STS-51G

Occurred 39 years ago

STS-51G was the 18th flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the fifth flight of Space Shuttle Discovery.

Space Shuttle

Discovery

mission duration

7 days, 1 hour, 38 minutes, 52 seconds

Launch

June 17, 1985

Landing

June 24, 1985

Seven crew members pose for crew portrait

STS-51G Crew photo with Commander Daniel C. Brandenstein, Pilot John O. Creighton, Mission Specialists Shannon W. Lucid, John M. Fabian, Steven R. Nagel and Payload Specialists Patrick Baudry and Sultan Salman Al-Saud.

NASA Images

Mission Facts

Mission: MORELOS-A, ARABSAT-A and TELSTAR-3D Communications Satellites
Space Shuttle: Discovery
Launch Pad: 39A
Launch Weight: 256,524 pounds
Launched: June 17, 1985 at 7:33:00 a.m. EDT
Landing Site: Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
Landing: June 24, 1985 at 6:11:52 a.m. PDT
Landing Weight: 204,169 pounds
Runway: 23
Rollout Distance: 7,433 feet
Rollout Time: 42 seconds
Revolution: 112
Mission Duration: 7 days, 1 hour, 38 minutes, 52 seconds
Orbit Altitude: 209 nautical miles
Orbit Inclination: 28.45 degrees
Miles Traveled: 2.9 million

Crew

Daniel C. Brandenstein, Commander

John O. Creighton, Pilot

Shannon W. Lucid, Mission Specialist

Steven R. Nagel, Mission Specialist

John M. Fabian, Mission Specialist

Patrick Baudry, Payload Specialist

Sultan Salman Al-Saud, Payload Specialist

Mission Highlights

Three communications satellites, all attached to the Payload Assist Module-D (PAM-D) motors, were deployed: MORELOS-A, for Mexico; ARABSAT-A, for Arab Satellite Communications Organization; and TELSTAR-3D, for AT&T. Also flown: deployable/retrievable Shuttle Pointed Autonomous Research Tool for Astronomy (SPARTAN-1); six Get Away Special canisters; Strategic Defense Initiative experiment called the High Precision Tracking Experiment (HPTE); a materials processing furnace called Automated Directional Solidification Furnace (ADSF); and two French biomedical experiments.