{"id":168346,"date":"2020-10-05T14:30:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-05T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-465125"},"modified":"2023-09-23T10:02:31","modified_gmt":"2023-09-23T14:02:31","slug":"35-years-ago-sts-51j-first-flight-of-space-shuttle-atlantis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/history\/35-years-ago-sts-51j-first-flight-of-space-shuttle-atlantis\/","title":{"rendered":"35 Years Ago: STS-51J \u2013 First Flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Space shuttle <em>Atlantis<\/em>, named after the two-masted research vessel used by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution between 1930 and 1966, was the fourth space-qualified orbiter to join the fleet. In its construction and use of advanced technologies, <em>Atlantis<\/em> was very similar to its sister ship <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/missions\/space-shuttle\/sts-41d\/35-years-ago-sts-41d-first-flight-of-space-shuttle-discovery\/\"><em>Discovery<\/em><\/a> that joined the fleet a year earlier. <em>Atlantis<\/em> rolled out of Rockwell International\u2019s plant in Palmdale, California, on March 6, 1985, and arrived at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on April 12 after a cross-country ferry flight from Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) in California atop a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), a modified Boeing 747. After ground processing, workers mated <em>Atlantis<\/em> to its External Tank and Solid Rocket Boosters in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) and rolled it out to Launch Pad 39A on Aug. 29. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/atlantis_palmdale_rollout_apr_6_1985_51-j_clip_042.jpg\" alt=\"atlantis_palmdale_rollout_apr_6_1985_51-j_clip_042\" width=\"285\" height=\"225\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/atlantis_arrives_ksc_apr_1985_51-j_clip_122.jpg\" alt=\"atlantis_arrives_ksc_apr_1985_51-j_clip_122\" width=\"339\" height=\"226\"><br><em>Left: Space Shuttle <\/em>Atlantis<em> rolls out of Rockwell International\u2019s Palmdale, California, facility. Right: <\/em>Atlantis<em> atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft lands at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Assigned to <em>Atlantis\u2019<\/em> first flight, designated STS-51J, were Commander <a href=\"https:\/\/historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov\/JSCHistoryPortal\/history\/oral_histories\/BobkoKJ\/bobkokj.htm\" rel=\"noopener\">Karol J. \u201cBo\u201d Bobko<\/a>, a veteran of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/missions\/space-shuttle\/the-first-flight-of-space-shuttle-challenger\/\">STS-6<\/a> (the first flight of space shuttle <em>Challenger<\/em>) and STS-51D, Pilot Ronald J. Grabe, Mission Specialists Robert L. Stewart and David C. Hilmers, and William A. Pailes, a Department of Defense (DOD) Manned Spaceflight Engineer. Grabe, Hilmers, and Pailes were making their first flight, while Stewart tested the Manned Maneuvering Unit during his first mission, STS-41B. The flight was a classified DOD mission, so few details on the crew\u2019s on-orbit activities are known. In 1998, the DOD declassified the primary payloads, identifying them as a pair of third-generation Defense Space Communications Satellites (DSCS-III) and releasing photographs of their deployment from the shuttle\u2019s payload bay atop an Inertial Upper Stage (IUS). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/sts_51j_patch_s85-39862.jpg\" alt=\"sts_51j_patch_s85-39862\" width=\"241\" height=\"266\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/sts_51j_crew_s85-39794.jpg\" alt=\"sts_51j_crew_s85-39794\" width=\"332\" height=\"268\"><br><em>Left: STS-51J crew patch.Right: STS-51J crew photo \u2013 Robert L. Stewart, front row left, Karol J. Bobko, and Ronald J. Grabe; David C. Hilmers, back row left, and William A. Pailes.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As required before the first launch of an orbiter, engineers successfully completed the Flight Readiness Firing, an 18-second test of <em>Atlantis\u2019<\/em> main engines on Sept. 12. Four days later, the five-member crew successfully completed the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, a final dress rehearsal of the countdown right up to the moment of engine ignition. Space shuttle <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/history\/40-years-ago-space-shuttle-enterprise-rolls-to-the-pad\/\"><em>Enterprise<\/em><\/a> arrived at KSC via SCA on Sept. 20 and was put on display next to the Saturn V rocket outside the VAB, in time not only for KSC\u2019s open house the next day but also for <em>Atlantis\u2019<\/em> launch, making for a great foreground in liftoff photographs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/sts_51j_atlantis_rolled_out_to_pad_51-j_clip_053.jpg\" alt=\"sts_51j_atlantis_rolled_out_to_pad_51-j_clip_053\" width=\"218\" height=\"260\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/sts_51j_frf_sep_12_1985_51-j_clip_065.jpg\" alt=\"sts_51j_frf_sep_12_1985_51-j_clip_065\" width=\"358\" height=\"260\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Left: <\/em>Atlantis<em> after arriving at Launch Pad 39A at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center. Right: Space shuttle <\/em>Atlantis<em> during its Flight Readiness Firing.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/sts_51j_launch_51j-s-001.jpg\" alt=\"sts_51j_launch_51j-s-001\" width=\"249\" height=\"254\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/sts_51j_launch_w_enterprise_and_saturn_v_51-j_clip_084.jpg\" alt=\"sts_51j_launch_w_enterprise_and_saturn_v_51-j_clip_084\" width=\"320\" height=\"254\"><br><em>Left: Launch of <\/em>Atlantis<em> on the STS-51J mission. Right: View of <\/em>Atlantis<em> during its ascent, with space shuttle <\/em>Enterprise<em> and a Saturn V rocket on display near the Vehicle<br> Assembly Building.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Oct. 3, 1985, <em>Atlantis<\/em> roared off its launch pad on a pillar of flame and within eight minutes was in orbit around the Earth. In keeping with an agreement between NASA and the DOD, media coverage of the mission stopped at that point. It is believed that the crew deployed the two DCSC-III satellites atop the IUS on the first day in space. The DOD and NASA released very few photographs from the mission other than the usual crew photos and Earth observation images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"sts_51j_dscs_being_raised_in_payload_bay_51j-35-024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/sts_51j_dscs_being_raised_in_payload_bay_51j-35-024.jpg\" width=\"226\" height=\"226\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"sts_51j_dscs_just_before_deploy_sts-51j_dscs_2\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/sts_51j_dscs_just_before_deploy_sts-51j_dscs_2.jpg\" width=\"226\" height=\"226\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"sts_51j_dscs_deployed_51j-37-024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/sts_51j_dscs_deployed_51j-37-024.jpg\" width=\"226\" height=\"226\"><br>\n<em>Three views of the deployment from <\/em>Atlantis\u2019<em> payload bay of the two Defense Space Communications<br>\nSatellites atop the Inertial Upper Stage.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/sts_51j_crew_inflight_sts-51j_1.jpg\" alt=\"sts_51j_crew_inflight_sts-51j_1\" width=\"191\" height=\"287\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/sts_51j_pailes_in_flight_51-j_clip_020.jpg\" alt=\"sts_51j_pailes_in_flight_51-j_clip_020\" width=\"227\" height=\"286\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/sts_51j_houston_51j-143-126.jpg\" alt=\"sts_51j_houston_51j-143-126\" width=\"228\" height=\"286\"><br><em>Left: Inflight photo of the STS-51J crew in the shuttle\u2019s middeck. Clockwise from top, David C. Hilmers,<br> Karol J. \u201cBo\u201d Bobko, William A. Pailes, Robert L. Stewart, and Ronald J. Grabe. Middle: Pailes with a<br> camera for Earth observations. Right: View of Houston from STS-51J.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Oct. 7, 1985, the astronauts closed <em>Atlantis\u2019<\/em> payload bay doors in preparation for reentry. They fired the shuttle\u2019s orbital maneuvering engines to slow the vehicle\u2019s velocity and began the descent back to Earth. Bobko guided <em>Atlantis<\/em> to a smooth landing at Edwards AFB, completing a flight of 4 days, 1 hour, and 45 minutes. The crew had traveled 1.7 million miles and completed 64 orbits around the Earth. The first flight of <em>Atlantis<\/em> completed the original four-orbiter Shuttle fleet of reusable vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/sts_51j_bobko_reentry_prep_51-j_clip_021.jpg\" alt=\"sts_51j_bobko_reentry_prep_51-j_clip_021\" width=\"344\" height=\"229\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/sts_51j_landing_s85-41802.jpg\" alt=\"sts_51j_landing_s85-41802\" width=\"229\" height=\"229\"><br><em>Left: STS-51J Commander Karol J. \u201cBo\u201d Bobko preparing for <\/em>Atlantis\u2019<em> reentry. Right: Space shuttle<\/em> Atlantis<em> makes a perfect landing at Edwards Air Force Base to end the STS-51J mission.    <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read commander <a href=\"https:\/\/historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov\/JSCHistoryPortal\/history\/oral_histories\/BobkoKJ\/bobkokj.htm\" rel=\"noopener\">Bobko<\/a>\u2019s recollections of the STS-51J mission in his oral history with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jsc.nasa.gov\/history\/\" rel=\"noopener\">JSC History Office<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Space shuttle Atlantis, named after the two-masted research vessel used by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution between 1930 and 1966, was the fourth space-qualified orbiter to join the fleet. In its construction and use of advanced technologies, Atlantis was very similar to its sister ship Discovery that joined the fleet a year earlier. Atlantis rolled [...]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":185,"featured_media":171811,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2671,9410],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[12664],"coauthors":[11996],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"35 Years Ago: STS-51J \u2013 First Flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/history\/35-years-ago-sts-51j-first-flight-of-space-shuttle-atlantis\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/history\/35-years-ago-sts-51j-first-flight-of-space-shuttle-atlantis\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/atlantis_palmdale_rollout_apr_6_1985_51-j_clip_042.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/atlantis_palmdale_rollout_apr_6_1985_51-j_clip_042.jpg"},"articleSection":"NASA History","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"John Uri"}],"creator":["John Uri"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["Missions","Space Shuttle","STS-51J","NASA History"],"dateCreated":"2020-10-05T18:30:00Z","datePublished":"2020-10-05T18:30:00Z","dateModified":"2023-09-23T14:02:31Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"35 Years Ago: STS-51J \u2013 First Flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/history\/35-years-ago-sts-51j-first-flight-of-space-shuttle-atlantis\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/atlantis_palmdale_rollout_apr_6_1985_51-j_clip_042.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2020-10-05T18:30:00Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"NASA History\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"Missions,Space Shuttle,STS-51J,NASA History\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"John Uri\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":4,"time_ago":"4 years","featured_image":{"id":171811,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/atlantis_palmdale_rollout_apr_6_1985_51-j_clip_042.jpg","title":"atlantis_palmdale_rollout_apr_6_1985_51-j_clip_042","alt":"atlantis_palmdale_rollout_apr_6_1985_51-j_clip_042","caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168346"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/185"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=168346"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168346\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":518327,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168346\/revisions\/518327"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/171811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=168346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=168346"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=168346"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=168346"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=168346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}