STS-51-G facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
STS-51-G

Discovery deploys Morelos-1.
Names	Space Transportation System-18
Mission type	Satellites deployment
Operator	NASA
Mission duration	7 days, 1 hour, 38 minutes, 52 seconds (achieved)
Distance travelled	4,693,051 km (2,916,127 mi)
Orbits completed	112
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Space Shuttle Discovery
Launch mass	116,357 kg (256,523 lb)
Landing mass	92,610 kg (204,170 lb)
Payload mass	17,280 kg (38,100 lb)
Crew
Crew size	7
Members	Daniel C. Brandenstein John O. Creighton John M. Fabian Steven R. Nagel Shannon W. Lucid Patrick Baudry Sultan bin Salman Al Saud
Start of mission
Launch date	June 17, 1985, 11:33:00 UTC
Rocket	Space Shuttle Discovery
Launch site	Kennedy Space Center, LC-39A
Contractor	Rockwell International
End of mission
Landing date	June 24, 1985, 13:11:52 UTC
Landing site	Edwards Air Force Base, Runway 23
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Perigee	353 km (219 mi)
Apogee	359 km (223 mi)
Inclination	28.45°
Period	91.70 minutes
STS-51-G mission patch Back: Shannon W. Lucid, Steven R. Nagel, John M. Fabian, Sultan bin Salman Al Saud, Patrick Baudry, Front: Daniel C. Brandenstein, John O. Creighton Space Shuttle program ← STS-51-B (17) STS-51-F (19) →

STS-51-G was an important space mission by NASA's Space Shuttle program. It was the 18th flight of a Space Shuttle and the fifth flight for the Space Shuttle Discovery. This seven-day mission started from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on June 17, 1985. It landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on June 24, 1985.

A special part of this mission was having Sultan bin Salman Al Saud from Saudi Arabia on board. He became the first Arab, the first Muslim, and the first member of a royal family to fly into space! This mission was also the first Space Shuttle flight where all the astronauts were new to the Shuttle program.

Meet the Crew

The STS-51-G mission had a crew of seven astronauts. They worked together to complete all the tasks in space.

• Daniel C. Brandenstein was the Commander. This was his second trip to space.
• John O. Creighton was the Pilot. This was his first time in space.
• John M. Fabian was a Mission Specialist. This was his second and last space flight.
• Steven R. Nagel was a Mission Specialist. This was his first space flight.
• Shannon W. Lucid was a Mission Specialist. This was her first space flight.
• Patrick Baudry was a Payload Specialist from France. This was his only space flight. He worked for the French space agency, CNES.
• Prince Sultan bin Salman Al Saud was a Payload Specialist from Saudi Arabia. This was his only space flight. He was part of the RSAF.

Prince Sultan was the first person from a royal family to fly in space. He was also the first Arab and the first Muslim astronaut.

Crew Seating

The astronauts had specific seats for launch and landing.

Seat	Launch	Landing	This image shows where astronauts sit. Seats 1–4 are on the Flight Deck, and Seats 5–7 are on the Middeck.
S1	Brandenstein	Brandenstein
S2	Creighton	Creighton
S3	Lucid	Fabian
S4	Nagel	Nagel
S5	Fabian	Lucid
S6	Baudry	Baudry
S7	Al Saud	Al Saud

What the Mission Did

The Discovery Space Shuttle launched from Launch Complex 39A on June 17, 1985. The mission had several important goals.

Deploying Satellites

The main job of STS-51-G was to launch three communications satellites into space. These satellites help people talk to each other across the world.

• Arabsat-1B for the Arab Satellite Communications Organization.
• Morelos-1 for Mexico.
• Telstar-303 for AT&T Corporation.

All three satellites were successfully launched from Discovery. They used special booster rockets called Payload Assist Modules (PAM-D) to reach their correct orbits.

SPARTAN-1 Experiment

The mission also carried SPARTAN-1. This was a special tool for astronomy, which is the study of stars and space. SPARTAN-1 could be released from the Space Shuttle and fly on its own. It had 140 kg (310 lb) of equipment for studying space. After flying freely and collecting data, it was successfully brought back to the Space Shuttle.

Other Experiments

Discovery also carried other experiments:

• An experimental furnace for processing materials in space.
• Two French experiments to study how the human body reacts to space (French Echocardiograph Experiment (FEE) and French Postural Experiment (FPE)).
• Six "Getaway Special" (GAS) experiments. These are small, self-contained experiments that can be carried on the Space Shuttle. Most of them worked well.

The mission also tested a new autopilot system for the Space Shuttle. This system made the Shuttle even better at flying itself.

High Precision Tracking Experiment (HPTE)

Another important experiment was the High Precision Tracking Experiment (HPTE). This experiment was part of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), sometimes called "Star Wars." The HPTE was designed to track objects with high accuracy. It had a small problem deploying at first, but it was successfully deployed later in the mission.

Mission End

The Discovery landed safely at Edwards Air Force Base on June 24, 1985. The mission lasted for 7 days, 1 hour, 38 minutes, and 52 seconds.

Mission Patch

The STS-51-G mission patch shows how much aviation technology has grown in the United States. It features the Discovery Space Shuttle flying above the Wright Flyer, which was one of the first airplanes. A golden eagle forms the bottom part of the patch. The names of the crew members are around the edge of the patch. The French and Saudi crew members have their country's flag next to their names.

Wake-up Calls

Since the Project Gemini program, NASA has had a tradition of playing music to wake up astronauts in space. This started with Apollo 15. The songs are often chosen by the astronauts' families and usually have a special meaning to one of the crew members or relate to their daily tasks.

Images for kids

• 

  Arabsat-1B deployment

• 

  Morelos-1 deployment

• 

  Telstar-303 deployment

• 

  SPARTAN-1 after deployment

See also

In Spanish: STS-51-G para niños