialist, appears ready to participate in the eight-day space shuttle mission in this photograph taken during a pause in training in the Johnson Space Center's mockup and integration laboratory. The U.S. Navy oceanographer and a Canadian will join five NASA astronauts for a busy stay in space aboard the Challenger next month. The team was practicing for emergency egress. Photo credit: NASA (Editor's note: Please ignore the odd photo identification number for this image. This is a 41-G training image.)

View of STS 51-D crew commander Karol Bobko training with the Arriflex 16mm camera.

41G-90082 / S17-90082 (5 Oct 1984) --- Astronauts Sally K. Ride (right) and Kathryn D. Sullivan, two of three mission specialists, synchronize their watches prior to ingressing the Space Shuttle Challenger on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). They are in the White Room leading to the entry hatch of the vertically configured spacecraft.

The crew assigned to the STS-41CB (STS-13) mission included (left to right) Robert L. Crippen, commander; Terry J. Hart, mission specialist; James D. Van-Hoften, mission specialist; George D. Nelson, mission specialist; and Francis R. (Dick) Scobee, pilot. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger on April 6, 1984 at 8:58:00 am (EST), the STS-41C mission marked the first direct ascent trajectory for the Space Shuttle. The crew deployed the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF).

S84-43708 (11 Oct 1984) --- These five crewmembers are scheduled to fly aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger for Mission STS-51C, scheduled for January of next year. Astronauts Thomas K. (Ken) Mattingly II (kneeling right) and Loren J. Shriver (kneeling left) are commander and pilot, respectively. Astronauts James F. Buchli (standing center) and Ellison L. Onizuka (right) are mission specialists. Gary E. Payton of the U.S. Air Force, left, is payload specialist. The crewmembers, holding their launch and entry helmets, were photographed with their crew insignia.

41G-40-071 (5-13 Oct. 1984) --- Washington, D.C. -- the nation's capital -- is at right center in this phtograph from the Earth-orbiting space shuttle Challenger. J.F. Dulles Airport at lower left. Andrews Air Force Base is at right center edge. The Potomac River enters at left center, flows past Washington and as a tidal estuary at lower right. Also visible are the Great Falls of the Potomac. Photo credit: NASA

The Space Shuttle Discovery en route to Earth orbit for NASA's 51-A mission is reminiscent of a soaring Eagle. The red and white trailing stripes and the blue background, along with the presence of the Eagle, generate memories of America's 208 year-old history and traditions. The two satellites orbiting the Earth backgrounded amidst a celestial scene are a universal representation of the versatility of the Space Shuttle. White lettering against the blue border lists the surnames of the five-member crew.

S84-27040 (7 Feb 1984) --- Some have called it NASA's first "cherry picker" in space. Others simply call it the mobile foot restraint (MFR) connected to the remote manipulator system (RMS). Astronaut Bruce McCandless II, pictured leaning out into space as his feet are anchored in the MFR, and moved around by the RMS, calls it a look of things to come. The aft portion of the Challenger, to which the RMS is connected, is seen in lower left corner. This photograph is one of a sequence showing McCandless in the device. On this same EVA, McCandless also initiated use of the manned maneuvering unit (MMU), not pictured here, a nitrogen-propelled back pack apparatus allowing for free movement in space.

S84-40228 (1984) --- Astronaut Daniel C. Brandenstein.

composite art Beacon Landing System Project (BL5). equipment

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.

S84-26332 (3 Feb 1984) --- Robert E. Castle, integrated communications officer (INCO), plays an important role in the first television transmission from the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Challenger. Castle, at a console in the Johnson Space Center?s mission operations control room (MOCR) in the mission control center, is responsible for ground controlled television from the orbiter on his shift. Here, the Westar VI satellite is seen in the cargo bay just after opening of the payload bay doors.

S84-27022 (7 Feb 1984) --- A 35mm frame from the February 7, 1984, extravehicular activity (EVA) photographed with a camera affixed to the gear of astronaut Bruce McCandless II. The mission specialist was equipped with the nitrogen-propelled, hand-controlled Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU), which took him some 90 meters away from the Space Shuttle Challenger. This scene is reminiscent of views of the Challenger during the June 1983, STS-7 flight, on which the Shuttle Pallet Satellite (SPAS - seen here in the middle of the cargo bay) provided scenes of 38-meter-long reusable vehicle over the Earth.

An engineer at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) observes a model of the Space Shuttle Orbiter being tested in the MSFC's 14x14-Inch Trisonic Wind Tunnel. The 14-Inch Wind Tunnel is a trisonic wind tunnel. This means it is capable of running subsonic, below the speed of sound; transonic, at or near the speed of sound (Mach 1,760 miles per hour at sea level); or supersonic, greater than Mach 1 up to Mach 5. It is an intermittent blowdown tunnel that operates by high pressure air flowing from storage to either vacuum or atmospheric conditions. The MSFC 14x14-Inch Trisonic Wind Tunnel has been an integral part of the development of the United States space program Rocket and launch vehicles from the Jupiter-C in 1958, through the Saturn family up to the current Space Shuttle and beyond have been tested in this Wind Tunnel. MSFC's 14x14-Inch Trisonic Wind Tunnel, as with most other wind tunnels, is named after the size of the test section. The 14-Inch Wind Tunnel, as in the past, will continue to play a large but unseen role in the development of America's space program.

S85-37164 (8-12 July 1985) --- Sharon C. (Christa) McAuliffe of Concord High, Concord, New Hampshire, talks to the media at Johnson Space Center. Christa McAuliffe was eventually chosen as the first Teacher in Space and was a member of the seven-member Challenger shuttle crew which died tragically in the explosion of the spacecraft during the launch of STS-51L from the Kennedy Space Center about 11:40 a.m., EST, on Jan. 28, 1986. The explosion occurred 73 seconds into the flight as a result of a leak in one of two Solid Rocket Boosters that ignited the main liquid fuel tank. The crew members of the Challenger represented a cross-section of the American population in terms of race, gender, geography, background, and religion. The explosion became one of the most significant events of the 1980s, as billions around the world saw the accident on television and empathized with any one of the several crew members killed. Photo credit: NASA

C-141 KAO: Cornell University, FAR Infrared Interferometer

S84-28206 (26 Feb 1984) --- Astronauts Richard M. (Mike) Mullane (with striped suit and PLSS) and Steven A. Hawley participate in and underwater simulation of a 41-D contingency extravehicular activity (EVA) in the Johnson Space Center's weightless environment training facility (WET-F). All Shuttle crews, many of which are not scheduled for definite EVAs, possess team members trained to perform in space certain tasks normally done remotely in the event of systems failures. Among those contingent tasks is the manual closing of the payload bay doors. Mullane and Hawley are two of three mission specialists assigned duty on the seven-day 41-D flight. This photograph was taken by Otis Imboden.

51A-90016 (8 Nov 1984) --- J. E. Conner, on duty at the integrated communcations officer console in the second floor Flight Control Room (FCR) of the Johnson Space Center's (JSC) Mission Control Center (MCC), watches engine ignition of Discovery on a nearby TV monitor. Moments later, the Houston FCR took over control of the scheduled eight day mission 51-A.

C-141 KAO: Cornell University, FAR Infrared Interferometer - mission directors console

JVX/ATB Rotor Blades Test; OARF Static Test Stand N-249.

S84-40229 (22 Aug. 1984) --- Astronaut James C. Adamson.

S84-27017 (7 Feb. 1984) --- Astronaut Bruce McCandless II, one of two 41-B mission specialist, 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 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, mission specialist, later tried out the MMU McCandless is using here. 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

Laser Faint Object Grating Spectrometer (Frogs) with F. Witteborn and Jesse Bregman.

41G-34-098 (5-13 Oct 1984) --- Strait of Gibraltar and western Mediterranean photographed sunglint. Sun reflection on water delineates surface texture, which corresponds to the ocean's dynamics. The large group of waves connecting Gibraltar with the Moroccan coast is the response of the ocean to a tidal pulse moving into the Mediterranean. The low level wing shear line extending out from the Moroccan coastline into the Mediterranean for approximately 40 miles is the southern extremity of the wind funneling through the strait. This is the first high resolution photograph ever taken of this phenomenon permitting detailed delineation of individual waves which comprise the wave packet.

S84-41700 (November 1984) --- Astronaut George D. "Pinky" Nelson

41G-13-032 (11 Oct. 1984) --- Astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan checks the latch of the SIR-B antenna in the space shuttle Challenger's open cargo bay during her historic extravehicular activity (EVA) on Oct. 11, 1984. Earlier, America's first woman to perform an EVA and astronaut David C. Leestma, participated in an in-space simulation of refueling a spacecraft in orbit. The Orbital Refueling System (ORS) is just beyond the astronaut mission specialist's helmet. To the left is the Large Format Camera (LFC). The LFC and ORS are stationed on a device called the Mission Peculiar Support Structure (MPESS). Crew members consisted of astronauts Robert L. Crippen, commander; Jon A. McBride, pilot; along with Kathryn D. Sullivan, Sally K. Ride, and David D. Leestma, all mission specialists; and Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau and Paul D. Scully-Power, both 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).

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

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.

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

S84-40236 (1984) --- Astronaut Michael J. McCulley.

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.