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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION 

SPACE SHUTTLE 

MISSION 

STS-6 

PRESS KIT 

APRIL 1983 

FIRST FLIGHT OF CHALLENGER 

TRACKING AND DATA RELAY SATELLITE (TDRS-A) 
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STS-6 INSIGNIA 

S82-39531 -- The sixth space shuttle flight is represented by the hexagonal shape of the insignia and the six stars, in 

the portrayed constellation Virgo. The sign of Virgo is also symbolic of the first f light of the space shuttle 

Challenger. Depicted above the spacecraft's open cargo bay is the combined inertial upper stage and a tracking 

and data relay satellite. This is the first shuttle flight of the IUS rocket, which will carry the first TDRS to a 

geosynchronous orbit of 24,000 statute miles. 

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: 83-36 April 1983 

CONTACTS 

Jim Kukowski 

Headquarters, Washington, D.C. 

(Phone: 202/755-3090) 

Dick Young 

Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 

(Phone: 305/867-2468) 

Terry White 

Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas 

(Phone: 713/483-5111) 

John Taylor 

Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 

(Phone: 205/453-0031) 

Ralph B. Jackson 

Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, Calif. 

(Phone: 805/453-8381) 
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RELEASE NO: 83-36 April 1983 

CONTENTS 

GENERAL RELEASE 6 

STS-6 PRESS BRIEFING SCHEDULE 9 

TV SCHEDULE 10 

STS-6 SUMMARY TIMELINE AND FLIGHT PLAN 10 

LAUNCH PREPARATIONS, COUNTDOWN AND LIFTOFF 11 

MAJOR COUNTDOWN MILESTONES 14 

LAUNCH WINDOW 15 

FLIGHT OBJECTIVES 15 

CHALLENGER: THE NEW ORBITER 16 

CONFIGURATION 16 

UPRATED ENGINES 16 

LIGHTER WEIGHT BOOSTERS 17 

LIGHTWEIGHT TANK 17 

STS-6 EXTERNAL TANK REDUCTION SUMMARY 18 

WHAT IF THINGS GO WRONG 19 

LANDING AND POSTLANDING OPERATIONS 20 

TRACKING AND DATA RELAY SATELLITE SYSTEM TDRSS) 24 

TDRS-1 DEPLOYMENT TIMELINE 26 

INERTIAL UPPER STAGE (IUS) 33 

SPACEWALK INTO THE CARGO BAY 34 

STS-6 EXPERIMENTS 39 

 ELECTROPHORESIS EXPERIMENT 39 

 MONODISPERSE LATEX REACTOR 39 

 NIGHTTIME/DAYTIME OPTICAL SURVEY OF THUNDERSTORM LIGHTNING 40 

GETAWAY SPECIAL 41 

HUNTSVILLE SUPPORT CENTER 44 

SPACEFLIGHT TRACKING AND DATA NETWORK 44 

NASA TRACKING STATIONS 46 

CREW BIOGRAPHIES 47 

SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM MANAGEMENT 52 
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IN MEMORIAM 

JIM MALONEY 

1923 - 1982 

Houston Post 

That empty chair at the STS-6 preflight briefings would have been filled by Jim Maloney, Houston Post space 

reporter, had he not died Dec. 5 of complications from a fall on Thanksgiving Day. 

Jim covered manned spaceflight as well as unmanned planetary expeditions for 20 years, beginning when the 

Manned Spacecraft Center migrated from Langley to Houston. He had a knack for translating "Space-Speak" into 

English understandable to Joe Six-pack. His style was low-key until he set off in dogged pursuit of a straight answer 

from a waffling briefer or interviewee. 

Space correspondents and NASA PIOs alike shall miss his ruddy Irish face, with eyes peering over narrow reading 

glasses, with his eyebrows often near liftoff in quiet awe of the events he covered. St. Peter likely will forgive Jim's 

forgetting his media badge. 

Contributions to a scholarship fund benefiting space science students at Rice University and the University of 

Houston may be made in Jim Maloney's name in care of: Astronaut Office, Code CB, NASA Johnson Space Center, 

Houston, TX 77058. 
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RELEASE NO: 83-36 April 1983 

CHALLENGER FIRST FLIGHT TO DEPLOY TDRS-A AND FEATURE EVA 

A large telecommunications satellite will be the first major payload for the newest Space Shuttle orbiter, Challenger. 

The winged vehicle will carry the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-A, into low earth orbit for deployment 

and eventual insertion into geosynchronous orbit. In addition, an EVA (extravehicular activity) will be conducted 

by two mission specialists. 

Launch from the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., is scheduled for April 4. A four-man crew will be aboard the 

Challenger on its maiden flight. Launch time will be 1:30 p.m. EST. The mission is designed to last 5 days, 19 

minutes, with landing scheduled for approximately 1:49 p.m. EST at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. 

The mission will be commanded by Paul J. Weitz (pronounced WHITES), a veteran of the Skylab 2 mission 

conducted in 1973. The STS-6 pilot is Karol J. Bobko. Mission Specialists for the flight are Dr. Story Musgrave and 

Donald H. Peterson. 

An Air Force developed inertial upper stage (IUS) will be used to boost the 2,268-kilogram (5,000-pound) special 

purpose communications satellite to an altitude of 35,888 kilometers (22,300 statute miles) above the equator. 

TDRS-A (TDRS-1 in orbit) is the first of three similar satellites to be deployed and to be used for Space Shuttle and 

other NASA space communications requirements. 

A 3-1/2 hour extravehicular activity will be conducted on flight day four by mission specialists Musgrave and 

Peterson. The space walk will be similar in many respects to the one that was canceled during STS-5 last November 

when equipment failures in both astronaut space suits forced mission officials to scrub the walk in the orbiter 

Columbia's payload bay. 

The four-man crew will conduct several on-orbit experiments designed to increase present knowledge of "zero g" 

materials processing and understand better the nature of electrical storms. 

Three small self-contained payloads, "Getaway Specials," will also be flown aboard Challenger. 

Landing will be at Edwards Air Force Base on Runway 22-04 at the Mojave Desert facility. The lakebed surface is 

not acceptable for landing. 

Challenger is the second of four operational orbiters to be built. Unlike Columbia, Challenger has no ejection seats. 

All four crewmen will be seated on the flight deck during launch and landing. 

There has been an overall weight reduction in the orbiter of about 1,128 kg (2,488 lb.). 

Orbiter improvements include a heads-up display landing system. Important landing information will be viewed by 

the commander and pilot on a special see-through glass in front of the cockpit windows. 

Several changes have been made to the Challenger's thermal protection system (TPS). More than 600 thermal tiles 

have been replaced by a blanket-like thermal material. All 30,000 tiles have been specially treated (densified) to 

improve their durability. 

The first lightweight external tank (ET) will fly on STS-6. The tank is approximately 4,536 kg (10,000 lb.) lighter 

than the standard tank previously used. Lighter weight solid rocket booster motor casings will be used for the first 

time. Each booster is 1,814 kg (4,000 lb.) lighter, thereby increasing payload weight capacity by 408 kg (900 lb.). 
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In addition to the weight savings in the orbiter, external tank and solid rocket boosters, the Space Shuttle main 

engines will perform at 104 percent of rated-power-level as against 100 percent for the main engines aboard 

Columbia. 

Challenger will not carry a development flight instrumentation (DFI) package in the payload bay, but will carry a 

much smaller instrumentation package to collect flight data. 

TDRS-A, owned and operated for NASA by Space Communications Co. (SPACECOM), is the first of three 

identical Tracking and Data Relay Satellites planned for the TDRS system. The system will be equipped to support 

a variety of user spacecraft simultaneously. 

The Space Tracking and Data network is presently able to provide communications support for only about 15 

percent of each Space Shuttle orbital period. When fully established, the TDRSS network will provide a relay 

capability for almost the entire orbital period of a low earth orbit spacecraft. The primary TDRSS ground station is 

at White Sands, N.M. 

TDRS-A measures more than 17.4 meters (57 feet) across when the solar panels are fully extended. Two single 

access antennas each measure 4.9 m (16 ft.) in diameter and when deployed in space measure more than 12.9 m (42 

ft.) from tip to tip. 

The inertial upper stage (mated to the TDRS-A) will be deployed from the Challenger's payload bay 10 hours after 

launch. There are two additional opportunities for deployment at 11 hours, 30 minutes and 13 hours into the flight, 

if needed. 

The STS-6 crew will position the IUS/TDRS-A to its 59 degree deployment angle in the bay. Deployment occurs 

when explosive bolts are fired that release an ejection spring that pushes the payload away from the Challenger. 

Musgrave and Peterson will conduct their extravehicular activity on the fourth day of the STS-6 mission. The two 

mission specialists will move throughout the payload bay of the Challenger testing a variety of support systems and 

equipment designed to aid future EVAs. 

NASA scientists will conduct electrophoretic separation processes and further investigate the effects of gravity on 

continuous flow electrophoresis. The Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System (CFES), developed by McDonnell 

Douglas Astronautics Co., St. Louis, and operated with NASA as a joint endeavor, also flew on STS-4. 

The Monodisperse Latex Reactor is going into space for the third time aboard the Shuttle. The materials processing 

device will attempt to produce, in quantity, very tiny, identical latex beads (10 micron diameter range). 

The Nighttime/Daytime optical Survey of Lightning (NOSL) experiment will record lightning activities with motion 

pictures and photo cell readings. The survey will be conducted by crew members as the Challenger orbits above and 

near storm centers on earth. 

An artificial snow experiment, sponsored by a Tokyo newspaper; a seed germination experiment owned by a South 

Carolina seed firm; and a multiple disciplinary experiment built by U.S. Air Force Academy students will make up 

the "Getaway Special" payload complement. 

The snowflake experiment, proposed by two Japanese high school students, will attempt to produce artificial snow 

in zero gravity and videotape the results with onboard television cameras. 

The George Park Seed Co., of Greenwood, S. C., will send 11.3 kg (25 lb.) of fruit and vegetable seeds into orbit 

inside the small self contained payload canister to determine how seeds must be packaged to withstand space flight. 
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Six different experiments are contained in the U.S. Air Force Academy canister. Developed in an engineering 

design course at the academy over the past five years, the projects range from metal purification and electroplating 

to effects of weightlessness and space radiation on micro-organism development. 

(END OF GENERAL RELEASE; BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOLLOWS.) 
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STS-6 PRESS BRIEFING SCHEDULE 

T-2 Days 

EST CST PST Briefing Origin 

 

9:00 a.m. 8:00 a.m. 6:00 a.m. Mission Countdown Status KSC 

9:30 a.m. 8:30 a.m. 6:30 a.m. Crew Activity/Timeline and EVA KSC 

10:30 a.m. 9:30 a.m. 7:30 a.m. STS Improvements, TDRSS, IUS KSC 

1:30 p.m. 12:30 p.m. 10:30 a.m. Experiments: CFES, MLR, NOSL KSC 

2:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. 11:30 a.m. GAS Program: Park Seed Col, Asahi 

Shimbun, Air Force Academy 

KSC 

 

T-1 

9:00 a.m. 8:00 a.m. 6:00 a.m. Mission Countdown Status KSC 

10:30 a.m. 9:30 a.m. 7:30 a.m. Prelaunch Press Briefing KSC 

T-Day 

10:30 a.m. 9:30 a.m. 7:30 a.m. Post Launch Briefing KSC only 

Launch through EOM See change of shift briefing schedule JSC 

T+5 

3:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. 12:00 p.m. Post Landing Press Conference DFRF 

T+6 

2:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. 11:00 a.m. Orbiter Status Briefing DFRF 
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TV SCHEDULE 

The schedule for television transmissions from Challenger and for the change of shift briefings from the Johnson 

Space Center will be available during the mission at the KSC, MSFC, JSC, DFRF, GSFC and NASA Headquarters 

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

operations. 

SUMMARY TIMELINE 

A revised Summary timeline for the STS-6 mission was not available for inclusion in the press kit when the 

document went to press. Flight plan and timelines will be available at KSC, MSFC, JSC, DFRF, GSFC and NASA 

Headquarters news centers shortly before the mission. 
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LAUNCH PREPARATIONS, COUNTDOWN AND LIFTOFF 

The Shuttle orbiter Challenger arrived at Kennedy Space Center from California atop the 747 Shuttle Carrier 

Aircraft on July 5, 1982. Pre-flight checkout was performed in Bay 2 of the Orbiter Processing Facility, a 

sophisticated structure analogous to an aircraft hangar. 

Assembly of the STS-6 vehicle began Oct. 1 with build-up of the twin solid rocket boosters on the deck of Mobile 

Launcher Platform-2. Previous Shuttle vehicles were launched from MLP-1. Stacking of the twin booster rockets 

was completed Oct. 14 and the external tank was mated with the boosters on Oct. 21. 

Major work completed in the OPF included a Dynamic Stability Test, and the installation of the three Space Shuttle 

Main Engines and two orbital Maneuvering System pods on the Challenger. 

An Orbiter Integrated Test was successfully conducted Nov. 5-7 to verify compatibility of various orbiter 

subsystems. 

Challenger was moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building on Nov. 23 and attached to its external tank and booster 

rockets. A partial Shuttle Interface Test was conducted from Nov. 27-29 to verify the mechanical, fluid and 

electrical connections between the orbiter and its other elements. The test was completed at the launch site. 

The Space Shuttle was moved to Pad A of Complex 39 on Nov. 30 to undergo final checkout and propellant 

servicing for launch. 

Preflight servicing of Challenger with hypergolic propellants was conducted from Dec. 8-11, followed by the start 

of preparations for the first 2O-second static test firing of Challenger’s three main engines. 

The Flight Readiness Firing, designed to verify the integrity of the orbiter Challenger and its new, more powerful 

main engines, was conducted on Dec. 18. The firing also served as a means to test the outer insulation of the new 

lightweight external tank and provided the opportunity to run Challenger's three auxiliary power units to certify the 

units for flight. 

During the 20-second test firing, engineers detected a level of gaseous hydrogen in the orbiter aft engine 

compartment in excess of normal operating limits. Extensive post-FRF inspections of the Shuttle main engines to 

pinpoint the source of the hydrogen began immediately. At the same time, preparations for Challenger's maiden 

launch continued. 

The KSC launch team performed a mock launch and reentry test on Dec. 23 and began preparing the STS-6 payload 

delivery to the launch pad. 

The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite with its Inertial Upper Stage was moved to Pad 39-A and installed in the 

Payload Changeout Room on Dec. 27. Functional checks were performed on the upper stage and sophisticated 

communications satellite and preparations were made to service the TDRS' attitude control system with hydrazine 

fuel. 

The Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test with the STS-6 flight crew was conducted on Jan. 11 as a final 

demonstration of vehicle. flight software and flight crew readiness for launch. 

Meanwhile, engineers were unable to locate the source of the hydrogen and NASA officials made the decision on 

Jan. 7 to perform a second Flight Readiness Firing. Instrumentation was added inside and outside the orbiter's aft 

compartment to determine if the hydrogen was coming from an internal or external source; and determine as closely 

as possible the location of the leakage if it was internal to the orbiter's aft engine compartment. The payload was 
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removed from the Payload Changeout Room on Jan. 15 and taken back to the Vertical Processing Facility where it 

remained until the second firing was completed. 

The second Flight Readiness Firing was conducted on Jan. 25. High levels of hydrogen gas were again detected in 

the aft compartment repeating the problem experienced during the first engine test firing. Test data revealed the 

hydrogen source to be inside the aft compartment. 

After days of painstaking analysis, a 3/4-inch crack was found in Space Shuttle Main Engine No. l's main 

combustion chamber coolant outlet manifold. Special tests were performed to verify the crack could account for the 

quantity of hydrogen that was detected in the aft compartment. Extensive checks were also conducted of the No. 2 

and No. 3 engines. 

Discovery of the hydrogen source and subsequent analysis confirmed that a third Flight Readiness Firing would not 

be necessary prior to the STS-6 launch, thus clearing the way to return the STS-6 payload to the launch pad. 

The TDRS satellite with its Inertial Upper Stage was again delivered to the pad on Feb. 4 and installed in the 

Payload Changeout Room the following day. 

on Feb. 28 strong winds whipped across the Cape Canaveral area breaching the seal between the Rotating Service 

Structure's Payload Changeout Room and the Challenger. As a result of the winds a fine layer of particulate matter 

was deposited on the TDRS. After a thorough investigation into the contamination, an inspection and cleaning 

program was instituted by Goddard Space Flight Center and the TDRSS contractors. Cleaning of the satellite began 

on March 14 and was completed March 17. The spacecraft was returned to the Challenger cargo bay on March 19. 

Engine No. 1 (2011) was removed on Feb. 4. Its replacement, Engine No. 2016, arrived from NASA's National 

Space Technology Laboratories in Bay St. Louis, Miss., that same day and was delivered to the Vehicle Assembly 

Building for its receiving inspection. While in the VAB, Engine 2011's low pressure oxidizer turbo pump was 

removed and installed on engine 2016. 

Leak checks performed on the engine revealed a leak in an inlet line to the liquid oxygen heat exchanger used to 

covert liquid oxygen into gaseous oxygen which is then routed back through the MPS for external tank 

pressurization. NASA officials decided to replace Engine 2016 with another Space Shuttle Main Engine -- No. 

2017. The new engine completed certification firings at the National Space Technology Laboratories on Feb. 15 and 

was readied for delivery to Kennedy. 

In parallel with the engine work, payload activities continued at the launch site. Functional checks with the upper 

stage and the spacecraft were repeated and TDRS' attitude control system was serviced prior to the payload's Feb. 

22 installation in the cargo bay. 

Electrical tests to verify orbiter-to-payload interfaces were conducted Feb. 24-25, completing checkout of the STS-6 

payload. 

On Feb. 26, while conducting pre-flight leak checks of the Shuttle's remaining engines, a leak was discovered 

coming from the No. 2 (2015) engine. Further analysis located the source of the leak to be a hairline crack in a l/2-

inch fuel line leading into the injector's augmented spark igniter chamber. The No. 3 (2012) engine was boroscoped 

revealing a crack in the same location. 

The failure was at a location in the line where a metal sleeve was brazed to the line. The sleeve acted as a shock 

absorber to prevent chaffing of the line at the point where it passed through a cover over the injector. 
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The line was in a location that prevented an in-place repair, thus requiring both engines to be removed. Engine 2015 

was removed Feb. 28 and Engine 2012 was removed March 1. Both engines were taken to the Vehicle Assembly 

Building where the engines were repaired. 

The repair consisted of cutting out a 10-inch section of the line containing the sleeve area, and replacing it with an 

identical section of tubing, but without the sleeve. 

Engine 2017 arrived from Mississippi on March 3 and was taken to the Vehicle Assembly Building. An identical 

modification was made on that engine, although analysis did not show a crack in the fuel line. 

Engine No. 2 (2015) was the first to be repaired. It was returned to the pad on March 8. Engine No. 3 (2012) was 

installed on March 10. Engine No. 1 (2017) was delivered to the pad on March 11. Verification checks of 

Challenger's main engines for flight resumed on March 14. 

The removal, cleanup, reinstallation and pre-flight checkout of the TDRS-A and IUS was accomplished in parallel 

with engine reverification activities and countdown preparations. 

Pre-countdown activities, which includes final ordnance operations, checks of the Shuttle Range Safety System and 

pressurization of orbital Maneuvering System propellant tanks to regulator lockup, were scheduled to begin March 

28. Actual pick up of the 111-hour long Shuttle Launch Countdown was set for March 31. 

STS-6 will be launched from Firing Room 1 of the Launch Control Center by a government/industry team. 
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MAJOR COUNTDOWN MILESTONES 

Count Time Event 

 

T-93 hours Call to stations 

T-82 hours Pressurize maneuvering and reaction control system propellant tanks. 

T-40 hours Load cryogenics into orbiter fuel cell supply tanks and pressurize. 

T-34 hours Six hour built-in-hold. 

T-27 hours Start external tank loading preparations. 

T-19 hours Perform interface check with Mission Control. 

T-11 hours 10 hour 40 minute built-in-hold. 

T-11 hours (counting) Retract Rotating Service Structure. 

T-7 hours Activate fuel cells and begin load sharing 

T-6 hours Start cryogenic propellant chilldown and load. 

T-3 hours 1 hour built in hold. Cryogenic load complete. 

T-3 hours (holding) Wake flight crew (Launch -4 hours, 10 minutes). 

T-2 hours, 50 minutes Suit flight crew (Launch -3 hours, 10 minutes) 

T-2 hours, 30 minutes Crew departs for pad (Launch -2 hours, 50 minutes). 

T-1 hour, 55 minutes Start crew entry (Launch -2 hours, 15 minutes). 

T-61 minutes Inertial Measurement Unit begins preflight alignment. 

T-20 minutes 10 minute built-in-hold 

T-20 (counting) Configure orbiter computers for launch. 

T-9 minutes 10 minutes built-in-hold. Status check and Launch Director “go.” 

T-9 minutes (counting) Start ground launch sequencer. 

T-7 minutes Retract orbiter access arm. 

T-5 minutes Start Auxiliary Power Units. Arm range safety, SRB ignition systems. 

T-3 minutes, 30 seconds Orbiter goes on internal power. 

T-2 minutes, 55 seconds Pressurize liquid oxygen tank and retract gaseous oxygen vent hood. 

T-1 minute, 57 seconds Pressurize liquid hydrogen tank. 

T-31 seconds Go from ground computers for orbiter computers to start launch sequence. 

T-28 seconds Start SRB hydraulic units. 

T-6 .8 seconds Go for main engine start. 

T-3 seconds Main engines at 90 percent thrust. 

T-0 Solid rocket booster ignition, holddown post release and liftoff. 

T+7 seconds Tower clear, control switches to Mission Control. 
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LAUNCH WINDOW 

STS-6 will be launched from Complex 39's Pad A at Kennedy Space Center. The launch window in April extends 

from 1:30 p.m. EST, to about 1:50 p.m. EST. The window's brevity is driven by sunset at Dakar, Senegal, for a 

trans-Atlantic abort. 

The window assumes a nominal landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. 

STS-6 will be launched into a 298-km (185-mi.) circular orbit with an inclination to the equator of 28.5 degrees. 

FLIGHT OBJECTIVES 

Challenger's primary cargo for STS-6 is the first of two Tracking and Data Relay Satellites which, by STS-9 in 

September 1983, will provide continuous voice and data from Shuttle orbiters except for one narrow patch of "loss 

of signal" over Asia. The TDRS spacecraft are propelled to their geosynchronous parking orbits by inertial upper 

stage solid-rocket two-stage boosters after deployment from Challenger's payload bay. 

Mission specialists Don Peterson and Dr. Story Musgrave will don extravehicular mobility units (EMU) on the 

fourth day of the flight to check out the new-generation Shuttle spacesuits and to gain experience in simulated 

spacewalk tasks in the payload bay. A similar spacewalk was dropped from STS-5 when the suit pressure regulators 

and a fan malfunctioned. 

STS-6 experiments include a reflight of the Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System (CFES), flown earlier on 

STS-4. The system is in a module attached to the left middeck wall where food galleys later will be fitted in orbiters. 

Other STS-6 experiments are the Monodisperse Latex Reactor (MLR) and Nighttime/Daytime optical Survey of 

Lightning (NOSL). Three getaway specials (GAS) canisters in the payload bay contain experiments flown by the 

U.S. Air Force Academy, Park Seed Co., and Asahi Shimbun of Japan. 

In addition to payloads and experiments, two life sciences detailed test objectives are listed for STS-6: Validation of 

Predictive Test and Countermeasures for Space Motion Sickness, and Cardiovascular Deconditioning 

Countermeasures. 
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CHALLENGER: THE NEW ORBITER 

Each new spacecraft to come off the assembly bays in the orbiter manufacturing facility at Palmdale carries 

improvements in structure, materials and equipment that are not apparent to the observer. 

Challenger weighs 1,128 kg (2,486 lb.) less than Columbia as a result of weight-saving structural changes that 

include use of lightweight honeycomb for such things as landing gear doors and vertical tail tip and leading edge. 

Much of the secondary support structure in the aft fuselage around the main engine thrust frames has been 

eliminated or combined with the primary structure. The main engine heatshields are lighter, and in the mid-fuselage 

the titanium cryogenic tank supports have been replaced with tubing made of boron-aluminum. Flexible reusable 

surface insulation blankets have replaced glass tiles over the two orbital maneuvering system pods. 

Thermal protection system silica glass tiles over the rest of Challenger's skin have been densified for improved 

bonding, based on the lesson learned from Columbia's early tile problems. 

In the crew cabin, ejection seats and their heavy rails are absent from Challenger, replaced by operational crew 

seats. Challenger also has heads-up displays for the commander and pilot which project apparent images of runway, 

velocity and flare graphics onto a clear screen between the pilots and the front windows. Other flight deck controls 

and displays are the operational flight type. Emergency crew egress on the ground after landing is through the 

ejectable left overhead window. 

CONFIGURATION 

Outwardly, Challenger may not look greatly different from her sister orbiter Columbia, but weight-saving design 

changes have trimmed Challenger by 1,128 kg (2,486 lb.). Challenger weighs 67,876 kg (149,642 lb.) "dry" while 

Columbia weighs 69,004 kg (152,128 lb.). 

Loaded with crew, cargo, consumables and experiments, Challenger will weigh 117,267 kg (258,529 lb.) at launch. 

Heaviest cargo to date, TDRS-A and its cradle weigh 19,550 kg (43,100 lb.) (TDRS-A 2,268 kg (5,000 lb.); IUS 

14,746 kg (32,509 lb.); cradle 2,536 kg (5,592 lb.). The Mini-Modular Auxiliary Data System (Mini-MADS), 

replacing the 4,476 kg (9,868 lb.) Developmental Flight Instrumentation (DFI) flown on earlier flights, weighs 298 

kg (656 lb.). Three GAS canisters weighing 552 kg (1,270 lb.) and various payload attachment hardware bring the 

total weight in the Payload bay to 21,144 kg (46,615 lb.). 

The STS-6 vehicle, with lightweight external tank and solid rocket booster casings, will weigh 2,O36,856 kg 

(4,490,498 lb.) at SRB ignition just 880 kg (1,939 lb.) more than the STS-5 vehicle at launch. 

UPRATED ENGINES 

The Challenger engines, numbers 2012, 2015 and 2017, will deliver 104 percent of rated thrust, a higher thrust level 

than the engines on Columbia, which were operated at 100 percent. For each percent increase of thrust over 100 

percent, the Shuttle gains 454 kg (1,000 lb.) of payload carrying capability. 

This higher thrust level was accomplished by incorporating redesigned engine parts into the original engine design. 

The changes were necessary because of higher temperatures, pressures and pump speeds that the new engines will 

encounter at the higher thrust level. All the changes were proved out in a very intense engine testing program, which 

included more than 45,000 seconds of engine firings. 

Significant engine changes include: use of higher strength liquid oxygen posts in the main injector due to higher 

temperatures and pressures; use of a modified fuel preburner because of previous erosion of turbine blades and 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 17

thermal shield nut erosion; and using thicker tubes and redesigning coolant supply lines in the nozzle to 

accommodate high loads at ignition. 

The test program and manufacture of the main engines is carried out by the Rocketdyne Division of Rockwell 

International under the direction of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 

LIGHTER WEIGHT BOOSTERS 

A new, lighter-weight motor case has been developed for the Space Shuttle's solid rocket boosters which will 

increase the Shuttle's weight carrying capability by about 363 kg (800 lb.). Weights may vary slightly for each 

mission. 

Each booster's motor case used on STS-6 and future flights will weigh about 44,452 kg (98,000 lb.) which is 

approximately 1,814 kg (4,000 lb.) less than those flown on previous Shuttle flights. The weight reduction was 

achieved by reducing the thickness of the casings' steel skin about two-hundredths to four-hundredths of an inch. 

Areas of the cases affected by the reduction are the cylindricals attach and stiffener segments. 

The thinner casings of the motors will not affect their reusability. Also, the lighter case segments will be 

interchangeable with the heavier cases flown on previous Shuttle flights. 

The motor cases for the boosters are manufactured by the Rohr Corp. for the motor prime contractor, the Wasatch 

Div. of Morton Thiokol Corp., Brigham City, Utah, under the direction of Marshall Space Flight Center. 

LIGHTWEIGHT TANK 

Beginning with the external tank built for use on STS-6, all future tanks will be more than 4,536 kg (10,000 lb.) 

lighter than the tank which flew on the Space Shuttle's maiden flight in April 1981. Although, the weight of each 

future tank may vary slightly, each will weigh about 30,390 kg (67,000 lb.). 

The advantage of using a lighter weight tank is that for each pound of weight reduced from the tank, the Shuttle 

gains almost an extra pound of cargo carrying capability. 

The weight reduction was accomplished by eliminating portions of stringers (structural stiffeners running the length 

of the hydrogen tank), using fewer stiffener rings and by modifying major frames in the hydrogen tank. 

Also, significant portions of the tank are milled differently to reduce thickness, and the weight of the tank's aft solid 

rocket booster attachments was reduced by using a stronger, yet lighter and less expensive titanium alloy. 

Several hundred pounds were eliminated earlier by deleting an antigeyser line. The STS-5 tank was the first flown 

with this modification. 

Development is continuing to further reduce the weight of future tanks. 

The external tank is actually made up of two tanks and a collar-like intertank which connects the two. The two 

individual tanks carry the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen for the Space Shuttle's three main engines. Total length 

and diameter of the tank remains unchanged due to the weight reduction. 

The final 34,927 kg (77,000 lb.) tank, which was manufactured earlier than the lighter-weight tank used for STS-6, 

will be flown on STS-7. 

The tanks are manufactured by the Michoud Division of Martin Marietta Aerospace, near New Orleans, under the 

direction of Marshall Space Flight Center. 
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STS-6 EXTERNAL TANK WEIGHT REDUCTION SUMMARY 

Intertank 635 kg (1,400 lb.) 

Liquid Hydrogen Tank 1,500 kg (3,300 lb.) 

Thermal Protection System 600 kg (1,326 lb.) 

Propulsion System (includes lines and valves connecting the tank and orbiter) 150 kg (330 lb.) 

Instrumentation 907 kg (2,000 lb.) 

All other (includes attach points, electrical systems, range safety, etc.) 907 kg (2,000 lb.) 

 

Total Weight Reduction 4,700 10,356 lb. 
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WHAT IF THINGS GO WRONG 

Shuttle launch abort philosophy aims toward safe and intact recovery of the flight crew, the orbiter and the 

payloads. 

In descending order of desirability, abort modes are as follows. 

• Abort-to-orbit (ATO) - partial loss of main engine thrust late enough to permit reaching a minimal 194-km 

(105-nm) orbit with orbital maneuvering system engines. 

• Abort-once-around (AOA) - earlier main engine shutdown, but near enough orbital speed to allow one orbit 

around to Northrup Strip (Space Harbor) at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. 

• Trans-Atlantic abort landing (TAL) - loss of two main engines midway through powered flight, forcing a 

landing at Dakar, Senegal International Airport. 

• Return to Launch Site (RTLS) - early shutdown of one or more engines and without enough energy to make 

Dakar; pitch-around and thrust back toward Kennedy Space Center until within gliding distance of Shuttle 

runway. 

STS-6 contingency landing sites are Kennedy; Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.; White Sands Missile Range, N.M.; 

Hickam Air Force Base/Honolulu International, Hawaii; Kadena Air Force Base, Okinawa; and Rota Naval Air 

Station, Spain. 
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LANDING AND POSTLANDING OPERATIONS 

The Kennedy Space Center is responsible for ground operations of the orbiter vehicle once it has rolled to a stop on 

the runway at Edwards, including preparations for returning the vehicle to Kennedy Space Center to be readied for 

its next mission. 

After Challenger has rolled to a stop, the flight crew will begin safing vehicle systems. At the same time, the 

recovery convoy will be making its way toward the vehicle. 

Specially-garbed technicians will first determine that residual hazardous vapors are below significant levels in order 

for other safing operations to proceed. A mobile wind machine is positioned near the vehicle to disperse highly 

concentrated levels of explosive vapors. 

once the initial safety assessment is made, access vehicles will be positioned at the rear of the orbiter so that lines 

from ground purge and cooling vehicles can be connected to the T-O umbilical panels on the aft end of the orbiter. 

Freon line connections will be completed and coolant will begin circulating through the umbilicals to aid in heat 

rejection and protect the orbiter's electronic equipment. Other lines will provide cool, humidified air through the 

umbilicals to the orbiter's payload bay and other cavities to remove any residual explosive or toxic fumes and 

provide a safe, clean environment inside the Challenger. 

The mobile white room will be moved in place around the crew access hatch once it is verified there are no 

concentrations of toxic gases around the forward part of the vehicle. The hatch will be opened and the flight crew 

will leave the orbiter. other astronauts will replace the flight crew and complete safing of the vehicle. 

A tow tractor will be connected to Challenger and the vehicle will be pulled off the runway at Edwards and 

positioned inside the Mate/Demate Device at the nearby Dryden Flight Research Facility. 

At the Mate/Demate Device, Challenger's fuel cell storage tanks will be drained and unused pyrotechnic devices 

will be disconnected. Plugs will be installed in engine nozzles and vent ports and the aerodynamic tail cone will be 

installed over the three main engines. The orbiter will then be bolted on top of the 7 47 Shuttle carrier aircraft. 

The 747 is scheduled to leave California on its one-day ferry flight to Kennedy six days after landing. There will be 

a stop to refuel the 747 and to change flight crews. Weather permitting, the ferry flight may continue on the same 

day. 
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TRACKING AND DATA RELAY SATELLITE SYSTEM (TDRSS) 

TDRS-A is the first of three identical spacecraft which are planned for the TDRS system. The TDRS system was 

developed following studies in the early 1970s which showed that a system of telecommunication satellites operated 

from a single ground station could better support the Space Shuttle and planned scientific and application mission 

requirements and, at the same time also halt the spiraling cost escalation of upgrading and operating a worldwide 

tracking and communications network of ground stations. 

In addition to the Space Shuttle, the TDRSS will be equipped to support up to 26 user satellites simultaneously and 

will provide two basic types of service: a multiple access service which can relay data from as many as 2O low data 

rate user satellites simultaneously, and a single access service which will provide two high data rate communication 

relays. 

The TDRSS spacecraft will be deployed from the orbiter Challenger approximately 11 hours after launch. Transfer 

to geosynchronous orbit will be provided by the solid propellant inertial upper stage (IUS). Separation from the 

upper stage occurs approximately 17 hours after launch. Required earth pointing for TDRS commands and 

telemetry, plus thermal control maneuvers, will be done by the upper stage between first and second stage burns. 

Deployment of the solar panels, C-band antenna and space ground link antenna occur prior to TDRS separation 

from the upper stage. The single access parabolic antennas deploy after separation and subsequent to acquisition of 

the sun and earth by spacecraft sensors utilized for attitude control. Attitude and velocity adjustments place the 

TDRS into its final geostationary position. The TDRS is three-axis stabilized with the body fixed antennas pointing 

constantly at the earth while the solar arrays track the sun. 

The ground station network now in operation by NASA is able to provide communications support for only a small 

fraction (typically 15 percent) of the orbital period. The TDRSS network, when established, should provide 

coverage for almost the entire orbital period of a user spacecraft. 

The TDRSS does no processing of user traffic, in either direction. Thus, the TDRSS operates as a "bent-pipe" 

repeater; in other words, it relays signals and data between the user spacecraft and ground terminal. 

A TDRSS ground terminal has been built at White Sands, N.M., which provides a location at a longitude with a 

clear line-of-sight to the TDR satellites and a place where rain conditions do not interfere with the availability of the 

K-band uplink and downlink channels. 

Also-located at White Sands is the NASA Ground Terminal (NGT), which provides the interface between the 

TDRSS and the other TDRSS network elements which have their primary tracking and communication facilities at 

Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Also located at Goddard are the Network Control Center (NCC), 

which provides system scheduling and is the focal point for NASA communications with the TDRSS and the other 

TDRSS network elements; the operating Support Computing Facility (OSCF), which provides the network with 

orbital predictions and definitive orbit calculations for user spacecraft and the TDRSS; and the NASA 

Communications Network (NASCoM), which provides the common carrier interface at network locations and 

consists of domestic satellites and their interface through earth terminals at Goddard, White Sands, and the Johnson 

Space Center in Houston, Texas. 

The Network Control Center at Goddard contains data processing equipment and software. Console operators 

monitor the data, schedule emergency interfaces, isolate faults in the system, account for the system, test the system, 

and simulate user spacecraft. The user services available from the TDRSS network are sent through the NASA 

Communications Network (NASCoM), a global system that provides long-line operational communications support 

to all NASA projects. It offers voice, data, and teletype links with the TDRSS network, the Ground Spaceflight 

Tracking and Data Network (GSTDN) and the user spacecraft control centers. NASCOM's circuits are provided and 
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operated by commercial carriers under contract to NASCoM, which sends the TDRSS user data to the Operations 

Support Computer Facility (OSCF) and to the Sensor Data Processing Facility (SDPF), also at Goddard. The Sensor 

Data Processing Facility receives the telemetry and image data directly from the users through TDRSS or a ground 

station via the NASCoM or from magnetic tapes recorded and mailed from a ground station. At the Sensor Data 

Processing Facility the data are processed and distributed, including editing, time tagging, decommutating, 

formatting, and applying ancillary data. In addition, selected data are monitored for fault isolation. 

All of the telemetry data are routed directly to a user's Payload operations Control Center (POCC). Each payload 

center is tailored to a specific space mission, providing support to one spacecraft or to a series of spacecraft in a 

project. Scientists, engineering and other technical experts in the center process experiment status, command and 

telemetry; handle attitude data for proper orientation of cameras and measuring instruments in the payload; control 

the payload operations and instrument sensors; and plan and analyze the mission. 

The Payload operations Control Center interfaces directly with the scientific investigators to plan payload 

experiment operations and to determine support requirements. 

Thus, a coordinated ground effort exists between the TDRSS network's NASA Ground Terminal, Network Control 

Center, the NASA Communications Network, and each Payload operations Control Center to unite users with their 

spacecraft for command, telemetry, and data. 
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TDRS-1 DEPLOYMENT TIMELINE 

Nominal MET* Event 

 

01:45:00 Payload bay doors open. 

08:25:00 TDRS tilt table elevated to 29 degrees. 

09:16:00 Final TDRS pre-deployment radio frequency check. 

09:21:00 Final "go/no go" to crew for deployment. 

09:38:00 IUS switched to internal power. 

09:48:00 TDRS tilt table elevated to 59 degrees. 

10:01:22 IUS/TDRS deployed from payload bay. (orbit #8, 153 nm altitude) 

10:19:00 Orbiter performs OMS separation maneuver. 

10:56:00 IUS first stage ignited for 2-minute, 31-second burn injecting TDRS into transfer orbit. (Range 

about 32 miles from orbiter.) Transfer orbit phase (5 hours, 18 minutes), with IUS in thermal 

control mode. Five TDRS omni-directional antenna "dip-out" tests performed over tracking 

stations, two of which will involve the relay of commands from White Sands Ground Terminal. 

16:14:00 IUS first stage jettisoned. 

16:16:00 IUS second stage ignited for l-minute, 43-second burn, placing TDRS into geosynchronous 

orbit at 56 degrees west longitude. 

16:33:00 Deployment of solar panels begins. 

16:37:00 Space/ground link antenna deployed. 

16:45:00 C-band antenna deployed. 

16:51:00 Solar panels in operating configuration. 

16:55:00 IUS separation from TDRS. 

17:08:00 Single access antenna (Ku- and S-band) deployment begins. 

19:35:00 Single access antennas fully deployed. 

21:47 :00 TDRS in operating configuration. 

 

Other Deployment Opportunities 

 

11:27 :00 Orbit #9 

13:00:00 Orbit #10 

24:05:00 Orbit #18 

*Minor changes may occur in this schedule. 
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The TDR satellites are the largest privately owned telecommunications spacecraft ever built, each weighing about 

2,268 kg (5,000 lb.). Each satellite spans more than 17.4 m (57 ft.) measuring across the solar panels. The singleaccess antennas, fabricated of woven molybdenum mesh and plated with 14K gold, each measure 4.9 m (16 ft.) in 

diameter, and when deployed, span more than 12.8 m (42 ft.) from tip to tip. 

The TDR satellites are composed of three distinct modules: an equipment model, a communications payload 

module, and an antenna module. The modular structure reduces the cost of individual design and construction 

efforts that, in turn, lowers the cost of each satellite. 

The equipment module housing the subsystems that operate the satellite and the communications service is located 

in the lower hexagon of the spacecraft. The attitude control subsystem stabilizes the satellite so that the antennas 

have the proper orientation toward the earth and the solar panels toward the sun. The electrical power subsystem 

consists of two solar panels that provide a 10-year life span of approximately 1,700 watts power. The thermal 

control subsystem consists of surface coatings and controlled electric heaters. 

The communications payload module is composed of the electronic equipment and associated antennas required for 

linking the user spacecraft with the ground terminal. The receivers and transmitters are mounted in compartments on 

the back of the single-access antennas to reduce complexity and possible circuit losses. 

The antenna module is composed of four antennas. For single-access services, each TDR satellite has two dual-feed 

S-band/Ku-band deployable parabolic antennas. These antennas are 4.9 m (16 ft.) attached on two axes that can 

move horizontally or vertically to focus the beam on orbiting spacecraft below. Those antennas are used primarily to 

relay communications to and from user spacecraft. The high bit-rate service made possible by these antennas is 

available to users on a time-shared basis. Each antenna simultaneously supports two user spacecraft services (one at 

S-band and one at Ku-band). For multiple-access service, the multi-element S-band phased array of helical radiators 

is mounted on the satellite body. The multiple-access forward link (between TDRS and the user spacecraft) 

transmits command data to the user spacecraft. In the return link, the signal outputs from the array elements are sent 

separately to the White Sands Ground Terminal parallel processors. 

A fourth antenna, a 2-m (6.5-ft.) parabolic reflector, provides the prime link for relaying transmissions to and from 

the ground terminal at Ku-band. 

The satellites are the first designed to handle telecommunications services through three frequency bands: S, Ku, 

and C. 

The TDRSS network will have all three satellites in geosynchronous orbit, over the equator. TDRS East will be 

located at 41 degrees west longitude over the Atlantic Ocean; TDRS West will be 171 degrees west longitude, about 

mid-Pacific ocean. The position of the TDRS in-orbit spare tentatively has been assigned a location of 79 degrees 

west longitude, which is over the Pacific just off the coast of South America. The second TDRS satellite is 

scheduled for launch in June 1983, on STS-8, with TDRS-C scheduled for March 1984 on STS-12. 

Under contract, NASA has leased the TDRSS from the Space Communications Co. (SPACECOM) of Gaithersburg, 

Md., the owner, operator and prime contractor for the system. SPACECOM was established as a wholly-owned 

subsidiary of the Western Union Corp. in 1976. In late 1979, Western Union reached an agreement with Fairchild 

Industries, Inc. and Continental Telephone Corp. for each to acquire a 25 percent interest in SPACECOM. The company is under contract to NASA to provide 10 years of continuous telecommunication services beginning in 1983. 

TRW Space and Technology Group in Redondo Beach, Calif., and the Harris Government Communications System 

Division in Melbourne, Fla., are the two prime subcontractors under SPACECOM for spacecraft and ground 

terminal equipment, respectively. 
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The satellite was rolled out at TRW's California plant on Nov. 4 and arrived at the Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 

14. 

The first scheduled user of the TDRSS network is the Landsat 4 earth resources satellite, which was launched from 

Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., last July 16. Landsat 4 is an experimental spacecraft with powerful remotesensing capabilities from both a multi-spectral scanner and a thematic mapper. Other major users of the TDRSS 

include Spacelab and the Space Telescope. Other future users of the TDRSS network will include the Cosmic 

Background Explorer (COBE), which will explore the diffuse cosmic background radiation of the universe; Gamma 

Ray Observatory (GRO), which will make a high-sensitivity survey of the galactic plane to study galactic structure, 

gamma-ray emission and spatial variations; Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE), which will obtain an 

accurate measurement of the earth's monthly radiation budget for the upper atmosphere and for regional, zonal, and 

global spatial scales; and the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), which will study the chemistry and 

physical processes acting upon and within the stratosphere, mesospheres and the lower thermosphere. 
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INERTIAL UPPER STAGE (IUS) 

The Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) will be used to place NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-A) into 

geosynchronous earth orbit. 

The STS-6 crew will begin deployment activities approximately nine hours after Challenger reaches a low earth 

orbit of 283 km (153 nm, 176 st. mi.). Upper stage airborne support equipment, located in the orbiter payload bay, 

will be used to position the IUS/TDRS-A combined vehicle into the proper deployment attitude -- an angle of 59 

degrees -- and "kick" it into low earth orbit. Deployment will be by a spring eject system.. 

Following deployment from Challenger's payload bay, the orbiter will move away from the IUS/TDRS-A to a safe 

distance. The first stage will fire about 55 minutes after deployment from the payload bay. 

Following the aft (first) stage burn of two minutes 33 seconds, the solid fuel motor shuts down and the two stages 

separate. After coasting for several hours the forward (second) stage motor ignites at six hours 12 minutes after 

deployment for the final push to higher orbit. Following a 1-minute, 44-second burn, the forward stage will shut 

down as the IUS/TDRS-A reaches the predetermined geosynchronous orbit position. 

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

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

After the IUS upper stage reaches a safe distance from the TDRS-1, the 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. 

A number of advanced features distinguish the IUS 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 high-temperature, longduration 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. 

Physically, IUS is 5.18 m (17 ft.) long, 2.7 m (9 ft.) in diameter, and weighs more than 14,515 kg (32,000 lb.). The 

NASA version of the IUS contains 12,247 kg (27,000 lb.) of solid fuel propellant. 

The IUS-1 consists of an aft skirt; an aft (first) stage that contains 9,707 kg (21,400 lb.) of solid propellant fuel and 

generates 20,685 kg (45,600 lb.) of thrust; an interstage; a forward (second) stage that contains 2,720 kg (6,000 lb.) 

of propellant and generates 8,390 kg (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, demonstrated reliability and lower cost. 

An Air Force Inertial Upper Stage, similar to the NASA IUS-1, was launched in September 1982 aboard an Air 

Force Titan 34D expendable launch vehicle. 

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

Command. Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., is NASA's lead center for IUS development and program 

management. 
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SPACEWALK INTO THE CARGO BAY 

The extravehicular activity (EVA) planned for STS-6 is virtually a replay of that which had been planned for STS-5 

and scrubbed because of equipment problems. 

Mission specialists Donald Peterson and Dr. Story Musgrave will enter the airlock and don extravehicular mobility 

units (EMUs -- also known as spacesuits) before pre-breathing 100 percent oxygen for three hours. The orbiter 

cabin will remain pressurized at 14.7 psi during the extravehicular activity, planned for the fourth day of the flight. 

After depressurizing the airlock to space vacuum, Peterson and Musgrave will attach safety tethers prior to moving 

aft along the hinge line slide wires to the aft bulkhead, one observing the other as each translates aft. Spacesuit 

status checks are scheduled throughout the extravehicular activity. Enroute to the aft bulkhead, both crewmen will 

inspect the now empty IUS cradle and evaluate payload bay lighting, suit radio communications and other aspects 

affecting future extravehicular activities. 

Translating forward to a work station and toolbox, both will next evaluate unstowage and handling of tools adapted 

or built for extravehicular activity use. While at the work station, spacesuit joint mobility and reach, and suit-tobody zero-g pressure points will be evaluated. 

Both crewmen next move again to the aft bulkhead where they rig the aft winch cable through rollers and a snatch 

block to the IUS cradle to simulate contingency restowing of a stuck IUS cradle. 
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Against the forward bulkhead, the crewmen operate the forward winch against an "Exergenie" acting as a dummy 

load on the winch line. 

A bag of tools will be transformed into a sort of space barbell in an evaluation of moving an object of large mass as 

one crewman tows the tool bag to the aft bulkhead and back again. 

Tools and equipment restowed, both men enter the airlock, close the hatch and repressurize to cabin pressure, 

ending the extravehicular activity at three and a half to four hours. 
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STS-6 EXPERIMENTS 

ELECTROPHORESIS EXPERIMENT 

The Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System, the first commercial experiment flown aboard the Space Shuttle, 

makes a return visit to space on STS-6. In addition to experimentation by the company, this flight marks the first use 

of the device by NASA scientists to expand the knowledge base of electrophoretic separation processes and further 

characterize the effects of gravity on continuous flow electrophoresis. 

NASA's use of the system for its own research is part of the consideration provided to the space agency under the 

terms of the NASA/McDonnell Douglas Joint Endeavor Agreement. This agreement provides a vehicle for private 

enterprise and NASA to work together to promote the utilization of space where a technological advancement is 

needed and there is a potential commercial application. 

During this flight McDonnell Douglas will seek to verify that the device separates materials to purity levels four 

times higher than those possible on earth. McDonnell Douglas separated samples of rat and egg albumin and cell 

culture fluid in the device during the STS-4 flight. Similar model protein samples will be separated on this flight. 

NASA's first sample, which will be the initial sample to be run in the device during the mission, is a high 

concentration of hemoglobin and will be used to evaluate the flow profile during the continuous flow 

electrophoresis unit operating in weightlessness. The second NASA sample, a mixture of hemoglobin and a 

polysaccharide, is intended to evaluate resolution of the separation and investigate separation of different molecular 

configurations. 

The agreement provides that general equipment performance data and the results from NASA's experiments using 

the device will be made public. 

The electrophoresis system, developed by the McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Co., St. Louis, Mo., and initially 

carried into space on STS-4, has the potential for separating biological materials for both research and the 

production of pharmaceuticals. The device is designed to separate biological materials according to their surface 

electrical charge as they pass through an electric field. Unlike previous electrophoresis experiments conducted in 

space on the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project and on STS-2, this device processes large quantities of materials carried in a 

continuous stream. 

During the next two years, McDonnell Douglas' 249-kg (550 lb.), 1.8-m (6-ft.) high device is scheduled to be flown 

four more times in the orbiter middeck to identify materials that might be candidates for commercial development. 

Provided these experimental operations prove successful, the next step would be for a 2,268-kg (5,000-lb.) 

prototype production unit to be carried in the cargo bay on future Shuttle flights. This fully automated system will 

have 24 separation chambers, compared with the one chamber in the Present unit. 

The NASA experiments are supervised by Dr. Robert Snyder, Chief. Separation Processes Branch. Marshall Space 

Flight Center. 

MONODISPERSE LATEX REACTOR 

The Monodisperse Latex Reactor (MLR), is a materials processing in space experiment carried and operated in the 

middeck area of the orbiter cabin. The purpose of this experiment is to study the kinetics involved with the 

production of uniformly sized (monodisperse) latex beads (tiny spheres) in a low-gravity environment where the 

effects of buoyancy and sedimentation are minimized. 

The experiment consists of four, 3-m (l-ft.)-tall reactors, each containing a chemical latex-forming recipe, housed in 

a .6-m (2-ft.)-tall metal cylinder. The recipe consists of a suspension of very small latex beads in water plus other 

chemical ingredients which cause the beads to polymerize when the experiment is activated on orbit. 
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The reactor was carried into space on two previous Shuttle missions. The experiment worked on its maiden voyage 

in space on STS-3 and produced quantities of 5-micron latex particles. During the STS-4 flight, the chemical 

processing was not completed because of a hardware malfunction. Engineers have since identified the malfunction 

and have made necessary modifications. On STS-6, the experiment will study the effects of varying processing 

parameters to better understand limitations in producing uniformly larger diameter spheres on earth. Latex spheres 

up to 10 microns in diameter are expected to be obtained. 

Monodispersed particles may have medical and industrial research applications. Some of the proposed applications 

of the latex beads include measuring the size of pores in the wall of the intestine in cancer research; measuring the 

size of pores in the human eye in glaucoma research; and as a carrier of drugs and radioactive isotopes for treatment 

of cancerous tumors. The National Bureau of Standards has also indicated its interest in routine use of the beads as 

calibration standards in medical and scientific equipment. 

Prior to launch, each of the reactors is loaded with 100 cubic centimeters of the chemical latex forming recipe. A 

small onboard computer will control the experiment after the Shuttle crew turns it on. In orbit, the latex mixture is 

heated to a constant 70-degree centigrade which initiates a chemical reaction to form the larger plastic beads. A 

recorder will store all data produced during operation of the experiment. The experiment requires about 20 hours of 

processing time. The reactor will be removed from the Challenger at the landing site and returned to the 

experimenters for sample and data analysis. 

The principal investigator on the experiment is Dr. John W. Vanderhoff of Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa. The 

three coinvestigators are Drs. Fortunato J. Micale and Mohamed S. El Aasser, also of Lehigh, and Dale M. Kornfeld 

of the Marshall Space Flight Center. 

NIGHTTIME/DAYLIGHT OPTICAL SURVEY OF THUNDERSTORM LIGHTNING 

An experiment which studies lightning and thunderstorms from orbit is being flown again on STS-6. The 

experiment, entitled the Nighttime/Daylight optical Survey of Thunderstorm Lightning, has been conducted on two 

previous Shuttle flights, STS-2 and STS-4. The techniques developed to identify lightning discharges in this 

experiment help in the development of sensors to identify severe weather situations from future meteorological 

satellites. 

The lightning survey will be conducted by the Shuttle astronauts from the orbiter crew compartment using a motion 

picture camera to study lightning flashes visible above thunderstorms. When a target is in view, a crew member will 

use the camera to photograph through the windows of the crew cabin and will narrate his observations onto one 

channel of a tape recorder. 

The experiment hardware consists of a 16-mm data acquisition camera, a two-channel cassette tape recorder, and a 

photo-optical detector mounted on the camera 

Lightning discharges are detected by the photo-optical system (photocell), which creates an electronic pulse in 

response to the detection of a lightning flash. These pulses will be recorded on the other recorder channel. A 

lightning event, which is visible as only one flash, is usually composed of many separate discharges, or strokes, 

which are distinguished by the photocell. 

Thus, the photocell will also be used to study individual lightning strokes. In order to synchronize the photo-optical 

system pulses with the film in the camera, signals corresponding to camera shutter pulses will be recorded on the 

same track of the tape recorder as the astronaut narration. 

The motion picture camera also will be used during the day to film cloud structure and the convective circulations 

of storms. 

Candidate storms for this experiment will be targeted for the astronauts by a team of scientists at Marshall's Space 

Science Laboratory using a sophisticated developmental weather system called the Man-Computer Interactive Data 
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Access System (McIDAS). When a potential storm is identified along the projected track path of the orbiter, the 

coordinates are given to Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center so that the astronauts will be alerted. The data 

access system is a NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsored system based 

at the University of Wisconsin. 

According to scientists who are analyzing the experiment results to date, the most impressive data gathered during 

the fourth Shuttle flight last June shows lightning bolts which formed a huge "Y' shape illuminating an area as large 

as 400 square kilometers. The photographs of the thunderstorms from orbit, taken over South America during a 

night pass, revealed lightning bolts as long as 40 km (25 mi.), and simultaneous occurrences of lightning 100 km 

(62 mi.) away. 

Principal investigator is Dr. Bernard Vonnegut, of the State University of New York, Albany; co-investigators are 

Otha Vaughan Jr., of Marshall's Space Sciences Laboratory and Dr. Marx Brook, of the New Mexico Institute of 

Mining and Technology, Socorro. 

GETAWAY SPECIAL

Officially titled Small Self-Contained Payloads, the Getaway Special program is offered by NASA to provide 

anyone who wishes the opportunity to fly a small experiment aboard the Space Shuttle. The experiment must be of a 

scientific research and development nature. 

The Getaway Specials, which are flown on Shuttle missions on a space-available basis, are available to industry, 

educational organizations, and domestic and foreign governments, as well as individual citizens for legitimate 

scientific purposes. 

Three Getaway Special payloads will fly on STS-6. They are: 

• Artificial Snow Crystal Experiment - a $10,000, 5 cubic-foot experiment, sponsored by the Asahi Shimbun 

newspaper in Tokyo. 

• Seed Experiment - a $3,000, 2 1/2 cubic-foot experiment by the George W. Park Seed Co. of Greenwood, S.C. 

• SCENIC FAST - (FAST meaning FAlcon Shuttle Test) a $10,000, 5 cubic-foot experiment designed by U.S. 

Air Force Academy cadets at Colorado Springs. The payload contains six separate experiments. 

The Asahi Shimbun, one of the largest newspapers in Japan with circulation of eight million, selected the snow 

crystal experiment from 17,000 ideas solicited from its readers. The idea to make artificial snowflakes in the 

weightlessness of space was proposed by two Japanese high school students, Haruhiko Oda and Toshio Ogaway 

(both boys). 

The reason the Asahi Shimbun chose the snow experiment stems from the fact that the first artificial snow crystal in 

the world was made and investigated by a Japanese physicist, the late Ikichiro Nakaya, in 1936. 

The payload was designed and manufactured by Nippon Electric Co. (NEC), the leadings satellite maker in Japan. 

NEC has made 15 of 23 Japanese satellites. 

The heart of the payload is two identical small copper boxes 4 cm x 4 cm x 10 cm (1.5 in. x 1.5 in. x 3.9 in.). Two 

semiconductor cooling modules are attached to each box to cool down the inside of the boxes to 15 Centigrade (59 

Fahrenheit). On the end of the box, there is a small water container made of porous sintered metal in which 20 

grams (0.7 of an ounce) of water is stored 

In the near zero weightlessness of orbit, the water in the container will be heated by a simple electrical heater up to 

2030 C (68-86 F) to generate water vapor which will be supplied continuously into the cooled box. Then, a very 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 42

small platinum heater on which a few milligrams of silver iodine is attached will be heated up. The silver iodine will 

sublimate and small particles of the silver iodine will serve as seeds of nuclei for artificial snow crystals. 

Scientists have speculated that there will be very symmetrical snow crystals in weightlessness or that some spherical 

crystals may be formed in space, but no one knows the correct answer. 

The snow crystals formed in space will be recorded on videotape with four TV cameras and four video tape 

recorders (VTRs). The lenses of the TV camera will magnify the images of the crystals. 

The experiment is expected to contribute to crystallography, especially the crystal growth of semi-conductors or 

other materials from a vapor source. 

The Park Seed Co. will send 11.3 kg (25 lb.) of common fruit and vegetable seeds into orbit. The 40 varieties -- 

from potatoes to sweet corn -- will be aboard the Shuttle, according to George Park Jr., assistant vice president. 

Park explained that 21st Century space stations and lunar bases will have to grow their own food from seeds in 

special, enclosed environments because food itself is too bulky to carry into space. 

As a result, the Park Co. believes there's a market in the future. 

The firm's primary objective is to determine how seeds must be packaged to withstand space flight. 

While nothing will be grown in the seed experiment, seeds will be germinated once they are returned to earth. Two 

other identical groups of seeds left on the ground also will be studied for comparison. 

Some of the seeds are packaged in simple Dacron bags, and others are sealed airtight in plastic pouches. One seed 

batch will be packed along the perimeter of the metal Getaway Special canister that houses the experiment, leaving 

it exposed to severe temperatures and cosmic radiation. Another batch of seeds will be sealed in the center of the 

canister where there is greater shielding from the space environment. 

Researchers with the seed company plan to study the effects of the extreme temperature changes and radiation on 

the seeds. In some instances, extra doses of radiation may be beneficial to farmers, Park explained, who welcome a 

greater probability of seed mutations. With mutations come a genetic diversity that might mean hardier breeds of 

plants, he said. 

Extreme fluctuations in temperatures, on the other hand, he explained, might take their toll. Park believes this 

experiment will provide some ground rules for the future transport of food in space. 

The six experiments being conducted by the U.S. Air Force Academy cadets were developed in an engineering 

design course during the past five years. Four of the experiments are controlled by an internal sequencer, while the 

other two will be turned on separately. The two have independent battery power. 

The responsibility of integrating all of the experiments and preparing them for spaceflight is in the hands of Maj. 

John E. Hatelid, an Assistant Professor of Astronautics and six First Class (Senior) cadets. 

The experiments, in sequence, and their project cadets are: 

• Metal Beam Joiner - to demonstrate that soldering of beams can be accomplished in space. Cadet First Class 

Harry N. Gross, 21, Harrisburg, Pa. 

• Metal Alloy - to determine if tin and lead will combine more uniformly in a zero-gravity environment. Cadet 

First Class Mark Amidon, 21, Coraopolis, Ohio. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 43

• Foam Metal - to foam metal in zero-gravity forming a metallic sponge. Cadet First Class Richard R. Neel II, 

21, Dillonville, Ohio. 

• Metal Purification - to test the effectiveness of the zone-refining methods of purification in a zero-gravity 

environment. Cadet First Class Joseph M. Streb, 22, Marriottsville, Md. 

• Electroplating - to determine how evenly a copper rod can be plated in a zero-gravity environment. Cadet First 

Class Lawrence J. Peter, 21, Cincinnati, Ohio. 

• Microbiology - to test the effects of weightlessness and space radiation on micro-organism development. Cadet 

First Class Kenneth R. Shriner, 21, Livonia. Mich. 

At a designated time in the flight, an astronaut will turn on two switches to start the electronically-sequenced 

experiments. Upon return from orbit, the experiment samples will be compared to base-line samples produced on 

earth. 

The Getaway Special Program is managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center. Project Manager is James S. 

Barrowman. Clarke Prouty, also of Goddard, is technical liaison officer. Program Manager at NASA Headquarters, 

Washington, D.C., is Donna S. Miller. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 44

HUNTSVILLE SUPPORT CENTER 

The Huntsville operations Support Center is a facility at the Marshall Space Flight Center which supports launch 

activities at the Kennedy Space Center. The operations center also supports powered flight and payload operations 

at the Johnson Space Center. 

During pre-mission testing, countdown, launch, and powered flight toward orbit, Marshall and contractor engineers 

man consoles in the support center to monitor real-time data being transmitted from the Shuttle. Their purpose is to 

evaluate and help solve problems that might occur with Marshall-developed Space Shuttle propulsion system 

elements, including the Space Shuttle main engines, external tank, and solid rocket boosters. 

They will also work problems with the overall main propulsion system and the range safety system. 

The data providing information on the health of these systems are gathered by sensors aboard the Shuttle and are 

instantaneously transmitted from the launch site to the two-story Huntsville operations Support Center. There the 

information is processed by computers and displayed on screens and other instruments at 12 stations in the 

Engineering Console Room. More than 3,000 temperature, pressure, electrical voltage and other measurements are 

made every second. During the 1O hours of peak activity before and during launch, more than 11 million 

measurements are assessed by teams of experts in the support center. 

Support center personnel view the Shuttle via two closed circuit television lines. They also have access to more than 

25 direct communications lines that link them with the launch site at Kennedy, Mission Control at Johnson, and 

with Shuttle propulsion system contractor plants. 

If a problem is detected at one of the stations in the support center console room, engineers on the consoles 

immediately alert appropriate individuals at the Kennedy and Johnson Centers, and operations center managers in 

the Shuttle action center, a conference room adjacent to the console room. They also pass the information to the 

appropriate teams of specialists in the operations center working area nearby. There are separate teams to work 

Space Shuttle Main Engine, external tank, solid rocket booster. main propulsion system, and range safety system 

difficulties. 

In addition to launch support, payload services are provided by teams of scientists operating out of specially 

equipped payload support rooms. 

SPACEFLIGHT TRACKING AND DATA NETWORK 

One of the key elements in the Shuttle mission is the capability to track the spacecraft, communicate with the 

astronauts and obtain the telemetry data that informs ground controllers of the condition of the spacecraft and the 

crew. 

The hub of this network is NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., where the Spaceflight Tracking 

and Data Network (STDN) and the NASA Communications Network (NASCOM) is located. 

STDN is a complex NASA worldwide system that provides real-time communications with the Space Shuttle 

orbiter and crew. The network is operated by Goddard. Approximately 2,500 personnel are required to operate the 

system. 

The network consists of 15 ground stations equipped with 4.3-, 9-, 12- and 26-m (14-, 30-, 40- and 85-ft.) S-band 

antenna systems and C-band radar systems, augmented by 15 DOD geographical locations providing C-band 

support and one DOD 18.3-m (60 ft.) S-band antenna system. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 45

In addition, there are six major computing interfaces located at the Network operations Control Center and at the 

operations Support Computing Facility, both at Goddard; Western Space and Missile Center, Calif.; Air Force 

Satellite Control Facility, Colo.; White Sands Missile Range, N.M.; and Eastern Space and Missile Center, Fla., 

providing real-time network computational support. 

The network has agreements with the governments of Australia, Spain, Senegal, Botswana, Chile, United Kingdom 

and Bermuda to provide NASA tracking station support to the Space Transportation System program. 

Should the Johnson Mission Control Center be seriously impaired for an extended period of time, the Goddard 

Network Operations Control Center becomes an emergency mission center manned by Johnson personnel, with the 

responsibility of safely returning the orbiter to a landing site. 

The Merritt Island, Fla., S-band station provides the appropriate data to the Launch Control Center at Kennedy and 

the Johnson Mission Control Center during prelaunch testing and the terminal countdown. During the first minutes 

of launch and during the ascent phase the Merritt Island and Ponce de Leon, Fla., S-band and Bermuda S-band 

stations, as well as the C-band stations located at Bermuda; Wallops Island, Va.; Grand Bahama; Grand Turk; 

Antigua; Cape Canaveral and Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., provide appropriate tracking data, both high speed and 

low speed, to the Kennedy and Johnson control centers. 

During the orbital phase, all the S-band and some of the C-band stations that see the Space Shuttle at 3 degrees 

above the horizon support and provide appropriate tracking, telemetry, air-ground and command support to the 

Mission Control Center at Johnson through Goddard. 

During the nominal entry and landing phase planned for Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., the Goldstone and 

Buckhorn, Calif., S-band and C-band stations at the Pacific Missile Test Center, Vandenberg Air Force Base, 

Edwards Air Force Base and Dryden Flight Research Facility, Calif., will provide highly critical tracking, telemetry, 

command and air-ground support to the orbiter and send appropriate data to the Johnson and Kennedy control 

centers. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 46

NASA TRACKING STATIONS 

Location Equipment 

 

Ascension Island (ACN) S-band, UHF A/G 

Bermuda (BDA) S-band, C-band, UHF A/G 

Buckhorn (BUC) S-band, C-band 

Goldstone (GDS) S-band, UHF A/G 

Guam (GWM) S-band, UHF A/G 

Hawaii (HAW) S-band, UHF A/G 

Merritt Island (MIL) S-band, UHF A/G 

Santiago (AGO) S-band 

Ponce de Leon (PDL) S-band 

Madrid (MAD) S-band, UHF A/G 

Orroral (ORR) S-band 

Botswana (BOT) UHF A/G 

Dakar (DKR) UHF A/G 

Wallops (WFF) C-band 

Yarragadee (YAR) UHF A/G 

Personnel: 

Tracking Stations: 1,110* 

Goddard Space Flight Center: 1,400 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 47

STS-6 CREWMEMBERS 

S82-30354 -- These four astronauts represent the first crewmembers to man the space shuttle Challenger when it 

launches from Launch Pad 39A to begin STS-6 in early 1983. Seated are Paul J. Weitz (left), crew commander, and 

Karol J. Bobko, pilot. Standing are Donald H. Peterson (left), and Story Musgrave, both mission specalists. They 

are pictured with a model of the shuttle in launch configuration, the U.S. flag and their mission emblem. 

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 or Space Administration 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 48

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA 

NAME: Paul J. Weitz (Pronounced WHITES) (Captain, USN, Retired) NASA Astronaut, STS-6 Commander 

BIRTHPLACE AND DATE: Born in Erie, Pa., on July 25, 1932. His mother, Mrs. Violet Futrell, now resides in 

Norfolk, Va. 

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Blond hair; blue eyes; height: 5 ft., 10 in.; weight: 180 lb. 

EDUCATION: Attended McKinley Elementary School in Erie, Pa., and Harborcreek High School in Harborcreek, 

Pa.; received a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering from Pennsylvania State University in 1954 

and a master's degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., in 

1964. 

MARITAL STATUS: Married to the former Suzanne M. Berry of Harborcreek, Pa.; her father is John H. Berry. 

CHILDREN: Matthew J., Sept. 23, 1958; Cynthia A., Sept. 25, 1961. 

NASA EXPERIENCE: Weitz is one of the 19 astronauts selected by NASA in April 1966. 

Weitz served as pilot on Skylab 2 (SL-2), the first manned Skylab mission, which launched on May 25 and ended 

on June 22, 1973. With him for the initial activation and 28-day flight qualification operations of the Skylab orbital 

workshop were Charles Conrad Jr., (spacecraft commander) and Joseph P. Kerwin (science-pilot). 

In logging 672 hours and 49 minutes aboard the workshop, the crew established a new world record for a single 

mission. Weitz also logged 2 hours and 11 minutes in extravehicular activities. 

Weitz retired from the United States Navy on June 1, 1976, with 22 years of service, but remains with NASA as a 

civilian astronaut. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 49

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA 

NAME: Karol J. Bobko (Colonel, USAF) NASA Astronaut, STS-6 Pilot 

BIRTHPLACE AND DATE: Born in New York City, on Dec. 23, 1937. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles P. 

Bobko, reside in Gulf Harbors, Fla. 

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Blond hair; blue eyes; height: 5 ft., 11 in.: weight: 190 lb. 

EDUCATION: Graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School, New York; received a bachelor of science degree 

from the Air Force Academy in 1959 and a master of science degree in aerospace engineering from the University 

of Southern California in 1970. 

MARITAL STATUS: Married to the former F. Dianne Welsh of Denver, Colo. Her mother, Mrs. Ann Frances 

Welsh, resides in Denver. 

CHILDREN: Michelle A., Feb. 8, 1963; Paul J., Dec. 1, 1965. 

NASA EXPERIENCE: Bobko became a NASA astronaut in September 1969. He was a crew member on the highly 

successful Skylab Medical Experiments Altitude Test (SMEAT) -- a 56-day simulation of the Skylab mission, 

enabling crewmen to collect medical experiments baseline data and evaluate equipment, operations and procedures. 

Bobko was a member of the astronaut support crew for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP). This historic first 

international manned space flight was completed in July 1975. Subsequently, he was a member of the support crew 

for the Space Shuttle approach and landing tests conducted at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. He served alternately 

as capsule communicator and prime chase pilot during these approach and landing test (ALT) flights. 

In preparation for the first flight of Columbia (STS-1), Bobko served as the lead astronaut in the test and checkout 

group at Kennedy Space Center. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 50

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA 

NAME: Story Musgrave (M.D.) NASA Astronaut, STS-6 Mission Specialist 

BIRTHPLACE AND DATE: Born Aug. 19, 1935, in Boston, Mass., but considers Lexington, Ky., to be his 

hometown. His mother, Mrs. Marguerite Swann Musgrave, resides in Houston, Texas. 

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Blond hair; blue eyes; height: 5 ft., 10 in.; weight: 149 lb. 

EDUCATION: Graduated from St. Mark's School, Southborough, Mass., in 1953; received a bachelor of science 

degree in mathematics and statistics from Syracuse University in 1958, a master of business administration degree 

in operations analysis and computer programming from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1959, a 

bachelor of arts degree in chemistry from Marietta College in 1960, a doctorate in medicine from Columbia 

University in 1964, and a master of science in physiology and biophysics from the University of Kentucky in 1966. 

MARITAL STATUS: Single. 

CHILDREN: Lorelei Lisa, March 27, 1961; Bradley Scott, July 3, 1962, Holly Kay, Dec. 13, 1963; Christopher 

Todd, May 12, 1965; and Jeffrey Paul, June 19, 1967. 

NASA EXPERIENCE: Dr. Musgrave was selected as a scientist-astronaut by NASA in August 1967. He completed 

astronaut academic training and a year of military flight training. He worked on the design and development of the 

Skylab Program, was the backup science-pilot for the first Skylab mission, and was a capsule communicator for the 

second and third Skylab missions. He was the mission specialist on the first and second Spacelab Mission 

Simulations. Musgrave participated in the design and development of all Space Shuttle extravehicular activity 

equipment including spacesuits, life support systems, airlocks, and manned maneuvering units. From 1979 to 1982, 

he was assigned as a test and verification pilot in the Space Shuttle avionics integration laboratory at JSC. He has 

continued clinical and scientific training as a part-time surgeon at the Denver General Hospital and as a part-time 

professor of physiology and biophysics at the University of Kentucky Medical Center. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 51

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA 

NAME: Donald H. Peterson (Colonel, USAF, Retired) NASA Astronaut, STS-6 Mission Specialist 

BIRTHPLACE AND DATE: Born in Winona, Miss., on Oct. 22, 1933. 

His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Henry W. Peterson, reside in 

Winona. 

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Blond hair; green eyes; height: 5 ft., 8 in.: weight: 147 lb. 

EDUCATION: Graduated from Winona City High School, received a bachelor of science degree from the United 

States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., in 1955, and a master's degree in nuclear engineering from the Air 

Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, in 1962. 

MARITAL STATUS: Married to the former Bonnie Love of Coffeeville, Miss. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Tom 

Love, reside in Coffeeville. 

CHILDREN: Donald H. Jr., July 16, 1958; Jean M., Nov. 17, 1959; Shari L., Aug. 28, 1962. 

NASA EXPERIENCE: Peterson became a NASA astronaut in September 1969. He served on the astronaut support 

crew for Apollo 16. 

Peterson retired from the United States Air Force with the rank of colonel after having completed more than 24 

years of active service, but continues his assignment as a NASA astronaut in a civilian capacity. His areas of 

responsibility have included engineering support, man/machine interface, and safety assessment. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 52

SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM MANAGEMENT 

NASA Headquarters

James M. Beggs Administrator 

Dr. Hans Mark Deputy Administrator 

Lt. General J. A. Abrahamson Associate Administrator for Space Flight 

Jesse W. Moore Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Flight 

Robert E. Smylie Associate Administrator for Space Tracking and Data Systems 

Robert O. Aller Director, Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System Division 

Lorne M. Robinson Associate Director, TDRSS Program 

Eugene Ferrick Chief, TDRSS Operations 

Ames Research Center

C. A. Sylvertson Director 

Dryden Flight Research Center

John A. Manke Facility Manager 

Gary Layton Shuttle Project Manager 

Goddard Space Flight Center

Dr. Noel Hinners Director 

Richard S. Sade Director of Networks 

Gilbert Branchflower Deputy Director for TDRSS 

Robert Browning TDRSS Program Manager 

Johnson Space Center

Gerald D. Griffin Director 

Glynn S. Lunney Manager, Space Shuttle Program 

Kennedy Space Center

Richard G. Smith Director 

Thomas E. Utsman Director, Shuttle Management and Operations 

Thomas S. Walton Director, Cargo Management and Operations 

Marshall Space Flight Center

Dr. William R. Lucas Director 

Robert E. Lindstrom Manager, Shuttle Projects Office 

Space Communications, Co.

William P. Kamachaitis President, Chief Executive Officer 

Edwin A. McCoy Vice President, TDRSS Program Manager 

William J. Koselka Vice President, Operations 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 53

SHUTTLE FLIGHTS AS OF APRIL 1983 

5 TOTAL FLIGHTS OF THE SHUTTLE SYSTEM 

STS-5 

11/11/82 - 11/16/82 

STS-4 

06/27/82 - 07/04/82 

STS-3 

03/22/82 - 03/30/82 

STS-2 

11/12/81 - 11/14/81 

STS-1 

04/12/81 - 04/14/81 

OV-102 

Columbia 

(5 flights)