STS-51-F
Experiments in Challenger's payload bay
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| Mission type | Astronomical observations |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1985-063A |
| SATCAT № | 15925 |
| Mission duration | 7 days, 22 hours, 45 minutes, 26 seconds |
| Distance travelled | 5,284,350 kilometres (3,283,543 mi) |
| Orbits completed | 127 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Challenger |
| Launch mass | 114,693 kilograms (252,855 lb) |
| Landing mass | 98,309 kilograms (216,735 lb) |
| Payload mass | 16,309 kilograms (35,955 lb) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 7 |
| Members |
C. Gordon Fullerton Roy D. Bridges, Jr. Karl G. Henize F. Story Musgrave Anthony W. England Loren W. Acton John-David F. Bartoe |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | July 29, 1985, 21:00:00 UTC |
| Launch site | Kennedy LC-39A |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | August 6, 1985, 19:45:26 UTC |
| Landing site | Edwards Runway 23 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee | 312.1 kilometres (193.9 mi) |
| Apogee | 321.1 kilometres (199.5 mi) |
| Inclination | 49.5 degrees |
| Period | 90.9 min |
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 Front row (seated) L–R: Fullerton, Bridges, Back row (standing) L–R: England, Henize, Musgrave, Acton, Bartoe |
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STS-51-F (also known as Spacelab 2) was the nineteenth flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program and the eighth flight of Space Shuttle Challenger. It launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on July 29, 1985, and landed just under eight days later on August 6.
While STS-51-F's primary payload was the Spacelab 2 laboratory module, the payload that received the most publicity was the Carbonated Beverage Dispenser Evaluation, which was an experiment in which both Coca-Cola and Pepsi tried to make their carbonated drinks available to astronauts. A helium-cooled infrared telescope (IRT) was also flown on this mission, and while it did have some problems, it observed 60% of the galactic plane.
During launch the Challenger experienced multiple sensor failings in its Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSME) and had to perform an "Abort to Orbit" (ATO) emergency procedure. It is the only mission to have carried out an abort after launching. As a result of the ATO, the mission was carried out at a slightly lower orbital altitude.
As with previous Spacelab missions, the crew was divided between two 12-hour shifts. Acton, Bridges and Henize made up the "Red Team" while Bartoe, England and Musgrave comprised the "Blue Team"; commander Fullerton could take either shift when needed.Challenger carried two EMUs in the event of an emergency spacewalk, which would have been performed by England and Musgrave.
STS-51-F's first launch attempt on July 12, 1985 was halted with the countdown at T−3 seconds after main engine ignition, when a malfunction of the number two Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) coolant valve caused the shutdown of all three main engines. Challenger launched successfully on its second attempt on July 29, 1985, at 17:00 EDT, after a delay of 1 hour 37 minutes due to a problem with the table maintenance block update uplink.
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