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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION 

SPACE SHUTTLE 

MISSION 

STS-61A 

PRESS KIT 

AUGUST 1985 

SPACELAB D1 
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STS-61A INSIGNIA 

S85-38035 -- This insignia represents the record-sized space shuttle crew of eight. Crewmembers 

surnames surround the colorful insignia scene depicting Challenger carrying a long science module and 

an international crew from the United States and Europe (Messerschmid and Furrer from the Federal 

Republic of Germany and Ockels from Holland). 

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 

form of illustrations by the various news media. When and if there is any change in this policy, which we 

do not anticipate, it will be publicly announced. 

PHOTO CREDIT: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 
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RELEASE NO. 85-145 October 1985 

CONTACTS 

Charles Redmond/Sarah Keegan 

Headquarters, Washington, DC 

(Phone: 202/453-8536) 

David Alter 

Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 

(Phone: 713/483-5111) 

Andrea Shea-King 

Kennedy Space Center, FL 

(Phone: 305/867-2468) 

Ralph B. Jackson 

Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards CA 

(Phone: 805/258-8381) 
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RELEASE NO. 85-145 October 1985 

CONTENTS 

GENERAL RELEASE 5 

 

GENERAL INFORMATION 8 

61-A BRIEFING SCHEDULE 9 

SHUTTLE MISSION 61-A – QUICK LOOK FACTS 10 

61-A TRAJECTORY SEQUENCE OF EVENTS 11 

SUMMARY OF MAJOR ACTIVITIES 12 

PAYLOAD ELEMENTS OPERATIONS SCHEDULE 13 

CARGO CONFIGURATION 14 

SPACELAB CONFIGURATION 16 

SPACELAB D-1 EXPERIMENTS 17 

MISSION SUPPORT 21 

SPACELAB D-1 MANAGEMENT 21 

GETAWAY SPECIAL PAYLOAD 23 

ORBITER NOSEWHEEL STEERING TEST 24 

PAYLOADS AND VEHICLE WEIGHT SUMMARY 25 

61-A FLIGHT CREW DATA 26 
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RELEASE NO. 85-145 October 1985 

STS-61-A TO CARRY D-1 – THE FIRST GERMAN SPACELAB 

The “Deutschland Spacelab Mission D-1” is the first of a series of dedicated West German missions on the 

Space Shuttle. It also is the first time a Spacelab payload has come from Europe completely checked out 

and ready for installation in the orbital laboratory. 

Spacelab D-1 is managed by the Federal German Aerospace Research Establishment (DFVLR) for the 

German Federal Ministry of Research and Technology (BMFT). DFVLR’s responsibilities include 

provision of the payload, payload analytical ands physical integration and verification, and payload 

operation on orbit. 

The Spacelab payload was assembled by MBB/ERNO over a 5-year period at a cost of approximately $175 

million. The company serves as prime contractor to the 12-nation European Space Agency in the $1 billion 

Spacelab project. 

Used by German and other European universities, research institutes and industrial enterprises, the D-1 is 

dedicated to experimental scientific and technological research. 

Launch of the 22nd Space Shuttle mission is currently planned for no earlier than Oct. 30, 1995. Orbiter 

Challenger is scheduled to begin its ninth trip into space with a liftoff from Complex 39A, Kennedy Space 

Center, FL, at 12 noon, EST. The window for that date extends to 3:00 p.m. 

Highlights of the 7-day mission include basic and applied microgravity research in the fields of materials 

sciences, life sciences and technology, and communication and navigation. The users are German and 

foreign universities, research institutes and industrial enterprises as well as ESA and NASA. 

Challenger will carry and 8-member crew – the largest ever flown in space – commanded by Henry (Hank) 

Hartsfield, who piloted the STS-4 and commanded the STS-41-D flights. Pilot Steven Nagel served as 

mission specialist aboard STS-51-G. 

Other crewmembers include mission specialists James Buchli, Guion Bluford and Bonnie Dunbar; and 

European payload specialists Drs. Reinhard Furrer (DFVLR - German), Ernst Messerschmid (DFVLR - 

German) and Wubbo Ockels (ESA- Dutch). 

Buchli is a veteran of Shuttle flight 51-C, the first mission totally dedicated to the Department of Defense. 

Bluford flew aboard STS-8. This will be the first mission for Dunbar, Furrer, Messerschmid and Ockels. 

Challenger will be launched into a circular orbit of 201 statue miles and have a 57-degree inclination to the 

equator. 

As with all Space Shuttle missions, NASA will maintain control over the Shuttle vehicle and overall safety 

and conduct of the flight. For D-1, the Federal Republic of Germany will have management responsibility 

for the scientific mission to be carried out during the seven-day flight. The payload operations control 

center will be at the German Space Operations Center (GSOC) located in Oberpfaffenhofen, near Munich. 

Payload Elements 

The experimental facilities are arranged according to scientific disciplines into so-called Payload Elements. 

The facilities are provided by DFVLR, ESA and NASA. 

These facilities comprise melting furnaces, facilities for the observation of fluid physics phenomena, 

chambers to provide specific environmental conditions for living test objects, and the Vestibular Sled, 

which exposes astronauts to defined accelerations to study the function of the inner ear. 
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The majority of the facilities are housed together with the necessary technical infrastructure in standard 

Spacelab racks within the Spacelab module. 

Module Elements 

Werkstofflabor: The WL is designed to be a multipurpose and multi-use facility for materials science and 

space processing experiments in microgravity. It houses the following hardware: a mirror heating facility, a 

cryostat, a gradient heating facility, a fluid physics module, an isothermal heating facility and a hightemperature thermostat. 

Prozesskamer: The PK (or process chamber) was tailored to the requirements of the scientists. It is 

designed to show and measure flows, heat and mass transport, and temperature distribution occurring 

during melting and solidification processes, as well as during phase changes of liquids. 

Vestibular Sled: The VGS is an ESA contribution consisting of a seat for a test subject that can be moved 

backward and forward with precisely adjusted accelerations along rails fixed on the floor of Spacelab’s 

aisle. The seat is driven by an electro-motor and traction rope. 

The sled permits tests to investigate the functional organization of man’s vestibular and orientation system 

and the vestibular adaptation processes under microgravity. 

The acceleration of the astronauts will be combined with thermal stimulations of the inner ear and 

optokinetic stimulations of the eye. 

MEDEA: The Material science Experiment Double rack for Experiment modules and Apparatus 

(MEDEA) is composed of three largely autonomous experiment facilities. 

Metallurgical and directional solidification experiments will be performed in a gradient furnace. Crystal 

growth will be carried out in the monoelipsoidal mirror heating facility. The high precision thermostat 

measures specific heat at the critical point of a specimen. 

Biowissenschaften (BW): This life sciences payload experiment package combines a group of threeelement botanical or biological and two medical experiments in which a small botanical garden will be 

tended during the mission. Frog larvae development will be investigated in the “frog statolith” experiment. 

The third experiment in the field of life sciences continues the first Spacelab’s medical experiments of the 

central venous pressure. For the first time, the internal pressure of the eye will be measured. This 

experiment is designed to study fluid shifts under the effect of microgravity, as well as the adaptive 

behavior of the related human organs. 

Biorack (BR): The Biorack is a multipurpose ESA research facility that can repeatedly perform biological 

experiments under weightlessness. Two incubators with different operating temperatures, a freezer and a 

hermetically sealed glove box are located in a single rack. To provide for the necessary controlled 

environment, different types of sample containers are provided, some equipped with measurement points 

that are controlled by the Spacelab computer system. During the ascent and descent phases, the containers 

with biological material will be stowed and passively temperature controlled in the middeck area to ensure 

late access to and early retrieval from the orbiter. 

NAVEX: The navigation experiments payload element has two main objectives: development and testing 

of a precise clock synchronization; and testing a method for precise one-way distance measurement and 

position determination. 

Material Experiment Assembly: The MEA is a self-contained facility that provides accommodation for 

multidiscipline experiments in the materials processing field. MEA was developed for NASA’s OSTA-2, 

and has flown on several missions. 
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After 7 days and 40 minutes of around-the-clock scientific observations, Challenger will land at Edwards 

Air Force Base in California on Nov. 6, at approximately 12:40 p.m. EST. Reentry will begin with the 

firing of the orbiter’s orbital maneuvering system engines over the Indian Ocean as Challenger makes its 

111th revolution of the Earth. 

(END OF GENERAL RELEASE; BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOLLOWS.) 
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GENERAL INFORMATION 

NASA Select Television Transmission 

Space Shuttle flight 61-A is dedicated to the German Spacelab mission D-1. Payload and mission 

specialists in Spacelab will work through the German Science Operations Center (GSOC) in 

Oberpfaffenhoffen, Germany, near Munich. 

Television from the Spacelab will be relayed from the NASA Mission Control Center at Johnson Space 

Center, Houston, to GSOC. These TV downlinks also will be released in real time on NASA Select 

television. They will be accompanied by commentary from GSOC, first in German, then in English for the 

12 hours, daily, that the GSOC newsroom is active. During the remaining 12 hours, TV downlinks will 

continue to be released on NASA Select, but without commentary. 

The German Aerospace Research Establishment (DFVLR) will provide a printed scene list to U.S. media 

prior to these downlinks. The NASA commentator periodically will announce that these scene lists are 

available in the NASA newsrooms. The NASA commentator will not discuss the activities shown on the 

TV downlink. All questions regarding activities on the TV downlinks will be referred to DFVLR 

spokespersons. 

NASA-Select television coverage of Shuttle mission 61-A will be carried on a full satellite transponder: 

 Satcom F-2R, Transponder 13, C-Band 

 Orbital Position: 72 degrees west longitude 

 Frequency: 3954.5 MHz vertical polarization 

 Audio Monaural: 6.8 MHz 

NASA-Select video also is available at the AT&T Switching Center, Television Operation Control in 

Washington, DC, and at the following NASA locations: 

 NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 

 Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 

 John F. Kennedy Space Center, FL 

 Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL 

 Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, CA 

 Ames Research Center, MountainValley, CA 

 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 

The schedule for television transmissions from the orbiter and for the change-of-shift briefings from 

Johnson Space Center, Houston, will be available during the mission at Kennedy Space Center, Fla.; 

Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL; Johnson Space Center; and NASA Headquarters, 

Washington, DC. 

The television schedule will be updated on a daily basis to reflect changes dictated by mission operations. 

Television schedules also may be obtained by calling COMSTOR (713/280-8711). COMSTOR is a 

computer data-base service requiring the use of a telephone modem. 

Special Note to Broadcasters 

Beginning Oct. 23 and continuing throughout the mission, approximately 7 minutes of audio interview 

material with the crew of 61-A will be available to broadcasters by calling 202/269-6572. 
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Briefings 

Flight control personnel will be on 8-hour shifts. Change-of-shift briefings by the off-going flight director 

will occur at approximately 8-hour intervals. 

Science briefings originating from GSOC twice a day will be available at the NASA news centers in audio 

only. 

61-A BRIEFING SCHEDULE 

Time (EST) Briefing Origin 

 

T-1 Day 

11:00 a.m. Spacelab D-1 Mission Overview KSC 

2:30 p.m. Pre-launch Press Conference KSC 

 

T-Day 

1:00 p.m. (approximate) Post Launch Briefing KSC 

Launch Through End-of-Mission 

Times announced on NASA Select Flight Director Change-of-Shift Briefings JSC 

Schedules in NASA newsrooms Science Briefings (audio only) GSOC 

 

Landing Day 

2:00 p.m. Post Landing Briefing DFRF 
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SHUTTLE MISSION 61-A – QUICK LOOK FACTS 

Crew: Henry W. Hartsfield Jr., Commander 

Steven R. Nagel, Pilot (blue) 

 Bonnie J. Dunbar, Mission Specialist (MS-1, blue) 

 James F. Buchli, Mission Specialist (MS02, red) 

 Guion S. Bluford Jr., Mission Specialist (MS-3, red) 

 Ernst Messerschmid, German Payload Specialist (PS-1, red) 

 Reinhard Furrer, German Payload Specialist (PS02, blue) 

 Wubbo J. Ockels, Dutch Payload Specialist (PS-3, not assigned to team) 

Orbiter: Challenger (OV-099) 

Launch Site: Pad 39A, Kennedy Space Center, FL 

Launch Date/Time: Oct. 30, 1985, 12:00 noon EST 

Window: 3 hours 

Orbital Inclination: 57.0 degrees 

Insertion Orbit: 175 by 175 (n. mi) 

Mission Duration: 7 days, 40 minutes (111 orbits, land on 112) 

Landing Date/Time: Nov. 6, 1985, 12:40 p.m. EST 

Primary Landing Site: Edward Air Force Base, CA, Runway 17 

Weather Alternative: Kennedy Space Center, FL 

Cargo and Payloads: Spacelab D-1 long module plus Mission Peculiar Equipment Support Structure 

 Global Low Orbiting Message Relay Satellite (GLOMR) 

Experiments and Tests: Material science Experiment Double rack for Experiment modules and 

 Apparatus (MEDEA) 

Navigation Experiment (NAVEX) 

Material Science Double Rack (MSDR) 

Biorack (BR) 

Process Chamber (PK) 

Vestibular Sled (VS) 

Biowissenschaften (BW) 

Nosewheel Steering Test 

Highlights: First dedicated Spacelab mission under direction of the German Aerospace 

Research Establishment (DFVLR); first control of payload from location 

outside U.S.; first flight of an 8-person crew. 
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61-A TRAJECTORY SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

Event Orbit 

Tig 

Met 

(d:h:m) 

Burn 

Duration 

Min-sec 

Delta v 

(fps) 

Post burn 

Apogee/perigee 

(n mi) 

 

Launch 0:00:00 

MECO 0:00:09 

OMS-1 0:00:11 2:07 199 

OMS-2 0:00:45 2:14.5 220 

GLOMR/GS 9A 0:12:32 

Deorbit TIG 111 0:12:32 

Entry Interface 7:00:10 

Landing at Edwards 

Runway 17 

112A 7:00:40 
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SUMMARY OF MAJOR ACTIVITIES 

Flight Day 1 

Ascent 

 SRB ignition 

 Pitchover 

 Max dynamic pressure 

 SRB separation 

 Main engine cutoff 

 External tank sep 

On-Orbit 

 Payload bay doors open 

 RMS checkout 

 Activate Spacelab experiments 

 GLOMR deploy 

 Payload operations 

Flight Day 2 through Flight Day 6 

 Payload operations (see Payload Elements Operations Schedule, next page) 

Flight Day 7 

 Payload operations 

 FCS checkout 

 RCS hot fire 

 Cabin stow 

Flight Day 8 

 Spacelab deactivation 

 Entry and landing (nosewheel steering test) 
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SPACELAB D-1 EXPERIMENTS

Fluid-Physics Experiments 

Capillarity Experimenter 

 

Floating-Zone Hydrodynamics DaRiva, Univ. Madrid, Spain 

Capillary Experiments J.F. Padday, Kodak Ltd, Harrow, United Kingdom 

Forced Liquid Motions J.P.B. Vreeburg, NLR, Amsterdam, Netherlands 

Marangoni Convection 

Surface-Tension Studies Neuhaus, DVLR, Cologne, W. Germany 

Marangoni Convection Schwabe, Univ. Giessen, W. Germany 

Marangoni Flows Napolitano, Univ. Naples, Italy 

Marangoni Convection A.A.H. Drinkenburg, Univ. Groningen, Netherlands 

Convection in Nonisothermal Binary Mixtures J.C. Legros, Univ. Brussels, Belgium 

Bubble Transport A. Bewersdorff, DFVLR, Cologne, W. Germany 

Diffusion Phenomena 

Self- and Inter-Diffusion H. Wever/G. Frohberg, TU Berlin, W. Germany 

Thermal Diffusion J. Dupuy, Univ. Lyons, France 

Inter-Diffusion J. Richter, RWTH, Aachen, W. Germany 

Homogeneity of Glasses Chr. Frischat, TU Clausthal, W. Germany 

Diffusion of Liquid Zinc and Lead R.B. Pond, Marvalaud, Inc., USA 

Thermomigration of Cobalt in Tin J.P. Praizey, CEN, Grenoble, France 

Critical Point 

 

Heat Capacity Near Critical Point J. Straub, TU Munich, W. Germany 

Phase Separation Near Critical Point H. Klein, Cologne, W. Germany 
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Solidification Experiments 

Solidification Front Dynamics 

 

GETS A. Ecker/P.R. Sahm, RWTH, Aachen, W. Germany 

Aluminum/Copper Phase Boundary Diffusion H.M. Tensi, TU Munich, W. Germany 

Solidification Dynamics S. Rex/P.R. Sahm, RWTH, Aachen, W. Germany 

Dendritic Solidification of Aluminum-Copper Alloys J.J. Favier/D. Camel, CEN, Grenoble, France 

Cellular Morphology in Lead Thallium Alloys B. Billia/J. Favier, Univ. Marseilles, France 

Indium Antimonide-Nickel Antimonide Eutectics G. Muller, Univ. Erlangen-Nuremburg, W. Germany 

Containerless Melting of Glass D.E. Day, Univ. Missouri-Rolla, USA 

Solidification of Suspensions J. Potschke, Krupp, Essen, W. Germany 

Particle Behavior at Solidification Fronts D. Langbein, Batelle-Inst., Frankfurt, W. Germany 

Skin Technology H. Springer, MAN, Munich, W. Germany 

Liquid Skin Casting of Cast Iron H. Sprenger/I.H. Nieswaag, TH Delft, Netherlands 

Solidification of Eutectic Alloys Y. Malmejac, CEN, Grenoble, France 

Solidification of Composite Materials A. Deruyttere, Univ. Leuven, Belgium 

Single Crystal Growth 

Silicon-Crystal Growth by Floating Zone Technique R. Nitsche, Univ. Freiburg, W. Germany 

Melting of Silicon Sphere H. Kolker, Wacker-Chemie, Munich, W. Germany 

Doped Indium Antimonide and Gallium Indium 

Antimonide 

C. Potard, CEN, Grenoble, France 

 

Traveling Heater Method (GaSb0 K.W. Benz. Univ. Stuttgart, W. Germany 

Traveling Heater Method (CdTe) R. Nitsche, Univ. Freiburg, W. Germany 

Traveling Heater Method (InP) K.W. Benz, Univ. Stuttgart, W. Germany 

Traveling Heater Method (PbSnTe) M. Harr, Battelle-Inst., Frankfurt, W. Germany 

Vapor Growth of Cadmium Telluride R. Nitsche, Univ. Freiburg, W. Germany 

Ge/Gel4 Chemical Growth J.C. Launay, Univ. Bordeaux, France 

 

Ge-I2 Vapor Phase J.C. Launay, Univ. Bordeaux, France 

 

Vapor Growth of Alloy-Type Crystal H. Wiedemeir, Rens. Poly., Troy, NY, USA 

Semiconductor Materials R.K. Crouch, NASA/Langley Research Center, USA 

 

Protein Crystals W. Littke, Univ. Freiburg, W. Germany 
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Composites 

 

Separation of Immiscible Alloys H. Ahlborn, Univ. Hamburg, W. Germany 

Separation of Immiscible Liquids D. Langbein, Batelle-Inst., Frankfurt, W. Germany 

Separation of Fluid Phases R. Naehle, DFVLR, Cologne, W. Germany 

Liquid Phase Miscibility Gap Materials H.S. Gelles, Columbus, OH, USA 

Ostwald Ripening H. Fischmeister, MPI, Stuttgart, W. Germany 

Cell Functions

 

Human Lymphocyte Activation A. Cogoli, ETH, Zurich, Switzerland 

Cell Proliferation H. Planel, Univ. Toulouse, France 

Mammalian Cell Polarization M. Bouteille, Univ. Paris, France 

Circadian Rhythm D. Mergenhagen, Univ. Hamburg, W. Germany 

Antibacterial Activity R. Tixador, Univ. Toulouse, France 

Growth and Differentiation of Bacil. Subt. H.D. Mennigmann, Univ. Frankfurt, W. Germany 

 

Effect of μg on Interaction Between Cells O. Cifferi, Univ. Pavia, Italy 

Cell Cycle and Protoplasmic Streaming V. Sobick, DFVLR, Cologne, W. Germany 

Dosimetric Mapping Inside Biorack H. Bucker, DFVLR, Cologne, W. Germany 

Developmental Processes 

Frog Statoliths J. Neubert, DFVLR, Cologne, W. Germany 

Dorso-ventral Axis G. Ubbels, Univ. Utrecht, Netherlands 

Distribution of Cytoplasmic Determ. R. Marco, Univ. Madrid, Spain 

Embryogenesis and Organogenisis H. Bucker, DFVLR, Cologne, W. Germany 

Gravi-Perception of Plants 

Gravi-Perception D. Volkmann, Univ. Bonn, W. Germany 

Geotropism J. Gross, Univ. Tubingen, W. Germany 

Differentiation of Plant Cells R.R. Theimer, Univ. Munich, W. Germany 

Statocyte Polarity and Geotropic Response G. Perbal, Univ. Paris, France 
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Medical Experiments 

Graviperception of Man 

 

Vestibular Research R. v. Baumgarten, Univ. Mainz, W. Germany 

Vestibular Research L. Young, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA 

Adaptation Processes

Central Venous Pressure K. Kirsch, Free Univ. Berlin, W. Germany 

Tonometer J. Draeger, Univ. Hamburg, W. Germany 

Body Impedance Measurement F. Baisch, DFVLR, Cologne, W. Germany 

Space-Time Interaction Experiments 

Navigation 

 

Clock Synchronization S. Starker, DFVLR, Oberpfaffenhofen, W. Germany 

One-Way Determination of Distance D. Rother, SEL, Stuttgart, W. Germany 

Psychological Behavior in Microgravity Mass 

Discrimination 

H.E. Ross, Univ. Stirling, United Kingdom 

 

Spatial Description in Space A.D. Friederici/J.M. Levelt, MPI/Univ. Nijmegen 

Gesture and Speech in Microgravity A.D. Friederici/J.M. Levelt, MPI/Univ. Nijmegen 

Determination of Reaction Time H. Hoschek/J. Hund 
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MISSION SUPPORT 

The Spacelab D-1 payload operations support team is located in the payload operations center at the 

German Space Operations Center (GSOC) at the DFVLR, Oberpfaffenhofen, near Munich. The team is 

headed by the Payload Operations Director (POD), who reports to the Mission Manager. The support team 

will work in shifts complementary to those of the flight crew. 

The mission control room at the GSOC will accommodate the operations cadre team. This includes the 

POD, the Payload Activity Planner (PAP), the Science Coordinator, the Crew Interface Coordinator (CIC) 

and the Data Management Coordinator (DMC), as well as their assistants. Consoles with voice stations are 

provided with access to video screens. 

A computer interface with graphics and terminals to assist the Mission Planning and Scheduling System 

(MPSS) with timeline replanning is available for the replanning team located in the Mission Planning 

Room (MPR). The software includes an orbit generation program, an event generation program (to 

calculate contact times, for example), and editing program (to consolidate all experiment requirements), an 

pre-processor for checking, a scheduler to do the timeline and an output/statistics production program. All 

results can be hard-copied. The MPSS will be used for pre-mission timeline preparation. 

For experiment support, a User Room (UR) with consoles and voice station, as well as a User Support 

Room (USR), will be available. Display capability with printout to monitor experiment data is provided in 

the UR and USR, where the experimenters will be located. During experiment operation real-time video 

and voice capability will be provided. 

The Mission Management Room (MMR) will accommodate the Mission Manager, Mission Assurance and 

Safety Manager and the Crew Surgeon. 

An information room, equipped with necessary support facilities for the press and other media 

representatives, is available for public affairs activities. 

Accommodation for payload operations support network control, ground systems and communication 

control is established in the Network Operations Control Room (NOCR) and includes all monitoring 

facilities. 

In addition to the UR and the USR at GSOC, remote user rooms are located at NASA/JSC for European 

and NASA vestibular experiments and at NASA/KSC for biological experiments. These experiments call 

for baseline data collection on the crew shortly before and after the flight which requires special ground 

support equipment. Real-time high data rates to the ground are required, as well as early access to Spacelab 

due to the short life-span of biological specimens. 

SPACELAB D-1 MANAGEMENT

Mission Manager Hans-Ulrich Steimle, DFVLR 

 

Operations Manager Hans-Joachim Panitz, DFVLR 

 

Mission Scientist Prof. Peter R. Sahm, Institute of Technology, Aachen 
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GETAWAY SPECIAL PAYLOAD 

Global Low Orbiting Message Relay Satellite (GLOMR)

The Global Low Orbiting Message Relay Satellite (GLOMR) is carried in a standard Getaway Special 

(GAS) container mounted on the port side of the orbiter payload bay in the vicinity of the Spacelab Tunnel. 

It will be ejected via a standard Autonomous Payload Controller located in the orbiter aft flight deck. Upon 

receiving the proper command, a Full Diameter Motorized Door Assembly on the GAS canister opens and 

a spring-loaded device pushes the satellite from the container at a rate of 3-1/2 feet per second. 

The GLOMR satellite is a data-relay, communications spacecraft and is expected to remain in orbit for 

approximately 1 year. The purpose of the 150-pound, 62-sid polyhedron satellite is to demonstrate the 

ability to read signals and command oceanographic sensors, locate oceanographic and other ground 

sensors, and relay data from them to customers. GLOMR was designed and built by Defense Systems, Inc., 

McLean, VA. 

This will be the second attempt to deploy GLOMR. It was carried on mission 51-B in April 1985 but was 

not deployed due to problems with the battery supply. 
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NOSEWHEEL STEERING TEST 

A computerized nosewheel steering system will be tested during the flight of 61-A after Challenger lands 

and while it rolls to a stop at the Edwards Air Force Base lakebed. 

The test is one of a series to develop nosewheel steering for all Shuttle orbiters. Currently, right and left 

wheel brakes are applied to steer an orbiter during landing rollout, sometimes causing excess brake and tire 

wear. 

After Challenger’s nosewheel touches the ground, Commander Hartsfield can depress the right or left 

rudder pedal, signaling the computer to direct a hydraulic actuator to turn the nosewheel and steer the 

spacecraft onto the center line. 

When Challenger slows to about 115 mph, Hartsfield will steer the vehicle off the center line about 20 or 

30 feet. And then back onto the centerline before Challenger comes to a complete halt. 

The activity to perfect nosewheel steering was initiated after the flight of 51-D last April when brakes 

locked and an inboard tire blew out on the right main landing gear during rollout. 

The landing of mission 51-D on Kennedy Space Center’s runway during crosswinds and gusts of 8 to 12 

knots required heavy braking to hold the centerline during rollout, contributing to the brake damage and 

blowout. 
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61-A PAYLOAD AND VEHICLE WEIGHTS SUMMARY 

 Pounds

 

Orbiter (without propellants) 176,791 

 

Total Spacelab Payload 30,541 

 

GLOMR and GAS Canister 590 

 

GLOMR (deployed) 150 

 

Orbiter at SRB ignition 213,070 

 

Total Vehicle at SRB ignition 4,504,741 

 

Landing Weight 213,000 
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STS-61A CREWMEMBERS 

S85-40783 – The official portrait of the STS-61A crewmembers includes, front row (l.-r.,) Reinhard Furrer, 

payload specialist; Bonnie J. Dunbar, mission specialist and James F. Buchli, mission specialist. Back row 

(l.-r.) Steven R. Nagel, pilot; Guion S. Bluford Jr., mission specialist; Ernst Messerschmid, payload 

specialist; Wubbo Ockels, payload specialist; and Henry W. Hartsfield Jr., mission commander. They are 

standing before a model of the mission insignia. 

No copyright is asserted for this photograph. If a recognizable person appears in the photo, use for 

commercial purposes may infringe a right of privacy or publicity. It may not be used to state or imply the 

endorsement by NASA or by any NASA employee of a commercial product, process or service, or used in 

any other manner that might mislead. Accordingly, it is requested that if this photograph is used in 

advertising and other commercial promotion, layout and copy be submitted to NASA prior to release. 

PHOTO CREDIT: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 
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BIOGRAPHICAL DATA 

HENRY W. HARTSFIELD Jr., is mission commander. Born Nov. 21, 1933, in Birmingham, AL, he 

retired in 1977 from the U.S. Air Force, as a colonel, with more than 22 years active service and continued 

his assignment as a NASA astronaut in a civilian capacity. He was pilot for STS-4, the fourth and final 

orbital test flight of the orbiter Columbia. On his second Shuttle flight, he was commander of the STS-41-

D maiden flight of Discovery. 

Hartsfield received a bachelor of science degree in physics from Auburn University in 1954. He did 

graduate work in physics at Duke University, and in astronautics at the Air Force Institute of Technology. 

He received a master of science degree in engineering science from the University of Tennessee. 

Hartsfield served in the Air Force with the 53rd Tactical Fighter Squadron in Bitburg, Germany. He 

graduated from USAF Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, CA, and instructed there before 

assignment as an astronaut to the USAF Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) Program, which was 

canceled. He has more than 6,400 hours flying time, with 5,700 in jets. 

STEVEN R. NAGEL, Lt. Col., USAF, is the 61-A pilot. Born Oct. 27, 1946, in Canton, IL, he became an 

astronaut in 1979. His assignments include T-38 chase pilot for STS-1, mission specialist on STS-51-G, 

support crew and backup entry CAPCOM for STS-2; support crew and primary entry CAPCOM for STS3. 

He was an F-100 pilot with the 68th Tactical Fighter Squadron at England AFB, LA, and served one year as 

a T-28 instructor for the Laotian Air Force at Udorn, Thailand. He was also test pilot on various projects 

including the F-4 and A-7D. He has 4,900 hours flying time, 3,100 in jets. 

BONNIE J. DUNBAR is a mission specialist. Born March 3, 1949, in Sunnyside, WA, she became a 

NASA astronaut in 1980. She has been a payload officer/flight controller at Johnson Space Center; served 

as guidance and navigation officer/flight controller for the Skylab reentry mission; and was payload officer 

for integration of several Spaced Shuttle payloads. 

Dunbar received bachelor of science and master of science degrees in ceramic engineering from the 

University of Washington and a doctorate in biomedical engineering from the University of Houston. 

She served as a systems analyst at Boeing Computer Services; participated in research on wetting behavior 

of liquids on solid substrates as visiting scientist at Harwell Laboratories in Oxford, England; was senior 

research engineer at Rockwell International; and was a member of the Krafft Ehricke evaluation committee 

on space industrialization concepts. Dunbar is a private pilot with more than 200 hours in single-engine 

land aircraft. She has logged more than 300 hours as a co-pilot in T-38 jets. 

JAMES F. BUCHLI, Colonel, USMC, is a mission specialist. Born June 20, 1945, in Rockford, ND, he 

was selected as an astronaut in 1978. He flew as a mission specialist on Shuttle mission 51-C, the first 

Department of Defense mission. 

Buchli received a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy 

and a master of science degree in aeronautical engineering systems from the University of West Florida. 

In the U.S. Marine Corps, he served in the Republic of Vietnam; with the Marine Fighter/Attack Squadron 

at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii and Iwakuni, Japan; and performed additional duties at Namphone, Thailand, and 

Iwakuni, Japan. He has logged 3,000 hours flying time, 2,800 in jets. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 28

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA 

GUION S. BLUFORD Jr., Colonel, USAF, is a mission specialist. Born Nov. 22, 1942, in Philadelphia, 

he was selected as an astronaut in 1978. He was a mission specialist on STS-8, the first Shuttle night 

launch and landing. 

Bluford received a bachelor of science in aerospace engineering from Pennsylvania State University; a 

master of science, with distinction, in aerospace engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 

1974; and doctor of philosophy in aerospace engineering with a minor in laser physics from the Air Force 

Institute of Technology. 

Bluford flew 144 combat missions, 65 over North Vietnam. He was a staff development engineer at the Air 

Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and served as deputy for advanced 

concepts in the aeromechanics division and as branch chief oft the aerodynamics and airframe branch. He 

has logged more than 3,500 hours in jets, including 1,300 as a T-38 instructor pilot. 

ERNST MESSERSCHMID is a payload specialist. He was born May 21, 1945, in Reutlingen, Germany. 

He studied physics at the Universities of Tubingen and Bonn; received fellowships for Studientstiftung des 

deutschen Volkes at CERN; and received a diploma and doctor or philosophy degree in physics. 

Messerschmid has done experimental and theoretical work on proton beams in accelerators and plasmas as 

a visiting scientist and fellow at CERN, Geneva; and was a lecturer and research associate at Freiburg 

University and Brookhaven National Laboratory, NY, where he invented adiabatic phase displacement 

acceleration. He designed beam optics for PETRAS electron storage rings at DESY (Hamburg), and 

conducted research on space-borne communications at the Institute of Communications Technology, 

Oberpfaffenhofen. 

REINHARD FURRER, a payload specialist, was born Nov. 25, 1940 in Worgl, Germany. 

He studied physics at the Universities of Kiel and Berlin, and received a diploma and doctor of philosophy 

in physics. 

Furrer has been an assistant professor of physics and a visiting scientist at the University of Chicago and 

Argonne National Laboratory. He has done practical research in atomic physics, solid state physics, 

chemical physics and photophysics and biophysics. He has taught experimental physics and supervised 

undergraduate and graduate students, and presented a public lecture series, “the Arthur Compton Lectures” 

at the University of Chicago. 

WUBBO J. OCKELS is a payload specialist. He was born March 28, 1946, in Almelo, the Netherlands. 

He received a doctor of Philosophy in physics and mathematics from the University of Groningen and 

completed a thesis on experimental work at the Nuclear Physics Accelerator Institute in Groningen. 

Ockels performed experimental investigations at the Nuclear Physics Accelerator Institute in Groningen. 

He was selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) as one of three European payload specialists. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 29

SHUTTLE FLIGHTS AS OF AUGUST 1985 

21 TOTAL FLIGHTS OF THE SHUTTLE 

STS-51F 

07/29/85 - 08/06/85 

STS-51B 

04/29/85 - 05/06/85 

STS-9 

11/28/83 - 12/08/83 

STS-41G 

10/05/84 - 10/13/84 

STS-51-I 

08/27/85 - 09/03/85 

STS-5 

11/11/82 - 11/16/82 

STS-41C 

04/06/84 - 04/13/84 

STS-51G 

06/17/85 - 06/24/85 

STS-4 

06/27/82 - 07/04/82 

STS-41B 

02/03/84 - 02/11/84 

STS-51D 

04/12/85 - 04/19/85 

STS-3 

03/22/82 - 03/30/82 

STS-8 

08/30/83 - 09/05/83 

STS-51C 

01/24/85 - 01/27/85 

STS-2 

11/12/81 - 11/14/81 

STS-7 

06/18/83 - 06/24/83 

STS-51A 

11/08/84 - 11/16/84 

STS-1 

04/12/81 - 04/14/81 

STS-6 

04/04/83 - 04/09/83 

STS-41D 

08/30/84 - 09/05/84 

STS-51J 

10/03/85 - 10/07/85 

 

OV-102 

Columbia 

(6 flights)

OV-099 

Challenger 

(8 flights)

OV-103 

Discovery 

(6 flights)

OV-104 

Atlantis 

(1 flight)