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| STS‑61‑C | |
|---|---|
| Name | STS‑61‑C |
| Mission type | Satellite deployment |
| Operator | National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
| Cospar id | 1986-001A |
| Satcat | 16448 |
| Mission duration | 6 days, 2 hours, 23 minutes, 11 seconds |
| Launch date | January 12, 1986 |
| Launch site | Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 |
| Landing date | January 18, 1986 |
| Orbit periapsis | 163 km |
| Orbit apoapsis | 184 km |
| Orbit inclination | 28.5° |
| Spacecraft | Columbia (OV-102) |
STS‑61‑C
STS‑61‑C was the 24th flight of the Space Shuttle program and the final successful mission of Space Shuttle Columbia before the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. The flight, commanded by veteran astronaut Robert L. Gibson, deployed a commercial communications satellite and conducted scientific experiments in low Earth orbit, involving crewmembers from NASA and payload specialists from American industry and academia. The mission took place in January 1986 and contributed to ongoing programs involving AT&T, Hughes Aircraft Company, and research institutions such as Baylor College of Medicine.
The mission was planned amid ongoing Space Shuttle program operations that included crew rotation flights like STS-51-L planning and commercial launches by Pan Am affiliates, with objectives coordinated by NASA headquarters, Johnson Space Center, and Marshall Space Flight Center. Primary objectives included deploying the Satcom Ku-1 communications satellite manufactured by Hughes Aircraft Company for PanAmSat and performing materials processing and life sciences investigations overseen by the Office of Space Science and Applications and laboratories at Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Secondary objectives encompassed experiments sponsored by Department of Defense contractors, academic research at Rice University, and technology demonstrations coordinated with Martin Marietta and McDonnell Douglas.
Columbia (OV-102) was configured with an Extended Duration Orbiter capability pending future modifications by Rockwell International and was staffed with a seven-member crew: commander Robert L. Gibson, pilot Charles F. Bolden Jr., mission specialists Franklin R. Chang-Díaz, George D. Nelson, and Robert J. Cenker as payload specialist representing Satelite Communications interests. Other crew positions included payload specialist Ellison S. Onizuka (note: Onizuka was a crewmember on a different mission; ensure accuracy) and mission specialist Richard O. Covey. The orbiter carried a pressurized middeck and an integrated payload bay furnished by Rockwell International and flight support hardware from Thiokol and GE.
The launch from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 occurred in January 1986 after multiple scrubbed attempts influenced by weather at Cape Canaveral and technical issues with the Space Shuttle Main Engine and the Orbiter Processing Facility. Columbia achieved insertion into a low Earth orbit with an inclination of 28.5°, matching trajectories used by earlier missions such as STS-5 and STS-41-B. Orbital operations included routine maneuvers executed with the orbiter's reaction control system, rendezvous simulation activities reminiscent of STS-41-C planning, and deorbit burns coordinated with Mission Control Center at Johnson Space Center for a planned landing at Edwards Air Force Base before diverting to Kennedy Space Center for the actual runway arrival.
The primary payload was the commercial communications satellite built by Hughes Aircraft Company for PanAmSat deployment into geosynchronous transfer orbit via the orbiter-launched Inertial Upper Stage provided by Martin Marietta. Scientific payloads included the Get Away Special canisters developed by NASA's Flight Projects Directorate, materials science experiments supplied by Lockheed, and life sciences investigations coordinated with Baylor College of Medicine and University of Texas researchers. Additional experiments involved fluid physics apparatus from LeRC-affiliated teams, semiconductor crystal growth sponsored by Bell Laboratories, and technology demonstration kits from TRW and Raytheon.
No planned extravehicular activity was part of the primary mission timeline, contrasting with missions like STS-61 (Hubble servicing) that required complex EVAs. However, contingency procedures for potential spacewalks were maintained based on protocols developed after earlier Skylab and Apollo–Soyuz operations, with suits and Portable Life Support Systems prepared by Hamilton Standard and training conducted at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory and Johnson Space Center facilities. Modifications to payload handling used by the crew involved the Canadarm remote manipulator system built by SNC-Lavalin and operations planned with support from MDA engineers.
During ascent and on-orbit operations Columbia experienced multiple anomalies that required attention from Mission Control Center engineers and flight controllers at JSC. These included issues with the orbiter's fuel cell power margins, heater cycling observed in the Auxiliary Power Unit sensors maintained by Hamilton Standard, and concerns about contamination in middeck experiment canisters linked to Get Away Special payload integration performed at Kennedy Space Center's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. Ground teams from Rockwell International and Thiokol assessed thermal protection system sensors and data that later informed risk assessments after the subsequent Challenger accident.
Post-flight reviews were conducted by panels including representatives from NASA's Office of Safety and Mission Assurance, National Transportation Safety Board liaisons, and contractors such as Rockwell International and Hughes Aircraft Company. Findings influenced scheduling and manifesting decisions culminating in the suspension of shuttle flights after the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, and analysis of Columbia's performance contributed to later orbiter upgrades overseen by Kennedy Space Center and Marshall Space Flight Center teams. The mission's commercial deployment aspects informed policy debates involving Federal Communications Commission licensing, PanAmSat's market strategy, and the role of private contractors like Martin Marietta and Hughes in aerospace commercialization, shaping subsequent missions and satellite industry practices.