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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION 

SPACE SHUTTLE 

MISSION 

STS-51L 

PRESS KIT 

JANUARY 1986 

TRACKING AND DATA RELAY SATELLITE (TDRS B) 

TEACHER IN SPACE PROJECT 
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STS-51L INSIGNIA 

S85-46260 – The STS-51L crewmembers designed this insignia which will represent their participation in 

NASA's mission aboard the Challenger, depicted launching from Florida and soaring into space to carry 

out a variety of goals. Among the prescribed duties of the five astronauts and two payload specialists will 

be observation and photography of Halley's Comet, backdropped against the U.S. flag in the insignia. 

Surnames of the crewmembers encircle the scene, with the payload specialists being recognized below. 

Surname of the first teacher in space, Sharon Christa McAuliffe, is followed by a symbolic apple. 

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. 86-5 January 1986 

CONTACTS 

Charles Redmond/Sarah Keegan 

Headquarters, Washington, DC 

(Phone: 202/453-8536) 

Leon Perry 

Headquarters, Washington, DC 

(Phone: 202/453-1547) 

Barbara Schwartz 

Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 

(Phone: 713/483-5111) 

Jim Ball 

Kennedy Space Center, FL 

(Phone: 305/867-2468) 

James Elliott 

Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 

(Phone: 301/344-6256) 

Bob Ruhl 

Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL 

(Phone: 205/453-0034) 
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RELEASE NO. 86-5 January 1986 

CONTENTS 

GENERAL RELEASE 5 

GENERAL INFORMATION 7 

51-L MISSION – QUICK LOOK 8 

51-L BRIEFING SCHEDULE 9 

TRAJECTORY SEQUENCE OF EVENTS 10 

SUMMARY OF MAJOR ACTIVITIES 11 

51-L PAYLOAD AND VEHICLE WEIGHTS SUMMARY 12 

TRACKING AND DATA RELAY SATELLITE SYSTEM AND TDRS-B 14 

INTERTIAL SUPPER STAGE 17 

SPARTAN-HALLEY MISSION 18 

MISSION OPERATIONS 20 

TEACHER IN SPACE PROJECT 22 

SHUTTLE STUDENT INVOLVEMENT PROGRAM 24 

COMET HALLEY ACTIVE MONITORING PROGRAM 26 

PHASE PARTITIONING EXPERIMENT 27 

FLUID DYNAMICS IN SPACE 28 

U.S. LIBERTY COINS 29 

51-L FLIGHT CREW DATA 30 
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RELEASE NO. 86-5 January 1986 

TEACHER IN SPACE AND COMET HALLEY STUDY 

HIGHLIGHT 51-L FLIGHT

The launch of a high school teacher as America’s first private citizen to fly aboard the Shuttle in NASA’s 

Space Flight Participant Program will open a new chapter in space travel when Challenger lifts off on the 

25th Space Shuttle mission. 

A science payload programmed for 40 hours of comet Halley observations and the second of NASA’s 

Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS-B) will be aboard for Challenger’s 10th flight, targeted for 

launch at 3:43 p.m. EST on Jan. 24. 

Challenger’s liftoff will market the first use of Pad 39-B for a Shuttle launch. Pad B was last used for the 

Apollo Soyuz Test Project in July 1975 and has since been modified to support the Shuttle program. 

Four Shuttle veterans will be joined by rookie astronaut Michael Smith, teacher observer Christa 

McAuliffe and Hughes payload specialist Gregory Jarvis for a mission that will extend just beyond six 

days. 

Commanding the seven-member crew will be Francis R. Scobee, who served as pilot aboard Challenger on 

mission 41-C. Michael Smith will be 51-L pilot. 

Mission specialists Judith Resnik, Ellison Onizuka and Ronald McNair each will be making their second 

trip into space. 

Challenger will be launched into a 177-statute-mile circular orbit inclined 28.45 degrees to the equator for 

the 6-day 34-minute mission. The orbiter is scheduled to make its end-of-mission landing on the 3-milelong Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center. 

Deployed on the first day of the flight, TDRS_B will join TDRS-1 in geosynchronous orbit to provide 

high-capacity communications and data links between Earth and the Shuttle, as well as other spacecraft and 

launch vehicles. 

After deployment from the Shuttle cargo bay, TDRS-B will be boosted to geosynchronous transfer orbit by 

the Inertial Upper Stage (IUS). Its orbit will be circularized and it will be positioned over the Pacific Ocean 

at 171 degrees west longitude. 

TDRS-1, launched from Challenger in April 1983 on the sixth Space Shuttle flight, is located over the 

Atlantic Ocean at 41 degrees west longitude. 

With the addition of the second satellite, real-time coverage through the single ground station and White 

Sands, NM, is expected to be available for about 85 percent of each orbit of a user spacecraft. 

The TDRS satellites, built by TRW Space Systems, are owned by Space Communications Company 

(SPACECOM) and leased by NASA for a period of 10 years. A third TDRS satellite will be launched on a 

later mission to serve as an in-orbit spare. 

Spartan-Halley is the second payload in the NASA-sponsored Spartan program for flying low-cost 

experiment packages aboard the Shuttle. 

The scientific objective of Spartan-Halley is to measure the ultraviolet spectrum of comet Halley as the 

comet approaches the point of its orbit that will be closest to the sun. 
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The Spartan mission peculiar support structure will be deployed from the Shuttle cargo bay and retrieved 

later in the mission for return to Earth. 

Ultraviolet measurements and photographs of comet Halley will be made by instruments on the Spartan 

support structure during 40 hours of free flying in formation with the Shuttle. 

Several middeck experiments, including those associate with the Teacher in Space Project, and three 

student experiments complete Challenger’s payload manifest. 

Teacher observer Christa McAuliffe will perform experiments that will demonstrate the effects of 

microgravity in hydroponics, magnetism, Newton’s laws, effervescence, chromatography and the operation 

of simple machines. 

The Teacher in Space experiments will be filmed for use after the flight in educating students. 

McAuliffe also will assist in operating three student experiments being carried aboard Challenger. These 

experiments include a study of chicken embryo development in space, research on how microgravity 

affects a titanium alloy and an experiment in crystal growth. 

The Fluid Dynamics Experiment, a package of six experiments, will be flown on the middeck. They 

involve simulating the behavior of liquid propellants in low gravity. The fluid dynamics experiments will 

be conducted by Hughes payload specialist Gregory Jarvis. 

Among the fluid investigations will be simulations to understand the motion of propellants during Shuttle 

Frisbee deployments, which have been employed for the Hughes Leasat satellites. 

Another middeck experiment will be the Radiation Monitoring Experiment consisting of hand-held and 

pocket monitors to measure radiation levels at various times in orbit. This is the seventh flight for the 

RME. 

Challenger will perform its deorbit maneuver and burn over the Indian Ocean on orbit 96 with landing at 

Kennedy occurring on orbit 97 at a mission elapsed time of six days, 34 minutes. 

Touchdown on the Florida runway should come at 4:17 p.m. EST on Jan. 30. 

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

NASA Select Television Transmission 

NASA-Select television coverage of Shuttle mission 51-L 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 

 Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 

Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, CA 

 Ames Research Center, Mountain Valley, 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 will be available during the mission at Kennedy Space Center, Marshall Space 

Flight Center, Johnson Space Center, and NASA Headquarters. 

The television schedule will be updated daily to reflect changes dictated by mission operations. Television 

schedules also may be obtained by calling COMSTOR (713/280-8711). COMSTOR is a computer database service requiring the use of a telephone modem. 

Special Note to Broadcasters 

Beginning Jan. 22 and continuing throughout the mission, approximately 7 minutes of audio interview 

material with the crew of 51-L will be available to broadcasters by calling 202/269-6572. 

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. 
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SHUTTLE MISSION 51-L – QUICK LOOK 

Crew: Francis R. Scobee, Commander 

Michael J. Smith, Pilot 

Judith A. Resnik, Mission Specialist 

Ellison S. Onizuka, Mission Specialist 

Ronald E. McNair, Mission Specialist 

Gregory Jarvis, Payload Specialist 

S. Christa McAuliffe, Teacher Observer 

Orbiter: Challenger (OV-099) 

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

Launch Date/Time: Jan. 24, 1986 – 3:43 p.m. EST 

Orbital Inclination: 28.45 degrees 

Insertion Orbit: 153.5 n. mi. circular 

Mission Duration: 6 days, 34 minutes 

Orbits: 96 full orbits; landing on 97 

Landing Date/Time: January 30, 1986, 4:17 p.m. EST 

Primary Landing Site: Kennedy Space Center, FL, Runway 33 

Weather Alternate: Edwards Air Force Base, CA, Runway 17 

Return To Launch Site: Kennedy Space Center 

Abort-Once-Around: Edwards Air Force Base 

Trans-Atlantic Abort: Dakar, Senegal 

Cargo and Payloads: Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-B) 

 Spartan-Halley Mission 

 Teacher in Space Project 

 Comet Halley Active Monitoring Program 

 Fluid Dynamics Experiment 

 Phase Partitioning Experiment 

 Radiation Monitoring Experiment 

 3 Student Experiments 
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51-L BRIEFING SCHEDULE 

Time (EST) Briefing Origin 

 

T-1 Day 

9:00 a.m. TDRS-B KSC 

9:45 a.m. Spartan-Halley Mission KSC 

10:30 a.m. Teacher in Space KSC 

11:15 a.m. Shuttle Student Involvement Program KSC 

12:00 noon Fluid Dynamics Experiment KSC 

3:00 p.m. Pre-Launch Press Conference KSC 

T-Day 

Launch + 1 hour Post-launch Briefing KSC 

Launch Through End of Mission 

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

Landing Day 

Landing + 1 hour Post-landing Briefing KSC 
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51-L TRAJECTORY SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

Event Orbit Tig 

Met 

(d:h:m) 

Burn 

Duration 

Min-sec 

Delta v 

(fps) 

Post burn 

Apogee/perigee 

(s mi) 

 

Launch 0:00:00 

OMS-1 1 0:00:10 2:26 223 

OMS-2 1 0:00:44 2:03 185 153x154 

Deploy TDRS 7 0:10:02 153x154 

RCS-1 Separation 7 0:10:03 09 2.2 153x154 

OMS-3 Separation 8 0:10:21 26 40.0 153x177 

OMS-4 21 1:06:00 27 43.3 153x153 

Deploy Spartan 37 05:51 151x153 

RCS Separation 37 2:06:01 08 2.0 152x154 

Aft RCS Sep 53 3:06:06 16 4.3 150x153 

Aft RCS 63 3:21:08 16 4.2 148x152 

Aft RCS 64 3:23:12 00 0.2 148x152 

Aft RCS 65 4:00:08 12 3.2 150x153 

TPF 66 4:01:28 19 5.0 150x154 

Deorbit 285.0 

Entry Interface 

Landing 97 
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SUMMARY OF MAJOR ACTIVITIES 

MET

Flight Day 1 

Payload bay doors open 

Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) and Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) checkout 

TDRS deploy 0/10:01 

Flight Day 2

Comet Halley Active Monitoring Program (CHAMP) data take 

Spartan health check 

Fluid Dynamics Experiment (FDE) 

Teacher in Space activities 

Flight Day 3 

Spartan deploy preparations 2/04:40 

Spartan deploy 2/06/51 

Student Experiments 

FDE 

Flight Day 4 

CHAMP data take 

Student Experiments 

FDE 

Teacher in Space activities 

Flight Day 5 

Spartan rendezvous 4/01:32 

Spartan capture 4/02:15 

FDE 

Student Experiments 

Flight Day 6 

RCS hot fire 

FCS checkout 

Teacher lesson (Field Trip) 4/21:00 

Teacher lesson (Exploration) 4/23:00 

Flight Day 7 

Landing at KSC 6/00:34 
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51-L PAYLOAD AND VEHICLE WEIGHTS SUMMARY 

 Pounds

 

Orbiter Without Consumables 176,403 

TDRS-B/IUS 37,636 

Total Payload Including Other Experiments 48,361 

Orbiter Including Cargo at SRB Ignition 268,471 

Total Vehicle at SRB Ignition 4,529,122 

Orbiter Landing Weight 199,700 
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TRACKING AND DATA RELAY SATELLITE SYSTEM (TDRSS) AND TDRS-B

The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-B) is the second TDRSS advanced communications 

spacecraft to be launched from the orbiter Challenger. The first was launched during Challenger’s maiden 

flight in April 1983. 

TDRS-1 is now in geosynchronous orbit over the Atlantic Ocean just east of Brazil (41 degrees west 

longitude). It initially failed to reach its desired orbit following successful Shuttle deployment because of 

booster rocket failure. A NASA-industry team conducted a series of delicate spacecraft maneuvers over a 

2-month period to place TDRS-1 into the desired 22,300-mile altitude. 

Following its deployment from the orbiter, TDRS-B will undergo a series of tests prior to being moved to 

its operational geosynchronous position over the Pacific Ocean south of Hawaii (171 degrees W. 

longitude). 

A third TDRSS satellite is scheduled for launch in July 1986, providing the Tracking and Data Relay 

Satellite System with an on-orbit spare located between the two operational satellites. 

TDRS-B will be identical to its sister satellite and the two-satellite configuration will support up to 23 user 

spacecraft simultaneously, providing two basic types of service: a multiple access service which can relay 

data from as many as 19 low-data-rate user spacecraft at the same time and a single access service which 

will provide two high-data-rate communications relays from each satellite. 

TDRS-B will be deployed from the orbiter approximately 10 hours after launch. Transfer to 

geosynchronous orbit will be provided by the solid propellant Boeing/U.S. Air Force Inertial Upper Stage 

(IUS). Separation from the IUS occurs approximately 17 hours after launch. 

The concept of using advanced communication satellites was developed following studies in the early 

1970s which showed that a system of communication satellites operated from a single ground terminal 

could support Space Shuttle and other low Earth-orbit space missions more effectively than a world-wide 

network of ground stations. 

NASA’s Space Tracking and Data Network ground stations eventually will be phased out. Three of the 

network’s present 12 ground stations – Madrid, Spain; Canberra, Australia; and Goldstone, CA – have 

been transferred to the Deep Space Network managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA, 

and the remainder – except for two stations considered necessary for Shuttle launch operations – will be 

closed or transferred to other agencies after the successful launch and checkout of the next two TDRS 

satellites. 

The ground station network, managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, provides 

communications support for only a small fraction (typically 15-20 percent) of a spacecraft’s orbital period. 

The TDRSS network of satellites, when established, will provide coverage for almost the entire orbital 

period of user spacecraft (about 85 percent). 

A TDRSS ground terminal has been built at White Sands, NM, a location that provides a clear view to the 

TDRSS satellites and weather conditions generally good for communications. 

The NASA Ground Terminal at White Sands provides the interface between the TDRSS and its network 

elements, which have their primary tracking and communication facilities at Goddard. Also located at 

Goddard is the Network Control Center, which provides system scheduling and is the focal point for 

NASA communications with the TDRSS satellites and network elements. 

The TDRSS satellites are the largest privately-owned telecommunications spacecraft ever built, each 

weighing about 5,000 lb. Each satellite spans more than 57 ft., measured across its solar panels. The single-
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access antennas, fabricated of molybdenum and plated with 14k gold, each measure 16 ft. in diameter, and 

when deployed, span more than 42 ft. from tip to top. 
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The satellite consists of two modules. The equipment module houses the subsystems that operate the 

satellite. The telecommunications payload module has electronic equipment for linking the user spacecraft 

with the ground terminal. The spacecraft has seven antennas. 

The TDRS spacecraft are the first designed to handle communications through S, Ku and C frequency 

bands. 

Under contract, NASA has leased the TDRSS service from the Space Communications Co. (Spacecom), 

Gaithersburg, MD, the owner, operator and prime contractor for the system. 

TRW Space and Technology Group, Redondo Beach, CA, and the Harris Government Communications 

System Division, Melbourne, Fl, are the two primary subcontractors to Spacecom for spacecraft and 

ground terminal equipment, respectively. TRW also provided the total software for the ground segment 

operation and did the integration and testing for the ground terminal and the TDRSS, as well as the systems 

engineering. 

Primary users of the TDRSS satellite have been the Space Shuttle, Landsat Earth resources satellites, the 

Solar Mesosphere Explorer, the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite, the Solar Maximum Mission satellite and 

Spacelab. 

Future users include the Hubble Space Telescope, scheduled for launch Oct. 27, 1986; the Gamma Ray 

Observatory, due to be launched in 1988; and the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite in 1989. 
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INERTIAL UPPER STAGE 

The Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) will be used to place NASA’s second Tracking and Data Relay Satellite 

(TDRS-B) into geosynchronous orbit. The first TDRS was launched by an IUS aboard Challenger in April 

1983 during mission STS-6. 

The 51-L crew will deploy IUS/TDRS-B approximately 10 hours after liftoff from a low-Earth orbit of 

153.5 nautical miles. Upper stage airborne support equipment, located in the orbiter payload bay, positions 

the combined IUS/TDRS-B into the proper deployment attitude – an angle of 59 degrees – and ejects it into 

low-Earth orbit. Deployment from the orbiter will be by a spring eject system. 

Following deployment from the payload bay, the orbiter will move away from the IUS/TDRS-B to a safe 

distance. The first stage will fire about 55 minutes after deployment. 

Following the aft (first) stage burn of two minutes, 26 seconds, the solid fuel motor will shut down and the 

two stages will separate. After coasting for several hours, the forward (second) stage motor will ignite at 

six hours, 14 minutes after deployment to place the spacecraft into its desired orbit. Following a oneminute, 49-second burn, the forward stage will shut down as the IUS/TDRS-B reaches the predetermined 

geosynchronous orbit position. 

Six hours, 54 minutes after deployment from Challenger, the forward stage will separate from TDRS-B and 

perform an anti-collision maneuver with its onboard reaction control system. 

After the IUS reaches a safe distance from TDRS-B, the upper stage will relay performance data back to a 

NASA tracking station and then shut itself down seven hours, five minutes after deployment from the 

payload bay. 

As wit the first NASA IUS launched in 1983, the second has a number of features which distinguish it 

from other previous upper stages. It has the first completely redundant avionics system ever developed for 

an unmanned space vehicle. The system has the capability to correct in-flight features within milliseconds. 

Other advanced features include a carbon composite nozzle throat that makes possible the hightemperature, long-duration firing of the IUS motors and a redundant computer system in which the second 

computer is capable of taking over functions from the primary computer if necessary. 

The IUS is 17 ft. long, 9 ft. in diameter and weights more than 32,000 lb., including 27,000 lb. of solid fuel 

propellant. The IUS consists of an aft skirt; an aft stage containing 21,000 lb. of solid propellant fuel, 

generating 45,000 lb. of thrust; an interstage; a forward stage containing 6,000 lb. of propellant, generating 

18,500 lb. of thrust; and an equipment support section. The equipment support section contains the 

avionics which provide guidance, navigation, telemetry, command and data management, reaction control 

and electrical power. 

Solid propellant rocket motors were selected in the design of the IUS because of their compactness, 

simplicity, inherent safety, reliability and lower cost. 

The IUS is built by Boeing Aerospace Corp, Seattle, under contract to the U.S. Air Force Systems 

Command. Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL, is NASA’s lead center for IUS development and 

program management of NASA-configured IUSs procured from the Air Force. 
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SPARTAN-HALLEY MISSION 

For the Spartan-Halley mission, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and the University of Colorado’s 

laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) have recycled several instruments and designs to 

produce a low-cost, high-yield spacecraft to watch Halley’s Comet when it is too close to the sun for other 

observatories to do so. 

IT will record ultraviolet light emitted by the comet’s chemistry when it is closest to the sun and most 

active so that scientists may determine how fast water is broken down by sunlight, search for carbon and 

sulfur atoms and related compounds, and understand how the tail evolves. 

Principal investigator is Dr. Charles Barth of the University of Colorado LASP. Mission manager is 

Morgan Windsor of Goddard Space Flight Center. 

The Instruments 

Two spectrometers, derived from backups for a Mariner 9 instrument which studied the Martian 

atmosphere in 1971, have been rebuilt to survey Halley’s Comet in ultraviolet light from 128 to 340 

nanometers (nm) wavelength, stopping just above the human eye’s limit of about 400 nm. 

Each spectrometer uses the Ebert-Fastie design: an off-axis reflector telescope, with magnesium fluoride 

coatings to enhance transmission which focuses light from Halley, via s spherical mirror and a spectral 

grating, on a coded anode converter with 1,024 detectors in a straight line. The grating is ruled at 2,400 

lines per millimeter. 

The detectors are made of cesium iodide (CsI) for the G-spectrometer (128-168 nm) and cesium telluride 

(CsTe) for the F-spectrometer (180-340 nm). The system has a focal length of 250 mm and an aperture of 

50 mm. 

The F-spectrometer grating can be rotated to cover its wider range in six 40 nm sections. A slit limits its 

field of view to a strip of sky 1 by 80 arc-minutes (the apparent diameter of the moon is about 30 arcminutes). The G-spectrometer has a 3 x 80 arc-minute slit because emissions are fainter at shorter 

wavelengths. 

With Halley as little as 10 degrees away from the sun, two sets of baffles must be used to reduce stray 

light. An internal set is part of the Mariner design. A new external set serves both instruments. It has two 

knife-edge baffles 38.5 inches away from the spectrometer entrances, and 20 secondary baffles to stop 

earthlight. Together, the two baffle sets reduce stray light by a factor of a trillion. It is this system that will 

make it possible for Spartan-Halley to observe the comet while so close to the sun. In addition, internal 

filters reduce solar Lyman-alpha light (121.6 nm), scattered by the Earth’s hydrogen corona, which would 

saturate the instruments. 

Two film cameras, boresighted with the spectrometers, will photograph Halley to assure pointing accuracy 

in post-flight analysis and to match changes in the tail with spectral changes. The 35 mm Nikon F3 

cameras have 105 mm and 135 mm lenses and are loaded with 65-frame rolls of QX-851 thin-base color 

film. The cameras will capture large-scale activity such as the separation angle between the dust and ion 

tails, bursts from the nucleus, and asymmetries in the shape of the coma. 

The whole instrument package is mounted on a n aluminum optical bench – 35 by 37 inches and weighing 

175 lb. – attached to the Spartan carrier. This provides a clean interface with the carrier and aligns the 

spectrometers with the Spartan attitude control sensors. A 15-inch-high housing covers the spectrometers 

and the cameras. 

The instrument package is controlled by a LASP-developed microprocessor which stores the comet Halley 

ephemeris and directs the Spartan carrier attitude control system. 
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MISSION OPERATIONS 

Halley’s Comet will be of greatest scientific interest from Jan. 20 to Feb. 22; perihelion is on Feb. 9. At 

that time, Halley will be 139.5 million miles from Earth and 59.5 million mi. from the sun. The Shuttle will 

go into an orbit 176 miles high and inclined 28.5 degrees to the equator. This will have Halley visible for 

more than 3,000 seconds per orbit (about 56 percent of the orbit), including more than 90 seconds with the 

sun occulted by the Earth. 

After a predeployment health check of Spartan voltages and currents, the Shuttle robot arm will pick up the 

spacecraft and hold it over the side. Upon release, Spartan will perform a 90-second “pirouette” to confirm 

that it is working and the Shuttle will back away to at least five miles so light reflected from the Shuttle 

does not confuse Spartan’s sensors. After two orbits of preparation, the 40-hour science mission will begin. 

A backup timer will ensure that the spectrometer doors open 70 minutes after release. 

Spartan-Halley will conduct 20 orbits of science observations interspersed with five orbits of attitude 

control updates. A typical science orbit will start with four 100-second calibration scans of Earth’s 

atmosphere, followed by a 900-second tail scan. Observing will be interrupted for 15 minutes of pointing 

updates and housekeeping. It then resumes with four 200-second scans of the coma, followed by sunset 

and four coma scans while the sun is occulted. At the end of the mission Spartan-Halley will be retrieved 

by the Shuttle robot arm and placed in the payload bay. 

After the mission, the processed film and data tapes will be returned to the University of Colorado team for 

scientific analysis. 

The Science 

Current theories hold that comets are “dirty snowballs” made up largely of water ice and lightweight 

elements and compounds left over from the creation of the solar system. Remote sensing of the chemistry 

of Halley’s Comet, by measuring how sunlight is reflected, will help in assaying the comet. The “dirt” in 

the snowball is detectable in visible light, and the “snow” (water ice) and other gases are detectable, 

indirectly, in ultraviolet. 

The most important objective of the Spartan-Halley mission is to obtain ultraviolet spectra of comet Halley 

when it is less than 67 million miles from the sun. As Halley nears the sun, temperatures rise, releasing ices 

and clathrates, compounds trapped in ice crystals. 

The highest science priority for Spartan is to determine the rate at which water is broken down 

(dissociated) by sunlight. This must be measured indirectly from the spectra of hydroxyl radicals (OH) and 

atomic oxygen which are the primary and secondary products. The hydroxyl coma of the comet will be 

more compact than the atomic oxygen coma because of its short life when exposed to sunlight. Hydrogen, 

the other product, will not be detectable because of the Lyman-alpha filters in the spectrometers. 

Heavier compounds will be sought by measuring spectral lines unique to carbon, carbon monoxide (CO), 

carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur, carbon sulfide (CS) molecular sulfur (S2), nitric oxide (NO) and cyanogen 

(CN), among others. 

Spartan-Halley’s spectrometers will not produce images, but will reveal the comet’s chemistry thought the 

ultraviolet spectral lines they record. With these data, scientists will gain a better understanding of how: 

! Chemical structure of the comet evolves from the coma and proceeds down the tail; 

! Species change with relation to sunlight and dynamic processes within the comet; and 

! Dominant atmospheric activities at perihelion relate to the comet’s long-term evolution. 

Other observatories will be studying Halley’s comet, but only Spartan can observe near perihelion. 
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The Spartan Program

The Spartan-Halley 200 carrier measures 52 by 43 by 51 in. and weighs 2,250 lb. without payload. The 

attitude control system and other components use elements from the sounding rocket program. All data are 

stored on a Bell & Howell MARS 1400 recorder; 500 megabytes of storage are available to the 

experimenter. The spacecraft sits on the Spartan Flight Support Structure and is held in place by a releaseand-engage mechanism. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 23

TEACHER IN SPACE PROJECT 

Project History 

President Reagan announced on Aug. 27, 1984, that a teacher would be chosen as the first private citizen to 

fly on the Space Shuttle. The Teacher in Space Project is part of NASA’s Space Flight participant Program 

designed to expand Shuttle opportunities to a wider segment of private citizens with the purpose of 

communicating the experience and flight activities to the public through educational and public 

information programs. 

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) was selected by NASA to coordinate the selection 

process. The Council is a non-profit organization comprised of the public officials responsible for 

education in each state. 

In November 1984, an Announcement of Opportunity was distributed, listing the eligibility requirements 

and a description of the selection process and criteria, medical requirements and responsibilities of the 

teacher selected to fly on the Shuttle mission. 

Applications were accepted from Dec. 1, 1984 to Feb. 1, 1985. More than 11,000 teachers from the 50 

states, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, Department of Defense overseas schools, Department of 

State overseas schools and Bureau of Indian Affairs schools applied for the flight. State, territorial and 

agency review panels each selected two nominees for a total of 114 nominees. 

The 114 nominees met in Washington, DC from June 22-27, 1985, for a National Awards Conference 

which focused on various aspects of space education. 

During their stay in Washington, all nominees met formally and informally with the National Review 

Panel, which selected the 10 finalists. 

On July 1, 1985, the 10 finalists were announced and on July 7 they traveled to Johnson Space Center for a 

week of thorough medical examinations and briefings about space flight. 

From July 15-18, each of the finalists was interviewed by a NASA Evaluation Committee made up of 

senior NASA officials. The committee made recommendations to the NASA Administrator who selected 

Christa McAuliffe and Barbara Morgan as the primary and backup candidates for the NASA Teacher in 

Space Project. 

Live Lessons 

Teacher observer Christa McAuliffe will conduct two lessons on Flight Day 6 of the mission. The first 

lesson will begin at approximately 11:40 a.m. EST; the second is scheduled for approximately 1:40 p.m. 

EST. 

The first lesson entitled “The Ultimate Field Trip” will allow students to compare daily life on the Shuttle 

with that on Earth. Conducting a tour of the Shuttle for viewers, McAuliffe will explain crewmembers’ 

roles, show the location of computers and controls and describe experiments being conducted on the 

mission. She also will demonstrate how daily life in space is different from that on Earth in the preparation 

of food, movement, exercise, personal hygiene, sleep and the use of leisure time. 

The second lesson, “Where We’ve Been, Where We’re Going, Why?” will help the audience understand 

why people use and explore space by demonstrating the advantages of manufacturing in the microgravity 

environment, highlighting technological advances that evolve from the space program and projecting the 

future of humans in space. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 24

Mission Watch

Classrooms with access to a satellite dish or cable network that carries NASA Select television will have, 

in addition to the live broadcast, the opportunity to participate in a “Mission Watch” which covers aspects 

of the entire Shuttle flight. The Mission Watch during 51-L will start the day before the launch and 

continue through the conclusion of the mission and will be carried only on NASA select. Barbara Morgan, 

backup candidate for the NASA Teacher in Space Project, will act as moderator for the Mission Watch 

broadcast to schools. Morgan will give daily briefings on that day’s planned events and update viewers on 

McAuliffe’s activities. 

Classroom Earth, a Spring Valley, IL, organization dedicated to direct satellite transmission to elementary 

and secondary schools, will serve as the center for information and materials for schools that wish to use 

satellite dish antennas to receive both the live broadcast and the Mission Watch. 

Specific information about the satellite transmission is available by writing to Classroom Earth, Spring 

Valley, IL, 61362 or by calling 815/664-4500. 

In-Flight Activities 

During the 51-L mission, McAuliffe will be involved in several activities which will be filmed and later 

used in educational products. 

" Magnetism – Photograph and observe the lines of magnetic force in three dimensions in a 

microgravity environment. 

" Newton’s Law – Demonstrate Newton’s first, second and third laws in microgravity. 

" Effervescence – Understand why products may or may not effervesce in a microgravity 

environment. 

" Simple Machines/Tools – Understand the use of simple machines/tools and the similarities and 

differences between their uses in space and on Earth. 

" Hydroponics in Microgravity – Show the effect of microgravity on plant growth, growth of plants 

without soil (hydroponics) and capillary action. 

" Chromatographic Separation of Pigments – Demonstrate chromatography in a microgravity 

environment and show capillary action (the mechanism by which plants transports water and 

nutrients). 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 25

SHUTTLE STUDENT INVOLVEMENT PROGRAM 

Utilizing a Semi-Permeable Membrane to Direct Crystal Growth 

This is an experiment proposed by Richard S. Cavoli, formerly of Marlboro Central High School, 

Marlboro, NY. Cavoli is now enrolled at Union College, Schenectady, NY. 

The experiment will attempt to control crystal growth through the use of a semi-permeable membrane. 

Lead iodide crystals will be formed as a result of a double replacement reaction. Lead acetate and 

potassium iodide will react to form insoluble lead iodide crystals, potassium ions and acetate ions. As the 

ions travel across a semi-permeable membrane, the lead and iodide ions will collide, forming the lead 

iodide crystal. 

Cavoli’s hypothesis states that the shape of the semi-permeable membrane and the concentrations of the 

two precursor compounds will determine the growth rate and shape of the resulting crystal without regard 

to other factors experienced in earthbound crystal growing experiments. 

Following return of the experiment apparatus to Cavoli, an analysis will be performed on the crystal color, 

density, harness, morphology, refractive index, and electrical and thermal characteristics. Crystals of this 

type are useful in imaging systems for detecting gamma and X-rays and could be used in spacecraft sensors 

for astrophysical research purposes. 

Cavoli’s high school advisor is Annette M. Saturnelli of Marlboro Central High School and his college 

advisor and experiment sponsor is Dr. Charles Seaise of Union College. 

Effects of Weightlessness on Grain Formation and Strength in Metals

This is an experiment proposed by Lloyd C. Bruce formerly of Sumner High School, St. Louis. Bruce is 

now a sophomore at the University of Missouri. 

The experiment proposes to heat a titanium alloy metal filament to near the melting point to observe the 

effect that weightlessness has on crystal reorganization within the metal. It is expected that heating in 

microgravity will produce larger crystal grains and thereby increase the inherent strength of the metal 

filament. The experiment uses a battery supply, a timer and thermostat to heat a titanium alloy filament to 

1,000 degrees C. At a temperature of 882 degrees C, the titanium-aluminum alloy crystal lattice network 

undergoes a metamorphosis from closely packed hexagonal crystals to centered cubic crystals., 

Following return of the experiment gear to Sumner, he will perform an analysis comparing the space-tested 

alloy sample with one heated on Earth to analyze any changes in strength, size and shape of the crystal 

grains, and any change in the homogeneity of the alloy. If necessary microscopic examination, stress 

testing and X-ray diffraction analysis also will be used. Any changes between the two samples could lead 

to variations on this experiment to be proposed for future Shuttle flights. A positive test might lead to a 

new an stronger titanium-aluminum alloy or a new type of industrial process. 

Bruce’s student advisor is Vaughan Morrill of Sumner High School. His sponsor is McDonnell Douglas 

Corp., St. Louis, and his experiment advisor is Julius Bonini of McDonnell Douglas. 

Chicken Embryo Development in Space

This is an experiment of John C. Vellinger, formerly of Jefferson High School, Lafayette, IN, to determine 

any effects of spaceflight on the development of a fertilized chicken embryo. Vellinger is now a sophomore 

at Purdue University. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 26

The experiment will fly 12 White Leghorn chicken eggs which have been fertilized immediately prior to 

launch to see if any changes in the developing embryo can be attributed to weightlessness or space 

radiation effects. The development of a chicken embryo is greatest during the first several weeks following 

fertilization. 

Eight eggs will be subjected to both weightlessness and radiation from space. The four remaining eggs will 

have lead shields placed around them to assist in determining any peculiar effects from space radiation. All 

12 eggs will be placed in an incubator box and sent aboard Challenger while a similar group of 12 eggs 

will remain on Earth as a control group. Vellinger’s hypothesis is that chickens could forma basis for food 

developed and grown in space but only if their development from fertilized eggs proceeds normally.

Upon return to Earth, the space incubators will remain at KSC for a period of about 10 days to allow the 

chicks to hatch. Vellinger will attend to the earthbound eggs much as a mother hen would, turning them 

five times a day to counter the effects of Earth’s gravity on the yolk sack. Following hatching of both 

groups, Vellinger will attempt to determine if there are any statistically significant differences between the 

bone structure, nervous systems and internal organs of the two groups. 

Vellinger’s student advisor is Stanley W. Poelstra of Jefferson High School. Kentucky Fried Chicken, 

Louisville, is sponsoring the experiment and Dr. Lisbeth Kraft, NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain 

View, CA, is serving as technical advisor. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 27

COMET HALLEY ACTIVE MONITORING PROGRAM (CHAMP)

Objectives of the CHAMP payload include investigating the dynamical/morphological behavior as well as 

the chemical structure of Halley’s Comet. Photographic images and spectra will be obtained through 

Columbia’s windows using hand-held 35 mm camera and associated equipment. A crew member will 

enclose himself in a camera shroud to eliminate all cabin light interference. Using International Halley 

Watch standard comet filters, several image-intensified monochromatic exposures will be made. In 

addition, spectra of the comet will be photographed using a grating and image intensifier. 

Similar observations were made on the last flight and will be made on the March flight to study the 

variations of the comet with time. CHAMP requires no spacecraft power or other systems support and is 

stored in two-thirds of one middeck locker. 

The principal investigators for CHAMP are S. Alan Stern, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics 

(LASP), University of Colorado-Boulder and Dr. Stephen Mende, Lockheed Palo Alto Research 

Laboratory. Mission management support is provided by the Engineering Directorate, Johnson Space 

Center for the Office of Space Science and Applications, NASA Headquarters. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 28

PHASE PARTITIONING EXPERIMENT 

Phase partitioning is a selective, gentle and inexpensive technique, ideal for the separation of biomedical 

materials such as cells and proteins. It involves establishing a two-phase system by adding various 

polymers to a water solution containing the materials to be separated. Two phase systems most familiar are 

oil and water or cream and milk. When two phase polymer systems are established, the biomedical 

materials they contain tend to separate or “partition” into the different phases. 

Theoretically, phase partitioning should separate cells with significantly higher resolution than is presently 

obtained in the laboratory. It is believed that when the phases are emulsified on Earth, the rapid, gravitydriven fluid movements, occurring as the phases coalesce, tend to randomize the separation process. It is 

expected that the theoretical capabilities of phase partitioning systems can be more closely approached in 

the weightlessness or orbital spaceflight where gravitational effects of buoyancy and sedimentation are 

minimized. 

The first exploratory flight of Phase Partitioning Experiment (PPE) equipment involves the use of a small, 

hand-held device, a little larger than a cigarette box and weighing about one pound. This unit will fit within 

a small part of a standard middeck locker. The unit has 15 chambers to allow the test of different volume 

ratios and compositions of the phases and differences in wall coatings within the chambers. 

The Microgravity Science and Applications Division of the Office of Space Science and Applications, 

NASA Headquarters, sponsors the experiment. Marshall Space Flight Center is responsible for mission 

implementation. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 29

FLUID DYNAMICS IN SPACE

Hughes payload specialist Greg Jarvis will perform experiments to investigate fluid dynamics in 

microgravity. These experiments will improve Hughes’ understanding of how fluids act in orbiting 

spacecraft and may lead to the design of more efficient and less costly spacecraft. 

Hughes is now designing larger, more massive spacecraft to take advantage of the Shuttle capabilities. This 

evolution in design has led to the replacement of solid rocket motors with highly efficient liquid propulsion 

systems for transfer orbit maneuvers. Spacecraft design has always taken into account the possible 

destabilizing effects of liquid propellants. However, as the quantity of liquid increases it becomes more 

important to understand the interaction between the fluid and the spacecraft. 

There are two categories of experiments to be performed: fluid behavior in enclosed tanks and fluid motion 

interactions with spacecraft motions. 

For the enclosed tank experiments, Jarvis will try to determine the behavior of a fluid in a partially-filled 

tank for different levels of fill. A metal base plate will be used to support the experiment and will be 

attached with Velcro tape to the cabin walls of Challenger. A metal shaft attaches to the base plate and 

supports a hub assembly connecting to two-6-inch diameter tanks. 

The tanks and hub do not move in one of these experiments and are set spinning at about 10 

revolutions/minute in a second experiment. Throughout these experiments, Jarvis will record the fluid 

motions using orbiter video cameras and recorders. A third experiment in this series will use a spring to 

spin up the hub assembly (much as a helicopter toy uses as spring to impart a one-time spin-up). Once spun 

up, the hub assembly will be videotaped to record the transfer of motion from the simulated spacecraft to 

the fluid inside. The spheres are transparent so the motions of the fluid inside can be seen readily. 

Another set of experiments will observe the effects of energy dissipation between spacecraft motions and 

fluid motions within the spacecraft. In these experiments, a four-tank spherical tank model will first be 

attached to the hub and used for observations. This model consists of four 3-1/4-inch diameter clear plastic 

tanks. Following those, an ellipsoidal centerline tank model will be used. The ellipsoidal tank is 3-1/4-in. 

long by 4-1/4-in. in diameter. 

This experiment will measure transmitted motions from the simulated spacecraft tanks to the fluids in the 

tanks using very sensitive accelerometers which transmit their information via infrared light emitting 

diodes (similar to the way most television and video recorder remote control units work). 

This technique removes any potential drag which might result from cabling between the moving tank 

models and the instrument recorders. For this series of experiments, the models will be spun up to about 

100 revolutions a minute by Jarvis. 

A third series of experiments will measure the fluid dynamics of “Frisbee” style deployed satellites using a 

cradle model in lieu of the base plate used in earlier experiments. 

The videotapes and recorded accelerometer data will be analyzed by Hughes engineers once the mission is 

over. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 30

U.S. LIBERTY COINS 

Two complete sets of the newly-minted U.S. Liberty coins will become the first legal tender American 

coinage to make a trip into orbit on mission 51-L. 

The Liberty coins – a silver dollar, half dollar and $5 gold coin – are being minted by authorization from 

Congress to honor the Statue of Liberty’s centennial anniversary in 1986 and to help raise funds for the 

restoration and future maintenance of the statue and Ellis Island. They are the first and only governmentissue coins to feature the Statue of Liberty. 

School children in grades 4 through 8 will be given the chance to learn about coins and American history 

in a special education package – Commemorating Liberty Through Coins – which will be delivered to 

every public, private and parochial school in the nation in early March 1986. 

The U.S. Liberty coins will be available at financial institutions and department stores across the country in 

April 1986. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 31

STS-51L CREWMEMBERS 

S85-44253 – The official portrait of the STS-51L crewmembers includes, in the back row (l.-r.) mission 

specialist Ellison S. Onizuka, Teacher in Space Participant Sharon Christa McAuliffe, payload specialist 

Greg Jarvis and mission specialist Judy Resnik. In the front row (l.-r.) pilot Mike Smith, mission 

commander Dick Scobee, and mission specialist Ron McNair. 

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. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 32

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA 

FRANCIS R. (DICK) SCOBEE is spacecraft commander. Born May 19, 1939, in Cle Elum, WA, he 

became a NASA astronaut in 1978. He received a B.S. degree in aerospace engineering from the 

University of Arizona in 1965. 

Scobee was a reciprocating engine mechanic in the Air Force. He was commissioned in 1965, and after 

receiving his wings in 1966, completed a number of assignments, including a combat tour in Vietnam. He 

attended the Aerospace Research Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, flying such varied aircraft as the 

Boeing 747, the X-24B, the transonic aircraft technology (TACT) F-111 and the C-5. He has logged more 

than 6,500 hours in 45 types of aircraft. 

Scobee was pilot of STS 41-C in 1984. During this mission the crew deployed the Long Duration Exposure 

Facility (LDEF); and retrieved, repaired aboard the orbiting Challenger, and returned to orbit, the ailing 

Solar Maximum Mission satellite. 

MICHAEL J. SMITH, Commander, USN is pilot. Born April 30, 1945, in Beaufort, NC, he became a 

NASA astronaut in 1980. 

Smith received a B.S. degree in naval science from the U.S. Naval Academy and an M.S. degree in 

aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. 

Smith flew A-6 intruders and completed a Vietnam cruise while assigned to Attack Squadron 52 aboard the 

USS Kitty Hawk. He was awarded the Navy Distinguished Flying Cross, three Air Medals, 13 Strike Flight 

Air Medals, the Navy Commendation Medal with “V”, the Navy Unit Citation and the Vietnamese Cross 

of Gallantry with Silver Star. 

He has flown 28 different types of civilian and military aircraft, logging over 4,300 hours – 4,000 in jet 

aircraft. 

JUDITH A. RESNIK, Ph.D., is one of three mission specialists aboard 51-L. She was born April 5, 1949 

in Akron, OH. She received a B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University and a 

Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland. She became an astronaut in 1978. 

Resnik worked for RCA, Moorestown, NJ, designing circuits and developing custom integrated circuitry 

for phased-array radar control systems. She was a biomedical engineer and staff fellow in the laboratory of 

neurophysiology at the National Institutes of Heath, Bethesda, MD. She also served as senior systems 

engineer in product development with Xerox Corp., El Segundo, CA. 

Resnik was mission specialist on STS 41-D. During this mission, the crew deployed three satellites. Resnik 

has logged 144 hours, 57 minutes in space. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 33

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA 

RONALD E. MCNAIR, Ph.D., mission specialist, became an astronaut in 1978. Born Oct 21, 1950, in 

Lake City, SC, he received a B.S. degree in physics from North Carolina A&T State University and a 

Ph.D. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

While at MIT, McNair performed some of the earliest development of chemical HF/DF and high pressure 

CO lasers. He became a staff physicist with Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, CA, and conducted 

research on electro-optic laser modulation for satellite-to-satellite space communications. 

McNair was a mission specialist on Shuttle mission 41-B. During the flight, two Hughes 376 

communications satellites were deployed. It was the first flight of the Manned Maneuvering Unit and first 

use of the Canadian arm (operated by McNair) to position an EVA crewman around Challenger’s payload 

bay. McNair has 191 hours in space. 

ELLISON S. ONIZUKA, Lt. Col., USAF, is a mission specialist. He became an astronaut in 1978. Born 

June 24, 1946 in Kealakekua, Kona, HI, he received B.S. and M.S. degrees in aerospace engineering from 

the University of Colorado. He became a NASA astronaut in 1978. 

Onizuka was an aerospace flight test engineer with the Sacramento Air Logistics Center at McClellan Air 

Force Base. He participated in flight test programs and systems safety engineering for the F-84, F-100, 

F105, F-111, EC-121T, T-33, T-39, T-28 and A-1 aircraft. He has logged more than 1,700 hours flying 

time. 

Onizuka was a mission specialist on STS 51-C,the first dedicated Department of Defense mission. He has 

logged 74 hours in space. 

GREGORY B. JARVIS, payload specialist was born Aug. 24, 1944 in Detroit. He received a B.S. degree 

in electrical engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo; an M.S. degree in electrical 

engineering from Northeastern University, Boston; and has completed the course work for an M.S. degree 

in management science at West Coast University, Los Angeles. Jarvis was selected as a payload specialist 

candidate in 1984. 

Jarvis worked at Raytheon, Bedford, MA, designing circuits on the SAM-D missile. Later, as a 

communications payload engineer in the Satellite Communications Program Office, he worked on 

advanced tactical communications satellites. He later joined Hughes Aircraft Co.’s Space and 

Communications Group where he worked as subsystem engineer on the MARISAT Program. 

He was test and integration manager for the F-1, F-2 and FD-3 spacecraft and cradle in 1983. The F-1 and 

F-2 Leasat spacecraft were successfully deployed. 

S. CHRISTA MCAULIFFE is the Teacher in Space participant. Born Sept. 2,1948, in Boston, she 

received a B.A. degree from Framingham State College and a masters degree in education from Bowie 

State University, Bowie, MD. 

McAuliffe has taught English and American History since 1970. Until her selection as NASA Teacher in 

Space, she taught economics, law, American history, and a course she developed, “The American 

Woman,” to 10th through 12th grade students. 

McAuliffe was selected as primary candidate for the NASA Teacher in Space Project in July 1985. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 34

SHUTTLE FLIGHTS AS OF JANUARY 1986 

24 TOTAL FLIGHTS OF THE SHUTTLE 

STS-61A 

10/30/85 - 11/06/85 

STS-51F 

07/29/85 - 08/06/85 

STS-61C 

01/12/86 - 01/18/86 

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-61B 

11/26/85 - 12/03/85 

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 

(7 flights)

OV-099 

Challenger 

(9 flights)

OV-103 

Discovery 

(6 flights)

OV-104 

Atlantis 

(2 flights)