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STS-61-B

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STS-61-B Langley view of the Shuttle Erectable Antenna Credit: NASA

AKA: Atlantis. Launched: 1985-11-27. Returned: 1985-12-03. Number crew: 7 . Duration: 6.88 days. Location: First Mexican astronaut..

Payloads: Deploy SATCOM (RCA-Satellite Communications) Ku-2 with Payload Assist Module (PAM)-D II. Deploy Morelos (Mexico communications satellite)-B with PAM-D. Deploy AUSSAT (Australian communications satellite)-2 with PAM-D. EASE/ACCESS (Assembly of Structures— Assembly Concept for Construction of Erectable Space Structures) by extravehicular activity (EVA) astronauts, Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System (CFES), Diffusive Mixing of Organic Solutions (DMOS), IMAX camera, one getaway special (GAS), Linhof camera and Hasselblad camera.

Orbits of Earth: 108. Distance traveled: 4,568,882 km. Orbiter Liftoff Mass: 118,664 kg. Orbiter Mass at Landing: 93,316 kg. Payload to Orbit: 21,791 kg. Payload Returned: 9,282 kg. Landed at: Concrete runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base, Cali. Landing Speed: 350 kph. Touchdown miss distance: 727 m. Landing Rollout: 3,279 m. EVA: Jerry Ross and Sherwood Spring, EVA No. 1, duration 5 hours, 34 minutes. EVA No. 2, duration 6 hours, 46 minutes.

NASA Official Mission Narrative

Mission Name: 61-B (23)
Atlantis (2)
Pad 39-A (35)
23rd Shuttle mission
2nd Flight OV-104
2nd Night launch
Shortened mission

Crew:
Brewster H. Shaw, Jr. (2), Commander
Bryan D. O'Connor (1), Pilot
Mary L. Cleave (1), Mission Specialist 1
Sherwood C. Spring (1), Mission Specialist 2
Jerry L. Ross (1), Mission Specialist 3
Rodolfo Neri Vela (1), Payload Specialist 1
Charles D. Walker (3), Payload Specialist 2

Milestones:
OPF - Oct. 12, 1985
VAB - Nov. 7, 1985
PAD - Nov. 12, 1985

Payload:
MORELOS-B,SATCOM-KU1,AUSSAT-2,EASE/ACCESS/CFES(6),UVX,IMAX-CAMERA(4),GAS
Mission Objectives:

Launch:
November 26, 1985, 7:29:00 p.m. EST. Launch proceeded as scheduled with no delays. Launch Weight: 261,455 lbs.
Orbit:
Altitude: 225nm
Inclination: 28.5 degrees
Orbits: 109
Duration: Six days, 21 hours, four minutes, 49 seconds.
Distance: 2,838,972 miles

Hardware:
SRB: BI-023
SRM: L023(HPM)
ET : 22/LWT-15
MLP : 2
SSME-1: SN-2011
SSME-2: SN-2019
SSME-3: SN-2017

Landing:
December 3, 1985, 1:33:49 p.m. PST, Runway 22, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Rollout distance: 10,759 feet. Rollout time: 78 seconds. Mission shortened one revolution due to lightning conditions at Edwards. Landed on concrete runway because lake bed was wet. Orbiter returned to KSC Dec. 7, 1985. Landing Weight: 205,732 lbs.

Mission Highlights:
Three communications satellites deployed: MORE LOS-B (Mexico), AUSSAT-2 (Australia) and SATCOM KU-2 (RCA Americom). MORELOS-B and AUSSAT-2 attached to Payload Assist Module-D motors, SATCOM KU-2 to a PAM-D2 designed for heavier payloads. Two experiments conducted to test assembling erectable structures in space: Experimental Assembly of Structures in Extravehicular Activity (EASE) and Assembly Concept for Construction of Erectable Space Structure (ACCESS). Experiments required two space walks by Spring and Ross lasting five hours, 32 minutes, and six hours, 38 minutes, respectively. Middeck payloads: Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System (CFES); Diffusive Mixing of Organic Solutions (DMOS); Morelos Payload Specialist Experiments (MPSE) and Orbiter Experiments (OEX). In payload bay: Get Away Special and IMAX Cargo Bay Camera (ICBC).

Photo Gallery

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STS-61-B Credit: www.spacefacts.de

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STS-61-B Astronaut Jerry Ross at threshold of airlock compartment following EVA Credit: NASA

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STS-61-B Astronaut Jerry Ross on RMS holds on to ACCESS device Credit: NASA

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STS-61-B Astronaut Sherwood Spring on RMS checks joints on the ACCESS device Credit: NASA

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STS-61-B Astronauts Jerry Ross and Sherwood Spring assemble ACCESS components Credit: NASA

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STS-61-B Close-up view of the RCA Satcom K-2 communications satellite Credit: NASA

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STS-61-B Deployment of the RCA Satcom K-2 communications satellite Credit: NASA

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• STS-61-B - Wakeup Song: Air Force Hymn - . Flight: STS-61-B. "Air Force Hymn" for first Air Force space shuttle commander, Brewster H. Shaw, Jr..

• STS-61-B - . Call Sign: Atlantis. Crew: Cleave, Neri Vela, O Connor, Ross, Shaw, Spring, Walker. Payload: Atlantis F02 / EASE / ACCESS. Mass: 21,791 kg (48,040 lb). Nation: USA. Related Persons: Cleave, Neri Vela, O Connor, Ross, Shaw, Spring, Walker. Agency: NASA Houston. Program: STS. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spaceplane. Flight: STS-61-B. Spacecraft Bus: Shuttle. Spacecraft: Atlantis. Duration: 6.88 days. Decay Date: 1985-12-03 . USAF Sat Cat: 16273 . COSPAR: 1985-109A. Apogee: 370 km (220 mi). Perigee: 361 km (224 mi). Inclination: 28.50 deg. Period: 91.90 min.

  Manned seven crew. Deployed Morelos 2, Aussat 2, Satcom K2, OEX. Payloads: Deploy SATCOM (RCA-Satellite Communi-cations) Ku-2 with Payload Assist Module (PAM)-D II. Deploy Morelos (Mexico communications satellite)-B with PAM-D. Deploy AUSSAT (Australian communications satellite)-2 with PAM-D. EASE/ACCESS (Assembly of Structures— Assembly Concept for Construction of Erectable Space Structures) by extravehicular activity (EVA) astronauts, Continuous Flow Electrophore-sis System (CFES), Diffusive Mixing of Organic Solutions (DMOS), IMAX camera, one getaway special (GAS), Linhof camera and Hasseblad camera.

• EVA STS-61-B-1 - . Crew: Ross, Spring. EVA Duration: 0.23 days. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Ross, Spring. Program: STS. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spaceplane. Flight: STS-61-B. Spacecraft Bus: Shuttle. Spacecraft: Atlantis. Began EASE/ACCESS (Assembly of Structures / Assembly Concept for Construction of Erectable Space Structures) structural assembly experiments..

• STS-61-B - Wakeup Song: America the Beautiful - . Flight: STS-61-B. "America the Beautiful".

• STS-61-B - Wakeup Song: Marine Corps Hymn - . Flight: STS-61-B. "Marine Corps Hymn" for pilot Bryan O'Connor.

• EVA STS-61-B-2 - . Crew: Ross, Spring. EVA Duration: 0.28 days. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Ross, Spring. Program: STS. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spaceplane. Flight: STS-61-B. Spacecraft Bus: Shuttle. Spacecraft: Atlantis. Completed EASE/ACCESS (Assembly of Structures / Assembly Concept for Construction of Erectable Space Structures) structural assembly experiments..

• STS-61-B - Wakeup Song: Notre Dame Fight Song - . Flight: STS-61-B. "Notre Dame Fight Song" or"Notre Dame Victory March", a joke played on Jerry Ross, a graduate of Purdue, one of Notre Dame's rivals by Jim Wetherbee. CAPCOM: James Wetherbee.

• STS-61-B - Wakeup Song: Born in the U.S.A - . Flight: STS-61-B. "Born in the U.S.A" Bruce Springsteen.

• Landing of STS-61-B - . Return Crew: Cleave, Neri Vela, O Connor, Ross, Shaw, Spring, Walker. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Cleave, Neri Vela, O Connor, Ross, Shaw, Spring, Walker. Program: STS. Flight: STS-61-B. STS-61-B landed at 21:33 GMT. .